#he left his hometown after some family drama

[thesamoanqueen]

Anatomy of an affair

Warnings: age-gap (but we keep it legal), cheating.

A/N: I was talking to @alyyaanna and the anatomy professor's idea took control, I couldn't resist, so this one for her. It will have a sequel, this is just part 1.

They say the secret of a good relationship is friendship, I had scientifically proven that this wasn't the case being a test subject all my life. Tobert and I had grown up in the same neighborhood in Pendleton South Carolina, two nearby houses, our families loved each other, we went to school together, hung out with the same group of friends, we even broke our arms together – it was his fault –. For everyone we were two soul mates linked, it was inevitable in some way. We had done everything together our whole lives, the most mundane things and the first shameful experiences. Our relationship on paper was destined for success, absolute, overwhelming, our faces under the heading "goal couple", at least until I decided to study medicine in Boston and he stayed in our hometown. Our paths had separated for just three months before he had a bad accident at his uncle's construction company, he had begged me, it had been a tough decision, but I had agreed to come back to support him. But now that I had finally taken control of my life, in my second actual year of studies, Tobert was boycotting everything again.

For the entire previous year I had thought he was trying to distract himself from the void I had left in his life, filling it with trips and nights with co-workers and friends, but looking back I had been kidding myself. Our parents called every day to find out when we were getting married and if I would be home soon, but from him? Oh, well, a few calls, always short, couple of messages, often stupid ones, and a facetime on weekend for some creepy phone sex. He didn't come to visit me, he didn't organize anything when I returned home, for my last birthday he sent me a package with a sweater I suspected he hadn't chosen. And now, after months of tolerating it, I saw him in an IG story with a chick’s ass in his face.

- "Good Lord man!"

- "Sav have you seen? Sav?"

What I could see was that he was even enjoying it! He had the same stupid face of an old man who can't read the newspaper, the one has been in my face since we were fifteen, ending our moments like commercials on TV in his father's garage.

- "What’s with that face? Sav is it everything okay?"

- "Savannah…"

I had felt guilty for wanting to start again and leaving him behind, I was working hard to finish and return home, I had always pushed away the instinct that told me I deserved more and instead he was living his best life without worrying about hiding it. His behaviour was not somekind of abandonment syndrome, it was just one of his bullshit and evidences were everywhere. I was a freking clown, our relationship was a joke I had wanted to believe alone because after so many years it seemed impossible to think of anyone else to me, when he was simply used to having me there at his disposal and now he thought was free. I had wasted my life and almost burned my future…

Realization hit me in the cafeteria, my colleagues staring at me like at some psycopath and rightly so, because when the next story popped up on the screen, I snapped.

- "That asshole!" – my scream echoed throughout the entire hall, overcoming the chatter that always filled it.

The sudden silence that followed and the hand one of my friends smashed against my arm brought me back suddenly, but by then it was late. I had just made the scene I would probably always be remembered for. Standing with my latte dripping onto the couch and music now playing in the background like a bad theme for my drama, I saw dozens of eyes staring at me.

- "... Sav what’s you problem?! We got company... get your ass over here!" – my roommate whispered in a panic, nodding towards the two men who had been about to leave.

In slow motion I saw them both looking at me and to humiliation was added absolute terror when without thinking I raised my hand to wave an embarrassed greeting, restarting Tobert's story. Oh, they would definitely remember me for that scene.

There wasn't a person on the entire campus who didn't know about my performance and the worst thing certainly wasn't the rumors but rather pity looks, plus the extra tasks I had agreed to do to clean up my reputation and keep myself busy. I hadn't received any formal warning, not even a comment, but I didn't want to risk ruining my career after having already dropped out in the past. The idea of losing the opportunity of a lifetime to someone who had already gotten more than he deserved from me drove me crazy.

Tobert hadn't commented, probably his two brain cells hadn't yet met to discuss what to do or they didn't think it was serious, but I had clear ideas and I had chosen to run the circus, patiently planning the day I would have kicked him with my degree.

So armed with good will and courage I marched across campus with my head held high, ready to face my demons and regain total control. It was almost time for the anatomy course to start and I planned to pass with top marks, but to do so I also had to make sure that the new professor didn't just remember me for screaming that day in front of him and his predecessor. My friends talked about him constantly, but I didn't have time for gossip, I had to seem like the right person to invest in for the future of medicine. When I arrived in front of his studio, however, my intention seemed less simple than expected. The entire aisle had been assaulted by a crowd of students, mostly girls. If I had suffered from amnesia, I would have thought I was at a concert or among a nymphomaniacs cult. We weren't in California, those outfits were definitely out of season as well as indecent, what’s was wrong with all of them?

- "Do you think he will receive today?"

- "Ah, I hope so! I want to see him so bad!"

Forced to wait like everyone else, I caught up with the gossip I had refused to hear from my friends, discovering the new professor was not only charming, but also young and free, which explained the cult. I also sadly discovered firsthand he hated receiving students and from what I saw he didn't even respect the time when he should have been forced to do so. Sitting in my chair, I waited twice as long before seeing the other students go away resignedly with their tiny blouses and too short skirts, deciding to spending my time finishing the chemistry project I had to hand in the following week. With my head down and fixed not to give up, I continued typing on my keyboard until two voices distracted me.

- "You can't take care of it alone, it's not necessary and you shouldn't at all" – I knew Mr. Heyman, he was an authority everywhere thanks to his investments and was often in the area because of his daughter, as well as a good friend of the rector.

The other man with him, I had only seen him on the day of my drama and I must not have seen him well due to the shock, because if I had I would not have given dirty looks to all the girls who had waited for him with me. Was he really a professor? Since when were professors like that?! You couldn't be like that, it was disorienting, didn’t help to the teaching process.

- "I should find someone but I don't have time to waste, Paul" – he complained and his voice sent a shiver through my body as I watched them reach the door in front of me.

- "I could ask, I have some friends, I'm sure there will be many smart guys who would be honored to do it, extra credits or not."

- "I will do it."

I said without thinking, lost in thoughts I shouldn't have been having, and they both turned to look at me, just as confused and surprised by the interruption as I was.

I had planned to introduce myself, ask a few questions, apologize for the bad first impression and now I had just made another one, listening to conversations that didn't concern me, without even saying hello, volunteering for who knows what next. Perfect.

Once the confusion was over, Mr. Heyman looked at me with interest, almost analyzing me, and I quickly tried to put myself together, putting everything away to get up.

- "And you are?" – He asked, his hands hidden in the pockets of his elegant suit.

- "Savannah Naïs Simon. Among the best in my class" – I introduced myself without hesitation and once again mentally scolded myself.

Now I even praised myself?! I usually handled the pressure well, for that kind of career it was indispensable, after all, but all of a sudden I was making one misstep after another and I couldn't afford it, not now. Tobert wasn't there to screw things, I had no excuses, it was my time, it was up to me. Head held high, nerves strong, that's what I needed.

- "Among the best doesn't mean the best" – Mr. Heyman cut me off, shaking his head – "and we have to check it too. I'll make a call."

Struck dumb, I quickly tried to think of something, anything, to make my case. The other professors would have confirmed, but what would I look like standing there waiting for their help?

- "It's no use" – however, Professor Reigns, who had watched until that moment, stopped us both.

His voice really played tricks on my body, but when my eyes met his it was even worse. His expression conveyed nothing, I couldn't imagine what he was thinking, but he exuded authority and there was something magnetic about him, the kind of man capable of changing the atmosphere with just his presence.

- "Are you sure?" – he heard Mr. Heyman ask him, finally stopping looking at me.

- "I’ll take her" – he established, checking me for a brief moment and I held my breath without even realizing it.

He will… take me? for doing what? And was it positive or…

- "We start tomorrow morning" – he said, addressing me directly.

- "I will be on time" – I promised, even if he had already turned his back to me to open the door, Mr. Heyman following him without paying any more attention to me.

- "No phone Miss Simon" – he advised from afar, just before I was left completely alone in the aisle and I distinctly felt the weight of the entire campus falling on me.

I had risked making another scene, I had volunteered for something I didn't even know what it was, I would have had to move lessons to keep my word and I would have thrown away even the amount of time I had left to sleep. And once again that wasn't the worst, but the fact he remembered and had already targeted me before I could even apologize.

What awaited me was a role as an assistant for the entire duration of the course, but I only found out the following day, after spending the whole night awake. I wouldn't have much time to do anything else, it was clear from the first moment, but I had no intention of backing out after having volunteered. It wasn't just a way to make up for my bad impression, it was an opportunity for which anyone else would have gladly given an organ, I myself would have done so - who needed two kidneys? One was enough - and that would certainly help my career, I was lucky. Professor Reigns was a successful doctor, he had changed the landscape of pathological anatomy with his works and his presence was an honor for the university. Admissions to his course were closed after just one day and the program specified that a selection would still be made by him personally. Assisting him and observing how he worked could have given me a great advantage in the selection phase and that was what I was aiming for. Memorizing had always been my thing, but anatomy was much more than listing body parts.

However, reality once again did not correspond to my expectations and in the following three days, I felt more like a secretary than an assistant, with alla those emails and calls. He always arrived early and most of the time I found him sitting at his desk, looking at personal documents and boxes full of medical records. He worked with his head down for hours, often without speaking or taking a break, which wasn't good for my ambition, but at least it helped me not to get distracted because the rare times I saw him looking at me were a test of mental resistance.

His presence demanded attention, his imposing body promised what it shouldn't with the most banal gestures like a pen between his fingers. Calling him a good-looking man would have been an insult, the world was full of handsome and insignificant men, but he had something vaguely frightening, something I had never tasted before and it awakened an almost primordial impulse in me.

The sound of someone knocking on the door brought me out of my thoughts and I quickly straightened up, hoping nothing in me would give me away. I couldn't think about certain things, I wasn't there to daydream about affairs, not when my future was in play and my lifelong boyfriend had cheated on me. A student I had seen a couple of times appeared in the doorway, wearing a lab coat, a deep neckline underneath. Her blue eyes scanned the room where I was in search of what interested her and which was instead sitting in the near room.

- "I know it's not reception hour, but is the professor over there? I would like to talk to him in private about some things" – she said without even trying too hard to simulate and I batted my eyelashes at her, fascinated and annoyed at her courage before stopping her.

- "Unfortunately he is busy. If it’s important you can ask via email or otherwise wait for the course to start. Lessons start tomorrow morning, the time and place are already confirmed" – I anticipated, getting a reproachful look.

- "I need to see him now."

Oh, I could imagine it and I would have complimented the clever attempt to show up when no one was waiting if she hadn't been trying to call me dumb.

- "Can I help you now?" – I proposed without getting too upset and she seemed on the verge of losing her patience.

- "Can I have an appointment?"

- "Sure, I'll put you on the list."

I didn't see her expression, she was probably furious, but she didn't give me time, huffing her disappointment out of the studio, leaving me with the agenda in my hand. I closed it with a heavy breath, putting it back in my bag, where I had been advised to keep it so that it was always with me and never unattended. When I raised my head I almost had a heart attack, discovering Professor Reigns intent on staring at me from his desk, hands crossed, his expression curious.

- "I'm busy?" – he inquired and his low, rough voice made my neck tingle.

I hadn't told a lie, he was busy. He worked on those medical records all day, there was always some document on which he kept his eyes glued. Why was he staring at me like that? Maybe I shouldn't have spoken before asking yes, but my intentions weren't bad, I was trying to be helpful.

- "With the material for the research project and the visit to the rector this afternoon, plus I don't think she really had any questions" – I explained, clenching my fists praying that I could use them against myself because it would have been much better.

I spoke without being involved, I made decisions independently, now I also commented and implied. The unkind thoughts I'd had about Tobert were backfiring on me, bad karma.

- "Is that so?" – Professor Reigns asked curiously, leaning back in his chair and knowing for a fact it was better keep my mouth closed, I nodded, returning to look at my laptop in silence hoping to not have to explain anything else.

I couldn't talk about those things with a professor, someone who could have mentored me, it didn't matter if there wasn't that much of an age gap between us and we ended up on the topic. It was an off limits talk and I tried to focus on the topics outline he would analyze the following day during the first lesson, it had to be detailed and precise, but I couldn't even read what I had summarized until five minutes before.

- "Savannah right?" – I heard my name being called and even more shocked, I watched him finally get up from his desk to join me – "you want to be a cardiologist"

- "How... who"- I spluttered in surprise and putting hands in his pockets, he smiled at me amused.

A smile that would have knocked anyone out, perfect and soft, so incredibly unexpected on an authority figure like him. For three days he had paid almost no attention to me, only addressing me as necessary as Miss. Simon and I had never hoped for more than that, because of our first meeting and his role. Plus not many people knew my goal, after giving up and coming back was something I had learned to keep to myself.

- "Paul is a friend of mine and the rector's. He has his people. He was doubtful at first, but he thought better of it after a few calls and was right as always. You're doing a good job" – he replied, clarifying the doubts I wasn't even able to express and I felt my stomach tighten with emotion.

I knew I shouldn't expect recognition, not in such a competitive environment and when I was a nobody, but it was nice to know my effort was being noticed. Noticed moreover by people of that level. It was a rush of positive energy I really needed to give value to my sacrifices and know investing in myself was the right thing. Tobert and this sort of incestuous relationship we'd had had tried to screw everything, but I was still in the running.

- "I do my best, it's an honor" – I said enthusiastically, matching the smile he had given me, but he raised a hand to stop me, swinging his head.

- "Let's leave this out, I need support and an objective opinion at every lesson. I'm not a real professor, I'm a doctor, but it's an opportunity and everyone has something to pass on. Do you think you can do it, without distractions?" – He asked, throwing another dig at me, but this time I quickly got over it, nodding immediately.

At that point I would have done anything he asked me, I couldn't refuse him anything. It had been three days as a secretary, ignored and perpetually under pressure, but I had passed the test, I had earned his trust. He really wanted me to become his assistant now, he asked for my opinion even though we weren't equals in that field. Screw karma, I had already won in life at that point!

- "I can give my word Sir" – I promised and once again that smile appeared on his perfect face.

- "Good girl" – he approved, before leaving me again.

Those two words rang in my ears right inside my head, as dangerous as a spell and I had the impression of feeling my blood warm, while my body suddenly came alive and melted at the idea of having deserved that pet name. Subconsciously, I scratched my notebook, legs clenched under the desk as I watched the profile of his massive back. We had had an important moment and there I was holding my breath for something that Tobert had never in a lifetime been able to give me, after two words said without any intention.

I saw Mr. Reigns sit back down, rolling his shoulders with ease as he resumed whatever had occupied him before our chat. His eyes searched me one last time and a part of me that shouldn't have throbbed around nothing, making me lower my head to the lesson plan.

I was imagining it, it was in my head and it had to disappear as soon as possible.

Tag squad: @sunnyfleur23 @racerchix21 @alyyaanna @expert-texpert @romanreignsdefencesquad @romanstheory @claymorexpunisher @keybladeofsteel @msbigredmachine @nayys-world @gobbersworld @utika151209 @cumxxslutt @civildawn @romanmydaddy @triscillal @papireigns-05 @helensanders92 @darqchilddaydreamz @meggylynnloves @unfriendly--blvck--hottie @nicolewoo @joannasteez @reignsx @kianaleani @daguenoire @extra-11 @333creolelady @snowpanda18 @brattyfics @mzv11 @romanreignseater @dreamsinfocus @vebner37 @depressedneedingrevenge @cyberdejos2 @mahi-wayy @jxtina-86 @harmshake @southerngirl41 @smile1318 @headoftheetable @sortudademais

[altocat]

Um. Long essay ahead, sorry lol.

We are talking about the Genesis-Sephiroth drama and I must say: Genesis is so very human and I love that. I think he seriously thought that Seph needed to hear some cold, harsh truth to finally see why Shinra sucked and why he and Angeal had defected. So, he just went straight for Seph’s most painful issue—his mother and the answers regarding her. 

I know we react viscerally to the idea of Gen having known about Seph searching for his mother and then weaponizing that, but think about it. Angeal is dead by that point and Genesis is on the verge of death. He is desperate. The man is broken to pieces after discovering that his entire existence had been a lie, an experiment, an abuse of power, etc., and that his own adoptive parents had “betrayed” him. He basically was reduced to an orphan that discovered how awful his care-takers were and how they had used him. 

On top of all this, he lost Angeal, his closest childhood friend, to the SAME horrific downfall. I don’t think we talk enough about how Angeal’s death probably messed with Gen, but I feel that he gets noticeably crueler and frailer afterwards. Shinra took everything from those boys, and Gen’s last hope for any salvation was Sephiroth, who was STILL letting himself be under Shinra’s command. Genesis absolutely wanted to hurt him with a wakeup call and went for the heart with his dagger. 

He probably thought he was doing well, that Sephiroth needed it, and yes, a strain of bitterness from their past rivalry tainted his words, but wasn’t it all just forgivable drivel in the face of their deeper friendship? In the end, Sephiroth could overlook that after seeing the light, yes?

Genesis wasn’t an idiot. He really did believe Sephiroth would help him despite the rude awakening, but what he lacked was deeper insight and empathy for his old friend. 

Genesis had a normal chldhood. He understood family, he understood the idea of a “hometown,” he knew how to hold friends and have fun with his life—he had autonomy despite the lies surrounding his birth. Sephiroth had absolutely none of this throughout his life and had trusted his heart only to his friends—one of whom was dead by that point and the other seemingly a traitor who appeared to use his greatest weakness against him before demanding a part of his very essence. Sephiroth had nothing left in that moment.

Genesis did truly descend into his frenzied, imagined glory-tale of three friends that were all monsters and could save themselves together, thinking that he had a chance to full-fill that dream, but he made the mistake of underestimating Sephiroth’s crumbling mental stability as a human being. We saw what discovering the truth did to two kids that grew up fairly normal. It ruined them, killed them, made one of them cruel in many ways. Gen and Angeal suffered immensely believing they were monsters and eventually reshaped pieces of history in retaliation.

But Sephiroth? The “other” child of Shinra? The solitary one? The one that had been violated directly from the womb…not just through his mother’s cells…but from the time his own life force began to take shape? The one that had been raised to be a killing machine with no true connection to the outside world? His discovery of the truth broke his psyche and led to apocalyptic events. 

Genesis simply failed to consider this, so his “splash of cold water” mixed with his own bitterness, which would have been cruel enough under normal circumstances, actually led to extremely dark consequences. I absolutely believe he knew that Sephiroth had been searching for his mother for his whole life, that Sephiroth had indicated it or brought it up at some point during their youth, regardless of whether the picture was involved or not.

I absolutely think Genesis weaponized Sephiroth’s gaping wound in that area, but I don’t think he realized how damaging it would truly be. He forgot that his friend was not at all “normal” and that his orphanhood was a different entity—something colder and more feral than most. Even most orphans are not completely deprived of normal lives and raised as weapons. We see this with many other characters. So many that lost their families or never knew them still found a way to make a place for themselves in the world or substitute their loss with something else.

Sephiroth literally could not do this as Shinra’s weapon. He had tried with his two friends and lost them both. He was already collapsing under the weight of it all, and Genesis simply did not see it in time. So, he played with fire and paid the price. That look of hurt on his face when Seph rejects him is genuine and raw and real. He had faith in them, in their friendship, and thought that it could withstand a bit of turmoil like it had in the past—but that only could have maybe been the case if Sephiroth had not been who he was—if he had been normal.

Genesis never quite fully understood his hero in the end and it makes me so fucking sad.

I don't think I could have said it better myself. Amazing analysis.

Genesis is a severely misunderstood character. It's really easy to dismiss him without taking a closer look at his feelings and motives. I think there was plenty of bitterness towards Seph, but we all seem to forget that Genesis' deepest, dearest desire at the end of the day was to share the apples with Sephiroth in a moment of acknowledgement. Genesis hurt Sephiroth badly, but there's more layers to it than just petty rivalry and Genesis being terrible just for the sake of it.

[knightyoomyoui]

The Tale Of The Bloodline | TWICE MiSaMo (Mina, Sana & Momo) x Male Reader- CHAPTER 1: “Help Wanted”

Enjoy the pilot chapter of this roller coaster ride of a story based from the current critically acclaimed storyline in wrestling industry between a wrestling faction The Bloodline consisting of wrestlers Roman Reigns, The Usos (Jimmy and Jey), Solo Sikoa along with their manager Paul Heyman and wrestler Sami Zayn, both from WWE.

Authors note: Unlike the original source that was only full of family and brotherhood drama, this one has romance included that is centered on one of the trio and you as the male reader.

After a match that is part of the current card for tonight's show has just finished, the cameras switched next to the backstage; where a black limousine just appeared and parked in an empty available lot.

The door opened, revealing a man wearing a full business tuxedo attire first while carrying two huge gold championship belts in his shoulders as he hopped out of the expensive car.

His name is Park Jinyoung, the wiseman and special adviser of the group whose about to emerge next.

Out of the car after follows four other passengers that made the crowd inside the arena resonate in a mix of loud boos and cheers.

They closed the door and aligned themselves with Jinyoung. A smirk crept up on the manager as the owner of the prize he's carrying on his arms has made his presence beside him.

Standing on the left side was The Myouis, twin siblings Mina and YN who are carrying also two belts respectively, one is a black strapped with bronze plate and one is a red strapped with yellow plate.

They are the current Tag Team Champions, reigning for 279 days and they are intergender, which means they are a team composed of a male and a female and it is completely legal in their company for opposite genders to fight in the battleground.

Loyalists of gender equality indeed.

And last but not least or should be either called it rather, saving the last for the best; standing on the right side of Special Adviser Jinyoung was the cousins of the Myouis, the reigning, defending and undisputed Japan Fightful Federation's World Champion himself whose reign is now about to reach 600+ days being undefeated.

Nakamoto Yuta, the crowned Highness Of The Land in their hometown Kobe, Japan, as well as being the proclaimed Empire Chief of their royal fighter clan.

Until now, their bloodline is standing tall at the highest throne in their sacred Judgment Dome, and Underground Fight Club-like place where people sign up and fight through matches in the Fight Pit with some helps to determine who will be the defending champion's challenger and the high ranking champion will only get to fight at a special event.

Since none has ever beaten Yuta for the title yet, that means Yuta still remains as the supreme leader of some cities in Japan where Yuta defended his titles winningly. That's the additional reward for anyone who will be the Japan's World Champion in that particular field.

"Now we're all seeing the arrival of The Bloodline in backstage, led by the Undisputed Japan's Champion, the Empire Chief himself present in the show. We're gonna witness more of them live next on Knockdown!", the commentator said as the cameras slowly fades off from its presentation of the Bloodline entering the building.

-TIMESKIP-

After the commercials rolled, the show went back on air as the entrance theme for The Myouis played in the titantron and through the speakers of the arena with Myoui YN appearing first before her twin sister Mina trailed behind.

The bell rang thrice before the announcer shouted.

"The following contest is scheduled for one fall, introducing first; accompanied by Myoui Mina: one half of the Undisputed Japan Fightful Federation Tag Team Champions, Myoui YN!!!"

The crowd then created another echoes of boos and cheers for the arrival of the Tag Team Champions and pieces of The Bloodline themselves.

"You got this, brother!", Mina patted YN's shoulder and they both nodded at one another before YN climbed up in the ring with a smile, raising his index finger to the sky as it represents their team's catchphrase "We The Ones".

YN prepares himself, hopping and running back and forth as he stares at the entranceway, waiting for his opponent to arrive.

Few moments later, the entrance theme of the next fighter was played after.

"And his opponent, from Seoul, South Korea weighing in at 103 pounds; Jang Wonnnnyoung!"

Wonyoung walked down in the ramp as she greeted some of the crowd sitting in the front row cheering for her, returning their waves of high five offers with a lovable smile.

She entered in the ring, a piercing stare from YN received but was unintimidated by it; knowing that despite being a champion she knows that she still has a chance to face and defeat him.

The two stood at each corners before the referee rang the bell, signalling for them to begun fighting.

-12 MINUTES LATER-

"YN charging down through Wonyoung- OH! Wonyoung side stepped!", the announcer called the match while monitoring the fight in the ring focusedly.

At the same time in the backstage, the camera cuts at Yuta along with Jinyoung standing behind his back; also watching the match in a large LED screen at their locker room.

Back to the match, Wonyoung did avoided YN's incoming charge attack, making the tag champ crash at the turnbuckle.

He rotated around, only to meet a spinning kick from Wonyoung in the head; successfully had YN dizzy and fall into fours.

Wonyoung immediately went through the congruent corner, hyping up the crowd more as the impending doom for YN is about to be delivered courtesy of her.

"And now, Wonyoung from the other side; looking to capitalize YN with a knee strike- OH WAIT A MINUTE!"

Just as Wonyoung is now all prepared to charge straight at YN, everybody in the arena saw Mina climbed up in the border of the ring which caught the referee's attention

"MYOUI MINA WITH THE INTERFERENCE! DISTRACTING BOTH THE REFEREE AND WONYOUNG TO PROTECT HER TWIN BROTHER YN!

The referee approached her and asked her to leave the ring. It made the irritated Wonyoung try to attack Mina but Mina avoided by jumping out.

As she was about to return her focus back, Wonyoung ate a crunchy super kick right through her face by YN which urged the crowd to boo harder at him at Mina, but was unaffected and instead supporting her brother more to finish the match already. Just doing how bad guys usually do.

"WONYOUNG WITH A SURPRISE SUPERKICK FROM YN, AND NOW... YN UP TOP; GOING ONE AND DONE WITH A SPLASH! COVER!"

YN hastily climbed up to the top turnbuckle and performs a frog splash on Wonyoung, lifting up her leg as the referee began counting.

"1...2...3"

The bell rang.

"YN wins for the Bloodline due to the unfair assist from Mina.", said by the announcer disappointingly.

"Here is your winner, Myoui YN!", the referee reaches for YN's arm, distancing him from the unconscious and defeated Wonyoung laying in the ring.

YN's arm was raised in victory and Mina entered the ring with the Tag Titles in her hand, giving the other one to her brother and congratulated him for his win.

"Thanks sis."

"Always have my back for you, bro.", Mina smiled and hugged his exhausted twin before they mocked the crowd for their favorite's lose as they made their way out on the ramp.

-15 MINUTES LATER-

The large screens above the ring and the entranceway as well as everyone's watching that were not present live in the show is seeing The Bloodline together in their locker room.

The freshly fought YN is resting in the couch along with his cousin Yuta on the center and Mina on the other side, with Jinyoung in his single chair all both sitting comfortably.

They were discussing about how it made YN's win delightful and some random family topic when a knock on the door made them all alerted.

"Check who's outside.", Yuta commanded Jinyoung.

"Yes, my Empire Chief."

Jinyoung stood up from his seat and quickly opened the door slightly, peeking at the gap on who could that person be.

What he saw knitted his eyebrows in complete confusion at its unexpected appearance.

He kept it as he left the door slightly opened and the person behind it, walking back and bent his body to set his face closer to the ears of the Empire Chief who sensed the incoming update coming from him.

"My Empire Chief, there's a... guest who wants to see you.", Jinyoung said with a puzzled tone.

"A guest?"

Jinyoung nodded.

"Who?", Yuta asked cluelessly.

Jinyoung clapped his hands twice, his own way to gesture the mysterious person to come inside.

Opening the door widely, it revealed its identity who is a gorgeously, well-built woman wearing her fighter attire; causing Yuta, Mina and YN to join Jinyoung crumpled their foreheads even more in utter confusion at how unfamiliar this girl is.

"You may now introduce yourself.", Jinyoung instructed.

"Hi!!! You all must be the rulers of this kingdom around here! Great to see all of you!", the woman enthusiastically greets the bewildered Bloodline while jumping in glee. It made their heads flinch a bit when she added a loud clap at the end.

"And you, sir Yuta; first and foremost I just wanted to say that... I acknowledge you.", the woman pointed her finger directly at Yuta who guaranteedly hooked his interest at her after she said that one thing he always wants to hear from people who has to get to see him on the show; raising his one eyebrow at her.

"I haven't said my name yet, do I? Well, my name is Minatozaki Sana, just a newcomer here and I'm a huge fan of every one of you, especially you; Empire Chief!"

The rest just watched the fighter present herself in front of them without shame and pure energetically as if she's literally speaking to somebody she has already met and known personally before.

She's giving this very comfortable connection that it lessens the awkwardness of the atmosphere they're sharing at the same time and with that being said, it lures them to also build their want to chat with this stranger.

"The stuff that you're doing recently? With all those smashing and punching, it is absolutely great!", Sana taunted a chef's kiss and other hand movements to act and emphasize her words further.

The group silently decided to continue listening at her, letting her to speak her intention of visiting here bravely more and more at them.

"No dispute, Yuta Nakamoto: the Highness Of The Land. No question at all. I see and hear everything around here and- wait lemme give you an example.

Earlier, I happened to eavesdrop LE SSERAFFIM and Kim Jennie there being goodies at each other and- hold on I heard you two will have a title match against them, if I'm not mistaken right?", Sana travelled her fingers back and forth at Mina and YN who didn't responded vocally but deep inside they knew that what Sana said is true.

They do have a scheduled match against Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Chaewon also known as the duo LE SSERRAFIM for the Tag Team Championships at the upcoming special pay-per-view event next week after the crowd favorite duo challenged them from the previous show and accepted it.

"So yeah, and now they're all going to be on my lumberjack match tonight which is... HAHAHAHA it's really unbelievable.", Sana laughed crazily at the ridiculous thought.

"Look, I don't mean to snitch, I'm not a rat but... I happen to hear them say very disrespectful things about your family, Yuta."

Mina and YN looked at her while Yuta intensely stared, his eyebrows never spread apart as he stroked his chin; stressfully waiting for what's about to follow for him to know.

"That, I guess... brings me to my proposal."

Sana kneeled in front of Yuta.

"As of late, my reputation as of late with how the people welcomes me here has me taking hit after hit and now it keeps getting worse because they think that I shouldn't fight Kim Jennie tonight because I should be rather scared WHICH I'M NOT!", Sana's tone gets louder and more maniacally at how irritating it makes her think and feel regarding that.

"What I need more than anything is to beat Kim Jennie to gain the respect and credibility that I deserve and owe to prove to everyone that even as a newbie I won't let anyone belittle me just like that!", Sana expressed her frustration in her rant, aggressively pointing at herself.

"I have to beat Kim Jennie. So I guess what I'm getting at is that maybe  there's was some way.... that I could get some help with that."

Yuta, YN and Jinyoung knitted their brows once again, but this time... it got more narrow and deeper at how eager they are at this Sana girl's proposition.

"I would be more happy to help out in return."

Sana shrinked her distance of herself to Yuta who didn't looked at her, sliding her knees at once inches away to him; formed her hands as if she's praying or begging.

"Trust me when I tell you this, I could be a very valuable ally here. I acknowledge you... and I want you to recognize me because... as I said, I acknowledge you.", Sana repeated that golden praise over and over again as part of her pleading. Yuta nodded slowly, showing a sign that he's liking what she's doing.

Sana sprung her body back up in posture, which effectively flinched again the Bloodline in surprise again.

"OKAY! GOOD TALK, I SAID THE THING AND I... have to go now. Bye!", Sana nervously smiled in the end before exiting the room; leaving the Bloodline processing everything what Sana just told to them.

YN pushed his head near beside Yuta who remains unmovable and speechless; hands clenched at one another as he stares at the wall sharply.

"So we got people... in my show... talking harsh about me and our family.", Yuta gritted his teeth, lips quivering in growing anger as he tilted his head to YN's direction.

He included Mina at the width of his sight, turning his head at his younger cousin with his same demeanor.

"Take my name... out of their filthy mouths."

YN and Mina looked at each other as they realized they were just informed a new mission to accomplish by their infuriated Empire Chief while Jinyoung decided not to join and maintain his silence at the situation.

[sitp-recs]

Anime Recs Pt 4

So apparently I can’t get enough of these lists and after the BL recs I’m back with a round of personal favorites nobody asked for 🫡 There are many different flavours here but these are epic stories for those who enjoy fantasy, sci-fi and coming-of-age shonen with emotional damage oof that’s my kryptonite right there! This is basically a mix of formative classics and some new gems that brought back my love for anime. I’d love to chat if you’ve seen & enjoyed any of these!

1. Attack on Titan (fantasy, post-apocalyptic)

Set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as Titans; the story follows Eren Yeager, who vows to exterminate the Titans after they bring about the destruction of his hometown and the death of his mother.

2. Blue Eye Samurai (historical, drama)

During Japan's Edo period (17th century), half-white half-Japanese Onna-musha Mizu quests for vengeance against four white men, one of whom is her father, who illegally remained in Japan during the closing of its borders by the Tokugawa shogunate.

3. Cowboy Bebop (sci-fi, space western)

Set in 2071 in a post-apocalyptic world where Earth has become largely uninhabitable, the story follows a ragtag group of bounty hunters, known as cowboys, aboard the spaceship “Bebop.” As they traverse planets and moons in search of wanted fugitives, each cowboy contends with shadows from the past they can't outrun.

4. Hunter x Hunter (shonen, adventure)

Gon Freecss discovers that his father, who left him at a young age, is a world-renowned Hunter, a licensed professional who specializes in fantastical pursuits such as locating rare animal species, treasure hunting, surveying unexplored enclaves, or hunting down lawless individuals. Gon departs on a journey to become a Hunter himself, and eventually find his father.

5. Jujutsu Kaisen (fantasy, supernatural)

The story follows high school student Yuji Itadori as he joins a secret organization of Jujutsu Sorcerers to eliminate a powerful Curse named Ryomen Sukuna, of whom Yuji becomes the host.

6. Kids on the Slope (music, slice-of-life)

Kaoru Nishimi is an intelligent, introverted first-year high school student from a wealthy family who moves cities frequently as a result of his father's career. He has never made lasting friendships, but discovers jazz music after meeting classmates Sentarō Kawabuchi and Ritsuko Mukae.

7. Link Click (mystery, supernatural)

Using superpowers to enter their clientele's photos one by one, Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang take their work seriously at "Time Photo Studio," a small photography shop set in the backdrop of a modern metropolis. Each job can be full of dangers, but nothing is more important than fulfilling every order without changing the past.

8. Nana (josei, drama/romance)

Two ostensibly opposite women, both named Nana, become roommates in Tokyo and grow inseparable. However, their relationship is jeopardized as the harsh realities of adult life take shape.

9. Naruto (shonen, adventure)

The series follows the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.

10. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (historical, drama)

A man is released from prison and becomes the apprentice of famous rakugo performer Yakumo Yurakutei. The story focuses on the backstories of the performers and their struggle to gain popularity, following Yakumo's apprenticeship and rise to fame, and his friendship with fellow performer Sukeroku.

[cobiehaven]

Hunted — Hwang Hyunjin

SYNOPSIS; you don’t know what you did to get on someone’s bad side so much to have them hire someone to kill you but with your record, you weren’t about to let some tall man, dressed in all black, overpower you.

PAIRING; hitman!hyunjin x boxer!reader, ft. boxer!changbin.

GENRE; drama, angst, slightly funny.

WORD COUNT; 3.2k

TAGS/WARNINGS; hitman au, assassin au, boxer au, slightly violent scene, strong language, lowkey not really a suggestive scene, hyunjin lowkey is crushing on reader, frequent death storyline mentioned, no established ending.

AUTHORS NOTE; i know a hitman and assassin are two different things but we can pretend that it’s the same in this context 🫶.

you don’t know what you did to get on someone’s bad side like this but you sure as hell thought you didn’t deserve to be targeted like this.

three weeks ago, your life started going down hill when your family went off on a business trip to the states. you stayed behind because you had a lot of financial businesses to catch up with and you wouldn’t be able to make up for those outside of your hometown. fully expecting your parents to return back home safely, you were greeted with the police knocking on your door in the middle of the night to let you know that your parents had been deemed missing and presumed dead after two weeks. although you weren’t there for your parents disappearance, you just knew your parents wouldn’t kill themselves and leave everything up to you. you were an only child and your parents were always happy and loyal people, they would never think of doing something like that or leave you with nothing but grocery money!

especially without leaving a note!

besides, it was a common thought for old people to assume that suicide was a selfish way to go. your parents definitely fell under that category.

in your head, it didn’t make any logical sense as to why your own flesh and blood would take their lives without leaving behind a note.

you sighed as you knew that you wouldn’t get your answers just by moping around and hoping something was going to start piecing together. you needed more evidence. and that’s was what you were going to get!… just as soon as you got the money to afford a plane ticket to the states. for now, you were just digging around in all of your parents records or what they had that could lead to people who might have disliked or known of someone who disliked your parents enough to drive themselves to murder.

so far, all of the people and places you have visited hasn’t been in your best of luck.

you sighed and closed up the big cardboard box on the floor, lifting it into your arms and shoving it back on the top shelf of your parents closet. as you wiped the sweat from your forehead, your attention was brought to the buzzing noise coming from the bedside table. you smiled when you saw your best friends name pop up on the screen, wasting no time to answer it. “hey binnie,” you nicknamed him. “what’s up?” you could hear slight rustling on the other side of the phone, you left him on speaker as you finished up gathering the mess you had made while researching. “just wanted to check in on you,” he said as you playfully rolled your eyes.

“bin, you know you don’t need to be my therapist and check up on me everyday every two hours, right?”

“i know but if i lost my parents i’d be pretty-“

“it’s fine. i’m not sad, i’m just…”

“depressed? anxious? mourning? slowly but surely going insane?”

“….”

“….”

“are you done?”

“most definitely.”

the both of you shared a small laugh together before you could hear your phone going off again, the familiar facetime ringing boosting a good kind of happiness in you. you reached for your phone, accepting the facetime and nearly jumping when changbin screamed at you through the phone. “what?!” you clutched your hands to your chest. “why do you look so exhausted?!” you blinked at him, he blinked back, you rolled your eyes, he pursed his lips. “i told you, i’ve been looking for stuff all night.” you did indeed tell him this when he called you at like 4 in the morning asking for yet another daily checkup. “i don’t know how you forgot, you literally called me again 10 minutes after i told you i was fine this morning,” you shrugged and dropped the papers back into the other box you had laid out. “i was bored that time! there’s a difference!” you just hummed in response.

“so we’re you only calling me to check up on me or did you call for something else?”

“i actually did call for something else.”

“i’m listening.”

“when are you moving out of the house?”

ah, this question. it was one that you were highly and desperately trying to avoid answering and conflicting with. the landlord has been after your ass the whole week since it was just the start of a new month. she couldn’t give you any more chances if you were going to drag out the payments like this. but the thing was… you had no other choice when you needed the money to spend on food.

“that is a great question,” you answered shortly after, trying to make it seem like you weren’t stressed out by it.

“hey! if you come by the gym, i think the coach was talking about setting up a bed for you upstairs since you won’t be having a place to stay soon.”

“binnie, you know i don’t take offers like that. tell him i said i’ll be fine and wouldn’t want to dirty his spare place just because i have a lot going on.”

“you know he won’t give up on asking.”

you sighed, just wanting this whole mess to come to a close. although, it was only you who was dragging this out. you didn’t tell anyone about your self-induced investigation except for changbin but somehow it seemed like a good people knew by now. you should have known that telling him would cause problems when you considered how loud he was.

“he’s only going to keep asking you if you keep skipping practice.”

“he’s going to keep asking me even if i come to practice.”

“i think you should just take the offer. i mean, what else do you plan to do? respectfully, i know you don’t have the money to afford a place.”

“i can afford a place!”

“i mean a safe place.”

you didn’t say anything as you both knew that if you didn’t take the coaches offer, then you would either be sleeping on the streets or be sleeping in a run down building with wanted criminals as your next door neighbors.

besides, changbin was fully aware of this strange feeling you’ve been getting whenever you were alone.

the feeling of someone watching you constantly.

it was best to play your cards safe for the time being.

“fine, i’ll talk to him about it tomorrow,” you sighed, glancing over to the outdated calendar of two years. you weren’t surprised that your parents still used it as they couldn’t afford wasting money on another nice looking calendar. every penny was worth saving for living and food.

you still had until the end of the week before you had to give the house up. which happened to be coming up much faster than you wanted it to.

you just hoped that everything would work out with no complications.

he didn’t say no. in fact, he offered to let you live there until you had all of your debts payed off and got to living comfortably in your own home. only… it was the coach that you had hoped not to ask and with no days left to plan accordingly, you were forced to ask the second in lead. according to changbin, the vise-coach was the brother of the head-coach. you didn’t believe it though, the two of them were nothing alike much less looked alike. maybe they were only half related? or maybe step siblings? either way, one of them definitely showed up to practices more than the other.

changbin kept making awkward jokes that the vise-coach had some kind of crush on you to let you stay for as long as you want but you played it off as there was no way that could be when you don’t even show up to practice half of the time.

“hwang hyunjin…” you read from the hung up posters on the walls dating from all the former coaches up till now. it was a picture of a man with long blonde hair and thick pink lips, his eyes were sharp and his build was long. you read that he was the vise-coach of this place, currently. although you weren’t sure how much that would last as the main coach often favored other people every 3 weeks. “well, at least now i actually know his full name.” you had failed to notice the fairly small posters of their faces on the back walls until now. the gym always had low lights so it was often hard to make out certain things when it came to just having a glance around. “y/n?” you heard a familiar voice call out to you. you whipped your head around, your eyes locking with the one that you weren’t sure if you were happy or scared to see. “coach!” you were startled when you took extra notice to his bare chest and shoulders flashing you, the white cloth draped over his damp bronze and another wrapped around his waist loosely, the small droppings of water falling from his edges to the floor below you both. although you saw half naked men all the time for being the only girl in this gym, it still was something you could never get used to when it was anything but shorts or sweats. at least it was the right coach this time… quickly, you cleared your throat.

“thank you for letting me stay,” you whispered, suddenly feeling shy for being such an intruder. “huh? what do you mean?”

there was a very long and rippling silence.

you shifted left and right to each foot. “oh, coach hwang didn’t tell you..?” you had no idea why the second in lead wouldn’t immediately bring up such a big issue to the head but for now you were just going to blame it on your sudden change of heart to stay. “tell me that you were staying?” you nodded. “at first i was going to offer to clean the entire gym but i felt that wouldn’t be enough payment for letting me stay in the overnight room,” you shifted awkwardly again when you saw him glance down at the loads of bags and boxes laying at your feet.

“oh, well, if you don’t have anywhere else to stay then i don’t mind you staying here but were you planning to make this a permanent stay?”

“until i grab the money to grab my own place, yes.”

“okay but y/n… just know that i already gave you a free pass to practice here without any cost.”

“yes sir, i am aware.”

“that was my gift to your parents, now this is my gift to you. i better not get any complaints from anyone.”

you nodded and bowed, waiting until he disappeared around the corner to go change into his clothes before lifting your head up again.

if it weren’t for your parents unexpected death, you probably would be one of the best fighters in the ring.

you wished things turned out that way instead of how they did. your life would be so much happier knowing that they’d be alive and well.

after a couple of nightly hours, you finally finished unpacking your things just to get settled for the night. the extra room was in the very back of the gym so you didn’t have to worry about being disturbed in the early mornings. besides, the gym often didn’t open until late afternoon so you got to sleep in as much as you wanted. that would be assuming your 10 jobs didn’t mind, anyways. you highly doubted they wouldn’t mind.

as you flared up your favorite comforter onto the bed, you were suddenly interrupted when your stomach growled loudly.

you glanced at the newly set up clock, “oh.. i forgot to eat dinner again.” you made your way over to your bag to flip out your wallet, frowning when you only had enough to buy maybe a couple of things at the convenience store. the rest would sadly have to be saved on covering debts. “ugh, whatever. you can never go wrong with food,” you sighed off and got yourself ready to go out in just sweats and a large t-shirt.

the walk wasn’t long, thankfully there was an alleyway that led to a shorter route to the store. you had never once found that alleyway unsettling as you had walked down it multiple times during the night and day but that all changed on your way back after picking up your dinner for the night. taking quiet footsteps down the dark aisle, you were startled when you heard rustling plastic coming from the dumpster, your head never darted around so fast. “hello..?” you looked around, hearing the rustling again. you prepared yourself for whatever person could be hiding from you. but you soon cringed at yourself when you saw a familiar ball of white fur lurk out from behind the trash, your nerves subsiding into a warming awe. “hi cutie,” you crouched down, your fingers spreading out to pet the stray cat that typically came to visit you at your place every night. “what are you doing all the way out here so far from home?” you asked as if the cat could speak back to you. “did you follow me?” you giggled, running your fingers through her soft fur before reaching into your bag and pulling out a small can of tuna that you were going to have with your rice for dinner. “i know its not what you usually have but i promise ill get you your favorite next time,” you popped the can open and laid it on the ground, a smile spreading across your face when she started to take chunks of it.

you had been feeding this cat for a while. you could say that the two of you had been together for a long while although you never thought of a good name to give her despite being with her since she was born. right now, she was still technically a kitten. you were surprised she had survived this long with her glistening white fur. you were always paranoid she would be handled to the predators.

reaching your hands out, you continued to pet her as she ate, not brushing too hard as you didn’t want to disturb her. yet you couldn’t stake the sudden feeling in your gut that someone was watching you, again.

it didn’t take you long to say your goodbyes to your kitten before making your way back to the gym, definitely keeping an eye on your surroundings.

you don’t know why but for some reason whoever this person was that was spying on you, they hadn’t made their first move yet. it has been 3 days that you’ve been getting this feeling. and it was really starting to piss you off.

thankfully, when they did, you were ready for it.

when you turned the corner to leave the alley, you quickly rerouted and gave your best hit to the man following closely behind you.

making sure that you had stayed close to the wall so he wouldn’t see your upcoming attack when turning the corner after you.

he stumbled with a loud groan, his hands shooting to his masked face in pain. you were lucky to have studied how to throw hands for so long otherwise this would have been a tough fight. bringing the stranger down with ease, you quickly disarmed him and tore the mask off. you were surprised to see the face behind the darkened clothes. “coach hwang…?” you were completely flabbergasted. “yeah…” you took a step back from his bruised form. “but i don’t understand… were you the one spying on me?” you breathed out, your hands suddenly glossing with sweat. “can we not talk about this here?” he muttered, staying put on the ground as a way to show that he wasn’t going to take off.

you squinted your eyes at him, his adam’s apple bobbing.

“fine but i swear if you try anything.”

he put his hands up in defeat.

“i don’t get it, why didn’t you fight back?” you questioned him, taking the extra precautions to tie him up to one of the corner pads. “and why were you even watching me? if you were going to kill me then why not do so days ago? also why did you allow me to stay here when you already knew of my locations? i don’t understand!” you pressured. “explain.”

hyunjin sweat nervously, if it weren’t for the binding against his wrists, he probably would have been curling himself into a protective ball. maybe even running at this point.

undoubtedly, he was scared of you. but not just because you punched him a couple of times.

“i didn’t want to kill you,” he said. “why?” you questioned back.

“i didn’t think you were worth killing.”

“then why go after me in the first place?”

“i was hired to do so.”

“by who? for what reason? why didn’t you think i was worth killing?”

“your such a kind person. strong, determined, loyal, loving. why does someone like you have to die?”

“you’re a personal killer, aren’t you? why do you care about things like that?” you narrowed your eyes at him, he looked down in shame.

“i do with just you.”

“that’s not an answer.”

“sure it is.”

you weren’t buying it. you refused to believe he didn’t just shoot you when he had the chance just because changbin was right and he actually did have a crush on you.

he didn’t say anything for a while, he didn’t even move much until he realized that you were still waiting for an answer out of him. “the person who hired me to kill you is not a good person. it’s hard for me to kill people i know even though this is the secret life that i have. i don’t do it often but when i do, i get serious. only, it’s hard to do it to people i know who don’t deserve such harm,” he said in a loud enough tone for you to hear clearly. “then why don’t you just reject the offer?” you asked.

“that’s what i’ve been trying to do with your case but like i said, the person who is hiring me is not a good person.”

“can’t i help you then?”

“what could you possibly help me with? you don’t have the money or have any idea who it is that is trying to target you.”

“i have you.”

it was silent for a few moments, his head slowly lifting up to glance into your shrugged expression.

“if it gets me to stop being hunted by some random person and could possibly lead to some clues on my parents, then i’ll do anything it takes to find this person and get my answers.”

this was the kind of determination that hyunjin loved to see in you, ever since day one.

“now,” you walked towards him, your hand coming within centimeters from brushing him up against the pads. “tell me where i can find this person or i’ll make sure you get a good beating tonight.”

© cobiehaven 2023

[shina913]

Scions, Ch.8b | Kim Line + JHS

Scions, 8b

sci·​on | \ ˈsī-ən \ Definition:(1)a descendant(2) a shoot or twig, especially one cut for grafting or planting

✼Scions Masterlist✼

Pairing: Fem!Reader Sister + Kim Brothers; JHS x Fem!Reader

Rating: M (🔞)

Genre: Siblings!AU; Marriage!AU; FWB!AU; exes to ?; Mom!Reader; Brother’s Best Friend; drama; angst; smut; fluff

Warnings: ANGST!!!; DRAMA!!!; sibling bickering; multiple POV switches; character death; parenting frustrations; alcohol consumption; mentions of fertility struggles; parenting fears; vulnerable confessions; cussing; pining; unrequited love; mentions of divorce/separation; emotional outbursts; mourning; soft sibling moments

Word count: 3.9K+

Summary: Four grown siblings return to their childhood hometown after their father is declared to be terminal. They are forced to live under the same roof for days, along with their overbearing mother, to say their final goodbyes. It starts off nostalgic until some unresolved family issues along with an assortment of spouses, exes, and might-have-beens make things even more interesting.

A/N: Second of three mini-updates. Thanks for being so patient! Thank you to my loves, @internetjunkdrawer and @itdoesntmatterwhy for reading through this angst-fest. I appreciate you both 💜

A/N2: One of the scenes here was lifted from 500 Days of Summer, just slightly paraphrased 🥺

Thirty minutes later, after bidding your kids and mom goodbye, you all pile into Yoojung and Jin's minivan. Jin takes the front seat while Yoojung is at the wheel. You and Namjoon sit in the row behind them, while Taehyung sits in the rear by himself.

Jin and Yoojung are quietly bickering in the front seat. “I can drive, yeobo,” he says.

“Congratulations. I can drive, too,” she responds as she secures her seatbelt and puts the keys in the ignition.

“Are you sure?” He asks. “What about your headache?”

“I’m fine,” she stresses. “I took some medicine an hour ago and I can get us all to Hobi’s, okay?” Jin nods and decidedly drops the subject.

Taehyung starts complaining, "How come I have to sit all the way back here?"

"I need the legroom," Namjoon replies matter-of-factly.

Taehyung rolls his eyes and retorts, "Couldn't YN-noona sit back here?"

You interject, "I wish I could, but I get car sick, remember?" You shove Namjoon's leg out of your way so you can buckle your seatbelt. He clicks his teeth in annoyance. Shooting him a glare, you say, "Quit man-spreading then!" He rolls his eyes and scoots to the other side to give you some room.

Annoyed and feeling left out, Taehyung blows out raspberries.

Jin sees the opportunity to tease his youngest brother and asks through the rearview mirror, "Do you need a booster seat back there?"

"I can grab Joobin's seat from my car?” You ask jokingly.

“Yeah, the law says you're supposed to sit in it until you reach 80 pounds or 4'9" in height - whichever comes first," Namjoon piles on.

"That's just great. Pick on the dongsaeng... ha-ha," Taehyung adds sarcastically.

Everyone laughs, including Taehyung who can't resist joining in despite his annoyance.

"Everybody buckled up?" Yoojung asks sweetly.

"Yessss! Now can we please go?" Taehyung whines.

As you finally settle into your seats, Yoojung turns the ignition on and the car starts moving away from the curb.

You turn to Namjoon and whisper, "Is Vee coming?" To which he responds with a head shake and an equally lowered voice. "No. She felt guilty skipping but I said it was fine. She did a lot today so I told her it might be best to stay off her feet and rest."

You nod in agreement and comment, "That's thoughtful of you." He shrugs noncommittally and says, "I'm just thinking about the baby."

"If you say so," you say under your breath.

******

Hobi's decision to close Hangsang for the day in solidarity with your family was a heartwarming gesture that you deeply appreciated. As you arrive, you are greeted by familiar faces, including classmates, childhood friends, and some of the restaurant's staff. It is comforting to see so many people who care about you and your family.

Despite the somber atmosphere, there is also a sense of joy and mischief in the air. You can feel your father's presence in the room.

Your best friend, Naya, walks up to you with her arms wide open, engulfing you in a hug. "Hey, hun." Your throat stings, making you take a deep breath so you won't lose it in front of all these people.

“By the way, I forgot to text you, but–”

Before she finishes her sentence, you already have a good guess about what she meant to warn you about. To your surprise, you see Dara, a former classmate from high school, walking around to pass shots to your brothers. When she reaches you, she hands you your drink and smiles awkwardly.

"Hi, YN. Good to see you," you say as you take the glass from her.

"H-hey, Dara. Long time no see," you reply, surprised to see her. Taehyung had only mentioned that family and close friends would be present at Hobi's invitation. You and Dara were never close and even had a disagreement early on during your relationship with Hobi.

You and Hobi were keeping your relationship secret at school. You didn't want your brothers to find out, but due to your own carelessness, they eventually they did. Dara was Hobi's algebra tutor and followed him around like a puppy. She flirted with him despite his attempts to keep his distance.

So you took matters into your own hands—which at the time, happened to be her hair.

It has been a few years since then, and although it was water under the bridge, seeing her still came as a shock to you.

Seeing the puzzled look on your face, Dara decides to explain. "I know you weren't expecting to see me. I work here every now and then just to help Hoseokie out."

Your eyes subtly flick over to Naya, who is shifting uncomfortably, before darting back to Dara. "I see," you say.

"Hoseokie wanted everyone to get drinks as soon as they walked in. Also, uhm, I'm very sorry for your loss," Dara says apologetically.

You smile politely at her. "Thank you, I appreciate that."

After a moment of hesitation, she speaks again. "I also wanted you to know that your dad was especially kind to me after my husband passed away. He was always there for me when I needed someone to talk to," Her voice trails off with a hint of sadness.

Her personal confession catches you off-guard. “I’m sorry to hear about your husband,” you say sympathetically. “I’m not surprised that my dad would do that for you. That’s just the kind of person he is, or…was.”

With a small nod, she excuses herself and walks off to check on other guests.

Shortly after, Hobi spots your group from behind the bar and asks Yoongi to turn the music down for a moment. All eyes turn to him as he makes an announcement.

"Thanks, hyung," he says to Yoongi. "And thanks for coming, everyone." You feel the anticipation building as Hobi pauses for a moment.

Before he can continue, there's a knock on the door.

Everyone takes a quick look around the room to see who's missing but it seems like everyone's already here. 

Dara walks over to the window to identify the unexpected guest. When she recognizes the figure, she immediately unlocks the door for them.

Taehyung shouts in excitement as his childhood best friend, Jimin, makes his entrance. He enthusiastically waves him over and welcomes him with a big hug.

As Jimin joins the circle, he apologizes for being late. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Hobi-hyung," he says to Hobi. "Please, continue!"

"Thanks, Dr. Park," Hobi replies with a chuckle before proceeding with his toast. "Today is a day to remember and celebrate a great friend and member of our community, Kim Beomsok."

At the mention of your father's name, you and your brothers instinctively reach for each other.

Hobi turns to your family with a serious expression. "I think I speak for everyone here when I say that your dad was not only a good friend but also a father figure to many of us at some point in our lives," he says. "I remember when he helped me out when I was going through a tough time with my own dad being sick. I'm sure each and every one of you has a story like that to share."

"So, I encourage everyone to share their memories with our guests of honor here," Hobi says, raising his glass toward your family. "I think the best way to honor someone’s memory is to remember how they lived." As Hobi finishes, you see everyone nodding in agreement. You feel the shared feeling of love and loss for your father.

He raises his glass and you all follow suit. “Hear, hear,” Jin declares, and everyone echoes the sentiment.

Your father would have felt uncomfortable knowing that everyone was throwing a party for him. He didn't like being the center of attention. He would have asked everyone to have one drink and call it a day. Nonetheless, you appreciate the sincere thought behind this gathering.

******

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it in time for the service, hyung,” Jimin says as he approaches Jin. He comes up to greet Yoojung and gives her a hug.

“That’s alright, Jiminah. We understand.” Jin responds.

“I also wanted to take this opportunity to apologize for how everything with your dad went down. I didn’t mean to be secretive. It’s just that he insisted and with doctor-patient confidentiality–”

“Jiminie,” Jin interjects, patting him on the shoulder gently. “It’s fine, really. As much as we loved dad, he had his reasons. None of us blame you.” Jin reminisces about the years he spent with his father, both the good and the bad. He recalls how his father would always put on a brave face, no matter what was happening in his life, and preferred to carry his own burden.

Jimin nods, relieved that you didn’t hold your father’s decisions against him. “Thank you, hyung. I’m glad you understand.”

Jin puts his arm around Jimin’s shoulder. “Of course. You’re family.”

“I know you’ll probably get this a lot tonight but,” he raises his glass to Jin. “How ‘bout a toast to abeonim?”

“Of course,” Jin chuckles and clinks his glass against Jimin's, while Yoojung taps her bottled water against their alcoholic drinks.

After taking a sip, Yoojung interrupts to switch subjects briefly. "Jiminah, I know you're off-duty, so I almost feel awkward asking for your professional opinion, at a bar, no less.”

Jimin throws his head back in laughter, his eyes crinkling in amusement. “Noona, I may be out of the clinic but I’m never truly off-duty.” As his laughter subsides, he asks, “What do you need medical advice on?”

With some hesitation, she glances at Jin. “I don’t know, yeobo. Maybe I was just tired–”

“Just tell him,” he urges her gently.

“It’s okay, noona,” Jimin reassures her.

"So, I don't know if it's just the fertility treatments or maybe the stress of the last few days," she recounts. "I was feeling faint yesterday. I think I was just dehydrated, to be honest, but Jin was concerned."

Jin sighs. He was only worried about her. "I still don't understand why you're not more concerned. You haven't been eating well, and you're complaining about back pain and dizziness…"

“Any exhaustion? Nausea?” Jimin presses.

“A little bit of both,” she answers. “But I usually feel like this during a new cycle. Maybe I’m coming down with something? I’ve had my hands full the last few days.” She tries to rationalize.

“Have you done an at-home test?” Jimin asks her.

Jin and Yoojung’s eyebrows furrow at the same time. Yoojung hadn’t done a pregnancy test since that one evening–which seems like ages ago now after everything that’s transpired since then. “I did several days ago but it was…negative.” The tail-end of her response was laced with frustration.

“Well,” Jimin starts, “I know obstetrics isn’t my specialty but if you’ve ever heard of false-positive home tests, it’s also entirely possible to get a false-negative.”

Jimin was aware of their fertility struggles because it was he who had referred them to another colleague. He knows how emotionally draining these journeys can be, so he did not want to give them false hope. He quickly suggested, "Again, not my area of expertise, but I would recommend doing another at-home test. It has been a few days since your last one, so you can try again. If you get the same result but still experience symptoms, contact your OB and they can do a blood test to give you a clearer answer."

Jin turns to his wife and says, "It's up to you."

After pausing to decide, she sighs and says, "I might still have one test in my bag. We can do it when we get home." Jin purses his lips, knowing that Yoojung is still determined, but it tore him up to see the heartbreak and disappointment on her face every time that second line failed to appear on the tiny pee-stick screen.

She gently squeezes his hand and calmly says, "We'll be okay." What she really means is that she will be okay. Although she doesn't say it in so many words, her voice assures Jin that she is prepared for whatever the result may be.

After a quick nod to her, he turns to Jimin and thanks him.

******

Taehyung and Eunhae sit across from each other at a booth and make some attempts at a conversation.

“I hope you’re not missing too much work,” he comments blandly.

“It’s sort of our off-season so, not too bad. I’ve been able to log in at the hotel and make calls from there.” She fidgets with her beer bottle.

“And you’re not going to get in trouble not being on-site?”

“No,” she smiles. “I can do my work anywhere, as long as I’ve got a laptop and an internet connection.”

He falls silent, keeping his gaze on Eunhae.

She looks up and catches him staring. “What is it?”

“I…” He begins apprehensively, “I was wondering–”

His thought goes unfinished when Jimin interrupts them. “Hey, bro,” Jimin greeted his best friend.

“Jiminie,” Taehyung smiles softly, rising to give him a lingering hug. “How are you?” Jimin asks, giving Taehyung’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Taehyung shrugs and sits back down. “I’m okay, I guess.”

Still standing, Jimin’s eyes drift to Eunhae. “Hi there,” he greets her.

Taehyung sees that glint in his best friend’s eye and decides to act quickly. “Eunhae, this is one of my best friends, Jimin. Jimin, this is Eunhae. She’s uh…” he pauses, thinking of an appropriate term to call their ‘association’ with each other. 

“A friend from the city,” she smiled, sticking her hand out to shake Jimin’s.

His eyebrows rose in recognition. “Ah, so you’re Eunhae.” He exchanged a knowing look with Taehyung. “I’ve heard about you,” he says.

“I hope only good things?” Eunhae says before taking a swig of her beer.

“Always,” Jimin answers confidently, subtly winking at Taehyung.

“You’re the doctor, right?” She asks with some uncertainty. Even though they had long established not to share any personal stories with each other as part of their little casual sex agreement, Taehyung would still unknowingly drop the occasional tidbit during pillow talk.

“You’ve been talking about me?” Jimin scrunched up his nose and teased his best friend.

“Not like that,” Taehyung says with a subtle eye roll.

“Well,” Jimin says, nudging Taehyung to scoot down a bit so he could squeeze into the seat next to him. “I don’t know if Taehyung has ever mentioned that I’m a straight-shooter,” he says with a wink. “I have to ask, do you have a boyfriend?” 

Taehyung covers his face with his hands, wishing the ground would swallow him up. He’s whined to friends about Eunhae more than just ‘a few times’ so Jimin certainly knows a bit more than what he lets on.

“Nope,” Eunhae answers simply.

“And why not?” Jimin asks.

“I like my independence,” she answers confidently.

Jimin smirks and Eunhae scoffs in return. “What? You don’t believe that a woman can just have a great time being free to do what she wants?”

“Eunhae, please excuse my friend. I think the marathon on-call schedules have messed with his head,” Taehyung says apologetically.

“Well, allow me to break it down for you.” Eunhae begins.

“Yes, please enlighten me!” Jimin flashes an eager smile and leans in closer.

“I like being on my own. Relationships are messy, feelings can get hurt. I’m still young and don’t feel like being tied down. And labels? Who needs them? If you’re consenting adults, I think that’s all you need.”

Jimin opens his mouth to speak but is immediately cut off by Taehyung. “But what happens if you fall in love?” His question makes Jimin slowly turn his head toward his friend and then at Eunhae. This ought to be good.

“Love? Come on, Tae,” Eunhae says dismissively. “That’s just a fairy tale.”

He scoffs at her answer. “It’s love, not mermaids.“

She laughs at his retort. “Still, lots of marriages end in divorce—“

“Not my parents,” he contests. “They stayed together and they were happy.”

Eunhae clears her throat, conceding to his specific point. “Your parents are a rarity—a unicorn, if we’re keeping with the fairy tale theme.”

Jimin tries to interrupt again, but Taehyung is quick with his argument. "So what if it's rare? Doesn't that mean a successful relationship is possible?" he says.

Eunhae looks at him, still skeptical. “Then maybe you should tell me what I’m missing.”

Taehyung thinks for a moment, then replies, "It's a feeling that's hard to explain. It's a connection that's deeper than words. You just know it when you feel it."

While Eunhae ponders on his words, Jimin takes advantage of the lull in their little debate, effectively breaking the tension around them. "Alright, alright! How about we just agree to disagree? Relationships are complex! I don’t think we can figure out this in one night."

He then rises from his seat to get another drink. "But I do have to say, this is quite an interesting topic, right?" With a nod, he heads toward the bar, leaving Taehyung and Eunhae to continue to stare at each other from across the table, lost in their own thoughts.

******

“When did she start working here? Namjoon never mentioned anything to me.” You kept your tone hushed while asking Naya about Dara. This really shouldn’t be affecting you. Hobi owns the business and can hire whoever he wants.

“I think she’s been working here for–” she took a deep breath, trying to jog her memory, “I want to say, a couple of years? On and off.”

“Interesting,” you say. “Do you know who was she married to?”

Naya shrugged. “All I know is that he’s not from around here. I think he was in the military?” She sighed and lowered her voice before speaking again, “Killed in action, they said.” You wince.

"She moved back here shortly after they brought him home. She lives here but works in another town during the week and tries to pick up work wherever and whenever she can. I'm pretty sure your dad gave her a couple of shifts when he would cater events, too. My guess is that she's just trying to fill her time, so she wouldn't think too much about what happened.”

Your face falters as you hear more about Dara's unfortunate circumstances. In hindsight, you realize that holding onto a petty high school feud was not worth it.

"After all these years, glad to know your gossip radar is still exceptional," you remark in jest.

Naya closes her eyes and smiles bashfully. "That's what happens when you never leave the hometown you were born and raised in. You know everything about everybody." She gives you a knowing look.

As you get lost in your thoughts, you notice Jimin heading your way.

"Noona!" he says with a goofy grin on his face, seeming to have had a couple of drinks. You hope he doesn't have to work tomorrow.

You beam back and greet him, "Dr. Park!" He throws his head back and lets out a belly laugh. "Stop it with that! I'm still the same guy who used to eat your secret snacks!"

Your jaw drops and your eyes widen. "I knew you and Taehyung were stealing my snacks!" you exclaim.

"Noona, you should find a better hiding place than your parents’ empty instant coffee tin," he laughs. You playfully poke him in the side, which elicits more laughter from him.

******

Yoongi walks out of the kitchen carrying a bucket of ice to refill the bin behind the bar. He notices Hobi standing still, with his shoulders rounded in and neck hunched forward. He is clutching a bottle of tequila with two empty shot glasses in front of him and has a faraway look in his eyes. Yoongi follows his gaze across the room and sees you standing next to Jimin, having an animated conversation with him.

Hobi is unaware that he is being watched, but Yoongi decides to break him out of his reverie by noisily dumping the ice bucket into the bin. Hobi flinches from the sudden loud sound.

“Yah, hyung. You scared me!” Hobi clutches his chest.

“Sorry. Pouring ice quietly is impossible,” he remarks sarcastically. “What are you doing?”

“N-nothing. Just pouring drinks,” Hobi stutters.

“You sure about that? You look like you’re hiding.” Yoongi accuses.

“Hiding? I’m not hiding! I’m right out in the open.”

“I meant you’re hiding from her.” Yoongi tilts his chin up, gesturing in your direction.

Hobi looks back in your direction and then laughs uncomfortably at Yoongi’s comment. “I’m not!” His voice rose several octaves.

Yoongi blinks languidly at him. “You’re not going to make me do this, are you?” He deadpans.

Hobi scrunches his face up in confusion.

Yoongi takes a deep breath and realizes that he's about to give the classic rom-com speech of encouragement as the trusted friend. "Why don't you just go up and talk to her?”

Hobi licked his lips and clicked his teeth. “It’s not that simple, hyung.”

"Not that simple?" he repeats. "For years, I've heard you say, 'All I need is a few moments with her.' Now she's right here, and you're hiding."

Before Hobi can answer, Taehyung strolls over to pick up the shots from the bar. He returns Taehyung's gratitude with a smile before walking away.

Once he is out of earshot, Hobi turns his attention back to Yoongi. "I don't know if I can, hyung."

"Of course, you can! You've practiced this speech for years!" Yoongi scolds Hobi.

Hobi wonders if he's whined to Yoongi too much about you. He's spent years regretting leaving and giving Sam the opening to win you over. He's tried, but failed, to move on. He releases a sharp breath, waving Yoongi off.

"I mean, even if I told her everything, it's not like it would change anything," he says, tearing his gaze away from you as he busies himself wiping already-clean glasses.

"Yeah, but at least you'd get it all out there," Yoongi shoots back. "And who knows? Maybe she has a lot to say to you, too."

Hobi has always wondered if you found closure all these years because he certainly hasn't. On the rare occasions that he feels lonely, he and Dara will meet up after-hours. She kept his bed warm some nights, but when the sheets cooled down in the morning, it was another reminder that she wasn’t you.

"I wouldn't even know where to start," he mutters.

Yoongi shrugs his shoulders. "Can't help you there. But while you think about that, I can at least get you started." He grabs the bottle of tequila from Hobi and retrieves two more shot glasses, pouring the liquor.

"Hyung, come on, we're working here," Hobi protests.

Yoongi snorts. "I'm working, whereas you own the place. There's a slight distinction there."

“When you put it that way,” Hobi arches an eyebrow and asks him pointedly, "Should you be drinking?"

Yoongi doesn't take his question seriously. "I drink regardless. Now, you, on the other hand," he slides a shot of tequila toward Hobi, "...should be drinking."

Hobi hesitates for a moment, then decides to pick up his glass. As he does so, Yoongi raises his own and says, "Geonbae."

"Geonbae," Hobi responds as they clink their glasses together. The warmth of the alcohol spreads throughout his body, relaxing him. Nervously, he looks over at you.

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Hobi says, shaking his head.

Yoongi grins at him. "You'll thank me later.”

◤Previous | Part 8c◥ | Main Fic Masterlist

Thank you for reading!

If you loved it and/or curious to learn more, please comment, reblog, or send me feedback! 📩. I love hearing from readers! If you didn’t like it so much, I would still like to hear about it 💜

[dooplissss]

i would like to know about the ocs 🫴🏽

bless you

ok I have way more than just these but these are the current standouts, maybe I’ll do a part 2 tomorrow bc i cant stop talking about my silly little guys

Emmett & Marasmus: Newest oc for dnd, pact of the undead warlock. Emmett was just living his life til he ate the wrong mushroom for dinner and it revealed itself to be a god named Marasmus that wants people to praise it, so it took over poor Emmett’s body and puppeted him around, turning his hometown into a cult. Emmett broke out of his stupor and escaped after nearly feeding a spore to his brother and he’s been running ever since, his body slowly being eaten by the monster that inhabits him. Also they bicker constantly, real Beacon and Duck Newton vibes.

Emmett is truly just some guy who doesn’t deserve to have this wannabe god parasite stuck to him but that’s how these things go. He’s so sweet and ofc he loves his family bc I’m predictable and make that a trait for nearly all my ocs. I tend to avoid family drama or at least do it in a different way than most people, in that I prefer my characters to be striving to get back home or avoiding going home because they feel they don’t deserve to be a part of their family anymore, but always always always they are loved despite everything bad they’ve done/think they’ve done. I really hope the game goes long enough to see Emmett get to hug his brother again and forgive his mom for not being able to help him, he’s the only one of my ocs who’s been wronged by his family and even then its neither of their fault. God he needs a hug so bad

Salem & Erin: god this guy is so fun. Salem is a skellington who started as a rich brat that got peer pressured into a ritual that makes you immortal, 40 years later he had a heart attack, died for a second, and then started rotting alive. He spent decades alone in his big mansion haunting his own halls, bored out of his skull. Occasionally people would come thru, be terrified by him or try to kill him, but largely he was just left there. It took him years to work up the courage to enter his son’s room and reminisce about him; he was married a long time ago, but as soon as he floated the idea of having his spouse and child go through the ritual too they up and left him.

Eventually a realtor, Erin, comes to the house to sell it, and she’s the only person who isn’t scared of him. It’s the first conversation Salems had in years and they become friends, her daughter Olivia makes clothes for Salem to disguise his form and help him gain the courage to leave the house more and more. Salem lets more people into the house, especially artists he really loves art, and eventually lets people live there while he moves in with Erin and Olivia once he feels safe enough to live among people again.

Originally Erin and Salem were supposed to just be friends but ofc I started shipping them and ughhh they make me insane. They’re both divorcees and have talked at length about how they’ll never make that mistake again, but Salems been in love with Erin since the beginning. And he’s the least subtle person on the planet so ofc everyone knows, including Erin and she’s just patiently waiting for the day when Salem admits how they feel, however long it takes. I made Salem for dnd and his quest is basically to find a way to undo his immortality, but tbh every time he joins a campaign it dies soon after so I think I want to try making a comic or a series of vignettes or something for him anyway, especially since I’ve had a lot of time to think about plot hooks and stuff.

this is the only fic i have them but i really love it please clap

Tillian & Somlen: The OCs of All Time. I literally have a tattoo representing them, they mean so goddamn much to me its hard to put into words like they changed me as a person. Somlen isn’t my oc, he belongs to my dm, but the two are so tied together and influenced each other so much it all kinda blends together.

Tillian is a haunted one bard who grew up in the town of Winslow, a little prairie town that had something Wrong in the well that caused all the sounds to warp. The crops whispered, the blueberries gossiped, her mom echoed, her dad sang, her brother spoke backwards, and when Tillian herself spoke everyone would hear something different (I had a d100 list for what they would hear). After someone disappeared while doing recon inside the well, the town boarded it up and went their separate ways. When Tillian’s family went to stay with her aunt, she said hello to her cousin and instantly killed him with her voice.

She went to bard college to help get her voice back, and as the game started she was simply looking for answers to why this happened and what caused it. She meets with the group, starts adventuring, and one fight goes so bad she gets fully 3 failed death saves killed. Something picks her out of the river of death and brings her back to life, and that’s when she buys a haunted doll, a homebrew item from TAZ that takes that final death onto itself.

As the adventurers leave town, she feels her bag moving on to find oh fuck the doll is alive and its an asshole. The doll says his name is Somlen and he was cursed after he slept with the wrong person. Tillian HATES this guy at first but ah fuck, if she dies he’s going to die in her place so she has to be more careful. And as she talks to him more, she starts to warm up to him. He cheated on his girlfriend and he’s the perfect picture of the horny bard trope, but he wants to do better and become a better person.

Things happen, yadda yadda, Tillian finds out the location of the hag that cursed him and they kill her, taking the curse away but Somlen is still stuck in the doll body, they need powerful magic to get him polymorphed back to human. The group decides to go to a city but, as a lark, one of the npcs decides to try her luck to change him back and she rolls a goddamn nat 20. Somlen is human again and oh god he’s in his birthday suit. While Tillian is in total shock, the group gets him clothed, Somlen jokes around and plays it cool up until he gets back to Tillian, who just. Wordlessly takes her signature scarf, the one her dad knit for her, and wraps it around him and hugs him. And it hits them both like, they did it, he’s safe, and Somlen would do anything for her and vice versa.

They go into the city where they get a clue to visit the outskirts where Tillian’s aunts house is, except its old, like really really old, all that’s left is a hole down into the basement. And when they get in, Tillian can feel something trying to communicate with her, and she learns this place is over 2000 years old and so is she. That night, when she sleeps, she wakes up inside the well surrounded by hundreds of faces and she knows every single one of them. The thing that lives in the well tells her to bring her friends back for it, and that’s when it hits her: This thing, the Uvuuduam, has been sending her out every hundred years to go collect a group of adventurers and bring them back to feed them to this monster. It controlled her into tracking down every villager of Winslow and throwing them down into the well, including her mom and dad and brother. She is as much the thing haunting her home as this awful creature is.

She wakes up, silently collects her things, and leaves everyone behind to spare them. They catch up, ofc, but she is desperate to spare them from this fate. She offers them a anti-scrying necklace so they can leave her and be untrackable, but no one agrees to take it, they’re all in it to save her much as she begs them not to. She is absolutely broken by this revelation, but the group and especially Somlen are there to hold her together.

They send some time leveling up and preparing to go to her town, and finally the day comes when they arrive. They go into the well and face the Uvuuduam, it’s a tough fight (we had a irl sleepover to play it all the way thru), but they do it and she severs this horrible things neck as she screams, her voice finally returning to her after all these years. Everyone in the well wakes up, she reunites with her family, and (this part always makes me cry) when she sleeps that night, it’s the first restful sleep she’s had in 2000 years. She and Somlen stay behind in Winslow, finally home.

Like. They are truly everything to me. They are foils in so many ways but it just makes them stronger. Tillian is an aromantic bard, helping me realize I myself am aro, and it always gets to me that she loved so fiercely and so much and it was used as a weapon against her, that the monster knew it could depend on her to make connections strong enough to make people willing to do anything for her and therefore bring back its food. She loves too much for her own good, but she’s safe now, she’s with her family and the people she loves and god forbid anything try to take advantage of her ever again.

Also these two are just funny. Two halves of a whole idiot. Tillian is a neurotic mess at all times, Somlen is full of himself, they’re life partners and also an inseparable comedy duo. They’ve seen each other at their very worst and choose each other without hesitation over and over. They’ve both had their free will ripped from them thru curses and manipulation and they vow to break the hold others have on them, they would tear the world in half if the other asked. And just. Tillian wants nothing more than to return home while Somlen runs as far away from his past as possible, but he finds a home in her and he helps her win back hers. They love each other and they are best friends forever :’) also I’ve written so many fics about them and I still have so many more I want to write lmao

[mcuparkergirlfics]

Tom Holland Summer Head Canons

Here are some new Summer-themed head canons I came up with for you guys! Feel free to take any and tag me in your posts! @mcuparkergirlfics

1. Tom and you are competing against each other in the annual Surf's Up challenge at beach coast. The battle of the sexes is on! Maybe a little more than they bargained for.

2. You’re a party girl who always settled for flings on your Summer vacation in Hawaii. That was until Tour Guide Tom Holland kept glancing your way, even after the first night.

3. Six Flags Magic Mountain. You and Tom. And go!

4. Singer/songwriter Tom wanted to get away from the limelight and just relax for the rest of the season. He hopped a plane to a random ghost town in the south and found the small group of people around him was all he needed. You’re a waitress, unsure of your path in life just managed to have the worst day at the diner, until a handsome stranger, Tom, left a larger than life tip to brighten your spirits.

5. You and Tom are beach bums finding yourselves enjoying the rest of the night at their favorite spot from the loudness you were so used to.

6. You wanted once for this to be the summer your would catch her big break in music. You had a big opportunity lined up at an outdoor concert near a tourist attraction. Tom, a marketing genius happened to be there enjoying the festivities with his family. He just wanted to relax and forget work, until he heard you singing and couldn't stop himself from breaking his own rule.

7. Music and Lyrics themes. You and Tom were rivals in music hired by their record companies to pin a song that will be entered at the Songwriter's contest during the Summer.

8. Newly divorced Tom couldn't be happier that he was finally starting to move on from all the drama his ex put him through. One drunken night with a barmaid (you) were going to help him deal with his demons. You just happened to be his boss' daughter, you and her conservative father found out about it. Can he convince his boss this is the "real deal" through a fake relationship or pretend he didn't care about using someone like his ex used him?

9. You once loved Tom, but it was too late, he married your worst enemy. After learning they were having marital problems you began to see a green light finally between them. But he never saw you that way, you were just his personal assistant, cleaning up his mess after every one of his screw ups. You stayed mostly to be close to him but it was taking a toll on you personally. Suddenly, Tom's best friend came into town, looking for a place to crash for the rest of the Summer as he worked on his new start up company. He takes a liking to you and Tom found that odd. You were his assistant, not his friend’s. But it wasn't Tom’s business, was it? You were just his assistant, nothing more, or were you?

10. Tom's eyes lit up every time he spoke of back home. When he took a much needed break in the Summer to return to his hometown, he realized what he left behind. His best friend growing up, you, were trying to get out of the place even if it your last attempt. Tom made it his mission to convince you to stay.

[chimairasden]

More about... Méline ☀️

High School season: Méline was a kinda of an edgy teen, eager for indipendence and quite the troublemaker. You could find them smoking with Castiel in the backyard, skipping classes to play basketball or making out with boys and girls (and then breaking their hearts). Only after Pierrick became their Art teacher, their focus completely shifted and, while they were investigating which form of art would have suited them, they got closer with Lysander. They confessed to each other and dated for some months, but Lysander's jealousy and Méline's avoidant behaviour made the relationship quite difficult for both. They broke up once Méline decided to study abroad and Lysander began taking care of his family's farm.

They used the pronouns: She/her. Sometimes Ambra and the other girls used He/him pronouns for mockery. Their LI was: Lysander.

Castiel was one of Méline's best friends, while Nathaniel was an acquaintance and Armin a friendly but annoying classmate. Kentin was a Méline's friend, but after the drama at the Moondance they started avoiding him.

University season: Méline came back to their hometown to finish their studies. They found everything and everyone changed; a feeling of confusion possessed them. In this period they often switched hair-style, work, group of friends... And, of course, lovers. They had a fling with their co-worker Hyun and often hooked up with Nathaniel. But something was always off and Méline was never satisfied. Worried for their ever-lasting moodiness and evasiveness, Castiel and Priya confronted them but ended up arguing. Hyun was hurt when he discovered he wasn't the only one for Méline and Nathaniel was facing too many bigger problems to care about "the girls' fighting". Left alone, Méline found comfort in Professor Zaidi's arms and, after their graduation, they immediately moved in with him.

They used the prononuns: She/her. Their LIs were: Priya (reciprocated crush, before their fight), Rayan.

Castiel was one of Méline's best friends, Hyun was a fling and Nathaniel a so-called situationship.

Love Life season: Méline worked hard to repair their relationships and to become a better friend, with various results. They also took charge of the Cosy Bear! But, you know, all work and no play... The situation reached a breaking point when Rayan received Marina's charge. Méline could barely handle the pressure and started questioning every choice they made in life. It's easy falling in the same, past mistakes and Eric appeared as the perfect distraction. But it wouldn't last long. Méline was consumed by guilt and, after a brief confrontation, they and Eric agreed to cut ties: they were both escaping from their pain and responsability and this outcome was inevitable. Then Méline chose to confess the affair to their boyfriend, but Rayan caught them off guard and asked them to marry him first. Méline accepted the proposal, but in the end the buried senses of guilt, confusion and self-hatred won. Méline left a wrecked Rayan at the altar, sold the Cosy Bear and hid at Castiel's place for some time.

They used the pronouns: She/her. They also started using They/them pronouns, mainly online. Their LI were: Rayan, Eric (short affair).

Castiel was one of Méline's best friends, Priya was their friend, Hyun returned to be a friendly acquaintance and Nathaniel remained a tense situationship.

Alternate Life season: On Castiel's suggestion, Méline follows him to the countryside to rest and think about what they really want from the future. They are guests at Lysander's farm and, overcome the initial awkwardness, they catch up quickly like old friends do. Life flows quiet. While Castiel focuses on his new songs, Méline has time for indulge in their hobbies. They even encourage Lysander to take more time to dedicate to poetry and help him in the fields. The spark lights again between them, but Méline is still too much scared to ask him another chance and Lysander seems hiding something heavy in his chest. One night, after seeing Castiel and Lysander kissing, Méline despairs and tries to flee for the milion times. They are stopped by the two men and they have a long chat where they all open up completely and clarify their feelings for each other. They start a polyamorous relationship: Castiel and Méline are both Lysander's partners and, quoting Lysander, "there are enough rooms in this house for your lovers too". Castiel is satisfied with this asset, while Méline would like to have more partners in the future. But, for the first time, they are not in a rush.

Pronouns they use: They/He. Sometimes they still use she/her while speaking, but more for habit than for other reasons. Their LI is: Lysander.

Castiel is her best friend and meta-partner, Priya and Hyun are their friends and Nathaniel remains a tense situationship. Rayan is their ex-fiancée.

[alto-tenure]

Please explain what goes on in the JP-exclusive novels

I'm not going to put any major spoilers in these, but I am including links so you can read them yourself if you'd like! The translations can be a little bit janky but they're all comprehensible. The worst part is just that the plot of Illusory Forest is seriously confusing, especially the ending.

Phantom Deity (read here)

This one is the easiest to explain, yippee! Taking place sometime before Miracle Mask (around the LS-ED era, based on Luke's outfit in the cover), this one takes place in London, and features a thief known as the Phantom Deity. Oh boy, I can tell I'm going to have trouble with my i-before-e's here.

This thief steals several artifacts over the course of the work, most of which are connected to royalty in some way, with one specific king being name-dropped a lot. Descole is disguised as someone on the investigative team, which gets revealed. There's a final confrontation where the thief is exposed, sad backstory included.

Illusory Forest (read here)

Brides are getting kidnapped from a church and brought to the forest. Luke, Layton, and Emmy investigate! Takes place sometime around the time of Miracle Mask, since in the cover Luke is wearing his vest. During the investigation, they stage a wedding to get Emmy kidnapped, at which point they figure out the real pattern behind the kidnappings, and go after her into the titular forest, following a clue that Emmy left for them. Eventually, they stumble upon a village inside the forest. The POV is split between Luke and Emmy so that they can show Emmy's experiences while she was kidnapped, staying with the village's prince, a man named Aston Bloom. (No relation to Detective Leonard Bloom, as far as we're aware.) Layton and Luke figure out what's up with the forest, find Emmy, expose Descole, and there's a little bit of tragedy.

Wandering Castle (read here)

This one is set sometime between Diabolical Box and Unwound Future, since the Molentary Express is in it, among other things. The problem is that Flora is conspicuously absent, goddamn it :(

Anyways, the story begins with Luke seeing the titular wandering castle. This leads to Luke telling the Professor about it, who says that Dr. Schrader had written to him about something similar, saying that someone had also spotted the wandering castle on the Molentary Express! The castle also contains a Macguffin known as the Book of the Black Curse. This book tries to connect things to Celtic legend, which I am not an authority on, so I don't know if they pulled it off well, but they're the ancient civilization involved here. As they're about to set out, they encounter an old friend of the Professor's, a man by the name of Jeremy Campbell. He's a physicist. The three of them end up traveling together, since they're all going to the same place -- Jeremy's family hometown, Glenstowe. They uncover the secret of the wandering castle fairly quickly, but there's more still to uncover -- the wandering castle was based on a real castle. Family drama, scientific inaccuracy, and fighting over the Book of the Black Curse ensues.

[littlemoonyslife]

What I think Peter is like in a relationship:

Honestly I feel like Peter is one of the sweetest guys ever. You’d definitely have the least fights out of the Marauders. But let’s get started!!

- leading off of what I said earlier I think the only MAJOR fights you would have is of his insecurities; he would def be jealous of every and any guy but not because he doesn’t trust you it’s the fact that he doesn’t trust them and he thinks you’re too perfect and they’ll just steal you because they are “better than him”

- he LOVESSS baking and cooking just in general; he would love to just bake or cook with you to pass time it would be a regular occurrence

- I imagine him with one older sister and a single mother because his father left them so he’s very well aware of periods and all the girl stuff

- I also feel like he’s really close to Mary, Marlene, Lily and Dorcas so he knows the scoop of the drama and he’s a bigger gossiper than Sirius

- cat lover more than a dog but he loves dogs

- he’d be the type of boyfriend who would make you a bouquet instead of buying one

- he would want 2 kids but if you didn’t want kids then he would want 2 cats so you can still have some type of babies whether or not it’s a furry baby

- he’d have a crush on Dorcas as his first crush and then you forever and ever only

- he wouldn’t care what house you were in tbh or if you played quidditch

- if you were really good in school then he’d be really good in school for you just to impress you

- friends to lovers vibesssssss + love at first sight

- his favorite spot to kiss you (SFW) is your temple and his favorite spot to kiss you (NSFW) are your thighs and your hip bone

- his favorite spot to be kissed (SFW) is his cheek or the outside of his earlobe and his favorite spot to be kissed (NSFW) are his v-line and his collarbones

- back to the love at first sight mention; I totally feel like he would have a promise ring for you and have your guys wedding planned out immediately

- he’d bring you and your mom flowers

- ngl out of all the Marauders (yes including the girls) I feel like he’s the least scared of insects and would handle it for you; by handling it I mean taking it outside to the greenhouse and if he doesn’t get to it then he will be upset at Remus for killing it because he knows Sirius and James don’t get their hands dirty and he won’t let you do any dirty work

- he’d drop everything for you

- he hates the idea of being in a relationship only because Sirius and James are so insufferable and he knows he will be teased till he dies so the idea of being in a relationship with you is exciting and new but scary at the same time so he will start off as shy and distant but after a while you won’t be able to get him off of you

- king tbh he’d be jealous of girls crushing over you but insecure if guys crush over you (girls because he thinks they are obviously prettier and girls just connect better so bestfriends to lovers is the ideal ‘steal your bae’ factor)

Coming to the end………….

I feel like being in a relationship with Peter is soft and quiet. Little city, little hometown, little everything. He didn’t grow up with a big family so when he found you and the Marauders it was overwhelming. You soon find out that he prefers the peace of love and family rather than the chaos, he still LOVES the chaos but he loves the peace more than anything. His sister and mom made him feel so loved with just them two that he felt like that’s all family was. Everything to him needs to be small with the expectation of big Marauder schemes!! He’s the most simplest gentleman ever who just wants to shower you in love all the time. You’re a godsend and he knows it too well. If you wanted to blast your favorite artist for a 7 hour road trip, he won’t complain at all and gladly listen to you pour your heart out in screams (maybe for a bit but only as a joke) He’s the type of guy you would read with, either separate books or the same book while being cuddled up in bed. Waking up early? Hard time because he will just keep pulling you back in.

He’s a Joe Alwyn.

A/N: I made myself SOBB with the ending. Hope you enjoyed it!! Other Marauders are on the way😇😇

[ifiwereawriter]

I know this is meant to be a "writing" blog, I know, I just need an anonymous safe place to vent right now or imma be screaming, crying, or throwing up pretty soon.

So this is about love. Relationships. Boy drama. *Rolls eyes* of course it is. That's pretty much the only thing you yell to your diary about.

Anyway, I have NEVER been in a relationship. I am in my mid twenties. I grew up super conservative Christian homeschool etc. I'm pretty much scared of social interaction and especially scared of guys. So about 3/4 a year ago, my fam took guy A on an interstate trip with us. I won't take a long time to tell the story BC you don't need that, but the bare bones of it that are relevant are: him and I got along, we shared a moment when I got real and told him my family dynamics and some really personal stuff about my life while I was fricking painting my nails and sitting on a trailer and no one else was around. Then, the trip was over, things were a bit weird but friendly until he called me beautiful. And this freaked me the Frick out. I liked him as a friend but not the something more that this CLEARLY implied. Then I just real-life ghosted him as well as I could and he probably picked up on it bc I was actually giving him the silent treatment/cold shoulder which I totally regret in hindsight but at the moment I was so angry with him and freaked out. He went overseas too and I was desperately praying that he would find a girlfriend in his hometown lmao.

Cut to tonight and I have been thinking about guy A because guy B is on the scene now (I will tell that story soon). And guys A is at the event I go to, and he is being super sweet with the kids and everything and I think about him. But at one point, I see him walking with a girl who is there who is prettier, cooler and closer in age to him than me and guys, if I didn't feel crazy at that. Like, if I truly don't like him I would be happy if they got together but dang it kind of ate me up and set me off a bit. Like I couldn't. And tonight I'm eating some cup tapokki and I can only think back to the time I had tapokki with guy A. It was the only time I've had it before tonight and we were eating at a Korean restaurant on our family trip with just two of my brothers and if was probably the most datelike thing I have ever been on. So I like him??? Do I even know what I like? And even if I liked a guy wholeheartedly, I would STILL be too much of an inexperienced self-shameing pussy to act!

So guy B is a handful, and not a very pleasant one. I know him through my social circles and I genuinely find it painful to talk to him. He is a great listener, and so am I. He just draws me out so badly because otherwise he leaves the conversation on the most awkward pauses and he just unsettles me for SURE. So that's the scene. I don't like talking to guy B and while he has characteristics I admire, in general I do not like his lack of social awareness. Cut to, my Dad tells me someone has come to him weeks ago and asked if he could 'get to know me better'. I still live at home and did I mention, super Christian conservative parents? He doesn't tell me who the guy is but after a couple of hints I am certain it is guy B. I cannot think of a single other person it would be. And damnit. I don't want my dad to say 'no' of course, I don't believe in that, but I literally do. not. like. this. guy. at. all!

So now I am feeling extremely self-conscious about this guy and he was at the event tonight and I spent the whole entire night trying to avoid him. My dad got a call from an unlisted number while I was talking to him and he left to go pick it up. I look over and Guy B is standing across the room on. his. phone. He was probably asking for my dad's answer since it had been the amount of time my dad said he wanted to wait. Damn it.

Now I am eating comfort food at home after all this. And posting a stupid ramble about it on my side account. FML tbh. Boys, you can't live with em, you can't live without em, amiright? I need therapy.

[theotanaka]

[cismale and he/him] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [THEODORE TANAKA]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [DARREN BARNET]. You must be the [THIRTY-ONE] year old [BARTENDER AT THE REEF BAR]. Word is you’re [RESPONSIBLE] but can also be a bit [RESPONSIBLE] and your favorite song is [UP ALL NIGHT BY KHALID]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [SEABROOK QUARTER]. I’m sure you’ll love it! @aurorabayaesthetic

pinterest + spotify

tw: drugs, fire, bipolar, death

stats

name: theodore tanaka

nicknames: theo, teddy (by family)

age: thirty-one

faceclaim: darren barnet

occupation: bartender @ the reef

gender: cis male

pronouns: he/him

sexuality: straight

birthday:  may 16 1992

sign: taurus sun, scorpio moon, gemini rising

ethnicity: japanese, cherokee, german

hometown: aurora bay

eye color: green/hazel

hair color: black

height: 5'10"

tattoos: coming soon

piercings: coming soon

likes-

dislikes-

headcanons-

biography:

Chaotic and huge is one way to describe Theo’s family life. His mother having bipolar disorder and his father being an alcoholic, left Theo to pick up the pieces most of the time especially when he was the eldest, but unfortunately for him, it seemed his mother was always pregnant, and always popping out children for him to look after. He loved his siblings, he truly did but the older he got the more he began to resent Aurora Bay. He craved a normal life, a normal childhood but he never got it. 

Without the structure he needed, his teen years were spent following in his parent's footsteps, he was just lucky enough to not get anyone pregnant while he indulged. His siblings followed suit, making it frustrating when he was trying to give everyone a good life. Theo was naturally good at everything, you name it he could ease through it, even if he’d never done it before. He quickly learned he could do anything, so he was never held back by anything aside from his home life. 

He didn’t qualify for college, and although he was good at most things, his grades were terrible due to endless family dramas. He spent most of his time working retail and hospitality jobs around town to keep himself and his family afloat, but this soon became tiring. At twenty-five, he decided everyone was old enough to look after themselves. He decided to move to LA. Somehow he wound himself up doing volunteer firefighting, it suited him well - it allowed him to feel like he was doing good again, without the pressure of it being his family.

Nine months after a one-night stand with some girl he met at a bar, he became a dad. Neither of them were ready and Theo didn't want to raise another child, but he had no choice. He wasn't going to abandon his child. They both spent their lives dedicated. to their child, but one night when he arrived to pick up his Amelie, he found her mother high as a kite. He tried to fix her, but she was just not interested. So he took Amalie and lost contact.

Things didn't end there for Theo, only a few months later he caught himself in another traumatic situation at work. After losing a best friend and co-worker in a bush fire, he lost his passion for it. He didn't want to go through that so he quit and started working at one of the local bars whilst he raised his daughter. Until he got the phone call to hear one of his sisters had been diagnosed with cancer at only 28. He knew he had to come home and care for her, so he did. He then picked up a job at The Reef Bar, juggling his time between his sister and Amalie, as well as the rest of his family who are older now so they could look after themselves. He found himself a place in Seabrook Quarter, something perfect for the three of them.

[starlightswitch]

Cocktails and Celebrity Couples

@flashfictionfridayofficial Scoop? Ice cream... scoop? The pun wrote itself.

Dara knew the key was going to be Janessa.

The hard part was going to be the balance. She did actually have to talk about the food, since her side hustle– which if she could get it to take off would someday be her main hustle– was about food. But if it was going to take off, she needed a much bigger audience than she was currently getting, which meant she needed something to get people’s attention. And if the whole Taylor Swift boyfriend drama thing proved anything, it was that you could get a lot of people’s attention with celebrity gossip.

Embridge didn’t have Taylor Swift. What it had was Benji Carlisle, star tight end through high school, at the college most of town rooted for, and for three seasons in the NFL until his career-ending injury. And instead of controversial rock music-industry boyfriends, what Benji had was Janessa, his hometown girl who followed him to college, loyally rooted for him on the sidelines (as shown in her perfectly styled social media posts) until he went to the draft and was by his side when he was drafted… and then was broken up with because he didn’t want a girlfriend who was still in college while he was in the NFL.

Or, according to the official story, mutually broke up with Benji because they wanted different things out of life. Or, according to a common theory, stayed in a secret relationship with Benji but faked the breakup because she was tired of the spotlight, or because he had a better chance of sponsorships if he was publicly single, or whatever reason people came up with.

So the best, easiest way to get people interested in Benji Carlisle’s new dessert bar was going to be mentioning Janessa. And if Dara wanted to do that but not get called out for clickbaiting, which she did, she had to get Benji to say something about Janessa.

The place reminded her of an old fashioned soda shop, with booths and a counter lined with stools. They even had a drink called the Soda Shoppe, the main ingredients being cream soda and cherry brandy. Dara thought about getting that one but decided to let Benji pick. She was sort of amazed she’d managed to get an interview with him when she didn’t have official credentials, but then he’d told her when he was working so she could stop in, so he wasn’t really going out of his way for her.

He got her the Christmas Chocolate Orange to drink, basically an old fashioned but with a hint of dark chocolate, and a slice of the raspberry fudge pie (more like a cheesecake, really) with a scoop of Pure Vanilla ice cream. He had to keep the ice cream, he said, when he was talking over the former second location of a beloved ice cream place. “Plus we’re across from the park,” he added, leaning his forearms on the counter. “What’s better after a day in the park than some ice cream?”

The more the conversation went on, the more Dara was surprised he hadn’t gone into broadcasting. Or become some kind of speaker-for-hire. He was a natural speaker, every answer eloquent while not sounding like he’d practiced it, and she felt more like they were just talking than like she was interviewing him.

She had to get to that key to people’s attention, though. She casually worked the conversation in that direction– “So which came first? Did you know you wanted to go into the restaurant business, or did you know you wanted to come home?”

“Oh, I always knew I wanted to come home.” He sipped his drink– the same cream soda that went into that soda shoppe cocktail, a local brand. “Happened earlier than I expected obviously,” he added, with an easy laugh, just a touch rueful. “But when I left for college I knew I wanted to come home.”

“For the place? For the people?”

“All of the above. Almost my whole family’s here. Got back to hanging out with some of the guys from high school, who came back or never left.”

There was a pause, while Dara tried to think if it would be too transparent to ask if there was anyone else special. She took a bite of her ice cream, which was fantastic, creamy with strong vanilla flavor.

“And of course my first love is here.”

Dara stopped with another bite of ice cream halfway to her mouth.

“There is that,” Benji added thoughtfully.

The thoughtfulness sounded… a little bit practiced.

Dara raised her eyebrows and took a risk. “Are you telling me what you think I want to hear?”

“I think everybody wants to hear it,” said Benji, and his voice was back to breezy and natural. “So I might as well say it. You might as well say it.”

Which was when Dara realized she wasn’t the only one willing to fish for attention with a little celebrity gossip.

[riskywoohoo]

It's me again, at the start of a new generation in my legacy where I've posted pretty much nothing since the last gen started.

With the help of my misunderstanding of WickedWhims settings, Silas (heir chosen for 2nd gen) ended up with several kids out of wedlock. He got his girlfriend in San Sequoia pregnant before he left for university, and then slept with a few women at university (as I went after a romance aspiration), most of whom also conceived.

After he moved back to be with his initial two daughters (Misty and Trinity), he joined his uni degree bonus job (investing) and as his net worth grew, he took their moms to court for primary custody (via a mod). He also calmed tf down and became poly/partnered with two female sims, whom he was (mostly) exclusive with for the rest of his life. One of his partners struggled with infertility, so their third partner was a surrogate for them, resulting in twins. Just before the twins were born, he and an old flame from university welcomed an oopsie daughter, Mila, who he subsequently brought into the family home, she is only a day or so older than he and his partner's twins, Jett and Aisha, and as such, they were raised as triplets.

While they were extremely rich, Silas was a workaholic (with his investing job and businesses he bought) and was rarely home. His partners weren't very maternal and had job aspirations of their own (one an artist, another an athlete) - the kids were mostly raised by a live-in nanny and the household's butler. The middle girls recently moved out to live with Aisha and her husband, and the eldest (and 2/4 of her kids) still live with Silas's partners in the mansion.

Misty, the eldest, was probably the most troubled of Silas's children, despite having the happiest childhood. She was a great student and the cheerleading captain... but ended up pregnant. She gave birth to twins in high school which she put up for adoption. Later, post-university, she reconnected with the twins' father and subsequently got pregnant with another set of twins, resulting in a shotgun wedding and an awful marriage that ended in her... uh... poisoning his birthday cake resulting in his death. Honestly, justified.

Trinity, Mila, and Aisha had pretty uncomplicated lives. Trinity went on to get a distinguished degree in drama and almost immediately became a top dollar actress. Mila, similarly, got a computer science degree and works at a tech startup. She was valedictorian, even after working through the death of her mother while she was a teen. Aisha was a boy crazy teen but made it through unscathed, and after Misty, was the second in her family to marry.

I had trouble picking an heir, and ultimately chose the only boy, who has taken after his father in terms of university. Silas died very recently, and his net worth (nearly §400,000 after selling off the businesses) was divided amongst his 5 kids (while leaving a reserve for his partners).

While Jett the nepo baby has joined his father's company, he really feels that he wants a better work-life balance. He and his high school sweetheart, Meredith, conceived their first child already, though - and she's moved into the mansion for the time being. They're madly in love, and both are happy with the surprise. Jett is hoping to put some of his inheritance toward buying a house for his little family.

Meredith was adopted as a toddler through the foster system. Her hometown is Chestnut Ridge, which she hopes to get back to someday, as San Sequoia is not vibing with her farm upbringing. They met in part because her parents adopted the twins Jett's eldest sister, Misty, gave birth to while she was in high school. Her parents aren't thrilled about the pregnancy but are supportive.

Here's a cookie for getting to this point in my recap 🍪

[shina913]

Scions, Ch.8a | Kim Line + JHS

Scions, 8a

sci·​on | \ ˈsī-ən \ Definition:(1)a descendant(2) a shoot or twig, especially one cut for grafting or planting

✼Scions Masterlist✼

Pairing: Fem!Reader Sister + Kim Brothers; JHS x Fem!Reader

Rating: M (🔞)

Genre: Siblings!AU; Marriage!AU; FWB!AU; exes to ?; Mom!Reader; Brother’s Best Friend; drama; angst; smut; fluff

Warnings: ANGST!!!; DRAMA!!!; multiple POV switches; character death; parenting frustrations; parenting fears; vulnerable confessions; cussing; pining; unrequited love; mentions of divorce/separation; emotional outbursts; mourning (character death); soft sibling moments

Word count: 1.8K+

Summary: Four grown siblings return to their childhood hometown after their father is declared to be terminal. They are forced to live under the same roof for days, along with their overbearing mother, to say their final goodbyes. It starts off nostalgic until some unresolved family issues along with an assortment of spouses, exes, and might-have-beens make things even more interesting.

A/N: First of three mini-updates. This features POVs from OC, Taehyung, and their mom. Thanks for being so patient! Next chapter to come in a couple of days. Thank you to my loves, @internetjunkdrawer and @itdoesntmatterwhy for reading through this angst-fest. I appreciate you both 💜

You wanted the kids settled with dinner before your group left to head down to Hangsang. You went back and forth with the decision to go. Was it right to go out drinking with your brothers and leave your kids behind after you and your husband had just made the decision to split up?

There were a million other thoughts that you wrestled with. But for one night, your mom wanted to absolve you of any guilt that you were feeling. She volunteered to stay back to watch the kids and continued to urge you to spend time with your brothers.

Your sister-in-law, Yoojung, who had been mostly sidetracked by fatigue in the last two days, felt better. She wanted to join in on the fun but decided not to partake in the alcohol in case her stomach bug decided to make a comeback. She volunteered to be the designated driver instead.

“Have any of you seen Jooni?” You called out to nobody in particular when you reached the family room. You checked the backyard, kitchen, bedroom, and bathrooms–no Jooni.

“Namjoonie-hyung?” Taehyung asks while pausing the game he played with his friend, Jungkook.

“No, Jooni.” You bulge your eyes for emphasis, clarifying that you were looking for your daughter, who also happened to be your older brother’s namesake.

“Honestly, noona. Couldn’t you have picked a different, less confusing name for her? Like, I don’t know…Seojin or…Taeyang?” He finishes with a playful grin.

You cocked an annoyed eyebrow at him and he takes the hint that you weren’t in the mood for jokes. Taehyung’s smile fades quickly and he clears his throat. “Uhh…I thought she was—“ He scrambles, pointing his finger from side-to-side in mid-air, actually unsure of which direction his niece went.

“Wait, didn’t she just run past here a second ago?” Jungkook piped up, gesturing down the hallway.

“I saw her go upstairs,” Namjoon interjects as he walks past you to grab something from the kitchen.

“I already looked in the upstairs bathroom and in our room but she’s not there.”

“Have you checked mom’s room?” Jin asks.

Jooni has been temperamental since the service. Even Sam, who was normally able to reason with her couldn’t figure out how to get her settled. She loved your dad, her harabeoji. It was a lot to take in for a 3-year-old, knowing that somebody whom she loved very much wasn’t going to be around anymore.

“Aish…I told her not to bother her.” You grumble in exasperation before trudging up the stairs. “Thanks, oppa,” you called over your shoulder.

“You’re welcome,” Namjoon and Jin say in unison.

******

“Do you really have to leave tonight?” Taehyung asks Jungkook while they resume their gameplay. “Can’t you come out for a couple of drinks?”

“Yeah, I have to because I have to be at the office first thing in the morning.”

Taehyung frowns. “C’mon, man. Everyone’s gonna be there–even Jiminie! We haven’t hung out in a long time. Let’s get fucked up.”

Jimin and Jungkook were his links to his hometown and city life. As many things they all shared in common, Taehyung was the only one who hadn’t established himself in some form of career. This was why they hadn’t had a get-together in a while–both men were understandably busy.

He was mildly aware that asking them both to get drunk was a pathetic way to deal with his grief and forget that his friends were more accomplished than he was.

“Can’t, bro. My boss would kill me if I bailed tomorrow,” Jungkook says apologetically. “We can always hang out another time,” he says in consolation. “Doesn’t Jimin have some sort of medical conference in the city next month? We can link up then.”

“I guess,” Taehyung pouted in mild disappointment. But then catches himself, realizing that he was probably sounding selfish and childish. “No, I’m sorry. I’m being stupid and unreasonable.”

Jungkook pauses the game and calmly turns to his friend. “You’re not. Your old man just died. Nobody acts right when they’re grieving. You deal with it however you need to.”

Taehyung sighed. “I appreciate you coming all the way out here though. I know it wasn’t easy to get out of work.”

Jungkook smiles and hugs his friend tightly. “Ah, come on. You’re one of my best friends. And your parents have been awesome, especially during my couch-surfing days,” he laughs. “Besides,” Jungkook scoffed, “Even if Jiminie and I are there, you’ll probably ditch us anyway.”

“What?” Taehyung’s brows furrowed in confusion.

Jungkook gives him a deadpan look. “Eunhae?”

Taehyung is stumped and unable to give his friend a snarky retort. It makes Jungkook chuckle. “Exactly,” he claims victoriously.

Taehyung smacks his lips and resumes the game. “Whatever, man.”

******

A moody Jooni may not bode well for your mom, who just wanted a bit of quiet to decompress from the day’s activities. Even though she said that she was completely fine watching the kids, you wanted to afford her some space.

She was stoic most of the day. Whenever anybody offered their condolences, she repaid them with a grateful smile, only shedding a tear or two occasionally.

As an experienced actress, your mother has played many roles, expressing every human emotion imaginable. But in the current scene that she's in, there are no lights, cameras, or production crew. She wishes this was all just a dream and longs for a rewrite or another take. She yearns for someone to yell 'cut!'.

Throughout her career, your father was her constant support system. He stood by her and encouraged her. After years of hard work, your mother had only just begun to reclaim the time they had lost.

That opportunity was taken away, leaving her with a sense of regret and sadness. The pain of losing him weighed heavily on her.

She lay on her bed, tears streaming down her face as she whimpered softly. She couldn't imagine a life without him by her side. As she thought about all the memories they shared, she realized that she was half of a whole that would never be again.

“Halmeoni?”

She drew in a long breath and hastily wiped her tears before turning to face the source of the tiniest, sweetest voice.

“Yes, my darling girl?” She finds her granddaughter poking her head through the door. “Do you need something? Come here!” She smiles, waves her over, and pats the empty side of the bed, urging her to come up.

Jooni walks up to her slowly. Your mom sits up to help Jooni climb up. When she’s settled, they snuggle together, giving Jooni a sweet kiss on the crown of her head.

"Were you crying, Halmeoni?" Jooni looks up at her.

After a slight pause, she comes clean. "Yes, I was."

Jooni gives her a wide-eyed gaze. Then, she reaches up to wipe her grandmother’s tear-stained cheeks. "Are they sad tears?" She asks innocently.

Your mom’s chin trembles. "Yes."

“Is it because you miss harabeoji?”

She nods. “Uh-huh. Very much.” She smiles through her answer even though her voice breaks.

Jooni furrows her brows and purses her lips in deep thought before asking, "Do you want a hug?"

Your mom beams and answers without hesitation. "I would love one!"

She goes in to hug Halmeoni tightly; it takes your mom by surprise that such a tiny person can possess so much strength.

"Ooh,” she sighs. “You are the best hugger!"

Jooni smiles shyly at the compliment. "Mommy says she loves my hugs. They make her happy."

"I believe her." Your mom agrees, thinking about how much your children’s hugs gave you comfort on days when you felt alone while you silently struggled through your marriage.

“Now, what are you doing here? Where’s your mommy?” She asks, turning serious.

“She’s downstairs. She told me to wash up for dinner but then I saw you.”

“Oh, honey. You should go eat dinner with your brother. We can have story time when your mom and uncles head out.”

“I know but you looked sad. I wanted to see if you were okay.” Jooni reasons.

“I just needed a little time,” your mom answers.

"I'm not very hungry, halmeoni. Can I please stay here with you?"

Your mom considers the request for a moment before acquiescing. "Okay, but just for a few minutes. I still have to see the adults off later."

Jooni is ecstatic. She jumps up to give her another hug and your mom can't help but smile in return. The two of them embrace tightly, holding onto each other, cherishing this moment.

"It's going to be okay," Jooni says soothingly.

Your mom had been hearing that phrase from everybody all day today. She felt that it was a throwaway sentiment. You couldn't blame her for being cynical. She was grieving.

But somehow, when Jooni says it, your mom is filled with hope and it makes her believe that yes, in fact–things will be okay.

******

When you reach the top floor, you walk down the hallway to find your parents’ bedroom door ajar. You slowly push it open, the only light source coming from your mom’s nightstand.

“Jooni?” You stop when you hear shushing.

Your mom is lying on the bed, holding her pointer finger to her lips while she held a sleeping Jooni, who was curled up next to her.

You point to Jooni, gesturing that you can pick her up and move her into the bedroom to give your mom time to rest. Instead, your mom smiles and shakes her head softly; wordlessly letting you know that she didn’t mind at all.

You watch them for a moment: your mom looking down at Jooni and rubbing her head lovingly.

She was a good grandmother to your children, and despite what she says, you believe she was a good mother.

Of course, there were days when you needed her around, but she couldn't physically be there. Or you wanted to talk to her, but she'd be in the midst of a grueling scene with very short breaks in between, hardly enough time for a phone call where you could cry to her.

No matter where she was, or how much makeup and various wigs she wore, deep down, she was still your mother. She always made sure you and your brothers felt loved and supported.

The men in your family may not have known what you’ve been going through, but your mom did. You didn't have to tell her, but she knew that you needed her.

She spent many late nights on the phone with you, behind your dad's back, comforting and assuring you that you would be just fine without Sam. She didn't push or nag, instead giving you the space to come to your own decision.

As you catch her gaze, you notice the warmth of her eyes inviting you over. Without a word, she raises her free hand to beckon you to lay beside her. You oblige and round the corner, feeling the warm covers beneath you as you lie on the opposite side, so that she is now nestled between you and Jooni. You take in this moment, three generations finding comfort in each other's presence.

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