#i have been so busy studying that taking time to do things just for funsies provokes an emotional response

[sylvies-kablooie]

having been a youth on the internet i have witnessed firsthand the scorn that gets tossed upon people above the age of 17 in fandom spaces. but have you considered that it's actually cool as hell that people from all sorts of walks of life enjoy something so much they want to post about it. that it is a microcosm of the human experience tied back to blorbo from your shows. that you love this sopping wet guy from a movie and it brings you into contact with people you never would have met otherwise.

i see people on here posting about their favorite fictional fellows and then i get occasional updates on their lives. they got a new pet. they work at a university. someone got married. someone wrote a book. someone baked a really tasty looking loaf of bread. i have mutuals in countries i will never set foot in and we talk to each other behind pixels on the screen. some person who is about to graduate high school hides behind a url like bizzare-eelcuddler and makes the most beautiful art you've ever seen of a show that was cancelled 6 years ago. is there not beauty in that, in the diversity of the human experience yet the way we can be unified?

[figurativepieceoftrash]

Avid supporter of avoiding your wips.

Not sure if you have something you specifically want to write but Fiend!Aki has been rotting in my own drafts with no where to go

There were so many ways I could've interpreted this prompt and I'm almost 100% certain I did it wrong but here's an Asa/War spin on the Aki and Gun Devil situation, for, y'know, funsies

Sorry it took so long, I ended up procrastinating on this just like I do my wips, so y'know, obviously this exercise worked out super well :P

Here you go regardless <33

---

Aki doesn’t remember much about the incident.

The sound of gunshots. Scattered screams. A stinging, smokey smell thick in the air, as dense and inescapable as the aftermath of Obon. Cold metal smattered across his taste buds, rife with the selfsame rust-touched exigency as blood.

He’d been dreaming, or so Denji relates from the bedside of a maximum security hospital room. A dream he’s certain he could recall, if he wished to. He doesn’t.

Makima had called him lucky, as she’d studied him with those hypnotic, unblinking eyes. Unharmed, save a few noncommittally lingering scars. 

She’d dragged a slow, lazy finger across the red band of his upper arm, and his heart had raced thrice as swiftly in his chest. Said something about them having to reattach it in the ER, about Denji having done quite the number.

Aki hadn’t heard a thing. He’d been far too busy staring into those eyes. They’d lit something in the back of his brain, a sharp, nagging spark of recognition, persistent and enduring. It was only then he’d thought to ask after the Angel Devil, only then that he’d been certain the two were conversing, when it’d happened.

The spark in the barrel. The moment of ignition. The suckerpunch recoil.

Makima had just smiled. Pressed a smooth, gentle fingertip to Aki’s lips. Somehow, after that, the question didn't matter. It still doesn’t.

“You’re a very unique specimen, Aki,” Makima had noted, head cocked and eyes alight with dark curiosity, “can you tell me why the Gun Devil has taken such a keen interest in you?”

He’d tried not to flinch at the name. He’s still upset that he’d failed. “No. Just that I wish it hadn’t.”

The corners of her mouth had twitched at that. Such a minute movement, so human, but Aki had found an impression of intentionality in it, somehow. The careful, premeditated performance of organic vulnerability.

“You’d rather it left you to die?”

He’d thought of Power, then. Of Denji. No. 

The death count still rolling across the wall-mounted hospital television, the footage of a gun barrel protruding from his forehead, his brother, his parents, his commitment. Yes.

What he says is “maybe.”

She’d laughed at that, high and clear as a bell, and Aki isn’t even angry for it. He can’t be. It’s Makima.

“I’m glad,” she’d said, “that you’re mine.”

Aki couldn’t agree more. He just wishes the back of his brain would too. It’s still sounding off even now, muted as it is. Still doesn’t like the look of Makima, of her eyes.

Still thinks of Angel, even when Aki finds he can’t.

“This sucks.” Power’s complaints had been predictably ineloquent. “The apartment is trashed so I can’t see Meowy, this hospital is super boring, and Denji doesn’t even have enough cash to buy me stuff from the vending machine. I’m hunggggryyyyy!”

She wasn’t trying to be insensitive, Aki knew. If things had been difficult for her after their run in with the Darkness Devil, they were even more difficult now that she’d seen one of the few enduring constants in her life behave unpredictably. Dangerously. Lethally.

He’d almost killed Denji. Several times he’d almost killed Denji. So he’d offered her an arm.

“Here. Only take a little. If you bite too hard I’ll knee you in the stomach.”

She’d been quick to accept the offer and even quicker to disregard the warning, needle-sharp teeth breaking over his skin and digging straight into sensitive nerves. He’d forced himself to take his eyes off the river of stray blood that slid down his bicep. It resurfaced too many memories. Memories of gunshots and screams, smoke and metal.

“Yuck!” The exclamation had taken him completely by surprise. Doubly so when Power had withdrawn to spit the contents of her mouth down the front of his hospital gown. “Fiend blood can be so gross. This stuff tastes like steel.”

“Thanks,” he’d muttered darkly, thoughts turning over the heart of her complaint as he’d risen to visit the bathroom. 

Fiend blood. 

It was the first time anyone had said it aloud, in those terms. He's fine with amalgam. With anomaly. Even threat is alright, considering that it is, for all intents and purposes, accurate.

And the fact that it, like its equally vague, shapeless peers, places distance between Aki and the thing he's become. A thin wall of uncertainty to shield the was from the is. The familiar from the unthinkable.

Aki always thought he hated false comforts. Now, he's beginning to suspect he'd just never been introduced to a truth worthy of delusion.

It visits him sometimes, the Gun Devil, always in the dead of night and always terribly, gut-wrenchingly accusatory. Vaguely translucent, it positions itself in the corner of his room and stays there. Mute. Gleaming. Inhumanely still.

Power and Denji can't see it, of course, which means that one way or another, it resides in Aki’s head. This should be comforting, according to Makima, the fact that the Gun Devil is contained, and better, under control of the Japanese government.

There's no real control to this though, Aki thinks, the strange pseudo-peace between himself and the time bomb ticking within the fragile confines of his skull. Just the illusion of it.

He doesn't recall anything leading up to the inciting incident. Doesn't know how he died or what allowed the devil to take control. Why it lost it, following his concussion. When it might try its luck again.

This is why Aki has been forced to reside in the Commission’s headquarters, subject to intrusive levels of surveillance and constant physical surveys. Partial host autonomy isn't unheard of, in the case of fiends, but it is exceedingly rare, especially regarding beings of the Gun Devil's caliber.

Aki imagines he can't be as singular as Denji, but then again, Denji isn't quite so unpredictable. The Gun Devil can't be sated by the promise of simple pleasure, can't be reasoned with, or even communicated with, to Aki’s most meticulous observation.

It's as thoughtless as it is brutal, the epitome of action without thought. Maybe this is because it's technically incomplete, or maybe it's because the concept it represents is ultimately more tool than perpetrator. Aki can't say.

Can't force himself to care, either.

He glares at the thing when it shows its presence, hurling the occasional obscenity in the case that he's certain of his own seclusion. Nothing impacts it though, not really. It just stares, and stares, and stares.

Makima’s visits are sporadic at first, cursory and seemingly meaningless, but they grow with time, both in consistency and purpose. Oddly enough, most of her inquiries don't relate to Aki’s condition. They relate to Denji.

“Is he progressing socially with the staff?”

“How attached would you say he is to his new accommodations?”

“Is he happy?”

Aki doesn't question Makima's seeming obsession–in all honesty, he suspects he couldn't if he wanted to. He just nods along or shakes his head as required, answering swiftly and candidly as he's able.

Giving Makima the things she wants is second nature, simpler and more automatic than breathing. He never thinks to question it, if he even thinks at all.

The Gun Devil appears sometimes, just after she leaves the room. These are the only occasions in which it seems to display agency, or at the very least, some degree of behavioral variation. Because then, it doesn't stare at Aki. It stares at the door.

It stares after Makima.

“Does the Chainsaw Devil ever do that?” He can't help but ask over a tray of bland hospital food. Power and Denji already swiped up everything with flavor. “Manifest visually?”

“Like, can I see him? Nah.” Denji frowns, the expression oddly melancholic. “Wish I could, though.”

And Aki is just as lost as ever.

The doctors tell him his vitals are normal. That his brainwaves are consistent. Obviously his head isn't a gun.

“You can't transform at will?” One asks, eyebrow raised. “That's unusual, based on what we've observed.”

Aki just shrugs. What about his situation isn't?

He gets the impression that the commission is dissatisfied with his lack of control over the Gun Devil, presumably because it means they can't effectively employ it.

“We've lost more than we've gained here,” one surveyor whispers to another when they think he's asleep, though he isn't quite lucid enough to catch the rest of it. He does think on though, at least until Makima returns and his mind, once again, goes numb.

Things are consistent, for a good while. Predictable. Almost comfortable, if he ignores his midnight visitor. Power finds a hobby in harassing the hallway guards. Aki learns the weekly rotation schedule of his doctors. Denji is relaxed again. Contented, just like Makima seems to desire.

And Aki, too, is happy. Until one night, without warning or prior fanfare, something changes.

It's dark outside, far past one in the morning, and silent for it. Nothing distracts Aki from his mute, late night musings aside from Power and Denji’s soft, even breathing and the familiar background whirr of facility electronics.

And then, something speaks.

“You should run.”

Aki jolts up, ramrod straight, in bed, stirring, but not waking, Denji and Power with the motion. The voice is foreign, deep and grating like rebar dragging across concrete, and it sets every nerve in his body immediately on edge.

His gaze lands, immediately, on the figure in the corner of the room. His body with a full pistol for a head. The thing is stone-still. Expressionless, insofar as a gun can be.

But somehow, he's absolutely certain he heard it talk.

He wraps a protective arm around each form at his side, trying to ignore the persistent shaking that's overtaken his hands. “Are you threatening me?”

It cocks its head to the side, as if in contemplation. Waits for a moment. Makes an odd noise somewhere between a click and a whirr.

“She's coming. You should run.”

Aki blinks, perturbed. “She?”

“She.” It nods, slow and self-assured. “You won't like what happens after.”

“I– what the Hell is that supposed to mean?”

As if in explanation, the thing raises a hand, ring and pinky finger pressed to the palm, and points purposefully at first Power, then Denji, performing short, jolting upwards motions towards each. A firing fingergun.

Aki's blood runs icecold.

“You're going to make me hurt them again, aren't you?”

“No.” It somehow has the gall to sound offended. “She is.”

“She? Who the fuck is she? I don't–”

“Control.” It says the word with such fearful, adorant gravity. As if it's speaking of a superior. As if it's speaking of a god. “She approaches.” Then, in a sharp, purposeful whisper, a bullet from a barrel, it utters the word again. “Run.”

Aki doesn't trust the thing. Not even moderately. But hearing this thing, this vast, limitless, horrible, inhuman thing, express terror, of all emotions, is enough to light a fire under his ass. To force adrenaline through his veins. To break him from his odd, trancelike haze.

He shakes Power with one hand and Denji with the other.

“How dare you wake the great, indomitable Power while she's resting, you absolute–”

“Hey, what the hell, man? I was dreamin’ about tits–”

“Shut up.” And like dogs at a whistle, they do. “We're going out for a run. Get your shoes, we can't take anything else.”

There must be something in his tone, because neither protest. Just nod with varying degrees of enthusiasm and run to the mat at the doorside to retrieve their sneakers.

The halls are labyrinthine, and Aki doesn't know them well. Navigating them is a guessing game in broad daylight; after dark, it's an impossibility.

But Power seems to know where she's going, either by smell or by sound, and when she decides to lead the way through the Commission facility's winding corridors, Aki makes the bold decision to follow her lead.

Usually the place never sleeps, constantly outfitted and operated by federal pencil-pushers and devil-hunters alike, but tonight, it's completely and utterly empty. Even the guards outside of Aki’s room are absent.

“Somethin's off,” Denji voices Aki’s concerns between hastened breaths, “like, really off. This place feels… weird.”

It would be impossible to disagree. The difference may be strange and implacable, aside from the lack of personal, but it does.

“How'd you know?”

Aki tried to shrug. Tries not to look at the thing keeping pace besides him. It may look calm, but he knows that the truth is anything but. Fear is radiating off it in waves, fear and a cold, overpowering desire for liberation.

“Just did.”

The thing at his side offers updates, as they run.

“She knows you've left the room.”

“She follows, close behind.”

“It is likely she will catch you.”

They aren't particularly helpful.

Not until, the trio turn a corner, exit suddenly in sight, to hear a fourth tactile presence enter the hallway.

“She's here.”

And she is. The approaching clack of heeled footfalls confirms it. The sense of oppressive calm that washes over Aki, a blanket. The familiar voice that wraps around the walls to reach his ears.

“Stop running.”

And he does. How couldn't he? It's Makima.

Denji stops too, turning on his heel with a massive, world-spanning grin, but Power doesn't. She keeps running until she hits the doors, only turning to cast a terrified scowl over her shoulder.

“Not safe!” She growls, animalistic, “keep running! Keep running!”

“It's just Makima.” Denji sounds so sure of himself. And he should. All is right in the world. All is calm. Makima will fix things. She always does.

And then, she's in sight, cheerful and unblinking, and Aki can't help but grin in turn.

“Come here,” she orders him, arms outstretched. And the order is for him, he knows, he can feel it. “Not you,” she adds, likely to Denji, “just him, for now.”

So instead, Denji speaks. “Makima, something weird’s going on, the place is totally empty and–”

“Shhh.” Soft and gentle, that's how the sound escapes her lips. Like silk Like a sigh.

“You walk to your death.” The Gun Devil, again. Only this time, its words mean nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. “You readily embrace it. Do not be so foolish.”

As Aki draws near, her arms wrap around him like a cradle, head resting against her shoulder. The low, warning roar grinding through his mind fades to nonexistence. 

“It wasn't supposed to happen like this,” she breathes in the crux of his neck, “so suddenly. You were meant to die then, you know. Now, I don't think I'll let you die at all. That might be more effective, hm? At least as a failsafe.”

Aki nods. Of course Makima is right. She always is.

“Makima?” Denji doesn't sound scared. Not yet. Just confused. “What's going on? Is this–”

“Denji?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Shut up.”

They're odd words, coming from Makima’s lips. Odd, and callous, and just upsetting enough that the Gun Devil's words are able to find an opening, one last time.

“Run.”

Aki would like to say he tries. But he doesn't.

“Transform.”

And then, Aki's world goes black.

[greypetrel]

Hey!! <3 For the writing questions, 4 (in Italian or English or both c:), 19, 26, 36

Hello there! <3

Ooooooooooooh number 4 is such a cool question! Thanks for asking it!!

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

I love ideophones, onomatopoeic words that sounds as the thing they're describing. LOVE THEM.

Croccante (crunchy), in italian, it just gives you that idea of crunchiness when you say it! /krok-KAN-teh/ Sibilo/Hissing (meaning the same thing), you need to hiss to pronounce them? Wonderful.

Give me some well-done allitteration and I'll be yours forever, also don't let me start talking about Coleridge who was a genius in giving sound to his poetry ("furrow followed free" *swoons*)

I also love big, altisonant and funny-sounding words that takes too much time to say, or, as a person who studied philology, words that have history to them.

Pantagruelism (buffoonery or coarse humor with a satirical or serious purpose : cynical humor ) (also buffoonery is a great word) Boycott (to engage in a concerted refusal to have dealings with (a person, a store, an organization, etc.) usually to express disapproval or to force acceptance of certain conditions) who comes from the name of an Irishman that just... Decided to stop paying taxes to the English.

As "Feral" in the sense of words I can't stand... anything with a "squelchy" sound (squelch is another onomatopoeic word... But it's a kind of sounds that triggers me and I can't stand xD). "Squelch", "Moist", in italian "Ciuccio" (EEEEW. Ciuccio is probably one of the words I find the most horrible ever. PLEH. /TCHOO-tchow/ . I repeat. PLEH.)

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

I started very early on as a hobby. In my family we all write little silly stories for funsies, so I just... Followed the example and wrote my own. I think I started writing prose along with comics (a friend and me used to draw little comics one for the other). I came to an abrupt stop with prose in my early 20s: I started playing GDRs that worked with writing what your character did... And it was fun, but I was getting problems with Anxiety, very stressed, and a couple of bad comments convinced me my prose was boring and hard to read. I felt EXTREMELY self-conscious about it and stopped with prose whatsoever, just stuck to comics and screenwriting where I could rely on drawing. I got back to prose... In September, with Dragon Age fics. It's being a difficult and busy period, but I still needed some creative outlet. So I started to write because it's quicker than comics, I can do it on my phone, with zero instruments to bring along and needing no space. It was just for my own consumption, when inspirations stroke or I played something that left me with a "Yes that was good... But I want MORE of it. I think the first think I blorted out was this Trespasser piece (it's longer on my file, there's an extract). I started to write pieces here and there... And then thought it would have been nice to have a place to put them all in order. And sent a request to AO3. (as a person who once said "No I could never write fanfiction!". Look at us, little me, we're getting better!)

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

Massively daydreaming, doodling things, roleplaying them in my head. DnD alignments and personality tests GREATLY help me to get to know them better (MBTI works fine as guidelines, as Tarot cards and even Zodiac Signs. Don't believe in Astrology, but as a personality test it's fine enough). Listening to music and imagining scenes and scenarios on it. Whatever works. I get out when I need to focus on other things, mainly I change the playlist. xD

36. They say to Write What You Know. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this is terrible advice...what do you Know?

I know passion and believing in my opinions and standing up and making them heard. I know sadness and melancholy, I know of crippling anxiety and being scared and feeling little... And how to live with it. I know blood does not run thicker than water, and that sometimes your family is not the one you're born with, but the one you find for yourself. I know of distances, and that they don't really matter with the right people, not today, not with internet. I know kindness even if it's still a work in progress. I know my mistakes and of trying to learn from those and getting better. I like to think I know of books, or that I am enthusiast enough to reference them and take inspirations from dead authors, lore and mythologies, finding patterns and recurrencies. I know of sailing and the sea, and I'm lucky to know what it feels like to have an animal choose you as its companion.

... And this is getting sappy and too lyrical so I'll stop. Oh, I know when I'm getting sappy too!

[studyari]

march update

it’s officially midterms time. i thought i would post an update becuase this semester has took SO much out of me. i finished my internship funded by the national science foundation in january, can’t say i made too many ties there since i hardly saw my superiors. BUT i did get to know the metrology lab pretty well and even got their machine working. going into it i did NOT imagine i could accomplish that but i felt so good getting it working! i even made a little overturn training manual and gave it over to them. 

okay so starting this semester i am in my gateway courses. so a bunch of physics courses at one time ugh plus i was taking differential and linear algebra. i got so stressed out with the workload that i had a dream where i crashed into a forest and the airbags went off lol. that same morning i dropped my lab and differential equations. it was just WAYYY too much for me. 

i’m still a full time student so it was clear i was doing too much. hmm okay so i’m in my gateway courses so mathematical physics, classical mechanics, and modern physics. i knew i was going to struggle with classical mechanics because kinematics alone was hard for me to grasp and it’s basically dynamics. i didn’t apply as an engineering major literally because i didn’t want to take dynamics LOL i struggled in statics. Of course im taking the same class just named something else and a lot harder T_T. i also wanted to get some undergrad research experience and work in an electronic materials lab but yeah i’m just tooooo busy it was a good idea though lmao.

okay but honestly mechanics is the hardest class for me, modern physics is my most interesting class, and mathematical isn’t too bad even though i suck at math because our teacher grades us mostly on completion and work shown. the hardest thing about this semester is just the schedule itself. so we have to take all three at the same time for some reason or you wouldn’t be able to register for the class ummm overkill much?! and the schedule is from 10am - 7:30 pm ughhhh. I have to take the bus there so add on a couple hours and then i have to walk to class. ohhh i miss the online/hybrid classes so much lol. by the time i’m in my last class i am literally asleep. don’t worry ive started drinking coffee.

looking on the brighter sides of things i’m being a lot more involved in campus and i’m really liking getting to know my classmates! i am so antisocial and awkward so im surprised. i’ve been going to the women in stem meetings, society of astronomy, nsbe coding workshops, ieee circuits workshops, career fairs, and boba socials just for funsies. i realize school isnt all about good grades and killing yourself for that A. i’ve even had more time to spend with my friends (it is so true what they say about making time not having it lol). almost every other weekend we see each other and have little celebrations, watch movies, have study dates, go to the park, get coffee/boba, go shopping etc. and facetiming my friends back in arizona as well! one of my club advisors told me its actually the b and c students that do better in the job market and isnt that freaking crazy! ever since then ive been reminding myself that being perfect and getting a’s isnt always worth it. i have other life to live too and people wont necessarily fault me for that.

okay as for my grades though i have been bombing every single quiz like a 50 or LESS LMAO. that’s with me studying at least a whole day before. however as of now i have passed every exam so far. so my current grades right now are 90% in modern physics, 98% mathematical physics, 100% classical mechanics (but a lot f the grades arent in yet), and a 99% in linear algebra. See and thats me not killing myself this semester so im super happy i decided to not overdo it, it really doesnt make as much as a difference as i thought lmao clearly.

looking forward to spring break! i was in therapy/behavioral health all last year trying to tackle my anxiety and i would say its been helping. its all about making a choice. i’m also in physical therapy now for the next couple of months and then once summer starts i’ll start going back to therapy again. this post might seem positive but this semester i have never felt more unmotivated or stupid. some days i feel like i cant do this and that everyone else around me is so much more capable. but i know as soon as i give into those thoughts that i’ll end up giving up and i don't want to give up. my boyfriend also has been feeling the same way. 

i also lost my wallet this week soooo all my documentation and identification is gone ugh. i had a full on breakdown but am getting that figured out. i’m going to an applications of black holes seminar tomorrow and i am super excited about that. took my linear algebra exam today too, (WHY IS THAT CLASS SO HARD BTW). i havent yet applied but theres this summer research opportunity happening at the university of toronto (dunlap institute of physics and astrophysics) and i think im going to apply! i really want to travel this year and experience something new!

[nightwishesworld]

Oh, I have a request! How about the daughters (who love the reader very much) always taking the reader and practically stealing her every time she’s with Alcina? (Cuz we need more daughters and reader interaction 🥲) And maybe to the point of our precious big dommy mommy gettin ya know ya know jealous? ;)) HAHGSHAHAHAHA, that would be hilarious to see. Anyways, hope you’re havin’ a great time~ ✌🏻till next time!

I’m so sorry this took me so long anon! I’ve gotten more requests than I ever thought I would and I’m starting to get behind. This was a really sweet one to put together though- really enjoyed it!

Slight Gore warning for Cassandra! Nothing too detailed but it is referenced. If you don’t like it just skip her

Bela

Being the eldest sibling has made her the most level-headed of the three. After decades of ending squabbles between her younger sisters, she’s discovered the pleasures of retail therapy. 

She takes great joy in popping off to neighboring villages for a few hours perusing the various aromatherapy shops.

And she takes even greater pleasure bringing you along. Dragging you, really. Even if you’re otherwise busy. Sometimes she’ll buy you a few scents or lotions that catch your eye.

She calls it “compensation for being dragged away from Mother,” but really she’s just happy to spoil you

Also loves asking you for literature recommendations. As vast as the castle’s library is, Bela had read through most of the literature over her lifetime

Is absolutely fascinated by modern day novels. 

She takes you on a day-long shopping spree visiting five surrounding villages just blowing through money buying almost every book that peaks her interest

Most of your time together is spent relaxing in the library talking about your novels. 

Eventually you’ve collected enough books to make an entirely new section in the library just for the two of you.

Even when cuddled up with Alcina in the library, there is simply no escaping Bela when she’s looking for recommendations or simply someone to talk to

At the end of the day, you really didn’t mind. You were more than happy to spend time with all the girls and happy they wanted to spend time with you. 

You knew as annoyed as Alcina got when interrupted she found it incredibly sweet that her daughters will go out of their way to be with you

Cassandra (Cassi)

Suffers from middle child syndrome hardcore

She’s a bit too old to understand Bela’s interests, but too old to join Daniela in her delusional fantasies. So naturally, she tries to cling onto you.

At first she tries to convince you to enter the basement with her so she can show you her “Art Gallery,” but Alcina forbade it. So things between you and Cassi went quiet for awhile

Alcina says Cassandra is an artist of some sort and all her work is done in the basement

After about a month of silence Cassandra came barrelling into your private study with some kind of canvas in her hands

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much, y/n, but I’ve been working really hard on your gift.”

You gush, “oh Cassi, you didn’t have to make me anything. That’s so sweet of you.”

She eagerly flips over the canvas to reveal her painting of a human heart.

It was beautifully detailed, the heart really jumped off the page against the black background...but something was off about it. It took a minute for you to realize it but once you did, you couldn’t stop staring. The heart was painted with blood.

You were lost for words. 

“Well?” Cassi, asked with a broad smile on her face. “Do you like it?”

All you could do at first was nod you head. “Oh Cassandra, its gorgeous. You really made this?”

The girl’s eyes were rapturous. “It’s my favorite hobby! But this particular piece was my first try at observational painting. I hope I did a good job...”

“Are you kidding Cassi? It’s beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it. Can I hang it on my wall?”

She lunges at you, wrapping you in a suffocating hug. “Thank you, y/n. I made it a heart so you know how much we love having you here with us.”

Tears were starting to prick your eyes. “I love you guys, too.”

You looked up lust long enough to see Alcina walk in your study, roll her eyes and walk right back out.

Daniela (Dani)

Being the youngest Dimitrescu definitely has its advantages and Daniela knows how to use every single one.

Gets away with absolutely everything and anything under the sun. Even things her older sisters could only dream of getting away with and it irritates them to no end.

Daniela is definitely the most daring of the three. Always pushing her boundaries with her mother and will go out of her way to annoy Alcina just for funsies.

Is comfortable (and has) appearing in your bedroom while your, erm...busy with Alcina. Literally grabs you by the arm and swoops you away in a swarm of moths giggling the entire time. You hear Alcina shouting obscenities as you’re taken away.

You’re both thoroughly embarrassed.

Daniela seems to be, just like her mother, very needy. Attention starved if you will. So of course, she’s in need of your presence every hour. Sometimes more. 

And for the dumbest freaking reasons!

“Y/n come quick! Look at the birds in the garden. They’re so pretty!”

You laugh at her excitement “They’re crows, Dani. We see them every day.”

Other times she will drag you to her room and pull out her vast collection of weapons and tell you different stories associated with each one. You loved hearing how passionate Daniela was about her collection.

On a few rare occasions, she even gifted you a set of daggers, or crossbow, or whatever your favorite weapon is.

“You don’t own any y/n, which means you’re vulnerable to attacks. One day I’ll teach you how to use them.”

BONUS: Alcina being absolutely done with her girls not sharing

Late hours of the night are Alcina’s favorite time of day

She gets to relax in bed with you all to herself while shedding away all the stresses from the day. 

More often than not she’ll lazily sip a glass of wine and reread her favorite novel to you while you’re nestled in her lap.

It was the only time of day she knew she had you all to herself

...usually...

One night all three of her daughters barged in your bedroom arguing who you would spend time with first. Alcina tried shouting over them to take control of the situation, but none of them were even paying her attention.

Situations like this call for drastic measures.

Alcina covered your ears and shouted at her girls from the top of her lungs. Once she knew she had their attention she reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a...spray bottle? They were about to laugh at her before she explained that the spray bottle contained holy water.

That scared them enough to make them back up a few steps. Daniela even hisssed at her, baring her fangs like a feral animal.

“I am tired of you three stealing away my y/n and I’ve reached my breaking point. This is the one time of day I’m allowed exclusive time with them and I will not have you getting in the way of that.”

You couldn’t process what was happening before you. Was Alcina really prepared to spray her own daughters with holy water just because she wouldn’t get her cuddles tonight? Really?

Daniela felt bold tonight. “As if you would actually do it. I bet that’s not even holy water.”

Alcina only arched a brow. “Well you’re more than welcome to come see for yourself, Daniela. By all means.”

The redhead was about to do just that until Bela pulled her backwards. “I guess we can wait and see y/n tomorrow. Goodnight, mother. Goodnight, y/n.”

As soon as Alcina knew they were gone she fell back onto the mattress, pulling you with her, peppering you in kisses. 

“Darling,” you ask. “Is that really holy water?”

She chuckles into your neck. “No, it’s not, and they should have known that. If it were I wouldn’t have been able to hold it without it making me feel ill. But they’ll figure that out eventually and once they do they’ll be back.”

“What then?”

“Pelting them with fake silver should do the trick.”

[scummy-writes]

Ikevamp Gift Exchange Piece

Rating: G

Words: 1235

Pairing: Theo/OC

Tags: University AU, Theo's a Fool

@nad-zeta Hello!! I ended up being paired to write your gift for @ikemenlibrary's gift exchange! I was pretty excited, since you're always so sweet and kind to me! I hope you enjoy this!

Full fic is under the cut!

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

If you had asked Theo how he had envisioned his university life, he would have scoffed and listed out the obvious: exhausted nights and countless papers being written. Because unlike Arthur, he didn’t care for the parties or the potential for countless flings. Theo was here to get the degree he was aiming for, and nothing past that.

So, if you had told him that, during his second year, a fiery woman would constantly steal his reasoning, he wouldn’t have believed you. In fact, he’d roll his eyes and call you a dumbass for that pisspoor attempt at a ‘trick’.

Yet here he was, near the end of the year, lying down on the floor with her snuggled in his arms.

~~~

Their first ‘meeting’ didn’t go well. If he was completely honest with himself, most times that he met someone for the first time, they rarely went well unless he was initiating the conversation with a purpose. And, well, in this case, Zeta had initiated it.

He was still unsure why she had come up to him, of all the people in their shared Art History class, to ask him for a ‘study buddy’. She wasn’t failing the class by any means, if Theo judged from her input during the classroom discussions, yet she still stood by his seat. Staring him down at the end of class while he packed up his bag.

At the time, all Theo did was shoot her an unimpressed look before getting up to walk past, “I don’t have time to babysit.”

“Excuse me?” Undeterred, she followed him out of the classroom, matching his pace without hesitation.

“I know you heard me.”

“You didn’t even consider it! Surely you’re not that busy.”

“Find someone else.”

.

Zeta was right, he didn’t consider it. All he heard was his time being wasted. But now as he recounted their meeting at the bar with Arthur, Theo was painfully aware at Arthur’s amused gawk.

“The girl you keep giving the slip to is Zeta?”

Arthur cocked his brow at Theo once the man nodded, watching him sip at his whiskey.

“It’s been a week now. I’m surprised she hasn’t given up yet.”

“That’s because you’ve managed to tangle with the most stubborn woman on campus. Fitting, really, considering how much of a hassle it is to convince you to do anything,” Arthur snickered, ignoring the glare his friend shot, “why are you running off each time she asks, anyway?”

“I don’t want to carry her through the entire semester.”

“Pfft- as if. She’s not taking it for funsies, Theo.”

“What, you know her?”

Arthur gave Theo a devilish smirk, tracing the rim of his glass filled. He knew better than to ask, but Theo found himself sighing, wanting to get over whatever mischief Arthur was planning.

“If she’s another fling of yours, I don’t want to hear it. Last thing I need is to be caught up with another woman you’ve scorned.”

“Zeta? No, she’d kill me first.”

“Then what is it?”

Arthur looked away from him at the moment, tapping the bar counter before seeming to make up his mind about something.

“Tell you what- play a round of cards with me. If you win, I’ll spill.”

He shouldn’t. Theo really shouldn’t have, but he caved, pushing his glass aside, “and if you win?”

All Arthur did was grin.

.

Theo had such rotten luck. He swore again for the hundredth time that day, watching Zeta pack her bag as the class ended. He should have known better than to play any game with Arthur, bets or no. Yet here he was, trying to find the words he needed to talk to her. Because, of course, the moment he finally got the gall to agree to help her, she had given up asking him.

Half of him wanted to just roll with it, but another half knew Arthur would never let it go if he didn’t follow through with this.

Once she started walking out of the class, Theo quickly followed. It wasn’t long until she noticed him following behind, and once they made it out of the building, she turned around with a huff.

“What is your problem, dude?”

Now it was his turn to beg. Feeling heat across his cheeks, Theo looked aside as he nearly spat the words out, “... Did you still need a partner?”

Zeta paused, furrowing her brows, no doubt wondering-

“Couldn’t you have made up your mind sooner?”

.

Looking back on it, did he feel foolish expecting nothing to come from constant, long night study sessions together? He’d studied with people before, mainly his brother and Arthur, so he had expected nothing more than keeping her on track while preoccupied with his own methods of study. Though, she was dedicated.

The first few sessions were awkward. They met up in public places, mainly a cafe that Theo liked, and he had thought she enjoyed it too. But after a few sessions and some busts with their sweets, Zeta waved off meeting there again.

“Their stuff is overpriced, Theo, and they don’t put enough sugar in. I could make something better at my place.”

“...You can bake??”

Part of him expected for her to act demure, but then he remembered when she was confident, Zeta didn’t hesitate to make it known. She grinned, standing a bit taller as she chuffed herself up.

“And I’m damn good at it too! Come on, let’s stop wasting our money at places like this. It’s about time I thanked you for helping me out anyway.”

Maybe there was some truth to the saying that the way to someone’s heart was through their stomach. From that point on, they began meeting at each other’s places, Zeta bringing whatever baked treats she made recently while Theo supplied the needed caffeine to keep them both awake through any possible sugar crashes. And it was then, with every compliment he gave that had her beaming proudly, that Theo realized how much he didn’t want their get-togethers to end.

Perhaps it started far before that moment. When she kept persisting in talking to him, such a gruff man that scared everyone off so easily. Or when they finally began talking outside of class, her willingness to meet any quips he gave head-on and fire right back with friendly snark. Each fond memory that presented itself in his mind just led him to the same concern: why did he feel this way?

~~~

Zeta stirred, her grip on his shirt tightening. Nonsensical mumbles were the only noise to come from her lips, and for once Theo couldn’t bring it in himself to tease. Instead, the pads of his fingers gently traced her skin as he tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear, sighing to himself.

She wasn’t supposed to be anything more than the cocky classmate he was willing to tolerate. Yet here he was, wondering what the harm was in letting her stay over, if she was this exhausted to fall asleep during the documentary they were assigned to watch.

It was easy to imagine the way she’d wake up in the morning, quick to mock him for going soft on her… envisioning it made him crack a smile, realizing he was excited to hear her adorable voice again.

Maybe losing bets wasn’t such an awful thing, if they could lead to him finding someone like Zeta.

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I hope I managed to get your character at least somewhat like herself! I'm sorry it's not longer. Please know if there are any changes you'd like me to make, no matter how big or small, you can reach out to me through DM's and we'll work out a fic that makes you happier to receive!

Masterlist | Ikevamp Server

[writeofmind]

a ghost?! (pt. 1)

Genre: fluff, slow burn, multi-shot <3

Pairing: College!Rosé x Reader

anon: Hi! If possible could you make a master list of all the fics and scenarios you have posted? 😅 I’d also like to request a blackpink college AU focused on Female Reader x Rosé 🥺 lots of fluff and maybe some slow burn and smut? I’d be happy with any Rosé fluff or blackpink fluff though 🤍🤲🏻 thank you 😊

A/N: hi, j anon! this is part 1/? of your slow burn college!au. :D I will try to make this as slow and fluffy as possible. i don’t have a specific plot that i’m sticking to rn, but i have general ideas that i’m very excited to write. that being said, feel free to send in suggestions as to how you want this story to go! (or you can leave it up to me, and be in for cute surprises >:) ) 

a ghost?! | caramel lattes | your favorite regular

-

There were two things that you learned from living your college life. One, you definitely weren’t a morning person, and two, your roommate was a ghost. 

Not literally. The thing was just that you had never formally met them; when you moved in, they weren’t home, and when you would wake up in the afternoons, they would already be long gone and out of the house. Your schedules never lined up with each other, so for the past few weeks, you’ve just been barely missing them, not even knowing their name. 

You didn’t mind, really. The apartment was kept clean at all times, so it really did feel like only you lived there sometimes. But, you can say: if your roommate was a ghost, then they were the loudest ghost. Ever.

It was just your luck to be paired with them, too; they would be up at the crack of dawn, most times even earlier. You’d often wake up in the mornings to music playing or their (you’re sure you can say her) voice singing along. If you were being honest, the latter was your preferred way of waking up. She did have a wonderful voice, and you wished you could get yourself out of bed to tell her that; but she just woke up way, way too early. 

Today was another one of those days. Music was blasting in the background, yet another replay of “Call Me Maybe.” 

Ugh, god... you raised your head at the rude awakening, squinting your eyes at the door. Not this song again.

Based on what little you knew about your roommate, you had an image in your head of what she may look like. To put it short, you imagined a sorority girl, in a way. The type that dance and sing along to pop songs, dresses in tank tops and jeans, partying everyday, that sort of thing. You figured that maybe she didn’t party a lot though, considering she was already home and sleeping when you would walk through the front door. 

You let your head drop back into your pillow. You were too groggy and beat from work the night before that you blocked out the song, blocked out your roommate’s singing, and fell soundly asleep once again as her music faded out the front door and into the hallways of your apartment. Jeez, that girl needed some headphones.

When you woke up a few hours later, the apartment was silent. There was a sigh of relief from you, and you groaned as you stretched your entire body out. Class started in about an hour and a half, so you decided not to laze around in bed and instead get ready for the day.

When you walked into the kitchen to grab something quick to eat on your way to campus, you smelled something delicious. Sniffing the air, you smelled... something spicy? 

Sure enough, when you walked inside, there was a pan of tteokbokki sitting right on the stove. The aroma of the spiciness itself made your mouth water the closer you got to it- then, you saw a note next to it, sitting right under a bottle of water.

Good morning, roomie! I heard you come home late last night, (not that I was trying to be a stalker, but I couldn’t sleep so I was still up when you got back. Crazy, right?) Anyway, I figured you didn’t eat because I didn’t hear you in the kitchen, so I made extra tteokbokki this morning for you to take with you. I made it a little too spicy, so make sure you grab the water too!!

- PC

Your eyebrows raised higher the further down you read the note. She made you breakfast? And packed you a water? 

How sweet of her, you smiled. You wasted no time in scooping a whole bunch of the delicious rice cakes onto a plate and devouring every single piece. (She was right, though, it was super spicy.) 

That was really sweet of her. I should do something for her, too. I feel bad that I haven’t thought to even leave a note. And PC, huh? I wonder what that could stand for. I should make a mental note to ask. 

After eating and cleaning everything up, you realized that you wasted a little too much time in your own head and was running a bit behind schedule. You grabbed the water bottle quickly and ran as fast as you could out the door, into the elevator, and out the main lobby of your apartment. You didn’t even notice the blonde haired girl you almost ran into along the way. 

-

When you were finished with your school day, you always dreaded having to go to work afterwards. Not that it was a terrible job, you were just a barista at a café near campus, after all- but you would be tired and drained after pulling afternoon to closing shifts.

So there you stood, leaning against the counter top at your job as you sipped away at a small cup of espresso. You and your coworkers chatted absentmindedly. It wasn’t too busy tonight, except for a few straggling students that stayed to study. Your manager had even offered to let you go home early, but you decided you needed the money- you were practically getting paid to stand around, anyway.

The bell on the door jingled after what seemed like hours (and maybe it was). Your coworkers, all clowns, hid away from the incoming group of customers and shuffled behind the counters, leaving you to take care of them all. You glared at them and groaned internally, but that was the rules of a college student barista. If you’re not fast enough to hide, you face the consequences.

“Hey, guys,” you put on your smile as you approached the register, “what can I get for you tonight?”

When the girls got closer, you were glad that your hat was a bit too big for your head. It covered the burning read at the top of your ears at the sight of how pretty they were— all four of them, to be exact.

One of the shorter ones smiled back at you. “Hiii,” she greeted, “do you guys know what you want?”

The redhead of the group spoke up first. “Yes, can I just have a tea, please?” She turned to the other girls, “I noticed that my voice has been kind of raspy from rehearsal. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

You minded your own business as you punched in the order. “Of course, and for you?” You looked at the tall brunette, who was squinting at the menu board. You had to hide a laugh as you slid a smaller menu to her. “Here you go, our menu is printed kind of small.”

“Oh my gosh, thank you,” she laughed and took the menu in her hands. The shorter one that spoke earlier laughed too and simply pushed the brunette’s hands down. 

“Can we just get two large white mochas, please?” 

You smiled as you punched in that order too. “Of course.” You now turned to the final girl of the group, who stood silently, staring back and forth at the pastries in the case and the menu board. “For you, miss?”

When she looked up at you, you froze. 

Wow, she was cute. 

She smiled at you so sweetly, brushing her blonde hair behind her ear. “Um, yes please, can I get all of the vanilla scones that are in here? Oh, and a caramel latte, please.”

Just from eyeballing the case, there were at least 10, if not a couple more scones in there. You glanced at her with a humorous smile and nodded. “Yeah, no problem.”

As you punched in the order, you made sure that you only rang her up for four scones. It was almost near closing time anyway (you told yourself that, but really you still had a couple hours left), and you didn’t want to have to waste any pastries. 

“Can I have your guys’ names for your drinks?” You popped the tip off of your sharpie. 

The redhead, again, spoke first. “Jisoo.” 

Then went the brunette. “Lisa,” she then pointed to the shorter one, “Jennie.”

Lastly, you turned to the blonde. Again, she smiled, and nodded when she spoke. “Rosé.”

Such a pretty name, you thought to yourself. You made it a point to draw a little flower next to her name, just for funsies. You let them know that their drinks would be ready soon, and you gathered all the scones in the case for the girl to have.

The girls didn’t notice the price difference at first when they paid. After calling out their names for their orders, it wasn’t until they sat down at their table with their drinks and snacks that they realized something was off. 

It was Rosé who came back up to the counter as you were wiping it down. 

“Um, hi,” she spoke softly as if not to surprise you, “I’m sorry, but I think there may have been a mistake?”

You looked up at her from the counter with raised eyebrows. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was your drink wrong?”

“No, not at all! It’s great,” she shook her head and showed her bag of scones, “but, um, I think you mischarged me for these.”

Ah, so she did notice. “No miss, that’s okay,” you laughed at her innocence and honesty. Her face even looked worried just from you saying that. “We’re going to be closing in a couple hours anyway, and to be honest, the scones can be a bit overpriced when you buy a lot. Don’t worry about it.”

Her eyebrows were furrowed in the cutest way possible. “But— are you sure? You won’t get in trouble?”

“I’m sure, I’m sure. It’s fine, really miss.”

“Aww... well, thank you—” she beamed and squinted at your name tag, “Joy.”

Aw, shit. You internally slapped yourself in the face, I put on the wrong apron. 

Of all days to be talking to a cute girl, you weren’t even wearing the right apron with the right name tag. You really didn’t want to have to explain yourself and essentially embarrass both you and the girl right now, and you were quite frankly a bit shy already from talking to her for as long as you have. So you just smiled back. “It’s no problem, Rosé.”

With a giggle, the girl turned back around and hopped over to her table, where you could hear her recounting your conversation. You chuckled.

-

As your shift went on, the students inside the café began to disperse and pack up their bags to head home. One of the last students to leave was the group of girls you served earlier, and they even made sure to call out “bye, Joy!” as they left. Your coworkers looked at you funny but ended up laughing at your awkwardness once they realized your mistake.

“Oh, come on, y/n!” One of your best coworkers, Seulgi, laughed, “Now you’re gonna be known as Joy to them! Joy is not going to be happy.”

“Look, man, I didn’t wanna correct her, alright??” You sighed and palmed your forehead, “I got nervous!”

“Ah, well,” your other coworker Yeri shrugged, “at least you may not see her again. So you don’t have to be too embarrassed.”

Your shoulders dropped at the sound of that. You may not see her again? Boo. 

Your closing shift went by smoothly and before you knew it, you were walking through the threshold of your already dark apartment. You saw that your roommate’s door was closed and her light off, but her shoes were on the shoe rack, so you knew she was already sleeping. 

You almost went straight to your room to knock out before remembering what your roommate did for you this morning. You didn’t want to just leave her hanging and make yourself seem ungrateful, so you grabbed a post-it note and a pen.

Hi there, roomie, you began, thank you for the tteokbokki this morning! It was delicious, actually, and I only needed a few gulps of water between each bite. (lol, i’m just teasing, it really was good. i love spicy food.) i’m not sure if you like flavorings in your coffee, let alone if you like coffee or not, but here’s some for you for the morning, since you’re usually up earlier than me. you can use any of my coffee cups, i have way too many.

- y/n

After setting up the coffee machine to brew in the early morning, you stuck the note on top and dragged yourself into your room to get ready for bed. 

-

The next morning, you woke up to silence. No music, no singing, nothing. And it wasn’t early in the morning- it was the usual time you yourself would get up and out of bed.

Huh? you wondered, This feels... unnatural.

You got yourself out of bed and ready for your day as you normally would. You walked into the kitchen for your usual breakfast of coffee and a single granola bar, when you saw yet another note waiting for you on the kitchen table.

it’s no problem at all! i almost thought you hated the tteokbokki when i didn’t see any feedback when i got home. TT TT it’s so funny that we haven’t even met yet. btw, i’m sorry i’m loud in the mornings, i never realized how late you got home every night. i’ll let you sleep in more. :) and you’re so sweet, thank you for letting me use one of your cups, and thank you for the coffee this morning :)

p.s, just so you know a fact about me too, i love caramel in my coffees.

- PC

[gamerwoo]

Imprinted college majors anon here, I was talking about Seventeen :) I'd love to read those hcs if you write them someday!

Okay here’s what their majors are (if they’re in college, but i’ll also say what they do for work)

a/n: i’ll be real, i can’t remember some of the things i said in the series about who goes to college and does what but i tried to skim over and stick to what i said. if there’s any mistakes pls let me know so i can try to fix them!! also since seungkwan’s mate still hasn’t been introduced, i’ll update this after his part happens

-

Seungcheol:

majoring in video game programming and design

when he first enrolled in uni, he was going for business

but he wanted to do something he was actually interested in, and the boy likes his video games

he even works part-time at a video game store lmao

fuckin nerd

Jaehee:

never went to college!!!

she used to work full-time at a corner store in a bad neighborhood

now she works full-time at a clothing store

she’s been thinking about going to school or at least taking online classes

joshua’s very supportive in this idea tbh

she’d probably want to go into criminal justice

Jeonghan:

takes general studies classes

he just wants to get a degree to please his parents and society

if you think he gives a shit about school ur wrong lmao

works part-time as a barista

used to work at a Starbucks lmao but he found a nicer café where they pay him more

he’s considering switching his major to global business but he doesn’t want to do all the work lmao

he just wants the money that business majors get tbh

Aya:

studying to be a doctor

currently in university but she’s been looking at medical schools ever since she was accepted to uni

a very hardworking student and gets high marks all the time

usually has to force jeonghan to do his work

works part-time as a bartender

tries to be on good behavior to get really good tips but sometimes she can’t help but threaten gross men y’know?

Joshua:

also studying to become a doctor

like aya, he’s still in university

and let me tell you he’s not excited for even more school lmao

stressed about medical school and he’s not even there yet

had a part-time retail job for a while but he quit because trying to become a doctor is stressful lmao

he’s lined up for a paid apprenticeship though so that’s nice

Junhui:

majors in animal science

after he gets his degree, he wants to study veterinary medicine too

he basically wants to become a vet

he doesn’t have a part-time job currently but he does volunteer at a local animal shelter

is hoping to be able to be like wonwoo and get a paid apprenticeship at a vet clinic

Soonyoung:

dance major

what will he do with that degree, you ask?

who knows!!!!

he’s also taking general studies classes to have a “real degree” but he thinks its boring

he at least has a part-time job at a dance studio

he’s the instructor’s assistant

and sometimes he gets to choreograph dances which is pretty cool

also does competitions for funsies!!

and bc sometimes they win money lmao

Wonwoo:

studying to become a teacher

specifically in literature

he did start taking some english classes on the side for his mate, though

a great student literally always does all of his work on time

straight-A student

basically has become the tutor for the pack

has a paid apprenticeship as a student teacher

Faye:

she’s studying abroad but we already knew that

her major is foreign language, specifically the korean language/culture

originally was studying to become a korean/english translator

but lately she’s been reconsidering her job ideas

also kind of wants to switch her major

she feels like it’s too late though since she’s already put in so much time and money the last few years

she’s not sure what she’d want to switch to but she’s sticking with korean language/culture anyway

works part-time at a bakery with Yoona

Rini:

she’s a part-time online student

majoring in animal and environmental science

she’s part-time because she has to take care of kaito a lot of the time since her parents both work full time and he’s only at daycare part-time

at least she gets paid for babysitting

she really likes kids but she also really likes animals so she struggled to pick between animal and environmental science, and childcare

Yoona:

majoring in social science

she never chose a major based on what she liked/wanted to do, but more with what she could do with her degree

and there’s a lot of options for a degree in social science

she lowkey wishes she went for animation or something art-related

works part-time at a bakery with Faye

Jihoon:

studying music theory and composition

his dream job is to be a music producer

currently has a part-time job at a garage as a mechanic

he’s been working there since he was a teenager since the shop belongs to a family friend

which is how he was able to fix eunmi’s bike lmao

Eunmi:

currently majoring in psychology

she wants to become a therapist or counselor

but she also knows her appearance might stop that from happening unfortunately

it also makes it difficult for her to get a job so she’s currently unemployed

she’s considering switching her major to automotive mechanics since she likes learning about bike stuff from jihoon

Seokmin:

majors in musical theater

did his parents want him to go to school for that? no!!!!

“what are you going to do with that degree?”

who knows!!!! not him!!!!!

but like soonyoung, he’s doing what he loves and the sunshine is happy!!

has a part-time job at a restaurant with areum and yerin waiting tables

also loves his job even though it pays garbo

but he gets to look at yerin all the time so that’s nice!!!!

Areum:

originally was a criminal justice major

but she hated the school work and argued with her professors a lot

now she’s a graphic design major

enjoys that way more

but she still sasses her professors when they critique her work

she’s a good student she’s just a pain for the profs lmao

got a part-time job at the restaurant seokmin and yerin work at, and she also babysits on the side

Mingyu:

currently not enrolled in college

works full time at a family friend’s restaurant

he does everything from cooking to waiting tables

wants to go to culinary school eventually

but right now he’s focusing on making money

plus he really loves his job

Juri:

majoring in linguistics

she originally was trying to minor in foreign language, specifically english

but she gave up on that because she didn’t think she was any good

she either wants to become a primary school teacher or a speech therapist

has a part-time job at a clothing store

Yerin:

isn’t enrolled in school

she works full time at a restaurant

it doesn’t pay a whole lot but it’s what she has

she didn’t ever go to college because her family never had a lot of money and she had to help

she worked part-time since she was a teenager and become full time when she graduated from high school

if she could go to school, it would probably be for childcare and/or child development

or for small business management so she could own her own restaurant/bakery

Minghao:

photography major 

he’s gotten really into fashion as well but he keeps that as more of a hobby

he takes freelance jobs mostly, but he does work part-time at the library

he’s worked there basically since moving to korea for school lmao

he likes to use himself as his main subject but obviously his muse became yoona instead

but he does often take photos of his pack brothers and sisters for his portfolio too

Bomi:

wasn’t in college when she met mingyu but started going after she met him

used to be a werewolf hunter full time but y’know that obviously didn’t work out

she decided to go to school for physical therapy

with a minor in psychology for funsies

but she has a lot of knowledge on medicine and stuff from when she was a werewolf hunter

joshua thinks she should’ve gone into nursing or medicine tbh

works part-time at a pharmacy

Seungkwan:

majors in music theory and composition, like jihoon

but seungkwan isn’t the same year as jihoon so he’s behind

he also switched majors halfway through his first year from childhood development to music so he’s even more behind

but the boy loves singing and music

he does babysit on the side for extra cash though lmao

Hansol:

majoring in foreign languages education

basically trying to become an english teacher in korea

tutors kids in primary/high school for extra money

hasn’t studied abroad because he doesn’t want to be away from his pack

he’s a good student he does his work and pays attention

Kira:

isn’t in school

she managed to get a decent amount of money before meeting hansol by doing some...unconventional stuff

so she didn’t have an actual job but she also felt like she didn’t need to get one either

but after meeting hansol she started working at a bubble tea place part-time

she’s trying to get her life together ok

Chan:

majors in multimedia

he doesn’t mind his major but he also isn’t sure just exactly what he wants to do with it yet

he mostly just went to school because his family wanted him to

has a part-time job bussing tables at a restaurant

yes he hates it lmao

[canarygirl1017]

Hands On Me - Chapter 1

Pairing: Reader / Jungkook

Genre:  College!au, fluff, mild angst, smut 

Length:  4,341k  words

Warnings:  language, sexual themes 

Summary:  You’d never had much luck with relationships, and experience had taught you to shy away from physical intimacy. But when you started dating your neighbor, Jungkook, you began to think he was worth the risk. College AU. 

A/N:  Next chapter coming soon. I originally wrote this a few months ago based on a prompt I got from my writer’s group. It was supposed to be college based romance, couple’s first time together, mildly angsty, and include the dialogue “Do you want to break up?” I sort of vaguely pictured JK when I was writing the male lead, at least visually, so I thought I would post it as a reader fan fic, which I’ve never written before. I usually write Marvel fan fic at AO3 in third person (not second person) so this isn’t as natural for me. Also, this is just for funsies because I don’t do real life shipping with real life people, though I do enjoy reading some of the well written fics I’ve seen in the fandom. If people enjoy this one, I might post more as I have a lot of short story prompts I’ve written for my club and don’t do anything with. 

Chapter 1

Snuggled up on the sofa watching TV together was how you spent most evenings with your boyfriend, Jungkook. You did a quick clean that morning in anticipation of him coming over since he seemed to prefer being in your space, though it hardly mattered; home was just a few doors down regardless of which apartment you chose to spend time together in.

You shifted your attention from the book you were reading to Jungkook’s profile, fingers itching to trace the sharp jawline that attracted so many women to the gym where he worked as a part-time trainer while he finished university. He also needed a haircut, but he’d shrugged off the suggestion when you mentioned it earlier that week. The slightly longer, inky black locks suited him though.

He was focused on the basketball game that had gone into overtime, his thumb absentmindedly stroking against your hip as you leaned against him. Being close to him was a double-edged sword lately and a reminder that he hadn’t really touched you in a while. Not since that night a few weeks ago.

When you first started dating three months ago, he’d been very physical with you. Dates that ended with kisses at the door had quickly turned into dates that ended with making out on the sofa at his apartment or yours. But during one very heated session on his sofa you got nervous, suddenly worried that things were moving too fast, and you pulled back. To his credit, Jungkook backed off immediately, assuring you that he was fine with following a slower pace.

Your high school boyfriend had pushed for sex and against your better judgment, you’d slept with him after the senior winter formal, only to be devastated when he moved on less than a month later. Similarly, your last boyfriend had been very pushy about sex, and your reluctance was a bone of contention between you until he broke it off.

At twenty-two, Jungkook was a year older, and you knew that he was much more experienced. You’d been neighbors for almost a year now, and you’d seen several of the girls he dated coming and going during that time. You’d never spoken to one another outside the occasional hello in passing until the night you came back from work to find your ex-boyfriend, Mike, drunk and pounding on your door.

Since you didn’t want to let him into your apartment, you stood outside to talk to him. Apparently offended that you wouldn’t let him in, he’d begun berating you loudly enough to have a few neighbors popping their heads out to see what was going on. And in the middle of that embarrassing situation, Jungkook and his friend walked up.

“Hey y/n,” Jungkook said. “Sorry we’re late.”

He slipped an arm around your waist, startling you, though you couldn’t deny you were grateful for the interruption.

His friend chimed in, holding up a takeout bag. “We brought dinner.” You’d seen him around campus and remembered that his name was Jimin.

Mike had eyed Jungkook, as if sizing up a potential fight. But while he had an inch or two on Jungkook in height, Jungkook was all lean muscle and without question the stronger of the two. So, he had backed off, but not before firing off a parting shot. “Good luck with the virgin. Cold fish bitch.”

Your cheeks were burning as he walked away.

Jimin broke the silence. “What an asshole. Does he do this a lot?”

You shook your head. “This is the first time I’ve seen him since we broke up.” You could only assume the alcohol had made him think that you were a potential booty call.  

Jungkook frowned as he stepped out of your personal space. “Sorry if I overstepped. I know it’s not my business, but I didn’t like the way he was crowding you at the door and yelling at you.”

“No, I appreciate you getting rid of him,” you answered. “Thank you.”

Jimin held up the takeout bag again. “We really do have dinner. Do you want to join us? Maybe it’s better if you’re not here alone in case he decides to come back.”

You hesitated, but then your stomach growled, a reminder that you hadn’t eaten since breakfast because of a hectic day of classes followed by work at the campus library.

Jungkook smiled. “We’ll take that as a yes.”

You became friends with Jungkook after that night. It was amazing how quickly you’d felt comfortable around him. He was kind and friendly, and he frequently helped the elderly residents of your building. Then one night after he’d shown up at the campus library and walked you the few blocks home, he kissed you. It marked the beginning of your new relationship, and you’d been inseparable ever since.

Unlike the few other guys you had dated, Jungkook had never directly brought up the topic of sex, nor had he pushed for it. You’d had a brief conversation one night about your respective exes. You knew he’d had one serious relationship that ended when he moved away for college and the long-distance relationship proved to be too much of a strain. He’d only dated casually since then, though you’d seen some of his overnight guests leaving his apartment the morning after.

Jungkook knew you’d had a boyfriend in high school, but you hadn’t gone into the details of the breakup. Though it was several years in the past, that rejection still stung, and you didn’t like to talk about it. He’d never asked about Mike other than to ensure you weren’t being harassed. You supposed the drunken scene he and Jimin had witnessed was explanation enough.

You were so lost in your thoughts that you failed to notice the game had ended until Jungkook spoke. “You’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

You looked up to see him watching you, an unreadable expression on his face. “Doing what?”

“Completely zoning out,” he replied with a half-smile. “Is something bothering you?” His chocolate brown eyes studied you intently.

“No,” you said quickly. Maybe too quickly because you could tell he didn’t quite believe you. His tongue pushed against his cheek, something he did when he was thinking about how to deal with a problem.

After a moment, he nodded. “Okay.” He stood up and stretched. “I should get going. I have an early client tomorrow.”

Saturdays were always busy at his gym, and he sometimes worked longer hours on the weekends. “Do you have clients tomorrow night?”

“One,” he confirmed as he pulled on his leather jacket. “Jen’s birthday party is tomorrow, right?”

You nodded as you walked to the door with him. “We’ll be at Carmen’s.” Jen had been planning her birthday for months and wanted a venue with good food, music and dancing. The trendy bar had only been open for about a year, but it was popular for the menu, which included themed cocktails, and the Latin music. You’d been looking at salsa dancing tutorials on YouTube because you were sure that your best friend would insist on hitting the dance floor.

“Okay. Jimin and I will swing by around ten.”

Jimin and Jen were involved in a casual flirtation that they both enjoyed, though you weren’t so sure it was really going anywhere. Jimin was a handsome transfer student studying modern dance, which took up a lot of his time, much to the disappointment of the single girls on campus. And for the two years you’d been friends, you had never known Jen to date anyone seriously. Still, Jen had heavily hinted that she wanted Jimin to come to her birthday party, and so you had told Jungkook to bring him.

“Okay.” You tilted your head back as he leaned down to kiss you goodbye.

You loved kissing him – the way his hands settled on your hips, and the way the first gentle brush of his lips against yours always gave way to slow, deep kisses. Your hands drifted down his chest to his waist, clutching the material of his t-shirt to ground yourself.

It would be so easy to get swept away. By the heat that flared between you. By your feelings. You knew without a doubt that you had fallen hard for him.

Jungkook pulled back, kissing the top of your head before releasing you. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You closed the door behind him and locked up, leaning your head against it for a moment. You were beginning to regret letting him leave every night even if you weren’t sure if you were ready for more. You wanted more, but you were afraid of it too. And you had no idea what to do about it.

_________________________________________

 You nibbled your bottom lip as you sat on Jen’s bed, watching your friend dig through her closet. “Do you think I should…” you paused, wondering how to broach this topic. While Jen had few conversational barriers, you were more hesitant to talk about sex.

“Should what?” Jen asked, her tone distracted as she pulled out another dress and tossed it over the chair at her desk. She tapped her well-manicured nails against the wall as she studied the contents of her closet before pulling out another dress and dropping it on the chair.

You glanced at the pile of dresses accumulating on the chair. “I thought you were going to wear that new dress you bought last week?”

“This isn’t for me,” Jen stated. “This is for you.”

You failed to contain a snort of laughter. “You’re like six inches taller than me. And I have a dress.” It wasn’t new, and Jen had complained that the dark color washed you out the last time you wore it. But unlike Jen, whose wealthy parents supplied her with credit cards and charge accounts around the city, you couldn’t afford to waste money on clothes. Your parents helped when they could, but you also had three younger siblings still at home and college was only possible because of your scholarships. Living in the city was also expensive; if not for Jungkook contributing to your groceries since you often ate together, you’d probably be eating ramen five nights a week.

“And I’m a fashion design student, so I have time to alter one of these. If I have to see you in that funeral dress again, I’m going to burn it. Worse, do you really want Jungkook to see you in it?” she shuddered as she tossed another dress on the chair. “Okay, I think these are the best options. Now, what were you asking? Do I think you should what?”

You hadn’t considered that Jungkook might also hate that dress. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to see what Jen had in mind. Arguing with her was next to impossible anyway.

You helped Jen hang the dresses on a clothes rack in the corner so you could see them better. “Do you think I should sleep with Jungkook?”

Jen raised a brow as she glanced over at you. “Hell yes. Have you talked about it?”

You shook your head. “No. I kind of… I don’t know. Freaked out a little bit a few weeks ago when we were kissing and stuff. It seemed like we were headed there, and I wasn’t sure I was ready, and I know I totally pulled a one eighty on him. And now he barely touches me.”

“Huh.” Jen considered that for a minute. “So things are weird now? Are you afraid he’s going to break up with you or something?”

You hadn’t really thought about that. “I wasn’t, but now that you said it, maybe.” You had mostly been worried that if you broke up after sleeping together, he’d be that much harder to get over because you knew that you’d be more attached to him then than you already were. But maybe that worry – that he would leave because you were holding back – had been there all along.

“I’m not saying he would do that,” Jen hurried to add. “I’ve seen how he acts around you, and how he looks at you. I really think he’s one of the good ones. But with your past experiences, I can see why you’d be worried. Has he ever been pushy about it?”

“No, never. When I told him that I thought we were moving too fast, he said he’d follow my pace. Only now, we’ve just kind of stalled out.”

“I guess he’s waiting for you to do something then. Like give him a signal that you want more.”

That could be it too. “I don’t really know how,” you admitted. “I have one night’s experience to draw from, and that was years ago.”

“That wasn’t an experience, y/n, that was a sexual travesty.”

You couldn’t argue with that. “He’s experienced though. I’m sure he knows how to make it good for me, but I don’t know how to do that for him. What if I’m bad in bed?”

“First of all, you have no idea how you are in bed because you’re practically still a virgin. Second, men are easier to please when it comes to sex anyway. Jungkook likes you. It’s easy to tell that he has real feelings for you, so I think there’s zero chance that he wouldn’t like sex with you. You really need to talk to him about it.”

You felt your cheeks heat up just thinking about trying to talk to him about this. “I know. I’m just embarrassed.”

Jen rolled her eyes. “If you can’t talk about it, you probably shouldn’t be doing it. Or I guess you could take the easier route and wear something that does the seduction for you. Like this.” She held up a deep red halter neck dress. The low neckline and back ensured maximum skin exposure. Jen was tall and had long, dark hair so on her, it probably looked fabulous.

Eyeing the dress with skepticism, you said, “That dress is your style, not mine. I’ve never worn anything like that before.” Your style could best be described as casual. On date night, you managed flirty casual, and Jungkook didn’t seem to have any complaints. This dress was on a whole other level, though.

“We can make it your style. I’ll make sure it’s not too revealing if that’s what you’re worried about.” When you still hesitated, Jen added, “Come on, Jungkook will forget how to talk when he sees you in this. I guarantee that you won’t have any trouble getting him into bed if that’s what you decide you want.”

The idea of surprising Jungkook with something like this was appealing. Maybe shaking up your image for one night would give you the confidence to talk to him about your relationship.

_____________________________________

 Jungkook stifled a yawn as he entered Carmen’s. It had been an exceptionally long day, and he wished this was a regular Saturday night like the ones he usually spent with his girlfriend, y/n. He liked being in your apartment because your sofa was comfortable, you had an old record player and some killer albums that you’d collected since middle school, and your essential oil candles made everything smell nice.

Jimin had been teasing him for a couple of months now, calling him domesticated. He supposed he was because before meeting you, he rarely spent a Saturday night in. If someone had told him then that he’d soon trade beers at his favorite bar for candles and snuggling on the sofa, he would have laughed.

And since Jimin rarely got him out on a weekend anymore, and Jen had equal complaints about you, he doubted either of you would get away with ducking out early.

“Are they upstairs or downstairs?” Jimin asked.

“Downstairs, I think,” he replied.

He let Jimin lead the way. It was crowded downstairs, and he first searched the booths and bar area, expecting to find you chatting with friends. You always said dancing in public made you feel awkward unless you were drunk, and since your alcohol tolerance was low, you usually didn’t drink much.

“I see Jen on the dance floor,” Jimin said. “Did you find her?”

“No.” Jungkook scanned the dance floor, briefly pausing on a petite girl wearing a red dress before looking back at the booths. “Maybe she’s in the bathroom.” He pulled out his phone to call you.  

“Wait, is that y/n?” Jimin suddenly asked.  

Jungkook glanced up from his phone. “Where?”

“That girl in the red dress.”

He looked back at the dance floor for the girl in red, ready to deny it. Except she’d turned around now, and Jimin was right. Holy shit.

“Damn. I know I’ve been giving you a hard time lately, calling you domesticated. I’ll shut up now because if I knew I was taking her home later, I’d be domesticated too.”

Jungkook glared at Jimin. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop.”

Jimin’s expression was sheepish. “Sorry, man. I’m going to hell for impure thoughts, but so are half the guys hanging around her. You might want to worry more about them.”

Jungkook was already on the move as he’d noticed the same thing. Shouldering past two guys trying to dance up behind you, he gave them a look that ensured they backed off. Your back was facing him, and he swallowed hard as his eyes drifted down from your shoulders. The dress draped in the small of your back, leaving a bare expanse of skin, and his fingers literally itched to touch you.

He gave in to the urge, sliding his hand along your waist lightly to get your attention. You turned your head, brows furrowed as you flinched away from the unexpected touch. But when you saw it was him, you smiled and wrapped your arms around his waist.

“You’re here,” you said, tilting your head back to look at him. “I’ve been waiting forever.”

He smiled at your uncharacteristically dramatic tone. “Sorry. I forgot my bag, so I had to run home to change. Are you having fun?” You were pressed close against him on the crowded dance floor, and he was enjoying the feeling of your small body against his. He let his hands settle on your hips, thumbs rubbing light circles. You shivered in response. “Are you cold?”

“No. That just feels good,” you said with a sigh. You toyed with the top button of his long-sleeved white Henley.

He wasn’t used to you being that direct about what you liked. And when your hands suddenly wandered under his leather jacket and ran up his back, he suppressed a shiver of his own. “I think you’re drunk, baby.” He pulled you closer, trying to ignore the teasing glimpse of cleavage revealed by your dress. Your hair drifted around your pale shoulders in loose waves, and all he could think about was running his fingers through it as he kissed you.  

“Maybe a little bit,” you admitted, scrunching your nose as you smiled up at him. “The cocktails are really good here.”

God, you were adorable. He’d never met another girl that he wanted to simultaneously fuck senseless but also protect and cuddle, though the former urge was winning out tonight. He’d never imagined you wearing a dress like this, and he knew it would be fueling his fantasies for quite some time. It had to be Jen’s influence, though he certainly wasn’t complaining.

As if reading his thoughts, Jen suddenly sidled past him on her way to the bar. “You’re welcome.”

For the next three hours, you divided your time between the dance floor and the bar, and Jungkook was content to follow behind you. You danced slowly together regardless of the beat, and he finally allowed his hands to stroke your bare back. You kept tilting your head back, inviting his kisses, and he was happy to indulge you. He was so turned on he could hardly think straight, but he knew he needed to keep a tight rein on the situation. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of that night a few weeks before when you had all but run from his apartment.

When you got a bit unsteady on your feet, Jungkook ordered water and fries at the bar before leading you to the booth where Jimin, Jen and a couple of other friends were talking. He could tell you were starting to fade as you finished the water and food. When you yawned and leaned against him, he kissed the top of your head. “I think it’s time we got you home.”

You hummed in agreement. Jen tossed him your jacket from the corner of the booth, and he helped you put it on. The cab ride back home was long enough for you to fall asleep in his arms. He savored every minute, stroking your hair gently, lulled by the sound of your breathing and glad that you had shaken off the pensive mood you’d been in the night before.

Jungkook was observant enough to realize that something was worrying you lately. While it bothered him that you wouldn’t tell him what you were thinking about, he worried that the relationship was still too fragile for him to push when it was obvious that you didn’t want to talk about it. Still, it was becoming increasingly difficult to let it go because he was concerned that it had something to do with him.

He wondered if it was about sex. Ever since that night he’d intervened when your ex showed up drunk, he’d wondered about your relationship with him. Something in the past had made you nervous about physical intimacy, which he’d realized after you ran out of his apartment that night, and he’d been very careful not to do anything that might make you run again. More and more he wished he’d punched that asshole, feeling certain he was somehow to blame. He’d deserved that and more for the name calling alone.

When you arrived home, Jungkook paid the driver and helped you from the car. Upstairs, he unlocked your apartment, smiling when you kicked your heels off and the effort sent you stumbling sideways. He steadied you before removing your jacket and draping it on the arm of the sofa. You walked to your bedroom and he grabbed some water from the kitchen before following you.

“You don’t feel sick, do you?” he asked, placing the water on your nightstand.

You shook your head as you sat on the edge of the bed and reached out a hand to him. “No.”

He took your hand and sat next to you. “You should change before you go to sleep, so you’ll be more comfortable.”

“You like the dress, right?” You nibbled your bottom lip as you peeked up at him through your lashes.

Understatement. “You look beautiful,” Jungkook said quietly, pushing your hair off your shoulder. His breath caught when you turned her cheek toward his palm and rubbed against him like a sleepy kitten.

“Then kiss me,” you whispered.

He hesitated, but you were already reaching for him. The kiss was like throwing a match on kindling. Then you scooted back to lie down and pulled him with you.

This was dangerous and he knew it, but he ignored the niggling little warning in his head because he’d been thinking about kissing you like this all night. He pressed against your soft curves but kept most of his weight off you as slow kisses turned more passionate. And when your hands grew bolder, running across his chest and back and tugging him closer, he gave in to the temptation, pulling you more fully beneath him.

When you parted your thighs, allowing his hips to settle between them, he dropped his head to your shoulder with a groan. Pressing kisses against your neck, he willed himself to calm down. “Baby, we should stop.”

You responded by pushing your hips up against him, and he bit back a curse. He was fully hard now and stopping was the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew it was the right thing. Jungkook braced his weight on his forearms and took a breath as he stared down at you.

“But I want you to stay,” you said, threading your fingers in his hair. Your eyes seemed much darker in the dim light of the bedroom. Your small hands drifted down to his shoulders, kneading, and then moved further down to toy with the hem of his shirt.

Jungkook closed his eyes and took another deep breath, the light fragrance of your perfume doing nothing to help him regain control. As much as he wanted you – had wanted you from the first night he kissed you - he didn’t want your first time together to be after a night of drinking. If there was even the slightest chance that you might regret it later, it wasn’t worth it.

He gave in one last time, kissing the spot beneath your ear that always made you shiver. He darted his tongue out to taste you and then captured your lips for one more long, slow kiss. “Not tonight.”

You didn’t argue anymore, allowing him to pull away. You were quiet as you got up and took some clothes from the dresser before going to the bathroom to change. When you returned, your face was clean, and you wore the usual pajama pants and t-shirt you preferred to sleep in. You didn’t say anything as you slipped past him to crawl back into bed and pull the covers up.

“You’re sure you feel okay?” he asked.

You nodded, your eyes already closed. “I’m just tired.”

He brushed his hand over your hair and leaned down to kiss your forehead. “I’ll lock up on my way out. I’ll give you the key back tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Jungkook hesitated for a moment. Something seemed off somehow. Awkward, maybe. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He turned off the light and let himself out, making sure to lock the door behind him.

[stormhaven13]

I haven’t been paying close attention, are you still doing your Horizon Zero Dawn playthrough?

Also, for fun, what are some of your favorite video games that you’ve played?

I will be, but I had to pause for a bit cause life, then my uncle showed up out of nowhere and has been living in the room with the PS4, and I've been too busy to like. Move it and the tv. I will finish it, but I'm gonna settle back into school first.

Ahhhh favorites. My old nemesis :p I'm gonna just list a bunch cause I suck at favorites. I'll also include a brief like. Intro to them/why I love them cause I love talking about games, I'm learning game design sue me :p

Read more cause this got much longer than I expected!

In alphabetical order, cause if I order things another way this will take much longer!

Divinity Original Sin 2 is one of my favorite RPGs ever, Lohse owns my entire soul. The character writing and world building are just excellent, and I love how little the game restricts you, so you feel like you have a lot of agency while playing the game.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a fantastic bit of neurodivergent representation. Senua has some form of hallucinations/delusions, but the game is set in like. Viking fantasy basically. And the way its recorded makes you really feel her auditory hallucinations. And she's just portrayed as a really well rounded character and I really appreciate it.

Horizon Zero Dawn, I feel like I don't really need to mention this one, I've already talked A LOT about why it's basically my favorite game of all time.

Life is Strange is an old favorite, literally life changing for me. It's got some flaws but its close to my heart. I played it in early high school and had some Realizations that I then proceeded to ignore for like 7 years.

Oxygen Not Included is a deceptively complicated management game that eats up dozens of hours at a time. It's really cute looking, but it is also absolutely brutal, you can get all your people killed in like. 30 seconds if you're not careful. I have never finished it but I love starting it.

Pokemon is an old standby for me, it's the first game I ever played, and even though I get deeply frustrated with the series at times, it has stuck with me forever. I actually help run a Draft League server, which is a fun time! Also have done some background design on an entire region worth of custom mons, ya know. For funsies :p

Stardew Valley, for probably obvious reasons. I mod it a lot, I love SVE, and the game in general pushes all of my buttons. Good character writing, interesting world building, intense management game! I play a little bit of everything, but management games are the ones that eat my attention the most.

Stellaris is an excellent strategy game that I personally prefer to something like Civ. As a strategy game their about on the same level, but Stellaris A: lets you completely design your own civilization/species, and B: actually has super interesting story telling mechanics that really let you tell stories about your games.

The original Subnautica is probably my favorite survival game, just really great environmental storytelling and atmosphere. It's one of the few games (that I play, horror is rare for me) that truly scare me, cause my reaction to attempting to go into the desert full of giant Reapers is visceral!

Warframe is, in my opinion, the best free to play game ever made. It's gorgeous, the gameplay is super fun (Ninjas in Space!), and nearly everything is gettable completely for free, and anything that isn't is only cosmetic. To be warned though, it is terrible at teaching you the systems of the game, and they are super unclear.

I could go on, I play A LOT of games, and as someone studying game design I love talking about them, but that's already 500+ words, which is probably way too long for a simple ask! If you want thoughts on a particular game or genre I am happy to oblige though. It will probably be more mini essays though :p

[spidercakes]

Have a starker serial killer AU featuring dark!Tony/Peter.

Warnings: murder (obviously), vague descriptions of violence, unhealthy relationships (also obviously- don’t date serial killers), mentions of domestic violence.

*

Tony feels bad for Peter and, in his defense, Tony is stellar at being charming. Its amazing what he can get away with because people find him attractive and witty and that’s when he’s not trying. When he is, well. It wasn’t all that difficult to make Peter fall in love with him when he was starved for positive attention and Tony feels... well, something for him. He’s not sure he feels things exactly right, but he does know he feels. Psychologically he has no idea what that means but he also doesn't put a lot of faith into the field of study. Too easy to convince people they’ve seen what they wanted to instead of what’s actually there. The problems with trying to observe people’s behavior when you’re limited by the same things your subjects are, he supposes.

Peter, for his part, doesn’t look nearly as freaked out as Tony thought he would. He looks more like he’s in shock and Tony dislikes this stage in normal feeling, where the situation hasn’t sunk in yet. The closest he’s ever felt to that was when his parents died and even then he’s not sure if it was his mother’s loss or the drinking that did that. The downside is that he knows this is going to lead to an emotional outburst of some sort later and what that means for him will depend on how Peter loses it.

“How... you did that so easily,” he says and Tony is aware of how smart Peter is. He didn’t just kill Quentin easily, he did it with experience and Peter hardly needs to be a murder expert to know that.

“Don’t ask stupid questions,” he tells Peter. He knows how much he hates stupid questions because, contrary to popular belief, there are stupid questions. He dislikes when people ask a question not because they don’t know the answer, but because they do and they don’t want to admit it out loud. Peter is aware of that too.

Peter looks down at Quentin, dead and bloody, at Tony’s feet, and then he looks to Tony’s hands. He’s still holding the knife. No need to set it down somewhere and leave more evidence for himself to clean up, and he knows Peter won’t miss the fact that he’s wearing a glove on one hand- the one holding the knife. Suggests premeditation and he wouldn’t be wrong. Tony heard them arguing and he knows Peter’s history, he’s had more than one run in with Quentin himself but Tony never told Peter about that. Quentin isn’t stupid either, he sensed pretty much immediately that whatever kind of fucked up he was Tony was about a hundred times worse, and he happened to be a hell of a lot more controlled. He’s certain the fact that he’d only tried to intimidate Tony twice, both times resulting in him being deeply unsettled, was due to him coming to the correct conclusion that if he decided to push it he wouldn’t be the one walking away.

So when he’d heard Quentin in the house he knew he purposefully chose to target Peter when he’d be alone and that didn’t sit right with him. And if he was determined enough to risk Tony finding out about it this was probably the kind of escalation that would result in Peter getting hurt or worse to he’d made a decision. It wasn’t even difficult to kill Quentin, he’d never even seen Tony coming and the knife was duller than Tony would have liked it but it cut his throat just fine. The mess will be a bitch to deal with but he’s gotten good at cleaning up his mistakes so even that won’t be an issue.

“But wh- how- why?” Peter settles on.

Tony snorts because that’s easy. “Was he not about to attack you?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

Its definitely not a proper reaction to his actions but he’s not about to deal with denial, Peter saw what he saw and he needs to process it and figure it out so Tony can plan how to deal with this. Peter looks back down at Quentin and at least he hasn’t screamed, not that it would matter. No one would hear him with so much land between him and his neighbors but it’d be unpleasant to deal with. “He isn’t the first person you’ve killed,” Peter states, not asks.

That’s the only reason Tony confirms it, “don’t ask for a body count, I won't give one to you.” The less he knows the better. When Tony gets caught, and it is a when, not an if, then it’d be helpful if Peter didn’t actually know much. Makes it easier for him to lie. Assuming he sticks around that long.

“You’ll kill someone in front of me but you won’t tell me how many people you’ve killed? Enough to be good at it,” Peter says, giving Quentin another horrified look. God, its like he’s watched a train wreck and he can’t look away or at least that’s how Rhodey describes looking at wounds. Tony mostly thinks its kind of gross because the blood gets all over and he doesn’t know what kind of shit that person might have. He doesn’t want to find out by getting some disease either. But he doubts that’s what Peter’s immediate thoughts are.

“Why would I give you details to more than just the crime I committed in front of you? Seems pretty stupid,” he points out, “given that you already know too much.” Peter seems to realize that late and his go wide, “if I wanted you dead, you would be. You saw how easy it was to kill him,” Tony says, guiding Peter along a little helpfully. Sure he wants a specific result here, but ultimately how this goes is up to Peter.

The fact that he relaxes is a good sign. The fact that it doesn’t last long isn’t. “Why haven’t you killed me?” he asks.

He wants to tell Peter not to ask stupid questions again but in his defense he just watched Tony kill his ex in cold blood. “I’ve never lied to you about how I feel, none of that was made up. I’m not that good of a liar,” he admits. He has a tendency to overdo it and every time he takes a step too far he realizes it too late.

Which Peter doesn’t believe if the look on his face is any indication. “You’re clearly very talented at lying,” he points out. “Because I would have never seen this coming.”

“No one sees dating a serial killer coming, Peter,” Tony says, giving him a look. “And the trick to a good lie is to avoid ever lying at all. The more you do it the more details you need to cover your ass long term and the more tedious it becomes. Tell the truth and the details don’t run the risk of changing because you’re not making things up as you go along. And there is no way I am capable of just faking an entire relationship. Believe me, I’m a terrible actor.”

Its landed him in trouble a few times but he’s smart, far smarter than most of the people around him and he’s thankful for it otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten out of as much as he has. Not, he thinks, that it’s going to come in handy now because he can’t think of a clever way to get himself out of a relationship crisis with a dead body at his feet. At least Peter isn’t in the splash zone, that would have made clean up a little messier.

Peter laughs a little, “pretty sure you’re wrong about that.”

Tony frowns, “then why wouldn’t I have just acted shocked and appalled at what I’d done and told you I was good at it because I’m a genius- I could have done the math on the angles I’d need to cut his throat at and the amount of pressure I’d need to do it that fast, you know that. Would have been an easier way out of this than all but telling you I kill people for funsies in my spare time.”

Its also a massive lie that requires a ton of acting and a huge amount of upkeep if he were to tell it, which is what he just told Peter he likes to avoid so he’s hoping he’ll put that together. That isn’t the kind of lie Tony can maintain for any length of time so he wasn’t about to try it- he’s good at not getting caught because he knows his limitations. He knows the laws he needs to in and out, he knows the science behind how to get rid of a body and all the cleanup methods he needs to know, but he’s shit at making things up. Actually, he’s pretty shit with people as a whole if he has to deal with them on a long term basis and that’s why he has so few friends. And one of them lives half way around the world from him permanently, which makes things easier.

The draw of Peter is that it never felt like work to feel things around him, he seems to naturally pull it out of Tony. That, and he genuinely likes spending time in Peter’s company and that’s rare. Even Rhodey knew something was up and they only talk on the phone a couple times a week. Peter, if he chooses to believe him, will have to see that.

Instead of giving Tony something, anything, to go on he blinks a few times rapidly before he sighs. “I need some time,” he murmurs.

*

Methodical might be the best way to describe his actions and by now he’s keenly aware that Peter is... curious. When he said he’d need time Tony didn’t think he’d stick around to watch the clean up even if he hasn’t moved from the living room. Probably best that he didn’t follow Tony into the garage anyway, and technically it gave him space to think.

But he’s back now, tearing up his carpet and he’s kind of pissed he’ll have to replace it. If Quentin would have just minded his own business like Tony told him to he would have a living room carpet. “You didn’t hesitate,” Peter says softly and Tony looks up. He probably looks ridiculous to Peter considering the protective gear but he’s not tracking more evidence around not wearing it.

“Didn’t need to,” Tony tells him. He knew what he was doing, he’s killed someone like that before and he also didn’t have the time to hesitate.

“I don’t think he even knew you were there,” Peter says, looking a mix of confused and haunted.

“Ideally they don’t.” Doesn’t always work out that way and Tony has learned what to do when he fucks something up.

“And you killed him for me?” Peter asks.

Its a question Tony doesn’t expect and its not one he has a ready answer to. He frowns, straightening up for a moment because he’s not totally sure. No, he is actually, its just that he didn’t realize it until now. “Yes. Yeah, I think I did,” he says, returning to his work.

Peter returns to silence, frowning now as he continues to watch Tony work. He leaves Peter to it, more concerned with the amount of blood he’s going to have to clean up.

*

Tony looks over the living room and decides its fit enough to leave. There shouldn’t be anything left behind and Peter seems to be surprised from his spot in the hallway. “Are you always this thorough?”

“I’d have been caught by now if I wasn’t,” Tony says. Peter wanders in, casting a suspicious look around but there’s no evidence of a murder here. Well, there is, but finding it would be a pain in the ass now and the cops would need to know exactly what they’re looking for. He’s learned murder scenes are a little like technology- its not often you can cover your ass totally and completely, but you can make it difficult for people to find what they’re looking for.

“Will you tell me how long you’ve been doing this?” Peter asks. He looks more comfortable now and Tony is unsure what to make of that, if anything. He knows people react in weird and extremely varied ways.

“Since I was 17,” he says. Peter seems surprised by that and Tony figures he should be. That didn’t feel young to him then, but it does now. It took him some time to do it again though, not that Peter knows that. He’s pretty sure it was the death of his parents that made him that ballsy to begin with.

He nods though, taking another step closer. “I keep ending up with people like you,” he says and Tony makes a noise of offense.

“I had nothing in common with that filth,” he says, defensive.

Peter frowns, “you kill people but you’re judging Quent?”

Tony rolls his eyes, “there are people in this world that deserve to die, no one deserves domestic violence.” That isn’t even close to the same, Peter has to realize that. Hell, even the state understands that murder is necessary- why else  have a death penalty? Or soldiers ready to kill for you, at that. There aren’t reasons why hitting your spouse is fine, there are no exceptions to the rule.

“This is a moral thing?” Peter asks, head tilted to the side.

“Of course it is. I might be reprehensible but I’m not like that.” He’s not like his father. Sure, he and Howard are both monsters of some kind but they aren’t the same breed and Tony has learned to take pride in that.

“Maybe you are bad at lying,” Peter murmurs, frowning as he looks at him.

“Which I told you,” Tony points out.

Peter sighs. “Fine, I keep ending up with people who are... damaged. Beyond repair kind of damaged and I thought maybe it was something about me. Then I spent a lot of time denying it but I think I was right,” he says, shaking his head.

Tony tilts his head to the side, “yeah, how so? Because you don’t seem damaged beyond repair to me.” If anything he feels so untouched by the world, so bright and optimistic. Funny, too. In his experience that’s not how damaged acts.

“Not like that. I mean I... guess I have a dark side too,” he says and oh, oh. Tony recognizes that look, he’s seen it in the mirror a million times and worked hard on learning to hide it. And, he realizes, its not the first time he’s seen it either. Maybe that’s why he’d been so drawn to Peter, why things felt so easy with him. He wouldn’t have to act so much around someone like himself.

He smiles a little, “can’t say I saw that coming.”

Peter grins too, “I know. You really are a shitty lair,” he says as he steps into Tony’s arms. “Teach me how to kill like that?”

[nctvrnal]

hey y’all this is not a full character intro but a rundown to get some quick plotting going!! i’m vee and i use a lot of exclamation points i can’t help it but also i can and yet i can’t!!! find me on discord @ baby límon 🍋🐸#6632

first up there’s ivy!

 [ SOOYOUNG / JOY, SHE/THEY, GENDER APATHETIC ]  —  [ IVY MOON ]  is a child of  [ HECATE ]  with the power of  [ MYSTIOKINESIS ] .  they were born in  [ 1996 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2013 ] .  with the change, they  [ HAVE GRADUATED FROM ]  the  [ AMBASSADOR ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ INTERACTING WITH FANS & BAKING ] .

 click here to go to her page!!

really any sort of connections work to her since she’s messy and annoying! hook up, ghost hunting buddy, animal crossing friends, coworkers, anything really!! just know that she will not shut up so someone who doesn’t like her works too please 

and then marcus!

[ AVAN JOGIA, HE/HIM, CISMAN ]  —  [ MARCUS JOHNSON ]  is a child of  [ HADES ]  with the power of  [ UMBRAKINESIS & SHADOW TRAVEL ] .  they were born in  [ 1995 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2007 ] .  with the change, they  [ ARE TRAINING IN ]  the  [ STANDARD ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ STUDYING & TAKING CARE OF THEIR BABY ] .

HE’S A DAD!!! his daughter is two and his wife died in a recent monster attack ):

so he’s back at nemean for protection and some training

he got adopted by the johnson fam when he was 14 so he’s siblings with astrid, miri, pax, and juniper!

he needs friends pls uwu

listen about trevor he’s so funny please

[ SEOKJIN KIM, HE/HIM, CIS MAN ]  —  [ TREVOR AHN ]  is a child of  [ APOLLO ]  with the power of  [ HEALING ] .  they were born in  [ 1993 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2011 ] .  with the change, they  [ HAVE GRADUATED FROM ]  the  [ MEDICAL ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually [ RUNNING THE INFIRMARY & TEACHING ] .

sooo before nl went public trevor would travel around and perform “medical miracles” and heal people. he’d only charge rich ppl tho the rest he would do for free

he had some fame and did tv appearances and really milked the whole miracle thing

he would even be like the pOwER Of GOd hEaLS YoU bc he’s a dick

anyway he’s actually smart and studious but hates being serious it feels awk

now that it's out that he's a demigod ya boi doesn't want public blacklash so he's pretending he just find out too and he's like :O who would've thought, huh

he runs the infirmary so if your chara works there or is studying that track they should know each other!!

also he’s dating miri <3

now on to drew!

[ TAEHYUNG KIM, HE/THEY, NON-BINARY ]  —  [ DREW SUH ]  is a child of  [ NIKE ]  with the power of  [ ENHANCED SKILLS & CERTAIN VICTORY ] .  they were born in  [ 1995 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2010 ] .  with the change, they  [ HAVE GRADUATED FROM ]  the  [ HERO ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [TRAINING & STUDYING ] .

 tbh i think at some point all my charas had a crush on drew he’s just minds his own business and vibes

he’s been training hard since arriving to nl so he’s super advanced in combat and overall skills

nl’s perfect poster demigod and tbh idk how he feels about it

has completed many missions so drew sped through the hero track and was one of the first ones to graduate

will do 1 on 1 training if he has time!! drew loves to help out those new to the demigod stuff and give out advance for combat and wielding weapons!

joonho is also vibes but also chaos

[ SEHUN OH, HE/HIM, GENDER APATHETIC ]  —  [ JOONHO KWON]  is a child of  [ TYCHE ]  with the power of  [ META PROBABILITY MANIPULATION ] .  they were born in  [ 1996 ]  and have been in nemean lion since [ 2016 ] .  with the change, they  [ ARE TRAINING IN ] the [ AMBASSADOR ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ VIBIN’ ]

u kno when ppl are like teehee i’m not just a pretty face

well joonho IS just a pretty face and wouldn’t have it any other way

anyway with his power he riggs stuff and will enter contest/giveaways for funsies

if you’re his friend and ask him to win something for you he’ll do it no hesitation!

oof, daphne. this one is a little longer than the rest

[ DAVIKA HOORNE , SHE/HER, DEMIGIRL ]  —  [ DAPHNE SAENGMAI ]  is a grandchild of  [ HECATE & ATHENA ]  with the power of  [ MAGIC ] .  they were born in  [ 1993 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2004-2015 & 2020 ] .  with the change, they  [ HAVE GRADUATED FROM ]  the  [ BUSINESS ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ IN HER OFFICE & BOSSING PEOPLE AROUND ]

she’s a grandchild of hecate & athena. 

one thing u gotta kno about daphne is that she just doesn’t care!!!!! alright well she does care a little but mostly doesn’t! everything reflects back on her so she has to pretend she does. 

so back in the day her mom lou had a half sister (also hecate) and she died but her ghost/spirit whatever stayed roaming the earth and lou kind of trapped her bc she was p vengeful n angry! then daphne as born and named after her aunt and then lou agreed to let ghost daphne stay in babie daphne’s body if she dedicated herself into protecting lou’s daughter and ya so alive daphne has a ghost named daphne living inside of her and she has random knowledge and memories that aren’t hers and if you hear daph talking to herself she probably actually isn’t lmaooo 

also her magic is stronger than it’s supposed to be bc of it. 

anyway ok so daphne got the call from her mom that it was time for her to take the ceo position at nl and let me tell u!!!! she cried for like 10 min on the phone and then her mom was like r u done being dramatic and she was like ya but also i want an ice rink (she did figure skating growing up and wanted to persue a career but :/) and i’ll go quietly and her mom was like ok deal. she’s been gone the past 5 years so if your chara has been here longer feel free to assume they know each other p well or hmu!! either way everyone should know daph even if it’s a new acquaintance bc she’s in charge and she’s good w names and faces.  i can’t explain her daphne is j daphne have fun teehee

ANYWAY that’s it really i will plot anything with anyone uwu

[a-very-fond-farewell]

The forbidden crack! Untamed prompts: 18/?

University AU: “Negative Space”

[ok so, self projection is a bitch, but I am petty to myself on a regular basis so it’s ok]

[title is from the Japanese concept “ma”, which Wikipedia describes as:

“a Japanese word which can be roughly translated as ‘gap’, ‘space’, ‘pause’ or ‘the space between two structural parts.’ In traditional Japanese arts and culture, ma is more carefully defined as the suggestion of an interval. It is best described as a consciousness of a sense of place, with the ‘intervals’ suggested often being more than simple gaps, instead focusing on the intention of a negative space in an art piece.

Ma is not necessarily an art concept created by compositional elements, such as the literal existence of a negative space. Instead, the intention is often to create the perception of an interval in the viewer experiencing the elements forming an art piece, making maless reliant on the existence of a gap, and more closely related to the perceived experience of a gap.

Ma has also been described as ‘an emptiness full of possibilities, like a promise yet to be fulfilled’, and as ‘the silence between the notes which make the music’.”

Fun fact: “ma” also means “but” in Italian, which is what usually follows whatever intrusive thought may plague my mind. Eg: “I may be useless now, BUT just you wait until I get some dopamine to get me through this shitty times.”]

*

Wei Ying never asked for much in his life. He’s content with cleaning classrooms and toilets and nobody can beat him at wiping the marble floors if he works hard enough. Granny Wen, his supervisor, is slightly impressed with his ability to make the wood shine for ages to come. His nephew Jin Ling sometimes comes to check on him when he’s done with senior classes or cram school in the evening, and together they sit down and listen to whatever his older friends in music production came up with during the day. Jiang Cheng occasionally would ask him to keep him company while he grades papers and they bitch about ZiXuan and his inability to dote on their sister. The cafeteria ladies are always nice to him and they give him extra congee because they worry for his questionable consumption of spice products.

He’s fine, really.

So why can’t he stop wandering over to the science building these days? Looking for a clean board to use, for an equation to finally solve? Even if in the end he just takes the chalk in hand and simply stares down at the inky surface in front of him, unable to write. His mind working on a software too advanced for the hardware that constitutes his brain.

Thirteen years. It has been already thirteen years and yet it feels like yesterday, or like it never happened at all. Like it has yet to be. Time blindness is a bitch to deal with, yet dyscalculia and ADHD makes a joke out of you when you love math on a visceral level... but you burned too bright too fast and now you function on no data and with an even shittier signal. Having a burnout at 23 should have taught him humility instead of pride, but Wei Ying has always worked out of spite and certain habits are difficult to forget.

Couldn’t put the number in the right order, switching digits left and right since he was young? Fine. Numbers were concepts anyway, entire civilizations working their magic without even knowing what “zero” stood for. A brain steaming with a million ideas per second? Good. New connections brimming with ideas he could use to better the world.

It worked fine until he let himself down. Until he became a useless empty lighter, a wet match tossed out, carbon monoxide in the air.

Dropped out before finishing his very ambitious, highly dangerous for his psyche, thesis project. Aunt Yu never forgave him for that, not after paying for his advanced classes, not after trusting Uncle Jiang and supporting him despite his many flaws. What good is being first of your class every year, poster child of a teaching system done right, graduating bachelor at 21, if you can’t finish your master at 23 and get your PhD at 25 and start teaching by 27 and drive yourself insane in the process?

Wei Ying dropped out and didn’t finish his master, didn’t enroll in the teaching program, and let everyone down. His Uncle and Aunt looking down on him, whether out of pity or shame. Jiang Cheng may have been the one leaving him behind, but he used to be the one saying “you should have tried harder”. YanLi worrying over him when she should have focused on her career first. Jin Ling growing up with stories of his uncle “not being worth the money put into his education”, taught to not disappoint and make his family proud. The Jin side, that is.

And now the kid comes crawling in defeat to him instead of Jiang Cheng after bombing a test in high school. And they chat of what he would like to do and how much he likes sports and how much he despises the idea of getting a scholarship for that and being called stupid or something by his classmates. And he cries when he thinks Wei Ying cannot see him as he leaves the campus late at night.

Wei Ying didn’t even want to solve that impossible theorem he fixated on in his early twenties. His thesis project was inconsequential in the great scheme of things and his professor only wanted him to be his one trick pony in the end. No. Wei Ying wanted to teach math in elementary school, hell... even in kindergarten. He wanted to change the approach to the subject. Because numbers cannot be taught like language is and there are many ways to teach how to sum up digits and divide quantities and there are no rules on how to make sense of space either.

But how can he teach when even time eludes his senses?

Something that nobody can define, but certainly most perceive as linear... but not him. Not since his brain fried up in his attempt to function like a normal human being.

After thirteen years nothing has changed.

Until one day he hears something else aside from his usual intrusive thoughts and burdensome memories. A melody so quiet he almost mistakes it for the wind, coming from the music building.

He walks slowly, night surrounding him like the embrace of a friend as he makes his way to the traditional musical instruments room. The one where Jin Ling’s friends meet sometimes as they wait for the younger boy to join them. Wei Ying holds his breath as he spies through the gap of the door left ajar, neon light slicing his face like moonbeams as he peeks in and recognizes Jin Ling’s friends and another figure sitting on the ground, guqin on their knees.

But before he can lean in and breathe in the vibrant sounds all around, the door opens and music theory Professor Lan finds Wei Ying clutching his mop for dear life.

They said the man could see colors within the notes, that he despises language outside of his class or office and that only his brother, the history of art TA, could convince him to talk every now and then.

If numbers were created to measure space, Wei Ying firmly believed music had been invented to make sense of time and count its seconds in rhythm and notes, pauses and beats. Yet, time seems to stretch to a stop as the janitor focuses all of his attention on professor Lan’s stern face and his heart quickens its pace.

Wei Ying takes a rushed breath and dives right in with a weird sense of hope pumping in his veins. A small, timid voice whispering that life is not made to be atoned, but to move on and grow.

One step at a time.

“I’m Wei Ying, Professor Lan. May I listen while you play?”

Yes, maybe it will be enough just to let time flow at its pace.

Whatever rhythm that may be.

*

[some hcs down below]

WWX does not magically solve the math theorem. he may or may not help kids figure out how to use numbers on the long run tho. no, he will still work as a janitor and there’s nothing wrong with that.

yes, LWJ is autistic and stimms and finds WWX’s honesty soothing. yes, you can add your hcs on the matter. he has synesthesia, but more on the grapheme-color side of the deal than anything else and he sees certain letters/numbers/notes in different colors. people think he can see colors in music, but they misunderstood and thought he could recognize different hues while listening to music instead of reading it.

JC has grown since his uni years and doesn’t resent WWX anymore. he teaches astrophysics as a TA and doesn’t pressure his brother to pick his studies up anymore. WWX has mixed feelings about this: he feels he’s a lost cause, to the point not even his brother spurs him to best himself anymore, but he is grateful for the patience anyway.

LXC is the official LWJ translator of the campus along with their cousins SiZhui and JinGyi. he bonds with WWX and JC over how tired they are, seldom staring at flies roaming above them in the cafeteria bc none of them can even move. he lives on caffeine and regrets, but he’s getting better as he develops a love for his plant babies and tries to not let them die on a daily basis.

Wen Ning and Wen Qing are little overachievers and adrenaline junkies, hence their competitive streak on their way to their third master degree just for funsies. they scare people with how driven they are, but the juniors love them.

NMJ is the one to go to if you need to get away with murder, but JGY will actually be the one helping you dispose of the body. the fact that they both work in criminal law is somewhat both reassuring and disquieting. they hate each other and yet cannot stop hang out, they are close to 40 and need the rivalry to keep going anyway. nothing beats a good nemesis. not even sex. maybe.

NHS has failed his entrance exam to become a nurse too many times to count, but he is determined to see the end of it. even if he could potentially work in the family business, but he doesn’t know anything about managing an empire of bricks and he doesn’t care. if NMJ could run away, well, so can he.

MianMian is Wei Ying’s bestie and has the biggest crush on JGY’s sister A-Su the kindergarten teacher, but since they are childhood besties she doesn’t know how to approach her. she is Jin Ling’s idol and a certified boxer and refers to herself as a useless bisexual. Wei Ying boxes with her sometimes, she always win.

YanLi is an equestrian mum, but in the best way possible: she coaches children for shows and teaches them horses should be loved and feared equally and that if you want to shoot arrows from a running horse you should always, ALWAYS let go of the stirrups the moment the beast gets too unhinged to ride. JC fears her, WWX is only glad she didn’t train police dogs for a living.

ZiXuan actually loves his wife, but WWX and JC question his career choices and the fact that he’s a retired lawyer spending his family fortune while he’s a stay-at-home dad and does all the housework. WWX and JC believe he should give their sister a better life and work his ass off to deserve her, but he does make amazing rice cakes and keeps up with Jin Ling’s studies and is very supportive of his dreams.

A-Qing and Song Lan are siblings and sometimes bring JC food from the campus cafeteria where they both work at, while Xiao XingChen and his carer Xue Yang work with LXC for a project on accessibility for visually impaired visitors of the local museum. JC and LXC work to make Song Lan and Xiao XingChen fall for each other, but the youngsters are too protective to let them play matchmaker so easily.

[this is all for now. please, if you want, add your own headcanons!]

[flower-boy]

How To Train an Idiot

Part 1/?

CollegeAU!Hide Nagachika x Reader (Majority Fluff)

***Contains cussing, sprinkles of sexual innuendos, language, and/or themes--and overall idiocy (from author and characters alike.)

Short Chapters/One Shots

(AN: Publishing here because it’s not getting any attention on Wattpad so maybe some people will read it here, who knows. This is something I wrote back in 2016-2017 and has been sitting in my Drive forever. Minimal re-editing was done because it's not meant to be a very serious written piece. Just for comedy and funsies. Enjoy.)

The whole boys' dormitory floor reeks of musk and pizza.

Is this really how they live...  

You can't help but ask yourself this while grimacing so hard, you're sure your facial muscles are taut with visual distress. Truth be told, if you hadn't been contemplating so much, your ass would've jetted out of there half an hour ago. Yet here you were, shuffling from foot to foot, trying to think up some type of dumb monologue. Maybe some would consider it a plea, a cry for help of sorts. Regardless, you stood in front of the door to a foreign dorm, glaring at the wood a little more than the normal person should be. Your eyes run over the metal numbers nailed to the door for what seems like the thousandth time; there was no denying this was the room number your friend had texted you. A sigh leaves your lips before you finally knock.

It seems like an eternity passes by without an answer, and the smell in the hallway is somehow getting worse. You groan and turn on your heels to leave, but just as you take the first steps, the door creeps open gently. Your eyes fly back to the spiked mess of mangled orange and brown that peeks from behind the door. His eyes have dark baggage like he hasn't slept in a bit, they're barely open with the intensity of the bright lights in the hallway. From behind the door, only his bare shoulder is showing. I guess I woke him up or something.

"What's up..." His dazed voice trails off as he rubs one of his squinting eyes with the back of his hand.

"Um, hi," you begin apprehensively, toying around with your phone, "I'm ____..."

He yawns, his eyes still closed, and a soft smile actually graces his face. Yet, he looks like he's ready to pass out any second.

"Hello there, ____," he hums, "I'm a little hungover."

"A little?"

"Okay, maybe a lot."

"Maybe I'm at the wrong dorm then..." you suggest. "Does Hide Nagachika live here?"

"Well, you're talking to him," he points out with nonchalance.

You tilt your head suspiciously, "No offense, but are you sure you're Hide Nagachika?"

"I'm pretty sure I am— and if not my student ID is an excellent liar," the laugh that follows is warm and easygoing as he contemplates the possibility, scratching his head. "Heh, you sound a little surprised."

"It's just..." You sigh while side-eyeing his bed head again, "You're absolutely sure you're the real Hide Nagachika? The A+ history student?"

"Cute," he smiles sleepily and leans his head against the door frame. "How can I help you?"

"Christ... Well, long story short, I'm failing Asian History this semester and the midterm is coming up. A mutual friend told me that you take really good notes and that you actually fill out the study guides."

"That might be true," he concedes. "Go on."

"I guess I was hoping you'd be willing to let me study from your study guides?"

There's a beat of silence before he hums, and only then does he finally swing the door open completely.

"Woah, o-okay okay—!" You slap a clammy hand over your eyes in haste when his naked lower half is fully exposed. This boy was so out of it that he forgot he was stark naked? Whatever he was drinking the night prior, you surely make a mental note to ask for some of that.

"Come on in—"

"Listen, I'm gonna need you to put on some underwear before you say anything else," you inform him flusteredly, your hand still clasped over your face as heat rises to your cheeks.

"Shit, my bad."

He disappears for a brief moment and returns a second later.

"I'm decent, sorry 'bout that," he murmurs and you let out a deep, relieved breath you didn't know you had been holding as your eyes regain their vision. He's already searching through his notebooks intently so you merely step inside and close the door gently. The dorm surprisingly smells clean and fresh, and the change of atmosphere is pleasant. The place is covered in posters of superheroes, there are manga and clothes all over the desk and floor, but other than that it was relatively clean... for boys of course. You find yourself smiling subconsciously. Hide staggers throughout the dorm lethargically in newfound blue and black kitty boxers and a simple t-shirt, searching for more and more papers. You nearly choke on stifled laughter.

"You're lucky my roommate isn't here," he mumbles and chuckles. Another yawn slips from his lips, then he lowers his voice. "Terada drools over girls like you."

Your brows hitch inquisitively, "Girls like me?"

He leaves the question hanging in the air as he continues searching. After a moment, you hear him grunt contently, straightening up his finalized selection of papers in his hands.

"Here you go," he states groggily while thrusting a thick stack of several stapled packets doused with blue ink scribbles in your direction. You take the packets reluctantly. Your eyes gaze over the first page quickly. Wow, she wasn't kidding, this kid's filled out this thing thoroughly...

"Thanks."

"No problemo," he insists while stretching his arms to their full extent. You don't catch the long side glance he takes of you while you're more preoccupied with his notes. When you're still standing there a minute later, a minute longer than you should be in all honesty, he furrows his brows and rubs his eyes.

"Everything alright?"

"You don't want anything in return?" He gives you a funny look and you sigh. "Money, food, test answers? I know a guy—"

"You're fine," he assures you and shrugs, "They're yours for as long as you need them."

"Wow, thank you."

"Don't mention it."

You don't say anything more; instead merely heading for the door with a pleased smile, clutching the heavy stack to your chest. There's a smile that tugs at your lips, simply because you finally had some kind of chance at passing this class. You really owe your friend once this was all over.

"Um hey, ____, right?" he calls to you, suddenly sounding a little more alert than he had the entire time you've been there. You stop your feet in their tracks and cock your head back curiously.

"Hm?"

"I... well, if you ever feel like it, don't hesitate to drop by again if you need help understanding something—I mean, I know my handwriting can be a lil wild and hard to follow sometimes and Asian History is just difficult in general and you're probably super busy," he rambles on while scratching the back of his neck, the anxiety is practically palpable. "But, like, I don't mind tutoring you or whatever you know..."

"Will do," you chuckle, "As long as you promise to be fully clothed the next time I see you."

He offers the laziest grin, "Deal."

When you arrive back to your dorm, your roommate is sling over cushions, passed out on the couch. You roll your eyes and kick off your shoes quickly while wandering back towards your room so you can take a quick look at those packets before you hit the hay. This was going to be harder than you thought.

Your optimism begins disappearing before your eyes as you gaze at all the things you were gonna have to remember, all the writing this boy had done. In the midst of onset depression, you manage to clumsily knock the entire stack of study guides off your bed.

"Shit...!" you gripe before scrambling to pick up the mess. Your eyes catch a glimpse of something colorful among the mass of paper. "Hm? What's this..." You mumble to yourself curiously. Your fingers nimbly pull out the glossy colored paper from the middle of the pile to find a... magazine?

"Cosplay Cuties: The Wrath of Pus—Oh my God."

--

You don't make another journey back to the boys' dormitory floor until the week is over and you have no classroom preoccupy you. Your eyes scan the familiar door before knocking just like last time, yet this time there was no hesitation. There's a brief pause before the door is yanked open wide, and of course, it's Hide. Your mind reels with memories from the last time you were here; at least this time he looked like he had just gotten ready to go out for the day.

"A..Ah, hey," he greets you and the surprise in his voice is unmistakable. He's actually frozen for a second but then he inhales and leans against the door frame languidly, trying to play things cool. "I didn't think you would come back over."

"Of course I came back, I had to."

Immediately, his face lights up like match was lit behind his eyes. Hide offers a toothy grin at these words, a boost of confidence shooting through his system, "You want my amazing tutoring, don't you?"

"Well, actually," you pull a book from behind your back and hold it out, "I came to bring back your Cosplay Cuties porn—"

Your sickly coy voice is abruptly cut off by him grabbing your arm and pulling you inside the dorm hastily. He slams the door shut, "SHHH! PEOPLE ARE GONNA HEAR YOU!"

"Asian History doesn't seem to be the only hard thing you've taken care of lately, hm?" You tilt your head to the side questioningly and his cheeks flush a deep, dark scarlet.

"It..It's not mine! It's my roommate's!" He stammers, snatching the magazine from your hands deftly and chucking it under his roommate's bed in a hurry. You raise a brow in amusement; for a moment, you can swear you see him pout in disappointment, maybe at himself.

He runs his hands through his hair a few times, "Was that—was that all you came over here for?"

"Surprisingly, no," you offer him a genuine smile and he merely returns it with a skeptical gaze. You take a seat on his couch and sigh heavily.

"So?"

"Your notes are really great and all, but I just really don't understand the material," you admit and fidget with your fingers. "I'm really not good at memorizing dates or ancient terms, you know?"

"Uh-huh," he nods slowly. Hide pieces it together in his mind, "So what you're saying is—"

"I really do need you to tutor me. If you're not too busy, first and foremost."

Hide blinks, "You're joking, right...? You want my help?"

"Do I look like I'm joking? You offered last week, so I'm taking you up on that offer. You seem like a really smart guy, and I want your help in Asian History. What do you say?"

"Alright then, I guess," he nods again, smiling gently, albeit with apprehension, "Starting today, I'll tutor you."

[imyourliquor-youremypoison]

A Girl’s Best Friend (Peter Parker x OC) - Part 12

Synopsis: Diamonds are man’s best friend- or dogs are girls’ best friends, wait… how does the saying go again?

Warnings: Family issues; Peter has a crush and it’s complicated; mention of assault; good dogs; College AU; aged up! characters; TONY STARK IS ALIVE AND WE ALL LIVE IN A HAPPY PLACE CALLED DENIAL

A/N: In this story, Peter has Tom’s dog, Tessa.The dogs in the story play a minor but key role.

Word count: 3.9k (longest one yet!)

Part 11 <<< >>> Part 13

MASTERLIST

               Peter had done outstandingly well given the circumstances – Emmeline had thrown him out of his comfort zone by asking him to accompany her to this reception, but he was exceeding all expectations if she had had any.

               She wasn’t doing as well as him. She was very tense, to the point of physical pain and an actual stomachache. There was so many people, so many faces among the crowd; people she was supposed to know and meant to greet and exchange a few banalities with. They were all anonymous faces to her, nobody she actually knew and gave a fuck about.

               In all honesty, she was avoiding her parents, and they had been doing fine so far. The first two hours of this charade had been busy but relatively uneventful and smooth. At some point, Emmeline spun on her heels and stepped a bit closer to Peter, almost hiding her face in his neck.

“My mother is standing over there, by the giant flower arrangement, glaring at me,” she explained when Peter raised an eyebrow. “Don’t look!”

               He huffed and let out a curse word when she elbowed him a bit too harshly but that was it; he looked at her instead.

“You’re not going to talk to her?”

“Not if I can help it,” she admitted without any shame. “The later the confrontation, the better. Trust me on that.”

“I wouldn’t presume to know any better,” he chuckled, taking her hand and leading her away, hopefully out of her mother’s viewing field. “Want a glass?”

               Peter gestured to a waiter waltzing by with a tray of champagne flutes.

“No.” Emmeline crossed her hands over her stomach, still so tense she would feel her abs. “Don’t let me get my hands on alcohol tonight, please. If I start drinking, I won’t stop.”

“My God, Em, you weren’t joking when you said that you hated it here,” he said, finally realizing just how much she dreaded such events, and how scared she was of her parents. “You’re shaking,” he noticed when he took her hand in his: an attempt to ease her nerves.

               She quickly withdrew her hand.

“I know, I’m sorry. I just can’t stand this place, just being here, having to shake hands and smile at people whose face I will forget within the next minutes, it’s making me sick.” She averted her gaze from him, looking over her shoulder as if checking if her mother hadn’t followed them. “I dragged you into this when instead you could be home, celebrating Christmas with your aunt.”

“I’m quite happy where I am,” he assured her, putting his hands into his pockets. “Here, come.” He once again led her away from where they stood and towards the bar this time, asking for a glass of water for her, and ordering a beer for himself.

               He handed her the drink and Emmeline wrapped two hands around it, as if she was afraid to drop it.

“I’m in a fancy place, at a fancy reception, about to eat a fancy dinner, with the girl I fancy,” Peter listed with a teasing smile on his face, watching the way Emmeline’s lips trembled slightly when she repressed laughter. “I’ve been in worse situations, trust me on this.” The last time he had seen her so shaken up was…

“I’m sure you have. Still…” she trailed off, her eyes detailing him as she thought about her next words. “This isn’t what I would have wanted for our second date.”

“Oh, this is a date? I was under this impression that you hired me as a personal security detail.”

“Hiring implies some kind of payment, which I did not offer,” she countered, taking a sip of her water and stepping closer to him.

“I was hoping to get a date actually, but since we’re in the middle of one, I’ll have to find something else,” he thought out loud, enjoying seeing her smile again, watching the way her nose scrunched up a little and her eyes squinted slightly when she laughed.

“You have a few hours ahead of yourself to decide,” she informed him. “Choose wisely.”

               Before Peter could even think about an answer, the music suddenly stopped, and someone demanded attention from the crowd by tapping on a glass – something that Peter thought only happened in movies.

“Dinner,” Emmeline said, gulping down and emptying her glass of water as if it were a whiskey on the rocks. “It’s showtime. We’ll be sitting at the big table, no more hiding from my parents from now on.”

“They won’t make a scene here, will they? No need to make yourself sick over this dinner,” Peter tried to reason her.

“You’re right. I’m just a ball of nerves, but if I came here to act like a scaredy-cat, I might as well have put on one of those prudish dresses my mother sent me to pick from.”

“Wait, what? That’s insane! You’re not twelve!” Peter exclaimed just as they were both swept into the general crowd movement, following the other guests into the adjacent room to find their seats.

               Emmeline had explained that every year, her parents left an empty seat next to hers in case she wanted to bring a plus one, but she knew it was a pretext. She was a laughingstock to them. Seeing her sitting alone next to an empty chair: that’s what got them off. He had had his doubts about this at first, but when he saw her tremble at the sheer thought of sharing a dinner table with her parents, he reconsidered.

               He was more than happy to fill this chair; he was more than happy to stand beside her when she held up her mother’s stern gaze as they sat down. Peter had seen the venomous glare she directed at their joined hands. Emmeline had simply taken his hand to lead him to their table without losing him in the crowd, but he would gladly hold her hand all night long if it could help make a rebellious statement.

               It wasn’t until dessert that things started to go downhill. People were beginning to stand up and mingle to talk with people sitting at other tables too, minds fogged with champagne. Emmeline had bolted from her chair as soon as her mother stood up, and she had dragged Peter with her towards the terrace to get some fresh air and escape from her family.

“You’re going to have to talk to them as some point, you know?” Peter told her, wincing a little when he saw her look over her shoulder.

“Do I though?”

               He gave her a stern look.

“You’re right.” Her shoulders slumped. “I have to apologize to you in advance for everything they’ll say.”

“What?” Peter laughed but quickly stopped when he realized Emmeline didn’t join in. “What could they possibly say to me?”

“Oh you’ll see. Everyone here is a snake.”

               She trembled and Peter watched her warm breath create a puff in the cold Winter air. Before he could find something to say, he felt the hairs on his arm stand on end and the window to the terrace opened and closed again.

“Emmy, I thought it was you!” A man’s voice exclaimed, and they turned around to watch a young man strut towards them, hands in the pockets of his long coat. “Almost didn’t recognize you in that dress! I’m not used to seeing you dressed like a woman,” he sniggered, his voice full of thinly veiled contempt.

               If the twist of Emmeline’s lips was any indication at all, she did not like being called ‘Emmy’, or being sexualized simply for wearing a dress that didn’t have a claudine collar, and she certainly did not like this dude. Peter stepped slightly to the left to stand between them, as if to shield her from his venomous words.

“Dexter,” she hissed as a way of greeting. “What are you doing here? I thought you were studying abroad.”

               Peter felt her step closer to him, but she stayed back. It wasn’t her usual behavior – staying back, in retreat. Emmeline was more of a conqueror type of girl, she spoke with her chin up.

“Been keeping tabs on me, have you?” Dexter said, a boyish grin plastered on his face. He couldn’t be more antipathic to Peter. “I’m back for the holidays, my mother wouldn’t have it any other way. You know how mothers are.”

               So far he hadn’t shown any signs of seeing Peter at all, he only talked to Emmeline as if he wasn’t there at all. She didn’t give him to curtesy of answering to that stinging remark. He no doubt knew about Emmeline’s bumpy relationship with her mother, and he just pushed a sensitive button for funsies.

“Nevermind,” Dexter said, not dropping the Colgate smile. “So, what did you bring us here?” he asked, finally deigning to set eyes on Peter, although it must have stung according to the disdainful frown on his face.

               Peter smiled, glad that he didn’t appeal to that dude. He wouldn’t want to be liked by someone that unpleasant. Dexter looked Peter down, stopping at every single detail and lifting an eyebrow whenever – Peter thought – he saw something he didn’t like. Which must have been everything.

“If you needed company, you could have called me.” Instead of bringing an outsider, was the subtext.

               Emmeline placed a hand on Peter’s arm to stop him from lurching forward when she felt him tense up. Dexter was a vile human being and she would pay good money to watch him finally get beat up after running his mouth. The way he talked about Peter, not even asking for his name or greeting him properly… he treated him like he was her pet.

               Maybe she should have brought Bella along tonight, surely she wouldn’t be as easily pacified as Peter. Her entire face morphed into an expression of profound disdain and she sneered at him when she opened her mouth again.

“You’re still as much of an ass as I remember,” Emmeline spat at Dexter, stepping out from Peter’s shadow. “The sheer thought of having ever dated you makes me when to retch, and I would rather kiss a toad than even share a dinner with you.”

“Oh, wow!” Dexter held his hands up in surrender, still grinning. “No need to go hysterical on me. It’s your loss, I’m just offering.”

“She’s not interested, you can go now,” Peter spoke up, at last gaining the dude’s attention. He made a funny face, as if he had thought he couldn’t talk at all.

“It speaks!” he commented. Emmeline scoffed and turned around, not standing the sight of him anymore. “Does it bite too, or just bark?”

               This time, she didn’t stop Peter from punching him in the cheekbone, nor did she have any desire to try.

*

“You dated that douchebag?” Peter asked, stretching his fingers. It didn’t hurt but Emmeline had been concerned and he needed to at least pretend to be a little sore, shaking his hand for good measure.

“And I wake up everyday regretting it,” Em sighed, shaking her head. “You shouldn’t have punched him.”

               Her smile said the opposite.

“He clearly needed some sense knocked into him, I did us all a favor. Not to mention how deeply satisfying it was.”

               The smile became wider, she even let out the smallest of giggles and looked away, rubbing her forehead and trying to suppress the smile.

“I can imagine. I wish I’d done it a long time ago. That jackass really had it coming.”

               The way she said the last part made his Spider-sense tingle.

“I sense a story behind that,” he told her. They had been standing in a hallway for about ten minutes now, postponing the moment they would have to go back to their table. “Should I ask?”

               Something flickered behind Emmeline’s eyes and Peter knew he guessed right.

“It’s not a nice story,” she told him just before he went back on his question and told her to forget it. “He’s always been a self-entitled asshole, but at some point in my life I found that attractive and even went along with it. He used to wander around shadier parts of the city for the thrill of it, and one day it went south.”

“How far south?” Peter couldn’t help but ask.

Peter was in a delicate position regarding Emmeline, because she did him a favor by not prying in his life whenever he acted strange or sported unexplained bruises that she spotted. He had seen her frown to herself on several occasions. Therefore, it was all the more difficult for him to ask personal questions.

He wanted to repay her the gracious discretion by not putting his nose in her business. But he also wanted to be all up in her business.

“Arctic pole,” she laughed humorlessly. “Some nutter that really didn’t want my father to win the elections had followed us, and Dexter made a run for it as soon as things became sticky. Let’s just say he’s at least part of the reason why I have a guard dog trained to protect me from dangerous men.”

“I should have broken his nose,” Peter hissed between his teeth, jaw clenched. “Your father didn’t do anything about it? I mean, I know you have a difficult relationship but he must have-“

“He couldn’t. Dexter’s going to inherit an empire, own half the buildings in the Upper East Side along with a hefty amount of money one day. The last thing he wanted was a warfare with his family. The incident was swept under the rug and he got me a puppy to make me feel better.”

               Every last one of Peter’s instincts pushed him to act on what she said, despite knowing it happened years ago. He wanted to get this Dexter locked up for sheer cowardice, he wanted to find the man that assaulted Emmeline when he wasn’t around to protect her and hang him at a lamppost by the ankles with his web, and he wanted to meet her father and tell him what he thought of his parenting methods.

“The more you tell me about your life and family, the less I understand why you still play their game,” Peter confessed, shaking his head and looking at his feet.

               Emmeline gave him a little crooked smile and blinked back tears, pulling herself together. They had been standing outside these doors for way too long already, it was time to go back and face her parents, and everybody else in that room.

“It’s not a choice, Peter. If I don’t play the game, I lose. Remember I wasn’t born into this world, I was brought into it. I look like I’m a part of this, I wear a dress worth more than everything in your dorm to blend in the crowd, but I’ll always be an outsider.”

               There was so much defeat in her tone, so much pain.

               Before the sadness took over, Emmeline turned away from Peter to stare at the door, electing to talk about a lighter topic.

“It’s all in the past now, I don’t want to talk about it. I’m telling you because I trust you, that’s all,” she told Peter, taking his arm to get ready to walk in.

“But-“ Peter barely had a chance to open his mouth before she cut him off.

“What if Dexter told someone? Like I said, his father owns half of Manhattan, he can make your life very difficult if he wants to,” Emmeline asked, proud to notice her voice was even and didn’t give away her state of distress. It didn’t take a genius to see what she was trying to do and Peter, while being curious, didn’t lack delicacy to the point of forcing her hand in that matter.

               He shrugged, confident that Dexter told no one.

“And admit to having been sucker punched by your toy boy? I’m sure he didn’t.”

*

               Peter distinctly remembered everything that happened after dessert, like a slow-motion segment of a movie, filled with unnecessary details that he wouldn’t notice otherwise. Everything from the moment he felt all the hairs on his body stand on end, to the moment he came back to his room at May’s, through the window of course.

               His first instinct when his Spider sense tingled was to jump to his feet, suddenly reminded of what Tony told him about someone sending death threats to the mayor, eyes alert and scanning the room in search of danger.

“Oh, dear me,” someone exclaimed behind him and when he turned around there stood a middle-aged woman way too thin for her own good – her pearl necklace seemed too heavy for her neck. He didn’t know why he noticed that of all things, but he did. Then he realized that her piercing eyes were darted on him, accusingly. Her hand rested flat on her chest, implying that he had scared her. “Are you going somewhere, young man?”

               Peter winced and when he looked at Emmeline, who hurried to finish her glass, he saw her wince too. If this woman wasn’t her mother, Peter vowed to shave his head the next day.

“N-no,” Peter quickly stuttered out, focusing back on the dignified woman. Not a hair stood out of place. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” he added.

               When she held out her hand, Peter’s brain froze for a moment too long, then he came back to his senses and took it in his, placing a kiss on her bejeweled fingers. That was what she wanted him to do, right? Her pleased smile indicated that he had done the right thing, but Emmeline’s eyeroll was what sealed the deal. Of course, she would mock this old-fashioned greeting.

“Emmeline, why don’t you make the introductions? I feel as though you’ve been avoiding me all night. What did this boy do to have you hide him from me?”

               The fakest smile she could muster was slapped on her face, making Peter nearly snort. He bit his cheeks to keep a collected face.

“Mother,” she said with a purposefully childish voice. “Meet Peter Parker. Peter, my mother, Sybil Gerard.”

               She didn’t specify who he was, giving his name was already more than she would have liked to tell her family. With a name, they could do research. She didn’t say they were at university together, she didn’t say whether they were friends or a couple – not that she knew what they were at this point, she just didn’t want to share it.

“Well?” Sybil Gerard insisted, her smile as stiff as Emmeline’s. Now he could see the family resemblance. “Is that it? Don’t I get more details? Or are you trying to withhold information from me?”

“No, it’s my private life,” Emmeline deadpanned, still smiling. “When will the speech start? This dinner has lasted longer than your last facelift already.”

               Peter half expected the entire room to hush over and turn towards them, ogling the two women to see who would strike first after Emmeline’s blatant provocation. Sybil Gerard, however, had dealt with her daughter’s venomous remarks for a long time and she barely flinched, even letting out a faint laugh to show that Em’s pique did not hit as close to home as she had hoped.

               With baffled excitement, Peter watched on, not knowing what to say – if she should say anything at all.

“Your father still has a few people to greet and we’re waiting for the TV crew to give us the green light, but rest assured you will be the first to know when we’re ready. I dare hope you will make an effort and behave with poise, don’t forget it’s live TV,” her mother snapped, having abandoned the sweet façade she put on for appearances’ sake in presence of Peter. “Your smile needs practice. You may have discarded all the dresses I sent you, but I won’t suffer another insult tonight, you have disappointed me enough already.”

               Peter had to blink a couple times to get rid of the image of a reptile that his mind conjured when Sybil spoke. She spat more venom than a cobra. A shiver ran down his spine and Emmeline’s visibly gulped down but stayed put and nodded without another word.

“And try to be a little more pleasant, the guests are wondering what’s wrong with you.”

               She didn’t wait for her daughter to answer and simply left after that last pique. Emmeline exhaled and hiccupped to catch her breath as if she had been holding it during the last minute of this dreadful conversation.

“That was intense,” Peter commented, if only to break the silence. “She’s… charming.”

               He brought his lips in a thin line and Emmeline looked up from her napkin, the corner of her mouth wavering slightly.

“She’s a soul-sucking cold-hearted bitch, is what she is,” she corrected him, and they both began to laugh, shaking off the tension and awkwardness that Madam Gerard left in her wake.

“That’s one way of putting it I suppose.” He took her hand under the table, hidden by the long tablecloth. “She’s also wrong. You look beautiful, and your smile is perfect as it is, no practice needed.”

“You don’t have to make me feel better, Peter, I’m used to it. It doesn’t get to me anymore.” It did, they were both aware. “I’m a big girl.”

“Shut up and accept the compliment,” Peter teased her, drawing another laugh from her. “You know, I’m glad I came today. This is the most thrilling Christmas dinner I’ve had in years! It’s exciting! Like I’m on a TV show.”

“A high society drama with its secret love affairs and corrupt politicians, then,” she hummed, scanning the crowd to look at everyone’s smiling faces. Everybody was so shiny, so spotless. The light caught on every diamond earring, silver ring and pearl necklace. “Not my kind of TV show.”

“What kind of TV show are you then?”

“Well…” She began to fold her napkin origami-style as she thought about it. “I’d like to think I’m a high fantasy show, that I’m on a path towards self-discovery and accomplishment, forming unbreakable bonds with the people around me in the process, and embracing who I am, but in reality I’m more like… Gossip Girl, or Riverdale, or whatever.”

“Teenage drama?”

“Yeah, exactly. Any TV show where the protagonists look older and fitter than they ought to be. There needs to be at least one shirtless scene per episode, and half the soundtrack is by the Arctic Monkeys.”

               A laugh fell from Peter’s lips and he frowned a little, perplexed.

“Oddly specific, yet accurate, somehow,” he said, soon joined by Emmeline in his laughter. One has to laugh in this kind of situation, or it’ll become overwhelming. “Are you ready for the climax of the episode then? Because your mother is coming this way again.”

“Oh no.” Emmeline sighed under her breath. “I’m so sorry you have to endure this with me. I’d have left you to your aunt if I were less of an egoist.”

“Are you kidding? This is better than a Broadway show. I think I can see the flowers waning in your mother’s wake.”

               Emmeline punched him in the arm and Peter pretended to be hurt, chuckling quietly. Both of them dropped their grin as soon as Em’s ice queen mother reached their table, casting a cold over them.

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Reblog to save a writer

Taglist: @of-virtuoso @the-freefeather  @complete-trash-101​​  @justanothergenzkid​ @yarkmydude

[xenolithium]

Oooh I’ve always wondered how the MM characters (excluding Saeyoung, Saeran and Vanderwood) would react to meeting Saehyun (I’m sorry I love him so much ;w;) !! I know this sounds like a weird request but I’m super curious lolol

Dude, weird? This request completely destroyed my heart and made me reread it multiple times in a state of pure bliss. Thank you so much! To know someone is interested in my OC means a lot to me. >w<

For those of you who don't know, Saehyun stars in a "what if" fanfiction that answers the question on if the Choi twins were actually triplets as well as how'd they'd react to meeting a brother who they didn't know about; and had been raised in a completely different environment, separate from them. Check it out here! (Unless you're a minor, 'cause it's pretty intense.)

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Yoosung + Saehyun:

Wait, Saeyoung, how many brothers do you have? Are you secretly hiding them? Are you being cloned?!

After the initial weirdness over their first meeting, these two get along pretty well. They're both in similar fields of study (medicine), so they constantly help each other out at school (mostly Saehyun, helping Yoosung, but let's just gloss over that fact). They're not going to the same university, however, but that doesn't matter in the slightest.

"Hey, Yoosung, would you pay attention?"

"Ah - ah sorry, what?"

Saehyun groans in irritation, "you should already know this..."

Though despite Saehyun's seriousness in his studies, he has no problem doing childish things and hanging out together when neither is busy. They go out to the movies, cry together like children, enjoy a trip to an amusement park, and other such things.

They're both very openly emotional and that gives them someone to vent to.

"Have you ever baked before?" Yoosung asks.

"No, but I should be able to do it!"

"Ahh, Saehyun it's burning!"

"The recipe told me to put it in for two hours!" It's not always Yoosung doing the learning, they learn from each other.

Also finally, Yoosung isn't the shortest in the group (aside from Jaehee). "I'm taller than you~"

"Shut up..."

They're both hugely into cheesy romance, so prepare for the constant fan filled chatter between these two. "What did you think of that final confession?" "I thought it was so cute!"

Saehyun buys him a lot of extremely expensive gifts that really overwhelm him sometimes. "Ah! Why?!" "Because I thought you needed it?"

He also sucks at video games, so you can bet Yoosung coerces him into trying LOLOL with him.

"Ugh, this game is stupid!"

The blonde laughs at his failed attempts to defeat a boss monster.

Is it possible to be the lowest ranking player on a server? Because that's probably where he is.

Zen + Saehyun:

He's a little weirded out and maybe slightly nervous. He thought after the whole fiasco with Saeran, that would be the last time something this crazy happens. But no...Saeyoung, that guy...

Saehyun ends up chatting with him amicably and he finds his initial hesitance has disappeared. Oh, he seems like a pretty normal person, except for the fact his (adoptive) family is rich...

That fact kind of irks him for a while, but usually he can look past it when the two share a beer (or maybe four) and a ton of laughs.

They hang out on occasion and go for a few drinks every so often and Saehyun totally adores his musicals. He's also nice eye candy, how could you blame him?

Saehyun also constantly feeds Zen's ego with constant compliments and acknowledgment of his comments towards his appearance. Hey, this dude isn't half bad. He has good taste, anyway.

"You looked really handsome in the selfie you posted today," the redhead says.

"I know~" for some reason it feels nice when he hears it from a friend. The word narcissist is never tacked on to Saehyun's sentences.

Jumin + Saehyun:

Jumin takes everything in stride so although underneath his stoic exterior the information of a third Choi is a surprise, he doesn't outwardly show it.

These two are like opposite sides of a coin. Jumin keeps his emotions bottled away and Saehyun is so forthright with displaying them that it's startling sometimes. But they sort of fit together in that sense.

Both of them have similar backgrounds so they can relate to each other on that level.

And a night of sipping wine and chatting, sounds lovely for these two.

"I read this romance novel recently..."

"hmmm..." They don't necessarily agree on everything, but they get along just fine in the chatroom.

Jaehee + Saehyun:

The first meeting was a surprise for sure, in fact she had mistaken him for both of his brothers before it dawned on her.

"What?" With a clear look of surprise.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too," he laughs.

For the most part, she's pretty neutral in regards to him. He seems normal enough to her and she worries about him just like any of her other friends (RFA members).

Though they sometimes "fangirl" over Zen together, so they've got that; and Saeyoung occasionally joins in for funsies.

"Hey, Jaehee, I bought you some of the exclusive merchandise from Zen's last performance."

"Really?"

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Thank you, so, so much for this request @random-fandoms-afv2! It's just a small list of HCs but I had so much fun doing this! Thank you again for showing interest in my OC and my fanfic!

Got your own request? Feel free to send an ask over to my ask box. Multiples from the same person are more than welcome!