#maybe he’ll think that hope isn’t a concept he can hold

[callme-holly]

Hi!! I was wondering if you could please do the outsiders gang with a little Curtis sister!reader? Like readers a year younger than ponyboy? Also can it be hc’s please?

'𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫' [𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫]

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 - Ahhhhh, i literally love this concept so much. Hope ya'll enjoy and as always my asks are still open for requests!!

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 - 671 words

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - none!!

The gang are so protective of you oh my god

You may only be a year younger than Pony but they will still bend over backwards to ensure that you are safe.

You are Darry’s whole world. He cares about you so much that it’s almost suffocating. If anything happens to you, you best believe he is sticking up for you in a heartbeat.

Sometimes it can get a little frustrating. The boys will baby you and you will have to stand your ground when they get a little too much.

You are never allowed to walk home alone, and I mean never. There will always be someone there to walk you to and from wherever it is you need to go. It’s dangerous out there and they will not risk you being jumped.

Speaking of which, if you did ever happen to get jumped, the gang is by your side in seconds. Dallas, Steve, and Darry will literally put someone in the hospital for you if need be.

You give the boys a run for their money. If they get put on “baby-sitting” duty you show them pretty quickly that you don’t need looking after.

Sodapop is your best friend and you can’t tell me otherwise. He’s that person you can go to when you’ve got a problem and actually feel comforted afterwards. He’ll take you to the DX with him and let you help out as well as letting you take whatever you want from the store. Steve doesn’t really like it (he’s jealous that you’re stealing away his best friend) but he warms up to you being around after a while.

Going to the movies with Ponyboy and hanging out in the lot with him and Johnny after!!

If you think Darry is hard on Pony, just wait until you get home a few minutes past curfew. He will go mental. Like I said, he cares a whole lot about you and isn’t gonna have your future wasted. Sure, he has near impossible expectations for you a lot of the time, but just talk to him and he’ll try to go easy.

The other kids at school hardly ever mess with you. They’ve seen how scary your brothers and the rest of the gang are and they really aren’t looking to be spending their days in hospital.

If you’re struggling in classes, Pony will drop everything to help you out. You will both sit and study until Darry is on your ass about getting to bed.

Sometimes the gang can be a little too protective. It’s suffocating having to have someone with you everywhere you go and while they mean well you have had multiple arguments with them about how you can take care of yourself.

Dallas has definitely taught you how to fight, much to Darry’s dismay. You need to be able to hold your own and Dallas is going to teach you everything he’s learnt during his time on the streets.

Two-bit is the go to “baby-sitter”. He’s more than happy to go anywhere you want and he actually lets you have some form of freedom. Maybe that’s because he himself has the mentality of a small child but regardless, if Darry wants someone to look after you, make sure you request Two-bit.

Johnny loves spending time with you. You’re calm and someone he can talk to when he needs to. When he stays over some nights, you will sit up with him and Pony and talk until the sun comes up.

At first, Steve didn’t like you. He genuinely believed you were going to steal Sodapop away from him and hated when you came along to the DX. He doesn’t care if you’re a year younger than Pony, you’re still a kid in his eyes, and he’ll treat you as such. After a while though, he starts to warm up to you, you’re his best friend’s little sibling after all.

Needless to say, the whole gang loves you and would do anything for you <333

[adverbally]

Searching for a Trail to Follow Again

Written for the @steddieangstyaugust prompt “The Night We Met - Lord Huron” | wc: 1,111 | rated: M | cw: nonexplicit sexual content | tags: Eddie’s insecurities, not really breakup sex, kind of more like goodbye sex, at least until Steve knocks some sense into Eddie, hopeful ending

———

Eddie has never understood the concept of breakup sex.

Either you were ending the relationship and didn’t care if you never saw the other person again, or you were still in love and devastated that they didn’t want you anymore. What closure could someone get from that?

He wishes he could go back to that ignorance. Now he knows that not all relationships end because the love is gone; now he understands wanting to make the last time special, to savor something you will probably never have again. Sure, it hurts to know the end is coming. But the end is coming whether you know it or not, and Eddie would rather be able to plan for it.

Their end is here. Tomorrow, Steve will be taking his community college credits to Ball State University to become a teacher. He’s so excited to start his deaf education program and work with kids like him. Eddie’s excited for him too, except that Muncie, Indiana is over 200 miles away from Chicago, where they’ve both been living with Robin.

It’s not that he doesn’t trust Steve, but who wants to go to school with a partner chaining them down when they could be meeting new people, enjoying their youth? Who wants a loser like Eddie holding them back? Wannabe musician, part-time bartender, part-time record store clerk, full-time disappointment.

As much as Steve protests that line of thinking, he concedes that he won’t be able to make the trip back to Chicago often, between his coursework and his internship and working part-time. He refuses to call it a breakup, though; this is just a temporary disruption in their relationship.

Eddie wishes he had that confidence. Instead, he’s kissing Steve like it’s his last night on earth and committing everything to memory in case he never gets to touch Steve like this again. The lean muscle of him, the freckles that dot his skin, the coarse hair against Eddie’s fingertips, the taste of his sweat. The way Steve can’t seem to get enough of him, reluctant to let their lips part for more than a moment. The sounds he makes, low moans and gasps and quiet praise and Eddie’s name, over and over.

Afterward, they lie curled around each other in Eddie’s bed. Steve’s belongings are already packed and loaded into the truck he rented. The finality of everything is setting in but Eddie is determined not to be dramatic, just this once. He’ll enjoy Steve while he still has him and not waste the precious hours they have left.

“Maybe you can visit me sometime,” Steve suggests, like he wants to ask Eddie to come but doesn’t want to be too direct about it. Like Eddie isn’t grasping for any crumbs of Steve he can gather.

“If you want me to, I will,” Eddie promises.

“Of course I want you to.” Steve is quiet for a minute before he speaks again. “Are you saying goodbye to me? Was this– it felt… I don’t know. I don’t want to leave with you thinking you’ll never see me again.”

How can Eddie explain that that’s how it feels? Steve is going to be at school for two or three years; that may be a short time in the grand scheme of things, but compared to how long they’ve been together? Compared to how many other people Steve has dated and slept with? Just because Steve has undeniably ruined Eddie for anyone else doesn’t mean the reverse is true.

So instead of trying to explain, he says, “You know, they say it’s, like, scientifically proven that you never forget the person who gave you your first kiss or the one who took your virginity.”

Steve laughs. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“It is!” Eddie insists. “And yeah, you weren’t my first kiss, but you were my first everything else, you know? And I don’t get to be that for you.”

“They may not be as glamorous, but I’ve had plenty of firsts with you,” Steve argues, propping himself up on an elbow to look down at Eddie. “Like, I had never laughed until I cried during sex before you. And I had never been to a metal concert until that one I saw with you.” His voice is soft when he continues, “I don’t think I’ve ever really, truly been in love with anyone but you, either.”

Eddie gnaws on his own lip, pulling at the dry skin until it starts to bleed. “Just because I was the first doesn’t mean I’ll be the last. There might be someone else out there for you.”

“Yeah, there’s probably someone else for you, too. It doesn’t matter, I don’t want someone else.” Steve’s hand is gentle on Eddie’s cheek, caressing the stubble along his jaw. “I want you. As long as you want me back, I’ll want you.”

“I just— I don’t want you to resent me when I’m not there.” Eddie can’t look away with Steve holding his face, so he can’t hide when he tears up. “I worry you’ll realize you’re too good for me, or you’ll wish you didn’t have to deal with me anymore or something.”

Steve looks devastated. “Baby, am I that bad at telling you how much you mean to me? I love you. I’ve loved you for two years, and I’ll keep loving you forever.”

Eddie sniffs as Steve helpfully wipes under his eye with his thumb. “That’s not always— What if the love isn’t enough?”

“What if it’s not?” Steve challenges him. “If we couldn’t make it work, what would you do?” When Eddie doesn’t respond, he continues, “I’d rather be with you now, really be present and enjoy our time together, than worry about some hypothetical. And even if it does end someday, I would rather face the pain of losing you than never have you at all.”

“I didn’t think about it that way,” Eddie admits, almost ashamed. Here he is, making Steve comfort him when he should be focusing on Steve.

“I get it if you’re scared. I’m scared, too. I’m gonna be in a new place, studying hard, and I’m not gonna have you there to make it better.” Steve’s smile is fond and a little teasing. “But we can still talk and send letters. And three hours isn’t that long of a drive.”

Eddie nods. “Yeah. You’re right, of course. I want to be here for you. Even if I can’t always be there.”

“So be here now, and be here when I come back.” The kiss Steve lays on his cheek is chaste, but it might be the most intimate feeling Eddie has ever experienced.

[stariikis]

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 008

synopsis ; based on the Chinese Drama, 'When I Fly Towards You', in which you, a going-on-high-school English genius named Huang Yuting meets the Mathematics genius of the 10th grade, Nishimura Riki, underneath the rain.

masterlist >>

“I can’t believe you don’t understand how to calculate this.” 

“Okay, well, not everybody’s a half-genius like you are,” you scoff directly into Riki’s face, refusing to let his ego skyrocket as usual. He raises his chin at you. 

“Only half?” He shakes his head and tsks. “Maybe you haven’t seen my full potential yet. You, I-” 

“Okay, okay. I get it. You’re smart.” Having enough of his arrogance, you point back down at the question you’re stuck on. “How’d I get this wrong?” 

This is the only time you’ve ever wanted to zip his mouth closed. He’s oddly talkative today – or maybe it’s just a sudden contrast to his usual silence. Why did you ever agree to starting these study sessions with him? It was supposed to be a mutual tutoring session for the both of you to benefit in your respective subjects. But now, it’s just for you to feel stupid when he leans over and solves the Math equation ten times faster than you ever could. 

He feigns disappointment just to tick you off, and points at one of your lines of equations. “Check the calculations. You’ve got the concept right. Finally,” he mutters under his breath.

Clicking the pen furiously, your mind makes quick work of whatever’s on your paper. But for some reason, you keep circling back to the same answer and look up at Riki sheepishly. 

“I can’t see the mistake…” you scratch the side of your face as a distraction. “Um, maybe we should do English instead!” 

As you turn to grab your grammar textbook, Riki reaches over the table and grabs your arm. 

“No! Anything but that!” His eyes fly open wide. It seems as if he doesn’t feel like being embarrassed either. You’ve witnessed it, and it’s very amusing. You always can’t help but smile when he shamelessly shows you a page of English words spelled incorrectly. It’s kind of… cute. 

Not that him holding onto your arm as desperate as a baby bird begging for food isn’t cute. The strawberry cream flavoured lollipop that he's sucking on almost slips out of his mouth. Like a delinquent, he readjusts it in his mouth whilst keeping a fierce gaze on you. 

What… is he doing… 

Your heart starts to race, eyes flickering down to the ground. How can you meet his gaze in this moment? He seems to notice the awkward position as well, both hands coming down to his sides as he sits back down. 

And suddenly, he’s silent again. 

He doesn’t even stop to brag when he somehow gets everything correct on one of his grammar practices on prepositions. 

Huang Yuting is more difficult to solve than any equation Riki has ever attempted. And he knows hard questions, frustration boiling deep inside him as his pen flips around in his hands to relieve him of agitation. The more he looked it, the more he wanted to strangle himself to sleep. That’s exactly the feeling that crept up on his neck when Yuting passed by his class and didn’t even stop to wave. 

She looks him directly in the eye and almost immediately looks away. An uncomfortable expression crosses her face but it’s so blurry along her features that Riki doesn’t even know what to think. Maybe she doesn’t notice him in his PE clothes, a cropped puffy jacket tied in a knot around his shoulders. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t recognise him with his new hair (it’s only a short trim around the edges but the way Riki’s heart races wondering why she’s ignoring him seems to reveal that it’s not about the short trim.) 

He shouldn’t have changed his hair. 

Running a hand through it, he looks back out the door, secretly hoping that he’ll be surprised with Yuting calling his name and waving his way. His corner seat all the way at the back gives him a pretty good view of the hallway, and so he can’t help but to zone out while he waits endlessly for a certain someone. 

“Nishimura!” 

The English teacher — Riki can’t remember her name for the life of him — snaps in his direction. 

“Do you want to answer this grammar question since you’re so preoccupied with the exciting element of the hallway?” She pushes her glasses up her nose and raps her knuckle against the whiteboard. Panic sweeps through Riki and he looks over at Jungwon for help, but the boy is laying on the table and hiding behind his own textbook, undoubtedly fast asleep. 

Then he realises – this question is familiar. Yuting had effectively drilled it into his head a week prior, getting so frustrated by him answering the same question wrong over and over again that she nearly stood on her chair to teach him. 

“‘Where’ is the proper preposition rather than ‘which’. The sentence is talking about a location,” he crosses his fingers and takes a bet, his mind ringing with the words he recalled Yuting saying. You blind idiot, I gave you the same question last week and you could answer it just fine!

At this point, Jungwon has realised the commotion and raises his head at Riki. He looks offendingly shocked to see how well he answered the question. He mouths, “How’d you do that?”, when the teacher nods, pleased, and turns to the whiteboard again. 

“I’m just smart,” Riki grins back, pinching his arm. “And a good student who studies and doesn’t fall asleep in class.” 

Just then, a cheerful voice outside the hallway calls out his name. Riki has never whipped his head around so quickly. 

“Riki-yah!”  He wants to reach into his stomach and gut himself when Kim Sunoo, not-huang-yuting, dashes past with the most innocent smile he could give in the situation. When he purses his lips in mild disappointment, Riki suddenly understands why Yuting endearingly nicknames him an idiot so often.

taglist (open)

@laylasmother @seunnimg @natalunae @roumajuli @tomomorin @purplelxvx

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[luimagines]

How do you think the chain would react to finding out the reader is very touch starved and they refuse to initiate any kind of contact unless necessary?

Masterlist

Sure can do! It'll be in headcanon form. I hope you don't mind.

Content under the cut!

Warrior

Warrior is going to probably be the one to mention to the others that they need to ask and respect it if they get rejected

Warrior is also tempted to put hand son shoulders and ruffle hair but he’s a lot better at repressing it than some of the other boys

It’s not something he’s going to question if he learns it

Reader just gets treated like a soldier from then on

Sure Warrior will still be calm and collected and not at all use his commander voice

But he’s going to keep his hands to himself

Perfectly cordial as he smothers down any brotherly instincts

Again- he’s not cold even if it’s easy to get that impression with how much he’s been keeping his distance

But he’s still 100% willing to throw hands with anyone who makes them upset

Or throw hands with anyone who tries to get into their personal space without their permission

Is he projecting his personal guard training?

Maybe?

Warrior is always going to ask first when he needs to touch them

Or maybe just tell them where he’s noticed something so they can handle it on their own

In reality he doesn’t know what to do r how to handle the situation but he’s going to try his best

Twilight

I think Twilight would be very torn about it

He’s not as big on touch as some of the other guys but he’s first instinct when he’s comforting a person it to touch them

It’s instinctual to him so he’s not always aware of it

At the same time he wants to have them feel comfortable around them 

He’s not fully aware of what being touched starved is

As a concept he can understand it, but he’s grown up in a very warm and loving place where hugs and hand holding were common place

Even if it was just a pat on the back of a hand on the shoulder

So naturally Twilight copies that in his day to day interactions with the people he cares about

He may need to be reminded on more than one occasion if Reader wants him to back off

He’ll do his best to not take it to heart

But it’ll hurt him on the inside to think that anyone would not be deprived of it for so long but then also deny it until circumstances say otherwise

It’s not something he can fully comprehend 

But he’s willing to work with Reader in that case

He’s aware that it’s not something someone would just talk about and everyone has different paths that they’ve taken in life

He’d struggle in the beginning and slowly work his way toward a middle ground for the two of them

But it’s going to make some work on Reader’s part as well

Legend

Legend is probably going to be the last person learns this

He’s also touch starved but he’s not going to go out of his way to touch people

He probably doesn’t realize it until it was one of those ride or die moments 

That being said, I think he would notice that they would shy away from touch no matter who it came from

Which is no biggie

It doesn’t faze him- just “alright, cool, no touchy, got it”

And then he just never asks questions

So he doesn’t know why for a really long time

Legend isn’t going to judge or bat an eye about it and even then when he learns about it eventually he’ll shrug it off

“Alright dude, good to know, let me know if I cross any lines”

End of discussion

He will, however, also be their greatest defender

Somebody standing too close? He pushes them away

Somebody reaches out? He blocks them

If anyone so much as looks like they’re going to try something Legend is going to put himself in the middle of it

I can guarantee it  

Time

Another one in the don’t touch me club

Don’t get me wrong he’s still ok with physical touch

But he’s very selective in who gets to touch him and who he can touch on a casual basis

Family is typical- and he’s adopted all the boys so that’s fine

Strangers? Nope

Friends? Hard maybe. It would depend on the situation

Granted, he’s doesn’t really let people know that he doesn’t want to be touched

He’s so done with everything and anything life can throw at him that he’s going to take it in stride and ignore it the best that he can

When he notices Reader is in a similar boat to him he’s going to single them out when they’re alone

It’s nothing bad, don’t worry

But he’s going to ask what’s up just so he has a better idea of what’s going on

No one likes to hear from someone who’s got the wrong idea

He’ll be tactful with it and try to gauge information without going into anything too personal

Then he’ll gives tips and some pointer to let others know to keep their distance without making a scene or hurting their feelings

Basically it’s a  “Welcome to the club. Here’s your badge and here’s how to let people know you have with without showing it to them.”

That kind of fatherly pep talk moment

Effectiveness depends on Reader on at point

Wild

The worst of them hands down

His hands are on every one so much and he doesn’t even know it

He is the dude to koala people in his sleep

Wild is very clingy by nature and there’s very little that can stop him once the ball is rolling

That being said- he will stop cold turkey once mentioned

But he’s going to be curious

Did he do something wrong?

Was it something he said?

Was he in trouble?

Oh, it’s nothing personal? Then rock on my guy. That’s fair. My bad.

Hands to himself now

Mostly

He’s trying really hard to be cool with it and not make Reader uncomfortable

But I’m going to lie and say that he’s on top of it 100% of the time and that he nails every interaction

As much as he would like that to be the case- it isn’t

Please be patient with him. He wants to learn to be better

Four

Alright. Cool with him

Won’t engage in contact

Will keep a wide berth to pop the personal space bubble

Does not question it

He’d probably think about it though- even if he smothers those thought down

It’s none of his business anyway 

Besides he’s not shy of cutting people off from getting into stuff they don’t need to know- how can he just assume it doesn’t apply to him?

New flash- it does and he lives by it

A huge advocate of taking accountability for your own actions 

So if he sees someone not being called out for bad behavior or unwanted advances, then he’ll gladly do it instead

Some boys are quiet protectors and will watch from behind Reader to see how they handle the situation

Four is not

It’s admittedly his greatest strength and his biggest weakness

He’s quick to jump to conclusions unfortunately so Reader might (read: will) talk to him about it

He means well on all sides

But it’s not something he’s accustomed to handle on his own

It either goes well or badly- there is no in between

Hyrule

HO BOY DOES HE STRUGGLE

One of his main love languages is physical touch and it doesn’t take long for anyone to figure that out

His hands are on someone almost at all times and is going to extend to Reader more often than not

He’s not the worst of the group but he’s right on his heels

Because it’s so natural to him he might not notice a flinch or pulling away

It honestly depends non what has his attention and how violent it might have been

That being said- he seems the kind of guy to ask to work with it

Work towards desensitizing so that there won’t be a problem in the future

Because he would like to hug them or just have a hand on Reader’s shoulder without being rejected time and time again

At this point it’s going to be up to Reader to decide where they go with it

They can meet Hyrule halfway and so on and so forth 

Or they can keep refusing him in the end (But this option is the Break Hyrule’s Heart Option- so do with that what you will)

If Reader is adamant to keep Hyrule at an arm’s length then he’ll have to accept it but he might also pull away emotionally as well

It’s harder to connect to a person you’re forcing yourself to stay away from

If Reader agrees with slowly being ok with touch, Hyrule is going to have to work on dialing it way back

He’s willing to do that, but that’s still a decent amount of work on his part

Sky

Another guy who’s very casual with touching so he may need to be reminded more than once

However he’s very perceptive in this regard

One flinch or a subtle pull away and he pulls back like nothing ever happened

It’ll so natural no one would think that he saw anything

He won’t ask questions, he won’t pry, he won’t even think too much about it

He just takes a mental note of it and moves on with his day

He’ll find other way to show that he cares about Reader that doesn’t include touching

If there’s a moment where he’s going to touch Reader, he’d want to announce it to them first and give them ample tie to react the way they want to

Instead of letting initial reactions put anyone off

It’s in the air if Reader notices that Sky has put two and two together

A lot of people think that Sky is a bit oblivious that’s not true and it couldn’t be farther from the truth

His mind can be like a steel trap if he focuses and considers it serious enough

His personality throws people off sometimes because of it

Sky is going to watch how Reader interacts with the other guys and with people outside of their group

He puts together that it’s nothing personal very quickly because of this

That being said, he’s may not be as forward in blocking unwanted attention like some of the other boys, but he’s on the look out regardless

Wind

Has no idea what that means

Will ask all sorts of questions 

Handles it very maturely

Better than half the group if I have to be honest

It’s almost like actually talking to someone and having decent communication can lead to better results in the long run

Always asking if something is ok to do

Will ask if Reader is ok with being around a lot of people and will warn them if need be

You know, like going into cramped market places and such- where bumping shoulders is almost unavoidable

He offers to act as a buffer if Reader would want him to be or to even stay behind if Reader would rather avoid it entirely

It doesn’t always work out that way but Wind knows lots of ways to distract people from the worst of it

If anything he’s great at being live bait- even if it’s for the things unseen

Has the tendency to be a bit too excited though- he can’t help it being a 13-year- old boy

So if he grabs Reader without warning or taps them without thinking about it, Reader might have to reel him back again

He’ll apologize but he’s definitely better than a few boys in the group

Won’t bother is looking out Reader otherwise though

Jury’s out if it’s just because he thinks that Reader can handle themself or if it’s because it’s just on entirely on his radar yet

But both is a probability as well

[gabessquishytum]

Hello love! I’ve been having thoughts of Dream and Hob exploring their sexualities in… potentially unhealthy ways. I don’t think I’ll ever write it, so I’m tossing my scattered thoughts your way in the hopes you’ll be inspired, or perhaps someone else will be ;)

I was listening to “One of Your Girls” by Troye Sivan and was smacked in the head with the concept of young Dream going to a club and meeting Hob– who’s a very straight man, for the first time.

Hob is very much Dream’s type: warm and soft, an easy smile, strong yet kind,  but something devious in his eyes. Especially with the way he’s been eyeing Dream from across the room. Dream saunters over to him and turns on the charm. He’s openly flirting, lightly touching Hob’s arm, complimenting how handsome he is, all to Hob laughing and blushing and acting almost… shy? Finally Hob, while not outright pushing Dream away, reveals to him that he’s flattered, but not interested in men.

Undeterred, Dream hums casually, taking a long swallow from his drink (making sure Hob watches), and leans fully into his space to speak sweetly in his ear.

“Are you sure?”

And when Hob turns his head to meet Dream’s gaze dead on, they are close enough to feel one another’s breath on their lips. Close enough that Dream can taste Hob’s anxiety mingled with excitement as his lips part and his eyes flick down briefly to Dream’s mouth and back.

Dream’s eyes flutter shut as Hob’s hand cups the side of his face, fingers soft under his jawline, and slowly leans in for a kiss that is so soft, so god damn careful, it nearly makes Dream shake.

Because, underneath his cool and confident facade, Dream is insecure. He’s young and is desperate to be loved. Hob isn’t the first straight man he’s fooled around with. Dream has always told men, and himself, that it was okay. That his body could be a safe space for them to explore their curiosities… even if it did leave him feeling strangely empty afterwards. The thrill of being the reason a straight man was questioning himself wore off pretty fast when they didn’t stay the night, didn’t call him back, or even indulge in a kiss.

But the first thing Hob does is kiss him. Slow, gentle, with his hands holding Dream’s face like he’s something precious and it shatters something in Dream. He almost whimpers as Hob pulls back, thumbs caressing his sharp cheekbones.

It was just a chaste thing, lips only, but Dream instantly wants more. 

“Did you like that?” Dream asks, already dying to go back for more.

But Hob pauses, seeming to really consider it.

“I’m not sure. That was my first time kissing a man.”

So from here… we could go two directions:

Hob has his bi-awakening. Dream shows him everything he’s been missing. It’s sweet and they fall in love afterwards.

Or, my personal preference, angst.

Hob continues to be unsure. Dream and him spend more time together, but it’s more as friends. Dream lays off trying to get him into his bed, but it’s still very obvious he’s into him. Like, really obvious (lots of staring, “casual” touches, more experimental kissing that as they indulge in more and more, Hob breaks away with a loud gasp or frustrated sound because he’ll get his hands on Dream and feel his flat chest, the stubble on his face, or Dream’s low growl and shake his head “This isn’t working…”).

And finally Dream kind of breaks down and is like, “I could be a girl for you.” and dresses up in drag. He makes a very convincing woman and it’s almost embarrassing how into it Hob is, finally getting a proper erection the moment Dream walks into the room, high heels, makeup, wig, tucked and wearing fake breasts. He sucks Hob off before blindfolding him while Dream crawls up his lap and impales himself on Hob’s cock.

It gets messy from there. Dream developing feelings and Hob feeling even more confused about his sexuality than before. It’s like Dream, his friend, is a completely different person than the Dream that presents himself as feminine. 

Maybe Hob grew up conservative and he’s still fighting back old repressed morals/values. Maybe he has internalized homophobia. 

As you can see, my mind is everywhere. Not sure where to take it, and I don’t think I have the confidence to properly tackle this brainworm. So. here ya go *upends box all over the place and runs away*

First of all hello my love!! So great to see you here!!! And second of all, one of your girls is such a banger. I just have share my favourite line with you all: You should insure that waist / With the highest policy you can get

Iconic.

Anyway, this ask hurt my feelings so much but I LOVE IT. Repressed queer Hob is so interesting to me because it feels quite close to canon? As a character Hob is quite conservative/goes with the times. I think he's right about himself, he does have to make a big effort to change! Which is not a bad thing! But can be painful, I guess.

It definitely makes everything more complicated because Dream seems to be two different people. He's still Hob’s friend, his buddy, someone he trusts and respects. But he's also... someone else. A pretty thing in drag who knows exactly how Hob likes to be sucked off and who Hob fantasies about when he jerks off. It's not really Dream he's thinking of, but it kind of is? Those are Dream’s thighs wrapped around his waist, those are Dream’s lips, his tongue, his pert little arse.

Hob feels like a horrible person and like he should stop the whole thing, but every time he tries, Dream pouts his pink glossy lips and slides his freshly shaved thigh between Hob’s legs to rub against his cock. And Hob thinks well, one more time won't hurt. And the cycle continues.

Dream feels utterly destroyed by the fact that he just isn't enough for Hob. Because Hob is so nice to him! He never laughs at Dream, he's a proper friend to him, and a good lover too. It would be such a perfect relationship. But Hob never gets hard when they're curled up on the couch together in the daytime. They still try kissing sometimes, but Hob sometimes pulls away with his look on his face that just cuts Dream to his core.

So he keeps dressing up. Being Hob’s pretty little girl isn’t so bad. Hob is worth it. He's nothing like the other straight men who've tossed Dream away after one night of curiosity. And he really, genuinely isn't! He loves Dream, its just that the love is weighed down by all the stuff inside Hob’s head that tells him that he can't. He can't be gay. Not even for Dream. He can't open that door because he's fucking terrified of what's behind it.

I'm a sucker for an eventual resolution so I propose this: Hob finally does the right thing and breaks off the pseudo-relationship with Dream. He requests time apart and Dream is devastated, but resigned. Hob will move on and find himself a proper woman, he supposes. But Hob does not! He goes to therapy!

It's nearly a year until Hob shows up at Dream’s place. He apologies for everything that happened before - he was old enough to know better. Being fucked up by other people isn't an excuse to do fucked up shit. And he would like a chance to try again with Dream, but he doesn't expect or feel entitled to anything. It's not up to Dream to fix him.

Dream tries to take time to think it over, but the answer was always going to be yes. He's done some growing up in the last year, and he knows what he deserves: a loving, dedicated and respectful partner. He knows that Hob can be all of that. No more pretending and hiding. They're going to make it work.

[badchoicesworld]

Can I request miles 42 with an alien male s/o that has completely white eyes and struggles with social ques/ human culture🫶🫶🫶

miles 42 w/ an alien boyfriend !

i’m listening to charlie’s inferno rn, hope this is half decent <\3

established relationship

warnings: meh

pairing: earth 42 miles x male!reader

requests: refer to the blog guide besties

★⋆ ⋆☆⋆ ☠︎︎ ⋆☆⋆⋆★✧

i’m gonna go ahead and quote the anarchist hobart brown rn and say i ain’t got a scooby doo where tf ur from or how u two met, that’s up to u

but at the same time i guess w the avengers n shit aliens aren’t something people can deny, so while miles was maybe a bit skeptical at first, it wasn’t the hardest thing in the world to believe

especially when you’ve got those big white eyes

not to mention how wildly awkward and clueless you are when it comes to earth customs

what’s christmas, you say ? it’s where this guy in red and a really big beard sneaks into ur home to drop off concealed items in a box that’s determined by lists that you’ve been put on depending on ur actions throughout the year. yeah, he sees you when ur sleeping my guy, be scared

i imagine miles explains it in a less lowkey way but i like to imagine ur now scared of santa and the concept of christmas

culture ! so much to learn

miles is obviously most eager to teach you about his own, his mum would be very happy to tell you things too

when he eventually tells her about his alien boyfriend, that is

you get to try foods from their culture, maybe try to learn spanish if you can

if you have some uncanny ability to grasp language’s immediately, then miles’ mum is thrilled, very happy to talk in her first language with you

gonna go ahead and assuming this miles is also fluent so, spanish all around if you can

go ahead and share ur own culture too, they’re admittedly intrigued

he occasionally likes to ask you about certain things, like if you have an equivalent of something on your planet while holding the thing up or showing you a picture

is specifically intrigued w art on ur planet, but he’s not the kinda guy to overwhelm you with questions

maybe like a handful a week

it takes miles a little while to get used to the fact that ur from off planet, so it takes him a bit to clock that you don’t understand a lot of things ur seeing

but eventually he’ll get into the habit of briefly explaining things to you, general concepts and guidelines

it becomes pretty second nature to him as some point and subconscious

like if ur staring at kettle and he notices how ur white eyes are just locked on it he’ll be like “…don’t touch it-“ cause he doesn’t want you to burn urself, he might fail to explain that at first

social cues ? who doesn’t struggle w them from time to time

miles likely won’t know how to help you at first, it’s an adjustment you both have to make to help each other out

so maybe you come up with some kinda signal when ur with other people, like he might do something discreet to help you out

ur still abrupt asf about it though because you never expect the signals, he honestly loves it about you lmao

might help you practice whenever he gets the free time, only if you actively wanna improve, he doesn’t mind otherwise

he cannot stress how important it is that you don’t wander off in the streets, if that’s something you tend to do

he loves you dearly and isn’t mad about your curiosity, but i feel like he’s able to read a room really well . if he feels like you aren’t safe then he’ll tell you to put your head down so people don’t see ur eyes, then ur both out

will figure out some way to hide them, it’s not even an if in certain situations

ur eyes are mesmerising to him but there’s no point if they put you in danger, so there are scenarios where he just won’t let you go certain places

not in a possessive way, it’s just literally the safest option

hates to be controlling like that sometimes but it’s better than risking it, he hopes you know that

while earth 42 is in flames i do still think that there would be a tight knit community in the neighbourhood, in those kinda circumstances all you’ve got is each other, y’know ?

so while it may not be the safest for you in some streets, you’ve got a home with miles and can feel secure enough

i cant even begin to imagine the amount of organisations you’ve gotta stay under the radar from

have fun w that

★⋆ ⋆☆⋆ ☠︎︎ ⋆☆⋆⋆★✧

i’m lagging oh god

[ceilingfan5]

you've heard of space opera but what about. space/opera

@taznovembercelebration star

Taako fucking hates space stations. Maybe it’s a stupid thing, and he shouldn’t let it bother him, but they’re absolutely nauseating, especially the massive ones, and also his opinions are always correct and beyond reproach, so there. The different levels–cities on cities on cities, bustling and blinking and moving, constantly, every hour of every cycle, which, by the way, are one hundred percent artificial? It makes him feel like an overstimulated plastic houseplant in zero grav, and he’s losing all his beautiful potting soil.

He rockets up through the levels and firmly stares at his tablet, refusing to look at the blur of cities–one after another after another–bigger than his hometown on his stupid obliterated planet could ever dream of being. All crammed in this stupid snowglobe of a recreation station, gyroing off into the constant radiation of this system’s sun, a big awful thing always, always visible from the station even during the “night” cycle. It’d be better if he was on a fucking moon, at least. Solid ground under your feet, real gravity holding you down, now that’s a place a guy can handle. Not some overgrown science project full of ambitious nobodies trying to make a living.

Also, it’s incredibly easy to lose your wallet. Not that he isn’t careful, and not that that wouldn’t be a problem elsewhere, but he’s already had to scare the shit out of three different street rat brats, and that hit a little close to home for his personal taste.

But this job is going to be worth it. 500,000 galactic credits, all for a little tiny kidnapping. Not his usual MO, to be frank, but Taako’s hurtin’, to be fully honest, and it’s not like it’s a monarch or billionaire or somebody. It’s just a dumb old opera star.

The opera house is on the top level, of course, where the richest of the rich play, and Taako worries he’s going to get a receipt for all the air he breathed when he exits the level. You never know, with people like that. It spans two whole city blocks, and the neon storefronts of the lower levels are gone, replaced by elegant restaurants and cafes, and all sorts of art gallerias and lounges.

Taako ducks behind a place that seems to sell cheese cubes imbued with philosophical concepts, and activates his disguise–long, flowing robes, with elegant filigree, a head covering that reaches his midsection, what would certainly be several pounds of “real” gold. He hopes the damn holoprojector holds up. He doesn’t need to be caught in the opera house in his t-shirt that says “FILL YOUR HOLE WITH SPACE CONCRETE”. Then again, maybe they’ll think he’s making a statement.

The credentials his employer phase-faxed get him right in without a second look, and it’s easy to put the pressure on the nublin at the second level. They get very flustered, waving all five of their hands, when he threatens to speak to their manager and invokes his dear, dear friend, the person that google says sponsored the place, and he passes without a trace. His robes swish as he walks purposefully through the enormous building, and with a bit of sneakery and truly far too many steps, he’s deep within the bowels of the beast.

“Call me Ishmael,” he mutters to himself, checking the map on his tablet. It tries to glitch out, and he shakes it. This does not help. “Fuck me…” He should have known. He’s flying blind here, and that’s going to be a big problem, considering how large the fucking place is. He smacks his tablet again and curses in a language that doesn’t exist anymore and he runs RIGHT into-

His target.

His beautiful, beautiful target. What…luck? Probably. He’ll take it, anyway.

“What in the world-!” Kravitz exclaims, looking incredibly startled. His eyes are even more gorgeous in person, deep brown, flecked with gold and purple. Taako hopes he isn’t a psychic.

“So sorry-” Taako says, in a heavy galatian accent. “Okay?”

“I’m alright,” the opera star grumbles, dusting imaginary dirt off his tuxedo with the gorgeous velvet skirt. “I guess I can’t blame you much for getting lost down here, I certainly am. And I’m meant to be onstage in minutes.”

“What a shame,” Taako says, pulling out a blaster pistol and tipping Kravitz’s chin up with it. He drops the accent. “You might be a little late.”

[tomaytow]

ok so i got like a very insane idea some days ago, i was just studying and out of nowhere i'm like "hold on.. How would venti react to a scholar from the academia slaping reader right infront of him" and honestly my mind was blown, like imagine reader just wants to visit the traveler to see how he/she is doing and they end up going in the academia to get books related to machines, khaenri'ah machines specifficaly since nobody studies about them nowadays and like they get a pass from cyno and get allowed to go in, sounds great so far right? not until the reader just looks at some books searching for what she wants and a scholar comes out of nowhere starting a scene and slaping reader right there infront of venti🖐️😭, i finished my thought of this scenerio there because i'm never good at guessing how venti would react to anything honestly💔

oh hello!! you’re the one who replied to my recent post earlier JDHDJ thank the archons you sent me an ask because i can’t reply since it’ll be my main tumblr acct replying to you - this venti blog is just a side acct after all!

ANYWAY i’m answering this around 3am (edit: it’s 10pm because i fell asleep and now i’m editing at this point) so i hope i’m making enough sense but here we go

man honestly it’s so hard to know how venti will react! in my concepts or fics, there’ll be moments where i’m like huh… is this venti at all? and i’m just. so clueless. because even tho i love him sm, i feel like i don’t really know HIM that well—which is very disappointing—even tho i’ve already ate the venti crumbs hoyo had to offer me

also, i just love how a scenario strikes when you’re doing something because that’s me sometimes.

in response to your ask! here’s what i think,

venti, of course, will get very angry at that person because it’s so unnecessary. there’s no need for violence at all! like you’re just there, minding their own business, snoopin’ around the shelves for your research materials and then this person just straight up slaps you on the face??? then proceeds on making a scene??? what the???

this will be even worse if you and venti are together. it’s sweet that he joins you for your book searching in the akademiya even though we know how much he prefers noisy and fun places instead of the tedious and boring ones, but hey. he’s venti. your best boyfriend ever. everything is fun for him when he’s with you.

though, i’m sure venti won’t resort to violence. (as much as i want him to go crazy stupid, i remember that his citizens—his children—have told the traveler that barbatos is a benevolent and gentle god. he won’t harm mortals — maybe. not sure. unless it’s necessary.)

he won’t stoop so low, and if he does attack the person back, well—venti won’t be any different from the assaulter!

there are some holes to your ask, though, because first of all, what is the reason for said assaulter abruptly slapping you on the face? did windblume do something? did you do something? so i’m not sure how this will end.

but what i do know for certain is that again, venti will be very angry. at first, he’ll be stunned, and then he’ll be fuming in the inside because the audacity of this lad / lass to lay a hand on my windblume’s pretty face! and yes, he’ll be showing his real distaste and anger. it’ll be damn evident on his face.

his anger will increase tenfold if he notices that you’re mortified from the events, he’ll step closer to you and perhaps hold your hand for comfort. people are watching and people are whispering. archons, this is humiliating.

venti will probably confront the assaulter, and man, remember this: the anemo archon is downright terrifying if he isn’t smiling. there will be words exchanged in a tense, uncomfy atmosphere—venti will ask the assaulter if there’s anything wrong, and he’ll ask demand the reason for the slap. if it’s not valid, venti’s glare will send shivers down to anyone’s spine. because how can such delicate face be so ominous? if it’s valid—ugh, forget about that.

the rule is: don’t just hurt anybody, and talk it out! violence is still unacceptable to venti!

afterward, i imagine that the assaulter will be taken away by the mahamata for a questioning. then venti will take you to a secluded place and console you. it’s what you deserve!

he’ll sit you down and ask if everything’s okay. if he sees you lowkey traumatized, he’ll instantly shower you with affection and leave kisses on your red cheek. he’ll whisper that it’s all over, and that there is nothing to worry about now that the assaulter is gone.

+ also, venti will prolly have a conversation about this with the lesser lord kusanali later. but for now, his main priority is staying by your side and bring solace to your startled, anxious self.

his poor windblume, who only wants to study… venti will stay by your side for a while, surely.

[aritamargarita]

GOLDEN || 002

*outstretches arms like randy orton*

hey guys it’s me. back with another banger. but before you read this, i hope you’ve read rated sweethearts by nellie! (and i hope you read the bret hart fanfic by anon!!) if you didn’t, READ THEM NOW OR ELSEEEEE IM TAKING THE CEILINGS OUT YOUR HOUSE‼️

if you did, good! i won’t take your ceilings! the final chapter had me giggling and twirling my hair!! and reading oc inserts are kind of a guilty pleasure, it was a super cute concept!!!!

might actually change my format for chapter to match how my requests look. idk yet. writing for these superstars really gives me a change of pace, i can’t describe the feeling but wwf in the 90′s >> 

THE TOUR WITH Shawn Michaels continues. You feel like you’re a bundle of nerves in his presence. What a damn night so far. You hope he couldn’t tell how shaky you were. So much for first impressions, eh?

“Did I ever catch your name?”

No, no he did not. He was so busy with whisking you away from Vince that he didn’t get a second to even stop and ask your name.

“It’s [Name]. Nice to meet you, Shawn, right?”

“Shawn Michaels. You’ve heard of me?” He reaches out his hand and you feel a bit better shaking his. “Wow, you’re cold.”

“Sorry.” You apologize with a smile. It was pretty cold back here, they needed to turn the air conditioning down or something. “Maybe like once or twice, but this is the first time I’ve seen you.”

“You’ll see me more often.” He vaguely responds. Before you can question him, he moves on. “ECW, huh? That’s all I’ve been hearing lately, how extreme they are.” Shawn says, gently guiding you down the hallway. “I take it you fit in that category?”

“Yeah.” You laugh nervously. “I’d say so.”

Shawn was staying oddly close to you for this whole tour. It’s not like you really minded, but you’ve never met this guy before and to put it simply: he was definitely eye candy.

“You don’t look extreme if you ask me.” He gives you a once over again (he really needs to stop doing that…). “Almost like you’re too cute to get in the ring.”

“I could prove you otherwise.” If it’s one thing you didn’t like, it was people implying that there’s no way you could wrestle.

It’s like he takes it as a challenge. “Oh yeah? If you think you can hang with the big boys, then why don’t you show me a hold?”

“Right now??”

“Yup. Right here, right now. I’m waiting.” He says with a smile. And you couldn’t resist, it was almost like his smile could tempt you into doing anything.

Maybe, just maybe, you already had the slightest crush on him. The crazy part was that you just met! But you couldn’t fight the feeling of lightheadedness whenever he even spared you a glance.

So when he asked you so sweetly to just try and put him in a hold, you oblige. You come over and twist his arm, a little bit too hard. “Here’s one—“

“Woah there,” Shawn is taken aback with how quick you started to put him in an armlock. He lets out a strained laugh. “Some strength you’ve got there.”

Made him think for a moment. The women here, aside from Chyna, couldn’t even do a simple armlock.

He didn’t think you were valet potential. You had some wrestling potential and Shawn wasn’t sure how Vince couldn’t see that.

In that moment, he’s come up with a genius idea. Something he hasn’t done in quite a while.

“You want to wrestle, don’t you?”

Those words made you ease your armlock.

“Yeah, why?” You hoped he wouldn’t ask you to sleep with him to get to the top. You’ve already been offered that opportunity countless times and it was insulting to even think you’d go that low. He’s good looking but you wouldn’t let yourself fall that low.

“If you can help me out, I’ll put in a good word to Vinny Mac. My friend’s got a match. I’m sure he’s gonna need some help. You see, he isn’t so fond of you,” Which was somewhat of a lie, his “friend” just didn’t care for you as much. “So he’ll definitely appreciate your help.”

It was a pretty good way to get into the action…but who was this guy that didn’t like you? On one hand, you couldn’t care less. But on the other, you wonder what you could’ve did to get on his bad side.

It’s your first day here and people already don’t like you? This is bad.

“Yeah, yeah sure.” You agree a little too easily. “Who’s your friend?”

“His name is Hunter. He’s the blonde guy. He’s going against this weirdo named Goldust, he’s a walking freakshow. I’m sure him and his valet, Marlena might pull some tricks out their sleeve, so I’m thinking we could bring our own tricks.” He puts a hand on your shoulder. “You’re the perfect person to bring out.”

Goldust and Marlena. Seems easy enough. You could definitely think of a way to distract them long enough for Hunter to secure the win.

“Okay. I’ve got it.” You nod.

He’s pleased you agree. “Great. Listen, I’ll let you in on a little secret. You see any guys with pink parading around backstage, don’t talk to them. They’re nothing but bad news. You should stick around with me and my gang instead. I have a feeling they’ll like you.”

Again, you just nod. There’s something about Shawn Michaels that made your brain go hazy. “Sounds good to me. Should I just come out there?”

“Yeah. Right in the middle of the match. I’ll fill them in on what you’ll do tonight so Chyna won’t try and attack you. She’s like our enforcer. She’s got black hair, so make sure you look out for her.”

You weren’t exactly sure who Chyna was, but you damn sure didn’t want to find out if she was their enforcer. She sounds terrifying. “Your group?”

“Name’s D-Generation X. And we don’t take too kindly to people telling us what to do. They think we’re degenerates. Rebels, delinquents, you name it.” He sounds like he’s bragging, but you’re very interested. “You should consider.”

“I think I will.” You say. D-Generation X, eh? It had a nice ring to it. It’d probably be perfect for you too. You’re an outcast, a misfit from another company.

You feel like you’re ready to introduce them to the true meaning of extreme.

RAW IS WAR // 7:14 PM

You changed clothes again.

You already were wearing something, but the thought of being seen in the public eye had made you excited. You wanted something that would get their attention, something that would scream, ‘[Name] is here’!

So you did just that, finding the best possible outfit to put together. You could hear the crowd behind the curtain. The fact you’d be coming out in about 5 seconds made you a little nervous.

This wasn’t ECW, so you didn’t know how the crowd would react to certain things. You preferred the smaller crowd, even if they were a bit rowdy. Both sides had already been announced, so it was only a matter of time before your cue.

…You probably should go now, actually. The match must’ve been going on for quite a while. Throwing the curtains to the side, you make your way down to the ring.

‘Hooooly hotness!’ Shawn yells from the commentary table. ‘Check out who’s coming down to the ring!’ Vince slowly turns to look at him in annoyance, but before he can even speak up, Shawn keeps going. ‘Looks like she’s on a mission! Hope she’ll come and sit over here with me.’

He really did. You didn’t have to, but he kind of hoped you got tired and took a seat nearby.

You had no clue what he was saying, but you still made your way down. There’s a woman with black hair, so you can only assume it’s Chyna. You took a spot standing next to her. She looks at you momentarily before turning her attention back to the ring.

Hey, she looked nice tonight! You loved the silver jewelry she had dangling from her black top.

“I like your shirt.” You compliment. She says nothing. You figure she didn’t hear you the first time, so you repeat it louder. “I like your shirt!!”

She turns to you in confusion, then realizes that you were the one talking to her. “…Thank you.”

You gave her a small smile. Maybe you were being dramatic. She wasn’t really scary at all, just quiet. You look back up to the match.

Those two were really going at it. The sound of bodies hitting the mat just kept echoing in your ears. Goldust drags Hunter into the corner, hitting him with as many chops as possible. He then pulls him closer and gives him a bulldog.

Goldust tries to pin him, but Hunter kicks out at two. The former lifts him up and irish-whips him to the other side of the ring, but Hunter dramatically falls out of the ring onto the floor.

Marlena walks over to him. This doesn’t look good, you were about to rush over and try to defend him, but Chyna stops you.

The referee was distracted with Hunter and Marlena, so it was the perfect time to capitalize.

“[Name], right?”

You turn over to her. She was going to talk to you?! Sweet! You eagerly nod and she looks down to your feet.

“Lift up your leg.” She ordered. A strange request, but you follow through nonetheless. She grabs onto your ankle and removes your shoe.

JR makes note of this on commentary. ‘It looks like Chyna is grabbing this young ladies shoe!’

Vince can only shake his head. ‘Shawn, maybe you should get your minions under control.’

‘Cry harder about it!’ He fired back. ‘We’re just evening out the odds!’

“Hey!” You complain. “What’re you doing?!“

“I’ll give it back!” She yelled, sliding into the ring. Using your fancy shoe, she slams it into Goldust’s temple. And instead of giving it back to you like she promised, she launches it into the crowd.

“MY SHOE!!” You scream. No way she just did that! To top it all off, she got rid of the evidence?! She could’ve slid it back! Now you had one shoe on and one shoe off. You’re shoeless. Kind of.

‘Oh, the humanity!’ Shawn dramatically says.

Hunter gets back into the ring, a grin on his face. He gave crotch-chop just to rub it in, but then picks Goldust up to give him a Pedigree.

You still couldn’t believe Chyna threw your shoe into the crowd. She comes over to you.

“I didn’t want the referee to see the shoe,” She explained. “Don’t be mad. I’ll make it up to you.”

You sure hope so. You’d drag her to shoe shops left and right if you had to.

With one easy count of three, it was over just like that. Marlena was pissed. She comes over to your side and points at your foot. “That was your shoe, wasn’t it?!”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t the one that threw it!” You hold your hands up in defense. Even though Chyna got rid of your shoe, you weren’t going to throw her under the bus like that.

“Yes, you did!” She accused, pointing a finger at you. “There’s no other person it could’ve been! You definitely didn’t just walk out here with one shoe on.” Marlena was getting awfully close. Was she going to attack??

“Maybe I did! You don’t know that.” So you get closer as well. If she tried to hit you, you were definitely going to fight back.

“It’s obvious!”

Another voice came from behind you. “Ladies, ladies!” Shawn grabs your attention for one second and Marlena tries to use this to her advantage, grabbing your hair.

What the fuck? You try and scratch at her arm so she can let you go. When that didn’t work, you rear your arm back to try and hit her.

Almost. Someone was pulled you off.

Marlena lets go of you because she was pulled back by the referee and you try to claw at her. The culprit pulling you back was Shawn, so you try to wriggle out of his grasp to get at her. He had enough of you trying to get away, so he opts to hoist you up and over his shoulder.

“Can’t behave for one second, can you?” He teases. “I wonder if all ECW girls are like this..”

You couldn’t even respond because of how heated you were. Marlena’s going to get what’s coming to her soon. As soon as Shawn let you go. As sooooon as you hit backstage.

Little did you know, he definitely wasn’t letting you go as Hunter, Chyna, and some other man in a suit was following you two up the ramp.

Tonight isn’t starting out so well….

accidentally made reader a simp. SHE FOLDED SHE FOLDED BUT WHO WOULDNT?? reader being a member of dx? tell your friends to tell a friend!! pass it on! hart foundation cameos next lol

[valkyrie-night-103]

something clever about wine, clementines, and the end of the world as we know it?

Apologies this took so long to reply to!! This is my favourite, both in title and concept, and the revised summary ended up significantly longer than I thought, so I only wrote up part of the plot/outline!

As some of you may know, I absolutely love TLOU (The Last of Us, for those unaware). I played the game and I’m watching the series. If you’ve seen episode three of the show, you probably know where this is going. Sort-of Spoilers for TLOU Episode 3 if you’ve somehow not seen it yet.

If people want to hear more about how this story progresses, I would be thrilled to talk about it more! If anyone wants the next chunk of the summary, send an ask as per the ask game and I’ll gladly share the next part. I was really hoping someone would ask about this one, but I also want to gauge interest.

Disclaimer: I have never written this pairing before, or any of these characters, actually, so characterisation will likely leave something to be desired. Content warnings for mentioned character death, and all of the topics that come with post-apocalyptic AUs

Chuck Taylor doesn’t like people. People haven’t done him any good before the world went to shit, and they certainly won’t do anything to help him now. Except Trent, maybe, but he got himself killed like a moron, so Chuck doesn’t think that counts anymore. He is the reason that Chuck has any resources whatsoever. And his skeptical attitude definitely rubbed off on him, which is probably the only thing that has kept his dumb ass alive for this long.

This town has become a prison of his own making. In the early days, he and Trent had fortified this part of the neighbourhood as soon as everyone else left. Chuck wanted to go too, but he wasn’t going to leave his idiot of a best friend alone in the middle of the apocalypse. Trent clearly didn’t have the same sentiment when he accidentally blew himself up with one of his own traps during regular maintenance, so now he’s stuck living in his best friend’s childhood home, in the town he moved to for a college he dropped out of, completely on his own.

(It’s ironic, almost poetic, that when one of Trent’s half-baked apocalyptic disaster scenarios that he was always preparing to survive actually came to fruition, his own paranoia is what killed him. Or maybe he was tired of living with Chuck, who knows.)

He sighs, picking up his gun. It was Trent’s, and he always hated it when Chuck would borrow his stuff. It’s not like he can use it, so Chuck doubts he’ll mind too much. He definitely doesn’t ever think about how Trent would feel about the way things are now. He especially doesn’t think about it regularly.

He walks toward the edge of the trench that begins six feet from the fence. Four feet wide and eight feet deep, the last protective measure not including the fence. It had been back breaking work, especially when they weren’t sure if or when a horde could arrive. It paid off, it’s probably saved his life a hundred times over. The infected aren’t very smart, they fall right in and it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

He aims, and pauses when he hears a voice. An actual human voice that isn’t his own.

“I’m not infected!” The man calls out, hands raised.

He’s wearing double denim despite the heat. Chuck assumes it used to be an acid-washed blue, but the dirt makes it rather unclear. He’s wearing reflective sunglasses, but one lens is only partially intact. His face is red and flushed, and Chuck holds tighter to the grip. An elevated temperature is the first sign of infection.

“I’m not infected.” He repeats, breathing heavily.

Chuck knows that Trent would smack him upside the head for even considering it, but he retrieves a ladder and helps him out of the pit. The man thanks him, but Chuck raises the gun again.

“Go. I’ve got traps everywhere, so retrace your steps. Go on.”

“I haven’t eaten in a week, I haven’t slept- I’m alone, I won’t last five seconds out there, if the infected don’t get me-“

“Not my problem.” Chuck says, gesturing with the barrel of the shotgun.

“Please.” He says, and Chuck sighs.

-

Chuck isn’t quite sure how they got here. He places the plate down in front of him before sitting at the other end of the table. It’s not much, but he suspects it’s the first thing that the poor guy has eaten since the outbreak that isn’t both canned and expired.

“So, what’s your name?” He asks, tucking in immediately.

“Chuck Taylor.” He says. As always, he braces for this guy to tell Chuck to stop fucking with him and ask for his real name.

“Like the shoe? Cool. I’m Orange, Orange Cassidy.” He asks, and Chuck is fighting the urge to snap that it’s none of his goddamn business where his name comes from when he hears the rest of his sentence.

“Very funny.”

“No, seriously. That’s my name.”

“Were your parents hippies or something?”

“Fuck you, man.” The man, Orange, says with a laugh. He’s heard that one before, but Chuck has an equally unusual name, so it’s funnier when coming from him.

TO BE CONTINUED

[the-fiction-witch]

Scent Of love P4

Media IRL 

Character Thomas brodie Sangster (werewolf)

Couple Thomas X Reader

Rating Cute

Concept Scent of Love series 

I sat on the sofa reading my bookkeeping and an eye on Thomas as he lay with me on the sofa his head on my leg, he lay there playing with his teddy having long since removed the squeaker but I had sewn the hole he got the squeaker out of back up again, he might be human most of the time but he's still a dumbass. and I wouldn't have put it past him to have eaten the polyfill, choked and died. I did have a look at the bear it was muddy and slobbery and generally gross.

"When did we last wash your teddy?" I asked

he froze up still holding the bear's arm in his teeth as he glanced up at me, "No."

"What?"

"He's fine. you wash him he'll lose all his smell" he pouts

"Thomas give me the teddy" I warned he merely growled pulling it closer "Give me the bear" He simply growled if I ever got close to it "Thomas!"

"no"

"Give it! right now or we won't go to the park tomorrow"

"B-but I like the park"

"so give me the bear" I warned

he sighed and handed over the bear

"Thank you" I smiled giving his cheek a kiss making him blush

"Can I watch the machine?"

"Yes you baby" I laughed getting up and heading to the kitchen

"Yes!" he smiled happily following me, I went to the washing machine and put the bear inside quickly shoving a bunch more of his bears and blankets and putting in a good scoop of washing powder and softener. he quickly got his pillow and sat down in front of the machine to watch his toys go around and around.

"While I'm cleaning, where's your rope?"

".... Noooo my rope is clean"

"Thomas?"

"it is"

"Fine" I sighed "So shall we go  watch a movie with a fluffy blanket and some cookies?"

"Ummm I love you" He cooes hugging my leg

"Love you too, come on fluffy boy" I cooed

I smiled and took a breath, I checked my watch hoping my plan is going to work, my plan I had already gotten down to the seconds. I stepped into the bedroom seeing Thomas laid having his nap holding his teddy and his blanket over his waist and little else. He was having a little nap as he'd be in his wolf mode tonight once the full moon rises so he'll want to rest up.

"Thomas?" I asked making him stir a little "Thomas?" I asked slightly louder

"Hummm? Umm what is it y/n?" he yawns sitting up a little

"I know that uhh you'll be turning in an hour or so"

"I will, getting my last few minutes in before I turn"

"I uhhh I wanted to ask if you had any plans this moon?"

"Uuuhh no I don't think so, just kinda wanted to snuggle with you" He shrugs

"well, how about we go on a little trip?"

"a trip?" he perked up

"Maybe a ride in the car"

"a ride in the car!" he smiled excitedly

"Maybe to the park"

"To the park!"

"on the way we could get a pup cup" I suggested

"really! a whole pup cup just for me?"

"yes, and on the way home we could pop to the pet store get you some new teddies and a new ball" I suggested

"UHHHHHHHHH!" he gasped in excitement "what are we waiting for! let's go let's go let's go!" He jumped out of bed grabbed my hand and bolted down the stairs standing by the door excitedly "come on let's go!"

"alright, you get in the car I grab your bits" I smiled he gave me a kiss and happily ran out to the car so I grabbed the collar and lead I bought for when he's in his wolf mode as well as my handbag. I locked up the house trying not to look suspicious as I climbed in and started up the car

"We going to the south park or the big dog park?" he asked still overjoyed with excitement in the backseat

"We'll have to see how busy they are" I nodded

"Can we get an extra big pup cup?"

"we'll have to see what the Starbucks lady says" I smiled as I drove making sure he wouldn't catch on but honestly in wolf or human Thomas gets lost pretty easily. I tried my best to keep him distracted until we pulled up in the car park and he noticed.

"This isn't the park"

"No it's not"

"or the Starbucks"

"No."

"Nooooo your not getting me in there!" He yelled trying to escape "take the child locks off!"

"No. you're going and that's final."

"I don't wanna go to the groomers!" he whines

"Yeah and I'm sick of your blonde fluff getting everywhere your going!"

"No!"

"Yes. you don't have a choice. we'll go get a new ball and a pup cup after okay?"

"They paint my nails I will do the biggest werewolf shit ever on the rug for you to clean up"

"Noted." I sighed as the moon began to rise

"I'm still mad"

"I know, think of it as a lovely spa day" I smiled soon enough he transformed and pouted on the backseat, so I put his collar on and the lead trying to drag him out of the car "Thomas! don't fight me here" I complained tugging him out of the car but he wouldn't move I sighed and just picked him up and forced him out of the car having to basically drag him through the car park and into the groomers "Hi Sally," I smiled

"Hi y/n how's it going?"

"Not too good, he is not cooperating" I sighed trying desperately to stop him from bolting

"awww this the little boy you told me about" she smiled coming out from her desk "awww he's beautiful, such a big fluffy little boy" she cooes trying to pet him but he growled

"Be nice" I snapped

"what breed is he? he's beautiful?" she cooes petting his fluff

"Uuuhhh Huskey," I began and he glared at me "samoyed wolf dog" I explained

"awww" she cooes petting him a lot and trying to rub his belly but he moved away "aww you don't like people rubbing your belly pupper?"

"He finds it disrespectful." I smiled

"awww okay, let's get you back to the spa and get you all pretty" she smiled trying to take him away but he wouldn't move

"Go on," I told him and he unhappily went I watched from the windows often smiling and waving through the windows as he went through everything until he was all trimmed and groomed with a little blue bow tie "awwww your adorable" I smiled but he was ignoring me so I laid and took him back to the car letting him sit in the front seat "You enjoy yourself?" I asked no answer came "well you look very handsome" I smiled giving him a kiss "Come on let's get you a pup cup and some new tennis balls?" I cooed

[dreamwritesimagines]

It’s CMA-

I’m already planning to yell at you and I haven’t even started the chapter yet. in preparation: DREAM WHAT THE FUCK. Okay now that that’s out of the way, im going to go read it.

Ugh I hate her dad so much.

Aw sister bonding! And their aunt and uncle being protective; you love to see it.

I don’t love the idea that Josie thinks that part of the reason clover got married is to protect herself from their parents because I’m worried she’ll say that to Benedict and crush him. I mean he already thinks that she’s only with him to avoid angering the ton but still.

FUCK CLOVER DONT LIE TO HIM. YOU NEED TO TALK TO HIM!!!!!!!!!! DONT TRY TO PROTECT HIS FEELINGS PROTECT YOURSELF. Ugh Ben is going to be so upset when he finds out.

Going from holding her own wrist out of fear to squeezing his for reassurance (for his or hers, I couldn’t really say). I love the thought that instead of squeezing hands or whatever they squeeze each other’s wrists. The entire concept is so poetic I just-

SCREAMING FUCK CLOVER NO FUCK NO FUCK NO FUCK NO FUCK NO FUCK NO NO NO NO DONT SELF DESTRUCT FUCK FUCK FUCK

(I am hoping and praying that she has more of the seeds somewhere but I am so scared. This is going to crush Ben and her when she realizes what she’s done)

I wonder if instead of a party, it was a nice dinner for the two of them because he noticed she was sad….

Fuckkkk Ben didn’t come home?????? This is so devastating dream fuck no. I’m not even done reading and I’m already screaming for the next chapter

Shit she’s tearing him apart. Holy fuck clover I get that you’re stressed but for the love of god shut the fuck up.

Look I love to commend you for your ability to write drama and emotional scenes without making it a soap opera which is still definitely the case, but this is so much worse than a soap opera. This feels like being personally stabbed in the gut over and over and over again.

This is painful and raw and personal and emotional and tragic. My heart is absolutely aching for them right now. And the absolute whiplash that Ben went through………. He’s going to be a wreck

I actually think that contrary to what clover thinks that he will actually stop creating art because he’ll be too upset, which I think would be a really interesting twist. Instead of the pain she causes being the reason for her art, she’ll have to realize that it’s because of the joy she brings to his life.

And it’s true that by any measure he’s had an easier life than her, but to say that his pain and suffering isn’t just as valid is so cruel and invalidating; suffering is not a competition.

Also Ben has been through a lot. Besides the obvious part of his dad dying, he’s constantly being told how he’s the spare, how he’s second string and not as important.

He’s being told that how he loves his life doesn’t really matter compared to Anthony. He’s like the personification of the ‘nothing matters (/pos) vs nothing matters (/neg)’. I’m sure he’s struggled with the latter at some points as well. Even when he’s come to terms with it, there are still moments like when Anthony went to the duel where he has a crisis of faith.

Ugh idk why you said we might be mad at Ben…. Maybe in future chapters but def not this one. I can exactly blame clover but I’m kind of going to blame clover….

CMA hi darliiiing! ❤️

Lolll oh I knew you would be yelling at me for sure 😂

Josie and Clover will always be there for each other❤️ So will their aunt and uncle ❤️

Oh I don't think Josie thinks that or will tell Benedict that, no worries🥰 She thinks Clover married for love, but still thinks it's also an advantage that she married especially now that her parents can't drag her back to their home 😏

Squeezing wrist thing yeeees! ❤️ It's their way of holding hands and it'll be adorable 🥰

I think she planted all the seeds in the vase actually 😏 Buuut will the gardener throw the vase away? 😏 Or will he keep it?😁

Nopeeee, he was too busy partying so he didn't come home 😈

Clover did NOT hold back 💔

Omg darliiiing this is so sweet of you! ❤️ I really enjoy angst and it's wonderful to hear that I could reflect those emotions ❤️😍

That would definitely be an interesting twist and it would shock Clover! 😱

And it’s true that by any measure he’s had an easier life than her, but to say that his pain and suffering isn’t just as valid is so cruel and invalidating; suffering is not a competition. This is so true!

But Clover thinks it is 😏 That's what she told Benedict about her and Josie's childhood, how Josie had it worse than her 💔 So I think she made herself believe it, and now that she snapped, she ended up saying all that to Benedict 💔

And that's another thing Clover needs to realize, that Benedict's life wasn't "perfect" even if it looked like it was ❤️

They will both be so so heartbroken in the next chapter 😏😈

Thank you so so much for this! ❤️❤️❤️

[vsnotresponding]

CHAPTER 9 - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM - IRA

masterpost

It’s raining again.

The rain drops hit the earth above my head, far away, the interlude between storm and storm brief. My body, tired after the last few days of work, is ready again for an afternoon of exploding imitations—and of localizing them, a new game the aldamu came up with.

His name is Garvan, I correct myself. Garvan, who watches me work with an attention that unnerves me in spite of having grown used to it. His eyebrows going up when I look at him after I’m done, as if he were surprised of what he sees.

I don’t ask him about it.

And his sister, Emhi, who also watches me, but with hostility, without rising her hand from the pommel of her sword just in case. Even if she’s the one that makes the others calm down when they get too excited or when their questions overcome me.

And then Áine and the mirzaan, both curious, both exhausted behind it all. Taking notes, talking about concepts no one else understands. It’s entertaining, even amusing, seeing them discussing the problems we encounter. The mirzaan’s hesitation to impose his voice; the ease Áine has to allow him to do so.

I keep going back to our conversation, when he tried to apologize, and when he promised. Maybe that's what he was trying to do that first time. He gave me something, and I gave him something in return. Do I trust in them? I don't really know, but I realize I’ve started to think about them as more of people I have to put up with due to the circumstances we find ourselves in. My situation isn’t perfect, it’s nowhere close really, but each day it gets easier.

And our progress, that makes my blood hum and hope to bloom in my chest every time the mirzaan and Áine smile satisfied at the day’s results.

I allow myself to think of Níniam and Hamza, to accept that, if what the mirzaan told me was true, the latter is on the streets fighting for them to leave us alone. I convince myself, most of all, that the first one’s okay, that in spite of it all, he’ll hold on until we find a solution, until I brave facing the Iria again, and his connection.

It's terrifying, thinking of the pain, the cracks that opened over the island and me. The hearts that suddenly stopped beating, their silence in between a sea of deafening voices—an inexplicable void that, I realize, I still carry on my shoulders. They are now faraway whispers, but they’re still here, reminding me, like the nightmares I don’t remember when I wake up, like the darkness that watches me at night from inside the cell.

I shake my head. The lamp’s flame is almost out, which means they’ll be here soon. I try to clear my mind, to save these emotions for later, so they can give me strength.

When Garvan arrives accompanied by Vesa, I’m surprised to find that I’m content about spending another afternoon with whom I start to think of as friends.

The mirzaan is not in the room when we enter, the air uncomfortable as Áine and Emhi tensely watch us. In the prince’s usual place, though, it’s his brother, seated besides a young woman I’ve never seen before. The prince’s clothes are back to his customary white and gold instead of the black he wore in the throne room. She doesn’t look énna, or khithi, and smiles at me, vibrant. I ignore her and focus on the mirza.

“What’s this one doing here.” I wasn’t planning on saying it aloud, but oh well.

He moves his head slightly back in surprise, the woman at his side looking at me with an open mouth. Garvan elbows me.

“Ira,” a whisper.

“What?” I look at him, disbelievingly. That was a pretty decent reaction to the situation, if I say so myself.

“Ira.” Emhi interrupts us, her voice formal. The mirza leans his head to the side, curious, the surprise erased from his face. “I present Sahare of Derya, Raichta mirza’s fiancée. She insisted on… attending today’s session,” she first says in ilan to me, then, I assume, in gair to the pair.

I look at the young woman, tanned skin from the sun, light brown hair. What impresses me the most is her smile, uncomfortable at the hostility I look at her with, but kind nonetheless. I move my head in her direction as a greeting, and she moves her hand in return. She talks.

“What happened to your ear?” a pretty decent attempt at ilan, direct. She points to my left ear, the wound visible thanks to my tied up hair. I look at the mirza in return, squinting my eyes at him, daring him to tell his fiancée what he did.

He obviously doesn’t.

“It happened when she came here,” he answers instead, also in ilan, his accent like his brother’s. I don’t recall the shahin talking like this. “You’ve already been informed of the… unique circumstances we find ourselves in.” And she nods, satisfied. I smile at both of them.

And move my arms towards Garvan so he can unchain me, my eyes never leaving the mirza’s.

His get bigger, even if slightly, and he moves towards the window that, closed because of the rain, allows him to lean on it.

Fortunately for him, Áine moves from where she was preparing the imitations and explains what we are doing here in an attempt to distract them, I guess, so I can calm down.

“You could have told me he was here,” I whisper to Garvan as he finishes unchaining me, my voice coming out louder than I intended. Áine is besides the glass things, which they’ve told me are called test tubes, as she keeps talking in gair.

“I’m as surprised as you are.” He has to lower his head to my height to whisper back, and looks around the room for his sister. When she notices us, she shrugs.

“And the mirzaan?”

“I don’t know,” he worriedly murmurs. “Haven’t seen him since yesterday.”

“Do you think he has something to do with it?” I point to the heir with my head, but Áine interrupts us before he can answer.

“Ira, if you are ready…” she points to the pillow I usually sit at on the other side of the room, the floor cleared, the chalk marks remade. “They’d like to see.”

Without saying anything I move to my position, preparing myself and, very deliberately, moving a stray lock of hair behind my left ear, my eyes on the mirza. His right hand twitches, his head rising slightly to hide the creation on his ear.

I smile and, immediately, close my eyes to focus.

Sahare talks in muted voices to Áine and the prince, I assume asking more questions. But she talks in gair and their voices are soft enough to not distract me, at least not much.

Until she starts talking to me.

“So you can do what the imitators do on your own?” Her accent is strange, slipping around the vocals, but I can understand her. I admire her effort, but this is not the time.

“Yeah,” I say between clenched teeth, trying not to break my focus. Garvan softly laughs besides me, and I tense my arm to avoid moving and hitting him on the leg. It’s good that someone derives some amusement from my exasperation.

The young woman pauses before asking again: “Is that what you are doing now?”

“No.”

Some minutes of silence, the aldamu fidgeting at my side. With my eyes closed, I can feel his chest shaking trying to stop a laugh. She talks again.

“What are we waiting for?” That does it for Garvan, who breaks and snorts, laughing quietly, uselessly trying to stop himself. I try to calm myself, taking a deep breath, containing my desire to slap him so he stops laughing at me.

“We are waiting,” I open my eyes and looks at her, “for me to be able to concentrate.”

“Oh, sorry. I apologize.” I grunt at her, now in a bad mood, and go back to focusing.

Thankfully, she seems to have learned the lesson, because she stays quiet, and after a few minutes, I destroy the imitation.

Relaxing on the pillows, my arms at my back to support myself as I lean back, I dry my temples with a towel. I look at Garvan, giving me the thumbs up, pointing with his head the clocks besides him. New record then. Now that I can see his face I notice the grimace he wears under the leftovers of his laughing attack still on his eyes.

On the other side of the room, Sahare talks to Áine, gesturing wildly with her arms, while the mirza’s eyes are on me, serious and cautious. I once again fix my hair, and his hand winces.

He interrupts his fiancée’s conversation and motions to the door, leaving without adding anything else. Sahare stands up, outstretches a hand to Áine.

“It’s been an honor,” she says to me. I look at her with skepticism. “And I’m sorry for being disrespectful when you tried to focus.” She bows to me before I can answer, and disappears after the prince.

Once the door closes behind her, Garvan laughs again, this time without containing himself, roaring with laughter. It’s high and uncomfortable and helps dissipate the tension in the air.

“Did you see his face? It’s the first time I see him so out of himself.”

“Out of himself? Garvan, I've known him since we were kids,” Áine has joined us on the floor, she gives me a slap on the back. “That thing he was doing with his hand?” we nod. Apparently, we all noticed. “It’s because he was scared.”

“I knew not talking was a good strategy,” I tell them. Garvan ends up on the floor holding his stomach, his laughter more authentic now. The others roll their eyes at him, but smile too. It was all pretty ridiculous. I do too, even if it doesn’t last long, the right corner of my lips lifting. “And the mirzaan?”

Garvan stops laughing, drying a tear that escaped his eyes, sitting down again. We look at Áine for answers, but she shrugs and moves to cuddle Emhi.

“I haven’t seen him since yesterday. I don’t know… maybe he's catching up on some sleep, it’s been days since he last did.”

“I hope he comes back soon, from the royal family he’s by far the only one I’m up to tolerate.” I cross my arms, trying to joke, even if I am worried about him, even more taking into account his brother’s presence here. He will surely come back with his fiancée eventually. She looked excited about this.

“Ira, you don’t need to lie, we know you are starting to develop a soft spot for us.” I push Garvan away, who, without resisting, ends up laying on the floor again. He doesn’t bother righting himself.

“Either way… What with the fiancée?” They look at me at the change of topic. “It’s not the best moment to negotiate a marriage between nations, is it? I mean, the island is dying and there’s civil unrest.” They tense up at that. I snort, annoyed. It’s like they keep waiting for me to jump every time the subject is mentioned, even if it’s been a week since we started working together.

“Her nation showed special interest in how imitations work,” Emhi answers me.

“But they are useless outside the island,” she shrugs.

“Their tech is better than ours, maybe they want to use the idea?” Garvan adds, still on the floor, throwing and catching an imitation.

“Does that mean that I’ll also have to answer her questions on top of yours?” I huff as I join him on the floor.

“Don’t be dramatic.” A pillow hits Garvan on the face as my answer. I smile.

Without the mirzaan here, it looks like we’re taking a free afternoon. Áine insists on repeating the test a few more times, but I don’t think we’ll get new results after days doing the same with the exact same results.

I listen to them talk about imitator drama, how the rookies can barely hold a sword, how, like them, they struggled to memorize properties and other science stuff I don’t really care about. It entertains me, though, and it helps me humanize them. Garvan’s laugh and how Áine and Emhi hold hands, how the siblings argue and how Áine shakes her head at them like they are small kids.

They are young like me, even if our lives have been significantly different, contradictory experiences of the same events. I’m glad to have met them, in spite of it all.

The mirza and Sahare are there the next day. And the next one after that. For almost a week.

The first one watches in silence for a few hours before leaving, but the young woman stays, unstoppable with her questions. I try to be civil each time she opens her mouth, I can understand that our island is unique in how she works, that she’s curious about it all. On one side, it feeds my ego.

On the other, it annoys me.

She repeats the same questions I already answered to the mirzaan and Áine, and even though I’ve gotten better at explaining, her lack of general knowledge makes my and Áine's job difficult.

It’s frustrating, like trying to explain to someone how to walk. You just do, you don’t think about it, but you control it. Even if it’s more complex, creating is like that. Natural.

She doesn’t seem to understand.

“But what if the imitation you are trying to communicate with is moving?” I sigh, tired of this. We are sitting on the floor, all but the mirza, watching us from the window. Well, he watches his fiancée and I.

“I don’t know, I never tried,” I rub my face. Outside, the rain keeps falling, gentler now. The humidity is unsupportable inside the palace, made of stone and marble. “Generally, as you can see, imitations light or feed something, like lamps or kindling for fire. And the rare occasions when someone is wearing them,” I look at Garvan. I ended up telling him what I almost did with the imitations in his pocket. He glares at me, but I know he’s not really mad at me anymore, “usually I wait for them to stop moving to connect.”

“Shouldn’t you then train with imitations in motion, then?”

“Last time I checked, the Iria's tones heavy. And oh yeah, he’s stuck to the island because he is the island. I don’t think we need to worry about him moving anytime soon.”

“Still.” I look at Áine in search of help, so she can stir the conversation in another direction. She massively disappoints me.

“Actually, it’s not a bad idea.” A look at Emhi, and the imitator stands up to fetch an imitation. I grunt at them as Garvan claps my back.

“Come on, Ira, do it for the future queen.” Sahare fidgets at that, but she forgets about it once she sees me preparing. Attacking immobile imitations had turned into a boring way to spend our time anyways. She claps, excited, the same hunger in her eyes as in Áine and the mirzaan’s when I connect.

For the next fifteen minutes, Emhi and Garvan move around the room, throwing an imitation at each other like a ball, feinting and kicking it across the floor.

The fuckers find it funny, too. I don’t. I’d rather go back to exploding them when they were still. Focusing is difficult, even if they are being quiet. Both wear imitations around their necks and chest, on their pockets or hanging from their tunics. When I close my eyes they turn into a blur of orange dancing in the darkness, the only trail of the imitation I’m supposed to destroy the occasional ray that travels from one to the other.

I grunt again, frustrated. Imitations are too exact, too alike to each other. Once together, I can’t tell them apart. If we add the movement and that I can’t use anything to sharpen my senses, it’s an impossible task.

Like the game Hamza used to play. One of the Zanji vendors used it to trick foreigners: three cups and a mud ball that he hid in one of them. We all knew he cheated, of course, except his victims, and even if it was fun at the beginning, I got tired of it quickly enough.

Not Hamza, who found a way to use his abilities as a creator to, somehow, find a way to follow it through the vendor’s tricks.

He would be so much better at this than I am.

“I can't do it,” I tell them after ten more minutes. My brow is sweaty, and I’m having trouble breathing—I feel the illness returning, even if I’ve been much better since the Iria.

When I look at the siblings, they keep playing, the rest watching me. I focus on the mirza, who moves his gaze away to his fiancée. I don’t like him watching me all the time. For what they’ve told me, he doesn’t know much about the imitators, not to say creators, so his constant attention is suspicious.

“Come on, Ira,” Garvan throws the imitation to his sister again. “Have you tried opening your eyes for a chance?”

“Shut up.”

Fortunately, he does.

I let myself fall on the pillows, my breathing returning to normal, and uncomfortable sound coming from my lungs. If they address me, I ignore them. I close my eyes, a hand on my stomach.

The door ends up closing when the mirza and Sahare leave. The pillows beside me dip as someone sits on them.

“Everything’s all right?” I answer with a grunt. Áine laughs. “What’s so challenging about it? You’ve improved this past few days, in time and precision, I don’t see how it’s that different.”

They’ve tried to communicate with me more lately, making me talk about what I feel or why I sometimes get angry or irritated. I know I don’t answer much. It’s difficult for me, to talk about these things, but they take every scrap I offer.

“They have too many imitations on them. It confuses me.”

“But you are good at Garvan’s game, the finding hidden imitations.” I stand up and turn to look at her. At least this I can explain.

“Yeah, but this is different. Those are still, separated. When they get together…”

“Their structure gives you trouble?” her eyes are kind.

“I guess,” I shrug, “but it doesn’t matter. It’s not relevant for what you want me to do in the end.”

“Still… it might help us understand how all of this works.”

“Yeah,” I lay down, relaxed now. “Maybe.”

And so the days repeat. We try the stupid game again, without success, but we fortunately focus on the same tests as always. Search and destroy, again and again.

They never ask me to create for them, and I silently thank them for it. The thought that it would be difficult for me to deny them if the mirza wasn’t here crosses my mind, and it surprises me. It does because I’ve grown used to the situation, I feel useful, I feel like we are progressing. And I do like them, I like talking to them, arguing with Garvan about whatever, the silent understatement Emhi seems to have with me, and the patience with which Áine treats me—her calming voice, relaxing my body and mind. It makes me think of our ancestors and how they used to work together.

Not everything’s perfect, though. I don’t see the mirzaan, even if Garvan tells me he’s alright, that the shahin has assigned him a special project that prevents him from coming. And it might be just that, but his brother’s watchful eyes and his sudden disappearance disquiet me. As if something were coming, the calm before the storm. I’m not capable of shaking a bad feeling, his eyes always on me, watching, listening, focused, taking the position that belongs to his brother.

Sometimes, in my dreams, his gaze turns green, like the shahin’s, like the one I saw at the Iria.

When I wake up, I can almost swear I hear screaming.

tag list (ask to be added or removed): @my-cursed-prince @on-noon @aquil-writes @dotr-rose-love

[beseojun]

✰ Next Gen -  seojun performs hug with @behaneul @bedohyun @sarangbe & @renxbe ✰

the sinking feeling is pushing itself back onto seojun as he realizes that this will be the last time that he’ll get to do this. the last time he’ll be performing on stage with others like this and the last time he might see some of these people unless they keep in contact with him. it was all so bittersweet and even though many interactions were awkward at first, seojun knew he'd miss it all.

he had been practicing everything he could for hug, pretty sure his mind was just filled with the song and dancing at this point. though when he practices my turn again, it feels like a refresher and brings him back to the first episode. the choreography is just like he remembered, glad to do it again.

his confidence is rising the more he practices alongside his group. he’s sure they are all going to do well and finish off strong. sure he might be hopeful for it but he knows that they’d be able to put out a lasting impression on anyone who watches their performance no matter the outcome. though his mind is bringing up those thoughts that he could fail and not get to pursue his dream after today. sure that was a possibility and a big one in his eyes but he’d just brush up on his skill and hope for a chance to audition in the future if given the chance.

hug wasn’t something he was unfamiliar with since he has done dance covers that had the same concept but he always found himself going for songs that are more sexy subconsciously. not that he thinks that about himself but he just likes the flow those songs have. it feels almost like second nature with how much he has practiced and he hopes that it all pays off. he’s gonna make sure he stands out and gives the judges something to remember.

besides since the fans voted for this song, he was going to make sure he showed out. the perfectionist in him wasn’t going to let him put on a mediocre performance.

when the day of the performance comes, his mind is already reeling with everything possible. though once in the outfit for the performance and his makeup is finished off, it all sinks in again and he has to make sure he doesn’t cry about it all. he’s usually pretty sensitive and emotional though he is not letting himself cry, not wanting to mess up the makeup the stylists had worked so hard on. the waterworks could wait. he had to perform and do his best. that’s all that mattered. maybe he’d go to haneul after and let himself finally tear up.

taking a deep breath as they stand outside of the stage, he take a deep breath and exhales it a bit. it calms him down at least which he is grateful for. feeling his hand being almost gripped onto, he gave a soft reassuring smile to haneul. he knew his best friend was nervous but they’d do this together and get through it.

those feelings he was worrying about seem to leave once he’s on stage which he’s glad for. getting into his starting position, he feels his body moving from the muscle memory once the song starts. since the song is more lighthearted and cute, seojun lets himself show off a cuter side and sends winks as well as adding a bit of aegyo when he can, though not too much to deter him from performing.

once he had to rap, he let himself flow into the words. he knew he wasn’t the best rapper but he feels he delivered his lines well enough which he’s impressed by. maybe he’ll decide to perfect his rapping after all this just to make sure he can do whatever a company wants of him.

that’s over now though, his mind isn’t focused on rapping and the smile he had just seemed to grow as the performance went on. each of them put in their all and even though there might be a little fumbling but it’s recovered quickly. it was a new song so he expects that even with himself a bit.

hearing the song fading as it ends, he gets into the ending position along with the others. he can’t help but hold his face in his hands as he squishes his cheeks a bit though once the camera focuses on him for his ending fairy, he’s throwing out finger hearts as his dimpled smile shows. he can cringe about this later for now, he’s dealing with the adrenaline of the performance and being giddy about everything.

seojun excitedly makes sure to tell his teammates that they did well, flashing smiles at each of them. now it would be up to the judges verdict to see what they thought about their performance. he just hopes it goes well.

[bejoomi]

mentioned: @bejinyoung @behaneul @kouxbe @bexcam

joomi is happy to sit down in the interview chair today, not necessarily because he’s pumped to be interviewed, just because he’s tired and it’s really nice to sit. 

you look tired. how are you feeling?

joomi lets out a breathless bark of laughter. “yeah...hold on,” he requests, and takes a big sip of the water bottle he’s holding, albeit trying to keep it out of sight of the camera. “i am tired,” he admits after. “but i feel like i did a lot better this time than i did for my turn. i didn’t cry this episode, and i didn’t almost pass out.” progress! “i think i had the most fun for this episode of any so far, too. i feel weird saying that, considering i had to dance a lot for it, but...i don’t hate dancing! it’s just hard for me, because i never did it before next gen. now that i’ve had more practice, i know i’m far from the best dancer here, but i feel like...i can do it now.”

he nods, more to himself than anyone else. “so i guess i’m feeling pretty good? proud of myself, i guess, no matter what happens. i just hope i can...live up to or exceed everyone’s expectations.”

he doesn’t want to disappoint seo ran in particular. she complimented him last episode, and this time, his team was representing her company.

you were representing sr media this week. how did you come up with your performance, and do you think you did a good job encapsulating the company’s image?

“well, i asked the others if i could remix the song, because i really felt like...we needed to do something different? i personally wanted the performance to be really exciting, and frost on its own is a good song. i’m sure people would’ve enjoyed our performance even if we didn’t switch it up, but next gen is a competition, so i wanted to give it everything i have. i think the best thing i have that i can show everyone is my ability to write music, and i haven’t really gotten to show anyone that yet, aside from my audition, and people might not even know that was an original song, so...” his voice trails off, and he shrugs, then moves on to the second part of the question. “i honestly didn’t know a lot about kpop companies before this,” or anything at all, “so i did some research on seo ran’s company and artists, and they tend to have a lot of dark concepts and artists that really put everything into the performance aspect of what they do. frost itself is already kind of dark, but i think we took it a step further, and hopefully we represented the company well by doing that.”

how was working with your team?

“it was really nice,” joomi replies. “i feel like i got kind of spoiled. i worked with kou and haneul last round, and we managed to win that one, so i was already familiar with winning with them. cam was really easy to get comfortable with, and jinyoung is...” he probably pauses for too long. “a really good dancer. he helped me a lot this time,” and joomi is grateful for that much.

there was some tension between you and jinyoung. what was that about?

of course they’d pry into this. joomi laughs a little again, more nervously than anything else. he isn’t sure what to say, really. does he be honest at all? does he make something up? are they going to ask jinyoung this question in his interview?

“jinyoung and i actually met before next gen,” he admits. he’ll be honest about that much, at least. “we got off on the wrong foot then, so i think it just took a little more getting used to working together than it did for everyone else. we did it, though, and he got a lot better at singing over the time we practiced, so i’m, um...proud of him?” 

maybe that’s weird to say. he doesn’t know what he’ll do if all of that airs and jinyoung sees it. hopefully he’ll feel grateful, because it’s not like joomi is lying about that, either. maybe he’s being a little extra nice about it for the cameras, but jinyoung did improve, and joomi is...sort of proud of both of them. he doesn’t know if either of them improved enough at what they were weak at, but they’ll find out.

[scarlett-vixen]

ayyyyy i’m back at it again with more brainrot!currently i’m thinking about an MC who’s really shy about physical contact. handshakes and shoulder pats are fine, but they never snuggle up during movie night or give hugs to greet people or anything like that. what are your hcs on how the brothers would react if MC gave them a soft lil hug for the first time? maybe as a thank-you for spending time with them :3 as always, you don’t have to write this if you don’t want to! -🍔

This was such a cute concept and I relate very hard to this!! Sorry it took me 20 years to complete this

Hugs from shy MC

Lucifer

- He’s caught off guard at first, but quickly relaxes and gently hugs you back.

- He knows that physical contact isn’t a strong point for you and is so proud of you for making this move.

- He won’t say anything out loud as to not make you feel pressured or embarrassed but he secretly hopes you’ll begin to hug him a little more often now, perhaps even hold his hand eventually.

Mammon

- Freezes immediately, becomes incredibly flustered, starts panicking with his usual “what do ya think your doin??”

- A blushing mess, has secretly been dreaming of this moment since he met you, now he’s living that dream.

- As soon as you start to let go he latches on to you, buries his face in your neck and apologizes. He knows you don’t do this a lot and will ask you to hug him again..ya know…if ya feel like it or whatever…

Leviathan

- Hears the “Achievement Unlocked” sound in his head. Feels like he just reached a secret level in an RPG

- Once reality sets back in he p a n i c s!! He’s completely red from head to shoulders, he’s soooo glad you can’t see his face right now!

- Will slowly wrap his arms around you to hug you back, hands trembling the whole time, trying not to make a wrong move and mess up the moment. Honestly you could never hug him again and that would be okay because this moment will live in his mind on repeat until the world stops turning.

Satan

- This dork, tries to be suave about it but is actually so happy right now!

- To him this is a sign of complete trust, as a person that most people avoid physical contact with this warms his heart!

- He’s so touch starved please, if you find the courage to do so, hug him anytime you want! It makes him feel a little more normal and a lot less alone.

Asmodeus

- He keeps it together while you hug him, will give a small squeeze back to reciprocate.

- Once you let go he’s over the moon! So proud of you! Honored to be hugged by you! Has been patiently waiting for this to happen so now he’s ecstatic!

- He’ll gush over it for a few minutes but doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable so he’ll drop it if you ask him to. Thinks about it for the rest of the day with a huge grin on his face, nothing can ruin his mood now <3

Beelzebub

- Not sure what’s wrong at first, you don’t hug people so something is wrong…right? No??

- He starts to melt as he watches you hug him, he loves having you this close to him, he can’t help himself and kisses the top of your head.

- Will ask you to hug him more often, will occasionally ask you for a hug after this, your hugs make him feel better but will respect your boundaries also.

Belphegor

- Oh he wants to tease you. He wants to tease you soooo bad!!

- Thinks of a hundred smart ass things to say the instant you hug him….but can’t find his voice for some reason. Instead he feels his cheeks warm up and his heart beating faster.

- Will never admit it!! But he loves your hugs so much, he wants you to do this all the time, thinks about cuddling or spooning with you afterwards, silently waits for you to initiate anything though. He knows your rocky past put some barriers in the way of him making first moves.