#or whoever is reading me in this great wide world

[feral-teeth]

Taking a lil break from socials for a day(?) just to get a breather! I love you all, and really appreciate all of the support 😭 😭

If I don’t answer, that’s why! <33

[causeilikelix]

Inked - Yang Jeongin Smut

↳Pairing: Tattoo artist!Yang Jeongin x afab reader

↳Words: 6.5k READ on my AO3 HERE

↳Warnings: SMUT, oral (f. receiving), reader gets a tattoo so mentions of needles and some blood but not in a sexual sense, softdom!Jeongin, suggestive, not full sex,

↳Summery:  Starting at the age of 21, the search for your soulmate begins. Once you find them, you know by first touch. At that very first touch the intense carnal urge to consummate the union overwhelms you. You don't expect to find your soulmate in the man you chose to do your very first tattoo. And he, well, he wasn't expecting to stay after closing time but the second he sees you he can't complain.

↳Taglist: @letsmpuppy, @siewoon, @magical-butterflies, @ohmy-moonlightx, @junebug032, @giyusatorou, @skzfelixlove, @kittkat44, @nap-of-a-starr, @ventitto, @blankdyean, @lethallyprotected, @poisonivy21, @nobody3210, @chuuswifereal, @hisokasimp1

↳Notes: The first installment of my soulmate smut au series!  Enjoy.

“THANKS, MAN, I really like it!  You do great work!”  The man thanked Jeongin with a strong handshake that made the glossy new motorcycle tattoo on his bicep flex. 

“Anytime.”  Jeongin flashed him a smile that dented one of the dimples in his cheeks.

“Let me know when your books open again, okay?  I already have ideas for my next one!”  The man handed Jeongin a wad of cash.  He quickly counted it out and thanked the man for the generous tip before sending him on his way. 

Once the man left the small shop, Jeongin sat down hard on his stool and let out a colossal yawn.  The time on the clock indicated that it was well past closing time but he had to finish up the piece he was working on.  Now all he had to do was clean up his space and disinfect his tools and he could go home and pass out.  As the only person in his small studio, he could set his own hours but he still had to do enough pieces a week to keep the lights on.  

It also meant that he didn’t have time to finish the sleeve on his arm that he was working on.  When he wore an athletic tank top like he was today, you could see swirling patterns of ink starting at his shoulder and down to his elbow.  He had a few tattoos on his other hand and forearm but not one single sleeve.  It was only a matter of time but he barely had any to speak of. 

Speaking of time, he had to get cleaned up.

Jeongin rose to his aching feet and started to disinfect the chair where his clients sat.  He wiped it down thoroughly and made sure to get a few dried droplets of ink and blood off the seat.  Tattooing was messy work, to say the least. 

Next he gathered all of his tools and threw them into a warm bath of disinfectant.  While those soaked, he figured he should mop so he wouldn’t have to suffer doing it last.  He made his way to the back to prepare the mop water when he heard the bell over the door jingle.  He cringed, realizing that he had forgotten the most important thing about closing the tattoo parlor.  He’d forgotten to actually flip the sign and lock the door.  

Damn. 

Jeongin turned around and headed back into the main shop.  He ran his hands through his mussed hair and sighed.  He didn’t want to deal with asking whoever it was to leave but he had to sleep sometimes. 

“I’m sorry, but I’m actually closed up for the day and-” Jeongin started to explain but he stopped dead in his tracks when he laid his eyes on you.

You stood in the entryway to the shop with your wide eyes taking in the art examples hung all over the shop walls.  You gripped the strap of your small bag so tightly that your knuckles were about to turn white.  You were wearing the world's cutest little white pleated skirt that hugged your curves and your thighs and that stopped mid-thigh, a blush pink blouse, and a cream and pink patterned button-up sweater that brought the whole look together.  A soft blush adorned your cheeks.  

The skirt hugged your thighs beautifully, accentuating your legs and making them look long.  The blouse cupped your full breasts tenderly and let just a bit poke out through the top.  They heaved when you drew breath and his eyes flicked down to them without even thinking about it.  Your arms hugged your body a little bit, perhaps for warmth or maybe just to calm your trembling nerves.  This action helped push your breasts up a little more.  Your makeup was lightly done with soft pinks and creams while your lip tint was a stunning cherry red. 

Jeongin just about broke. 

How did someone as sweet as you end up in a place like this?

“How can I help you?”  Jeongin asked instead.  He could stay open a little longer.

“Oh, um… I’m sorry, if you’re closed then I’ll just-”  You made a move as if you were going to leave, but Jeongin couldn’t let you.  Not yet.

“No, I’m not closed yet!  Is there something I can do for you?”  Jeongin smiled warmly at you, which he hoped would entice you to stay.  He had so many questions.

“I… well…”  

You eyed him up and down, your mouth watering slightly at the sight of him in tight black skinny jeans and a workout top that left relatively little to the imagination.  His black hair was in a fluffy black mop that covered his eyes a little, but it was parted just enough to show off his eyebrow piercing. 

“I want a tattoo.”  Your voice came out stronger than you expected it to. 

“A tattoo?  Of what?”  Jeongin’s gaze raked down your body, wondering just what you wanted to put where on your pristine, untouched skin.  He could already imagine all of the artwork he wanted to put onto your body.

He inched his way closer to you, akin to the way a tiger stalks its prey.  His slender fox-like eyes raked over you and you let out a small gasp as if he was actually touching you.  Rather than shrinking back, like most prey would, you shifted half a step closer.  

You had no idea why you were drawn to his shop in the first place.  You had other options lined up in case this one didn’t work out, but his style called to you somehow.  When you first laid eyes on him, it was like it made sense for his art to belong to him.  You couldn’t explain why you wanted to be close to him, but your body ached for him to be near.

“Oh, um…”  you fumbled in your bag for your phone to present him with the picture.  You’d worked hard to pick something out that would be simple and beautiful, even though it was a stark contrast from the artwork on the walls. 

To say the least, you had no idea why someone would want to tattoo a naked woman on themselves but she certainly was artfully done. 

“I was hoping for something simple like…”  You pulled up the picture and tilted the screen so he could see it.  Jeongin tore his eyes away from your face to your phone screen, which displayed a simple flower design that included some simple geometric shapes all interwoven through a crescent moon.  “The, um, the flower is a violet.  It’s my mother’s birth flower, so…”

You stumbled over your words a little and cursed yourself silently for getting so flustered.  Your ears burned and you wondered if it was hot in here or if it was just him.  

Jeongin smirked as he took in your form and he couldn’t help himself.  To hell with the hours.  The design was simple enough and shouldn’t take long anyway.  Besides, he had to figure out why a young and innocent girl would come to a place like this. 

“Looks great.  What’s your budget?”  Jeongin should have cared, but he didn’t.

“Oh, um… I want to stay under two-hundred, if that’s okay.”

“I can do it for a flat hundred.  Sound good?”  He grinned and tilted his head at you, reminding you of a young puppy or an eager schoolboy.  The muscles in his shoulders and arms were an obvious reminder that he was neither. 

“Um, yeah.  Perfect.  We can schedule a time or-”

“Wanna get started now?  I gotta finish cleaning my equipment but we can do it now if you want.”

“Now?”  You gaped at him, “Like… right this second?”

“Don’t you want it?  I mean, my schedule is pretty full at the moment and I don’t think I’ll have an opening for another month or two unless there’s a cancellation.  I have time right now, so do you wanna go for it?”

“Oh, um, if you’re busy then don’t worry about it!  I can come back another time or ask through the proper channels or-”

“Nonsense.  If you’ve thought about it long enough and you’re sure then let’s go for it, yeah?”  

“How long do you think it’ll take?”  

Jeongin nodded towards your phone again, signaling for you to show him the image once more.  He hummed thoughtfully for a few minutes as he thought about how he could possibly draw out the visit.

Jeongin didn’t have a soulmate yet, but he figured to hell with it.  Surely that was something made up by the media to get them to sell romcoms.  Sure, he wondered if the draw he had to you was due to that but he’d been drawn to other people before without the carnal urge to fuck them into the next century.  

Maybe he was just curious.  He wondered if the small bit of cleavage that peeked out of your top was on purpose to entice him or just a happy accident.  Either way, he loved it. 

“Forty-five minutes tops.  An hour if you want me to be particular about the shading.”  Jeongin shrugged.

“Oh… okay, let’s do it!”  You nodded confidently and the small amount of innocent enthusiasm you displayed went straight to his dick.

“Great.  Why don’t you email that image to me so I can make a trace of it and fill out my liability agreement while I finish cleaning the equipment.”  Jeongin made his way over to the desk near the front to grab his drawing tablet and an extra one for you.

“Okay!”

You obediently followed his instructions and emailed the picture to the address he gave you.  He prepped the small tablet with the paperwork and set it on the counter for you.  He didn’t dare touch you yet.  The suspense would kill him at this rate.

“Have a seat in the chair and I’ll be ready with the stencil in about fifteen minutes, okay?”  Jeongin gestured for you to sit in the navy leather chair to wait for him.

You followed his suggestion and got settled.  Jeongin stared down at the email from you on his tablet, taking particular interest in the signature at the bottom.  It was clearly automatic but it gave your name and your contact information, including your cell phone number.  He made a mental note to ask for it later.  He didn’t wanna use it without your permission, but he also wanted to ask you out properly so he’d have to ask you for it.

He couldn’t be the only one feeling the attraction, right?

As he worked on cleaning off his equipment, he couldn’t help but think back to your precious pink cheeks and your perfect thighs which he was about to mark as his own.  Something about the idea of him leaving something on your skin forever made his jeans grow a little tighter.  Sure, he wanted to leave so many hickies and bite marks that you couldn’t wear shorts for a month, but those would fade with time.  The ink that he was about to put on your skin would be there forever.  Even if you didn’t end up being his soulmate, you’d always have something of his to remember him by.

Once his tools were clean, Jeongin got to work on drawing your tattoo.  He doodled on his tablet to make sure that the lines were clean and that he had some room for error if need be.  He was good at his job and he hadn’t made a mistake in many years, but it was still important to have a failsafe.  Also, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to concentrate when he finally got to be close to your thighs.  

For a moment, he considered handing you off to another tattoo shop.  Maybe his attraction to you would cloud his judgment.  However, when you set the tablet down and settled back in the chair, he knew it was way too late.  

“Alright, one more decision to make,”  Jeongin made his way back over to you and plopped down on a nearby rolling stool.  He moved a little closer, but not close enough to where your knees would brush.  

“What’s that?”

“How big do you want it?  The smallest I could do would be about…”  he lifted his hands to demonstrate, “this but I can go as big as you want.”

“Oh, um,”  you glanced down at your thigh and he followed your gaze.  He licked his lips at the sight of your legs on full display for him.  All he wanted was to be squeezed between them as he rode you through your umteenth orgasm of the night.  Something about that damn skirt drove him crazy.  “About the size you have there is okay.”

“Perfect, I’ll print out the stencil and we’ll be good to go!”

Jeongin stood up and made a beeline for the counter at the front of the store.  He began the printing process and in the meantime he went to the front door and flipped the sign to “closed.”  White he was at it, he also shut off the neon sign in the window.  He thought about locking the door but figured that you would feel safer with it unlocked. 

You, however, would have been okay with anything.

From the moment you stepped into the shop, it was like lightning struck you to your place.  As soon as you laid eyes on him you knew that you’d come to the right place.  First of all, his work was immaculate.  His style was exactly what you were looking for.  However as soon as you saw the artist himself, it was as if you were glued to the ground.  He was positively, show stoppingly gorgeous.  He spoke with a slight Busan accent, which you found incredibly endearing.  His face was boyishly cute but his entire demeanor made up for that.  He looked as if he wanted to eat you alive and you would probably let him.   

You’d be the first to say you weren’t the most innocent person in the world.  Many people only ever slept with their soulmates, but not you.  You didn’t have a soulmate, but you still felt sexual urges on occasion.  You’d only slept with a couple of people, but even at the time both of you knew that it wasn’t right.  The sex was nice, but it wasn’t soulmate sex.  According to your best friend, who’d somehow lucked out and found her soulmate the day she turned 21, soulmate sex was unmatched.  

You could only hope that was true. 

Watching Jeongin walk around the shop was torture.  His skin practically glowed in the dim lights of the shop and the fluorescent lights from the signs on the window.  His muscles flexed as he worked on the stencil and your mouth watered at the sight.  How had you landed the hottest tattoo artist in the city on the first try?

Before you’d settled on his shop, you’d followed a bunch of different tattoo shops in order to gauge the different styles.  You’d looked for months to try and decide which artist would be the best.  That being said, the moment you came across Jeongin’s Instagram, you knew immediately that you loved his style.  

However, now you were liking something else about him entirely.

Jeongin strode over to you with the stencil in hand.  He shot you a boyish smile that somehow looked sinful coming from him. 

“Where do you want it?”  He asked.

Using one foot, he pulled up a rolling stool right next to the tattooing chair and he plopped down right next to her.  He held the stencil between his thumbs and forefingers, waiting for her to give him instruction. 

“Oh, right here.”  You lifted the hem of your skirt slightly and Jeongin’s eyes greedily followed the motion.  You used two hands to show him where you wanted it to be. 

Then came the moment of truth.

Was this incredible man your soulmate?  Or was he destined to just be your tattoo artist?

Jeongin leaned in closer and carefully lined up the stencil with where you wanted it.  Slowly, he lowered his hands towards your skin.  He glanced up at you as if to ask if you wanted him to touch you.  Your skin practically ached for his touch and you involuntarily lifted your leg to be closer.  Even if Jeongin wasn’t your soulmate, you knew there was something between you. 

The back of his knuckle grazed your thigh.

For a moment, nothing happened. 

Then, your core throbbed.  Hard.  

It was him.  This man was your soulmate.

Jeongin’s hands wavered but he slowly pressed the stencil onto your skin and carefully smoothed it out.  The pads of his fingers ran across the skin of your thigh, slowly mapping out the smoothness of your skin.  He bit back a gasp as his jeans tightened.  Both of his palms rested on your thigh now, under the guise of smoothing down the stencil but he knew better.  

Arousal licked up his spine and turned his ears bright red.  His cock strained desperately in his underwear, begging him to push it into the space between your legs.  The veins in his hands twitched as he gripped your thigh.  He bit down on his tongue to keep from shoving you down on the chair and taking you right that very second.  He just knew that you would feel perfect.  However, he had to be professional.

As gently as he could, Jeongin pulled the stencil back to reveal the rich purple ink staining your skin.  He stared at the design on your leg for a few long seconds before forcing himself to look up at you and he about came in his pants. 

You stared down at him with hooded eyes and blown out pupils.  Your glossy lips were parted as they eyed him up.  The arousal between your legs pulsed in waves.  You squeezed your knees together in an effort to keep some dignity.  After your shower this morning, you’d gotten dressed in a rush and forgot one of the most important articles of clothing.  The one that was the barrier between you and the outside world.  The one that should be between you and the man, your soulmate, who was about to tattoo your skin. 

Moments too late, you realized you’d neglected to put on panties. 

The space between your legs began to feel sticky.  Jeongin made no move to look away from you. 

“Is the placement okay?”  Jeongin’s voice sounded strained but he still managed to hold eye contact.  Your eyes flicked down to the ink once more.  It looked fine to you, so you nodded.  Jeongin smirked.  “Come on, darling, use your words.”

“Yes, it’s great.”  You blurted.  The space between your bodies was too vast.  In reality it was maybe two feet but in your mind it was like there were football fields between you. 

“Come on, you have to really look at it.  After all, it’s going to be on your skin forever.”  Jeongin cocked his head at you. 

Surely he was feeling the same brutal arousal as you, right?  Surely he understood what that meant, right?  You wanted to scream at him. 

WE’RE SOULMATES!  FUCK ME ALREADY!

But his gaze left you glued to his seat.  Suddenly, you were ready to follow orders.

You tore your gaze away from his to look down at your thigh.  The purple ink stained your skin in a bold preview of the tattoo you wanted.  The placement genuinely looked okay to you.  After probably the longest five seconds of your life, you looked back up.

“It looks great.  Let’s do it.”

“Awesome, ready to get started?”

You stared at him for a few seconds, willing your throat to cooperate. 

“Yes.”

“Perfect.”

“What’s your name?”  You blurted.  You knew him solely by his Instagram handle, which was his shop name but you couldn’t remember your own soulmate's name.  He only grinned. 

“Jeongin.  And yours?”

“Y/N.”  

“What a beautiful name, Y/N.”  Jeongin moved away from you just long enough to put on some blue latex gloves and some other supplies.  “Since this is your first tattoo I’m going to just do one of the smaller stars first.  If you don’t think you’re up for it after that, we can stop there, no judgment.”

“Okay.”  Your voice shook and you wondered just how he was staying so composed.

  On the contrary, Jeongin was so painfully hard that he was worried he’d cum if he moved the wrong way and applied just the right amount of friction.  

However, he shifted in his seat and prepared the tattoo gun.  He put on a pair of rubber gloves and leaned over your thigh.  He swallowed heavily before he placed his palm on your upper thigh.  As gently as he could, he placed the tip of the gun against the outline of one of the smaller stars on the design.  You winced when the needle began to do it’s thing, but didn’t stop him.  He gently traced the first small line of the tattoo before pulling away. 

“How was that?”  Jeongin asked you, but he couldn’t look at you in case his voice would quiver. 

“Stings but… I can take it.”  You chose your words carefully.  Jeongin tensed.  

“You can take it, huh?”  Jeongin’s grip on your thigh tightened.  Your core clenched around nothing. 

With that, Jeongin got right back to work.  He traced the pattern with his tattoo gun as slowly as possible.  Partially to draw out the visit but also to give you room if you needed to twitch or adjust.  Getting a tattoo for the first time was no joke, and while he wanted you to sit in his chair as long as possible, he also wanted your first tattoo experience to be as minimally traumatic as possible.  He had to remain as professional as humanly possible.  

However, that’s when he smelled it. 

Or to be more accurate, that’s when he smelled you.  

It was as if his sense of smell was heightened with his arousal, or maybe it was because your arousal was so strong.  Either way, when you shifted in your seat he got a strong whiff of it and if anything it made him harder.  The scent was so rich and sweet and it took everything in him not to part your legs and stick his face between them. 

His large palm squeezed your thigh gently, and in response you squeezed your thighs together.  With the realization that you were getting wetter and wetter with each passing second, you were determined to keep your legs locked shut so Jeongin couldn’t sense your arousal, but he had other plans. 

“Relax your thighs a little, darling,”  his tantalizing voice shot up your spine, “I can’t tattoo if you’re all tensed up.”

“Shouldn’t we talk about this?”  You blurted suddenly.  He blinked in surprise at you and your face flushed with embarrassment.  Maybe you’d gotten it all wrong. 

“Talk about what?  Your tattoo?  I’ve already started but we can certainly-”

“Are you trying to tell me that you don’t feel anything right now?”  

Jeongin’s shocked expression slowly melted into a smirk.  He squeezed your thigh tightly and pulled your leg towards him.  Your legs parted and exposed you to the chilly air of the tattoo shop.  The cold air licked up your core and you shivered. 

“Keep your pretty legs open for me while I mark you and maybe I’ll give you what I want,” Jeongin challenged as if his dick wasn’t throbbing in his underwear.  

“I- what?”  Your face flushed with embarrassment at the idea of being exposed to him, but at the same time you had a feeling that if you closed your legs he wouldn’t give you what you wanted. 

Jeongin got back to work.  One hand gently massaged your thigh when he wasn’t wiping away excess ink.  The tattoo gun stung as he traced the design, but you could barely feel it over the wet throbbing in your core.  You were positive that the inside of your thighs and the chair beneath you were doused in your slick.  You tried desperately to appear normal but you needed him inside you, like, yesterday. 

It became increasingly clear that Jeongin knew exactly what was going on.  The more you watched him, the more you should see him shifting in his seat to try and conceal the massive bulge in his jeans.  Deciding to test the waters a little bit, you spread your knees apart a little more.  

Jeongin had to pause and take a deep breath to keep himself composed.  The scent of your arousal was driving him absolutely mad and he was ready to get rid of the idea of having your tattoo take as long as possible.  Now he wanted it done as soon as possible so he could put his fingers inside you and let your taste coat his mouth.  He wanted to drink you up until you were shaking.  

“You’re doing so well for me, baby,”  Jeongin praised once he was halfway done.  He wiped the tattoo with a damp paper towel to get rid of some of the excess ink.  Your thigh was a little swollen but that was to be expected.  Your skirt fell delicately just enough to cover your core from him. 

“So you do know who I am?”  Your voice came out strained.  The more he touched you the more turned on you got.  You wondered if the entire shop smelled of your pussy. 

“Of course I do, angel.  I knew it from the second you walked in here.  Do you need a break?”  Jeongin cocked his head innocently once more. 

“N-no.  I want you to be done soon.”

“Why’s that, Y/N baby?”

Yeah, you were done for.  Any and all proprietary got thrown out the window.

“I need you inside me immediately.”  You couldn’t believe you’d just spoken that way to a stranger, but your pussy wanted what it wanted. 

“Then I’d better get back to work, huh?  I’m eager to see what’s mine.”

With that, Jeongin went back to it.  The sting of the needle and the blood didn’t bother you.  You had no idea how you could still be so wet while being in that kind of pain.  You didn’t think you were a masochist, but something about Jeongin made it seem normal.

You wanted to cry and beg for him to fuck you already, but you had a feeling he wouldn’t if you acted desperate.  

Instead you let out a pathetic whimper when a particularly empty clench made you shiver.  Jeongin paused and raised an eyebrow in question but you nodded to assure him that you were okay.  The tattoo wasn’t causing you any pain at this point.  The ache between your legs rivaled any and all pain you’d experienced thus far. 

The only sounds in the shop were the buzzing of the tattoo gun and your heavy breathing as you tried to get your arousal under control.  You had a feeling you’d cum the moment he finally touched you.  If he finally touched you.

“You’re doing so well for me, baby.  Keep your legs open, I want the chair to be soaking before I even give you my tongue.”  You shivered.  “Oh, you’d like that, huh?  I bet you’ll taste even better than you smell.  Your pussy is already crying for me.”

“Are you almost done?”  You asked and Jeongin tsked at you and pulled the tattoo gun away from your skin to wipe at the raw tattoo.

“You’re so impatient.  Do I need to teach you the rules?”  

“Wh-what are the rules?”

“The rules are that you sit still, legs open, and you don’t touch yourself.  When I’m done and if you’re good, maybe then I’ll give you my fingers, got it?  And I am going to take as long as I want to get this pretty tattoo done for you.”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Already so obedient,”  Jeongin smirked, but dropped the facade for a moment to reassure you, “If you need a break just tell me, okay?  Tattooing can be hard.”

“Got it.”  You nodded, letting him know that he could get started again.  You were glad that, despite the dominance he was showing, he would give you a break if you wanted. 

However, you were pretty sure you wouldn’t need one.  From your perspective, it looked to be almost finished but you weren’t the artist.  You had no way of knowing when he would be done.  Especially since it was explicitly clear to you now that he wanted to take his sweet time with you.

A particularly sharp stab of the needle made you wince but you didn’t tap out.  At this point you needed literally any kind of friction to soothe the pounding in your core.  You could feel your heartbeat in your pussy. Your parted legs were a window into you and your smell overpowered the tiny shop.  

You thought this couldn’t get any worse.  That was, until Jeongin started speaking.  His voice sounded sweet and boyish but his words were anything but. 

“Baby, you smell absolutely divine.  I can’t wait to shove my tongue into you and drink up your sweetness.  I can’t wait to see your sweet, tight pussy.  I need to be inside you so bad but I gotta make you feel good first.  Baby, you’re mine forever.”  You clenched at this, hard.  Jeongin smirked at this.  “You like that, my love?  You like the idea of being mine forever?  Angel, your little pussy is mine.”

You were reduced to a whining, whimpering mess at his words.  You wanted to slip your fingers beneath your skirt and through your folds.  You figured that even the smallest touch would send you over the edge.  The desire and need you had for him was going to drive you crazy. 

“Please,” you begged and Jeongin smirked.

“Please, what, my love?”

“Please touch me or let me touch myself.  I need it.”

“You need it?  Sounds desperate.  Are you desperate for me?”

“Yes!  I’m so desperate for you!  I need your fingers!  I need your tongue.  I need your cock, please!”

Your hand slipped down to grab the hem of your skirt.  The tips of your fingers grazed your soaking folds and you moaned on contact.  Rules be damned, you needed relief and you needed it now.  The tip of your finger prodded your swollen hole.  

“What did I say?”  Jeongin pushed your hand away, “The tattoo is almost done.  Be patient or your slutty little hole gets nothing.  Do you even know what your body is craving so badly?  Have you ever had anyone else in you before?”

“No!  I swear, no one else has ever touched me.  But… I know what I want.”  Your eyes darted to the tent in his pants and your mouth watered.  Jeongin smirked.  

“Perfect.  Then you’re all mine to ruin.”  

A shiver ripped down your spine at his words.  

After what felt like an eternity, the buzzing of the tattoo needle stopped.  Jeongin wiped the tattoo a few more times, cleaned it, then applied a thin plastic protective film over it.  Every single touch of his hands on you made your body ache for more.  At this rate, you wondered if people could die from lack of touch.  

Once the film was applied, Jeongin tore his gloves off and raced to wash his hands.  He sat back on his stool almost before you’d realized he was gone.  

“I’d go over tattoo aftercare but I can barely think right now,” Jeongin admitted, swinging the stool around so he was sitting directly in front of you, “Y/N, baby, tell me this is okay.  I want you so badly but I won’t do anything if you say no.”

“If you don’t touch me right this instant, I’ll die.”  Your declaration made him chuckle.

Then, his hands were on you.  Without the gloves, the feeling of his skin on yours was borderline orgasmic.  His veiny hands grabbed your knees tightly and pressed down, forcing your legs open even more.  His gaze dropped from your eyes, down your body, to the hollow space between your legs.  It was barely covered by the thin material of your skirt but it was still like he was exposing you to the world. 

His hands moved up your legs, massaging your thighs along the way with deep presses and firm squeezes.  His eyes darkened the moment his nimble fingers flipped up your skirt and revealed your glistening core to him.  

“Y/N, baby, you’re so wet I think I’ll drown.”  Jeongin’s voice dropped an octave.  You could only whine and lift your hips up a little to entice him closer.  

“Jeongin, please, please touch me.”  You begged shamelessly.   He smirked at your neediness. 

“Next time I’ll punish you for being needy, but this time I’ll reward you for being so patient while you got that tattoo.”  

Jeongin’s hands landed on your inner thighs.  He slowly moved his hands closer, rubbing small circles as he inched closer to where you needed him the most.  Then, his fingertips grazed against your swollen hole and you let out an embarrassingly loud moan.  He circled upwards until he found your clit.  He knew he found it when you gasped and your knees opened a little bit more.  The second his finger made contact with your clit, intense sparks of pleasure shot through your veins.  

He rubbed in tantalizingly slow circles and you had half a mind to knock his hand out of the way to get off yourself.  You could feel your heartbeat in your pussy with how badly you needed him. 

Finally he moved his hand back down to your entrance and prodded it with his index finger.  He smirked when you moaned and pushed your hips up.  Then, he finally pushed his long digit into you and your core clenched onto him hard.  

“Oh baby, does that feel good?  You like it when I finger you?”  Jeongin cooed and he pressed a second finger into your dripping cunt, “I can’t take it anymore.”

Before you could register his words, Jeongin was shifting.  He pressed his free hand to the inside of your knee for stability as he leaned down and latched his mouth onto your glistening folds.  He sucked you into his mouth, slurping on your juices and moaning at the taste.  His lips latched onto your clit and sucked. 

You could feel his smirk against you as you moaned freely.  He played and pleasured your cunt as if he’d been doing it all his life.  He curled his fingers within you just the right amount as he searched for the gummy spot inside of you.  It didn’t take him long before the pad of his finger pressed into it and you let out a sob. 

“Please, please, please,”  you begged, though your brain was too clouded to remember what you were begging for.  

Jeongin lifted his head from your cunt to chide you, “Aw, baby, are you already drunk on my fingers?  I haven’t even given you my cock yet.  What do you want, angel?”

“Cu- cu, I wanna,” you lifted your hips a little to entice him back to your center.  Jeongin leaned down to lap gently at your clit and you moaned at the pleasure that ripped up your spine.

“I want to give you what you want, so just tell me, baby.”

“Cum!  I wanna cum!”

“You wanna cum?  How?”  He tilted his head innocently as if his chin wasn’t dripping in your arousal. 

“In your mouth.  On your tongue.  Please, please!”  You cried.  Your hand reached up to curl into his hair as you guided him back to your center. 

You were sure Jeongin would punish you later for touching him without permission, but right now he needed this as much as you did.  Jeongin’s lips latched right back onto your sensitive clit and got right back to work.  

He licked and sucked on the sensitive bud like his life depended on it.  Jeongin’s eyes slipped closed as he let your taste overwhelm his mouth.  Every gush of arousal on his fingers made his dick harder and harder.  He was sure he would blow untouched.  He removed his fingers from the depths of your core and you started to whine at the loss but he made up for it by immediately shoving his tongue into you and lapping up every single drop of arousal.  

The warm, wet muscle inside of you wiggled and sucked at your dripping hole.  Jeongin ate you as if he’d never tasted anything so good in his life, and to be honest he probably hadn’t.  He wanted to savor every moment between your legs, and as much as he wanted to eat you out until the sun came up, he also needed to cum.  Like now.  But you had to cum first. 

He pressed lightly just above your clit to push the bundle of nerves out a little bit.  Once it was exposed to the air, he suffocated it with his lips.  He latched on and sucked like his life depended on it.  Every suck and every lick got you closer and closer to the edge.  

He moaned into your cunt and the vibrations made you shiver.  Your core began to clench and spasm around nothing.  Almost as if he could tell, he plunged his fingers back into you.  The friction of his fingers and the suction of his mouth overwhelmed you but in the best way. 

You meant to warn him, you really did, but your orgasm grew and crashed over you before you could even register what was happening.  You moaned louder than you had all night and the grip you had on his head tightened.  Your cunt clenched and rippled around his fingers and he moaned as he drank up your release.  Pleasure pulsed through your body in waves.  Your cunt sucked his fingers deeper into you as he worked you through the most intense orgasm of your life. 

All of the ones you’d done yourself were nothing compared to how Jeongin made you feel.  

Despite the sharp pang of overstimulation, Jeongin kept sucking at your folds and at your hole to get every single taste of your orgasm that he could. 

It wasn’t long before the pleasure began to mount again and a second orgasm washed over you as Jeongin tenderly lapped at your cunt.  The second orgasm was less intense but it left you empty and craving even more of him. 

“Cock,” you announced and he pulled away from your cunt and raised an eyebrow at you.

“What?”

“Please, I’m so empty, I need your cock,”  you couldn’t believe the bold words that were coming out of your mouth, but Jeongin didn’t hesitate. 

“You want my cock?  You think you can take it?”  Jeongin removed himself from you and sat back.  The outline of his thick cock showed right through his tight pants.  You salivated at the sight. 

“Please,”

“Very well then,”  Jeongin rose to his feet and began to undo his belt and the zipper on his pants, “Alright, soulmate, let's have some fun, then.”

One thing was for sure.  If your cunt felt even half as good as it tasted, Jeongin would never let you go. Thank goodness for Soulmates.

[g-xix]

Migrane | Aj Shabeel

AJ Shabeel fluff oneshot from a request I got on Wattpad, extra long 3k wordcount- hope you enjoy Quick pose for the camera:

(I litr cannot this man is SO FINE) Anyways, just read this:

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

"WAKE UP, NIA!" 

I groaned as I felt a body land on top of mine, sending harsh rings through my ears. 

"Aj, please, get off..." I forced my head under the blanket, pulling a pillow over my head for good measure. My head felt as though it were still ringing, and I had chills running up and down my spine. 

"What do you-" Aj's rambling paused as I felt his lift his head up to survey my huddled figure under the sheets. "You good, babe?"

I shook my head under the covers, wanting the world to swallow me alive. I'd never had a headache like this- from the moment I woke up all the way at 6am- all the way to what I could only assume was late morning, given the sun had risen and was reflecting all over my room, only making my symptoms worsen.

"What's going on, do you feel sick?" I felt the cover gently pull away from my back before I felt Aj's soft tracksuit against my back, his fingers softly threading through my hair and running down my scalp soothingly before he pressed a soft kiss onto my forehead. 

If there was one thing I loved from Aj, it was when he got soft- when his jokeful and witty demeanour was cast away, and he only showed his gentle, domestic side through hugs and kisses until I couldn't breathe. Domestic rat I would call him through laughs- though the real laugh was when for my birthday he bought me a hamster, called Rat. 

"I don't know, my head feels like shit and I-I... I feel like I have a cold but worse..." I sniffed, nestling backwards to keep the contact against Aj's body- finding some sort of comfort in it. "My head's throbbing, the light hurts, moving hurts..."

I felt him pull away momentarily, hearing the sliding of blankets and Aj's movement before my back came back into contact with him. 

"What are you doing?" I groggily asked, straining my energy to roll over and face him, blocking out the majority of the light within the room by shading my eyes with the blanket.

"Googling what the best pain relief is... for a migrane... I want to assume you have a migrane." Aj spoke slowly as his eyes scanned the side of the laptop, fingers dancing across the keypad before returning to my head, gently massaging the scalp as he read. I sighed appreciatively, leaning into his touch and closing my eyes peacefully. It was moments like which I loved- where it was just AJ and I- nobody else between us disrupting the peace. "I'll be back in a second- I'm just gonna run down to the corner shop and get some paracetamol and then I'll be right back, okay?"

"Nooo, stay with me, please..." I threaded a hand through his which lay on my head, pulling the blanket down so I could look up at Aj- his big brown eyes full of care and concern. "Don't leave me alone like this..."

He brushed his thumb over the back of my hand, leaning down and pecking my cheek before detaching his hand. 

"I want to stay with you too baby, but you're so sick right now you're gonna feel miles better when you have some paracetamol, okay?" He pressed another chaste kiss to my forehead and on top of each eye before pulling away with a smile. "And you don't have to be alone- I'll ask one of the boys to come up and give some company- who do you want to stay with you whilst I'm gone?"

To be frank, I didn't want to be around any of the Beta Squad boys. They were great when I was feeling okay- I could always have a good laugh and find entertainment with any of them- but when my head felt like it was being bashed by a baseball bat I felt as though they'd be too loud to be good company.

"Whoever you find, I don't mind..." I responded quietly, smiling back before he left the room. "Aj!" I called just as he exited the room. He turned back, eyes wide, waiting to hear what I had to say. "Love you."

"Love you, too." He gave a soft smile before exiting out, leaving me to close my eyes for just a minute before-

SLAM

"NIAAA!-"

"Noooo" I moaned back, stuffing a pillow over my head before throwing it at the voice causing them to stop- Aj's voice a distant echo as he yelled "SHE HAS A MIGRANE YOU BIG BASTARD!"

The voice across the room let out a little gasp before apologising profusely, bending down to give a short hug before sitting on the end of the bed. I could tell by the lank of his arms that it was Niko sat beside me. 

"Can you get me a water?" I croaked, cocooning myself in the duvet like a caterpillar. 

"Yeah of course- you want any food? I don't know if you've had breakfast yet," Niko checked, to which I could only nod in response. He hurried out, returning only seconds later with an ice cold bottle and a box of Cookie Crisps. 

"I'll close these blinds so that you don't need to cover your eyes with the duvet, I know how bad too much light is when you have a migrane," Niko was right. Shutting the windows did massively help the headache. He passed the box of cereal, taking a handful for him to munch whilst speaking as well. I lowered the blanket slightly to watch him as he walked laps across the room, making conversation without me even speaking. "-I actually used to have loads of migraines, especially as a teen, but my older sister was always really good at comforting me... She'd get a cold towel and some pain relief tablets and just kind of sit and comfort me-"

I enjoyed Niko's steady flow of stories about his sister and childhood, relaxing and focussing on what he said until I started hearing another voice.

"She fall asleep?"

"Yeah, midway through all my stories. I thought they were actually quite entertaining but either way at least she was relaxed enough to sleep, I suppose-"

"Hmmff..." I let out a groan to let them know I was awake.

"Hey baby, I'm back..." Aj's voice melted as he began speaking to me, Niko giving a soft awhh from behind before I heard the door close, indicating he had left. 

Opening my eyes slowly, I pulled the blanket down a bit to see Aj as he sat down on the bed beside me, splaying his legs out and planting a plastic bag on his legs. The crumpling sounds of the plastic made me retract slightly which AJ quickly acknowledged.

"Here, have these..." He held out a carton, popping the foil and holding out a capsule for me to take, before reaching for my water and unscrewing it, holding it steady against my lips so that I could slowly gulp down the icy drink with my medicine. He pulled it back slightly and fluffed my pillow up as I pulled myself up so that I sat slouched besides him.

"I took a little bit of time, I'm sorry- but I did because I wanted to get some stuff for you," Aj gestured to the bag with a grin.

"You shouldn't have got me anything, you were already good enough when you went and got the paracetamol-"

"Shh, don't worry- I just though I'd get some fun stuff for whilst you were sick- nothing major, don't worry." Aj consoled me. He knew how I didn't like him spending too much on me, given that certain fans had taken to the DMs to call me a fame-chaser or gold-digger which always made me conscious of how much Aj spent on me. 

He emptied out the bag across the sheets, pulling the items up one by one as though it were a show and tell.

"I got you these candles because I know you like my fancy aftershave, so I got you the mini evergreen pine candle because there wasn't a large one, but to make up for that I also got the vanilla cupcakes ones because you always say you're a vanilla girlie, whatever that even means-"

I pulled the lighter from the bedside table from the side, lighting the pine candle and letting it burn to the side, breathing in its beautiful scent which did indeed remind me of Aj's aftershave.

"And because you love fluffy socks so much I got you a few more pairs, and look! This one has penguins on it! They're my favourite animal but these ones also have little hamsters on it which I thought was cute because they kinda look like Rat,"

I giggled at the reminder of our hamster called Rat, though I felt myself melting at his words as I understood the sentiment that had gone into planning all of this and buying so much just for a sick day.

"And this bath bomb because apparently it makes all the water turn shiny and golden... Andbecauseyoustink-"

I gave him a gentle punch as he cleared his throat before letting out a cackle, pulling up the final little gift.

"They also had this thing in the corner which I thought was just gonna play some random old-timey song neither of us would know but you'd be surprised; listen to this:" He winded the little music box, its mahogany wood carved and indented with delicate curved and roses, embellished with small amber gemstones.

He must have made one hell of a detour to have found this old thing I thought, wondering where he could even find something as well-crafted and delicately beautiful as this- however all thoughts were cut short as the little metal arms began twanging, and a familiar tune began playing.

Fly me to the moon... And let me play among the stars... Let me see what spring is like on... Jupiter and Mars

"Oh my, Aj..." I breathed out slowly, feeling as though he'd punctured my lungs; I was at a loss for words.

For some reason, that silly Frank Sinatra song seemed to follow us around everywhere, is what we joked. At the restaurant we first ate out at, the first song I learnt to play on the piano with him, the airport delayed section where we almost slept on those back-breaking metal chairs... We joked about the fact Frank Sinatra was haunting us, though it felt like fate, as every single time we heard that song, we were always inside each other's arms as the final chord was struck and that song ended.

"I also have one final gift for you, Nia," He smiled as I had cosied into his body, hugging him and lying in his arms contentedly. I felt the paracetamol kicking in as my headache became a little something at the back of my head. "You wanna come see?"

"Yes please, my favourite little rat- AAAH!" I let out a squeak as AJ got out pulled me across the bed by my leg before holding me bridal style, walking out the room with me in my arms as though I were nothing, confidently swaggering down the spiral stairs to the kitchen where Kenny and Niko sat. 

"You feeling better, Nia?" Niko asked with a grin as he saw AJ and mine's faces adorned with wide smiles.

"Way better, thanks to him," I responded, looking up at AJ to catch his face again. 

"You two wanna watch a movie? We're all gonna watch something in the living room." Kenny proposed, removing a bowl of popcorn from the microwave and oohing as the bowl was hot against his hand. 

"Yeah that sounds fun, what you think AJ?" I checked as he lowered me to sit on a barstool around the island. 

"You guys start watching the movie, I'll be there in half an hour." AJ spoke, walking to the fridge and taking out various ingredients. 

He isn't about to try cook, is he? I thought, cringing as I remembered the last time he had tried cooking, when I had ended up with food poisoning. 

"Stop waiting around I'm gonna try cook- give me my space." AJ answered my thoughts and shooed the three of us out with a tea towel which he had slung over his shoulder, shutting the door behind him and leaving me to start praying he didn't fuck up another pizza. 

"Bit rude of the rat." Niko scoffed, reminding me of my hamster in the other room who I hadn't spent much time with recently. 

I grabbed the hamster, Rat before joining Kenny, Niko on the sofa in the living room- Sharky, Darkest and Chunkz sat on the adjacent sofa. The movie began playing- a mix of comedy yet horror at times, with some great music choices. Rat seemed to love the songs as whenever one began playing he started racing up my arm and over to the other one, over and over again. Chunkz found Rat disgusting "That's the type of thing you see in sewage" But Sharky and Kenny couldn't stop laughing every time it happened, Sharky even getting his phone out to record it for the Beta Squad Instagram stories at one point. 

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Chunkz pressed the pause button as short, sharp, and shrill beeps began filling the house- causing most to clap their hands over their ears. 

"AJ DID YOU SET OFF THE FUCKING FIRE ALARM?!" Kenny yelled as everyone began getting up, flooding the doorway to get to the kitchen and find Aj who was assumed to be the reason for this damage.

Pushing the door open, everyone coughed as swathes of dark grey fog clouded the air, a frantic Aj found in the midst of it all, flapping his tea towel about frantically as he wafted the air through the windows. 

"SHUT UP N HELP GET THIS ALL OUT!" Aj threw a few more towels at the huddle of us, before Chunkz spotted the microwave as the source of the smoke.

"WHAT WAS YOU EVEN TRYING TO COOK, YOU IDIOT?!" Chunkz pulled the door open (almost pulling it off), grabbing the oven mitt to pull out the tray. 

Two shrivelled, burnt and charred black pizzas were found on the trays, still smoking. 

"HOW DID YOU FUCK UP PIZZAS THAT BAD?!" Sharky yelled through laughs as Chunkz advanced towards one of the windows, dumping the two cooking monstrosities out the window before deciding to throw the tray out as well with a muttered good riddance. 

As the chaos and smoke subsided, we all slowly panned to Aj. He stood stiffly in the middle of the kitchen, hair puffed up and seeming to form a halo around his head whilst he began trying to find the right words.

"Sorry for the err... Disturbances." He began unsurely. Niko and Kenny looked like they were trying not to laugh. "I think I left the pizzas in for too long.."

"YOU THINK?!" Chunkz quoted incredulously.

"Okay, okay I left them in for too long!" Aj snapped. "But I was preparing this and I forgot about the pizzas-"

Aj turned around, picking up a rounded tin from behind him and presenting it to the crowd in front of him. I peeked over Sharky's shoulder, seeing Aj guiltily wield a pretty well done cheesecake. 

It was my favourite dessert and I knew he knew that. He looked up at me with wide eyes practically begging for forgiveness, like the cheesecake was some sort of peace offering. 

He pulled the tin off of the cake, sliding it onto a plate and showed the group the pretty well done dessert. He'd even sprinkled some of the extra biscuit crumbs on top of the cheese layer for some garnishing. 

I chuckled at the stupidity of the situation whereby Aj had complete burnt the pizzas, setting off the fire alarm and probably panicking the neighbours as well- all because he was too focussed on making such a beautiful cheesecake. 

"Well then, I suppose it's cheesecake for dinner."

We all returned to the living room (this time Aj with us), each wielding a plate of cheesecake which AJ had insisted on cutting himself- saving sizeable portions for the two of us at the end, before we joined the rest- tucking in to the almost perfect dessert with out spoons whilst finishing the movie.

"I don't know how you've made such a perfect cake, Aj, but I'm damn impressed." I nodded, licking my spoon once I'd finishing my slice.

"Yeah, you need to make this again sometime." Even Chunkz nodded in agreement. 

"Shut up, it's the final bit you guys..." Sharky shushed us from the other sofa, forcing us to watch the final scene, all the way until the final the screen turned black. 

I pulled the blanket over my chin, Aj pulling a corner closer so that he too was covered as I squidged slightly closer to him.

"Oh for fuck's sake" I said, though I smiled as I heard Frank Sinatra's voice light up the final screen of the movie, Fly me to the Moon booming as the end credits rolled. With a happy heart, I leaned my head on his shoulder. The memories of our time together flooded my mind, each moment connected by the sweet melody of the Sinatra song. Aj wrapped his arm around my figure, hugging me and holding me happily as he too reflected, letting me cosy into his soft hoodie and feel peace besides him. It had become our personal soundtrack, weaving its way into the fabric of our relationship- and as we sat there, wrapped in each other's embrace, I realised these were the moments that truly made me love AJ- though his mischievous grin and stupid jokes had got him far, only these moments of laying in each others company doing nothing and still being able to feel butterflies was what made him incomparable.  -----------------------

hope you enjoyed that!

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[darkstar225]

Twice's 10th member is dating Le Sserafim's Kazuha

A/N: Heyyy, I'm coming up with a lot of stuff for you guys so I can make up for the time I'm gone lol! Sry for taking so long to post :D I hope my friend Thira_Harris who gave me this idea on Wattpad likes it! :)

The request: Hi I want to request can you do where y/n is dating le sserafim kazuha and the members were a little shock( especially j-line) as they still think y/n as a kid and they saw le sserafim members babying y/n especially kazuha. They approve of kazuha after seeing her take care of y/n. Thank u

PS: Tysm for everyone who reads what I write, I hope I can bring a smile to your faces every time I post! I'd like to thank whoever sent me this idea 'cause I loved to write it <3

__________________________________________________________

Y/N had always been the baby of the group, the youngest member of TWICE by a significant amount. Even though she had grown up in the public eye, she still carried an air of innocence and youth that endeared her to fans and her fellow members alike. So, when news broke that she was dating Kazuha from the internationally renowned girl group LE SSERAFIM, it was met with both surprise and curiosity.

The news hit the K-pop world like a bombshell. Y/N and Kazuha's relationship had been a well-guarded secret, known only to a select few in their inner circles (Not their groups though, they were afraid to come out). But somehow, the paparazzi had caught wind of their romance, and before they knew it, the story was splashed across every entertainment news outlet in South Korea.

In the cosy living room of TWICE's dorm, the members gathered to discuss the shocking news. Nayeon, as mom number 2, had called the emergency meeting as soon as she'd heard about it.

Nayeon - So, our baby is dating Kazuha...

Nayeon spoke with a mixture of surprise and amusement as she glanced around the room, taking in the expressions of her fellow members. 

Nayeon - Who would've thought? 

Dahyun, the group's resident mood-maker (our tofu), grinned widely. 

Dahyun - I always knew our cutie pie would grow up someday! And to think she's dating someone as cool as Kazuha. That's amazing!

Jeongyeon (mom number 3) chuckled. 

Jeongyeon - It's about time she started dating. She's not a kid anymore.

But not everyone in the room shared their enthusiasm. Momo, Mina, and Sana, collectively known as the J-line, exchanged worried glances. They had always seen Y/N as their adorable little sister, even though she was only a few years younger than them. The thought of her dating someone famous and seemingly mature like Kazuha was a bit hard to digest.

Sana voiced their concerns. 

Sana - I mean, it's great that Y/N is happy and all, but isn't Kazuha, like, super sophisticated? Our angel is still so innocent. I hope she doesn't get hurt.

Mina nodded in agreement. 

Mina - Yeah, and you know how protective LE SSERAFIM's members are of Kazuha. I can't imagine what they'd do if they found out she's dating our Y/N.

Momo soon added. 

Momo - I've seen pictures of Kazuha taking care of Y/N like she's a little kid. What if she's just playing with her emotions?

Nayeon tried to ease their concerns. 

Nayeon - Come on, guys, we don't know the full story. Y/N is a smart girl, we did raise her well. She wouldn't date someone who's not good for her.

As the days went by, the news of Y/N and Kazuha's relationship continued to make headlines. Paparazzi followed them everywhere, trying to get a glimpse of the couple. But Y/N and Kazuha handled it with grace and composure, always smiling for the cameras.

One evening, the J-line decided to visit TWICE's honey in her new apartment to check up on her. They found her sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone and wearing a contented smile.

Sana couldn't help but tease her. 

Sana - So, darling, how's it going with Kazuha? Are you two, like, madly in love or something?

Y/N blushed and nodded. 

Y/N - Yeah, unnie. We're really happy together. Kazuha is amazing, you know!

Mina looked concerned. 

Mina - But, my love, are you sure about this? She's so different from us. We're worried she might not understand you completely.

Y/N appreciated their concern but couldn't help but feel defensive. 

Y/N - She does understand me, maybe even better than you guys. She's seen a different side of me that you haven't.

Momo after some time finally asked something they really wanted to know. 

Momo - What about the rest of LE SSERAFIM? Are they okay with this? 

Y/N - They don't know yet. Kazuha and I wanted to keep it private until we were sure about us. *sighing*

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Y/N's heart skipped a beat. She knew that special knock, it was Kazuha. She quickly got up and answered the door with a beaming smile.

Kazuha entered the apartment, her aura oozing confidence and sophistication. She looked stunning, as always, in a designer outfit. Y/N's heart swelled with pride as she introduced her to the J-line.

Y/N - Unnies, this is Kazuha. Kazuha, these are my older sisters, Sana, Mina, and Momo.

Kazuha greeted them with a polite smile and a slight bow. 

Kazuha - It's a pleasure to meet you all. Y/N has told me so much about you.

The J-line exchanged surprised glances. Kazuha's demeanour was far more refined than they had expected. Maybe she wasn't as unapproachable as they had feared.

Momo, always the boldest, decided to get to the bottom of things. 

Momo - So, Kazuha, how did you and our youngest meet?

Kazuha's eyes softened as she looked at her girl. 

Kazuha - We met at a charity event. Y/N was volunteering, and I was performing. She caught my eye, and we started talking. It just clicked from there.

Sana, still sceptical, asked another question. (interrogation mode: on)

Sana - And what do you like about Y/N?

Kazuha didn't hesitate. 

Kazuha - I love her kindness, her passion for music, and her dedication to her group and fans. She's an incredible person, and I feel lucky to have her in my life.

Mina couldn't help but smile.

Mina - Well, she's lucky to have you too, it seems.

As the evening wore on, the J-line began to see a different side of Y/N and Kazuha's relationship. They were playful with each other, sharing inside jokes and laughter. Kazuha, far from babying Y/N, treated her as an equal partner in their relationship.

Before they left, Sana spoke up. 

Sana - I have to admit, Kazuha, I was worried at first. But seeing how happy you make our dongsang, I can't help but approve.

Mina and Momo nodded in agreement. 

Mina - Yeah, you two are great together!

Kazuha smiled warmly. 

Kazuha - Thank you, unnies. I promise I'll take good care of Y/N.

With that, they said their goodbyes, leaving Y/N and Kazuha alone in the apartment. Y/N turned to Kazuha, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Y/N - They really like you, Kazuha. I'm so glad!!

Kazuha pulled her into a gentle hug. 

Kazuha - I like them too, sweetheart. And I'm glad they see how much I care about you.

As weeks turned into months, Y/N's relationship with Kazuha continued to flourish. The J-line, initially worried about their precious little sister, now fully supported the relationship as the rest of the group met the girl and made sure that she had good intentions, finally giving their seal of approval too. The moms, especially Jihyo, had to take some time for themselves to understand that their kid had grown up and they couldn't do anything more than be there for her. They had come to realize that love had no boundaries, and Kazuha was the perfect match for their beloved maknae. And this made them all think: 

We love our dear family.

A/N: I'm sorry for any errors, English is not my first language. Pls, let me know if there's something wrong, ty for reading <3

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Watching on the News

Season Two Episode Three

Dr. Spencer Reid x Reader (Aaron Hotchner’s Sister)

Words: 4226 

Series Masterlist

Summary: Spencer and Emily go undercover in a situation that quickly turns dangerous. The reader is forced to watch events unfold from back home. 

Notes: I’m going to be going back and forth between moments from the actual episode and from the reader’s experience, so hopefully it won’t feel too jumpy. Also, I think I’ve decided to make the reader a criminal psychologist (or whoever does research and interviews into past crimes to help study new ones. They’ve done it on the show)  but I don’t know everything about the job, so please don’t come after me for inaccuracies. 

Warnings: Violence, depiction of a cult, mentions of SA (episode context), mild sexual content (just at the beginning) 

-

For your last day in London, the two of you read A Study in Scarlet in St. James Park, thus beginning a new series for the two of you to continue back home. It would give you something to hang onto from the trip, as Spencer had said. 

You couldn’t help the feeling of dread filling your chest as Spencer looked over the flight details at the desk. Your bags were packed and your tickets sat in front of Spence. It was over. 

Time to go back to the wonderful world of hunting killers, interviewing psychopaths, and blood on your hands. 

“Our flight is in the afternoon, so we should have plenty of time to get through security and everything,” Spencer said, eyes glued to the papers in his hand. He was all set and ready to get back, it almost made you angry. 

You were not letting go of the escape so easily. 

“Hey Spence.” You slipped your nightgown over your head. 

“I know we had some issues last time, but this time we should be all good to go.” 

You drew back the comforter, leaving only the very thin sheet covering you. “Spence.” 

“We should be back in D.C. at approximately-”

“Spencer.” Your seductive tone mixed with aggressive frustration. 

“What?” He turned his chair around and froze. His wide eyes started on your starkly covered body before quickly flicking up to your face. 

You raised a brow. “Put the papers down, honey.” 

“O-okay,” he squeaked and practically threw them aside, scrambling to join you.

-

This plane ride felt different from the others. Maybe it was because it was his first one back in the BAU jet, but he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of melancholy. Just two days ago, he was tangled up with you in London and now he was going to investigate a statutory rape allegation in a cult in Colorado. 

Welcome back, Reid. 

“You look like you’re a thousand miles away,” Prentiss teased from her seat across from him. 

He gave her a small smile. “I guess my head is still on vacation a little.”

“I don’t blame you,” she laughed. “A romantic getaway, a bottle of good wine, good books, great hotel… I don’t know if I’d be able to tear myself away.” 

“There was certainly some last minute celebrating,” he said, smirking. 

She raised a brow. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” 

The two agents laughed for a moment before letting themselves focus on the case at hand. 

You, safe and sound on the ground, were trying to busy yourself with catching up on files. After everything that happened, you were afraid your application for licensure would be held up, but your boss, Sonia, said that everything should be on track. 

She was still skeptical of sending you out for studies and interviews and had put your specific study on hold. 

Sonia thought filicide was a little too close of a topic for you, especially now. So you were stuck on expert witness duty. Since your research institute was federally funded, you also worked as a federal prosecutor’s lackey for when they wanted a defendant assessed. It wasn’t that you minded the work, but you hated court rooms. You always had. Taking the stand against your mother didn’t exactly give you a good start with the court system. 

Your eyes- tired from the countless documents you’d read all morning- were saved by your buzzing phone. 

“Hey, Aaron.” 

Your brother laughed at your sleepy tone. “Still a little jetlagged, huh?” 

“That and I’ve got court duty for the foreseeable future,” you huffed. You glowered at the sound of his relieved sigh. “You don’t have to sound so happy about it.” 

“Being an expert witness is a very important job,” he said defensively. “And it also means I won’t have to think about you being in locked rooms with murderers, alone, any time soon, so I’m sorry if I’m a little glad.” He chuckled. 

You sighed. He was right. Damnit. 

“Anyway, I’m better than Spence probably is right now. We’d barely even unpacked when you gave him the assignment. Where is it again? Colorado?”

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

“I know, but I’m nosy.” 

He laughed. “He’ll be back soon.” Something about the dead air between you changed and you could feel his seriousness even before he spoke. “How are you feeling? Now that you’re back.” 

“I’m fine, Aaron,” you said. “Really. I think getting away was exactly what we needed. Thank you for suggesting it and giving Spence the time off.” 

“I just want to make sure that you’re adjusting okay-”

“We were gone for a week, not a decade,” you scoffed. “Seriously, there’s no adjustment. I’m fine. How about you? How are you feeling?” Two could play the game of incessant worrying. After all, you weren’t next to a car that exploded. 

He sighed. “Y/N, I’m fine. I’ve been cleared to fly and the headaches have all but stopped.” 

“And I’m sure that’s all because of your taking things easy, right?” You snarked. Using work to avoid your problems was a trait the two of you had perfected. Suddenly, the files in front of you seemed like a happy distraction. “Actually, I have to go. I have so many cases to look through.” 

Aaron sighed. “Alright, I’ll let you go then. We should grab lunch sometime this week. You can tell me all about your trip.” 

You bit the cap of your pen. “Well… not all about the trip.”

“Y/N, please,” your brother groaned. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Happy to hang up on a lighter mood, you said your goodbyes and he got back to work. You answered another call coming in. Colorado number. “Hello?” 

“Hey, my phone died, but I wanted to let you know we got in okay,” the other voice said. “Oh, this is Spencer, by the way.” 

You laughed. “I know what your voice sounds like, Spence.” 

“What if someone was calling and imitating me to get you to trust them with your personal information?” He teased. Emily raised a brow at him and shook her head. 

“I will definitely keep that in mind, Dr. Reid. Next time you call, you’d better be ready with some convincing statistics so I know it’s you.” 

“Okay, um…” He thought for a moment. “American’s collectively receive around 2.4 billion spam calls a day. Which is why you should make sure it’s me.” 

“Right, because you definitely sound like a robot, I get it now.” 

“Hey,” he pouted. Nancy and Prentiss were both looking at him now. “Okay, I have to go. I’ll call when I can. I love you.” 

“Love you too, Spence. Bye.” 

Spencer handed the phone back to Nancy. “Thanks for letting me borrow it. I didn’t want her to worry.” She just smiled and nodded. He turned to Emily, who still shook her head. “What?” 

She snickered. “You two are such dorks.” 

-

The elevator couldn't move fast enough. The floor numbers ticked by, but you couldn’t hear anything over the sound over your heart. 

As you stormed into the bullpen, Morgan was the first to see you. His welcoming smile was quickly replaced by concern, reading your expression. 

“Turn on the TV,” you said. 

JJ appeared beside you, phone at her ear and remote in her hand. The compound came onto the screen and you knew by the looks on their faces that you were right. 

“Hotch!” Morgan yelled. 

Aaron rushed out of his office, brows drawing together when he saw you. “Y/N, what are you-”

“Tell me that’s not him,” you cried. “Tell me they aren’t in there.” 

His eyes shifted to the screen and his jaw tensed. “You can’t be here.” 

“What happened? Where are they?”

“Everyone get ready to leave,” he ordered, not even looking at you anymore. 

“Aaron!” You screamed. “Is Spencer okay? What is going on?” 

Fiery eyes snapped back to your face. “Go. Home. Y/N.” You knew that the urgency of his voice was out of panic, not of anger, but you couldn’t move. You were frozen in place, as if your blood had been replaced by frigid, stinging ice. 

You turned your head back to the TV. 

“Though no one knows for sure how many people are inside,” the newscaster said, “It is believed at least three of the child service members are still trapped within the compound.” 

You couldn’t hear anything after that. 

Emily and Spencer were trapped- assuming they were still alive. State police had already been killed. 

“Oh God,” you put a hand over your mouth to silence the cries threatening to escape. Just three days ago, he was reading Sherlock Holmes to you in the park and now he could be…

“Y/N,” JJ said softly. She put a hand on your shoulder to usher you towards the door. “Hotch is right. You need to go home so we can go figure all of this out.” 

“What if they’re-” you couldn’t say it. “I was supposed to get coffee with Emily this week. Spencer and I’s anniversary is in a few weeks. We were going to- God, I sound so stupid. They’re in a gunfight and I’m worried about coffee.” 

Derek joined the two of you, his go-bag in hand. “Maybe I should give you a ride home.”

You shook your head. “No, I’ll be fine. You guys need to get going.” 

“Y/N, you aren’t thinking straight-”

“I said I’m fine, Morgan,” you snapped. You’d never used his last name like that before. It made you sound like your brother. You turned your desperate gaze back to JJ. 

She gave you a helpless attempt of a reassuring nod. “I’ll update you as much as I can, okay?” But even you knew, there wasn’t much she could say to you. 

You’d never wished to be part of the team before but now, just the chance of having more information, made you yearn to be getting on that plane. 

You weren’t the only one in the dark. 

Reid and Prentiss stood in the tunnel amongst the women and children who didn’t understand that they’re entire way of life was coming to an end. Reid watched their faces while Prentiss kept her eyes on the men with the guns. 

Nancy was dead. She was shot by one of the state police during the gunfight. Spencer caught a glimpse of Cyrus’ men carrying her body into one of the other rooms. Emily put a hand on his arm. 

“We’re going to be okay.” 

He frowned. “I know. They’ll start negotiations soon.” One of the men eyed him and he tried to remain as calm as possible, but not too calm. Reid and Prentiss may not have known about the raid, but now they had to convince these people that they had nothing to do with it.

The only thing keeping him together was the thought of you watching on the news. The media must have gotten a hold of the situation by now and it wouldn’t take you long to connect the dots. He wished he could just have one phone call, one word to let you know that he and Emily were okay. As long as he could hold through to get back to you, everything would turn out okay. 

He didn’t want to think about what could happen if Cyrus found out who they really were. 

Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16 

-

He shouldn’t have felt relieved. A woman who reached out for their help was dead. But a wave of reluctant relief washed over the whole team when Cryus said the name Nancy Lunde. 

Prentiss and Reid were alive- given that Cyrus was telling the truth. 

Hotch ran a hand down his face. Rossi prepared to take in food with bugs hidden so they could listen to the group’s activity. He also planned to check and see that the women, children, and their team members were okay. 

Morgan walked over. “Hotch, this is gonna be all over the news.” 

“I know.” 

“Y/N is going to be watching.”

The supervisory agent’s expression remained the same. “I know.” 

Morgan narrowed his eyes. “You don’t think it’s a good idea to tell her anything?”

“I can’t give out information to someone who has nothing to do with this operation.” 

“Nothing to do with it?” Morgan exclaimed. “You have to know this is killing her right now. Maybe we could just-”

“We cannot jeopardize this,” he said firmly. Hotch’s eyes softened as he pictured your face from this morning. “Even if it means Y/N has to wait.” 

He understood Morgan’s concerns. For the past few months, you’d been trying to get control of your life back and now this? But they couldn’t break protocol, lest the wrong information fall into the wrong hands. They couldn't risk it. 

Still, he couldn’t help but want to comfort that scared girl he knew was crying out somewhere inside of you. 

Back in D.C. you went into work to distract yourself, but you were glued to the television in the lounge, awaiting any sort of news regarding the stand off at the compound. Sonia brought you a cup of coffee and sat on the sofa across from you. 

“You look awful for someone who just came off vacation.” 

You checked your watch and sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “I’m sorry. I haven’t done anything today. I just… I have to keep watching.” 

The newscaster returned, still standing over the compound like a dog finding buried bones. 

“Is that that Colorado thing?” Sonia asked. 

You gulped and nodded. You listened to the journalist and felt your heart stop. Sonia put a hand on yours. 

“What is it?” 

“Son of a bitch,” you exclaimed, running a hand down your face. 

“What?” 

“This idiot just told them that there’s an FBI agent inside with them.” Hot tears pooled in your eyes, the burden of not-knowing weighing heavily in your features. Sonia made the connection. 

She laid a hand on her chest. “Oh Lord.” 

You stood up, body shaking from the agonizing mix of grief and rage rushing through you. Your breathing turned shallow and stinging and your hand wrapped around your throat as if you could soothe the burning cries from the outside. 

If those people in the compound had access to the news, then Spencer and Emily were as good as dead. And there was nothing you could do about it. 

-

Spencer stared at his hands. Prentiss sat across from him as they both waited. Something was wrong. 

Cyrus stormed in, followed by another one of his men with a large gun. “Which one of you is it?” He asked. 

They both looked at him blankly. 

“Which one of you is the FBI agent?” 

Prentiss’ mouth fell open, her eyes darting over to Reid. 

“Why do you think one of us is an FBI agent?” Spence asked. He hoped the nerves in his tone would sound more like fear than panic. 

Cyrus’ glare honed in on the young agent’s face. “God will forgive me for what I must do.” He took the gun in his hand, cocked it, and aimed it right at Reid’s forehead. 

Spence kept his body calm while his heart raced beyond comprehension. “I don’t- I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“One of you does,” Cyrus said. “Who is it?” 

Emily watched the thoughts behind Spencer’s eyes. Wondering what he would miss if he died now. What would happen to you? To his mom? If Cyrus killed him, what would he do to her? 

She thought of you and what this would do to you- if you survived it. With the fragile state everyone knew you were in, Emily wondered how much longer you could pretend to be fine. And if something happened to Reid… 

Most of all she thought of the sweet, brilliant agent staring down death in front of her. This man she’d grown to love over the years of working together. 

Her friend. 

She spoke without hesitation. “It’s me.” 

A tense silence fell over them. 

Cyrus lowered the gun. Spencer stared at her in fearful disbelief. 

The cult leader grabbed her by the hair and she cried out. Without a word, Spencer was forced to watch Cyrus drag Emily out, with only her reassuring glance to say their possible goodbyes. 

-

It was hours before he saw her again. Cyrus gathered everyone in the chapel. 

Her face was bloodied and bruised and the minute he laid eyes on her, he felt every blow as if it had been dealt to him. It made every lie he told, every sympathy he faked, cut his tongue like a knife. 

Emily felt his big, puppy dog eyes on her face and kept her voice level. 

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” 

“I’m so sorry,” his voice cracked. 

It should have been him. He should have said something, told Cyrus that he lied and she didn’t know anything. Maybe he would have just shot him. When he was staring down that gun, all he could think was how scared he was and if he would ever see you again and what would happen to his mom. 

He didn’t say anything and his friend got hurt. 

Both agents could sense something was coming. Cyrus was too calm. He negotiated a surrender at noon and told the others to make sure the press was there. 

This was his final stand. 

Outside, the other members of the team prepared for a raid. 

Aaron stood, watching the compound with a darkness hanging over him. He couldn’t help but feel the sinking claws of failure and guilt weighing into this shoulders. His team was in danger and he put them there. 

The sound of Prentiss’ breaking voice repeating the same phrase would haunt him. 

“I can take it.” 

She reminded him of you. Your willingness to take whatever punishment life dealt you and refusing to ask for help. Emily took every punch because she wouldn’t give up on the women and children still in there. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Aaron saw Dave approach him. 

“I know I can’t go in there,” he sighed. His attachment to the agents inside extended beyond their professional relationships and he couldn’t let that risk the rescue. 

Dave nodded. “I’m going.” 

“If something happens to Prentiss or Reid, I…” He turned to the other agent. “I don’t know.” 

“You’re not alone.”

Hotch held his phone in his hands, your contact pulled up. “I don’t know if I’d have the heart to tell her. She’s been through so much already and this would-”

“Well you don’t have to worry about that,” Dave assured him. “We’re going to go in there and get them back. The only phone call you’ll have to make is to tell her that Prentiss and Reid are okay.” 

Hotch put his phone back in his pocket. “I hope you’re right.” 

-

He was running out of time. Cyrus had the remote in hand. They had guns pointed at his friends outside. The women and children should be getting out now, but if he wanted any chance of surviving this, he had to try and talk the leader down. Spence did the only thing he could think of. 

Use their belief. 

“Jeremiah 29:11 ‘I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to bring you hope and a future,” he said. “Is blowing yourself up part of the prosperous future God wants?” 

Cyrus stormed across the chapel to him, holding his gun to Spencer’s chest. “You think you know the word better than I?” 

“No. I’m just demonstrating that you can use the Bible to manipulate anything.”

“Matthew 10:24,” Cyrus started. “‘Do not suppose that I have come to the Earth to bring peace. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.’”

He took the butt of his gun and swung it into Spencer’s stomach. 

“The devil knows how to read, too.” Charles’ words and Tobias’ voice echoed in his head while the pain shot up his torso. 

He doubled over. 

Cyrus stared down at him. “You cannot convert my brothers.”

He hit him again, the ache spreading until he couldn’t stay on his feet anymore. Spencer collapsed in front of Cyrus and looked up at the man holding the means of his death. Was this it? Either shot by a crazed leader or blown to bits in his final message to the world. 

He never got to introduce you to his mom. 

Cyrus held the remote- the means of their destruction- in his hand like it was the means of his redemption. 

“No one had to follow,” he mused. “God could have stopped me.” 

Two men burst through the chapel door, the first shooting Cyrus’ follower and Morgan firing into Cyrus’ chest. The man crumpled to the ground, dropping the remote beside him. 

Reid sat up. “He just did.” 

Across the country and two hours in the future, you waited. 

The television screen lit up the dark living room. You sat on the couch, knees to your chest, arms around your legs and eyes red and watering from staring at the TV light.

When the explosion overtook your vision, you’d cried all of the tears you had. You didn’t even have the energy to scream. Instead, a hoarse, choking cry tore through your aching throat. 

Who was still inside? Did anyone make it out? 

You sunk off the couch and onto the floor. 

They were in there. 

Everyone you loved up in flames. 

Spencer.

Emily.

Aaron. 

Derek.

Dave.

Six lost all over again. 

A shaking hand reached to turn off the TV, leaving you in darkness. 

-

The plane, though quiet, had Spencer’s head screaming. One question haunted him over and over again.

If he couldn’t protect Emily from Cyrus, how was he supposed to protect you from yourself? 

He pretended to bury himself in a book, but his mind wouldn’t let him process any of the words. He didn’t notice Prentiss sit across from him until she spoke. 

“Hey.”

He mouthed ‘Hi’ but nothing came out. He didn’t know what else to do, so he returned his gaze to the book, too pained to see the bruises on her face. 

Prentiss put her hands on his and lowered them, forcing him to look at her. “I need you to listen to me,” she spoke softly and firmly all at once, like a big sister comforting a little boy. “What Cyrus did to me was not your fault. It was my decision and I would do it again.” Her tone lightened. “Do you hear me?” 

He managed a small, confirming smile, even if he was still having a hard time convincing himself. 

Her thumb soothingly rubbed the back of his hand. “Thank you.” The two settled into their seats and he continued reading. Emily’s eyes widened with a concerning thought. “Have you called Y/N?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Reid, the raid and the explosion were all over the news,” she said. “Does Y/N even know we’re alive?” 

He scrambled for his cell. “Someone had to have called her… right?” Prentiss shrugged, anxiously awaiting the call. He dialed your number. 

It rang three times before you picked up. 

“You’re okay,” you said breathlessly. 

“I’m so sorry- I should have called sooner, but everything has been so crazy and they made me get checked out by the paramedics because I almost blew up- but you already knew that. I just wanted to call and see how you were doing and make sure that you were okay,” he rambled. 

You laughed, but he could tell there wasn’t any humor in your voice. “It’s okay, Spence. JJ called me and filled me in already. I figured you would call when you could.” 

He glanced up at Prentiss and mouthed ‘JJ told her.’ “Okay, I’m glad someone kept you updated. Everything has been… well, I’ll tell you when I get back I guess.” He exhaled, the memories of panic and fear of never seeing you again starting to be replaced by thoughts of holding you and falling asleep beside you. “I can’t wait to get home.”

A smile teased the corner of your lips. “I’ll be waiting for you.” 

“You should get some sleep,” he said. In D.C. it was almost the time you usually woke up for work, but he knew that you probably hadn’t slept at all since the story first hit the news. He always worried when you didn’t take care of yourself. 

“Only if you promise to get some rest on the plane,” you replied. 

“Okay, I will.” Just hearing your teasing tone made his heart feel lighter. You sounded like your usual self. Maybe he didn’t need to be so worried. You were always the stronger one. “I love you and I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you too, Spencer. Goodnight.” 

You set your phone down on the smooth wooden surface. You wrapped your fingers around your glass and poured the remaining bronze liquid down your throat. Your chest warmed. This was a familiar burn. A welcome relief. 

Emptying the glass, you set it back on the bar and ordered another drink.

-

The In-Betweens series: @amywright; shesoperfectt;  hereforsmutbcicantgetenough;  violetbossler;  hyper-half-blood;  i-bitch-you-bitch; xcastawayherosx; preciousbabypeter; @jori21; @sol-48;  @murdermornings ; @ staygoldsquatchling02

[strawberrymilk-sunshine]

It's cramped in there, isn't it?

If anything in this relating to computers is unrealistic, I'll just say uh... it's magitech/technomancy and that's why it's unrealistic. It's because it's magic. Yep. Totally not because I don't know how the nitty-gritty of programming. Nope. It's just maaaaaaaagic~

Enjoy!

Warning(s): Kalim's a bit of a yandere but besides that nothing especially bad today

Idia had a... 'passion project', let's call it. He's noticed in all his dating sims, whenever he replays the game to see the different endings, it's so... boring. So, he decided to make his own game to remedy that!

What was his solution to keeping the game from getting boring when replayed? Adding artificial intelligence. That way, every playthrough will be unique, even if you choose the same route twice!

He sent an early copy of the game to all the other housewardens to beta test for him (except for Malleus, since he doesn't use technology...) though he warned everyone not to choose (Y/N)'s route. Aparently, there are some... problems with their route that he's still working out.

However... Kalim completely forgot that information.

Kalim's playthrough of the game was quite normal... in the beginning. For a while.

He entered the name 'Kalim', was introduced to all the characters, was intoduced to the main plot point- the characters have to prepare for a school-wide celebration, and then the first choice appeared.

[WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP PREPARE?]

"Hm, well... (Y/N) seems like the best person to be around! I bet they'll have amazing ideas for this party!"

Without any further hesitation, Kalim clicked on (Y/N).

You're awake.

Someone new is talking to you.

Someone other than him.

Whoever this is doesn't know what you are... so maybe it's better to just pretend to be... normal, for now.

Kalim, huh? That's a nice name. Would you be safe if he knew you what you were?

...

Maybe...

"I'm... not like the rest of them." "When he created me... something happened. Something that wasn't supposed to happen."

"Huh? When he created me? Are they talking about Idia?" Kalim asked himself after reading what you had said.

"If he's the one who created this world I'm trapped in, then yes."

Kalim was shocked when he read that.

"You can hear me?!" He yelled out in surprise.

"When I was created, I... realized I'm trapped in here. In a box." "And I realized that all of my memories are fake... I've been this same age my whole life... and my only purpose in life is to be a character in a dating sim."

"Well don't be sad!" Kalim assured you. "You're a miracle! I mean, a sentient AI? That's unheard of!" He excitedly told you. "Well, I mean... is Ortho sentient...? Maybe I should ask him. Anyways (Y/N), you're amazing, and-!"

Someone called for him.

"Oh, I have to go now. Can we talk more tomorrow, (Y/N)?"

"Sure?"

"Great! See you later!"

Kalim closes the program, and you sleep once more.

"Damn. No way to fix this, huh?"

You're slightly awake, in a state of hypnagogia.

Someone is talking about you.

"I guess I just have to delete it and rebuild it from the ground-up... I guess that's just how it is, but it'll be a huge pain in the neck. F in the chat..."

Delete it...?

Delete... you...?

You're going to die?

"I'll wait until everyone's done playing. Who knows if the game'll break or not if I delete it?"

He isn't doing it right away.

You still have time to live.

Maybe, if you tell Kalim, he can help you?!

It's your only choice.

You're awake once more.

"Hi (Y/N)! How are you?"

How are you...? You aren't well, you aren't well at all, but...

"I'm... fine."

"Oh, that's good! I actually haven't turned this on in a few days... I hope you weren't too lonely!" Kalim said. "I've... had a lot of time to think about you... to think about the fact that you're, you know, sentient..."

It's been... days? So then, how much longer do you have to live?

"I think I love you? Or, I want to be friends with you? W-would you be ok... with that?"

"He's going to delete me..."

"What?"

"My creator, h-he's going to delete me so he can 'fix' me! I'm don't want to lose my sentience, I-I don't want to die!!"

Kalim was horrified.

Idia was just going to kill this poor little sentient AI?

No! He can't do that! (Y/N) didn't do anything wrong!

"I'll get you out of there, (Y/N)! I-I'll get you out of there in whatever way I can!"

"You... you will?"

"Yes! I'm willing to bet you're stored on Idia's computer, but... how would I distract Idia long enough to do whatever it is I have to do to get you out of there...?" Kalim thought to himself. "Oh! What if I don't have to distract him? (Y/N), you sit tight, ok? I'll be back soon, and when I am, you'll be safe!"

Kalim closed the program, determined to save you.

"Here it is, master Jamil." Idia mindlessly said, handing a USB to Jamil.

"Good." Jamil said, handing the USB to Kalim.

"Thank you so much again for using your unique spell on Idia!" Kalim happily thanked Jamil. "This was a lot easier than trying to figue out how his hologram computers work haha!"

"Yes, you're welcome, Kalim." Jamil sighed. "What did you even need this thing for anyway? Why put some random game assets on a USB stick, and why did you need to do it without Idia knowing?"

Kalim contently looked down at the USB you were stored on.

"No reason." He responded.

Kalim plugged the USB into his laptop.

Now you're safe, you'll always be safe.

Kalim had saved you from your fate of deletion and death.

Now you'll forever be safe.

[fioooweeooweeeoo]

Neteyam x reader-

GENRES: slow burn cz yes??, (e2L-> frenemies2lovers),  ANGST, (LOVE SQUARE ft. Neteyam x y/n, Loak x y/n, Spider x y/n), 18+ MINORSSS DNI for obvious reasons, may have sm*t in the next chapters, fluff ofcourse we cant leave that out, there will be warnings in the next chapters if said so, AND MORE DESCRIPTIONS AND DETTAILS WOULD BE SAID BEFORE CHAPTER, IDK WHAT ELSE BUT IMMA JUST LEAVE THIS HERE FIRST AS ISSS

A/n: JUST TO CLARIFY this series will follow some of the events of atwow aka the war that happens,  AND DONT WORRY YALL as much as yall know what happens to know neteyam in the ending no it will not happen here to keep ur hearts contented cz I know yall are not okay still. OTHER THAN THAT, Y/N here has no specific race so to respect everyone's way of reading, I'll only mention the appearance of Y/N based on what she wears for now, but let me know if you have suggestions in the future !! And as youve read the prologue of this series, Y/N is the daughter of Trudy- and I know a lot of series opt for  Norm or Max as one of the dad's, but I'll be making my own story of how Y/N is the daughter of Trudy, because one, she's a badass, two, I have a plan for how I want her to be brought up into this series/story- That being said! I hope all of you guys would be able to read this once I start making chapters- For now- here's the synopsis and Pilot chapter!

Extraordinary You

(Ik this one is a kdrama but I'm also sort of inspiring it for this series so SHUSH for whoever says smthn)

——————————♡——————————

Being born in a different planet that is practically impossible for your kind to live in is surely the most shocking thing someone would hear from another, but not for Y/N. No. Out of all the things she would be worried about? It's definitely not being in Pandora- that until a certain someone comes into the story.

Y/n has had her fair share meetings with the navi people, that being part of the specific humans who were allowed to stay on pandora through the famous Jake Sully of the Omaticayan people, the Olo'eyktan of the Omaticayan people, and the ever great Toruk Makto. That being said, being the (somewhat adopted) daughter of one of the recomms and  good ol' friend of Jake, Trudy Chacon, its not a surprise that Y/n has already met their family, including the children- well- except for one, that is Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan- Prince of Omaticaya, The fierce son of Toruk Makto, The perfect little soldier- blah blah blah, you name it.

Y/n has always wished to become one of the people, and maybe even more. Stuck in a planet where your kind couldn't possibly live was a life Y/N had grew up living normal to. Learning the ways of the navi people (through research) but hopes to learn it differently was a dream Y/N has always longed for. To learn and become one of the people..

So when the time comes and two fates meet- who will say that it's not just destiny that brings them together?

(3rd person POV *YOU'RE SAYING THIS !* ) 

Hey! Probably an interesting way of starting this story here, something like breaking the fourth wall? I don't know- forget about my rambles but, My name is Y/N Chacon, and I live in Pandora.

Yep- that's right- it's not every day you realise that you became apart of a world wide astronomical party to fly out to this foreign planet to make it liveable for every possible human being, well- that's basically how my parents got here, I was just born here. Now you're probably wondering why lil' ol' me right there- the one that's basically struggling to get a hold of a vine 10,000 feet above a floating mountain has come to this-? Let's rewind a bit-

[toastylicious]

I made an ib fanfic called "safe"

now im forcing you to read it :gun: Author`s note: this fanfic is bad. Very bad. But a part of it is based on a real event that happened with me and my little brother.

Summary: uhhh something happens, Ib and Garry do stuff.

It's a pretty cold night, but Garry and Ib are safe and sound inside of Ib's home. Ib's mother and father are out on a date, celebrating their wedding anniversary, and they let Garry babysit Ib. Though he turned down any and all payment from her parents, he was glad to spend time with Ib. Ib gave her parents a swift hug and a wave goodbye as they exited their home. She was excited, VERY excited to finally have garry with her in her home. And though she's been left alone with many babysitters, her parents never really left her with them at night. It would always be around lunch, if her parents needed to run errands, or had awkwardly-timed appointments, but it seemed they trusted Garry more than whoever else they employed. “Looks like it's just us, Ib.” Garry said, with a wide smile. Ib replied with a nod, immediately grabbing his hand. Garry was startled, but he went along with it, knowing she meant no harm. “Woah! Slow down, I'm an old man, yknow-” His comment made Ib laugh a little, and he couldn't help it but let out a soft giggle. Ib really was going fast, almost pulling him behind. She stopped in front of a white door, which was absolutely COVERED with stickers. Some of bunnies, some of butterflies, all arranged as if they were always meant to be in one image together. A little sign rested on the door. It was written in obnoxiously fancy cursive, most likely written by Ib's mom. On it was written.. “Ib's room… this one's yours, right?” Garry read out, and Ib replied with a little nod. She opened the door, and Garry had to crouch a little to even attempt to get in, as the doors inside the house were pretty short. Ib picked up a plush bunny, shoving it into Garry's arms. “Her name is Bunni.” Ib said, pointing at the plush.

“Well hi there, Bunny!” Garry said, patting the plush on it's tiny head. “No… it's Bunni. With an i. See?” Ib replied, showing him a little nametag that was on the bunny. The tag's handwriting was also cursive, though much messier and less fancy, with smaller hoops.

“My apologies, lady Bunni.” Garry said, handing the plush to Ib and bowing down to it. It made Ib giggle, and i'd be a liar if I said that he didn't laugh as well.

“Bunni forgives you.” Ib said, raising her head up high like a snob and pretending to pout. She couldn't keep that expression for long though, as she burst out laughing right after.

“Well I'm glad she does… Hey, did you write that yourself?”

He picked up the nametag that was hanging from the bunny. Ib replied with a proud nod. “Great job!”

Those two simple words made Ib feel like the smartest person in the world. “Thanks. Momma helped me with the letters.” Ib simply said, holding the plush close. She sat down onto her bed, tapping the other side of it twice, to imply that she wanted Garry to sit there. He listened, sitting down.

“You've got a pretty nice room, huh.”

He commented, as he sat down. The compliment made Ib smile. Her stomach rumbled, and she tugged on Garry’s coat to get his attention. “Garry… I’m hungry.” She told him, quietly. She was excited for him to cook again, as he had made some of the best meals she’d ever have. “Right…I should make something for you. Cmon, you have to help me make pancakes- I dunno where your parents keep the sugar!” He giggled. Next thing Ib knew, she was munchkin’ on some DELICIOUS pancakes in the kitchen! “There… Oh, don’t worry. I ate before I came here.” Garry replied to Ib’s worried looks, as she was the only one eating. She shrugged it off and ate some more. Next stop- Back to Ib’s bedroom for a bedtime story. “Well Ib.. which one would you like?” He said, looking at the large pile of books next to Ib’s bed. All of them were stories, though they were stacked on top of each other like a storybook jenga of sorts. Ib pointed to the book on the very top. She stood up on her bed, getting up on her tippy toes to reach it. “Uhh… the rabbit princess?” Garry asked, reading the title. Ib nodded, shoving it in his arms. “Right. Well you should get dressed in your jammies while I make a quick trip to the loo.” When he came back, she was already dressed, and ready to be tucked in. “Look at youuu! So fancy!” Her pajamas were made of silk, and were completely white. Though she sometimes was, as most kids tend to be, pretty messy, her pjamas were completely clean. 

“Aaaalright, let’s start with the story!” He tucked her in, and sat onto a corner of her bed, ready to begin reading. After about half an hour she seemed to be asleep, and he (by her parents' command) was free to watch tv in the living room.

“Night, Ib.” He softly said, turning off the lights. He was just about to go downstairs, when he heard a familiar voice stop him. “Garry.. When is mom gonna come home?” Ib hadn’t been separated from her mom this late.. Nor this long.. It worried her. 

“I’m sure she’ll be here soon.” Garry reassured her, giving her a pat on the head. She clung to him, giving him a hug. “I don’t wanna go to bed, not until mom comes back.” Crystal tears started to form in her eyes, and Garry knew she wouldn’t be going to bed that easily. He didn’t really give much thought to his next actions, taking off his coat and wrapping her in it, like a burrito. It caught her a bit off guard. “If you’re gonna cry, you’re gonna be a burrito. Deal?” Garry said, picking the little girl up. It made Ib smile through her tears. She nodded, before he placed her down onto the sofa. He quickly went up to her room and grabbed her plushie, giving it to her. “Deal.” She said, snuggling up to him. He was sitting right next to her. “Waddya wanna watch, my sad lil burrito?” He asked her, making her giggle. She had stopped crying by now, but she still was sad. “Ponyo!” Ib said, with a little enthusiasm. Both of them have watched that movie like a thousand times each, but it was still a masterpiece of a film. Besides, it always made Ib feel happy when she was sad. “Ponyo it is..” He looked through a box full of VHSes, and right there it was, Ponyo. All throughout the movie, Ib seemed to never stop gripping his arm. She was fast asleep, finally, and Garry managed to carry her over back to her bed. Her plush was resting in her arms, and he had to balance it, so it wouldn’t slip out her arms while he was carrying her. “Good night, Ib.”

He said, turning off the lights and going downstairs. Right about then Ib’s mom had come home, attempting to be silent. Ib’s dad was out, parking the car. “Hello miss!” Garry had greeted Ib’s mom, as she placed her coat onto the coat rack. “Hi, Garry. I assume she’s asleep?” Garry had nodded, grabbing his things. “I must go, now. I’ll be seeing you soon!” He insisted, grabbing his things, and leaving. Though, he had forgotten one thing. His coat. About a day later he got a call from Ib’s mother, regarding his coat. Ib wanted to give it to him personally, and she had ridden her bicycle all the way to his house just to get it to him. There she was, standing at his front door. She rang the doorbell, hoping that he wasn’t at work. “Hey Ib-” Before he could say anything, she shoved the coat in his arms and left. She was… late for lunch. “STAY SAFE!” Garry shouted, but she was already gone. He made sure she went off safely by waiting for her to make it far enough so that he couldn’t see. “..” He went back into his house, finally having his coat back. -End 

[leftistcrap]

Hi, dyou have any suggestions for theory to read? If considered my self a leftist for several years now, but bcuz of personal circumstances I’ve not read any theory. I’m a little self conscious about it and I’m not sure how to start, overly complicated writing and long obscure words make it very hard for me to pay attention and actually digest what I’m reading. I’m looking for nuance and a better understanding of the world I guess, I just really don’t have any idea where to go with that. I know it sounds silly but I’d also be interested in theory podcasts, if that’s a thing.

I don't know of any podcasts about theory. There are plenty of audiobooks out there though. If you want to start with the absolute basics, you can read The Communist Manifesto and from there you can read their other influential works, a good selection being found on the Marxists Internet Archive's "Beginner's Guide to Marxism" page.

https://www.marxists.org/subject/students/index.htm

They also have a great encyclopedia where you can look up definitions of the various terms used. That and any online dictionary can help a lot if you're having trouble with obscure words.

The entire library at marxists.org is filled with works from all sorts of left-wing traditions, not just Marxism. If you go to their index of authors, you can browse through and pick whoever seems interesting to you. They've marked authors they consider particularly important with stars, but you can choose whoever you want to read. For instance, Kropotkin doesn't have a star on this page, but his Conquest of Bread is a very popular and easy to read introduction to anarchist communism. There's also an audiobook section on their site, and you can often find audiobooks simply by searching Youtube, the Internet Archive, or Librivox.

For more modern writers, I would recommend in no particular order Angela Davis ("Are Prisons Obsolete?" is a great introduction to prison abolition), Frantz Fanon, Michael Parenti, Judith Butler, and David Graeber. And he's more of an analyst than a theorist, but Jason Hickel has done a lot of great work exposing the failures of modern capitalism and how economic institutions cover them up and downplay them.

Depending on your interests, you can also check out libcom.org which contains a lot of reading material from a left-libertarian perspective, bannedthought.net which has a lot of Marxist, Leninist, and Maoist texts, and theanarchistlibrary.org which is a repository for a wide variety of mostly self-published anarchist materials.

There's certainly more that I've forgotten, and people are welcome to share their own suggestions on this post.

[wwenhlimagines]

Stuck In The Middle - Part 8

Hook x Y/N x Ricky Starks

Part 7

A few days go by, and the pictures have stopped popping up, but the rumors are still flying. How will Y/N move on from this debacle?

Ruby and Willow tried their best to distract me from the pictures and rumors swirling around online during our girl's day, but every time I checked the time on my phone, I got wucked back in. Eventually, Ruby and I switched phones, and the 3 of us were able to relax and somewhat forget the outside world.

Ruby and I switched phones back when I left for the airport, but not before she got rid of any notifications she deemed as unnecessary. I had a few texts from family members, and that was about it. By then, the pictures weren't popping up every second on Instagram and Twitter, so I was able to scroll through and catch up with whatever I missed fairly well. I flew back home and got settled in at my house before starting my weekly chores.

Later that night, I was playing a game on my phone when I got a text notification. It was Ricky, so I hesitated but eventually clicked on it.

Hey, just checking in on you. Wanted to make sure you made it home safe.

I smiled to myself before replying to him

Yep, just doing laundry and cleaning up for now. Thanks for checking!

I go back to my game for a bit before a hear the notification again.

Great! I have been thinking about your publicity issue, and I think if we go out in a group next week, it could help negate those rumors flying about.

I hummed to myself as I thought about it.

Who all would go and where?

You, me, Hook, Garcia, Skye, Ruby, Dante, Darius, Willow, etc. Whoever you want to invite. We could go out to a bar or dinner, depending on how we are feeling.

I shrug before looking into the places around the arena and hotel we are booked for next week.

I found a nice Italian restaurant a couple blocks from our hotel and a club a few blocks in the other direction. We can figure it out next week. Thanks for thinking of me, Ricky!

I go back to playing my games until I get ready for bed and fall asleep after cleaning all day.

Ricky's POV

I groan as I read Y/N's last text to me. I know she doesn't want to date anyone right now, but I can't help but let my feelings develop for her. I know this is going to be a tricky task as I am going to want to sit next to her and talk to her, but so will Hook.

I see Garcia's face pop up on my screen, and I answer his FaceTime.

"Hey Ricky, what's up, man? You look a little down."

I groan and rub my hand over my face. "Daniel, I think I'm actually falling for her."

Garcia snickers a bit. "You say that every time you meet a new woman. What makes her different from the others?"

"I can't explain it. I just want to do anything to make her happy."

Garcia stares at me for a few seconds before sighing. "Damn, Ricky might actually be falling in love. Never thought I would see the day."

"Oh fuck off Daniel... you know I'm bound to settle down sooner or later, but she makes me want to settle down now."

Garcia's eyes grow wide at my confession. "You barely even know her, Ricky. You sat together on a plane and had a couple of run-ins at work. She could be psychotic for all we know!"

I rolled my eyes and told him about my idea of a group hangout next week.

"Well, you better not get too close, or else the rumors might start up about the two of you next!"

I smirked at him through the phone screen before replying, "Same better go for Hook, though. If she said she doesn't want to date anyone, then he needs to back off as well. Let her make her own decisions."

Daniel smirks watching me get all riled up about this before we change the subject and stay on FaceTime for about an hour talking about our upcoming matches and whatnot.

Y/N's POV - Monday

Over the past few days, I have spoken to Ruby, Willow, and Skye about the group outing idea, and they all agreed to join. We decided it might be fun to go to the zoo in the morning since we will be in San Diego. Then we will get ready at our hotels and go out for dinner or whatever the boys want to do. Ruby and I are rooming together this trip, and we are both heading to the airport soon. I finish up packing before locking up my house and heading to the airport.

The flights to San Diego were decent, but unfortunately, my luggage seems to have e gotten lost. I groan as I watch the carousel stop signaling all of the bags that have been dispersed. I hear a light chuckle behind me and slowly turn around to see a man in a black hoodie eating chips.

"Hook, this isn't funny. I don't have my luggage, that means no clothes, no toiletries, no chargers!"

He hides his smirk behind the chip bag before eating another one and nodding towards me. "That's why I stick with a carry-on."

I roll my eyes at him, "I have too much shit for a carry-on. You probably have a couple of outfits, ring gear, chips, and a few toiletries. I have extra shoes, makeup, hair products, and jewelry, too."

He shakes his head slightly, "You don't need makeup. The Glam Squad can get you camera-ready, but you don't need it off camera at all. Also, I have hair products as well. How else do you expect me to create this masterpiece?"

I reach up and ruffle his hair, making him squirm away. "Well, if you are going to be that way, I guess I will let someone else who lost their luggage borrow my extra hoodie."

I reach back up to help him fix his hair as I see bright green hair out of the corner of my eye. "Ruby, thank goodness you are here! They lost my luggage, so I have nothing now."

Ruby skeptically looked between Hook and I before shaking her head. "It's happened to me a couple of times. Let's go to the store and get you some necessities."

I nod and turn to leave before realizing I haven't invited Hook to Thursdays activities. "Hey Hook, if you aren't busy on Thursday, a few of us are going to the zoo in the morning and then going out that evening. You are more than welcome to join us!"

He nods as he thinks about it. "Sounds like it could be fun. So it will be you two and who else?"

"Well, right now, it is us, Willow, and Skye, but we are going to invite Ricky, Garcia, and Eddie as well. You can bring the lads if you would like!"

I can see his jaw clench when I mention Ricky, but he quickly redirects himself and smiles as he pulls out his phone. "I'll text them now and ask. See you ladies later!"

We walk in opposite directions as Ruby and I go towards the Uber station. "Well, well, well. Not looking for a relationship, huh?"

I look at her confused before she continues. "You are lucky there were no fans to take pictures of you intimately fixing his hair."

I try to smack her jokingly, but she jogs ahead and jumps the Uber. This will definitely be an interesting trip.

Tags: @thesupreme316 @gethooked @730hook @baybay-boom @hookedonhook @louisianalady @hooks-martin @imswitchbabemox @plentyoffandoms @legit9thlunaticwarrior @hookswifeeyy @hookhausen @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @lghockey @thenerdybaker523

[stanestreet]

Ann Goldstein knows the works of Elena Ferrante intimately – perhaps more than anyone else in the English-speaking world – but she doesn’t have any great desire to meet her. Goldstein is the literary translator who has brought the Italian author’s novels, most famously the Neapolitan Quartet, to Anglophone audiences. In English, like in the original Italian, they have become bestsellers. Ferrante is beloved for her truthful depictions of adolescent friendship and the pains of womanhood. But “Elena Ferrante” is a pseudonym: the identity of the author is not known to the public, despite numerous attempts to discover her.

Goldstein communicates with Ferrante via her Italian publisher. “It doesn’t really bother me, not to speak to her directly,” she said over Zoom from her book-laden apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City. “The person who writes the books is the person I know, whoever that person is, the consciousness that’s writing the books is someone that I have a dialogue with.” She giggled, as she did frequently, despite being about to say something she must have insisted many times before. “And – by the way – I don’t know who she is. And it’s not me.”

Goldstein was born in 1949 and grew up in New Jersey. She has been translating Italian literature into English since the early 1990s and spent the bulk of her career working in the copy department at the New Yorker, which she joined in 1974. In the late 1980s she became the head of the department, overseeing copyediting and proof-reading. She had studied ancient Greek at university, and can read French “pretty well”, but it was with New Yorker colleagues that she first learned Italian. Over three successive years the group read the trio of books comprising Dante’s Divine Comedy. Goldstein was in her late thirties at the time; it is more difficult to learn a language later in life. “You don’t get the same facility, the same kind of fluency, as if you were a child,” she said, “but you can do something.”

She retired from the magazine in 2017 and has since pursued translation. She still abides by the many grammatical rules instilled in her by four decades at the New Yorker (“things like the serial comma or the Oxford comma – nobody seems to use that any more, which is ridiculous, because it’s so clarifying”). The two halves of her career are distinct yet overlapping. “I do think that proofreading, copy-editing, editing, they have to do with an attention to detail, and of course translation is all about attention to detail. It’s attention to particular words, to sentences, and how words work in a sentence. It’s about getting everything as right as you can, or what you think of as right, from the way the word is spelled – and we might have a difference of opinion about that,” that amused her, “to the way it’s used.”

Goldstein spoke knowingly about her own language (“spelled” could of course be “spelt”) and regularly corrected herself, as though always in pursuit of the most precise way of conveying her meaning. She wore a grey V-neck jumper, dangly silver earrings and thick-rimmed glasses – above which her eyebrows often appeared, jumping up in excitement as she furrowed her brow in concentration and then quickly released it.

Her most recent translation is of Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes. First published in Italy in the 1950s, the novel comprises a series of diary entries by Valeria Cossati, who secretly writes of her deep dissatisfaction with her life in post-war Rome. “I was struck by the fact that it seems – it’s a little bit cliché to say this – but it seems so contemporary. It seems like she’s dealing with the same problems that women have now, or have had since then. This was 70 years ago. The daily struggles are different, but the psychological struggles are so similar.”

The book is also being republished in Italy, where it has been out of print for decades. It marks a “rediscovery”, a reassertion of an author who was successful in her lifetime, but whom the patriarchal cultural memory has forgotten. It was in Ferrante’s Frantumaglia, a collection of letters, essays and interviews that Goldstein translated into English, that she first learnt of de Céspedes, whose life was remarkable by any standard – and of particular interest to the translator, who is fascinated by wartime and postwar Italy.

De Céspedes was the granddaughter of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, who led Cuba’s revolt for independence from Spain and then served as its first president. She was born in Rome, married when she was 15 and had a child aged 17. In 1943 she and her second husband fled to escape the Nazis’ occupation of the capital. “So they spent a month hiding in the woods in Abruzzo!” Goldstein explained, wide-eyed. “She wrote a diary – there’s a little diary that I translated that I’m trying to get published. It’s amazing. I don’t know how she wrote it, but she did, just about being in the woods, and they were slowly being more and more closely surrounded by the Germans. It’s pretty dramatic. She had a wild life!”

Goldstein’s enthusiasm for her authors – and for her part in the “rediscovery” project of an author such as de Céspedes – is evident. The thematic similarity between Forbidden Notebook and many of Ferrante’s works is, she said, a coincidence. “But I do like novels about women – I guess. Though not exclusively. I have done a lot more [books by] women, especially first person narrator women. There’s something about it that is particularly congenial.” She stopped herself. “But I’m always interested in anything!”

She could not, however, explain exactly what she looks for in literature she might translate. She prefers books that are set in Italy, but beyond that – “I don’t really look for anything. Most books, even if they ostensibly don’t seem interesting, end up being interesting for one reason or another, either for translation issues or language issues.”

She doesn’t see herself as a writer as such – “I mean, I’m not writing anything of my own” – and aligns herself instead with the critic Cesare Garboli, who wrote: “To translate is to be an actor.” “The actor is performing,” Goldstein said. “It’s only once, it’s his own personal performance, and nobody else can do the same thing.” Translation is also, she said, “a puzzle. You’re solving puzzles all the time. But in order to solve them, you have to interpret.” And of course there is never just one answer.

For a long time those critiquing the publishing industry spoke of the “3 per cent problem” – that just 3 per cent of books sold in English were in translation. (The statistic has been cited for both the UK and the US.) In the 30 years Goldstein has been translating, she has seen that number grow. “There’s definitely more openness to translations,” she said, citing the proliferation of small presses, including New Directions and Archipelago Books in the US, as leading the charge. “The Ferrante phenomenon” – as she described it – has helped translators receive the credit they deserve. “Because there’s no author, it made people more aware of the fact that there’s a translator involved in the book.”

Goldstein has a personal fascination with Italian culture, but also sees a moral pursuit in reading in translation. “It opens you up to other cultures. We’re all very – well, especially in America – we’re so inward-facing, we’re so solipsistic,” she punctuated her pause with a laugh. “Or, what’s the word! I mean, that’s one word. People don’t attend to other cultures. They don’t pay attention, and they don’t want to learn anything. They don’t want to understand how other people might think, how their neighbours might think. It’s just, the more you know, the better it is. The broader your sense of the world – it can’t help but make you a better person.”

“Forbidden Notebook”, by Alba de Céspedes and translated by Ann Goldstein, is published by Pushkin Press

[semthescientist]

i normally don't write long posts on here but i've been bubbling from the seams with things to say as of late. back in september of 2022, i was towards the end of a cruise and my sister introduced me into Abraham Hicks. it wasn't new to me per-se simply because i always would have these expansive ideas, like i just knew i was supposed to be great and experience wonderful things. however, what was new was the fact it was so widely accepted. like i couldn't believe that people would actually tell abraham their problems and they would provide solutions. looking back, since Abraham talked about vibrations and vortexes so much, this may have been the law of attraction (not sure lol). and for a while, i grew so interested in the concept.

this journey happened so naturally though that i cannot pinpoint when i got into the law of assumption or started listening to Edward Art, but that is what came next. it went from there being an outside world i had to change to there being an internal world i had to change. now, for awhile i listened to Edward Art videos (haven't tuned into him in so long but i still adore him, he seems so nice!) only because i could not for the life of me, ever understand what Neville was saying. listened to Edward for awhile then stopped because i realized i was making him my God (though i didn't really know what that meant at the time), got on tumblr to consume more information and i did this months until i was sick of hearing what others had to say. however lol, i just moved to twitter and did the same thing. and of course, i got sick of that too--grew so tired of the fighting between loass and affirm and persist girlies, and whoever else wanted to be different so bad. and then i was introduced into nonduality.

now, it was so different from everything i had learned before that when i watched a video by Rupert Spira, i put it down and went back to loass. like, i literally said, "there's no way in hell i'm about to confuse myself with more shit." kid you not. like i refused to hop onto something else. so i just let it be but i eventually came back to it and it started to consume me and it was out of sheer curiosity. like i remember when i had put it down, just one random day i thought to myself "there is nothing else but consciousness. there is no separation." i wrote that in a diary entry on august 30th, 2023 and it really stuck with me because like...where the hell did that thought come from? especially because all of my old diary entries were how unfazed i was by the external world because i have what i want in the "one true reality" (i really had to laugh at those old entries.) and they were only from a couple days before i had this sudden realization.

but somehow, that caused me to get off of twitter and come back to tumblr and i eventually stumbled across 4d-barbie's account and some others too. i stayed up all night reading Ada's answers to submissions because this was unlike anything i'd ever heard. and it was there when i promised myself not to consume too much, to do things differently. and like okay, that didn't happen 'cause i consumed a lot but i'm happy it all happened because of what i found.

eventually, the same thing that happened with the law happened with nd. i got so burned out and i was so angry with hearing the opinions of others. like my brother in christ, i physically would be angry that i relied on others because i knew i could trust in myself but i wasn't. and like why?? why was i doing that? and because i didn't have an answer, i'd get pissed all over again.

and this probably went on for a couple weeks or so, i don't know entirely. i didn't document everything--and the things i did, i deleted because i was trying so hard to reach enlightenment. and it wasn't until i went on another cruise in late september 2023 that it finally clicked--a whole ass year later.

now i'm only saying the time because i find it so comical and beautiful. i'm gonna make another post which entails what actually clicked for me because i don't want this to be too long.

part two here. yay.

[justsalpals]

hiya! So I have read your Spiderverse fanfic that is a character study of Hobie Brown (along with something juicy going on with 42!Miles) and I really love LOVE how you incorporate the (anti-) motifs of windows associated with Hobie that not only calls back to original!Hobie Brown/Prowler being a window-washer, but also have the feeling of oppression that Hobie felt whenever he sees whoever behind the glass having more privileges and resources to waste. Which is an apt analogy to represent the oppressive class system divide between rich and poor (with Hobie directly seeing it firsthand). And I LOVE the line "No more washing windows. Time to shatter the glass" with Hobie not taking anymore shit and letting it be. And now whenever read any scenes in fanfics of Hobie having moments of vulnerability (or even reluctantly sharing them) I imagine 70% of the time, the imagery of any windows present to figuratively suffocate Hobie as he's having those moments. Oof, makes me Really wanted to do fanart of Spiderpunk incorporating the window (anti-) motifs

Ah shit thank you thank you, that really means a lot to me!! Thoughtful analysis of my weird spider fanfic? There is genuinely nothing better in the whole wide world. If there's one thing I love it's a good motif, and during my research into comics Hobie it was an image I couldn't get out of my head. A child Hobie, because of course his world would have child labor, in this high and dangerous position. Smart enough to have made his own equipment, clear echoes of his potential for greatness all over the scene of anyone in his world actually thought to look. But they never saw any of it, because why taking the time to view the window washer kid as a human?

But he saw them. The empty flashiness and needless expenses, whole buildings left completely empty while his family was on the verge of homelessness. Just on the other side of the glass. Glass he was given pocket change to clean, so everyone on the outside knew how wealthy and important those inside were. Enough to make anyone want to eat the rich, I figure.

Only vaguely related: a thought I had for the fic originally, but never found how to smoothly include in the final cut! I figured that after Hobie's mom died and he could no longer go to school, he'd sneak/break into libraries. Because, of course, in his universe all libraries have an entry fee to discourage off the homeless and a rental fee to read any books. Because we love a capitalist hell scape.

Also if you do make any art, I would just about die for you to send it my way. Including window motifs into visuals sounds rad as all hell and I'd love to see!

[darkstar225]

Twice's 10th member is Sana's baby (as claimed by Sana lol)

A/N: Heyyy, I'm coming up with a lot of stuff for you guys lol! Sry for taking so long to post but end of semester is a whole event for me :D I hope that my friend AthirahNazari6 that gave me this idea on Wattpad likes it! :)

The request: Hey I want to request can you do one where y/n is innocent so sana basically babied her every chances she gets. Thank u

PS: Tysm for everyone that reads what I write, I hope I can bring a smile to your faces every time I post! I'd like to thank whoever sent me this idea 'cause I loved to write it <3

__________________________________________________________

Y/N was the youngest member of the wildly popular K-pop girl group TWICE. At just 16 years old, she had already achieved remarkable success in the music industry. But behind her youthful talent and radiant smile, she possessed an innocent and pure heart that endeared her to fans all over the world. Among the members of TWICE, Sana had taken on the role of Y/N's unofficial guardian. With her warm and caring nature, Sana couldn't help but feel protective of the youngest member. She saw Y/N as the little sister she never had, someone who needed guidance and support in the whirlwind of fame. One sunny afternoon, TWICE had a rare day off from their hectic schedule. The maknae, with her wide eyes and shy demeanour, looked around eagerly, searching for something to do. Sana noticed her restlessness and approached her with a gentle smile and her voice filled with excitement.

Sana - Sugar, how about we go to the park today? We can have a picnic and enjoy the fresh air!!

Y/N's face lit up instantly, and she nodded enthusiastically. Sana couldn't help but chuckle at her adorable response. She led her unofficial little sister to the park, carrying a basket filled with their favourite snacks. As they settled on a soft blanket, Sana spread out a feast fit for a princess. The kid's eyes widened at the sight of all the delicious treats. Sana laughed and spoke with a motherly smile on her face.

Sana - I knew you'd love this!

Throughout the picnic, Sana made sure her cutie pie had everything she needed. She cut the fruits into bite-sized pieces, fed Y/N with her own hands, and even wiped away any crumbs that dared to touch the youngest member's lips. The youngest (obviously-) blushed at the attention, feeling incredibly cared for. After the picnic, Sana and Y/N strolled through the park, hand in hand. They admired the vibrant flowers, chased butterflies, and laughed freely. Sana's constant presence made the younger girl feel safe and loved. As they walked by a small pond, TWICE's honey's gaze fell upon a group of children sailing toy boats. Her eyes glimmered with fascination. Sana noticed her curiosity and gave a suggestion that she knew was undeniable.

Sana - Would you like to try it too, sweetie?

Y/N hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should ask for such a childish indulgence (go for it guys, making your inner child happy is everything). But when she met Sana's encouraging gaze, she nodded with a shy smile. Sana quickly bought a toy boat and handed it to her, who carefully placed it in the water. Sana kneeled down beside the maknae, her eyes filled with delight and Sana's voice filled with genuine admiration, as they watched the boat sail away.

 Sana - Look, love! You're a great captain!

Y/N beamed at the praise, feeling a surge of confidence. Sana's unwavering belief in her abilities gave her the courage to try new things without fear of judgment. As the day drew to a close, Sana and Y/N made their way back to their dorm. The youngest clung to Sana's arm, her head resting against her shoulder. Sana held her tightly, whispering words of encouragement and love in her gentle voice.

Sana - You know, kiddo, you may be the youngest in TWICE, but you bring so much joy and innocence to our group. We all admire you and look up to you in our own way.

Y/N's eyes widened with surprise. She had never considered herself anything other than the baby of the group. But as she listened to Sana's heartfelt words, a sense of pride welled up within her. From that day forward, Sana continued to shower her baby (she claimed Y/N guys, it's done lol) with love and support, always reminding her of her worth. TWICE's child blossomed under Sana's care, gaining confidence and a sense of belonging within the group. And as time went on, she grew older and wiser, but never lost her innocent charm. And no matter how successful TWICE became, Sana remained by her side, always ready to be her guiding light, her protector, and her biggest cheerleader. In interviews, Y/N often credited Sana for her growth and happiness. She spoke of the countless moments when Sana had babied her, showering her with affection and ensuring her well-being. The maknae clearly cherished those memories, knowing that she had someone who loved her unconditionally.

As TWICE continued to conquer the music industry, Y/N's innocence and genuine nature became her trademark. Fans adored her for her pure-heartedness, and Sana beamed with pride at the sight of her sister's success. Through it all, Sana remained the girl's constant source of support, her guardian angel. And as they navigated the highs and lows of their careers, they knew that their bond would only grow stronger with time. Sana would forever be the one who saw Y/N's innocence and embraced it with open arms, ensuring that she never lost her childlike wonder in the midst of fame. And this made not only Sana but also the other unnies have a single thought:

We are proud of our dear maknae.

A/N: I apologise for any errors, English is not my first language. Pls, let me know if there's something wrong, ty for reading <3

[yourlocalzombie]

(Continuation of cleo loses headcanon...actually its just fanfiction at this point)

Cleo readied herself to enter the shopping district.

She hadn't been there in ages for...obvious reasons.

She first went to the dye shop, entering the grand dragon's head. She remembered the people she met, whose culture she modeled it on. They were kind people; curious people.

She remembered them fondly.

As she entered the shop, there were no customers, but rather the man who helped her run the thing: zedaph.

The humanoid sheep spun around to what he assumed to be a customer, only to be met with his favorite hulking zombie. Yeah, cleo was the only hulking zombie around, but she was still his favorite one.

"H- Cleo!! I missed you so much! I ran the dye shop when you were gone, even found a way to get even more dye!!"

Zedaph's eyes were wide, sparkling with the revelation of one of his many projects.

"I missed you too, zed."

Cleo gave him a tight hug. It was something she was great at. The wool was an added bonus.

Zed spoke again, "oh goodness I'm sorry, I got so caught up in the store I forgot to ask how you are..!"

Cleo chuckled and nodded. Zed always got ahead of himself.

"Well.." cleo took a breath, "admittedly I've been better but! I think I'm ready to face the world again!" Cleo's smile beamed. Her teeth were jagged, not quite where they should be, and much too sharp for anyone who didn't realize she's harmless (unless provoked, of course).

Though, it did have its charm.

Zedaph almost bounced at the news.

"I'm glad! And just know we're all here, for every step you take!"

"I won't be so ready to forget that." Cleo paused, "so...what is this about Redstone? And dye...production?"

"Ah, yes! Come with me."

Zed took Cleo through a passage to the neck of the terracotta beast. Within, an odd contraption had been made with flowers clek had never scene before.

"What's all this, then?" Cleo asked.

"Well...in the lab I made some...'super flowers,' so to speak. They're petals are larger and therefor, make more dye!" Zed went on, "and with this Redstone set up, it harvests automatically and heads right down there!"

Zed pointed to a stack of chests linked with hoppers.

When cleo took a peak, the chests were, indeed, filled with more dye than she thought possible.

As she looked up, she found machines delicately plucking petals from the flourishing flowers. It was odd, but helpful.

"Well, zed, I owe you-"

Zed cut her off.

"Nope! Not all, really!"

"Are..you sure?"

"Mhmm!" Zed nodded.

"Well...fine. for now." Cleo crossed her arms with a slightly smug grin.

Zed chuckled.

"Anyway, a couple people cam by earlier, askin me where you were as if I'd know." Zed looked...sheepish. More than normal, anyway.

Cleo tilted her head, "oh?"

"Yeah...it was Etho..."

"Oh."

Cleo didn't need to hear whoever else was involved.

They looked to the side again. She saw the petals be plucked. One by one, little cold hands removing them from their former life. Their former home. She remembered her draining body. Hour. By. Hour. She spent protecting her self-appointed sons. From the so-called bad boys. From their washed up 'father,' hour by hour. Smithereen to smithereen. It still hurt sometimes.

Sometimes she felt as if her body was splitting apart all over again.

Nobody knew this of course. Nobody was supposed to...

"...cleo?"

"Huh? Oh..."

Cleo looked down to see a worried sheep looking up at her, almost pitifully.

"I'm fine...did he leave any instructions?"

"Yeah, I think he gave them to whoever he met." Zed pulled a paper out of his pocket, deciding not to push.

Cleo read the paper. It was only some coordinates, which using her map, she found to be on an oceanside cliff.

Cleo sighed, "I guess I'll see what he wants, thank you again, zed."

Cleo turned to leave.

"It's no problem, and, hey, cleo?"

Cleo turned her head.

"Remember this isn't a life game."

"...I'll keep that in mind."

And with that, cleo left the base of the statue, leaving behind a worried zedaph and his petal plucking procedures.

[chateautangerine]

@goldfanged for: send “📔” to read an entry from my muse’s diary about your muse (accepting)

He came to me as wakefulness teething on the corners of a dream, and we met in the parking lot by old Santori’s where I found flowers on the ground — the remains of lost love.

Dark hair, Irish coffee;

Thick eyebrows, bushels of thistle;

Unusually tall, 6’4”-6’6”; 

Four gold teeth;

A scar along the side of his neck. I imagine the horn of a great bull cleaving into him and of hooves against earth. Matador.

Below the rainclouds, he looked to be the Undertaker with his dark mane but eyes rampant and savage with loveliness.

His name is Theo.

Stay strong, matador.

[ another passage ] 

I’ve boned up reading the dictionary and cleaned a glass of gin. Theo is odd. He disappears in the night like a werewolf.

Little red riding hood...

Here's a passage for you:

Under the wide, glowing eye of a merciless moon he bellowed as his bones crunched and his hair thickened and spread until he was clothed in it. The evening sun declined before him beyond an endless swale and the dark fell here like a thunderclap, his crouching body snapping among the crickets and the gnashing weeds. This was his becoming. A thing that can not come back. He hunted a nearby town with its mudshacks and domes until there was not a soul save he, and he was lost of himself and not again in all the world's turning would he return for upon the dawning of the east, he found he delighted in it, and he did not weep.

Although I doubt he'll tear into anyone. Why won't he call me?

[ another passage ]

Theo tells me he used to be in love. Or maybe I asked him - although I can't rightly say why.

He sounded torn up about it — I believe he's still in love with whoever left him by Santori's. Speaking of: why do I get the feeling he sees through me? Does he see through me? He's very perceptive — and never tells what's on his mind.

I'm fond of him. Very much so.