#sorry I be lacking lol I’ll catch y’all next time

[a-lil-perspective]

“What’s dark and bitter here other than Yours Truly?”

—Crosshair

[crispylilworm]

last i’m posting about this xoxo sorry about the watcher spam recently but i feel the need to put my 2 cents in since my opinion on this doesn’t align with the vocal majority on this site

gotta admit my first youtuber drama experience was a 0/10 not because of what the creators did but solely because of the insanity of the fandom. because…wow. i have never seen a group of people throw around demands and accusations of betrayal in such a dramatic way lol. maybe i’m in the minority here but i felt the majority of responses and criticism just were any lacking basis at all.

my first thoughts with the announcement were literally “oh good for them new streaming service, i won’t be going for it, but maybe after a few months i’ll consider paying for a 1-time sub to catch up on everything”. sure some disappointment i wouldn’t get regular updates but overall excited for the new content this pay structure would give them the flexibility to create.

maybe because i didn’t get into youtubers until the pandemic when watcher was already it’s own independent thing i don’t have that same (*cough cough* parasocial) level of connection, just really enjoy the videos they put out. maybe because i go through subscription-of-the-month stints of paying for a patreon or twitch or other creator channel and rotate what i watch, this didn’t feel outrageous to me. i hate the subscription world we live in so i go out of my way to never pay more than a strict budget limit per month because that’s my ability and that’s my mentality on this. i thought at best maybe i’d consider rotating this in when they put out more.

don’t like the idea of it? you don’t have to pay for it. can’t afford it? i understand the disappointment from this aspect but creators don’t actually owe you anything for free - even if it was free in the past. overall and for whatever reasoning you have: it wasn’t that deep.

if anything i am in a way thankful that they rescinded on their decision because that means me & others will continue to enjoy videos for free. but overall i’m disappointed that this means they’re sacrificing their own creative wants and financial needs of whatever they had planned. we won’t actually know the extent of what, if anything, this prevents them from creating because y’all wouldn’t even let them attempt to try this next phase out.

fans saying “well we don’t want high-budget content” well maybe they want to explore more than what they’re currently able to do? maybe they want to create more beyond their buzzfeed-format videos they know will rack in views from the nostalgia-obsessed side of the fans? i, too, personally love their humor and would just enjoy them chatting and being silly, but i do also think this holds them back. remember those hilarious self-made commercials from their most recent videos? that's probably just a glimpse of what new flavors of content they’re able to think up.

this whole fan response was just disappointing (and pretty scary ngl) to me, and i know saying that is like kicking a hornets nest but i really think if they continued with the plans from their original announcement it would have been ok. i actually think it would have been more than ok! but the response imploded so hard i’m sure we’ll never see them try something new again lol.

my personal thoughts are that if your opinion in any way revolved around something they “owe” to fans, feelings of “betrayal”, thinking they’re “sell outs” for wanting to transition to paid content - i think you really need to take a step back and reflect, and i mean that with zero malice. watcher is a business, not your friends, not “the boys”, not your guaranteed source of a specific type of content either. ultimately they made a business decision that they thought would help them grow that would have either succeeded or failed, that's it. for better or worse, we wont get to watch that play out.

i will continue my quiet enjoyment of their videos, and happily move on past what i frankly think was the most unnecessary internet drama i’ve seen in a minute lol. the takes overall were dumb but tame, i only blocked a handful of accounts for posting things i thought were totally out of line that i won't get into but i'm sure you've either seen or heard people discussing.

i didn't even get in to my hot takes lol like how this plays into the dangerous trend of the expectation of art to be free....and the overall devaluing of creatives and why AI is thriving in these areas...but ill defend that thesis another day lol. y'all aren't ready for that.

[wienerbarnes]

A Certain Romance (5/6)

Pairing: Bucky x Reader 

Word Count: 2,039

Warnings: bit of angst

A/N: 👀👀👀 lol

MAIN MASTERLIST | A CERTAIN ROMANCE MASTERLIST

While he’s strapped into the same suit he keeps finding himself stuck in, the night doesn’t seem to be going as bad as he imagined.

He’s waiting for you to finish getting ready, you did your hair and makeup already, you just need to put on your shoes and jewelry, you’d told him.

He remembers how you weren’t one for fancy, over-the-top restaurants; you made it clear that very first date. It comforts him that while you’re always happy to see friends, you’re not exactly thrilled and he can rely on you if he wants to leave earlier rather than later.

He hears clicks down the hall get closer and closer and he glances over to look at you, a pocket of air catching in his throat that he holds back.

You’re wearing white and Bucky thinks you look like an angel. The sleeves are long and poofy at the shoulders, a tight neckline highlighting your cleavage, and a cinched waist that makes the dress look a little shorter than it is above your knees. Your skin is glowy from moisturizing after the shower you took earlier and images of what Bucky imagines you look like rubbing lotion on your smooth legs flash in his mind.

He hopes he’s not drooling.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer, stud.” You adjust a small strap at your ankle and he’s still trying to find something to respond, anything to stop him from gaping like a fish.

“You look beautiful.” Is all that comes out, and he knows it doesn’t do nearly enough justice to describe how you look.

“Thanks, Buck.” You tell him, visibly taken back at the lack of snark. You were expecting a little teasing, a bit of flirting to dip your toes into what the rest of the night will consist of. While Bucky’s never not complimented you, he does it often, as he does to all of his friends, but this was very… sincere. More sincere than usual.

He finally clears his throat to compose himself a little, “Are you ready to head out?”

You give him a nod and a gentle smile, walking with him to the door to exit. The walk to his car a block down isn’t far, and you laugh when Bucky offers you a piggyback ride, not knowing how you can walk in those - referring to your heels.

You can sense Bucky get a bit nervous in the car when the restaurant enters both of your lines of sight. You wrap an arm through the loop his own arm creates with his forearm resting on the middle console, your hand sliding up to gently squeeze his thick bicep, your other arm resting on top of the curve of his elbow.

“Don’t worry, if the place is too lame, I’ll say my heel’s busted and we can try and leave early.”

“Yeah, you’ll cut through that little stick on the bottom of your shoe with the butter knife?”

“Mhm,” You hum, “And leave Sam with the bill.”

He laughs at that, and laughs more when you follow up with, “I forgot my wallet by the way.”

It’s sooner rather than later that the car is parked and you two arrive outside the Italian restaurant Sam picked. He made sure to look it up this time beforehand, with your help, of course, and sees that while the restaurant is still a bit too fancy for his taste, it’s not nearly as bad as the last one he went to where he met you.

“I know you can’t get drunk, but I’m going to play a little game where I drink every time someone in here does something embarrassingly snooty.” You whisper to him, still holding onto his arm, as the waiter leads you two to the table where Sam and his date are waiting.

“You’ll blackout before the appetizer, I wouldn’t try it.” Bucky begins, but after a second thought, “Actually, maybe if you’re drunk we can leave sooner, drinks for you will be on me.”

You giggle quietly into his arm and shut yourself up as you finally arrive at the table, Sam and his date standing to greet you both.

Kisses are planted on everyone's cheeks and introductions are given out as everyone takes their seat. You sit across from Sam on Bucky’s right, his hand holding yours on your thigh. He’s not sure if he’s holding it for show, if Sam and his date can even see them holding hands, or if he’s holding your hand because he likes the feeling of your skin under his hand.

He knows the answer.

The calamari and salads are Bucky’s friend as it makes less time for talking, everyone enjoying the food. While waiting on the main dishes, though, Sam’s date, a very kind and beautiful woman, asks him the question he’s been dreading.

“So, how are you guys? Sam tells me you guys are a new couple, I love all the gushy details.”

The gushy details, she’s perfect for Sam.

“We met on one of Sam’s set-up dates, actually, and just hit it off pretty well. Nothing more to tell.” You answer, thankfully, and keep it short and sweet, hopefully enough information to change the subject.

“Oh, c’mon, y’all can do better than that.” Sam teases, a sly smile on his face.

To him, he’s teasing his friends about finally finding love after swearing against it. But, to you and Bucky, you’re being forced to tell a story you don’t know. You and Bucky should’ve hashed out some details before this, you think.

Bucky’s not the greatest liar, so he just decides to be honest.

“Well, when we met, neither of us were really looking to date anybody. We were both in a place where we didn’t feel ready for a relationship yet, but we gave it a try with each other anyway. And…” He pauses, putting his thoughts together.

“I was surprised. By her kindness, by her humor, by the way she comforts me, by the way she understands me. I expected another failed relationship, another person that either got tired of me or got fed up with who I am and the baggage I come with. But the failure never came.

“Instead I got this amazing girl, who has just as much baggage as I do and I get to accept it with open arms. I got someone who’s healed me a lot more than she knows.”

He’s sweating, and he reaches for the glass of wine at his side, fixing to do something with his hands and his mouth. Your hand is still in his on your lap, grip a bit looser now, though, and he feels your eyes on him. He’s too scared to look.

“See? That’s the kinda lovey-dovey shit I’m talking about.” Sam jokes, a bright smile on his face at the sight of his two friends, raising his glass towards the middle of the table, everyone else’s joining in a second after.

“That’s real sweet,” His date chirps, “You guys really do look in love. I’m happy for y’all.”

The entrees arrive but Bucky’s no longer hungry.

The drive home has been silent. You’ve been quiet since leaving the restaurant and bidding goodbye to Sam and his date, only holding onto his arm until the two of you were out of their sight. Unlike the walk to the restaurant, where you were whispering in his ear, clutching onto his arm, you didn’t even glance his way.

He feels like he’s about to suffocate in the car.

“Are you okay?” His voice breaks the silence.

You’re quiet for a moment before answering his question with one of your own, “What… what was that back there?”

“It was eggplant ravioli, that’s why it looked a little -”

“Bucky.”

He realizes playing dumb isn’t going to work in this situation. Of course it wouldn’t, you’re way too smart for that.

“What you said… seemed a little too... real.” You finally get out.

His mouth opens and closes again when he realizes he doesn’t have a response. It seemed real because it was real. His face appears to give away his thoughts because the second you look over at him, he’s caught. You sigh and raise your hands to cover your face in frustration.

“Bucky, the whole reason we did this in the first place was because we didn’t want a relationship! That was the whole point!” You say, your voice rising.

“I know that was the whole point,” He says, voice calmer than yours, but his resolve quickly fading as embarrassment floods his body.

“Then?!”

“Then, I didn’t do it on purpose! I didn’t mean to catch feelings, but I did!” He yells.

“Bucky, I -”

“Yeah, I know you don’t want a relationship and don’t feel the same. Don’t worry, I’ll get over it.” He snaps, voice harsh, harsher than he’s ever used on you before.

More silence.

He wants to cry. He feels so embarrassed, and so angry at himself. Why did he say that at dinner? He could’ve lied, he could’ve downplayed it a little more, he could’ve not said anything at all and let you take the reins. Instead he all but confessed his feelings for you in front of your friends.

And if that’s not enough, the argument in the car only makes him feel more embarrassed, the conversation playing over and over in his head as a reminder of much you don’t want him; of how much nobody wants him.

His jaw clenches as he swallows the lump in his throat and he sees you in his peripheries sneak a glance at him.

He couldn’t have pulled up outside your apartment building sooner.

“I’m sorry,” He says after clearing his throat. He uses the last bit of dignity he has left to try and mend at least a few of the pieces.

“Can - can we just forget about it? Please?” He asks, his heart begging for you to agree. He can deal with the unrequited feelings as long as you stick around.

“Bucky, I… I just need some time. To think. About all of this. I just - I can’t be around you knowing you’re in love with me. I’m sorry.” You step out of the car before he can respond, and his eyes close as the door shuts, leaving him alone in the car.

He hears the beeps of the buttons at your door and then a distant click, and he doesn’t have to look up from his hands in his lap to know you made it inside.

He doesn’t drive away yet, though. He looks up at the roof of his car to try and stop the watering of his eyes and lets out a harsh sigh.

He eventually puts the car in drive again and roughly grabs the wheel, taking himself home, unaware that you watched him from the apartment building lobby.

The first thing he sees when he steps into his own apartment is a small plant that you brought him a few days ago. It sits on a small table he has by the door next to a dish for both sets of his keys.

In a moment of anger he grabs the potted plant and throws it as hard as he can across the room, shattering against a cabinet door in his kitchen in front of him.

“Shit,” He curses, going quickly to the kitchen to begin picking up the broken ceramic.

He separates the pieces of ceramic and cups his hands around the dirt to try and put it into a pile for him to transfer into another cup of some kind. A tear hits the side of his palm and he scoffs, annoyed at himself.

“Why the fuck are you crying, it’s just a fucking stupid plant,” He mumbles, voice cracking.

He sees the roots untangled from one another and ripped in some places. The plant is going to die, regardless if he puts it in another pot or gives it all the water in the world. No amount of care will save it.

He sniffs and drops the plant back on the ground, slumping back and leaning against the bottom cabinet under his sink.

“Fuck.” He says to himself, hand coming up to his face to wipe away stray tears.

[writing-in-april]

Training wheels

Spencer Reid x Gender Neutral Reader

Summary: Years later after Spencer teaches Reader to drive even though he hates driving, Reader becomes good enough to ride a motorcycle they get him to come along on a ride.

A/N: hey heyyyy- this is my seventeenth fic for my 30 fics in 30 days for April! This fic is based on this request- which I decided to make smutty instead of full on smut so I could make it a bit more fluffy. Disclaimer- I know nothing about motorcycles and I can’t even drive lol so sorry for the lack of terminology. This ended up being gender neutral- I checked it over for the correct pronouns a few time but I could have missed something- please let me know if so! Feel free to give me your response by sending something to my inbox here. Thanks for reading and hope y’all enjoy.

Warnings: 18+- (if you are found to be violating this I will tell writers who you are), no full on smut- in the smutty/spicy category, a bit of grinding, implications about having sex in the future, In public sexual teasing (who’s fucking surprised), hints at Sub!Spencer, A few swear words

Main Masterlist Word Count: 2.0k

Spencer hated driving. He always shook whenever he couldn’t stop the racing thoughts about the dangers of moving vehicles. He knew he was a good driver, but it was easier for him to trust the metro which stayed on its tracks (most of the time). A car with no rigid path and with so many variables just made Spencer’s mind race too much.

You were the only person that could get him to get into a car, without any sort of coercion. At his job he had accepted it as a reality of his situation; there was no way that he could get around it. He agreed to teach you how to drive to your job, which happened to be where you had met him. You ran a small thrift store just walking distance from your apartment. There had been no need to drive anywhere, until you opened up another branch on the other side of town.

You had met Spencer there, he had come in at night, just before close. He shopped around for a few sweater vests and cardigans until you had told him that you needed to close. His mumbled apology had been so cute you remember it to this day.

When he noticed that you walked home in the same direction as his, he offered to keep you company. At first you thought he had done it out of guilt since he made you stay late, until you realized he liked your presence. It was not a romantic relationship (not yet at least), you both didn’t kiss or anything, but you did love to tease him.

He cared about you, and you about him, which is why he eagerly offered to teach you to drive when you mentioned that you were scared to learn with an instructor. You preferred to be taught by someone who you knew and knew was a good driver. Spencer was just that, even with jittery fingers and tapping feet.

Since then you had become a great driver, good enough that you felt confident indulging in one of your dreams. You had always wanted a motorcycle, the wind blowing in your face and the freeing quality it had, had always made you desire one. Despite Spencer’s protests about the potential for even more safety hazards than a car you still indulged your dream, confident in your skills that Spencer had laid the foundation with his excellent teaching skills even while slightly fearful.

You had taken to it like a fish to water, it had been even easier than when you had Spencer teach you. Now it was the time to show the master how the apprentice approved, though you highly doubted Spencer liked to be called a master at driving. More like a teacher, a nervous one.

It did take some convincing for him to agree to ride on your motorcycle with you.Somehow, through gentle persuasion throughout the last few months, you had done it. He had prefaced it saying that it would be the only time it would ever happen, and you made it your goal to change his opinion. You highly doubted he’d ever want to drive it, which was fair considering he couldn’t stop the thoughts of statistics about safety in his head. You hoped though, that maybe he’d like riding with you.

“Is it safe?” Was his first question as soon as he arrived at your small thrift store you owned, jittery with nerves.

“Well- hello to you too.” You sassed cocking your hip to the side while holding your helmet in the small of your waist. He blushed bashfully, then finally said hello before you assured him, “I wouldn’t be bringing you if it wasn’t safe- I wouldn’t be driving it if it wasn’t safe.”

“Ok- I trust you.” He relaxed a little, though he was obviously still nervous.

To cheer him up a little you pivoted the conversation onto a more jovial topic, “Will you wear a leather jacket?”

“Maybe next time- if you convince me to get on the death trap again.” It was rare to see Spencer tease you back, but you thoroughly enjoyed it.

Quipping back you said, “Maybe I could get you to drive it too”

“I think I’d need training wheels for that.” A snort came out of you at that; it was funny imagining Spencer riding a motorcycle with bicycle training wheels.

“That would be a sight to see.” You swung your leg on to mount the vehicle, ready to take him on a spin. You then prompted him while getting your helmet on, “Come on pretty boy, let’s do this- and get that helmet on.”

He was a little nervous just going by the shaking in his palms, but he still put the helmet on and climbed on- albeit a bit awkwardly.

He wrapped his hands around your waist snugly when you roared the motorcycle to life. Whenever you had to break he clenched tighter, maybe not enough to leave bruises, but enough that it would be implanted in your memory for a good long while. You couldn’t see him, but you could feel him.

You could tell he had slowly relaxed a little bit more even while keeping a strong grip on you as you made your looped path charted out in your head. Starting at your store and ending at your store, it was longer than maybe it should have been, considering Spencer’s grip on you had made your arousal spark to life.

You soon realized you weren’t the only one enjoying this, feeling something slightly stiff as Spencer shifted slightly at a red light. Oh, he was enjoying it. His cock confined in his pants was growing harder as the journey progressed.

“Did you have fun?” You questioned just as you pulled back into where you started, even though you already knew he did.

He squeaked out a measly, “Yeah!”

You smirked again, out of sight from his face. Biting your inner cheek in thought, you contemplated whether or not to act on it. It would be so easy to just swivel your hips and begin to grind down on his erection that had been pressing into you during the whole ride.

Fuck it, this might be one of your only chances to make a move. You tilted your hips just a smidge, leaning back just a little into him. You heard a hitch in his breath, his hands he had around you tightening back around you, pulling you in closer.

He whimpered when you sat back a little more, testing the waters just a little further. When he himself rolled his own hips once you had to ask, “Do you want me to keep going, Spencer? Do you want this?”

His helmeted head dropped into the crook of your neck, nodding into it as he began to rock into you a little. You gripped around the handles that you were still holding, all you had done was break so far. You were both in broad daylight perched on top of the vehicle. Turning your head as much as you could when you realized he hadn’t verbally responded you prompted sharply, “I need you to speak up, pretty boy. Do you want this?”

“Yes!” He gasped quickly at your prompt.

You then ground yourself back onto his bulge, rotating yourself slowly to feel the torturous friction. The fact that your bottom halves were still clothed only made it even more devastating. No one was around as it was the weekend, when you weren’t open and no one was really around. You still tried to stifle any noises you were tempted to make as his own hips started to undulate into your own.

A person could round the corner and immediately see two people grinding like teenagers onto each other. You both may have been completely closed, but it was quite obvious what you were both doing.

The extra friction you were getting was building a burning orgasm in you, the noises you had been trying to hold back were too hard to stifle. A moan came out of your mouth when Spencer moved down his hands from your waist to the outside of your hips, pulling you down on him with even more ferocity.

When his phone then began to ring you both let out a groan, your hips stopping any movement you had been making over his hard bulge. He reluctantly pulled out his ringing and buzzing ancient phone. Which you would normally find endearing that he carried around somewhat arcane technology, but your weaning arousal was wanting you to smash it on the ground.

“Hello? Hotch?” You groaned, knowing exactly what this meant. There was no way this was going to go further tonight, Hotch wasn’t calling him on the weekend just for paperwork. He was about to leave for a case.

You ripped your helmet off of your head out of frustration while he continued to talk. Grumbling while wiping the sweat that had started to accumulate, Spencer chattering away quickly at Hotch telling him he’ll be there in about ten minutes.

When he got off the phone he began to stammer in apology, this was the only time I’d ever want to cut him off, “There’s no need to apologize- go catch a bad guy.”

“Thank you- and thanks for-r the ride and- um the other thing… I’ve got to go now, I’ll uh- talk to you later.” He then awkwardly shuffled off, trying to conceal his obvious bulge even though you were the only one around to see it.

When he got into his car, you were happy he had brought it for once. You wouldn’t have let him walk all the way to his office from here, and you would have had to drive him with his bulge pressing into your ass again.

“I’m gonna need a cold shower.” You added, mumbled underneath your back as you put your helmet back on, ready to drive back to your apartment to hopefully freeze your frustration away.

—-

The next time you saw him- about a week later, a little blush immediately graced his cheeks, probably thinking about what happened last time. You kissed his cheek and felt how hot they had gotten just by being in his presence. He was here again, early this time, ready for you to open up your shop for the day.

“You’ve got to wait 30 minutes until you can buy something, I don’t open till then,” You then flashed a smirk towards him, he might die from being overheated if you kept teasing him. Still, you continued to do it, “Can’t be seen to show you any favors, pretty boy. Then everyone would want one.” As soon as the keys turned to unlock you didn’t open the door right away, instead turning back to face him. He fidgeted even more underneath your direct gaze, also averting his eyes. You let go of your hold on the keys, bit your lip and added, “Though, I think you’d be the only one I’d want to be my favorite.

He stuttered a bit at that, before changing the subject, “Um- I came here to actually thank you for last week… I had a lot of fun.”

You then cocked your head to the side in question, “Didn’t you already thank me last time?”

“Yeah.” He responded meekly, clearing his throat a few times while he collected his thoughts. “Can we finish what we started?”

You beamed, as it had been exactly what you were hoping for. You made your way back over to him, this time to pull him by the front of his shirt to press a steaming kiss to his lips. He moaned, letting your tongue run over his teeth a few times before you deepened it further. You were panting by the time you released him, but worked through the gasping breaths to answer verbally now, “Of course- come inside with me. If you won’t go on another ride with me after this while wearing a leather jacket, I’ve got a leather jacket you can wear while I ride you.”

Ask Me Anything

—-

Tag lists (fill out this form to join):

All Works: @shotarosleftpinky @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar @spenxerslut @boxofsparklingmuses @katexrichardson@takeyourleap-of-faith

All MGG characters: @muffin-cup @willowrose99 @princesssmooshie @peterpanouat @anaagraceeberr @ashcakes1918 @reid-me-a-story @cosmic-psychickitty

Spencer Reid/CM: @calm-and-doctor @destiny-tsukino @safertokiss @spenxerslut @onlyhereforthefanfics @jareauswifey @princesssmooshie @peterpanouat

Sub Spencer: @thatsonezesty13 @pastathighs @virtualpeanutartisanjudge @calm-and-doctor @princesssmooshie @peterpanouat

[calaofnoldor]

i wanna try something...

UPDATE: there is no more one fic a day requirement! it’s simply whoever reblogs the most hidden gems this year wins!

so it’s come to my attention (through this post and others) that a lot of writers’ note counts have been dwindling as of late, whether on tumblr or ao3.

i wanna try to help remedy this by reblogging as many under-appreciated fics as i can throughout the entire year of 2021 as a way to sort of re-boost writer morale :) 

if anyone wants to join me, please do! i'll be using the tag 'hidden gems reblog challenge'. alternatively, you can simply send in fics that you believe to be underrated if you prefer not to take part in the challenge yourself!

huge thanks to @sams-sass for helping me come up with this idea and title! 🤍 there’s more details and some tags below the cut:

WHY hidden gems? there’s just too much good stuff out there that gets lost and, as @girl-next-door-writes so eloquently puts it, “hidden in the tumblr fuckery”, which is both incredibly discouraging for writers and also unfortunate for readers in search of more amazing fics!

WHO can join? anyone! readers, writers, big blogs, small blogs!

WHAT can you reblog? any fic that you believe deserves more love! whatever fandom you like, new or old fics, doesn’t matter. i don’t want to define ‘under-appreciated’ or ‘underrated’ with a set numerical value because it can be different for everyone (a very popular writer can have one fic that does less well than the rest of their work, though it may still have over a hundred notes, some fics only get likes and no feedback, sometimes writers develop a huge following over time but their older fics still lack love, etc.) but as a general cue, i will personally be trying to focus on fics with less than 200 notes, and anything under 100 notes will be tagged ‘underrated af’ lol. 

- writers, you may also reblog one of your own fics (what you believe to be your most underrated piece) if you want! please use the tag ‘my own hidden gem’ if you choose to do so, mostly cause i’m super curious 😉  

WHEN is this happening? you can choose to join WHENEVER you want this year. the goal is simply to spread more love and discover more fantastic stories and writers!

PRIZES? given that i’m just an obscure, wee little blog, i honestly don’t know if there’ll be any many people joining, but if this catches on and we get enough participants, there will certainly be prizes! i haven’t decided exactly what yet, but i do run a little shop over on redbubble so it’ll probably be something from there!

HOW do you win? let’s say the person who finds and reblogs the most hidden gems in a row this year will be declared our winner! you can compile all of your awesome shiny finds into one masterlist for easy viewing and reference (feel free to use the banner above if you’d like 😊) and make sure to tag me when you’re done! chapters in a multiple-part story count as one.

HOW do you join? if you’d like a chance to win, please send me an ask to let me know you’re signing up! otherwise, feel free to simply use the tag ‘hidden gems reblog challenge’ and go wild, reblog as your heart desires! if you don’t want to participate in the challenge and just wanna help spread the love, you can choose to send in hidden gems to help out your favorite participants (given that they’re ok with it!). this blog will be accepting any under-appreciated winchester fics you might have to offer ;)

ok, that’s it. sorry for being such a wordy motherfu- HAPPY READING/DISCOVERING!!!

i’m gonna tag as many people as i can think of in case y’all wanna signal boost or better yet, tag some more friends and join in!

@girl-next-door-writes (i know you’re hosting a bingo, so you’re kind of already doing this rn but i just wanted to give you a shout out cause you helped inspire this!) @sams-sass (thank you again, babe!) @sammit-janet @carryonmywaywardbucky @beskaradberoya @anaelsbrunette @downanddirtydean @deanwinchesterswitch @swiftlymoniquesblog @mrswhozeewhatsis @thinkinghardhardlythinking @idreamofplaid @becs-bunker @fangirlxwritesx67 @hoboal87 @superbadassnatural @moosewinchester @winchest09 @peridottea91 @idabbleincrazy @firefly-in-darkness @idreamofhazel @imagineteamfreewill @there-must-be-a-lock @kickingitwithkirk @ruined-by-destiel @austin-winchester67 @maxineswritingcenter @my-proof-is-you @flamencodiva @wonder-cole @muchamusedaboutnothing @impala-dreamer​ @supernaturalfreewill​ @imhereforbvcky​ @averil-of-fairlea​ @fromthedeskoftheraven​

[4dtk]

b’day boy

anon: “hi hi hi hi!!! how’re you!! idk if you’re requests are on but!!! can i request smth where jaehyun thinks the reader forgot abt this bday bc she didn’t text him all day but she actually flys to seoul to see him?? basically johnny helped surprise him!!” quick pretend johnny is living on the same floor as jaehyun for this fic. enjoy anon! :-)

“hey! happy birthday, man,” johnny greets jaehyun, slapping him on the back as the birthday boy answers with a nod and a tired smile.

the dorm’s still quiet in the morning, save for the boiling water and the white noise from beyond the flat. the taller male doesn’t miss the way jaehyun’s smile drops, eyeing his phone a meter away from him in case the plan’s busted.

“hm… hyung, have you heard from (y/n) lately? i haven’t gotten her breakfast text, which is weird…”

jaehyun exits the messaging app for the umpteenth time, seeing if there was anything wrong with the internet or with his phone itself.

johnny shakes his head at the question, going back to prepare his coffee as he struggles to hold back a smile.

“sorry, jae, i’m not so sure about that.”

he saves his phone as it lit up right as you messaged, spamming to the poor guy about nerves and bizarre situations due to your overthinking mind.

(y/n) the homie: ?????? what ???? the hell do i wear!!!!!!!!

(y/n) the homie is typing…

(y/n) the homie: i’m trying to hard rn not to click on jaehyun’s name lol

(y/n) the homie: unnnnf i feel so bad johnny

johnny 🔥🥱🕴: u know for someone that has my contact name in wack ass emojis, i’m not gonna help you fashion-wise

johnny 🔥🥱🕴:  don’t worry k, plus it was ur idea!!!! how’s the packing coming along

(y/n) the homie: haha very funny, i am already on the plane mf

“john, hyung, you already made the reservation for tonight yea?” jaehyun asks sleepily, getting up from his comfy position on the table solely to get a chance at johnny’s coffee.

the other hums, having had made reservations for 12 people. sicheng was joining the boys for dinner tonight and taeyong was bringing his girlfriend as well, leaving one last seat for you.

one last text catches johnny’s attention, hoping all will turn out well tonight.

(y/n) the homie: i’m taking off rn, pls follow the plan or i think i’ll actually cry

johnny 🔥🥱🕴: is typing…

johnny 🔥🥱🕴:  overdramatic. i will, just focus on getting to korea safe yea

you leave it as that, buckling in and settled in quick well once the plane had reached a certain altitude.

the present you prepared couldn’t leave your mind, debating here and there whether jaehyun would like it or not.

would something go wrong? we didn’t fight before this, did we?

your thoughts travel everywhere, trying your best to relax while you find a film to distract you. soon, you ease into the movie and then, into a comfortable sleep.

it’s almost evening when the captain announces the landing in a few more minutes, bringing you to open the window.

although the clouds seemed to dance around the plane and the deep blue of the sky takes over the day, the sight provides little comfort as you practice your korean in the plane.

you repeat the restaurant’s address in your head even through immigration, steps unknowingly speeding up at how excited you were.

on the other hand, jaehyun gets more and more worried at the lack of texts, eyeing the single one sent early in the morning at 3am, while you bid each other goodbye on facetime. nothing seems to get him out of his daze, having been reminded several times of the car that was waiting for him.

as the manager wishes him a happy birthday, jaehyun could only thank him half-heartedly, staring down at his phone with a frown.

johnny 🔥🥱🕴: oh man you gotta have like a full on dance number when u enter or something. your mans can’t stop sighing at his phone like it’s a magic mirror

(y/n) the homie: oh nooo, crap, i feel so bad. i’m omw, gotta thank u for going over my korean before this flight

johnny 🔥🥱🕴: you learnt it from the best

(y/n) the homie: 🙄🙄🙄

your eyes pass through many different shops and districts, observing the busy streets of korea and it’s liveliness and wondering if you will ever be up to living in such an exciting country.

it was a long drive, your feet unable to stop moving while you kept yourself calm by counting the exchanged money over and over. a notification from @johnnyjsuh lights up your phone and brings you out of your anxiety for a bit, the instagram story filling up the screen as he records the grand restaurant that they would be dining in.

johnny 🔥🥱🕴: you here?

(y/n) the homie: yes, almost. this person right here is very jumpy and tense

johnny 🔥🥱🕴: breathe, i’ll give u the green light soon

(y/n) the homie: kk

with one foot out the cab, you find yourself needing to calm your heart, feeling the familiar heat and adrenaline rush through your body at seeing your boyfriend.

you eye your phone for the last time, entering on johnny’s cue to surprise jaehyun. with his back turned to the event room, your lips naturally curl into a smile as you watch him through the glass panel.

the gentle jazz pouring from the speakers give the atmosphere its intended ambience, as the boys catch up with sicheng and others converse with each other. they keep their cool according to plan as you enter silently, the gift clutched under your arm tightly.

“guess who?”

with your hands over his eyes, you can almost feel his shock.

“what... no way,” jaehyun’s jaw drops, gaining some laughs from the members as he turns around rapidly. his latches onto your smile, the corners of his lips slowly stretching into a grin before you stumble back at his embrace.

jaehyun holds you tight, as if you’d vanish once you left this room. his arms were wound around you all the way by the next minute, leaving you with no opportunity to breathe.

“babe, i can’t breathe,” you blurt out, making the male release you almost immediately before you attack with your own hug, loving how you could feel the rumble of his chest as he giggled.

“was everyone in on this?” you nodded as he turned to his members, most of them donning bright, sly smiles and jungwoo even winking when he met his eyes.

“y’all are incredible,” jaehyun throws his head back in laughter, an arm naturally encircling your waist as you pile your present with the other’s, making your way to your seat after.

dinner is filled with joviality and loud conversation, even coaxing johnny into revealing that he was the ringleader of the plan. the birthday boy applauds his subtlety, bringing the night to a close an hour or two later as each member finishes their share of the cake.

“i’ll come in later, you guys should head back first,” jaehyun states, pressing a kiss to your temple as the others bid you goodbye.

the lean into your boyfriend feels natural, the cool breeze brushing past your face as he interrogates you about you ghosting him.

“i was so worried, i honestly thought you forgot about me.”

you chuckle, “do you think i really could? when there’s valentine decorations everywhere? i wouldn’t forget it even if it wasn’t valentine’s,” you mused, matching up with jaehyun’s steps.

“it would be sad if my own girlfriend couldn’t remember when i was born.”

the two of you fall quiet, enjoying each other’s company as you stroll around the park near the restaurant.

“say, did you like the surprise?”

“like? baby, i loved it,” jaehyun pulls you in, the walk stopped short while he holds your freezing fingers, “thank you.”

you answer in the form of a smile, tippy-toeing to reach his lips halfway as the moon shines on. it settles your heart in familiarity and warmness, never losing that giddy fondness whenever you were with jaehyun.

“i’d travel anywhere to be where you are, jung jaehyun.”

[sometimesiwritebadly]

Paintbrush (Spencer Reid x Artist!Reader)

Summary: You’re an artist in DC, and a serial killer has started using your artwork as inspiration for his murders.

Warnings: Mentions murder (duh) but doesn’t go into detail

Notes: This is way longer than I planned lol. I based the chaotic-artist vibe that the reader has going on the tiktoker @/artistkatiesmall so y’all can watch her tik toks if you like chaotic energy and paint as much as i do. Oh also I tried to keep this gender-neutral but if there are any pronouns in here that shouldn’t be let me know and I’ll fix it!! I use she/her so sometimes it just comes naturally and i don’t notice. 

Word Count: 2.3k

Masterlist

You were in your studio, listening to music as loud as physically possible. Your art studio is like a safe haven; the only place you feel completely yourself. Right now you’re working on your latest piece. Your art style is very “splattered paint that ends up looking like something”, which your mother had told you on multiple occasions. She had meant it as an insult, but you ended up taking the term and making it your own. She’s not wrong; you typically start your pieces by throwing some paint on a canvas and letting it take you somewhere. So here you are, slapping paint on a canvas and screaming the lyrics to your favorite song.

As the painting began to take form - you hadn’t decided what it would be yet, but you’re excited with what you have - you heard some pounding that didn’t match the beat of the song. Grabbing your phone, you turned down the music, and the pounding could be heard much more clearly now. “Y/N Y/L/N! FBI!” You quickly paused the music and rushed to the door. As you opened the door, your paintbrush (still covered in paint...oops) was tucked behind your ear. At your entrance was two men, one tall and skinny, and the other older with graying hair. “Y/N?” The younger of the two asked, his voice considerably softer than when he’d yelled through your door. You only nodded, and each of the men showed you their badges before the older of the two spoke.

“I’m SSA Rossi, and this is Dr. Reid, we’re with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. Can we come in? We need to ask you a few questions.”

“Uh, yeah, of course.” You opened the door wider now, allowing them both to step inside your small studio. “Um, sorry about the mess, I’m not exactly the most conventional artist.” You apologized. You would've offered them a seat, but you only had two chairs in the place, and they were both occupied by piles of your various art supplies. “What is this about?”

Dr. Reid held a file in his hands, which he passed over to you as he spoke. “Do you recognize any of these paintings?” You open the file to find 4 pictures of your own artwork; portraits of various different people. One short blonde woman, one ginger man with an impressive beard, and a hispanic woman with a pixie cut. 

“Yeah, I painted these a while back...Why does the FBI care about some random commission artwork?”

“Someone commissioned you to do these?” Dr. Reid spoke quickly, causing you to look away from the pictures and back towards him. “Uh, yeah. He calls me every once in a while and asks for weirdly specific portraits.”

“What do you mean, weirdly specific? You don’t base your work off of pictures?” SSA Rossi asked you.

“No, he’s never given me pictures to work from. He just describes the person he wants me to paint. Like about two weeks ago,” You paused as you walked over to your cluttered desk, and grabbed your notepad, which was still open to the page you’d jotted down your notes on, “He asked for a portrait of a short, Asian man with bleach blonde hair, dark eyes, and one pierced ear.” You handed the notepad to Dr. Reid, who scanned it quickly. 

“What’s his name?” He asked, before handing the notepad to his partner.

“Tanner. I don’t know his last name, he always pays with cash. What’d he do?”

The two men looked at each other briefly, before Dr. Reid spoke again, “We believe Tanner has been killing the people that you paint. He left the paintings at the crime scene.”

Your heart dropped. Not only had you been in constant contact with this psychopath, but you felt like you’d inadvertently helped him. You took his money, and he killed the people who looked like your paintings. 

“I know this is shocking, but have you painted anyone else for him?”

“Uh, no, this was the most rece-” You cut yourself off, remembering something from the last time you’d spoken with Tanner. “He bought a painting of me.”

“When?” Dr. Reid asked.

“When, uh, when he picked up the last painting. I had a self-portrait sitting over there that I'd done for fun. He asked if he could have it along with the other one, he paid me extra for it-”

“What day, Y/N?” Dr. Reid placed a hand on your shoulder, trying to comfort you. You felt like you might pass out.

“3 days ago.”

Again, the two agents looked at each other, and their faces didn’t make you feel any better.

“Y/N, why don’t you come with us to the police station, you’ll be safe there.” You could only nod in response letting them lead you out of the studio. Before you exited, Dr. Reid grabbed the paintbrush from behind your ear, placing it on a table before you made your way out to the car.

~~~

Sitting in the police station was like torture. First of all, you were wearing your normal painting outfit: a paint-stained t-shirt an ex had left at your place, jeans that were so ripped up you could barely call them jeans anymore, and of course, socks and sandals. The cops were either completely ignoring your presence, or asking you the same questions you’d already answered dozens of times. One top of all that, they wouldn’t let you do anything besides sit and wait. You had managed to find a paper pad and a pen, so at least your doodling could help pass the time.

You’d been at the station for over an hour already, which meant your doodle was nearly perfect; you ended up drawing one of the agents, Dr. Reid. From where you were sitting, he was in clear sight, and one of the only people who was actually sitting still enough for you to draw. And, y’know, he’s the only person you want to look at long enough for you to draw. 

“Is that me?” His voice startled you; you’d been looking down at the paper and didn’t notice Dr. Reid coming towards you. You dropped the pen immediately, and moved the paper out of his sight.

“I’m sorry Doctor, I was just, y’know, bored and-” You tried to put together a sentence, but your embarrassment was getting the best of you.

“I don’t mind, I, um, think it’s kind of flattering. Can I see it?” Dr. Reid asked, and you reluctantly handed the paper over. You’d been an artist for so long, you were almost never nervous for people to see your work anymore; you have a very “if they like it, great! If they don’t, I don’t care,” kind of attitude when it comes to your artwork. But Dr. Reid was making you nervous. “You don’t have to call me Doctor by the way. Reid is fine. Or, uh, Spencer. You can call me Spencer.” He had a light blush on his face as he spoke, which calmed you a little bit. At least he’s just as nervous as you. Suddenly, as if he was snapped out of his train of thought, Spencer handed the paper back to you and cleared his throat before speaking. “We used the phone number you gave us to find Tanner, but he doesn’t have any listed addresses. Did you ever deliver paintings to him?” Behind him, another one of the agents who’d talked to you, Hotch, walked up.

“Um, no. I’d just call him whenever I finished a painting and he’d come to me.”

“Would you be willing to call him again?” Hotch asked. Your eyes widened at the idea. You’re already terrified at the notion that you may be a target for a serial killer, but calling him? Hotch must have noticed your fear, as he began to explain further, “We can track his location with a phone call, but we need some time to do it. If you’re the one speaking, he’ll probably stay on the line long enough for our technical analyst to find him.” 

You took a deep breath, before nodding slowly. “Y-yeah. I can do that. Can you guys give me a minute first? I need some air.” You didn’t wait for an answer before walking out of the police station. Once you got outside, walked to the end of the building and leaned against the side wall. You closed your eyes, breathing deeply. You couldn’t shake the feeling of responsibility over those people’s deaths. Tanner had taken your artwork, your passion, and ruined it.

“Are you ok?” You looked up to find Spencer standing in front of you, hands in his pockets.

“Not really.” You played with your hands as you spoke, not making eye contact.

“You feel guilty, don’t you?” He asked, as he moved to lean against the wall next to you. 

“Shouldn’t you be inside? Y’know, you’ve got a serial killer to catch.”

“You know there are a lot of signs that someone feels guilty. Avoiding eye contact, changing the subject, lack of an appetite...I noticed you didn’t eat the snacks JJ got for you.” He was right, Agent Jareau had gotten you some snacks that you left untouched back in the station. When you didn’t say anything, Spencer continued, “Usually when I see people acting like this, they have good reason to be guilty. You haven’t done anything wrong, Y/N.”

“I inspired him.” When you looked up at Spencer, he gave you a confused look. “When I saw him last, when he wanted to buy that painting of me, I asked him why. He said that my artwork inspires him. If...If I hadn’t painted those people, they could still be alive.”

“You don’t know that.”

“But there’s a possibility, isn’t there? You can’t say for sure that he would’ve killed them anyways, can you?”

Spencer was silent for a moment, confirming your fears. Eventually, he spoke up. “He may not have killed those exact people, He would’ve killed someone. He’s already killed before.” Your eyebrows shot up at this, so Spencer kept talking, “We think we can connect him to two murders from a few years ago. If he had never used your art as part of his signature, it would’ve taken us a lot longer to find him. He may have even gotten away with it all together.” Spencer’s words did give you a little relief. You still felt bad for the way your art had been used, but it was a good reminder that you weren’t the murderer. That Tanner’s actions had nothing to do with yours.

“Thank you.” Spencer nodded in response, giving you a small smile. “I guess I have a phone call to make.”

~~~ a week later ~~~

You were back in your studio, getting ready for a new painting. Just as you placed your canvas on the easel, there was a knock on the door. When you opened it, you were surprised to find Spencer Reid on the other side. “Spencer?”

“Hi.” There was an awkward moment of silence before Spencer spoke again. “I, uh, saw your mural. It’s beautiful.” A small smile formed on your face at the mention of the mural. After you helped the BAU catch Tanner, you reached out to the family of the victims. With their permission, you painted a mural that was put up at the memorial down the road. The mural had been featured on local DC news channels, which is probably how Spencer had seen it.

“Thank you. I probably wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for you.” As you spoke, you moved over so that Spencer could enter the studio space. “Back at the police station, I wanted to quit art. Figured I’d finally put that communications degree to use or something.” Spencer lightly laughed as you continued, “But you made me realize that I can still do something good with my art.”

“I’m glad.” Spencer paused, and took a deep breath, and a step towards you, “Do you, uh, think we could go get coffee sometime? I mean, it doesn’t have to be coffee, we could get tea, or um, lemonade, we could get lemon-”

“Spencer!” You cut him off, with a light laugh. You found his nerves to be both flattering and cute. “I’d love to get any beverage you’d like, as long as you’re there with me.” You ran your hands through your pockets, looking for the sharpie you’d had in your hand before you’d opened the door. “Where is…” you mumbled, looking down at your pockets. Suddenly, you felt Spencer’s hand at your ear, where he pulled down the sharpie you’d placed there.

“Looking for this?” He was now standing close enough to you that he only had to whisper. 

“Yeah” You responded, at the same volume he’d used. You took the sharpie from his hand, but before he could pull it away, you grabbed it and wrote down your phone number. When you finished, you looked up to Spencer’s face, which had turned pink. “Call me whenever.”

Neither you or Spencer said a word, you just stood there, staring at each other. You couldn’t help but try to memorize every feature of his face. Your staring contest was interrupted by Spencer’s phone dinging. He took a step back, much to your disappointment, and looked down at the text. “I, uh, I have to get to work. We have a new case.” You could tell he was disappointed too.

“Ok.” You whispered. Spencer looked at you for one more moment before he did what you least expected; before you even realized what was happening, his hand was wrapped around your waist and his lips were on yours. Your hands found their way to his collar, pulling him even closer to you.

You two didn’t pull apart until Spencer’s phone went off again. “You better call me.” You said, finally letting go of him.

“I will, promise.” Was the last thing he said to you before rushing off to work. When the door closed behind him, you turned to your blank canvas with a clear idea in mind. So you turned up the music, grabbed your paints, and began to put every detail of Spencer you could remember onto the canvas.

~~~

Notes: i’ll be honest idk how i feel about this ending lmao but i hope y’all liked it

Tags: @dr-reid-ismyspiritanimal @la-vie-en-amour1 @peculiarinsomniac

[jalapeno-princess]

Thought I Knew You

Mark Tuan x Reader x Park Jinyoung

Genre: Angst, some fluff and SMUT (very bad smut lol) (By the way, this is not a love triangle, sorry)

Word Count: 12k (aw shit I didn’t even realize how long this was hahaha)

Summary: You made the mistake of thinking you could be the one who changed Mark’s fuck boy ways and you end up falling in love with him. However, no matter how much Mark claimed to have loved you, nothing would be as important to him as his reputation.

A/n: This is based on the song “Cake” by Melanie Martinez. Y’all I am dying here in this quarantine it’s only day eight and I’m planning on shaving my sister bald. Please enjoy.

I'm not a piece of cake for you to just discard While you walk away with the frosting of my heart So I'm taking back what's mine, you'll miss The slice of heaven that I gave to you last night

Ever since you were a little girl, your parents would constantly warn you about the dangers of drugs. They wouldn’t fail to try and scare you with the kind of effects that it had on people and how drugs could ruin a person’s life once they were to get addicted. However, they failed to explain to you that drugs also came in human form.

Your parents never brought up the fact that drugs could have soft brown eyes, pink heart shaped lips, rosy cheeks, sharp nose and a well defined jaw.

Drugs could have a smile, that could make your heart rate increase as much as it could decrease without seeing it. Drugs could have a laugh that you were sure could cure cancer. Mark Tuan was a drug, your favorite drug and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t addicted.

“Y/n, oh God, please tell me it isn’t true.” You looked at your friend in confusion and tried to help her catch her breath in order for her to go in to depth about what she was referring to. She looked as if she ran a mile in order to come and find you. Your mind couldn’t process why she was so adamant on looking for you as if something was wrong.

“What are you talking about? What’s not true?” She gave you a knowing look and took one more breath before releasing a frustrated sigh.

“You slept with Mark Tuan?” As soon as she said those words, your heart sank and you were sure all color was drained from your face. How did she know? It was a secret meant to be kept between the two of you. Was he spreading the news all around school when he promised not to? What did he think he would get from that? You wanted to throw up. This is what you were afraid of when you first got involved with the older boy.

You knew Mark was bad news. He was known to be the biggest fuck boy in school. Mark had a reputation for sleeping around and he never hooked up with the same girl twice. That is why you made a promise to yourself to never get involved with him, no matter how extremely charming and devastatingly handsome he was. You refused to let your heart get broken by someone who obviously didn’t care about anyone but himself.

However, you don’t regret falling for the charming boy. Sure, he lured you in with his sweet words, countless love confessions, soft kisses, gentle touches and promises to change his ways in order to be a better person for you. But it was your fault for believing in his lies. For putting your trust in someone like him, someone infamous for getting everything he wanted. He made you feel important in the six months the two of you spent together, but now that he got what he wanted, you knew it was over for the both of you.

It was the beginning of your junior year in college, and you were doing just fine. School was always your main focus and you tried your best in everything you did. From the time you won the science fair in 3rd grade, to becoming the president of the national honor society and being nominated as your high school valedictorian, you were known to be one of the smartest people in school. Which is why your English professor pulled you to the side and gave you a really good offer you knew you couldn’t refuse. Until you heard what he was having you do.

When the name Mark Tuan fell from his lips, you didn’t hear anything after that. All the words that your professor said went through one ear and out the other. You were quick to apologize and declined his promises of writing you multiple letters of recommendation and the immediate A+ he would give you for doing him such a huge favor. Although he was upset, he couldn’t blame you for not wanting to tutor the infamous bad boy.

Hearing your professor practically beg you for your help upset you; Mark was a grown man. Even though he obviously didn’t give a shit about his education, he should take responsibility and do whatever he could to maintain his grades. But he was too busy partying, getting high and fucking anything that had legs.

Mark was completely aware that your professor had reached out to you and asked you to help him out with his school work. He wasn’t going to lie, he found you extremely attractive and he admired how dedicated you were to your education. By the way you barely paid any attention to guys other than your best friend Jinyoung, he was sure you were still a virgin and Mark made it his goal to be the one to take away your innocence.

He knew it was selfish of him to want to do such a thing, but he was well aware of how much of a goody two shoes you were and how you thought you were better than everyone else. Mark wanted to be the one to fuck that mentality out of you. That’s how he came up with the plan to break down your walls and get you to fall for him.

The day after your professor talked to you, it didn’t take too long for the boy in question to come up to you and ask you for help himself. You and Jinyoung were studying in the library when you felt a presence join the two of you. Once you looked up to see who it was, you had to do a double take when he took a seat across of you and a frown immediately rose upon your face.

“What are you doing here Tuan?” Mark ignored the disgusted groan that came from your best friend and gave you his direct attention.

“I know professor Kim talked to you about possibly tutoring me in English and I’m pretty sure you declined. So I’m here, asking you myself to prove to you that I’m serious about wanting to raise my grade. I can’t afford to fail y/n and I know you’re my only hope. I’ll do anything. Please.” You let out a scoff and you couldn’t help but stifle back a laugh at the look of anger on Jinyoung’s face.

Jinyoung may not look like someone who could fight, but when it came to you; he would do anything. Which is why you were sure he was very close to jumping across the table and smacking the arrogant smirk off of Mark’s face. As you were about to open your mouth to respond, Jinyoung beat you to it.

“Absolutely not. There’s no way in hell she’ll do that for you. She has a lot more to worry about than your failing grades. You should’ve thought about your education before putting your head between the legs of random girls.” Your eyes widened in shock at Jinyoung’s sudden outburst but Mark was quick to retaliate.

“Scared your little girlfriend is the next person who’s thighs I’ll be in between next? Don’t bother. You’re cute and all y/n, but don’t think so highly of yourself because of what a great student you are. And I wasn’t asking you Park Jinyoung. I was asking our pretty little princess here. Although y/n, if it’s sex that you want in order to get you to tutor me, I wouldn’t mind blowing your back out—“ Everything happened so fast that it took you a while to process the scene going on in front of you. As soon as Mark mentioned hooking up with you, Jinyoung was on his feet and immediately lunged at the older boy. He gripped at his collar and pulled Mark up so that he was standing face to face with him.

“You lay a finger on her, and I’ll make sure you’ll be crossing the graduation stage in a wheel chair. That’s if you graduate punk ass. Now leave.” Mark yanked Jinyoung’s hands off of him before scoffing.

“I’m not afraid of someone like you.” He turned to you and gave you a knowing glance. “Please think about it y/n. And don’t let lover boy here make the decision for you.” Once Mark was gone, you walked over to Jinyoung and took a look at him to make sure he was okay. He pulled you in to his chest and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“Please promise me you won’t waste your time on someone like him. He doesn’t deserve your help. He’ll only use you y/n and you’re worth so much more than that. I don’t care how much extra credit professor Kim is offering you, it isn’t worth it and neither is he.” You ran your fingers gently through Jinyoung’s hair and sighed. Your cheeks warmed up at the thought of how protective Jinyoung was over you. It was sweet and sometimes you wondered why the two of you weren’t more than just friends. It was obvious that Jinyoung cared about you and you made it known that you felt the same. But you never had romantic feelings towards him, as much as you wanted to.

You knew Jinyoung would take good care of you, and you did get jealous whenever you saw how close some girls would get to him. Although, you couldn’t blame them for fawning over him. Jinyoung, in lack of better words was gorgeous. He was definitely a sight for sore eyes and you were sure he could be a model or even an actor if he really wanted to. But you just didn’t see him as anything more than just a friend and a part of you felt that it was because you were afraid to lose him if things didn’t work out between the two of you.

You sighed against his neck before nodding in agreement, however; deep down you knew you were going to go along with tutoring Mark. If he was willing to go through the lengths of asking you for your help personally, you knew he was serious about doing better in school.

A few days after the incident in the library, you built up the courage to go up to Mark and tell him that you’d go along with tutoring him. To say he was shocked was an understatement. After getting in to an argument with Jinyoung and saying some mean things about you just a few days prior, he didn’t think you’d give in. In fact, after saying such degrading things about you, he’d thought you’d be disgusted and want nothing to do with him. Which is why he was confused to hear that you were willing to help him bump up his grade. He wasn’t too sure what got you to agree, but he wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by.

“So I’m taking it that your boy toy has no clue that you’re here right now and that you’re agreeing to tutor me.” You stared at the ground and shook your head in disagreement. Mark brought his fingers down to your chin and lifted it so that you were making eye contact with him. You weren’t going to lie, as much as you wanted to hate the arrogant and narcissistic boy standing in front of you, his touch did send shivers down your spine. But you were quick to shove his hand away before raising your finger up at him in disgust.

“I’m going to set some ground rules Tuan-“ he gave you a smirk.

“Ooh, my last name. I’m so scared.” The glare you sent him got him to shut up and you released an exasperated sigh.

“This stays between you and I. Got it? Nobody is to know that I’m tutoring you and if I find out from anyone else that I’ve been helping you, this whole thing is over. Don’t you dare try to take advantage of me. Oh, and don’t touch me. We will meet under my schedule, I’m the one helping you after all and don’t do anything you know is going to piss me off. I’m a nice person, but I don’t liked to be fucked with.” He sniggered.

“Maybe that’s why you’re so uptight. Jinyoung isn’t giving you what you want huh? I’m sure I could fix your attitude if you just let me-“ You threw your hands up in defeat and began to walk away, but Mark’s reflexes were faster. He gripped your wrist and pulled you in to him, earning himself a groan.

“Is that all you think about? Sex? No wonder why you’re failing. I’m honestly beginning to regret this.” Mark gave you an expressionless look. He had a hard time understanding why you were actually wanting to help him. It was clear that you hated his guts and wanted nothing to do with him. And although your professor probably offered you extra credit, he was sure it wasn’t enough to get you to give up your pride and help him out. So what was it?

“Y/n. Why are you wanting to help me? I’m an asshole and I’m obviously not deserving. Did professor Kim pay you? Did my parents set you up to this? What is it?” You shrugged. One thing you hated about yourself was how nice you could be sometimes.

As much as you wanted Mark to solve this problem on his own, you wouldn’t be able to live normally without the guilt eating away at you. Like your professor said, you were his only hope. You didn’t care about the offers you were given; you were a straight a student with a 4.3 g.p.a. What more could you really need?

“I like helping others I guess. But don’t take advantage of it. I’m already busy as it is. If I feel as if you’re not putting your all in to our study sessions, I’ll stop them altogether.”

He lifted up his pinky and reached for yours, twisting them together. “I promise. Thank you for this, I promise you won’t regret it. Well, see you tomorrow then y/n.”

In the first few days of tutoring him, you found yourself getting frustrated with Mark. Although you made it completely clear in the beginning that the two of you would meet on your time, he was always running late. One time, you waited almost an hour in the coffee shop and right before you picked up your things and left, he came storming in; murmuring countless apologies and telling you how it wouldn’t happen again.

Most of the time the both of you spent together was solely focused on helping him with his English homework. But then the brought up that he wasn’t doing too well in math and science also. He would try to have small talk here and there, but you weren’t having any of it. You told him countless times that you weren’t there for anything more than to tutor him and after a while, he accepted it.

To your delight, Mark was a good listener and fast learner. You couldn’t help but notice the many glances he would steal and how you could feel his eyes on you from time to time. It would always send warmth to your cheeks, but you couldn’t allow yourself to fall for things like that. After a month of your help, his grades began to rise but he still needed your help. He became more of a gentleman the longer he spent time with you. Since you were helping him, he would pay for your coffee and sometimes bring you a snack to all of your sessions.

Unfortunately, the two of you ended up having to exchange phone numbers in order to plan out your tutoring sessions, but after a while you actually liked texting him. At first, he would only text you when he had a question on some homework, but then it turned in to memes that he found funny, videos that he thought you’d like and sometimes he would ask you how you were doing. You tried so hard not to fall for his charm, but it was hard because he was always so sweet to you.

Two months in to your lessons, you took note that he would always compliment you on every little thing. Whether it be your clothes, the way you did your makeup or the way you styled your hair, he never failed to tell you how pretty you were or how cute you looked. And he always made sure to tell you how smart he thought you were and how he could only wish to be even half of an amazing student as you were.

Mark wasn’t aware of how you’d get home whenever the two of you would finish your sessions together; you’d always tell him to go first so you could finish your homework before heading back to your apartment. So when he saw you walking back to your place one night after the two of you finished around 10:00 p.m. he felt worried and he hated himself for not offering you a ride home.

He turned his car around and sped towards you. In the beginning, this was just a game to him. He would get free lessons from you and get to have his way with you if things ended the way he wanted them to. However, three months after getting to know you, he realized that he no longer wanted to use you, nor did he want to take advantage of your kindness and generosity. He was falling for you and he had no intentions of stopping.

Mark liked every little thing about you. People say nobody’s perfect, but he was sure you came pretty close. You were beautiful, there was no doubt about it. The way you smiled with your eyes, laughed at his jokes like he was the funniest person on earth and blushed at his compliments captivated Mark in ways no one ever has before. He found himself wanting to be the reason behind your contagious smile, he wanted to be the one you ran to when times got hard and to be the one you confide in when you feel as if the whole world was against you. He wanted to be the one who got to love you.

He was scared, he’s never felt this way about anyone before. Mark wanted to protect you from everything evil. However, he failed to realize he would be the one he’d have to protect you from.

The honking from behind you startled you to say the least, and you knew you had nothing to protect yourself with if someone were to try and kidnap you. But once he got out of the car and made his way toward you, taking your things and walking back to his car, you released a sigh of relief.

“Yn, get in.” You were hesitant, but you found yourself climbing in the passenger seat anyway. You quietly thanked him while looking out your window to prevent him from seeing the small grin you were now wearing.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’ve been walking home this entire time? I could’ve been dropping you off. It’s dangerous out there you know.”

It’s more dangerous in here, alone with you. Unfortunately, you broke the promise you made to yourself. You had developed feelings for Mark, but it was inevitable for you to do so. You were around him almost every day. His optimism and the fact that he was actually trying when it came to his work and his grades made your tummy warm. It was as if he wanted to prove to you that your lessons were worth it and that he wanted to make you proud.

Then came the phone calls in the wee hours of the morning. Mark found a confidant in you; he would tell you things you were sure he wouldn’t dare telling anyone else. You were well aware of who his friends were and how they could be. If they heard how he was afraid of not getting in to the engineering program at UCLA, they would’ve laughed in his face. But he felt safe with you, he knew you wouldn’t judge him and he knew you would encourage him to pursue his dreams. He trusted you and he’s never trusted anyone before.

The ride back to your apartment was quiet, but it was a peaceful silence. You found yourself sneaking glances at him, basking in his attractiveness and how concentrated he looked when driving. As much as you wanted to stop yourself from liking him, it was too late. You were in too deep. All too quickly, he pulled up to your complex and parked his car. Before you could thank him and say your goodbyes, he was walking to open your door and grabbed your things.

“Here, I’ll walk you up. I want to make sure you get up safely.” It’s as if he knew you were about to decline; he began walking towards your lobby and waited for you to lead the way.

“It’s okay Mark. I’m a big girl, I can walk by myself—“ he placed his finger on your lips in order to get you keep quiet, but it only made things harder for you. Once the two of you made it up to your door, you thanked him one more time and grabbed your things. He had a blank expression on his face and you couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking. As you were about to speak up, his lips were on yours.

His lips tasted like hot chocolate and potato chips; an odd combination that you were now very fond of because it reminded you of him. You would find yourself staring at his lips every so often, wondering what it would be like to kiss him. But you would push the thought away to the back of your mind every time you thought about being intimate with him.

Red flags were going off in your head, but you ignored them. One of his hands made their way down to your waist as the other one roughly cupped your cheek. Your hands wrapped around his neck and you found yourself deepening the kiss. You couldn’t explain how amazing kissing Mark felt. It was as if your entire body was on fire and he was the only thing to put the flame out.

Feeling him moan in to your mouth as you bit down on to his bottom lip sent a tingling sensation to your core and that’s when you decided to pull away. You didn’t care how badly you wanted him in that moment, you weren’t going to completely give yourself to Mark anytime soon and you were going to make it known to him that you weren’t just a toy he could play with and discard when he was done with you.

“Y/n, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. But fuck, that was amazing—“ you gave him a soft smile before running your fingers through his hair.

“Don’t apologize, I wanted that as much as you probably did. I um..I should get going. Thank you again for tonight, see you tomorrow?” He beamed up at you and you could feel your stomach swarm with butterflies. He placed one more kiss on the corner of your lips before waving goodbye to you. It all felt so surreal. If someone were to tell you months ago that you’d be making out with Mark Tuan of all people, you’d laugh in their face. But it happened, and you couldn’t be more excited to see how things were going to go for the both of you.

Once you walked in to your apartment, the huge grin you were wearing soon fell when you saw Jinyoung with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed. Being both your roommate and your best friend, you would always let Jinyoung know of your whereabouts and if you were coming home late. However, when he didn’t hear from you and you didn’t respond to his text or phone calls, he got worried. You’ve been acting pretty secretive lately and although he didn’t think he had the right to get involved in your business, he couldn’t help but feel as if you were hiding something from him.

Jinyoung was like an open book, he told you everything and anything about himself. He was very vocal to you about his dreams and goals to his self doubts and insecurities. He told you all about the girls he had crushes on and cried in to your shoulder whenever he got his heart broken. So when he was about to go on a manhunt for you and walked outside only to see you kissing Mark, he was furious. Did he not warn you all those months ago about how Mark was bad news and not to waste your time with him? How long have you been seeing him for? Jinyoung couldn’t help but feel angry, but that’s because he cared about you. Sometimes, a little too much.

“Y/n, what the fuck is going on?” You looked at him in curiosity and shrugged. You were sure he saw what just happened, so there was no use in lying to him. However, you’ve never seen Jinyoung so upset over something before. One time, his friend Yugyeom asked to borrow his car and even if Jinyoung declined many times, he found himself giving in to the younger boy. Just a few hours later, he got a call from a towing company, saying that his car has been towed because it was parked in a no parking zone. Jinyoung was furious and didn’t speak to Yugyeom for weeks. You were sure tonight was going to end just as badly as that night did.

“I’ve been tutoring him.” Jinyoung looked at you as if you grew another head.

“After I told you not to? After I warned you about him? Y/n, I’m sure you know all about him. He’s going to break your heart right after he gets what he wants. He doesn’t like you, he likes your body and the fact that you’ve been tutoring him for free is just a bonus. This was his plan after all. He’s going to fuck you and dump you like he does every girl in the fucking school. I can’t believe this.”

Hearing him say such mean things about you broke your heart. Jinyoung never bad mouthed you and fought anybody who did. Jackson Wang found himself with a black eye after Jinyoung heard him call you such degrading names when you bumped in to him at a club once. It was times like this where you felt as if Jinyoung had feelings for you, but you were too afraid to bring it up. You continued to let him say what he wanted to; you were too hurt to say anything back. But what was there to say? As much as you wanted to believe Mark liked you and would take care of you, Jinyoung had a point.

When he saw you tearing up, he wanted nothing more than to pull you in to his embrace and whisper sweet nothings in your ear while apologizing for hurting your feelings; but he was too frustrated with the situation and he was afraid he was going to say something that would end your friendship completely.

Once he was done with his rant, he stormed in to his room and slammed the door, leaving you on the living room floor crying hysterically. The last thing you wanted to do was upset your best friend, but you were afraid that this was going to happen. That’s why you kept Mark a secret the entire time. The next morning, you got a text from Mark asking if you wanted to go out for breakfast to which you were quick to agree to.

After hearing Jinyoung mention that Mark was only using you, you became hesitant of spending time with him. You were afraid that Jinyoung’s words were the truth and that Mark would hurt you in the end. But your stupid heart craved him. Therefore, you found yourself getting ready to go see him. You put on a cute little sundress and applied a light amount of makeup. When you saw the dried tears from last night, your heart began to hurt at the thought of Jinyoung’s disappointed face; but you couldn’t let him get to you.

You were old enough to make your own decisions and if it came back later to bite you in the ass, then so be it. Mark let you know that he was there, so you grabbed your bag and made your way to the living room. When you saw that Jinyoung’s door was shut, you wanted to go and apologize but you didn’t want to make him even more upset. You made your way downstairs and a smile rose upon your face when Mark came in to view. His expression quickly mirrored yours when you came in to view and he immediately pulled you in to his embrace before placing a gentle kiss on your lips.

“Hey baby. You look beautiful as always. Shall we?” You nodded in agreement. For the next month, you fell in love with him. He explained his feelings for you on the second date and every single detail made your head spin. The way he described you with so much beauty and grace made your heart combust and you’ve caught him looking at you as if you were the one who set the stars in the sky on multiple occasions.

Unfortunately, you and Jinyoung haven’t talked since the night he found out about you and Mark, but you were so occupied with Mark that you didn’t really notice his absence. However, you did find yourself missing him and Mark took notice at how you were never completely happy no matter how much you tried to play yourself out to be. Your smile no longer reached your eyes and as much as he hated to admit it, he knew it was because of Jinyoung.

“Babe.” The two of you were over at his place watching a movie when you felt him tug on your shirt. “Let’s go.” You looked at him in confusion.

“Go where?” He gave you a sad smile before getting up, carefully pulling you up with him.

“We’re gonna go to your place and you’re going to make things right with Jinyoung. I hate seeing you so distressed. You’re not yourself these days. I miss hearing that beautiful laugh of yours that I love so much. And don’t try to deny it. You’re not happy baby and I want to make things right, no matter how much I hate Park Jinyoung.”

It wasn’t that Mark hated Jinyoung. In fact, he was extremely jealous of the younger boy; though he would never voice his worries to you. You and Jinyoung had a very close bond. The two of you were attached to the hip and although you and Mark had something as of right now, he was sure that if you had to choose between the two, you’d go with Jinyoung. From an outsiders point of view, the two of you were sure to be a couple. That’s why it came as a shock to Mark when you told him there was nothing going on between you and Jinyoung.

However, he couldn’t help but feel as if the reason why Jinyoung was so protective over you was because he had feelings for you and he couldn’t blame him. The thought worried Mark, he hated thinking that there was a reason he would lose you. Things were going so well between the two of you and he finally came to terms with the fact that he was in love with you.

The drive back to your place was nerve wrecking. You weren’t even sure if Jinyoung was home. He hasn’t been home during the times you were and you knew he made it that way. Mark’s free hand found yours and he gently grazed your wrist with his thumb. “It’ll be okay baby. He’ll come around.”

Your heart felt so warm knowing that Mark wanted you to reconcile with Jinyoung even if you were completely aware that the two boys weren’t fond of each other. He was willing to do whatever he could in order to make you happy again and it only made your feelings for him grow stronger. When you and Mark pulled up to your building, he told you he’d stay in the car while waiting for you and to let him know if you needed him to come upstairs.

Once you got in to your apartment, it didn’t take you long to find him. Jinyoung was standing at the kitchen counter with a beer in his hands. When his eyes landed on you, he looked as if he wanted to walk towards you but stopped himself from doing so. You felt as if your heartstrings were getting pulled at and you were sure if things didn’t end the way you had planned them to tonight, Park Jinyoung would be the one to rip your heart out completely.

“Hey.” He nodded in your direction before taking a chug of his beer. Jinyoung wasn’t a drinker. The only time he ever drank was when he was nervous or pissed off and you knew it was the latter. You made your way towards him and stole the beer out of his hands before taking a sip of it yourself.

“Can we talk. Please?” He released a long sigh before nodding and making his way towards the couch. The two of you sat in silence for a couple of minutes, neither of you knowing what to say. You opened your mouth to speak up, but he beat you to it.

“Where’s lover boy?” You nervously bit your lip and shrugged.

“He’s waiting downstairs.” Jinyoung took another swig at his beer and took a quick look at you. He knew the distance between you both was having a toll on you. You lost a few pounds, the eye bags under your eyes were dominant and your eyes no longer held the beautiful glow in them that he adored so much. Was this because the two of you weren’t talking? He must’ve looked just as bad as you did if not worse.

When you felt him graze your arm, you knew things were okay. Jinyoung could never stay mad at you, he had the biggest soft spot for you and you were one of the only people he needed in his life.

“I’m sorry.” You looked at him in confusion. Why was he sorry? “I overreacted and ended up putting our friendship on the line. I didn’t meant to stay away for so long. I’m just a stubborn asshole. I’ve missed you so much. Fuck y/n, I would honestly rather you date a monkey than that asshole. You know I only acted like that because I care about you right? Your happiness means a lot to me and I know how Mark is. I don’t want him breaking your heart. I’ll kill him if he ever does.” You softly giggled.

“I’m not worth going to jail for Jinyoung.” He shook his head in disagreement before pulling you on to his lap.

“I’d do anything for you. Remember that. These last few weeks without you have been torture and I learned that I can’t physically live without you. Please don’t hide things from me anymore. I can’t promise you he and I will be friends, but we can at least be cordial for your sake. He um..he’s taking good care of you right?”

You nodded in agreement before placing a soft kiss on his cheek. “I’m sorry for everything that I’ve put you through Jinyoung. I promise to be a better friend, I hate not having you in my life. You’re my best friend, I refuse to be without you anymore. You’ll always be the most important man in my life. Remember that.”

After a few minutes of catching up and continuing your apologies, he sent you on your way. When you got in to Mark’s car, he was quick to notice the wide grin on your face and his heart fluttered. Your smile did wonders to him.

“I’m taking things ended well?” You nodded in agreement as the two of you made your way back to his place. Mark had asked you to be his girlfriend almost two months after your first date and you could honestly say you felt as if you were on cloud nine. He was the perfect boyfriend. Your happiness was his main focus and he did whatever he could in order to make you happy. He never forced you in to doing anything you didn’t want to and allowed you to set the pace of your relationship.

The two of you were kept a secret, but you liked it that way. You didn’t want anyone else being involved in your relationship. A huge part of you felt that if people were to find out about you and Mark, that’s when things would go downhill. You could tell Mark really did change his ways to impress you and you knew that as much as he wanted to take things slow with you, he was slowly losing his resolve. Every time the two of you made out, you could tell he wanted to take things further with you, but you just weren’t ready to give yourself to him just yet. Which is why Mark would excuse himself to the bathroom almost every single time things got hot and heavy and helped himself with the problem in his pants before returning back to you.

However, you were becoming just as impatient as he was and your body craved to be one with your boyfriend. One night, you were over at Mark’s place, attempting to help him study; but one thing led to another and the two of you found yourself making out on his bed. His hands made their way all around your body as his tongue left marks along the juncture of your neck and jaw. You could feel him against your thigh and the feeling sent shivers down your spine. When he noticed his painful and fast growing erection, he tried to pry you off in order to find means of release, but you were quick to continue your ministrations of grinding on to his thigh.

“Y/n—“ Hearing him moan in to your ear was an indescribable feeling and you could feel your core begin to throb.

“I trust you Mark. Take me please. I’m all yours.” The animalistic growl that came from the back of his throat didn’t go unnoticed to you and you found yourself rubbing your thighs together in order to create any sort of friction to help your building orgasm.

Mark was well aware that you were a virgin, you explained to him many times that you wanted to wait for the right person to lose your virginity to. Seeing the way Mark looked at you with so much love and admiration in his eyes; you knew he was the one you wanted to give yourself to.

“I’m gonna take such good care of you baby. I promise.” He placed gentle kisses along your face before dragging his fingertips along your body. His lips marked their territory along your chest, sucking and nipping at your clothed breasts before ultimately ripping your bra off; earning himself a whine from you.

“Mark! That was my favorite bra!” He giggled in to your neck.

“I’ll buy you more princess. Now hush. It’s time to eat.” He played with both of your breasts before taking one completely in to his mouth whilst playing with your other one, massaging your breast and twisting at your nipple. You couldn’t fathom in to words how good this all felt. He knew exactly what to do to make you squirm. When he was done loving on your breasts, he made his way down to your extremely soaking pussy. He brought his finger to your slit and all but gently traced his index finger against it, collecting some of your juices and bringing it in to his mouth.

“Mmm, you taste so good and you’re so fucking wet.” He shoved his two fingers inside of your cunt and began to pump, causing you to moan and release the most erotic sighs. Your facial expressions only made Mark harder to the point where he needed to distract himself. He finally lowered himself to where you needed him the most and kissed your inner thighs before taking the time to suck and nibble on them.

You tried pushing his head towards your entrance so that he would get the hint that you needed him to do anything to help the hot sensation between your legs but he continued to tease you. It wasn’t until he heard you beg that he finally gave you what you wanted. When you felt him lick a strip along your center, you almost screamed but you were quick to bit your lip in order to keep the noise at a minimum.

The grip he had on your thighs and hearing him lick and slurp against your very sopping pussy brought you closer to the edge. To your dismay, he pulled away in order order to catch his breath and to see the effect it was having on you. Seeing him smile so innocently while he was doing such a sinful act made you chuckle, but it was soon replaced by a moan when he reattached his lips to your clit. The feeling of him eating you out while pumping his fingers in and out of you at a rapid pace was sending you over the moon.

You tried your best to gently tug on his hair, but the faster and harder he went only made you get rougher yourself. In his previous experiences, your boyfriend hated hair pulling. It always interrupted him because of how painful it was. But seeing the effect his fingers and his tongue had on you and feeling you tug on his curly locks only turned him on more. He loved the feeling of your long, dainty fingers pulling at his hair. It just proved how much you were enjoying his ministrations.

Soon, you felt yourself releasing all over his tongue and your boyfriend lapped all of your juices up. He made his way back up to you and placed a sloppy, wet kiss on your lips. “How was that princess? You taste amazing by the way. I could eat you out for hours.”

You smirked up at him. “It seems as though I’ve been missing out on such a mind blowing experience. That was wonderful, thank you.”

He got up from the bed and made his way toward his dresser, taking out a condom and returning back to his spot in bed. “Y/n, you sure you want this? We can wait baby. You know I’ll wait however long you need me to. I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to—FUCK.” You playfully brought your hands in to his sweats and began to palm him through his underwear. However, Mark was quick to stop your teasing all together.

He pulled off both his sweats and his underwear before placing the condom on to his hardened cock. He was huge. You’ve heard a couple of your friends talk about their first times and a part of you was nervous of the stretch they all seemed to talk about. From every experience you’ve heard about, it was painful. But you trusted your boyfriend and you knew he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. He lined himself at your entrance and dragged himself along your folds to lubricate himself.

“It’s going to hurt a little in the beginning, so tell me if you need me to stop. But I promise it will feel so good later.” He slowly brought himself inside of you and you bit your lip to try and hide how painful it was. When Mark saw your uncomfortable facial expression, he connected your lips together in order to take your mind off of the pain. However, you knew your boyfriend was having a hard time staying inside of you and not doing anything.

“Are you okay? How are you feeling?” You pinched at his bicep and quietly let him know that it was okay to move. He released a sigh of relief before pumping in to you. “Fuck, you’re so tight and extremely wet. You’re taking me so well baby. So, so good. Just like that.” With every thrust, the pain was replaced with pleasure and you began to beg your boyfriend to go faster.

“Mark..baby..I need you to go f—faster. Please. F—fuck.” Your boyfriend pounded in to you at such a rapid pace and you loved every single second of it. His hands that were gripping tightly on to your waist made their way up to your hands and he intertwined the two together. Seeing your beautiful mounds bounce as he pumped himself in to you was an erotic sight for Mark and he couldn’t take it, it was all too much.

“Y/n, I love you. I love you so fucking much baby. You’re mine. All mine.” Hearing those three words fall from his lips was an indescribable feeling. You didn’t think people like Mark were capable of love, but you knew he was sincere and meant every single word.

“Please tell me you’re close. I don’t want to come before you do. Fuck baby, you’re actually going to be the death of me.” After a few more minutes of skin on skin slapping, countless moans, grunts and murmurs of sweet nothings, you were coming all over his cock. With the way you were clenching around him, Mark came not too long afterwards. He plopped down on your chest and connected your lips together before resting his face in between your breasts.

You gently ran your fingers through his hair and smile softly at him. “Mark?” He looked up at you with the cutest look of curiosity on his face and hummed. “Did you mean it? You love me?” He happily nodded in agreement before placing a long, passionate kiss on your lips.

“I’ve been in love with you for a while. You’re an ethereal being y/n. I cannot fathom in to words how wonderful you are. You’re an actual dream baby. By the way, that was mind blowing. I’m never going to get enough of you. How are you even real?” You giggled against his neck and pulled him closer to you, the need to be near him was unreal.

“How was that? Was I okay? I know I probably didn’t know what I was doing and I’m sure you’ve been with girls with more experience—“ he placed a finger against your lips to silence you before pushing some of your hair back.

“You were amazing y/n. I‘m having a hard time believing this was your first time. You took me so well. You’re actually the best sex I’ve had and I’m sure it’s because you’re the only girl I’ve ever loved  and the only girl I ever plan on loving.” Tears started to brim at your eyelids and he gently kissed them away before they had a chance to fall. “Come on love, let’s go to bed.”

From that day on, the two of you had a sexual awakening. He meant it when he said once he’s had a taste of you, he wouldn’t get enough. The two of you relinquished in your love pretty much anywhere, the thought of someone catching you only heightened your excitement. Unfortunately, you were too busy falling in love with Mark to notice the world going on around you.

It wasn’t until your friend pulled you to the side to ask you what was going on that made you realize your fairytale was soon to become a nightmare.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. We’re not even friends.” You remembered the pact the two of you made about nobody knowing of your relationship and now you felt as if Mark purposely made it that way. He claimed to have wanted to protect you, but you couldn’t help but feel as if he was ashamed of your relationship and was trying to hide you. She furrowed her brows in confusion before continuing.

“Well you better go set him straight then. He’s telling everyone he took your virginity and that you’ve been begging him to sleep with you again.” Her words sent you in to a frenzy and you became numb. You could only hope and pray that what she was saying wasn’t true. But Jinyoung’s words were coming back to haunt you.

He’s only going to break your heart once he gets what he wants.

You made your way to the cafeteria where you were sure he was and searched the crowed for your boyfriend. When you finally found him, you marched over towards him and released a frustrated sigh when you noticed he wasn’t alone. There was nothing more you hated than Mark’s unfortunate group of friends. They were all fuck boys and some of the biggest narcissistic assholes in your school. You never understood how Mark could be friends with such losers, but you weren’t one to tell your boyfriend how to live his life. Bambam was the first one to spot you and when he did, the obnoxious boy began to whistle.

“Look what we have here. Isn’t it the beautiful y/n. Was Mark’s dick that good that you came back for more?” Strike one. You ignored him and made your way towards Mark.

“We need to talk.” The rest of his friends began to boo as you grew impatient while waiting for his response.

“Ooooh Markie, she wants to talk. Get in line princess. There’s hundreds of girls waiting to hook up with him, what makes you any special?” Strike two. The fact that Mark wasn’t speaking up sent a jab to your heart and you could feel it slowly breaking with every second you were waiting for him to defend you, to fight for you. But you were left with nothing.

“Get out of here y/n.” You could tell in his eyes he was pleading for you to leave, it was obvious things were going to get ugly. You could tell he was trying to nonverbally communicate with you that he would talk to you later, but you saw a side of him that you had thought no longer existed. The boy who listened to what his friends would say. The boy who cared about his reputation more than anything else. Obviously more than you. The person sitting in front of you wasn’t your boyfriend, you didn’t know who he was. You couldn’t take it anymore, you needed to get it off of your chest, even if it meant walking away single.

“Why are you telling people we’ve slept together?” He scoffed before standing up and walking toward you.

“Because we did. Is there a problem with that? Most girls flaunt off the fact that they’ve hooked up with me. That’s the reason why you agreed to tutor me so easily isn’t it? Because you wanted to get in my pants? God y/n, girls like you are pathetic. Face it, girls like you could never get a guy like me no matter how hard you try. You’re nothing but a pretty face, brains and some nice tits. Just like many other girls in this school. Like BamBam said, you’re nothing special. If anything, you should’ve listened to Jinyoung. I was only using you to tutor me. Not only did I raise my grades with your help, but I got pretty good sex too. Practically a steal if you ask me. You were a good fuck, I’m not going to lie. But that’s all you’ll ever be to me. A good fuck—“

Strike three. The loud slap could be heard throughout the entire cafeteria to the point where all heads were turned in your direction. You couldn’t respond, couldn’t process what he just said. You were humiliated; you wanted the ground to swallow you whole. All you could do was smack him across the face as tears built up in your eyes but you refused to cry in front of him. He wasn’t worth your tears. You knew he didn’t mean a word he said.

Your Mark, the love of your life; you were sure he was replaced by some monster. The Mark you were in love with would never do anything to hurt you, yet here he was, making a fool out of you, the only person he claimed to have any meaning to him in order to impress his stupid friends.

“I am so stupid. I should’ve never fallen in love with you. I should’ve known you would do this. You are the biggest piece of shit in all mankind. You’re pathetic Mark Tuan. You know what? Fuck you. I hope you had fun wasting my time. I never want to see your face ever again.” You stormed out of the cafeteria and ran as fast as you could. You didn’t know where you were going, but you didn’t care. All you knew was that you needed to get the hell out of there before people started to come up to you. Before you could open your locker, you felt somebody tug at your wrist and thinking it was Mark, you roughly pushed the person away until you heard him softly call out your name.

“Y/n, hey. It’s me. Come on, let’s go home.” Jinyoung grabbed your things and reached for your hand. However, it was apparent that you had no energy to walk, so he bent down in order for you to climb on to his shoulders. In most situations, you would decline his offer to carry you. However, Jinyoung knew you better than anyone else. Your mind wasn’t completely there and he knew your heart was broken. He was afraid he wouldn’t be enough to fix it.

He just so happened to be in the cafeteria when the confrontation happened and as much as he wanted to beat the shit out of Mark for publicly humiliating you, you were his main focus in that moment. He carried you to his car and placed you in the passenger seat. You felt empty, as if all the life was sucked out of you completely. Mark said those words so easily, as if he meant every single one of them. You should’ve left when he told you to, but it was better that you didn’t. You got to see his true colors; got to see what his priorities were and you obviously weren’t one of them.

Once Jinyoung parked, he walked over to your side and picked you up bridal style before carrying you up to your apartment. As soon as the two of you entered, he brought you in to his room and lied you on his bed before joining you and pulling you in to his embrace. He didn’t want to say anything, he was going to wait for you to react before doing anything. When you began to cry, Jinyoung was sure his heart was breaking with every sob. If there was anything Park Jinyoung hated; other than Mark Tuan and his stupid group of friends, it was seeing you cry. Being friends with you for years allowed Jinyoung to see it all. The good, the bad and the ugly. However, this was by far the worst thing that had ever happened to you. All he could do was run his fingers through your hair and gently rub your back in order to calm you down.

After a good hour of crying in to his chest, your breathing became steady and you looked up at Jinyoung with the saddest smile on your face.

“Say it.” He looked down at you and frowned. 

“Say what?” You shrugged. 

“I told you so. I should’ve listened to you. You’re always right. I don’t know why I thought this situation was any different. I’m so fucking stupid.” He was quick to shake his head in disagreement before gently pinching your cheek.

“You’re not stupid. He said all the right things that made you fall for him. Hell, I even fell for his act. He seemed to have genuinely cared about you y/n and I don’t doubt that he does. He just made the wrong decision and now he’s going to pay for it. But please don’t be so hard on yourself. If anyone is stupid, it’s your dumb ass ex boyfriend. He just lost the best thing that’s ever happened to him and for what? His playboy reputation? Friends who obviously could give less of a shit about him? Girls who could never hold a candle to you? What a fucking piece of shit. I’m gonna kill him, I’m telling you. Nobody hurts my girl and gets away with it.”

You looked up at him and softly pecked his cheek. “I feel like shit. It’s as if he ripped my heart from out of my chest and stepped on it countless times. Am I really that worthless and pathetic like he said I am Jinyoung? Is that all I’m really good for? A one night stand? Am I not worthy of being loved by someone? Everything he said to me was a lie. I hate him. I never want to see or talk to him ever again.” Your best friend frowned before pulling you closer to his chest. He hated hearing you talk so negatively about yourself. You were the most beautiful human being to exist. You deserved the world and more. Why would Mark throw away everything that happened between the two of you just to seem high and mighty to his friends? You couldn’t process it.

Jinyoung knew that he had to do something in order to get back at Mark; he just didn’t know what he could do without getting in to too much trouble. A black eye was too easy; Jackson’s healed up in a few days. He wanted to hit Mark where it hurts; and that’s when an idea popped in to his head. But he was going to give you a few days to rest and recover before telling you of his plans. After all the crying and stress you went through, you found yourself falling asleep pretty quickly. Jinyoung took this time to admire you and wished that you would bounce back from this. Nobody deserved heartbreak, especially not you. You were always so quick to put others before yourself and Jinyoung was aware that you put Mark on such a high pedestal. Which is why he knew his idea would practically ruin Mark and he could only hope that you’d want to go along with it.

The next day, you woke up to an empty bed, but you noticed you were changed in to one of Jinyoung’s shirts. You smiled at the realization, he must’ve helped you change right before he left. It didn’t take you long to notice the letter on his desk explaining that he went to school and left breakfast for you on the stove. He also prepared some of your favorite movies and a few bottles of alcohol for when you were in the mood. You slowly made your way in to the bathroom and sarcastically laughed when you saw how horrible you looked. Why did you allow such a stupid boy to do this to you? As much as you wanted to avoid looking at your phone in case Mark tried to get in touch with you, you wanted to thank Jinyoung for taking care of you.

A part of you was worried of what he was capable of doing to Mark at school, especially since you wouldn’t be there, but you didn’t care. He broke your heart, so you wouldn’t mind if Jinyoung broke his face. You weren’t surprised when you saw the 32 text messages 19 missed calls and 12 voicemails all from Mark, but you just weren’t ready to read or listen to any of them. You just wanted to get drunk and sleep the day away. As you were twenty minutes in to watching Friends, the knock on your door got your attention.

“Y/n, we need to talk. Open up. I know you’re in there.” Hearing his voice after only 24 hours brought so many feelings to you. Anger. Hurt. Pain. Humiliation. However; it only made you realize how much you missed him and how much you still loved him. Even after what he put you through, you weren’t going to lose feelings for him overnight. But what good would it do if you were to open the door? If anything, you’d be making a big mistake if you were to let him in. Letting him in to your apartment meant letting him back in to your life and there was no way you could forgive him as of right now.

“Y/n please. I can explain. I made a mistake. A huge fucking mistake. You know I didn’t mean anything I said. I know you know I love you with every fiber of my pathetic being. Fuck baby, I’m so fucking sorry. Please open up. You need to know I’m not the one who started telling people that we hooked up. I don’t know how he got my phone, but Jackson read our text messages and opened his big ass mouth. Please open up. I need to see you. I’m nothing without you. Please.” His voice cracked when he said the last few sentences and you were sure it broke your heart even more if that was possible. Your heart begged for you to open the door, but your mind stood it’s ground.

You called Jinyoung and let him know Mark was outside and that you didn’t know what to do. He told you to stay put and to not allow him in. You knew exactly what would happen if you allowed him inside. Plus, you had nothing to say. This man used you, broke you and acted as if you were nothing. Silly you for believing you could be the one who could change his ways. He continued to knock and cry for what felt like hours until you heard another voice outside. Jinyoung was home and you couldn’t be more happier.

You heard him telling Mark to leave and threatening him to call the cops in which Mark was quick to retaliate. You knew Mark wasn’t going to leave without seeing you, so with the tiny amount of courage and strength you had left, you opened the door and pulled Jinyoung inside.

“Go Mark. I meant it when I said I never want to see you again.” The tears welling up in his eyes and his broken expression made you tear up yourself, but the tight grip on your waist prevented you from doing anything you’d regret.

“Please..hear me out y/n. I can’t lose you.” You sent a chilling glare in his direction.

“You already lost me when you decided I wasn’t as important to you as your fucking ego. Now get out of here before I scream.” He looked as if he was crying all night. His eyes were extremely red and his cheeks were puffy; but you didn’t care. He deserved it. Jinyoung slammed the door in his face before pulling you in to his chest.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t come home sooner. How are you feeling?” You began to cry in his chest again and he gave you a couple of minutes to let it all out before bringing you back in to his room. It seemed as if all you were capable of was crying. Jinyoung sighed when he saw the food still out on the counter, he was completely aware that you had no appetite. But he knew there was only one type of food you would eat no matter how upset you were. When he got up from the bed and made his way outside, you let out a small whine but you were still too numb to get up and see where he went.

Just a few minutes later, he came back with a container of ice cream and a glass of wine. You smiled tiredly at him before he handed you the tub and made space for him on the bed. To your surprise, he picked you up and pulled you on to his lap, taking the tub of ice cream in his hands and began to feed you.

“You’re gonna be okay y/n. Remember your worth. I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.” Two weeks past since that horrible incident and although you weren’t completely yourself just yet, you finally got up from Jinyoung’s bed and actually went back to school. You blocked Mark’s number completely and deleted him on all of your social media. Since you only had two classes on campus, you were quick to leave before risking the chance of bumping in to him and his stupid friends. You slowly got back in to things and you were sure it had a lot to do with your best friend.

A week after Mark came to your apartment, Jinyoung had told you of the idea he came up with to get back at Mark and although you were hesitant and didn’t like the thought of using Jinyoung, you knew that seeing the two of you together as a couple would ruin Mark. There were times that Mark would come over while Jinyoung was home and Jinyoung would jokingly touch you in order to mess around with the older boy. Everyone and their mothers knew how jealous Mark was of your best friend and you decided that this was a great plan to get back at him with. However, you were sure Mark was already moved on. He could get any girl he wanted. You wouldn’t be surprised if he added more girls to his body count and you rolled your eyes at the thought.

“You know y/n, instead of fake dating, we could film a sex tape and send it to him. Or even lure him in to coming here and walk in on us having sex—“ you threw a pillow at him and released a sigh.

“The second option doesn’t sound too bad, but I want the whole school to know about us and there’s no way I’m sending our sex tape around campus.” He shrugged, but the thought of having sex with Jinyoung brought a blush to your cheeks. In the last two weeks, you found yourself looking at Jinyoung in a different light. You didn’t know if it was because you were still so vulnerable or because you missed being loved on. But you were sure it also had to deal with the fact that Jinyoung took such good care of you. He tended to your every need, made sure you were eating your meals and getting your work done. He made you feel wanted, made you feel like the only girl in the world. He made you feel things not even Mark could.

Jinyoung wanted you to get rid of the thought of Mark completely. Which is why he was so willing to do this for you, even if it meant developing feelings for you and getting hurt in the end. Finally the day came where Jinyoung’s plan would be put in to action. The two of you made your way to school and once you got out of the car, he was quick to intertwine your hands together and took your bag from you.

“Ready babe?” You giggled at the pet name before nodding. People who knew the two of you were aware that you were friends, but when some of the students saw the two of you holding hands, you didn’t fail to notice them whispering while the two of you began to walk. You went about your day as if nothing happened, but news spread around your school like wildfire. You didn’t think people even knew who you were, but after what happened between you and Mark just a few weeks ago, everyone seemed to know your name. You could only hope that Mark got word of your newly formed relationship. When lunchtime finally came around, Jinyoung picked you up from your class and reached for your hand.

“Show time.” You tried your best to ignore the stares, but it seemed as everyone in school was completely aware of your situation. When you walked in to the cafeteria, you tried not to make it obvious that you were looking for Mark, and released a sigh of relief when Jinyoung whispered that he was there. He placed a chaste kiss on your forehead before having you sit down so that he could grab something for the two of you to eat. You decided to go on your phone for the time being and waited for Jinyoung to arrive back to your table. When he finally came back, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on your lips before handing you your food. The two of you should’ve really practiced the night before, you weren’t quite used to feeling his lips on yours. His lips felt foreign but you weren’t going to lie, you liked it. He wasn’t rough nor as passionate as Mark was, but you knew it was because he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.

“I always liked it when you wore my clothes. You look cute.” You playfully rolled your eyes as you shoved a piece of watermelon in his mouth. Jinyoung discreetly took a look at Mark’s table and let you know that Mark was fuming. You took a look for yourself and playfully bit your lip as you leaned forward and placed a long, sloppy kiss on the corner of Jinyoung’s mouth. To your dismay, you saw a figure making their way toward the two of you in your peripheral vision and prepared yourself just in case it was Mark. However, when you saw it was Jackson, you released a sigh of relief.

“Wow, who would’ve known. The two of you? I honestly didn’t see it coming. Jinyoung here has been following you like a lost puppy for years now. Are you finding comfort in your best friend since Mark doesn’t fuck the same pussy twice?” Jinyoung quickly stood up and hovered over the arrogant boy.

“You want another black eye again don’t you? Punk shit.” You gripped at Jinyoung’s bicep before motioning for him to sit down. You got up and made your way towards Jackson and turned in the direction of Mark’s table.

“Mark didn’t tell you guys did he? We were dating, for the last six months. When he wasn’t busy sucking on your dicks, he was with me. He had to wait five months for me. Do you really think, with that tiny brain of yours that he would’ve waited around for me for that long if I was nothing but a simple fuck to him? You and your entire group of friends are capable of nothing but sex and from what I’ve heard through the grapevine, everything about you is short and underperforming.” You heard Jinyoung quietly chuckle behind you and the angry look on Jackson’s face only fueled you to piss him off some more.

“Yes, Jinyoung and I are dating. It took a really shitty relationship with Mark and underwhelming sex to realize my worth and what I deserve. I deserve someone who loves me and cares for me the way Jinyoung does. And someone who actually can get me to come. By the way, I’ve only slept with two guys and Park Jinyoung is by far the best sex I’ve ever had. Now if you excuse me, I’d like to enjoy lunch with my boyfriend in peace. And tell your friend over there to stop trying to contact me, my phone company keeps complaining about his nonstop calls and texts. Let him know that I’ve moved on to bigger and better things. Literally.”

Jackson’s mouth was hung low and he couldn’t do anything but just stare at you in disbelief. When you realized he was still standing there, you wrapped your arms around Jinyoung’s neck and pulled him in for a sweet kiss. You then turned around to face Mark and blew him a kiss while winking. With the way his jaw was tightened and his fists were clenched, you knew you got to him and it felt great.

Jinyoung looked at you with so much confusion yet confidence and he let you know that he was extremely proud of you for standing up for yourself. “So, shall we go home now and I can show you how big I actually am?” You coughed up some of your water before playfully slapping his arm. “Take me on a date first Park Jinyoung, then we’ll see how it goes from there.”

If I am just a piece of cake (cake) Then, you're just a piece of meat You're just a piece of meat to me

[threeletterslife]

chana, what are some of your pet peeves while reading a story? like things such as bad grammar. btw i love your works!!

god i love this question so much. and thank you for reading! 🥺🥺🥺i really appreciate the love!

i’m seriously going to sound like a grumpy ol’ bitch saying this but i have a LOT of pet peeves lol. i have such specific, meticulous taste that it’s hard for me to find stories (internet fics and irl books alike) that pertain to my weirdass standards 😀

quick disclaimer! just because i don’t like some of these popular/infamous/adored tropes doesn’t mean they’re not bad at all! remember, i’m just rEALLy picky! here goes:

fake dating. (i hate it. i can’t stand it when a story’s main idea is fake dating. i just can’t seem to understand why anyone would want to fake date. the scenarios always seem so bs-ed or middle school-esque to me. but someone is always welcome to prove me wrong.)

bad grammar. (this one speaks for itself. i can’t stand bad grammar. this doesn’t mean i’ll jump on you if you make oNE little mistake <because, i mean, we’re all human, you know>. but if the grammar mistakes are consistent... and far too many... i will be pissed 😀😀😀) honorary mention common mistakes: every day vs everyday; your vs you’re; .” vs ”. ; affect vs effect; anymore vs any more; their vs they’re vs there; lay vs lie; except vs accept; then vs than; -- vs —

bland/generic y/n. (i love writing in 2nd pov. but just because this ‘y/n’ character doesn’t technically have a name... doesn’t mean... she isn’t allowed to have a personality. a bland or mary sue-type y/n with zero dimension can single-handedly deter me from reading the rest of the story. remember, y/n deserves a personality too 😭😭)

starting the story with “I woke up in my bed after hearing my eomma call my name from downstairs.” (this is just a very specific pet peeve of mine that triggers my fight or flight. i’m blaming this on wattpad.)

using honorifics and romanized korean. (this is going to be very controversial. but... i think it kinda has to be said. i do not want to read an english story that is very obviously not set in korea and have to go through words like “eomma” “oppa” “jagi” “saranghae” “hyung” “jimin-ah” “taehyung-ie” “unnie” “noona” and sometimes a whole SENTENCE in romanized korean. as someone who is korean, i find it—for the lack of a better word—cringy. because of some of the stories i’ve seen, i can’t even speak my own language sometimes without cringing. you could NEVER catch me calling my older cousins “oppa” anymore even though i’m supposed to out of literal respect and culture. and it’s thanks to the fact that some (thankfully, a minority of) fanfiction authors romanticize/sexualize it. don’t even get me started on my younger cousins/siblings calling me “noona.” i wanna d-word every time i hear it because it’s been so sexualized in the ff community that i just don’t feel comfortable with them calling me that for platonic/respectful reasons. but i digress. if i can tell the author has done research and it is written well and correctly and in a non-sexualized manner, then i don’t have a problem with it. still wouldn’t read though 😭😭)

idol au’s. (also controversial. but this is mainly my fault LMAO. once upon a time, long ago, little chana first stumbled upon bangtan and decided she wanted to venture into the fanfiction world for them. her first fanfiction was a jungkook idol au. and now she will probably never write another idol au again because she is scarred. but seriously. idol au’s make me want to cry inside because 1. they’re unrealistic 2. the writers usually do little to no research on korea/the music industry 3. personal (humiliating) history 😔which again, is totally on me. i feel like this pet peeve of mine is unjustifiable tho lmao. a lot of people adore idol au’s. but i just can’t get into them)

adding photos in the middle of the story. (this just boils my blood for no reason i’m sorry 😭😭to me, it seems unprofessional. BOOKS may have illustrations. but only if the illustrations are showing a SCENE that the writing describes. not necessarily an outfit. usually, when internet authors put photos in their stories, it’s to show the ootd/makeup/hairstyle/what y/n is supposed to look like. i’m personally not into that. i think that should all be up to the reader’s imagination! that’s why we read, isn’t it? to be able to create our own faces and scene layouts from scratch!)

social media au’s. (VERY controversial. and kinda ironic since i’ve actually made a whole ass text fic. but lemme tell you it was not fun and i will never do it again 😭i don’t know. i’m not very big on social media lol. and a possible romance developing from such unauthentic apps like instagram, twitter, snapchat doesn’t sit right with me. i’m more into traditional/authentic romance! the kind where you sit down face to face and talk and giggle for hours—without the presence of devices)

a bad ending. (man this one’s a very personal pet peeve of mine. imagine slaving away reading a 100k+ fic just to find out the ending is abrupt, the strings are left untied and your favorite character just... dies. for no reason at all. i hate that feeling of no closure. a bad ending doesn’t necessarily mean a SAD one. i prefer sad/angsty endings to a happily ever after. but i think the ending makes up the whole story. and to have a good ending, the ending must somehow still connect to the rest of the story.)

character inconsistencies. (i love character development as much as the dude next door but just because a character does a 180 out of nowhere doesn’t mean they actually developed at all. real people take time to change!!)

when there are author’s notes IN THE MIDDLE of the story. (believe it or not, i’ve seen this happen. it interrupts the flow of the plot and it looks unprofessional. and the fact that i used to do this when i first started writing ff’s bYE—)

when the romance escalates from 0 to 100. (i’m guilty of this. but it’s also a pet peeve of mine to read something like this LOL. but i get it. writing subtle developments in romance is hard 😭😭but it doesn’t excuse itself from being one of my major pet peeves 😀😀)

when mental illness, domestic abuse, trauma is romanticized. (this is a given, i think. don’t romanticize someone else’s struggles for your fictional pleasure, please!!)

telling instead of showing. (probably one of the biggest pet peeves of mine. too often, i see writers outright telling me that their oc is ‘independent’ and ‘strong’ or that oc and jimin’s romance is ‘unparalleled.’ but if i don’t feel that from the writing itself, i’m not going to be able to believe it. but if you show me that oc is independent and that oc and jimin are meant to be with little scenarios and anecdotes, that’s gonna be a lot more effective!)

when’s there’s no chemistry between the couple. (this is probably everyone’s pet peeve LMAO)

the “oh no! there’s only one bed!” trope. (i never understood this because. damn just take the couch or sleep on the floor. OR just sleep in the same bed with a pillow barrier. it’s literally not a big deal 😭unless 👀 idk this one 100% depends on execution)

and i saved the worst for last:

when you read 50+ chapters for an ‘ongoing’ fic but when you get to the ‘end’... you realize it’s been discontinued since 2017 😀😀😀(the pain is fucking real y’all)

um.... that was a lot 😭😭i’m sorry. i actually thought i’d be a lot pickier, but i guess i’m actually really lenient on types of tropes and au’s. i’m okay with basically 99.9% of all tropes (yes, including vampire, abo, love triangle, etc) because i believe all tropes depend solely on EXECUTION. so generally, i keep an open mind. (with the exception of fake dating, idol au’s, social media au’s and the tHeRe’S oNlY oNe bEd trope lmaoo) 

basically, i’m quick to give things a chance but quick to leave too 😔😔

i swear i have more penchants than pet peeves 😭😭but that’s a story for another time!!

[mintymiknow]

Scintilla - ch. 14 | Bang Chan

summary & more info | masterlist

Characters: Stray Kids, Reader

Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader

Summary: The final battle was now commencing between your group, Ho, and the Council; you and your friends each fight their opponents to survive and live to see another day - a day and more.

Genre: Royal fantasy [Red Queen AU]

Word count: Approx. 7.8k

Warnings: !!! This chapter is heavily filled with fight/battle scenes; mentions of violence and blood !!!

A/N: It’s the second to the last chapter! I’m really sorry for the long wait. The past weeks have been hectic (and are still pretty hectic) since my finals are fast-approaching. I have a ton of papers to finish lol. Still, I really appreciate everything, so here is the long-awaited ch. 14! I do apologize in advance if the fight scenes were lacking (I really struggle writing those). I know you probably really looked forward and got hyped for that, so I’m sorry if it didn’t reach your expectations. I still hope y’all enjoy. Drop a messages/ask if you have any questions or thoughts. Ily all!

The battle on the first floor had been going on for almost an hour already. Woojin continues to smother and crush his opponents with ease, barely suffering any scratches. He was untouchable for now. Felix’s skin was painted with silver and red – a mixture of his blood and the blood of his opponents – as he continued to travel from one place to another, catching the enemy off-guard each time.

Jisung lets out a very loud “woohoo” as he charges through a row of Guards, frying them with his electricity as he does so. He skids in his tracks when a particular Guard lunges at him with a spear. The Electricon grabs the weapon, using it to his advantage as he forcefully pulls the Guard along with it. He charges his leg and fist with electricity, gifting his opponent with a knee to the stomach then a painful uppercut to the chin. Another Guard, however, sends a few chains flying towards Jisung. He is able to shield himself from most of it, but one strand of chains manages to make it past his lightning barrier, piercing the flesh of his shoulder. He grabs the chains, sending a wave of electricity coursing through it. The Guard tries to detach the chains from his uniform, but it’s too late; Jisung’s electricity is faster, successfully electrocuting the Guard on contact. The Electricon pulls the chains out of his shoulder, wincing slightly at the pain it caused. His eyes fall on Felix as he teleports nearby, catching his breath as he calmly removes a small blade lodged into his arm.

“Felix! Behind you!” Jisung exclaims, charging his body up with electricity.

Before a Guard can slash at Felix, the younger male teleports away, only to reappear behind him with a dagger in his hand. The younger male thrusts it into the Guard before letting Jisung electrocute him. Felix is about to open his mouth to say something when a Newblood rebel sends Jisung flying with a violent explosion. “Jisung!” Felix shouts, teleporting in the nick of time before he became the next target.

The Electricon scrambles to his feet, shaking his head to regain his senses. Blood has started to trickle down on one side of his face, a few wooden splinters sticking to the side of his body that was affected by the explosive blast. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” he grunts before coating his fists with electricity, “Focus on yourself, Lix, I’ll be fine.”

The Newblood smirks, “Han Jisung, you traitor.”

“Funny,” Jisung scoffs, “I could say the same about you lot.”

The Newblood causes another explosion beside Jisung, but the Electricon is quick to bolt away this time. The Newblood sends one explosion after the other in a relentless pace, each one bursting as close to Jisung as possible. He is able to use his electricity to bolt away each time, but Jisung knows he can’t keep this up otherwise he’d be wasting his energy. Jisung narrows his eyes, clenching his fists tighter. One step. Two steps. Three steps. He bolts on the fourth step, but instead of bolting straight ahead like usual, he creates a zig-zag pattern in an attempt to confuse his opponent. He bolts towards a particular, heavily cemented pillar. He stomps his foot on its surface and uses the force and momentum to jump away with a skillful backflip just as another explosion hits it. A screen of smoke and rubble forms which Jisung comes out of an instant, catching the Newblood off-guard. The younger male swings his leg, causing the Newblood to fall forward which enables Jisung to deliver a solid fist to his face. Red blood seeps out from the Newblood’s nose, some of it staining Jisung’s fist.

With every ounce of strength he could muster, Jisung yells his lungs out; it was as if the very gesture broke down any hindrances to his full power. The electricity raging in his veins manifested into his usual green sparks, cloaking his entire figure with a voltage and intensity like never before. It electrocutes the Newblood, burning him in the process. He lets go of him with a cry of pain, but Jisung isn’t finished. He stretches his hand out, and soon, the rattling of steel could be heard. Within seconds, a metal bar – probably broken from furniture – is now in his hands thanks to the static attraction of steel and electricity. The Newblood charges at Jisung with a strangled yell, but Jisung grips the metal bar with both hands, swatting the Newblood as if it were a bat. Coupled with his electricity, the impact renders the Newblood unconscious as he lay on the ground, never to stand again.

“I did not know I could do that.” Jisung trails off, staring at the metal bar in his hands.

----

Felix yelps as another Guard lunges at him. He manages to pivot in time, twirling around gracefully as he grabs the Guard’s sword by the hilt. He tugs, bringing the Guard close so that he could knee him in the abdomen. He follows up with another kick before teleporting behind to lodge the sword into his back. The Guard falls to the ground, and Felix releases a sigh, “I can never get how people are used to this.”

Felix looks around the area, only to spot a Councilor ascending the stairs. Knowing that Hyunjin and the rest are at the second floor, Felix teleports himself to stop this individual. However, as soon as the young male appears behind him, the latter turns around to kick Felix down the stairs. The young male is taken by surprise, scrambling to his feet as he exclaims, “Stop!”

He tries to teleport again, but the Councilor is already facing the exact spot Felix appears at. Eyes wide, Felix takes a quick step back, feeling a gush of wind caress his face as the individual swings his fist for a punch.  “An Eye?” Felix thinks to himself as he gauges his options. Felix heard about Silver Eyes – the ability to see into the immediate future, but even if it was just a few seconds, that would have been enough to predict Felix’s appearances.

The Councilor lunges at Felix with a dagger, but Felix grabs it and uses the momentum to throw his opponent down the stairs. Shortly after, he tucks the dagger safely away in his belt, teleporting to where the Councilor has landed, but the latter is ready for his arrival. As soon as Felix lands in that particular spot, the Councilor grabs Felix’s arms and twists him around, kicking his back. The younger male falls forward with a grunt as his opponent keeps him down, exerting more pressure. The Councilor lifts Felix up only to smash him back on the ground and repeats this for a few times before the younger male yells, teleporting a good distance from his opponent. Felix wipes his bloody nose with the back of his hand; his bright eyes narrow and are filled with a speck of rage, resembling those of a powerful lion.

Felix teleports here and there, quick and precise movements that the Councilor is seemingly able to predict as his eyes trail Felix’s every move. The younger male teleports to the stairs, to a random corner, behind a dead Guard, and so on, each movement watched by the all-knowing Councilor. Felix then teleports behind him; the Councilor grabs his wrist, throwing Felix over his head and into an unsuspecting Guard. The Councilor smugly smirks, turning his back as Felix seems to have been assaulted by the Guard. However, the Councilor’s eye widen as he feels a pang of pain in his chest; he looks down, shocked by the silver pattern blooming on his clothes. He looks back to see Felix standing atop a now unconscious Guard, eyes glowing with a deadly passion. “What…” the Councilor chokes, pulling out the dagger in his chest.

Felix glares, gripping the Guard’s spear tightly, “You have been predicting my every move, but I don’t think your ability allowed you to predict me beating this Guard and sending his knife into your chest. It’s not just me I can teleport – I can teleport objects too.” The Councilor curses at the young male, but Felix hurls the spear directly at him, knocking him dead. 

---- 

Meanwhile, Woojin calmly crushes a majority of the Guards swarming in from the opposite hallway. He smothers some, causes others to float and crash into each other, and even engages in minimal hand-to-hand combat from time to time. But when the last standing Guard charges for him with a sword, Woojin fails to smother him with his ability. Thankfully, he is quick enough to react, ducking beneath the sword and delivering a powerful punch to the Guard’s abdomen. When his opponent doubles over, Woojin grabs the sword and lodges it into him. Puzzled why his Gravitron abilities failed, he looks around to see an elegantly dressed woman smirking at him from the opposite hallway. She had a mature aura, though she seemed fairly young – perhaps Minho’s age? Woojin levels her glare, stretching his hand out to try and smother her as well. “Silly boy.” she chuckles, calmly walking over to Woojin without being affected.

As her gaze grows heavier and footsteps come closer, Woojin feels himself feeling more and more exhausted. Of course there’d be a Silence in the castle – she was perhaps another one of the Councilors’ children; too elegantly dressed to be a Newblood Silent, but too young to be a Councilor official. She doesn’t have to do much, instead watching as Woojin falls to his knees at the heavy feeling consuming him. Her perfect lips curl into a smirk as she pulls a blade out of her sleeve. A bead of sweat trails along Woojin’s nose as the Silencing takes its toll on his physical state; Silences may not be able to smother like Silents, but the feeling of being drained out was the same nonetheless. She takes quick step and assaults the male with her blade, swiping and swinging it swiftly.

Perhaps it was the instinct of a Newblood rebel – his strong physique, training, and endurance. Perhaps it was because he had motivation – all his friends. Nonetheless, he was able to dodge each attack, ducking and moving to the side as she jabbed at him. One particular jab manages to graze the male’s cheek. She was good; probably trained as intensively as Minho was. Afterwards, Woojin clenches his fist, knocking the blade out of her hand, but not before it also leaves a cut on his knuckles. The lady refuses to relent, lurching forward to elbow Woojin in the abdomen, causing him to take a few steps back as he bends down. She’s quick on her feet, already running towards him to bring a knee to his face. The impact makes him knock his head back, weakening him more than he already is; he’s on all-fours, panting as he fights the Silence’s overbearing hold on his abilities. She kneels down in front of him just as her ability grows stronger. Her delicate fingers curl around his chin as she forcefully makes him look at her. Cuts are littered across his face, the familiar color of red trailing down each one.

“You’re the Gravitron who caused so much trouble for our men in Dolorem.” she clicks her tongue, shaking her head, “And here I thought no one could be as handsome as Lee or Hwang. Too bad you’re a baddie.”

If Woojin couldn’t smother her with his abilities, then he’d have to get back at her another way. Without much thought, he gathers all his strength, giving her a small albeit devious smile before harshly banging his head against hers. She yells in pain, letting go of his chin as she falls backwards. Woojin doesn’t waste a second, getting up and grabbing any weapon he can. As he points it at her, she clutches her bleeding head and weakly snarls with a smirk, “You wouldn’t hurt a girl, would you?”

Woojin lowers the weapon, “No, I wouldn’t.”

He senses a Guard’s footsteps coming at him from behind, so he steps forward, grabbing her wrist. He pivots around, caging her in his arms at the exact moment the Guard thrusts a spear at him. She “shields” him from the attack, but Woojin held her in a position where the spear merely slashed at her waist and did not stab her deeply. It initially shocked her, ending her Silence’s hold on the male. Woojin easily smothers the Guard with gravity before letting go of the woman. He only gives her an ambiguous look which she cannot decipher. She clutches her waist, much too preoccupied with keeping the blood at bay as she watches Woojin walk away to regroup with Jisung and Felix.

Seungmin isn’t sure he can beat a Councilor. He’s never beaten you, or Changbin or even Hyunjin, so what makes him think he can beat Lord Kim? Maybe he should have let the prince fight alongside him. However, Seungmin pushes away any negative thoughts and focuses on the Councilor in front of him. “Can you even fight, young Kim?” he taunts, aiming a burst of water at the young male.

Seungmin recalls his training and evades the attack before spitting back, “Guess we’ll have to find out then.”

Lord Kim sends more waves of high-pressured water bursts at him at a ferocious speed. Seungmin jumps out of the way of each blast, though as someone he isn’t accustomed to combat, it slowly tires him out. Grabbing any random furniture – a vase at this point, Seungmin hurls it at the Councilor who merely smashes it with his water blast. With a newfound idea, the young Whisper makes use of his abilities, reading Lord Kim’s mind to determine his next moves. As suspected, Seungmin is able to calculate his defenses as he takes a glimpse at Lord Kim’s thoughts. Without missing a step, the young male is able to dodge or deflect every single one of the Nymph’s assaults. With one particular water blast, Seungmin uses a wooden chair to shield himself. It breaks, and Seungmin uses its leg to charge at the Councilor. He slashes aimlessly, somehow hoping to land a hit. Lord Kim evades each attempt, but when Seungmin takes one particular bold step, he lashes at Lord Kim’s cheek before taking a few steps back.

However, despite his efforts, Seungmin was not trained enough. Lord Kim grips the younger male’s arm. A sinister spark – heavy with bloodlust and hunger – in the Councilor’s eyes has overcome his senses. He grips Seungmin’s arm so tight, he swears it would mark red for a while. He tugs at the younger male, pulling him close. Seungmin is a calm person, but the vicious color in his opponent’s eye was like nothing he had seen before; it was like staring directly at a monster from legends. This was enough to “freeze” Seungmin, enabling Lord Kim to deliver a painful punch to his jaw.

“You should have just been an obedient little boy, kid.” Lord Kim sneers, letting go of Seungmin.

He then summons two dragons made of water, controlling them with the gestures of his hands. They charge for Seungmin, smashing against him like painful slaps. The young male grunts, but is unable to do anything as Lord Kim pushes him back to the wall with a larger water dragon. When his back collides with the wall, it felt as if all air was knocked out of his lungs. The Councilor douses the young male with water, drowning him with an unending flow. Seungmin feels hot tears trailing down his cheeks as he struggles to breathe with the amount of water he was being attacked with, shouts and yells muffled out by the pouring sounds. “You should have just minded your own business and listened to the Council!” Lord Kim snickers, adding more pressure to his water.

Seungmin clenches his fists so hard, his silver blood starts to seep out of nail-pierced skin. He’s always been expected to be this, to be that. He’s always been bossed around, following Council orders here and there. He’s always been the weak one. The intellectual but weak one – the one who could do nothing but study and memorize politics while all his friends trained. The useless one who could only spit facts.

Was that true? Seungmin didn’t know, but right now, he wanted to be of use. To you, to his friends, to himself. With one more agonizing yet powerful shout, Seungmin fights against the pressurized water, lifting an arm up. The young Whisper channels all his concentration into his energy and mind, clearing his head of everything insignificant. He retains what he holds dear, but everything else is shoved elsewhere. “You can’t tap into my mind, young Kim.” Lord Kim strengthens his water.

Seungmin doesn’t respond, but instead, exerts even more effort. He’s trying so hard, his nose starts to bleed while his eyes begin to tear up even more from the mental stress. However, his hardwork pays off as he senses a hold on the Councilor’s mind. It’s thin and fragile like a string of thread, but Seungmin makes sure he doesn’t cut it off. Soon, the water attack stops, revealing a very drenched Seungmin. His hand starts to shake as he continues to try and grasp the Councilor’s mind; he even raises another arm, hoping the gesture of two hands gives him an edge. With narrowed, icy eyes, Seungmin’s burden lightens as he finally takes hold of the Councilor. Despite his bleeding nose and watery eyes, Seungmin commands Lord Kim to fight himself. As if a puppet, Lord Kim follows Seungmin’s wishes, attacking himself with his own water, throwing himself towards the wall several times. Once the young Whisper senses that he’s weakened, he commands Lord Kim to “sleep”.

He lets go of his hold, struggling to breathe as the immense pressure of holding onto a strong mind takes its toll on him. He falls to his knees, gripping his head painfully. It feels like its splitting in two, maybe three, as his nose continues to bleed non-stop. It was the price to pay to make sure he kept his promise to you.

----

Hyunjin crashes into an expensive looking table, grunting in pain as it snaps in half. He’s been fighting with Lady Jung for a while now, each one receiving and equal amount of hits. He roughly wipes the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, glaring at the Councilor. Lady Jung does the same, admiring her shimmering blood as she smirks, “You’ve gotten better, little Hwangie.”

The Silk doesn’t respond and instead lunges forward. He and Lady Jung continue to fight it out with hand-to-hand combat; a mix of flexible kicks, flips, and violent punches are thrown around, each individual stubbornly refusing to back down. Hyunjin swings his foot under, knocking Lady Jung down. However, while still on the floor, she grabs his ankle, pulling him down with her. With speed as her advantage, she is already up on her feet. When Hyunjin gets back up, his eyes widen with fear as he watches the Councilor holding Jeongin in her arms, a knife dangerously close to his neck. “Make one move and you can say goodbye to this cutie.” she purrs.

Hyunjin hisses, “Leave him out of this. This is our fight.”

“It’s essentially his as well.” she snarls, gripping Jeongin tighter, “You may be agile Hwang, but I’m quicker.”

Hyunjin bites his lip; he knows he can knock a punch at Lady Jung, but doing so would put Jeongin in danger. Without much options, Hyunjin only glares at her. However, neither the Silk nor the Councilor expected Jeongin to do what he did next. The young male bites onto her arm hard, eliciting a piercing shriek from her. She lets go of her hold on Jeongin out of instinct, and as soon as Jeongin is free, he morphs his form into Changbin’s, allowing him to kick Lady Jung with more force than he normally could. When she stumbles back, Jeongin turns back into himself, quickly making his way to Hyunjin. “Are you ok?” Hyunjin asks the younger male, eyes still on the lady.

Jeongin gulps, “Yeah, you?”

“Still alive.”

Lady Jung stares at the bite mark on her arm, features contorting with anger as she hisses at the two, “How dare you!”

She charges at the two boys in a split second, flustering them with quick-paced punches and kicks. Hyunjin easily evades most of it while pulling Jeongin away from the attacks directed at him. Eventually, Jeongin gets the hang of it, able to now dodge her assault without the assistance of Hyunjin. When Lady Jung swipes her leg downwards, Hyunjin jumps while Jeongin steps back. As soon as Hyunjin lands, the Councilor brings out her daggers, throwing them towards the two males. Hyunjin grabs a picture frame that had fallen from their previous scurry, blocking the blades out with Jeongin behind him. However, Lady Jung appears behind him, lodging a dagger into his back. Hyunjin yells in pain, gritting his teeth as he swings his arm in retaliation. Lady Jung jumps back, evading with ease. Jeongin gently takes the dagger out before hurling it at her. Though she merely side-steps to dodge it, doing so allowed Hyunjin to sneak up beside her. The Silk grabs her wrist from behind, pivoting around so he could slam her down to the ground. As she does, however, she also knocks Hyunjin down with her.

While the Silk was still down, Lady Jung speeds up to where Jeongin was, swinging her claw-like nails at him. Jeongin ducks down, raising his leg to kick her on the abdomen. As she takes a step back, Hyunjin attempts to elbow her. She turns around to dodge it, but Jeongin – in Chan’s form – locks her in position by snaking his arms around her neck. “The Council – or Miroh – doesn’t need snakes like you.” Hyunjin glares, starry eyes now filled with contempt.

He nods at Jeongin, who knows takes the form of Woojin. He strangles Lady Jung, not to kill her, but just enough to make her struggle. Hyunjin the approaches slowly, raising his fist to her face, “I don’t usually hit women, but…I think you deserve this.”

With that, he takes her weary form from Jeongin, swings her around in circles, then flings her dizzy body towards one of the tables. She crashes against it, finally losing consciousness. Hyunjin heaves out a sigh before throwing an arm around Jeongin, “Let’s look for Seungmin.”

----

Minho’s footsteps are barely audible in the archive room. It’s dark, creepy, and damp in the said area – absolutely perfect for his match with his father. His rings are slowly floating around his fingers as he keeps a tight grip on a few chains in his other hand. The silence breaks when a whirring sound cracks the atmosphere, several strings of chains rushing at the young Magnetron. Minho is quick to morph his rings into a sword, deflecting the assault on him with ease. Lord Lee emerges from the shadows, expression unreadable as he and Minho stare each other down. “If you surrender now, the Council won’t have to execute you, Minho.” he warns.

Those words seem to have flown over Minho’s head as the young male directs his chains at his father at a ferocious speed. Lord Lee pivots, dodging the snake-like attack before he does the same. Minho swipes his hand, averting his father’s chains just as it makes its way towards his face. The younger Magnetron moves about non-stop, barraging his father with a mix of chains, daggers, and blades as if he were performing a complex dance. Minho’s chains whip around like hungry snakes as his daggers and blades jab at Lord Lee like scorpions; each weapon follows every step. However, as expected, Lord Lee counters each it with the mere gesture of his hands. He tries to rip Minho’s earring off once again, but the young Lee made sure not to make the mistake of wearing his earrings again.

After what seemed to be forever, Minho’s chains slash at Lord Lee’s face, giving him a deep gash on the cheek. Because of that, he glares at his son and commands all the latter’s weapons to stop moving. He directs them back at the younger, aiming it all at him. Once the weapons start flying towards Minho, the young Lee halts their movements. In an instant, Lord Lee is in front of Minho, swinging a sword at his son. Minho is quick in merging all his weapons in one, making him a sword of his own as he blocks his father’s attack just in the nick of time.

The two proceed to a close-combat sword fight; the clanking of metal echoes through the room, probably disturbing all the secrets held there. Minho takes on bold step and slashes his sword, managing to give his father another gash on his arm. However, Lord Lee halts Minho’s movements by grabbing his arm. He pulls him closer, lunging the sword towards the younger’s stomach. Minho reacts quickly, twisting his body to the side, but this allows the elder to kick his leg harshly. Minho grunts as he loses his balance, and that’s all it takes for Lord Lee to bring his knee to Minho’s face. Even with blood dripping out of his nose, Minho gets up, eyes narrowed at his father’s dull ones. He turns his sword into a spear and throws it at Lord Lee who just breaks it in half. As soon as it does, Minho turns it into two daggers, directing them back at his father. One is blocked out, but the other manages to lodge itself into his thigh.

Eventually, the two proceed to fighting it out with their chains. If either wasn’t careful, they could end up diced and cut into a million pieces. The razor-sharp chains moved around swiftly, surely not meant for the eyes of any normal being. Minho’s eyebrows furrow as he concentrates as hard as he can, ensuring he doesn’t lose a millisecond of focus. However, it would seem that his father still had more expertise as the elder’s chains had started to gift Minho with several cuts on his arms. Soon, they had given him cuts on his legs as well. Just like before, silver blood had started to stain his clothes from the numerous cuts, but this time, Minho was far from giving up. Minho’s eyes quickly spot a metal ornament on top of one of the shelves behind Lord Lee. He discreetly waves his hand in one smooth motion as this ornament turns into a knife that flies towards Lord Lee. It gets him in the back, giving Minho a moment to breathe. Lord Lee angrily takes the knife out, allowing it to fall to the floor.

Minho doesn’t know how it happened, but his father’s chains had darted for in him in a flash – way quicker than usual. It slashes at his cheek as the others pierce his shoulder and several parts of his leg. The momentum drags him along, crashing into a bookshelf. Minho tries to get up but instead screams in pain when the chains dig deeper into his flesh with the slightest movement. Lord Lee had pierced it through him and latched the chains into the floor, keeping it in place in the same way a pig would be skewered with a spit.  

Minho can feel every nerve of pain, every inch of him burning with the cuts and wounds he had received. Lord Lee looks at his son with raw contempt and disgust, “You could have made me proud with your skills just now, but alas, the princess has weakened you. You disappoint me, Lee Minho.”

He flicks another dagger into Minho’s shoulder before gracefully turning on his heel. Minho’s hooded eyes watch as his father walks away, leaving him half-dead for the second time. Not again, not this time. He’d already been humiliated and beaten once, was he going to let that happen again? More importantly, was he going to let his father get way just so he could kill you and the rest?

No. It was his duty to protect you at all costs, right?

Minho pushes himself to stand up despite his body protesting against it. Every move he makes sends another wave of pain across his body, but he fights it. He grits his teeth hard as he finally gets back up on both feet. He pulls out the dagger lodged in his shoulder to raise his arms in front of him. He senses it – he senses it all; there are a lot of metal structures like pipes and bars, heavily cemented within the room’s walls, railings, and overall supporting structure. Just before Lord Lee makes it out of the room, the concrete walls start to crack above as the marbled floor does the same. He turns around to face Minho with a displeased expression. The veins on Minho’s hands become more prominent as he bites his lip harder, so within seconds, all steel structures in the room had exposed themselves with sharpened, spear-like edges. Minho directs all of them at Lord Lee, but it wasn’t that easy. His father does his best to negate such direction, pushing the metal away from him.

It’s a tough battle as neither refuse to back down. However, Lord Lee starts to sweat at Minho’s persistence, glaring at his son for not relenting. Minho yells in a mixture of frustration, desperation, and eagerness as he feels his cuts bleeding even more, but the gesture just displayed his willpower. He brings one foot forward, ignoring the further piercing to his flesh as he finally has the advantage. Soon, a loud booming sound could be heard as Lord Lee deflects some of the metal structures. Minho shields himself from the rebound, but once everything has cleared, his icy eyes are now focused on his father – his father who had four steel beams lodged into each of his limbs.

With a huff, Minho carefully drags Lord Lee’s chains away from his body, now approaching his father kneeling on the ground. “I’d rather disappoint you than my friends.” he says lowly, cold voice nothing like Lord Lee remembered with Minho as a child, “My apologies, Father.”

“Can you do it then, boy?” Lord Lee continues to taunt weakly, “Can you get rid of me?”

Minho’s eyes waver for a second, their iciness melting the slightest at the thought of having to end his father’s life. Despite his hostility, Lord Lee still somehow raised him. The young Magnetron looks down, shaking his head, “You have crimes to answer for.”

Minho raises his arm, clenching his fist. With that, he delivers a definitive punch to Lord Lee’s jaw, knocking him out, “All you Councilor’s will face judgement in the end.”

While you, Chan, and Ho fought in the throne room, Changbin and Lord Yoo were in the Great Hall, locked in battle for quite a while already. The young prince had managed to burn the haughty Councilor several times, proving that his training all these years had paid off. After all, Changbin enjoyed training as it let him feel like he wasn’t a prince; and perhaps, fighting right now did the same. With Lord Yoo’s telekinetic abilities, he was able to give Changbin a few cuts and bruises, maybe a few concussions as well.

The young prince was now jumping, ducking, and dodging the items and furniture that Lord Yoo was sending towards him. He deflects some of the things with his fists, aided by the fire he yielded. He attempts to land a punch on his opponent’s face, but the Councilor brings summons a sword into his hand, slashing it at the prince. Changbin moves back just in time, but the blade had managed to gash him in the stomach. He clutches at his wound with one hand as the other continues to burn with flames.

After Lord Yoo continues to send more objects towards Changbin, the prince grits his teeth, sending a large blast of flames towards his opponent. It singes the Councilor’s clothes, but not before he sends a wave of blades flying towards Changbin. The prince grabs a sword nearby, coating it with flames as he swings it to shield himself. He then charges at Lord Yoo with the sword, but the Councilor swipes it away with a mere hand gesture. He, however, did not see Changbin continuing his assault with his fists. The prince displays formidable skill as he keeps up with the Councilor in hand-to-hand combat. Changbin takes hold of both of Lord Yoo’s arms, the latter unable to resist due to his fiery grip. The prince then kicks the Councilor on the chest before giving him a flurry of fire-packed punches. Fueled by his anger and frustration, Changbin ignites his entire body with flames as he grips Lord Yoo by the neck. “I’ll show you what real power is, Lord Yoo.”

Changbin sends his flames towards Lord Yoo’s lower body, letting go of his grip the minute his flames engulf both his legs. Lord Yoo yelps and cries in pain as the prince’s inferno consumes his lower half; the flames have turned from an orangey-red to a deep blue. The burning drives Lord Yoo crazy, eventually taking over his consciousness as his eyes close in exhaustion. Changbin allows his flames to vanish, the Councilor’s legs now burned and black. Minho appears by the door, leaning on the frame to support himself, “You killed him?”

“Relax, genius.” Changbin walks over to his friend and throws an arm around him to support his weight, “He’s just unconscious. Let’s round all the Councilors up.”

----

Ho was a monster; he hasn’t even used his Silent abilities, but he was still able to keep up with you and Chan in close-combat. Chan had brought a dagger with him, and while he was surely proficient with it, Ho was just as good at defending himself. He countered each attack with his own knife, managing to graze Chan’s cheek. You swing at him with a flame-covered leg, and though Ho is able to block your attempt, the fire gets to his sleeve. While he pats it out, Chan clicks his fingers, allowing him to charge at Ho with speed via sonic boom. He brings a knee to the captain’s stomach, followed by an uppercut to the jaw. You take the opportunity to take hold of Ho’s arms from behind, pivoting around to smash him to the ground with a sickening crack.

You regroup with Chan, both of you keeping your eyes on Ho. However, the minute he stands up, you and Chan feel the familiar feeling of being smothered. It takes a toll more on Chan who hasn’t fully recovered from his grave injuries. “Enough, enough.” Ho snickers, dusting off his shirt as he keeps his Silent hold on both of you.

Your flames are still burning, but you are unable to send a blast towards Ho as he approaches you two calmly. As soon as he’s in front of you two, he grabs Chan’s chin, making the male look at him. “You really are persistent, aren’t you?”

He delivers a painful punch to Chan’s jaw before repeatedly hitting his abdomen with his knee. When Chan falls to the ground with a grunt, Ho proceeds to kicking the life out of him, never stopping despite Chan choking out blood. “Stop it!” you yell.

His Silent hold on you was strong, but you managed to coat your fists with flames as you took bold steps towards Ho. Much to the captain’s surprise, you still had the strength to punch at him. Amused, he engages with your efforts, blocking and swinging a few punches as well. While you two continue to go at it, you grit your teeth in an attempt to resist his Silent hold. Ho grabs your arm, pulling you close and twisting around to return the favor by smashing you to the ground. You refuse to fall, screaming as you’re able to shoot out blasts of flames from each of your hands. This causes Ho to side-step and dodge, giving you enough time to refocus your senses. “The princess can fight after all.”

“Cute.” Ho continues to snicker, swiftly grabbing your throat.

He squeezes hard, not giving you the opportunity to even breathe for a second. His nails dig into your skin as his ability’s hold on you grows heavier. Him physically choking you and his ability suffocating you makes you feel dizzy as you start to blank out. But you’ve come too far to end it like this. You muster as much power you can, urging every fiber and every cell in your body to fight Ho’s Silent hold. With a yell, you force out your flames, enveloping your body with a coat of red-orange. This burns the captain’s hand, essentially making him let go of you.

The minute you land on the floor, Ho angrily snarls at you, tightening his ability’s hold on you even more. He stomps towards you, grabbing you by the jaw as he throws a punch to your stomach. You cough at the contact, but Ho doesn’t stop there. He squeezes your jaw, nails piercing your skin as you yelp in pain. He then flings you to the side, smirking as your body crashes against the throne sitting nearby. Intensely weakened, you lean against it as your silvery blood drips to the snow-white floor. Ho approaches you with his knife, twirling it around deviously. He cups your face very gingerly to make sure you were truly unconscious. His eyes scan your seemingly lifeless body, bringing the knife closer to you. But before he can thrust it into you, a sonic “pop” bursts beside him, making him jump away from your body. As soon as he does, Chan sonic booms behind him, hitting Ho at the back of his neck with his hand.

In retaliation, Ho elbows Chan, causing the Sounder to take a few steps back. The younger male grabs the captain’s arm, gripping tightly as he swings him half-circle and uses whatever strength he has left to throw him across the room. Panting heavily, Chan grips his waist as his prior injuries remind him of how he wasn’t in the best condition. Ho outstretches his hand, clenching his fist to signify he had tightened his Silent hold on the Sounder, smothering him further. When Chan falls on his knees, Ho lunges at him, clasping his hands together to smack Chan’s head and onto the ground; the younger male’s face hits the cold floor. The captain picks him up, lifting him over his head just to drop him back down. Chan continues to cough up blood, the red liquid trailing down his busted lips.

When Ho forces Chan to stand, he doesn’t expect the latter to surprise him with an aggressive head-butt. The captain grunts, taking a few steps back, allowing Chan to grab his dagger from his belt. It takes a numerous amount of effort for Chan to even step towards the captain, and despite being held down by the smothering feeling of Ho’s abilities, he pushes himself to do so, managing to slash at the Silent and gifting him with a cut on the shoulder. He follows up with his usual ear-shattering sound bursts; each one blasts at Ho in close proximity, resulting in several incisions opening up on the captain’s skin.

Fighting against a Silent’s ability negation isn’t easy, but the more Chan managed to do so, the more it worsened his condition. Blood seems to never-endlessly seep out from his nose as he grips Ho’s head from both sides, releasing a piercing rush of soundwaves through his head. Blood soon seeps out from the captain’s nose and ears, but as Chan prolongs the use of his ability, the weaker he becomes. Ho’s negation abilities regain the advantage, completely cutting off Chan’s powers. As if it were pay back, Ho swats Chan’s hands away, grabbing at the younger male to smash his body to the ground. Chan lays unconscious, but his efforts did not go to waste; the ringing, shattering effect of the soundwaves he emitted through Ho’s head had a lingering effect that had the captain dizzy and disoriented.

It was so potent that he did not notice you going towards him at full speed, slashing at him with a flame-covered sword. You manage to gash him on the stomach, and the initial pain causes him to yell in frustration. He glares at you, pulling a dagger from his belt to level you in close-combat. You make use of the opportunity Chan made – Ho being disoriented from his earlier attack – and douse the captain with a surging blast of flames. It burns him in the slightest for a few seconds until he manages to have you in his Silent hold once again.

Your flame attack halts, and you see Ho menacingly grinning at you. He runs towards you, smacking you in the face with the back of his hand. You fall backwards, gritting your teeth as you force your numb legs to stand. You manage to do so, gathering your strength to direct another blast of fire towards the captain. A few embers choke out of your hand and fly towards Ho, but he negates it before violently grabbing your wrist. He stomps his foot against your leg, earning a cry of pain as you feel a painful crush to your bones. You fall limp in his grip; Ho then thrusts his dagger down your shoulder and rips it away violently, creating a ragged gash across your skin. He kicks you in the stomach, causing you to spit out your shimmering blood.

The captain mercilessly picks you up by the jaw, dragging you across the room as he pushes open the door to the terrace with his free hand. Outside, he slams you against the balustrade, eliciting another yelp as your back hits the structure. He holds you over it, limp body at the mercy of the captain’s grip. He threatens to push you over the balustrade, as he snarls like a demon, “If you surrender and bow, perhaps I’ll let you live.”

He strokes your cheek with the back of his hand, snickering like a madman, “You’d make a fine slave. Or perhaps a pretty little��toy.”

You shake your head, feeling your consciousness slip away with every passing second. You still manage to spit back, “I learned this from Jisung. Screw you.”

Ho sighs, ready to push you over. However, before he can even register anything, Chan has snuck up behind him, arms locking the captain in place. “You always told me to make sure your opponent is dead before turning your back on them.” Chan growls, “Practice what you preach, Ho.”

Ho had thought Chan was dead, thus removing his Silent on hold on a “useless body”. The Sounder, however, had not given up.

Without another word, Chan thrusts a dagger into Ho’s back, causing the captain to let go of you. He swings around in an attempt to hit Chan, but the younger male ducks down and pivots, now in front of the captain. The Sounder blasts him with another shattering sonic burst that sends Ho crashing into the large windows. Chan stretches his hand out, sound vibrations shattering each window at his command. The glass shards fall down like crystal rain, a huge number of them sinking into Ho’s body. Chan addresses you, “Finish it, babygirl.”

You nod, taking in a deep breath. You steel yourself, gathering every single drop of your remaining stamina and strength. All your emotions – though specifically anger and determination – course through your blood in the form of fire; you can feel every spark and burn in and out of your body as your flames swirl around you in circular motions. You think of your brother, your friends, your kingdom, and your parents; no way in hell were you going to let Ho and the Council have the last laugh.

With one loud and strong cry, you direct a blazing flame – that seemed to have taken the shape of a phoenix – towards Ho. He screams horrendously as the fiery-red outburst consumes him whole, each flame curling around every inch of his body like hands dragging him down to who knows where. As his cries subside, so does your flames. They dissipate to the side, revealing a burned, bleeding, and skin-cracked Ho. You sigh, breathing heavily as you watch the captain’s body fall to the ground, unmoving and completely lifeless.

“It’s done, Chan.” you quietly say, “And why bab – ”

Chan, however, lays on the ground, visibly unconscious. With your leg broken by Ho, you crawl over to check your lover’s pulse; he was still breathing, his injuries simply taking its toll on his overworked body yet again. You manage to force a weak smile, but before you can open your mouth to say anything, Changbin and Minho rush into the room, “Y/n!”

You turn your head around to greet them, offering a weak wave. “Thank goodness you’re ok!” Changbin nearly cries, jogging up to you.

Minho walks slower due to his own injuries, though managing to throw you a smirk, “Should I be saying that I’m proud of you?”

“I don’t know.” you chuckle, “Maybe you shou – ”

You don’t get to finish your sentence because the next second, your body gives up on you. You feel your heavy eyes fluttering as you slowly fall backwards. Minho kneels down and catches you in his arms before your head manages to hit the ground, “Y/n? Y/n!”

“Relax, drama queen.” you chuckle weakly, “I’m not dying.”

Minho sighs in half-annoyance, half-relief. He smiles warmly, “You did great, so you can rest now.”

“Why are you letting her die?” Changbin glares as he kneels down as well.

“I’m just telling her she can faint and rest and whatever.” Minho argues, “Why would I let her die, you imbecile.”

You laugh, grimacing at the pain of doing so, “You’re both idiots.”

Minho huffs after Changbin gently nudges him in a playful manner. “What about the Council? And Ho’s body? And how do we break the news to Miroh and the whole kingdom at that?” you fire your questions.

Minho gently squeezes your hand, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, y/n, I promise. We’ll deal with that after we’ve all recovered.”

The prince grins, “Take it easy sis, it’s over. We’ll get you and Chan patched up, and then we can all reunite with the boys later.”

You don’t bother responding because you know that that was definitely going to happen, no questions asked. With a smile, your eyes flutter shut just as the rest of the boys run into the room.

[the-lupine-sojourner]

The Tale of Astoria Kenobi [Chapter 2] [Obitine and Anidala Featured] [Dad!Obi-Wan/Daughter!OC]

Sorry I forgot this last night! Anyway, here it is! 

Y’all have @sunshineisdelightful​ to thank for, honestly, pretty much all the scenes in this chapter lol. 

Sunshine (apt username cus they’re so sweet!) mentioned some fantastic ideas and I ended up using about all of them in this chapter. XD 

So next chapter will skip to her Gathering and then it’ll be her hearing about Obi-Wan and Anakin’s adventures protecting Amidala and she really wants to go to Kamino with her ‘uncle’ but she can’t. 

And then Plo Koon is like ‘wanna be my Padawan?’ and Astoria’s like ‘yes please!’ and is so thrilled that such a wise, powerful Counsel Member would offer to train her in the Jedi Arts. 

Anyway! Tag list! :) A huge thank you to all of these people! @elite-guard-hardygal, @forcearama, Sunshine, who I tagged already, @fwtcanimelover​, and @babycollectiondragon135 (I can’t tag you! TT^TT) are all amazing people! If you want to be included in the taglist please just let me know! 

Last thing is Links. Chapter 1 Link and the Prologue Link

Now, let’s get to the chapter!

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

I’ve been here at the Temple five years now, and I still haven’t managed to quite master meditation. 

I try my best, but though I make some progress, I never get to the point the instructor describes. I’ve never felt the Force around me like he says I should. 

It’s embarrassing and no amount of tutoring by Uncle Obi seems to be helping.

Try as I currently might, the end result is failure.

“I just don’t get it!” I groan, flopping on the ground in frustration. 

I was trying yet again to understand what Uncle Obi was talking about, but nothing helps. 

“Astoria, flopping around and getting frustrated isn’t helping.” 

“If you say I need to ‘clear my mind and let my emotions go’ one more time, I’m going to smack you.” I grumble without thinking, sitting up and crossing my arms grumpily. 

“I should like to see that.” He teases, chuckling.

“Sorry, Uncle Obi.” I murmur, sobering. “I just...it’s frustrating I still can’t get this.” 

Obi-Wan sits beside me, chuckling and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “You want to know something?” He asks. 

“What?” 

“When I look into your connection to the Force, and follow it into your core, I see a bright ball of energy, giving off wild, unfocused waves of light. It’s almost stronger than the connection I see in Anakin.” 

“Really?” 

“Almost.” He scoots me around to face him. “I want to help you, Astoria, believe me. In fact, I could calm your mind myself so your connection to the Force will be clearer. But, if I do that, I risk hurting you and your connection to the Force, and that I will not do. So, we have to take the long way, but we’ll get there.” 

I manage a smile. “Thanks, Uncle Obi.” 

“Now, shall we try one more time before bed?” 

I sigh. “Yeah, just once more.” 

This was one of my favorite times of the day, when my adopted uncle and I can just talk and enjoy each other’s company, even though in the presence of other Jedi I have to call him Master Kenobi. 

For the first year, I was allowed an adjustment period where the Counsel let some things slide, like informal names and my energy, but after the year ended, they then began to curb those habits and hold me to the standards of the other Younglings. 

I was grateful for the adjustment period and am doing my best to live up to the expectations of the Counsel, which made it all the more frustrating that I couldn’t grasp meditation yet.

=#=#=#=#=

“Oh, sorry Master Windu!” I mumble, scooting out of his way after nearly running into him rounding a corner. 

“Eyes forward, Youngling.” He replies, not unkindly. 

“Yes, Master.” I intone respectfully. He surprises me by turning back curiously. 

“Were you headed to meditation?” He asks. 

I shift sheepishly. “I’ve got a private lesson from Master Yoda. Seems he’s noticed my repeated failures.” 

“Way I see it, the only thing he sees is your potential. Don’t be harsher on yourself than those around you, young one.” He says, surprising me with his gentle tone.

I nod, feeling better. “Thank you, Master Windu.” He nods and I bow my head in farewell. “I’ll be off now.” 

“May the Force be with you, Astoria.” He says and I’m shocked he remembers my name. 

A very high-ranking Jedi master remembered my name! 

I walk down the hall, giddy. 

“Something to celebrate, hmm?” Yoda asks, amused, when I walk into the meditation room he was in, noticing my wide smile. 

I sit across from him. “Well, it’s just...it’s silly. Let’s start.” 

“Meditation, you will not learn if clouded your mind is, little one.” Yoda replies, smiling and tilting his head. “What distracts you, hmm?” 

“I almost ran into Master Windu. He gave me a bit of advice and remembered my name. I shouldn’t have let it distract me, Master. I’m sorry.” 

“No error it is to find pleasure in small matters, but distractions, they should not become. Now, begin, we can, hmm?” 

“Yes, Master Yoda.” Together, we begin to breathe deep and quiet our minds (or try to, in my case). 

“Your mother, cloud your thoughts, she does.” Yoda muses. 

“Well...she seems stressed lately. Worried about something. She never talks about what’s really going on on Mandalore. I can’t help being curious.” I reply, feeling childish. 

“Allowed contact with their families Jedi are, but one must learn balance. Detach yourself from your training, you cannot.”

I flinch subtly, biting my lip. “I won’t, Master. I’m sorry I’ve been a bit distracted lately.” 

The meditation practice had dissolved into a lecture. 

Great. Master Windu was wrong; Yoda only wanted to scold a failing Youngling.

“Failing, you are not. Succeeding, you are not. Only trying, you are.” Yoda says as if he had read my thoughts.

For all I knew, he had read them like a book.

I frown. “What does that mean, Master?” I ask. 

“Do or do not, young Astoria. There is no try.” 

“Master, I’m just not getting meditation.” I point out. “I’ve been going to classes and practicing with Master Kenobi when he can help me, but nothing’s working.” 

“Clouded and stormy your emotions are. Never learn meditation you will, if these emotions, settled they are not.” 

“Yes, Master.” I bite my lip. “It’s just...I guess I’m not sure how to settle my emotions.” I confess. 

Something about Master Yoda made me want to truly open up to him. So I did. 

“Learn to let go you must.” Is his calm, enigmatic reply.

“What do you mean?” I ask, not understanding. 

“Means do not concern yourself with things you cannot change, it does. Relax your mind and it will become calm and clear.” 

And so Yoda and I begin trying to calm my emotions. 

It sorta works, and soon enough I’m released to combat class. 

My favorite! I’m ahead of the Younglings in my group in combat, actually. 

I try not to let myself be too aggressive and competitive, but it’s really hard. 

I wish they’d let us fight with actual lightsabers, not the low-powered youngling sabers we use, but I suppose that’s too dangerous right now. 

I can’t wait to get my lightsaber crystal and make my hilt! 

=#=#=#=#=

“Little Astoria, that move was rather reckless.” Plo Koon calls from the sidelines of the class. 

He sometimes oversaw training from the sides and would call out advice to any struggling Youngling. 

“Sorry, Master!” I call back, blocking a swing and swinging my leg to trip my opponent up. I then point my practice saber at the boy I was dueling. I think his name is Roman, but I can’t remember.

“I yield.” He says, annoyed that he lost...again. I turn off my blade and extend a friendly hand. 

“You’re improving.” I note as I help him up. 

“How are you so good at this?” He asks. 

I shrug. “I’m not sure. I just...know what to do.” 

Plo Koon strides over as the instructor dismisses the class. “In some ways, Astoria, your connection to the Force is instinctive and clear, but in others...you lack discipline and focus.” 

I shuffle my feet as Roman awkwardly walks off. “I know, Master Plo, but...I just can’t seem to understand meditation like I can combat.” 

“One day this mystery will be solved, young one, but you must continue practicing and learning what you can from your lessons. Never give up when the path before you becomes uncertain.” 

“Yes, Master.” I reply. “I am trying.” He puts a hand on my shoulder and I think, if I could see his whole face, I’d see a smile.

“I know you are, and one day you will master it. Astoria, I believe that when you master your connection to the Force, you will become quite an impressive Jedi Knight.” 

I grin and automatically hug him. “Thank you, Master Plo!” I cheer. The Jedi were getting used to my hugs by now and Plo Koon even returns the hug with one arm before gently peeling me off.

“Come along, young one, or we’ll miss our lunch.” I nod and skip down to lunch. 

I may dislike the food, but I’ve learned ways of coping with that. 

Every once in a while, when a Jedi went out to do a bit of shopping for basic essentials, I would ask to go with them. 

Usually, that meant a pleasant trip with Master Kenobi as he shopped for things like soap and toiletries and I got to get some fruit and actually flavorful food. 

I’d also grab a few spices like salt and pepper to liven up the bland food they serve at the Temple. 

That food was grating on my nerves, but at least I had some ways to combat the lack of flavor. 

In fact, Master Fisto needed to pick up some special lotion or something so his skin doesn’t get too dry being out of water for so long. We had pools and things in the Temple, but he couldn’t be in them as much as he’d like. I’ll ask if I can go with him after lunch. 

=#=#=#=#=

“Master Fisto, may I have a word?” I ask, jogging to catch up to him. 

He turns with his trademark broad smile, even crouching a little to be at my eye level. “Of course, my little friend.” He replies. “What can I help you with?” 

“I was wondering if I could go with you to the marketplace today. I know you need lotion and I would like to get some more salt and pepper.” 

“The food is not to your tastes, I take it?” He teases with a smirk. 

“Well, not exactly. The food’s alright, but with salt and other spices, it’s a bit better.” 

He laughs, patting my back cheerily and nearly making me fall over. “I feel the same way, young one. I’ll let you come.” 

“Yay! Thank you, Master” I cheer, jogging to my room to grab the tiny allowance Younglings were given each month for whatever basics they needed. 

Master Fisto and I leave side by side. “It’s always refreshing to step out of the Temple, is it not?” He asks. 

I nod. “Yeah. I like it here, believe me, but it is also nice to get out every once in a while.” 

“Come, let us get to business.” He calls, walking toward the small speeder that would take us to the marketplace. 

“If I may, why don’t you spend more time in the pools and gardens if you’re from an aquatic planet?” I ask tentatively, coming to stand beside the Jedi Master. 

“Well, I am a member of the Council. I have many duties that require my attention.” 

“Oh.” I reply. “I was just curious.” 

“Never let yourself feel bad for merely asking a question, Astoria.” He says gently. “Curiosity has led to many, many great inventions and discoveries.” 

I nod. “Thanks, Master Fisto.”

“Of course, Astoria. Ah, here we are!” He cheers when we arrive at the marketplace. “You typically come with...Master Kenobi, that right?” He asks. 

I nod. “Yes. He’s close friends with my mother, and I enjoy his company as well.” I reply carefully, not understanding why he was asking or smiling so broadly. 

“I see. No shame in that. Come, we’ll hurry along and be back in time for your meditation lesson.” 

I groan. “Yes, Master.” 

“Do not think of this as punishment, Astoria. We are merely trying to help.” 

“I know, Master, but I’m just not getting it!” 

“That right there is why you fail.” 

“I don’t understand.” I confess. 

“Astoria, you view meditation as a block on your path that you cannot get past. That is why you fail.” My frown remains. I had no idea what he meant. “You need to start looking at it as a challenge to overcome, that can be overcome. If you look at it like that, you will be able to reach your potential that much sooner.” 

I hum in thought then sigh. “Why is it I can rise in combat so easily, but stumble at meditation?” I ask. 

“That, only you can answer, Astoria. But think on my words and the path forward will become clear.” I nod, absently side-hugging him as we near the spice store. 

“Thank you again, Master.” I say, then wave to him as we go separate ways to gather our supplies. 

“I’ll meet you at the transport in twenty minutes.” 

I nod and enter the store. 

“Ah, Astoria, my favorite little customer.” The store clerk greets. He was a human, like me, I think from the same planet as Uncle Obi, But I can’t remember for sure. 

“Hello, Gastor.” I reply, walking automatically to the salt section. 

“Ah, those are brand-new. Put ‘em out this morning.” He says when I grab a small container of a spice mix. It held a lot of good spices with the salt as the main component. I like the look of it, but it’s fairly expensive, so I reluctantly put it back. “I could cut you a deal since you come in so frequently.” Gastor muses idly, noting my interest before I put it back. 

“No, but thank you, Gastor. I might be back for it later, but for now I must say goodbye.” I retort lightly, pretending to be emotional. 

“Trust you to get attached to spices.” Gastor fires back and I pretend to be insulted, hand over my heart as I move further back toward the other spices. 

I hear other customers come in, and feel something...unsettling. I don’t know what, but I know something’s amiss. 

“Hello, Gastor.” Somes a slithery voice I immediately distrust. I sneak a little closer and see a tough-looking Twi’lek man and a few other thugs I can’t place. 

“Look, I’m just waiting on one last shipment, then your order will be ready.” Gastor pleads, and I instantly am on guard, creeping nearer. I still had time to deal with these goons, buy the spices, and maybe even pick up some shampoo and conditioner as well before meeting Master Fisto at the speeder. 

Taking a breath, grabbing a container of standard salt and pepper with granulated garlic and onion mixed in, I walk toward the counter. 

“Ah, are you, er, ready to check out, miss?” Gastor says, and it’s clear he is uneasy, sweating as he glances between the thugs and me anxiously. 

“Oi! We were here first!” The Twi’lek growls. 

I notice a small blaster in his hand and a knife in the other. 

“I’m sorry, but as your order is not yet ready- -” Gastor says placatingly.

“Get it ready!” The man interrupts angrily. 

“Sir, he said it’s not ready. That’s it. Check back later. I’ve gotta get- -” I’m suddenly grabbed by one of the other thugs (maybe a man from Florum, but maybe not), fingers tight around my throat, and hauled into the air. 

As I choke, I begin to feel something pooling in my gut, in my core, even, like a coiled spring. 

I instinctively trigger it and find myself suddenly sure of what to do. 

I feel a wave begin at my core, expanding outward and suddenly I am let go and the thugs, as well as Gastor, are pressed against the wall. 

I take a breath and release the wave and they fall. 

Despite being excited by what I had just done (wasn’t that the Force I just used to push these thugs back?), I walk calmly forward. I wasn’t quite done with them. “Gastor here said your order wasn’t finished.” I begin. “So you will return home to wait patiently for it and return when he tells you it is ready. I hear of you bothering him again, and I will not hesitate to return.” 

The thugs cower away from me. “What’re the Jedi doing here?” I hear one whimper as they take off running, bumping into each other trying to get out of the door. 

“You’re training to be a Jedi?” Gastor asks, breathless in shock. 

I nod. He’d never asked and I never volunteered that information. 

Uncle Obi says it’s not the Jedi way to broadcast who we are. We are humble servants of the Republic and peacekeepers. That is all. 

“Sorry I didn’t tell you. We’re not supposed to broadcast it.” I explain and hand him the credits needed for the seasonings. 

“That’s alright. I should have guessed. You’re wearing Jedi robes, after all.” 

I chuckle. “Assumptions often lead us astray, Gastor. Anyway, thanks for the seasonings. I use it on my food at the Temple.” I lean in conspiratorially. “They don’t season their food at all. It tastes so bland!” 

Gastor laughs and shoos me away. “Well, don’t let me keep you away from the Temple any longer. And thank you for your assistance with those pests. They come in demanding cheap spices in bulk. I can’t keep this up.” 

I sigh. “They should leave you alone, but tell me if they come back when I restock.” I call over my shoulder and wave as I leave. 

I spot Master Fisto a ways away. The shop with the lotion was the same shop I got my shampoo and conditioner, so I walk over to him. 

“There you are. Did you find suitable spices?” He asks. 

“Yes, I did.” I reply. I felt the news of my use of the Force bubbling up, but something told me it might be better to wait til we were back at the Temple. 

“Good. We’ll pick up the last things we require and return before we’re missed.” Fisto says and I jog lightly over to the bottles of hair products, grabbing the ones I typically use. It was nothing fancy, just cheap products to serve their purpose. Plus, they were very cheap. 

Once Master Fisto and I are through with our purchases, we walk together toward our transport. “There’s something you want to tell me.” Mastesr Fisto muses, chuckling. “What happened in the spice shop?” Somehow it doesn’t surprise me that he already knew something happened in the spice shop. “I saw a few men running from there in terror. Did you see something that happened?” It’s clear he’s teasing, but I humor him. 

“A Jedi stopped them harassing the shop owner, apparently,” I reply. “but I didn’t see them.” 

Fisto laughs, dropping the facade. “Well done, Astoria. It seems you finally unlocked another aspect of your connection to the Force.” 

I nod. “Thank you, Master. They were demanding spice for far cheaper than the owner was selling. I convinced them that wasn’t a good idea. I...don’t know how it happened, but I was able to stop them choking me with the Force.” I explain. “It felt...incredible!” 

“Don’t abuse that power, Astoria.” Fisto cautions. “Practice restraint and only use that power when needed, and you will find yourself the better for it.” 

I nod. “Yes, Master.” 

The transport arrives at the Temple and we walk together, back to our rooms to put our purchased items away. 

Once that’s done, it’s off to another session with Master Yoda. 

This time, however, it seems to go smoother than previous sessions. Whatever I unlocked in the spice shop eases the path toward understanding meditation and using the Force as the instructor says we should be able to. 

Now, I just need practice and I’ll soon be able to manipulate the Force and calm my mind on command. This is amazing! 

“Learned something you have, hmm?” Master Yoda asks, smiling. 

“Yes, Master, I think I have. I went out with Master Fisto to pick up more shampoo and conditioner, among other things, and I ran into some unsavory characters. They were threatening me, even had me by the throat, then something...happened, inside me, and I was able to use the Force to push them back. They ran off once they knew I was in the Jedi Order.” I explain briefly. 

“Good, good, young one. Great strides in your training, you are making.” 

“Thank you, Master Yoda.” 

“Now, perhaps, meditation you can learn, hmm?” 

I chuckle. “I hope so, Master.” I get into position and begin trying to calm my mind and focus on my connection to the force. True to Uncle Obi’s words, it was like a ball of energy, wild and untamed. Reaching out and feeling that same coil in my core that I’d felt in the spice shop, I begin to see the waves of energy focus into beams that lead off into the vastness of the Force. 

I breathe deeply and try to see if I can find other people’s connections. 

Right in front of me, of course, is Master Yoda’s connection. His energy ball was bigger than mine, shining out like a sun with beams also leading out in every direction. 

“Yes, Astoria. These connections you feel, see all of them, you can. With training, see distant places and future events you can.” 

I release my concentration and open my eyes. “Really?” 

“Yes, Astoria, you can. If wills it, the Force does.” 

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S4 Ep 13: Yugi Dies in California, Makes Everything Awkward

Hey guys. Yugi’s DEAD. (again, but way earlier in a season than I thought he’d be)

So lets get into it.

Last we left off, Pharaoh got imbued with the powers of Lime Green. A green that I swear used to be more Aqua, but seems to sort of shift and change depending on if it’s day or night.

As a consequence, Yugi now can’t have any communication with Pharaoh. I guess this makes it so now Pharaoh is split with his “light” side but like...both Yugi and Pharaoh have both light and darkness so...I see the metaphor going on, but I don’t think the metaphor actually...worked when you think about all the screwy stuff Yugi has done even without Pharaoh around. So just don’t think about it.

The big consequence of the Yugi Banishment was more that Yugi wasn’t there to tell Pharaoh how the Oricalchos card works because--and I say this a lot--but Pharaoh doesn’t know how to read.

Pharaoh’s biggest downfall isn’t so much his greed or pride this episode, it’s his goddamn illiteracy. If he took just five seconds to study the fine print then...he wouldn’t have even cast the Oricalchos in the first place. He did it because he wanted to protect his dragon Timaeus on the field, but the Oricalchos made Timaeus immediately disappear so...Pharaoh cast this for no reason other than the plot really wanted him to do it.

Just kinda shocking that Pharaoh, of all people, made such a huge card mistake when he’s supposed to be from where all cards came from. Then again, he’s separated from Yugi who I guess had more card input than I realized, because the rest of this episode is just Pharaoh playing kind of like a dumbass.

And on the voice acting side, the guy who plays Pharaoh had to try and talk even deeper--which was kind of funny when he’s already as deep as he can go. So...it just seems like Season 1 Pharaoh to me, except he laughs more.

TBH Pharaoh was WAY more rude to PaniK than he ever was to Rafael.

(read more under the cut)

Meanwhile, Rex and Weevil have joined the pack.

Only to be hassled by the pack.

And so, since this is a show about cards, how do you make Pharaoh look like a bad person when he...always plays cards, and is usually a good person for doing this same card playing thing?

And as the person in charge of the Death Count, sorry Yugi, that doesn’t even make sense to me. If you’re telling me that JUST NOW cards are suddenly real and not 10+ episodes ago, and if you’re telling me that all of the other times Dark Magician Girl died didn’t count?

If I had to count every time that a card died when I’m pretty sure they were real then we would also have to count most Bakura duels, probably that Pegasus duel, any Shadow game, really, and like...I don’t want to do the math so I am not counting Dark Magician Girl, y’all.

She was alive at the end of this episode, and as far as I’m concerned, her prime function--the reason she exists--is to die a lot. She’s a card, that’s what they do, and I doubt she even felt bad about it. Like...I don’t think the cards are mortal. Does that make sense? I just...maybe it hurt her but like...does she care? She’s a god in this universe.

You can’t kill Zeus. And like maybe people can hassle Zeus but like it would be maybe the sensation of an itch to Zeus if you stab him directly through the throat--that’s how I feel about Dark Magician Girl. She can take a beating and won’t even know it’s happening. Girl is freakin Zeus.

A lot of this Rafael arc is about making a false reality to justify your actions. Rafeal’s was a pretty extreme case involving cards that are angels and that are still cards...or something. Pharaoh’s was “I’ll be fine, I’ve always been fine, I’m very good at this, I’m the exception to every rule.” which is a much more approachable and relatable fake reality than Rafael.

Thing is, Pharaoh’s not entirely wrong. That’s usually true for him. He usually is the exception to every rule bending RNG to his every whim. Like there’s a reason why he took the chance on the Oricalchos, it really should’ve worked out.

And TBH, would have liked to see Pharaoh do this for longer than one episode, especially since him going his brand of cray only lasted during a card game, which I don’t really watch anyway. But eventually all good things must end, and it catches up to him when he realizes the horror he has wrought.

Spoiler, it’s not that horrifying.

Like for reals, I have seen Pharaoh do some THINGS and maybe this is a sign I’ve seen too much Yugioh when I’m like “lol Pharaoh went nuts and that was it???”

I cannot believe he did not pull out even so much as a single knife this entire episode. The hatchets are right there. Then again, his puzzle powers don’t really work in the Oricalchos realm so he has to play normie style. But knives are pretty normie. I feel like Pharaoh should have pulled out some sort of makeshift brain teaser involving knives, but youknow, this season is very much more for kids than previous seasons of Yugioh.

Again, what he did to Panik is about 1000x worse than making a Halloween Kuriboh.

But, now that all the cards he sacrificed to the Shadow Realm are being resurrected and used against him, he looks into the blank face of Dark Magician Girl and accepts his defeat.

Which is very similar to what happened to Kaiba in the earlier seasons of this show. Pharaoh got Pharaoh’d.

But...while it is a throwback, heaven forbid that this show used a real ass human as a stand in for Dark Magician Girl in this scene. Could’ve had just any actual person standing around here to make Pharaoh realize a change of heart--maybe even the kid he banished in his head? But nah.

It was Dark Magician Girl for this emotional beat.

I mean we are watching Yugioh but lol, that was a decision the writing team made. Joey Wheeler’s right over there. Maybe remove Tea from that RV? No? Want to use Dark Magician Girl instead? OK then.

Anyway, now that Pharaoh was shamed enough by a paper card to remember how to be slightly more human, Yugi holds his Puzzle high over his head and screams “BY THE POWER OF THE MILLENNIUM PUZZLE!” or something and does his own brand of magic. Surprise, it’s punching stuff.

Punching stuff is always the answer.

So apparently the puzzle is more powerful than Oricalchos. Which we basically knew the whole time, I mean...Pharaoh got possessed by Oricalchos and all it did was make him play cards.

I can’t believe no one got set on fire that entire sequence.

So, since the Oricalchos demanded a soul, Yugi figured out a loophole.

And again, another Yugioh game was ended by someone threatening to kill himself, and this time it was Yugi. Who died so that Pharaoh’s yummy soul would not resurrect the Great Leviathan.

Because, while Yugi may be a soul-copy and somewhat reincarnation of the Pharaoh? Or something? He’s still not yummy enough. Not yummy enough for that Leviathan tummy.

Which lead to this great scene that I’m sure you’d remember vividly if you ever saw it even once. This is so unexpected and wild and everyone should see it.

This is moments following a very heavy death in the show--Pharaoh’s lowest point--and it is just SO JARRING AND FUNNY in context. I don’t think they meant it to be that way but I had to rewind like 8 times.

First off, enjoy this wtf helicopter, and then...

Wow.

A+ animation, I would never have been so bold as to do drop Pharaoh like a sack of potatoes from 50 feet in the air right after killing Yugi Muto on screen. 10/10. Amazing.

And after it happens, Duke kinda looks over and has the gall to ask... “Are you guys all right?” It’s just...

Wow.

I’m applauding at my computer, I am so glad that whole sequence exists. I’ll probably lift it eventually just to have.

And then the rest of this episode is Pharaoh trying to tell everyone what happened but Everyone still doesn’t quite get it, despite how wildly blunt Pharaoh is.

Cue the endless crying, because if this show loves anything, it’s men in eyeliner openly weeping into the dirt at their feet. Thankfully, Yugi had the foresight to get waterproof mascara, because if he’s gonna die, he doesn’t want Yami to blow up that perfectly cut stiletto heel line.

MAN I am so jealous of this teenage boy’s makeup.

And since I asked the void nicely for Yugioh to be in PAD, and now that PAD put Yugioh in there as if it heard me, I will now turn my attention to Sephora.

Please, Sephora, make me a Yugioh makeup line that is waterproof as hell so I can ugly cry in the hottest desert in America and still not smudge, thx.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Yugi Muto is officially dead!

Didn’t expect that, being real.

Wow.

Really I thought that they would die if ever they ever got separated, but apparently Pharaoh is fine he just...lacks his Yugi half that knows how to read stuff and had a slightly longer attention span.

I can’t believe they cured Yugi of his curse! Congrats, Yugi! You are no longer possessed! 

Y’all. Lets just appreciate the Yugioh Episode 13 curse for a bit.

First episode 13, Bakura killed everyone with like no warning

Second Episode 13 was Ankle-slicing Bandsaw Clown

Third Episode 13 Noah revealed he was Seto’s Secret Already Dead Brother trying to take over Seto’s body

Fourth Episode 13 Yami finally managed murdering Yugi.

Like I dunno if they planned for all 13s to be all the WTF ones, but I’m glad it’s managed so far. I should’ve known when I started this episode that it was a 13, but I just...I just forgot.

Really thought Yami was going to survive this one and we’d have to bury Rafael on this mesa. Lucky for them and the local police, it’s just paranormal murder today.

Anyway...there’s like a lot more episodes of this season left and I don’t know where it’s going anymore. Should be fun. At the rate we’re going, we’re gonna take a bike ride over to New York City to do more card games on the desert Mesas of NYC. Lets see how long Yugi will remain dead.

Maybe next episode Pharaoh will just throw on a bedsheet and Rebecca’s shower sandals so he can go full Egyptian Era? Maybe the eyeliner will be drawn all the way to his freakin ears? Y’all what if he gets really into beads and gold now?

(and if you just got here, this is a handy link to read all of these recaps in chrono order. There’s a lot of them.)

[shuwuwua]

farmboy!joshua

in which your first time in the rural countryside–crap internet, 20 minute drives to the nearest grocery store, random deer in the roads, and all–is not bad. not bad at all. (aka joshua and animals and being very soft) [fluff]

word count: 3k

disclaimer: not all rural areas are the same. you can get high speed internet. (just not in my personal experience lmao)

you were born, raised, and spent most of your livelihood in the same city

a proper skyscraper sort of city, not a “it’s bigger than a town so i guess we have to call it a city but the tallest building here is still only 4 stories high” city

your family wasn’t really one for vacations but this summer your parents decided to switch it up and spend a few weeks with your relatives who live in the countryside

and although you’ve been skeptical as to what’s possibly worth spending that long in the boonies, you figure it’s been a while since you saw those relatives and don’t say much against it

you’ve tried unsuccessfully for the past few days to avoid nature by browsing YouTube, but it’s proving difficult with your relatives’ lack of surfable internet

they finally suggest you go to the petting zoo

and you snort a little at first bc it’s not your ideal pastime but you suppose that’s what you gotta work with now in the boonies

so you drive to the nearby petting zoo. you exit your car.

and your hit with the Smell™ (of dried grass and poop, to clarify)

and you’re like. oh yeah. i’m definitely in the countryside.

you proceed.

as you walk up the path to the main buildings, you see some of the larger animals around you. horses. cows. the pigs are outside feeding at this hour. you’re kind of in awe because you’ve never seen a Live Cow and,,, they’re kinda cool how they’re so chill and they look sorta Smooth like they’d be really pettable and you wonder if you’d be able to milk one or smthn

but you’re getting a little ahead of yourself.

you open the barn door. and are immediately hit with more Smell™

you wonder if it’ll attach to your clothes. you figure you will deal with it later.

there is something else to deal with at the moment.

“wait, no–lucky! come back!” someone yelps as they rush around in front of you, chasing what seems to be a ball of fur that moves at the speed of light

or a puppy. same thing, really. 

that someone takes a giant leap of faith, only to just barely miss the pup and end up face first on the floor, which you can’t imagine being the most sanitary of surfaces

you look away in search of the flurry of fur. you can’t see it, but you can definitely hear it. unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like it has a collar, so you prepare yourself to scoop it up completely rather than grabbing its collar. as expected, it runs into your direction and you launch at it...

success!

lucky squirms in your grasp, barking and sniffing at your shirt. they must decide that you’re an agreeable human, because they start trying to lick your face

“wow, you caught him!” you look up at seemingly the body from earlier

and like,, not to exaggerate but is this what looking at an angel is like?

the boy you’re looking at looks back with such bright eyes and with a gaze full of affection, although after a second you realize the affection is probably for the dog. he has the best smile you’ve seen in a good while, because people you pass by in the city don’t smile that much. he just radiates Warm and Good and is probably great for business, because he’s just as cute as the puppy who is still going at your chin

“i… yeah, guess i did. uh, you kind of have straw all over you” is what you settle on saying to him, because out of all the things you noticed about him, your brain decides that the straw and dirt still sticking to his cheek and various parts of his shirt were the most acceptable features to point out. while they weren’t the more flattering options, they probably saved you from the complete AWKWARDNESS that would have come from mentioning his eyes or beaming smile or really anything else bc the straw and dirt were the only flaws.

“oh!” he exclaims, straightening up and brushing off his shirt

“… here too,” you say, grasping lucky in one arm as you move your other hand to your cheek

of course, he wipes at the wrong side.

“the other side”

“right. ok. am i good? sorry, that’s not a great first impression.” 

he still has a smear, but you decide it’s probably not going to budge and he’ll figure it out later. and he has no clue what a great first impression it was. clearly. “no, it’s fine.” 

he continues to smile at you and you’re still crouched, clutching lucky. lucky then decides to yelp because he’s tired of the severe lack of attention, which snaps you back to the situation. 

“oh, right.” you stand and give lucky back. 

“here he is!”

once lucky is back in the boy’s arms, he immediately starts to lick at his jaw. the boy sighs and pulls a treat out of the pocket of his apron, waving it around lucky’s face. “what are we going to do with you?” 

he turns back to you. “sorry about that, lucky is a very excited young pupper, as you just saw. the most problematic of all his siblings. anyway, i’m joshua! welcome to nabiya petting zoo. is it your first time here?”

you nod. “er. it’s actually my first time in this area, or in this part of the country, really. i’m from a pretty big city.”

“oh! well, a bigger welcome, then. i hope you enjoy your stay.” 

he rubs lucky between his ears. “isn’t it nice to get away from the busy urban life sometimes? i’ve always thought it’s really relaxing around here.”

“yeah, it seems… nice so far,” you say loosely, reflecting on how you haven’t really seen enough to come to that conclusion

he still has that warm smile. “i’m going to put lucky in his pen. hm… you’re the only one who’s come in so far today, so i could show you around if you want?”

“yeah, sure! i haven’t seen a lot of these before,” you reply, going down the list of animals at the side on the wall.

“ok, i’ll be right back!”

when he comes back y’all walk around n look at things and he asks you if you want to hold or feed some animals and you take everything pretty well, more than even you expect

you look at the normal domestic sort of animals like a litter of kittens, and the pen with lucky and his other pupper brothers and sisters

typical farm animals like pigs and sheep

sheep are not as fluffy as you imagine, they’re actually kind of gross looking if they haven’t had a bath recently

nonetheless you find them kind of cute, and you even pet one of the rams, aptly named… sam the ram

something tells you joshua was responsible for the name

you guys go out to the field and observe some turkeys strutting around

“huh so that’s the thing you see in clipart, the thing hanging off their faces”

“yeah it’s called a snood”

“LOL huH”

“only the dudes have snoods”

“um”

“during mating season, female turkeys pick male turkeys with longer snoods. you could say they’re in the snood for love.”

“please stop”

y’all spend a lot of time with the rabbits bc “bunnies are my favorite animal” says josh as he crouches next to a brown fluffball of a bunny, petting it

it’s just such a Good n Wholesome scene you can’t help but let slip “wow ur so cute”

he looks up, but his expression says he is otherwise unbothered

“sorry, what’d you say?”

“i SA ID the buNNY is sO cuTE” panics

“oh” joshua says. “alright” he turns back to the bunny, a tiny smile on his face

before you know it, 4 hours have passed and your stomach is letting you know dinnertime is approaching, so you bid josh farewell and wonder if you’ll ever see him again because that was a hecking nice 4 hours

you find yourself coming back again two days later lmao

today, joshua is putting out slop for the pigs. he grins at you. 

“hey again. what brings you back so soon?”

you find some excuse like “ykno i just bonded with sam the ram so well i had to come back, we’re bros now” and josh just laughs softly at you

“ok. you wanna look at some horses today?”

“whoa. o-okay.”

when he brings them out ngl you’re kinda intimidated bc like,, they’re some toL bois.

one time you saw a pony at the state fair but that was smol n cute and walked at a pace of 3 miles an hour

but these horses?? threatening. now you understand where the horse in horsepower comes from

“hey, don’t look so scared. they’re harmless!” the black stallion chooses that moment to snort and buck a little. 

you gulp.

“no, really.” he pets the stallion. “snuffles has never hurt anyone.”

you blink

“,,, snuffles ??”

joshua gives you a hard stare. “7 year old me thought that was an appropriate name and today years old me still thinks it’s fine”

you raise your hands to say “ok man ur turf ur way”

joshua clears his throat dramatically and turns back to ,, snuffles. “so aNyway, i brought snuffles out because i think he’s the best for a beginner to ride, and i’m assuming you’ve never ridden a horse before.”

“yeah i haven’t… wait did you say we’re gonna riDE them??”

“yeah, we don’t usually let people do that but i feel like you need the whole farm experience so you can go home and tell your friends the country isn’t just yeehaw and old town”

“but like… isn’t this just proving the point of old town? you literally have the horses in the back.”

“however, my hat is not matte black. i don’t even have a cowboy hat. or Wrangler. or anything else the song mentions. just the horses.”

“ok joshua if it makes u happy i will take snuffles to the old town road”

he gives u a big :D

he instructs you on how to mount the horse and stands behind you in case you start falling but thankfully you don’t so we don’t have to go over any kind of cliche

~ gripping of the waist for balance ~

or

~ catching you in his arms ~

scenes

: ))

“hey, good job! give snuffles some pats or something.” you reach a hand out to stroke the side of snuffles’s face. he whinnies a bit. Well frick, you think, that was kind of cute.

joshua decides he’ll walk some laps around with you before letting you actually ride snuffles by yourself. after you seem to be comfortable, you guys walk/trot around some and that’s how the rest of that afternoon goes :)

picture this with me

the sun is low in the sky

and y’all and your horses are just looking out over the hill

skin lookin immaculate bc it’s the golden hour

a massive grin you don’t even realize you have on your face.

and then you gotta go home, as your stomach reminds you again.

over your stay at your relatives’ place, you visit the petting zoo more times

you and josh become pretty comfortable with each other

he always has a lot of time to spend with you bc people don’t come that much this early in the summer, and in general they don’t get a huge amount of traffic but that’s okay financially bc the petting zoo is just a side thing, it’s mainly his family’s farm

and so you learn more things about him and his family from your times together, you guys sometimes sit around with some lemonade and hold some bunnies. lucky has also taken a liking to you, so you hold him a lot.

joshua tells you about his parents having always wanted to live peaceful and healthy lives, eating their own produce, moved to the area before he was born and it just expanded into the farm.

so although no one lives on the farm, they live pretty close by and he spent most of his childhood around all the animals.

you wonder if he was born with the soft, patient, and gentle nature needed to care for all the animals or if the animals shaped him to be that way.

but on top of that, he really loves spending time with them. even though he’s there basically every day, he never seems tired of his job.

“but what about you though? i’ve never really been that far from here, so i wonder what a big city is like.”

you trade your chaotic urban stories for his peaceful rural ones, and he trades his farm accident horrors for your memories of solidarity in the city.

you tell him about all the great food, countless different flavors of restaurants and a bubble tea chain every few blocks

you tell him about the convenience, the variety of transportation and the proximity of things, like basic groceries

the crowded sidewalks, the crowded metro, the crowded shops

the neon signs that light up the night, the period of quiet and calm somewhere around 3 in the morning, when you can open the window and hear the city nightlife in its most muted yet most raw state.

not only has time in the countryside made you appreciate it more, but also your home life more.

while you’re still wrapped in your memories, joshua smiles softly at you from the side. lemonade long forgotten, ice long melted. “that sounds really nice. your stories make me want to visit you in your hometown some time.”

huh. he could’ve just said visit the city, but he said visit you in your hometown. joshua has such a way with making the conversation personal.

you process what he said again and think about what it’d be like if he came. you could take him to all those places you raved about… it’d be like…

,,, a bunch of dates really. your brain frazzles a bit at the thought.

“… yeah! … that’d be pretty cool.”

and that’s how your afternoons pass these days. lemonade at the side, bunnies in hand, breeze passing through hair.

eventually josh asks you if you want to hang out like… nOT at the petting zoo

and you’re like whoa ok what’s your idea

and he’s like “can you meet me at watchtower hill tomorrow at 8pm?” 

he thinks about what he just said and quickly follows with “i know that’s kind of a really late time, but i promise i have no nefarious intent! oh, shoot that makes it seem like i do. i really don’t i promise! i just wanted to show you what the sunset and night sky are like in the countryside. oh, i just spoiled it…” he flashes you an awkward smile and some finger guns. “yep, that’s what we’re doing! no nefarious activities.”

you grin at him. “calm down dude, i didn’t think like that in the first place. i’m usually out even later at home anyway.”

he rubs the back of his head and laughs it off with you.

you do meet the next day at 8pm. he brings some midnight snacks that his mom made. except they’re not really midnight snacks, because you’re not trying to stay out there until midnight (spoiler: you do, because y’all yak a lot)

you guys sit on your jackets, watching the sunset. it’s the kind of temperature that’s says it was mad hot during the day, but now that the sun is going down, it’s cooled into a pleasant room temperature with an occasional warm breeze. 

for once you all don’t say much, because it’s nice to just share the moment. 

you reflect on how you’ve come to experience the area recently. most of it was the petting zoo, but sometimes you’d take up some of joshua’s suggestions about the area and report back to him how the experience was later on. 

looking out at the sun that bleeds out into the blueish black night, you think that it’s been a pretty good time here, and maybe it does have an edge on city life.

as the last of warm colors finally seep out of the sky, the moon takes over the night and the stars become more apparent than you’ve ever seen before.

seriously, it’s a scene out of a movie. you know, the wide screen shot of the protagonists staring at the sky, mystified. the panorama over the constellations that twinkle down at you, a little gift from the galaxy.

“i’ve never seen the sky like this. all the twinkling lights in the city come from the streets, and the buildings. which are pretty in their own way, i think. but Mother Nature… is really something else,” you say.

“yeah,” he says, looking at you as you’re still in awe at the sky. “something else.”

a few more moments pass, but it’s a timeless night as the sky is frozen in space.

joshua lays back on his jacket.

“hey,, maybe this is sort of crazy but.”

you turn to him, raising a brow.

“it’s been really, uh.. it’s been. really awesome getting to know you. i’ve just kind of… seen the same sorts of things all my life. the same sorts of people. i mean! of course, everyone is unique in their own way but! you know.” he takes a glance at you. “rural folks, urban folks. there’s a difference. so I’ve really enjoyed talking with you. uh, i mean i enjoy talking to you regardless of if you’re from the city or not!”

he puts a palm to his face and sighs. from behind his hand, he says, “i just like you.”

“i like you too, joshua! you’re a really great guy.”

“no, not like that. i mean. i like you.” he finally removes his hand.

you blink a little. and finally burst into a grin. “yeah. i like you too. you’re a really great guy.”

it’s his turn to blink

you lie back as well. he slowly starts to smile next to you

the stars above shine on.

yeah. this is a life you could get used to, too.

a/n: i stole the snood puns from a website i was reading sry website. hope you guys enjoyed and i had a lot of fun writing joshua this way (he’s all squishy, not exactly canon i would say lol)

[essaysbyciara]

Thy Neighbor (Chapters 13 + 14)

[Chapter 1][Chapter 2][Chapter 3][Chapter 4][Chapter 5 + 6][Chapter 7 + 8][Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11][Chapter 12] 

As you all can tell, I goofed about the rest of the story coming out all at once. I’m bad, y’all. The chapters are coming lol 

As always, thankyoux1000 for the likes, comments, repost, follows. Y’all had me dying when I came back from my fast. If you would like to be added to the taglist, let me know. Peace and love! 

Ciara’s chest grows hot with anticipation at the thought of performing a petty act or two at the expense of Trevante’s feelings. Watching as Yahya saunters into the last empty seat at the bar makes her eyes light up, more bright than her phone screen, Trevante texting her incessantly since she returned that gift. 

Trevante instantly felt sick when gym manager strutted her way into the living room as Ciara stood looking like a mix of anger and confusion. He knew his blunder but also knew to face the consequences of choosing to postpone dinner for a dalliance. Gym manager wasn’t there much longer after that. Lying about friends coming over, he quickly moved to get her out of his apartment. With even faster speed, he texted Ciara.

I’m sorry.

She’s gone. Can we talk?

Really, Ciara?

Can I come over and talk to you?

Let me make it up to you.

He desperately wanted to make it up to her. Trevante’s feelings for Ciara were a tad bit more complex than he could understand. He remembers their dinner at Sugarhouse vividly, this moment where they talked about their lives in such a transparent way. He remembers when she told him about how it’s hard for her to date because of her celibacy. Must men don’t get it, she quipped. Trevante thought of himself to be one of those men. But yet he felt this undercurrent of sexual energy from Ciara that pierced through him that entire night. It made him curious but also in awe that she kept those waves bottled up inside of her. He wondered if he could ever do that same. Sex became empty for Trevante the more and more he had it. But a necessary evil in his life because without that interaction, he’d feel the loneliness.

So as he continued to find himself around this unicorn that was Ciara, he felt emotions that were all-too-new. He wanted to pick her brain, spend more time with her, be around her energy, be a part of her space. But he found trouble reconciling with the idea that she wouldn’t want to consummate that energy. That was enough for him to lean on the side of not pursuing a relationship with her. He wanted the all that but needed the more. The more being sex.

Sex cascades Ciara’s thoughts as she stares at Yahya. His tall, milk chocolate complexion and long limbs push her mind into a very dangerous place that Mahalia sniffs out as soon as he walked through the door.

“Hey, Ash. You can close me out but can you put his drink on my tab?” Ciara points at Yahya’s tired body barely hanging on at the bar. Ashley closes Ciara’s tab, her left eyebrow perched in Ciara’s direction.

Ashley walks over to Yahya, a glass full of non distinct cognac in her hand. As she places the glass in front of Yahya, she turns to point at Ciara. Yahya’s face grows inquisitive. He bites his lower lip in approval once he lays eyes on who bought it for him.

He picks up his limber yet built frame and walks over to the now-empty bar seat next to Ciara. Ciara avoids eye contact for as long as she could, staring at the texts from Trevante. And deleting them as fast as she could.

“You made my night with this drink.” Yahya’s torso towers over Ciara. “Thank you…”

“You can call me C.”

“Well, thank you C. I think you need something too.”

“No, it’s late. I can’t…”

“Ashley. Whatever she’s been drinking on tonight.”

Ashley gives Ciara a look. Ciara shoots one back.

“Long day at work, huh?”

“Yeah. I’m an litigations attorney. Long day of work for you too?” Yahya scans Ciara’s frame with every long sip of his drink.

“No. I got stood up on a date. Shit happens.”

“He’s an idiot.”

Ciara leans back slightly in her chair. “Why you say that?”

“I’m looking at you. He’s an idiot.”

Ciara touches the broadest spot of Yahya’s left shoulder as a response to his sweetness. As she casually looks down, she notices a shiny object slightly blinding her right eye: a wedding band. In that moment, she felt the conviction that Mahalia and Ashley hoped she would find in this moment. She readjusts her body, moving the bar stool far away from Yahya. He’s too drunk on lust and Crown Royal to notice.

“I don’t think I can finish this drink. I should get home.” Ciara throws her phone into her purse, her body jumping off the seat.

“Where’s home?” Yahya gulps down the rest of his drink and gets up to stand alongside Ciara. His height made him even more daunting.

“Why? You can’t take me home.”

“You can take me to yours though.”

Yahya’s boldness catches Ciara off-guard. As her body and spirit beg her to leave, she decides to level a parting blow to his ego.

“You should probably text your wife that you’re on your way home. Have a great night.”

Chapter 14

Ciara wants to sweat last night out of her system. As she ran on the treadmill, she completely forgets about Trevante’s  five a.m. gym routine. The longer at it, the more endurance she gains. When she first started to work out, she could barely last thirty seconds. Now, she crushes two minutes of running under her feet. Working out relieves a ton of stress -- sexual and otherwise.

As  “Roll Some Mo” by Lucky Daye plays in his headphones, Trevante ignores the gym manager with a vengeance quite unseen. Feeling some type of way about Ciara’s ignorance of his texts, he barrels himself into the locker room. He heard Ciara’s door slam late the night before. He heard silence after that. He didn't want to admit to trying to hear on the other side of his wall where Ciara slept. He wondered if he’d get a repeat of the other night after their date, where he heard sounds so sweet coming out of a woman who hadn’t been touched by a man in a while.

So surprise cascades his face when he sees Ciara running on the treadmill. He picks up his pace to grab the treadmill right next to her. Ciara doesn’t notice Trevante to the left of her, so hellbent to melt last night away that the Big K.R.I.T. in her headphones helps her tune everything out. It wasn’t until she slows down her pace on the treadmill that she notices Trevante standing right next to her, looking at her trying to catch her attention. She tries to ignore him. His shirtless body makes it so hard.

Despite that, Ciara keeps her gingerly pace. Growing annoyed, Trevante hits the emergency stop button on Ciara’s treadmill.

“Negro... what…”

“Can we talk, please?”

“Nah, Tre. I think we’re good.”

They weren’t good. At least in Ciara’s mind. Although she’s still mad at Trevante’s lack of common sense, she still wants him to prove her anger wrong.

“We’re not good, Ciara. Come on…”

“Trevante. I’m not about to argue with you on a damn treadmill.”

“Let me drive you to school this morning, then. So we can talk. Please?”

Trevante’s face looks overly sincere and Ciara relents. She grabs her water bottle and leaves Trevante to run.

Ciara notices the NPR playing softly in the background as Trevante drives down South Broad Street. It was nice to know that she wasn’t upset that an airhead wanted nothing to do with her.

“Thank you for driving me to school. You didn’t have to do this…”

“Whatever I had to do to get you to talk to me, shit.”

“So what’s up.” Ciara turns in the passenger seat to look at Trevante. His button up shirt and slacks barely contain his body. Super snug to his frame, Ciara quickly notes that Trevante knows how to get attention. You can also count Ciara too.

“First, I want to apologize to you for last night. That’s my bad. I should have said something to you.”

“Yep.” Ciara feels the need to keep things short and sweet especially since she wanted to yell every emotion from inside of her.

“I promise you I’m not that type of dude.”

“What type of dude?”

“A dude who sleeps around like that, I swear.”

“Whatever, Tre. Don’t apologize for how you live your life.” Trevante feels bullied by Ciara’s words. Dismissed too. He wants to show her that he was a stand-up man, a man that could admit when he’s wrong. And that he’s not the worst of what Ciara may be thinking. Trevante is hoping for laughs, maybe giggles. He is met with silence. They both sit in that soundless space for the next few minutes of their car ride.

“What you getting into tonight?” Trevante asks, hoping Ciara would be free.

“I’m probably going to that Proverbs event you told me about with a few co-workers.”

“Oh, cool.” Wrong answer, he thinks. More silence follows.

“Tre. What are we doing? What is this?” Ciara broke the silence with the one question Trevante dreaded the most. He could never answer it in the way that left the one asking in a good mood.

“I think you’re a dope person. But I’m not looking for anything serious right now. It’s timing, it’s not you.”

“Nah, Tre. I’m not one of these girls you sleep with. I think you can be honest with me.” Honesty means telling Ciara that he would love to know what it would be like to belong to a woman like her but the no sex thing gets in the way of him committing full-stop. But since she wants honesty, Trevante feels called to deliver. Somewhat.

“I’m being honest. You’re dope as hell to me but I don’t think we’d work out.”

“It’s the celibacy thing, ain’t it…”

Trevante responds with silence. Ciara feels embarrassed. “There’s a El stop on the next corner, I’ll just take the train to campus.” Ciara grabs her book bag and gym bag and exits Trevante’s car. He wants to yell at her to get back in the car but the stop light is green. Ciara currently sees red.

taglist:  @blackpinup22 @voyagetoadinas9

[spaceorphan18]

Finding Kurt Hummel: What The World Needs Now

Masterpost

6x06: What The World Needs Now

So - after what’s been a really strong Kurt (Klaine) story - we’re going to pause a second and talk about Brittana (and Rachel).  And - it’s fine.  I think this episode is underrated a little because of the lack of Kurt and Blaine in it.  And this is really Brittana’s last big episode, and they don’t get many, so I won’t begrudge them that.  Plus - it makes my job easier for an episode - even if the Klaine story does feel like it’s coming to a grinding halt for an episode.  (I suppose when you watch these all together though, it doesn’t feel like such a road bump).  

Exposition

Kurt’s back and here to remind you that a minor win is a good thing and introduce the theme of the week -- Burt Bacharach.  Cause y’all know who that is, lol.  Well - you’ve probably heard a billion of his songs, but didn’t really know that he wrote them.  It’s a little weird for a final tribute episode, but it feels like Ryan Murphy wants to get out all his guilty pleasures before the show ends.  

Kurt’s also there to welcome back Mercedes.  Who - btw, is there to be okay with Rachel dating Sam, and help Rachel out emotionally.  Basically - she now has Kurt’s old job, and thank god.  I mean - I’m sorry Mercedes is relegated to this role, but it does free up Kurt from the shackles that is normal Hummelberry.  

Though honestly - Hummelberry has been... fine.  They’ve kinda been in their own little worlds when they aren’t teaching.  It’s almost... Healthy.  

And anyway - it’s actually nice to see Rachel and Mercedes be supportive friends.  There just isn’t enough positive f/f friendships on the show. 

Project Rachel

Mercedes has it in her head that while it’s nice the glee club is going again - Rachel needs to be back in New York again cause that’s where she’s supposed to be.  And while I don’t think she’s wrong, I am rolling my eyes at the one last time the show is going to coddle Rachel.  

I should note - there’s a quick mention that Kurt’s working on his ‘thesis’ for NYADA.  It’s an afterthought - sure, but at least the show remembers the other reason why he’s there.  But it’s also a reminder that coaching is only a temporary thing for Kurt, too.  I kind of wish the show didn’t gloss over it so easily.  But the point is - one of the reasons the show isn’t (unfortunately) focusing on Kurt’s career is that he’s not needing the push to go back to New York.  Returning really isn’t a question in his book.  His push is back towards Blaine - his version of home.  

See - way back in Loser Like Me, Kurt, Rachel, and Blaine are back in Lima because they needed to have a reset (like the glee club itself) and the point of season 6 is to get that reset.  Rachel’s eventually gonna get back on her path towards a performance career, while Kurt and Blaine get back on their path - wherever it might lead, together.  And the glee club will continue on and forward like it always should have.  It’s a whole full circle thing the writers were going for in this last season, while (questionably) tying up all the loose ends. 

Whether you find it satisfying or not I suppose is up to you. 

Anyway - Mercedes mentions she has a plan for Rachel to fall back in love with New York, and she apologizes (not really) to Kurt for bringing Blaine in.  Kurt kinda reacts - like - oh, so we’re gonna do that.  But I mean, nothing really comes of it.  I do like how flippant Mercedes is about it.  Just get your shit together, boys, there are other things to worry about.  Like the main character of the series. 

I kind of love that they call New York ‘endgame’ for Rachel, lol.  Also love that the only time Kurt’s on screen during this number is when he’s next to Blaine at the piano.  Nice touch! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sing at all - so boo! 

Alfie

So, um, Kurt I suppose is technically in this scene - faux singing backup in the background.  I don’t really like this song, nor do I really want to get into the Brittana of it all (do you guys care about my thoughts on Brittana? No? Didn’t think so).  So - this is here for completion purposes. 

Oh - I suppose though cause I’m feeling it - the one thing about Brittana that I want to say is -- Brittany’s speech to Santana’s grandmother is perfect, and I kinda wish they had let the story go at that instead of go the happily ever after route with the grandma in the wedding episode.  But ah well, it’s glee.  Happily Ever After is what they do. 

Family

Kurt: Family embraces you with open arms no matter what.   Blaine: They can see the pain in your eyes even when you’re fooling everyone else. 

So, long story short - we get a full Glee speech about the real meaning of family, The context is about Brittana - but I like to think it means more than just them supporting the girls and their wedding.  

Kurt says that family embraces you - and I like to think he’s talking from experience.  I mean look what Burt and Kurt have gone through throughout the series.  And how supportive they’ve been through everything that’s been thrown at him.  Santana, clearly, hasn’t had the same kind of upbringing - so this whole unconditional love thing seems almost a foreign concept. 

Meanwhile - Blaine mentions that family can see you for what you really are - and he looks to Kurt as he does so.  And I’ve always taken that to mean that despite their relationship issues, Kurt and Blaine can tell when the other one is hurting. (I mean - look at the previous episode - and despite their BS’ing words - their looks told another story - and they both knew it.) 

And... then we get a chorus of What The World Needs Now.  It’s love, btw, in case you didn’t catch on.  There’s also a bunch of commentary about gay rights in here, too - but I’ll probably save that for the wedding episode. 

We end with a party at Will’s house - where everyone is relaxing and having a good time, as the song goes on about the world needing more love in it.  

Kurt gets the door to invite Blaine in - and he’s delighted to see Blaine.  They hug - and it’s sweet, now super awkward like Loser Like Me, or finding their way again like in Hurt Locker Part 1.  They’re two people who are now comfortable again, and while not quite back to what they were - they’re in a good place with each other.  

And as Blaine comes in, Kurt’s noticing something else -- the distinct lack of someone accompanying Blaine, and he’s absolutely delighted about it.  Progress indeed. 

[twyt-podcast-blog]

❝tea with yours truly❞

—grab your cups and let me serve you some hot pipping tea.

today’s episode: the mgas.

unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know what time it is. it’s been five seasons now. it’s the freaking mgas. mnet global auditions that never feel global but who cares? am i late to start talking about it? no. why did i decide to wait? because, i’m over it. i’m over survival shows. i’m over having a heartbreak and being an emotional wreck when my faves are eliminated. that’s why i decided to wait and to stalk. lol. i binged watched freaking four episodes of it. even then, i did not miss the entire season. i was a bit impatient. everyone’s talking about it. everyone’s balls and ovaries are bursting left and right. my bad, if you thought that this podcast is suited for work, you’re listening to the wrong podcast.

before anything, i just want to say that i’ve caught myself listening to luxe’s every night. it was really a good song. y’know, royal, trc, sphere, kt and...nova...are going to recruit new trainees for their companies, but what about the groups that they already have? see, royal’s luxe haven’t been around since march. their main rivals are still fresh in the memory. i’m talking about trc’s k.arma and kt’s eclipse. eclipse even got a summer comeback. the best time to come back honestly with all the festivals. sphere’s convex came back in april. that’s not too long ago. then, you have nova ( /sighs;) i guess that nova is in need of trainees so that they can one day debut something. anything. didn’t i ever tell you guys that, as a little child, was obsessed with jewelry. i didn’t have their talent though.

anyways without further ado, here’s my opinion, as if anyone really cares about it honestly, about the first four episodes of the mgas. i got my notes. it’s all opinions. my opinions. yes, i’ll be biased; however, i expect y’all to bother to check the episodes and performances to make your own opinions and faves.

oh, i almost forgot, today’s drink is starbucks’s matcha frappucino. it’s summer. we drink our tea cold, but doesn’t mean that what we are spitting isn’t pippin’ hot.

episode one started with a nice little shot of the places where the auditions were taking place. cute. there’s a lot of hopefuls. then, we get to see the ceos that we love so much ( /chuckles;) then, they do some lowkey scripted chitchat. you know “oh, it’s a new season again” “i know right.” “i can’t wait to meet the contestants and sign trainees who will probably never get the chance to debut” lol. speaking of contestants, there are 100 people. let me tell you who caught my attention. first, there’s this one named kim seungmin? seunghun? legit, he was imitating animals. like, top pick of the episode. yes, i’m weird like that. to be honest, the entire episode, the ceos were savage. but, i don’t blame them, because sweeties it’s freaking season 5 so you’re supposed to bring it. period. you’ve seen the show at least once, you should know. lot’s singing, dancing, rapping. y’know. it’s what you expect. by the way, an ex-member of convex freaking showed up. i was shook. like, i remember that there were redemption stories since mga season 1. but, it was usually former contestants given a second chance or trainees. a freaking ex-member. it’s freaking romeo under a new alias? i mean you guys know the rumors...but he left allegedly for personal reasons. i have the highest of expectations on him. like, i feel for his fans from back when the season two of the mgas happened. the rollercoaster ride of emotions. i feel for y’all. i’m not gonna lie to y’all. the first episode...i mean...i’m binge watching so i didn’t really take the time to really find my top picks.

let’s move on to the next episode.

episode two: the way episode two started was weird. i mean i can’t be the only who watch that little moment involving...let check my notebook for the names..ah yes, choi yena, wang jackson and son hyejoo. it’s been five seasons... doesn’t the mgas have the budget for seats for all the contestants? as for the skinship moment, y’all know that the fans are out there being like “i ship hyena or yejoo”. anyways. moving on. episode two is, in a nutshell, more singing. more dancing, more rapping. it’s also leads to the first round of eliminations. as i mentioned before, i’m not here for the heartbreak. i know that through binge-watching, i’m not getting emotionally attached to nobody. i’ll cry moving forwards from episode four and onwards. rappers who come up and perform their own stuff. i support you. i kinda expect rappers to be able to pen and to have the courage to take the stage with their own work. does that discredit the other rappers? no, i just happen to love the creative rappers and we all know tiger jk love them too. over the years, the rappers with creative genius had more chances to land in trc. it’s just how it is. so, yeah, choi yoona caught my attention. the whistling rapper, na jaemin too. i like him. recycle boy, hwang minhyun seems to have left an impression because they replayed his clip. oh, and, see, the girl hyejoo who had a moment in the beginning of the episode had another highlight moment. she switched from dancer to rapper and promoted a self-made song. should i make her a top pick? i mean she fits what i like. maybe, if she’s still around in episode four. i’m just gonna say one thing...that guy...park jinyoung. yes. biased? maybe. i mean give me a man with a guitar and that voice. mhm. so, at the end of the episode, they go through the elimination. they also reveal the top three for each category. who am i not surprised for? freakin’ minho.

up to this point, the people i got my eyes on are still alive. there are two episodes left tho. like i said, i didn’t dive into everything. i’m playing catch up. on top of that, i had to have my eyes on my picks. anyways.

i’m taking this moment to take refresher but also talk about our sponsor. so, we are sponsored by this lovely game reminiscent of that one otome mobile game that destroyed our sleeping patterns. if i love you is nice f2p game where you decide to use a dating app. you will be texting, chatting, going on dates and receiving phone calls from waifu or husbando. the upside is that you don’t have to set alarms and to miss on work or school. now back to the mgas.

episode three: so, isn’t just me or interviews are meh. i mean maybe it’s because i just want to reach episode four as quickly as possible so that i can get into the social media aspect, but, some of these interviews...chile. y’all sound so cocky and cocky isn't cute. i could also blame the editing, because it’s mnet. you can’t expect a snake to be nice. it’s the duo performances. man, it’s a staple since the first mgas. i am watching and i’m loving every single second that i am given. the groups overall are really strong. i already brought up names and they didn’t disappoint me. i’m not going to go to deeply on episode three, because episode four is right down in the corner. i kam already seeing myself getting attached, but i can’t deal with a double heartbreak back to back. i need to calm down. i am betting after watching this top 3 that minho is simply gonna ride smoothly. he was in the top in season 2. he bet it’s gonna be the same for season 3. like, everything he did was great. it’s like everything he touches turns to gold. also, two of my picks were eliminated. i’m talking about jinyoung and yoona. see, i should have waited until i reach episode four before i freaking choose the people i’m rooting for. anyways.

all this binge-watching without a chance to really watch highlights on naver as led to the last episode to have aired.

episode four: my children, we made it. all caught up. it’s essentially the second round of the duo performances. they were nice. i want to say that i feel genuinely bad for the contestant lee nakyung. so, first, the ceos commented on how she had been throwing away her jacket every performances. i got to admit that you can’t use the same trick over and over and over again. then, they said that she had better chemistry with minho? that was sad. the way it was edited it pretty much gave the vibe that nakyung is nothing without minho. he was the partner. i feel like everyone who will partner with minho, who’s a vet, might get similar backlash that minho is their saving grace. the girl’s talented. mnet, i know that the comment was about her lack of chemistry with her new partner, but your editing really sucked. sorry, i had a lot of feelings about this above all. anyways, like the hopefuls are very good this season. like, i see no holes. at the end of the day. it is still a competition. then, my friends, they panned on two empty seats. so they brought back the people who were eliminated, bitch. my eliminated faves were separated, but, y’know what, i’m okay. also, i’m sorry that wang jackson was not on list, but then, he did that with park jinyoung. they did that. also, i didn’t give ryujin or sia the attention they deserved. i had to go back and watch their performance to understand why they were top three. ladies, yes. yes. YES. i hope i conveyed my opinion well. minho, again, top three. no surprise there. so, back to the returning kings. they are my picks. y’all know that i’m jinyoung biased at the moment. i got other people on my radar. i’m sad that hyejoo was eliminated. was rooting for her. nakyung, i’m gonna shield her and protect her from harm. i will fight. now, i can finally get into it. maybe some of you were expecting your names to be shouted out. moving forward with episode five, i will be able to really go in-depth with the performances and the people. i also get to check their social media and to see what kind of people they are.