#there's no real reason for them to be embracing i just missed drawing them being gay together

[zarla-s]

i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya!i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya! i'm runnin circles around ya!

we were in the middle of something, do you MIND

[patreon]

[elly99]

Higher Dimensions

Minji x Reader. Established relationship. Heartbreak.

A/N: Another short story based on a movie or two. Curious if you can tell which ones. Coming out of retirement for this one but likely going to be inactive again for a long time. Life stuff. I just wanted to get this story off my chest. Sorry that it's Minji again but usually it's her voice I hear in my head when these stories come to me.

Wonder if anyone will still read this. If you do, hi! I missed you. And if you're new, I hope you enjoy! <3

If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change anything?

“Hey, baby?”

You're both on the couch. She's in your lap, her head gently pressed against your chest. You know she hears your breathing. And probably the way your heart beats a little too fast when she calls you.

“Mmm?”

She has her phone in her hand, gripping it on one side and allowing the other to rest against you. Your arms are around her. And as you mindlessly watch the TV over her shoulder, they make a subconscious effort to pull her closer, even though there's no space left between. No distance left to close.

“Are higher dimensions real?”

You smile slightly. It was the kind of thing she asked towards the end of the night. When the room grew dark and your minds wandered into their own worlds. When tiredness caught up to you and sleep began to draw its veil over your eyes.

“Why are you asking?”

Only your screens lit up the room, keeping you connected in the darkness. It allowed you to barely make out her smile in return.

“Have you been watching weird videos again?”

She laughs. But it's soft. Barely noticeable above even the sound of the quiet television. But you recognize it. The vibration as it moves from her chest into yours. And you swear you fall for her all over again.

“I just thought you'd be the right person to ask.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I don't know,” she pauses. You see a smirk creeping onto her face. “You just seem out of this world.”

Immediately, she buries her face in your chest, hiding the smile that would have definitely stopped your heart if it hadn't already.

“Minj…”

You resort to laughing as well. Pull her even closer.

“So,” she says into your chest before turning her sleepy eyes back up to you. “Are they real?”

Her words were nothing but a whisper now. So you answer just as quietly.

“I mean, they exist in math. And, who knows, they could exist in the real world but we're just not able to perceive them.”

“Is there a way someone could?”

“Theoretically, with a change of perspective, yes. Like, imagine we're beings that live on the edge of a circle. And we can only move along that edge. Kind of like walking along a straight line around the earth.”

You watch her eyes flutter as she loosely follows your fingers trace a circle in the air. Maybe she's trying to imagine it. Maybe she's falling asleep. But you continue anyway, explaining it more to yourself now than to her.

“From that one-dimensional perspective, we basically live on just a line and we have no reason to believe it's anything else but a straight line. But for someone who can see higher dimensions, they can see the curvature. And that there's a whole other dimension above the circle, too. But how we could make that change in perspective, I don't know.”

“Yeah…” she trails off. “But that's cool, though!”

You've heard that before.

“You didn't get any of that did you?”

“I do get it! I swear.”

You content yourself with her answer. After all, who cares if she didn't really understand? Who cares about higher dimensions and different perspectives? This is the only perspective you need. Looking at her when she's here in your embrace. Her touch as warm as the sun. If only you could bottle up this feeling – the way she makes you feel so alive, so loved, like nothing else matters in this world – so you could keep it forever.

But she speaks again.

“And only they can see that you just go in a loop.”

Not even you had considered that. You nod and continue her thought.

“Yeah, you're right! They'd be able to see your whole path at once, while you can only experience it from beginning to end.”

Silence envelopes the room. She lets her phone lock. The TV dims and asks if you're still there. It's too dark now to see her clearly. There was no indication of the passage of time. It felt like an eternity before she eventually makes a sound – a sniffle.

Then she asks, “If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change anything?”

“I-I don't know. Maybe if something really bad happened, but I don't think so. Would you?”

You feel her shift up to kiss you. Her cheek brushes against yours and as it does you feel the unmistakable touch of moisture. It lingers. Even as she rests her head back on your shoulder. It lingers.

“If I could see my whole life, even if I knew all the good and bad things that would happen, I would always choose you.”

As you both drifted off to sleep, your last thought was that of a promise. That you would do the same.

But that was then.

And this is now.

Your whole life moving in a straight line, on a collision course with this singular, inevitable moment.

It's the same apartment, the same couch, but the lights are blinding now. Every emotion, every expression, every tear and quivering lip was as clear as day. Every word like a knife that you felt so viscerally.

She's crying. Apologizing. Pleading.

You're angry. Confused. Desperate.

“You're telling me you knew this would happen? You never really planned on staying with me, did you?”

“Baby, no! I-”

“Don't call me that.”

You see her heart break in her eyes as you cut her off. But you feel nothing. You can't feel. Not after your own heart was just shattered to pieces.

“So that's it? You're leaving?”

“I don't want to. But I can't… I can't stay.”

Your eyes fall to the floor.

“You always knew didn't you? That we'd have to break up once you debuted?”

Her silence was her response.

“Did I really mean anything to you, then?”

She answers with another question.

“You remember that night you asked me if I would change anything if I could see my whole life? Well, my answer's still the same. I would always choose you no matter how painfully it has to end. Because you made me happier than anyone else.”

She desperately clutches at your hands, hoping that the physical pressure of doing so would force you to understand.

“Then why do you have to… Why did you have to…”

But there's no use asking more questions. You already know all the answers. There's no going back now. This is the only way forward. Your life is a straight line. And so is hers. And they only intersect for a brief, bittersweet moment.

Perhaps it is simply human nature to be bound by this rudimentary linear logic. Who are you to think you can escape it? So you resign yourself to letting her go. Because you love her. You remember your promise. And you accept all the joy that she was, and all the pain that she will be. And you imagine a different world. A circle where there are no beginnings and ends, where time is frozen still. Where you could be with her. Always.

[velvetcloxds]

okay okay I see your chubby!reader mood and I also see our earlier conversation so I propose to you.. in love with you with dbf!james and chubby reader please :’) just sweet slow soft gentle cozy lovin where he’s holding you close and stroking your cheek with his thumb and he’s kissing all over your face and he’s got a hand under your shirt to rub your belly or he’s softly and gently squeezing your thighs/cupping your ass/smoothing a hand over your back 🛐 I do not care what the specifics are I just need him all over me

TERRIFYING | J.P.

word count: 0.8k

warnings: plus sized reader, weight talk (curves and body shape associated with weight and being plus sized)- also this might have strayed slightly from what you wanted ksdjf

It was odd, not at all uncomfortable, but nothing you'd ever allowed yourself to experience- James was always touching you, always finding an excuse to have his hands on you, have your body against him but this was something new, daring, terrifying. You'd found yourself underneath him, hovered over, held so carefully, so delicately, like his touch could shatter you and you felt like it could. Never had you allowed yourself such vulnerability, such openness with anyone before and you were a wreck.

James wouldn't mind, in fact, as you knew him you were sure he'd absolutely love it, love the feeling of your warm skin, love exploring every dip and curve, allowing his fingers to linger and trace the translucent stretchmarks that were etched into the soft flesh- not for any other reason than the fact that he was completely in love with you and you were in love with him, so why did it feel so scary letting him see you, all of you.

"I missed you," he breathed, a hand drawing shapes on your back, your shirt shifting lightly under his movements, threatening to expose your stomach if he continued and he did, and it did and you froze, he paused.

"You saw me yesterday," you informed him and he simply hummed, hand lowering slightly and despite yourself, you let him- it was scorching the feel of his fingers brushing over your bare skin, and you hoped he'd not notice how tense you were, how rigid, your bare back would inevitably lead him to your sides and then your stomach and up. "Jamie," your voice was soft, too soft, making him stop, and how very surprising when your body ached at the absence of his hands. "Don't stop, just-" you nuzzled into him, hiding your face in his neck breathing him in, working up the nerve, the courage. "Just, slow," you clarified, muffled by his skin. He understood, of course, he did, he'd be a fool not to understand your heart, your body, it was something he prided himself on- understanding things you thought you were hiding, thought you were being subtle about but you were anything but.

"Slow," he agreed and kissed the top of your head and it was electric, sort of trancing in its motions the way he moved so lightly, barely there, almost convincing you he wasn't touching you at all, simply a figment of your imagination, a wild dream too realistic to be real. Never did you think you'd find someone who not only accepted the parts of your body you deemed unworthy of being explored but someone who embraced them, somehow ignoring them completely because it wasn't this great big unmentionable thing you'd built it up to be, it was simply you, you in all your entirety and it didn't matter, not to him. "I love you," it was a reminder as his hand slipped up your shirt, as his kisses moved down your cheek, to your jawline, your neck.

"You do?" as if you didn't know, as if you couldn't feel it in his fingertips, in his palms where he cupped your rolls, squeezed the very doughy flesh you'd hid from him, in the gentle dampness of his kisses as they spread over your collar bone. "You really do," you agreed, tilting back your head into his pillow to make him look at you, take in the sight of your burning cheeks, eyes dipped with such adoration James felt his heart ache, his whole body ached at the idea that this was the first time you could be sure of something he thought you deserved more than anyone he'd ever met.

"More than anything," he informed you and he couldn't hide the smirk that sifted over his lips when you moved your leg over his, forcing him closer, tucking him in, his hand moving at its own accord as he gently cupped your bare thigh, then over the pair of boxers he'd borrowed you to very greedy cup your bum in his large hands. You didn't know why you nodded, it was less agreement and more surrender, as if you'd given up a fight within yourself, you'd laid yourself bare, emotionally, nearly physically, and he loved you still, wanted you still- more even and it was still terrifying, but it was a fear worth facing.

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

So I'll just tell myself all of the things I can't say to you yet (Fic)

Pairing: Ghostflower (Miles x Gwen.)

Chapter: 1/4.

Summary: On a scale from interested to desperate, where do you rank buying a plushie of your crush?

...Could she even still call this a crush?

As Gwen closed the portal behind her, she couldn't believe she has gotten away with it. When Miles invited her and the rest of their friends to Festival, she has been thinking about what type of music she would hear, what difference she could catch from her dimension- not this.

It has been kind of an impulse purchase, she has honestly been lucky that the money from her dimension seemed to be close enough to the bills in Miles’ universe; hopefully the seller wouldn’t have trouble depositing a glitching bill. It couldn't count as scamming someone, right?

“This was stupid,” She thought to herself, yet still hugging the brown bag against her chest, almost a bit too protective, not wanting anyone to see its contents.

She doesn’t know how she managed to hide it from Miles (or Pavitr, who was very curious about it- Gwen almost wonders if Hobie knew since he helped to move the conversation around,) or even get it without anyone else noticing. Gwen didn’t think she could come up with an excuse if any of them saw this.

But she was in her own dimension again, her dad wasn’t at home right now, which meant there was no one but her, and even in the safety of her own room, she didn’t want to look at it, as if getting it out of the bag would somehow be more incriminating than having it.

Still feeling a bit silly, she sits in her bed and finally, opens the bag and finally gets her precious cargo she has been so mindful of. On her left hand, there is a medium-sized, Miles' plushie.

It was spiderman themed, of course; she wasn’t sure how it worked, but multiple companies have started selling merchandise with his name and colours in it, even if he technically hasn’t signed anything. The quality wasn’t that good, a big head with a very fluffy body and limbs, it was kind of ridiculous.

Insanely cute though, almost as cute as him.

Groaning, she let herself fall in the bed “What’s wrong with me?” she whispered to herself as she put a hand on her forehead. Looking back, she glares at the plushie, almost as if it came home with her by itself rather than being her own idea. Sighing, she lies on her side and hugs the plushie.

She already bought the damn thing; she may as well embrace it.

Miles and she had been working on rebuilding their friendship. After months of silence, the secrets about canon and Miles’ Spiderman situation; they needed to take a step back and get a chance to breathe, especially for Gwen who was not just trying to rebuild her relationship with her dad, but catch on all the classes she missed on the meantime. Considering how things ended in HQ, she was honestly grateful Miles wanted to keep in contact after that fiasco.

There was just a small problem, her crush.

“Well, can I call it that anymore?” She thought bitterly to herself, as she looks back at the plushie that she was clutching against her chest. The little Spiderman just looked back at her; unlike the real one, there wasn’t a way to take that mask and look at his face. If she had more artistic abilities, she may have tried to find a way to give a face to the plushie.

God knows the only reason her notebook has half-made songs instead of drawings like Miles, is because she couldn’t draw like him.

Gwen wasn’t always upfront with what she was feeling, not even to herself. Part of her thought if she could pretend to be okay, those emotions would eventually leave her and she could continue her normal life. Except that it doesn’t; not with the guilt of losing Peter, not with the gaping hole that felt those months when she thought her dad hated her, and not with her feelings for Miles.

Everyone knows about his crush on her, or at least the feelings he used to harbour for her; ever since the whole situation with Miguel, Miles hasn’t been the same to her. He was still kind, and warm, but it didn’t feel like it used to be, even now.

What she has for him? It was still there, as strong as ever, and she was drowning in the feeling.

Part of Gwen wonders if the people around her had pretended not to know, or at least make it easier for her because she was in such denial she would try to shut down the topic otherwise. But Jess knew exactly what Gwen must have meant by "getting too close to someone," Miguel thinking Gwen was a liability thanks to her feelings for Miles (which was sorta right,) and Hobie- the guy probably figured out the tenth time she mentioned his name.

She has been insisting they were just friends, that it wasn’t that big of a deal; but she knows it wasn’t exactly Ham the one she has been missing all those months before finding the organization, and she wasn’t going to forget about monitoring a bad guy to spend an afternoon with Peter B.

It was kind of dumb, but she has been so glad that no one has pointed out that on a mission that would have been easy with the Spot literally out of ways to travel to other dimensions, she opened the portal right where Miles was as she ignored the bad guy until her watch screamed at her. While hugging the plushie even harder, she knows you don’t risk the multiverse just to catch on with someone, and you don’t sneak out to get a plushie of someone while obsessively making sure no one notices.

As she looked at the oversized head that mimicked Miles’s mask, she thought to herself when she was going to give up acting as if those feelings weren’t there, or it was as simple as a crush.

“I love you” She whispers for the first time, and somehow the phrase feels like it almost echoes in her mind. It feels right in her mouth, the truth she has been battling for so long.

Groaning, she looks to the roof “I’m so stupid.”

Because only someone like her would get into a mess like this. Loving someone from afar while not being sure if they could actually make it work, but wanting so badly to do it.

And yet still too scared to do anything that whispers the truth to a plushie.

Perhaps even after all this time, Gwen Stacy still only knew how to run.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Oh my g-d I am typing lines and dots as separation like this fanfiction net in 2011, jeez I am old.

So! I normally just upload my fics in ao3; however, as all we know (or so I assume because multiple communities are in shambles right now.) AO3 is down, and the best way to help is to not try to get in.

And it just so happens this fic that was supposed to be a one-shot became a short fic because the comments ended up inspiring me to do more.

The second chapter will be posted in a few moments, and the link to it will appear in this post and vice versa. The third chapter will be published on tumblr depending on how the ao3 situation goes and my mood.

Hope you like it! Leave a comment if you did, is the only reason this went past the first chapter.

Second Chapter here!

[brisquad-unit-4402]

hello i’ve got some thoughts and updates for this blog.

i’ve been on a bit of burnout for a while, including life outside of writing. naturally the termination has sped up that burnout. i’m exhausted and struggling to be graceful about it, but that’s to be expected. i’m not one to sit on my feelings even though i’ve lacked the energy to write. which really bites because that’s my number-one passion really.

however i’ve taken some time to relax by diverting my attention away from social media and niji streams. i’ve relearned an old hobby and splurged a little too much on a new one, and i kind of can’t believe how much i missed drawing on real paper with a real pen and pencil. and thank god the love and deepspace sponsorship wrapped up before the termination, because that game has me in not just a chokehold but like one of those umbilical cords from astral projection. the silver cord? that

i’ve been watching other vtubers lately as well. i’ve always considered adding holostars en to my list but hesitated because everything else on my blog was niji-related.

consider this confirmation that i will be adding holostars’ tempus hq, vanguard and armis, and first stage productions’ avallum to my list of characters i will write for. i admit i’m not as familiar with armis, but i’ll be paying closer attention in the near future as i branch out from strictly watching niji only.

(might also be adding idol corp’s e-sekai? maybe? i watch them once every few months and i haven’t seen pochi or yuko stream since they debuted 💀 no clue on their gen 2 either)

i’ll be overhauling my masterpost for organization soon. so apologies for the horrors about to come… to be clear i will not delete any of my writing so don’t worry!

i’m unsure how much niji i’ll write in the future. give me some time to think as the situation hopefully cools down. i appreciate your patience.

and who knows maybe i’ll write for non-vtuber fandoms too

i think it’s about time i clean my inbox out soon too. i‘ll answer what asks i can and delete the remaining ones. i’ve had a few requests sitting in my inbox for nearly a year now and i’ve recently realized how stressed i was over them and learned about some boundaries i didn’t know i had beforehand, among other things, so so it’s about time i face them head-on. i apologize if i never got to your request! please don’t take it personally if i don’t answer your request. but above all else thank you for being patient, understanding, and kind enough to send in a request. even though i tend to bite off more than i can chew i always get so happy whenever i see a notif in my inbox and i appreciate your time for a little unit 4402.

even though i’m not watching niji streams atm i’m hesitant to stop writing for them because, like, i keep thinking of this clip of doppio saying he feels like he’s allowed to buy healthy/organic food because of fan support and donations, and among other reasons... it’s very easy to make conclusions on people you only know through a screen and i just can’t bring myself to cut them out so abruptly, even if i’m a fan creator on a site none of them use.

idk when i’ll post next and it feels nice to say that. i usually try to post once every 2 weeks, but considering how i’m trying not to think about niji right now and am instead embracing other parts of my life, i dunno. it’s nice. this blog is a major source of joy for me and it feels like i’m preserving what makes it so special for me instead of turning it into a chore. hopefully with time and rest i’ll have a clearer idea of where to go from here.

that’s pretty much everything on my mind, i think? thank you for bearing with me and my yapping. i hope to return soon and that the next time you see me, my blog will be cleaner, more expansive, and with a fresh mindset. take care of yourselves and don’t get immersed in toxicity. don’t forget to do what you love 💛

[lil-melody-moon]

Hello dear, hope you’re doing okay❤️ I just wanted to know your opinion on the new Beatles song. I can’t stop listening to the song and I wonder how do you feel about it. Love ya 🫶🏻

Hello, hun! <3 Oh God, I didn't expect to get an ask about this song, oh Gosh, wait, I need to listen to it once more - best time of the month for me, let me gather my brain.

*4 minutes later*

Alright so how do I even start with this? It's as melancholic as it could get, I love the melody of it. Piano, drums they are good, especially the drums. Ringo did his best job again, love him for that - the guy is irreplaceable <3 Violins are making the work there too, Gosh I love this instrument so much! But the part that draws my attention the most is the bridge. The guitar even sounds sad, but I'll get to that one moment in a few, because now's the time for vocals and lyrics.

I have one problem with the vocals and it's not John. I actually like how he sounds there - I think I heard his voice breaking a few times? I'm not quite sure about that - it's soft, somehow longing, but the thing is I don't like Paul's harmony in it. As much as I like him and adore him for his music, it just doesn't fit for me in the chorus. Maybe it's his old voice that throws me off the melancholy each time I hear him, but like. The song could be good with John's voice only, maybe even better, but it was Paul's and Ringo's choice to do the song how it is now and I'm fine with that. That's only a detail that I can get used to after listening to it a few times.

Generally what image I get through this song is this: two people on each side of a barrier of some sort. Both can see one another, but they can't get any closer. One of them is alive - that's a woman for me, second is dead - that's a man for me, watching over the alive one. It's just that this one moment let them see each other for the first time this close and this visible. The woman thanks the man for care, for support, for being almost always there in various forms - let it be music, videos, photos etc - for helping her in another hard time in her life and so on and so on.

And now to the lyrics, oh God almighty.

It's one of the songs that got my attention to the lyrics almost right away, that's why I couldn't exactly say that if I like it or not after first listen - I always have it like that if this happens - but they got my attention for a reason. This song, at least for me, is about longing for the other person. Loneliness, tears and crying, this is what I get from lyrics and melody all together. I will not go through each verse because that would take forever, but like I have no other choice but to somehow go through it as a whole and get a little personal here.

With the chorus, and with the line "I miss you" the woman breaks in tears, because even if they didn't know each other she has always felt that a part of her is missing and couldn't be so easily found and yet when she does find it, it turns out that it's out of her reach. Though this moment, which should last for no longer than a few seconds is longer. The barrier disappears with the bridge, the man steps closer to the woman, embracing her, promising her that they'll get together. He can't exactly tell if in real world or in afterlife, but he can keep the promise that it'll happen. The song ends and the moment ends as well, leaving the longing feeling even stronger.

This is how the entire song feels to me and even the timing of it is like a strange coincidence because I'm going through a difficult time. It's nothing too major, but university became hard, this semester is hellish, almost nothing interests me, but I want to finish this degree so I have to go through it and yet, there's this one person who makes all of this better. His music makes it better, generally he makes it better for me - even if he's dead for so long, bringing so much joy that I can't even measure it, let alone word it and you can call me crazy, but I think I fell in love with him. In fact I spoke about soul connections with a dear friend of mine and we both came to conclusion that maybe, just maybe this is what takes place, all of the above, the story that this song caused to appear in my mind.

Could be true, could be not, could be even my chaotic, period emotions going insane over him, but in conclusion, to not make this answer even longer, that song makes me feel melancholic, it hits right where it should, I like it, besides that one detail but I can get used to that.

Thank you for asking, love you too! <3

[marshmallowprotection]

Do you have a favorite art style in the game? As you know, Mystic Messenger doesn't maintain a consistent art style, so you can see variety in this one. Many of your artists draw beautifully, but if I have to say what my favorite art is, it's the art in Another Story, specifically in Ray's route. OMG, how I love that art, that drawing, the lighting, the proportions and the scenery.

It's extremely magical and beautiful ❤️

I would love to see that style again in possible future content. I miss it 💗

Hm. Yeah, they've had a lot of artists over the years and there's a lot of different aesthetics to each of those styles. They all have a charm to them that people embrace and it's always interesting to see what CGs people love the most. The most recent artist who worked on all the title screens this past year has definitely gotten a lot of love for a charming, stylish, and detailed approach.

Now, a lot of the earlier designs were simple in nature, but that's not a bad thing. It makes me nostalgic for my first days of playing Mystic Messenger in 2016. It captured what you were feeling back then, and that was the important part. When you get a new CG in the game, it's like Christmas. You're excited and jumping up and down because "oh, boy, I love this character. I need to know and see more!"

Another Story is in the middle in terms of the game trying to find a style that felt fresh and new but wasn't too far away from what the original artist(s) tried to create. I am a Saeran MC, so, of course, I'd probably lean toward the art there because it contains most of my boys. I am partial to that but we know why. The same reason why I'm partial to Saeran's After Ending. The art there is... chef's kiss. I have a lot of favorites in that category so it's hard to narrow it down.

The DLCs have a vast range of artistic talent, too. They make their best attempt to make sure it feels like Mystic Messenger, but people can note something being off since you can only emulate a style so much when it's not yours! Be it Christmas, Valentine's, Rika's Behind, and Jumin's DLC. I have favorites in there, though. There is a charm in these side stories that you can't miss.

If I had my pick... hm. It's s hard to say because I love all of the art we've gotten over the years. The artist who did the After Ending for Saeran has my soul, let's be real. I don't know how to be impartial outside of that because I just love looking at Saeran and having all that art of him makes me giddy. But, I can't take away from the other pieces of art that make my heart sing.

Here are some of my favorite CGs from each route and DLC. I obviously can’t put all of them in a single post but I feel like these lean toward my favorite style choices. I tried to limit it down to two from each route but that’s so hard! Spoilers for literally all the content in this game. All of it. If you want me to share the ones I love from title screens, I can do that, but this got too long to share all those! I’d say these are favorites because of the style, but also because of the emotion or scene they’re attached to.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Whenever One Of Those Disney Remakes Comes Out...

This was originally a Twitter thread that I wrote the other day, and wanted to repost it here because I... Accidentally deleted the first tweet, haha...

Anyways... Regarding "shallow" Disney romances, plot elements of the animated films that supposedly don't add up, and how these remakes supposedly "improve" on them or "add depth"...

For all the talk about some Disney romances happening in such ostensibly short amounts of time or feeling kind of halfhearted... It becomes apparent when you step back and think about it, possibly... but there's a reason the stories hold up and work despite this perceived issue... That's animation and lyrical storytelling bypassing what's supposed to be realistic. That's one of the medium's very special abilities...

Like, most people watching those Disney animated classics back when they came out were so engrossed in the stories and even the romances, because animation like that is really on its own plane of existence, operating on a unique wavelength that really makes it all register so seamlessly. But there's also plenty of substance & depth in what's being told, as it's woven in there by the visual (and sometimes visceral) storytelling itself. That's a big thing for me with Disney's animated movies, that they can establish so much in such short bursts in an 80-90min runtime.

A lot of what's often said about certain animated films reminds me of "style over substance", which is a phrase I absolutely can't stand. The style *can* be the substance, actually... it's there if the one watching is on the film's wave. Otherwise, it's just pretty pictures and noise to them.

A lot of my favorite Disney animated movies play this game very well, going all the way back to Walt's output. That there can be so much feeling, emotion and ideas in mere drawings mixed w/ music, dialogue, editing choices, etc. It's often hard for me to explain, but I naturally feel it whenever I watch it.

And that's not even getting into the language of fairy tales and fantasy stories, often laden with symbolism and metaphors and such, which are also on their own wavelength entirely. I feel, when you try to take all of that so literally, to make it "realistic" and feasible in another medium, let alone apply these ideas completely to *real life* itself... you're breaking it apart and overdressing it. Hiding its unique essence, ripping it away even. The fantasy element is dialed down, which kind of takes away from the whole appeal?

As I get older and I really try to nail how I write fantasy stories myself, I find the connection between this kind of fantasy and reality fascinating, how they in different ways inform each other. Not in the sorta "cute" ways that you can put into a neat little box ("Disney movies once taught me-"), but much more complex than that.

I'd say in terms of a recent live-action fantasy movie, one of the most interesting was David Lowery's THE GREEN KNIGHT, an adaptation of Arthurian legend, which really embraced a kind of lyricism and dream-like logic that you don't often see these days. Even in mainstream animated movies that favor talking heads scripting over this kind of thing. Naturally, it was "confusing" for some. I know I was kinda lost when I first saw it, but I couldn't stop thinking of the intricate texture of the piece after I left the theater. It's a feat when a movie of any kind can preserve that onscreen, not what was only in the text.

Of course, a classic animated movie isn't immune to criticism, but sometimes I think a lot of what I see written online is done out of misunderstanding of the animation medium (does that peer pressure from when they were 10 years old still linger in their heads?), and there's a lack of media literacy there as well. As if the CinemaSins crew are in charge here, nitpicking small things that don't matter while missing the much bigger picture. Animation and fantasy like this require a nuanced perspective to dig in, I feel.

Animation itself, when executed like this, is just really on a whole other field... And those who dig the films so much, I feel they naturally get it and don't knock the movies for these perceived "issues". Nor make rash generalizations about a whole body of work, which is also common with some folks who talk a good show about Disney animated movies. Even Disney themselves, which is always concerning, but this is nothing new. As far back as the late '80s/early '90s, various people who worked for them or on their movies echoed these kinds of weird reductionist sentiments, too... And I feel it really all boils down to... These movies are animated. Thus shallow, for children, lacking, without much substance...

If not that, then I feel it's a misunderstanding of how these outlandish stories work and what level they are on... Almost like it's being reduced to a "that was weird!" MCU-level joke, or- Again, fodder for CinemaSins or some garden variety Nostalgia Critic-style video.

[caermorrighan]

Planner hopping, prototyping and embracing change

If you watch journaling channels on Youtube you will often see planner hopping. Planner hopping is jumping from one book to another, sometimes frequently. You'll also see people criticising planner hopping because it is morally superior to stick to one system for the entire year (yes, that was sarcasm).

The 'problem' with planner hopping

The problem with planner hopping is not what you think it is. Planner hopping gets a bad reputation. People see it as wasteful. Some criticise the 'inconsistency' as if changing the way you do things is somehow bad in and of itself. This gets amplified when your hopping is in the public domain. Viewers look for people doing similar things to them and get irritated when that changes.

None of these are real problems. As long as you can afford the planners you are hopping to, you're good. You should not base your planner system on what other people think you should do. You should not base your planner system on feeling bad about wasting paper. Its just paper. Put the old planner away in a drawer where you can't see it and move on.

The actual problem with planner hopping, is guilt. It's the guilt you feel as a planner for being wasteful and inconsistent. Its the guilt that you feel when someone criticises your choice to hop planners.

It's guilt that you shouldn't feel. Because the 'right' way to plan and journal is the way that works for you at any given point in time.

The goal of planning and journaling isn't to complete the pages, it's to help you navigate life in some way. Planner hopping is a good thing.

Embracing change

One of the biggest challenges we as human beings face on a regular basis is change. Everyone's response to it is different, but a lot of people feel threatened by it. Change generally brings about negative emotions and we find ourselves trying to understand what we are feeling - something that journaling is really useful for.

Sometimes that change needs to be reflected in the tools we need to plan and explore our lives. If we have less time, we need a system that won't leave us feeling stressed and behind. If we are struggling with health, we need a system that allows us to explore that, without putting further pressure on it. Essentially, we need to ensure that planning and journaling are making things better, not worse.

So if you need to, change your system.

It might be that you can change within your existing books. It might be that you need something better suited. Either way, you don't want to be adding more stress to your life. Just move.

The FOMO caveat

Generally speaking, planner hopping is positive, but there is one exception to this (sort of). FOMO. The fear of missing out. When you buy a planner because you've seen someone else use it and it looks amazing. Or when you buy a planner because you like the cover or the colour. I say sort of because if the new planner brings you joy, then by all means embrace that. There doesn't have to be another reason.

Where this can fail is when you buy a FOMO planner that doesn't work for you. Then we're back to the guilt. This is why I suggest prototyping.

Prototyping

Prototyping is trying out different planners and layouts and approaches, but without buying anything new. The idea here is to try things quickly and change quickly when something doesn't work. If you think the Take a Note layout might be better than the Hobonichi layout for you, draw up the Take a Note layout. Either in your Hobonichi, or in another book.

Does this work? Do you spend ages setting it up and then not touch it? Do you find you feel like your are duplicating information? Or does it make you feel energised and excited?

Now you know whether to hop or not.

When you know you're a planner hopper

The other thing that could work is planning for planner hopping. If you know you aren't going to stick to one book for the whole year, how do you adjust for that?

One thing you can do is have a book for prototyping. You can't always prototype within your existing books, so alongside whatever I am doing, I always keep what I call the 'overflow bullet journal'. In my case this is currently a Sterling Ink notebook and I would encourage you to get something you really like because while prototyping is rapid. Best of all, I repurposed this book from a failed planner. I use this book for two main reasons.

I need more space to write about something or plan something. Hence the name overflow.

I want to prototype.

The other thing you want to have a plan for is backfilling. When you hop its tempting to transfer all your previous content into the new planner. That may not be a good idea. The trick here is to treat it like any other task - do you have time for this? Does it take priority over other things? Before you hop, try to come up with an answer to this that you will be okay with. The worst thing is to move and then become paralysed by the overwhelming work of backfilling.

So, planner hoppers of the world, I want to encourage you to hop away. Use the system that works for you as long as it does. When it doesn't? Change it. Planner hopping to meet yourself where you are, instead of trying to force a system to work. Planner hop to be more productive. Planner hop to bring yourself joy. The only thing you need to work on is not feeling guilty about it.

[lindajenni]

feb 24

truth or consequences "not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." heb 11:13 christians contend for the faith, while a world of unbelievers laugh and mock our "fantasy."  one could almost understand their scoffing, if it were not for the wonder of it all.  i mean, after all, we are dealing with a substance of hope with evidence not seen.  at least i have never witnessed God in His grandeur, like most of others i'm sure.  some though, have had that veil thinned between between fact and faith, and have glimpsed true reality.  i really do believe that. i have had my "minor" miracles, if any miracle could be called that.  i have not witnessed the blind being able to see; the deaf to hear or missing limbs grow into being.  i never seen the dead raised but i believe others have.  my walk has not allowed me to witness these substances being made evident.  even so, i don't consider that a denial of their truth, but a confirmation that neither i or my faith needed such to confirm it.  and perhaps those doubters purposefully just don't move in the right circles. but when you seek and pray abut something, and then see it come to pass, is that any less of a miracle.  it doesn't matter how great or small; be it a headache or whatever.  have we perhaps forgotten we even prayed about it or just marked it up to a chance happening?  i used to watch the tv show "ncis," and their leader used to say "there's no such thing as coincidences."  and truly, there are no coincidences with God.  He is there all along; causing, but not forcing; drawing but not shoving - confirming His being. scientists are supposed to study a thing and form a theory about it; a theory, not necessarily truth; just a best guest.  there is a quote i once read.  "for the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream.  he has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."  thomas aquinas once wrote, "to one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.  to one without faith, no explanation is possible."  yes, faith will get there before reason. man, in his ignorance, knows there is a God, so he tries to form his own.  in earlier days it was idols, variously shaped, yet a visible to exalt and pray to for their needs.  in latter days man has acquired different gods - gods of reasoning, forces, possessions or self.  so here we all are, left to make our own decision.  it's called free will.  you may be right and i may be wrong BUT i may be right and you may be wrong.  "let each be fully convinced in his own mind." rom 14:5  only death answers that definitively for us all, and those having returned are only show us their truth.  i believe anyone with a mind to understand and a heart to seek, will find Jesus flowing forever though the pages of His word.  in finding Jesus, they will be finding God, for He is God! i would ask, "who has the most to lose from the decision we make?"  if i'm wrong. i will die and go into nothingness.  if you're wrong, you will die and be find an eternal spirit cast into outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth.  we all live to our own truth or die to it. truth or consequences used to be a game show on tv.  if one doesn't consent to the real truth, there will definitely be consequences to pay.  it's no game show now but real life.  i don't want that for anyone.  God doesn't want that.  He "is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." 2 pet 3:9 "choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." jos 24:15

[arlecchno]

YES OMG THE POISONED DREAMS SERIES (from what ive read so far) IS SO SCRUMPTIOUS - the print copies have art in them and im just so obsessed teehee . summers fic and MA over the past few months have been the things i looked forward to in the then - futures . cova is srsly taking all of our hearts hostage w that blessed fic LOL its also real fun that the reader in fic has a hydro vision (this doesnt count as spoilers right ?) because ive always personally envisioned (haha) myself with one too . cova also has other works w alhaitham in it that are like kinda sorta connected to summers fic , my favorite being this one , i love the fic description LMAO

dude ive done so much random bullshit because i used to have SO MUCH extra free time on my hands ??? and , honestly dude ive really been wanting to get back into writing on a regular basis but i have such terrible commitment issues with my personal projects its insane . also if you dont mind could you share some of your a/n that you find particularly silly ? i honestly live for memey authors notes

ive also taken that quiz ! multiple times actually (and many others) LMFAO , it was a different answer every time but its mainly a tie between ei and albedo . which is . heavily ironic . because all my close friends call me a scara kinnie which is like . ah yes another artificial human and then throw a creator of one at me like ??????? atp ive just come to embrace that i might be a little artificially flavored in the brain (/hj) . ive also been called a cyno kinnie sometimes because of the terrible puns i make (they laugh anyways though so i mean ..) anyways yeah so if you wanna assign me a genshin character too feel free to i guess , its honestly fun for me to see people assign me a genshin character they think im similar to .

heres …. a spoon i accidentally drew while trying to draw a fish

- jellyfish

i've only read the summers fic until chap 4 (currently reading chapter 5) and it's so good. the mc and alhaitham's dynamic is so funny HAHA i keep laughing every time they have their stupid banters especially in the middle of fighting/interrogating people.

mc having a hydro vision is actually so nice too!! in chapter 4 at the part where they were sitting by the water and mc was playing around with the water by morphing them into dolphins and such was a nice addition to them. having a hydro vision sounds so fun and honestly i kinda want it too now LMAO

i'll also be sure to check out the other fic you've linked! cova's work with the summers fic is truly good and they're hella good at writing, so i'm not gonna miss the chance to not read their other works 🥹

and wow!!! i think you'll do a great job at writing again, and if you ever decide to get back to it, i would drop everything to read your work. no really, you're good at drawing, you make poems, you like solving out stuff, you make your own games— what can't you do???? you have such amazing skills and talents, i'd drop on my knees to see more of your work 😵‍💫

i won't deny that writing is such a big commitment and it takes such a huge effort to get back on your feet, and that's okay!! i think it's really neat that you have your own personal projects, i would say that's a total win!!!! hehe

google docs has this section where it lets you add comments in the words you've highlighted and i took every opportunity to make the silliest ones in some lines i've written for ma (would we consider this as proper annotations? i don't think i would...), here are some of them

i like adding my own author comments in my google docs because personally— it feels like a wattpad comment section, except that it's only visible to you, y'know? pretty silly, exactly, but i like annotating my own work for some reason... i think i'm just hella weird

i kinda see how you'd be an albedo kinnie, actually. well, one, you're pretty artistic, but also, i have a feeling you're kind of a quiet and reserved person irl. i hope i'm not wrong because then i'd be a total fool HAHAHA but anyways... hm... cyno kinnie... you know i can't disagree to that when you've already slipped in a pun on your first paragraph 😔 ngl i giggled when i first read it so... another win for you?

thank you for the spoon jellyfish haha it's so silly that it made my day 😭

[natswritingz]

Little Black Skirt (Eddie Munson x fem!reader) SMUT 18+

(A/N- My writing took a weird turn and like switched up on me, so I hope you enjoy this style, whatever it is? Requests are open, I also apologize for any typos, I did proofread but knowing me, I probably missed something. Hope you enjoy :) )

Warnings - SPANKING KINK! This story is all about spanking and fingering, dom Eddie, praising, also being called slutty hehe

Words - 1.8k

Eddie hated, hated, when you wore your tight little skirts, because of course the only time you'd wear them was when he couldn't lay a hand on you. You "never" wore them when it was the two of you in private according to him, which was a fat lie.

Today was one of those days you wore your little black skirt, it fell only mere inches below your ass. A nice treat for Eddie later, you'd argue it was a nice treat for him all night.

"I'll see you Monday." You hugged Robin goodbye as Steve rolled his eyes behind the two of you as if this wasn't what happened every time you all hung out.

Eddie just stood in a trance, your legs looked fucking fantastic, he couldn't take his eyes off you. The wind would slightly pick up and move your skirt just enough for him to see the red lace of your panties, his favorite pair. Your thighs, just there tantalizing him, he thought his face would look better between them.

You stood back from the embrace, Eddie now taking you under his arm as Steve and Robin got into his car and drove off. Watching the taillights disappear into the distance of the trailer park, you could feel Eddie remove his arm from your shoulders and before you knew it, his large hand paired with cold rings grabbed at your ass.

"I feel like I faintly remember requesting you to not wear the sluttiest thing you own when we're in a position I can't take you on the spot." The brunette's sarcastic comment induced a facetious eye roll from you.

"Man, I feel like I remember faintly not caring." Turning on your heel Eddie's hand was involuntarily moved from your ass to your hip. Now looking at him, you both had coy smirks on your face, each for different reasons. You beamed with playfulness, while he was fueled with lust and unspeakable ideas.

Ed wanted to waste no more time, taking ahold of your hand he guided you inside to the cluttered trailer and into his even more cluttered room. Going to sit on the bed, Eddie stopped you and instead took a seat himself, leaving you on display.

"Since you decided to tease me tonight with your little skirt, I think it's only fair you receive a punishment. Don't you think, babygirl?" His dominance made you weak in the knees. The corner of his lips curled to a devious smile; one you've grown quite used to.

"Fine, let's get this over with." You coolly played it off, not knowing what he had up his sleeve kept you on pins and needles.

"Tsk - in a gritty mood tonight? I definitely think ol' Y/N deserves her punishment." The desire in his eyes was apparent the more you went back and forth, his pupils dilated with the slightest rim of brown. "Come here and bend over my knee." You sent him an inquisitive look to which he replied to by tapping his palm against his left thigh.

Deciding to entertain Eddie, you obliged and laid yourself over his knees, your ass now face up in his lap. He stifled a groan at the sight of your skirt already beginning to ride up, the red panties ever so visible. You felt the presence of a single digit drawing lines up and down your thighs with the occasional tracing on the curve of your ass, his gentle touch made your core ache.

"Look at this slutty little undergarment you have on, what was the reason for wearing these? Hm?" His voice became lower the more he spoke, a telltale sign Eddie was beyond horny. His gravelly tone made you pull your lip between your teeth, your eyes shutting harshly before letting your face relax once more.

"O-only pair that was clean." Seeing right through your stuttered fib, he knew the real reason, you wanted his attention and that was just what he was going to give you.

"So now we have to lengthen your punishment, for lying and wearing this little skirt. Anything else you wanna do to add to your punishment, sweetheart?" He cupped his hand to the back of your knee, slowly dragging it up towards your ass, sending goosebumps to your surfaces.

"I didn't li-" SMACK. Your body jolted at the sudden impact, the stinging sensation on your left asscheek coming mere seconds later. You could hear Eddie's shallow breathing paired with a faint grunt; he was enjoying himself.

"You're just digging your hole there, babe." His palm rested on your ass, massaging it to calm down the pain before lifting and letting it fall with another harsh slap, a whine escaped your lips. "Sounds like someone's getting pleasure from being a bad girl." Then another one, SMACK.

"Fuck - Eddie." You moaned your words through a clenched jaw, your ass was virtually on fire. The pain mixed with your excitement, perfectly balancing each other like yin and yang, leaving you to soak your undergarment and ache without any touch to your covered pussy.

"What do you need, princess? Just tell me what you need." He cooed, adoring the beet red marks he left on your pretty ass.

"Touch m-" SMACK. This hit drew a loud moan from your swollen lips you had been biting at a little too much.

"You want me to touch you? Do you think you deserve it after tonight?" All you could do was hum in agreement. He tsked his tongue in thought, removing his hand that was clamped to the back of your knee and began playing with the hem of the lace panties. "Such a beautiful view, a few more spanks and I'm not sure I'll be able to tell where the material starts." The thought of Eddie leaving your ass bright red somehow turned you on more, you weren't sure that was possible at this point, but Eddie always had his ways of surprising you.

His pointer finger crept along the fabric, falling to where your covered cunt throbbed. He pushed against your covered clit which endorsed another moan from you, rubbing ever so slightly, painfully teasing you.

"You know-" He moved his hand upward, looping his finger around the fabric just above your wet slit, pulling the material up just enough to have it put pressure on your core. "I love hearing your noises when I spank you, I know you're enjoying it just as much as I am."

"Maybe more than you." You butted in. You couldn't see his smirk, but you could sense it, you knew Eddie all too well. He pulled the panties up, the article pushing on your clit even harder. Your hips moved as instinct, desperately trying to get more relief. Another loud contact could be heard paired with the sensation of pleasurable pain. Desperately looking for something to clench, you took a fistful of his sheets, knuckles turning white as you secured your grip.

"Let's take these off." Removing his palm from the hold he took above your pussy, using both hands he snaked his fingers under the cloth while you raised your hips, swiftly pulling them to the halfway mark on your thighs. You were exposed to him now, free to explore as much as he'd like.

His left hand began to tease your entrance, drawing sloppy lines between your lubed lips. A sigh of relief poured from your mouth, his warm fingers continued to dance temptingly. Finally giving you what you want, he slowly entered his middle finger, allowing your walls to eagerly accept him.

"Mm - you're so fucking wet for me princess, too bad you've been such a bad girl, I'd be licking you clean right now." His right hand could be felt in your hair, jerking your head back to where your breath caught in your throat. Your eye's landed on a Judas Priest poster you hopelessly attempted to fixate on, Eddie was driving you mad with his teasing.

He pumped his digit slowly, sliding in and out, you swore paint drying was faster than his current pace. You found yourself fighting the urge to push back against his hand, your hips needed to buck or roll, anything for more. Anything for him to go deeper.

"Look at how patient my girl is, such a good girl." He leaned towards your tilted back head, whispering his praises in your ear. "Not trying to grind against me, just letting me finger you at my own pace." He knew what he was doing, he wanted you to misbehave, to permit another spank.

He completely stopped moving, no longer moving his hand and just letting his finger rest snug inside you. Asshole, you thought to yourself.

"Eddieeee." Your whine was needy, still refusing to make any motion against his hand.

"I know you wanna fuck my hand back, babygirl." He let go of your hair, allowing you to hang it at your own elevation. "Do it. Give in." His words of encouragement pushed you. You needed the release now, this instant. With that, you pushed your ass back, feeling his finger submerge deeper.

The hand that unclasped from your hand now slapped your ass another time, his finger still inside you. The pain of the slap and his finger sliding into your soaking pussy felt like utter bliss. You continued to roll your hips which got Eddie to give in, entering another finger and curling them while he laid another smack on your ass.

"Umph - yes, ke-keep going." You moaned, reinforcing your grip on his sheets. The sound of his open palm against your cheek filled the room once more, then again, and again. As he continued to smack your backside, he picked up the pace just how you like it, reaching your g-spot repeatedly.

"You like that, princess? You like me fucking you while I punish you?" All you could do was loudly moan in response, currently, words weren't at your disposal.

It was so stimulating; the fullness of Eddie's large fingers, the burning sensation radiating from your ass, his dirty words, the grunts he'd let out as you squirmed around on his hard bulge. It was enough to make you think you've died and gone to heaven.

"You gonna cum babygirl?" He could feel and sense it, your walls clenching around his fingers, the soft whimpers mixed with moans that exited your pretty mouth, you were going to cum. Mhm was the only 'word' that you could vocalize, his hand still pounding against your pussy, the other now massaging your ass through the slaps he gave you.

"Shit Eddie - I'm gonna cu- Eddie I'm gonna-" You were a mess with shaking legs.

"Cum for me princess." And so you did, your walls pulsating around his fingers, the butterflies in your stomach felt like they were being released as you rode out your orgasm with sharp pants, you were unfolding in his hands.

Giving you a few seconds, he slowly pulled out and drew his hand to his face, licking his middle and pointer fingers clean, savoring your taste. You continued to lay face down on his lap, exhausted from the explosive orgasm you just had.

"I've changed my mind, I think you should wear this more often." His words made you lazily giggle.

"If that happens every time I do, gladly."

(Thank you for reading, leave a like if you enjoyed it! It really helps me out! Masterlist here)

[dollmoth-productions]

Possibly part 4 coming soon

💚⏳Platonic yandere Bruno⏳💚

Part 3

TW OBSESSIVE BEHAVIOR STALKING POSSESSIVE BEHAVIOR STOCKHOLM SYNDROME MANIPULATION ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR

💚 Camilo try to tell everyone where you were but they just scolded him by making jokes like that and how he was doing it for attention or was missing his sibling but he most interesting part knew it was true and he knew he had to do it by himself and that's what he was going to do

💚 Bruno quickly went to his vision cave and get a small version seeing that he would be caught and we will be taking away so he had to act fast he would rewrite the plan until finally it showed you being happy and someone is by you in a green outfit he expected it with himself so he went through the plan he threw you over his shoulder carrying you on his back and he started walking away humming a small song

💚he know couldn't help but be excited would finally have a family member that would listen to him can actually be nice to him besides his sister's but they decide the singer song about him that makes him a villain so he became the villain he feared he embraced it

💚 he accepted that what he was doing was wrong but didn't care anymore he has lost his Humanity a long time ago and he was ready to go and probably already did it the real reason why he didn't kill Camilo is because it would already draw too much diversion to him soon he found an old abandoned house that was in pretty good shape

💚"ah mi dulce this will be our home and we'll be happy together forever" he said that holding you close" but we should get some rest it's been a long night" he was smiling ear-to-ear almost like his old self but there was something behind the smile and you knew it obsession this obsession with will continue to get worse and worse and worse no matter what

💚 he led YouTube room that had a bed and place you down tucking you and with his poncho and he just started watching you sleep his eyes glowing Emerald" sleep well mi dulce " Bruno got up and started walking to town and started stealing food and supplies when no one was watching he got enough supplies that would last you guy"s three months

💚 he couldn't help but smile he started walking away back to the house but he's felt a familiar presence" where are they Tío Bruno" Camilo 

💚 "it's past your bedtime" he said his smile fading turning into a more sinister grimace " I will tell everyone that you are out and I will find y/n" Camilo said a little bit louder he knew that will disturb someone and he quickly ran away"HEY-" before he could even chase after him she felt someone tug him away it was his mother and she was angry" disturbing the town at midnight Camilo that's it you're grounded" he was trying to explain himself but nothing worst she even got offended thinking that her brother could do anything like that

💚 Bruno's heart was pounding out of his chest he was almost caught almost taken away from his dulce but he quickly shook it off holding the blanket over his child he smiled and continued watching them sleep

💚 he would do anything for you and that includes killing your own family he doesn't consider the Madrigal family you were his only family now no matter what forever and forever you were his child and he was your dad

"mi dulce I would do anything for you"

[bluiex]

howdy i had a dream about vampires and mumscarian so behold the ramblings of my drowsy brain. i've also gotten distracted like seven times trying to write this lmao boatem as vampire hunters but scar gets turned (because of course he does) and the group is torn between team 'well-he's-a-vampire-now-we-gotta-kill-him' (impulse and pearl) and team 'how-about-we-don't-do-that?' (mumbo and grian) mumbo's got a spine like a wet noodle though so he flip flops between both groups. grian puts up a front of wanting to kill scar but every time the two come face to face he seems to always miss when it counts the most.

it doesn't help that scar's fully embraced the aesthetic and is like 20% hotter with the fangs along.

the two do a lot of flirt-fighting, grian insistent that he can take on scar by himself only to come back battered and even more determined to "handle" scar on his own.

everything boils over when grian's has scar pinned to the floor, sliver chains on his wrists to keep the vampire down, stake poised over his heart, and he just can't kill him. scar does his best to convince grian that he doesn't need to do this, that he can just let scar get away yet again, and grian quietly confesses that he doesn't want to let scar go.

he misses when they were on the same side, and his heart's split in two.

dropping the smug facade, scar bares his heart in return, that he hasn't been attacking humans, he hasn't hurt a living soul, that just because he was turned he wasn't suddenly a completely new person.

"i might be a vampire, but that doesn't make me a monster."

grian caves and lets scar go, but not before making a small side comment about enjoying their chasing game, but that it has to end sooner rather than later.

the two find each other yet again, but it's different, grian's not geared up for one, his only defense a silver cross at his neck, he's slower, he's not putting up a real fight. and he's grinning the whole time.

scar gets grian pinned up to a wall, eyeing up the chain with an annoyed grumble. a contingency plan, grian explains, flushed and breathing heavy.

grian makes scar promise that if he's turned, he'll still be good. it's that blurry line between monsters and humanity, and he promises.

grian yanks off the chain in one clean snap, when they're interrupted by mumbo, silver knife out and ready. he's already lost scar, he wasn't going to lose grian too. mumbo tells scar to stop controlling grian, because surely that was the only reason grian hadn't killed scar yet.

but grian holds up the chain in clear view, and lets it fall. with an open hand he asks mumbo to come with them, that they can all be together again, no more fighting, to run away and live the rest of eternity happily.

grian can feel scar getting impatient, the vampire's breath hot against his neck, fangs lightly pressed to his skin, and he pleads with mumbo to come with him.

mumbo hesitates, and in the distance, pearl could be heard shouting, her voice drawing near. he turns back, and looks down at his knife.

scar didn't want to fight him, and neither did grian. but pearl did.

he steps close, picking up the chain, and for a moment he really considered the offer. but a pair of footsteps grew close, and mumbo pocketed the chain, rushing back down the alley. "i'll cover for you." grian opens his mouth to beg again, but scar's bloodlust had reached its peak, and he sinks his fangs into grian's neck. he lets out a shrill scream, and the last thing grian sees is mumbo warding off two shadowy figures, being carried away in scar's arms. grian wakes up with a vial of blood pressed against his lips, and drinks greedily, curled up into scar's side. "we'll get him," scar reassures him. "we'll bring him home." tl;dr two vampires and their human boyfriend try not to die hope u enjoy like halfway thru this ask basically turned into a fic in it of itself - ☾ anon (im new here :D )

WHY CANT I HAVE DREAMS LIKE THIS BRUH

this is such a great idea too. Scar getting turned then force to run from them </3 Grian can't bring it in him to kill Scar cuz LOVE and Mumbo so on the fence.. waaah theres so much angst potential before Grian decides to be with Scar forever amazing amazing, i love this crescent moon anon- sososo much <3 the little ficlet itself is amazingly written too aaaaa

[tsukishumai]

pairing; suna rintaro x gn!reader genre; fluff wc; 900+

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“How many times do I have to tell you, Suna-san,” you say through gritted teeth and clenched fists, “A tie is a requirement of our school uniform, to be worn at all times. And must I continuously inform you that the white dress shirt is meant to be buttoned. That’s not even our school blazer.”

Suna stared up at you with amusement, a smirk playing on his lips as he leaned his elbow back onto the lunch table. Eyes were beginning to wander towards your conversation, hushed whispers of ‘there they go again,’ and ‘when will they stop fighting’ making its way into your ears. You could feel your eyebrow twitch beyond your control, and you want nothing more than to be finished with the infuriating middle blocker that sat in front of you.

But you couldn’t ignore his blatant disregard for school regulation, and what kind of student council president would you be to let this slide?

“It’s not?” Suna looks down at the gray blazer, one that starkly contrasts the sea of brown blazers that surrounded him. His team of idiots dared to snicker from beside him, and you quickly silenced them with a glare. “My bad, Pres. I got dressed in the dark today.”

The blonde Miya let out a laugh before being smacked on the head by the gray-haired Miya. You crossed your arms and glared down at Suna, who smiled innocently back.

You turn your attention back to the table full of volleyball players, all audibly gulping as they shrank under your scrutiny.

“If you don’t get this idiot a blazer before I finish my lunch, you’re all shouldering clean up duty for a month,” you say, eyes sharply staring down each boy at the table, “Understood?”

You would have smiled in satisfaction as they all wordlessly nodded, but Suna’s shit-eating grin only grew wider.

“Is that any way to talk about your student, Pres?” Suna challenged, leaning back and crossing his arms.

“Inarizaki students wear Inarizaki blazers,” you say, looking Suna up and down, “Until you’re wearing one, then you’re not worthy to be called one of my students. Idiot.”

You turn around and take yourself away from the situation before you could give Suna a chance to aggravate you any further.

Though, your intentions were all for nothing when at the end of your meal, you go to find that Suna was missing from his original setting. You asked his teammates (who assured you they gave him a blazer) where he had gone, but they swore they didn’t know.

With a huff and a sigh, you admonished them for their uselessness, and set off to find the brown-haired pain in your ass.

There was still more than ten minutes left of lunch, and you searched the empty hallways for any sign of Suna. Your footsteps softly echoed as you pattered towards the stairway, figuring he might have headed to his classroom to hide from your wrath.

Before you could make it, five fingers delicately wrapped themselves around your arm, and pulled you into an empty classroom.

You stumbled on your feet as you turn to your assailant, ready to scream and put up a fight when Suna clasped his hand over your mouth, pulling you into him as he wrapped an arm around your waist.

“Shh,” he hushed, the corner of his lips upturned in a mischievous smirk, “It’s me.”

You relax into his hold, letting out a sigh when he moves his hand from your mouth to cup the side of your face. You look down at him, relief flooding through you when you see the appropriately colored blazer he now donned.

You pout as you softly whacked at his chest. “Rin, why do you have to give me a hard time?”

Suna laughed, and you would have melted into a puddle on the floor had he not been holding you up. “It’s fun to see you get so worked up. Besides,” he leans down and nuzzles his face into your neck, “That was kind of hot.”

You roll your eyes, but you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling. “It wasn’t hot for me. It was annoying. And a waste of my lunch time.”

“Lunch time that we could be spending together,” his lips said against your skin before pulling away. “If you just told everyone about us.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him. “Since when did you want to spend your lunch with me?”

Suna shrugged. “Since always?”

You studied Suna for any sign of a joke, but he looked you dead in the eyes, and didn’t waver for a second. There was no real reason why you had kept your relationship so private. Maybe there was a part of you that still had a hard time believing it.

Suna had always seemed to be someone so unreachable. Yet here he was, nibbling on his bottom lip as he reached out his hand.

All you wanted to do was take it.

“I don’t know,” You tease, drawing circles on his now-buttoned shirt with your finger, “The president can’t exactly be seen with someone that can’t even come properly dressed, can they?”

Suna scoffed. “I changed, didn’t I?”

You giggle, standing up on your toes to place a soft kiss on his lips.

Just then, the bell signaled the end of lunch, and you reluctantly pull away from the tender embrace of Suna Rintaro.

“Maybe tomorrow?”

Suna smiled as he watched you exit the classroom. “Tomorrow.”

[neonacity]

LUCID | NCT DREAM ‘00 LINE X READER | CH.6

LUCID DREAMS - A TYPE OF DREAM WHEREIN THE PERSON IS AWARE THAT THEY ARE CAUGHT IN A DREAM WORLD.

Summary: It was supposed to be a harmless, professional transaction. You were to tutor a group of boys, get your pay at the end of the day, and go home to your loving fiance. Kids aren’t supposed to be dangerous, right? So why, then, are you caught up in a web of madness that slowly makes you feel like you’re in a living nightmare?

NOTE:This is a yandere plot featuring NCT Dream ‘00 line which means there will be mature themes in the story as well as obsessive, toxic behavior. If you’re a minor, please refrain from interacting. If this isn’t your thing, then just scroll and skip. In no way am I condoning anything written here— this is not love, this is obsession—nor do I think that any of the people mentioned here will act any way like in this story. This is purely a work of fiction.

Genre: yandere, horror, suspense

TW: abuse, obsessive behavior, toxic relationships, suggestive scenes, stalking, possible kidnapping, mental health. Age gap–though nothing dramatic. Everyone is of legal age, drugs, slight smut for this chapter but nothing graphic, questionable consent (?) I guess? Creepy, creepy, creepy! This will be updated as the story goes along.

CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 | CHAPTER 5

“EVERYONE HAS A DARKER NATURE. EVERYONE. GOOD MEN FEAR IT, AND EVIL MEN EMBRACE IT.” - JAMES ISLINGTON

The silent hum of the air conditioning filled the space like a foreboding chant. Nothing else but the sound of the hospital machinery and random noises outside pierced the stillness of the room as you stared, unseeing, at the green and orange numbers that blinked on the monitor above the bed. 

You barely have any recollection of how you managed to find yourself in the hospital, but you do remember brief memories of Taeyong picking you up from the floor you found yourself crumpled on after you got the call. You remember seeing Jaehyun's parents at a brightly lit corridor and his mother pulling you into a hug as she broke down and his father telling you how his son hasn't woken up since he was brought to the emergency room.

You remember your heart breaking in shock, mind too numb from the godforsaken pills you have been taking and your own injury. So many times you wondered to yourself if you were still caught in one of your nightmares, but every time you tried to break free from it, you're slapped back with the reality of how all of this is real.

Your fingers gently tightened on Jaehyun's hands now as your gaze landed on his face. He looked so peaceful, like he's just sleeping, that you almost wanted to bend over and try to kiss him awake. You don't even have any idea what time and day it is already, but you have barely left his side since you were brought to him. The nightmares and sleeplessness? They're barely a problem for you anymore because right now, you're entirely not resting at all unless your body forces you to crash from physical exhaustion. Even then, you usually only sleep for about two to three hours at best to make sure that you never miss a moment with your fiance.

"Severe traumatic head injury. He was lucky enough that the airbag shielded him from the worst of the impact."

The words of his attending doctor echoed in your head again like a faraway voice. You could only remember bits and pieces of what he said to his parents back then as he reported his findings, but you caught enough context for you to draw a picture of the situation. You remember Jaehyun's mother asking the chances of her son waking up again, her voice barely holding up from her emotions. 

"I cannot promise anything, Ma'm. I'd say he has a 60 percent chance. He's fighting."

And he is. You know Jaehyun inside out. He might be unconscious now, but there is no way he is giving up. Not from something like this. 

"Keep fighting baby…" you whispered in the stillness of the room as you lifted his hand gently to your lips to kiss. "I'll wait for you. We still have a wedding to do."

The slight creaking of the door barely made you look away from his sleeping face. You only did at the gentle sound of a throat clearing, your eyes slightly widening as you recognized the man who just walked inside the room. Taeil had the same mildly shocked look on him as he stopped on the  other side of the bed across from you. 

"You…"

"Are you a relative of the patient?" He asked now as he tucked his clipboard under his arm. You simply nodded, watching him quickly glance at the numbers on the monitor before his eyes settled on you again.

"I'm his fiancee."

That made him raise his brows slightly. He pulled a pen now from the pocket of his coat to quickly write something on his file. "What a coincidence. Not a good one obviously. I'm sorry to hear about him. Mr. Jung, right?"

You swallowed. You didn't want to acknowledge anything that he just said so you tried to divert the conversation instead.

"You're not his doctor. Why are you…"

"Oh. He was turned over to me today. I am one of the resident neurologists here but he had to be moved to me because his first doctor has too much in his plate already. Don't worry, I was briefed properly about his case."

Your gaze followed Taeil as he bent over to check Jaehyun's oxygen level as well as the other wires attached to him. You don't know what to feel about him taking over, but at least you already know him previously.

"Are there any changes? Positive ones?" You asked in a frail voice that Taeil definitely didn't miss. You told yourself to not act silly and ask questions that probably do not have answers yet, but you couldn't help yourself now. The man seemed to think over his words first, noticing your state, before calmly giving his reply.

"No particular ones, but the fact that there are no negative developments is… something. I will have to request for some tests to be done on him again tomorrow so we can see if there are positive changes in his brain."

Neutral. Not good, but at least it's not bad either.

"How are you? I was about to check on you again. Is your head okay?"

You were still thinking over his words that you barely caught his question. Looking up, you tried to scramble for an answer to give. To be honest, you haven't given proper attention to your own injury since this happened. You would even only remember to take your medications on your clearest, less anxious moments, which, honestly, isn’t a lot. 

"I'm uh… the wound has closed. But the headaches. They're still there."

He simply nodded. "Any other side effects?"

You didn't immediately answer. You didn't want to sound whiny, but it's not like you're going to lose anything by telling him the uglier parts of your recovery. You swallowed to try and dislodge the slight blockage in your throat.

"Nightmares…" you said now, voice soft. You briefly remembered the last one you had back in the manor before you woke up to the bad news and you felt your stomach turn again. "Lots of them. Hallucinations sometimes…"

The doctor watched you carefully and you know he is trying to compute things in his mind despite his face remaining calm.

"Have you been keeping to your schedule with your medications? Are you taking too much?"

You firmly shook your head no to his last question.

"No, I haven't been overdosing. But… I've been skipping my pills the last few days because of...because of this."

"How have you been feeling since you started missing your dosages then? Do you remember?"

That made you actually stop and think about it for a moment. Now that you are paying attention, you did notice how the nightmares have calmed down slightly. Even the hallucinations are almost gone. You frowned slightly to yourself.

"A bit… better actually."

Taeil took his time to observe you a bit more before writing something on a new page of his clipboard.

"You must have had severe reactions to the mixture of pills I gave you. I'm going to prescribe you new ones and ask the nurses to pick them up and bring them to you here. Can you promise that you'll try and take them though? You really need them to fully heal."

You nodded and gave him a slightly sheepish look.

"I will, thank you very much."

Taeil dug his hands into the pockets of his coat and gave you a gentle smile.

"Well, that's it for today. I'll come back tomorrow to give you updates about Mr. Jung." He had already turned and started walking away when he suddenly stopped to look at you again.

"Oh, and another thing. Please try and get some sleep. Recover… and then focus on helping your fiance."

******* You didn't really know what woke you up. Stirring from your sleep, the first thing that registered to you was the sound of distant traffic mixed with the gentle chirping of the morning birds from outside the window. A warm feeling radiated on your cheek and made the back of your eyelids glow red.

You flickered your eyes open and immediately rolled away to escape the ray of sunshine that slipped from the open curtains and shone directly at your face. You easily evaded it as you moved over to the other side of the bed which was empty and cold from the night before.

That was when you finally remembered that you were back in your home, in the same bedroom you share with Jaehyun. The day before, his mother offered to take the responsibility of watching over him so there was a sudden change of plans that finally gave you the reason to check back into your apartment after so long. If it were you, you would have preferred not leaving your boyfriend’s side until he wakes up, but you also knew that your future mother-in-law wanted to spend time with him so you relented. 

Of course you weren't thrilled to be home alone, especially with Jaehyun not being there, but the comfort that a real mattress provided—over the small couch you used to sleep in back at the hospital—is definitely a welcome change for your body. You even tried to take your medicine properly, the new ones that Taeil had provided, in the hopes of getting knocked down fast. Your adrenaline and anxiety had been fueling you in the past days, but you know from the way your heart thumped and your hands shook that you need a solid rest.

And you got it. You still feel a little groggy now but your body is definitely lighter and your head clearer. The nightmares didn't even come, and while they were replaced by total darkness or dreams in white that still made you anxious, you are willing to take those anytime over the graphic ones that you used to have.

You gently sat back against the headrest of the bed now and reached out for your phone to check the time. It's barely 7AM but as expected, Jaehyun's mom has already provided you with updates from the hospital. He’ll have some tests taken today as Taeil advised and then they’ll hear more about his progress. From the looks of it, she seems still set on watching over her son, which means you still have at least today free to yourself.

You quickly typed a reply to her and sighed. You’re thankful that even though you weren’t related by blood, his parents have always treated you as if you were their own. Having a family is not something you’ve really experienced in your childhood, so that’s something you’ve always appreciated about them. That is also the reason why you wish for the best out of this situation, because you also couldn’t bear seeing your fiance’s mother and father heartbroken. He’s their only son, after all.

A quick look around your room left you feeling empty. The last week has been so hard that it felt longer and now you’re struggling to find your normal pace again. In an effort to bring yourself to focus, you decided to pick up your phone once more and started flipping through your calendar to check your schedule. It didn’t take long for you to frown when you realized the upcoming dates there. You’ve plotted important academic schedules in advance and one quick look at it told you how much you’ve obviously missed in the past week. You’ve been so lost in the mess of everything that has happened that you’ve entirely forgotten about your job at the manor. You realized that they didn’t even call you once to ask about your absence, probably because they also know about the situation, but even that is not enough excuse for you to entirely fall off the radar.  

Biting your lip, you quickly scrolled through your contacts now to look for the number you need. Your thumb hovered over the call button momentarily, but you eventually pressed it anyway. Your eyes wandered towards the clock on the wall, hoping silently to yourself that it wasn’t too early for you to call.

“Rosewood Manor, how can I help you?”

You straightened on your seat.

“Hey, Taeyong. It’s me. Sorry if I called so early.”

The other boy seemed to have been taken slightly by surprise by the way he fell silent at the other end of the line. You tapped your finger against your knee, waiting for him to speak again.

“Hi. No, it’s fine. Work started for me about an hour ago. Are you okay? How’s things on your end?”

You nibbled guiltily on your lower lip and finally got off your bed to walk over to the window. You pushed the curtains open and stared at the slight snowfall that had started falling on the ground. You’ve missed so many days of reporting to them but the first thing he does is to check if you’re fine.

“I um—things are still the same. My boyfriend’s still at the hospital.”

“Oh… I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Look, I want to apologize. I haven’t really reported to work and I didn’t even call about it. It’s just that—things have been so crazy lately, but still that isn’t an excuse for me to just not show up.”

Taeyong, however, was understanding as always. You were about to go off for another round of apologies when he gently cut you off. 

“Hey, it’s fine. We know you’ve been dealing with a lot lately so we also weren't expecting anything. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“But, the boys’ examinations and portfolio review is happening in three days and I haven’t really checked in with them. How are they doing now?”

“Oh...that. Well, we actually tried looking for a temporary tutor to help out but I...uh… I think he isn't really cutting it. Maybe because he isn’t the one who started the program with them. But he’s a big help still.”

“Oh god, I’m so sorry about that. I should have at least—look, I can drop by today and just try to fix things.”

“Are you sure? You really don’t have to. Don’t you need to be at the hospital?”

You started going around your room now, trying to gather the scattered papers and files that you’ll need. It’s a good thing you woke up early so you still have time to prepare for work. “My boyfriend’s mother is the one watching over him today so I have the day off.”

“And your injury? How is it?”

Your eyes landed on the new bottles of medicine sitting on your bedside table.

“Better. I’m feeling so much better.”

You heard Taeyong sigh in relief over the phone. “Thank god. We were so worried about that. Well, you really don’t need to go, but if you have time, I guess doing it today won’t hurt. It will help us a lot.”

A small smile tugged at your lips now and you switched the phone over to your other ear as you started arranging your bag. “Thank you so much for being understanding. I need a distraction anyway. I’d rather work than stay home alone… Thanks for not firing me.”

That made him laugh a little. “I’ll tell the boys that you’re coming over. Oh, and be careful on your drive here. The roads are a little bit slippery today because of the snow.”

“I will, thank you. I’ll be there by 9.”

******* “Noona!”

You have barely finished arranging your materials on your desk when the door to the room burst open and ushered an anxious-looking Jisung inside. You looked up quickly at him, only barely catching Chenle wobbling with his crutch before your vision of the entrance was blocked by Jisung’s tall frame. His hair looked swept up as if he ran and there was a slight flush staining his cheeks. He stopped right in front of you, stopping just in time for him not to topple you over.

“Hey, Jisung how are—” You tried to give him a smile but he was quick enough to grab your hands between his.  

“Are you back? Are you really back for real?” He pressed now, eyes wide as he tried to bend over to look closely at you. He looked like a puppy, the only missing thing being a wagging tail to complete the look. You couldn’t help the brief laugh that passed over you as you tried to calm him down.

“I am. For the day, yes. Sorry I missed so many of your sessions.”

“We thought you left us,” Jisung continued, his lower lip protruding just a bit. Just then, Chenle had finally reached the two of you, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. This is actually the first time you saw him again since the day the two of you had your accident and you’re glad to see him healthy despite his broken leg.

“Hi, Chenle. How are you?”

The boy scratched the back of his head and looked away slightly. “Fine… I’m sorry, noona. I wasn’t able to visit you when you stayed with us. I’m really really sorry about what happened in the forest.”

You tried to give him a reassuring smile and freed one of your hands from Jisung’s hold to ruffle his hair. The action seemed to have calmed him down a little because he finally looked at you again, a small apologetic smile on his own lips.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. But be careful next time, okay?”

“Are you going to be our tutor again, noona?” Jisung pressed once more and you turned your attention back to him. To be honest, you’re still not sure how your schedule will turn out after this, but you couldn’t really bear to break the poor boy’s heart at the moment.

“Yes… I’m here to teach your big brothers today for their tests though. We’ll have to schedule you and Chenle’s lessons again. Is that alright?”

A brief look of disappointment flashed on his face but he was quick enough to pick it up. Jisung smiled and gave your hand a squeeze.

“Okay. We can wait. It’s good you are back, Jaemin-hyung was so—”

“Yah, don’t hog her by yourself. You’ll scare her away.”

A new voice made the three of you look back to the doorway. Haechan smiled at your little group as he strolled casually into the room followed by Jeno and Jaemin. The three of them joined your crowd and you felt Jisung finally let go of your hand as he stepped away to go over to his brothers’ side.

“Hi. Sorry, I only returned now. Taeyong told me that you—”

You weren’t able to finish what you wanted to say as Haechan gently stopped you mid-sentence. He leaned his head to the side, eyes briefly scanning you from head to toe. Unlike Jisung, he looked calm and only barely excited.

“It’s fine. We knew you’ll come back. How are you?”

“Oh… I’m good. My head is better. I haven’t had the chance to thank all of you for taking care of me when I was here.”

“How about your boyfriend?” It was Jeno who asked this time and you quickly turned to him to address his question. Your eyes briefly slipped to Jaemin who was standing behind him before you could even speak though, and for a moment you had the impression that Jeno was shielding him—or blocking him from you. You blinked a little bit in confusion, wondering if it was just your imagination that was making you think that way.

“He’s still… still unconscious,” your smile dropped a little but you tried your best to keep your voice casual. “We’re getting more tests for him. His doctor said that he isn’t showing bad signs at least.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about him,” Haechan said with compassion and you gave him a grateful look. Your gaze settled on Jaemin again, however, who for some reason had barely looked at you since he came into the room. You know that he can be quiet and reserved at times, but there is something in the air around him that makes you slightly worried. He’s so still, but the way he carries himself makes it seem like he’s so strung up at the same time. It also doesn’t help that Jeno seems to be almost pushing him back from view.

“Hi Jaemin… How are you?” You tried to gently ask him to make sure that he is okay. He didn’t look at you at first, but when he finally did, you felt yourself freeze a little. His eyes looked dark and almost emotionless when he met yours and there were shadows under them as if he hadn't slept properly for days. He didn’t even answer and just simply stared, his gaze blank and accusing at the same time.

Haechan casually glanced over his brother and chuckled. “Our Jaeminie here has been sick for the past couple of days so he’s a little out of it. But he’s going to be fine now,” he put a hand over the other’s shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze as if to calm him down. “Right, Jaemin? We’ll try our best to go to class today since noona is finally back, hmm?”

Jaemin, however, didn’t even seem to hear him. He continued staring at you the same way that kept you pinned on your spot.

“Are you leaving again?” he finally asked and you almost felt goosebumps rise on your skin. It didn’t sound like a question… but more of a threat. You swallowed.

“I’m going to have to arrange my schedule till things get better…” you answered carefully, as if you’re navigating dark waters. That didn’t seem to cut it for him, unfortunately.

“So you’re not leaving. Forever?”

You blinked. To be honest, you’ve been thinking of quitting and just finishing the rest of the month if things didn’t improve, but you don’t think that’s the right answer to give at the moment.

“No… not for now,” you finally managed to say. You watched as Jaemin seemed to visibly relax, his stiff shoulders loosening under Haechan’s grip. He didn’t say anything after that, but he at least looked away, seemingly more satisfied with your words.

“Great. I think we should get to work,” Haechan broke the silence and looked around the room as if the tension you were feeling was just something only you could feel. He nodded towards Chenle and Jisung then. “You guys go back to your own classes. You’ll have your share of noona once it’s your turn.” He then glanced at you, smile still in place. “Should we start then?”

You nodded. “Is Renjun still not back?”

“Not yet. He’s going to be here tomorrow though,” Jeno answered as he took his seat on one of the desks.

“I see…”

Haechan also found his spot, but not before you’ve noticed him urging Jaemin to do the same. Playfully, he took the pencil you’ve arranged on the desk and started tapping it against the wood of the table.

“Don’t worry. We’ll tell him you’re back. I’m sure he can’t wait to have his lessons again~”

******* You looked over the window for the third time in the last fifteen minutes and sighed. The day had been busy with you trying to catch up on the boys’ lessons that you barely even noticed the state of the weather outside. When you finally did, it took you by surprise when you saw how much of the ground was covered by snow—one look at it told you that it is at least a feet deep by now. Your first instinct was to try and maneuver your car out of the lot before your tires get entirely buried in it, but then you remembered that you promised to wait for Taeyong to come back before leaving the manor. The butler requested for you to temporarily watch over the manor while he tries to do some last minute errands back in the city, but it’s been two hours since he originally promised to come back. You eyes glanced at your watch now, then back at the quickly darkening view outside. 

“...severe snowstorm has blocked some of the main roads in the city at the moment. Expect heavy traffic and don’t forget to drive safely.”

You turned to the television now to catch the last of the rambling dialogue of the reporter about the weather. You’ve been debating on whether to call Taeyong or not to check on him, but you didn’t want to seem impatient to go home when you only really wanted to make sure if he’s safe. From the looks of it, he’s stuck somewhere because of the hale, too.

You were on your way to get your phone from your bag to at least try to shoot him a message when you suddenly heard it ring. Getting it just in time, you almost sighed in relief when you saw his number there. You quickly took it and went over to the window to answer it to make sure you get some proper signal.

“Hello? Taeyong?”

“Hey. Finally. I’ve been trying to call you for the last hour, thank god it finally connected.”

“Oh, sorry, my phone’s in my bag. I think the signal’s getting bad because of the snowstorm. Where are you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, about that, I’m still stuck in town. The traffic’s so bad here because a section of the main road is blocked. Road maintenance is supposed to come thirty minutes ago but I think there’s a delay because there are other roads they are working on.”

Your gaze drifted back to the television where scenes of the same blocked avenues were being flashed. “Yeah… the news says the same.  Are you safe though?”

“I am. I’m really sorry for making you wait. I’d tell you to drive back and not wait for me anymore but I don’t think you’ll also make it home in time with all this traffic going on. I don’t think it’s going to be safe. Do you mind waiting for a little bit more? I’ll tell you once the roads are better.”

You thought it over quickly, a frown settling on your face. You really want to go home, but he’s right. There’s no point in trying to drive back if you’ll only find yourself stuck in the roads for hours. Not being a big fan of night driving yourself, you can already imagine the stress waiting for you if you add a snowstorm to the mix. As much as you wanted to leave, you’re left with no choice, at least for the moment.

 “I can… I’ll just wait for you, I guess. Do you want me to do anything here while you’re gone? Dinner for the boys?”

“Oh no, no, you don’t need to do that, that’s not part of your job,” Taeyong sounded abashed when he said that. You stepped away from the window then and took a seat by the fireplace that Jeno started earlier. Half of your concentration was on the news which has now shifted to a different set of reports also caused by the snowstorm. “They’ll know when to go down and eat. Don’t worry about them. Where are they right now?”

“Ah, I think they went back to their rooms? I did tell them earlier that I’ll try to wait for you.”

“I see. Yes, I think that’s better. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated. If things don’t get better, I think I’ll have no other choice but find a hostel here and wait for the weather to calm down. You can stay there and just ask for help from any of them. You can stay in the same room just in case.”

You didn’t quickly react to the offer. Instead, your eyes flickered to the doorway of the room before refocusing your attention back to the conversation. It’s not like you have anything against spending the night again at the manor—you’ve done it before, after all—but it’s honestly not really something you’re comfortable to do again. Maybe it’s because you’ve never really been okay with overstaying at strangers’ houses but your gut feel is also telling you right now that it shouldn’t be your top option regardless of the situation you are in.

Still, you didn’t want to come off rude to Taeyong, not when he is only being kind to offer you temporary shelter while being stuck in the middle of nowhere himself. So instead, you went against your initial doubts and offered him your thanks in return. It’s just Plan B that he’s proposing after all. 

“I will. Keep me updated though if you need anything you think I can help with.”

“Thank you and I will. I have to go now though. Please make yourself at home. I’ll try to call again after an hour.”

“Okay. Take care.”

You put your phone down now with a worried frown as you heard the line drop. You couldn’t believe this is happening the first day you got back to work but it’s not like you can really blame anyone for it. The only good thing is that you’re sure Jaehyun is being taken care of right now so that is at least one thing off your shoulders. You didn’t really need to rush anywhere, not especially to a vacant home. Leaning back against your seat, you tried your best to relax as your gaze travelled around the room once again. You deliberated on sending a text to your mother-in-law to tell her about your situation but decided against it, not wanting to worry her more. You sighed. For now, you guess you didn’t have any other choice but to wait.

You did try to distract yourself by watching the news for a few more minutes before finally giving up on it. With resignation, you picked yourself up from your seat again and turned the television off. For a moment you simply stood in the middle of the room, trying to figure out what to do with your time when your gaze settled on the door again. Everyone retreated to their own rooms after they finished with their lessons so it means the house is pretty much yours for exploring if you wanted to. You toyed with the idea for a little bit, before finally resigning yourself to it. It’s not like there really is anything else left for you to do, and Taeyong did say you can make yourself feel at home if you wanted to. With a sigh, you finally turned on your heels to leave the room and peered silently into the hallway. It was deserted as expected, but still your eyes travelled left and right to check if there’s anyone out and about at this hour. It was only after you made sure that you were alone when you finally allowed yourself to step into the corridor.

Of course, you have a plan. You’re pretty much sure that checking out the rooms on the first floor is acceptable since it’s where you’ve been rotating your classes so you’re going to stick to those areas. You remember finding a library there once and you focused on finding your way to it to maybe check out some of the books in the collection. 

It did take you about five minutes to finally find the place you were looking for. For some reason, the sections in the manor always confuse you no matter how many times you try to memorize each one, probably because of how big and similar-looking they are on the outside. You’ve already tried four doors when you were finally welcomed by the familiar-looking bookshelves at the fifth one. You sighed and gave one quick look around the room before slipping yourself inside after making sure that you’re alone.

There will probably never be a time when you won’t find yourself fascinated by anything in this grand home. If the architecture of the mansion is not enough to convince anyone how rich the family is, their book collection is enough to assure that at the very least. You’ve only ever taken a quick glimpse of it once during one of your lessons with the boys, but one look of the titles in their shelves is enough to make any literature major excited. You looked at the floor to ceiling collection now, your fingers gently running over the spines of the books you could reach with a small smile on your face.

You were about to check out the rest of the collection on the other side of the wall when something in the middle of the room caught your attention. You didn’t really catch it at first because of the shadows that concealed it when you first came in, but you could pretty much discern the outline of a blanket covered standee now from where you stood. You frowned. Taking careful steps, you closed the distance towards it to try and figure out what exactly it is that you’re seeing.

A closer look revealed it to be an easel covered with white cloth. You could see the outline of the canvas where the blanket falls over it while shadows of colors peeked out into the thin fabric from the surface it was covering. How odd… you knew that Renjun had a different art room for his paintings so to see this now here in the middle of the library seems uncanny.

You didn’t know how long you remained standing in front of it, too. You know you should have walked away—after all, the white cloth hiding it away from plain view means whatever is on that canvas is not meant for everyone’s eyes to see, but you simply couldn’t tear yourself away from it. It’s as if there was a silent force asking you to pull that cloth to reveal what’s underneath, the inclination so strong that you could almost hear its voice breathing down next to your ear, unrelenting until you do what it says.

The next thing you know, you had your hand attached to one end of the fabric. You stared at it now, wondering last minute if you should go ahead or not. You swallowed and glanced around one last time around the room. If you’re alone… it wouldn’t hurt if you could take a peek, right? Nobody will know. You just have to see, then cover it back again. Before you could even think about it too much, your arm was finally moving on its own as it gently tugged at the covering. You watched as it fell gently on the floor, like a bodiless ghost melting into the shadows on the ground.

Your eyes couldn’t make out what you were seeing at first. The dim lighting of the room wasn’t helping at all, but you were sure that it was a woman’s silhouette that was staring back at you from the canvas. Colors swirled around her, like some unknown mass trying to drag her back into unknown depths. Shapes and tones jumped from the picture, but her form stood out from the rest, gracefully twisted as if she was in the middle of trying to fight and succumb to it at the same time. You frowned. Taking a step closer towards it, you tried to study its details under what little illumination the lamps above afforded you.

That’s when it all happened simultaneously. Your heart stopped beating the same time your eyes widened as they finally focused on what’s in front of them. It’s as if the ground suddenly vanished from underneath your feet and you were falling, falling, deep into the abyss despite your body being frozen in fear and shock.

You know this painting. You’ve seen it before. It was the same one by Renjun, the one that you saw on your first day working in the manor.

But it was different now. Instead of the unfinished state that caught your attention before, everything about the picture now is in sharp focus. The lines on the woman’s nude body, the hands—which you thought were simply dark swirls dragging her back—and her face twisted beautifully in pleasure and madness stared back at you like a nightmare.

But it was not those which truly shook you to your core. It’s the realization that it was your own face in the portrait that was staring back at you, silently screaming for you to run away.

You stumbled back in shock. Your chest felt tight as you tried to grasp for air while your hands fumbled to find something to hold on to keep you from crashing on the ground. Before you could even take another step, however, something hard hit your back and you felt strong arms wrap around your waist like a vice. You have barely realized what was happening when you felt someone lean over your shoulder, lips pressing against the shell of your ear.

“Isn’t it beautiful? You’re the perfect muse, don’t you think?” Renjun asked softly as he pressed a gentle kiss to your temple.

******* You didn’t know how long you stayed frozen in his embrace. For a brief moment you thought you were dreaming again until you felt his arms slowly tighten around your waist. As if a jolt of electricity shocked you, you immediately turned to push him away as you scrambled to put some distance between the two of you.

Renjun didn’t seem the least bothered when your eyes finally focused on him. He remained on his spot, his gaze on you unwavering. You, meanwhile, were shaking from head to toe, the vision of the painting still branded vividly in your head.

“Renjun—what’s this?” you managed to stutter as you pointed at the artwork in the middle of the room. You couldn’t even spare to look at it again while he merely gave it a casual glance.

“It’s you. I’ve been working on it for a long time. I was about to show it to you but it seems like you couldn’t wait for it yourself.”

You felt nauseous. A part of your rational mind was slowly losing it as you tried to process his answer. Something's not right. Something is so terribly wrong.

“Why—why did you do this?”

Renjun simply stared at you and leaned his head a little bit to the side as if he was only mildly curious of your reaction. Your stomach turned even before hearing his answer.

“You said it’s beautiful.”

“This is not right—!”

“I came home because they said you were leaving for good,” he continued speaking softly, effectively cutting you from what you were about to say. The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end and you took another step back as you watched him get close to his artwork. You watched in horror as his thin fingers lovingly ran over the corners of the canvas. “Jaemin almost lost it… It’s a good thing I got here on time.”

And just like that, everything seemed to have clicked into place. The glances, the touches, the words that seemed to have a different undercurrent under them… they weren’t just fragments of your imagination. Every little thing that has gnawed at you from the inside came into crystal clear focus and you felt your knees go weak from the weight of it all. It took every fiber of your being to try and keep yourself steady now, your legs moving on their own as they took small backward steps away from the boy staring at you now with dead eyes. You couldn’t breathe, but it was the last words he told you that finally snapped you to run.

“I don’t think you’ve realized it yet. But no, you cannot leave. Ever.”

You didn’t know where you got the energy for it but in seconds you were flying out of that room and running blindly down the darkened corridors. Your blood pumped noisily in your ears and your chest felt like it was going to split from the sudden exertion you put on it, but you didn’t stop, not even looking back as you tried to put as much distance between you and the library. You didn’t even know where you were going. All you’re focused on is to find the exit and leave the house as soon as possible.

A loud bang that sounded off to your right startled you and you screamed, the force of your shock making you whip around and almost lose your balance. Before you could even hit the floor, however, a pair of hands caught you and you immediately turned, grasping at the chest of your rescuer.

You froze. Haechan smiled down at you as he tried to steady you on your feet.

“Haechan,” you gasped as you took fistfuls of his shirt and tried to shake him in your panic. “Renjun—he’s—please, help me. He’s after me—” you gasped out, almost out of your wits. You’re on the verge of a total breakdown that it almost escaped you, the way he simply smiled down on your shaking form. It was only when you felt one of his hands gently caress the top of your head that reality slapped you in the face again. You suddenly stopped struggling in his hold, pupils shaking as you watched him study your features lovingly.

“Shh… it’s fine. I got you,” he whispered and you could swear ice pricked you from the inside. A slight movement to the right made you turn your head and you saw Jaemin lean casually against the banister of the stairs, his face serene. He gave you one quick look before a gentle smile finally lit up his features.

“Has it started?” he asked and you felt Haechan’s hold on you tighten.

“It has.”

You didn’t struggle. It was as if any trace of fight you had left you in that moment and you let your hands fall limply on your sides. Haechan also loosened his grip on you and you stared at the two boys blankly, your chest heaving as if fighting for air. They didn’t move from their spots and simply followed you with their eyes as if relishing the fear and realization flashing in your face.

Trapped.

You’re trapped.

You’ve always been.

You didn’t even realize that your legs had started moving again on their own as the pieces of the puzzle started to fall together in your mind. You were only shaken from it when your back finally hit the front door, the cold metal of the knob pressing against your spine. Jaemin and Haechan remained on their spots still, even as you blindly reached out for it from behind.

You were expecting it to be locked, so you were a little bit surprised when you felt it give way under your hand when you tried to turn it open. Just before you could even entertain the idea of escaping, however, any trace of hope you had quickly died as you turned and came face to face with Jeno standing right in front of the entrance. He didn’t look the least surprised seeing you there, as if he was waiting for you in the first place.

You eyes took in his calm countenance before slowly moving to stare downwards at what he was holding by his side. Your gaze locked on it in fear, and that’s when the flight response in you flared up again.

Jeno’s hunting rifle shone dully in the light of the entryway, his pale fingers wrapped on its handle.

“There’s really only one place you can run, noona, but I won’t advise it,” he said evenly and you felt your blood freeze in your veins.

“After all, no matter where you hide, I’ll still find you in that forest.”

It happened all at once. You broke into a run, your body screaming at you to go faster as you heard gunshots pierce the air.

---

CHAPTER 7

A/N: Good lord, I wasn’t expecting I’d finish this today but I got one large iced coffee and well... things happened. Anyway, enjoy! Let’s hope the format won’t mess up this time. T.T Finally, all hell broke loose~ <3

Tag list! 

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