#with such a limited opportunity to ever actually follow through on it

[grimark]

i can just never take any complaints about media like hannibal or whatever “normalising/romanticising cannibalism” too seriously. like yeah sure this practice that has an EXTREMELY strong taboo against it in many cultures throughout most of human history is gonna be brought into vogue by uh. gay horror enjoyers on tumblr. sure. big risk we should all be worried about.

[reverieblondie]

Summer Vacation

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara X fem!reader

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, Smut with Plot, Fingering. You and Miguel have to be sneaky.

Summary: College has been stressful and your finally off for summer vacation... But then you receive a surprise visit...

A/N: Ya'll thought I wasn't writing for Miguel anymore... oh how wrong you all are... If this dose well I will make it a mini series! Just let me know! Enjoy!

Word count: 3,242

So much for your plans for a quiet vacation…

It had been perfect in your mind. Your parents were out of town, and their house was so close to the beach that you couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a nice and relaxing summer vacation all to yourself. School had been hectic, and you needed some serious relaxing time lounging out under a shady umbrella, cutting down on your TBR list with a frozen drink at your side and maybe a summer fling on the other.

But now... that’s not going to happen, not with the little surprise visit you received…

As you had settled in last night, you heard the sounds of a slamming car door. Your first thought was your parents made a surprisingly short trip, but that’s when you saw him entering through the front door. 

Your brother? What is his goofy -

But before you can finish the thought, you saw him following in. You haven’t seen him in years, but as soon as you see those familiar eyes, you know exactly who he is. Miguel O’Hara, your older brother’s best friend. The last time you remember seeing Miguel was the summer before he and your brother graduated. Lots of people assumed Miguel was a grumpy jerk from his quiet nature. Still, you always found him funny and kinda charming. You especially loved when he gave your brother a hard time: Miguel was definitely your favorite out of all your brother’s friends.

In contrast, the others ignored you, where Miguel was always friendly and looked after you in his own way. Sure, he wasn’t stopping you in the halls to talk to you your freshman year, but you would catch how he would be subtly watching you, and without fail, every time you were doing homework at your dining room table, Miguel would slide in next to you to whisper what questions you got wrong. Okay, sure, you planned it out to be there when he came over, but could you really blame a girl? Miguel was top of his class, plus it also helped that Miguel was quite cute.   

You ended up developing a bit of a crush on him, but he was off-limits, and that was only a silly little freshman year crush. You are way past that. So, as you sit here lounging on your couch, watching him walk in looking taller, buffer, and undoubtedly cuter, okay, he’s actually sexy as hell now…

As soon as Miguel walked in, his eyes met yours. At first, he was equally surprised to see you, but his shock quickly turned to a smile, like he was actually excited to see you. Though the smile was short-lived, as when your brother turned around to grab his bag from him, Miguel went back to his ever-stoic look. 

After your initial surprise wore off, you told your brother about disrupting your plans. He was quick to assure you that he wasn’t going to ruin them as he walked over and ruffled your hair, “Don’t sweat it, sis. Me and Miguel won’t bother you too much.” 

“Too much?”

He laughs as he saunters into the kitchen, “Well, I am your older brother, and I can’t just not mess with you!” 

The audible groan you give only earns a laugh from your sibling. Older brothers… 

While your ruined vacation plans are flashing before your eyes, a clearing throat catches your attention. Turning around, you see Miguel looking down at you with a bit of a smile back to his full lips, 

“Guessing you’re not too excited to see us…” 

Well, if it had just been Miguel….that's a different story… “Let’s just say I had plans for a stress-relief vacation and can’t exactly do now with an older brother lurking around…” 

Miguel chuckles and quickly looks you up and down for a moment. His eyes go to your brother as he leans down and whispers, “You could… if you know how to be sneaky about it…” 

For a moment, you don’t think this is happening, but… is Miguel flirting? You look at him, confused but very intrigued… you haven’t seen him in forever, and this is how he acts? Maybe you’re just reading too much into it; Miguel always gave you homework advice. Perhaps this is just him doing that, but your horny brain is misinterpreting… But just in case….

You look into his eyes, seeing that once warm brown now, has a tinge of red to them. “How do I know you won’t rat on me to my brother? Get me in trouble?” 

“Let’s just say I can keep a secret… troublemaker.” 

Troublemaker? You could be a troublemaker if he’s going to be the one that’s going to spank-

No, No, No! Off limits! Brother’s best friend, I don’t care if he’s built like a god and has a nose that you would pay good money to grind against. You can’t be the one to stick your neck out. Maybe Miguel is just a flirt now; all talk, but it doesn’t mean it. Off limits!

While your brain can still form some rational thought, you rush off to bed before Miguel can notice the blush rising to your face. As you make it to your door, you think you see Miguel leaning back to look down the hall at you with a smirk. Being a sane person you quickly scramble through your door and slam it shut, you go and flop down in your bed, cursing your brother for having brought with him Miguel. Out of all his friends, he had to get the one who makes your insides scream. 

Now here you sit, completely forgetting about the book in your hands as you stare at Miguel, looking so damn distracting! You know you shouldn’t be staring at him, but watching him running shirtless with his bulging biceps, massive chest shining in a sheen of sweat, and his flexing abs. Don’t even get started on his ass and legs in his swimsuit. You quickly slam your face in your book; stop sexualizing him… off-limits…off limits! 

Though you never were one to have good self-control. So, peering up from your book, you look at him. Sweat has never looked so good. 

Miguel just looked so effortless in his movements, and from the looks of the others staring, you’re not the only one to think this. Something in your chest tightens with that thought, the thought of him swarmed by admirers. For as long as you have known him, you have seen how people trip over themselves to fawn over him, but he always remained single from what you knew… you are sure he has had girlfriends before, but every time he was around you… he didn’t bring one up, he always was single, or at least appearing to be.

Then lost in your staring, his eyes meet yours.

You want to blame the sudden rush of heat to your face on the summer heat, but you know it’s from him… that same auburn gaze that always makes your stomach flutter and your insides ache. 

Miguel watches you as he pushes back his sweat-drenched hair before he lets a smile form on his full lips and gives you a slight wave. You work up the nerve to wave back, then quickly hide behind your book again. You’re stuck rereading the same line over and over, trying to hold onto the words, but that smile and those eyes…

Perhaps another peek won’t hurt…

Going for it, you take another look and see your brother, Miguel, and two pretty girls. The girls are all perky and smiles as they chat, something your brother is eating up, while Miguel has returned to being stoic—his ever-trustworthy defense mechanism. 

Looking away, you’re going through a swell of emotions. Well, more like one bitter emotion…

Jealousy…

You have as prided yourself on being a supportive girl; when you see a girl shooting her shot, you always wish silent good luck for them, but right now, seeing them talking to Miguel… It’s making you feel bitter. In no way is Miguel yours, hell he’s off limits for what you’re concerned, but watching this… hurts. This is ridiculous. Jealousy? Really? With a sigh you try to just forget it, though your skin is feeling hot, and you’re fighting the urge to stare.

To calm yourself, you place your book to the side and strip off your cover-up, the material that was once comfortable now irritating. You hadn’t planned on swimming or being out of your cover-up, so of course you make this the day you wear your smallest bikini. It’s funny how things always turn out like that. Stripping off the material, you instantly feel some relief. However, you have that distinct feeling of someone looking at you, watching you. 

With a glance, you see Miguel looking over everyone’s heads to make eye contact with you again…

Getting back to your book and swallowing down your jealousy, you keep your eyes on your book to keep yourself out of trouble. Finally, after a bit, when you're just getting lost in the text, there’s a nudge on your leg. 

“Uhhggg, please tell me you didn’t come here just to sit around.” Narrowing your eyes at the complaining source, you see your brother nagging you. 

You look down at your book, “You enjoy your time your way; I will enjoy mine my way.” 

Your brother rolls his eyes before grabbing his water bottle, “Goes to the beach and doesn’t swim or play soccer with her big bro. Are you depressed or something?” 

More like irritated… and frustrated… 

Before you can give your rebuttal, Miguel silences Your brother by bouncing the soccer ball on his head, “Stop messing with her.” 

Your brother, as dramatic as ever, holds his head and whines, “Ouch! When did you get so overprotective?” 

Miguel looks surprised and almost guilty for a moment before the mask comes back. “I’m not overprotective; just… let the kid relax like she wants.” 

KID?!

As soon as the words leave his lips, they are ringing in your ears. A kid? He’s older than you, sure, but calling you kid? What the hell? Is that how he sees you? You don’t know what’s the worst label: best friends little sister, or kid? 

Your brother pats your head, “Aw, got to be nice to the baby!” 

The words sting deeper. It’s not like you’re not used to your brother’s teasing; that’s actually how you two play with each other and show affection, but today…

You quickly stand, swatting his hand away. Your brother pauses and looks at you, confused. “Wow, what’s your damage?”

“I’m not in the mood…” You bite back, grab your bag, and walk off. 

“Where are you going?!” 

“None of your business!” 

You’re not even sure where you are going, but with your chest burning with embarrassment and annoyance, you just don’t want to be somewhere you’re labeled as a kid. 

You ended up at the concession stand to get some ice cream. Okay, not precisely screaming, mature lady. But your irritation at the situation is reaching a peak, and you need a nice cold comfort snack to cool you down.  

A kid… he sees you as a kid, you’re a woman in college, and he calls you a kid… and here you thought he was staring at you. Fooling yourself to think he’s interested. Looking down at yourself, you feel worse, wearing this bikini revealing your body secretly hoping to grab his attention. Ugh! Maybe you should go home, hide in your room till they leave… And why is this line moving so sl-

Suddenly, the feeling of a giant hand grabbing you close startles you. You’re pulled into what feels like a brick wall. Looking up at the sudden grabber, you see that familiar strong jaw and that dark wavy hair, but not his gaze. No, Miguel is looking off at a nearby table at a group of guys who are visibly avoiding eye contact and sweating bullets. 

You look between them for a few more minutes before you ask the million-dollar question, “What are you doing?” 

Miguel doesn’t take his eyes off the group, “Just... keeping an eye on you…”

This only seems to piss you off more; now he’s watching over you like you can’t handle yourself.

You push yourself out of Miguel’s hold, getting his attention to your huffy face, “What’s your problem?”

“I don’t need a babysitter!” You bite back. 

Miguel furrows his eyebrows at you, “I didn’t say you did!” he says, equally frustrated.

“Then stop treating me like I’m some kid!”

Miguel looks at you, confused, before he remembers what he said. “Look… I didn’t mean it like that.”

Before Miguel can finish, he’s being pushed past, you’re doing your best to show how thoroughly pissed off you are. You ignore him the best you can as he walks after you. Trying to ignore how his voice makes your skin tingle as he says your name. But right now, you can’t focus on that. You’re just wanting to slip away and hide! What you were not expecting as you slipped into one of the colorfully painted private changing sheds was for Miguel to follow behind you.

Miguel locks the door behind himself, and you groan. “I was trying to get away from you.”

“Will you at least listen to what I have to say? And stop acting like a brat?”

You roll your eyes, “Oh, so now I’m a brat!”

Miguel continues to get irritated with you, and you’re not listening, so he has to listen to your ranting. You go one about how you're not a kid, how they ruined your summer vacation, and what was the deal at the concession stand.

Miguels finally had enough. If you won’t listen to you he will just have to take the risk and show you.

So, during your rant, you feel two large hands gently grabbing your face. The gentleness of the touch sends currents of desire through your body. His eyes are steady on yours as he watches you lose your words, and your anger die down. Slowly, his thumb moves from your jaw to trace over your lips softly.

“Can you pause for a minute so I can kiss you?” 

You didn’t have to say yes; all you had to do is close your eyes and stand on your tiptoes to let him know you want it as badly as he does—to kiss him.

Miguel touches his lips to yours; their soft fullness blurs your thoughts. All that tingling turns into a back-arching static as Miguel guides you through the kiss. The intensity of the kiss grows with every second, with every careful caress, and as Miguel finally presses his warmth against you, you’re fully lost in him—lost in each other.

The feel of Miguel’s hands dropping to your hips makes your lips part with a gasp, allowing Miguel to slip in his tongue. The taste of him was completely intoxicating, making your thighs tighten and your pussy get wetter with every pass of his experienced tongue.

 Before he can completely lose himself in your kiss, he quickly turns you around so his chest is pressed against your back, and his hard cock is against your ass.

Miguel brings his lips to the shell of your ear, his warm breath softly panting over your skin, making you lean into him. Reaching behind you, you grab a hold of his dark hair between your fingers.

“I’ve wanted to do that since the second I saw you again.” he whispers in your ear.

Miguel slowly moves his large hand to the hem of your bottoms, his fingers teasing the material,

“Then... I’m forced to look at you in this tiny thing, which is driving me even more crazy.”

You can hardly think coherently as you let out a trembling whine, “Crazy…”

Miguel lets out a low purring hum as he slips his finger under the material, his fingertip softly teasing your slick folds. Tempting you to beg. How badly you want to beg... but the feeling of his rough fingers on your soft flesh as your hips slightly rolling against him. It’s all the begging Miguel needs (or that he can handle...) before he finds your slit and starts to tease your opening.

You can’t help but squirm, sick of the teasing and needing to feel him. With a shuddering pled, Miguel finally gives in to his lust, and your lust, and he sips in his finger. The stretch makes you rise to your toes, and your breath gives, the feeling of that curling pressure making you want more. Miguel presses his lips to your neck, his erection growing harder the deeper his digit goes. Miguel can’t help but grind his clothed cock against your ass as he whispers sweet words into your skin. Then right as your pussy is adjusting to his thick finger, he adds another, pushing in deep, all the way down to his rough knuckles. Your sticky arousal dripped down his thick fingers and pooled into his palm.

A sheen of sweat forms on your skin that Miguel eagerly licks up from your neck. Your core is starting to burn, and right as you think you can’t take anymore, his other hand comes down and starts rubbing your clit. Your legs tremble, and you begin to lose yourself in the feeling. Miguel’s breath matches your own as you start to approach that eye-crossing pleasure…

You feel yourself clenching on him, your whole body quivering. This feels like a dream: Miguel, the man you have been silently pining for, is touching you... kissing you... something he has equally wanted as much as you. The girl who was always so close... but off limits... Though now, you both couldn’t take it anymore how you needed each other…

Right as your bottoms are dropping to the floor and a moan is breaking from your throat, Miguel’s lips are on your rapid plus... then a ringing...

You both pause, gazing at each other, then at your bag thrown in the corner during the start of your rant. The ringing continues. You both knew who it was, but you didn’t want to leave this moment. At this moment, you two didn’t have to hide your wants, but if you didn’t answer, your brother would come looking.

Begrudgingly, you two part, with an irritated groan from the both of you. Bottoms back on your reaching for your bag, but your wrist is caught by Miguel before you can pick it up. Looking up at him confused, you see that classic stoic look,

“Wha-”

“I don’t want this to stop here.”

You’re completely dumbfounded. Here he is, the man you want saying the thing you want. “What if...” You don’t finish the sentence or want to think of any possible consequences.

Your Phone is still ringing, but you’re too entranced by him. Miguel leans his forehead against yours, “Be sneaky with me, trouble...”

Your summer plans might not be completely ruined after all…

“Think about it... and get back to me... Miguel gives you a chaste kiss, and before you know it, your bag is in your hands, and he exits the changing room. 

In your Miguel daze, you answer your Phone, reassuring your brother that you’re no longer mad and that you and Miguel are on your way back.

[klausysworld]

Sinful

Klaus had become, to an extent, addicted to sex.

The amount of time he had spent indulging in his deepest fantasies over the course of a thousand years was unbelievable.

He had learned how to please himself and others.

He was able to tell what people liked or wanted just by their body language. He was able to tell what their darkest desires were.

Some girls were shyer with what they wanted, they would make him work for it and tease him. Klaus learned to enjoy the chase, the game of catching the girl and finally unraveling all those dirty little thoughts and playing with his new toy until she was all tired out and used.

Klaus often could't help himself but ruin women whenever they let him. The knowledge that they were his to break and claim turned him on enough and it was so easy for a man like him to push their limits and get whatever he wanted from them.

Girls would fall to their knees for him. The image of legs spreading was permanently engraved into his mind and the sweet scent of sex always span through his head.

As the centuries past by, woman had gotten a lot friskier. Much more forward and confident which made Klaus's desires much easier achieved. Especially in recent years, it meant he had been partaking in many more types of play.

From being in sex dungeons where he was able to literally use woman as personal fuck dolls to having someone restrain him and use him in return. There was very little Klaus would ever not do. There was also very little Klaus had not done aalready.

It was because of this, all this experience that he knew a girl like Y/n when he saw one.

She had been eyeing him as though he were nothing more than a piece of meat for her to sink her teeth into and as he trailed his eyes over her, he found himself doing the same back.

Y/n was what Klaus would call 'sex on a stick'.

She was gorgeous, flawless actually.

Legs long and toned, ass firm and round, waist tight and slender, breasts ample and tender, neck utterly delicious and biteable attached to a borderline angelic face.

But Klaus knew that she was no angel. No this girl was surely hand carved by the devil himself, utterly sinful.

Her eyes were dark under the dimly lit club lights. Admittedly Klaus had come there hoping to find someone to satisfy his needs but he hadn’t expected to be graced with a seductresses presence.

He looked right at her, soaking up the feeling of her attention. There was something daring about her gaze as though she were taunting him, testing to see if he would come over to her. Klaus didn’t bite the bait very often, he preferred for his women to come to him however he also knew how quickly someone like her could be snatched up.

Especially when he glanced around the club and noticed the other eyes she had on her.

He wouldn’t risk the opportunity to taste a treasure like her.

However when he moved to sit beside her, she pulled herself up and walked away from him. Klaus’s eyes narrowed in both annoyance and intrigue at the challenge as he followed her.

His hands slid up her hips and abdomen as she began to move along with the crowd in the centre of the room, the dance floor. Her body moved so smoothly that he could only imagine how well she could ride a man, how good her thrusts were. As her skin began to shine with heat, he pulled her closer to his body so that her squeezable ass could grind against his hard cock through his jeans.

Her head leant backwards until the back of it rest against her shoulder and he was presented with the site of such a delicious looking neck. Her hot breath tickled his ear in a way that sent shivers along his spine and made his hips press forward again.

His lips began to latch onto her skin, sucking and nipping up her throat slowly. A little giggle vibrated through her body as she kissed his ear teasingly and pulled her neck away from his mouth. A low growl left his chest and his hands gripped her body in need and possession.

She shifted round in his hold to face him. He pulled her right up close, squishing her breasts against him and sliding his hands down to her ass.

Klaus leaned forward so his face hovered just over hers. The music made it difficult for her to hear him but she watched as his lips moved. Eventually he spoke up, “I want you” he told her firmly and she laughed.

“You and everybody else” she answered, a taunting smile on her lips as she moved backwards but he wouldn’t let her get away from him. She was far too good to lose.

Klaus rolled his eyes and tugged her back to him, “Come on sweetheart” he hissed into her ear, his hands squeezing the firm flesh of her ass before kneading it. Y/n took slight amusement in her ability to have men all over her in the matter of seconds. Especially a man like him.

Someone like Klaus would get what he wanted, Y/n wasn’t a fool to that and she saw no bother in dragging it out too long but still, it was fun to watch the desperation set in.

She could feel how hard he was, how badly his body wanted her. Naturally she rubbed herself against him, allowing him that slight satisfaction to make his grip tighten further.

Y/n let out a little moan as the pain of how aggressively he held onto her ass, the mere idea of the things this man would do to her was enough to make her want him too.

Klaus responded to her display of pleasure and smacked her ass harshly to hear her breathy moan beside his ear. He breathed in the rich scent of her blood that pumped just below her silk-like skin.

The music vibrated through both their bodies as Y/n continued to move against him and welcome his eager hands as they groped and grabbed at everything she had to offer. Klaus slid his hand up to her throat and squeezed until he heard a sound of approval making his lips pull into a cruel smirk. He knew she was going to be something special.

Y/n could feel the delightful buzz of alcohol fuel her confidence as she brought her hand to cup his cock through his trousers. She caressed him firmly, enjoying how his hips ground back against her touch and his head tilted back in pleasure. Slight amusement made her lips twitch to a smirk as she squeezed his erection.

It took every ounce of control left in Klaus not to fuck her in front of all those people. Not to push her down onto her knees and fuck that perfect face until her vocal cords stopped working.

Fortunately for him Y/n could read his thoughts very well and slid her hands back up his body. She cupped his neck in her hands and smiled at him, her red lips curling enticingly.

"I hear there's a nice hotel a few streets over" she whispered, eyes shining with desire. Klaus nodded faintly, holding onto her hips as she lead them out of the club.

The cool air soothed his boiling body for a moment and he was able to think a little clearer. He pulled her flush against him making her squeal and stop walking, placing her hand on his chest and giving him a questioning look. Klaus, however, didn't have anything to say. He just desperately wanted to see her face in the moonlight, to feel her right there and then. Her hand felt like pure sin as he leant into it. Everything about her was sinful. And he loved it.

Y/n could see everything flashing through his eyes and slowly continued to guide him towards the block of hotels. Klaus was barely aware that his feet were moving as he felt all along her curves, stroking and squeezing as much as he could. Eventually they got into the building and after almost losing it and nearly taking her against the elevator wall, they got into a room.

Klaus finally let the animal in him out to play when they got inside. Her body was handled roughly as he threw her onto the bed and pinned her down with him on top of her.

Y/n laughed softly and ran her fingers through his hair as his lips and teeth attacked her jaw and neck. She laid back willingly and pet the beast that was so desperate to ravish her.

Her feet shifted to kick her heels off before she lifted one to press against her crotch, offering something for his throbbing cock to grind against. The contrast between his roughness and her softness stirred so much within him. Klaus couldn't help but tear the dress right off her body.

Y/n rolled her eyes to herself, wondering what she'd wear when she left in the morning but pushing the thought away when his big warm hands cupped her tits. His palms rolled over her nipples, before the heat of his mouth tugged at them.

"Fuck" she whispered breathily, her hand pushing his head encouragingly. Klaus had his eyes closed so she wouldn't see the wolf behind him as his tongue flicked over the hardened bud before switching to the other. His find could only imagine how gorgeous she would look with his cum splatted all over her tits. His hands squeezed them painfully as he pulled off her nipple with a loud 'pop'.

"I want to fuck these" He murmured, a growl to his voice that send a wave of warmth between her legs. Her hand lifted his chin, nails denting his skin as she pulled him up to kiss her lips at last.

They both moaned in unison as their tongues danced and played tauntingly at the other. Her fingers worked his clothes off his body, wanting him bare for her to touch and admire.

He pulled away from their passion as her hand tugged at his cock, he hadn't known himself to get quite so hard before. To the point where it pained him, he had to restrain himself from jerking himself off right then just to soothe himself. He knew if she tried to tease him that he wouldn't be able to help but cum. She knew it too.

Her hand stroked him firmly, once, twice, three times before he came with a loud guttural moan. Her humour filled laugh made his gut twist with humiliation but he couldn't overthink it. All he could think about was her.

"I hope you have more left in you" she teased and his skin blushed red as his wolf raged under the surface. He could see that she expected him to get embarrassed and defensive so he tried especially hard not to. Instead he simply rolled his eyes and pulled her against him again. His lips moulded back against hers and his hands caressed down to her hips.

"Don't mock me yet sweetheart, you won't last much longer than I" he muttered, brushing his fingertips over the soaked lips of her pussy. Her moans were like heaven and hell twisted together and he lusted for more of them.

The pad of his thumb caressed her clit slowly to begin with, teasing and spreading her wetness before a finger sunk into her. Y/n's eyes went back into her head and her teeth bit into her lip as she rolled her hips to feet his touch. The tightness of her cunt made his cock twitch again while his fingers worked her up.

"You like this sweetheart?" He murmured as his knuckles bent inside her and he stretched her with a second finger. Y/n nodded with a moan, bucking her hips to feel the delightful friction against her clit. "Your pussy feels so soft" He mumbled, more to himself than her but she still her heard him.

A breathless laugh left her as he pumped three fingers inside her, his eyes locked onto the way her cunt wept for him and the way her clit pulses with need. His thoughts blurred together as his hand sped him, effectively fucking her until her nails clawed at the sheets as her walls spasmed around his fingers. His breathing was as heavy as hers as he lifted his fingers to his lips and licked her fresh orgasm off of his skin.

Y/n was looking up at the ceiling, panting as she calmed down only for his hot tongue to press against her cunt. She cried out in pleasure, legs spreading for him to fully indulge himself between them.

He lapped at her like a man starved, his tongue curling passionately until the familiar taste of her cum filled his mouth again.

Y/n pushed him onto his back, kissing his lips deeply and forcing a groan out of him. Her hands caressed up his body to his chest. He grunted and his back arched when she sat on his cock, her pussy swallowing it whole.

"Fuck- angel!" he moaned and Y/n let out a soft laugh as she slowly rocked her hips, getting familiar with the feel of his dick inside her.

"Don't call me that" she whispered and he grunted, bucking his hips up in time with hers so that smack of their skin could be heard.

"Why not, angel?" he muttered, a little amused until his eyes locked onto hers.

Y/n's eyes were entirely black when he looked into them, in response his went gold against his will and a choked groan left him as she bounced faster on top his cock.

"Because I'm not an angel" she told him, her voice much lower and almost smoky as her words sunk in.

Klaus had no time to react before her teeth were in his throat.

An ironic turn of events for the hybrid as the demon fed on his soul.

Klaus's mind was a haze for the following hours though he was vaguely aware of what he was doing and the pleasure she was giving him.

The feel of her wicked tongue wrapped around the head of his cock was burned into his memory. Her pussy took him time after time again until they were both trembling with overstimulation.

Eventually they both passed out.

He woke a while later, when the sun was high in the sky.

He was laid beneath the covers with Y/n tucked to his chest. Visions of her true form flashed through his head and a slight feeling of fear mixed with the prominent intrigue he felt.

His body was heavy, too heavy for him to get up and he truly had to wonder what she had done to him and what she planned to do.

When she woke, she behaved as though it were a normal one-night stand. She smirked at him as he watched her get changed from the bed. Before she left she came to his side and stroked the side of his face, her touch so hot that it sizzled his skin,

"Don't worry Niklaus, your strength will restore" she whispered and his brows pulled together when she uttered his name though his heart sped up at her following sentence; "When I feel that you're ready, I'll find you again." She warned him as she kissed his lips and left.

[mehiwilldoitlater]

He gently caressed their scattered skin, dry for their living condition and from the mud that had been spattered on them while they were dragged to the sentences of the seven.

The imposter was finally captured, and now the day of their execution has come.

As they were taken to their pyre, the seven archons observed in disgust the blasphemy of the creature that dared to impersonate the actual creator. But three, among those who wanted to claim their heads, felt a heavy doubt about this call for blood.

The Hydro and Dendro Archons looked at each other, knowing that something in them was so off. And, just behind Lady Furina, the Ludex watched, in horror, the scene in front of him.

That wasn't justice. Justice was something that needed to be used in order to create peace—to judge and punish the ones that harm others lives, the ones that have to keep everything in check.

They dragged that poor, marturated body over the stage,their hands grasping some hair from their caged throats. Their jailers didn't lose the opportunity to shove their feet on their already broken ribs, causing them to cough and gasp. That wasn't justice.

Days prior, Neuvilette studied the case, searching for everything that could justify the looming execution against someone who had impersonated the creator. And his efforts took him to nothing; the accused was attacked on the spot, but there wasn't any activity from their part.

They never professed to be the creator; the persecution started without an actual felony.

And now there they were, the former dragon in front of the soon-to-be dead imposter.

Why did he feel his heart clench at the vision of that human in that sorry state? He was the great judge of Fontaine; he wasn't supposed to feel sadness against someone like them, and yet...

Without even knowing it, he moved in their direction. Some believed that he was ready to strike something, to hurt them more like everyone else. Instead, followed by the crowd falling into silence, he kneeled in front of them, watching the creator in their eyes.

There were no eyes to watch—just two burning holes. They once admired the beauty of that world.

His gloved fingers reached for their cheeks, meeting only a trembling and sobbing mess. They retreat, fearing another sharp blow.

"Please..."

His voice was calm and gentle, which surprised them. How lovely did someone actually use that tone with them?

They kept trembling, but they didn't retreat again when he had the courage to stroke their faces. Was that agonizing torture really necessary? The face of a god was enough to justify the horrors of what they did to that human. In all the years of his work, Neuvilette has never felt such agony for someone who clearly faces unnecessary violence.

Did the archer really enjoy this? Did they actually feel such happiness terrorizing and violating someone who was clearly at their limit? For the first time in a century, Neuvilette felt his blood boiling.

"Why did you impersonate a god? ...Did you want to fool them in order to gain power?"

There wasn't any evidence reported in the document; the witness never actually stated that they ever did something against their law. He had nothing; now he wanted to hear it out.

No words; just a small whine came out of their lips. They wanted to say something, but they were too weak to even talk. Neuvilette came closer, trying to understand something, anything.

"It hurt... It hurt so much. Please."

He didn't need any more words.

////

"Ummm... I wonder what kind of interesting new show you're going to put us through, my dear Ludex!"

Furina's voice was chirpier than ever, clearly infatuated by the outcome of the last week.

Neuvilette decided to ignore her small talk; he had more important matters to attend to.

"By the way, you said that the other day our new guest had... spilled gold from their bandages?"

"Yes, I think that happened. I think I saw a few traces back at the executor, but I never investigated anything about it."

"Ummm..."

Silence fell again in the office, and the two occupants now wondered the same question.

What now?

[venusiancharisma]

Bad Luck/Karmic Placements in Synastry

Aspects & Overlays that may indicate someone's natal energy brings about bad luck, bad karma, or a new karmic into your natal energy. This is a topic I channeled because of my fascination with Neptune. As most of you know, aspects with Neptune can create illusory and fanatical connections in synastry and while most of us are just romanticizing our situations because something feels "fated," we may actually be doing ourselves a disservice by following a karmic, blindly, not realizing it's an illusion. Obviously, Neptune isn't the only indicator of these themes but it is the planet that I was interpreting when I became inspired to put this out there. Or maybe your situation trends more on the side of meeting someone you're head over heels with BUT ever since you started talking/dating, you've had nothing but bad luck and blockages meet you at every turn. I myself have experiences both, numerous times. I have accounted for the incidents and in reference to my knowledge of Astrology, I plan on giving you the most obvious signs of these red flags, hidding in plain sight!

Saturn Aspects: Challenging aspects (conjunctions, squares, oppositions) involving one person's Saturn and the other person's personal planets (e.g., Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars) can indicate areas where responsibilities, limitations, or challenges may arise. While these aspects can be demanding, they often present opportunities for growth and maturity. Saturn Square or Opposition to Personal Planets: These aspects can bring tension and challenges to the relationship. The Saturn person may impose restrictions or limitations on the personal planet person, which can lead to feelings of frustration or a sense of duty and responsibility. It may feel like the relationship is demanding and requires effort to overcome obstacles. However, these aspects also provide opportunities for growth, discipline, and maturity. Saturn Conjunct Personal Planets: When Saturn is conjunct a personal planet in synastry, it can create a sense of seriousness and commitment in the relationship. The Saturn person may take on a mentorship or authoritative role, and the personal planet person may feel a strong sense of responsibility toward the Saturn person's goals and values. While it can be challenging, it can also lead to long-lasting and stable relationships if both individuals are willing to work together. Saturn Square or Opposition to Venus: These aspects may indicate challenges in the area of love and relationships. The Saturn person may bring a sense of duty, responsibility, or practicality to the Venus person's romantic inclinations, which can lead to conflicts or feelings of emotional restriction. However, over time, these aspects can lead to a deeper commitment and a more mature approach to love. Saturn Square or Opposition to Mars: These aspects can signify challenges in the way the individuals express their desires and passions. There may be power struggles or conflicts related to assertiveness and action. While this can create tension, it can also lead to growth and better communication if both parties are willing to work through the challenges. South Node Aspects: Aspects involving one person's South Node and the other person's planets can suggest karmic connections or unresolved issues from past lives. These aspects may indicate patterns that need to be acknowledged and transformed. South Node Conjunct Personal Planets: When the South Node of one person is conjunct (close to) the personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) of the other person, it can suggest a strong karmic connection. This connection may indicate that the individuals have shared past-life experiences that need to be addressed in this lifetime. While this can bring up unresolved issues, it also offers a chance for healing and growth. South Node Opposition Personal Planets: Opposition aspects to the South Node from personal planets can create a push-pull dynamic in the relationship. The individuals may feel a strong attraction and a sense of familiarity, but there can also be challenges related to the past-life themes associated with the South Node. South Node Square Personal Planets: Square aspects to the South Node can bring tension and conflict related to karmic issues. The individuals may feel like they are working through old patterns and may experience resistance or challenges in doing so. South Node Aspects to Outer Planets: Aspects from the South Node to the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) can indicate deep and complex karmic themes. These aspects may suggest that the individuals have a significant karmic mission or purpose in this lifetime. While it can be challenging, it can also be transformative. South Node Aspects to the North Node: Aspects between the South Node of one person and the North Node of the other person can indicate a karmic connection that involves working together to fulfill a shared purpose or destiny. These aspects may suggest that the individuals are meant to support each other's growth and evolution.

Chiron Aspects: Chiron represents wounds and healing. Aspects between one person's Chiron and the other person's planets can suggest areas where both individuals may trigger each other's wounds or provide opportunities for healing and growth.

Chiron Conjunct Personal Planets: When one person's Chiron is conjunct (close to) the personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) of the other person, it can indicate that the Chiron person may trigger or activate the wounds or vulnerabilities associated with the personal planet person. This aspect can create a sense of empathy and understanding, providing an opportunity for both individuals to work on their healing processes. Chiron Opposition Personal Planets: Opposition aspects to Chiron may create a dynamic where the Chiron person and the personal planet person have different approaches to dealing with wounds or vulnerabilities. This can lead to growth through mutual support and understanding, rather than bad luck or bad karma. Chiron Square Personal Planets: Square aspects to Chiron can bring tension and challenges related to healing and vulnerability. While there may be conflicts or difficulties, these aspects also provide opportunities for growth and transformation. Chiron Aspects to Outer Planets: Chiron aspects to the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) in synastry may indicate complex dynamics related to healing and transformation. These aspects often suggest that the individuals have deep, soul-level lessons to work on together, but they do not imply bad luck or bad karma. Chiron Aspects to the North Node: Chiron's connection to the North Node can suggest that the individuals have a karmic opportunity to work on their healing and growth together. These aspects point to the potential for shared lessons and mutual support. Chiron House Overlays: When one person's Chiron falls into the same house as the other person's planets or points, it highlights a specific area of life where healing and growth may be focused. This can lead to shared experiences and learning opportunities.

Pluto Aspects: Intense aspects (conjunctions, squares, oppositions) involving Pluto in synastry can indicate power struggles, transformational experiences, or deep emotional connections. While challenging, they can also signify opportunities for profound change and personal evolution. 8th House Overlays: The 8th House is associated with transformation, shared resources, and intense experiences. When one person's planets fall into the other person's 8th House, it can suggest a connection that may involve deep emotional or psychological processes. 12th House Overlays: Planets in one person's chart falling into the other person's 12th House can create a connection that feels mysterious, spiritual, or karmic. The 12th House is associated with hidden matters and the subconscious. Vertex Aspects: Aspects to the Vertex point in synastry may indicate fated or karmic connections. These aspects can suggest a sense of destiny or significant life events associated with the relationship.

DISCLAIMER: challenging aspects or karmic connections do not necessarily imply negative outcomes. They often point to areas where personal growth, healing, and transformation can occur. Relationships, like life itself, involve a mix of challenges and opportunities for learning and evolving.

[audiblehush]

Okay, so post-P1 trailer, the thing I’m MOST excited about for is Colin and Penelope’s ACTUAL friendship!

Because while Colin has always viewed Penelope as a genuine a friend, she has always had the added lense of “I’m in love with you,” and that changed the way she interacted with him.

But now, to Penelope, Colin has essentially closed the door on him ever seeing her in a romantic light, both with his end of S2 words AND their “friends” handshake in S3. “Okay,” she probably thinks, “that dream is dead but friends. I can do friends.”

But what this opportunity does is this give us Penelope functioning in this friendship as an ACTUAL friend, and not just “yes sure friends but I can’t get the heart out of eyes enough for it to be truly genuine because I’m wearing a mask so you like me” - That didn’t make her a bad person; it made her a girl with a strong crush worried about his view of her; it’s normal! But it also obviously led to her putting on airs around him, while also having him on a pedestal and not seeing him as a fully realized person.

But these “lessons” allow for them to be around one another without expectation. That scene of them giggling in the ballroom like dorks, as if no one else was around them??

ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!!!!

Colin will begin to see Penelope as a true friend because she’ll LET him; she’ll drop her guard enough to be real instead of trying to impress him all the time. THAT is (hopefully) when Colin starts to realize his feelings: because Penelope will finally be her authentic self… while feeling more confident because of her new wardrobe. He’ll be attracted to her new confidence, and her ACTUAL personality she’s letting him finally see, not just her physical glow-up (the candle symbolism!!!!).

COLIN will now have heart eyes for her, and maybe the one to have her on a slight pedestal… only for the LW reveal to happen and shake his world… letting us see his hurt, his anger, his worry…

Once they work through all that is when these two see each other for who the other REALLY is, flaws and all, fighting to grow individually, as a friendship, as a COUPLE… and choose each other every time.

THAT. IS. MY. JAM.

I still have my concerns about the season. I do NOT want Colin only realizing his feelings once some other guy pays her mind. I NEED him to already be struggling with and analyzing his feelings before Debling get involved. If I had to guess, it will be more than Colin is like “okay, I’m pretty sure I have feelings for Penelope, but how do i know for SURE when I’ve thought that before?” (thanks S1…) … but then Debling comes along looking for a wife, and Colin is suddenly between rock and a hard place because now he has a sort time limit to sort through really complicated feelings.

Violet says “ what more could SHE want?” mostly likely about Penelope and Debling, because Debling is wealthy, titled, and has strong interests and beliefs he is committed to (based on his promo info, anyway). This has already been an insecurity of Colin’s since S1. He’s a third son (with wealth, yes), but he has been searching for “his purpose” for ages now; it’s all over S2 how lost he is and how that frustrates him. His family tends to tolerate him at best and kind of ridicule him at worst, and so he flits by being easy-going and “charming” when he just wants to know who is and be accepted for it. So Violet says all this and Colin says “but you said friendship is the best foundation” and she tells him to follow his heart.

But that’s the problem: Colin struggles to KNOW HIS OWN HEART, and not just romantically! So I just want to know how much of his feelings for Pen has he grappled with at that point? How much exploration outside of his Pen stuff has he done regarding his own person? Because he IS a person outside his relationships, but HE doesn’t feel that way.

EDIT: Also, ALSO Yes, Colin is hyping pen up, but I want her to hype HIM up once she sees that he’s not as confident as he acts. She’s seen glimpses of that in S2, but S3 can let her be like “actually, you are AMAZING…” and without romantic intentions, just her telling her friends he has so much to offer the world.

I’m also scared Penelope will make some awful choices (Nicola hinted at this in interviews) and like, i get it we need conflict, but my poor heart can only take so much…

At the end of the day, it’s all speculation. It’s so hard to say with how trailers are cut, and I know they can’t include it all, and most people are here for the romance so that is what they would lean into… so I’m really trying to avoid doom-theorizing, or even getting attached to things I WANT to happen. We won’t know until it’s out, so I’m just trying to contain both feelings of nervousness AND excitement.

I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH, YOUR HONOR!!!!

[sleepingdeath-light]

minthara smut hcs ; 18+

requested by ; disney anon (02/12/23)

fandom(s) ; baldur’s gate 3

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; minthara

outline ; “I've been summoned by your BG3 request call 🫡 Can you please do some Minthara x reader relationship and smut headcanons?”

warning(s) ; sexually explicit content, strict dominant!minthara, sadist!minthara, submissive!reader, masochist!reader, bondage, marking kink, pet name kink (mistress), edging, orgasm denial, ruined orgasms, use of sex toys (strap on)

note ; as i’ve never written for minthara until now, her characterisation may be a tad shaky here/worth a future rework lol ^^

minors and ageless blogs will be blocked

first things first, but minthara is a strictly dominant person so there’s less than zero chance of you ever getting her to hand over control to you (not even as a type of roleplay) — and not only is she strictly dominant, she’s also a very strict dominant who isn’t afraid to punish you for acting out of line and/or being a brat

though there are occasions where she can appreciate the opportunity to fight you for the right to dominate you — she fell for your strength and capability in battle, after all, so the occasional chance to experience that side of you again is certainly welcome (… so long as you clear it with her first, otherwise she may just see it as you actually being a brat and will punish you accordingly)

she has very specific expectations of you once you two start incorporating a formal dynamic into your bedroom, which includes everything from establishing a thorough and methodical aftercare routine to discussing how she ought to punish you for breaking the rules — each rule has its own sort of punishment, of course, and she’s very particular about having each punishment be suited to the offence committed (e.g. minor infractions and slip ups are met with softer punishments whereas majorly bratting out will have you bent over her knee and punished immediately), and she always makes a point to have you state your ‘crime’ and it’s set punishment in full before moving on to actually punishing you (this is partially to humiliate you and remind you of your place, but it’s also her own way of making sure you understand what’s being done and don’t think you’re being hurt without reason — she may be a sadist, but she’s not that cruel… not with you, anyway)

due to the above mentioned discussions, minthara absolutely excels when it comes to aftercare — loving you and being gentle with you may not come easily to her given her background, but she nevertheless does whatever she can to ensure you’re well taken care of to the best of her abilities: washing you by hand, bringing you filling foods to eat, fetching water, and talking through what happened to ensure she didn’t go too far and that you did actually enjoy yourself no matter how taxing the session was on you

of course she makes a habit of altering/adjusting her punishments based on your limits and boundaries, but if you have no objections to them then her default punishment for severe infractions is as follows: minthara restraining you so professionally and tightly that you can barely move at all, her using her hands and/or strap-on to bring you to the brink of climax and either pulling away entirely to edge you or giving you a completely ruined orgasm, her not stopping until you’re weeping through your words as you beg her to please let you cum/finish properly and promise her to be good, and her finally giving in to your pleas once she’s decided you’ve earned it (or not giving in at all if you were especially bad or bratty beforehand)

as mentioned above, minthara is extremely proficient when it comes to bondage and is more than happy to show off her talents whenever the occasion arises — whether you want something minimal but practical, something to suspend you, or something with a little more flare to keep you in place as she ruins you, she’s more than capable of adapting her style to suit each of your needs and wants in the bedroom

because of how intense sex and foreplay with her can get, she makes sure that you remember every established safe word and action before you two actually do anything — actions in case you’re gagged or too overwhelmed to speak, milder safe words in case you need a break but don’t actually want to stop, fake safe words if you’re participating in a sort of primal play, and an actual safe word if you want her to stop

once you two are in an intimate situation you’re expected to address her as ‘mistress’ lest she have to punish you for your defiance — she may be swayed to let you call her something like ‘mommy’ (or ‘mummy’ depending on your preference) if it’s something that you’re really into and if you’ve been good enough to earn a reward, but her preference will always be towards ‘mistress’

she has a big thing for marking you as hers and will do so however you allow her — whether that means going out of her way to buy you a formal collar once you’re committed to each other, or settling for something a little more primal (welts on your ass/thighs/chest from impact play, bite marks on your neck/chest/stomach, bruises on your hips/thighs/wrists [if bruises show up on you], having you wear something of hers that will fit you, etc.)

(in other words; minthara doesn’t like sharing and makes it clear as soon as possible that you’re hers to use and that others ought to steer clear if they know what’s good for them)

she loves it when you’re vocal and will (lightly) punish you for trying to stay quiet without her explicit permission to do so — whether you lean towards being more quiet (whimpers, panting, whispers), or are much louder in bed (moaning, groaning, crying out), minthara loves it all the same because it lets her know that she’s the only one that is making you be that vocal and she isn’t shy about how much that fact inflates her ego

for her own part minthara is never particularly loud but she is very vocal, making sure to narrate everything she’s doing as she does it (or even just before if you’re blindfolded) and that you’re aware of exactly what she thinks of your current state — sometimes that means straight-faced comments about how obviously aroused you are and how it’s clear you’re enjoying yourself, other times her commentary leans towards being more humiliating/degrading/derogatory, occasionally she’ll slip into her native elvish dialect and you won’t be able to tell what’s actually being said beyond general assumptions based on her actions and her tone, and other times it’s a mixture of the two

very rarely will she outright praise you — only when you’re being exceptionally well behaved/good for her or when it’s clear you’re in dire need of encouragement because of something like sub-drop (it’s just… not in her nature to praise you needlessly, so give her some leniency here)

is definitely appreciative of you making an effort to dress up for her, but she has a strong preference for seeing you in leathers over some impractical frilly number — she can appreciate the intricacy of certain lingerie designs, she’s not oblivious after all, but that doesn’t change her thoughts on the matter

[londonfoginacup]

A New Larrie’s Guide to Tumblr

A probably incomprehensible, certainly incomplete list of what you need to know; whether you’re coming from a different platform or discovering Larry for the first time. 

My credentials

Hello! I’m Emmu. I’ve had tumblr since… 2008? Maybe 2009. I moved over from deviantArt and used Tumblr as a personal art blog for many years. I joined the One Direction fandom in 2014, so my 1D blog has 8+ years at this point. That being said, I will get on my soapbox a bit during this. Please excuse me, I’m quite passionate about cultivating a happy and healthy fandom.

What makes Tumblr different

The biggest thing that makes Tumblr, as a site, different from Twitter or Instagram is the rejection of algorithms. The “following” tab on your dashboard is in chronological order (and if it isn’t, you can – and should – change that), and the “for you” tab is both a recent feature and rarely used. Tumblr has very little algorithm, and the algorithm they have isn’t very good. It means that you’ll get the most god awful ads you’ve ever seen on this site, because they don’t utilize your data well. And that’s to your advantage.

Tumblr is a great place because you can curate what you see more than other social media. The people that you choose to follow are the only people that you see on your dash (unless you choose to follow tags, which I guess is an option? @lululawrence says “it is and it used to not do anything unless you went to the search page and then it would like autofill your followed tags options, but NOW they take those followed tags and plop them on your dash... SOMETIMES. usually only on mobile. but if there's only one new post in the tag, it shows you that post OVER. AND OVER. AND OVER AGAIN. IT'S SUPER ANNOYING ACTUALLY. SO I STOPPED FOLLOWING TAGS. lol anyway”).

So, the site is in chronological order. This is its biggest selling point.

There is also the opportunity for long posts. Masterposts. Things that are searchable without having to read through pages of screenshots or condensed twitter threads. You can write a whole lot more without worrying about character limit. People publish whole fics on here (I suggest ao3 for that, but tumblr is technically an option!).

Another important thing to know about tumblr is that the archives on tumblr run deep. There are newer larries here, and a lot of them, but you can also find older larries. People whose 1D blogs go back to 2010 or 2011. You can dive into the archives and read firsthand accounts of what was happening with One Direction or larry at that very time. Doing a bit of research means you find cute fetus pictures of the boys, but also you’re able to figure out for yourself whether something actually happened. Rumors always seem to spread quite easily and fandom memory always seems impossibly short, but here on tumblr you’re able to find out for yourself. That means the next time you hear about how xyz thing happened a long time ago, check out some of those archives and see what you can find.

Also, my personal favorite part of tumblr is that old posts are just as valid as new posts. Find a masterpost about RBB and SBB from 2015? Go ahead and reblog that; bring it back to the circulating dash. People will love that. Find a fanartist that you really like? Search through their tags, reblog anything you want. It’s not considered stalking or weird in any way. We love bringing back old posts here. Tumblr is a website where you’re not meant to just talk about the present. 

The cultural difference between Tumblr and Twitter

Speaking of the ways that tumblr and twitter are different, let’s talk for a moment about the 1D fandom in particular.

I’ve held this theory for a while that the twitter (and instagram) algorithm is fracturing the fandom. Because twitter is so dependent on the algorithm, people are more likely to split apart and join smaller and smaller communities based on smaller, more specific opinions. Tumblr, being a place where you don’t just get a post on your dash because someone else liked it, doesn’t have those smaller cliques. There are larries, and there are antis.

(if you get really in the weeds, there are also larry shippers [who don’t believe they’re together but like to read it in fic], and houis [who think they were together but broke up], but I just don’t hear about them as much).

While I do occasionally hear about blouies on my dash, for the most part this is a culture that exists primarily on other sites. 

On another note, because tumblr doesn’t have that handy algorithm, we have to work to make it a more active space. Likes don’t do anything here for anyone other than you, and it doesn’t really change anything about what you’ll see on your dash. Think of them more like the bookmark setting on twitter or instagram. Reblogs are necessary to get anything spread. Anything that you enjoy, or that looks interesting for any reason? Reblog it! That’s the only way other people will see it! And leave a happy comment in the tags if you’ve got one (more on that later). 

And, while lurkers do exist in this fandom (and we love them), it’s important to get an icon and blog header that make you look like a real person. People on tumblr have long been in the habit of blocking shady blogs, mostly because of a bot problem, so if you want to lurk, you have to look like a lurker. Maybe reblog a post or two to establish yourself, and make sure you don’t accidentally look like an icon-less bot posing as a sugar daddy. 

How to set up your account

Okay, so you’ve got a tumblr. Let’s take a minute to fix up the settings so that you’re not getting, well, the worst version of the site. 

My advice is to start by going into your dashboard preferences and:

Turn off the best stuff first (it’ll just show you things you’ve already seen)

Turn off “include stuff in your orbit” (you’ll see terrible posts that are mostly NOT in your orbit)

Turn off “Included based on your likes” (again, you’ll see posts you hate)

Turn off “shorten long posts”. It’s a ridiculous setting that, like many things on tumblr, had potential but was rolled out in an incredibly unhelpful and user unfriendly way.

Once you’ve got that squared away, go into filtering and block any tags and content you don’t like, as that is always proper fandom etiquette. Not seeing things you don’t like is your responsibility, not the responsibility of the person posting them. I personally suggest adding the topics you don’t want to see to both the content list and the filtered tags list, as that gives a much better likelihood of posts that are particularly unsavory for you getting caught by the filters. Please also note this might need to be done on both desktop and the app separately as, depending on where tumblr is at the moment, these filters do not always carry over from one application to the other.

Now scroll down to tumblr labs. These are their experimental things. Some are good! Some are very bad. They do change, though, so this might get out of date pretty fast.

Personally, I enabled fast queue

And disabled everything else

ALSO, an important note, if you are using the apple app, you need to go in and turn off the adult content filter. No idea offhand where that is, but it means posts that include tags like “mine” and “girl” are blocked. It’s ridiculous. 

Who to follow and how to find them

So, you’ve got a new tumblr and need people to follow. This makes sense! To really fill up your dash, I’d suggest the following

Find one person you like. There’s a good chance you know at least someone from twitter who also has a tumblr, so you can start there. If you’re not from twitter, or are looking to start fresh, you can dive into the search function (I’ve never tried finding someone this way myself, but searching larry stylinson or something similar would probably get you started)

Find the people they reblog from and check out each of their blogs! Follow people that make you happy

Follow some update accounts! Thinking of some off the top of my head, there’s @HLUpdate, @Stylesnews, @dailytomlinson, @HLDailyUpdate, or @neilswaterbottles (there’s definitely more though). 

Follow some fanart or fic rec accounts! 

I’d always suggest @1d-fanart or @hlcreators for art. 

For fic, you could check out @hlficlibrary, @ficsyoumayhavemissed, or @thelarriefics. 

Or, recurring fic fests! @onedirectionbigbang or @wordplayfics, which happen every year.

And if you end up not enjoying someone you’ve followed? Unfollow them! It’ll make you happier.

How to interact with posts

Tumblr is all about tags. Do you have a comment or thought? Reblog a post and say your thought in the tags. That way anyone you follow will see it, and the person who made the post will see it. This way a post doesn’t end up with a lot of cluttery additions that don’t mean a lot to the average person reblogging it, but if you browse the tags of posts you’ll find lots of interesting things. Tags can be used to keep track of things, too, of course — some people tag all pictures with who’s in them, or tag art or fic with tags that mean they can find them again. Tags are versatile! But reblog, don’t just like, and tag! The more you interact, the happier content creators are!

What not to do

Don’t repost. If you see something you like on tumblr, reblog it. Even if it’s a really old piece of fanart (like circa 2011). Reblog that old post! Reposting means people don’t get credit, and it doesn’t link back to them. That’s not cool, and in the long term makes fandom less happy.

How to cultivate a happy and healthy fandom

Send happy anons! Ask how people are doing, do question memes, say how much you loved fic/art/edits, etc.

Reblog art. Reblog fic. Reblog what makes you laugh. The more you reblog, the more other people see, the more the fandom moves! Content creators just want their things seen; every time you reblog, their phone gets that little notification and you’ve given someone a bit of happiness.

Unfollow people who annoy you. Follow people who make you happy!

If someone has a take about 1D that you don’t agree with, don’t tell them or send them argumentative anons. Find people who will agree with you, and complain to them privately. Or make your own post, not shading anyone, just presenting your own opinion and theories!

Remember that everyone is a real person. Cut them some slack when you find them being annoying. But also, unfollow. Curate your dash.

[mylovelies-docx]

Sorry, I Love You - Part 9

Oh wow, a new chapter? Who'd have thunk it.

My posting schedule is all off and I honestly don't know if I can get it back under control. I have no idea when I'll get time to sit down and write and when inspiration will strike, so I can't assure weekly updates. But I'll try my hardest to get this story out! I have future chapters written, it's just that I have no way of connecting them right now :/ Oops.

Plot: You and Bucky have a good thing going - best of friends that also have more than a little chemistry between the sheets. Everything is fine until you develop feelings for the man who doesn't want a relationship. What will happen when Bucky finds out?

C/W: Ah shit, here we go again. Angst, arguments, jealousy

Word Count: 2,250

Tag List: NOW CLOSED! If you'd like to keep up with this story, please follow my blog and turn on notifications! ❤️ you :)

[Prologue][Part 1][Part 2][Part 3][Part 4][Part 5][Part 6][Part 7][Part 8]

Some moments are easier than others. Sometimes you feel like you’re not pining like a love-sick teenager enough to think that you can actually do this – you can actually be friends with the man you love.

But then there are moments like tonight.

A few weeks have passed since community get-together, and you and Bucky are the new kids in town. Everyone drops by to say hello, leave you with enough food to last the winter, and invite you both back to their homes for dinner. It’s all very sweet, and you would appreciate the hospitality in any other situation.

But the amount of mothers trying to marry their daughters off to Bucky is insane. 

Several have not-so-subtley seated Bucky next to daughters of marriageable age, while everyone else is silently discouraged from interrupting their conversations. It skeezes you out when the girls are barely out of their teens, but most of the girls are around your age or older. Morality-wise, that’s a whole lot more appropriate. Internal monologue-wise, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh doesn’t even begin to cover it. What you feel whenever he laughs at something they say, or looks at them with his intense blue eyes – it hurts. That’s how he used to look at you, once upon a time. Like his life wouldn’t be the same without you in it, like you’re one of the most important people in his world.

To be fair to Bucky, you probably read waaaay more into it than he ever meant. And you only ever really saw that look come out when you were straddling his waist and grinding hard on his cock, skin mottled with his teeth marks and wearing his metal hand as a necklace. 

Stop, stop, stop, stop!

Anyway,

You’re usually placed next to older, widowed relatives, as most of the young men in the town have already settled down and popped out a few kids with their spouses except for Petre. Tessa foists the two of you together at every possible opportunity, hoping you’ll hit it off and decide to get married in the near future. 

Petre is nice, smart, cute, but not really your type. You’re convinced that you’ve only ever had one type and he’s off-limits. But Petre’s company is much more enjoyable than the sad, lonely older men they try to pair you with – it never feels great to be compared to someone’s long lost love – so you don’t mind having someone around your age to talk during these things.

Speaking of.

“It’s a nice night, yeah?” Petre comments. The night is warmer than expected, but you and Petre are still bundled up in your coats as you stroll through the dead copse of trees near the latest dinner party. The sun had set only minutes ago and the stars are making their presence known. There’s next to no light pollution in this area, so you always take the time to admire the night sky when you have the chance. 

You often take walks with Bucky up and down your street as a way to decompress after your shifts at the HYDRA facility. After the first week or so of being everyone’s errand-runner, they’ve slowly built up your workload to include calculations and deductions based on redacted data – it’s not as much information as you’d like, but it’s enough to build a foundational understanding of what the experiment was about.

You hum in agreement and continue walking. It’s about time to turn around and head back, but you can’t bring yourself to return only to watch Bucky flirt with the pretty girls that were also invited.  

“Is something the matter?” Petre asks you.

You startle out of your petty, jealous thoughts. “Hm? Oh, no. Nothing’s wrong,” you reply with a smile.

“It’s just that you seem very distracted tonight,” he responds.

With your hands in your pocket, the only thing you can do is shrug your shoulders. “Just tired, is all. It’s been a long week at the office.”

“Ah, I know the feeling,” Petre commiserates. 

All of the sudden, a wailing, piercing shriek ricochets between the tree trunks and reverberates in your ears. Tensing with adrenaline, you take two steps forward, ready to intervene in whatever events are unfolding in the darkness.

Before you get much further, Petre reaches out and takes hold of your elbow. Turning you around, he starts leading the way back. You try to tug your arm from his grip, but he holds firm.

“The cry of a vixen who is looking to mate. They’re rather vicious creatures this time of year, foxes. We don’t want to get in her way,” Petre deters.

“But…” you begin, looking back over your shoulders and watching for unexpected movement among the swaying branches. “It sounds so real.”

“Terrifying, really. I was just as concerned when they began, as well.” Petre gives you a tight smile and relaxes his grip slightly when you stop trying to pull away.

“What do you mean?” you question.

“What?” Petre’s eyes flash around quickly, looking through the woods that surround you.

“‘When they began’. What do you mean by that?”

“Ah,” Petre replies. “When mating season began.”

There’s no more discussion on the eerily accurate sound of a woman in distress. You can only trust that Petre would know the local fauna and their habits better than you, since you’ve never spent an extended period of time in areas such as this.

***

The neighbor’s house finally comes into view. A lone figure stands silhouetted against the porch as they lean against the railings, their arms braced against the banister and posture rigid. When you get closer, you realize that the figure is Bucky. 

You can’t see his face, but you can feel his eyes on you. And apparently Petre can as well.

“He doesn’t like me?” Petre asks.

“Why do you say that?” The question puzzles you because Bucky has no reason to dislike Petre. He’s been incredibly helpful so far, allowing you to ask as many questions as you want about himself and others and he doesn’t seem bothered by it at all. In fact, you feel as if you and Petre have become friends.

“It just seems like he’s never happy to see me.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that – James just has RBF,” you reply nonchalantly.

“RBF?” Petre replies.

You laugh as you and Petre climb the stairs, only now realizing that he still has a hand on your arm. You’d forgotten all about it, but you miss the slight warmth that permeated through your jacket when he removes his touch. You turn to look at him, but Petre is looking away, his hands now deep in his pockets. Turning your focus onto Bucky, you see him watching Petre, his eyes squinted.

A large smile returns to your face as you reach up and grab Bucky’s chin, squishing his cheeks and making his lips pucker from the pressure. “This –” you say triumphantly, “is an RBF.”

Bucky glares down at you and swats your hand away. You cackle at the perfect example of Resting Bitch Face™ in front of you, throwing your head back in joy. When you right your posture again, you can see a small smile on Bucky’s face as he laughs along with you.

“Whatever,” he murmurs. He shakes his head in exasperation before circling his arm around your shoulders. Bucky begins dragging you back down the steps you had just ascended and you grunt in protest. “It’s time to go,” he says simply.

“Ugh, you’re so rude,” you say to him. Craning your neck as much as possible, you look back towards Petre who remains on the porch. “I’ll see you later!” you call backwards with a wave. Petre raises a hand in return, face hidden in shadow as Bucky’s had been.

Focusing back on the road in front of you, you can practically feel what little mirth Bucky had drains away. Looking up, you notice that his jaw is clenched and a hard look has entered his eye.

“What’s wrong?” Now you’re worried that something happened to Bucky while you were gone that has put him in a bad mood. Did someone say something to him? Did one of the women reject his advances? You can’t see who in their right mind would turn him down, but not everyone feels the same way about him as you do. But if it’s the latter, the guilt you feel only slightly outweighs the relief.

“You don’t think you’re spendin’ too much time with him?” Bucky says between clenched teeth.

A frown appears between your eyebrows as you continue to look up at him. “No?” you respond. “He doesn’t seem to mind.”

“Ofcoursehedoesn’t,” Bucky mutters under his breath, but you can still hear him.

You slide out from under Bucky’s hold, his agitation sparking flames of your own. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You don’t think you’re leadin’ him on a bit, Y/N?” Bucky asks you.

You scoff. “What the fuck are you talking about?” 

“You’re always hangin’ around him!” Bucky quips back. “You’re flirting with him and walking out of parties together. All these people, Petre included, are going to think you’re pitching for an engagement.”

The hurt and pitiful feelings from earlier tonight come flooding back. Only this time, instead of feeling them for what they are, you combine them with the anger his comment brings. How dare he accuse you of leading Petre on? As if he isn’t doing the same thing to all those girls?!

“And what about you?!” you yell, the last word ripping its way between your lips and setting your tongue ablaze. “You don’t think you’re stringing all these girls along behind you? You don’t have any intention of getting into a relationship with any of them, either, do you?” 

As the words escape, you remember how Bucky sat you down and asked for a friends-with-benefits situation. Said he wasn’t ready for a real relationship, but tired of one night stands. How the two of you could help each other out since you weren’t seeing anyone either. The old resentment towards yourself and how you let yourself fall for someone wholly unavailable whiplashes back into your mind after months of repressing it. 

If he could ask that of you, does that mean he’s asked someone else? You usually arrive home later than him, but on some occasions that you are released early, he’s not there. Instead of asking where he’s been, you had just let it slide since it could have been construed as possessiveness. Like your feelings – that Bucky believes to be long gone – entitle you to his life. You hadn’t wanted to risk anything at the time, but now your mind can’t help running wild at the possibilities.

“It’s not like I’m screwing his brains out every time we’re gone!” You shout at Bucky. You had been walking down the road away from the house party which was on a street with few homes, so there’s nobody around to hear your fight. “We’re not in the bathrooms having quickies, he’s not fucking me against a wall, or bending me over his motorcycle! He hasn’t proposed we fuck around with each other until someone better comes along!” 

Your chest heaves with the effort of expelling these vicious words from deep within your heart, and you can feel a burning beginning to creep behind your eyes. You hate getting angry – hate that any strong emotion makes your eyes well with tears and makes you look weak. And in this situation, you are weak – weak against Bucky, weak against yourself, weak against the knowledge that the one man you’ve ever loved never felt the same way and never will. Your inability to keep yourself from falling for someone you knew you could never have? Your jealousy that he is probably sleeping with one or more of the women in town? That makes you weak. 

And you can’t stand to be weak in front of Bucky again.

“Newsflash, Buck: I know how it feels to be lead on by you and it fucking sucks!” You lower your voice slightly and take another step away from him. “I know that wasn’t your intention, and I didn’t feel that way at first, but that’s how I feel now.”

“You were my best friend, Y/N – I didn’t want to lose that!” Bucky exclaims. “And I genuinely thought we were on the same page!” He takes a deep breath and clasps his hands over his eyes before saying, “And seeing you run off with Petre all the time just reminds me of us – how we’d always sneak away to get some time alone. It’s just –” He drops his hands and sighs heavily, looking up at the star-studded sky and then back down to you. “I’m jealous.”

“You’re jealous?” You ask incredulously. “Why?”

“Because –” You can tell that he’s struggling to get this out, and if he hadn’t started this argument and accused you of wronging Petre, you might have been more receptive to what he’s saying. More understanding. But right now, your anger swallows all empathy and hope that his words would usually supply. “Because that could have been us,” he breathes. Bucky takes a tentative step in your direction, but freezes solid at the icy glare you send his way.

“No,” you say flatly, “No, it couldn’t have. You made that abundantly clear when I asked.”

You turn your back on him and start running, ignoring the sound of your name as you leave Bucky behind.

Part 10

Taglist: @jackiehollanderr @rabbitrabbit12321 @12345sebby @blackwood-bodecker-housewifeife @lauraashley93 @themorningsunshinee @happinessinthebeingg @nash-dara @calwitch @stany0url0calwh0res111 @pono-pura-vida @learisa @introverbatim @kentokaze @marvelogic @kaz11283

[sweetsaladpainterranch]

First ever fan fic I have ever written, so please don't expect anything great lol but I wanted to give writing a shot after enjoying so many other wonderful creations on here.

Sinner venison is a rare delicacy in Pentagram City so being a doe guarantees you are a target of the carnivores until you meet a certain enchanting lady and strike up an interesting deal that draws the attention of a certain Radio Demon.

***

You Are What They Eat

Chapter 1

Although Hell was indeed a place intended for the worst of souls to be funneled together, there were still territories that required civility among its visitors. Such was Cannibal Town, where the community happily took any opportunity to remind any offending persons of their manners. It was something The Radio Demon quite admired about the sharp-toothed gaggle of cannibal demons; along with their dated fashion and mannerisms.

This understanding is why Alastor excitely stood watching two carnivore demons loudly argue with each other outside of his dear Rosie's emporium. It was bold enough for them to have shown up here in, soiled, tattered clothing, but for them to actually be disturbing the peace with their childish argument. Alastor waited, counting down the seconds until the town had enough of the pair.

"YOU COCKSUCKING PIECE OF SHIT! YOU KNOW I WAS IN FRONT OF YOU!", the tiger shouted, unaware of the crowd beginning to surround him.

The raptor demon fired back, "FUCK YOU! I WAS HERE FIRST, LYING DUMBASS!", also painfully inept towards the now large circle of annoyed townspeople.

The smile on Alastor's face was large and widening as his anticipation climbed for the incoming display of violence. His eyes followed the first strike of a sledgehammer landing against the tiger's left leg, which caused a delicious shriek to be ripped from the assaulted demon. The raptor, however, immediately began to raise his claws in defense only to be slammed to the ground by a group of grinning black-eyed men. Who began chowing down the moment he hit the pavement, which was accompanied by the painful screams of the tiger overcome by the hungry frenzy of his own assailants.

Tempted to join in the bloody revelry, Alastor sighed and made his way up the steps to an already awaiting Rosie. The screams continued to flood the air as he entered his friend's establishment, eager for whatever surprise she had phoned him about that morning.

***One Week Earlier***

You weren't exactly new to Hell, but, being a deer demon, a doe at that, you were a prime candidate for satiating a very limited resource amongst Hell's populace. Sinner venison. Life was, well hell, and you mourned your boring old routine back on Earth as you desperately tried to outrun the shark goons through dingy alleyways and side streets. They yelled which body part they each had dibs on, however, that only made your pace pick up in your fear.

You never thought you'd actually miss your crappy job as a low-paid sanitation worker for a small motel in Georgia that seldom hosted anyone other than loud college students or sleazy men with escorts.

While you were lingering within your memories of the top side, you accidentally ran yourself into a dead-end and spoke a very unladylike curse at your bad luck. Loud footsteps behind you answered the question of whether or not your pursuers had managed to keep up with your deer speed. Fuck my afterlife!

A lone, deep voice spoke up with a dark cadence, "Just turn around nice and easy, little lady. We wouldn't want to over-tenderize you, would we?" The sinister undertone spoken in such a calm demeanor sent unpleasant shivers down your spine.

Still hopelessly staring at the brick wall blocking your escape, you tried to remember the number of times you had escaped these idiots only to be dragged back again and again. On the other hand, you didn't recognize this part of the city so this must be the farthest you've ever made it from Danny's butcher shop. What had that welcome sign you had whirled past say? Carnival Town or maybe Cardinal Town?

Finally turning around, the sharks all grinned in response to your snarl, which was contrasted by your torn clothes and withered appearance, but you did your best to take a fighting stance anyway. You knew you were going to be dragged back to endure more torture, however, you sure as hell weren't going without a fight.

Just before your gang of hunters enclosed upon you, a light and cheerful voice cut through the air, "Excuse me, gentlemen." As all of you turned your attention toward the source of the feminine voice, you couldn't help but momentarily feel a surge of hope. "Could you all please explain why Danny's men are conducting a hunt, and on a poor little thing like her of all people, in my territory?"

You caught sight of a tall woman in a formfitting, floor-length dress and wearing a large-rimmed, feathered hat carrying a red and black parasol. Despite her wide, sharp teeth she looked about as able to fight as you did in your starved and disheveled state. Your hope shriveled up just like that, replaced by fear for this brave, but stupid, stranger.

"Your territory?", the lead shark laughed, "Ha! Sure, a sweet doll like you runs a whole territory.", he scoffed, making the others chuckle. "Now why don't you run along back to wherever the fuck you came from, missy, before we decide to let you tag along to our fine establishment."

Though he was turned away from you, you knew he was dragging his gaze appraisingly over her, "Shit", you thought and knew you couldn't allow another to be caged because of your foolish attempt to escape. "Just go, lady!", you shouted and waved your arms in get away motion, "They're serious! You really don't want to get yourself involved with them!"

Your diversion worked and the men turned their attention back to you and you once again did your best to look as intimidating as possible, but your doe ears were flattened on your head and your tail was standing stiff as a board. Although your vision began to blur from fear and hunger, you continued to look into the lead hunter's eye as your last act of defiance against an inevitable fate.

Suddenly, a surprised shriek rang out into the alley, followed by a spray of something wet and warm. Before the gang could even comprehend what was the cause of the interruption, a red twister of graceful motion cut down the next four shark sinners. The only one remaining, the lead who currently had his large hand wrapped around your arm, took in the scene.

You also looked towards the noise and couldn't believe your eyes as the woman, who you thought had left, smiled manically at him and happily ran a finger over the small sword she had apparently pulled from her parasol.

" CRAZY BITCH! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

The tall woman tasted the bloody mess on her finger with a pleased hum, "I just adore shark meat! Haven't had the chance to have it in some time but I guess it's just my lucky day." She smiled like she had just received a nice big plate of her favorite food at a restaurant and only now directed her attention towards the one left.

She raised her sword and pointed it in his direction, aimed at his heart, and fluttered her long eyelashes before calmly answering, "The name is Rosie, charmed to make your acquaintance. However, I'm afraid we don't tolerate that kind of language spoken to a lady here."

She lunged with a smirk.

***

Again my first ever attempt at writing a fan fic, but I hope you enjoyed it! Any opinions are welcome.

XD -S.S.P.R.

[auspicious-manner]

Hi! I was wondering if you could write about Billy dunne, there isn't a lot about him. Him and the reader have known each other since they were kids but dont really interact much and Billy is so crazy about her but the reader hasn't ever considered romantic feelings for Billy. He wants to impress her and win her over bad. Basically follows what happens in canon except there is no cheating drama, its just drama between Billy and reader. I don't know how clear this is but thanks i appreciate it!

what's with my djats stories being so long?

sorry this took so long to get out, i started to lose motivation for it after i realized the idea in my head would make this WAY longer than it needed to be. sorry if the end is a little rushed 😭

female reader x billy dunne

warnings: drug use



It Was Always You

•

pittsburgh didn’t have much to offer anyone looking to explore the music scene. there were no big opportunities, and limited ways to get noticed. the six, formerly known as the dunne brothers, needed to move out of pittsburgh to somewhere they could make it. somewhere like california.

and you were the reason they got there.

you lived in the same neighborhood as billy and graham and went to school together, and you were the same age as graham. you and graham were friends, not great ones, but friends nonetheless. despite you being a friend of his brother, billy couldn’t help but keep a watchful eye over you.

even since you were in middle school, billy had some kind of adoration and fascination with you, and you barely knew of his existence. if you were taking a walk through the neighborhood, billy was at his window watching. you always knew it wasn’t in a creepy way, it felt different than that. you couldn’t tell what it was that made him watch you, but you felt flattered more than anything.

when you caught word of graham wanting to start a band with eddie, warren, chuck, and billy, you knew you wanted in. even though music was not your specialty, you could do other things.

during one of the band’s first rehearsals in billy and graham’s garage, you walked over to scope out the band. billy noticed you first, and his eyes widened a bit. graham noticed you shortly after.

“oh, hey Y/N.” graham started.

you smiled and waved. “hey graham,” you said, looking around at the rest of the boys. “and warren, eddie, chuck, and…” you said while giggling, trailing off when you got to billy. he looked at you like he was waiting for something important. “billy, right?”

you thought you saw him sigh of relief, but he covered it well. he smiled at you and reached out his hand. you took it, and noticed he held on for a few extra moments. “yeah, i’m billy dunne, graham’s brother. it’s good to meet you, Y/N.” after he released your hand, you noticed he never broke eye contact.

“what brings you here?” warren asked, taking a sip from his water.

“i actually had a question for you guys,” you said, suddenly getting nervous.

“let’s hear it,” billy told you.

you took a small breath. “i was, uh-i was wondering if you would consider letting me be apart of the band. i’m not musical in any way, so i don’t expect to be in the band, but i’d love to be apart of it some other way.”

the band stared at you, not in a threatening way, but like they were considering it. they couldn’t decide what to make of you.

“what, you want to be our groupie or roadie or somethin’?” eddie asked.

“actually, i was thinking manager.”

the group made surprised expressions. billy stepped forward to you. “why should we let you be our manager?”

“well, for one, i’m very organized. i can keep everything on track and on schedule with the band. i’m also very persuasive, and i could get you guys a lot of gigs for good money. and although i can’t play music, i know a lot about it. i’m also good at photography, and can get some good shots of you guys.”

the band once again considered you. you felt small under their glares, but the harshness was broken by billy’s smile. “you got the time for us?”

you smirked. “always.”

billy bit his lip. “welcome aboard.”

you smiled wide. you couldn’t believe they actually took a blind chance on you. you half expected them to turn you down.

“wait, aren’t we going to talk about this?” eddie asked.

billy annoyedly turned to eddie. “you guys put me in charge, so i call the shots, and i say she’s in." he paused, turning to warren. "warren, count us in,” billy said as warren began counting. billy sent you a wink as they played, and you noticed eddie rolling his eyes.

you grew closer with everyone in the band. graham quickly became your go to guy, and you became best friends. warren was like your annoying brother that you constantly got fed up with but loved regardless. eddie acted like he didn’t like you as the band’s manager, but you were always the first one to call if he needed help with anything. you never really grew close with chuck, but you tolerated him and he tolerated you. your relationship with chuck didn’t matter much, since he left the band early.

billy, however, felt different. you could tell something was off about him. you rarely talked, but it always seemed like billy had something to say to you that he never let out. it always felt like he was hesitating around you, and he wanted to make sure you were watching him during your performances. it was clear to everyone in the band that you had some sort of hold on him.

over the next few years in pittsburgh, you lined up gigs at proms, weddings, and graduation parties for the band. you adored what you did. you got the thrill of watching your friends perform and the crowd cheering without the stress of playing. also, you felt like you were good at what you did. you always knew how to be timely, organized, and respectful, all qualities which made you fit to be their manager. you also used your photography skills to take up close photos and videos of the band performing and practicing, which you would later use to advertise for the band.

after chuck broke the news to the band that he would be leaving, he went back into his house, leaving your disheveled band down a member.

you could tell billy was thinking hard. with his brown furrowed, eyes pointed to the ground, the rest of the band waited for his direction. then, out of nowhere, he grabbed your wrist and took you out of earshot from the boys.

“billy, what’s this about?” you said, keeping your voice low. you knew there was a reason billy pulled you and no one else aside.

“i need your help. i don’t know what to do,” he said, avoiding eye contact.

“why’d you need my help? i mean, you have graham, you own brother. i’m sure he’d know-”

billy looked up into your eyes sharply, and you immediately stopped talking. “i trust your opinion more than anyone else’s, Y/N.”

you nodded. you glanced at the band, who was clearly trying not to watch the sight unfolding in front of them. when you looked at them, they turned away quickly.

“eddie’s gonna hate us, but i think he should switch to bass,” you suggested.

billy slightly smiled. “you think?”

you nodded. “yeah, you just need to stay focused on being a great leader for this band. i wouldn’t want you straining trying to figure out bass while also trying to be a kick ass front man.”

billy blushed and bit his lip to suppress a smile, then patted your shoulder. “you’re too nice to me.”

you both walked back to the band, who was anxiously awaiting the solution to their problem. when billy broke the news, eddie scoffed, bluntly saying, “no, absolutely not."

“which one of you came up with that idea?” eddie continued. it seemed like one wrong move could completely set him off.

billy stepped up. “it was me. i-”

the band was only beginning. you couldn’t let their relationships already fall apart before the band even gets big. you knew billy was trying to take the blame for you, but it wasn’t necessary.

“it was me.”

his eyes softened at you. he seemed almost offended that you gave up his role as rhythm guitarist, but since it was you, he knew he couldn’t blow up at you. you were too beloved by the band.

eddie rolled his eyes. “for how long?”

you and billy looked at each other smiling. “we owe you one, eddie.”

*

not long after eddie switched to bass, you were opening for the winters. as you watched the winters perform on stage, you noticed graham eyeing the blonde keyboardist singing harmonies.

you nudged his side. “make a move.”

graham looked down at you before looking back at her. “i-what do i say?”

you shrugged. “i don’t know, compliment her music or something,” you paused. “make small talk. she’s cute, graham, you can do this.”

you smiled at him before walking away to talk to eddie. however, you felt a pair of eyes burning into your side, and without looking, you could tell billy was the culprit.

after the winters’ set, you caught the keyboardist shortly after she got off stage. you introduced yourself as the manager of the dunne brothers.

karen smiled at you, introducing herself before walking away. before she could, you decided to help graham out a bit.

“graham dunne, the guitarist of our band, really liked your sound.”

she turned around to look at you. “yeah, we’re good at what we do.”

you amusedly grinned. “he didn’t just like the band’s sound, he liked yours. you should go talk to him,” you said before winking and walking away.

not long later, as you were helping the band set up, graham came up behind you. “Y/N, we talked.”

you looked over your shoulder and saw him grinning from ear to ear. you couldn’t help but laugh to yourself, and you turned around. “earlier, i may have… told karen that you liked what she did on stage. i don’t want to take all the credit for your interaction with her, but,” you said, pausing slightly. “i definitely contributed.”

graham’s jaw fell slightly, and he began laughing. before you knew it, he picked you up in his arms and gave you a big hug. you giggled and wrapped your arms around his neck as graham thanked you, and your eyes drifted outwards where you saw billy’s eyes staying locked on your hug with his brother.

after their set, you billy caught up to you backstage. “hey, Y/N,” he started. you could tell he sounded a bit nervous.

you turned around to meet him. “billy, what’s up?”

he looked around to make sure the rest of the band wasn’t near. “so, you and graham?” billy asked. he sounded apprehensive, and almost stern. he looked everywhere but at you.

you squinted. “what do you mean?”

billy shook his head. “i saw that hug earlier. and not just that, y-you’ve been with him a lot. which, i don’t really mind, i just want to know. i don’t want the band to be ruined by this.”

you stared back at him, and all you could do was start laughing. he looked at you, a bit dumbfounded. “what’s so funny?”

“you, billy. you’re funny,” you said, walking closer to him. you watched as his cheeks grew red. “there’s nothing going on between graham and i, seriously. he’s like a brother to me, i wouldn’t dream of looking at him romantically. besides, he has another lady in mind.”

billy looked down at you, wanting to believe you. “okay, i get it,” he said with a slight smile.

you lightly placed a hand on his chest. “i wouldn’t dream of ruining this band,” you said before walking away. you couldn’t see the giddy smile creep onto billy’s face.

*

from that point on, billy’s mood around you seemed to lighten. he always had a way of making you notice him. you began to get the vibe that this was all on purpose, that he wanted you to compliment him or give him attention. you wondered if he ever looked at you romantically. sometimes, billy’s odd behavior around you could only be excused if he was interested in you. you couldn’t decide if you were interested in him, but you didn’t want to be involved with a member of the band. things could get too messy.

after meeting rod after the night opening for the winters, the band made the decision to move out to california.

you loved the band, and would do anything for them. but, moving out to los angeles on a whim was risky. you knew they could go the distance, but you were being expected to leave your entire life behind to start a new one. besides, with the new move, they needed you to be an even more present manager than you already were. sure, you could handle managing an up and coming band from pittsburgh. but you felt less than qualified for the job of a big time manager of a growing rock and roll band on the infamous los angeles music scene. someone else could do better and take them farther, and they deserved it.

one day, shortly before they left, you expressed your thoughts to the band. you sat on the floor in billy and graham’s garage as the band stood by their instruments.

“guys, i don’t know if i’m coming with you to california just yet,” you said quietly, looking down at your hands. you could feel the glares of the boys burning into your body.

“what?” graham asked.

you stayed quiet, and heard shuffling footsteps come closer to you. a tear fell from your eye, and you tried your best to hide it. “i-i have to leave my life, my family. which, i can do it, but what’s the point?” you looked up to find the band hovering over you, concerned. “i don’t know the ins and outs of music there like i do here. i’m afraid i won’t be able to take you guys all the way.”

billy stepped closed, and bent down to meet you gaze. you noticed that he still seemed to tower over you, despite him meeting you on the ground.

“Y/N, don’t think for one second that we don’t need you,” billy said. “you’re the only one we can see doing this for us.”

graham bent down next to billy. “you’re like our sister, and you’ve done so much to help us grow. you can keep doing this. we all know you can.”

staying standing, warren nodded at you. “we can’t do this without you. don’t quit on us now.”

even eddie agreed. “you make us better, Y/N.”

billy took your hand in his as another tear escaped your eye. “what do you say?”

you couldn’t leave these guys. even if you were the reason they failed in the future, at least you failed with them. they were your family.

you smiled to yourself. “okay, you’ve convinced me.”

billy smiled, and with the hand that still held onto your fingers, he pulled you into his arms, wrapping you in a hug. you were taken aback by this change of character, as he very rarely showed affection like this to anyone. you hugged back, leaning your head on his shoulder.

before you knew it, warren wrapped his arms around the side of you, then graham joined the party. finally, eddie did too. for a few moments, you all stayed in that position, with you in the middle of the group hug. that was when you knew this was where you were meant to be.

a few days later, your belongings were packed and loaded as you climbed into the back of the warm, cozy van while the rain poured outside.

“look who it is!” warren exclaimed as you sat down. eddie stood outside packing the luggage onto the top of the van.

billy smiled widely at you. “i’m glad you’re coming.”

you blushed at his sincerity against your will. “me too.”

the road to california was long, but the building excitement in that van was infectious. everyone knew something big was coming.

upon arriving in los angeles, the band contacted rod reyes and built their first connection in the music world. with rod’s help, he gave you the number to contact filthy mcnasty’s on the strip and gave you another piece of information; karen’s phone number.

“graham, i have a surprise for you,” you said excitedly, dragging out the “you”.

“what?” he asked, confused.

you smiled. “i got karen’s number.”

*

not long later, you moved into a shabby house with the band in laurel canyon, and recruited karen sirko to be the new keyboardist for the dunne brothers. along with the new edition came a new venue to play in on the strip.

there, you saw billy really begin to fall in love with his music and performing. the way he interacted with the audience, and with you, was electrifying. you found yourself getting flustered if he sang to you while onstage, and you questioned why you felt so strongly. you didn’t have feelings for him, at least you thought. the butterflies in your stomach as he looked at you while singing on stage were trying to tell you something different.

one day, after billy came home with the legendary teddy price’s business card, you had sealed a deal to play for him, and the energy was beyond exciting. they played for him as you watched, and you kept getting those butterflies in your stomach as billy performed. they were getting harder and harder to ignore.

after teddy named the audition a success, the pure joy in the van afterwards was infectious. as the band drove away, you and the band were giddily laughing and hugging like children. billy was the first one you hugged.

you wrapped your arms around his neck first, and you could feel him get caught off guard for a moment, but he soon reciprocated. your heart felt like it was going to pop out of your chest.

“i’m so proud of you!” you said to billy as he squeezed you tighter. you pulled away from each other, faces red and smiling. your arms lingered on each other, not fully pulling away.

“we couldn’t have done it without you, Y/N,” billy said over the commotion.

one night, after a gig at filthy’s months later, the band finished playing and walked out onto the strip. you saw billy and teddy talking, and when you walked over to them, you heard the words you’ve been waiting to hear forever.

“if the label agrees, we’ll get you in the recording studio.”

billy stepped back, shocked. he looked at you, then back at teddy. “shut up.”

teddy shrugged. “it wasn’t all me. Y/N has been on my case about this deal for a while now. if it weren’t for her, this might not be happening.” that was true, the past few months was a pain trying to get teddy to budge on a deal.

billy looked at you. he had the widest smile you had ever seen, and in that moment, you thought you’d never seen anyone more handsome. he wrapped you in a hug, picking you up from the ground and spinning you as you giggled. you didn’t even care that he was drenched in sweat.

he put you down and tried to go hug teddy. he turned to the band, who was confused at the commotion. “guys, we’ve got an album!”

the boys jumped up, running to you and teddy, enveloping you both in a sea of hugs. teddy wasn’t as fond of hugs as you were, but you welcomed them sweat and all with open arms.

*

billy had always considered you vital in the band, but during the first album sessions, you were involved more than ever before in creative decisions. billy was running the show, but he trusted your opinion just as much, if not more, than teddy’s. given that billy wanted you involved in the music just as anyone else, it made your interactions much more intimate. you found yourself spending a lot of alone time with billy.

one night at the house after a long day in the studio, you and billy sat outside and drank some beers. your chairs were facing in, and it took some effort to not longingly stare at him.

“how do you like it so far? i mean, the album?” billy asked you nervously, looking down.

you smiled to yourself and bit your lip. “you’ve been wanting my approval more and more recently. what’s that about?” you asked, leaning back in your chair. “you’ve always been looking for my validation, but i never thought much about it until now.”

billy took a deep breath in. he looked like he was contemplating something, and he took a sip of his beer before looking at you again. “do i really have to say it?”

you furrowed your eyebrows slightly. prompting billy to start, he closed his eyes before talking again. “Y/N, i think i may be in love with you.”

your heart seemed to fall into your chest. you’ve had suspicions for a long time now, but you had always assumed you were looking too far into it. you thought that was just his personality. until recently, you had never even considered him romantically. it wasn’t until he really starting honing in on his craft that you saw a side of him that you could potentially like.

“billy dunne in love with me?” you asked playfully. you couldn’t believe it.

“i know you don’t feel the same, and i’ve accepted that. maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but i’ve been pining over you for as long as i can remember. i value your opinion because your ideas and thoughts are the only ones that truly matter to me.”

the heart beat in your chest sped up. you felt your face grow red and you hoped billy couldn’t see how absolutely flustered you were. you took a sip of your beer.

billy then waved his hand like he was brushing his thoughts away. “forget it, this was all stupid. i shouldn’t have said that, i’m sorry.”

your eyes softened as billy looked away, embarrassed. you scooted forward, gently placing a hand on his knee. “billy,” you started. he reluctantly turned to face you. “i want to explore where this could go.”

he smiled at you, a wide and endearing smile that made you immediately grin back. “i’ve waited a long time to hear that.”

after that night, it didn’t take long for you and billy to become inseparable. the band eventually caught on to what was going on, no one had to explain your feelings to anyone; everyone seemed to know. the often caught you making out in secret in random places in the studio.

after recording the album, it was time to go on tour. you and billy started dating after the first show on tour, and you were truly happy for the time being.

however, a lot of that initial glee faded as the tour continued, as the band was heavily using drugs and alcohol to escape the pressures of the tour. billy seemed to take it especially hard. most nights, he would do a line of coke right on stage and finish the show by washing everything down with alcohol.

“billy, don’t you think you should… slow down a little?” you asked gently once you were back in your hotel room. billy was opening another bag of coke.

he looked at you. “this is rock and roll, Y/N.”

you sighed. you were worried for him, everyone was. “you’re not yourself, billy. this isn’t the billy that i know,” you said, your tone getting harsher. when he looked away back to his bag of coke, you walked over to him.

“look at me,” you said, standing in front of him between him and the coke. he obliged, and blankly stared back at you.

it hurt you to see him like this. he was falling apart at the seams. “don’t fucking blame this on rock and roll. you’re addicted, billy. you have a problem. you better clean up your goddamn act soon or i-” you stopped, your voice cracking. tears were forming in your eyes. “or i can’t be with you any longer.”

billy blinked, almost unfazed. after a few moments, he nodded.

you looked up at him and shook your head. “clean yourself up.”

after that night, billy tried to cut back, but he always found his way back to the drugs and the alcohol. for a while, it was okay. he only did a line before a show and kept his alcohol for after the show. you still didn’t like his heavy consumption, but at least he was making an effort for you and your relationship.

then, just as it was getting better, it got worse again. he was fully addicted now, and was stumbling all over the stage. he couldn’t hold notes in the songs, and the band looked between themselves, confused.

“Y/N, what are we going to do with him? karen asked after a show, leaning into your ear as you watched billy open a bottle of vodka. you stared as tears fell down your face.

“there’s only one thing to do.”

you forced billy into your car, giving the band members hugs before you drove off.

“w-where are we going?” billy asked, dazed.

a tear drop fell on your leg as you drove, and billy’s eyebrows furrowed.

“you know where,” you whispered.

“Y/N, i’m sorry.”

“i know you are," you replied numbly.

you heard billy sniffle, like he was also crying. you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. “i can’t live without you. you’re all i ever wanted, and now i’ve thrown it all away.”

you bit your lip as you suppressed your tears. “i know.”

you pulled up to the rehabilitation center, and got out of the car with billy. you stood in front of him, close to him. he looked down at you with melancholy, and you looked up at him.

“take care of yourself, okay?”

he nodded. “i-i’m sorry, Y/N.”

you nodded as the tears fell harder. you were leaving behind one of the greatest things that has ever happened to you.

you turned away before you could hesitate and headed back to your car as you watched billy enter the front doors of the center. when he was out of sight, you broke down, releasing the sobs that were hiding in your body.

*

the rest of the tour was cancelled, and back at laurel canyon, the band wasn’t sure where their future stood. not having billy around had left a hole in the group, and you fell into a pit of depression not having him around. the band tried their best to cheer you up. whether it be graham offering to play games with you, or warren buying you useless knickknacks, or even just crying on karen’s shoulder, you appreciated their efforts but you couldn’t seem to get billy off your mind.

when you got the call two months later that billy was coming home, you felt excited and scared all at the same time. you were looking forward to having him back, you needed him. but confronting everything that had happened seemed too overwhelming.

graham brought him back to the house, and he got out of the car to greet the band. warren showed him his mustache he had been growing, and eddie showed billy his bass he had built. karen squeezed your hand before going up to billy and hugging him.

you stood behind the rest of them, afraid to make an appearance. billy was trying to look for you, and when warren noticed, he stepped away so you were visible to billy.

you could tell billy was feeling the same as you were. you watched as guilt flashed across his face, then nervousness, then eventually, relief.

you stepped forward at the same time, and he wrapped you in an endearing hug. it felt nice to be in his arms again.

“i’m never letting you go again,” billy said into your hair. “i’m staying clean for you.”

you pulled away so you could look at him, your arms still loosely around each other. “you get one more chance, dunne. one more slip up and whatever this is is over.”

after settling into normalcy again, you felt like you were getting to know billy all over again. you were rediscovering why you began to like him in the first place. you missed him.

not long later, you watched as graham angrily stormed out of the room with billy in it. you frowned and peered into the doorframe, finding billy with his head down.

“what’s wrong?” you asked, sitting down next to him. you placed a hand on his thigh, and he stared at it.

“i’m quitting the band, Y/N,” he said quietly.

your jaw fell slightly. “what?”

billy scooted away from you. you could tell he was emotional right now, and was pushing you away not because he didn’t want you there, but because he didn’t know what else to do.

“i love music, but i can’t keep doing this. there’s too much temptation, and i can’t go through that again. i can’t lose you again.”

you softened. billy was willing to do anything for you, but this was one act of selflessness that you couldn’t let him get away with.

“billy,” you started. “you’re the strongest person i know. i trust you. i’m not going to let you quit on this band because of me, you’re just getting started. please, at least think about staying. i won’t be able to do this without you.”

he continued looking down. he paused, and you could tell his hard exterior was crumbling around you. “i’ll think about it.”

and he did. only a few days later, he came to the band with a new song in a new direction that he was ready to get recorded. it was a beautiful song that he called honeycomb, and when he first played it for you, you had some thoughts.

“it’s good,” you said, nodding your head as you sat down on the couch next to billy.

“but…” billy asked, sensing your hesitation.

“it’s missing something.”

billy squinted, a devious smirk forming on his face. “like what exactly?”

“i don’t know, it just sounds too… hopeful, maybe?” you said.

billy looked at you with genuine confusion. “what’s wrong with having hope?”

“nothing, nothing at all, it’s just-” you paused. “no one wants to hear a song about hope. people like to hear things that are messy, and dark, and imperfect.”

billy rolled his eyes and kissed your cheek. “Y/N, you know i love your opinions, but i think you’re wrong about that one.”

you giggled. “i can guarantee teddy will tell you the same thing when you get it recorded.”

“is that a bet?”

you smiled. “hell yes it is.”

then you shook on it, and as it was, you ended up being right. in the studio, teddy told billy it was a good song, not a great one, and you and teddy had a new artist come in to sing vocals on the track named daisy jones.

billy was less than welcoming at daisy’s arrival, and they clashed over everything. billy wasn’t informed that daisy had changed his lyrics, and he stormed out of the studio, taking you with him by the wrist.

“billy, what the hell?” you said as you stumbled behind him, finally coming to a stop when you were outside.

“i can’t fucking believe this, Y/N, you and teddy are ruining my song by adding daisy. it’s not supposed to be a duet, and it’s suppose to be about hope,” billy said harshly.

“daisy adds more layers to that song whether you like it or not. she makes it better, and it gives the song a story.”

“no, she’s not. i wrote a beautiful song, and it’s being taken over.”

billy was frowning, and you stepped forward so you were right under him. at this point, you were frustrated too.

“stop being so fucking stubborn, billy. your ego is getting in the way for the success of this song. we’ll record it daisy’s way, and then we’ll record it your way, okay? we can decide which one sounds better later.”

billy paused, and looked down at you. you could see his harsh eyes soften a bit, and then he nodded his head.

you never did record it his way.

with look at us now came a rush in popularity and invitations to perform at festivals. at the diamond head festival, you saw for yourself the magic on stage that was billy and daisy together. daisy wasn’t a want, she was a need. that is, until billy made a particularly snide remark about daisy to the news following their performance.

“billy, are you crazy?” you asked when you had a private moment after the interview.

billy seemed confused. “what are you talking about?”

“billy!” you exclaimed. “you could have been a little nicer to daisy in that interview.”

billy looked at you, shocked. “i was! i couldn’t have been nicer! seriously Y/N, what’s the big-”

“the big deal is that daisy makes you better. she makes all of you better. you didn’t even give her any credit for the song.”

billy stepped closer to you. “it was my song.”

“daisy wrote the part that everyone remembers.”

billy paused. “she will ruin us.”

you shrugged. “you’ll never know until you try.”

for a while after that festival, things went back to normal, but you knew your work with daisy wasn’t done. you and billy were throwing a house party, and you invited daisy to try and work out the bad blood between the two. getting them to work together was not an easy task, but by the end of the night, they found common ground. it didn’t take long for daisy to be formally invited into the band.

you noticed daisy and billy continued to be unwilling to work together, despite all your efforts. finally, teddy sent billy and daisy away to write material together, and the pair didn't come back until the night time.

as the band recorded let me down easy, you could tell something special was building. as billy sang into the microphone, you hoped he would catch your eye so you could give him a proud smile, but his eyes stayed locked on daisy. you didn't think much of it at this point.

billy and daisy found their groove, and the two would walk into the studio after a day of writing laughing and giggling like children. you remembered when billy would do that with you. now, it seemed like a distant memory.

"karen, can i ask you something?" you asked karen once when you were the only two in the lobby of the studio.

"anything," she replied, putting out her cigarette.

"do you think something is off will billy? like, with me?" you asked sheepishly.

karen frowned. "what do you mean?"

you looked down. "he hasn't been the same since daisy has been in the picture. i rarely see him anymore, and when i do, he's not all there," you said. "and i felt so involved in the last album. i was involved in all of billy's decisions, and now it's daisy. should i be worried about..." you trailed off. "you know?"

karen looked at you, her eyes softening at your worried expression. "i know what you mean. billy's a great guy, Y/N, and i think you can trust him. if you're worried, i would talk to him sooner rather than later."

you nodded. "i'll see if it gets any worse, and if it does, i'll talk to him."

you hated that things were getting worse between the two of them. you could tell he was hiding something, and a part of you always knew that those two had some type of connection. they had to, for the sake of the music.

you tried to trust them and let him run off with daisy, knowing that they made each other better. but you knew he wasn't telling you something.

you didn't realize how far along their connection was until daisy and billy stormed out of the studio while recording more fun to miss.

you followed them out, a few paces behind them, to make sure everything was okay. as soon as you stepped out onto the pavement, you watched as daisy yelled something at billy, close to his face. then, you watched as billy pulled daisy closer, leaving a kiss on her lips.

you gasped, and the two immediately broke and turned to look at you. billy went as pale as a ghost, and you stood horrified.

"Y/N, this isn't-" billy started, walking closer to you.

you put up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "don't."

billy paused. "daisy, can we get some privacy?" he asked sternly before daisy hurriedly made her way inside.

"can i explain?" billy asked quietly.

a tear ran down your face. "what is there to explain? i know what i just saw."

billy nodded understandingly. "i know, i know what this looks like, and i'm sorry. but truthfully, there's absolutely nothing going on between us."

you laughed. "you call that nothing?" you asked, raising your voice. "you kissed her, billy! and god knows what else you've been doing behind my back all this time. there's a reason you came out here to do this, so i wouldn't find out."

billy put his hands on your shoulders. "there's nothing of substance between us. this is all an act, we're building our connection so fans can see it and believe it onstage. that's what the fans want. please believe me, there's nothing between us. there never was, and there never will be."

you shook your head, tears streaming down your face harder. "and you expect me to believe that?" you asked quietly, walking away into the studio.

you had locked yourself in a storage closet for some privacy, and you could tell the band, minus billy and daisy, was looking for you around the studio. you sat on the floor crying, thinking about all the times billy left you to be with her.

you felt so stupid for letting this happen. you should have known something was off. you couldn't believe what billy did, but you couldn't believe that you fell for him the way you did. this should have been expected.

suddenly, you heard a faint voice from outside the door, down the hallway. "daisy, we need to talk."

footsteps. "don't tell me what i think you're going to tell me," she replied.

"we were a mistake. we never had anything, and we never will."

a pause. "you're a big fucking liar, you know that?" daisy asked him.

"Y/N is the one i love. she's the one i will choose every time."

"so that kiss just now meant nothing?" daisy asked, getting angrier. "you did that just so i'd sing like that on the album?"

"i did what i had to do," billy said, matching her tone. "this is all an act, for the music. we had to build chemistry so the fans will believe it. none of this is real." there was a pause before billy spoke again. "i refuse to lose Y/N. not again."

there was another long pause, before a loud "fuck you" and the sound of daisy's heels walking out of the studio doors.

your heart was beating fast after hearing that exchange. you wanted to trust the man that you had grown to love again.

you quietly unlocked the door, stepping out and finding billy down the hall. he looked at you and his harsh features softened when he saw your tear stained face. "hey, i've been looking all over for you," he said sweetly.

you stood in front of him, and he put his hands on the sides of your face, forcing you to look him in the eyes.

"i'm so sorry, Y/N. for all of this. temptation got the best of me, and i lost sight of what i wanted and needed. you're it for me, and you always have been. even before you knew i existed, i knew i wanted you and no one else."

you rested your forehead on his, briefly staying quiet. "never do anything like this ever again, okay asshole?"

billy smiled. "you have my word."

you kissed him, and it made you forget everything that had just happened. you could tell that he truly meant what he said to you through a single, meaningful kiss.

he made all of your worries dissipate in an instant.

[kindagayfish]

Do you have any NSFW head cannons for vash? Or maybe what Vash would be like if he were to fall in love? (I am so down bad for him)

A/N: Omg thank you for being patient with how long I took with this and thank you so much for the ask! Vash is just so...so...*screams into pillow* I love him

Contains: Vash being a loveable dork, nsfw headcanons, written with afab reader in mind but nothing is ever explicitly said,

Vash Being in Love and NSFW Headcanons (below the cut!)

Depending on which Vash we are talking about (tristamp or 98) will determine how he acts with you when he’s in love but not willing to admit it.

Vash from the 98 anime is a flirt. He’s having fun without getting attached and loves to tease a bit, acting goofy to get your attention. He catches himself one day with weight behind his words as he compliments you…he also catches himself blushing when you decide to flirt back

Tristamp Vash is a bit softer, more careful. He keeps you at a distance emotionally but is still so kind and attentive. Finds himself growing protective of you under one day you smile at him after saving you and he’s just gone.

Either way he refuses to admit it for a LONG time. People around him get hurt. He’s focused on his brother. There’s just no time for romance.

But I think that’s what finally gets him, the fact that time with you is limited. It takes you a while to convince him that it’s okay to be selfish, to want love, that he deserves it.

His biggest love languages are words of affirmation and quality time...probably followed closely by physical touch.

Vash is always there to lift you up with his words, sing your praise, give you a shoulder to cry on, be a punching bag for your feelings. Whatever you need, Vash is there to provide it.

Loves to hold your hand while traveling

If you ever need his attention, just say his name sweetly, he’ll be at your side in seconds

Might teach you how to shoot if you ask nicely, although he makes you promise not to kill anyone. It brings him a bit of comfort to know you can defend yourself

You catch him staring at you all the time with literal hearts in his eyes. The first few times he gets a bit embarrassed, but after a while will shamelessly admit it

NSFW:

I feel that Vash is a switch but heavily sub leaning. Loves if you're the one calling most of the shots but has no problem flipping the script on you. Actually prefers it some nights where you either haven't seen each other in a while or he's had one too many drinks.

Pathetic, whiny, whimpering, crying, literally doing the most at every given moment.

You'll be able to pull some of those growls and deeper moans out of him though if he's feeling particularly possessive

Everything with him is so soft and sensual, trailing kisses up and down each other's bodies, whispering praises and words of devotion that only the two of you could hear

LOVES when you tug on his hair

Calls you angel, mayfly, pretty girl/boy

Loves any position where he can see your face, and so that he has the opportunity to kiss you at anytime, stealing the breath from your lips as you move your body against his.

He'll curl his body into you when he's close, panting heavily and not able to hold back his high-pitched moans. It's a pretty sight to see, his face flushed red along with his ears, eye shut and furrowed brows.

I love the idea that Vash's wings would sprout any time he is feeling extremely emotional. So of course when you're intimate there is a burst of feathers, the soft appendages acting on their own to embrace you protectively, pulling you all the more closer to him.

Boy's got hella stamina and will opt for multiple rounds. You'll have to be the one to tap out or else he literally will. not. stop. He'll let you fall asleep in his arms if you get too tired. Otherwise his favorite is when he falls asleep laying on your bare chest, your hands running through his hair.

[bitter-bats-cult-of-the-moon]

Magical Concepts

There is something that has always proven to be a mistake when first learning energy concepts and magickal workings. This is that people tend to shift to only one paradigm, and they limit themselves from other opportunities.

I will talk about general concepts within this article, and the consciousness. Hopefully, this will help people understand a little more, and become more aware freeing up some peoples' mental road blocks.

(Subconscious) Emotions: Your personal, raw energies. The subconscious is untamed, and has many uses within energy workings, and the mind itself. But, as we progress you will see that all of these concepts need to be used in order to acheive your goals. Using all three will be beneficial.

(Conscious) Ideas and Concepts: This is focused energies, and the direction you wish for workings to be acheived. It is intent.

Example: You call the quarters, cast circles, invoke spirits. All steps in rituals and spells are focus tools for the intentions you have set out. Relying too heavily on tools every time you do something considered simple will turn in to a crutch over time exhausting more energy than needed in order to complete a working.

Ritual magic does have its' place, but should not be relied on or treated as the only way to do some workings. It serves as more of a guide in the long run.

(Super Conscious) Intuition:

Ever been caught in the middle of a energy working, and knew something else might have to be done in order for things to succeed? Just do it. Trust your own inner intuiton regarding magickal workings especially during divination sequences.

Example: When you do divination and know something will come to pass, and it does.

The Subconscious, Conscious, and Super-Conscious can be used for Emotions, Concepts, and/or Intuition. They all work together as one because it overall is your consciousness. It is you as an individual. It is your energies.

Personalization will help you the most because you are doing this for you and your needs as an individual. The more you personalize things that work best for you the more it will be attuned to you and your needs. Alternatively, you can use existing symbols and practices as guides to help you along your spiritual journey.

Never underestimate yourself during magickal workings if you know the concepts and understand the intentions. If you follow through a spell with any doubts in mind it most likely will not work. If you have no doubts in your mind, it should work provided it has a means to manifest.

Don't over complicate magickal or energy workings if you already understand the concepts. Don't waste time and energy by making things more complicated than they actually are. Do not get caught up in a ritual you feel is the only way to get what you need. It isn't. You are simply putting limitations on yourself. Understand the concepts, intentions, and drive that focus on your end goal.

[putschki1969]

KEIKO Planetarium Live〜Starry Night〜 & Chocolate meating#3〜Starry Night edition〜 Live Report

I experienced so many amazing things during my recent Japan trip but for some reason, this special planetarium event left the most lasting impression so that's why I wanted it to be the topic of my first live report. Below you'll find an abundance of fangirling and mindless blabbering so please brace yourselves! The post will be divided into the following sections to make it easier for you to get through.

General Info

Preface

Merchandise

Venue

Performance

Fan Club Exclusive Part

General Info

Instagram post by Keiko | Tweet by Keiko | Tweet by Yuriko

『KEIKO Planetarium Live ~Starry Night~』 [Date] Sunday, December 17, 2023 [Time] Open 14:30 / Start 15:00 [Ticket fee] 8,000 yen (tax included) [Venue] Konica Minolta Planetaria TOKYO DOME1

FC Exclusive 『Chocolate meating #3 ～Starry Night edition～』 [Date] Sunday, December 17, 2023 [Time] Open 17:00 / Start 17:30 [Ticket fee] 8,500 yen (tax included) ※FC exclusive benefit included [Venue] Konica Minolta Planetaria TOKYO DOME1

Preface

When this was first announced I was devastated because at that time, my trip to Japan was scheduled to end on Dec 14th. But with both Wakana and Keiko announcing solo performances after that day, I was determined to find a way to extend my stay. Initially, I was hesitant because I knew there was no way to change my return flight. I would ultimately lose a significant amount of money and on top of that, I would have to book a new one-way return ticket for a later date which would cost me a fortune as well. After considering all my pros and cons, I ultimately decided to go through with the whole thing because I knew I would probably hate myself forever if I didn't use that opportunity. Of course it also hinged upon whether or not I would manage to get a ticket for the fan club performance in the evening. I knew my chances were super slim due to the tiny venue (~100 people) but luckily, I won a ticket. At that point I knew that I had no excuses not to go XD This is by far one of he craziest and most irrational things I've ever done so for some time I was afraid that I would end up with horrible regrets but I am happy to report that it was worth every penny for me. Not only was Wakana's concert amazing, these two Keiko performances absolutely blew me away with their intimate nature and unique atmosphere. Can you believe that this was actually the first time for me to attend a Keiko solo event? I had purchased streaming tickets for all of her online lives of course but I had never been to an on-site event. And for a while now, I have been asking myself if I would even enjoy a one-man live like that since - as we all know - I am not particularly fond of a lot of her solo releases but, lo and behold, my love for Keiko and her music was 100% reaffirmed. I am so glad that I took the plunge, I couldn't be more grateful to have been able to be there for this amazing experience. On this note, I wanna give a big shout-out to my friend Pae who encouraged me from the get-go to come to the event and who got our tickets for the day performance. It was a general sale on a first come-first serve basis and she really knocked it out of the park with her professional ticket purchasing skills. I definitely could never have done it that quickly so kudos to her. Here's a picture of little old me, Pae and her friend from Thailand.

Merchandise

I wanna take a few moments to talk about the live goods because I am utterly smitten with everything. The acrylic stands and the block are particularly pretty but I am also obsessed with the polaroids. I almost couldn't contain myself and since they didn't have any limits as to how many pieces one person could buy, I naturally went all out. Don't worry, I didn't buy that much since I was still reeling from how expensive it was to extend my trip. Also, I was one of the first few people in line so it would have been rude to buy an excessive amount, there were a ton of other fans around after all, they obviously also wanted to buy a lot of merch. While they prepared plenty of the random polaroid magnets, they unfortunately didn't really bring enough of the acrylic stuff. By the end of the day performance, the acrylic stands were already completely sold out and after the evening performance, the acrylic block was gone too. I guess that means that even if we get an online sale at one point, they will only sell the tote bag and the magnets...or maybe they'll produce another batch of all the acrylic items...We'll have to wait and see...I could see myself buying some more polaroids if they become available online. I only got two pieces with a handwritten message by Keiko so it would be nice to have more. But they are not exactly cheap so I'll have to think about it.

Venue

The venue was...not what I had expected XD. The pictures online of Konica Minolta Planetaria are a bit misleading but I guess that's because they only ever feature Dome 2 and not Dome 1 which is significantly smaller and doesn't have any of the fancy seats. Our seats were little more than reclining beach chairs with a little table but oh well, I didn't come there to be seated comfortably so it didn't bother me too much. At the end of the day, it was a good thing that the dome was so tiny because it made everything feel so much more intimate. And let me tell you, when I say intimate, I mean intimate. I've never ever been this close to Keiko (and I've had my fair share of close encounters with her). There were no assigned seats for the performances, everyone just had a number on their ticket and we were allowed to enter the dome in order of that number. As mentioned earlier, Pae was super fast getting our tickets so we ended up with the numbers 5 to 7, meaning that for the day performance I got a seat right at the front with a clear view of Keiko. There was no stage or anything, just a bit of basic equipment, some microphones and two stools. This meant that there was barely any space between the front row and the artist area (1 metre maybe). Needless to say, I spent the entire time looking at Keiko XD. I almost felt a bit bad because I was missing out on the lovely projections but to be fair, it was actually quite hard to get a good view of them this close to the front so the best option for me was to just stare at Keiko. During the break I bought myself a yummy galaxy donut which was almost too pretty to eat but at that point I was starving so I literally devoured it. For the FC exclusive evening performance I wasn't nearly as lucky when it came to my number. I got #71 so I ended up in one of the last rows unfortunately. From the first performance I knew that Keiko would be entering from the back door on the left side and walk through the audience so I at least made sure to take a seat close to the door so she would walk right past me (which she did so YAY but more on that later). On another positive note, the seat in the back made it possible for me to get fully immersed in the projections without being too distracted by Keiko. It was truly breathtaking to see all these space-themed vivid images across the ceiling.

Performance

It feels like I have already talked so much about the whole thing but I haven't mentioned a single thing about the actual performances so let me rectify that. I've already alluded to it in the beginning of this post, Keiko was absolutely stunning and I am obviously not just talking about her looks. Her vocals were out of this world, every single song of the setlist flattered her so much, there was not a single misplaced note as far as I could tell. Due to the nature of the event, it was of course a very understated performance, there was no wild movement or crazy choreography, it was just Keiko standing/sitting there being illuminated by the tiniest of lights, just enough to still see her but never enough to distract from the visuals. After all, the main focus were supposed to be the projected images and for the most part, that was the case. Only occasionally they would shine some more light on Keiko (mostly during MCs). As you can see below, the setlist was full of ballads and OMG, I couldn't have been happier about that. She sang almost all my faves so I was pretty much in heaven for the first half of the live. Almost started crying during 通り雨 because it was painstakingly beautiful. キミガネムルカラ and 夕顔 were also true gems to experience live, so haunting and mystic. She brought out her brand new guitar for songs #4 to #6 and while I have never been the biggest fan of acoustic guitars, Keiko really managed to make me fall in love with the sound. Both her and her guitarist did a fantastic job arranging and performing these tracks. Also, I was quite surprised to hear Yas Nakajima provide backup vocals for Keiko during Burn In The Wind, their voices match perfectly.

The cover section was admittedly a bit of a let-down for me since the chosen songs are not exactly among my favourites. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy myself or that Keiko didn't deliver the songs flawlessly, it's just that I don't really care all that much for the songs themselves. There were some really gorgeous high notes though so I really can't complain. Speaking of covers, I was super hyped when Keiko announced that she would be singing 風の街へ, a self-cover of her first FictionJunction KEIKO work. I had a feeling she would maybe sing it (since it's obviously a perfect fit for this sort of atmosphere) but Pae kept telling me that it probably wouldn't be happening. Glad I was right about that. During the MC, Keiko was talking about her upcoming single 夕闇のうた so for a while I was sure she would just sing that but she ultimately did not perform it. We got to hear the full version a few days earlier at Kaji Fes. so I wasn't too disappointed that it didn't make it onto the setlist of the planetarium live (also, if I am being honest, the song hasn't really grown on me yet so it's not like I'm dying to hear it again and again). Instead, she chose the song that marked the very beginning of Keiko's journey together with Yuki Kajiura and really, I can never get enough of it. It's one of my very favourite YK x Keiko collaborations and it's always such a pleasure to hear it live. It was only my second time so I couldn't have been more grateful. The final three songs were a nice change of pace with more involvement from the audience and more focus on Keiko rather than the projections. I certainly didn't expect ラテ to make an appearance but with the pretty lights, it worked surprisingly well. The whole thing had a very futuristic feel to it if you know what I mean. ユア has slowly been growing on me and it's just such a feel-good song that I cannot stop vibing with it (similar to Wakana's Happy Hello Day actually). The ending was beyond epic, エンドロール is such a cool song. I just wish I had known the lyrics so I would have been able to sing along properly (I have zero skills when it comes to memorising lyrics) . Keiko tried to prepare us with a few test-runs but I kept mixing up some lines T_T Oh well, I had a blast so that's all that counts! The one thing I felt kinda sad about was the fact that we didn't get an encore but I guess they had to keep the performance short...?

M-1キミガネムルカラ M-2夕顔 M-3通り雨 M-4夜の嘘と M-5Lost M-6Burn In The Wind M-7駅 by 竹内まりや (Cover) M-8ルビーの指環 by 寺尾聰 (Cover) M-9秋桜 by 山口百恵 (Cover) M-10風の街へ (Self-Cover) M-11ラテ M-12ユア M-13エンドロール

Fan Club Exclusive Part

When I entered the dome for the fan club exclusive evening performance, I was given a large envelope by a staff member containing a message card by Keiko. The scan above features the picture which makes up one half of the card. So pretty! (Please keep in mind that this is fan club exclusive!) As mentioned earlier, I had a seat pretty far in the back during this performance, I was still close enough to have a good view of Keiko but I decided to focus on the projections this time around since Keiko jokingly mentioned a couple of times that she felt so many eyes on her and that we should try to enjoy the gorgeous view above as well. With the way she said it, I could tell that she wasn't annoyed or angry about it but she genuinely just wanted us the get the most out of the experience. And yeah, I have to admit, it was amazing to just lean back and watch the gorgeous space visuals while being gently wrapped by Keiko's vocals. Also, for some weird reason, the seats in the back were much more comfortable than the ones in the front row so that made it a lot easier to just relax. The setlist was the exact same and Keiko's performance was just as good. There were some technical issues with the projections at one point so the staff asked Keiko to take a little break and entertain the audience for a while so they could fix the problem. Keiko was really cute during this section because she struggled to come up with something to talk about. All her other MCs had been rather short and straight-to-the-point so there wasn't really anything to talk about. She even admitted that it was quite hard for her to just talk to an audience without having anyone on stage with her to create a sort of a back and forth. Unfortunately, her guitarist was pretty useless in that regard since he didn't feel comfortable at all talking XD Keiko ended up blabbering on and on about the most random stuff and eventually talked a bit about the guitar arrangement for 秋桜 which she found quite impressive. After they had fixed the issue, we went back to the regular program for a couple of songs until Keiko announced that it was time for some special games since this was a fan club event after all. First, we played a few rounds of a Maru-Batsu-Quiz (True-or-False-Quiz). They had prepared some Keiko-trivia questions. Everyone was asked to stand up and with every question people either answered with "true" (fist) or "false" (open hand). Those who answered incorrectly had to sit down so fewer and fewer people remained standing as time went by. Some of the questions were a bit tricky so all you could do was guess. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of the lucky winners at the end. Although I will say that these games are mostly based on trust since you can always pretend to have made the correct gesture or change your gesture in the right moment (it's hard to verify stuff like that). There were a handful of guys who won the first two rounds, they got to walk towards the front and Keiko gave them a little present (some snack souvenirs from the most recent Asia tour-leg, nothing too exciting). Then we were all surprised because for one round the last person standing happened to be none other than Yuriko Kaida. Turns out she had been sitting right behind me all this time (her seat was the closest one to the back door in the very last row). I did not expect her to actually collect her prize (especially since Keiko mentioned that Yuriko had gotten the exact same souvenir in Taiwan) but she did. It was a treat seeing them interact like that. They are so funny together and it was during those moments that you could immediately tell that Keiko became so much more relaxed and talkative once she had someone on-stage with her who she felt comfortable with. As a final game, we did one round of rock-paper-scissors which once again, I wasn't lucky enough to win but I guess it just wasn't meant to be T_T

When the show was over, Keiko walked through the audience towards the door in the back and that's when my seat choice really paid off. She got super close to the people who had an aisle seat, she made eye contact, waved at us and even did little high fives with the one or the other female fan who dared to initiate a gesture like that (of course I didn't because I am too chicken-shit for that). Once Keiko was gone, Yuriko was also ushered outside. Some of us were still hopeful that we would get an encore, especially since they had closed the exit again but alas we didn't get one. However, we were all in for a special treat when it was time to finally get up and leave. When they started playing the usual after-live announcement it was obvious that there wouldn't be an encore so I took my stuff and headed towards the back door which a staff member was just about to open. That's when I realised that Keiko was standing right outside the door, waiting for the audience members to give each one of us a private send-off. This is a common occurrence with fan club events in Japan but I've never had it happen with Keiko before so this was super special. Also, during and even long after the pandemic, situations with close encounters like that were strictly avoided so I didn't really expect them to do a send-off. Seems like we have finally moved past those restrictions! BANZAI! Anyway, I literally froze in place when I saw Keiko standing there because I was scared to be the first one to be greeted by her. I waited a few seconds so a handful of people could walk out before me. This way I was able to observe what other fans were saying to her and how much time the staff allowed each person with Keiko. I know, it probably sounds ridiculous to you but this sort of stuff stresses me out immensely, I prefer to be at least a tiny bit prepared. I was probably the fifth person to walk outside and most people inside the dome were still putting on their clothes or picking up their stuff so there was not really a line behind me or any type of rush. When I got in front of Keiko, we both did the crazy waving thing again while I thanked her for everything. Then I told her that I am always supporting her from Vienna and she was like, "wow, Vienna, so cool!" At that point it would have probably been my turn to step away since I could tell that the staff member next to Keiko was getting antsy and already preparing to ask me to continue walking. But I wanted to use the opportunity to briefly mention my undying love for the beret I had won during a previous fan club event. As you probably all know, this is my most-prized possession. It's a hat previously owned and frequently worn by Keiko herself, she signed it and even wrote my name on it before shipping it out to me. Being as obsessed with Kalafina fashion as I am, I really couldn't have asked for a better gift. Squeezing all those emotions into a single sentence or two was very hard but I tried my best. I had forgotten how to breathe at that point and my voice was getting super weird. I pointed at my hat and hoped that she would even remember that she had given it away. Then I all but squeaked out how grateful I was to win it and that I would treasure it all my life. She also pointed at it with clear recognition on her face (thank God or it would have been embarrassing XD) and told me with the brightest of smiles, "ah yes, yes, I know, that's amazing, I am so happy for you!" Needless to say, that almost killed me 💀I definitely ascended to another plane of existence that day. I didn't wanna push my luck any further so with a final wave I kept walking towards the reception area and thus ended my Keiko Planetarium experience. Even hours after the event, I was still reeling from everything that had happened.

My plane was supposed to leave bright and early the following morning so I did not stick around longer than necessary. I said my goodbyes to a couple of fellow fans and then took off. Some of them wanted to invite me to a small after-dinner-party but I just wouldn't have been able to deal with the stress on the eve of my departure.

All right, that's it, hopefully I didn't forget anything and I didn't bore you to death. Kudos to anyone who managed to make it to the end.

PS: I just wanna say that Keiko is the prettiest human being ever. Every time I see her up-close I'm reminded of her other-worldly beauty. Standing right next to her, it doesn't even feel like she is a real person because everything about her looks so smooth and polished, like someone put a filter on top of her XD

[breakfastteatime]

(For Whumptober Day 26 - 'Sometimes I get so tired, I don't know myself')

"Hey, hey, you're okay. You're okay, Cal. Take it slow."

Lights and rain blind Cal the moment he opens his eyes. A strange garbled sound emerges from him. What... where...

A shadow leans over, offering relief from the lights and the rain. Who? Master Tapal? Cal blinks the rainwater from his startled eyes, clearing his vision. Oh. Cal's slow brain finally coughs up an identity. It's Prauf. Good thing Cal can't get any words out right now.

Good thing he's too tired to cry. Disappointment knocks the wind out of him.

Prauf looks sad. "I warned you," he says. "They're called death shifts for a reason." There's a big hand resting on Cal's head. "You look awful." Prauf sighs. "Good news though, you made it through."

Death shift. Five days. Minimal breaks. Never leaving the shipyard. Quadruple pay if you see all five days through and remain productive throughout. He'd made it? All those credits were his now. He'd be ahead, just for a little while. He can finally repair his -

Prauf looks over his shoulder. "Hey! I dunno what any of you slackers are staring at, but you better start minding your own business unless you wanna get assigned to septic tank duty!"

Cal pushes himself up. The ship is hazy, the other scrappers patches of blue and orange hustling around him. He feels all heavy and light all in one go. His exhaustion isn't gone, but he feels good enough to get right back to work. Maybe he should. Look, his tools are right there. All he's gotta do is pick... pick... pi -

When Cal misses for the third time, Prauf swipes them up and tucks them on his own belt. "Not a chance, pal, you can't even see straight," he says. "You got a second wind?"

Second... secondy thousand wind? Whatever. Cal nods.

"Great!" Prauf gives him a hearty pat on the back. "Let's use that to get to the train."

"I'm fine," Cal says.

Or not.

"People who are fine can enunciate," Prauf chuckles. "Sorry, but 'mfyn' doesn't pass muster. Besides, the Guild's pretty strict about rest periods after death shifts. Even they've got some limits."

Eyes rolling, Cal plods along with Prauf... plods into Prauf... all the way back to the train. Plenty of people stare at him on the station. Cal weaves on his feet, Prauf poking him back into place every now and then. People stare more. Are they waiting for him to fall? (Again?) Not too many people can pull off a death shift, especially not teeny tiny Humans, and word got around that Cal was on one (he asked for it, and he'll never complain about a mere hell shift ever again). Maybe they think he failed. Hah, he'll show them on payday. He's gonna get the best meal down at the Sparkplug and -

The train pulls in. Cal nearly falls over as it screeches by. Prauf wraps an arm around him, holding tight. It finally stops, doors sliding open, workers spewing out from its greasy innards.

Everyone about to board their carriage waits.

Prauf nudges him. "Death shift survivors always get to go first."

Cal boards the carriage, finds himself a chair next to a support beam and falls into it. Everyone else follows, the carriage filling with the stench of rain soaked bodies. He can feel the prickly prickles of eyes watching him. He knows - he's an easy target and someone's going to take the opportunity to rob him.

Prauf stands in front of him, blocking him from view. "What?" he tells the other scrappers. "You really think you're gonna try something?"

"Hey, it's called a death shift. If the kid can't defend himself, he shouldn't volunteer for 'em."

Cal looks up. Someone is actually trying to square up to Prauf. Cal notes the uniform. Hazmat. Brain's gotta be cooked from all the shit they breathe in all day. 'Cause Prauf is big. Like really big. Like soooooo big. Cal watches him looming over the Hazmat dumbass.

"Try it," Prauf says.

The crowd steps back.

All except one.

"Get tae fuck!" Tabbers. Tabbers is here too. "Youse better leave the boy alone, else you'll be picking your teeth out of my fists!"

"He ain't got any, Tabbers!" someone shouts.

More shouts go out. Then the only people standing in front of Cal are Prauf and Tabbers, and the train is moving, rocking down the tracks and Cal is -

"Such a wee thing to be working like this."

Footsteps. Boots on rain-soaked metal. Cal is... not walking. He opens his eyes. Whoa, the ground is a long way below. Prauf's thrown him over one shoulder. Literally. He watches his arms swinging with every step Prauf takes.

"I tried telling him he didn't need to do it, but wanna know what he said?"

Prauf's voice, rumbling right into Cal's ear.

"I already hate what youse are gonna say to me," Tabbers moans.

"He says 'Might as well be at work instead of sitting doing nothing. Otherwise, it's just laziness.'"

Tabbers' complaints follow Cal down into sleep.

He wakes up again on a sofa brimming with sleepy energy. He knows it so well. He's at Prauf's place. Safe. He opens his eyes and finds a blanket over his head. He fights his way free of the thing (it's four times the size he needs it to be) and emerges into the bleak light of Bracca's dawn. Even that's enough to stab him through both eyes and directly into his aching head.

"Morning!" Prauf calls from his small kitchenette. "You alive?"

Cal grunts.

Prauf laughs. "Not quite regained the power of speech, huh?" He walks over and drops a cup of caf and a bowl of oatmeal on the coffee table. "Get that down you."

Cal doesn't need telling twice. When he emerges, he's even starting to feel alive again.

"You're off-shift until tomorrow," Prauf says. "Your prize for surviving a death shift."

"Okay." Cal doesn't even care that he can't go to work today. He survived a death shift, and he only had a few hallucinations and a couple of accidental naps on his feet while doing it. Maybe he'll make it a yearly thing whenever he could use the extra credits. "Thanks for letting me sleep here."

"You can talk! You didn't break your brain!"

Cal glares at Prauf. Prauf cracks up.

"So, today's my day off too. Whaddya say, wanna head into town and pick up the parts you need for your heater? I'll be happy to help you fix it up."

"Really?"

"Really, kiddo. C'mon, shake a leg."

Sliding off the couch, Cal pulls his boots on. "Thanks, Prauf. For everything."

"Anytime. And Cal?"

His head pops out of his poncho. "Yeah?"

"No more death shifts, alright? Surviving here is all about pacing. Don't wear yourself down to the bone before you're done growing, okay?"

Cal's is a crooked smile. "I'll try."

[ugotnojamzzz]

Rulers of Ruin

Chapter 6

Genre: Mafia!au , Slowburn, Angst, Hurt, eventual smut, TW (it is a mafia!AU, after all)

Pairing: Mafia!Jungkook x reader

Synopsis: There will come a day when I will sit down and write an alluring synopsis for this series. But that day hasn't come just yet lol. Stay tuned for more chapters to come.

Disclaimer: English isn’t my native language. Also, don’t come for me over the theme, people. It’s an Alternate Universe, which means the bangtan boys are essentially what I like to call meat puppets to serve the storyline. This is obviously not a projection of their actual real-life personas.

Wordcount: 1.7k

Masterlist

Chapter 5

After her altercation with Jimin, YN’s frustration only grew stronger. For someone who supposedly played an important role in the upcoming feud, she’d never felt more sidelined. Always kept outside of the loop.

She found herself more restless and defiant than ever. Taking advantage of Taehyung’s occasionally distracted nature, she spent the following week slipping out of his line of sight every chance she got, exploiting the slightest opportunity to explore—or test—the limits of her captivity.

One evening, as she was escorted to the mansion's library for a new book to distract her from her boredom, Taehyung's attention was momentarily captured by a conversation with another agent, a young woman whose laughter seemed to echo distractingly down the dark hallway. Seizing the moment, Y/N discreetly slipped away, her steps silent on the plush carpet.

She wandered down the corridor, not expecting much, really. Only she stopped dead in her tracks, her ears picking up the muffled tones of a serious conversation seeping through the thick door of an adjacent parlor. Her curiosity piqued, she pressed closer.

"…seems they’re gearing up for war," She recognized Namjoon’s distinctive baritone, “We may need additional eyes out there soon."

“Maybe Hoseok?” another voice spoke, “"He's returning soon with Kookie, right?"

"Stop that,” Namjoon chided, his voice sharp, “you know he hates that nickname."

“Aish, you don’t need to fight his battles,” the voice said, “if your father was here-“

Her heart thudded with the thrill of the forbidden knowledge just within her grasp. She leaned in, straining to catch more.

“While on the topic of my father,” Namjoon’s voice grew tenser, “any updates?”

“He’s alright, for now,” the voice spoke, “but…”

Y/N's mind raced. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the conversation inside had ceased until the door suddenly swung open.

Namjoon’s piercing gaze met hers immediately, a frown creasing his brow. Behind him, YN recognized Seokjin standing in his white blouse, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Y/N," Namjoon's voice was a blend of disappointment and irritation. "Spying requires guile and vigilance," he paused, “it appears you’re lacking both.”

Her response came quick, tinged with defiance. "Maybe I need some lessons from your agents," she retorted sharply, her voice echoing slightly in the spacious hallway, “they’re clearly doing such a good job at keeping track of me.”

He chuckled dryly, not out of amusement but as a prelude to a sharper critique. "Watch your attitude,” he shot back, his eyes narrowing slightly as he assessed her, “it’s unbecoming."

She exhaled a frustrated sigh, feeling cornered yet defiant. "I've been kept in the dark for two weeks, Namjoon.” Her voice rose, a clear note of irritation threading through her words, “How long do you expect me to sit around waiting for you to decide my fate?"

Namjoon stepped out, closing the door behind him with a soft click. "Information is dispensed on a need-to-know basis," he stated firmly, approaching her. "And right now, you don’t need to know anything."

Y/N bristled at the dismissal, her anger flaring. "So, what do I need, then? More guards? An ankle bracelet, perhaps? Shall we test how tight this leash can get?"

Before he could respond, rapid footsteps echoed down the hallway. Taehyung appeared, breathing heavily, his usual composed demeanor unraveled by exertion. "Sorry, Boss—I lost sight of her for just a minute," he panted, casting a wary glance at Y/N.

Namjoon’s eyes flicked between Y/N and Taehyung, his displeasure evident. "Ensure it doesn’t happen again," he warned, then turned back to Y/N. "As for you, try to remember your place. If you keep this up, I won’t hesitate to make your conditions less... comfortable.” His threat hung heavily in the air, a stark reminder of the power he wielded. “Or perhaps I’ll simply ship you back to your brother, see if you prefer what he’s got in store for you.”

Before YN could utter a response, the broad-shouldered leader went back in the parlour, firlmy shutting the door behind him.

YN's anger boiled over as she stormed off, her heels clicking angrily against the marble floors. Behind her, Taehyung hurried to keep up, his own frustration mirroring hers but tinged with resignation. "Come on, don't do this," he called out, his voice barely cutting through her tirade.

"This is all ridiculous!” YN shouted back over her shoulder, her words sharp as daggers. “Complete, utter bullshit!" The cool night air did nothing to temper her heated words as she burst through the double doors into the garden.

She stomped outside still ranting to herself.

Taehyung sighed, dodging low-hanging branches as he tried to keep up with her brisk pace. "Ranting isn’t going to change anything," he called out, his voice barely cutting through the sound of the wind.

"And what would you suggest, huh? Compliance? Silent obedience?" she snapped back, turning to face him with a glare, “Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? You miserable pieces of shit!” she shouted

Taehyung sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's raining, Y/N. Let’s go back inside before you catch your death," he tried reasoning with her, his voice calm but firm.

“Oh sure, it’s the rain that’s going to kill me,” she rolled her eyes. "Last time I checked, a little water has never hurt anyone," she snapped, dismissing his concern with a wave of her hand. Her focus was solely on venting her frustration, paying little attention to where she was stepping. The garden path, slick with rain, was a treacherous terrain for her furious pacing.

Before Taehyung could warn her, YN's foot caught on the edge of a stone near the koi pond. Her balance lost, she stumbled with a startled yelp, arms flailing as she tried desperately to regain her footing. It was no use; gravity took over, and with a splash that echoed louder than her shouts, YN found herself submerged in cold murky water.

“Ah, shit,” Taehyung rushed to the pond’s edge, suppressing a chuckle as he extended a hand to help her out. “Looks like a little water might hurt after all," he remarked, trying to infuse a bit of humor into the situation.

Soaked and shivering, YN grasped his hand, her earlier fire doused by the icy pond water. "Very funny," she muttered, pulling herself up with his help. She stood dripping beside the pond, the rain mixing with pond water, her elegant outfit ruined and clinging uncomfortably to her skin.

Taehyung’s expression softened as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. "Come on, let’s get you inside and dried off," he said, guiding her back towards the mansion. "And maybe skip the midnight garden walks for a while, yeah?"

"Fuck off," she muttered under her breath, even as he escorted her toward her quarters, his jacket still wrapped around her.

--

In the warm embrace of the shower, Y/N let the hot water cascade over her, washing away the pond's chill and the night's frustrations. As the steam clouded around her, so did her thoughts, swirling with the events of the evening.

The steam seemed to seep into her pores, attempting to soothe the sting of humiliation and the cold realization of her helplessness.

Her mind replayed Namjoon's words, sharp and cutting, echoing against the tiles with every droplet that fell.

Remember your place.

the fall into the pond had been a jolt back to a reality she’d been trying to ignore. It wasn't just the physical shock of the cold water but the absurdity of the situation that gnawed at her. Here she was, a pawn in a game of power, maneuvered by people who saw her not as a person but as a leverage point—a tool in their negotiations and strategies. The very idea that she could be discussed as part of a war strategy was infuriating.

With every drop that washed over her, she pondered the bitter irony of her safety. Here, in between the tigers’ claws, surrounded by those who viewed her as little more than a bargaining chip, she was, in a twisted sense, probably safer than she had been in a long time. The thought stung, a reluctant admission that clawed at her pride.

Her last encounter with her brother had been under circumstances shrouded in shadows and tension, their parting more a series of harsh whispers and hurried steps than heartfelt goodbyes. The memory was a sharp jab to her conscience, a reminder of unfinished business and unresolved conflicts that lingered like ghosts in her mind.

The steam fogged up the mirror, and for a moment, she imagined it clouding out the world, giving her a momentary respite from the watchful eyes and calculated moves. But as comforting as the warmth was, it couldn't wash away the reality of her predicament.

She needed to be more than just compliant; she needed to be cunning. If they were going to use her as a piece in their games, then perhaps it was time to learn the rules and play back. Tonight, however, she would allow herself just a few more moments of solace in the simple, searing heat of the shower.

The comforting rush of warm water was abruptly overshadowed by some noise coming beyond the bathroom door. Y/N's muscles tensed beneath the cascade. "Taehyung,” she began, her voice, sharp with annoyance, echoing slightly off the tiled walls, “I told you not to—"

Her sentence was abruptly cut off as the door swung open with a force that suggested urgency—or a complete utter lack of care. "Jesus Christ—" Y/N exclaimed, a mix of surprise and irritation in her tone. She instinctively spun around, her eyes squinting through the billowing steam. She could make out a figure, distinctly different from Taehyung's lean silhouette.

Before she could fully shield herself or demand an explanation, a deep, unfamiliar voice cut through the mist.

"And who the fuck are you?"

--

guess who? lol

Anyway hope you liked it. If some of you are intrigued or interested in finding out more, don't hesitate to interact and I'll start posting some more chapters! Also questions and remarks and feedback are welcome xxx

Chapter 7

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