#And I will always benefit more if I have my fellow peers

[captainkurosolaire]

I’m always impressed by the quality of your writing and the sheer creativity that you put into everything you do. If I could be one tenth as talented I should count myself blessed indeed. Plus you are kind and supportive towards others in a manner which does you great credit.

ANONYMOUSLY TELL ME YOUR HONEST OPINION ABOUT ME. I CAN’T REPLY, JUST PUBLISH.

#asks answered #I've never honestly saw myself talented or skilled #What I am is completely universal #It's just passion #Anyone is most likely more put together than me in many fields #When my friends went to parties and drugs #I was home making scenarios in my heads and writing in absence #Playing house with girls as a kid #Games or LARPing #Like my entire life has revolved around creating #And that's because I am passionate towards it #I nurtured my imagination #Emotions are powerful they are the instruments to storytelling #Reserving it for strictly for writing works in my favor #And I will always benefit more if I have my fellow peers #I want everyone to soar and fly with me! Their diverse one-of-kind wings are too brilliant to not flutter. #There's no point to have ego in the world of art #I have a strong belief in the old mentalities living in the perspective of old bards #Just create be so open-minded to everything #Do it just for a bed for the night #Travel to the next destination and take in the sights #Entertaining and smiling and relieving others or invoking emotions that may benefit or connect that's what I aspire to achieve. #While never ever losing myself to anything or anyone

[silverflqmes]

໒⦂ 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

synopsis. rosaria is assumed to be bitter among those who don't know what she's been through, but you don't care what they say about her.

genre. hurt / comfort

tw. consumption / mentions of alcohol

rosaria x gn!reader.

"did you hear rosaria skipped out on church duties today to drink at angel's share again?"

"i heard she's been playing with those daggers and knives again.. as expected of an adopted daughter of the grand master.."

"no way! last time she joined in to pray, she couldn't even say the name of our beloved archon, barbatos! how dare she!"

"you're kidding- last night i caught her walking home with master diluc and kaeya! you don't think she's-"

"shh, guys! i think she's heading back!"

the woman in question ascended the steps, a look of indifference on her countenance as the click of her heels bounced through the arched walls of the cathedral. it silenced her fellow sisters almost instantly, just as it had many times before whenever she entered the room.

rosaria was far from being deaf, and certainly not an idiot. their chatter slipped into her ears as clear as any other occasion. though she couldn't give less of a damn to hear the same old.

it wasn't it was anything new to hear, anyway, certainly not from a church full of sisters. no one was an exception to gossip, and the cryo user knew it. because of that, there was hardly a need for getting heated or putting them in their place.

let them think, let them talk. if that was how they planned to waste their breath, then it'll be theirs, not hers.

however the burning sensation behind her head did get rather annoying over time.

slowly, rosaria turned to raise a brow, grey eyes slitting. "something the matter? or can i carry on with my day."

her words sliced through the clique of girls like the knives she carried as they shook their heads profusely. "o-of course not, sister rosaria!" typical, can't even own up to their actions.

rosaria's gaze lingered a moment longer before she averted her eyes, not bothering to answer as she continued down the crimson carpet.

only idiots with no lives had time for drama, and that wouldn’t be her, not in million years.

"have i kept you long?" she asked, bringing her steps to a full stop when she found you, nose buried in whatever book you managed to pick up this time. rosaria could only wonder how you had the patience for stories.

lifting your head from what you were reading, a small smile crossed your lips when you found your girlfriend standing there. "only a minute." you joked. "ready to go?"

that's right. having gone unnoticed on the bench you had sat on to read, you had heard it all. from the badmouthing all the way to the arrival of the fuchsia haired sister.

it brought a frown to your lips to hear her fellow colleagues speak so lowly of her, as though she had been the filth of the earth they walked on. a bastard child, unworthy of the purity a servant of barbatos beheld — that was how they viewed her.

though what angered you more, was that rosaria stayed silent. no matter how many comments have been uttered regarding her, never once had she reprimanded or reacted to them.

perhaps it was just her being the bigger person, giving the benefit of the doubt.. but you couldn't bear it. as her lover — the person who cared the most for her in the cruel world you both lived in — you couldn't stand it anymore.

but what could you do?

"rosa, why won't you let me tell them off- they deserve to hear every word of it and more!"

"it's not for you to say, and it isn't worth it. they will continue their rumors and create even more if you speak out. don't meddle."

absolutely nothing.

as you opened the cathedral door for her, you blew a soft whistle, peering up at the sky; dusk melting into twilight. "nightfall is almost upon us, huh." came your soft comment as you looked to the woman beside you. "are you gonna be clocking in soon?"

rosaria was always on her vigilante shit, deep into the night when even the rumored dark knight hero was out.

but today would be different.

"if i was, i wouldn't be walking into city as i am with you now." she responded curtly, eyeing her clawed nails. "did you want me to work?"

you shook your head. "no, i was only checking. was there anything in particular you wanted to do?" a simple question, though part of you had known her answer already.

a quiet scoff. "i think you already know the answer to that. a long day's worth of praying and chanting calls for some needed wine."

hearing that made you chuckle as you rolled your eyes. "it's a good thing i brought a bottle, then." you hummed out, rummaging through your bag before pulling out a finely aged flask of dandelion wine. "care to share it with me? or will it be the same exact thing, but with a price at angel's share."

rosaria nearly wanted to roll her eyes but the smile on her lips said otherwise. "i suppose it would be rude to refuse such a delicacy." she hummed out, leading you down the steps to the docks overlooking cider lake.

with a grin of your own you walked to the end of the dock and sat with her, popping the cork before handing the bottle to her. "you first, let me know how it tastes."

rosaria scoffed, "a generous move to offer up the first taste, but you make it hard to refuse." she jested, taking a long sip before loosing a breath. "best wine i've had in awhile, though."

you brought the bottle to your lips, nodding after the sip you took. "agreed. but, that's what matters most." you assured, looking out to the horizon. "on a more serious note, though." your smile sullied a bit as you turned to face her. "how much longer do you plan on ignoring them while all the gossip spreads."

the cryo user fought the urge to sigh, having expected to hear something like this. “until i’m in the ground for good.” she answered calmly, taking another swig before wiping her lips. “it will only spur them on if they hear it bothers me.” it was true, people did get a sick high from knowing they got to someone.

“and i can’t tell them off?” you offered, looking over at the icy skinned woman. “i know i’m not one to say anything, but i would for you, rosa. in a heartbeat.”

she eyed you for a second, ready to tell you know — which you were prepared to hear. but her next words.. took you by surprise.

“i know you would.” the sister answered softly, bringing your head to her shoulder. “perhaps it’ll make drama entertaining for a change.”

notes. i forgot i had this sitting.. anyway rosaria my love<3 first character i ever wanted<3 loosely based on a shawn mendes song called bad reputation ( hence the title lol ) cuz it just screamed rosaria</3

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#— ; 🏹 ) genshin impact fics. #— ; 🏹 ) mondstadt. #gi #genshin impact #rosaria #genshin #genshin rosaria #rosaria x reader #mondstadt #genshin x reader #rosaria x you #genshin x gender neutral reader #rosaria x y/n #genshin x you #genshin imagines #genshin comfort #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact rosaria

[kallie-den]

Renewable Energy: Peer Review

Averabeth, a succubus professor, is determined to veto any funding or support for Ziratha's brainwashing device… that is, until Ziratha introduces her to a freshly revirginized mortal with a singular fetish

A sequel to Renewable Energy!

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---

Averabeth, succubus and psychology research fellow, took a moment to pause, cross her arms, and peer sternly over her glasses at the grad student standing in front of her, before saying:

“Miss Ziratha. Can you possibly fathom the recklessness of what you’ve done?”

Her withering glare had put tears in the eyes of many students. Even most of the college deans feared her disapproval - but that just made it all the more infuriating when the succubus grad student she was addressing met her gaze with nothing more than smug satisfaction.

“Changing the world is always a little reckless, I suppose,” Ziratha replied pleasantly, as if the two of them had been agreeing.

Her absurd self-assurance had Averabeth smoldering with rage. “That’s what every fool says when they’ve made something stupidly dangerous. It’s unbelievable! Your invention requires oversight. Thorough testing. Input from experts - real experts, not half-cocked grad students who think they know better than their professors!”

Averabeth made her glare even more pointed but, once again, Ziratha weathered her scolding with nothing more than a shrug and a sigh.

“You know what’s what I’m here for, right?” Ziratha said easily. “To ask for your expertise?”

“Normally, you would ask beforehand,” Averabeth told her icily. “Not after you’ve already started putting your clumsy fingers into poor girls’ heads.”

Ziratha just shrugged again. There was something disconcerting about how immune the younger succubus seemed to be to Averabeth’s disdain. Perhaps it was the size difference. It was a little difficult to intimidate someone who stood almost seven feet tall.

Averabeth was, by comparison, of a far more conventional stature. The psychology researcher appeared - by human standards - roughly middle-aged, and thanks to her mature charm and tenured position, she had no trouble finding mortal partners whenever she needed to top up on sexual energy. She might not have been feasting on prime virgins every day like rich archsuccubi could, but she fed plenty, and thanks to that she was a bombshell. Her skin was a bright, lurid, healthy violet, the twin horns that jutted straight up from her forehead were a good few inches long, and her spade-tipped tail was plenty dexterous. All that made her a catch, by succubus standards, although mortals were more likely to care about her stunningly soft, curvy, middle-aged body, which she usually accentuated with pencil skirts and tight button-up blouses.

All in all, she looked powerful, and she looked good.

In typical grad student fashion, Ziratha had always been lesser. The two of them had rubbed shoulders at a few faculty socials, and Averabeth had never found a reason to take notice of the younger succubus. Now, though, everyone took notice of Ziratha. Everyone. She had grown magnificently, and one look at her was all anyone needed to see that she was flush with energy and power. Ziratha now towered over every other succubus on campus, her skin was a deep red that glowed radiantly, and her horns were steadily growing into an imposing, archsuccubic crown.

It was enough to make anyone wonder where Ziratha had been finding so many untapped virgins. Averabeth had heard a few rumors, of course, but she’d refused to lend them any credence.

Until now.

“Look,” Ziratha said, with a theatrical gesture. “Are you going to help me, or not?”

“I suppose I have little choice,” Averabeth growled, still glaring at the huge succubus standing in her office. “But make no mistake: if it’s as bad as I think it is, I will be unequivocal in my recommendations to the board. No funding, no testing - and harsh punishment for you personally!”

“Yes, yes,” Ziratha replied dismissively. She started pacing. “Let’s just get to it, shall we?”

Averabeth sighed and took a moment to collect herself. As much as she wanted to see Ziratha taken down a couple of pegs, there would be time for that later. “Very well. Please give me a full summary. Leave nothing out.”

“Thank you!” Ziratha smiled brightly at her, which was infuriating. “Well, as you may have heard, I’ve been developing a device to counteract the Succubus Energy Crisis - the well-known tendency for humanity’s level of sexual energy to decline, leaving our kind starved for food. And, as it happens, I have succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”

“You made a hat,” Averabeth snapped.

“A helmet,” Ziratha corrected, unperturbed. “The Transcranial Magical Stimulation Unit. Informally known - by me, anyway - as the Perma-Revirginizer. In layman's terms, it causes the vic- I mean, the subject, to regress permanently to a virginal state, both in terms of their energy yields and in terms of their sexual attitudes, confidence, and skills.” She licked her lips. “It turns them into total useless, blushing, delicious perma-virgins.”

Averabeth rubbed her head beneath one of her horns. This was a lot to take in, and the only reason she believed it was because of the evidence that Ziratha had brought with her. “And so, having created this… helmet, you just started handing them out to people? Are you insane?”

Ziratha waved away the insult. “I wanted a little more data. And if it helps to get some buzz going around, all the better for my funding proposal! Every succubus I gave a Transcranial Magical Stimulation Unit to is an acquaintance of mine, right here on campus.”

“So you’re either insane or stupid,” Averabeth groaned. “Do you have any idea how hard we’re all going to be sued for this?”

“Technically, I’ve done nothing wrong,” Ziratha replied, holding up one taloned finger. “Strictly speaking, it’s not a medical treatment, and according to FDA guidelines, the requirements for manufacture and distribution of a light-based therapeutic device are far less-“

“Great, you found a loophole!” Averabeth exploded. “Good for you! But did you even stop to think about this? Why, the implications are… what happens if a succubus puts one of your helmets on another succubus? If humans start getting transformed into perma-virgins en masse, what will that mean for the mortal reproductive rate? These are crucial questions!”

Once again, Ziratha shrugged. “I think dealing with the energy crisis is far more pressing. And besides, I’m keeping an eye on any potential wrinkles! That’s why I came here today, to you.”

“You came to me,” Averabeth said slowly, struggling to contain her outrage, “because you have absolutely no idea what you’ve done to her.”

As one, both of them turned to look at the third person currently present in Averabeth’s office, sitting on her couch. She looked between the two looming succubi, blushed furiously, and then stared resolutely at her feet as she pulled her heavy jacket tight around her.

Her name was Erin Reid, she was human, and she had apparently been a perfectly normal college student - up until about a week ago. In Averabeth’s estimation, she was the attractive, popular type. She had a trim, athletic figure, a charming face, and long, well-kept, blonde hair. She was the kind of girl who wouldn’t have looked out of place on the college cheerleading squad. Now, though, she projected none of the confidence her looks suggested, only a kind of twitchy, deer-in-headlights nervousness that became infinitely more pronounced whenever she looked at one of the buxom succubi in the room, or they looked at her.

This, Averabeth surmised, was typical of the perma-virgins Ziratha had been creating. From where she was sitting, this Erin certainly looked like a virgin. She had the scent of one too. But after a few minutes in her company, it had become obvious that there was something distinctly strange about her, even by those standards.

The first sign was her clothes. It was a warm, stuffy day, but Erin was wearing the largest and heaviest coat Averabeth had ever seen, draped suffocatingly over her shoulders, even though she was plainly sweating from the heat. By contrast, the long-sleeved top she was wearing underneath was at least a size too small, and so tight it was visibly constraining her all over and limiting her range of movement in a way that Averabeth couldn’t imagine was comfortable.

And then there were her little tics. Erin was fidgeting constantly and looked unbearably uncomfortable even though she was simply sitting on a couch. She couldn’t seem to stop clutching and grabbing at herself, sometimes holding one wrist with the other, and, as both Averabeth and Zahiri inspected her, she slipped both of her arms behind her back to clasp herself at her elbows. It was an odd, rigid, awkward gesture, but it seemed to bring her some amount of relief in her highly-agitated state.

Averabeth turned to glare at Ziratha again and raised an eyebrow pointedly.

“She’s in a relationship with Camylyth,” Ziratha explained, “one of my acquaintances. I gave her one of my perma-virginizer helmets to take for a spin. But then Camy came back to me a few days later and told me that her Erin had started behaving strangely. That she was worried.”

“And you’ve never seen this before?” Averabeth demanded. “Not in any other test subjects?”

“Never.”

Averabeth stroked her chin thoughtfully. She had decided to place her urge to castigate Ziratha on the back burner. She was, first and foremost, an academic, and from a research psychology perspective, there was clearly something very interesting happening here. Perhaps she could salvage a publishable case study from this debacle.

“I need to know everything,” she said flatly. “Right down to the last detail. Every single thing that happened when the helmet was used.”

“And that’s exactly why I brought her here!” Ziratha gestured to Erin with a flourish. “Who better to explain than the girl herself?”

Erin quivered anxiously.

Despite how intimidating Averabeth could be, she also knew how and when to present a softer side of herself. The succubus stood up from her chair and moved to perch on the couch next to Erin, hoping to appear more like a friendly counselor than a stern professor. She took off her glasses and let them hang from their chain around her neck, nestled against her silk scarf - but then, as she was settling, she froze. At this distance, she could truly sense Erin’s presence. She was oozing sexual energy, her virgin-scent so potent it momentarily threatened Averabeth’s self-control.

Clearly, Ziratha’s invention worked, whatever its dangers.

“Erin,” Averabeth began gently, after getting a tight hold on herself. “Tell me everything that happened, please. Everything. I’m afraid I really do need the full picture. Even the slightest detail could be crucial.”

Erin seemed to appreciate Averabeth’s efforts, even if the succubus’s closeness only made her blush deeper and stare at the floor. “I… um… well, Camy brought the helmet over. S-she made it sound like it could spice things up in our… um… um…” She turned a bright scarlet. “Our l-l-lovemaking.”

Averabeth sensed that wasn’t the kind of word this girl would have used before. “I see. Is that something you two were in need of?”

The tips of Erin’s ears started to burn. “I guess we were pretty v-v-vanilla.” She looked like she could barely bring herself to say it.

Averbeth nodded. “Please go on.”

"She used it on me,” Erin continued shyly. “I just remember a big flash, and then I was, um, l-like this.” She fell abruptly silent.

“And then?” Averabeth insisted.

“Then we… um… we… we…” Erin turned an even deeper shade of red and started letting out odd, nervous giggles. She looked almost completely overcome with embarrassment and started clutching tightly at herself. “We… we did… we did… it…”

Her voice trailed off into a shocked whisper, like she was scandalized with herself.

“Erin,” Averabeth said gently, “I’m sorry, but I need to know. I really do.”

She drew closer and put a comforting hand on Erin’s shoulder. Her nostrils flared. Her scent was incredible.

Erin nodded unhappily and clasped her hands over her face. “So we… you know. And I… um… you know. But it was, um a lot!” Her voice was muffled, but she kept going. “I started shaking and thrashing, and it went on for a l-long time. Camy was worried about me. She thought I was going to hurt myself. So she, um, held me down, and grabbed some clothes so she could tie me up until it stopped.”

“I see.” Averabeth nodded thoughtfully. “And since then…?”

“Since then, um…” Erin’s hands came away from her face, and she folded her arms behind her back in that odd, stiff pose again. She was so red that it looked like steam was about to start coming out of her ears. “W-well I asked her to tie me up again. Kind of a few times, actually. And I g-guess I changed my wardrobe a little, too. Got some tight clothes, and some heavy clothes.”

“Why’s that?”

“They just feel nice. R-really nice, actually. Almost as good as Camy tying me up.” Something breathy and earnest was creeping into Erin’s voice. She seemed to be forgetting her embarrassment as she got caught up in gushing. “I just want to feel, um, c-constrained. It’s so relaxing when I can’t move. The pressure is just so… god, I need it. I can’t believe I never realized it before. I just can’t stop thinking about it. Rope, or handcuffs, or zip ties, or tape, or even just someone strong who can hold me down. I need it so badly, I-”

She glanced up, her face glowing, and suddenly remembered where it was. The look on her face as she shrank back into herself was so mortified it made Averabeth feel for her.

But much more than that, her words stoked in a fire in the older succubus. Most of her kind found sex alone perfectly satisfying, but Averabeth had developed and honed a taste for something more. The very same something Erin was describing in such desperate, lustful detail.

In that moment, Averabeth realized Erin was exactly her type.

“A-and that’s all,” Erin squeaked.

“Thank you, Erin,” Averabeth looked up at Ziratha, keeping her own urges carefully suppressed. “Is there anything she might be leaving out?”

“Not really,” Ziratha answered briskly. “But she’s got it bad, to be clear. Camy says every time they fuck, she needs to put her in a straitjacket and give her a mouth guard just to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself. And now she’s all bondage freak about everything. I just need to figure out what the helmet did to her, so I can make a few tweaks. I don’t want to end up giving all these cute little virgins brain damage - either because of what the helmet does, or because they end up slamming their heads on the bedposts during sex.”

“And if you already have,” Averabeth hissed. “That doesn’t concern you?”

“Well, legally speaking, there was a disclaimer with some fine print that they all-“

“Oh, save it.” Averabeth sighed. “In any case, I believe I have an alternative theory about what happened.”

“Then, by all means, share it.” Ziratha looked infuriatingly pleased with herself.

“Based on my own academic knowledge of virgins, I suspect her thrashing may have simply been a natural virgin response to the experience of sex with a succubus,” Averabeth explained. “Perhaps Erin here is - shall we say - unusually enthusiastic at the point of orgasm. But not unnaturally so.”

Erin looked like she wanted the couch to swallow her up. She let out a meek, pathetic groan.

“But your friend hadn’t seen this before,” Averabeth speculated. “She was concerned, and so she chose to restrain Erin. And that, I hypothesize, is what caused everything else. I’m sure even you, Miss Ziratha, know what pleasure-conditioning is. I suspect that, given the effects of your device, the imprinting was particularly effective. Being restrained at the point of greatest pleasure has given Erin a singularly-potent fetish. It’s not neuro-physiological. It’s simple psychology.”

Averabeth was, unwillingly, somewhat impressed that Ziratha had stumbled upon such an effective way to induce her favorite fetish. But she certainly wasn’t going to let the younger succubus know about that. Averabeth kept her kinky side firmly in the bedroom. She was an academic. It wouldn’t be good for her reputation if her students heard rumors about things like that - even if they were, often, the girls she was persuading to let her tie them up.

It wasn’t classy. But it was a time-honored succubus tradition.

“Huh.” Ziratha tapped her cheek with one of her claws, taking a moment to digest that. Averabeth noted that she didn’t look particularly surprised. “Well, great! I guess that means we don’t have anything to worry about.”

Averabeth’s fury reignited. “Excuse. Me?”

Already, Ziratha was turning as if to leave. “It’s easy. I’ll just slap a warning label somewhere. ‘Don’t tie your new perma-virgin up while they cum… unless, of course, you’re into that’.”

The way she threw a look at Averabeth as she said that made the older succubus freeze for a moment. Did Ziratha know? Surely not. Averabeth had always been so discreet, and she’d always sworn her partners to silence. She became uncomfortably aware that she had a collection of toys right here in her office, hidden away, just in case. Had Ziratha noticed something?

“That kind of attitude is exactly why you need to be stopped!” Averabeth roared, moving past the momentary worry. “I’ve seen enough! It doesn’t matter how revolutionary your invention is, it undoubtedly has the potential to harm just as much as it helps. I’ll be contacting the ethics and funding boards at once. I’ll recommend they suspend you with immediate effect, seize your foolish little helmets as college property, and prohibit any further development until FDA regulations catch up with you.”

That threat was the ace up her sleeve - and it wasn’t empty. Averabeth had enough pull with the board to make it happen. She was hoping, at the very least, to make Ziratha learn a little humility. If the grad student threw herself at her feet and begged, perhaps she’d reconsider. But, as ever, Ziratha’s smug confidence seemed eerily invincible.

“My goodness!” Ziratha exclaimed, giggling and turning back. “Don’t you think that’s a little premature?”

Averabeth folded her arms. “Why would I?”

“Well, it just seems to me,” Ziratha drawled, an infuriating smirk on her face, “that if a research fellow such as yourself was going to stake her reputation on opposing a new, world-changing technology, she should at least bother to take some time to properly examine the test subject sitting in front of her.”

Averabeth’s glare could have melted glaciers.

“You think my Transcranial Magical Stimulation Unit has harmed her in some way, right?” Ziratha challenged, unfazed. “Take a closer look. See if you can prove it.”

“Fine,” Averabeth replied through gritted teeth. Her pride wouldn’t let this pass. “All the better for adding some color to my report.”

She turned back to Erin. Her nostrils flared as she once again caught the virgin’s scent. It stirred her hunger, despite how eager she was to prove that Ziratha was dangerous. All it would take is a nice, thorough examination. Given Erin’s current nervous, twitchy state, it should be easy to demonstrate that she was having difficulty functioning normally.

“Give me your hand,” she demanded.

Erin was too shy and meek to disobey. Clutching at herself with her right arm, she stretched her left out to the older succubus. Averabeth immediately and impatiently seized her wrist, yanking it a little further toward her. In response, Erin let out a breathy yelp that was plainly borne from more than just surprise. Averabeth threw Ziratha a sharp look.

“You see?” she said. “She becomes aroused from as little as this!”

Erin made an impossibly mortified little squeak.

“That seems a little inconclusive,” Ziratha retorted. Averabeth couldn’t wait to wipe that smug, amused look off her face.

“Please!” Averabeth scoffed. “That’s just the beginning. Look.”

Without bothering to warn the mortal, Averabeth suddenly wrenched Erin’s arm behind her back and kept it pressed there in a kind of hold. This time, Erin didn’t just yelp. She moaned.

“Come on!” Averabeth insisted. “Surely, even from over there, you can tell how absurdly turned on she is! I mean, it’s… it’s…”

She paused, as a singular realization dawned on her, so crushing and so powerful it robbed the words from her mouth.

She was hungry.

For succubi, the desire to feed was omnipresent. Coping with it was a fact of life. But Averabeth had never known hunger like this. It defied all reason. She wasn’t starved. She’d fed recently. But something about Erin was driving her appetite wild. Now that she had drawn attention to it, the sexual energy she could sense from Erin was nothing short of incredible. It stoked her hunger like nothing else.

Ziratha’s taunting smirk had kept Averabeth distracted, but now the succubus’s predatory instincts were sharpened like a knife. She sensed Erin earlier, yes, but the small ways she’d touched and grabbed the perma-virgin just now had put her arousal and energy output over the edge. Averabeth could feel it in her whole body. It was a buzz. It was intoxicating. It was irresistible. She couldn’t avoid thinking about what it would feel like to truly enjoy Erin - especially since she knew the perma-virgin had been made hopelessly weak to bondage.

“Perhaps,” Ziratha suggested quietly, “it would be instructive to replicate the conditions of the initial incident?”

That suggestion took mere moments to coil itself around Averabeth’s mind. Her hunger agreed with it, and her intellect was dragged behind, forced to rationalize and excuse.

“Yes,” she agreed, breathing heavily. “Of course. Naturally. I was just about to…”

Her impatient hunger got the better of her. Averabeth released Erin’s wrist and, in a frenzy of activity, tore off her own blouse, ripping half the buttons in the process. She shrugged the ruined garment off her shoulders and, before Erin could raise any protest, forced the mortal’s wrists together behind her back and used her blouse to bind them with a nice, tight, safe knot.

She wasn’t thinking clearly enough to worry about Ziratha seeing how good she was at tying people up.

“How does that feel?” Averabeth hissed urgently to Erin. Her eyes were smoldering. “Tell me everything.”

She knew the answer before Erin even opened her mouth. She could feel it. Erin’s arousal surged, and with it, her energy and her scent. It only served to make Averabeth even more ravenous.

“I-it feels…” Erin panted. “R-really good.”

That seemed to be all the answer she could manage. Erin was straining against her bindings - not to try and break them, but just to feel them and take comfort in their presence. The expression on her face was rapturous, her joy tempered only by intense, excruciating embarrassment. If Ziratha’s re-virginizer helmet worked as well as she promised, Erin was feeling all this like it was her first time. She would always feel it like it was her first time. Already, Erin was starting to tremble and shudder.

“Perhaps…” Averabeth said slowly, “it would be best to conduct a truly thorough survey… different stimuli, different tools… just to make sure we understand the limits here.”

“A wonderful idea!” Ziratha giggled. “I knew your insight would be invaluable. Please, continue.”

Averabeth was too consumed with desire to notice her mockery. Pride was forgotten; lust and hunger were all that drove her. She surged upwards, lifting her skirt and swinging one of her legs over Erin’s body so she could straddle the bound mortal. Erin had never looked more like virgin prey than she did looking up at Averabeth, flustered beyond reason, as the tall, domineering succubus used her body weight to pin Erin down at her hips.

The immediate surge of arousal Averabeth could sense from Erin had her seeing white.

Now Erin truly started thrashing, kicking her legs and contorting her body like she was already in the throes of orgasm. Her efforts were useless. Averabeth kept her trapped in place between her thighs effortlessly. The more Erin struggled, the more flush with arousal she seemed to become. Averabeth was enraptured by the sight. She wanted to fuck Erin, yes - but more than anything, she just wanted to keep pushing her further and further, to keep binding her, to see how much she could break Erin’s brain with bondage and pleasure.

Succubi needed to have sex to transfer energy, but Averabeth firmly believed that, through bondage, she could extract far more and far better energy than through sex alone. And she could scarcely imagine what Erin’s energy would taste like now.

“Is she…” Averabeth said, as a single rational thought penetrated her lustful fugue. “Will Camylyth…”

“Don’t worry,” Ziratha reassured swiftly. “Camy isn’t the jealous type. They have an open relationship.”

That was all Averabeth needed to hear. As she stared at Erin, she started drooling, and couldn’t stop licking her lips with her long, inhuman tongue. “God, she’s so… ripe. So full. Practically begging to… to… fuck, I need my rope.”

“Allow me.”

Ziratha sauntered around behind Averabeth’s desk and opened one of her drawers, reaching inside to pluck out a length of rope. She walked back and handed it to the older succubus. Averabeth flashed her a dubious look.

“You… knew that was there?” she asked.

“Oh, you know,” Ziratha replied dismissively. “Word gets around.”

Averabeth’s blood ran cold for a brief moment. “Word of…”

“Of your preferred feeding habits,” Ziratha purred. “You know, you’re really not as discreet as you think. Girls love to gossip.”

Averabeth was far too worked up to feel embarrassed, but she was starting to put the pieces together. “If you knew about all that - if you knew how much I’m into bondage - then you… you brought this girl here for more than just advice.”

“Oops.” Ziratha put a hand up to cover her mouth in a parody of bashfulness. “You figured me out.”

“Why?” Averabeth growled. It was perilously difficult to remain clear-headed while she was straddling a virgin who was plainly jonesing for the rope in her hand. “Are you going to blackmail me?”

At that, Ziratha actually laughed. “Hardly. I just heard that you might not be a fan of my work. And I thought that, rather than worry about your pull with the board, I should give you a taste of what you’d be missing if you shut me down.”

Averabeth felt her cheeks starting to burn. “Don’t think this will affect my recommendations to the board!”

Ziratha’s ominous smirk returned. “We’ll see.”

Averabeth looked away and tried to affect haughtiness. It was difficult when she was half-undressed and drooling. “I simply… simply wish to conduct a properly thorough examination. That’s all.”

“Then don’t let me stop you.” Ziratha giggled. She bent down next to Averabeth, resting a hand on her shoulder in a comradely gesture. “Don’t you think she’ll look good in rope?” Suddenly her voice was a whisper, seductive and tempting. “Can’t you see how much she wants it? She’s so desperate. So needy. Full to bursting with sweet, sweet lust.”

Averabeth’s nostrils flared. Knowing what Ziratha was up to didn’t make it any easier to resist, and thinking clearly about anything at all was impossible while Erin was still thrashing and writhing needily between her legs. The older succubus decided to simply try to ignore Ziratha and do what she had been going to do anyway.

Which was, of course, to try and push Erin to her limits. That had always been her plan, hadn’t it?

“You want this,” Averabeth said to Erin, showing her the rope. Instinctively, she made her voice into a rich, seductive purr. “Don’t you?”

Erin didn’t respond, but the answer was obvious. Her eyes dilated fully as they locked onto the length of rope, and her futile writhing became even more uncontrolled and desperate.

“Good girl.” Averabeth licked her lips, and a hint of mockery entered her voice. “Now stay still.”

Erin had little choice, and Averabeth soon robbed her of what little range of movement she had left. Measuring out lengths of rope between her hands, she started trussing it around Erin’s body in elegant, looping, spiraling patterns, using her powerful thighs and dexterous tail to move her around like a doll as needed. When she finished her work and pulled the rope taut, it bound tight around Erin, squeezing her tits, her hips, her belly - and keeping her arms completely trapped behind her.

The human started thrashing more vigorously than ever, with such fervor she started frothing and drooling from her mouth. It was useless. She couldn’t move. The spreading, damp, sticky patch of wetness at the front of her jeans made it very, very obvious Erin wasn’t squirming to get free. She was so wet she was soaking through her panties. The poor girl had never been so turned on in her life, and thanks to Ziratha’s invention, she was less equipped than ever to handle it.

Averabeth was just as turned on. For a succubus like her, arousal and hunger were one and the same, and her appetite had been stoked like never before. Erin was like a drug. Her scent was irresistible, and the prospect of savoring her sweet taste had the succubus drooling.

“Doesn’t she look perfect?” Ziratha murmured. She looked over Averabeth’s shoulder, whispering to her like a tempting devil. “Is this really such a bad thing?”

Averabeth growled about her, but couldn’t take her eyes off Erin. She looked beautiful in rope. “Be quiet.”

“You should tell that to her.” Ziratha giggled. “I’m not the one making all the noise.”

She had a point. Erin was obviously trying to stifle her moans - but she was also completely failing. The lewd, wet, drooling groans that passed her lips filled Averabeth’s office, and from the way Erin’s tongue was starting to loll out of her mouth, the succubus worried she was going to accidentally bite herself.

“I need a-“ Averabeth started to say.

“This?” Ziratha supplied at once. She dangled a finely-crafted leather ball gag in front of Averabeth’s face. It was another one of the treasures Averabeth had tucked away under her desk, and she couldn’t bring herself to be mad at Ziratha for taking liberties.

Instead, she just plucked it from Ziratha’s fingers and, after prying Erin’s lips apart and forcing her tongue back, crammed the ball into her mouth. It only took her a moment more to fasten the clasp around the back of her head, leaving Erin completely gagged. That did much to mute the noise of her moans, but it made her eyes bulge dangerously instead, and Averabeth felt electrified by the energy she was giving off.

“Have you ever,” Ziratha whispered, “tasted anything better?”

Averabeth couldn’t bring herself to offer a rebuke. She shook her head dumbly. The only thought in her mind was hunger.

“It’s a shame you can’t truly sink your teeth into her,” the other succubus teased. “Because you’re just running a little experiment, right? For your report?”

Averabeth started panting ravenously, a slight whine catching in her throat.

“Oh well!” Ziratha giggled carelessly. “Hey, why don’t you try this next?”

She produced a blindfold from somewhere and offered it to Averabeth, who immediately snatched it from her. Her own eyes were bulging just a little. Erin was perfect for her. As an attractive succubus, Averabeth had never had difficulty convincing her partners to participate in her fetish - but this was the first girl she’d found who shared her true, deep perversion. She could feel herself dripping wetness into Erin’s lap, but she didn’t care.

She needed more. She couldn’t let a girl like this go.

Averabeth took a long moment to look into Erin’s eyes before closing the blindfold over them. They were clouded with lust, askew from the overstimulation, and filled with a kind of desperate, overwhelmed panic that drove the succubus wild. Once Erin was blinded she became momentarily still, but when Averabeth ran a single claw across her skin, she thrashed like never before.

It was a beautiful sight. And for Averabeth, it was almost as nourishing as sex itself.

Almost.

“Fuck,” panted Ziratha, close to Averabeth’s ear. One of her hands was between her legs, rubbing herself. “Can’t you just feel it? I know I can. It’s so intense. So good.”

Averabeth couldn’t help but nod along with her. There was no point denying it. It was in the air all around them, and thrumming through her body. Erin’s scent. Her energy. The slow, kinky bliss of bondage had brought the mortal’s arousal to its peak, bringing her flavor and vitality to the richest possible point. The hapless perma-virgin was just aching to be devoured.

Already, Averabeth was tearing off what remained of her clothes. She was pure predator now. Academic standards were the last thing on her mind. Her hunger was everything. She reached down, ready to shred Erin’s clothing and plunger her fingers into her virgin cunt, when Ziratha stopped her with a powerful hand on her arm.

“That’s probably enough, don’t you think?” Ziratha’s eyes glinted with malice. “I’m sure you have plenty of material for your report. Maybe we should get her back to Camylyth.”

As soon as the words left Ziratha’s lips, Averabeth knew that she had been checkmated. She hadn’t even truly tasted Erin yet, but she already knew that there was no way she could let the girl go now. And she also couldn’t face the prospect of a world without kinky, juicy, hapless virgins like her.

She couldn’t even bring herself to be angry. Being with Erin felt way too good for that. She was simply grateful for the revelation.

“Actually,” Averabeth said slowly, smiling. “I think I need more time to investigate some of her… responses. Clearly, some thorough research is in order. And… I’ll be sure to tell that to the board. Funding. Test subjects. Whatever you need.”

“Wonderful.” Ziratha cackled, eyes glinting with victory. “Thank you so much, Averabeth. I’m glad we understand each other now. Your expertise was every bit as invaluable as I’d hoped.”

She turned to leave, her work done, and as she walked out of Averabeth’s office her ears were filled with the sounds of the succubus beginning to ravage Erin’s body.

---

—

I would like to express my gratitude for the generosity of all those who support me on Patreon, and to give a special thanks to the following patrons in particular for their exceptional support:

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Finally, thank you again to GrillFan65 for commissioning this story!

#story #renewableenergy

[whentherewerebicycles]

i am obviously not going to be able to fit all of this into my job talk and i have no idea if it’ll even match the prompt BUT i’ve been thinking about some of the specific areas of programming i’d be most psyched to design/work on if i got this job. still incomplete (and obviously this could easily be 5-10 years’ worth of work but i like to DREAM ok!!!) but here you go.

Focus Area 1: Make high-impact mentoring more accessible, effective, and sustainable for faculty and students.

Build upon the success of existing faculty cohort programs (Diversity and CE Fellows) (ie structured longer-term forms of professional development, community building, ongoing support

Collaborate with faculty, staff, students to develop a centralized library of evidence-based resources (tools to use at different stages in mentoring relationships, mentoring curricula, professional development workshops to address specific needs, etc.), to ensure students get the most out of mentorship AND to ensure faculty are able to engage in high-impact mentoring in personally & professionally sustainable ways. (Basically I just think that too often faculty are left alone to reinvent the wheel and that is so exhausting!! It increases the likelihood that mentoring will be ad-hoc and kinda random instead of thoughtfully planned. It also means people might not be using the most time-effective, culturally responsive, and/or evidence-validated strategies. I’ve always been REALLY into the idea of interviewing faculty and students about their mentoring experiences, needs, challenges, etc. and then using that info + secondary research to develop a toolbox of activities, forms/tools, and vetted resources people can consult & use for any stage of the mentoring relationship. it could be modeled off alison green’s incredible The Management Center and tailored to the institution’s specific demographics: high rates of first-gen, first-gen low income, and transfer students. this would just be like... passion project for me lol.)

Create resources (as part of the toolkit above) and integrate workshops into existing undergrad research programs that teach mentees the skills they need to get the most out of mentoring relationships (such as how to identify potential mentors, initiate mentoring, define expectations, communicate short- and long-term goals, develop mentoring maps, prepare for meetings with their mentor, navigate conflict, etc.), with a focus on giving students greater agency and confidence in navigating mentor/mentee relationships.

Restart the defunct faculty research mentor award program (and explore other ways of recognizing and thanking faculty for their intellectual and emotional labor). Also, explore ways of institutionally rewarding and incentivizing faculty mentorship, for instance in relation to promotion, tenure review, or contract extensions. (This is an area I’d need to learn more about—but it would be cool to explore how faculty currently document mentorship work in their tenure files or whatever.) 

Focus Area 2: Increase transfer student engagement in research. 

Background: [school] accepts very high numbers of transfer students each year; transfer students often significantly overlap with other student demographics (many transfer students are first-gen, BIPOC, or belong to other groups historically underrepresented in higher education) but they’re also a unique demographic who would benefit from targeted programming designed with their specific needs and accelerated timelines. Transfer students may enter four-year universities with less navigational capital than their peers and less familiarity or past contact with research (as two-year college faculty may be less likely to engage in research or to integrate students into research projects). They also tend to have greater demands on their time and resources outside of the classroom and fewer years in college to build relationships with faculty and to explore different research opportunities. 

Before transfer students matriculate:

Work with local community college instructors and advisors to demystify research, communicate the academic and professional benefits of engaging in undergrad research, and familiarize students with [school] resources/opportunities.

Incorporate presentations & workshops specifically tailored to transfer students into new student orientation events.

Collaborate with academic advisors & academic coaches who support transfer students to deepen their awareness of [school] research opportunities and to develop strategies for guiding students towards research. Focus on developing consistent messaging and easy-to-digest one-page resources that advisors can share with students.

Create a page specifically geared towards transfer students on the Office of [Redacted]’s website (so we have somewhere to direct students during workshops, orientation, etc.).

Directly email all incoming transfer students to invite them to a special “Getting Involved in Research” event held in the fall, where they can listen to faculty speakers and then have a chance to informally network with faculty in small groups after. 

During transfer students’ two years at [school name]:

Develop and teach two-credit “Research for Transfer Students” course (potentially modeled on the UW Seattle version)

Develop and implement Faculty Mentor Lunch/Dinner program (modeled off the one in the first-gen book—look up the institution) specifically for transfer students, to help them make early contact with faculty and learn about ongoing research projects.

Work with academic advisors to encourage them to incorporate curricular and co-curricular research opportunities into the degree maps they already create with students

Explore ways of recognizing and incentivizing transfer student involvement in research (for instance, creating a faculty-nominated award to honor transfer students who have excelled in research placements, or even eventually creating a certificate program where students earn a credential of some kind by taking a couple classes, completing a research assistantship or internship, participating in a professional development workshop series, and presenting their research at a conference or campus symposium).

Gather informal data from transfer students to understand barriers to getting involved in research & explore ways of addressing those barriers (for instance, if childcare responsibilities prevents adult students from engaging in research or attending late afternoon/evening workshops, how can we get creative about addressing these barriers?)

After students graduate:

Maintain an active alumni network if possible, since most alums live in the region (newsletter highlighting transfer students and former transfer student alums’ achievements and projects?)

Invite alums back to speak at workshops and events (ooh it might be cool to have them attend one of the faculty mentor dinners or the orientation event).

Explore eventually developing a professional mentorship program (similar to the business school’s) that pairs transfer student alums with current students. This could be integrated into a larger professional mentorship program. 

Focus Area 3:

Can’t decide between these (all of which would obv be long-term projects)...

Gradually increase the number of undergrads who complete some kind of senior research project (a senior thesis, Capstone, or research assistantship that involves creating a substantive professional research product) over time... would have to learn more about what their current support for thesis writing looks like & also think more about the specific infrastructure you’d need to make this possible. could target a specific department as an initial three-year pilot or something like that, maybe?

Develop a research certificate or minor of some kind that involves completing a specific number or sequence of courses, participating in professional development programming, completing a research assistantship or internship, and/or doing some kind of senior research project? idk would obviously have to think about this more & learn more about institutional politics & look at how similar programs are structured at other institutions)

Collaborate with the Connected Learning director to recreate my old program in this new school <333 I bet we could get that Mellon $$ lol

#phew #brain is TIRED #i would.... like them to hire me

[fictionstuff]

My Dress-Up Darling その着せ替え人形は恋をする

Plot: High school student Wakana Gojou spends his days perfecting the art of making hina dolls, hoping to eventually reach his grandfather's level of expertise. While his fellow teenagers busy themselves with pop culture, Gojou finds bliss in sewing clothes for his dolls. Nonetheless, he goes to great lengths to keep his unique hobby a secret, as he believes that he would be ridiculed were it revealed.

Enter Marin Kitagawa, an extraordinarily pretty girl whose confidence and poise are in stark contrast to Gojou's meekness. It would defy common sense for the friendless Gojou to mix with the likes of Kitagawa, who is always surrounded by her peers. However, the unimaginable happens when Kitagawa discovers Gojou's prowess with a sewing machine and brightly confesses to him about her own hobby: cosplay. Because her sewing skills are pitiable, she decides to enlist his help.

As Gojou and Kitagawa work together on one cosplay outfit after another, they cannot help but grow close—even though their lives are worlds apart. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Episodes: 12

Main Characters:

Kitagawa Marin

Gojou Wakana

Points: 8.5/10 [8,46875]

My Dress-up Darling is this anime I absolutely enjoyed but cannot feel compelled to give it 10 points for a few, very few actually, reasons that annoyed me to a point where I almost forgot this was becoming some mainstream anime shit. Either way, this anime is a simple love story between 2 otakus, 2 persons in love with that they love: one being cosplay and anime and the other one adoring dolls, dressing and applying make up to them. This in itself was a great setup, if they didn’t feel the need to add unnecessary ecchi romcom with two much well meant fanservice, that made a perfectly fine characters like Marin turn into an all male anime dream girl and hey, she loves dressing up as female eroge characters, ain’t nothing better than that?

The story in between them had a lot of chemistry though, which made me adore the anime quite a bit even if they threw in obstacles that could’ve easily been placed in a hentai as well…

Either way, the chemistry is positively enjoyable, making their relationship appear to be very healthy and benefitting. They treat each other in high regards for hobbies the society doesn’t look kindly upon, they both have this sort of respect and curiosity about one another’s passions that makes this anime as enjoyable as it is.

The character development is another crucial point, it had an insane amount of potential but was unnecessarily replaced by way too much emphasis on fanservice. Gojou was apparently bullied or let’s say frowned upon for loving dolls. It made him some sort of loner and while it is clear that interacting with humans is easier on him now (after having all these conversations with Marin) it’s not one of the main points of the show. It’s more of a side effect rather than a turning point of his character development. His development would have had more impact on the viewer, if they included more flashbacks and more slice of life interactions with their surroundings than simply dwelling on their hobbies or mostly Marin’s.

That may sound like a big bummer, but My Dress-Up Darling has many more quiet, serious moments, like the very last episode which have this feel good vibe, which also emphasises on the chemistry and their relationship development and which are ‘cute’, rather than ‘sexy’ like the fanservice they had to include in almost every episode for a reason I can understand (let’s accept it, anime girls need to have some sort effect on the male race’s crown jewels… besides the fact that cosplaying is inevitably linked to fanservice) but do not appreciate.

The few perks of cosplaying that were revealed in the show where sadly not enough to distract me from the humour of this anime which almost always derives from the fact that Gojou is embarrassed from an insane amount of unnatural fanservice in the form of the female main character. Hard to say if she's the living embodiment of every girl because she is extremely popular, beautiful, insanely cute and socially well accepted (because she just doesn’t talk about her main hobby with anyone but also doesn’t feel the need to). She is so perfect it’s hard to believe and no, her hobby is not being depicted as a problem. It’s her selling point. Despite being perfect, from head to toe, the character itself has absolutely zero self-awareness and since I am the opposite of her, I cannot feel good about this character. She’s confident enough to run around in nothing but a bra and a belt, looking herself over with bliss in a cosplay, saying she’s super beautiful and cute before pondering on not trying a cosplay in the next episode because she isn’t cute enough. She also seems to have no problem with being half naked in front of Gojou, which is obviously way too much for him to bear, even asking him to measure her boobs, before suddenly realising, holy cow, this is a male and now I am suddenly ashamed of myself, but not because I am naked but because this is actually a wonderful boy, only to turn up half naked again the next day. She might have some problems remembering, but her brain can’t be this messy… Despite being so heavily into anime, she can’t see that Gojou is having a heart attack in front of him while she’s undressing. It’s absolutely cringe at some points.

This kind of comedy cannot be defended by me and no, it’s just not funny to me. Neither do her eating habits sit right with me. It doesn’t make sense that she's beauty in human form with what she’s eating all day. Even when she took off her make up, she looked entirely the same. This doesn’t make sense.

Despite that I still enjoyed the romcom, the chemistry and especially Gojou. It’s definitely not as much of a masterpiece as some make it out to be, but it’s a good romance series that hopefully will receive a sequel because we all wanna know how they get together, right?

Artwork/Design/Animation - 9

Story/Characters - 8.5

Enjoyment - 9

#anime review #review

[haila-wetyios]

A wild card’s report

“A trip to ‘Thavnair’, which is highly dubious given the lack of proof of sailing. Thirty five shots fired from the Amadeus prototype. At least ten more cataloged trips to ‘Thavnair’. And a report for support by an officer who happened to share your exact coordinates in a region of the Lochs. Is there anything else we’re missing about your latest tracking report Miss Wetyios?”

The voice was a mix of exhaustion, exasperation, and yet amusement and curiosity. Although the two now shared a partnership that had yet to be put to the test, that did not change the fact that there was now a ‘tracker’ in the shape of a crown that had to be worn over her head at all times. A symbol of being a prized possession, and of a higher status placed in a pedestal inside a cage. 

Haila smirked a tad as the hefty report was slid her way on the other side of the table. 

“It almost gives you relief that you’re not fully responsible for me are you? Just the owner of the investigative rights to my body, and of the research report that will shock your fellow peers.” she answered in a teasing tone. 

She was a wild card after all. Even more so after her downfall. 

But her moves had been measured at all times. Even if her patron couldn’t prove that she hadn’t been exactly in Thavnair, the instructions that had been given to her to start the first phase of preliminary check ups had aligned with these sudden shifts in position. 

“Hah… Edmont wasn’t lying when he gave out all the warnings of you being uncontrollable.” the voice said in sheer amusement. They’d laid millions to buy out these rights for investigation even if they were constrained by moral conducts. And here it was, the piece that they’d paid for, moving freely and constantly testing the limits of what could be done without breaking the new rules and shackles that had been set. 

“Is it scary? That you have in your grasp a wild card that could prove too much of a problem to handle?” she asked in return with a smirk. There were several underlying tones beneath this talk after all. But specifically, the one where she knew well that if she crossed a line enough, she could be considered more of a threat than a benefit. 

And disposal was always best for an unknown uncontrollable subject. 

“Hah… You’re certainly a threat to mankind. Or at least, you would be in the eyes of the other nations. But, where one sees a beast, another sees an extremely valuable resource of research.” the voice commented, finding humor in the fact that one had to be absolutely mad to accept the wild card that this Viera was. 

“Just don’t push your luck farther than you have, Wetyios. The tracker on your head detects when you remove it. And it logs every single use of aether that you’ve done ever since it was put on you. You may be the master of your creations, but I’m the master of the valuable data you produce.”

Haila smirked lightly. Oh she knew she had been pushing her luck far too much. Even she was slightly scared of the beast she’d become after learning how much she was willing to do for love. And how far she would go if betrayed… 

But this wasn’t the time nor place to allow the exhaustion that came with her wild gambles to show. She had to be stronger. And in order to do so, one had to always walk with both conviction and confidence in their chosen path.

“Do not worry dear patron. I plan to record every single abnormal activity I do. ‘Tis after all, the data that you can’t directly order me to gather. So I might as well do it myself and yield results we both can justify and benefit from.”

But just how far would that be?

“The single difference between madness and science is simply that one is logged, and the other isn’t. You’ve gotten the rights to those logs, and I’ll do my best to not disappoint. That was our agreement in exchange for these golden shackles after all.”

#haila wetyios

[whispersofthecryptid]

Tumble's Natm ocs - Roman diorama🗡️✨

The first set of my Natm ocs is here! Meet the brave Romans, ready to defend their small yet mighty empire!

Characters:

Julius Lucius

Julius is a very serious man with a somewhat pessimistic look on life. He’s very focused on training and prides himself in being one of Rome’s most skilled archers. The angsty big brother of the squad – tries to keep everyone in line and out of trouble, with little to no success. He often tells the others that he isn’t going to help them if they get in trouble, but in reality he’ll do anything for them. Might seem a bit blunt and cold, but actually very caring and gentle with his friends.

Best friends with Bruno, also very close with Marshall – the two are sometimes mistaken for romancing each other, which they both promptly deny.

Gender & Pronouns: cis man, he/him

Sexuality: aro/ace

Relationship status: single for life

Death in real life: shot in the neck with an arrow

Leonidas ”Leon” Marcellus

One of the most high ranking members of Rome’s army, only barely beneath Octavius. Leon is serious and hardworking and takes their position very seriously… sometimes too seriously. Not the most trusting person, doesn’t quite trust the cowboys. They’re usually rather vocal about this, but so far respects their alliance. Somewhat hot headed, though can turn on the charisma whenever needed. Often uses this ability to pull the strings for their own benefit.

Gender & Pronouns: nonbinary, they/them

Sexuality: bisexual

Relationship status: has a bit of an on/off thing with Sawyer

Death in real life: burned alive while trying to save their little sister from a burning house

Flavia Marcellus

A timid young woman, Flavia prefers to stay out of trouble. Kind and responsible, but does enjoy an adventure every now and then. She’s very good with children and teaches music and literature to the dioramas’ young ones. While she does have rather strong opinions sometimes, she prefers to express herself through calm conversation. When that doesn’t work though… she might just raise her voice.

Leon’s younger sister and while she loves them, she doesn’t always agree with the way they handle things.

Gender & Pronouns: cis woman, she/her

Sexuality: asexual lesbian

Relationship status: single, has a crush on Livia (yeah I dragged her into this natm mess…)

Death in real life: suffocated after being trapped in a burning building

Igor Kazcka

An eccentric man, Igor stands out from his Roman peers. Originally, they were a part of a temporary World War 1 diorama, but got left behind. Seeing his worth as a soldier, Octavius allowed him to stay in Rome, where he’s made his home and earned the respect of his fellow soldiers - more or less. They’re strong headed and quick to jump into action, sometimes they might act before properly thinking everything through. Prefers to keep his friend group small, though always seems to know what’s going on with everyone.

Has some pyromaniac tendencies.

Gender & Pronouns: demiboy, he/him, they/them

Sexuality: doesn’t label himself

Relationship status: single

Death in real life: plane crash during a battle

#Tumble's natm oc galore #Can't believe it took me this long to finally share these guys.. #Cowboys are coming up next- there's just a tiny bit more of them :') #night at the museum #Natm #Natm ocs #My ocs

[jtenvs3000w24]

Looking Back And Looking Forward

Hi all welcome back!

Looking back through the semester I feel I have learned a lot thought he course Nature Interpretation and feel as if though I am at a different place or completely different mindset from when the course first started. Unlike most other courses I have taken at my time at the University of Guelph, this course was not purely academic in the traditional sense and I rather enjoyed the different more hands on angle, through different working mediums that the course has taken. I feel it has provided me with a unique position much like you all my fellow peers and look forward to applying these skills and continue working on my developed mindset towards the environment and environmental interpretation.

Much like all you readers out there I imagine this week’s final blog prompt provided some difficulty. With double the number of words to write and responses to answer and such an open-ended question, that requires lots of self-reflection. I felt that this blog post was the most difficult out of all of them so far. Not because of the word count but the time and effort and sometimes difficulty in assessing ourselves and accurately and honestly pinpointing where I am compared to where I have been. When the course Nature Interpretation first started, I was scared to tackle blog posts. This being my first-time blogging ad I imagine it has been for quite a few other students in the class. Currently I am in second year and have come from college. And despite the 5 years of schooling that is still ongoing. I had felt like I didn’t really have a voice. Or more accurately, that there was no merit in anything for me to share to readers. Despite that I had still blogged and come to find that is not true.

Currently looking back on where I had begun, I feel that I have more of a care and an appreciation for the environment than when the course first started. I feel that I am now able to understand the environment and nature interpretation more from a nonacademic view point. In school its always about grades and how well you are doing. And I feel that despite still wanting to do well in this course, it has emphasized that success is not everything, with grading being somewhat ambiguous at the start. And growing into a better blogger and interpreter by the end of the course. Personally, one of the main reasons why I love the environment so much is that it is expansive. It is literally all of the Earth and I feel that it is free. Despite all the land titles and treaties and ownership. There are still parts of the environment and the world that no one owns and had even discovered. When I am in nature it makes me feel free and I feel that this course has reminded me of that. Hearing birds chirping and crickets cricketing. The animals are and insects and other organisms are also free. And when I am in nature it helps me relax and feel like I am acutely a part of the whole big world and its environment.

For me, getting to experience the environment in some capacity regularly throughout all stages of life is an important belief of mine. I know that nature has shaped my life from a very young age, and without the exposure to nature and animals and the natural elements. I don’t believe I would be the person I am today writing this blog post. There are so many positive benefits to being out in nature which I feel are under appreciated and taken for granted. The physical benefits of moving around and being active. The health benefits of eating freshly produced food that tastes and is good for you. The mental health benefits of unplugging for a while and living in the moment. Something I know struggle with often and experiencing the beauty of nature through all your senses.

Reflecting on myself for this blog post. I believe that I have come to get a better understanding of the things that are expected of me in some capacity. Partly from myself and other people. I feel that I expect myself to protect the beauty of nature in some capacity. That has always been a guiding goal for me from ever since I was younger. I want to make sure that nature is available for other people to experience. Be it future generations or even people who are alive now that have yet to come around to loving the environment. This is merely a first step into the restoration of the environment (Hooykaas, n.d.) and I know that I would love to be one small part of it that accumulates to helping the earth. I also know that I want to feel at home in the environment.

Through the course content from learning styles to individual experience to dream jobs. I believe we all have a deeper understanding of where we see ourselves as some sort of nature interpreter. As well as how we expect to accomplish our goals in some capacity. For me I have never been a fan of school and I know that an academic pathway to help protect the environment is not something I would enjoy. From experience I know I enjoy to be outside in nature helping out and taking care of vegetation and animals through a hands-on experience. However, despite the dream job exercise. I am still not sure what that looks like exactly. There are no career paths that I feel I gravitate to stronger than the other. And with so many choices it all feels overwhelming and frightening. But I know that like many others, there is time. And personally, knowing that I want to do something in field where I get to experience nature very day in some capacity, is more than I had hoped to figure out from this course.

Thank you for reading! I know the last blog posts are long. And good luck on finals we're almost there!!!

Hooykaas, A. (n.d.). Unit 10Nature Interpretation's Role in Environmental Sustainability [Lecture notes]. ENVS3000 Nature Interpretation. University of Guelph.

Free stock photos, royalty free stock images & copyright free ... (n.d.-a). https://www.pexels.com/

Yellow Flower with green leaves · Free Stock Photo. (n.d.). https://www.pexels.com/photo/yellow-flower-with-green-leaves-9324330/

[jcmarchi]

First-year MIT students gain hands-on research experience in supportive peer community

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/first-year-mit-students-gain-hands-on-research-experience-in-supportive-peer-community/

First-year MIT students gain hands-on research experience in supportive peer community

During MIT’s Independent Activities Period (IAP) this January, first-year students interested in civil and environmental engineering (CEE) participated in a four-week undergraduate research opportunities program known as the mini-UROP (1.097). The six-unit subject pairs first-year students with a CEE graduate student or postdoc mentor, providing them with an inside look at the interdisciplinary research being conducted in the department. Overall, eight labs in the department opened their doors to the 2024 cohort, who were eager to take advantage of the opportunity to collaborate with current students and build a community around their interests.

“The mini-UROP presents an opportunity for first-year students to experience the diverse climate and sustainability research happening in our department,” says CEE department head and JR East Professor Ali Jadbabaie. “Fostering hands-on experiences in a collaborative, supportive educational environment is central to our mission of preparing students with the skills needed to positively shape the future of our society, systems, and planet.”

The mini-UROP also benefits the graduate students and postdocs who take on the role of mentor. Mentor support is a key component to completing a successful mini-UROP project and requires graduate students and postdocs to hone their leadership and teaching skills.

“I’m always interested in mentoring undergraduate students and to have someone help me with my project,” says postdoc and mentor Yue Hu. “Participating in this project made me excited that my research attracted undergraduates’ interest.”

Guiding students through interactive workshops

Preparation for this year’s mini-UROP began at the end of November, when participants attended the Lightning Lectures, an event that served as an opportunity for the mentors to give lightning-fast pitches on their research projects. First-year students then ranked the projects that they were interested in working on and were matched according to their preferences.

The interdisciplinary nature of the department’s research offered participants a wide range of projects to work on, from redefining autonomous vehicle deployment to mitigating the effects of drought on crops. Once each of the 11 participants were matched to a project, the mini-UROP Kick-off Lunch brought students and mentors together and ensured each group had an open line of communication.

Throughout the duration of the mini-UROP, participants attended three workshops led by Jared Berezin, the manager of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Communication Lab (CEE Comm Lab). The communication lab is a free resource to undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs in the CEE community, providing one-on-one coaching and interactive workshops. Held on Fridays during IAP, the workshops helped students contextualize their research and ensure they were able to explain the scientific concept of their work during presentations.

“Students were fortunate to have research mentors in the lab, and my goal was to provide communication mentorship outside of the lab,” says Berezin. “Our weekly workshops focused on scientific communication strategies, but perhaps more importantly I’d prompt them to talk about their projects, ask questions, and brainstorm together. They really embraced the opportunity to foster a supportive peer community, which I think is a core part of the CEE experience.”

A significant challenge students face while completing the program is condensing their research down to a clear and concise two-minute presentation. To assist with this task, the third workshop featured a presentation by CEE Comm Lab fellow Matthew Goss, providing students with a preview of how their own presentations may take shape. Students also had the option to meet with Comm Lab fellows to practice presenting and get feedback.

“The final talks were impressive, and I was proud of the students for approaching both their research and communication challenges with such curiosity and thoughtfulness,” Berezin remarks.

Reinforcing research interests

Iraira Rivera Rojas, a first-year student interested in materials science and environmental engineering, worked with Yue Hu, a postdoc in Associate Professor Benedetto Marelli’s lab. Their project used biodegradable polymers, specifically silk fibroin, to make particles that can be used to encapsulate agrochemicals, lessening their negative impact on the environment. Regenerated from silk cocoons, the silk fibroins are used as a building block to revolutionize the agriculture and food industry.

“When I saw the project description, it was a mix of both of my interests,” Rojas says. “I thought it would be a good way to try out both fields.” While she is still deciding which course she will major in, she says that participating in the mini-UROP confirmed her interest in the field.

Working with mentor Jie Yun, a graduate student in Associate Professor David Des Marais’s lab, Sheila Nguyen and Ved Ganesh used biodiversity to increase crop drought resistance. Nguyen and Ganesh studied barely, oat, wheat, and Brachypodium, and compared how these plants grow under conditions of drought stress. Currently, a separate model must be trained for each plant species and type of cell. The project aimed to develop a machine learning model that can generalize to different species of plants and cell types.

Vinn Nguyen and Diego Del Rio worked with mentor Cameron Hickert, a graduate student in Assistant Professor Cathy Wu’s Lab. Their project focused on making autonomous vehicles safer and more reliable, specifically in areas transitioning on and off highways. As self-driving cars gain popularity, reports of crashes and similar incidents demonstrate deficiencies in the current system. Nguyen and Del Rio sourced satellite imagery and applied computer vision techniques to investigate the safeness of these areas. The goal of their project was to design an infrastructure-supported approach to autonomous vehicles that allows passenger to comfortably work, play, and connect with partial autonomy.

Jordyn Goldson worked in the Terrer Lab with her mentor Kathryn Wheeler, a graduate student in Assistant Professor Cesar Terrer’s lab, on a project focused on plant senescence. As warmer temperatures lengthen plants’ growing period each year, total annual photosynthesis increases along with the amount of carbon plants remove from the atmosphere. Her project investigated if model performance differs between predicting visually assessed timing versus remotely sensed timing. The findings can help advance knowledge of the mechanisms behind forest canopy color change and the ability of forests to capture more carbon by growing longer, mitigating climate change.

Based on the success of her mini-UROP project, Mairin O’Shaughnessy, who worked in Professor Heidi Nepf’s lab with graduate student Ernie Lee, will be continuing her research on “Computer Vision for Plant Density Analysis” in the spring.

“When Heidi and Ernie, the grad student advisor for the project, proposed continuing the project in spring, I was interested in continuing to learn more and explore vision processing for counting real plants,” O’Shaughnessy says.

Jennifer Espinoza, another student who worked in the Nepf Lab, plans to continue her research with graduate student James Brice on “Characterizing Flow Conditions.”

“One of the main things I loved most about working in the lab was the passion that my mentor, James, portrayed for his work, as well as his willingness to teach me anything without complaint,” says Espinoza. “Most of all, though, I became extremely passionate about my work because it has the potential to make an impact in not only society but the natural environment. The significance of my work and the welcoming working environment have prompted me to continue researching at Nepf Lab in the spring.”

#2024 #agriculture #Analysis #approach #atmosphere #autonomous vehicles #biodegradable #Biodegradable Polymers #biodiversity #Building #Capture #carbon #Cars #cell #cell types #challenge #change #Civil and environmental engineering #Classes and programs #climate #climate change #collaborate #collaborative #Color #communication #Community #computer #Computer vision #course #crops

[orlafilmblog]

Location Location Location!!!

On Wednesday the 7th of February we finally got a chance to visit our filming location! Katie, Jack and I set off with Peer as our trusty driver. For once the weather was on our side, and it was bright blue winter skies the whole way there! Of course when we arrived it began heavily snowing… but that soon cleared up and we were able to fully explore our exterior locations. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get access inside the caravan, however I have created a floor plan and found videos online of inside the same model to give the crew an idea of what we are dealing with.

It was extremely helpful to begin thinking about how we are actually going to film Saint Catherines. We began by trying to block and frame the first scene, and immediately ran into some issues. For some reason, we just could not figure out how to do it.  I think I found this quite disheartening to begin with, but we moved on to trying to find a good location for the confrontation scene between Harry and Phoebe. (Since then, Katie and I have storyboarded and figured out the first scene)! We tried a grassy/wooded patch next to the caravan first, which was really beautiful, however I couldn’t help but notice Peer’s face as he listened through the headphones. We were right next to a particularly loud stream, and as a fellow sound girly, I made the call that we should move away. Even if the idea having some nice water sounds was cool, the practicality of this was a nightmare for sound – clan dialogue would have been impossible.

(Peer's unhappy sound face)

I ventured off in search of somewhere else. Just behind the caravan site, I could see there was a sloped wooded area. To my dismay it was fenced off… until I spotted a small metal gate! I have emailed the council to clarify who owns this land as we don’t have permission to use it yet, however it felt perfect for the scene. I could clearly see the blocking and camera movements of the scene, and I am excited about using the slope to our advantage when playing with the push and pull of the power dynamics in the scene. Katie and I had a great discussion about what shots would be in the scene and, as always, I felt we were on the same page.

We then went down to the loch, which was gorgeous. We are in the midst of getting permission to shoot on the beach (owned by the Crown Estate) and on the old stone jetty (owned by the council). It took some more experimenting to figure out what scenes to film where, as originally we had thought about the swimming scene being from the long dramatic jetty. However, from a practicality standpoint, this doesn’t work and was honestly a bit of a safety hazard. We decided it made the most sense to have Phoebe enter the loch from the beach, and that we could use the end of the jetty (closest to the beach) for the final scene with Jo and Phoebe. We then did a sort of camera test for the second scene in the film, which is the group running around playing on the beach. This was so fun, and the test shot was adorable and really helped me to visualise the scene and the style of the whole first act of the film.

Finally, we returned to the caravan and tried to figure out Scene 6, which takes place the morning after the assault. Originally, it was set outside, however as we tried to visualise it and discussed it more, we realised it made way more sense to set it in the living room of the caravan. This benefits everyone, allowing sound to get cleaner takes, allowing camera more control over lighting, and most importantly, we can all be in the warm instead of out in the cold. For the story it also made way more sense for the characters to be inside.

After this we hopped back in the car for the long journey home (with of course a sweet treat stop on the way). I think the recce was really successful, not just because we had a lovely time, but because it really helped me to move away from focusing on just the story, allowing me to think about the film as a real physical thing that we are going to have to film (crazy right)?!

#film project #Instagram

[glimmerbugart]

Have You Checked Out My Online Art Classes?

If you’re like me and back to school is always a crazy time of year, I feel your pain! It’s a constant daily grind of getting things done, appointments, back to school shopping, menu/lunch planning, sports practices, orientations and a bevy of other daily craziness that goes on!

With that being said, I wanted to share with you the many online art classes that I have available! From watercolors and journals to Halloween and Holiday projects, there’s a good amount of classes to choose from so that you can work at your own pace and get your creativity flowing!

Taking an online art class offers several positive aspects that can enhance your learning experience and artistic development. Here are some benefits:

Flexibility: Online art classes allow you to learn at your own pace and on your own schedule. You can choose when and where to work on your assignments, making it easier to balance your artistic pursuits with other commitments.

Accessibility: Regardless of your geographical location, you can access high-quality art instruction from anywhere in the world. This eliminates the need to relocate or commute to a physical class, broadening your options.

Diverse Resources: Online art classes often provide a wide range of resources, including videos, tutorials, reading materials, and interactive assignments. This variety can cater to different learning styles and help you grasp concepts more effectively.

Personalized Learning: Many online art classes offer opportunities for one-on-one feedback and guidance from instructors. This personalized attention can help you identify your strengths and areas for improvement, leading to more targeted growth.

Global Community: Online art classes often connect you with a diverse community of fellow artists from around the world. Engaging with peers can expose you to different perspectives, styles, and techniques, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment.

Cost-Effectiveness: Online classes often have lower tuition fees than traditional in-person classes, as they don't require physical facilities or materials. This can make quality art education more affordable and accessible.

No Commute: With online classes, you save time and money that would otherwise be spent on commuting. This extra time can be dedicated to actual art practice or other activities.

Self-Discipline and Time Management: Online art classes require self-discipline and time management skills. By participating in such classes, you can develop these valuable skills that are beneficial not only for art but for various aspects of your life.

Customization: Online classes often allow you to choose specific courses that align with your interests and goals. This flexibility means you can tailor your learning experience to suit your artistic aspirations.

Continual Learning: Many online art platforms offer a wide range of courses on different topics and skill levels. This means you can continue to learn and grow as an artist, moving from one course to another as your skills evolve.

Less Intimidating Environment: For those who might feel shy or anxious in a traditional classroom setting, online art classes provide a more comfortable environment to express yourself and share your work.

Recording and Revisiting: Online classes often provide recordings of lectures and demonstrations. This allows you to revisit lessons, techniques, and concepts whenever you need a refresher.

#Online Watercolor Class #Online Mixed Media Workshops #Online Art Classes

[kbrooks0806]

Internship Entry 8

Your overall reflections on the internship and your studies.

According to Moon (1999) and Deakin (2020), being able to reflect on experiences faced allows for a person to learn effectively on skills needed for particular scenarios and offers a significant benefit when experiencing similar events in the future.

Looking back on my journey at Holmesglen I really enjoyed every moment I was there! I created some quality friendships and relationships with a number of my peers, and I am hopeful that they will last into the future as we all share a passion for sport.

Reflecting on my classwork and time on campus however, I wish I had the opportunity to be in class more during my 1st and 2nd year (Covid affected), so I could ask more questions and have that extra level of exposure to industry opportunities. However, I am beyond happy and grateful with the opportunities that were presented to me in my 3rd and final year, and with the opportunity to intern at 2 incredibly generous organisations.

It is incredibly important to reflect wholly on an experience and as Purdue University (2021) alludes to, “putting multiple perspectives into play with each other in order to produce insight” is something I can effectively do given my time at the AGF and the Saints.

At the Amy Gillett Foundation I am really pleased with my time there, I learnt so much from both my fellow interns and from everyone at the organisation. Being at a workplace which worked so hard to provide a service in road safety, adds that extra level of satisfaction, and makes me feel like I was doing something that impacts people for generations, which I am proud of. Although I didn’t get to attend the Gran Fondo in person, I received compliments from everyone at the organisation as to how great and impactful my work was, and I am proud with that. Having the opportunity to work closely with Katie (Events) and Dan (CEO) allowed me to really strengthen my knowledge across multiple facets of event management and creating professional documentation for corporate partnerships and general professional sponsorship use. Having the guidance of someone like Dan Kneipp was incredible, and for him to be so generous with his time and trusting of me to do these important corporate partnership and presentation documents, I couldn’t be more grateful to him for taking a chance on me and providing me with a launchpad into the industry.

At the St Kilda Football Club, being able to experience what it was like being at a top tier sporting organisation was an incredible experience across the board. Heading into the internship I did have some experience and knowledge of HR as my mum is in that field however getting to work in contracts, awards, remunerations, and onboarding processes although somewhat repetitive, was extremely enjoyable and rewarding and I am now extremely confident with all of those processes. Also being in HR I got to work closely with majority of the organisation and created great relationships particularly with members of the marketing and finance teams. From my failed parking attempts in front of Ross Lyon to creating great relationships with my co-workers, I really enjoyed every second at the saints and I am extremely grateful to the organisation for welcoming me into such a well-respected and elite level organisation.

Something that will stick with me for a long time and something that I will reflect on, is what Dan from AGF said following my internship presentation, he said “its not about whether you think you deserve a job or if you would like to work somewhere, its whether you have done enough to impact on the organisation or workplace in a meaningful way and whether they would hire you.” This will be a constant reminder to work hard, and always challenge myself to push my capabilities further, especially in sport, where the everchanging landscapes demand flexibility and hard work in all aspects of the business.

I am also proud to say that I have been offered a role at both the Amy Gillett Foundation and the St Kilda Football club, and I can’t wait to get started in whichever role I choose in 2023!

It’s been a blast!

Kyle :)

Resources:

Deakin. (2020). Reflective Learning. https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study-support/academic-skills/reflective-learning#:~:text=Being%20a%20reflective%20learner%20allows,improving%20on%20your%20future%20performance.

Moon, J. (1999). Reflection in Learning and Professional Development. Routledge. Google Scholar.

Purdue University. (2021). The Purpose of Reflection - Why is reflection important in the writing classroom?. https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/english/icap/assessment/purpose.html

[lisacatara-actress]

ALMOST LISA : Pt 5, “Almost Role Model?”

*I retain all rights to my photography and story, story details, biographical information, fashion designs, art work, and anything and everything I have posted which is my own creation*)

"I believe if you cannot find a Role Model, you must become one.”

The 2020 Covid Pandemic completely shut down Hollywood and much of the world, leaving many without work and income for over a year. A year without a paycheck in my industry meant no residuals (aka “royalties”) moving forward. And due to alleged (*ahem*) mismanagement of funds by our union (Sag-Aftra) and poor negotiations on our contracts, it was already more challenging then ever for members to secure employment and earn income in Entertainment. The Industry shutdown would prove devastating for many career professionals, already barely hanging on. I was not ready for another major financial challenge.

Nothing but time on our hands and nowhere to go, many preoccupied themselves with social media as a creative outlet.  For me, not much changed. I was already isolated and hyper-creative. I got busy sewing, singing, dancing, drawing, sharing anything and anything I made via social media. I made dresses and jackets, crooned show tunes (best I could), wrote scripts, redesigned my home, revamped business materials, shot photos (of myself, to be safe) and constantly worked out. Anything to evade the nonstop barrage of disinformation and scare tactics the news spun, daily.

The first few months were artistically productive (if not redundant). Most everything shut down. There were no doctors visits (thankfully, no emergencies either for me during this time), grocery shopping was planned and strategized, I saw no friends or colleagues except for what they posted online. I was unemployed and paying Los Angeles rent.

The few jobs I managed to book in 2020 were chaos as each production had its own safety protocols which changed daily as new information came in regarding transmission of the virus. One of my gigs required two extensive fittings via Zoom. A PA had to drop off the entirety of their wardrobe selects (three filled garment bags and two shopping bags) on my doorstep for me to try on- online- for the producers and director, then collect all of it afterward and put it all under a UV light. Another job required technology which was set-up outside my door and entrusted to me for the duration of the shoot in my own apartment, then collected and sanitized afterward. Days on actual sets were like vacations. Endless covid-testing left my nose raw, but I was thrilled for any opportunity to work and keep my health benefits.

Out of the blue, I received an email from a fellow Heights High School alumni asking if I would consider his support for the Cleveland Heights Alumni Association ‘s 2020 honoree ceremony. This was a surprise. I was fairly unrelatable and too busy to become popular in High School. I'd also been feeling terribly invisible for quite some time. That one or any of my colleagues remembered and was inspired by my life's successes enough to nominate me was touching. I've always been aware that my career choice is exciting and special. I just thought no one cared about the 96% of us who aren't famous and wealthy. As it turned out, I was voted in by my peers and the upcoming graduating student body. That got my attention.

Because I never had a role model or mentor growing up, because I figured everything out on my own, because we were not wealthy and I had to work and earn everything, because I passed on any support/ help which required/ forced me to compromise my integrity ... I value opportunity to uplift and inspire youth to achieve greatness in whatever life and career goals they hold. So in the middle of a pandemic (at the most personally and professionally challenging and uncertain time of my life) I had to suck it up and represent the values and tenacity I’d sworn to, which ultimately helped me achieve my Dreams. Alone, in my apartment, in a Zoom- broadcast ceremony, with my parents watching in Cleveland, I became a  2020 CH-UH Distinguished Alumni Hall of Famer. One of a long and impressive list of successful grads from my incredible, public Alma Matter.

____

Flashback: So many opportunities for me growing up were missed due to financial hardship and shortcomings. My family was far from wealthy. Lack and necessity compelled me to get a job at 14-15 and start earning for myself. I knew if I didn't, I’d have nothing. And I took pride in never asking my parents for help (they were handling enough). Problem was, I was more talented than I was privileged. Other kids took lessons, attended festivals, enrolled in special classes, got in the rooms where opportunities were, etc. I had to find- or create- my own.

One opportunity did find me after Eastman. I was in rehearsal in a theater in Manhattan, spending down-time sketching in my design book. I’d always loved fashion and had invented a style of designing on a template which allowed me to continuously pen ideas on a form. What started as doodles very quickly became 100′s, then 1000′s of original fashion designs (I had a lot of down time). At some point, my work caught the attention of the administrator of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) who admitted me to the school, purely on my illustrations and submission materials. I went to admissions week, excited to venture into yet another creative world I enjoyed, but because I already acquired a degree from another entity, I was denied housing and was already up to my eyeballs in student loans. So I could not attend. Instead, I made event dresses (using very limited sewing skills) for myself and friends, and some of my designs became intricate pen & ink illustrations to be collected by private art and fashion enthusiasts (and still are today). But I always think about the time I “almost” became a fashion designer.

____

Financial shortcoming remained a thorn in my side. No matter how hard I hustled or how many jobs I booked, being an actor in Hollywood is an expensive undertaking. Especially when you go it all alone, with no mentor or guidance. Especially when unprecedented circumstances start digging into your savings. It’d taken over 20 years to amass a couple of years savings, and one pandemic to all but take it away.

A couple of months after The Alumni ceremony, I made the incredibly difficult decision to move to Atlanta, Georgia. By now, the Entertainment industry had partially migrated out of Hollywood and established production in many other states. Georgia had seen major motion pictures for years by now. It was dubbed “Hollywood South” (or “Y’allywood” for the locals).

My decision wasn't purely an industry one, though there was no way I was going to abandon a career I’d built from the ground up, one I was made for.  I’d also exhausted both UCLA and Cedar Sinai’s medical staff to the point I could not find any “care” (save for a terrific hematologist and rheumatologist who tirelessly helped me monitor my condition and make referrals where they could). There was no way of knowing what the pandemic would bring moving forward or how I would continue (after 18 years) to thrive. I figured I’d save a little money (I was paying $1700/month for a one-bedroom in LA, gas was above $5.50/G at the time, both were rising) by moving to a more affordable location and reestablishing myself in a new community. The goal was to get back to work, keep my health benefits, maybe see my parents more, and get better. Despite not having a large Tribe or many close relationships, there was a voice in the back of my mind, telling me I was abandoning Hollywood and a lifestyle I loved. But get busy doing or get  busy- literally- dying, so I lightened my load and migrated back East.

      (to be continued...)

(PS If you like what you're reading, I welcome contributions to the efforts via Venmo @LTarantinoDesigns)

#hollywood #lisa catara #film #movies #art #artist #photography #photographer #celebrities #fame #success #women in film #fashion

[httphopewrld]

I Don’t Know What to Call This | (f/m/a)

Just Friends? Friends with benefits? Dating? Questions swarmed your mind when one of your dear friends, Allie, asked about you and Hoseok’s relationship. The truth was you didn’t know. You and Hoseok were close, knowing each other since elementary school, and considered each other friends. However, as you two grew older, maturing into separate professions—you a well-known fashion designer, and Hoseok a famous musician and dancer—you two had engaged in some intimate activities (sex—lots of it.) After Allie’s simple question, you had to confront your feelings. But were you and Hoseok ready to be more than close friends and f*ck buddies?

Pairing: friend/lover/bfhoseok! x female reader

Genre: slowburn fluff and SMUT

Rating: 18+ because there’s swearing and pretty detailed smut

Warnings: swearing and SMUT (one of the most detailed smuts I've written, and there's more than one sex scene.) Smut includes: switch!reader and switch!hoseok, grinding and thrusting, protective sex (USE CONDOMS, I cannot stress that enough), lots of kissing, ass-grabbing, dirty talk, a wee bit of choking on both sides, squirting, male and female oral, fingering and handjobs, vibrator use, cyber-sex, the reader uses dildo, slight degradation, and just lots of filth—YOU'RE WELCOME FELLOW FILTHY ANIMALS. Oh, and spoilers for the horror movie Hush. It's on Netflix if you haven't watched it yet. It is GOOD.

  Word Count: 16, 465 (wowie)

A/N: Thank you for waiting! It’s rushed, so expect some little mistakes here an there, but I’m happy with how it turned out. I hope y'all enjoy it! Also, Y/L/N means "your last name."

  Taglist: @kirbykook​ @kleritata​ @taestannie​ @jenotation​ @hemmos-obrien​ @zeharilisharaban​ @speed-of-wind​ @kawaisoraya​

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“You can move those over there,” you gestured to the left corner of the windowed room, where a pile of boxes waited. The move was going to take longer than you expected because the movers arrived a week later than your assistant, Rachel said. I really need to talk to her about this. You stressed in your mind, rubbing your temples. “Are you okay?” You looked up, vision resuming its focus on your friend, Allie. Allie, your friend for as long as you could remember, offered to help you move to your new building. She would help you manage everything, including the movers, tracking your company's items, and the layout you gave to her for said things while managing the company. “I’m just irritated at Rachel,” you noticed her confusion, “my new assistant.” She nodded, remembering, “Right. Why is she still employed?” “Because she’s new, and being an assistant is a tough feat. She’ll get it soon.” You reassured, “Rachel is a fast learner, and this is her first mistake. We’re prepared for the next show, though, because Westley's helping me organize it.” “Remind me who Westley is?” Allie asked. You sighed. “West is like my second brain. He helps organize the fashion shows, hire the models, find the venues, and secure the guest list. He has other people help him too, but he’s the brains of that. I create the fashion, and he finds a way to present it.” Allie nodded, “Gotcha.” Your phone rang, and you answered. “Y/N.” “Y/N!” Rachel chimed on the other end. “It’s Rachel. I’m so sorry about the mix-up on dates. It won’t happen again, I—” “I know it won’t, Rachel. You’re new, so I expected to slip up. I’ve gotten it taken care of,” you nudged Allie’s arm, and she smiled. “We’re luckily prepared for the next show in Vancouver, so you don’t have to worry about the mess up. All I need you to do now is make sure that my fabrics are coming in.” “Yes! They’ve arrived at the studio.” Rachel replied. "Fantastic. Thank you. That'll be all for now. Check on West if he needs anything." You ordered. “Will do, Y/N. Talk to you soon.” You hung up. The Vancouver show was in five months, giving you and your team enough time to design the clothes for the production and move to the new building. The show's theme was natural bodies of water and nature, a nod to Canada's landscape. The clothing catalogue would include various icy blue shades to represent waterfalls and warm emerald tones like flora and fauna. These colours would be encapsulated in elegant gowns and suits, worn by different body shapes, genders, and colours. The materials would be made from recycled fabrics from your previous shows and from your fellow artists. You were known for designing elegant attire, so it was best to keep to it. However, it was rare to see different sized, coloured, and gendered models on a runway; because of having to customize clothes to those models. Additionally, making clothes from recycled fabrics would be tough. “Okay,” you began, “I need to talk to my design team and plan out the gowns. Can I leave you here to deal with the movers?” Allie gave you a thumbs up. “Thank you,” you smiled, hugging her, “if you need anything, please call me or Rachel, or both. We’ll be back to help.” Before you left, a thought struck you. You turned around to face Allie. “I should just hire you.” She chuckled, “Why?” You scoffed, "Because you're here all the time!" You walked back to her. "Listen, you're the best manager I know. You can be my third brain. You already are, outside of work, so it would make sense." Allie seemed unsure. “I already have my job at Youth and Hope.” You grasped her hands. “You would be given a great wage, not just because you’re my best friend, but because you’re going to be busy with lots of work. You would be handling the management tasks, like West. You’d be given a good amount of vacation, trips for shows and meetings would be paid for—you could get that loft you always wanted downtown.” You wiggled your eyebrows, and Allie laughed. “Don’t I have to go through an interview process?” You brushed a hand through the air. “I can get someone to interview you and officially hire you. Once that’s done, you’ll start getting paid.” You checked your watch, and a quick rush of panic ran through you. “Shit, I’m going to be late. Consider it, alright! Let me know your availability, and we’ll schedule an interview!” “Okay!” She shouted back as you left. . . The coffee had become bitter. You weren’t sure if it was the roast or the fact that this was your fourth cup of the night. It had been a month since the fabrics arrived. Thanks to Allie, your friend and now employee, your move to the new building was complete; however, your designs weren’t translating as smoothly as you wish. "Fuck," you cursed, resting your head in your hands and rubbing your temples. The sketches waited in front of you—the measurements and ideas raking at your confidence. Your designs are redundant. You’ve done something similar last time.                                                                       Boring. Plain. You turned back to your mannequins, still bare. The theme was in your mind, and your design team reassured you that your sketches were fine, but it all felt fuzzy. “Y/N,” Rachel peered into the studio from the door, “there’s a gentleman here to see you.” “His name?” You asked, still looking at the mannequins. You heard footsteps retreat into the front lobby, then come back to the door. “Jung Hoseok?” You turned around, trying to contain your excitement. “Please send him in.” Rachel nodded, jogging back to the lobby. You heard a muffled “thank you” before heavy footsteps approaching your studio. Hoseok reached the doorway, beaming his signature smile. He wore acid-washed jeans, a baggy white sweater that matched his chunky light sneakers. His dark hair was slightly wavy and parted in the middle. A tote bag was slung over his shoulder. “Y/N!” He cheered, opening his arms wide. “Hoseok!” You replied, running into his arms and hugging him tightly. You couldn’t remember the last time you saw Hoseok—a year or two? “Fuck, how long has it been?” You asked him. He pulled away, thinking. “About six months?” Totally off. “Seriously, it felt longer than that.” You argued. Hoseok pulled out his phone and scrolled through his calenderer and photos. He made a ‘tsk’ sound. “Ah, see here,” he showed you a few photos of you two with his friends, who were also his bandmates, “six months ago, you joined us on tour for a couple days before coming back here. I have it also marked in my calendar.” He showed you the dates, which were marked with ‘💚Y/N’s visit💚.’ “Can Namjoon or Yoongi confirm this?” You crossed your arms. Hoseok mimicked your body language. “I can call them right now,” he challenged. You two stood in competitive tension. You succumbed. “You win this time, Jung Hoseok.” He playfully chuckled. You realized that Hoseok doesn’t live around here. “Wait, why are you in town. Shouldn’t you and the others be in Korea planning another album or something?” You speculated. “Our company gave us a month for vacation because we spent most of the year touring.” Hoseok sighed. “So, I decided to come to visit.” You hugged him again, happy to see someone who wasn’t your employee amidst this chaos of stress. “How long are you staying?” You asked, muffled against his chest. He paused. “Maybe a month?” You pulled away from him, shocked. “A month? Here? That’s all your vacation time.” “Yeah,” he replied, as if that wasn’t a big deal, “I didn’t want to travel to a bunch of places because the group and I have been doing that for almost a year—and it’s pretty chill in this area.” He sighed. “Besides, I don’t think many people would recognize me. The airport wasn’t busy, and I haven’t been swarmed by fans yet.” “Do you have a place to stay?” You asked. He nodded. “Yup! I’m staying at a fancy hotel. I got the suite at the top floor,” he made a gesture with his hand, indicating how high up his suite was. You playfully elbowed his side. "Wow, look at you, Mr. Famous. You can afford a top suite now. Are you sure you don't want to stay with me, though?” Hoseok dismissed your offer with a wave of his hand. “It’s alright, Y/N. Thank you, though.” He peered over your shoulder, “It looks like you’re busy anyway, so I think I’ll just stick to my suite.” He walked past you, over to the bare mannequins. “Are you preparing for that show in Vancouver that you told me about?” You nodded, relaying your theme and ideas to him. He smiled. “That sounds really cool,” he pointed to the mannequins, “but don’t you need some clothes for the show, then?” You rolled your eyes, chuckling at him for being a smart ass. “Yes, I do. I’m brainstorming some ideas right now, but I’m coming up with nothing. I have the design team coming in tomorrow with drafts, but I’d like to bring my own thing to the table, you know? I’m the main brain of this operation, and it’d be embarrassing if I come in with zilch.” You leaned against one of the tables, facing the mannequins. "The tough part is designing gowns that fit the right people, you know. Sure, you can make a collection of clothes, but they won't look good if they don't fit the models." You shook your head. "Maybe it's just tougher to design clothes for different bodies. I should just stick to one type of person and leave it at that." Hoseok walked up beside you, leaning against the same table and facing the figures. “Why don’t you find the models and then design the clothes?” You looked at him, surprised. “But wouldn’t that take a long time?” He crossed his arms, “Well, how many models would you need?” “We’re thinking around seventy. There’s going to be two changes within the show.” Hoseok nodded, and you could see him brainstorming. “Well, you have four months left, right? You and your team can make some drafts, cast the models, and finalize the ideas with said models. Which would take about a couple of months? You could do that while planning the show?” He paused, appearing to notice your hesitant expression. “Think about it. You’ve trained your team well enough to work on its own, right? That’s what you did for your last show, which was a success. You came in every day for a couple hours to make sure everything was in order, then focused on other things.” Hoseok grasped your hands. “You’re great at multitasking, so do it. It’s scary, but you can check on people every day to make sure everything’s alright.” You bit your lip, “I-I don’t know, Hoseok. That sounds like a lot of work—” “You did it last time, and it worked out just fine,” he gently squeezed your hands, “and I’m here for a month. I can help out whenever you need me. I’ll simply clean things up and fetch coffee if that’s what you need.” You laughed, “Like my intern?” “Yeah! I don’t know how to design anything or plan a fashion show, but I’ll do what I can.” He smiled. “You’re so much more than you think, Y/N, and if you need reminders, I’ll be here.” You smiled back at him, so grateful to have him here. “My god, you’re fucking sweet,” you scoffed, taking your hands out of his. Hoseok laughed. You pushed yourself off the table and faced him. “How did we even become friends?” You questioned. He actually gave it a thought. “You joined by dance club in elementary school, when no one else would.” He laughed so hard that he teared up. “I think we actually took club photos, and it was only you and I posing.” You laughed with him, remembering those days spent trying to breakdance to hip hop and presenting dance routines to your parents. “Yeah, that was before you joined that Music Academy in grade four, right?” He nodded, and you sighed, surprised you still remembered. Your mind came back to the present. “So, you’re actually okay with helping out?” You checked. “Why would I ask if I didn’t want to?” Hoseok replied. You tapped your index finger against your temple, “true.” “So, how much do you want?” Hoseok looked offended at your question. You chuckled. “Well, you’re going to work for me, so I need to pay you.” “It’s only just a month, though.” “Yeah, but—” “What about we see how much you have me do before you pay me?” He interrupted. “I might just have to fetch coffee, so you can just give me money on the spot.” You thought about it for a minute. Hoseok yawned. “This work talk is making me tired. Do you want to go out for dinner?” He looked around you, “Unless you have more work to do. I can always wait in the lobby for you to finish.” You brushed your hand through the air, “Nah, it’s okay. I’m pretty brain dead anyway. I need to be energized for tomorrow’s draft review.” Hoseok pushed himself off the table and clapped. “Awesome! Where do you think I’m taking you for dinner?” You bit your lip, trying to guess. “Sushi?” “Sushi it is!” He beamed. You grabbed your things and followed him out of the studio.

Both of you sat towards the back of the sushi restaurant, to Hoseok’s request. The waitress placed you two in a concealed booth, with drapes covering a small entrance.

You two had to take your shoes off before sitting down.

“Why did you say, ‘sushi it is?’” You asked, taking a sip of your water.

Hoseok opened his can of sprite, “What do you mean?”

“You asked where I thought you were taking me, I responded, and you said, ‘sushi it is!’” You reiterated.

He took a sip of his soda before responding, "It's a trick I learned from Instagram." He set his drink down. "You ask someone, 'where do you think I'm taking you for food?' dinner or whatever, and then take them to a place with that food. It's easier than asking 'what do you want to eat?' because people can't decide."

You nodded, making an ‘aaahhh’ sound. “Smart.”

You two caught up while eating your meals. Hoseok chatted about his bandmates and the tour, and you talked about your move to the new building.

Most of it was just adding more details about your lives because you two texted lots during the week and sometimes video chatted. You'd get to see Hoseok and his friends, and he'd get a view of your life on the other side of the world.

To others, it looked like both of you were dating. Both of your friends would tease, singing, "Y/N and Hoseok sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." Many of his fans, ARMY, would theorize your friendship, pointing out the matching bracelets you two wore—which was later proved normal because Hoseok went live on Vlive making bracelets for his bandmates.

And you two would continually clarify that you two were strictly long-time friends. Nothing more.

Girls and boys can be friends. Simple as that.

You and Hoseok finished your meals. You two shared a few rolls and a bento box and were full.

“That was really good.” You commented, rubbing your stomach.

Hoseok chuckled, copying you, “I think I’m pregnant.”

You laughed, “Shut up! You’re so fit.”

“You’re right,” he replied, pulling up his sleeves and flexing his arms.

You both laughed as he flexed his muscles, which were significantly more prominent than your remembered. You were slightly jealous of his lean athletic figure.

And were gazing at it for too long.

“I don’t know about you,” Hoseok sighed, appearing to be tired from the food and flexing his muscles, “but I’m in the mood for some Ben and Jerry’s.”

Your eyes lit up. “YES.”

“Cookie dough with chunks?” You both said in unison.

You two erupted in laughter.

"I'll go play," Hoseok said, getting up.

You stopped him, “It’s alright,” you smiled, “my treat.”

Before you left the booth, you turned around and said thoughtfully, "But you're getting the ice cream."

Hoseok's expression conveyed the same seriousness as if a soldier on a mission.

He saluted you. “Copy that, Y/N.”

You saluted him back and left to pay.

The walk to Ben and Jerry’s was quick. Both of you were eager to share the tub of ice cream.

You ended up getting a chocolate chip cookie dough and a cherry Garcia pint, and two spoons to share. You both ate the ice creams with delight while walking back to your apartment building.

When arriving at your building, Hoseok handed you the cookie dough ice cream pint.

“What are you doing?” You asked while he gave you the closed pint.

He tilted his head to the side, confused. “What do you mean? I’m dropping you off at your place.”

You gave a shocked expression. “Dropping me off? We’re not even done our pints!”

“But you have work tomorrow. I don’t want to keep you up.” Hoseok stepped back towards the edge of the sidewalk. “I can catch a cab back to the hotel, don’t worry.”

You balanced the pints in one hand and used your other to grab his arm.

“You’re not going anywhere,” you said, pulling away from the curb and closer to your building.

Hoseok pulled his arm out of your grip. "Y/N, you need to be well-rested—"

“At least help me finish the ice cream.” You interrupted, holding up the pints that were now in both your hands, along with your spoon.

“We haven’t seen each other six months, and it’s only…”

Hoseok pulled out his phone. “Nine.”

“Exactly!” You expressed. “It’s only nine. I don’t need to be in until nine-thirty tomorrow morning. As long as you’re out by eleven, that gives me an hour to get ready for bed at twelve, and I will wake up at eight. Plenty of rest!”

You watched his unsure expression.

"If you don't want to go home at eleven, that's fine by me. Could you leave earlier? Or you can go back to your hotel if you want. I won't take offence; you know me." You held up your arms in surrender, ice cream pints still in your hands. "But if you're leaving because you're worried that I won't get enough sleep, don't. I'm a grown woman. I know how to take care of myself, and I want you to come in.

Hoseok bit his lip, appearing to debate the offer.

He sighed. "Fine, I'll come in. However, I don't want to get a text from you complaining about being tired in the morning."

“I swear,” you promised, pretending to draw an ‘x’ over your heart, “I cross my heart.”

Hoseok chuckled, and you led the two of you into your apartment building and into the elevator. You pressed the twentieth button, and you two waited in comfortable silence.

The elevator doors opened, and you two walked to your apartment.

You opened the door to your studio apartment, locking the door behind you two and hanging up your bag along with your keys.

“Want anything to drink?” You asked, setting down the ice cream pint in your hand and taking off your coat.

Hoseok set down the cookie dough pint on the coffee table. “Anything is alright, thanks,”

You hummed, getting both of you bottles of black cherry soda and bringing over the cherry Garcia pint and your spoon.

"Jesus, do you need help?" Hoseok asked with worry, seeing you holding the bottles by their necks in one hand and the ice cream pint and spoon in the other.

You chuckled, “It’s alright, just sit down.”

You two sat on the couch, twisting off the caps on your sodas and taking a sip.

Hoseok sighed. “That’s really good,” he gestured to the pop before putting it down on the coffee table.

“Yeah! They’re so addictive,” you replied, setting coasters under both of your drinks.

Both of you continued to reminisce about your childhood, especially middle school. The puberty years had been gruesome to you two, speckling your faces with acne.

You pulled out a photo album you kept on one of your bookshelves, which had pictures of your families and your younger selves—even photos when Hoseok was training, before debuting with BTS in 2013.

“Oh my god, look at you!” You gasped, showing him a picture.

In the photo, Hoseok arms were crossed over his chest, his attempt at having swagger. He wore a collared shirt, and his hair was short.

“Oh god, no,” Hoseok cringed, gently pushing the photo away.

You chuckled, "You were so adorable, always dancing and having a good time." You smiled. "You are such a hard worker, practicing so much. I remember you twisting your ankle but still practicing."

You looked at him tenderly. “I wish people could see that.”

Hoseok smiled back at you, softly touching your hand. You grasped his hand, feeling butterflies in your stomach.

He was the first to pull away.

“You remember our sleepovers?” He asked.

You giggled, "Yeah when you could leave that cramped place you shared with the boys."

He swatted your arm, “That apartment was good! It was where everything started.” He pouted. “Anyways, we would always look up deep questions to ask each other—or would you rather.”

You rolled your eyes. “Those questions were overrated.”

“I thought they were nice!” Hoseok defended. “We got to know each other more, like, ‘what is your biggest fear?’ or ‘what is your biggest pet peeve?’”

He must've seen your unimpressed expression because he continued, "You got to admit that you learned a bit more about me because of those questions!"

You sighed. “I did, I guess.”

Hoseok held up his index finger, seeming to signal ‘wait a minute.’

He pulled out his phone. “Let’s try some now, then.”

“Hoseok—”

“Come on,” he interrupted. “If you don’t learn anything new about me from the first four questions we do, then we can stop, alright? I will never bring up these questions ever again.”

You debated his offer.

“Fine.” You agreed, setting down the photo album. “Shoot.”

“Okay, but we both pick two questions and answer all of them. For example, when we ask a question, the other person answers before the picker.” Hoseok said while he scrolled.

You hummed, understanding his instructions.  

“Want to do would you rather?”

“Sure.”

"Sexy edition?" Hoseok wiggled his eyebrows. "Unless you're uncomfortable."

You scoffed. “Hobi, we're grown, adults. I can take a few sexual questions."

“Okay,” Hoseok replied, “but if you ever feel uncomfortable, we can choose another question or stop.”

You nodded, and Hoseok appeared to find what he was looking for.

“Alright,” he began, “would you rather bite someone’s ear during sex or bite someone’s lip during sex?”

This is pretty vanilla. You thought.

"Lip, for sure." You emphasized the 'sure' in your sentence, stringing along with the 'er' sound.

“Same,” Hoseok agreed while passing you his phone.

You took his cell and strolled through the website.

What do I choose? Do I just dive in, or go for the vanilla shit?

“Would you rather engage in foreplay or go right into the main course?” You asked.

Hoseok thought about it. “I would say foreplay. You can warm things up—and nothing is more fun than teasing.” He shimmied, making you two laugh.

You agreed, passing the phone to him.

“Oooo, here’s a classic,” he grinned, “top or bottom?”

“I think I’m a switch,” you replied.

He tilted his head.

“It’s like, you’re both, top and bottom. I like to take control sometimes, but I can also sub.” You explained. “You?”

“Top,” he replied, “for sure.”

You laughed, “You sound so against being a bottom.”

He laughed too. “I like pleasuring the person I’m having sex with. Nothing is more satisfying than making someone cum.”

“True,” you admitted.

You found your mind wandering to unholy memories of you and Hoseok. What was odd about your friendship that—to put it blatantly—you two had sex. Not just once, but a few times.

This is why asking these questions was pretty casual and not too surprising.

You two started engaging in sex a couple years ago. You were stressed about your company starting, and Hoseok was in town. He offered to help you relax, and before you knew it, he was drilling into you from behind.

Both of you agreed to stay friends but continued to have sex every now and then. It was great, you had to admit. Probably the best sex you had in your life, and it was good that you two were able to keep your friendship platonic at the same time. Only, it was sex without the romantic feelings.

To be honest, you were craving it again.

He passed you his phone again, and you tried to pick a good last question.

“Would you rather kiss me gently or kiss me aggressively?” You asked.

Hoseok paused before answering. “Depends on the mood.”

“Well, at this moment, then, what is the mood?”

You watched Hoseok’s eyes shift between your lips then your eyes.

“Aggressively.”

You hummed. “Good to know.” You passed him back his phone. “Last question.”

Hoseok chuckled, “You seriously didn’t learn anything new?”

You shrugged. “I guess not.”

He didn't seem bothered, though, when his body shifted closer to yours.

When he looked back up at you, his expression changed. Although his eyes were already an opaque shade of brown, they had darkened.

I know that look.

He smirked. “Would you rather make the first move or receive the first move?”

You bit your lip, gazing up at his body.

Before you could reconnect with his eyes, you heard his phone drop, and his lips were on yours.

Just like his answer, his kisses were aggressive and needy. You could taste the cherry cola and ice cream on his lips and mouth.

You pulled his face closer, wanting more.

Hoseok’s body language opened up, allowing you to get up and straddle his lap. You felt his hands inch up your shirt and tug at the fabric. He helped you take it off, which gave him access to your breasts.

You felt him undo your bra with a quick flick of his fingers, and you tossed it off without a care.

Hoseok let out a chuckle before claiming your lips with his.

His lips were intoxicating, and you wanted more.

“Please touch me,” you begged against his lips.

He hummed, grazing his hands down your back before roughly grabbing your ass. You moaned, and he held you against him, hard enough to feel him grind into you.

“Fuck, stop teasing,” you pulled away, and he laughed.

“Baby, I’m not teasing,” he smirked.

Baby. The term of endearment made your heart swoon.

You weren’t always this infatuated by Hoseok. But the way he came to visit you during his break, had dinner and ice cream with you, and kissed you this good—it made you want more than just a fling.

But you couldn't think that way. It was sex. You two were doing this to get off, not engage in lovemaking.

Hoseok swiped his tongue over his bottom lip, eyeing your figure. “You know what I want.”

You ran your hand up and down his chest. “What are you waiting for?”

Hoseok's hands came underneath your thighs, and he picked you up, walking you to your bedroom. He used your body to close the door, slamming you against it.

He ground himself against your core, causing you to moan louder than you expected.

You covered your mouth in embarrassment.

Hoseok chuckled, “It’s okay,” he pulled away enough to graze his thumb over your cheek, “I love it when you moan.”

You rolled your eyes, kissing him and grabbing his ass, causing him to grind on your core.

"Fuck, I can practically feel that you wet," he groaned, trying his best to hold you up and sturdy you against the door.

“B-bed,” you choked, one of his particular thrusts stroking perfectly against you.  

Hoseok moved you towards your bed and gingerly placed you down. He kissed down your bare chest and slowly took off your pants and underwear.

“Fuck, your perfect,” Hoseok awed, softly running a finger through your wet heat.

His cold finger sent a wave of pleasure through you, making you flinch.

Hoseok hummed. “So wet for me,”

He looked up at you. “May I?”

You nodded, but he only smirked.

“Words, baby,” he put a hand to his ear.

“Please,” you bit down on your lip.

You felt him spread your lips, and you clenched in response. He appeared to savour you, taking his time as he ate you out.

When you moaned, he’d hum, sending vibrations into your heat that brought you closer to your climax.

“Fuck, I’m close—”

He pulled away, licking his lips and gazing down at you.

“Hoseok—”

“You taste better than I remembered,” he commented. “But I want you to cum around me.”

God, I love his dirty talk.

You watched him take off his clothes. He must've been working out because he was more toned than six months ago.

He was about to line himself up with your entrance, but you stopped him with your foot on his chest.

You smirked. “Not yet, baby.”

You stood up. “Sit.”

Hoseok sat on the bed, your roles shifting.

“But I want—”

You interrupted his beg with your hand around his erect cock. He appeared to be speechless as you run your hand up and down his shaft.

“Hm?” You asked, chuckling lightly at how easy it was to make him submit. “What do you want, baby?”

“I-I wanted,” he stuttered, thrusting slightly into your hand, “to cum inside you.”

“Is that so?” You questioned, pulling your hand away.

Despite his vocalized want, he whined when you pulled away.

“I’m only doing what my baby wants,” you shrugged. “Condoms are in the bottom drawer on the right.”

Hoseok dashed over to the bedside table, rummaging for the condoms.

“Those should fit you, right?”

"Yes," he replied, opening the familiar wrapper and unravelling it on his erect member.  

He stood there for a minute, wrapped penis and naked, just fondly looking at your nude figure.

He whispered something under his breath.

“Hm?”

“Nothing,” Hoseok blushed. “You still want to fuck?”

“Yes.”

“Top or bottom?”

“Top please,” you smiled.

Hoseok laid down on your bed, and you climbed onto his torso.

“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he cursed as you moved off his abs and onto his cock.

A wet puddle was left on his abdomen, which he wiped away with his fingers, then putting said fingers into his mouth.

“So good,” he groaned.

You hummed in response, slowly sinking onto him.

"Fuck, you feel so good," you said when you bottomed out.

You started moving, swaying your hips back and forth. Each time Hoseok's cock would graze against your g-spot.

His hands were placed on your hips, guiding you on him. You could feel yourself clenching around him and your climax building up.

“I-I’m close,” you stuttered.

Hoseok swallowed, “Me too.”

“Ch-choke me,” you requested as you picked up your pace.

Hoseok grinned. “Only if you choke me back.”

You chuckled and rolled your eyes. Hoseok gently wrapped his hand around your neck, and you did the same, slowly applying pressure.

You felt your thighs burn from exhaustion. "F-fuck me," you cursed, slowing down.

Both of you let go of each other's neck, and Hoseok flipped you two over, still inside you.

"It's okay," Hoseok assures before resuming the pace.

His thrusts were rough and deep, and he pushed your thighs against your chest.

“Fuck, please keep going,” you begged.

“Can I choke you?” Hoseok asked.

“Please,” you replied, “do you want me to choke you too?”

“Yes,” Hoseok responded.

You felt yourself rhythmically clench around him. Hoseok must’ve realized because he began thrusting faster into you.

The room was filled with unholy noises. You could hear the wet sounds of your entrance and the impact of Hoseok’s hips against your core.

“Fuck don’t stop,” you choked out.

The knot building up in your abdomen unravelled, and pleasure and relaxation spread through your body. Your core gripped onto Hoseok like a vice.

“H-Hoseok,” you stammered, your core overstimulated.

“I-I want you to squirt,” he replied, continuing his firm thrusts.

“Oh,” you moaned.

He pounded deeper into your core, to the point where you could feel his tip ram against your cervix.

“Ah!” You screamed, feeling yourself gush around him.

“Fuck, so good,” Hoseok groaned. “I-I’m cumming.”

You felt the condom fill up inside you, and you felt disappointed that his cum couldn’t coat your walls.

His thrusts slowed down, and he stood still for a few moments.

When he pulled out, you shivered with oversensitivity. You knew that your sheets would be a mess and weren't looking forward to cleaning them when Hoseok left.

You looked up at the ceiling, breathless, while you heard Hoseok walk away from the bed.

“Where do you put your towels?” He asked.

“In the hallway, in the closet beside the dryer and washing machine.” You replied.

You heard him walk into the hallway and the closet door open and close. “Thanks,” he said. “And your bedsheets?”

“The closet in my room.”

You heard him walk back into your room, open your walk-in closet that led into your bathroom, and shuffle around. The tap ran in your bathroom for a couple seconds, then the sound of Hoseok wringing out something.

You began to sit up, but he hushed you to lie back down.

“Just relax,” he soothed, placing the clean bedsheets on your bedside table and walking over to you with a damp cloth.

“You don’t have to—”

He placed a hand on your thigh. “It’s okay,” he reassured.

You two exchanged a quick smile before Hoseok began to clean you up.

“You didn’t even cum on me,” you chuckled as he gently wiped your inner thighs.

“I know,” he replied, “but I still made you messy.”

When your thighs were no longer covered in your cum, you two changed your bedsheets.

“You good sleep in the same bed?” You asked while folding over your duvet.

“Sure,” He smiled.

You walked into your closet. "There should be some clothes that fit you. I usually wear men's clothes at home, anyways. It's crazy how great the quality men's clothes are compared to women's clothes." You picked out a t-shirt and sweatpants and tossed them at Hoseok.

He caught them, “Thanks.”

You two showered separately and spent the time getting ready together dancing to tunes.

If someone were to walk into the room, it wouldn’t look or smell like you two just had sex. You two looked like close friends having a dance party before going to bed.

Again, after you two had sex the first time, you both agreed to stay friends. It was easier said than done.

It was awkward initially, but you both were able to get past that by talking it through. Hoseok would ask how you felt during sex and what could have been better, and you would return the question.

Now, you both were able to have a good time and intimately learn more about each other.

Sure, it was strange, but it was a mutual agreement between consenting adults and fun.

The sex was fun—great, really—and you couldn’t have it any other way.

But you would be lying to yourself if you didn’t feel like something was missing.

.

.

“Good morning, everyone,” you greeted your fellow designers, “this is Hoseok. If you don’t know him already, he’s a well-known musician and one of my closest friends.”

Everyone welcomed Hoseok with a warm round of applause.

“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be here.” Hoseok thanked.

“Hoseok will be helping out here and there while he’s vacationing here for a month,” you explained, “so take it easy on him.”

People shared chuckles at your joke.

"Anyways, let's start looking over the design ideas. You all are very talented artists, and I want you to remember that this is a draft, which means that these ideas are not final. If your idea is rejected, it's okay. We'll continue to work on a collective theme for the show."

The morning was spent listening to everyone's design concepts. To follow your reputation, the designs were contained within suits and gowns. As mentioned before, the theme was Vancouver's nature, where the fashion show would be taking place.

You and your design team used the recycled fabrics—which were separated by colours, textures, and materials—while figuring out your drafts.

You asked your design team to draft some ideas because you couldn't think of anything to present.

You were pleasantly surprised that your whole team had ideas that you approved.

“This a phenomenal,” you awed, “Great job, Erinn.”

“Actually,” you grabbed the attention of the other team members, “you all did a great job. We will be using all these ideas for the show.”

Your team shared cheers.

“Y/N,” Rachel nudged your shoulder, “I’m sorry to ask, but now that we’ve got the designs all in order, what about the models? You wanted to have various body types, right?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered,” you whispered back.

You turned back to your design team. "You all know that this show is tougher than our last one because we are trying to include more body types, genders, races, just different kinds of people. Which means that we will need to cater our clothes to the models, rather than the other way around.” You smiled, “So you all can go home for the next week.”

You heard Rachel choke on her inhale.

"Although you all have the week off, I want you all to try drawing your designs on other body types. Experiment with materials and colours. Remember to take some of the recycled fabrics home with you, and feel free to come in to pick anything up. Just let Rachel and I know in advance, and we'll give notice to the front desk so they can let you in. When we reconvene in a week, which would be next Friday at nine-thirty, I need you all to be ready to translate your designs, colours, and materials to our models." You ordered.

“Any questions?”

Comfortable silence amongst everyone.

You nodded. "Awesome. Good luck, everyone. Contact me if you have any questions."

Your team started packing up.

“Y/N, does that mean we’re spending the next week casting?” Rachel asked.

“Yes, Rachel. Please contact Westly and schedule lunch tomorrow at noon to discuss modelling criteria. It’s probably going to be pretty loose, but we need to contact Westly before sending it out.” You answered. “If he’s not free at that time, try figuring out something later tomorrow. Then book a reservation for three at Romeo’s.”

“Alright, on it,” Rachel replied.

You turned to Hoseok, who seemed shocked.

“What?” You blushed.

He continued his surprised expression. “I haven’t seen you like this before.”

You chuckled. “How else are you supposed to run a company and organize and execute a fashion show in 3 months?”

Rachel tapped you on the shoulder. "Westly can do lunch tomorrow, at noon, at Romeo's. He and his team secured the venue with Vancouver Fashion Week and are currently collaborating with the interior designers to figure out how the place will look. West said he'll debrief you tomorrow, at lunch, about the rest of the progress."

You smiled. “Great! Thank you, Rachel. You can also take the rest of the day off.”

Rachel appeared to be stunned, not responding to your words.

You waved a hand in front of her face. “Rachel? You can take the rest of the day off.”

“Are you sure, Y/N?” She asked.

You chuckled, “I wouldn’t be telling you to if I wasn’t sure, would I?”

She gave it a thought. “I guess not.”

You grinned. “Just meet me at our main building tomorrow, at eleven-thirty, and we’ll go to Romeo’s together.”

Rachel nodded. “Thank you, Y/N,”

“No worries,” you smiled.

You and Hoseok watched her leave, leaving you two alone in the studio.

“I’m sorry, it passed my mind. You’re okay not joining us for lunch tomorrow, right?” You asked Hoseok.

He dismissed your apology by brushing a hand through the air, “It’s all good. You’ve got your shit to do.” He smiled, “It gives me time to tour around a bit, anyways.”

“Good,” you replied. “So, where to?”

You pulled apart the croissant, eating pieces one at a time. The butteriness covered your tongue in a warmth that mixed well with the iced coffee you and Hoseok shared.

The park was surprisingly empty, despite it being a Friday. Usually, it would be tough to find a spot decently away from others, mostly shaded by trees.

The inlet was a few meters away, allowing you two to see sailboats pass by. People also kayaked and canoed, and you could hear their laughter faintly on land.

Here, you and Hoseok would be shielded by looming trees and away from potential fans of Hoseok. It was a rarity to have those two things when spending time with Hoseok: privacy and security—peace and quiet.

“This is what you wanted to do?” You asked, finishing off the croissant.

He nodded, sipping the iced coffee. “Yeah. It’s quiet and nice here.”

You two people watched, enjoying the breeze and serene environment.

“I was thinking,” you cleared your throat, “about last night. Did you enjoy it?”

Hoseok set down the iced coffee. “Yeah. I always like hanging out with you.”

“I mean—the sex.”

He seemed shocked by your question.

“Yeah, that was good too. Why do you ask? You never brought up before.” He pointed out.

Because I am growing feelings for my childhood friend, who I now have sex with for fun. This wasn't a part of the agreement, I know. We agreed to not grow feelings for each other and just have sex for pleasure. But it's inevitable to develop feelings for someone you have sex for, right? Like, there are probably people out there that can distinguish sex from love—and I guess it started out like that—but for us?

Am I crazy?

“No reason,” you sighed. “I just wanted to know if there was anything I could have done better.”

Hoseok turned his body to you, smiling. “It was perfect.”

He gestured with his arms for a hug, and you obliged. His cologne smelt of freshly peeled oranges; it was a pleasant fragrance, and you found yourself snuggling closer.

.

.

The past month went by in a busy blur.

The model casting went well. You and Westley found fantastic individuals to present your clothing line, which was in the process of being altered to fit those people.

The venue was secured, and the guest list was being made by You and Westley.

“Maybe invite Hoseok,” Westley suggested.  

You shook your head, “I can’t.”

"Why not?" He retorted. "The worse thing he could say is 'no,' and you can invite the whole band." He giggled. "Maybe I can meet Jimin in person."

You chuckled, “So that’s why you want me to invite Hoseok. Just because you made eye contact with Jimin for more than five seconds, it doesn’t mean that he’s into you. He’s straight.”

“How do you know?” Westley had a hand firmly on his hip.

“W-well, I haven’t asked him personally—”

"Then you can't assume he's straight!" Westley exclaimed. "The baseline isn't being heterosexual."

“True. Anyways, let’s get back to the guest list.” You chewed on your lip. “We have Harry Styles, BLACKPINK, Lizzo…”

Both of you ran down the list of a thousand attendees to the show in Vancouver. It was way smaller than fashion week or any of your previous shows, but it wasn't meant to be a big party.

Y/N [14:00]: Hey! Are you free and the boys on March 1st at 1 pm for about four hours, including an after-party until 10 pm, with food?

Hoseok [14:30]: Hiiiiii!! Sorry for the late text. I was asking the others. Yeah! That’s in 4 months? 🧐

Y/N [14:31]: Yeah, it’s for my fashion show. You can ask your company for that time? We’d provide the plane tickets and accommodation. You’d probably stay 3 days and 2 nights? You’d fly in the first day, sleep the one night, then attend the show the second day, sleep the second night, and fly out the 3rd day. I’ll need to know by the end of the week.

Hoseok [14:32]: Sounds good!!! I’ll ask my managers and let you know 👊

Y/N [14:33]: Awesome! Thanks 💚

Hoseok [14:33]: Np 💚

“So, Hoseok and the boys can come, but he has to confirm with his managers. He’ll let me know soon.” You relayed to Westley.

"Great! As long as we get confirmation from Hoseok at the end of this week, we can send out the invitations. We've checked with everyone's management, and they all seem to be busy. Worse comes to worst; we'll just have to move seats around." Westley advised.

He closed his laptop, and you followed.

“Alright, that seems to be all of the guest list business. I’ll get my team to start organizing plane tickets and accommodation.” He sighed, “shall we head to the studio to check on the design team?”

“Yes,” you replied.

Both of you were driven to the studio to check on the design team.

The studio was filled with models of various shades and shapes. Music played quietly in the background, and your coworkers and models grooved to the tunes. Designers pinned fabrics around people’s figures and sketched down measurements and ideas.

You and Westley went around checking on everyone, making sure gowns and suits were well in progress. A smaller group of people created ideas for shoes and were sending them out to shoemakers.

The rest of the day was spent getting to know the models, fixing measurements, finalizing some ideas, and briefing everyone about the plan for the next two months.

"Please have the gowns, suits, and shoes by the end of this month so we can start having the makeup artists consult all of you; to make sure the makeup correlates with the clothes and the models." You informed. "Thank you, everyone, for your amazing work."

Scattered “thank you”s responded, and our workday was over.

“You want to get some drinks?” Westley nudged.

You nodded, frankly too tired to answer but eager for a drink.

Both of you decided to walk to the high-class bar, which allowed private areas in the back for paying customers. You and Westley sat alone, away from the crowds of people near the entrance of the bar.

“To having a productive three months,” Westley sang, holding up his martini.

You sighed, “Cheers,” you tapped your peach Bellini glass against his, admitting a chime.

"Fuck," Westley cursed at the sip of his drink, "they're always stronger than I remember. "Anyways, the show is pretty much underway. Guestlist is handled, the venue is prepped and ready for us, the clothing is almost done. Oooo, I can’t wait to see it all together.”

You nodded.

“You don’t seem so excited, Y/N.”

“I am,” you replied.

“But?”

“I am excited.” You affirmed, although not living up to the word

Westley silenced, knowing when not to push your buttons.

He took a careful sip of his martini. “Where’s Hoseok?”

You fidgeted with your glass. "Hoseok went back to Korea. He only had a month of vacay, so," you left the sentence adrift.

“Did you enjoy his company?”

“Can we not talk about him right now? I rather not mix work and personal life.” You stated.

Westley acknowledged with a firm nod, finishing off his martini and asking for another.

“May I ask a question?”

“Sure.” You replied.

He cringed. “But if I ask, promise me you won’t fire me.”

You turned to him. “Depends on your question. You have to ask me first, then I can decide whether or not to fire you. I cannot make promises.”

“Why are you so off all of a sudden?” He genuinely asked.

You took a deep breath. “I’m not going to fire you, not for a long time. You’re my best worker, and I can’t let you go.”

"I feel like there's going to be a 'but' somewhere. Might as well rip off the Band-Aid." Westley sighed.

You nodded, “You’re right. And you’re right about my mood. I’ve been kind of off lately.”

“Because of Hoseok?”

"Yeah, to be honest." You admitted. "I feel like we're really close—more than just friends. We're on the same wavelength, you know? And whenever we're apart for a long time and then meet up again, it's like time has passed."

“And let me guess, you haven’t told him because you’re afraid to ruin your friendship.”

You scoffed. “There’s no need for sarcasm, West.”

He rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’m just saying, it’s the oldest narrative in the book. One friend is falling for the other, and that one friend doesn’t want to confess their feelings because they’ve known the other person for years and are afraid of ruining that connection.” He took a sip of his martini. “But in the end, it’s two friends just pining over their feelings of love for each other.”

“But we’re different.” You argued.

"I guess so. The narrative doesn't really specify one friend is a famous fashion designer and the other being a famous musician—"

“I mean,” you interrupted, “we have sex every time we see each other.

Westley's mouth fell open in a silent gasp. His hand was placed on his chest, and his eyes stared into yours.

He tipped back his martini into his mouth, finishing it off. “Well, you didn’t mention the friends with benefits part.”

“I know!” You groaned. “That’s why it’s so complicated.”

"Is it really, though? Wouldn't confessing your feelings after you two have had sex so much make it slightly easier? Because it makes sense to grow feelings for someone you've known for a while and have had sex with on multiple occasions." Westley speculated.

“I didn’t say we had sex on multiple occasions—”

“Honey,” he began, “you said you’ve had sex with him every time you see each other, and you two meet a lot. It doesn’t take a detective to figure it out.”

"Anyways," he digressed, "the sooner you tell him, the better. There's no use debating over it for years, then finding out he's found someone else when he would've picked you anyways."

"Gosh, when you say it like that, it sounds like a romantic movie." You cringed, finishing your peach Bellini.

He shrugged. “Well, it kinda is.”

You chuckled. “Well, thanks for the advice.”

“Thank you for filling me in,” he smiled.

.

.

The week went by fast. Your design team was still working on alterations, so you were left brainstorming hair and makeup and contacting specialists in those fields.

You were sitting at home, knee-deep in Pinterest boards when your phone buzzed.

You stopped strolling through your laptop and peered down.

Hoseok [19:30]: We can come to your show!

Y/N [19:30]: Fantastic! I'll let my team know, and we’ll send out the invites.

You texted Westley, informing him that BTS could attend the show.

Westley [19:33]: Great! I'll let the rest of the team know, and we'll send the emails out tomorrow

Y/N [19:34]: Thanks!

Westley [19:35]: Np

You set down your phone and continued to add ideas to your private Pinterest board.

Your phone buzzed again.

Hoseok [19:55]: What are you doing right now?

You were puzzled.

Y/N [19:56]: Nothing much, just brainstorming ideas for the show. You?

Hoseok [19:57]: Just chilling in my room.

Hoseok [20:05]: I miss you

You chuckled at the text, thinking that Hoseok was drunk.

Y/N [20:05]: I miss you too, Hobi.

Hoseok [20:08]: …how much?

Again, you were puzzled by his text.

Y/N [20:10]: Wdym? I miss having you here? Is that what you mean?

Hoseok [20:11]: I mean, do you miss me intimately?

Y/N [20:14]: Like sex-wise?

Hoseok [20:14]: Fuck, I need you, Y/N.

You stared at his words.

Hoseok [20:18]: I miss your body and how perfectly you fit around me.

Your cheeks flushed.

Hoseok [20:21]: Can you video chat? Unless you’re not in the mood.

You panicked.

You were in the mood but weren't presentable. Your hair was messy, and you weren't wearing any makeup, and you were dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants.

Y/N [20:23]: Yeah, I’m in the mood. Just give me 5 mins.

You quickly got out of your seat and ran to your bedroom. You sifted through your closet and found the sexist clothing item you had: a red lingerie set. You quickly undressed and put on the set.

You looked into your full-length mirror and tried not to cringe. Your hair was a mess, and you weren’t wearing any makeup. It definitely looked like Hoseok's text came out of nowhere—and it did, but you somehow expected yourself to be decently presentable.

However, the lingerie set was doing you favours. The set was composed of a crotchless thong and a bralette that exposed your nipples.

Y/N [20:28]: I’m ready.

Your phone rang, and you answered, quickly propping it on your drawers across from your bed.

You were faced with a shirtless Hoseok, his cock already in his hand.

“Fuck, you look amazing.” He complimented breathlessly.

“Wow, you’re ahead of the game—and really? I’m a mess.” You chuckled.

He hissed, flinching in his grip. “Fuck, just take the compliment, Y/N.”

You cleared your throat. “Thank you.”

You sat a pit forward, angling your breasts towards the camera.

“What are you imagining, baby?” You purred.

“Y-You,” he stuttered, moving his hand up and down his cock.

“Mhm,” you moaned, “thinking up my pussy clenching around your cock, making it all wet.”

He nodded.

"You can do something if you want," he suggested. "You said you were in the mood."

Your eyes opened wide. “Wait a minute.”

You brought the phone with you on your journey, going back to your closet and fetching your dildo, lube, and vibrator. You hurried to the bathroom and propped your phone up against the closed door.

You suctioned the bottom of the dildo onto the titled floor. You placed the vibrator on the bathroom counter.

“You want to watch me bounce on this dildo and think of you?” You smirked, rubbing lube onto your hands, onto the toy, and onto your vagina.  

“Fuck, yes,” he replied, stilling his hand around his cock for a moment.

“Did I say you could stop?” You spat.

“I’m waiting for you,” he smiled, making your heart melt.

You paused over the dildo, smiling back at him. “Awww, that’s actually kinda sweet. Thank you.”

You quickly washed your hands and grabbed the vibrator.  

You crouched down and slowly onto the dildo.

“Fuck,” you moaned, tilting your head back at the feeling of being filled up. It didn’t hit the spots Hoseok did, but it was good enough.

You lifted yourself up and sunk back down again, rhythmically repeating the motion.

“Fuck, so good,” you sighed, overlooking the pain in your knees.

“That's right, baby, imagine me filling that pussy up," Hoseok groaned, following your rhythm while pumping his cock.

“Fuck yes,” you replied, “and I’m clenching around you so tight.”

You two exchanged moans at the sound of your pussy squelching around the dildo.

“Use the vibrator, baby,” Hoseok purred.

You hummed, grabbing the rose gold vibrator and turning it on. You place the buzzing toy on your clit, feeling pleasure rippling through your core.

“Fuck,” you hissed, speeding up your pace a bit.

“I-I’m getting close.”

“Yeah, baby?” Hoseok smirked. “You get off at me rubbing my cock? Imagining me buried inside your pussy, making you feel so good?"

You nodded. “But it’s not as you, baby.”

“I know—” He choked, appearing to be on the brink of his climax. “I fucking miss the way your pussy fit so well around me, no matter how many times I fucked you open.”

“Mhm,” you bit your lips, watching him with hooded eyes. “Don’t stop.”

“Who knew you were filthy enough to cum during cybersex?" He observed. "I'm not even there to touch you, but just thinking of me inside has you in ruins.”

“What would you do if I was with you right now?” You asked.

“I would fuck you until you couldn’t walk the next day,” he replied, “I’d fuck you until that pretty pussy is swollen.”

"F-fuck, I'm going to cum," you stuttered, feeling the familiar build-up in your core.

“M-me too,” he stammered.

You watched his head tilt back in pleasure and his cum squirt up from his cock.

“Fuck!” You cursed, feeling your pleasure shoot out of your core and onto the floor

“So hot,” Hoseok sighed.

You chuckled, coming down from high. You pulled yourself up and off the dildo, sitting on the cool tile floor.

“Fuck, did you squirt?” He asked, looking closer.

You nodded, gesturing to the mess on the ground.

“Spread your legs for me, baby,” he commanded and obliged, showing him your battered cunt.

You spread your lips, and he hummed at sight.

“So beautiful.” He awed.

“You happy? I need to wipe this all up, now,” you scoffed.

He chuckled. “It’s not my fault that you cummed.” He angled his phone to the floor, showing splashes of his cum on the floor, "and besides, you also made me make a mess.”

You both chatted while cleaning up your messes, talking about your days as if nothing happened. After finishing your clean-up, you two continued your conversation while showering, as if both of you were doing it together.

Ready to relax for the night, both of you signed off with exchanged ‘thanks’ and ‘good night.’

You turned off your phone with a soft click and stepped out of the steamy bathroom. Your pyjamas were soft on your skin, and you felt ready to go to bed.

Hopping onto your bed, you grabbed your laptop and turned on some Netflix to fall asleep to.

From an outsider’s perspective, masturbating with your best friend and then casually talking with them while showering and getting ready for bed was odd. Repeating the scenario in your mind did make it sound like you two were in a long-distance romantic relationship rather than a platonic one.

But you and Hoseok were different. That was your excuse.

A friend could do this and not catch feelings. You two were the perfect example of that.

Emphasis on were because you were currently spiralling in your growing romantic feelings for Hoseok.

But what would you do in this situation?

You and your childhood friend engage in sex one time and promise each other to not grow feelings. In this manner, you two could have sex without attachment. Fast forward into the future, and you both are still making this arrangement with no negative consequences and feel like you two have gotten to know each other better and have become better friends—until you catch feelings. And you don’t want to risk losing this relationship you two have.

Because he is a worldwide musician who can’t be tied down because it could risk his career, and he might lose fans—and you couldn't be bothered with any romantic commitment with your fast-paced and unpredictable work schedule.

So, you stay in this unnameable mess.

.

.

“Time flies by when you’re having fun,” Allie commented from the plush couch.

You looked in the mirror, twisting your back towards it to see the back of the dress. “I guess so.”

“You have to admit, planning a fashion show is pretty fun,” she said. “If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be doing it over and over again.”

“True,” you replied, turning to the stylist.

“May I see the other dress?” You asked, and the stylist nodded, retreating to somewhere in the shop you couldn’t see.

It was the last month until the show. Everything was in order: the show’s venue and its decorations, the clothes, makeup and hair for the models, and the guests’ accommodation. Now, it was your turn to find suitable attire for the occasion.

You tried on the next dress. It was a slim-fitting number, with a leg slit in the front. It was scandalous and stunning, but not right for the show.

“I don’t like any of these dresses,” you sighed, annoyed.

Allie appears to brainstorm some ideas.

“Maybe try a suit?” She proposed.

You kept your eyes on the mirror, twirling your figure and watching the fabric move at your feet.

“Think about it,” she began, “think of all the powerful women who’ve worn suits and killed it. Zendaya, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Awkwafina. The list goes on. It’s a statement piece, and you’re the big brain behind this operation.”

“I think it’s ‘mastermind behind this operation,’ but I get what you mean.” You corrected.

“You literally bypassed my whole point—”

“I know, I know,” you interrupted. “It’s just—suits for women are so overpriced. And it’s just like the dresses, except a different fit. Same colour palettes, same materials, so on.”

Allie scoffed. "You're a fucking fashion designer, did you forget? Make your own thing. There are leftover fabrics at your studio; you have time to make something." Her face lit up, “And, technically, it’s for free.”

You gave it a thought, but the stylist came back before you could finish it.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Vega, but I’m not finding anything, and I don’t want you walking back and forth and bringing me more dresses.” You gave an apologetic smile. “Thank you very much for your help.”

"No worries, Y/N! Just hang up the dress when you take it off, and I’ll deal with the rest,” she replied.

“Will do,” you said, and she stepped out of the room.

Allie helped you unzip the gown, and you shimmed out of it. You did as you were told and hung up the dress, and you and Allie left the shop.

The walk back to the studio was quick, you two making determined strides through the crowded city.

You and Allie entered the empty studio, turning on the nights.

The studio was organized chaos with dressed mannequins, big boxes of fabrics in the back of the room, and papered patterns on the tables.

“Wow,” Allie awed.

"Yeah," you replied, leading you both to your master station is near the back, "it's crazy what a couple months before a show looks like.”

You looked through the drawers beside your desks and grabbed the tools you'll need to plan out the suit.

“So, just a suit jacket and pants…” You said, grabbing some paper to sketch up your pattern.

You looked up at Allie, “Do you mind helping me out with measurements?”

She nodded, “For sure. What do you need?”

You guided Allie on how to measure your proportions for the suit. She measured your inseams for your pants, the sleeves, the cuts, and so on. In between, you'd write down the dimensions for the patterns.

You two sifted through the fabrics to create a monochrome patchwork outfit. The suit would be shades of cherry red, with different materials making it up. There were no patterns in the patchwork, only various tones of red in several types of wool.

“Fucking hell,” Allie cursed while sifting through the materials, “who would’ve thought there were so many shades of red.”

She held up a piece of recycled fabrics, checking with you that it was the correct tone. You took it and held the portion against the others.

“Nope, too dark,” you shook your head.

"What? It looks exactly the same," she disagreed, walking over to your table. When comparing the fabrics, she made an 'aaah’ sound, letting you know that you were right.

Before sectioning off your pattern, you tried your best to evenly sew all the material together into a quilt-like form.

“Jesus,” you muttered, shaking out your sore hands.

“We don’t have to get this all done today, you know. You do have two months left.” Allie advised.

"I know. I just want to put this all together first," you replied, continuing to push the material through the sewing machine.

“Alright,” she surrendered, bringing one of the seats over to your table.

You sewed in silence for a bit.

“So,” Allie began, “how are you and Hoseok doing?”

You paused. “What do you mean?”

“You know…you two and your arrangement.”

You scoffed, “Our arrangement? You mean us having sex?”

“Yeah, but the other stuff.”

You pulled your hands from the sewing machine, crossing your arms over your chest. "Just spit it out, Al."

“Well, you’ve had mixed feelings with Hoseok, right? Like you’re starting to like him?” She speculated.

Your mouth gaped open. “Have you been talking to West?”

She didn’t respond, not making eye contact.

“You can’t be fucking serious. You two are ganging up on me!” You yelled.

“Y/N, we’re just worried.”

“About what? I have feelings—and?” You fumed.

She sighed. “You shouldn’t be having sex with someone if you’re growing romantic feelings, especially if you two agreed to be platonic.”

“Oh, fuck off,” you stood.

“Y/N!” She exclaimed. "Don't you dare talk to me that way? I am your friend, not your enemy." Allie stood up and sighed. “I get it. You don’t like people in your business. That’s fair. I just feel like you're sacrificing yourself for Hoseok when you could talk about it with him."

“Allie, you don’t know what you’re fucking talking about.” You spat.

“I get it,” she sympathized. “I don’t. I’m not you or Hoseok.”

“So, tell me,” she said. “Educate me on the situation. I am not here to judge. I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

You took a few deep breaths, trying to calm yourself down.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I shouldn’t have talked to you like that.”

“It’s okay,” she forgave, “just don’t push me away so fast, okay?”

“Okay.” You agreed.

She sat down, “So?”

You sat down and rehashed your feelings about you and Hoseok to her: the growing romantic feelings for him, not knowing what to do, and wanting something more.

“Well, do you think it’d work out between you two if you dated?” She asked.

You shifted in your seat. "I honestly don't know. It's tough with Hoseok's work because he has a loyal fanbase. I'm afraid he's going to get even more hate if we were to date.”

“But would you two be happy?” She asked.

You gave it a thought. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you go into a relationship regardless of other people. Whether you’re a celebrity or an ordinary person, you date someone for you and that person; no one else. There are going to be people who support and hate your relationship no matter what. What matters is what the two people think in the relationship."

She sighed. “You cannot control what others will think about you. No matter what you do or who you do, you're going to upset someone. So, just do what feels comfortable and safe with you."

You hummed, understanding.

“So, would you be happy if you and Hoseok dated?”

“Yes.” You stated without a thought. “I really like him—love him even.”

"Then that's all that matters," Allie replied.

.

.

The week before, the show crept on you faster than you expected. You, your team of designers and event organizers, models, hairstylists and makeup artists flew into Vancouver a week early to prepare on location.

However, the majority of the week would be spent preparing for the show. The first day was spent unloading all of the outfits and equipment for the show into the venue. Everyone was required to show up to organize their stations and to familiarize themselves with the venue.

“Please set up your stations while Westley and I look into the main runway and after part section. We’ll be back in around two hours to check up on everyone. If you have any questions while we're gone, please contact me on my phone." You held up your cellphone and everyone nodded. "Great. Good luck, everyone!"

The venue and interior designers' owners toured you and Westley around the place, showing you the drawn floorplans, running down the prices, and checking that the decorations correlated with your plans.

“These weren’t the chairs we sent over,” Westley pointed to the black folded chairs lining the runways.

“Yes, but these were within the price range and—” One of the interior designers, Queeny, said.

“But did we get an email regarding this change?” You interjected.

Queeny exchanged looks with the other three decorators, and they shook their heads.

Wesley let out an angry sigh. "Well, I guess we’ll have to live with these then.” He sat down on one of the chairs. “At least they’re comfortable. They look cheap, but they’re sturdy.”

“Are there any more changes you made without informing as?” You asked.

They all shook their heads.

"Great." You turned to one of the two-venue owners, named Ruby. "Shall we continue to the after-party part?”

“Yes,” she replied, gesturing to the doorway that led to the front reception area.

From the reception area, where guests would check-in and get a wristband, a double-door way on the right led to a ballroom for the after-party.

The overall theme of the place was classic European designs with off-white luxurious walls and chandeliers. The ceilings were intricately carved, and the floors were a smooth white oak. Just walking around made you feel like you were dirtying the place.

“This place is stunning,” Westley whispered.

“I know,” you replied, “you chose the place.”

“I know,” he smiled, pretending to flip his hair.

You both chuckled, continuing to follow the owners around the venue.

Everything worked out, besides the chairs, so you and Westley checked on the designers, models, hairstylists and makeup artists.

At the end of the workday, everyone was in order and ready for the next three days of dress rehearsals and solving and problems.

You arrived back at your hotel with sore feet and exhaustion.

Your phone rang as you flopped onto your bed.

You answered. “Hobi!”

“Y/N! How was your flight to Vancouver?” He asked.

“It was good. We didn't have a rest day, though. We had to settle into the place and check it over. My feet are so sore.” You groaned.

“Really? I thought you’d at least have a rest day when you guys arrived,” he assumed.

You shook your head. “No. Sadly, this whole week will be walking around and making sure everything is going smoothly.”

He sighed. “Shit. That sucks.” You heard him shift on the other side of the phone. “Do you want to relax?”

You laughed. “Jung Hoseok, did you seriously booty call me from across the world?”

Hoseok gasped, "I did not! I was talking about watching Netflix or something." He chuckled, "You're so dirty-minded."

You both laughed.

“Okay, so what do you want to watch?” He asked on the other end of the call.

You brought out your laptop and scrolled through the movie selection.

“Oooo! Let’s watch Hush. I’ve heard so many good things about it.” You recalled.

You could hear his hesitation.

Hoseok did not like being scared. Whenever you watched anything scary, you were afraid that your neighbours would complain at how loud his screaming was. As you remembered saying "hello" to him once and him screaming in fear and surprise, he was also easily frightened.

“We don’t have to,” you said.

“No, no,” Hoseok reassured, “we’ll watch it. Just send me the Netflix Party link, and I'll ready the Zoom link."

You giggled. “You don’t have to be brave for me, Hobi. I know you don’t like scary movies.”

“You want to watch it, so let’s do it,” he said, “and the ratings are good.”

“Okay,” you digressed. “I’m texting you the link right now.”

“Same,” he replied.

You two hung up and joined the links.

“Hello!” Hoseok beamed, dancing.

You rolled your eyes and chuckled at his burst of energy. “Hello, Hobi.”

You carried your laptop to the bathroom and began getting ready for bed.

“How was your day?” You asked.

Hoseok described him and his bandmates' film day for "Run! BTS," and you groaned at all the work they had to do.

He laughed. “But we got to play games, which was fun. We laughed so much that my abs hurt.” You watched him lift up his shirt and show his toned abdomen.

Your core felt a familiar flutter.

“W-wow, that must be a lot of laughing,” you cleared your throat and took out your toothbrush and toothpaste.

For the moment, the time difference worked for you two because it was almost ten at night for you and nearly three in the afternoon for him.

“Should I turn off my camera?” You asked before undressing to get into the shower.

He shook his head. “I’m okay with you leaving it on. I’ve seen you naked before, so it’s not really different. But if you’re uncomfortable, you can just turn it off.”

You shrugged and began taking off your clothes in full view of the camera and screen.

You noticed Hoseok’s expression.

“Enjoying the show?” You chuckled, finally taking off your undergarments and fully exposing yourself.

Hoseok smirked, “Don’t act like you weren’t just turned on by my abs. I saw how you looked at me.”

You nodded and surrendered. “Fair point.”

You hoped in the shower, and you two continued talking.

“Jesus, we haven’t started the movie yet,” Hoseok commented while you were washing your hair.

“Shit, right,” you laughed, massaging the shampoo into your scalp.

After you hoped out of the shower and dried your body and hair, you both started to watch the movie.

“This is a pretty cool premise. Like, we’ve never seen a deaf person in a horror movie before,” you regarded.

"True, that's a good point—AHHHHHH!" Hoseok screamed at the sudden slam in the movie.

You burst into laughter.

“Holy shit!” He exclaimed, trying to calm himself with controlled breaths.

The movie continued as you finished off your skincare and put on your pyjamas.

The oversized t-shirt was long enough to cover your thighs.

“You’re going to watch this before bed?” Hoseok gasped.

You chuckled. “Yeah. It’s not that scary.” You say as you jump at the sound of breaking glass in the film.

Hoseok laughed at the coincidental timing.

You don’t remember falling asleep, but you woke up to the sound of your alarm.

“Shit,” you grumbled and turned it off.

You heard Hoseok stir awake on the Zoom call.

Both of you had fallen asleep, but Hoseok finished the movie before you could; because you saw the end credits paused in the Netflix Party.

“Sorry,” you whispered.

“It’s okay,” Hoseok mumbled, squinting at the screen.

“I’ll let you sleep,” you smiled, hovering your cursor over the "send" button.

He softly smiled, “thank you.” He snuggled into his pillow, “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too, Hobi,” you replied, ending the call for both of you.

It didn’t hit you until you were halfway through your dress rehearsal, but Hoseok had stayed with you while you slept. He didn't wake you but quietly continued the movie and fell asleep.

Hoseok was usually sweet, so you didn't pay too much attention to it.

But it did make you feel special.

.

.

It was the day of the fashion show, and you were fucking nervous.

You had done this before, a show, but this one was different. You had put in so much effort and were proud of how it turned out but were afraid of what other people would think.

“It’ll be fine, don’t worry,” Allie assured through video call,” it’ll be excellent, and everyone won’t stop talking about it.”

“Probably,” you replied, putting on your makeup.

“It will be excellent, Y/N. I am so sure I will bet money.” She stated.

You chuckled, "then I'll take your word for it because I am not bidding money.”

You both laughed.

“Okay, I know I already showed you my outfit, but are you sure it looks good?” She asked, putting on the A-line floor-length dress she’d shown you before. It was a beautiful viridian green with lace shoulder straps that draped over the sides of her biceps.

“You look beautiful,” you complimented, setting your makeup with setting spray and heading to your closet.

You put on the suit you made and looked in the mirror. You looked a bad bitch.

“You look great! Oooo, put on the red bottoms,” Allie squealed.

You put on the signature Louis Vuitton black high heels with the ruby bottoms.

Your phone buzzed.

“I got to go; Westley is here with our ride to the venue. I’ll see you there!”

“See you!” She waved, ending the call.

You did a quick check in the mirror, fixing your hair, grabbed your bags, and headed out the door.

Your driver waited outside the vehicle as you approached, and opened its door, showing you a well-dressed and excited Westley.

"Oh my god, you look great!" He gasped. “When did you make the suit?”

“I finished it a week before we flew out,” you chuckled, “and you look great too! I love the pine on you.”

You took a step back and looked at Westley’s crisp pine-coloured suit with matching brown dress shoes.

“Thank you,” he grinned. “Okay, get in before we become late.”

You hopped into the car, and your driver got in and started the vehicle.

The drive was spent recalling your opening and closing speeches with Westley and the show's agenda.

“So, five pm is when the show ends, and then the guests for the after-party go into the ballroom area. Food is served at six pm, and everything is wrapped up at ten pm.” Westley relayed.

You nodded, “Yup.”

Both of you arrived a couple hours before the start time, which was at 1 pm, to set everything up and warm up the models and crew.

Westley checked the organizers and the models while you went to the runway area to check the lights and sound.

"Let's rerun the lights, please!" You announced as you walked into the runway room. "Can I get a headset, please?" You ask the crew on the ground, who nodded.

“Yup!” You heard the lighting crew respond.

You were given the headset, and you heard the head light technician’s voice.

“Can you hear me?” They checked.

“Yes,” you confirmed.

They ran by the six light settings for the show, and it was all correct.

“It’s perfect, thank you. Can you please check that the sound is alright?” You asked through the headset.

“Yup. You’ll have to hand the headset to another person, though, and we’ll give you a mic.” They added.

You heard their muffled voice as if they covered their mic's headset with their hand. Next, you had someone hand you a mic and take your headset.

“You’ll need to stand on the stage,” The person said.

“Okay,” you replied, going to the runway and standing on the end portion.

All the room’s lights turned on, and you could see the lighting crew’s area in the back and the chair organized around the runway.

“You can speak into the mic!” You heard someone shout.

You started speaking nonsense in the mic, like the type of weather outside, as they adjusted the volume.

“Thank you!” Someone shouted.

“Thanks,” you said into the mic before handing it to one of the crew.

“Is there anything to report? Any problems that arose before I got here?” You asked the crew.

They all shook their heads.

“How is everyone feeling?” You asked.

They all shared nervous laughter, and a few people said “good.”

“Alright, if there’s anything you all need, just come to the modelling area and ask me. It’s in the backroom.”

They all nodded, and you left them to their business.

You arrived in the backroom and saw designers fitting their outfits on the models and makeup artists and hairstylists prepping their stations.

“How is everybody doing?!” You enthusiastically asked.

They cheered with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"I get it. Everyone is on their toes. You all have an hour left to set things up before people start filing in. Remember, the show starts at 1 pm. The door opens thirty minutes before them.”

They call responded with various forms of understanding, and you went around to check on them individually.

Rachel came and taped your shoulder, with a headset on, “So, the guards are in their posts, and the front is ready to check people in.”

“Is there a line already?” You asked.

Rachel pressed down the headset, asking the crew on the other end.

“Yes, there’s a line of people outside,” she reported, “about twenty people, so far.”

"Shit, yeah, let them in. It's probably cold." You ordered.

“I’ll tell them,” she replied.

“Okay, everyone! We’re starting to let people in. Again, you all have about an hour left, so try to wrap things up and relax. Thank you!” You announced.

Again, sounds of understanding, and you, Westley, and Rachel left the backroom.

“Rachel, Westley and I are going to check that the ballroom area and catering are all handled. Please check in with the front desk to see how they're doing, and then meet us in the ballroom." You told.

“Got it, Y/N,” Rachel answered, walking past the two of you and towards the front area.

Westley appeared impressed. “She's terrific. She's even got the headset and everything."

"I know, right? She's cool." You remarked.

Like clockwork, you and Westley ran over the details and schedule for the catering and the after-party. Everyone had places to sit, with elegantly decorated name cards.

Everything was ready.

"Fantastic, thank you," you thanked the caterers and the staff in the ballroom. "Feel free to come into the runway area during the show if you all would like to watch."

With that, it was about time the show would start. You and Westley hurried backstage, where you both were handed microphones.

The lights dimmed, and classical music played—fitting the theme of elegance and high class.

You and Westley regarded each other, did an excellent handshake, and strutted out on the runway. Both of you were met with applause from the crowd and blinding spotlights.

You two walked to the end of the runway and let out an exhausted sigh.

The music quieted, faintly heard in the background.

“And that’s why I’m not a model,” Westley joked, causing the crowd to giggle.

“Same here,” you chuckled.

“Anyways, welcome to the show, everyone!” You cheered, and the crowd clapped. “As you know, I am Y/N, and this is Westley. Today, we’ll be showing recycled elegant clothes on people. Not just models, but people. All the clothes you'll be seeing here today are made from recycled fabrics and hand-crafted by our design team and me."

Applause.

"We wanted to represent people, so we got people to present our clothes. Redundant, I know, but the fashion industry rarely shows models that look like people. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all fantastic. However, this show will be different. Enjoy!” Westley waved.

A final round of applause while you and Westley walked off the runway.

The show went smoothly and wonderfully. The changes were fluid, and there were no clothing mishaps. The classical music turned into upbeat music that everyone seemed to groove to. Models danced on the runway while walking, and there were joyful cheers in the crowd.

In the end, you and Westley gave your brief thank you speeches, and months of planning and work were officially completed.

When everyone was backstage, you all collectively cheered.

“Phenomenal job, everyone!” You praised. “I am speechless at how well we all did. Thank you all for being such wonderful people to work with.”

Smiles and cheers were shared as everyone got ready for the after-party.

“Okay, remember that food is being served at six o’clock, and you all will be able to find your names at a table.” You reminded.

You and Westley did a quick check-up on people before heading to the ballroom area to socialize.

“Great job, you two!” Some complimented.

You and Westley thanked the praise and had a small talk with some colleges.

“Hey, Y/N!” You heard a familiar voice say.

You turned and say Hoseok with the rest of the boys, waving.

“Hey!” You smiled, nudging Westley to join you.

"Well, enjoy the after-party," Westley grinned at the other guests before joining you.

As always, the seven boys were well-dressed in designer suits. Hoseok wore lightly tinted shades paired with a dark suit and floral dress shirt. His hair was wavy.

“That was awesome, Y/N,” Namjoon said.

“Thank you!” You replied.

“Yeah, Y/N, I loved the recycled-fabrics idea. Are anything on sale?” Taehyung asked.

You nodded. "Everything will be on sale next month. I'll send you the dates, so you mark them in your calendar. The clothes go fast," you chuckled.

“Damn,” Taehyung remarked, eyebrows raised.

“Hey, Jimin,” Westley greeted.

“Hey West,” Jimin smiled, “loved your speech today. That suit looks great on you.”

“I know,” Westley smirked, “you look good too.”

"How are you feeling?" Hoseok asked, letting Westley and Jimin casually flirt.

You sighed. “Glad that it’s over, to be honest. It was fun, of course, but it's a lot of work to organize."

“Oh my god, is that Charlie Puth?” Jungkook gasped, hiding slightly behind Namjoon.

Everyone laughed.

"You should go and say 'hi,' Kook. You've already met and sung with him before. You two are practically friends." Yoongi expressed.

“True,” you agreed, “and Charlie’s a nice guy.”

“Okay,” Jungkook straightened his posture, “I’ll do it.”

You all watched Jungkook walk over and begin chatting with Charlie Puth.

“God, he’s grown up so much,” Seokjin sighed.

The rest of you caught up and chatted about the show.

Before you knew it, Westley was poking your side to let you know it was five minutes until six.

“Shit,” you cursed. “Sorry to cut this convo short, but Westley and I have to announce dinner. We’ll talk soon!”

You all said your goodbyes, and you and Westley went up to the front to state it was time for food.

You two were seated with Rachel, Allie, and a couple others. Everyone ordered off a menu, which served various kinds of pasta, salads, and a mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

It was an excellent way to end off the show.

There was a dancefloor, too, where people could groove to music after eating.

Of course, the seven boys went to the dancefloor, which caused others to join.

You were finishing off your fettuccine alfredo when Hoseok danced over to your table. You chuckled as he held his hand out and quirked a brow.

“You’re ridiculous,” you said, taking his hand.

“You love it,” he smirked, pulling you off your chair and leading you to the dancefloor.

You danced together, along with your friends. He held your hands as you two swayed to the slow songs and body-rolled with you during the upbeat songs. Of course, a few BTS songs played, and everyone tried to follow the known choreography. You went back to your table for a drink of water, and Allie came with you. "Look, and you and Hoseok dancing up a storm," she teased. “Shut up,” you chuckled. “The chemistry is there, Y/N,” she commented. You drank your water. "Not now, Al." “Come on! He’s here for, what, the night and then gone tomorrow morning? When will you see him again?” She asked. You paused, honestly unsure when you'd see Hoseok again. “Now or never, Y/N. How much longer can you debate this?” “I know,” you replied. “I’ll do it later tonight.” Around nine-thirty, the party was dying down, with only a few guests scattered around the venue helping to clean up. You made eye contact with Allie, who was tending to the chairs, who nudged towards Hoseok’s direction. Now or never. You said in your head. “Can I speak to you, Hoseok?” You asked, walking up to him. “For sure!” He replied. You led both of you to a secluded part of the venue, away from listeners. “Did you enjoy the show?” You asked. “Yeah! You did a fantastic job, Y/N. I love how everything turned out, the colours, the recycled fabrics were great—and your suit! I can’t believe you made it,” Hoseok complimented, stepping back to look at your attire. “Thank you,” you blushed. You gave a quick look around to make sure no one was around. “Is everything alright, Y/N? You’re looking around as if they’re spies around.” He gasped. “Are there spies around? What secret don’t they know?” “I don’t want to have sex with you anymore.” You abruptly stated. A stretch of silence. Hoseok’s expression was a mixture of surprise and concern. “What?” “I can’t have sex with you anymore.” “You can’t or don’t want to? Is it something I did?” “Yes? No? In a way?” You pondered. You took a few deep breaths. "I like you, Hoseok—possibly even love you.” You ran your hand through your hair. “I know we agreed not to catch feelings, so I think we should stop having sex.” You watched his expression shift from some form of being happy to disappointment. “You know I cannot date with work,” he explained, "with the fans, touring, and whatnot, I cannot date someone. And you have your company to work on." “I know,” you replied. “But do you like me back?” You asked. “I do—” “You do?” You were on the verge of hugging him, but he stepped back. You looked at him, confused. “We can’t—” “Why?” “I literally just told you, Y/N. With work, dating wouldn’t allow it. I already have people—” He choked on his words. “People who wish I was dead, j-just for being me.” “Hoseok—” You reached out to him, but he gently pushed you away. “No,” he objected, “I’m fine. I just don’t want to add you to the mess.” “You can’t decide that for me.” You retorted. “I understand that you don’t want to add me to it, but I’m okay with it. I don't care what other people would say about us. They're not in the relationship, we are—" “But what if I care?” He said, almost too quiet for you to hear. “I’m the happy guy of BTS, who’s dedicated to his work.” “But are you truly happy?” You peered into him. “Yeah,” he replied, avoiding eye contact, “but it gets really hard sometimes.” “So, let me help, Hoseok,” you pleaded. "I don't need to be helped! I'm not another project for you to work on.” He thundered. “You know that’s not what I meant.” You seethed. “Let’s just drop it, okay? We’re not dating, that’s it.” He dictated. “Fine.” You replied. “Have a safe trip back home.” You left without another word, trying your best not to cry. Out of all the ways you thought he'd respond, this took you off guard. Hoseok wasn't one to push you away, but here he was doing so. “Fuck this,” you whimpered, walking up to Allie. “I’m going back to the hotel, sorry,” you said, turning away as soon as possible. “Y/N!”

You washed your face and hoped into the shower—the warm water soothing your sore muscles and emotions. You couldn’t tell if it was the water or your tears streaming down your face.

What else did you expect? Hoseok had a point: with his work, he couldn’t date someone. And it was ridiculous that Hoseok would want to date you.

However, instead of sulking over Hoseok, you decided to have a bath and put on a facemask.

The room’s phone rang while you were starting the bath.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Y/N Y/L/N?

“Speaking,” you confirmed.

“Great! There’s a man here, named,” a muffled noise, “Hoseok Jung.”

“Tell him I’m busy, please,” you replied.

Another muffled noise. “Hoseok says he's sorry and that he has ice cream—cookie dough. But if he’s dangerous, I can call the police.”

“No, no. God no,” you said.

You bit your lip. "You can send Hoseok up."

“Okay. However, if there’s anything wrong, please try to press the red button on the receiver. I will check back with you in an hour. If there’s no response, I’ll get someone to check on you.” They informed.

“Thank you,” you replied, slightly shocked by their concern.

You hung up.

A few minutes later, you heard a knock on the door. You tightened your robe.

You checked the peephole before cracking the door open.

“Hi,” you greeted.

“Hey," he smiled. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that at the party. It was sudden and insensitive. I should have been more considerate of your feelings rather than shutting you off.”

“I was just—scared. I don’t know what it’s going to be like for us. And I don't want you to fix me—but I like you, a lot—so I brought cookie dough ice cream and two spoons—"

“Do you want to come in?” You interrupted his nervous rambling.

“Yes, thank you,” he chuckled.

Hoseok still wore the suit from the fashion show, but his jacket was folded over his arm, and his dress shirt was unbuttoned lower.

“Oh, you’re running the bath,” he noticed. "We can deal with this later if it's a bad time."

“No, it’s alright. I’ll just turn off the water.” You replied, going to the bathroom to do so.

When you came back, Hoseok was sitting on the edge of your bed.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” You asked, sitting beside him.

He opened the ice cream tub, setting the lid on the desk and handing you one of the spoons.

“I was thinking you could talk more, actually; about how you feel," he replied, giving you the tub and angling himself to face you. "I just want to listen to you this time."

You gave a brief smile before spooning a small piece of ice cream into your mouth.

“Well, I just feel like we’re in this grey area of being really close but having sex. And we both like each other, and we said at the venue, and I just feel like we should just date then.” You set the ice cream and spoon down on the desk. “I get that work complicates things for you. But once we’ve confessed our feelings, I just don’t know what to call this—this friendship?”

Hoseok nodded.

"So, if you don't want to date, that's completely fine. I understand. However, we can't keep having sex like we used to; because I have feelings for you now, and you said you do too, so it's not a good mix."

“That’s fair,” he acknowledged.

“But what do you think? Like, how do you feel about us?” You asked.

He paused and set his spoon on the desk with yours. “I want to date you, Y/N. I just don’t want to get you hurt.” He softly grasped your hands. “The industry can be toxic, and I don’t want to subject you to that.”

“I understand,” you replied, “but I want to date you too, regardless of all the other bullshit. As cheesy as it sounds, all I want is you, Hoseok.”

Hoseok smiled but then pretended to gag.

“Hobi! I was romantic."

“Sorry, but that was so cheesy.” He cringed.

“So, do you want to just start dating, then?” You proposed. “We have the ice cream here; we can pretend to get to know each other more.”

He chuckled. “Sure. Let’s do that.”

Hoseok stood up and held his hand out to you. “Y/N Y/L, will you go on a date with me?”

You laughed but composed yourself. “I would love to, Jung Hoseok.” You took his hand, and he immediately sat back down.

“So, Y/N,” Hoseok began, handing you the partially melted ice cream and your spoon, “what do you like to do on the weekends?”

.

.

1 year later.

“I’m thinking of moving to Korea,” you said. Hoseok turned to you, surprised. “Really? But you’re not based here.” “I know,” you acknowledged, “but I can fly in and skype, or whatever. I can have a home base here, too.” You were visiting Hoseok for a couple weeks before you had to go back home for a clothing launch. Both of you were cuddling at his place when you brought up your idea of moving to Korea. “Of course, it wouldn’t be immediate. I would need to sort things out with Westley and Rachel and organize a place to stay here and a work area. The company is sturdy enough to handle the change.” You reasoned. “You could move in with me,” he suggested, turning his body to face you. “Are you sure?” “Yeah, why not. We’ve been dating for a while now, and it makes sense.” He shrugged. “Unless you don’t want to.” You kissed him. “No, I want to.” Both of you discussed what your move would be like and imagined living together. If you were to look back at how your relationship with Hoseok progressed, you would be shocked. In a matter of a few months, you and Hoseok went from friends to romantic partners. Although you had not come out publicly about your relationship, many people had a sense it existed; but that didn’t matter. You and Hoseok were in a secure and healthy relationship. It was long distanced, but you two made it work by visiting each other when you could and calling almost every day. The only thing that didn’t change was the sex—although it had gotten better. Nevertheless, so much has happened over the past year. And you wouldn’t have it any other way.

#jhope bts #jhopoe fanfic #jhope smut #jhope fluff #jhope angst #hoseok smut #hoseok angst #hoseok fluff #bts smut #bts angst #bts fluff #bts fanfic #ficswithluv #houseofddaeng #hobiuary2021 #hodevent

[omegapausestuck]

So you killed Homestuck². Let’s talk

Hello, hello.

It’s me; 5ider.

Now, I know that you all don’t care about me, and maybe you shouldn’t, but I have been one of Homestuck’s most stalwart supporters. I’m one of the old guard, from back when the MSPA forums were still up and running — when "Karkat steals hands” was still considered the peak of comedy... and I have waded through Andrew’s knee-deep bullshit through hell to high water, patiently waiting for the pay-off that will surely someday come. I do this because I believe that there is something pure, and genuinely wonderful, buried beneath all the self-effacing and irony and melodramatics; and I wanted to make sure, that as long as there is one more person out there with any level of investment with this fandom, I would be there to show them that we care.

Through all the pauses and retcons and hiatuses and everything, I have remained steadfast. Even during the godawful GIGAPAUSE, where I watched in horror as hundreds of my friends wandered away to greener pastures, I made a promise to post something wholly original EVERY DAY!—just to keep the fires of fandom burning even a little bit longer—and when it turned out that the thing lasted more than the three weeks I feared it would, I never relented. 365 days gave 365 new pieces of content; despite the inexplicable strain it put on my mind, my body, and my spirit. I wound up in the hospital for overwork, and I never even mentioned it. The posts still flowed nevertheless.

Now, like I said, I have been a part of this community for a very long time, and I have, indeed, born witness to all manner of malice, and childish savagery. Of course, I’m nowhere near happy with the stories I’ve been given. I’ve been very vocal about my reservations, and my dissatisfaction, along the way; but I have always been a staunch believer in the respect of your fellow peers. You can only expect to be heard when you take the time to listen to others! No belittling, no bullying, no exposing, no.. no fuckeries!!! As such, I made a specific choice not to lend credence to these people, and neither respond nor denounce their behavior, because it’s not my job to be your babysitter, and it’s not my responsibility to educate other thoughtful, intelligent people in how to carry themselves. I just figured that eventually people will figure it out, and those who can’t play nice will eventually burn out all their own goodwill. I wanted to magnify what is good, and uplifting about us. By spotlighting the best of us, those with intent to spark wildfires of confusion and rancor might see that there were other ways to express their feelings. Powerful ways. Maybe even forms that are Objectively Beautiful.

But I can’t keep quiet any longer. I fear that my silence has allowed others with more short-term, violent ambitions to fester forth, and grow, unchecked, with time. I’ve seen hosts descend on misinformed, ignorant, and even innocent parties; with ruthless ferocity, unquenchable in their bloodlust and fervor. I’ve watched you bully, and gaslight, and purge, and raze through people; using them up like they’re no more than firewood to be cast into the pyre of this never-ending witch hunt for “equality,” and ..what’s that other one? “Employee benefits of the what pumpkin team?”

What a load of bullshit.

Many of you just want an excuse to go vent your frustrations at someone, and you’ll use any hot buzz word you can get behind to lash out with your venemous tongue. Thousands of people descended on Hussie at one point because of some weird “Narrative Rights” meme, and once those ides were thankfully depleted, you doubled down and kept deluging his account with more and more words, “for the joke.” What purpose does it serve to send a windfall of pustulant notifications in a volume so grand that you can be absolutely certain that he won’t be able to apprehend it all?! All he can do is ignore you. Perhaps if a couple hundred meaningful messages were sent his way in a non-confrontational matter, he might be able to process them. Maybe he might even consider them, and eventually come to an understanding. But the way that we spearhead monolithic campaigns against people like an orchestral carpet-bombing of these people’s inboxes and notification feed! IS NOT CONSTRUCTIVE! A person drawing a picture of a he/him John Egbert IS NOT RECPTIVE! A writer involved in a fandom they are highly passionate about IS NOT VINDICTIVE! These are human BEINGS, you guys! They are people! Just like you or me! No one deserves to be crucified in this way! It doesn’t matter how much you dislike the thing that they’ve done, It doesn’t matter how inspired by emotions or opinions or trauma or sorrow, or any other such justification you dream up! You cannot talk to people in a way that is designed to crush their spirit, and bury them under a bottomless deluge of vitriolic malevolence. Every hour of every day. Twenty-four/seven. Day in, day out. Without ceasing.

You are not their Executioner.

You have no right to cast judgement on these people you have never met, and know nothing about. Very few of you have tried to initiate a genuine conversation with any of these people you are so consumed with resentment towards. Very few of you care. It needs to stop. I’m sick of seeing it. I’m sick of hearing about it. I’m sick of fearing it. You’ve harassed your way into your own detriment, and the bad faith of a few hundred-thousand has forced all the millions of us to suffer. MAYBE YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT HOMESTUCK^2. MAYBE YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT HIVESWAP. MAYBE YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT PESTERQUEST. MAYBE YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT PSYCHOLONIALS. BUT MANY OF US DO. AND IT IS NOT YOUR RIGHT TO SPEAK FOR ALL OF US. GROW UP. SIT DOWN. LISTEN.

that’s all

#5ider Speaks #Homestuck #Homestuck 2 #Homestuck2 #Homestuck^2 #HS2 #HS #MS Paint Adventures #JailBreak #Problem Sleuth #What Pumpkin #Hiveswap #Hauntswitch #Friendsim #Pesterquest #Four of Diamonds #Psycholonials #Fandom #HS Fandom #Homestuck Fandom #No. #ENOUGH #You all really let me down on this one. #Thanks a lot #goodbye for a while. i guess

[lexaprogemini]

how you meet | edward cullen

A/N: wowowow after being on Tumblr for 6+ years I would have NEVER imagined my first published writing to this site being Twilight dnvjdfjaskdlmfkl enjoy!! requests are open :)) I will write for Twilight (mainly the Olympic Coven, except Jasper romantically), Star Wars, and Harry Potter

Pairing: Edward Cullen x Fem!Reader

Category: Fluff

Content Warnings: Reader gets unsolicited attention from teenage boys, swear words

when you moved to forks after spring break because of your dad’s work, you’re unanimously nicknamed new girl™ by all of forks high school’s students

and consequently, you’re the new eye candy for your male peers

Forks boys are, well . . . neanderthals douchebags

the ones you’ve met are egotistical, super immature, and super HORNY

. . . you decide to keep your distance

aNyWaYs

you get smooshed into ap u.s. history

apush, baby, apush HAAAAA

the teacher points you to an empty seat next to some pale blonde dude

he gives off weird kid energy at first but then he politely speaks to you

“i’m jasper. welcome to forks” and gives you an acknowledging nod

his eyes are topaz!!!?? woooooooah that’s so cool is that like a genetic defect or smth??

aaaaand your teacher immediately assigns a PROJECT

a fuckin civil war project

you swear you see jasper’s pupils dilate

you hear a chuckle from behind you

and when you turn around you see a pale dude w a dark brown buzzcut and some blonde girl smirking beside him

you later find out that those are his siblings

his fuckin goofy ass siblings

anyways a few weeks pass

you pop in at your dad’s job @ forks hospital and see him chatting w a fellow physician

yet another pale dude with blonde hair 

JESUS HOW FUCKING MANY ARE THERE

you approach them and your dad embraces you in a hug

“heeeeyyyy sweet pea! how’s it goin’!” 

the doctor he was talking to looks at you fondly

“hello, i’m carlisle cullen” and offers you his hand to shake, which you do

“y/n, carlisle was just inviting us to his house later tonight for some dinner”

dr. hotpants puts his hands in his pockets and humbly grins

“my son jasper tells me you’re his classmate”

oh god he’s one of those pta dads, isn’t he??

“oh, yeah, he’s my partner in history”

he smiles, “that’s wonderful. my wife esme and i would love to have you both over as our guests. it’s not often we have company for dinner. and i’m sure the rest of my children would love to meet you, y/n”

jesus christ how many kids does this guy have?? he looks THIRTY

don’t worry, in the car your dad tells you they’re all adopted lmfao

✰✰later that night✰✰

their house is HUGE jesus fuckin christ

alice knows (well they all know) about you because of jasper

IMMEDIATELY loves you!!

“hi! i’m alice!!!”

WHOLESOME AS FUCK UGH

i’m EVAPORATING. i’m YODELLING. it’s fine :-)

you thought you weren’t gonna make any pals in forks bc of the weird horny teenage specimens but here we are ;-;

alice envelopes you into a tight hug and you, in shock, grasp her arms to acknowledge this affection

your dad’s chillin near carlisle and esme and he’s silently chuckling

oh . . . they all have black eyes now?? must be the weather

or the fluorescence

you wave at jasper, rosalie, and emmett

you notice the last sibling

he’s very handsome

to you, everything about him was attractive

his soft hair contrasted against his hardened facial features

you could tell he was socially reserved when it comes to new acquaintances, just like you

he physically isolates himself from his family once you and your dad arrived

he was standing alone near a corner away from everyone else

you make eye contact with him and his mental barrier breaks down

he loses his cool

his face contorts

his lips twist into puckered lines

he claps his hand over his mouth and vacates the room immediately, running up the stairs

everyone notices his sudden departure

his family is shocked but tbh not really

✰✰✰ eddy boy is a lil shy around girls sometimes ✰✰✰

carlisle breaks the impending doom of silence

“i apologize for edward leaving us so abruptly. he hasn’t been feeling well as of late; please excuse his absence. . .”

you awkwardly pretend like that never happened

you feel it in your gut that your presence disturbed him

and not only did you disturb him

but you disturbed him so bad that he had to leave

for why?? you don’t know

you then realize that everyone else in the room knows he left bc of you

. . . anyway you all sit down at the table but you and your dad are the only ones who have plates

your dad notices this too

“hey, aren’t you guys gonna eat too?”

esme grins warmly at him

“oh, don’t worry about us. we just wanted to welcome you to town!”

uhhh, ok ma’am

alice talks to you for almost the entire time you were eating ;-; i love her

you’re also talking to jasper, cracking some apush jokes

you, jasper, emmett, and rosalie talk shit about your classmates and teacher

“why the fuck -- *carlisle glares at emmett* -- heck did mr. whatshisface give us a project RIGHT AFTER BREAK???!!”

“and he paired y/n and jasper!! they’re civil war  n e r d s!! they’re gonna get the best grade” rosalie chimes in

“not if we--”

alice  ❀politely❀  tells them to stfu

you giggle

bonding with your new pals <33

allllllright so it’s a few days later

you’re walking home from school

it’s drizzling, as always, but you know that it’s gonna rain harder if you don’t get home fast enough

and some asshole

some persistent prick from your class

keeps flirting with you

he’s talking about how he hasn’t been able to take his eyes off of you since you came to forks

he’s insisting he has your phone number, that he’s gonna take you out on dates. . .

you hate it

you’re so uncomfortable but you can’t really do anything about it

s u d d e n l y

a car pulls up beside where you and the guy are walking on the sidewalk and screeches to a stop

the window is rolled down and you see a familiar face

it’s edward cullen

with one hand on the wheel, he looks at both of you and clenches his jaw

“get in”

even though he was undeniably weird a few weeks ago, you concede

you never got to speak to him, but you knew that edward was trustworthy

you practically launch yourself into his silver volvo c30™

he shoots a stone-cold glare to the jackass on the sidewalk and drives away

honestly, it wouldn’t take much for anyone (not just a mind-reading vampire) to know how uncomfortable you are after what just happened with that guy

your body language is tense

your arms are crossed tightly

your body is pointed towards the passenger window as your knees touch the door

tears are welling up in your eyes

it would be mere seconds until you fully broke down

you’re embarrassed, to say the least

you’re embarrassed that you were put in a vulnerable situation, like a damsel in distress

and of all people, the handsome and mysterious guy--

the handsome and mysterious guy you began crushing on

--who feels seemingly indifferent towards you swept you off your feet and helped you when you needed someone

that made things even more embarrassing

and the tears started streaming down your heated cheeks

edward immediately sensed your unease (hmm wonder why, but also who wouldn’t sense it???)

he’s pissed. 

absolutely livid

that asshole had a  d e a t h w i s h

he knew you didn’t want to address your unsolicited encounter, so . . .

*awkwardly clears throat* “are you enjoying the weather?”

you choked

you did not expect him to ask that

nor did you expect him to talk at. all.

you smile through your tears and laugh

you can’t help but laugh

he’s just so awkward and cute

his half-baked plan of indirectly distracting you definitely worked

you started to excitedly talk about the rain and how much you love gloomy, cloudy days

. . . and then the elephant in the room

the inevitable first impression from a few days ago

“i’m sorry for my behavior from our first meeting. i wasn’t feeling well, and i wouldn’t have wanted for you or your father to be affected by my illness”

you’re a little skeptical at first

buuuuut you give him the benefit of the doubt and dismiss his apology

“that’s okay. it’s allergy season, anyway. i’m glad you’re feeling better”

you have no idea how bad i wanted to make a spanish flu joke right there

a small, soft smile lifts the corners of his lips “i’m edward cullen”

you look at him and return the smile

t h e  t e a s i n g  e n e r g y

“i’m y/n”

the car approaches your house after time seems to have flown by

your dad looks at you both as he walks to his car to go to work

he waves at edward

edward smiles and waves back at him as he enters the car

you gratefully thank edward for the ride, careful not to dwell on the prior circumstances

as you open the passenger door, edward grabs your wrist

!!he grabs your wrist!!

he insists on being your ride to and from school from now on

you object and exit the car

but

b u t

edward smirks, leaning towards the open door

“i’ll see you in the morning, y/n” 

your jaw drops

and then he closes the door and speeds off

you watch him drive away and your heartbeat becomes arrhythmic 

a garden of butterflies is unleashed in your stomach

blood rushes to your cheeks once more

you smile to yourself before heading inside

secretly anticipating tomorrow morning :’)

#edward cullen #edward cullen x reader #edward cullen imagine #twilight #twilight imagine #edward cullen headcanons #twilight headcanons #edward cullen imagines #headcanons