#also so excited to see another installment in this universe

[gureumz]

bet? bet!

like a freak, like a g [installment 1]

rating: explicit

member: jake

premise: there's not much secrets to be found out with the director of recruitment. but he does recruit you for one hell of a challenge: fuck your way around his frat house.

notes: fem!reader, greek life!au, university!au, fwb!jake, slightly possessive!jake (but he's also down to share), dirty talk, brief mention of pregnancy, unprotected sex, creampie

a/n: first installment of the 'sleeping around the frat house' series! tried something different here, not sure if it'll work but i like this one~ i'm so excited for this series so i hope you all join along for the ride! *divider by cafekitsune

jake sim is not your boyfriend.

he's a friend. from high school. who happens to go to the same university as you.

for the first few weeks of freshman year, the two of you were each other's default, having moved to this city all on your own for your respective degrees.

orientation, vacant periods, dinner after class. all of these were spent with jake. you clung onto each other like velcro. freshman jake and ______ versus the world.

and then jake decided to rush for a frat and you got roped into your own extracurriculars. the friendship faded into texts here and there about things that reminded you of each other. memes. an occasional selfie update.

until jake invited you to the frat's recruit-organized party for the year.

"i bought all the booze," jake had declared proudly, voice straining over the booming music. you nodded, genuinely impressed by how well the recruits put the party together.

"it's a fun party," you practically yelled into jake's ear. he pulled back and smiled down at you.

the recruits even managed to rent party lights for the night. and under the purple-red glow of the strobes, you realized just how handsome jake is up close. even when he's standing at the top of the stairs and you at the bottom, him beckoning you up, you could readily admit he was hot.

and you kind of did.

"jake," you breathed out quietly, leaning over the banister from the second floor overlooking the party below. jake is right beside you.

he turned to you, eyes blinking slowly from the alcohol he's consumed thus far. jake leans in closer and you can smell the heineken on his breath.

"i'm kinda...bored," you said rather lamely. jake snorted, leaning his head down on your shoulder. you breathe the scent of his shampoo in, nuzzling your face in his soft raven hair.

"what do you wanna do?" jake asked, craning his neck to look at you from where he's still laid down on your shoulder.

jake snaked an arm around your waist and you knew you were done for. a second later, you were kissing, and within another minute, he's pushing you towards the direction of his room at the very end of the hall.

"fuck, you're so hot," you blurted out over the creaking of his bed, his movements messy and frantic but still enough to have you throwing your head back in pleasure.

"so are you," jake had said, grinning down at you. his hands dug into your sides, keeping you pinned in place as he fucked into you with the enthusiasm only a drunk college frat boy could possess.

and the rest was history.

---

it went on like this for the next year and a half. a friendship maintained through quickies in his car and semi-dates in his frat house bedroom, takeout boxes on his desk while he fucked you doggy style on his (still) creaky bed.

it's not to say you kept things exclusive. that wasn't part of the deal.

whatever the deal is. you haven't really talked about it.

there would be times when neither of you would reach out for weeks or months on end. you'd start to wonder why he was gone so long but then you'd see jake post a girl's hand or half of someone's face on his instagram story, complete with an obscure poetic indie love song in the background.

ah. of course.

in your defense, you had your fair share of flings and situationships here and there. one even came close to an actual serious relationship.

yeonjun, a music major senior you went out with last year when you were a sophomore. he took you out to dates and introduced you to his friends and wrote you songs. but he always found an excuse to avoid that conversation.

(you found out without much difficulty that it was just his ex begging for him to come back.)

guess what happens next.

and so by the tail end of last academic year, you and jake somehow were aligned once again. both single. both horny.

three months later and here you are after the first day of classes of your third year, naked on jake's bed. just like the old times.

"i missed you," jake whispers, hands moving frantically over your body, tugging at your clothes while his mouth busied itself on your neck.

"we saw each other back home a few weeks ago," you reply, giggling when you feel jake lick a stripe up to your jaw.

he can be a little excitable sometimes. like a puppy.

"weeks, ________. can't believe you flew off to some island somewhere while i was left alone to jerk off to pictures of you," jake complains, blowing hair out of his eyes as he pulls away. he tugs his shirt off in one graceful swoop and you're greeted with an eyeful of his abs.

"well, if it's any consolation, i touched myself to your pictures, too," you respond, dropping your voice to a seductive lilt. your hand smooths down jake's bare torso as he leans back down over you, a grin spreading on his face.

"yeah?" he asks.

"oh yeah," you affirm, nodding. you reach down to cup jake through his sweats, a quiet hiss escaping him as you do so.

"fuck, baby, need you so bad," jake admits, hurriedly tugging and kicking off his pants. he's bare under the cotton fabric, having foregone boxers. typical jake.

jake spits on his palm, wrapping his hand around his shaft right after, jerking it to full hardness. he bites down on his lip as his other hand grabs at one of your tits, kneading and squeezing.

"wait," you call out, laying a hand on jake's arm. "you haven't fucked anyone while i was gone, right?"

jake rolls his eyes playfully, leaning down to kiss you. your teeth clash for a moment and you gasp slightly, not expecting such passion from jake.

"only wanted to fuck you," jake admits. he quirks an eyebrow, eyeing you curiously. "how about you?"

you shake your head. "couldn't go longer than a day without thinking about you filling me up with that cock."

jake grins, kissing you again. he lines his tip with your entrance, pulling away slightly as he slips in between your slick folds.

"missed this," jake mutters, pushing more and more of himself in. you simultaneously sigh out in relief once he's bottoms out.

"missed you," he adds.

you snake your arms around jake's shoulders, pulling him close as he starts to rut against you. he moans softly next to your ear and you let yourself do the same, your voices mingling and bouncing off the walls of jake's tiny bedroom.

"fuck, _______," jake groans. "how are you always so tight?"

you don't answer, merely wrapping your legs around jake's hips, pulling him closer. you hear him grunt as he leans back to look at you. his eyes are dark but focused on you. you feel fingers snake around your throat and you can't help the way your eyes roll into the back of your head.

"yeah, that's right," jake chuckles. he squeezes at your jugular lightly and you whine, grabbing at jake's wrist.

"such a whore, aren't you? my cockhungry whore," jake declares. you love it when he gets possessive and you know he knows. he uses it to his advantage any time he can.

"yeah," you agree, nodding as best as you can with jake squeezing at your air pipes. your voice is strained, hoarse from the way jake is choking you.

"yours. only yours."

jake curses under his breath, letting go of your neck. you gasp for air but any attempt to breathe is quickly cut short as you feel jake press your legs up against your chest. you cry out in surprise, jake hammering into you with a newfound speed and strength that sends your brain in a frenzy.

you always felt a certain way when jake has you like this, cunt in full view, body folded nearly in half, fucking into you like he was trying to put a baby in you.

"mine." jake sounds nearly animalistic, a primal need taking over him as he forces your legs harder against your chest.

your head is spinning, limbs going limp with how hard jake is fucking you. the feeling in your abdomen snaps tight, threatening to break.

you babble incoherently a barely distinguishable mix of jake's name, curses, and pained pleas of 'more, need more!' or 'feel s'fucking good, jakey! your cock feels so good!'. it doesn't take long for jake to give the last of his frenzied thrusts, pushing in deep when he cums, spurts of himself filling you up just as you'd hoped.

jake continues to fuck into you after a while, knowing you haven't finished just yet. you reach down between your legs to press your fingers onto your clit, hips grinding up to meet jake's. he complains of oversensitivity but he goes on and by mercy, your own orgasm finally takes over, you clenching down on jake's half flaccid dick.

he pulls out after a few moments, finally allowing himself some relief. you're both breathing hard, sweaty and tired from the whole ordeal. you prop yourself up on your elbows, meeting jake's eyes.

"please don't deprive me for that long ever again," jake says with a sleepy smile, slumping over you. you giggle as you fall back against his bed, jake's face cradled in your neck,

you run your fingers through his disheveled hair, lips pressed against his temple.

jake sim is not your boyfriend but it's times like this that it feels like he might be.

a noise jostles you out of your thoughts. a phone notification.

jake lifts his head from your chest, blindly groping around his bed for his phone. he finally locates it after a moment, handing it to you.

"can you read that for me? jake requests, voice muffled as he snuggles closer to you.

you squint as the sudden brightness of the screen practically assaults your eyes. you blink a few times, reading the message displayed on the notification.

from hee: are you done? i had to physically restrain jay from pounding your door down.

"oh shit," you say, throwing your head back in embarrassment.

"your frat bros heard us," you inform jake.

jake merely snorts, winding his arms around you and pulling you closer.

"as they have a million times before," jake points out. "it's not like i'm the only one who fucks loudly in this house."

your ears perk up at that.

"oh? is the rest of the frat a bunch of man whores like you?" you tease, nudging jake lightly with your knee. he lifts his head up, frowning at you.

"i'm not a man whore, thank you very much," jake says with a roll of his eye. "can't speak for the rest of them, though."

"spill," you urge, raising your eyebrows expectantly at jake.

"sorry, babe, the secrets of the frat must be kept with full confidentiality," jake counters with a shrug.

you narrow your eyes at that. you've seen jake's frat brothers around a handful of times. you'd have to be blind to not see their good looks. and you'd have to be a liar not to admit that they are, indeed, good-looking.

"unless you want to find out for yourself," jake adds, giving you a look as if to say, 'i dare you'.

you straighten up, leaning against jake's headboard.

"let's say i do want to find out," you begin, crossing your arms against your chest.

jake's mouth falls open but his expression quickly shifts into a look of mischief. he looks off to the side, as if pondering on what to tell you. after a few seconds, he snaps his fingers and returns his gaze to you. he's practically bouncing with excitement.

"you can always sleep your way around the house," jake suggests, cocking a brow, as if to challenge you.

you pause. a million different questions come tumbling down on you. before you could get a word out, jake holds out his arms.

"or, at least, the executive committee," jake hurriedly adds. "i can guarantee you, all the other members aren't worth your time."

if you weren't interested before, you're definitely intrigued now.

"i got one ticked off so far," you muse, smiling sweetly at jake. "not much secrets to be found with the director of recruitment."

it takes jake a moment to realize you're referring to him. he rolls his eyes, reaching over to tickle your side. you swat his arm away, giggling.

"as if any of the others could fuck you the way i do," jake scoffs. he leans over the side of the bed, reaching for his discarded shirt. he tosses it in your direction.

you catch the fabric in your hands, pulling it over your head. jake stops as he straightens up, the rest of his and your clothes in his hands. he gives you a one-over and smirks.

"make sure to let them fuck you while you wear this, okay?" jake teases, leaning in to kiss you.

"no promises," you taunt back. jake pulls away, a look of confusion on his face.

"you're not actually serious, are you?" jake questions. you nearly laugh at jake's genuinely clueless expression.

"why not? might be fun," you say with a shrug.

"besides, i never back down from a good challenge," you add.

jake studies you for a moment. you briefly think he might be mad or god forbid, disgusted with what you're attempting to do, but after a while, a shit-eating grin takes over his face.

"atta girl," jake says, winking. he kisses you again, hands grabbing at your waist.

jake sim is not your boyfriend because what boyfriend lets you fuck around with his frat brothers? but then again, it's not too late to talk about it. whatever it is with jake.

but for now, you have a task to get to.

#enhypen smut #enhypen scenarios #jake smut #jake scenarios #w: jake

[ghostlychief]

Omg, I love all your work! Im gushing over it, how about one with the Master Chief where the reader is just loving kissing his scars and making him feel loved and the reader is a scientist stationed on the infinity

another master chief request, LETS GOOOO

---

The Infinity was in orbit around Reach, and you finally had some time off to rest and relax, after being deployed up in space for a few months. You were starting to miss natural gravity.

You were a scientist stationed on Infinity, so that meant that majority of your time was spent up in space. You’ve wanted to be a scientist for as long as you can remember, always dreaming of studying the stars, and maybe even one day, being able to physically explore them, traveling through the galaxy. And here you were, some twenty odd years later from when you obsession with the cosmos first came to fruition.

You were also eager to get back down to Reach because you know John was back from his last mission, and you were anxious to get back, excited to see your boyfriend. This time, he was gone for only three weeks, which was actually not a long time at all. Sometimes his work would take him away form you for much longer, but you thanked the heavens that he was already back on Reach, safe and sound.

Earlier, you were frantically cleaning your apartment since he was coming over tonight. You were already kind of a clean freak, so when you were expecting company (even though he’s your boyfriend of many years) you went into ultra-cleaning mode, and cleaned for hours on end, making sure everything was spotless, and smelled good. It also helped you clear your mind.

Eight o’clock finally rolled around, and you were expecting John to be here any time now.

You hear a knock on your door, and you sprint up from the couch and basically rip the door open, a wide grin on your face as you take in your boyfriend, who’s standing in your door frame. He’s opted for comfy clothes, wearing his all-black workout clothes. You’ve always commented on how the black brings out the green in his eyes.

He brings you in for a warm hug, his large arms wrapping around your frame and pulling you in close to him. You feel his chin rest on top of your head, and you both gently rock back and forth as you soak up each other’s warmth. He smells just as you remember, like a gentle rainfall with a hint of cedar. It’s your favorite scent. You finally break away from him, formally greeting him this time, and then you both enter your home.

Fast forward a couple hours, finds yourself laying in bed, with John, and you guys are talking about everything under the sun. He told you about his last mission and surprisingly, some drama that’s been going on with the Blue team, among other mundane updates since he last saw you. You do the same, talking about your latest project, which is tracking a certain galaxy through the Universe.

You have your fairy lights turned on, making your room glow softly, and you’re both wrapped under the covers and in each other’s arms. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the universe right now.

Your head rests on John’s bicep, while your leg is thrown over his hip. His arm that is not acting as a pillow for you, is wrapped around your middle, his hand resting on your back, rubbing soft circles there.

“…and where did you get this one from?” Your hand is currently resting on his face, gently cupping it, as your thumb traces of a scar that marks his left cheek. He’s already told you how he got each of his scars, but you always love hearing him tell the stories, so you find yourself asking him to tell you again.

His hand that was resting on your back, moves so now it’s holding your waist, and he gives you a light pinch, teasing you. You squirm and giggle, but you just look up expectantly at John, waiting to hear the story for the hundredth time.

“Well, as you very well know, I got this on the first Halo I visited.”

You perk up, “Ooo, installation 04, right?” John lets out a chuckle, “Yeah, that one.”

“Aka, the one you destroyed.” You grant him a sly grin. This time he more so huffs, rather than laughs, “Yes, that one.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, continue good sir.” You didn’t see him roll his eyes, but you know he did mentally.

“It was probably day 6 since I touched down on Halo, after the whole Flood incident, so I was pretty worse for wear. We happened to run into a Covenant fleet, which had more than the average amount of Elites. Two in which had the invisibility cloaking mechanism, and their infamous energy swords.”

You nod, encouragingly for him to continue, your thumb still gently moving back and forth on his face. You also lean up to give him a quick kiss on his jaw, and you feel his grip on your waist tighten at the action.

“I managed to take one of the cloaked elites out, while the marines focused on the rest of the fleet. The second elite though was a slippery bastard, and he almost managed to slice my head clean off my neck, but luckily, the sword only grazed my face, giving me this lovely blemish.”

“Well, I love it.” You lean in to kiss his cheek, where the discoloration remains form the blade of the energy sword. You rest your forehead on his for a moment, then kiss his nose.

“I also love this one.” You move to right above his left eye, where a long-jagged mark remains, and leave a kiss. You move to his right temple and plant your lips there, “And this one…”

“Now I think you’re just trying to flatter me.” You let out a breathy laugh, “Never.”

He has a couple of very small scars littering his other cheek, so you pepper kisses all over there, “…and these ones.”

You then hover your lips over his, lightly brushing them as you say, “But most importantly, I love you.”

#master chief x reader #master chief x you #master chief fanfiction #halo master chief x reader #halo master chief x you #halo master chief fanfiction #halo master chief fluff #master chief fluff #halo master chief imagine #master chief imagine #halo master chief request #master chief request #halo master chief #master chief #john 117 x reader #john 117 x you #john 117 fanfiction #john 117 fluff #john 117 imagine #john 117 request

[nebulousbrainsoup]

Raise a Little Hell

SUMMARY: It's your first Halloween with Joshua and his friends, and you're more than excited to win their famous costume contest. Just when you think you're bound for the trophy, the secret your boyfriend has been keeping dashes your hopes. PAIRING: Incubus!Joshua Hong x afab!reader GENRE: fluff, suggestive, crack AU/TROPE: demon au, halloween party WORD COUNT: 2.4k WARNINGS: implied alcohol use, not beta read RATING: PG A/N: AHHHHH HE'S FINALLY HERE!! I wanted to post this on Halloween, but alas. It was not finished. This is my contribution to my Evil Twins Halloween collab with @justhere4kpop, who also made me this really pretty banner so we could twin!! Go check out their companion fic, "Oh, Nurse!!" featuring Jeonghan here. There will be two more installments to this universe; Fall from Grace, the smut scene I omitted from this one, and Silk & Spice, a filthy prequel featuring both of the evil twins in all their demonic glory. divs, as usual, from the lovely @cafekitsune masterlist | join my taglist | buy me a coffee?

“You’re leaving in thirty minutes and you’re not even dressed yet.”

Joshua chuckled quietly, smoothing invisible wrinkles in his jacket before meeting Jeonghan’s gaze in the mirror. “I am dressed, actually. I’m a devil.” He smirked, letting his eyes settle into their natural red.

“Every day of your miserable, eternal existence, sure,” the elder hummed, shoving his hands in the pockets of his white lab coat. He’d gone as a doctor for reasons none of the boys could comprehend, and he was judging Joshua?

“It’s not like you didn’t take most of your costume out of your closet, too,” Joshua sighed, turning to level his brother-in-arms with a playful glare. “And I think I look dashing, thank you very much.”

“Look dashing another night. I thought you wanted to win the costume contest, and you’re not going to do that without a costume.” Sighing, the younger shoved his hands in his pockets, watching the gears turn in Jeonghan’s head. He blinked hard when they clicked together, huffing a disbelieving laugh. “You’re serious.”

“Yes, I’m serious! Y/N wanted to do a couples costume, an angel and a devil, and… I figured, as cliche as it is, it might make telling them easier.” His gaze flickered down as he gnawed at his lip, wincing as his fang pierced the inside of it. “This way they can see I’m not lying.”

His friend flashed him a wary look, but nodded. “Be careful. You know the rules.”

Joshua’s expression steeled and he gave a single, curt nod. “She’ll know before she enters the house.”

A knock at the door of your apartment startled you, and you cursed quietly as you glimpsed the time. You knew you had been running late today, but you hadn’t realized just how late. Now, here you were, makeup only half applied and your dear, sweet boyfriend waiting patiently in the hall. Setting down your brush, you hurried to the door, giving Joshua a sheepish smile as you peered around it. 

“I’m not quite ready yet, but—” you began, tongue twisting into knots as you caught the heated stare Joshua was giving you. His eyes raked over the near indecent dress hugging your figure, lingering on the curve of your cleavage and appreciating the innocent, glowy look your half-done makeup provided. He ran his tongue over his teeth hungrily as his ruby gaze fixed on your own, stepping into the space properly.

“That’s fine, I think they can wait on us,” he purred, crowding into your space to place his hands on your hips. You could have sworn, between the lust in his gaze and the abnormal red of his irises, that his eyes glowed. “Just for a little bit. I don’t mind missing the costume contest if you don’t.”

You breathed a laugh, reaching up to cup his cheek as you rolled your lip between your teeth. “I think you put too much work into this for us to miss it, honestly,” you hummed, stepping out of his embrace to drink him in. He started to protest, his grip tightening on your hips, but you gave him a firm shove back, humming appreciatively. “When did you have time to do all of this?” you questioned, reaching up for the horns perched atop his head.

Much to your surprise, he ducked away from your touch, gently catching your wrist as a flush color his cheeks. “I, uh… A couple of late nights, y’know?”

You frowned for only a moment before movement caught your eye, and Joshua cursed internally as you zeroed in on the tail behind him. Your furrowed brows shot up to your hairline, a grin taking over your features as you squealed in delight. Every spare shred of his attention went toward keeping the accursed appendage from twitching as you shuffled around him and cupped it in your palms. He sank his fangs into his bottom lip as your fingers wandered over it, tracing down the red gradient to the rounded little spade and back up to where it began to match his skin, finally disappearing under his clothes. By the time you pulled back, he had drawn blood, but he forced a smile onto his lips. 

“Shua!” You beamed, and his heart swelled as you jumped up to wrap your arms around his neck. Sighing, he wrapped his arms around your middle, tucking his nose into your hair to breathe you in. “I know you weren’t too excited about this,” you muttered, “but thank you for taking it seriously for me. I can’t imagine how long this all took.” 

“Years,” he huffed, chuckling at his own joke. If only you knew.

You stepped back to look at him once more, giggling with him. “I’m sure it felt like it. Now come on, I have to finish my makeup and we have to get there so we can win this thing and beat Jeonghan!” 

He opened his mouth to stop you, but before he could, you dashed off toward your bedroom. Joshua sighed. He’d tell you on the way—he knew better than to interrupt your makeup time.

In general, Joshua Hong was one of the most laid-back people you’d met. He stressed himself out as much as any other college-aged guy, but that was insight only you and his closest friends held. He was an expert at keeping his emotions to himself, sometimes keeping even you from knowing how he felt. It made the way he was positively radiating nervous energy that much more noticeable. His fingers tapped out an absent-minded rhythm against the steering wheel, one small muscle in his jaw twitching as his eyes scanned the road, seemingly avoiding you. You frowned, picking at the feathers on the wings laying in your lap. 

“Shua?” you called into the silence, and you swore you saw him jump, the tail twitching with the movement. He hummed acknowledgement, eyes still locked onto the road as you turned into a neighborhood. “Are you okay? You seem… Tense.” 

“No, baby, I’m fine,” he replied quickly, the smile he flashed you not quite reaching his eyes. 

You frowned, your own gaze shifting to the streets rolling by. “If you don’t want to tell me what it is, that’s okay, but don’t tell me you’re fine when you’re clearly not, Joshua,” you snapped. 

Once again, he startled, bile rising in his throat. Heaving a sigh, he pulled up to the curb in front of his friends’ house. “It’s not that simple, baby.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes as you moved to get out of the car. “I know you’re anxious about me meeting your friends, or whatever, but this is so unlike you. If you were this worried about it, you didn’t have to—”

“Y/N,” he sighed, running a hand over his face while the other reached for you, grabbing your wrist and successfully halting your escape. “It’s… I have to tell you something, before we go in. And it’s kind of both life and relationship changing, so… Forgive me for being nervous.” 

His gaze dropped to his lap, hands fiddling with the hem of his jacket as you settled back in your seat, eyes fixed on him. The look on his face made your heart ache, anxiety creasing his brow as he gnawed at his lip. Reaching a hand out, you settled it on his thigh. And this time, when the tail behind him twitched with your touch, your heart jumped into your throat. 

Your boyfriend seemed to realize immediately, wide eyes darting over his shoulder to where you were staring. His heart was pounding a mile a minute in his chest, throat tight with anxiety as seconds stretched like hours, and when the words finally left him, it was all at once.

“I’mademon.”

You blinked, slowly, pulling your hand back and tilting your head curiously. “I’m sorry… Slower?”

“I’m… I’m a demon. Like, from hell. The costume isn’t actually a costume. It’s just… Me.” He continued to avoid your gaze, tail flickering anxiously behind him. “I thought that the whole angel-devil thing would make it easier to tell you, because you can see that it’s all attached, but then you got all excited about me taking this seriously and that on top of the fact that ‘we’re demons’ is a lot to handle, I… It just made me more anxious.”

You blinked, processing his words silently. He was practically writhing in his seat, and if this weren’t his car, you’d be afraid he would bolt. Hell, maybe he still would. 

Your brow furrowed as you mulled over his words. “Wait. We?”

Much to your surprise, he chuckled, and you watched the tension drain from his shoulders. “I tell you I’m a demon, and the we in that rambling is what you latch onto?”

“I mean… You’re still my Joshie, right?” you murmured, once again tugging at the pile of feathers in your lap. “You’re not going out and killing people or stealing their souls at night or stealing children, are you?”

Joshua laughed, reaching across to still your nervous hands. “No, baby, nothing like that. I’m still the same old Joshua I’ve always been. The only thing that changes is my appearance.”

“Okay,” you nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. “Then this changes nothing. Except, now, you can be yourself around me.” 

He grinned, eyes creasing into crescents as he pulled your hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. “I love you, angel.”

His preferred nickname for you always sent heat rushing through your veins, but with this added context, it was all you could do to suppress a shudder as warmth pooled in your belly. “I love you too, Shua.” 

“I, uh… There’s a reason I told you tonight. We… kind of have our Halloween parties in Hell.”

“Look at you, Y/N!” Seungkwan beamed as he greeted you, pulling you in for a quick hug. You giggled as he pulled back, spinning slowly to give your friend a full view of your angel costume, fluffy wings now looped over your shoulders. “Cute.” His eyes flicked to Joshua, giving him an unimpressed but amused look. “Angel and devil, hm? Very original. You could’ve put some effort in, hyung.”

Your boyfriend huffed a sigh as he slid in next to you, rolling his eyes slightly at the teasing. “I’ll have you know, this costume took me years to put together,” he hummed, reaching up to run a hand over his horns. 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes heartily in return, pausing to take a long sip from his cup. “Bad joke.”

You pouted, crossing your arms. “You better be the only one to think that. I wanna win this famous costume contest!”

“Good luck with that,” he cooed, patting your hair underneath your halo, “rookies aren’t known to win. Jun and Minghao are in it to win it this year too, and there’s only so much Shua-hyung’s pretty face and your cute self can do when those two are determined.”

You frowned, shifting closer into Joshua’s side. He smiled down at you, giving your waist a reassuring squeeze. “You never know, Kwan,” he hummed. “It’s kind of a toss up, sometimes. I mean, Soonyoung won last year.” 

He huffed a sigh and rolled his eyes, and you and your boyfriend shared an amused glance at his annoyance. “That was a fluke,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “And entirely Jeonghan’s fault. I will not be convinced otherwise.”

Joshua laughed quietly, nodding. “Okay, yeah. I’ll give you that. I really think we have a chance this year, though. Couples' costumes always do better, and we’ve made a joke.”

Glancing at his watch, the younger man grinned. “You’ll find out soon, hyung. It’s time to get started.”

Joshua had warned you, briefly, about how seriously he and his friends took their yearly costume contest, but it didn’t fully sink in until each party goer was parading in front of you, dressed to the nines. It became clear, as you and your boyfriend walked the dancefloor-turned-runway that few of his friends were impressed by his display, not too far off from his daily look. It was only when he stopped, gesturing back toward you with a flourish, that the crowd erupted into cheers. Flushed and giggling, you took the hand he offered and quickly disappeared back into the crowd. 

“So?” he asked, tugging you back against his chest as he leaned against the wall. “Think we’ll win?”

Laughing softly, you shook your head. “Not a chance. I mean, look at Jun and Minghao. And honestly, Wonwoo and his partner as black cats are pretty cute, too.”

To your surprise, your boyfriend snorted, and you could hear in his voice the way he rolled his eyes. “Please. He can literally turn into a cat. He could’ve done what I did instead of buying cheap ass ears!”

You blinked, gears turning in your head for a moment as you recalled your conversation in the car. “Wait. When you said we, you meant—”

“Oh, yeah, all of the guys. Wonwoo can turn into a cat, Seungkwan and Dokyeom are kind of siren-esque…” he explained, eyes glancing over the room. 

You frowned, looking up at your boyfriend. “What are you, then?” 

He smirked, fangs flashing dangerously for a moment before your attention was pulled to Soonyoung, shouting over the din, “Time for the voting and rankings!”

You felt more than you saw Joshua’s smile as he leaned down to whisper in your ear, “I guess it remains a mystery.”

“Next year, you have to actually try,” you huffed, crossing your arms over your chest. It took all of Joshua’s willpower not to laugh, following your glare to where Minghao held his trophy. “Tell me we at least beat Jeonghan.” The apologetic look he gave you spoke volumes, and you groaned. 

“I’m sorry, angel. I promise, he’d be insufferable if we won,” he hummed, wrapping his arms around your waist. A shudder lit down your spine at the sudden proximity, coupled with his warm breath next to your ear. “I can think of a few ways to make it up to you, though.” Pressing his lips to your pulse, he held you tighter when you jumped at the foreign feeling of his tail winding around your bare thigh. 

You hummed, pleased as you melted back into his arms. He was intoxicating, taking over your senses when he got you like this, making you putty in his hands. “Can you? I don’t know if I believe you.”

“You should, sweetheart,” he purred, fingers dancing over your sides. “Unless you don’t want me to show you what kind of hell an incubus can raise.”

taglist: @/justhere4kpop @thatonenoona to be added, fill out the form here.

© November 2023 nebulousbrainsoup | all rights reserved. do not copy, repost or translate my work.

#kvanity #seventeen fluff #svt fluff #joshua x reader #joshua hong x reader #hong jisoo x reader #joshua hong fluff #hong jisoo fluff #svt #seventeen #nebulous writes #neb.svt #neb.ralh

[redgoldsparks]

January 2024 reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

Electric Bones volume 1 by Hazel and Bell 

Lucian is the son of a minor nobleman and the CEO of the galaxy's biggest AI company, but he's not so rich that he can't get in trouble. After being fired as a programmer from Echo Station he joined a startup with a couple friends and is now fishing for funding at an elite tech expo on board an expensive and exclusive space vessel. There he sees someone he thinks he recognizes- Ezra, a grey robot, an fully sentient AI who worked on Echo Station as a researcher and partially cost Lucian his job. So why is Ezra now working on the space vessel as an escort? Unless it's not Ezra, but just a look-alike robot model? These questions drag Lucian into the beginnings of tangled web of intrigue which include kidnapping, AI-hacking, and murder. I've been reading this story online as a webcomic for years; you can still read all of volume one here: https://electricbonescomic.com/index.... But last year I also backed the kickstarter, and just sat down to re-read the whole story in print form, including a sexy little bonus comic. I love these characters, I love the rich colors, the lovely sense of flow and design of the pages. I can't wait for volume two!

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

Action packed and exciting, this family drama is full of unexpected twists and turns. I loved the focus on female characters: passionate Kai, whose love of martial arts and sense of justice cannot be contained by the normal rules of Joseon society; her mother, Meorhu, a fragile woman with a surprising past; Sura, a thief turned mercenary; and the Gumiho herself, the deadly but alluring fox spirit who impacts the lives of all the others with her magic and charisma. The art is rich with historical details, beautiful nature scenes, and fast paced fight scenes. Lovers of ghost stories, kdramas, and queer re-tellings of fairy tales will find much to enjoy here. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of this book! Pre-order it now, or look for it in bookstores in mid-February 2024.

A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles read by Martyn Swain

What a delightful return to Romney marsh! This book picks up 13 years after the dramatic conclusion of the previous installment. Luke Doomsday is now a secretary, looking for a new position in a large house were he can keep books and solve his master's problems. Rufus, the recently minted Earl of Oxney, formerly a major in the army and son of a draper, has problems. For one, he never expected to inherit and his uncle is doing everything he can to prove Rufus illegitimate in court. For another, the previous Earl of Oxney was a selfish old bastard who let the estates fall into terrible disrepair, while Rufus' timid cousin kept poor account of the estate's money in a chicken scratch handwriting. Rufus struggles to read at the best of times, and he can barely make sense of his newly inherited account books. When Luke shows up on his door, it feels like a godsend. The men are immediately attracted to each other, though both have reason to be wary. And Luke, in seems, may have come to Stone Manor looking for more than a job. This series is such a fun mix of spicy romance, action, mystery, and danger. I'm really enjoying the setting and time period, which is just after the end of the Napoleonic wars. I really hope there will be more books to come!

Translation State by Ann Leckie

No one is doing it like Ann Leckie! This sci-fi novel uses six different pronoun sets (actually kind of seven, except one is the same set just used culturally very differently by different groups of people). It’s fantastic. We’ve got they/them, e/em/eir, sie/hir, it/its, he/him, she/her, and she/her again except used as a universal pronoun regardless of gender (which works great inside the Radch Empire and badly outside of it). I'm on the fence about whether this book can be read as a stand alone, or if it would only really make sense after having read at the Imperial Radch trilogy and Providence. I suppose it depends on what level of baffling alien customs and politics you are willing to tolerate. This book opens with Enae attending hir grandmaman's funeral, only to learn that the seemingly wealthy old woman had sold her entire estate to a stranger before her death. For the first time in her life, Enae leaves home with a Foreign Affairs job: to see out a fugitive who left Presger space some 200 years prior. Enae isn't expecting to succeed, but sie gives it hir best shot- and in doing so completely upends the lives of a widening circle of bystanders including Reet, a man of unknown parentage, and Qven, a juvenile Presger. This book finally begins to explain this inhuman and terrifying species, and the reason why the Presger-Radachii Treaty defines the rules of so much of this universe. I deeply enjoyed this installment; it makes me want to go back and re-read the original trilogy.

Brooms by Jasmine Walls and Teo Duvall 

Set in an alternate 1930s, Mississippi, this story follows a group of friends and found family who have to hide their magic from the restrictive and racist government. They survive at the margins, but they don't let the fear of prosecution stop them from doing what they love: racing together as a team. Deep in the woods seers and witches host carnival like events where racers on brooms compete for prize money and glory. Each of them has reasons why they need to win; lives and futures depend on it. This book is deeply queer with a diverse and magical cast. If you're looking for historical fiction where the trans and lesbian brown witches win, this one's for you.

Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky

Sammie is a recently out nonbinary transfemm but their college friend group has not picked up on that fact yet. When Sammie is invited to be the "best man" at their friend Adam's wedding and attend a bachelor weekend at a high-tech, no-laws resort built on top of the Pacific Garbage Patch they decide to go in stealth mode. The resort is a pyramid scheme mutated with a strip club, business conference, all you can drink brunch bar, pro-gamer, most-dangerous-game corporate nightmare. Also, the waters around it are infested with terrifying flesh-eating monsters and someone is trying to raise an eldritch god. It takes every bit of queer resistance Sammie possesses to survive this bleak, hilarious, and surprisingly moving tale. In both their fiction and nonfiction comics, Lubchansky continues to hold up the black mirror to our own dystopian times.

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa 

A very queer high school rom-com comic with a satisfying message about growing into yourself and seeing others truly for who they are. It opens with a love triangle, but subverts that form into a more complicated shape by the end of the tale. Strong character designs and very effective limited color palette.

The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill 

In a desert village, a group of folks choose to live a nocturnal life to keep the moon company, and to care for a small group of magical moths, the only creatures who can pollinate a magical tree which helps sustain the whole ecosystem. One youngster, Anya, volunteers for the important but lonely job of Moth Keeper. She yearns to be of service to others, and feels she must earn her place in the village. In reality, help and friendship are only an ask away, and in this space everyone is cared for. This is a very beautifully illustrated and brief tale of responsibility, community, and resilience.

Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls

What an accomplishment! I savored every page of Feeding Ghosts, absolutely floored by the labor and courage that went into the writing of this book. The inking is gorgeous, the history is clear, digestible, and devastating. This book threads the line between honesty and compassion in a way that I appreciate so much in any memoir, but especially one dealing with family. Hulls lays out the story of three generations of women starting with her grandmother, Sun Yi, a Shanghai journalist who faced intense persecution during the rise of Communism in China, who penned a popular and scandalous memoir and then suffered a mental breakdown. This left her only daughter, Rose, a student at an elite boarding school with no parental figures and no other family to lean on. Eventually Rose earned a scholarship to an American university and in the end moved her mother into her California home. Sun Yi haunted that home during the author's own childhood. The unexamined trauma and codependency of Sun Yi and Rose drove the author to the extreme edges of the Earth, seeking freedom from their ghosts. But in the end, she stopped running from her family history and turned, instead, to face it. Shelve this book with Maus, Fun Home, Persepolis and The Best We Could Do.

I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself by Marisa Crane read by Bailey Carr 

I really struggled with this book. I almost DNFed at 25%. Ultimately, I did finish it, and I am glad I did because I think the final act was my favorite part of the story. However, I think the title and cover set me up with expectations of what this book would be which were very different than what the book actually delivered. This is not science fiction- despite the fact it was nominated in the science fiction category in the Goodreads Choice Awards. It is only barely speculative. This is a book about grief, depression, and parenting a baby and then a young child as a single mom struggling with loss and borderline alcoholism. There were passages of the book which struck hard, individual observations and lines which rang like bells. There is also nearly no plot and I was frustrated by the lack of world building. I wanted to know more about the laws governing extra shadows- were Shadesters allowed to vote, hold passports, travel across state lines? Had anyone experimented with the removal of Shadows? When and how did cameras get installed in apparently every home in American, and how did the government hire and pay for a workforce of seemingly 1:1 surveillance agents to citizens? Also, how on earth did Kris manage to pay for a whole apartment on a single salary working a call center job, especially when as a Shadester she had to pay extra taxes? I understand that this is literary fiction, and these questions are obviously not the ones the book was interested in answering. But it felt strange to me that a book so focused on parenting would not include a single passage about struggling to pay for or arrange childcare. The "pop quizzes" that break up the text did not work well in audio, and did not add anything to my experience of this book. Ultimately, I would only recommend this novel to a vary narrow audience of readers who enjoy lit fic, and are willing to spend a lot of time in the POV of a character teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown through much of the story.

Atana and The Firebird by Vivian Zhou

Atana is a mermaid, but she was banished from her home to live alone on island for a reason she doesn't understand. One night a curious young firebird leaves her flock in space to come down and visit Earth, and she convinces Atana to go an adventure. They are soon pursed by magic hunters, but they also make friends, and end up as invited guests in the Witch Queen's palace. She makes them welcome in her massive library and gardens, but she also has ulterior motives. This is a fast paced story of magic, friendship, and young people slowly learning about the forces larger than themselves that shape their world and their lives. I really enjoyed the art, it has a very active, energetic line which serves the action scenes particularly well. I can tell the author came from an animation background! I am glad that the ending set up potential future installments in this world.

Portrait of a Body by Julie Delporte  

I really loved the colored pencil illustrations of this book, especially the botanical drawings, and the kind of abstract relation of the text and images. I thought the drawings paired extremely well with the hand lettering even if at times I struggled with some of the cursive capitals. This is a candid memoir of recovering from sexual assault and a dysfunctional relationship to ones body and sexuality, of stepping into queerness and self-acceptance. I couldn't really relate to the author's journey, but I appreciated the honestly and thoughtfulness with which the more challenging themes were handled.

Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb read by Nick Taylor 

This book, and this series, has earned Robin Hobb a permanent place in my list of favorite authors. This story goes so hard, weaving together threads that are 9 volumes and 30 plus years of in-story history in the making. The final confrontations, reunions, and farewells at the end of this story were hard earned and so well written. This very much felt like it could have been a final volume of the Realm of Elderlings series, but I know that there are 7 more books to come and I can't wait to see what else this series has in store for me!

System Collapse by Martha Wells read by Kevin R Free 

This book picks up right after the end of the previous volume and I had, unfortunately, completely forgotten most of the previous plot. Once I got myself oriented I still had a great time with it. Wow, I just love watching Murderbot learn and grow and solve problems in unique and interesting ways! I kind of want to go back and re-listen to the whole series.

The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A. 

This comic blew me away. One of the most beautiful, strange, artistically ambitious and deeply trans books I've read in a while. Aesthetically, its as rich as a stained glass window or illuminated manuscript. Its narrative is psychedelic but emotionally it rings so tender and true. The story opens with Jules, a transman trapped in a nunnery who accepts a deal with a devil who promises to help him live as a man. Possessed and impervious to physical harm, Jules turns to a life of debauchery and crime. Then he meets another trans criminal, the poetic thief and thespian Casper, and they begin to fall for each other. They see each other as no one else ever has, they validate and treasure one another, but Jules' devil is a jealous master. The devil would rather see Jules burn than thrive. This is one of those books that made me want to draw, made me want to write, made me want to be bolder, weirder, freer, wilder in my story telling. An instant favorite, I expect I'll return to this over and over.

Mall Goth by Kate Leth

Liv's parents are on the verge of divorce; they've just moved to a new town and Liv will be starting at a new high school. At her last school, Liv was bullied for being openly queer and an unapologetic mall goth, and she is understandably hesitant to accept friendship overtures at the new school. However, a supportive male English teacher and a fellow goth gamer boy start to make Liv feel welcome. The goth introduces her to an MMORPG and the English teacher praises her essays and gives her Lolita. Both of them start regularly DMing Liv late into the night, more than is appropriate for the relationships they have. This book is in large part about a teen navigating confusing advances and how and when to disclose things that make her uncomfortable but feel hard to speak about or define. I thought that aspect of the story was handled very well. Some of the pacing in the friendship plot lines surrounding it felt a bit rushed, a few sections underdeveloped, but ultimately I think this book tackled an important issue not often seen in YA comics. It is also steeped in early 2000s Hot Topic/emo music/pop culture references- if you were there, you'll know.

What’s Wrong? Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine by Erin Williams 

Williams illuminates, through memoir, interviews, and mixed media illustrations the extreme failures of the US healthcare system to address chronic pain. These failures are especially common for patients of color, patients who struggle with addictions, patients who are queer or survivors of assault and trauma. If you had any illusions that the systems of medical care are working in this country, shed them now. This book is half cathartic, half infuriating to read. I really appreciated the honesty and vulnerability of the interviewees and the trans and nonbinary inclusiveness of the language surrounding pain tied to the reproductive system.

#maia kobabe #reading #books #book reviews #comic book reviews

[fuckyeahdindjarin]

Behind the Seams: Part III

Welcome to the first instalment of Behind the Seams! Thank you everyone who has responded so positively to this slightly self-indulgent idea I had. I know I take so long in between chapters, this seems like a fun way to keep you guys in the loop, and also to keep myself motivated and productive while I work by sharing my thoughts as I go.

This time, I'll be rambling about focusing on the characters as I'm still in the thick of developing personalities and interpretations in the Seams universe, and I'd love to put all the thoughts that have been rattling around my brain into words to help me process it.

I will be tagging these posts as 'behind the seams' together with the chapter number 'seams iii' so you can filter this out if you don't want to see them! For those who are interested, let's dive in below the cut!

Current status: 3.2k written, fully outlined rough draft with most of the dialogue drafted.

Initial thoughts: This chapter wrote far more easily than I expected to so far. Each story is different, but I tend to find the 3rd to 5th chapters hardest to write, when you're building up the shape of the arc of the whole series.

I'm still keeping my options open with regards to what Seams is or can be, but I'm still thinking 'loose fit series' i.e. there won't be a solid, overarching story arc or ending to the series since it's not a plot-driven story. It will be interesting to see if my approach changes after a couple more chapters!

The challenge: The first two instalments were so hyper-zoomed in on Joel and Pin, I knew that the challenge for this chapter is pulling back the camera and seeing how they interact with each other outside the safety of the Outfitters, and how they fit into the wider community.

Joel and Pin: I was re-reading Threads in preparation for writing Part III, and what strikes me is that these two really don't know a lot about one another. They've barely had a fully formed conversation despite the forced proximity and some very charged moments in the last two chapters. I've tentatively written most of their dialogue in this chapter, and it's interesting that a couple of times, I've stopped myself and thought - is this too playful for a shy person like Pin? Is it too familiar with two people who are practically strangers, despite their chemistry? It's a balance that I'll have to find as I edit, and I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Tommy: For some reason, Tommy comes fairly easily to me, a testament to Pedro and Gabriel’s chemistry on screen. Without giving too much away, I'm really happy with the angle I found for Joel and Tommy in this chapter. There's a lot to unpack between the two brothers, but the happy occasion means that I can focus on the good part of their relationship for now. However, I am keeping the tensions in their history in my back pocket because I don't want to gloss over the very real and three-dimensional relationship we saw in the series.

Ellie: I've talked about how I'm nervous about writing Ellie. My Pedro boys are all lone wolves - sure they have their best friends (Teak to Palomino!Jack, Santi to Grays!Frankie, Pete/Rebecca to Consent!Dieter), but Ellie is Joel's kid, and she's part of his life more than any BFF is to my other Pedro boys. Luckily, I have found an in with Ellie that I think works well with the story in Part III, and also fits in with the broader direction of the fic. It's going to be nerve-wrecking, but I'm ready to write her into Seams!

Tess: I'm not in a place to say too much yet about Tess, but it's so important to me that she isn't erased from the Seams universe despite her not being there. I've been thinking a lot about Tess lately, about how she will fit into the story, how Joel will fit Pin into his and in relation to Tess. There are no easy answers, and it will be something to mull over in the next few chapters.

Something fun: Ok, all this character stuff is pretty heavy, so I want to end on a light-hearted note - Joel's tummy makes a cameo in a white undervest 😌

And that's it for Behind the Seams: Part III! I feel a lot lighter having found a space for all the things I have been thinking about while drafting the chapter. I hope this was a fun deep dive for you guys as well, I'll be hitting Google Docs hard this weekend to try to get all of the writing done for Part III so that I can start editing next week. My askbox is always open if anyone wants to chat 🥰

#fuckyeahseams #behind the seams #seams iii

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - just RELAX BL, you're stressing me out

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top. However, I've put quite a few on hold for travel reasons.

Oct 2023 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - Boyfriends are cute boyfriends. Reconciliation with daddy and then major brother drama. How exciting. Gah but that closing scene, these two are such great actors! 

Naughty Babe (Sat YT) ep 8 fin - A perfectly serviceable final episode. I did love the red Chinese-style wedding to go with the “hia.” Also, just a little Thai 'poke poke poke' at China. 

Final thoughts?

This is a nice addendum to Cutie Pie, but it’s relatively incomprehensible even if you’ve watched that previous installment. I can’t imagine it will make any sense at all if you haven’t. Frankly, the most impressive thing about this show was the makeup team. MaxNat give excellent chemistry, all the high heat is well done, and the friendships are adorable, even if the story is nonsensical. It’s fine, I’m relieved it was only 8 eps. I enjoyed it for the pair but I will probably never rewatch. A weak 8/10

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Lucky Love ep 9 of 24 -Heartbroken (drunk) gay boy meets (fights) sister’s new chef. I love the femme bestie. Adorbs. This one seems pretty good actually. I like all the shots of Bangkok’s actual traffic. POV is a bit of a sad sack tho. 

Absolute Zero (Thai Weds iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 - There is something clever about this narrative in the way that they are each each other’s first and second loves, but also age gap kinda creepy (Thailand maybe leave this one for Japan?)

Venus in the Sky (Tues iQIYI) 8 of 10 eps - So much whiny gay drama babies. However, it also manages to be painfully slow, through the simple act of having 90% of the show be boys sitting around staring at their phones. Then it suddenly got way higher heat than I expected. Honestly, this could’ve ended at 8 sps. I don’t see how extending the show is going to improve it in any way.

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 11 of 12 (not a BL but I'm watching it anyway) - I don’t have faith in any couple. One of my favorite things about this show is watching how many boys Mark can kiss. I know everyone is focusing on Neo, but seriously baby boy got game. Meanwhile Boston’s dick must be made of self-lubing steal pipe; I remain entirely uninterested is TopMew; Mew’s fam demonstrate why a gay boy should never take advice from straight women; and the slut-shaming agenda continues. NO SINGING. No character in this show is happy when Boeing turns up, but the rest of us trash-loving muckrakers are thrilled.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

If It’s With You AKA Even If I Fall In Love With You AKA Kimi to nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo’ (Japan Gaga) ep 3 of 5 - Oh it is so cute and so sweet and so aching. I really did not want the confession to happen, even though I knew it had to. There is an element of torture to this one that only Japan can execute with such precise softness.

You Are Mine (Taiwan Fri Viki) eps 7 of 10 - I remain charmed. But while the me of 2018 would have thought this one of the best BLs ever, the me of now is finding it a bit dated and nostalgic.

Bon Appetit (Korea Weds iQIYI) 7-8fin - Romance between an office worker and the man from his past next door who cooks well. It was a very sweet and cute tale of food as love in the All the Liquors family of KBL. I’m not wild about it, I did enjoy it, I was happy to have it show up on my dash, but ultimately it will simply become one of the KBL crowd. 8/10 

Kiseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) ep 10 of 13(?) - another one where they are separated for most of the show. Although the sides are giving win. 

Bump Up Business (Korea Gaga) 1-2 of 8 - from Idol Romance staring OnlyOneOf's Nine & Mill, this released as a movie in July in SK but is now being recut/reissued as a series. Love story between a trainee who is about to debut and a celebrity plagued by scandal. After that OmegaX Shoulder bullshizz business I am very wary of this show, but this pair is already better cast.

Out of the mouths of OnlyOneOf (!!!) babes...

As to the show? I don’t know. I mean I love the idea, am nervous about Korea (with that bubble) doing a meta critique of the BL industry, with K-pop idols, using an existing group. It just seems like there’s a lot of mines in this small field, and it could go horribly horribly wrong. I am enjoying it, but also anxious the whole time I’m watching it for culture/market reasons. That said, I did pretty much ask for this exact show. So I can't complain, now can I?  

Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 5 of ? - I honestly don’t entirely understand what is going on. But it all seems to be the Psychotic Pretty Kitty’s fault. Oo caught in the act of drug-induced cheating - DRAMA. Dung should cut his losses and leave - cute doctor husband or not. Lovely kiss from the sides. I gotta say, this cast is hella pretty. I’m not mad that this team is kind of turning into GMMTV Vietnam.

It's Airing But...

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Fri grey) ep 8 of 12 - I will try to watch 8-12 and do a series review when I get back in November but... not sure I will be able to. Fingers crossed.

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 8fin - completed, my final thoughts in Nov.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until it completes its run.

I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan Tues Netflix-Japan & ????) - in classic JBL fashion, I Cannot Reach You could not be reached. 

Can I Buy Your Love From A Vending Machine? AKA Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka? (Japan cinema release in-country only) - This one is a movie from Japan so in customary fashion who tf knows when (or if) it will get international distribution. Salaryman Ayumu Koiwai just can't tear his eyes away from the strong, muscular man as he checks on the stocks of the vending machine in his office.

One Room Angel (Japan Gaga) - Yukinori, a convenience store clerk was accidentally stabbed by a thug and nearly died. He returns home to find an angel waiting for him. The drama is an adaptation based on Harada’s manga of the same name (which I did not like). With only five episodes and a good chance this won’t end happily, I am going to wait and let you tell me how it goes. Binge it when it is complete if it's safe.

In Case You Missed It

GMMTV posted their initial 2024 line up, here's my round up of the BLs. It includes 2 JBL adaptations, 2 KBL adaptations (that they aren't admitting to) and vampires. If you want to know how I did on the predictions that's here and the answer is: very badly indeed.

I am watching the Y Journey: Stay Like a Local series. But they are essentially tourist board long-form advertisements. I enjoy the promo aspect with regards to the food. And seeing some of my favorite pairs do interesting other things is kinda fun. But the whole thing feels disingenuous when gay marriage is still not legal and it’s essentially the Thai government (making these ads) who is stopping that from happening. I have a similar feeling to iQIYI as a content provider. It’s not queerbaiting in the original sense of the term, but it’s pretty gross to use gay for advertising with a nationalistic propaganda agenda, when being gay is still not legal in your country. Yes I struggle to reconcile myself with this on the regular, and it’s an ongoing hypocritical struggle for my tiny withered tired old heart.

All that said, this week's installment, He’s Not Happy, did make me want to rewatch Make a Wish. There’s no kissing in this series but JudoFluke kiss beautifully, so If you haven’t seen Make a Wish, it’s very good and I recommend tracking it down.

Next Week Looks Like This

Upcoming October BL

10/26 My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thai iQIYI) 8 eps - nerd retreats from the world into an online game and makes friends with a little group, they meat in real life, one of them is hot, they fall in love, hottie turns out to be a gangster. Trailer

10/31 SHADOW (Thai Gaga) - this is a horror BL featuring ghosts and other paranormal elements in a high school setting. I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all). It features Singto (who did paranormal BL He's Coming to Me) opposite Fluke N (who's done a couple horror's before). Also Fiat. Dan suffers from sleep paralysis, and in his dreams he sees a shadow that suffocates him. It gets worse when he transfers schools.

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

We stan consent and talking about sex during sex. Thank you Venus in the Sky.

I guess Ray's getting his 3some? Only Friends

Dangerous Romance hitting up some old school tropes.

Naughty Babe giving us our beloved domesticity and tiny gay families. @heretherebedork you happy?

(Last week)

#this week in bl #Naughty Babe series review #thai bl #only friends #Venus in the Sky #Absolute 0 #OnlyOneOf #Kpop #Korean BL #Bump Up Business #i'm worried #Bon Appetit series review #Y Journey: Stay Like a Local #gmmtv 2024 #bl updates #bl reviews #currently airing bl #new bl #2023 bl #Taiwanese bl #japanese bl

[justabigassnerd]

Secrets Always Come Back to Haunt You

Pairings - Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x daughter!reader, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw

Word count - 3,341

Warnings - swearing, Jake's shitty parents, protective Jake, brief mention of deployment, mentions of death

Summary - something Jake had been hiding from since he was 18 finally caught up with him only this time he has a daughter to protect too

A/N - it's another installment of the 'Hangman junior' universe y'all! I had this idea flying around for a while now (bc we know I'm a whore for angst) so I had to write it for y'all. I also wrote this bc I love the idea of our beloved Hangman junior being just as protective of her dad as he is of her. Anyways I'll stop rambling now. As per y'all, please send in requests, feedback and enjoy!!

After a long deployment that half of Dagger Squad had been on, your dad included, the team decided to head to the beach to decompress and rehabilitate a couple of days after the mission. You had of course been invited along and you were excited to hang out with those of them who had been away. You, your dad, and Bradley had packed some things to take to the beach in your dad’s truck and made the journey to the beach, despite Bradley’s insistence that you take the Bronco instead.

When you reached the beach, you greeted those who had been on the deployment happily, accepting hugs from Payback, Fanboy, and Coyote as they greeted you too. Once you’ve had a chance to speak to them and see how they’re doing, Phoenix finds the football amongst the stuff you’d brought with you and suggests you play a round of dogfight football. You opted to sit out, knowing that this game was very much something that Dagger Squad owned and they got so into it that you were honestly shocked that no one got seriously injured playing it. You sat on your towel, sliding your sunglasses on and watching the game with a smile as the team slowly got more intense. You also read your book as you soaked in the sun that was shining over the beach.

“y/n! y/n, over here!” You look up to see Fanboy waving you over as you raised an eyebrow.

“What?” You call back, wondering what he was calling you for.

“Come here!” He yells, gesturing for you to come over and you sigh heavily, putting your bookmark in your book and placing it down on the towel before getting to your feet and heading over to the group. When you reach the group, Bob passes the ball to you with an expert toss and you glance between the group, confused.

“We know you’re not big on the whole idea of dogfight football but you’re not too old for a game of catch, are you?” Jake asks, an amused smile on his face as you roll your eyes. You move to stand in a position so you could toss the ball to Coyote, who then passed it to Fanboy, who passed it to Phoenix, who passed it to Jake. Just as Jake was getting ready to pass the ball to Bob, a shout rang out across the beach.

“Jacob Seresin!” Every member of Dagger Squad whipped their heads around in your dad’s direction and when you looked over you saw a look you’d never seen on your dad before. He was tense, like every muscle in his body had been tightened and his eyes grew cold and stern as he glared over in the direction of where the voice had come from.

“Dad what’s-” You start, crossing to your dad as he drops the ball on the ground.

“y/n, you stay right here. I’ve got this handled.” He says sternly, his eyes glimmering with his overwhelming urge to protect you from whoever had just made their presence known. You didn’t even get a chance to protest before he was crossing to Bradley, telling him to keep an eye on you before making his way over to the two people who were standing by the beach wall.

“Who are they?” You ask Bradley as he comes to stand by your side, watching his boyfriend talk to the mystery people.

“No idea, kid.” Bradley was trying to hide it, but he was worried about who these people were. He’d never seen Jake react in such a way to something and the fact he banned you from checking on him only made Bradley even more concerned about what was going on. Bradley turned around for a brief moment to ask if any of Dagger Squad knew what was going on, but he was met with shaking heads and shrugs and when he turned around again, he saw you storming across the beach to come to your dad’s aid.

“Oh shit. Jake is going to kill me.”

When you reach your dad, the two people opposite him are almost yelling at him, their voices are raised and neither party is backing down. When the lady notices you, her expression shifts and she’s smiling softly at you.

“Hey, sweetheart! You’ve come to say hi, have you?” She says enthusiastically, reaching out to grab you in a hug but Jake was quicker. He stuck a protective arm out in front of you and pushed you behind him.

“Jacob don’t be like that. Your mother only wants to say hi to our granddaughter.” The man scolds your dad, and his words make you realise who these people were. Jake had never gone into a lot of detail concerning his parents, all he ever told you was that they never got on and that he left the moment he got the chance.

“You lost the right to consider y/n your granddaughter when you kicked me out and said you wanted nothing to do with me or her.” Jake says lowly, gritting his teeth as he stares down the people who made his childhood awful. The same people he swore to never be like when he held you in his arms for the first time.

“And we regret saying that Jacob.” His mother says with not an ounce of sympathy in her voice. It sounded rehearsed like she’d practiced that line a hundred times before talking to Jake.

“Uh-huh, sure you do.” You scoff from behind your dad, ignoring the gasp let out by Jake’s parents.

“You’re going to let her speak to us in this way?” Jake’s father asks, glaring at you from where you were observing behind your dad.

“She’s just not buying what you’re selling. Besides, you never answered my question about how you found me in the first place. And while you’re at it you can explain why you came all the way here when the last time, we spoke you never wanted to see me again.” Jake says coolly, keeping his gaze trained on his parents as their eyes narrow at Jake allowing you to speak to them like that.

“Well if you really need to know. Our friend Sarah and her husband Jeff, remember them? Well, they happened to be in the area, and they mentioned that they saw you. It took them several minutes to recognise you, and when they said that they saw your daughter too. And we just wanted to come and see if we could convince you to come home.” Jake’s father says, making Jake scoff as everything clicks into place in his head.

“You don’t give a shit about us. You only want us to come back because of the ranch.” Jake concludes, folding his arms across his chest as he chuckles lowly to himself. He knew his parents too well to think they’d come out of the goodness of their hearts, not that he thought they had any goodness in their hearts. You, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow behind your dad’s back, confused about what the three were talking about.

“Jacob that’s no way to talk about the family business. This ranch has been in the Seresin family for generations you can’t just throw it away because you want to play soldier.” His father spits, his eyes narrowing as he glares at his son standing strongly in front of him.

“You are not dragging my daughter into this.” Jake says protectively, pushing you further behind him so his entire body was in between you and his parents.

“You don’t get a say in this do you?” Jake’s father sneers, getting the courage to take a step forward, making Jake push you back slightly while holding his position, refusing to move an inch.

“You think you can raise this girl and drag her into the Navy and take her away from her family?” Jake’s mother then comments, making you grit your teeth at the way they assume your father is raising you.

“My dad isn’t making me do anything. He’s raised me with nothing but love and support. I know that when I choose what I want to do in the future I will be supported one hundred percent of the way. You don’t get to talk to my dad like that just because you are sad excuses of human beings who think the most important thing is a fucking family business.” You say, moving out from behind your dad, bravely staring up at your supposed grandparents. They may be related to you by blood, but they were the furthest thing from family to you.

“You little brat. I should’ve expected nothing less from a child raised by you Jacob. You’re letting the Seresin family name down.” His mother now hisses, venom in her tone as she stepped closer, only stopping when Bradley smoothly stepped in between Jake and his mother. You looked at him, shocked. You hadn’t even noticed him come over.

“I think the two of you should leave.” Bradley says calmly, acting as a barrier between Jake’s parents and you and Jake.

“Who’s this? You’ve got yourself your own personal bodyguard Jacob? Rather pathetic if you ask me, why don’t you deal with this like a man?” Jake’s father taunts, attempting to sidestep Bradley but is quickly cut off by him once more.

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you. You see Jake has something you don’t right now. He’s got an entire team of his friends just over there waiting for the moment they can jump in. And trust me, they won’t go easy on you just because you’re old.” Bradley smirks, gesturing loosely over his shoulder and Jake’s parents follow his gesture to see the entirety of Dagger Squad watching the interaction from afar. Seeing the team made the two take a step away from Bradley as he cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

“Well, I think you should consider it Jacob. Think of your daughter. She needs a stable life, not one where her father is always halfway across the world with nothing to leave behind for her. Taking over the ranch would mean she’d have something to take over once she was old enough. Besides, surely the country air would do her some good?” Jake’s mother asks in a last-ditch effort to get Jake to take over the family business and you saw the way his mother’s words cut through him like a knife and that was your final straw.

“Hey lady, I don’t give a shit if you’re my dad’s birth giver. No one and I repeat no one talks to my dad like that. Just because my dad gets deployed it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about me. He always makes it home and makes sure I have a good, stable, and comfortable life. I doubt you’d even know what a life like that was because the way you treat my dad is foul and if this is the way you’ve been treating him since he was born? You should consider yourself lucky I was nowhere near existing. You talk a big game with this ranch, assuming my dad gives a crap when you literally kicked him out for having me. You wanted nothing to do with us until I was old enough to be considered to take over the ranch. You care so little about your family, and I can’t imagine what a lonely existence that is. We have our family, and they’re here. That group of aviators have been more of a family to us than you ever have. Now would you please fuck off and leave us alone. Oh, and I think you’ll find the coastal air is much better than people give it credit for.” You say, moving to stand alongside your dad, even moving closer to stand alongside Bradley so you could really get in their faces as you spoke. You were appalled at the way they were treating your family. Bradley carefully put an arm in front of you to stop you from getting any closer to prevent you from getting hurt. Jake came to stand on Bradley’s other side and all three of you were soon staring down the pair in front of you. Jake’s father opens and closes his mouth a few times, looking like a fish out of water while his mother looks flustered and angered at the response they received. When neither party moves to do anything you cock an eyebrow and glance between the two groups.

“Are we just going to have a staring contest or are you two going to finally leave us alone?” You ask as you cross your arms, a cocky smirk appearing on your face as Jake’s parent's mutter obscenities under their breath, getting ready to turn tail and retreat before Jake steps forward, mere inches separating him and his father.

“If you ever come near me or my daughter again, stitches won’t ever fix what I will do to you.” Jake spits, his eyes blazing with protectiveness and anger as he glares at the people who failed to raise him. With Jake’s final warning hanging in the air, the two finally retreat and the moment they get in a car and drive off, Jake moves away from you and Bradley and sits down on the beach wall as you and Bradley watch him worriedly.

“I’ll check on him. You can let the others know we’re all good.” You say to Bradley who nods slightly.

“Okay, I’ll come back over in a minute.” Bradley says with a small smile, patting your shoulder before he heads back over to Dagger Squad who were still watching from afar. As Bradley, makes his way back over to the team, you cross to your dad.

“Hey dad.” You say, a small smile on your face as you sit down on the wall beside him.

“I told you to stay with Bradley. Why didn’t you do that?” Jake says, looking over at you, trying to hide his annoyance that you didn’t listen to what he asked you to do.

“The way you reacted when you heard their voices scared me. I’ve never seen you look like that before. I wanted to help.” You say, noticing Jake drop his head slightly and look away from you.

“I didn’t want you or Bradley coming over because I didn’t want you seeing the kind of people my parents are. And I didn’t want them trying to drag you into the whole family business, it’s not worth it.” Your dad admits, a hint of shame rising in his tone as he speaks. Your face falls as you notice him rapidly blinking to rid himself of any tears.

“Dad, I don’t give a crap about who your parents are. They don’t define who you are. They are shit parents. But you’re not. You chose to love and care for me when you were on the brink of joining the Navy. You did everything you could to make sure I had a good life. Don’t let their words get to you. They’re sad old loners who know that they have no one to mourn them when they’re gone because we sure as shit won’t.” You say comfortingly, resting a hand on his shoulder and moving to sit closer to your dad as he offers you a slight smile.

“What have I been saying about language, huh?” He teases quietly before wrapping an arm around you and pulling you into a hug which you reciprocate instantly. Your dad wasn’t the best with his words, so he portrayed how he felt with his actions instead. The way he held you tightly as if you’d disappear if he loosened his grip and the feather-light kisses you felt him press against the top of your head told you everything you needed to know. He was beyond grateful for your words and hugging you and pressing repeated kisses to the top of your head was the best way he could express it.

“Everything okay over here?” You lift your head from where it was buried in your dad’s shoulder to smile over at Bradley who was approaching with a gentle smile as he sat down on Jake’s other side.

“We’re okay. I’m sorry you had to see that. I was thinking they’d never come here. Guess you can’t outrun secrets, they always come back to haunt you.” Jake mumbles, looking over at Bradley who reaches over and interlocks his hands with one of Jake's.

“Hey, I’m not dating you for your parents. I don’t give a shit about them. I do, however, care about you.” Bradley says softly, squeezing Jake’s hand as Jake slowly releases you from his grasp so he can turn to face Bradley and move closer to him.

“You’re not alone either. You’ve got us by your side.” Bradley assures, pressing a delicate kiss to the back of his hand as Jake rolls his eyes jokingly.

“You big softie.” He laughs lightly yet still smiling lovingly at Bradley as they untangled their hands.

“Yet you love me for it.” Bradley grins as Jake finds himself nodding.

“That I do, yes.” Jake says, agreeing as the two slowly move closer before connecting their lips in a precious kiss. Jake’s hand making its way up to play with the hair on the nape of Bradley’s neck while Bradley’s hands cupped Jake’s face, bringing him impossibly closer. When the two finally parted for air, you awkwardly cleared your throat.

“Dad, as much as I love that you love Bradley. Can we do less making out in front of your daughter and more having fun at the beach? I’ll even play a game of dogfight football as long as you all promise not to murder me.” You say, dodging Jake’s hand reaching out to mess with your hair and when the two share a look you recognise all too well you leap to your feet and run over to the rest of Dagger Squad.

“Fanboy, hide me!” You exclaim as you hide behind him, hearing the playful shouts of your dad and Bradley ringing out across the beach.

“y/n, I love you but no.” Fanboy says, sidestepping out of the way as Jake runs over, chucking you over his shoulder as both he and Bradley wade out into the sea. Jake then readjusts the way he’s holding you. He holds you bridal style in his arms and tells Bradley to hold your wrists while he holds your ankles. Sensing what they’re doing you begin to plead for them to not do it but they ignore you, swinging you lightly before tossing you into the waves. When you emerge, soaked through, the two men are bent double, laughing their asses off at you. You roll your eyes at the two men and then decide to jump on your dad’s back, hugging him tightly.

“Karma is a bitch, isn’t it?” You joke as you splash Bradley with your free hand.

“Language!” Both men laugh as you groan at their scolding. Dagger Squad, tired of watching from the sidelines all decide to join the three of you in the ocean and soon the whole team was swimming around, splashing each other and even tossing the football amongst each other as you share a grin with your dad.

Despite Jake not wanting you to get involved in the drama surrounding him and his parents, he couldn’t help but be incredibly proud of how you dealt with the situation. You stood up for both yourself and him and he found himself more and more grateful you were in his life by the second. He watched as you passed the ball to Payback while Phoenix splashed water at you to try and throw you off but your aim was perfect as usual.

“You good, Jake?” Bradley asks as he wades up to Jake, following his gaze to you as Jake nods with a smile.

“I am good, Bradley. I’m very good.”

taglist (comment or message to be added):

@zbeez-outlet @kaceywithak

#justabigassnerd #justabigassnerd writes #hangman junior #hangman junior universe #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun fic #top gun maverick fic #hangman top gun #hangman x reader #hangman x you #hangman x daughter!reader #jake seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x you #jake seresin x y/n #jake seresin x daughter!reader #jake 'hangman' seresin x daughter!reader #jake 'hangman' seresin x reader #jake 'hangman' seresin #jake hangman seresin #x daughter!reader #sereshaw #sereshaw fic #hangman x rooster #jake seresin x bradley bradshaw

[desertfangs]

Swipe Right [AO3]

Armand/Daniel, Louis/Daniel - 5 Chapters - Explicit

Y'all, I'm so excited about this because this is, no joke, the first AU I've ever written in terms of truly being an alternate universe (I've done some canon divergent stuff but that's it.) I've just been so inspired by the wonderful AUs and AU ideas in this fandom and when I saw the prompt, I knew what I wanted to do.

This was written for @valenfangs for the prompt "Dating App."

Anyhow, I'm a little nervous because this is something I haven't done before but I'm so excited about this fic and I'm really happy with how it turned out. It's 5 chapters, all written (so it is complete), although there is potential for more chapters or a sequel so we'll see. I will post one chapter per week.

Also, where is that anon who asked if I'd ever write Louis/Daniel because uh... here you go. They are not the main focus but the first chapter is pretty much them so... You're welcome! I told you I never know what might happen!

Summary: In this modern, human AU, Daniel is a radio intern with a podcast who installs a Dating App to find love. He matches with a strange, pretty guy named Armand, and meets another gorgeous man, Louis, in a bar. Dating is complicated and weird, but Daniel just wants to find love.

Short Excerpt:

It was an alert from the new dating app he’d signed up for. His pulse quickened. He’d made a profile in a fit of loneliness the other night, a little tipsy and unable to sleep. For all his time spent talking to people, he never seemed to make any lasting romantic connections and the app was a desperate attempt to change that. 

Most of the matches had seemed wrong to him immediately and while he didn’t mind the odd dick pic, he didn’t understand the point of sending them without so much as hello to accompany the photo, nor what he was meant to do when he received them. He’d sent one back once and the guy unmatched with him, which hadn’t helped his confidence. Since then, he’d pretty much written the app off as a failed experiment. 

He looked at this new match. The guy was gorgeous, that was the first thing he noticed. Auburn hair curling around his chin, big brown eyes, pale skin, and a dusting of freckles. He was young, maybe a few years younger than him. In the photo, he was wearing a t-shirt (a rarity on these apps, most dudes went shirtless), but the funniest part was his profile photo made him look kind of bored. He was smiling faintly but like the photo had been taken by someone else holding him at gunpoint. Daniel found that endearing. 

His profile said his name was Armand. He was twenty years old and a student at SFSU. He liked video games, science, and museums. Daniel had to admit he was intrigued. He accepted the match and then sent a short message: “Hi! You’re hot. I also love museums. Maybe we could go sometime.” He hit send and then immediately worried it was stupid. He resisted the urge to delete it. He silenced his phone and tossed it onto his bed. 

He went back to editing the podcast, because he needed to get it uploaded by midnight so it could go out tomorrow on time. Not that any of his 67 subscribers ever complained if he was late. 

Read the Rest on AO3

#daniel molloy #louis de pointe du lac #armand #armand/daniel #louis/daniel #daniel/louis #armand x daniel #louis x daniel #loudaniel #the devil's minion #devil's minion #human AU #dating app AU #vc #vc fic #vc fanfic #valenfangs #valenfangs 2024 #vampire chronicles #the vampire chronicles #tvc #my fic

[skatesnstuff]

first meeting ~ c. dach

summary: the overprotective big brother meets the boy his sister is in love with. what could go wrong?

a.n: another instalment of caufieldsister au!! i’m really excited to make this an au, and i’m planning an instagram edit soon. hope y’all enjoy!!!

“colton. calm down.” he looks over at me, eyes wide.

“what if he doesn’t like me?” i scoff, hand gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. “he will! he loves your brother, and you’ve met cole before. you guys got along really well!!” he sighs. “yeah but never in this capacity. i was his new teammates little brother, not his only sister’s boyfriend.”

i don’t say anything as we pull up to the bell centre. cole had invited me to come out and watch a rec game some of the canadiens players were participating in while i was in montreal for the week, and i’d asked if my boyfriend could come as well. he’d been suspiciously okay with it.

“baby, look at me.” i say as i park the car. he does, anxiety still etched on his face. he leans into my touch when i place a hand on his face, and i exhale lightly. “you know how much cole means to me. but i also want you to know that you mean just as much, and that his opinion will not change how much i love you. okay? so just relax.” he smiles lightly.

we both jump at the knock on my window. i roll it down, rolling my eyes at kirby’s grinning face. “fucking hell, dach. you could’ve given me a heart attack.” he’s still grinning at my words. “i knew colton would have the balls to ask you out soon enough. how’d it happen?” “that’s none of your business.” i giggle at colton’s tone as i hop out of the car.

colton’s quick to come out after me, and we follow his brother into the arena.

“seriously, though. don’t you go to university in like michigan or something? how’d you two meet?”

i look over at him. “i play for the women’s hockey team at umich. we actually travel to seattle more often than you’d think, they’ve got a pretty decent women’s team there too. we went out to celebrate at a bar one night, saw each other, and-“ “and nothing else. he doesn’t need to know whatever you’re gonna say next.” i cheekily smile at colton. “what, colts? he doesn’t need to know how you told me i had pretty eyes? or that you’d liked me ever since we met each other when kirby got traded? none of that?”

he clenches his jaw as kirby cracks up, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “i like you, caufield. you seem to piss off my brother more than i do!” i shrug. “i’ve had practice. i have a very annoying brother.”

“that is rude and uncalled for.” cole’s voice sounds from behind us. i can practically feel colton tense from beside me, even though he’s not touching me.

“hi, coley.” he smiles, hugging me lightly before ruffling my hair. “cole! don’t be an asshole!” “it’s good to see you too, buggy. now where’s this boyfriend of yours? still in the car?” i blink once at him before shaking my head slowly. “no. he’s right there.”

cole’s head turns slightly to look at who i’m pointing at, and the surprise is clear on his face. “…you’re dating kirby’s brother? but i thought you and jack were together!” i cringe at his words, especially at the look on colton’s face. he looks devastated.

i can tell cole’s noticed what affect his words have had on my boyfriend, and he quickly backtracks. “not that this is a bad thing! i’m just surprised!” i sigh as cole tries to fix his mistake. “just stop talking cole.” he does, if only for a second.

“so… how long have you been dating?”

“almost six months.”

his eyes almost come out of his skull. “SIX MONTHS? AND YOU DIDNT TELL ME?”

i cringe back again, this time being reassured by colton’s hand in mine. “i’m sorry, coley! but we wanted to take it slow, and i haven’t seen you since christmas.” he pinches the bridge of his nose. “you two weren’t together then, were you?”

i shake my head. then shrug. “we were talking but no, we weren’t together.”

he glares at me. “i can’t believe you’ve been dating for six months and didn’t tell me.” i shrug. “sucks to suck.” he glares harder. “i hate you.”

i smile sweetly at him. “you could never hate me.” i pull colton along with me to the stands as kirby and cole follow us. “i’m sorry, honey.” he shrugs. “i’m just glad he wasn’t mad it was me. i just don’t like it when everyone assumes i should be jack.”

we stop, and i pull at his hand to get him to sit in the stands with me as we wave goodbye to our brothers. i we’ll see them after the game.

“i know you do, and trust me so do i. my whole life everyone’s always said ‘oh, you and rowdy would be perfect for each other’ and ‘wow, won’t you make the perfect couple’. but i want you, colton. i chose you. nothing is gonna change my mind, i promise.” he nods. “i love you.” i smile. “i love you too.” he leans in to kiss me, but a slam from the ice makes us turn our heads.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT! no pda, children!” i roll my eyes at cole as he glared at us before skating away. this was gonna take some getting used to.

a.n: continuation especially for @kjohnson-91 !!!! thank you for the support, i hope you like it!!!

#hockey #team canada #hockey imagines #nhl imagines #hockey blurb #cole caufield #caufieldsister! #colton dach #kirby dach

[straystars-and-planets]

music when the moon rises

music major!Bang Chan x music major!reader (part 1)

CC (Campus Couple): [acronym] a couple who attends the same university.

Synopsis: Chan is well known, both on campus and within the music school: genius producer, member campus rap group 3RACHA, a fantastic vocalist, and somehow friends with someone from every department/major (and handsome with the cutest dimpled smile, not that you were looking). What happens when you happen to run into him after a late night practice session?

a/n: hi this is my first work I'm posting for skz (and k-pop in general) Just trying to give everyone a taste of my writing style, I have more installments for all the members in this campus couple series coming up + a few more wips for later!

wc: 1.68k (oops) of bang chan hcs (because I can)

tags: non-idol!au, college/university au, domestic fluff, fluff, sleep deprivation/staying up super late (sleep is important everyone!!!)

cw: implied fem!reader, mentions of anxiety/stress relating to school/grades, cursing/swear words (both reader and chan use curses liberally + let chan say f*ck)

masterlist | series masterlist | taglist form | part 2 (coming soon!)

💜 reblogs are appreciated + constructive feedback welcome 💜

Virtually everyone on campus has at least heard of Chan. Musical wunderkind, has seemingly performed in every ensemble (orchestra, choir, band, jazz, chamber music, you name it, he’s probably played in it).

Also part of the iconic rap trio 3RACHA, any time there is a concert on campus they’re either one of the main acts or opening for a guest artist.

Chan has also individually released a few mixtapes SoundCloud, is very excited because he now has an EP on Spotify too! Some of his songs have made their way onto party playlists. Needless to say, this man is everywhere and seems to know everyone and anyone on campus.

You’ve bumped into Chan a few times, either in classes or in the hallways between rehearsals. He sometimes flashes you a friendly smile whenever he sees you in passing, but other than a few “hi’s” and “hello’s” the two of you haven’t spoken much. 

It’s a few weeks into fall semester and you are already irritated with the lack of practice space. Your dorm has zero (if not negative) sound insulation so you can’t really use it to practice your instrument.

Unfortunately there are only a few practice rooms available on campus, and no matter what time of day they all seemed to be occupied, either by another musician or adventurous couples who use them for “duet rehearsal” (a/n: iykyk - yes I have unfortunately witnessed the latter)

You get a brilliant idea at midnight after a late night study session in the music library. You’re already in the music building, and you have card access to the department. Surely no one is using the practice rooms at this time.

Your sleep deprived speculations prove to be true and you almost cry as the first room in the hall is unoccupied. You notice one of the production studios across the hall has its door closed but chalk it up to someone forgetting to leave it open on the way out.

Once you’re settled you begin warming up, letting the tones of scales and arpeggios sing through the space. It’s the first time you’ve been able to have quiet and uninterrupted practice (thankfully your roommate had been understanding about you needing to practice in the dorm, but you still tended to play quietly/half-heartedly to avoid any noise complaints).

After a rough run through of the piece you’re currently working on, you start picking through the score measure by measure. Totally immersed in the music in front of you, you don’t notice the door to the production studio creak open, nor do you notice the head of disheveled curls that appears in the window of the practice room. 

A sudden knock on the door startles you out of your zone, and you can’t help but let out a shriek and throw your score at the window. When the folder falls to the ground you’re met by the sight of a surprised Chan, mouth open and ears turning a little red.

To this day Chan swears he wasn’t intending to scare the living daylights out of you, it’s just the way you played was so beautiful and enchanting and he just had to know who was playing it (and then beg them to record some samples for a future/secret project pretty please and thank you 🥺)

After your first THRILLING encounter you keep bumping into Chan everywhere. At music department events/socials, and around campus (particularly the cafe/coffee shop).

You also run into him more in classes (or at least start noticing him more). He’s a guest performer for the experimental piece the orchestra is performing, or subbing for the pianist who was sick during orchestra rehearsal. During breaks you banter with him (he asks whether you’re planning on being in the building late, you tease him for his insomniac habits)

Slowly, over the course of fall semester he develops a soft spot for you. Definitely very fond of you, and at first is in total denial, thinks he is just doing this because he’s trying to be a good upperclassman/mentor for you.

(Meanwhile all his friends, especially Jisung and Changbin, are losing their everloving minds trying to convince Chan that he’s falling for the ‘cute late night girl’)

Probably has an epiphany that he’s basically in love with you while sitting in the audience for one of your concerts (one of the fewe that he’s not performing in). Like yeah, he definitely goes to his friends’ performances/showcases to support, but not all of them. (Damnit, Jisung was right to tease Chan about planning to go to all of your performances that he has time for.)

Then you come on stage for your concerto and he is absolutely entranced. Blushes when you seem to make eye contact with him after bows. Probably red cheeks & ears he is SO glad he wore his beanie today. Plus he thinks you look stunning in the dress you chose, the navy blue fabric makes you look so beautiful and elegant. He loves that it has a bit of your personality with the asymmetrical design and subtle lace appliques.

Now that he is FINALLY aware of his (massive) crush on you he’s going to try to be subtle and show you more affection/flirt more. Tries to subtly woo you by bringing you late night snacks, or inviting you to hang out before practice/rehearsals.

Chan is pretty much a blushing mess anytime he spends one-on-one time with you. Occasionally attempts to use cheesy pick up lines but plays them off as jokes because he is a SHY and nervous boy doing his best to flirt. Probably ends up laughing at most (if not all) of the lines he tries on you.

Thankfully you also find this funny (and cute) so you indulge him. Though occasionally when there’s a particularly sweet/cheesy pick up line you can feel your cheeks tingle and you get uncharacteristically giggly while your heart flutters in your chest.

Sometimes hangouts are just you and him, other times they’re with his friends. You slowly get to know other people. Meanwhile his friends are trying to send Chan to an early grave by not subtly hinting at his crush (aka. one time Felix tries to straight up tell you "Channie-hyung is in love with you," but thankfully Chan was able to smack a hand over Felix’s mouth in time).

Multiple death glares towards his so-called friends now menaces behind your back + creative sign language indicating he may strangle them later

After you start dating, Chan admits that he has tackled Jisung, Changbin and Minho as a last resort to get them to shut the fuck up before they can blurt out “By the way Chan wants to date you” or something else that would cause him to have a quote: " heart attack before the age of 30." His words not Y/N's Chan this is why Seungmin calls you old

At this point you’ve picked up on Chan’s attempts to flirt with you, so you start trying to flirt back. Searching up pick up lines to try on him, reminding him to get sleep/rest, bringing food to his studio if you happen to be free. Of course, Chan is a little a lot dense so he keeps thinking you’re just doing this as a good friend. 

By the end of the semester everyone thinks you and Chan are dating since you two have continued to banter/flirt in public at all hours of the day and night. Jisung and Felix stage an “intervention” by inviting you to coffee where they beg you to please ask Chan out because he won’t shut up about his pining for you at home (pretty please he likes you so much 💖)

You end up heeding their advice (read: Felix and Jisung continued to pester you about it in person and via. text) right before winter break. Chan was hanging out with you backstage before your final recital/evaluation when you just casually asked, “Hey, do you want to get dinner with me tonight?”

This poor man is so shocked, he almost spews water all over your beautiful recital outfit. Thankfully he has the reflexes to turn away before he ruins your dress. Honestly you have to pound his back a few times just to make sure all the water is out of his windpipe.

He’ll agree to the dinner. Leaves the dressing room so you can properly warm up + get to your place in time. Probably about 15 minutes before the show starts he realizes, oh shit, did she mean like a date????? SPRINTS to the nearest grocery store so he can buy flowers, makes it just in time to slide into the seat as the concertmaster plays the tuning note. 

Definitely looks very disheveled waiting for you in the lobby. His curls are all over the place and he didn’t wear his beanie tonight to fit with the formal vibe of the concert (CURLY CHAN SUPREMACY). Pretty much shoves the bouquet in your face before realizing he didn’t actually confirm that this was a date. 

“This is a date right?” he asks, looking a little sheepish. Without the beanie you can see the way his ears turn red and his dimples start showing when he gives you an embarrassed smile. Of course you nod in agreement and giggle when Chan wraps you in the warmest hug ever and jumps around while also congratulating you on a great performance. Chan gives the best hugs you can fight the wall

Your first date ends up being at this hole-in-the-wall chicken place that Chan found back in his first year. Imagine the two of you eating fried chicken at 11 PM dressed in super formal clothing because you decided to go there straight from the performance venue.

Spend the rest of the time before winter break starts pretty much attached to the hip with each other. As music/performance majors most of your final assignments are due before or very early during finals week, so you’re able to relax and take the time to spend quality time with each other. 

Wine night where you both improv on different instruments/vocals and create a joke song about how much you hate spicy food, specifically how Buldak ramen is a crime against tastebuds

Definitely miss him over the winter holidays, you are glued to your phone whenever you have the time, texting/calling him, sending him pictures and selfies. He’s not much better, sending you pictures of Christmas in Australia with his family (INCLUDING BERRY!)

©@straystars-and-planets 2023. do not copy, translate or repost my work.

#bang chan x reader #bang chan #stray kids x reader #skz x reader #stray kids #skz imagines #skz fluff #skz scenarios #planets: writing

[respectthepetty]

Hey petty so recently I told you that you’d single-handedly convinced me to watch the HIStory and I have been having a great goddamn time Taiwan my absolute my beloved my belle of the ball you give me everything I want baby, but…I’ve come to Make Our Days Count and I need some encouragement to start it. Because I KNOW how it ends I KNOW it’s gonna hurt me so I need someone to hype me up and talk me into it

Anon, I told you not to follow me down my trashy path!

I'm not trying to convince y'all to watch anything. Never. Not ever. I loved Hit Bit Love, but I will never recommend that to anyone because I know what it was.

So now you're asking me, the person who consistently tells you not to watch anything unless you want to and not based on my unabashed love for it, to convince you to watch the HIStory-that-shall-not-be-named?

Well, I can't because, as you very well know, it's gonna fucking hurt! That series was, on average, ranked around an 8.8 each episode by 20 faithful watchers on My Drama List until the final episode which is a 4.8 with double the raters (40). Not only did it bury the gay at the last possible second after jailing the gay mafia lead in the previous installment right when Taiwan legalized marriage equality, but half of the world was going into lockdown, and the other half was burying its head in the sand about it. Basically, the morale was so low in BL Land, hell had to make new layers because HIStory decided to be high art and kill someone.

And it would be another two years before we got the next installment, my beloved HIStory 4: Close to You.

Knowing what I know, I wouldn't even tell myself to watch the HIStory-that-shall-not-be-named? I don't want to remember watching it, so I definitely don't want to talk about it.

Instead I'm going to convince you of why it's important that I did watch it four years ago in retrospect:

The Apology Tour

Taiwan knows it fucked up.

Every year since that ill-fated series, we get Wayne and Huang playing in the final episode of other BLs which greatly relies on us knowing who they are and their HIStory because without it, the emotional impact is wasted.

2020 - Life: Love on the Line (Japan) - They played tourists seeing the Northern Lights which is something they mentioned in HIStory.

2021 - Be Loved in House: I Do - Wayne played a random guy the lead runs into and tells him to never let anyone take his love away, but the two actually played in HIStory together, so Wayne's character realizes this as the lead runs away.

2022 - Plus & Minus - They are guests at the leads' wedding who run into each other and feel an instant connection as if they have met in a previous life.

2023 - Kiseki: Dear to Me - They play gangstas from a rival squad, but some of y'all have not watched episode 8, so I'll shut up.

Oh, and the side pair also pop up places like HIStory 4: Close to You.

Basically, each time these guys show up somewhere, it's a spectacle. It's basically AU fanfic every year for us. If they couldn't be together in HIStory, they can be together in other ways, in other shows, and in other universes, so I'm excited to see where they will pop up in 2024, but the commoner who hasn't watched the HIStory-that-shall-not-be-named will not care as much.

Anon, do you want to feel those feelings?

Do you want Taiwan to continue apologizing for its grave misdeed? Do you want to be "in the know" each time you see these two appear on your screen? Do you want to believe that they are together in another universe? Do you want all of this?

Because if you do, you can't have it if you don't watch the series that caused this ripple effect. You are missing a foundational competent of their legacy if you skip out on the HIStory-that-shall-not-be-named.

However, I can't encourage you to watch this.

I watched nine glorious episodes, then got beat down in the finale, only to spend the last four years gleefully sitting front row to the apology tour, so ask yourself if you are comfortable making that deal as well?

You decide.

#history 3: make our days count #you gotta make a decision #do you want pain with four years of happiness #or to never understand what is happening? #that's on you dawg #because I'll ruin your entire life with my trashy love

[iamstartraveller776]

The End of You and Beginning of Me

Summary: [High School AU.] Galadriel's sort-of boyfriend is coming to visit and she tries to keep her delinquent neighbor away. (Sequel to Only Way Out, Say Thank You, and Midnight Favor.)

Rating: T

Also on AO3

A/N: It's November 1st, and what am I doing instead of working on my Nanowrimo novel? Why, posting a Halloween story a day late! I couldn't get this universe out of my head. This installment is just a little longer than 500 words.

LIES

coming home this wknd u free?

Galadriel stared at Celeborn’s text, trying to conjure up her typical excitement for one of his rare visits, but her stomach would only twist in a thorny knot instead. She flopped back onto her bed. This was so dumb. She didn’t have anything to feel guilty about, not really. Was it her fault that some future felon had imprinted on her? He was the one who kissed her—and only that one time. As for the nights he spent in her room, nothing happened.

His arm around her waist, holding her pressed against him. Warm cigarette breath stirring her hair.

She covered her face with a groan. She hadn’t been unfaithful. She hadn’t! Besides, she and Celeborn had never put a label on what they were. It was fine. She grabbed her phone and tapped out a quick reply.

can’t wait!! <3

There was absolutely problem at all. Celeborn would come, and they would have a lovely visit. She was happy—over the moon, in fact.

She hummed a peppy tune as she picked up one of her textbooks. Her hand only shook a little when she locked her window that night—and the next. She went to sleep with earbuds in to drown out the soft tapping against the glass, the muted call of her name.

Everything was fine.

Her delinquent neighbor was suspended for fighting—again. He wasn’t on his porch either, following her every move with those hazel eyes. Life was almost normal for two days. Laughing with her friends over internet memes. Making plans for the winter formal. Bemoaning upcoming exams. The world was right once more.

Except it wasn’t.

Everything was too much and too little. A hair unreal in a way that made her skin itch. Interactions with her friends, with her family felt scripted. Superficial. But that was ridiculous. It was fine. It was fine.

He was back at the end of the week, leaning against the wall after school, thumb tucked under the strap of his backpack. The grip around her lungs gave way when she laid eyes on Halbrand. She squared her shoulders, refusing to feel relieved at the sight of his smirking face, and attempted to walk past him. He grabbed her arm, pulled her into an empty corridor.

Just like she knew he would.

She glared to cover the sudden thrill zinging in her middle. “They let you out of the cage, I see.”

The corner of his mouth tipped up in a cocksure grin. “I’m slippery like that.” He took a step toward her, then another until her back touched rough brick. “You’ve been avoiding me again.”

His long fingers on her jaw. The swipe of his tongue against hers. Her nails scraping through his hair.

Galadriel shook off the errant memory and redoubled her scowl. “They’re called boundaries. Ever heard of them?”

Halbrand’s brows drew downward in exaggerated confusion. “You know, I don’t think I have.”

She rolled her eyes. If that wasn’t a fact. “They’re simple really,” she explained with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “I tell you to go away, and you do.” She pushed on his shoulders, but he wouldn’t budge.

He glanced down at her hands as she gave him another shove. “Odd. They don’t seem to be working. You might be using them wrong.”

She let out a strangled growl, done with this game. “Listen, I more than paid you back for—”

“You think that’s what this is about?” he cut in, anger clipping his words. The startling shift in his demeanor made her pulse jump.

But it wasn’t fear crackling through her veins. It was something far more alive. “This? There’s no ‘this.’” She knew her denial would only stoke his budding fury. She wanted it—wanted it so much that it almost made her sick.

He snarled, grasping her chin as he pressed into her. His gaze flicked to her mouth, and she stared back at him, daring him to close the last few millimeters between them. For a trembling heartbeat, she thought he might.

With a snort, he backed away. “Keep lying to yourself, Noldor.”

“It’s not a lie!” she scoffed.

“Everything about you is.” He shook his head. “Perfect little princess in her sheltered world full of rainbows and lollipops where nothing bad ever happens.” He gave her a dismissive once-over. “I should have known better.”

She hated how much the comment stung. He didn’t know her. She wasn’t some Barbie living in a dream house, and she opened her mouth to tell him as much. But this was what she wanted, wasn’t it? An end to his unhealthy obsession with her? She crossed her arms. “Yep, you should have.”

His answering laugh was serrated at the edges. “Still so damn stupid,” he muttered before turning away.

“Looks like those boundaries are working after all!” she shouted at his retreating back.

His only reply was a middle finger.

It was over—finally. And she was fine. Just fine.

If she pushed so hard at cross-country practice that she shaved three minutes off her long run, then good. Whatever it took to forget the bastard. It almost worked too—until she got home.

He was in his stoop as usual, eyes closed and smoking while he listened to whatever was coming through his headphones. He wouldn’t look at her, though. Not even when she audibly wrenched her front door open.

Still irrationally incensed over their earlier conversation, she yelled, “Those things are going to kill you!”

“That’s the point, princess!” he returned before she slammed her door shut.

She let out a strangled scream. Why did she even care? She didn’t. He was the worst.

~

The doorbell rang when she just finished drying her hair.

Celeborn was here.

She called out for her brother to get it, but then remembered he was on shift tonight. Her parents were away on one of her dad’s business trips. Normally she liked having the house to herself, but it’d been too quiet today, especially when her sheets still held a whisper of burnt tobacco and cologne. She was fairly certain Halbrand had stolen the teddy bear on her bureau the first night he crashed in her room.

The doorbell rang again.

“Coming!” she shouted as she jogged down the stairs. That anemic coil her stomach had to be excitement. It couldn’t be anything else.

Her sort-of boyfriend stood tall on the other side of the threshold, blond hair trimmed and perfectly coiffed. He wore a pale blue button-down tucked into khakis. The very vision of a young man with his act together—unlike Halbrand who always looked like he rolled out of bed into whatever random clothes he found on the floor of his room.

It’s your bed he rolls out of lately.

“Celeborn!” she exclaimed too brightly. He stumbled back when she practically leapt into his arms.

“Good to see you too,” he said with a chuckle. “If I’d known you’d be this enthusiastic, I might have come home sooner.”

Galadriel hardly heard the joke. Her gaze snagged on Halbrand, who was still lazing on his now-dark porch. His phone lit up the sardonic grin he tossed in her direction. Ugh. She wound her hands around Celeborn’s neck and gave him a kiss—one far less chaste than the few they’d shared before.

His long fingers on her jaw. The swipe of his tongue—

She tugged him closer, parted her lips in an attempt to erase the memory of Halbrand’s mouth on hers, but Celeborn gently pushed her back.

“Galadriel!” he hissed with round eyes. “Don’t you think we should do that somewhere more private?” He nodded toward her neighbor.

She glanced at the bastard—he wasn’t smiling anymore—and gave him smug look before linking her arm with Celeborn’s. “Yes, let’s go inside where I can show you how much I’ve missed you,” she announced loudly.

“That’s not exactly what I meant,” he sputtered as she pulled him inside.

She ignored the comment, ignored too the buzzing underneath her skin at Halbrand’s seething rage. “I’m glad you’re finally here.”

Celeborn cleared his throat. “So I gathered.”

Embarrassment tinged her cheeks. She wasn’t like this; they weren’t like this. They met at an academic camp the summer before last, bonded over familial pressures for excellence and shared principles. He attended a prep school in Doriath, only coming home for the holidays and the occasional weekend. They were easy, never intense, never consuming. They could go days, even weeks, without talking and then pick up where they left off without any awkwardness. She used to love that.

But now…

No, she still loved it. Of course she did.

“What should we do?” Celeborn asked. “I probably should take you out somewhere since you seem to be home alone.” He gave her a sweet smile. Ever the gentleman.

This was what a healthy relationship looked like. This wholesome, unsullied affection. Exactly what she always wanted.

Hands gripping the headboard as he rocked the mattress. Good girl. Now say my name.

“Dinner and maybe a walk in the park?” Celeborn suggested. “I heard they finished that installment—the one with the two trees. Telperion and Lauren or something.”

“Laurelin.” Galadriel saw the life-sized sculptures two weeks ago with her friends, and later that night, while Halbrand slept next to her, she dreamt of him pushing her up against the stone trunk of the brighter tree, lips marking a path down her neck as his hand slid beneath the hem of her top.

She needed to go someplace busy, noisy. Somewhere without his tainted fingerprints. “Durin’s having a Halloween party,” she said.

Celeborn made a face, and a filament of ire prickled in her chest. She’d forgotten about his unreasonable aversion to anyone from the Misty Mountains.

“I don’t know,” he hedged. “I don’t have a costume.”

“I’m sure there’s something in Fin’s things you can borrow. I promised Disa I’d come.” That wasn’t precisely true. Galadriel had said she might make an appearance, but at this point there was nowhere else she was willing to go. When Celeborn seemed unconvinced, she added, “Elrond and Brimby will be there.”

Celeborn brows shot up. That did the trick. “If you’re sure…”

She took his hand and led him toward the stairs. “Come on.”

~

Celeborn tugged on the collar of his silver armor as they walked a half block toward the party.

“I feel a little ridiculous.”

Galadriel held back a sigh. Despite his apparent enthusiasm at the idea of seeing his two favorite friends, he complained nearly every step of the way. The costume didn’t fit right—her brother was fuller in the chest and shoulders. Road construction forced them to take a longer detour. There was no parking close to Durin’s place by the time they arrived. Had he always been so fussy?

She pasted on an encouraging smile. “You’re my knight in shining armor. You wouldn’t abandon your lady, would you?” Her own outfit was a medieval dress and cloak she’d worn to one of Brimby’s themed dinner parties a couple of years ago. She’d only grown a smidgen taller since then, but the gown was definitely more fitted in the bust and hips than it was before, making her look curvier than she was—if the way the tips of Celeborn’s ears turned red at the sight of her was any indication.

She absolutely did not wonder what Halbrand would have thought of the dress. He wasn’t in his stoop when they left, not that she was looking.

“You’re right,” Celeborn relented. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bit of a killjoy. I was just hoping for a quiet evening with you.”

Guilt made an uncomfortable bur in her sternum. She’d make it up to him tomorrow. Tonight, though, she needed an escape. “It’ll be fun.” She laced her fingers with his.

Almost the moment they stepped inside, they were waylaid by Brimby. The older boy was dressed like an archaic blacksmith, and he threw his arms around the both of them in a brief embrace.

“Galadriel! Celeborn!” he yelled jovially over the din of the party. “Look at us! Must’ve all had the same idea. Elrond, too, believe it or not.” He clapped a hand on Celeborn’s shoulder. “It’s been too long, Cellie! You should come out back and catch us up on the latest!”

Celeborn gave Galadriel a questioning look. He clearly wanted to go but wasn’t going to abandon her. She could join them, of course. They were her friends after all. Yet when the three boys got together, it was as if everything else stopped existing outside of their bubble. She could only stomach so much ardent rhetoric about politics or the rehashing of some football match or another before she wanted to scream. Not that they’d notice if she did.

Right now, however, she wouldn’t mind being invisible. “Go on,” she said, rising up on her toes to place a soft peck on his cheek. “I’ll find you later.”

He gave her a grateful smile before Brimby hauled him off.

That was normal, right? That it wasn’t hard to be apart? Yes. Absolutely.

Galadriel navigated deeper in the gargantuan house. Durin’s family was old money with the kind of wealth that rivaled the gross national product of a small nation. She was familiar enough with his home that she could negotiate its labyrinthine layout despite the masses. She passed teens in all kinds of costumes, from traditional ghosts and witches and vampires to more elaborate garb better suited for a fan convention. One of them wore a realistic wolf mask, mouth curled back in a frozen growl, blood on the tips of its teeth. Those black eyes seemed to follow her as she pushed through the crowd farther down the hallway.

She rubbed at the chills pebbling her arms.

She found her crew in the den, the cavernous room all books and mahogany and leather. She squinted in the brighter light. They were around a large hand-carved stone desk in plush overstuffed chairs. Durin sat at the head with Disa perched on his lap. The couple wore the conical hats and colorful clothes of garden gnomes, complete with a long red beard glued to Durin’s ruddy face. They were playing a card game with Bronwyn and Arondir. Míriel was chatting quietly nearby with the college guy that she always swore was just a friend. Galadriel didn’t miss how they unconsciously leaned into each other as if pulled by gravity.

The way Halbrand always seemed to be in her orbit.

“Oh, you came!” Disa exclaimed, leaping up and racing across the room. Galadriel braced herself for a bone-crushing hug and the other girl did not disappoint. “I’m so happy you could make it!” She pulled back and glanced past Galadriel. “Did you bring your beau?”

“He’s with Elrond and Brimby.” Galadriel let out a sigh.

Disa clucked her tongue, but before she could comment, Durin interrupted.

“Woman, get back where you belong!”

Disa rolled her eyes. “I’ll come when I’m good and ready!” She grabbed Galadriel’s elbow, ushered her toward the desk. “We’re playing Knock Rummy, and there’s room for one more.” She leaned into Galadriel. “Durin’s losing even though he’s cheating.”

“I do not cheat!” Durin sputtered, though he sounded more playful than indignant. “I’ll paddle your bum for spreading such lies.”

Disa planted her hands on her hips. “I’d like to see you try!” she challenged, but then she climbed back into his lap and settled against him.

Galadriel laughed, and she almost felt like herself.

Time ticked by as they played a hand, then another. Laughing. Taking playful potshots at one another. Durin made a good show of being a sore loser each time he came in last. Bronwyn turned out to be the one to beat, and by the third round, the entire group began coordinating her demise.

But it still wasn’t enough, not to dispel the hollowness scratching at Galadriel’s insides. Her gaze caught on everyone who came and went in the room, searching. For what? Celeborn? Of course Celeborn. Who else? But he’d be too distracted by his two favorite companions to seek her out. He wouldn’t pull her into a vacant hallway, crowd her against the wall and—

“Do you know him?”

She blinked. She’d been staring at a wolf looming in the doorway—the wolf. The mask was even more sinister in the better light. He wore tattered jeans and an unbuttoned flannel shirt, revealing an expanse of tanned, muscled chest. Those starless eyes were aimed in her direction, breaking contact to look over his shoulder before turning back at her. Prickles crept up her spine.

My, what big eyes you have! The better to see you with.

“Galadriel?”

“Sorry,” she murmured, half standing up when she noticed that he had disappeared. “I think I should…” She trailed off, at a loss.

“Are you alright?” Bronwyn frowned at her. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Galadriel forced a smile. “I’m fine. Just famished,” she lied. “And I should probably find Celeborn. I’ve left him alone with the dynamic duo long enough.”

The others chuckled and waved her off. Bronwyn didn’t seem quite convinced; the girl always saw more than she should. But she blessedly kept her thoughts to herself.

Galadriel didn’t head toward the garden, though. She meandered aimlessly through the house, scanning fruitlessly for the wolf as if she were tethered to him somehow. An acquaintance here and there called out to her, beckoned her over for a minute or two of perfunctory conversation. She was pleasant enough, but her thoughts wandered on ahead of her, drawing her toward the next turn in the hallway, toward the next room, and the next.

She found herself in the kitchen, white countertops covered with an assortment of food and drink. There were sodas and water among the less innocent wine spritzers, kegs, and harder liquor. She meant to grab one of the former, but she drifted toward the array of glass bottles in the corner. Stop. Don’t. Aside from the half glass of wine her parents allowed her on special occasions, she didn’t imbibe. She’d never been interested in playing roulette with her future for the sake of getting tipsy—or getting high for that matter.

Tonight, though, she understood the allure. If it would quiet the humming that ground against her bones and sinews, maybe it was worth it. Just once. One sip.

A hand grasped hers before she could reach for one of the shots already poured out. Her breath caught at the wolf towering over her. He shook his head wordlessly, then crooked a finger as if inviting her to follow. She shouldn’t—she didn’t know him—and yet her feet moved as if he were the pied piper.

My, what big ears you have! The better to hear you with.

He brought her toward the center of the mansion, where the music grew so loud that it made her heart struggle to keep time with the thumping bass. The ballroom was dark with red, yellow, and blue strobe lights lancing out over the throng of party-goers. The wolf twined his long fingers in hers, guiding her to the far side of the dance floor. He spun her under his arm, encouraged her to sway with him. She hesitated. She wasn’t self-conscious; she loved to dance. She didn’t fear for her safety, not in a crowd with dozens of people who knew her. And yet dense expectation hung in the air between them as if warning her to flee.

Impatient, her partner took her other hand and drew her in close. The muzzle of the mask brushed against her face, the fur tickling her cheek.

“My, what big teeth you have,” she mused out loud.

The wolf rasped a laugh that was quickly swallowed by the music. He spun her again, this time finishing the movement with her back against him. His long fingers curled around her hip, and her middle fluttered at the intimacy of it. Cigarettes. Cologne.

“Do you want to be eaten, princess?”

The air turned opaque in her lungs at the familiar voice. “You!” She tried to break out of his grasp, but he held on tighter, pulled her farther into the recesses of the ballroom. “What are you doing here?”

Halbrand didn’t answer but led her through a set of French doors out onto a veranda. The night air was crisp enough that Galadriel regretted leaving her cloak in the den. He dragged her along until they reached an unoccupied set of patio furniture in the shadows.

“Did you follow me here?” she demanded as he pulled off his mask and ran his fingers through his sweat-drenched hair.

He made a derisive noise. “Always you with that inflated sense of importance,” he said. “I was, in fact, invited.”

She let her flat expression convey her disbelief. “By who?”

“My mate from shop class. What do you call him? Brimby?” Halbrand’s grin was annoyingly self-satisfied. “Pretty sure he’s got a crush. What is it with prudes and their obsession with bad boys?”

She scoffed, but before she could let loose a stinging remark about his oversized ego, he was on her, hand on her jaw, squeezing. Not enough to cause pain but enough to shock her into silence.

“Don’t,” he warned in a low voice, flint in his hazel eyes. “No more lies out of this mouth.”

Feral anticipation pooled in her middle, snaked out to her limbs. Everything became sharper, the moonlit yellows and greys of the night more vibrant. Living things. Real.

“I thought you were done with me,” she countered.

He relaxed his grip, palm sliding down the side of her throat. “When have I ever said that?”

She loathed how much his reply pleased her—how badly she needed to hear it. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Oh, I saw.” He leaned forward, bumping his nose against hers. “A plastic prince for you to play pretend with. Tell me, can you bend his knees and elbows or is he an older model?”

She scowled at him. “God, you’re such an ass!”

Halbrand shrugged, unmoved by the insult. He traced a line down her right arm and brought up her hand between them, fingers running over the braided silver ring she wore. “Did he give you this? Is it a promise that you’ll ride off into the sunset together on his white horse someday.”

Galadriel tried to yank her hand back, but he held firm. “It’s a purity ring—not that you’d know anything about that.”

Something dark passed over his face, chasing away his perpetual cavalier half-grin. “You’re right,” he murmured. “I’ve never known anything about that.”

She swallowed thickly, unsettled by the way he stared at the ring. There was something fractured in his expression, tactile and spiky. His eyes flicked to hers in the next breath with the same biting intensity. He spun the ring slowly, and she gasped when he tugged it off.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He pushed it onto his pinky, working it past his knuckle, and ran his thumb over it in a reverent caress that sent another wave of that untamed need through her. Because this felt like more than silly game, especially when he looked down at her the same way he admired the ring. No, “admired” wasn’t right. It was too mild, too sterile for the intention in his gaze.

“Give it back,” she commanded—or tried to, but the words didn’t come out right. They were breathy, unsteady as if she didn’t have the strength to mean them.

He shook his head, the movement almost imperceptible. And then his mouth was abruptly on hers, tongue pushing past the seal of her lips, hungry. Devouring. He wasn’t merely taking this time. He was possessing. And she answered by slipping her hands inside his open shirt, nails leaving a trail down the smooth skin of his back. He groaned into mouth and it was like falling and flying at once. She pressed up against him, needing to be closer. Desperate to be inside of him somehow—inside of his very soul. Just like he’d infected hers.

Without warning, he broke off the kiss. She started to protest, but then she heard it: her friends.

“Thondir thought he saw her come out here earlier.”

Halbrand stepped back, rubbing the back of his hand across his mouth. He pointed at her hair with a smirk as he leaned down to pick up his mask. Flushed with a furious mix of mortification and irritation, she hastily ran her fingers through her locks just as the group came into view.

“There she is!” Elrond said with Celeborn and Brimby in his wake. “We’ve been looking for you.”

Galadriel tried to look as if she hadn’t been making out with the reprobate next to her. She smothered the voice that told her what she and Halbrand had done was definitely cheating. “I was—”

“Just catching me up on what I missed in school,” Halbrand interjected, giving her shoulder a friendly pat. “It was terribly thoughtful of her to remind me about that exam on Monday.”

“Halbrand! You came!” Brimby exclaimed a little too eagerly, and Galadriel hated that she could see it now—his barely veiled infatuation.

“I did.” Halbrand gave him a delighted smile and nodded at the others. “Elrond, our illustrious head boy. And that means you—” he took a step toward Celeborn and stretched a hand out to shake, “—must be Galadriel’s Ken that I’ve been hearing so much about.”

Celeborn frowned but shook Halbrand’s hand. “It’s Celeborn, actually.”

“Ah, my mistake.” Halbrand’s gaze flitted to Galadriel, a flash to convey his disdain, though the others seemed to miss it. His grin turned impish, and she knew that if she let him say anything else, it would be catastrophic.

“Halbrand has to go!” she nearly shouted, cheeks burning as all eyes turned to her.

“I do?” Halbrand raised his brows as if he found her desperate attempt to head off his antics amusing.

“Yes, remember you got that call—about that emergency?” she stammered, willing him to go along with the story. “From your dad?” she added as an afterthought, recalling the vile man who had opened the door that awful night weeks ago.

“My dad…” Halbrand repeated, congenial air transforming into cold hostility. She’d made a dangerous misstep here, though she couldn’t begin to guess how. In a blink, though, he was all regretful smiles. “That’s right. I’m afraid I’m needed elsewhere. Have a pleasant night, Elrond. Ken.”

“Celeborn,” both Galadriel and Celeborn corrected.

“Brimby, mate,” Halbrand went on, clasping Brimby’s face between his palms. “You know it’s always a pleasure.” He gave him a lusty kiss on the mouth, not a long one, but enough for Galadriel’s stomach to wrench with a congealed black emotion.

He turned, positively triumphant as he offered her a salute, the purity ring glinting on his finger. “See you around, Noldor.” Arching his back, he howled at the sky, then pulled on his mask and sprinted inside.

“Well,” Brimby mumbled, his cheeks a bright pink.

Celeborn cleared his throat. “He seems like—”

“Trouble,” Elrond finished for him, glancing at Galadriel.

“Probably drunk,” she said. Not true. She’d only tasted spearmint and tobacco on his lips. Pretending not to notice Elrond’s scrutiny of her, she gave the three boys a sunny smile. “You were looking for me?”

~

That night she left her bedroom window unlocked. She kept her eyes closed when the bed dipped behind her—when Halbrand dragged her against him, arm cinching around her waist. And when his hand came to rest just beneath the waistband of her shorts, fingertips warm on her hip, her breath became thready, but she didn’t move, didn’t protest.

He sighed against her shoulder.

“Good girl.” The words were hardly more than air. “My good girl.”

~FIN~

#haladriel #saurondriel #trop #modern au #high school au #my fic #lies #the end of you and beginning of me

[oh-stars]

Fic Update - 8/14

Next week, my hiatus ends!!

The final chapter of The Harrington Brood, my fic featuring Steve and his horde of siblings, will be posted on Monday, the 21st! The next chapter of you carved the space for my sadness to be seen (hold onto me) will be out on Tuesday, new chapters every Tuesday after that.

Wednesday, I plan on doing another WIP Wednesday game so you'll see a bit of everything I'm working on.

I'll also be posting teasers for my big bang fic, Yours (All Along) that I'm so excited to share with you all, on Thursday!

And then on Friday, the final installment of the Men We've Become Series will be posted. I have nothing else planned for this universe at the moment.

I am so excited to share everything with you guys this next week. It feels like the hiatus took years and no time at all, but we're nearly through it!

Hope you didn't forget me ;)

Until then, see you later! - Jo

#ohstars fic #steddie #steddie fic #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson

[denimbex1986]

'You might expect a season finale to be shrouded in secrecy, with plot points and even the full cast list concealed so as to not to spoil viewers' enjoyment of the climax, but in fact it's the middle instalment of Doctor Who's "mini-season" of 60th anniversary specials that's proving to be the most mysterious.

Even before it aired on Saturday (25th November), we were familiar with the broad strokes of opening episode The Star Beast – an adaptation of the 1980 comic strip of the same name, featuring the cute but not so cuddly Beep the Meep, and reuniting the Doctor (David Tennant) with former companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate).

We've also seen a fair amount come out around the trilogy closer, The Giggle – it'll feature the return of the villainous Toymaker, last seen on television way back in 1966 and now played by Emmy-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris.

Though not officially announced, trailer footage and interview teases have also pointed to appearances from UNIT, their leader Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and their scientist advisor Shirley Anne Bingham (Ruth Madeley).

But we know next to nothing about episode two, Wild Blue Yonder, which airs this Saturday (2nd December) – showrunner Russell T Davies has called it "weird" and "scary", but the brief plot synopsis that's been released is impressively vague: "The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Donna to the furthest edge of adventure. To escape, they must face the most desperate fight of their lives, with the fate of the universe at stake."

Besides Tennant and Tate, only one additional cast member has been confirmed – Susan Twist, who'll play a character named "Mrs Merridew".

The key art for the episode (see above) suggests the inclusion of a robot, though it's unclear whether it'll be friend and foe.

The trailer released shortly after broadcast of The Star Beast, meanwhile, also seems to delight in keeping things ambiguous, revealing only that the Doctor and Donna have landed in a mysterious space-age location, where they encounter "life signs" and are menaced by an unseen threat...

Doctor Who fans, of course, abhor a vacuum, so the lack of information about Wild Blue Yonder has sparked rampant speculation. Why the secrecy? What's being hidden?

Fan theories have included suggestions that the episode is set entirely within a TARDIS – with the Doctor's ship landing inside another time/space machine – or that all this cloak and dagger is concealing a huge surprise return, with names put forth including Carole Ann Ford as the Doctor's granddaughter Susan and Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor.

There's also a school of thought that the episode will feature an early appearance from Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, and even Millie Gibson's new companion Ruby Sunday.

We know for a fact that the events of Flux, the Doctor Who series arc aired in 2021, will be dealt with "very slightly" in the episode, which has led fans to guess at everything from some involvement from The Division to a story set during "the Dark Times" (an age of chaos and monsters that predated the Doctor's reality).

To be clear, all of this is just guesswork at this point. In fact, Tom Kingsley, director on Wild Blue Yonder, has sought to play down the rumours while acknowledging that the plot is "a TOTAL SECRET".

Describing the episode as "weird and exciting", he added: "Fan PSA: the story of Wild Blue Yonder isn’t a secret because there are any surprise returning actors or villains. It’s just because we thought you might find it fun to watch it without knowing what’s going to happen next. Promise!"

Couldn't that rationale apply to any other episode, though? Adventures that weren't/aren't being kept under wraps to the same degree?

Perhaps the biggest clue we have to latch on to comes via David Tennant. Speaking to Total TV Guide, he said: "The second script is unlike any Doctor Who I’ve ever seen.

"I don’t want to give too much away, but I was always aware of the casting that was going to be part of the episode. That was something that Russell was very specific about. I just didn’t imagine it would… manifest itself in the way that it does..."

Could this piece of casting be the cause of all the covertness? If we take director Kingsley at his word that Tennant and Tate will be the only series veterans appearing, then perhaps it's not a returnee we should be expecting but some other familiar face – a big name actor whose casting is yet to be announced? Or just a particular type of performer?

Clearly, whoever it is, or whoever they are, said casting has a significant impact on the plot...

"I love humans," the Eighth Doctor once commented. "Always seeing patterns in things that aren't there," - it does feel, however, as though something is definitely afoot here.

Just three days to wait until the exact nature of that secret is revealed...'

#Doctor Who #60th Anniversary #Wild Blue Yonder #David Tennant #Catherine Tate #Donna Noble #The Star Beast #Beep The Meep #Miriam Margolyes #The Toymaker #Neil Patrick Harris #Tom Kingsley #Susan Twist #Mrs. Merridew #Russell T. Davies

[wutheringmights]

Chapter 18: The Unlovable Hands & The Fever Dreams Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Additional Tags: Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Alternate Universe, Character Study, War, world building, Trauma, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Political Intrigue, Found Family, Angst and Humor, Warriors is a very complicated person, Warriors also does not know Time is Mask, Warriors (Linked Universe)-centric, Canon-Typical Violence, Heavy Angst, Manipulation, Morally Ambiguous Character, Please read content warnings before each chapter, Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Physical Abuse, Implied Sexual Content, Power Imbalance, Implied/Referenced Torture, Blood and Injury

Summary: Warriors built his career waging the kingdom’s wars, seeking victory no matter the cost. He wouldn’t call himself a good person, but he had long sworn to right his wrongs and become someone worthy of the title of hero.

Years past. Now his time-hopping journey with his fellow heroes has taken him back home when war looms on the horizons once more—a war that threatens to ensnare not only Warriors, but his newfound family as well.

He’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep them safe, but how long can he tread the line between hero and traitor before the secrets of his dark past come to the light? When this is over, will he even have a family left to save? Or will he be the harbinger of his family’s demise?

(Once upon a time, there were three brothers: the captain, the  engineer, and the child. Their story did not have a happy ending.)

After battling the forces of capitalism, holiday blues, and the power company, I am finally back with another chapter!

This chapter is a doozy, though I freely admit that I am mostly setting-up for the cluster fuck that is going to be the next three chapters. I am so excited for you all to see where this story goes.

But enough about future chapters, let’s talk about this one.

In this new installment of that fic your discord server complains about with copious amounts of emojis:

Link, the engineer, and the child continue to just... really go at it..

Keeping Up With the Harkinians returns with another deep dive into Warriors’s family life

We temporarily change genre to become a sick fic

It’s not a fun sick fic, but someone is very, very sick.

➡READ IT HERE⬅

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu warriors #lu time #lu sky #lu four #lu legend #lu hyrule #lu twilight #lu wind #lu wild #lu oc #Lu fanfic #Lu fanfiction #linked universe fanfic #lu ctb #lu call them brothers #update announcement #lu linkle #call them brothers #the discord thing is a joke i have no idea if that happens or not #legend of zelda

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Hello!! For the ask game: ✏️🖋️🖥️

(It’s nice to meet another sapphic aspec!)

Nice to meet another one too! Thanks for the ask!

I ended up writing A LOT about this ask! Super excited to share everything (thank you!!!) but it's super long so under the cut. But I did format a bit to make it hopefully easier to read.

✏️"what are your current WIPs about?"

The main WIPs that I'm currently focusing on are The Secret Portal and School of the Legends, the former of which with more focus.

The Secret Portal is about a group of preteens/teens who discover a portal to another dimension. This dimension is full of people with powers with a minority of those without. After decades of protests from the oppressed minority, tensions rose, and eventually turned into a war of two extremes.

Hard to explain how everything connects, but I appreciate the nuance and multi-perspective approach this needs, but man is it hard. So much brainpower to make this story work, but I'm proud of what I have.

Despite a young cast this is a YA series (think Stranger Things in terms of age of characters vs demographic. This is TV-14 so to speak). I focus heavily on young perspectives because a) I was a kid when writing this for the first time (see later this post) so it just happened but also b) it ended up working thematically with a level of innocence needed there. Bonus, c) being in education I'm fascinated with young minds.

Still a long way to go and currently in the beta reading stage (see pinned post), which is definitely needed given a wide range of topics and fully appreciated to those who have given me their advice.

Planned to be a five book series that's essentially a long continuation from each installment to the next.

School of the Legends is a much easier story to write even if I don't have everything planned yet. It deals with various legends, stories, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, etc. in the same universe, but My Version, aka, things are based on the above, but not a direct copy.

The titular school is an international school meant for those gifted (people born with powers), magicked (people learning magic as a skill), and cursed (people who have powers thrust upon them).

I have an outline for the overall plot of the series (four books are planned) but not super far into it.

Have more characters planned than I know what to do with but most will probably be in the background no matter how sad that makes me.

🖋️"what inspired you to write your WIPs?"

Hm... Sometimes it's just impulse but let's backtrack.

TSP was first conceived as a grade school creative writing project. I just went overboard. Let's get into it.

Went into more detail on my website and tiktok, but the short version is that it was loosely inspired by a stuffed animals game from when I was a little younger which was in turn was loosely inspired by (drumroll) The Rainbow Magic fairy series. Don't know how that happened, so I guess that was a huge influence despite no similarities now.

My friends all inspired parts of it, as most of the OCs have their roots being friend inserts (gone now but it's funny the fragments that are left over from this).

What inspired me to keep going, however, was actually a bit of pride. I was super proud of the original assignment (15 pages!!! Twice as much as the second longest!! I got a 100%!!) and was also super invested in the world I made.

Admittedly when middle school me decided to turn this into a more """"grown up"""" series, it go really cringe...but I was so ambitious this would be published some day (HA).

TSP became what it is today due to an obsessive amount of writing in eighth grade (age 14) and hitting a block in all projects and deciding to start it over, very different from previous drafts.

SOTL was a bit of a passion side project that wasn't meaning to be #2 in WIPs, but I like where we are and it has more broad areas of inspiration.

What started my love for fairy tale adaptations were the Whatever After series and The Land of Stories series, especially the latter. I wanted to make my own version, so had some ideas for characters once again based on my friends. No plot ideas.

In early seventh grade I wrote a dreadful draft that included a "princess school" which was inspired by...I don't actually know I think I read a lot of princess school books but I don't remember the titles. So inspiration from there of course.

Other fairy tale retellings just increased my love for the subgenre, and I got more passionate about making my own, though each draft is so different it's hard to draw connections. It was basically an idea I tried until it worked.

🖥️"what types of writing do you do?"

Well, there's the obvious novel writing.

I love it. It's so hard but I live for the thrill.

Novels are more my thing because I have Too Many Ideas. I wrote a lot of short stories in my creative writing class and found them too limiting. Some may become novels, some maybe novellas. We will have to see.

Fiction is my thing but especially fantasy (I'm using this as a broad term that means "not realistic fiction" including sci-fi and other branches - I'm actually bad at high fantasy).

TSP has annoying sci-fi elements (I walked into this as if this project needed to be harder!), but SOTL is a more relaxed fantasy.

I love reading realistic fiction, but for my writing RF is too real sometimes, if that makes sense. That's obvious...idk how to get across what I'm saying, but I find myself able to express myself through fantasy when I'm doing my own creative writing.

Even in my creative writing class, I'd always make a fantasy story, since we never were told anything had to be realistic fiction. Never intentionally, that's just where my brain defaulted to. I can't think of a single realistic fiction idea I haven't scrapped completely.

It's not that I don't like RF, I LOVE reading it. But it's not for me writing.

I also tend to write geared toward Young Adult. Maybe I'll go for MG or New Adult but I think YA is my ballpark.

Outside of fictional writing, I mainly write reviews or analyses of other media.

I don't post these anywhere attached to this pen name, they're mainly just for me and my friends.

I don't need the world to know my opinions, but I need my opinions on paper. I am a writer by nature, so I feel a compulsion, an itch, to write down my thoughts on everything and anything.

And when I have super strong opinions about X media...well I gotta write about it. Whether it's short form reviews of movies, complex reviews of TV shows, rants about X subject, I gotcha.

I'm working hard on a review/analysis right now, so haven't worked on TSP in over a month, which is awful, but I need to reach a stopping point for this project before going back to it. I do think it is a needed break, though, since I find marathoning writing for TSP before needing to take a step back before another marathon.

I also find analyzing media, why I like it, why I don't, what worked, what didn't, helps me in my writing. By examining other works, I realize how I can improve my craft, by either doing something or not doing something or learning from another media. They're intertwined, to me.

I do writing for school, too. Education major and am working on a case study. I actually like it?? Combining two interests is interesting who knew?

And that's the end of this super long post!! This was so much fun thank you for the ask and thank you and anyone who actually read this far!

#writing blog #writers on tumblr #the secret portal #tsp #teaspoon #wip #my wip #school of the legends #ask #writing ask #wip ask game #wip ask meme #wip ask #ask answered #writing community