#every time i show this little project of mine people tell me i better find a way to monetize it to make money off of this

[wis-art]

Not a big fan of capitalism

#i do not want to charge people to see my art #i have a job on top of doing this little art blog #every time i show this little project of mine people tell me i better find a way to monetize it to make money off of this #its just very frustrating to constantly have to explain that i want people to just see and cherish my drawings #i dont want to be reliant on making art to make my money i think that'd not work with what im going for #and it would turn art into a deeply frustrating experience i try to constantly optimize to get the most amount of money from #rendering experiments and trying out new artstyles something that could legit put me out of eating food 👍 #but really #the job is not good for me i am always do exhausted #it really takes so much effort to draw sometimes

[claudemblems]

Operation "Kiss the Girl" | Chapter 3: The Final Date

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Summary: It's the last day you have to win the heart of Azul Ashengrotto and get him to kiss you, otherwise you will be fated to remain a mermaid forever. Will he return your feelings and save you with the power of true love's kiss? You will only know once you can gather the courage to confess your love to him...

Genre: Fem!Reader. Lots of pining. Fluff.

Notes: This is a long one at 4,500+ words! I wanted it to be a satisfying ending, and I truly hope it fulfills your expectations 💜 I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for reading this little project of mine.

Today would be the day where your life would change, for the worse or for the better.

This would be the day where you would confess your feelings to Azul, and if all went well, he would return them and gladly break your curse of mermaidism with a kiss. But nothing is ever as easy as it seems, and, though you had begun to believe that maybe he felt the same way about you, you couldn’t shake off the doubts that clung to the back of your mind. 

What if I’m imagining things? What if this is just wishful thinking? What if all my efforts to win his heart have been for nothing…?

You shook your head, dispelling the negative thoughts. No. I didn’t come all this way to give up now. Whatever happened, you would accept his answer with grace. Azul didn’t owe you anything. He didn’t owe you a “yes” or a cure for your predicament that he wasn’t responsible for causing. In fact, after all he’d done for you, you were the one that owed him. After the day’s end, you decided, you would start planning out a way to show him just how much you truly appreciated him.

A buzz in your pocket pulled you out of your wandering thoughts, and you pulled out your phone to find a text from Azul.

“I’ll be there in two minutes. I got a little lost along the way.”

You couldn’t stifle the small laugh that escaped you. Azul had never been good with directions, at least on land. Really, he was more of a fish out of water than you were.

After the events of yesterday, Azul had called later that evening to check if you were feeling better. He didn’t trust Ace and Deuce to take care of you, especially when he believed they’d actually ditched you while they went to class. I’m going to have to tell him the truth about that, for those two dummies’ sakes, at least. But once you’d assured him that you were feeling much better, he’d offered you a proposition.

“If you’re feeling up to it, would you like to accompany me to a local festival tomorrow? It might help get your mind off of things…but please, don’t feel obligated to accept my invitation! I know you’ve been dealing with a lot lately, so I don’t want to add more onto your plate. I just—” “It’s okay, Azul,” you laughed, smiling to yourself. Azul couldn’t help his rambling when he got nervous, but you found it to be a cute habit of his. “I’d love to go…is it just going to be the two of us?” “Yes…is that okay?” “Of course. I need a break from these two over here anyways.” “I don’t blame you.”

And so Azul had unknowingly scheduled your last “date” for you. When you’d told Ace and Deuce the news, they’d made Jade and Floyd aware of the new plans, and they reached a consensus that they would “observe” your date to make sure everything went smoothly. 

Ah yes, totally not spying.

And, of course, Rook had just “happened to be on a stroll nearby” when he overheard the conversation and insisted on helping you as well.

This was how he and Vil had ended up doing your makeup for the first date. He’d just conveniently walked by at a good time. His whereabouts totally weren’t related to him researching people, especially the octo trio, every chance he got.

Either way, you were thankful for the help, and so you took him up on his offer.

That morning, Vil, Rook, and Epel did your makeup and hair and picked out a cute yet stylish flowy dress for you to be comfortable in. And to tie the look together, Vil had gifted you a pair of heels that he’d been given from one of his many brand partnerships. They happened to fit you just perfectly, and once the three were satisfied with your look, they sent you off on your way, telling you to come back home before midnight. You’d rolled your eyes at their antics, but you were glad to have their support. 

“[Name], I’m here!”

“Oh!” You snapped out of your thoughts as Azul came running into view wearing a sheepish smile. “Sorry I’m a little late. I got the directions mixed up, and Jade and Floyd were talking to me nonstop. I don’t even know what about, but they seemed really excited for some reason.”

I can guess why…

“It’s okay! I wasn’t doing anything anyways.”

“Well, that’s good to hear then.” Azul extended his arm for you to take, ever the gentleman as always. “Shall we go look around the festival?”

You nodded as you slipped your arm around his, your heart fluttering in your chest at the brush of his skin against yours.

“What would you like to do first? Shopping?” he asked with a knowing smile. 

“Hmm…what gave it away that I like shopping?”

“Maybe the assortment of plushies scattered around your dorm.”

“I…Those are Grim’s!”

“Ah, of course they are. My apologies.”

“That smirk on your face says that you’re not sorry at all, Ashengrotto.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

As if things couldn’t possibly get more ironic, the festival that Azul had invited you to was ocean-themed, particularly focused around mermaids. The glittering shells and bubbles that lined the streets and stalls made it obvious for anyone who might have been unsure. 

“It’s quite a nice theme for a festival, don’t you think?” Azul asked, an unmistakable sparkle in his eyes. Oh, right. He’s a merperson. He must be happy to see all these references to his home.

“Speaking of oceans…” you began, “what do you think of mermaids?”

“Mermaids?” Azul considered your question as you two aimlessly wandered along the carpeted streets made to look like the deep seafloor. “They’re crafty creatures, that’s for sure, but they’re nowhere near as dangerous as sirens.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Wait, how did Professor Crewel manage to get sirens’ songs to power your necklace? …Maybe you didn’t want to know.

“But, if I’m being honest…” A smile played at the edges of Azul’s lips, but if he was brimming with excitement, he didn’t show it. It seemed that even out in public, he still tried to maintain his cool and collected businessman persona. “They’re fascinating. I may be used to seeing them all the time, but there’s a mysterious allure to them. It’s like I can’t learn enough about them to satiate my curiosity. Perhaps one of these days I’ll have the opportunity to do business with one.”

He likes mermaids? Well, if your confession didn’t go well, at least you had that going for you.

“I quite like them, too,” you answered before your eyes landed on something shiny in the distance. Without warning, you picked up your pace, nearly running to the booth that displayed the eye-catching object. 

“Wow,” you breathed, eyes growing wide. On the table was a pair of pearl earrings, diamonds attached to the ends of the chains. “These are gorgeous.”

“Aren’t they?” the vendor added, flashing you what had to be a well-rehearsed smile. There was no doubt they’d managed to secure several successful sales with it. 

“Oh, these are rather pretty,” Azul said once he’d caught up with you. He gently took them in his hands (much to the obvious annoyance of the vendor), inspecting the jewels. “These are 100% authentic diamonds and pearls. What a surprise. You’d think the first pieces of jewelry you’d find at a festival would be overpriced knockoffs not worth half the price they’d be going for.”

“I can assure you, sir,” the vendor replied, “that my jewelry is completely genuine and worth the cost. But if you’re still not persuaded to buy them, I could find it in my heart to offer you a small discount.”

“A discount? Whatever for?”

“For your girlfriend, of course,” the vendor answered, nodding their head towards you. “She can’t take her eyes off of them.”

WHAT???!!!

Heat rushed to your cheeks as you tried to stutter out a reply. “We—he’s—well—”

“That would be great. How much of a discount could you give us? Would you throw in a freebie as well?”

“I’ll tell you what. If you buy one of these little rings, I’ll give you a free hair accessory of your choosing.”

“It’s a deal, then.”

WHAT????????!!!!!!!!!!!

“Um, A-Azul, are you sure about this—”

“Shh,” he replied, pressing a finger to his lips and sending you a wink. “They don’t need to know.”

I think he needs to know he’s making my heart race right now!

Before you could muster up the courage to speak, Azul had already picked out a beautiful ring and hair accessory that perfectly matched the pearl earrings. When the vendor had boxed up the items for him, Azul took out a stack of madol and handed it to them without even so much as considering the expense.

Azul…was buying you things…without even despairing over the cost of it all.

Yeah, you had to be going insane.

“Thank you so much for your generosity! I’m sure my darling [Name] will wear these pieces for a long time.”

Darling.

You felt as though you might just faint.

“[Name], are you all right? You look a little pale. Shall we find somewhere to sit down for a while? I can get you something to eat, too, if necessary.”

“I’m fine, Azul,” you reassured, gently patting his arm. But my heart is not. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Actually,” the jewelry vendor cut in, “there’s a karaoke lounge a little ways down the street. It’s also part of the festival, so everything inside coincides with the ocean theme, including the songs, of course.”

Was the world of Twisted Wonderland just laughing in your face at your predicament now? 

“That sounds like a good idea. Come on, let’s go rest up for a little bit. I’ll lead the way.”

“Aren’t you bad with directions, though?” you asked, flashing Azul a cheeky smile. 

“Well, you certainly don’t feel bad enough to stop teasing me, so I think we can take our time getting there.”

Despite the pout on his lips, you could see how he visibly began to relax, any stress he felt cascading off of him.

He was worried, more so than he let on. Worried about you. 

It was a nice feeling having his full attention. You could get used to it.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

“Come on, Azul! You didn’t bring me to a karaoke place just so you could sit there and not sing something yourself, did you?”

“I brought you here so you could get some rest! I wasn’t planning on having a concert!”

You laughed at the sight of Azul’s cheeks flushing red. How cute. 

“Sing one song with me, please~?”

“Trust me, you do not want to hear me sing.”

“But didn’t you perform with Malleus at that masquerade thing? You sounded really good!”

“Oh, I’d forgotten I did that,” Azul mumbled, tapping a finger on his chin in contemplation. “I only did it because he insisted—hey, don’t try to change the subject!” He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. “You’d have to pay me a hefty sum to sing karaoke of all things.”

“Well, what if I made a deal with you?”

Azul raised a brow. “A deal?”

You took a seat next to him in the private room you’d reserved, leaving almost no space between your bodies. Azul took a nervous gulp, but didn’t dare make his nerves any more noticeable than they needed to be.

“How about this: if you sing a duet with me, I’ll perform a show at Mostro Lounge. The students will definitely want to stop by if they hear a girl is going to be singing, right?”

“W-Well…” Azul adjusted his glasses. “You do have a point, but…”

“But…?”

A few moments of silence followed.

Oh no, did you manage to upset him?

But before you had a chance to apologize, Azul spoke again.

“I’d…rather you just sing for me, and nobody else…”

Your eyes grew wide, your breath catching in your throat. Your pulse thrummed with hope and a growing anticipation. Was this bold admission a glimpse into Azul’s deeper feelings, ones that he’d kept in total secrecy? This had to be a sign, a nudge telling you to keep trying to win his heart. Something in the air was shifting between you two, you could feel it.

But what exactly was it?

You smiled at him. “Well, then, how should I repay you for singing with me?”

Suddenly, you became aware of your close proximity to him. Your skin grew hot, heartbeat becoming erratic, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to pull away. If anything, you were leaning in closer…

And you were certain Azul was, too.

But the dreamlike trance you two had fallen into was shattered as Azul came to his senses. 

“You don’t have to repay me,” he answered, redirecting his gaze from you to the glass of juice sitting on the table. “...I’ll sing with you.”

Were you just imagining the tension in the atmosphere earlier? Had you read it all wrong?

Either way, you weren’t going to pass up an opportunity to sing with your crush.

“Okay. How does ‘Part of Your World’ sound?”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

You both had decided that just singing ‘Part of Your World’ just wasn’t enough, and so you two continued on performing more songs from the same soundtrack, including ‘Under the Sea,’ ‘Fathoms Below,’ and ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls.’” Thankfully, it seemed that Azul was enjoying himself, sending you smiles and even meeting you eye-to-eye as he sang some of the lines. You were just glad to see that he wasn’t angry with you with what happened earlier. As long as he was having a good time, you couldn’t ask for anything else.

But he’d sung enough for one day, he’d decided, and so you chose one more song to sing on your own before you two left to explore more of the festival.

The song you chose to end the karaoke session on was ‘Part of Your World (Reprise)’.

“What would I give to live where you are?” you sang, turning yourself away from the screen to meet Azul’s eyes, wishing that the lyrics would resonate in his heart like a love letter written just for him. 

“What would I pay to stay here beside you?”

Azul’s cheeks flushed, and you had to keep yourself from grinning even wider.

“What would I do to see you smiling at me?

Where would we walk, where would we run

If we could stay all day in the sun?

Just you and me, and I could be

Part of your world…”

After the last note fell off your lips, Azul responded with applause. Despite the obvious flustered state you’d rendered him into, he was gazing at you with such a soft and happy expression. It seemed that your words might have just reached him after all.

“That was beautiful,” he replied. “Your voice is beautiful. You should sing more often.”

“I could,” you answered, “but it would only be for you.”

“Oh. Oh.”

You giggled, throwing him a wink before gathering your drinks. “We should take these back to the front and let the staff know we’re done in here, right?” Before Azul could answer your question, you were already out of the door, your quick footsteps matching the quick rhythm of your heart.

You’d never flirted with him so blatantly before. It was terrifying, but it was also a feeling that left you light-headed, one that added a little spring into your step.

You’d like to try it again if you ever got the chance.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

After a few more hours spent partaking in the festivities, the day was finally drawing to a close. You and Azul had retreated to a nearby beach, strolling along the sandy shores in a peaceful silence. The sky had slowly begun to turn from a bright blue into a rosy pink, signaling the beginning of the sunset.

This was it. This was the moment you’d been building up to these past three days, a fairytale ending that would break your curse, and Azul was your prince that would save you from your terrible fate.

At least, you hoped so. If all this amounted to nothing, you would end up a mermaid destined to spend the rest of her life in an unfamiliar sea, never to return home.

Despite your desire to become a human once more, this wasn’t all some elaborate plan to trick Azul into helping you. You realized after all this time together that you truly loved him. You adored every part of him, and even if he turned you down, you would forever be grateful that you had the chance to meet him. 

Well, here goes nothing…

“Azul, thank you for taking me to the festival today. I had a lot of fun.”

“I’m glad,” he answered, turning to smile at you. “That’s all I could have asked for.”

And yet here I am, asking for more.

“But…I have something I have to tell you.”

Azul stopped in his tracks, attention fully on you. His brows were furrowed, giving his worry away. “Of course. Is something wrong?”

“Well, yes and no, to be honest,” you laughed, but Azul’s eyes were filled with a growing concern. “”I just…I…I don’t know how to say it…” You breathed out a shaky sigh as you covered your face with your hands. “No. No, I can’t get cold feet now!”

“Hey,” Azul soothed, placing his hands gently on your shoulders. “It’s all right. You have nothing to be afraid of. I’m here to listen to you. You’re safe with me.”

Though the anxiety in the pit of your stomach seemed to keep growing, his calm voice at least pulled you out of your shell. You removed your hands that shielded your red cheeks and lifted your eyes to his, desperate to find the courage to speak your feelings out into the world.

If you couldn’t do it like the way you practiced—romantic and perfect in every way—it didn’t matter. He just needed to know. 

“Azul, I’m in love with you, and I need you to know before I find myself doomed to never have an opportunity to say it again.”

Azul’s eyes shot open, mouth agape in shock. His pale complexion had taken on a brilliant shade of red as his mouth tried to form the right words to respond, but he couldn't manage to speak.

“I got into an accident in alchemy class in which Ace and Deuce accidentally gave me a curse of mermaidism. I only have three days to get my true love to kiss me, otherwise I’ll stay a mermaid forever. Professor Crewel gave me this magical necklace which allows me to stay a human for a short period of time, but it won’t last forever. By the time today’s sunset appears over the horizon, I will turn into a mermaid forever. I will have to leave everything behind to live in the sea, never to be a human again.”

The words seemed to spill from your tongue, and though this was quite a clumsy way of confessing everything, you were overcome with nervousness, and your time was running out. You just hoped his quick-witted mind would pick up on every detail, and that his heart would be inclined to help you, even if he didn’t even love you back.

“That’s why I had dinner with you in the Mostro Lounge, and why I pretended to be sick, and why I joined you at this festival, now deciding to divulge my feelings to you. But despite all of that, my feelings for you were never a lie or some sort of trick. I truly love you, so so much. And I’m so thankful for you. Thank you for being there for me, for being by my side, and for taking care of me. Even if you don’t love me back, Azul…thank you for everything.”

The sun had just started to peek over the sea, and taking Azul’s silence as rejection, you readied yourself for the new and uncertain future ahead of you.

That’s what you were preparing yourself for until a sniffle reached your eyes.

You raised your head to meet Azul’s gaze, and for a moment, time stopped.

Tears brimmed at the edges of his eyes as he gave you the most beautiful smile you’d ever seen him wear. The sight alone made your heart swell, and you swore you never felt so loved in your entire life. Without a word even being spoken, his expression alone had conveyed all that and more to you.

“You’re so silly,” was Azul’s first response, his hands brushing away the stray strands of hair that had fallen in front of your face. 

Silly…is that a good thing?

Azul laughed, no doubt catching the confusion on your face. “You should have told me earlier. I would have kissed you a long time ago.”

“W-What?” you breathed, your heart beat picking up its pace.

“Have you not realized?” Azul blushed, voice growing softer. “I’ve loved you for a long time now.”

Oh. Oh. 

“Really?” Your voice was barely more than a whisper, tentative yet hopeful.

“Yes,” Azul replied. “Although, if you’d asked me then, I probably would have turned into a stuttering mess before I could finally manage to squeak out a ‘yes’.”

A light laugh managed to escape you at the thought. “That would have been cute, though.”

“You’re making me embarrassed just thinking about it.”

Still, Azul’s smile never faltered. If anything, it only grew as he pulled you into him, wrapping his arms securely around you. “Thank you for returning my feelings, [Name]. It is the greatest honor that could ever be bestowed upon me.”

“You don’t have to be so formal,” you laughed, closing your eyes and hugging him tighter. “But the honor is all mine…”

He hummed, his fingers dancing along your back, leaving goosebumps along your skin.

“So…” you began, “is that a ‘yes’ to accepting my feelings?”

Azul pulled back slightly to playfully tap your forehead. “I think so, considering I just bared my whole heart to you.”

“Just checking.”

Azul playfully rolled his eyes at your teasing as you breathed out a long sigh of relief, your body finally relaxing after a long day of mulling over how this moment would play out. It turns out you had nothing to be concerned about, after all. In fact, your confession went much better than you ever expected.

“I was really worried how I was going to win over your heart,” you admitted. “I thought I had to pull out all the stops to make you fall for me.”

Azul shook his head at your words. “You already had my heart. There was no need to win it over.”

Your cheeks burned once more, but this time you chose not to hide your face from view. Instead, you looked directly into Azul’s bright eyes glistening with something that could only be described as pure euphoria.

I can’t remember a time where I’ve ever felt so happy.

And it seems the same can be said for him, too.

“Wait, you said you had until sunset, right?” Azul asked, suddenly remembering your words from earlier.

“Oh…yes, that’s right.” You had gotten so caught up in your excitement that you’d nearly forgotten the urgency of your current situation. 

And as if on cue, the mermaid scales had begun to reappear on your skin. Azul’s eyes followed yours down to your arms, and he extended his hand, asking for permission to touch you. You nodded in approval, and lifting your arm, he took in the sight of the brilliant shades of teal covering your skin.

“You know, if you ever did decide to become a mermaid, you’d make quite the beautiful one.”

“...You’re no fair, Azul” you sighed, this time unable to keep yourself from hiding your blushing face from view. You heard Azul chuckle quietly to himself, but you decided to let him off the hook for trying to get you all flustered…for now.

“Well, shall I, as your true love, set you free from this dreadful curse?”

You giggled at his theatrics, deciding to join in on the fun. “Please, my darling prince, rescue me with true love’s kiss.”

And before you knew it, his hand was on your cheek and his face was inches from yours, giving you an opportunity to change your mind or object. But when you smiled back at him, he returned the gesture, and slowly, painstakingly so, he leaned in until his lips finally descended upon yours in a moment of pure bliss.

As soon as his lips touched yours, you felt the scales disappear into your skin like ripples along the water’s surface, gone as if they’d never been there in the first place.

His mouth moved carefully against yours like gentle ocean waves, pulling you in deeper and deeper before pushing you back out to shore. But you dove in again and again, wanting to get lost in the tide, as long as it meant you could remain with him. Indeed, you’d let yourself get pulled into the depths of the sea just so you would never have to part from him again. That was why you needed to bask in his touch until the very last moment, to keep this memory etched in your mind forever.

When the need for a breath finally arose, Azul’s lips left yours, slightly swollen and faintly pink from the stains of your lipstick.

“Wow,” were the first words to fall from his mouth after your kiss, and it was such a sincere and sweet reaction that it made you burst into giggles.

He just gets cuter and cuter as the days go by.

“Even though I would have never wanted you to find yourself in this predicament in the first place,” Azul began, taking one of your hands in his, “I’m glad it brought us together in the end. If you left Twisted Wonderland before I found the courage to confess, I would have spent the rest of my life regretting it.”

“Well then…maybe we should thank Ace and Deuce later?”

“No, those two are idiots. I’m just glad they didn’t accidentally turn you into a frog.”

Your laughter echoed with the sounds of the ocean waves, creating a happy and serene atmosphere that left you feeling more at peace than you’d been in a long time. And now with your curse cured, you could look forward to all the memories you could continue to make on land, but this time, with Azul by your side.

Wordlessly, you entwined your hands with his, and the two of you turned to stare out at the sea, hearts full of new and beautiful feelings.

Three days had passed, and now a lifetime of them spent loving Azul remained.

#twst #twst x reader #azul #azul x reader #twisted wonderland

[fool-who-dreams]

little dirt-ball of happiness

summary:

Inspired by @yourallihave 's request!!

i dont know if you’re doing requests but if u do can i please req a peter parker x wilson! avenger! reader (deadpool)? except reader is only similar to their dad bcs of how good they are at killing people but they’re pretty awkward and shy so all the avengers freak out when they find out they’re deadpool’s kid through an interaction on the field? PLEASE have their weapon be a huge scythe 🤍🤍 feel free to experiment with this bcs i have no super clear idea,, thank you!!

“Hey!” You heard a cheery voice call right behind you. You closed your locker trying not to let your books fall to the ground before tuning around.

“Oh, hey” You replied, surprised by the presence of the cute, curly-haired boy in your chemistry class.

“y/n, right?” He asked scratching the back of his neck, his eyes fixated on the ground.

“yes.” You muttered as your cheeks heated up. You've had a crush on that boy since the beginning of the school year; he was your “permanent crush”, that one person that you’ll always like and that your mind always goes back to, even though you’ve rarely even spoken to the boy. “What can I do for you Peter?”

“Oh you know my name. That’s- that’s good. That is reaaally good.” He mumbled, mostly to himself. “Can I- do you- how- how are you?” He stumbled over his words a few times. If you weren’t blinded by the fact that Peter Parked was talking to you, you’d think the scene was almost painful to watch. “I heard you had the flu last week so you weren’t in class, but since you’re here now I assume you feel better, don't you? Do you- are you better?”

“I’m better, yes, I guess. Thanks for asking.” You chuckle. You felt confused and amused by the situation.

“I just-“ He paused before taking a deep breath. “So, when you were not here we were assigned projects in couples in chemistry class. It’s due in a few weeks, I figured we should start working on it, since you’re better and the flu is go-”

“Wo-wo-wo wait. So…we’re partners?” You asked, trying not to sound too enthusiastic (which you were) and also trying to keep your eyes from lighting up.

“Yeah, wait- haven’t I mentioned that?” He blushed from embarrassment for not having said the one thing he came here to tell you.

“No, but I figured.” You chuckled.

“So, should we start working on it like, maybe…after school?” His voice went lower in volume by the end of the question.

“Yeah, absolutely. Sure.” You replied, a little too soon.

“Great!” The biggest smile appeared on his face at your answer. “How about tomorrow? At mine?”

“Sounds good. See you tomorrow.” You waved as you turned around, starting to walk towards your class. You knew you wouldn’t have been able to hold your smile in for much longer, so you let it blossom the moment you turned your back on the boy.

Little did you know, so did he.

—🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸—

“Morning old scumbag” You greeted your father, sipping your morning tea.

“Good morning to you, too, my little bundle of joy” Wade replied with a big smile painted on his face.

“I won’t be home for lunch today.” You informed. “I’ve got to work on a group project, we wanna get it over with as soon as possible.” “Alright. What kind of project is it? Maybe I can he-“ “Chemistry. Science. Maths. Whatever stuff you suck at.”

“Well, good thing it’s a group project then, because we both know you got that from me.” He sweet tone trying to take the focus off the passive-aggressive insult. It was your relationship. You loved each other very much, and that was just your weird, twisted way of showing it. If you’d ever be seen in public together you’d both probably get taken, or at least questioned, by authorities. And the sole thought of that made the two of you laugh every time.

Truth is, your father rarely left home as a civilian, he always did in his “superhero” costume. And you never were allowed to go out and fight, so you only ever left as y/n Wilson.

“C’mon, it’s late. I’m driving you.” Wade declared in a decisive tone as he grabbed the car keys and walked to the door.

“What- I can get the bus dad, thanks.”

“Why? What do you have to hide? Or even better, WHO?”

“Nobody! I just-“

“You have a boyfriend.”

“I don’t!”

He gasped. “You have a girlfriend!”

“I’m not dating anyone!”

“You sound rather defensive for a teenager who doesn’t have a-”

“OKAY BYE DAD, I’ll see you later.” You said, quickly getting your coat and walking towards the door.

“You’re ashamed of me, aren’t you?” His face fell a little to the (wrong) realization, which made your heart fall a little, too.

“That’s absolutely not it! I just- none of the other kids is driven to school, and I-“ 

“No, it’s fine, I understand. Who would want to be seen with a monster like me? You better go or you’ll miss the bus.”

You sighed, annoyed. “Fine. You can drive me.”

“YES!” He clapped his hands, opening the door. “Works like a charm every single time!”

—🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸—

“There we are. Have a nice day and break up with whomever you’re dating because you’re under the age of 70, which is the right age to start dating.” He said in one breath with a mocking smile plastered on his face. He kissed your forehead before you opened the door.

“I’ll see you later.” You rolled your eyes playfully at your father. You started walking towards the school entrance.

“Hey y/n!” You heard Peter’s voice call.

“Hey, Pete!”

“So, are we still on for today?”

“Yeah, totally.” You smiled warmly, the same warmth that spread from you stomach to your face every time he talked to you. Your conversation was interrupted by your ringtone, so you quickly excused yourself to walk away and answer.

“What now, dad?" “Who is that?!”

“That who?” “The boy you’re talking to! I said no boyfriend, and you reassured me that-“

“Is that why you insisted on driving me this time?” You whisper-yelled on the phone, making sure Peter couldn’t hear this embarrassing conversation (little did you know, his spidey senses made it so that his hearing was way above average).

“Of course! Why would I do that then?”

“I don’t know, because New York is dangerous?”

“Oh no, I don’t worry about that. Isn’t your school Spider-guy’s territory? I like that guy, he has a nice costume.”

“Are you saying I cannot take care of myself?”

“Oh please, you could save the Avengers and their mothers from an alien-zombie apocalypse, and you know it damn well!”

“Ow, don’t make me blush now.” You giggled.

“Break up with him.”

“I can’t, because we are not together!” You said one last time before hanging up.

—🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸—

“So, you’re saying that you’ve never seen Star Wars?!” Peter widened his eyes, making you giggle at his reaction.

“Never.”

“Get out.” He shoved you jokingly, trying to stay serious, but failing.

“Hey! You’ve never been to the Avengers Museum!”

“Those things are on two separate levels of importance, and Star Wars comes first. Star Wars always comes first!”

You giggled.

“This ice cream is good, isn’t it?” You asked, racing against the blinding sun to avoid wasting your food. “Thanks again, by the way. It was really nice of you to offer.” Saying this took all your strength

“It’s my pleasure. Glad you enjoy it.” His cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink, which made you smile softly.

As you were talking, Peter stopped abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk. “Hey, Pere, is everything okay?” You asked, worried.

“Yeah, it’s just…I thought I’d seen something.” He dismisses, still looking rather confused and cautious.

“Are you sure? If it’s a bad moment we can reschedule for anoth-“

“RUN!” Peter interrupted you.

The two of you started running, as fast and far as possible. Peter was rather impressed by the resistance and constancy of your running: you looked like you could easily keep up with him, and he was a superhero. This made him feel relieved, though, because it meant that you were going to be fine and safe. Although, he knew you’d be safe because he had made a promise to himself to keep you safe (and happy) the day he had seen you smile for the first time. He couldn’t bear a day without seeing that spark in his eyes, which had soon grown to be the light to his own eyes.

Pete found it funny how he would always realize his feelings or have his deepest thoughts right these moments, when he knew there was nothing he could do about it, nothing but fight; fight to see the light another day, so that he could make it right. And with you, he wanted nothing more.

To be exact, he realized all this the second he saw you laying on the floor, hopeless and scared. Your foot had gotten caught in the menace that was about to frighten the whole city: creatures started arising from the ground. The closest definition for these alien monsters — or what the Avengers later on simplified the species as — was just “zombies”. 

“Y/N! Are you alright?” Peter screamed, running back to you the second he realized he wasn’t holding your hand anymore.

“Not really” You joked.

“Oh my- it’s A HAND, your ankle got caught IN A HAND! God, I swear we’ll fix this, You’ll be free in no time, just-“ Peter started to panic as he tried to use his strength to set you free, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“Pete, why don’t you go find someone who could help, you’re pretty fast.”

“I won’t leav-“

“PETER THE REST OF HIS ARM JUST STUCK OUT OF THE GROUND” You shouted. “Please, find someone!” You begged him.

He looked deep in your eyes, then he nodded with determination and sprinted away.

“Oh sweetie, those nails…” You looked at the hand that was gripping your leg. “Let me fix that for you.” You commented as your hand reached the little pen in your pocket. The second you pressed the little button underneath it, it immediately revealed your loyal and beloved scythe. Before you knew it you were free from the strong grip, and an alien arm was laying on the floor.

You started running in the direction Peter had gone in. He had started running just a minute ago: he was fast but he couldn’t be too far.

Little did you know, Spiderman arrived as you left. He worried not seeing you there, but his curiosity won over his worry when he saw the arm detached from the rest of the body in the same spot you were trapped soon before. He knew you were free from that danger, but he didn’t know how many more traps were lying around.

“Hey Cap, there’s one of those alien zombie things here, but this one has a sense of fashion; in fact, this one’s wearing spandex.”

“Mr Stark!”

“C’mon Spidey, the big guys are waiting for us.”

As you were running you saw Iron-Man himself fly just above your head, closely followed by a web-shooting Spiderman! They were so fast, but you knew you could reach them. You could have been a hero after all.

—🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸———🕸—

“I wouldn’t…mind…a hand over h-here” Spider-man said between breaths as he fought for his life, and for the life of his city.

“Yeah, I gotta agree with the kid on this one.” Sam replied through the earpiece everyone was wearing as he jolted in the air, trying to fight off as many bad guys as possible.

“I wouldn’t mind a vacation.” Nat said as her feet landed on the ground after kicking people in the air for over thirty minutes.

“And I guess he wouldn’t mind an ambulance.” Clint chuckled to himself as another one of his arrows landed perfectly in a bad guy’s leg.

Iron Man’s hands were shooting lasers all around while the turbo from his feet was able to keep him detached from the ground. “Hey Cap, how many asses are you beating per minute? Because I think I’m winning this one.” Tony’s metallic voice joked.

“Oh, shut up and fight.” A heavily-breathing Captain America scolded him, dismissing the matter as he kept on throwing his shimmering shield at whomever dared to cross him.

“There- are- too many” Peter said in between pantings. 

“Hold on kid” Tony replied, also having a hard time, just like everyone else on the team.

Breathing heavily, you finally reached the flying heroes you had seen passing over your head a few minutes before.

“That’s amazing, they really look like they could use some help!” You squealed. “I probably shouldn’t sound so happy about it…”

You clicked your pen again and the scythe revealed itself again. “Here goes nothing” You mumbled before running towards the heroes. You started reaping the enemies like wheat. You freed the closest hero to you, Nat, then together you worked your way towards the others.

You were agile although you were never allowed to use your weapon. Whenever you’d open your pen, you father would get a notice and you knew he’d get to you in no time. Unless the car had no gas, in which case he’d take a bit longer.

“And who would that be?” Cap asked, astonished. “Tony, you have to stop recruiting 14 year-olds.”

 “Hey! This one’s not mine! Kid, do you know her?”

“First of all, I’m almost 16! And secondly, just because we might remotely look the same age doesn’t mean we know each oth- HEY, BUT THAT’S Y/N!”

“Really? That is the sweet, shy, innocent y/n you never stop blabbering about in the lab?” 

“Yes!” 

“The same y/n that you are so afraid doesn’t and never will like you back ever and ever and ever until the end of times?” A mocking Tony asked with a smirk.

“So you do listen when I speak!”

“No son, we cannot hide when you blubber. There’s a really big difference.”

As you freed the heroes, you talked to yourself. “I cannot believe I am saving Tony Stark from the zombies!”

“Alright, but don’t make this a habit” Tony replied as you helped him.

“Hey, you don’t make it a habit!”

“I like this one.” Cap giggled.

“Have you seen a boy that’s roughly my age around here? He has with brown hair and hazel eyes, his name is Peter Parker and I can’t find him anywhere!” You asked between a hit and a kick.

“Mh, the name does ring a bell…” Tony smirked underneath his suit.

“I have!” Peter exclaimed.

“REALLY?! Where? Is he okay?”

“Yea, he- he’s great. You must be y/n, he was worried about you.”

“He asked about me?” That made your heart melt. Your sweet tone contrasted your determined and powerful hits.

“Seems like there might be some chemistry between you and this boy… What’s the deal?” Nat exclaimed, wiping her hands from the dirt that the arising zombies had polluted the breathing air with. Everyone exhaled: apparently the city was out of danger, as one could deduce from the thousands of motionless, disgusting zombie-like frames laying all over the streets.

A voice interrupted you right when you were about to speak. “The deal is that whomever this boy may be, he has to stay at least six foot away from you.”

“Dad!” You exclaimed, running towards him. 

"Another man of spiders?" Thor asked, confused.

“Hi little dirt-ball of happiness” He hugged you. “Wait, what’s on your face? Is that a scratch?! Are you hurt? Alright, you lot are supposed to keep our people safe, but instead you hurt my daughter, how could you! Why am I even paying taxes if you all don’t even do your job appropriately?” He shouted without taking his eves off of your slightly scratched forehead.

“Dad, I’m okay.” You giggled.

“Yeah, and that’s not exactly how that works.” Clint stepped in.

“What do you-“ Wade looked in the direction of the voice and abruptly stopped talking. His eyes widened and he looked at you, then at the Avengers, going back and forth a few times. “Holy sh- are you guys the real deal? Are those the real Avengers? My daughter saved the Avengers?!”

“Yep. What’s up with spandex?” Tony mocked.

“Hey! This is not spandex, it’s actually a tailor-made imported Italian material!”

“We really need to thank you for your help y/n.” Cap’s voice emerged from the back of the group of superheroes. He smiled as he looked down to you, his hand proudly gripping on your shoulder.

“I- It’s my pleasure. I mean, not you lot getting attacked by zombies, that’s not a pleasure at all, but me saving you, that was a pleasure. Not that you needing to be saved it’s a pleasure, I- I should stop talking.” You blushed, embarrassed.

“Now it’s more like it” Tony’s visor revealed his face, and he smirked at Spiderman. “We’ve gotta go now, but thank you, kid.” Tony smiled at you.

“WAIT” Wade shouted, catching everyone’s attention. “I am dying to see your compound, please PLEASE, can I?”

After begging the heroes for a full 5 minutes, they agreed to let your father visit. You decided you’d rather go home and get some well deserved rest.

“Hey underoos, will you be a gentleman and make sure our savior y/n gets home safely?” One by one the Avengers thanked you and left. Everyone but Spiderman. 

“Do you mind?” Spiderman asked shyly. “I mean, it’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me- FOR US, today.”

“Not at all.” You giggled. “Hey, can I ask you a question?” You asked after gently refusing the option of being swung home. 

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Did Peter really ask about me?”

“Oh yea, he seemed really worried, too. He said he came back for you but you weren’t there anymore.” “Are you sure he’s fine now?”

“Oh yea! Definitely. He seemed like a smart guy, I’m sure he’s okay.”

“I just wanna stop by his house real quick to see if-“ “NO! I mean- I’m sure he’s- he’s fine. Maybe he is in shock and needs to rest. You seem to really care.”

“I do. I do more than I care to admit, actually. But I don’t wanna bore the amazing marvelous Spiderman with my love life.”

“LOVE? ARE YOU- ahem, are you in love with this Peter guy?”

“Oh well” you blushed, realizing you said one too many words. “I- I might be…alright, fine, I am. But he doesn’t like me back I’m pretty sure, so there’s no point in even telling him.”

“OH, I BEG TO DIFFER” Spiderman laughed nervously. “Y/n, he likes you back. Trust me. I didn’t wanna tell you but we’re actually good friends and he talks about you all the times. How your smile lights up the room the second you walk in; how even in the darkest days you manage to make him feel loved and cared for; how you’ve never seen Star Wars, but are willing to fix your faults.” 

You giggled and blushed at the same time.

“Trust me” He smiled from underneath his mask as he took your hands in his. “He does.”

“I am so sorry Spidey, but I have to go.” You smiled and thankfully squeezed his hands before running away. You quickly turned around to thank the red and blue superhero again but, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

You then kept running in the direction of Peter’s house.

#spiderman #peter parker fanfiction #mcu peter parker #spiderman x reader #x reader #marvel x reader #spider web #spiderman fanfiction #fanfiction #mcu #peter parker #tony stark #captain america #Clint barton #wade wilson #wade wilson daughter! x Peter Parker #wade wilson daughter! #deadpool daughter! #deadpool

[cherrycola27]

Congrats on the 1 year and the 2k! That’s amazing and I’m so happy for you!

Requesting Javy with a fluffy Hades/Persephone vibe!

(Prepare yourself, I might have a few more up my sleeve 😂)

Fern! Thank you for the love! Since Javy is Brazilian, I decided to go with the Brazilian equivalent of Hades and Persephone, which are Anhangá and Ticê (but I couldn't find the equivalent for Cerberus so he is still the same,) so I give you

Hellhound:

"Ticê!" You hear Javy screech across the house. You know he must be highly upset if he is using your real name instead of one of the many pet names he has given you, the mortal name you have chosen for yourself.

"Yes, Anhangá?" You sing song back to him, with his real name.

"Care to explain yourself?" He asks you as he leans up against the door frame of your study. You're currently curled up on your chaise snuggled up in the impossibly large blanket that you are still knitting.

"What ever do you mean?" You ask him as you take a sip of your tea. You know exactly what he is referring to, but you enjoy playing dumb with him.

"I am referring to the little arts and crafts project you have taken up. I know being Queen of Hell doesn't take up all of your time, but knitting? You couldn't have gone with something more—I don't know—intimidating?" Javy groans.

"For your information, I think creating something with two extremely sharp needles is very intimidating." You shoot back, sticking your tongue out at him. "Ticê" He warns you in a low tone.

You chuckle and return back to your blanket, but Javy doesn't move.

"Was there something else bothering you? What's got the King of the Underworld's panties in a twist?" You snicker.

"Oh, I think you know exactly what does." He gruffs.

"Javy, I truly don't know what your issue is. You seem so— tense. I know ruling hell can be hard, considering people are just dying to get in." You joke with him as you loop more yarn.

"Well, why don't I show you then. Cerberus!" He yells. You chuckle and wait a few moments. Nothing happens. Javy rolls his eyes. "CERBERUS!" He cries out again. "I COMMAND YOU TO COME HERE THIS INSTANT!"

"Anhangá, my love, he isn't going to come if you yell like that." You tell him as you continue to knit. "Well, if you think you can do any better, be my guest." Javy chuckles, clearly doubting your abilities.

"Cerby, here boys, come see Mamá!" You call out. Moments later, large footsteps bound across the floor, and Cerberus leaps into your study and onto you and the blanket you are currently knitting for him. You make sure to scratch each one of his heads and tell them how much of a good boy they are.

Cerberus snuggles up to you proudly wearing the sweater you spent weeks knitting for him.

"This! This is what I mean!" Javy says as he dramaticly gestures at the sight in front of him.

"Cerberus is supposed to be a fearsome hellhound who listens to my every command. Not a sweater wearing lap dog who does tricks and has a blankey!" Javy puts his hands on his hip and pouts.

"Cerby, I think Papá is just jealous that he doesn't have a super cool sweater like you boys do. What do you think?" You ask him while giving more pets to the supposed hellhound in your lap. All three of his heads cock to one side before taking turns licking your cheek.

"Cerby agrees with me. But don't worry, my love, I made you a matching one!" You exclaim before pulling out a fuzzy black knit sweater and handing it to him.

He gives it a once over and sighs."You know I'm not really a sweater type, darling." He tells you.

"If you don't like it, I can always give it to someone else." You sigh.

"Absolutely not! This is mine, and I shall cherish it forever, and they will have to cut it off my undead body." Javy quickly answers before slipping it on.

"Awe! Now we all match!" You exclaimed as you pulled your blanket to reveal your own sweater.

Cerberus jumps off you and excitedly runs over to Javy.

Javy rolls his eyes before kneeling down to eye level with him and scuffing each head behind the ears.

"Cerby, my old friend. Here I thought we were a ruthless king and his fearsome hellhound, but look at us. We are just a couple of love sick saps in matching sweaters." Javy chuckles. You roll your eyes and continue to work on your blanket while Javy and Cerberus head off to attend to business.

#cherrycola27 #ask nik #top gun maverick #the dagger deities #cherrys 2k celly #cherrys 1 year celly

[justp34chy]

First Meeting

takes place Briars first year of high school lol

     Highschool, A terrible place full of sorrows and stress. I moved to the G4 district not too long ago and have gained a decent amount of popularity since I have, I’ve even had a few girls ask me on dates. Of course I turned them down. I barely knew any of them, I have better things to do anyway. Walking through the halls I was approached by yet another girl, I groaned in my head, mentally preparing for turning down another confession but I'm caught off guard when it never comes. The girl was the president of the photography club and needed student volunteers to be models for a project they were working on. Not too long before that I was asking a teacher to work alone on a project and was reminded to put myself out there and befriend some people. Reluctantly, I agreed to model for the photography club. It wouldn't be my first time modelling afterall, they should feel lucky that I didn’t just turn the other way when I was asked. The girl who’s name I do not remember tells me to join them in the club room at the end of the day. That was not far from now as it was last period. I nod in understanding and resume walking to my next class, not giving her enough time to say anything more.

     Biology, My favourite subject. I’ve always been fascinated with how the human body works. I knew every intricate system and how everything behaved by memory, a morbid little child reading books full of gore and viscera. Naturally I was passing the class with flying colours, I was the teacher's golden child. This class was nothing special, just a period where students could study for an upcoming test next week. I didn't need to study but I did anyway, drawing an intricate diagram of the human skeletal system with labels and everything, patiently waiting for the bell to ring so I could get this photography club activity done and over with. Eventually it does ring and I silently grab my bag from my locker and walk up to the photography club room. I enter the room, great, I'm the first one there. I awkwardly place myself at a desk and wait for the few members the club had to actually show up. No less than five minutes later the first student shows up, some kid named Travis or something dumb like that, he seems confused as to why im here so I don’t think he was filled in on the project. He asked me a question but I didn't answer because the club president entered the room and filled him in. She seemed excited to see that I actually showed up and didn't just bail on her. I sat silently for fifteen minutes until all of the members arrived except one. The club president doesn't wait for that last student, assuming that they aren't coming in today she begins explaining that me and five other volunteers would be assigned to two club members and have to model for them. Mid sentence the door slams open the culprit screaming

     “I'm here! I'm here!” in a panic. The president sighs and welcomes him, ushering him to sit down and explaining the project again just for good measure before assigning the students to volunteers. Turns out I was only assigned to one person as there were an odd number of club members, someone named Ajax. I look around to find who responded to the name and, oh no it’s the late kid, and he’s staring at me with what looks like awe in his eyes. I force myself to walk up to him as he’s just sitting there and looking at me rather than making a move to talk to me for this project. 

     “Hello?” I greet him, snapping him out of his daze with my accent. He clearly didn’t expect me to have a german accent due to his eyes widening in surprise before awkwardly sputtering a greeting. I silently sit down next to him, he has short scruffy black hair and what looks like a patchy beard he's trying to grow out.

     “I like your hair, I've always wanted to grow mine out but my parents won't let me.” Ajax breaks the silence. I fiddled with my hair, I guess it was getting quite long. It wasn't the first time someone pointed out how long it was but this time it felt different somehow.

     “Thanks.” I answer in monotone, he could tell how uninterested I was about being here “why wont your parents let you grow it out?”

     “They say it'll make me look to feminine, but I don't believe them. Someone can look like a man and still have long hair.” I turn my head to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t worry I don’t think you look like a girl, though I swear I’ve seen a picture of you in a girls magazine before. Aren't you an actual model?” Ajax answers my question before I can even ask it and I feel my face heat up as he mentions that small gig I had for a magazine a few weeks ago. He notices my fluster and says that he's honoured to work with an actual model, though the blush doesn’t dissipate so he switches the topic to how he wants to compose the photos for the project. We had a long conversation about photography. He seems very passionate about it and he's excited to photograph me. I tell him how I want to be portrayed in the photos and elements I do and don't want in them before exchanging numbers and parting our separate ways once the club meeting is over. I don't think I mind participating in this project anymore.

#might make a second version with Ajax pov instead #i think the comparisson would b neat #vtsom #vincent the secret of myers #writing #Briar Sawyer #Ajax Morningstar #writing prompt #vtsom oc

[peachiime]

serious about akademi (the actual emotional investment i'm putting into my yansim rewrite)

what i want people to understand about my rewrite is that it's NOT just another case of someone improving the shabby aspects of yandere simulator. no hate to anyone who does that, you all have great ideas, but mine is just not the same.

and i realize that makes me sound like i'm being "quirky" and "different" but i swear it's not that. my rewrite is an entirely different genre to yansim. it takes the original setting and characters and puts them in a different situation. that's how i'm rewriting it.

it's a silly slice of life comedy, sure. but this isn't just mindless humour and shenanigans. i put the characters through real struggles, real things i've been through. as i write this story, i find myself reflecting on my own life more and more. i reflect on myself, i project it onto the characters, i reflect more, i project more, and it keeps going.

without realizing it, i've put myself into a lot of the characters. people like gaku and horuda and toga and ayano especially. i point those four out specifically, but it's everyone. everyone has a little part of me in them, everyone goes through a struggle i've gone through before.

and i know i'm not the only person who's struggled. i know others have been through the same things i have.

this story has a message. a message to myself, a message to anyone who's gone through or is currently going through the things i am.

life is scary and unpredictable and difficult, but i want to tell you that there is hope. there is light at the end of the tunnel, you can't succumb to the darkness. it's definitely hard to keep going, but it is so worth it and it is so rewarding in the end.

never stop moving forward. always work to improve. you can make it better. it will get better.

"it gets better."

that is what the main message of this story is.

that is what i tell myself every single time i feel down. that is what i want to tell to anyone who feels down. anyone who's on their last thread, feeling like they can't go on, wanting to drop everything and give up, i want to tell them it gets better. i want to SHOW them it gets better.

i know i'm not alone when i struggle. i put myself in these characters, knowing i'm not alone, knowing someone will relate to me but more importantly them, and i want them to understand they're not alone too.

you aren't alone. you're somewhere in this story.

this rewrite is not just an ordinary project to me. this is not just me rewriting a video game that my autistic brain has latched onto. these are my thoughts, feelings, values, heart, brain, soul, blood, sweat, tears, everything. this rewrite is ME. I AM this rewrite.

so if you want to see me, and if you want to see YOU, then i highly recommend following antics at akademi. it's pretty much my magnum opus.

and if you don't want to read this, that's okay too! whether you choose to or not, i just want you to understand the message and remind yourself of it every time you feel down.

so. remember, it gets better.

#yandere simulator #yandere sim #yansim #antics at akademi #yandere simulator rewrite #yandere sim revamp #yansim rewrite #rewriting yansim #rewrite #you're never alone <3

[west-tokyo-incidents]

"I want to visit one of these timelines."

The soft, deep voice of his paramour usually filled Garion with calm and happiness. But with those words it dropped a chunk of ice in his gut. He chewed on his lip in thought.

"...Fusaji..." He sighed as his lover gave out an annoyed huff, "I know. It's just. Dangerous to do that." He looked up at his boyfriend, currently snuggled into Fusaji's lap, his back pressed against his chest.

"So don't tell anyone. Just me and you. Maybe your guards."

Garion made a face, "If someone sees you--"

"Just tell them I'm just another Fusataro."

He laughed softly, "You've thought about this for a while, haven't you?"

Fusaji rolled his eyes, but confirmed the question, "I just... I dunno. Songbird and Dubois always have so many tales, they do so much together. I mean, yeah, we can go places here and do all sorts of things. But it's all just. Normal human stuff."

A soft laugh, "I thought all this time travel and monsters and stuff was too much for you." Garion grins.

Fusaji hugged him tighter and set his chin on Garion's head, "That was before it was all taken away. I don't wanna just dive head first into the deep end, but I don't hate swimming, you know?"

Garion nuzzled into the new position and closed his eyes, his hands sliding over his lover's, "I'll think of something. Maybe we can introduce some alternates into your dimension or find a way to replicate them safely. I just don't think it's safe for you to leave."

A hum.

"...I'm sorry, love. I wish I wasn't so important that it trapped you here, but if anyone found out--"

He felt his lover shake his head, "No, no, it's fine, that wasn't a disappointed noise. "

Garion blinked his eyes open and sawFusaji smiling at him, "No?"

"No, just a content one. I don't feel trapped here, babe. I have a whole world here. Not many people can say their boyfriend literally gave them the world." Garion snickered and shrugged, but let Fusaji continue, "And I think it's a good idea. As much as I want to see and experience it all, I'd rather not end up with the wicked scars Songbird has."

"That's fair..." His eyes closed again and he readjusted a little, "I'll think of something. And next time I come back, you better be prepared for it."

"Hah. Of course."

---

It took some time, but Garion did get something put together. And it would have more uses than just showing off to his boyfriend.

It was a whole array, meant to project a 3D space in any timeline that had been fully mapped by the Facility. And it wasn't just a recorded virtual reality display, either. One could interact with the projected beings, and the risks could be calibrated. Either they could have full interaction, able to physically touch, speak, and even harm those in the array, or they could be more like ghosts, and everything in between.

It would be useful for training, especially with some of the more challenging timelines--The Wandering Infection comes to mind--and for initiation for new potential recruits to show them exactly what to expect without putting them in harm's way.

And best of all, the array was mobile. It could condense itself down into a device small enough to be carried in a laptop bag. Considering it needed a space the size of a football stadium to be deployed in, it was impressive. And before too long it will be able to be reproduced for outposts in multiple timelines.

Garion ran his hand along the back of the device, contemplating it before sliding it into its bag. It had been through plenty of testing, so he was confident in it.

Dubois chuckled softly at him, "You've got that look in your eye."

"Dubois, do I point out every time you stare at Songbird like she's the second coming of Jesus? Typically when she's covered in blood or oil--"

"I don't--"

"Yeah, you fucking do. And no, I don't point it out. You have your Fussa, let me have mine and shut the fuck up."

A cackle from said Fussa instance across the room rang out as Dubois huffed.

"Yes, I'm going to go see him and yes I had this made because of him." He grabbed the handle of the bag and stood up, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go show Fusaji some dragons."

#damn can you imagine getting to be Fusaji I'd be i. heaven #literally able to do literally anything in the world and have the ultimate sugar daddy #man is living my DREAM #ress writes #garion/fusaji #the facility #also some small world building with the facility and playing with how they show timelines without risking ppls lives

[oficmag]

CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT: ACACIA

Issue #2 is now out in the world, and we are so excited to spotlight some of our stupendous sophomore contributors. We hope you all love them as much as we do!

Today’s spotlight is on Acacia Ackles, who wrote “has lasted, or is expected to last, at least twelve months” for Issue #2.

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I'm a lifelong academic, with everything that comes with that; I probably think too much and do too little. I love the idea of curling up in a rocking chair with a Great American Novel but usually end up sprawled out on my couch scrolling Twitter. But I don't think our cats mind either way. 

How did you find fandom?

Freshman year of college I got terribly into Red vs. Blue, and it was the first show I found where I felt like there was more I wanted to see that the show itself wasn't giving me. That's how I really started spiraling into fan spaces, trying to see what other people were doing with this feeling. 

What fandom are you in now and what brought you here?

I'm in love with a lot of things, but I'm currently doing a full and deep rewatch of House MD; it was one of the first shows I was in love with back when it was actively airing, and watching it with an older and gayer lens is a genuine delight. 

What’s your favorite book of all time and what do you love about it?

The Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; I probably just love it because I read it in sophomore year English class where everybody's tastes in literature get forged, but I remember being really struck by one of the beginning passages about being landlocked. As someone who grew up in the desert but was living in a coastal state at the time it resonated. It was also probably one of the first times I had read a Black author, to be honest, whose stories were explicitly about Blackness, and I feel like I really grasped the importance of reading broadly then. 

What projects are you working on right now?

My original work is sporadic and brief: poetry, literary nonfiction, pretentious stuff like that. So I'm not working actively on anything at the moment. And I'm keeping my fanwork close to my chest as I know people who I have to, like, interact with at my job can see this!! Can I instead plug the work of Michelle Robins, an old writing partner of mine? She's doing some wonderful things with the ghosts of characters we created with each other, over on twitter at @AWanderingMuse. 

What are your aspirations as a writer, big picture or small?

I really want to do more poetry. I sort of don't feel like I'm "allowed" to write poems, which I know is silly, but the feeling lingers! Publishing a poem would be wonderful. 

If you could give one piece of advice to beginning writers, what would you tell them?

Read things you hate. At least every once in a while. How would you do it better?

THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THE OFIC FAMILY, ACACIA! WE’RE SO THRILLED TO SHARE YOUR ART WITH THE WORLD.

#writeblr #bookblr #issue 2 #spotlight

[cuntboysupremacy]

4) fave genre 9) fave actors 47) fave tropes

4) Mob movies. I know they're the quintessenial filmbro type of movies and liked by some of the worst people around but I can't help it. I wrote off The Godfather and Goodfellas for YEARS until I was forced to watch The Godfather movies in college for a class and I think it rewired my brain. I watched Goodfellas more recently and had a similar experience. All my life I've been seeing references and rip offs but watching the originals was a totally different experience! The mob movie genre in general is so infamous and its directors pioneered a number of techniques that are used in so many other genres now (Goodfellas was apparently one of the first to use fourth wall breaks for plot exposition) that it's called cliche or bad writing, but the originals had this dynamism to them that I'm still struggling to describe. The closest I can come to it is that they're imbued with this feeling of experimentation that their descendants don't have; the directors who followed their example treated it like rules but the originals were all about breaking rules and finding new ways to tell a story. I'm pretty sure The Godfather pt. 2 is the only time where I've seen such an extended flashback that didn't make the movie worse.

I'm also kind of obsessed with how mob movies have faded into this category of "old movies", like when you think of them, you think of these groundbreaking and extraordinarily famous movies from the 20th century. The last time I heard about a mob movie in the modern day, it was marvel fans clowning on The Irishman bc Martin Scorsese "insulted" their military propaganda faves.

Additionally, when I started reading up on the production of these films, and how they were received in their time, it only deepened my appreciation for the genre. I was genuinely shocked at how many genre-spanning "cliches" or techniques originated from these crime movies. I know I focused on like...the two most famous ones for this answer but if I go on I'm gonna write a ten paragraph essay lmao.

9) full disclosure; I've never had like....a steadfast admiration of any actor. But here goes a shot at some people who I've liked in multiple films and whatever role left the greatest impression on me.

Ian McKellan: Legend, I know, but I think he'll always be my fav for his role in this obscure Sherlock Holmes movie called Mr Holmes about an elderly and regretful Sherlock as he suffers from dementia. I saw it one time when my parents absent mindedly rented it from the video store when I was teenager and it's haunted me ever since. Obviously, Ian McKellan is great in everything but that's what sticks to me.

Nicole Kidman: She's been getting a lot of love for The Northman (which was a good movie and she was good in it) but I'll always remember her for her role as Celeste in Little Big Lies (if you haven't seen it, go and see it now it's so great). It's one of the best portrayals of an abuse victim that I've ever seen and while the writing is great, it's her performance that sells the audience on Celeste being both human and a victim. She also plays really well off Meryl Streep's evil grandma character.

Bowen Yang/Vanessa Bayer: I'm grouping these two bc I've primarily seen them on SNL (guilty pleasure of mine) and they both deserve better as comedic performers. I know Vanessa has gotten some better opportunities in the last couple years but I'm looking forward to when Bowen leaves the show for bigger things bc he's fucking hilarious.

John Noble: he's just so intense. His role as Denethor was pitch perfect casting and he played it all out! I really don't think anyone else (besides maybe like Willem Dafoe) could have pulled off Denethor's unique insane worldview and fucked up relationship with his sons. Every time he's on screen, absolutely capivating (honorable mention his role on Fringe was similarly well done).

Keke Palmer: Criminally underrated, every project I've ever seen her in, she's knocked it out of the park. I'm so excited to see NOPE this summer and hope it propels her to more mainstream projects. Her favorite performance of mine was when she was on Scream Queens. Everyone loves to give Emma Roberts her flowers for that show, but Keke Palmer was acting circles around that other white girl who was the lead in season one and then became the main character for season two. Excellent performances in both seasons, and that show absolutely should have been renewed for a third.

47) ngl this gave me psychic damage bc i started thinking about fanfiction tropes lmao. I also don't really think about plot devices as tropes tbh.

But being real for a second, I'd have to say that my favorite trope is probably the fake relationship one. I've seen it done well and I've seen it done badly, but imo when it's good its really funny and it makes me laugh.

I suppose found family is also a trope and I do like it a lot, but I don't really think of it as a trope? like, for my money, any story with a bunch of unrelated characters going through the plot together is going to feel closer by the end of the story if the story is written well, yknow? a group of characters all going on a journey and then just like saying bye like it's the end of some mandatory group activity is weird to me and I probably won't like the story lmao. So found family is not so much a plot device as it is the natural conclusion to a lot of characters' development in relation to each other.

#apologies for rambling #i have a lot of thoughts lol

[starrierknight]

MY EYES WORK! 👏👏👏 Sorry it's just funny to me that I had to ask Doc to help me write something because of how bad my eyes got and then the next day or so I'm perfectly fine

I don't have much time to write because the sooner I finish this message the sooner I will get back to working on that project of mine, and since my eyes work again I can do the more complex parts that require seeing what I'm doing and checking if it matches the tutorial. But I wanted to tell you a few things!

Uhhh first of all it's so funny to me that every now and then Doc just goes "hang on gotta check if starrier posted yet" and even gets excited when seeing you've posted something, eagerly scrolling down to see if you've answered our asks etcetera, and yet this same mad scientist claims to view everyone in the world as a lab rat. My friend, at this point that's called liking someone at the very least! Anyway.

I have various things planned for the upcoming weeks and months and while it's partially stressing me out it's also exciting! Stuff like meeting up with people, parties with various people (imcluding a big one that I'll have to figure out if I can actually go to!) and more. I'm so hyped to see all those people again :D

About the drawings, once we find them we'll send another image album link (like Doc did with the cat pictures) in a separate ask so you can look at them. Feel free to show those on your blog if you ✨ deem them worthy enough ✨ to be on here

Oh! Doc also said you really need to rescue your cat from the "evil dragon's tower" but probably you already knew that, safe to say Doc approves. And thanks for showing all the pictures, I love them <3

Okay bye now, time to make stuff! (scaryyy 👻 haha)

- Star 💫

lololol human bodies are weirddddd n so temperamental!!!! glad you're doing better mein schatz <3 hahaha i hope this project of yours is working out okay!!!!

HAHAHAHA PLSSSS doc is so silly. i'm flattered that they (and you!) have any interest in speaking to me. always very glad to see you cuties in my inbox <3

ahhhhh i get you, i think it's faily usual to be excited n stressed abt upcoming social events lol. i hope you have so so so much fun!!!! and that it all goes smoothly :3 oooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!! i eagerly await to see the drawings if you manage to find them. bouncing on my heels with excitement.

hahaha yeah poor Binny definitely needs to be rescued </3 my poor little darling UGH i miss her so much :/ glad you liked the pics of her!!!!

hope your creations went well :3

#꒰ =͟͟͞♡ ꒱ — love letters #꒰ ♡⃕ ꒱ — 💫

[bleedingpeanutbutter]

Scars

  My friend Alia Arram died when I was seventeen. She died in a car accident. A mutual friend and her were in the car together. She had just gotten the car for her sixteenth birthday. He was driving it out to show her a good fishing spot and flipped it on a gravel road. He walked away. She died on impact. I went to her house that night. One of her brothers had to be sedated. Her other brother said, “I’m glad she at least got the yard mowed today”. Their family was from Israel. 

    The people in our church were bringing over food to their house to be supportive. In their culture, people fast and the men don’t shave for a month to grieve. Her father got mad and yelled “My daughter is dead and you are bringing me food.” Even at that young age I realized that their culture handles death much better that the traditional Midwestern culture I grew up in. A few days later a friend of mine and I snuck into the salvage yard by the courthouse to find the car she died in. (This was both easier than it should have been and dumb to do essentially right by the cops) I stood there and looked at the smashed vehicle for a long time. This is where she spent her last moments. Probably laughing with her friend. I had no way to process this. At the viewing, she didn’t look like herself at all. They did their best to cover up her injuries, but it didn’t work well. To see someone who had so much life drained of it just felt awful. The pastor who did her service pronounced her name wrong every time he said it. I learned at seventeen that you never know when it’s the last time you may see someone.

    My friend Reed Haverkamp committed suicide when I was twenty-one. He was the most creative person I had ever met. We connected in middle school as both of us were aspiring creatives. We would write weird screen plays then try to film them. I remember starting an organization called PPPP with Reed, which I believe stood for “People Purchasing Purple Penguins.” But my memory could be wrong. I dressed as a tacky salesperson in plaid pants and even a gross suede jacket person, and he filmed me trying to sell memberships to PPPP around the middle school. I think somehow we even convinced the middle school teachers to let us shoot on the roof of the school for the scene of someone trying to throw me off. Reed grew up next door to my parents’ best friends, so I was over there all the time.

        Eventually I started playing music in high school and so did he. He was also a bass player. I didn’t have any money, and I wanted to record my band so I was able to get a hold of a device called a four track recorder and I learned everything I could about engineering and production to make my first album of the songs the band and I had made. I was ordering books as I could afford them at Hastings books store to learn audio engineering. Then I would practice my craft with the band I was playing in. Reed thought this was awesome and asked me to record his punk band. In a very real way, that band was my first recording client. I learned a lot about recording and punk music from that project. They did a Sex Pistols cover, and I didn’t even recognize it. That’s how little I knew about punk music. 

    After I walked the stage at my high school graduation, Reed walked up to me and said, “You were one of the only people I cheered for most of these people are assholes.” That was the last time we ever spoke. I don’t think about Reed everyday anymore, that stopped years ago. But there hasn’t been a month that has gone by that I haven’t thought about him since he died, about the art he would have made, the adventure in life he could have had.

    A few years ago I was in bed sick and I got a call from my parents’ number. When I answered, I knew something was wrong because it was my dad’s voice. My dad doesn’t call to chat he just isn’t a chatty guy. He said, “We lost your Grandma today.” I replied with what I thought was fitting, “Well, that sucks.” Later my dad would tell me I was his last call and hearing me say that sucks made him finally lose it. My dad’s side of the family is pretty stoic. A trait that has certainly helped me in my own life. I was always close with my Grandparents. I grew up about thirty minutes from the farm they owned. They came to every school play I had, every birthday party, and I worked on the farm during the summer. One day my Grandparents stopped by and brought me a gift. It was a plaque with my last name on the top with this poem on it.

You got it from Your Father. It was all He had to give... So it's Yours to use and cherish For as long as You may live. If You lose the watch He gave You It can always be replaced... But a black mark on Your name Son Can never be erased! It was clean the day You took it And a worthy name to bear When He got it from His Father There was NO dishonor there. So make sure You guard it wisely, After all is said and done... You'll be glad the name is spotless When You give it to Your Son!

    I think of this poem all the time when I have to make tough decisions. I certainly haven’t always lived up to it. But having a compass like that in life sure has been helpful.

    One summer I was working on the farm and Grandma drove me out somewhere to check on some irrigation. Once we were done, she hopped in the passenger side of the truck and told me to drive back. I had never driven in my life and this completely freaked me out. I told her I didn’t know how and she said she didn’t care. “It’s time to learn this is a farm. The tall skinny pedal is the gas and the long fat one is the break, let’s go.” I was scared at fourteen to turn the truck around, so I put it in reverse and drove it all the way back to the barn. Of course, I now know I did one of the most difficult things possible. My grandma got a huge kick out of this. 

    At my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary my grandma gave a speech where she thanked all the mentors that she and my grandpa had over the years that had helped them make their marriage a success. This blew my mind as it always seemed like they were just so good at being married. I was a pallbearer at my grandmother’s funeral, and I considered it a great honor to be taking her to her ultimate resting place. 

    Not too long after that, I got another call in the morning from my parents. It was my dad’s voice again. “We lost your uncle Paul.” Paul was my mom’s brother and the relative I was geographically closest to growing up. Paul took me to my first rock show (REO Speedwagon) We stayed close over the years and he was always there for advice. When I lived in Grand Island I wanted to put in a wooden privacy fence, so I called Paul for advice since he owned a construction company. We discussed concrete vs just putting posts in the ground, how to set up proper drainage and everything. This year I put in a tiny little free library in my front yard, and as I was digging the hole for the post I realized I knew how to do it because of Paul’s advice years ago. So in a small way some kid may read a wonderful book because of Paul's advice. I wrote something for Paul’s funeral that the pastor read, it was just a few stories about Paul. I wrote the line “Paul could be a little bit of an ass” that the pastor left out. The tiny church was full of people, as was the overflow. I was a pallbearer at his funeral as well. At the end of the ceremony me and the other pallbearers were wheeling the casket to the hearse, and I heard my aunt and his now widow cry out “Oh Paul” as she stretched her hand out to the casket. Reaching for him one last time. That moment will be etched in my brain forever.

    After the burial, the person who ran the funeral home gave me his keys and told me to drive the other pallbearers back to the church in his car. The pastor who knew Paul well sat in the front seat next to me as we drove. I said to him, “You left out part of my story.” He said, “Yes I did.” “Paul would have gotten a kick out of me trying to get the pastor officiating his funeral to say ass.” The pastor smiled and said, “Yes he would have.”

    About a year later I got a call from my sister that my uncle Mark had been in a freak accident and that he was likely paralyzed. This was just at the beginning of COVID. At first I didn't really believe her and thought everything would be fine. That the doctors would work it out, or that it wasn't as serious as she said and she was being dramatic. Or maybe I just didn't really want to think about it. Mark was my dad’s younger brother and was one of the smartest people I had ever met. He used to teach me chess and would show me how my moves were bad by rearranging the board to how it had looked three or four moves ago to prove it. Then putting the board back exactly how it was. It was infuriating. Mark didn't want to be a quadriplegic, especially late in life, so he signed a DNR (I believe video signed) and drifted off one night a few days after his accident. I knew that once he had signed the DNR, he would not be around much longer. Once he had made up his mind, I knew there would be no changing it despite his wife saying she would care for him in any way possible. Mark didn't want to burden anyone, and I don't blame him. Personally, I think he made a very courageous decision, but that’s a discussion beyond this article.

    I texted a few of my best friends and told them I would like to hang out that night as I didn't think Mark would make it. I felt it in my gut. They of course agreed. On the way to their house, I stopped to get some booze. As I stood there deciding what to buy, I thought "If I am drinking to Mark tonight it better be the good stuff." So I bought the best whisky they had at the store, which I believe was "Gentleman Jack" but I don't remember. We drank to my uncle that night, with the feeling that he would not be in this world when I woke up the next morning. My friend and I played piano together before I went to sleep and I had a dream that night where I was playing Mark's life on piano and it was beautiful, the melody and everything was perfect, but I could tell the song was about to end. I didn't want it to end, but I could feel it coming. Then it ended in a perfect stillness. I woke up to texts that Mark had passed through the night. 

    Mark was described as a gentle giant. Even though Mark and I were separated with distance my whole life, it was clear how kind of a person he was. He was always looking out for others and he would always discuss Chess, or Stanley Kubrick (our mutual favorite director) whenever I wanted. Others have written a lot about my uncle since his passing, so I won’t keep beating that dead horse. But you have no way to process these things, so you go on. Life is mostly lived in your head and it has this background tapestry, once that tapestry gets disrupted and with so much finality you have no way even fathom it.

    A few months later, I was working from home and got another call from my parents’ number. It was my dad’s voice on the line again saying that Grandpa (His and Mark’s dad) was in the hospital and we had better come visit him for the last time. My sister picked me up on the way and we went to his hospital room in my hometown where my parents still live. He had his eyes closed and I could tell he was barely hanging on. It was time to say our goodbyes. Two of his own children were there, my uncle and aunt, holding his hand and loving on him. It was beautiful. My sister held his hand and told him she loved him. There was so much I wanted to say, to tell him, to thank him for, but I couldn't muster a single word. Nothing seemed right, there wasn’t language to express what I wanted to say. I simply tried to breathe in the moment. 

    They say, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is today." My grandfather was a man who planted trees. He lived a life of honesty and integrity. It was clear in his own children who had obviously inherited his sense of values. He tried to make sure his business dealings were fair, and he treated everyone with kindness. I watched his example my entire life. Part of me thinks he died of a broken heart as his wife and one son had already passed. But at ninety-five, no one is going to say so. At his funeral part of me wanted to yell "High score, perfect run." He really maxed out life, and he had the family and friends around to prove it. I hope I can live a life half as well as he did. 

    My Grandfather was a successful entrepreneur and while closing out his estate there was a piece of property I considered buying. One of his longtime business associates called me to discuss it, during the call he said, "If you have half of your grandfather’s business acumen and integrity you will do pretty well in life." I replied, "I am hoping I can manage ten percent. I think I would do pretty well with that." He laughed and agreed. But that’s how people viewed my grandfather. You don't build a reputation like that overnight.

    A few weeks after the funeral, I wanted to properly grieve my two uncles and two grandparents. I thought back to my friend Alia who I had lost twenty-plus years before and how her family fasted. I read more on how their culture handled the process of grief and I wanted to try it myself. We were on lock down for the pandemic, and I didn't think I would get another chance like this. I decided to do a thirty day fast and reflect on the grief, to lean in to it so to speak. To let the grief and sadness fill me completely rather than to put it out of my mind. Or drink it away, as people tend to do. Now I have several medical professional friends that I can text anytime and I have blood pressure monitors, glucose monitors and many other tools to monitor my health so I would not go into a prolonged fast without both medical supervision and your own monitoring tools. But I found it to be the absolute right thing. I meditated every morning with specific programs designed for grief. I read books like "Top five regrets of the dying" and I let it all fill me up. I actively ran to grief rather than away. I would think about Mark and tear up, but that was ok. That’s what this time was for and it was magical. At day twenty-six I started having weird symptoms, and I texted my friend that now teaches trauma and southeast community college after a long career in the medical field. He told me not to push through the symptoms, so at day twenty-six my fast was coming to an end. I wasn't really sure how to end it, so ceremoniously I went to Subway and got a veggie sub in the drive thru. One of my favorite bands "Waterdeep" had just put out a record, so as I sat in the Subway parking lot eating my first food in twenty-six days. The song "This is now" came on with the following lyrics.

"It’s always funny when you go back in time 

The strings won’t tune, and the words won’t rhyme And everything you thought you’d sent away 

It shows back up and it’s got something to say  

You can look at the sights; You can touch and taste But they focused lights and the set’s in place 

They say take a deep breath, and swallow your soul. 

And don’t get cute. We all know your role.  

But even if it’s only in my mind 

I’m not gonna be that person this time 

And even if it’s only in my heart, 

This is not gonna tear me apart 

Cause I don’t care how familiar it feels 

Time travel isn’t real.

This is now, and I am me.  

It’s always sunny in a certain field 

The rain never comes, but the crops still yield 

I know you think that’s a bald-faced lie 

But sometimes I wish that you’d just stop by  

Cause you can look at the sights. 

You can touch and taste. 

Go on. Have a look around the place. 

Feel free to grab a stalk of sugar cane. 

Make yourself at home. No one needs you to explain"

    I'm not too proud to admit it made me tear up. It was the perfect end to the journey of mourning. Not saying that I am over everything. Far from it. But to really explore the sadness was a beautiful, painful and necessary journey.

    I spent a year trying to write this; I rewrote it, scrapped the rewrite and started over. The only gift I can truly give people is my own creativity, and I wanted to give a proper homage to these great people that have been part of my own rich tapestry. There truly are not the right words. Maybe that’s why there are songs, poems, and books to try to get it right. It wasn't until I saw an interview with Stephen Colbert that Anderson Cooper gave where they discussed grief. Colbert discussed losing a brother and father at a young age and Colbert talked about how it scars your soul forever. That he even wished it would be an external scar so people would know, and that IS the perfect way to describe it. The people that you love dying leaves a scar in your very being. It’s not meant to go away. Maybe life is actually more beautiful because it’s temporary. Things have value because of scarcity, and life runs out for all of us. But these people live on through us. Through the scars in our souls like a tattoo. When I face a decision, I will remember the kindness of Mark, the integrity of my grandfather, the no nonsense of Paul, the generosity of my grandmother, the creativity of Reed, the joy of Alia. They live on through our scars, and that’s pretty beautiful.

[nolantalks]

WHAT WAS THE ACTUAL MOST CONTROVERSIAL THREAD YOU EVER HAD?

Now this will sound dumb but honestly, it was a basketball thread. And bear in mind, this was on a group where they thought rough sex/rape plots and ships were great story telling and character advancement. It was literally just my character shooting shots and passing time on his own, it was an opener. Then this one person replied to it with her character. Now, this was on one of those sites 10 years back where my buddy G and I had a plot/ship on. I didn’t know it at the time, but apparently since the other person’s character didn’t instantly destroy mine in the small little game they were having between each other, it lit a massive fire storm. Now this wasn’t being done in the OOC on Skype. No no, that group had its own secret OOC Skypes which were basically two of them. There was the OOC we all used then one called SMART SQUAD, which was what the staff used for themselves. Then one that at one point got called WINNERS SQUAD. Which was the one for the staff and their friends aka clique. So in the clique one it was discussed how my character sucks, I’m god modding, my character was suppose to instantly lose they were looking forward to him being schooled etc etc.

I’m not told a damn thing until three weeks later when I ask G why so and so hasn’t posted in that thread in so long. So G tells me all of this so I’m like ‘hold up. Did I miss something here?’ Before I engage with any character I read everything you have on them, any bios, inspiration posts, tasks posts that dive into their background etc etc. I even read your headcanon posts. There is nothing on there that said this character who is said to be ‘kind of nerdy’, clumsy, uncoordinated, and 5’7 was even known to play a sport let alone was this sports or basketball prodigy. While my character has a lot of backstory on them being a gifted athlete specifically in basketball, wrestling and football. And they’re 6’2 and regularly plays those sports to keep fit.

So when one of those Morons finally wanted to fill me in which was like 4 word long messages coming every 2 seconds of them just cussing me out until finally saying ‘the face claim has clips of them playing basketball.’ So….. ok. I do sometimes incorporate real life skills and such my face claims have into my character as it helps my muse stay interested in the character and not changing the face. I YouTube the face claim and basketball and find these clips and yeah….. they’re basically good at dribbling and half decent shooting but completely suck at anything that involves actually moving. He also gets humbled a lot when his taller clearly more athletic friends go after the ball.

I point this out and ask if the character is suppose to be as good as their face claim. And when asked I even provide things from my face claims social media if him also playing basketball and is well, better then I’d ever be at it. Well got like three of them cussing me out that ‘we all know ‘Character’ is a basketball prodigy because of his face claim plays it, why don’t you? Don’t you read anything?’ Told them I read everything literally everything on the character and there is zero talk of sports let alone basketball other than photo posts of the face claim holding one.

They stopped talking to me and it was this Greek tragedy level thing that I god mod now. I had to send the screenshots that it was over a basketball game that it was never said the other character even liked the sport let alone can play it. Much later learn it was said in the clique OOC that the player MIGHT make their character good at basketball since there are some videos of the face claim playing it. Of course this was said 2 months before I ever joined but …. Yeah.

WHY DO THEY CLAIM YOU ARA SMUT FIEND BUT SHOW ALL THESE ACCOUNTS YOU GOT AND THERE IS NO SMUT?

Projection? You’ll notice a lot of these people on their own accounts have endless smut threads. Hell, more than half of them are the types to either run 10 threads at once that are all smut, went from eating cereal to food sex on the table, or posting NSFW gifs. It just sounds better if the problem person is heavily into sex and smut and they disconnect facts that don’t fit that narrative such as there not being any smut or sexy posts on the blogs they stalked and tracked down.

Hell I even have a few friends in the past and present who prefer to do smut threads with me but end up doing not smut ones. Like think being cute and domestic making meals, cuddling, or being completely in sync with each other just cleaning the place up. Those are always more and impactful to me than screwing on every surface.

[johnconstantinejld]

Gotham Tales-Harley

Ting-a-ling-a-ling. Up I pop.

Mistah J is dying now, and I’m seeing him for what he was. A no-good, rotten, back-stabbing angel.

‘Is that why he always told the authorities on you when you escaped so he could get good reports from the Asylum guards?’

Diana’s just jealous cos she doesn’t have a puddin’ like I do.

Did.

He was just a clown when I met him. And after years listening to other peoples problems, he listened to mine. And in return, he told me things, secret things. He had never told them to anyone.

And he had a million of them. An abusive father one night, a runaway mother the next. Was his Dad a drunk, or was there only one time he only ever saw him happy? At a circus when he was seven? Ice show. He told me it was an ice show. And I gave him a joke to kill Bats.

In return, he kicked me out of a window and fractured my spine in three places, broke an arm and a leg.

But I wasn’t going to let that affect me. I could change him for the better. Only I knew what his real face, what he was really thinking. And every night, when we put painted on our smiles, we just laughed at each other. He wasn’t laughing at me. He never did that. Laughing at how easy he had turned me, corrupted me?

One night, he decided to raid the chemical plant. Mistah J always had something going on. Everyone was going to look as happy as he did. Happy as a clown.

‘Don’t bring the babies, Harl. They’ll be in the way.’

I now know why Red was telling me he was doing something big. There had been robberies at quarries and explosive places all near Gotham. He gives me a gun and tells me to watch out for the Bats.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling.

It’s stopped being funny. Walking through the narrow catwalks above bubbling tanks where anything could be in the shadows. I didn’t even see the Bats. He took out the lights and then I was outside, handcuffed and being put in the car.

When I got out, I immediately went to find him, and my clown was dying. He was always smiling now, but chemicals aren’t best for him. He was dying. Chemicals don’t do good for the kidneys. He was burning to death from the inside, and he was jacking off to someone.

I wasn’t the only Harley in his life.

He spat blood and looked at our jaded room. But I still thought there was a place for me.

Batman said it was a joke. He laughed at the joke I had become. From up-and-coming doctor to good-for-nothing sidekick. He laughed. It’s a sound you should never hear. He doesn’t trust me, and rightfully so. Maybe cos I tried to blow up the Comish. Not Bruce Wayne, though. I wouldn’t hurt him. Nice guy. And unattached.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling!

I tried to run my own thing. Me and Red, taking back Gotham and making it big. But she started giving me lectures, about how little we were getting. She wanted bigger projects with lots of science-y words. She wanted to return Gotham to a forest and it meant taking away my babies. Said they were in the wrong climate. I fell out again, went off grid, came out sometimes to talk to Batgirl and the others if they came round. Katana and the others. We’d take back this dump. Black Mask don’t know what’s coming. Things became bigger than Gotham. Batgirl told me about life outside. I got to spend days not wearing the bells and cap. Ting-a-ling-a-ling.

I took off the costume, dressed normally. It felt good. I didn’t have to listen to a lecture, be scared of a wallop when I came home. Now they’re talking about a League. Got talking something about a satellite. No, space station.

Fighting crimes feels good. If only I could get Bats to trust me.

[girls-and-honey]

1, 3, 33, 40 ✨💗

here we gooo

1: what are 3 things you’d say shaped you into who you are?

1. hmm okay definitely my parents (not always in a positive way but hey they ran my whole life as a child so it's hard not to be shaped by that) 2. creative hobbies, especially writing and music. they allowed me room to feel and explore and express and just have somewhere private that I didn't need to worry about messing up in an irredeemable way while I worked through my thoughts 3. tbh I have to credit tumblr as hilarious as I find this for two opposing reasons: this is where I started to see people's life experiences that weren't the same as mine and understand how varied the human experience is, AND where I found people's life experiences that were similar to mine that I could find community a feeling of belonging with

3: 3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?

I don't tend to watch movies that much but rewatch shows allll the time. this list is highly subject to change depending on the day but let's go with: 1. what happened to monday 2. 20,000 leagues under the sea 3. coherence

33: any hobbies?

oh so many hobbies, let me count the ways... but for real I need hobbies to survive and I love learning new things. so some of these I've gotten into for a few weeks before moving on and others have been (and will continue to be) life-long adventures. I'm just going to start listing: music!! I've played piano, a variety of mallet and auxiliary percussion, recorder (lol), violin, trumpet, and flute. I still play the piano every day but won't be able to starting next week bc I'm moving, so I decided I want to learn to play the harp next and I'm super excited for it!!! wow that reads more like a paragraph than a list oops, anyway other hobbies include sewing, writing, crochet, painting, I tried vector art for a bit, gardening (harder in an apartment), plant parenting (easier in an apartment), baking, and home canning. those are the ones that come to mind anyway!

40: any bad habits?

probably a lot that I don’t realize (who’s going to tell me) but off the top of my head I’m bad at doing dishes right away. I’m a little better with hand-wash dishes but dishwasher stuff... yeah idk why but it’s just not! that easy! even though it should be! I do make an effort to not let them get gross though, I’ll at least rinse something if it’s messy. I also crack my knuckles and my spine which some people say is a bad habit but I don’t think it’s a big deal. and like all creators of any kind I do sometimes lose interest in projects partway through and delay them or abandon them completely. but I think that’s less of a bad habit and more of the ~creative process~ so... yeah let’s stick with that 😅

questions I think it would be fun to be asked

#thank you for asking! <3 #i started answering this like 4 hours ago but didn't finish before a slew of meetings so here we are #also wow i wrote a lot so sorry if that's too much lol I'm a wordy person okay #I like these ones and def had to think about bad habits bc I usually ignore them (oops) #asks

[nastyatticman]

Uhh hi

Could you do just phone sex with billy lenz but with a male reader? And like showing both povs

Sorry if that too much

It’s not too much! I love this prompt 👀 I love writing Billy’s POV too, it’s fun!

This ended up way longer than I intended but I had a lot of fun with it! Enjoy :3c

Billy Lenz x male Reader

Warnings: voyeurism, crude language (it’s Billy Lenz after all). Reader is male, and it’s written vague enough to be trans inclusive. (Well, it works for me, but YMMV. Words like cock, hole, etc are used) 18+ Only

Things were tense lately - you were having an awful time at work, and it didn’t help that people were always rude about your work’s mask policy. You just couldn’t understand how someone would complain about having to wear a piece of cloth in the five minutes it took to order donuts, especially to you, who obviously had to wear one all day and stay on your feet the whole time.

It was stupid. People are stupid. You were just glad to get back to your apartment and lay down for a while. It was a little lonely, just you and the plants since your roommate was out to visit his girlfriend’s family. Not that you’d missed seeing him every day in quarantine.

No, you kind of appreciated the privacy. Today you were frustrated and couldn’t think of anything that sounded better than getting off. So you watered the plants, grabbed yourself a drink, and loaded up a video you bought recently.

You started off slow, rubbing yourself through your clothes as the guys started making out on the screen - the big screen, since you finally felt comfortable watching porn on your laptop. As things started to escalate, you undid your pants, finally stroking your cock directly. But, like all things today, some stranger decided to interrupt you.

The phone rang down the hall and you almost let it ring, but you remembered your friend was expecting a call from a place he’d applied to, so you had to answer it anyway. Ugh. You rinsed your hand quickly and picked it up.

“Hello?”

The line was silent, save for some heavy breathing. God, not this guy again... You weren’t sure who the mystery caller was, but he’d grown on you. First you thought it was your roommate’s friend Peter playing a prank on you (even though you’d met him and his girlfriend Jess, and they seemed serious, despite how out of his league she was). You didn’t know, straight men are weird.

But Peter denied it when you had your roommate ask him, so... And besides, how many straight men call their male acquaintances to proposition them for sex?

At this point, it was tempting - you didn’t have time to meet people since the lockdown began, and your roommate was out...

The man kept breathing, once in a while making a strangled noise like he was trying not to laugh.

“Are you gonna get to the point already?” you asked him.

He laughed. “You want my cock, you pig? Fuck - fucking whore wants my fat fucking cock, filling up his tight ass?”

“Oh, quit projecting on me,” you teased. “I bet you’d want me to fuck your ass, don’t you?”

He was speechless for a second, and you heard something that could be him swallowing hard over the phone. His response was barely audible. “Maybe. Y- yeah.”

You smirked, you didn’t know if that would work. “Yeah, if I were there you know what I’d do?”

He took a shaky breath. “What?”

“I’d bend you over for me, yeah,” you said, voice low. You couldn’t believe you were actually doing this, but you brought the phone into your room, laying back on the bed, your hand back to stroke yourself through your pants. “If - if you’re wearing pants I’d rip them off, I don’t fucking care. I’d spread your cheeks and eat your ass.”

You thought back to something he said on a previous call. “You like tongue fucking, huh?” The only response you got was his breathing getting harder, the sounds of skin slapping against skin on the other end. Hook, line, and sinker.

“I’d fuck you on my tongue, fill you up with it, so you’re ready to take my fingers,” you continue. There was a strangled moan on the other end. “Start you off with one, I bet you’d want another just as fast. You’d beg for it, huh?”

“Fuck me,” he rasped.

“Someone’s a needy little... pig, huh?” you asked. He made a noise like he was choking, almost, which made you nervous for a second. But he seemed fine by the way he kept at it. Only thing that was being choked was his chicken on the other end of the line, you were sure. “What do you have to say to that?”

Click.

The only answer you got was a dial tone. That dick hung up on you!

Well, shit, you were already there, you may as well... You put the phone down and laid back, stroking your cock again. You had no idea what that guy looked like, but the sound of him moaning and touching himself over the phone was more than enough to get you off...

The rest of the day passed normally. Unsurprisingly, you got a good night’s sleep after that.

After another grueling day at the workplace, you got back to your apartment. Your roommate wasn’t there, but you saw that he left you a note on the counter explaining he was going to see his girlfriend again. That was fine by you, you... wouldn’t admit it, but you were maybe hoping for another call.

What you didn’t expect was how soon it would happen.

—

Billy watched the man walking up to the apartment complex, and slowly made his way to where he’d been staying. There was a surprisingly large storage room that had decent phone reception, and it was easy to steal from the building’s laundry room bit by bit if you knew what you were doing...

He waited and listened, drumming his fingers on his thighs. If he was quiet enough, he could just hear the sound of you unlocking and closing the door behind you. Click. Locked again.

Billy flipped open his phone and checked the time. 4:45. Okay, he’d give you maybe 7 minutes to get comfortable before he called. He flipped the phone closed, and grabbed something to occupy himself. It just was a broken Rubik’s cube he swiped from someone who visited a few weeks ago, but it was enough to keep him from getting tempted and getting to the main event before he even got you on the line with him. Well, that and to keep him from agonizing over it. He’d never had someone take over like that with him... he had plenty of people tell him to fuck himself, sure, but none so far that had told him they’d fuck him themselves.

None like you.

Eventually he gave up trying to solve it for real and just broke the pieces off, assembling it in the right colors. 4:55. Time enough for you.

He picked up the phone, leaning back on the wall, and dialed your number. Waiting for you to pick up, he fidgeted with his fly and undid his pants.

“Hello?” came your voice on the other end.

“I’ve been thinking about you, what you said,” he started up, groping his hardening cock.”How about I return the favor and fuck your tight fucking hole?”

Your voice was like honey to him. “Oh? Tell me about it, piggy.”

He gritted his teeth, grabbing his cock harder than he meant to. “You’re the pig, you- you took Billy’s call, you whore.”

“Fine by me,” you said, cool as a cucumber. “Tell me about it, Billy. If that’s your name.”

Billy bit his lip, doing his best to get his cock out with one hand. “Wanna - I wanna shove you against a wall, Turn you around, cover your mouth so your fucking roommate can’t hear you moaning for me. Grope your thighs, pull your goddamn hair, how about that?”

“Sounds good, but you know what really gets me going?” you asked. “I want you to bite me. Can you do that for me, Billy?”

“Yes,” he replied instantly. “Bite you so hard I leave fucking marks for fucking days. They’ll know you’re mine, mine, mine.” God, he was hard, his cock was leaking already, and he just used it to lube his hand as he stroked harder and faster.

“Oh? Why don’t you make me yours then? You wanna come in me?”

“Of course,” he replied, barely letting you finish. “I’m gonna fuck your tight little hole so hard you can’t fucking walk for days, everyone’s gonna hear you moan for me so hard, like a whore, Billy’s whore. Yes, I’m gonna fuck you sore, fuck you raw, fuck you senseless, come in your greedy fucking hole.”

He was close, he knew it. And for once you didn’t have a wise guy response for him! He barked out a laugh and imitated your voice almost perfectly. “What do you have to say to that?”

You didn’t respond fast enough, and it only made him cackle.

“I’m c-close, I’m gonna come,” he said. “Think about me flooding your tight little hole, you pig.”

He came, finally, and moaned into the phone for you. He played it up a little, for your benefit of course. He wouldn’t admit that was the hardest he’d come in a while.

You were close to follow him, and he sat there, panting, listening to you come down from your peak. He snickered. “Good piggy.”

“Same time tomorrow?” you asked, half joking.

“Yes,” he said instantly. “I’ll meet you, how about that?”

“Fuck yes, please,” you said. “Wait, how would you know where to meet me?”

Click.

Despite his abruptness, Billy was nothing if not a man of his word. Of course, you wouldn’t find that out until tomorrow...

#nasty attic originals #billy lenz x reader #slasher x male reader #lemon #nsft #any chance i get to trash peter in a black christmas fanfic is a chance i take #don't worry let's say attic man is vaccinated

[imagine-a-life-like-this]

What If? (H.JS)

Warnings : mention of divorce 

Word Count : 1897

Synopsis : she had never seen jisung as anything more than just a friend. that is until her and jisung volunteered to do a couples photoshoot for their mutual friend. seeing the way he looked at her, the way they just seemed to match perfectly had her wondering, what if they were more than friends?

“He said my portfolio isn’t good enough. There isn’t enough variety.” Hyunjin whined as he plopped beside me on the couch. I could see the disappointment and exhaustion in his eyes when he looked at me. He had been working on his photography portfolio for months now, hoping to impress his professor.

           “Did he give you any ideas to help expand your portfolio?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair. It’s always helped calm him down, or that’s what he told me.

           “He wants me to try to do a couples photoshoot, since I do a lot of portrait shoots. But I don’t even know any couples!” I slowly began to massage his head as he moved to rest his head in my lap, his eyes closing as he did so.

           “Y/N and I will do it.” Jisung offered from the kitchen. Hyunjin’s eyes shot open, meeting mine immediately.

           “Is there something you two aren’t telling me?” He questioned, causing Jisung and I to burst into laughter.

           “No, but we can act like it front of the camera.” Jisung chuckled as he sat in the chair beside the couch.

           “Besides, most of the school thinks we’re dating anyway.” I joked. Ever since high school, people have thought Jisung and I were couple since we’ve always been so close. Jisung is quite introverted and nervous around a lot of people, and he’s told me before that I comfort him just by being beside him. Growing up, he always clung to me in one way or another, not that I ever minded.

           “Yeah, when I met you two in high school, I could have sworn you two were a couple.” Hyunjin added, sitting up on the couch. “But you two would really do a couples photoshoot for me?” We exchanged looks before nodded.

           “You’re our friend and this is important to you. Of course we’ll help.” I smiled.

           The three of us set out to find some nice shooting locations the next day. It was the perfect day for a photoshoot; the sun shining high in the sky. Every once in a while, Hyunjin would stop us and we’d take some pictures. Jisung and I looked up some references so we knew how to pose and make it look more realistic.

           There was a lot of longing stares and laughter at how ridiculous this felt. Hyunjin was completely focused as Jisung and I posed for him. This was his final project and was worth 50% of his grade, and I could tell it was stressing him out. We tried our best to look as in love as possible, trying to hold in our laughter until the picture was taken, but sometimes it was difficult.

           “Stop looking at me like that.” Jisung chuckled, hiding his face behind his hands. I reached out, taking one of his hands in mine and continued looking longingly into his eyes. “Yah!” I watched as his cheeks became a rosy colour.

           “Let me love you!” I yelled as he suddenly took off running. As I caught up to him, I jumped on his back, thinking it would tackle him to the ground, but I was surprised when he caught my legs in his hands and continued running with me on his back. “Yah Han Jisung!” I shrieked, begging him to drop me.

           “Didn’t think this one through, did you princess?” I cringed at the cliché nickname, lightly hitting the top of his head in protest. “Yah! Don’t hit me!”

           The three of us ended up at a cafe looking through the pictures Hyunjin took throughout the day, after he downloaded them to his laptop. Jisung would point at one he thought was really nice, asking to send them to him later. But I just stared, my heart suddenly picking up pace.

           I stared at the pictures, seeing the wide smiles on both our faces. How perfectly our hands seemed to fit together. Hyunjin even took pictures of us when we were just being ourselves, running around the park with me on his back. You couldn’t tell the difference between the pictures where we were acting like a couple and when we were just hanging out.

           In all the years I’ve known Jisung, I’ve never seen him as anything more than my best friend. But looking at these pictures is like looking into another reality where he’s my boyfriend, and I don’t mind it.

           Han Jisung has always been the person I turn to when I have news to share, good or bad. Through all the hard times and fights, he stuck by me, promising me he’d never leave. He’s the person that knows me better than I know myself. He knows exactly what I need without me asking for it. It’s like he can read my mind.

           There’s no denying that he’s handsome either. He has a smile that can light up a room. Whenever I’m having a bad day, his smile alone can brighten it, bringing a smile to my face as well. And he’s got the cutest cheeks that puff out when he shoves food in his face, much like a squirrel. It’s one of my favourite parts about him. Honestly, I love everything about him.

           There’s no doubt in my mind that I accidentally fell for my best friend. I fell for him a long time ago, but I refused to admit it. But looking at these pictures, my heart can’t deny it anymore. I’m in love with Han Jisung.

           “Hey, Y/N, you okay?” Jisung’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “Do you not like the pictures? Are we not a cute couple?” He joked, his famous smile dancing across his lips. I couldn’t help but smile back.

           “We’re obviously the cutest! All the pictures are amazing, Jinnie.” Hyunjin smiled at us, the stress seeming to wash off him completely.

           “Honestly, you two would make a really cute couple. Look at this picture.” He showed us a picture he took just a bit ago when we got to the café. Jisung and I were standing in line, waiting to order. As per usual, Jisung had his arm draped across my shoulders, and I was holding his hand that was hanging off my shoulder, our fingers laced together. We were staring at each other, wide smiles on our faces. We weren’t even posing, that’s just how we’ve always been. “You are the happiest with each other.” Hyunjin added, but Jisung and I were both silent, realization hitting us both.

           “Wow.” Jisung breathed out, his eyes suddenly meeting mine. “I’m so handsome!” He exclaimed, a wide smile taking over his face. I let out a laugh, but I could feel my heart drop. It was obvious that I was the only one who fell.

           I eventually excused myself with the excuse of a project due in a couple days that I needed to finish. I put my earbuds in and took the long way home, overthinking every little thing between Jisung and I over the years. When did my feelings change?

           Was it the night my parents divorced and I couldn’t stop crying, wondering what went wrong? Jisung came over after I had called him and he heard I was crying. I told him not to, but he still showed up, drenched from the pouring rain, holding a bag of all my favourite snacks. He held me until my sobs faded and wiped away the drying tears.

           Maybe it was when we were partnered for a project in high school and we were in my room, laughing about something completely unrelated to the project. We stayed up late into the night, until my dad came upstairs, offering Jisung the spare room to sleep in, saying he already called his parents. Jisung was awake before me, waking me up with breakfast in bed and a shy smile.

           It could have been when I was stood up, and instead of just picking me up and allowing me to do the lonely walk of shame out of the fancy restaurant, he barged in, apologizing profusely for being late. I smiled when I saw him dressed in his best suit, his hair a mess from the obvious run he did to get there. He even paid despite the high price and his dwindling bank account.

           Or it could have been a mix of everything. Maybe my feelings were never platonic. I always seemed to laugh louder and smile more when he’s around.

           A short vibration from my phone pulled me from my thoughts. I opened the message from Hyunjin, seeing a couple pictures from today on my screen along with a short message. I don’t think you two are just friends.

           The pictures were ones he didn’t show us at the café, or at least not when I was there. The first one seemed to be from when we were just wandering around looking for a location to shoot. I was looking somewhere off camera, probably looking around for a place to shoot. But Jisung’s eyes were on me. His hands were in his pockets while a soft smile danced across his lips. The way he looked at me was the way guys in movies look at their lover. Eyes full of love and longing.

           The second picture was during one of the moments we were trying to act like a couple, but we couldn’t contain our laughter. His hands cupped my face, our eyes locked together in a sweet gaze. You could practically hear our laughter just by looking at the picture. And in both of our eyes was the same longing look Jisung gave me in the previous picture.

           The final picture was another from us acting like a couple. I had closed my eyes just like the couple in the reference picture, thinking Jisung did too. Our foreheads were touching, his hands cupping my face once again, and my hands resting on his chest. But his eyes weren’t closed. They were open, looking at me with such love that I could feel the butterflies erupt in my stomach.

           I stopped walking, just staring at the third picture, hope building up in my stomach. The lyrics of the song playing in my earbuds was background music to the sound of my heart pounding.

           Just then, Jisung’s contact picture popped up on screen as he called me. He always knew when I needed him. He knew me better than I knew myself. I should have known I couldn’t keep these feelings a secret from him. He could read me as easily as you can read your favourite book.

           “Turn around.” Was all he said before hanging up. Slowly, I listened to his directions, turning around, and seeing him standing just a few feet away. “You felt it too, didn’t you.” He said, neither one of us taking a step. Strangers just walked on by, not paying us any attention, as if they were extras in a drama we were starring in.

           “Yeah.” Was all I could say, and a smile formed on his face. “I think I always have.” I added, surprised he could hear me with how soft my voice was. He finally walked towards me, closing the short distance between us before cupping my face.

           “Me too.” He whispered before pressing his lips to mine in the first of many kisses we’d share.

#stray kids imagine #skz imagine #stray kids au #skz au #han jisung imagine #han jisung au #han jisung x reader #han jisung #lee felix #kim seungmin #yang jeongin #bang chan #lee minho #seo changbin #hwang hyunjin