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#hes not originally supposed to be this dark bc i just color picked from a screenshot but i kinda like it
z-skull · 2 years
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Ochanomizu but a little younger
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quibbs126 · 8 months
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Hollyberry x dark cacao fankid?
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Fun fact: this ship is the second on my list. But anyways, here’s Ruby Choco Cookie
She’s named after ruby chocolate, which is this new kind of chocolate that apparently has a berry like taste? Also it’s pink, so like, it was the obvious pick. Also I think when I first came up with the name, I still had Ruby Cacao Cookie as a character, so you could factor that in too (context for people who don’t know: Ruby Cacao was an oc I made that’s Dark Cacao’s sister. She’s currently in limbo for whether I decide to keep her bc I rewrote his backstory again)
Ruby chocolate:
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So I know I said before that I was going to give her frilly dresses, but I kind of just decided against that when actually making her today. I still gave her one to reference that, but I’m a little disappointed she doesn’t have that concept. Though I suppose it might make her look too similar to Kouign Amann, at least in concept
Like I said prior, I’m thinking that before when she was younger, she would wear fancy dresses all the time, even while out and about using her big sword. Her wardrobe probably consists of a mix of European dresses and Korean hanboks. In current day, for whatever reason she doesn’t wear them in favor of more traditional adventuring gear, but she does still have some and wears them from time to time
With her actual outfit, I may or may not have taken primary inspiration from Guts in Berserk (sorry I’ve been making Berserk like my new personality), which is mostly seen in her upper body, with the chest plate and shoulder pads (which may have been an unnecessary detail if I’m being honest), along with her bare arms and bandages (well I mean, Guts only has one hand bandaged, but he’s also missing an arm, so. Hmm, maybe I should make a fankid in the future that’s an amputee…). I think I was going to give her sleeves initially, but took them out for the Guts look. Though I think it works without them. I’d say Guts and some of Hollyberry’s alternate outfits were my main inspiration, along with a dash of Dark Cacao’s alternate cape (though I don’t think the fluffy bits look the best). I just wanted to add something from Dark Cacao
Oh and also obviously, I took inspiration from Guts’s sword, the Dragon Slayer. Listen, I had it in my notes that she has a “big ass sword”, and that was always going to stay, why not model her sword after the iconic oversized sword? Though I suppose the details did end up getting covered up by the rest of the outfit (though you can see it in the sketch, though it’s a bit too small). And I’m not entirely sure its relatively simple design really matches Hollyberry and Dark Cacao, but screw it
Her hair wasn’t originally going to be in a bun, it was going to be long (and I still want it that way), but with her sword and cape, I just didn’t have room to also give her flowing hair, so tied up it is. Also I made her streaks pink to look more like the color of actual ruby chocolate. Her main hair color being dark red was more a reference to Ruby Cacao
Also I think an original idea was to incorporate spades in her design? Since Hollyberry is has hearts and Dark Cacao has diamonds, and you could argue that Pure Vanilla’s kind of looks like clubs, so I thought why not complete the set here with spades? But I only remembered that info well into the sketch process, so I didn’t end up incorporating it. Ah well, maybe another time
If I’m being honest, I think she looks too Hollyberry and not enough Dark Cacao. But maybe that’s just because I used a lot of pink and red, since she’s ruby chocolate. But I don’t know if I dislike her design, I think it looks at least fine, if not good
Also, she was supposed to be somewhat chubby, or have some width to her, but I think that accidentally got lost in the finished product. Sorry
Anyways, how about we talk about her character?
To be honest, I really don’t have much. She’s a traveling adventurer, just going around fighting monsters. And while she generally is a pretty friendly person, she in truth prefers solitude, simply sitting in the night sky with nothing but her sword and her thoughts
She wasn’t always a traveling adventurer, instead staying at a palace (probably the Hollyberrian one), but at some point that attitude changed. I don’t know what caused that change, and whether or not it was tragic (Guts may have also influenced her personality/character in some way)
And other than one thing about her maybe meeting Kouign Amann in the past, that’s kind of all I have on her. And I gotta admit, that’s pretty disappointing for me
Like when it comes to these Ancient kids, I usually have an idea of their relationships with their parents or their half siblings, but here I got nothing. I don’t even know what her role as princess of either the Hollyberry Kingdom or Dark Cacao Kingdom means (and as far as ages go, the only thing I have is that she’s probably older than Dark Choco, though I don’t know about Royal Berry). She just kind of exists
I think I focused too much in her design aspect and didn’t think at all about her lore, which is honestly really disappointing on my end. And is she really even that good of a character? I dunno
*sigh* maybe some other time I’ll come up with a proper background for her and her relationship with her family (though right now I don’t really want to)
But yeah, that’s Ruby Choco I guess. Hope you like her!
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junghelioseok · 3 years
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heart-on.
↳ your one-night stand definitely isn’t relationship material, but maybe—just maybe—your manager’s son is.
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◇ hoseok x reader ◇ smut | strangers to lovers!au ◇ 10.1k [1/1]
❛❛ my boss is always telling me how perfect her son would be for me and she promises he’s coming to the next holiday party and don’t worry he’s heard all about me too and ALSO there’s this dude i slept with once a couple of months ago and sometimes he still sends me dick pics when i ask him to at 3 in the morning cause seriously dude’s got a good dick ❜❜
notes: welcome to the first installment of the serendipity series! we’re starting with hoseok, because, well, have you met me? 🤣 be warned, however, that this isn’t anywhere near as edited as i’d like so i’ll probably give it another read/edit tomorrow but for now!!! here it is!!!
⇢ series masterlist. | inspired by this post.
warnings: dirty talk bc hoseok’s got a bit of a mouth on him, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, kids!), sexting. dick pics, obvi. brief mention of a dead pet goldfish :(
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You’re refilling your mug when you hear it. Voices filter out from the kitchen, floating past the coffee station where you’re pouring yourself another drink and hanging in the open air of the hallway that leads back to the rest of the office. They’re familiar voices, too—voices that belong to the resident gossips of your workplace. Lottie’s pitchy, nasal tone melds with Hyejin’s higher one, their conversation interrupted every so often by an exaggerated exclamation or gasp from Sandra, the third and final member of their trio.
“Haven’t you heard? Carolyn’s divorce was finalized over the weekend, the poor thing.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine how she’s feeling. I mean, getting back into dating at her age? Goodness!”
“And now she’ll be all alone at the holiday party, too. How sad is that?”
“It’s tragic. Poor thing.”
Rolling your eyes, you grab a packet of sugar and tear it open, upending it over your mug and watching the crystalline granules fall into the dark liquid within. You know for a fact that Sandra and her husband can’t even stand to be in the same room for an extended period of time, considering how they’d spent most of last year’s holiday party talking to entirely different groups of people. You’d sat two tables away from them during dinner, and they hadn’t even made eye contact once. And as for Lottie and Hyejin, well, you’re certain that their relationships aren’t much better. All three of them are miserable people as far as you’re concerned, and you make a mental note to check in on Carolyn—a sweet woman in her thirties who always keeps chocolate bars in her purse—on your way back to your desk.
“Sheesh. Vultures, the lot of them. Don’t you think?”
You whirl at the sound of your manager’s voice. Kyunghee Jung is a dark-haired woman in her late fifties, and she laughs when she sees your startled expression, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Easy! You’ll spill your coffee if you’re not careful.”
“I’ll probably have a heart attack first,” you reply, pressing a hand to your chest. “What was your job before this? Some kind of intelligence operative? Are you a super spy?”
Kyunghee laughs again and joins you at the counter. “Nothing even remotely as exciting as that,” she answers, plopping her mug down beside yours. It’s decorated with what looks like every color of the rainbow, a massive smiling sunflower taking up the majority of the surface, and the only remnant of the ceramic’s original color is on the very edge of the handle where there’s a lopsided little patch of white. The piece is clearly handmade, and a stark contrast to the simple mint green cup that houses your coffee. Looking at it, it’s impossible not to smile.
“I love that,” you remark, inclining your head at her mug. “Was it a present from one of your kids?”
“Hoseok,” she confirms, running a fingertip along the imperfect handle fondly. “I’ve told you about him before—he’s right around your age.”
You chuckle. “Right, I remember. That’s why he’s the perfect match for me, right?”
“Come now, there’s more to it than that,” Kyunghee defends, waving a hand. “But yes, to answer your question. He gave it to me as a birthday present when he was eight.”
“Well, you never told me he was an artist,” you tease. “Does he have an Etsy? Can I buy one of these off him? Does he do custom orders, maybe?”
Normally, your manager is more than happy to play along with your jokes, but today Kyunghee fixes you with an uncharacteristically serious look. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” she asks. “He’s coming to the holiday party, after all. I figured you could finally meet.”
You blink. Kyunghee has been making offhand remarks about how well you would get on with her son, Hoseok, for over a year now, but you’ve never even come close to broaching the topic of meeting him. You don’t even know anything about the man beyond the fact that his name is Hoseok and that he works somewhere downtown. He also favors tall socks and yellow suspenders if the framed photograph on Kyunghee’s desk is any indication—or at least, he certainly did when he was still in diapers. Whether he still does, is anyone’s guess.
“Wow, I had no idea he was even interested in coming,” you manage when you’ve recovered from your surprise. “Did you bribe him?”
If Kyunghee notices that your voice is a few pitches higher than usual, she doesn’t remark on it. “Oh, you know. I just told him that this would be his last chance to score free booze on the company’s dime.” She laughs. “Three more months and it’s going to be all beaches and sunshine for me. I might even become a cruise person in my retirement.”
You gasp and slap a hand to your heart. “Kyunghee! Think of the environmental impact!”
“I said I might!” she retorts immediately. “Sheesh. Even in my old age, it’s hard to conveniently forget how shitty and unsustainable those damn boats are.”
You pick up your mug and raise it in a salute. “Well, the oceans thank you.”
“My husband doesn’t,” she answers with a sigh. “He’s been dying to book one of those trips that stop all along the Mediterrannean coastline, and I can’t exactly blame him.”
“That is tempting,” you admit. “You’ll have to send photos, if you do end up going.”
“You’ll be sick of me and my photos before the first day is even up,” she promises. Then she pauses, her eyes darting toward the kitchen where silence has fallen in the last few minutes. “Speaking of being sick—you think the vultures are still hovering around in there? I haven’t had lunch yet, and I need the microwave.”
Obligingly, you edge a little closer to the kitchen doorway and poke your head around the frame, scanning for Lottie and her sidekicks. “Coast is clear. Enjoy your lunch, Kyunghee.”
She nods and raises her mug at you, returning your salute. “I always do.”
///
As soon as the work day ends, you fall into your usual routine. Your commute home is easily walkable on nicer days, and though the winter weather is brisker than you’d like, you decide to walk for the sake of stopping at the convenience store on the corner of the block.
Once you arrive back at your apartment, you change into your comfiest sweats and a loose tee. You turn on some music while you throw together some dinner, and settle onto the couch half an hour later with a full plate and Netflix. Television is a welcome distraction from the events of the workday, and you manage to get through three full episodes of your current show before your pesky brain decides to revisit the events of today, replaying the conversations that you’d both had and overheard.
There’s no denying that you’ve been single for quite some time now, and for the most part, it’s been by choice. Ever since graduating from university, you’ve chosen to focus more on your career, and it’s paid off both in terms of the important position you hold in your company and your above average salary. And yet, you can’t help but think back to the gossip you’d overheard earlier—about the supposed tragedy of being single and attending the upcoming holiday party alone. Your mind wanders to Kyunghee’s son, Hoseok, and how he’ll be in attendance this year. You wonder what he’s like, and whether he really is perfect for you, as Kyunghee seems to be so fond of mentioning.
And then your mind goes to Jay.
You met Jay two months ago, on a well-deserved night out after a hellish workweek. The bar was crowded, and the music coming from the neon dancefloor in the back was just loud enough to drown out your inhibitions. That, combined with the alcohol swimming through your system, made you bold. You sashayed your way across the dancefloor, dodging inebriated bodies and swaying limbs as you fixed your attention on the head of pale lavender hair and deliciously broad shoulders that awaits you just behind the bar counter. The bartender is nothing short of gorgeous, and you’ve thrown all caution to the wind. Sure, several other women are eyeing him like he’s their next meal—several men are, too—but you need another drink. And while he prepares it, you plan to flirt.
A lot.
The bar counter is sticky with spilled liquor, but you don’t pay that any mind as you lean across it, the wood digging into the narrow strip of exposed skin left by your cropped top. “Hi!” you call, and the bartender looks up from where he’s just finished pouring a round of shots for a group of raucous young men.
“Hi yourself,” he says, his pillowy lips stretching into an easy smile. “What can I get you?”
You pretend not to notice the way his eyes flicker down to the dip of your cleavage and instead put on the sultriest smile you are capable of mustering. “Vodka soda,” you tell him, injecting a bit of purr into your voice. “A bit of lemon too, if you have it.”
“Trust me, I have it,” he assures, his smile growing as he reaches for a clean glass and a clear bottle. “Name’s Jin, by the way. I’m here all night, if you need anything e—”
A loud clatter and the sound of breaking glass interrupts the rest of his sentence, and all eyes at the bar go to the source of the disturbance. Conversations stutter to a halt, and even the thumping bass of the music seems to dull. Jin darts to the other end of the bar, where you can see that one of several barstools has fallen to the ground. There’s a man on the ground as well, surrounded by shattered glass and spilled dark liquor, and your eyes widen when you realize that you know him.
And arguably, a little too well.
“Fuck,” you mutter under your breath. People are starting to lose interest in the spectacle, turning back to their own conversations and continuing on as if nothing had happened at all. The man is beginning to clamber to his feet, and a few people lend a helping hand as Jin begins barking out orders for everyone to step back so he can sweep up the broken glass. You seize upon the opportunity, latching on to the nearest arm and pulling them close so you can hide behind them. Vaguely, you’re aware of them sputtering in surprise, but you only have eyes for the man who had fallen off his stool, watching him carefully as he brushes himself off and tries to play it cool despite the sizable patch of whiskey soaking his white shirt.
“Hey, uh…” Your human shield is speaking. “Are you okay? You’re squeezing me pretty tight.”
That draws you out of your daze. Abashed, you loosen your grip on his arm and look up into his face, your throat going dry when you realize how handsome he is. His black hair is parted over his forehead, a stray strand falling into warm brown eyes set above a straight nose and an inviting mouth. There’s a freckle above his top lip, just shy of the center, and your inebriated brain wonders just what it would be like to kiss it.
“I, um—” You clear your throat and try again. “Sorry about that. I just didn’t want him to see me.”
Your newfound companion raises an eyebrow and glances over his shoulder at the drunk man, who is now being ushered out of the bar by his buddies. “You know that guy?”
You nod, cringing. “Yeah, his name’s Trent. I… may or may not have dated him for a few months last year.”
The man laughs out loud. “You dated a Trent?”
“What, like you’ve never made a questionable life choice?” you challenge. “Besides, you shouldn’t judge someone based on the sins of their parents. It’s not his fault they gave him a terrible name.”
“Sure, but it is on him for going along with it,” he replies with a shrug. “I would’ve changed my name as soon as I could if my parents had named me Trent. But hey, that’s just one man’s opinion.”
You laugh. “Okay then, Not-Trent.” Relinquishing your grip on his arm, you let your fingers graze his hand before pulling away entirely. “What do you say we continue this conversation over a drink?”
The man, whose name is decidedly not Trent, catches your fingers in his and gives them a gentle squeeze. “Happily.”
One drink turns into two, and then three. By the end of the hour, you are feeling pleasantly warm, the alcohol spreading through your veins like molasses and turning your surroundings into a hazy blur. The music has grown even louder, pounding against your eardrums, and you grab onto Not-Trent’s wrist as he sets his now-empty glass back down onto the counter.
“Do you wanna get out of here?” you ask, raising your voice to be heard over the thumping bassline. “I can’t even hear myself think.”
“The parking lot’s out back,” he suggests. “Why don’t we get some air?”
You nod and stand up on wobbly legs, cursing your decision to wear heels when you stumble into your companion. He steadies you with a gentle but firm hand, and you don’t miss the way his touch lingers on your lower back, his palm warm through the material of your blouse.
Together, the two of you pick your way through the throng of swaying bodies on the dancefloor. The bassline thuds in your ears, dark and hypnotic, and you can feel the reverberations thrumming across the slats of your ribs and echoing in the cavern of your chest like a second heartbeat.
It’s almost a relief, then, when you step out into the cool night air. Your ears continue to ring for a few seconds, but it soon fades and leaves behind only the muted hum of traffic from the street and the faint sound of music from inside. At your side, Not-Trent releases a long breath and leans against the brick wall of the building, and you turn to take in the steep slopes of his side profile as he tilts his head up toward the velvety night sky.
He’s handsome. Dressed in ripped jeans and black leather, he’s a sight to behold, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t been craving a bit of intimacy for quite some time now. The alcohol swimming through your system makes you bolder than you normally would be, and you reach out to lay a hand on his arm. He turns toward you with a silent question glimmering in his irises, but you simply step closer, until you’re pinning him against the wall with your body and you’re breathing the same air.
“Hey,” you say, your voice an airy whisper. His eyes are near obsidian in the dimness of the parking lot, illuminated only by the orange glow of the streetlamps on either end, and your gaze flickers down to his mouth before roving to the freckle that sits upon his top lip. “Kiss me?”
Your companion’s eyes widen. His lips part, but no words come out, and you’re about to repeat your question when he finally finds his voice again.
“That’s really… that’s not a good idea.” Awkwardly, he clears his throat, but the hoarseness of his voice and the harsh bob of his Adam’s apple give away his true desires. “Look, you’ve been drinking. We both have, and—”
You cut him off, pushing up to your tiptoes and planting a messy kiss to the soft dip just beneath his bottom lip. “Don’t care,” you mumble against his skin. “I want you.”
Your companion laughs weakly. His hands find their way to your waist and pause there, as if he can’t decide whether to push you away or pull you closer. “You don’t even know me,” he murmurs.
“I don’t have to know you,” you reply. Your fingers drag down his chest, trailing along the delicate silver necklace that rests against the black of his shirt. From the chain hangs a round pendant, the surface engraved with the letter J. Slowly, you trace it with a fingertip, the metal shining even in the dim light, and satisfaction blooms in your heart when your companion’s throat bobs again. “I want you,” you breathe, soft but insistent. “Isn’t that enough?”
“I—” He clears his throat and tries again, and you wonder if he realizes that his hands have slid down to your hips, or that there’s a growing hardness against your lower stomach that’s becoming increasingly harder to ignore. “Look, I’m flattered—really, I am. And you’re… I mean, fuck, you’re gorgeous. But I don’t think we should do anything when you’re clearly not in the right frame of mind to be making this kind of decision, and—”
“And, nothing.” You wind your arms around his neck, pressing close and grinding subtly against the bulge in his pants. You smirk when he releases a low hiss from between his teeth, and hide it by laying a trail of kisses along the stretch of bare skin exposed by the dip of his collar. “Stop being such a gentleman,” you whisper. Your fingers trail down his chest, past the silver of his pendant and down to the faded denim of his jeans, teasing at the cool metal of his belt buckle. “I want this. But if you’re not interested, I can always go back in there and—”
The rest of your sentence dies in your throat. Your companion has tugged you flush against him in one smooth motion, and your gasp is cut off by the firm press of his mouth against yours. Immediately, you melt into the kiss, and a moan tears from your lips when he spins you around and pins you against the brick wall of the building.
“You’re a spoiled little thing, huh?” His breath fans hot against your cheeks, and you shiver when you meet his eyes and see the dark promise reflected there. “Used to getting what you want, huh, princess?”
Your breath hitches at the endearment—something your companion doesn’t miss. “Oh, you like that?” He chuckles hoarsely, and when he speaks again it’s in a rasp that sends heat straight to your core. “What else do you like, hmm? You want me to be rough with you, princess? Or should I be gentle and treat you like a queen?”
You reach up, raking your fingers through his hair and skimming across the soft strands of his undercut before finding purchase at his nape. “You talk too much,” you whisper.
And then you’re crushing your mouth back against his, whining when he immediately takes back control of the kiss. His grip slides downward, his fingertips digging into the skin just above the curve of your ass, and you squeak when he grabs the back of your thigh and hooks your leg around his waist.
“You feel that?” he rasps into your ear, nipping at the delicate shell and chortling when you keen. Your skirt has ridden up dangerously high on your spread thighs, and you let out a soft whimper when he grinds harshly against your center. The lace of your panties and the denim of his jeans are the last barricades between you, and you wonder, vaguely, whether your companion has a bit of an exhibitionist streak when he slides one of your sleeves down your shoulder and begins kissing a trail down to the swell of your cleavage. “You feel how hard you’ve gotten me?”
You lean down, kissing the soft spot where his jaw meets his ear before letting your teeth graze against his skin. “Why don’t you do something about it then?”
He hisses out a sharp breath, his hands tightening their hold on your hips. “You’ve got quite the mouth on you, huh? I can’t wait to make you eat your words.”
Any retort you may have had is interrupted by a sudden swell of music and the sound of a slamming door. Whirling to face the source of the noise, you immediately spot a familiar head of lavender hair atop broad shoulders encapsulated in the black uniform of the bar. Jin hasn’t noticed the two of you yet, his attention fixated on his cell phone screen, but he looks up when you let out a little squeak of surprise and shove your companion’s chest in an attempt to create some distance between you.
“Hey.” Jin raises a hand in greeting, a knowing smirk curling his lips. “This phone call shouldn’t be too long, so please. Don’t stop the party on my behalf.”
Heat floods to your cheeks. There isn’t much use protesting against his insinuation, considering the rather compromising position you’re in. Much to your relief, though, your companion simply huffs out a chuckle and waves Jin off. “Thanks, man, but we’ll get out of your hair.” Lowering his voice, he turns back to you. “Coming, princess?”
You nod. He offers you his hand, and you take it gratefully, adjusting your skirt so that it drapes properly over your hips and thighs again.
“Have a good night!” Jin calls after you, amusement lacing every word. You can’t work up the nerve to respond, and luckily, you don’t have to. Your companion leads you around the corner of the building, where several rows of cars are parked beneath an orange streetlamp. On this side, the exterior brick wall is painted with a mural, and you admire the colorful galaxies and nebulae swirling amidst silvery white stars and the word serendipity spray-painted in pale blue.
The last car in the row is parked just beneath the letter Y, and it’s here that your companion stops. The sleek black vehicle has an almost vintage feel to it, and you glance up when you hear the jingle of metal.
“I’m guessing this is yours?”
He nods, pulling a set of keys from the pocket of his leather jacket and inserting one into the lock. “Yeah. You like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” you tell him, tracing the edge of the passenger window “Makes my car look like a total piece of shit by comparison.”
Your companion chuckles, pulling open the driver’s side door, and you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the window as he presses a button to unlock the rest of the doors. Your hair’s a bit of a mess and your mascara has smudged beneath your right eye, and you hurriedly swipe at it as your companion turns his attention back to you.
“So,” he says. “Now what? I can give you a ride home, if you want.”
Deliberately, you let your gaze drop down to his crotch, where his bulge—albeit waning—is still visible. “Seriously? I thought you were going to… what was it again? Make me eat my words?”
And just like that, it’s as if a switch has flipped. His eyes darken to obsidian, his lips settling into a stern line, and you barely have time to draw in a breath before he’s caging you against the side of his car and molding his mouth to yours. Your lips part beneath the onslaught, and he wastes no time in dipping inside to explore, licking into you until you’re both breathless.
“Inside,” he breathes once you’ve broken apart, and you instantly obey. You wrench the door open and all but tumble into the backseat, and he isn’t far behind as he slots himself between your spread thighs. Your hands fly to his shoulders where you help him shuck off his leather jacket, tossing it carelessly to the front where it lands in a heap on the dashboard before focusing your attention on the hem of his black t-shirt. Your companion obliges you as you push it upward to expose his toned abdomen, grabbing it by the collar and pulling it off the rest of the way when your reach falls a little short in the cramped interior of the backseat.
“Your turn,” he whispers when you try to reach for his belt, his hands settling around your wrists. “It’s only fair, princess.”
Pouting, you let your hands fall limp in his grasp, and he chuckles as he leans down to pacify you with a kiss. Deft fingers find the hem of your blouse, pushing it up until you can twist out of the material. You throw it aside with no regard for where it lands on the ground, and lay back as your companion drinks you in, his dark gaze raking across the lacy black lingerie that decorates your curves and skims you like a second skin. “Fuck,” he breathes, his voice hoarse with a combination of amazement and disbelief. “You’re stunning.”
You smile, trailing a fingertip from the dip of his collarbone down to the silver necklace that sits prettily against his bare chest. “You’re not so bad yourself,” you tell him, tracing the letter engraved into his pendant. “Jay.”
Your companion—newly dubbed Jay—smiles back. “You’re something else, princess,” he murmurs, before leaning down to kiss you again. He explores your mouth thoroughly—languidly—before moving down to nip at your neck, and already, you can feel the beginnings of marks beginning to form, blossoming across your skin as irrefutable proof of your tryst.
It isn’t long before Jay frees you from your bra, watching with carnal fascination as your breasts spill out of the lacy material. You whine when he reaches out to cup one, his palm hot against your bare skin, and he smirks crookedly when a pinch to your nipple makes your back arch off the leather of the seat. “So pretty,” he rasps. “I can’t wait to see how you look stretched around my cock.”
“Stop waiting, then,” you tell him, trying again for his belt buckle. This time, he lets you fumble it open, leaning back to watch you work with hooded eyes and a lazy little smile. Emboldened, you push aside the denim of his jeans and free his cock from the confines of his underwear. He’s hard and hot and heavy in your palm, and your tongue darts out instinctively at the sight of the pearlescent precum beading the tip.
“Jay,” you murmur, thumbing across the head of his erection and smirking when he hisses in pleasure. “Fuck me.”
Jay seems to consider your demand, mischief flitting across his features before he manages to school his expression into something more neutral. “Where are your manners, princess?” he asks, pushing your hand away and giving himself a few long, slow strokes. “Say please, if you want it so bad.”
For a moment, you consider refusing. Jay seems to be the type of man who enjoys a good game, but between the state of his cock and the earlier interruption, you’re pretty sure he’s nearing his limit. And even if he isn’t, you are. And so, you shelve your pride for the time being, and trail a hand down the length of your bared body as you bat your lashes up at him. “Fuck me, Jay,” you repeat. “Please. Want your cock so bad.”
His answering smile is equal parts amusement and satisfaction, and altogether sinful. “That’s my girl,” he rasps, before shoving your panties aside. Lining the head of his cock up, he enters you in one smooth thrust, and you moan as your walls stretch to accommodate his girth. You’re more than wet enough to take him in his entirety, your eyes fluttering shut when he bottoms out, and he groans hoarsely as he takes a second to relish the feeling of your walls gripping him so tightly.
“Fuck. You’re so wet, princess.” Jay dips a thumb into your slick, spreading it across your clit and rubbing a few experimental circles around the sensitive nub. He groans when you clench around him, his hips stuttering, and you squeeze around him again just to hear him grit out another curse. “Shit. I’m not going to last long at this rate.”
“Don’t care,” you murmur, rocking against him and sighing when the motion sends him a little deeper into your core. “Just fuck me, Jay. Please.”
Jay leans in, a dark lock of hair falling across his forehead as he plants an indulgent kiss on your waiting mouth. “Anything for you, princess,” he breathes. Slowly, he pulls back until only the tip of his cock remains inside you. Then he’s slamming forward, and you can’t even find it in yourself to care about the obscene sound of skin slapping against skin or the way the car rocks. Jay’s thumbing across your clit in tight circles that he times perfectly with the rock of his hips, and you wonder whether the rapidly building pleasure in your belly is due to your dry spell or if he’s just that good. You can feel every inch of him as he fills you up repeatedly, his brows furrowed in concentration and his dark hair flopping as he drives deeper in search of the spot that will have you seeing stars.
You know he’s found it when the pleasure in your belly spikes, your back arching off the backseat. Your skin is sticky against the dark leather and you’re certain the sweat gathering at your temples has destroyed the last of your makeup, but Jay alleviates your concerns with a particularly well-timed thrust and a harsh nip to the soft spot at your clavicle. You keen out something unintelligible, and his lips stretch into a smirk against your skin.
“That’s it,” he encourages. “Cum for me, princess.”
That’s all it takes for the mounting pressure to snap. Your body collapses into a searing orgasm, the pleasure flaring out like a supernova and spreading through your veins like wildfire. “F-fuck, Jay—” you gasp, your fingers scrabbling at his back for purchase and no doubt leaving scratches in their wake. “Fuck, you feel so—”
The remainder of your words trail off into garbled nonsense, and Jay huffs out a strained chuckle as he begins chasing after his own orgasm, rutting against you in a way that both prolongs your pleasure and sustains his own. “Shit,” he groans, his eyes fluttering shut. “Fuck, that’s it. Look at you—taking my cock so well. So pretty and perfect and—”
Whatever he was going to say dissolves into a groan as he gives a few more erratic thrusts before his release overwhelms him. Creamy warmth floods through you, and you rub his back tiredly as his head drops onto your shoulder, his breath flaring hot against your skin as he rides out his orgasm.
It takes several long seconds for the pleasure to recede. Your legs are still shaky when Jay pulls away, straightening up and tucking himself back into his jeans. There’s an empty ache in your core now that you are no longer stuffed full of his cock, and already, you are missing the feeling. Still, you push that aside as you sit up, adjusting your panties and wincing at the wetness that soaks the material and sticks to your skin.
“So,” Jay says after a moment’s silence, and you glance over at him when he huffs out a short chuckle. “That was fun.”
“Not bad at all,” you agree weakly, an irrepressible smile tugging at your lips.
Jay grins. It’s a bright, infectious grin—and it’s one that you’ve already grown rather fond of in the short period of time you’ve known him. It’s a grin that showcases his perfect teeth and crinkles his eyes into crescents, and one that all but forces you to grin back.
“Here, give me your phone,” he says, and you watch as he punches in his number once you hand it over. “Just in case you ever wanna do this again,” he tells you, handing it back. “Don’t be a stranger, princess.”
You glance down at his contact information, saved under the moniker you’d given him and affixed with a short string of emojis. “I won’t,” you tell him, chuckling. “In fact, I just might take you up on the offer.”
-
The screen of your laptop has long since gone dark, and you stretch your arms overhead before waking it again. Rolling your shoulders, you navigate back to the main Netflix menu, hovering over the resume button and watching the trailer loop in the background.
You’d be lying if you said you didn’t think about Jay often. You’ve texted each other quite often since that night in his car—usually when you’re bored and alone and have had a few too many glasses of wine in the evenings. You’ve found yourself tapping on his name instinctively during those odd, ambiguous hours—when late night and early morning meld together and you’re aching for a bit of relief.
And as if he knows you’re thinking about him, your phone buzzes against the coffee table, the screen lighting up with a familiar name.
[11:22pm] Jay 😘🍆💦: thinkin about u, pretty girl 😘
It’s followed by an image, and your heart rate picks up, thudding loudly against your ribs as you open it.
Tumblr media
Fuck.
Your memories of Jay’s face—made all the more hazy by the alcohol and the amount of time elapsed since your first and only meeting—truly don’t do him justice. Though the photograph cuts off just above his nose, you can still admire the sharp angle of his jaw and the fullness of his puckered lips. His skin is golden against the white of his t-shirt, and you lick your lips before thumbing across your screen to respond.
[11:23pm] You: yeah? what else are you thinking about, hmm?
His response is instantaneous.
[11:23pm] Jay 😘🍆💦: thinking about that pretty little pussy of yours
[11:23pm] Jay 😘🍆💦: how good it looked in that pic u sent me tuesday 👅
You barely even notice the way your hand begins trailing down your body, pushing aside the elastic waistband of your sweats. It’s as if you’re on autopilot, as your fingers find their way to the damp spot growing on your panties.
Yeah? you write back with your free hand, already teasing at your clothed folds with the other. Tell me more.
///
It’s an uncharacteristically warm Friday morning when you find yourself in the elevator with Jimin, a good friend of yours who works on one of the lower levels of your office building. “Morning,” he says as he steps in, a large iced coffee in hand despite the fact that it’s still very much the middle of winter. Then he squints, leaning a little closer. “Oh my god. You got laid!”
“Oh my god, not so loud!” you hiss, whacking him on the shoulder and jabbing the button to close the elevator doors. “And no, not exactly. I’ve just been texting Jay.”
“Texting, sure.” Jimin mimes air quotes around the word and rolls his eyes. “You’re sexting him, and we all know it. How many pictures of his dick do you have saved on your phone now?”
“Oh my—” You sigh, trailing off. “Can we not talk about this right now?”
“Right, of course.” Jimin takes a sip of his coffee and pretends to check his watch. “When would you like to talk about it then? Do you need to check your calendar? Can I book an appointment for later this afternoon?”
You stick your tongue out at him. “Shut up.”
Jimin just grins, his lips puckered around his straw. “So, how’s Jay? Have you asked for his real name yet?”
You shrug. “What’s the point? It’s not like we’re friends or anything. We’ve literally only met the one time.”
“Yeah, but that’s just because you’re a coward,” Jimin points out. “What’s stopping you from meeting up with him again? You have his number. You have at least one photo of his dick. Ask him out already!”
“It’s not that easy, though,” you sigh. The elevator doors open to let a few more people in, and you move to the side and lower your voice so that only Jimin can hear. “Jay—he’s not exactly boyfriend material. I mean, we fucked in his car the first night we met.”
“So?” Jimin frowns and takes another sip of his iced coffee. “You talk about things besides sex, don’t you? You definitely told him about your goldfish dying, at least. I mean, you told him before you even told me!”
“Yes I did, and he was appropriately sympathetic about Mustache’s passing, unlike some people,” you sniff. “Get over it already, won’t you?”
“Never,” Jimin replies, ignoring your pointed jab. “I’m sure you only told him because you knew you could get a sympathy sext out of it. How many dick pics did you get out of that night, anyway?”
“You’re gross,” you tell him, punching him in the arm. “Not to mention that’s exactly why Jay’s not boyfriend material. He’s perfectly happy with—whatever it is we’re doing. I can’t just ruin that by asking him to get dinner.” You frown, gnawing on your bottom lip. “I don’t want to make this into something that it’s not.”
Jimin hesitates. “Fine, okay. I guess I can understand that.”
“Yeah.”
There’s a pause, as the elevator makes a few more stops. You watch the numbers crawl higher, and know that you’ll soon have to part ways with your friend..
“Hey.” You nudge Jimin with your shoulder, just as the elevator doors close and you begin the ascent to his floor. “Wanna know something interesting?”
Jimin looks up from his phone, where he’s scrolling through Twitter. “Always.”
“My boss’ son is coming to the party tomorrow.”
Jimin’s eyebrows disappear into his ashy blond hair at your revelation. “Kyunghee’s son? Hoseok, or whatever?”
You chuckle. “The one and only. She’s found about a million ways to bring him up in conversation this past week. She thinks we’re a match made in heaven.”
“Wow.” Jimin releases a long breath. “I wonder what he’s like, then.”
You shrug, adjusting the strap of your work tote over your shoulder. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”
///
The morning of the party, you wake up to an empty refrigerator. Half stale cereal and the last dregs of milk from the carton become your breakfast, and you munch on that as you mull over the contents of your closet. You’re still in your pajamas, but you pull out your comfiest jeans and a sweater to change into after you finish eating. Then you turn to your collection of dresses, rifling through them and mentally debating the merits of each material and color.
You could go in one of two directions tonight. On the one hand, this is still a work party, and as such your attire should probably maintain a certain level of decorum. But on the other, you’re meeting Hoseok Jung for the first time tonight. You aren’t necessarily looking to start anything with the man, of course, but you do want to look good. With that in mind, you eventually settle on a deep red number that you pull out of the very back of your closet, made of a silky material that skims your curves and accentuates your best assets. Laying it on the bed, you begin your hunt for a pair of matching shoes. Twenty minutes of searching and another five of agonizing later, you step into the bathroom, intent on showering and getting on with the rest of your day.
Upon exiting the bathroom, you decide that tackling the state of your refrigerator takes top priority over your other weekend errands. Sitting down at the dining table, you take stock of what you have in your pantry, planning out your meals for the upcoming week and making a list of what you need to purchase in order to make them a reality. It’s just after one in the afternoon when you exit your apartment with a completed grocery list and your purse stuffed full of reusable canvas bags. The store is a short walk from where you live, and you decide to put in your earbuds as your feet navigate the familiar route. The temperature is surprisingly mild for winter, and the sun shines bright from its perch in the cloudless blue sky. It’s perfect weather for a walk, and the fresh air clears your mind and eases your heart.
At the grocery store, you forego the stack of baskets and instead grab a shopping cart. Weaving your way up and down the aisles, you check items off the list on your phone one by one. Eventually, you find yourself in the cereal section, grabbing a box of granola before turning to where your favorite cereal normally sits. It isn’t there, and you turn in a full circle, confused, until your gaze finally lands on the familiar box on the top shelf.
Great.
Sighing, you push up to your tiptoes, stretching your arm as far as it can reach. Your fingertips graze the shelf, but you can’t quite get a grip on the box itself. Glancing down, you scan the bottommost shelf and wonder if you can step on it to give yourself a boost.
“Need a hand?”
The voice comes from behind you, and a vague sense of familiarity sparks in your brain. Slowly, you turn around, and your entire body freezes when your gaze slides up to the speaker’s face.
“Jay.” The syllable escapes you in a near whisper. “H-hi.”
“Hey.”
Jay stands before you, looking like sin incarnate in a faded denim jacket, black sweatpants slung low on his hips, and not much else. At his throat, his silver necklace sparkles, the silver J pendant glinting beneath the fluorescent lights of the store, and you’re suddenly beyond grateful that you decided to put on a decent sweater before leaving.
“Here,” he says, stepping forward until he’s close enough that you can smell his cologne—sandalwood tinged with sweet citrus. “Let me help you with that.”
The sudden proximity has your breath hitching in your throat. Your heart thuds erratically against your ribs as he reaches around you, the denim flaps of his jacket gaping in a way that exposes even more of his bare chest. By the time he pulls back with your cereal box in hand, you feel almost faint, belatedly realizing that you’d been holding your breath.
“You wanted this, right?” Jay asks, and you aren’t sure if you’re imagining the innuendo underlying his words or the teasing inflection of the syllables.
“Y-yeah, that’s the one,” you manage, fighting to quell the uneven tempo of your heartbeat as you accept the box. “Thanks.”
“Happy to help,” he replies. Then he leans in, close enough that you can feel his warm breath fanning your cheek as he murmurs his next sentence into your ear. “Anything for you, princess. You know that.”
Heat floods across your cheeks. Your heart skips two full beats before taking off into a sprint, and it’s impossible to ignore the way your core begins to thrum, as if anticipating a repeat of that night you first met all those weeks ago. Almost instinctively, your eyes dart up to the ceiling where the security cameras are, and Jay follows the trajectory of your gaze with a low chuckle and a soft brush of your cheek with the pad of his thumb.
“Sorry, princess. As much as I’d love to get my hands on you, I’m kind of on a time crunch today.”
You can’t stop the wave of disappointment that washes over you, even if you’re in the exact same boat. “Rain check, then?”
“Rain check,” he agrees. Slowly, you reach up to touch the engraved silver pendant resting against his chest, rubbing it between your fingertips before tracing the curve of the J, and he catches your wandering fingers between his and presses a gentle kiss to your knuckles.
“You know how to reach me,” he murmurs with a mischievous wink. His gaze lingers even after he’s released your hand, and you clear your throat awkwardly before turning to deposit your cereal box into your shopping cart.
The two of you go your separate ways then, exchanging goodbyes. You finish the rest of your grocery shopping in a daze, idly going through the motions at checkout and letting muscle memory guide you back home. Your arms are aching by the time you step past the threshold of your apartment, and you heave your shopping bags up onto the kitchen counter with a relieved sigh before returning to the entryway to toe off your shoes. You throw together a sandwich as you unpack your groceries, taking a big bite as you walk back to your bedroom to look at the dress you’ve picked out. Pacing over to the closet, you double-check your shoe choice. Briefly, you debate whether or not to wear flats instead of heels.
There are still a few hours left before you have to start getting ready, so you take the last of your sandwich back to the kitchen and whip up a smoothie to go with it. You scroll through your phone as you eat, browsing through the latest news headlines and scrolling through your social media accounts. Just before six o’clock, as the sun starts setting beyond the horizon and casting long shadows across your living room, you start getting changed. You snap a photo in the mirror once you’re dressed, pulling up Jimin’s name in your phone and sending it to him.
[6:13pm] You: last chance to come tonight
Your phone buzzes with a response almost immediately.
[6:14pm] Jimin: nah. i’d hate to step on hoseok’s toes.
You laugh. Not so fast, you text back. We don’t even know anything about the guy yet. What if he’s boring? Or sexist?
[6:15pm] Jimin: if u think kyunghee raised a sexist you’re seriously deranged
[6:16pm] Jimin: now stop taking selfies and get your ass out the door! you’re gonna be late!!!!
///
Each year, the holiday party tends to be a little over the top, and this year is no exception. The company has bought out the entirety of a restaurant for the evening, and you glance around in amazement at the twinkling lights and lush evergreen boughs decorating the walls and strung up along the ceiling. An assortment of sparkling ornaments hangs from the massive tree in the far corner, interspersed between silver tinsel and more lights. Grabbing a champagne flute off a passing server’s tray, you head farther into the restaurant, skirting around tables draped in creamy linen and greeting your colleagues and friends.
“Is she alone?”
“Figures.”
The voices come from the direction of the open bar, and somehow, you just know that they’re talking about you. Lottie, Hyejin, and Sandra are clustered in the corner with glasses of wine in hand, casting glances around the restaurant and gossiping about anything and everything with a pulse. You’re sorely tempted to grab the nearest pitcher of water off a table and pour it over their heads, but you suppress the urge and instead head over with a saccharine smile. “So lovely to see you, {Name},” Lottie says as you approach.
“I love your dress,” Sandra adds. “Very slimming.”
“Thanks,” you reply, putting on your brightest, fakest smile. “Yours is great too. How are you and your husband enjoying the party so far?”
Sandra’s face sours, and you hide your smirk in your champagne flute. Maybe it’s petty to bring up her rocky relationship, but you’ve been subject to snide comments from Sandra and her friends for years now and it’s become increasingly hard for you to bite your tongue. A few tables away, you spot Sandra’s husband, Rodney, take an enormous gulp of his whiskey and wince as it burns down his throat.
“We’re all having a wonderful time, aren’t we, ladies?” Lottie cuts in when Sandra takes too long to answer. “Hyejin’s date is over there with Rodney, and my boyfriend is fetching himself a drink. You remember Dev, don’t you?”
You nod, even though it’s a lie. “Sure. Say hi to him for me.”
Lottie’s lips curve up into a smile, her head tilting to the side, and you’re suddenly reminded of a snake rearing its head back for the kill. “So, what about you? Have you brought someone tonight, or—?”
“Hi ladies!” Kyunghee materializes at your side, her lips painted a festive red shade to match her dress. She’s wearing the disingenuous smile that she reserves for the resident gossips of your office, and you try not to let your relief show on your face when Lottie’s attention refocuses on your manager.
“So good to see you, Kyunghee,” she simpers. “Have you been here long?”
“Not as long as you,” your manager replies, nodding at the near-empty wineglass in her hand. “I see we’re already making a dent in the wine supply, and you’re falling behind, {Name}. Why don’t we go remedy that, hmm?”
She doesn’t give you a chance to respond, grabbing your arm and leading you away. Kyunghee is surprisingly spry for a woman her age, and you follow after her with some difficulty as she marches through the throngs of conversing people, all the way to the line at the open bar.
“I’d like you to meet someone,” she says, gesturing at the man standing at the end of the line with his back to you. “{Name}, this is my son, Hoseok.”
The man turns around at the sound of his name, a warm, affable smile stretched across his face. “Hi, I’m H—” he begins, but he’s cut off by your sharp intake of breath. His eyes go wide, his smile fading as his mouth falls open, and you’re certain you’re wearing an even more dumbfounded expression. “It’s you,” he says, his voice hoarse.
“Wh-what… how…” You trail off, speechless. The words flounder and die in your throat as your brain struggles to process this development, and you practically feel the way the gears in your head churn to a stuttering halt.
Because this man standing before you, the one that Kyunghee has just introduced as her son, is none other than Jay. He looks completely and utterly devastating in a navy waistcoat and matching slacks, a green tie shaped like a Christmas tree knotted loosely around the white collar of his shirt. His dark hair is parted, his undercut exposed, and you can’t tear your gaze away from the loose strand that has fallen across his forehead.
“H-hi.”
Jay—Hoseok—swallows. “Hi.”
Kyunghee glances between the two of you, her brows furrowing. “I take it you two already know each other?”
Hoseok’s ears begin taking on a scarlet tinge, the color spreading to his cheeks as he struggles to find his vocabulary again. “I—yeah. Yeah, we’ve met.”
“Right. Do I even want to know how?” she asks dubiously, before shaking her head and huffing out a sigh. “No, forget I asked. I don’t want to know. I’ll just leave you two to… catch up.”
Waving goodbye, Kyunghee disappears back into the crowd of partygoers milling around. Hoseok turns back to you, sucking in a deep breath, and you fight the urge to stare down at your toes as his gaze roves across your face.
“I can’t believe this,” he says, breaking the silence that’s fallen between you at last. “My mom’s been talking about you for months, but I never imagined that it’d be you.”
“You’re telling me,” you reply, finally having recovered your voice. “Kyunghee brings you up all the time, but I never thought… I mean, we didn’t even know each other’s names, and now…” You shrug. “Here we both are.”
“It’s a pretty crazy coincidence, huh?”
“Definitely.”
A beat passes, and then two. You’re fully aware that you’re staring, but you don’t dare blink, afraid that he’ll disappear if you close your eyes. Of all the things that you thought might happen tonight, this particular meeting wasn’t even close to making the list. Never would you have thought that the man you only knew as Jay would turn out to be Kyunghee’s son. Never would you have connected Jay to the photographed little boy in yellow suspenders on Kyunghee’s desk, or realized that they were one and the same.
From behind you, someone loudly clears their throat. Another voice calls for you to get a move on, already, and both you and Hoseok belatedly realize that you are still standing in line for the open bar. Hoseok’s eyes go wide again, and you nearly tread on his toes when you both try to move forward. “After you,” he says with a chuckle, gesturing for you to go in front of him, and that’s enough to break the tension. You step ahead of him with a laugh, catching up to the line, and Hoseok doesn’t stray far as he follows your lead.
“So, what are you drinking?” he asks, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Vodka soda with a twist?”
“Actually, I think I’m going to stick with wine tonight,” you reply, peering at the bottles lined up on the counter. “What about you?”
“Hmm. Jack and coke, I think. Nothing else is really calling my name right now.”
Grabbing your drinks, the two of you begin searching for a place to sit. You spot Kyunghee at a table near the front, and she smiles knowingly and offers you a thumbs-up when she catches your eye. Eventually, you settle on a table near the Christmas tree, the lights glimmering off the glasses and reflecting off your knife as you pick it up to butter a slice of crusty bread from the basket in the center. Hoseok follows your lead, grabbing a piece for himself, and the two of you munch in silence for a few seconds before Hoseok breaks it.
“You know, my mom says you’re the perfect girl for me” he says with a dry little chuckle. “Think she’s right?”
“I don’t know,” you answer. “It’s funny, though—Kyunghee’s been telling me the same thing. She sings your praises all the time.”
Hoseok laughs and scratches the back of his neck. “Oh, jeez, that’s kind of embarrassing. I’m glad she’s saying good things, at least.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” you tell him, grinning. “She’s only shown us one photo album from your childhood.”
His face crumples. “Was it the Disneyland one?”
You nod, fighting back laughter, and watch as Hoseok groans and lets his forehead meet the linen-covered tabletop with a dull thunk.
“I don’t like rollercoasters,” he mumbles into the tablecloth, his voice muffled by the material. “They make me queasy.”
“Even now?” you ask, and he nods.
“Yep.”
The clinking of a fork against a wineglass—amplified and broadcast through an array of invisible speakers built into the restaurant’s walls—interrupts any further conversation. You twist in your seat to watch your company’s leadership give their opening remarks, listening as they congratulate everyone for a great year and wish you a happy holiday season. The servers begin going out with plates of food, and you thank them as they set yours down. Hoseok does the same before raising his glass in your direction, clearing his throat and offering you a crooked little smile.
“Here’s to second meetings.”
“Third, if you count the store earlier,” you correct, and he chuckles and nods in agreement before clinking his drink against yours.
You spend the entirety of dinner chatting with Hoseok, getting to know him beyond the few facts Kyunghee has mentioned and what little you’ve gleaned from texting him the last two months. He tells you all about his dance studio, Hope World, where he teaches both contemporary dance and the occasional Pilates class. You find out that in addition to rollercoasters, he also dislikes sour foods and raisins, but he loves mint chocolate and sweet and sour pork. He also has a very low tolerance for alcohol—something he tells you as he tilts the rest of his drink into his mouth. “Should I be worried?” you ask as he sets his glass back down, and he chuckles and shakes his head, sending the loose tendril of hair flopping across his forehead.
Dessert is served, and subsequently eaten. The music is turned up, and people slowly begin finding their way to the open space that serves as an impromptu dancefloor. Hoseok rises to his feet and extends a hand toward you, and you only hesitate for the briefest of seconds before accepting it. He leads you out amongst the other swaying couples, his hand finding its way to the curve of your waist, and you rest your hand on his shoulder as he begins guiding you in a slow, simple waltz.
“So?” Hoseok’s voice is a low murmur, soft and gentle against the shell of your ear. “What’s the verdict?”
You blink. “The verdict?”
Even without looking, you can tell that he’s smiling. You can hear it in the lilt of his voice, and imagine it in the curve of his lips. “About me,” he clarifies, carefully pulling back so you can spin in a circle beneath his outstretched arm. “About us. My mom will never let me hear the end of it if she turns out to be right, but I still wanna know. So what are you thinking?”
“Are you asking if I think we’re perfect for each other?” you ask, giggling. “I don’t know if I believe in all that, to be quite honest. Destiny and soulmates—I mean, doesn’t it seem a little too good to be true?”
Hoseok hums. “Maybe. But considering all that’s happened to us in the last couple of months, don’t you think there’s a chance that it's all more than simple coincidence?”
“Maybe,” you concede. “Still, I don’t know if I can give you a verdict just yet. We haven’t even gone on a date.”
“We did do things a little backwards,” Hoseok admits, tugging you close and winding his arm around your waist. “Let me make it up to you, then. Are you free tomorrow?”
“What if I am?” you challenge.
“Then, I’d like to take you out for breakfast,” he replies without missing a beat.
The prospect of a proper meal with Hoseok Jung does something funny to your insides. Still, something makes you hesitate, and you avert your gaze as you search for your next words. “I wasn’t expecting to end tonight with a date,” you admit slowly. “I honestly didn’t even think you were interested in… well, anything beyond sex, to be honest.”
Hoseok’s face creases into a frown, and you look up again when he murmurs your name. “I understand why you would think that,” he says. “Really, I do. But honestly? I had every intention of texting you and asking you out properly. I was going to play it cool and wait a few days, which was stupid in retrospect. And then you texted me first.”
“I texted y—” You trail off. “Oh, god.”
“It seemed like you’d been drinking,” Hoseok says with a shrug, and you press a finger to his lips before he can say anything more. You remember the night in question, and you remember the bottle of wine you’d consumed. And you definitely remember the photographs you’d sent of yourself, and the ones Hoseok had been kind enough to send in return.
“Wait, so you were going to ask me out? And then I… I sexted you?”
Hoseok nods, and you groan and bury your face into his chest.
“I can’t believe this,” you mutter, and you feel laughter rumble through his chest before a hand comes up to stroke along your back.
“Believe me, I’m not complaining,” he assures you. “But I’d still really like to take you out, so what do you say?”
His gaze doesn’t leave yours for a second as he awaits your answer, and your heart skips a beat when you look up to see the earnestness in his eyes and the hesitant smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Breakfast sounds wonderful,” you whisper, and the smile that blossoms on your companion’s face is nothing short of radiant.
“Good,” he says. “Great. Breakfast tomorrow, then. Now, can I kiss you?”
You’re already pushing up to your tiptoes, your fingers fisting in the soft hair at his nape. “God, yes.”
///
“Hey, you made it!”
You beam. “Hi.”
You and Hoseok are about to commence your first date, having just sat down at a cozy little café for breakfast. Hoseok has pulled your chair out in true gentlemanly fashion, and you can’t help but smile over your menu at the few lingering snowflakes that have yet to melt into his dark hair.
“So, here we are,” you remark. “Our fourth meeting.”
Hoseok’s lips stretch into his signature grin, breathtakingly bright and infectious. “And hopefully many more.”
You grin at him. “Yeah? Too bad this is breakfast, because I’d drink to that.”
He leans forward, his grin widening. “Next time,” he says as his hand finds its way around yours, his fingers slotting comfortably into the spaces between your own. “We can do dinner, maybe. Or I can cook for you. But for now, I’m just happy that we’re finally doing this.”
You give his hand a soft squeeze. “Me too.”
“Just promise me one thing?”
The sudden seriousness of his tone has your brow furrowing in concern. “Sure, of course,” you reassure. “What is it?”
He winces. “Please don’t tell my mom about all the dick pics.”
1K notes · View notes
aiden-png · 3 years
Note
Original plot for Ties that Bind? Oh?!? If you're alright with it, would you mind elaborating?
ohhh boy I really want to XD I’ve been trying to find the right way to share the first chapter honestly, and this seems like the perfect time!
if you’re interested in reading the 6k~ first draft of chapter one + some additional snippets, you can read it here!
for more details on the full plot and reasons why I didn’t go with this version, read below the cut :D
basically, the original plot for TTB (circa July 2020 when it was called ‘vidow slowburn’ and tentatively ‘Don’t Tell’) was that Four had been with the LU boys for a while when Dark Link really starts to put his plan into action... which involved bringing Shadow back to tear the LU group apart, with Shadow being led to believe that he’d been manipulated by Zelda and the Colors into sacrificing himself and that they didn’t actually care about him (if they did, he would’ve already been back, etc). sooo antagonist Shadow has a bone to pick with Vio, who is very much still hung up on Shadow. I was also playing around with the idea that the Colors could wrest control over the body or would shine through naturally/their feelings reflecting in Four’s actions or appearance. and also that being Four does not mean their memories are shared, so they all know something went on btwn Vio and Shadow but not what or why Vio is suddenly acting suspicious again
Vio starts having dreams where Shadow comes to him and eventually spills about Dark’s plan and that he misses Vio etc. and they plan to foil Dark’s next ambush... except, when Four/Vio leads the LU boys somewhere with ‘intel’ he got, it turns out to be a trap :) and Four splits to cast out Vio for being a traitor. Shadow ends up in the same position for not deploying the actually deadly plan he was supposed to, so both of them end up together, completely outcast and morally grey af, and decide to set aside their differences to make sure Dark can’t succeed even if they have to do it on their own
it was also going to explore the idea that Dark Link and other LoZ villains might have genuine and understandable reasons for their actions. Shadow is one of the few antagonists in the franchise who is shown to just be manipulated and misguided, rather than ‘doing evil bc I’m the villain’ sorta stuff. I really like how GuG frames Ganondorf’s actions like this to show his reasons for what he does--villains shouldn’t be evil just for the sake of it x-x and they don’t even have to be evil, just doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. Shadow wanted revenge on Vio for his betrayal, but in the end hurting Vio/Four only made him hurt too, so he couldn’t bring himself to go through with it. Vio loves Shadow and he loves the Colors, but he’s really bad at sharing his plans with others and he needed that to be punished for it eventually XD
the original idea was reallllyyyy ambitious though. it was also really heavy angst and right after I wrote this I realized I couldn’t see myself writing 8+ chapters of it. I also wanted to have at least Red/Blue in it as well and in July I was too afraid of the antis to feel comfortable writing that. shipping makes me happy, but since shipping is banned in LU I’ve moved away from the fandom and decided to go with a less-LU based version of TTB as such :o
so there’s the details Anon! I hope you enjoy the behind the scenes extra content! :>
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awxward · 3 years
Text
A3! Boys + My Stuffed Animals
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Spring Troupe:
Sakuya
Gabriel
Gabriel is a small elephant with big ears that constantly make him fall over. He has a pink bowtie that says 'I Love You'
Makes Saku feel safe and Gabriel is a reminder to himself that he's loved and appreciated by everyone at Mankai.
Named after a friend from theatre class :)
Masumi
George Washington
George Washington is a tiger. He is small, but his arms are like those slap bracelets so you can wear him on your wrist (or let him hang on the side of shelf like I do).
So I got Georgy-Boy for easter 2020. i asked my friends for name ideas. They sent me stuff like 'Stripes'. I went offline for a few minutes and when I came back online I told my friends his name was George Washington.
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Me: tiger has a name now
Friend: which name did you choose?
Me: his name is George Washington.
Friend: what the fuck. how'd you get George Washington?
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Pretty sure he got the name bc I was listening to the Hamilton soundtrack.
Citron
Daniel
Daniel is mostly pink but has other pastel colors that look like watercolors. He's a unicorn. And a ketchain. And he's one of those dream lites, so he lights up. (He's supposed too anyway, but he's never lit up since i got him like 7 years ago at a yard sale).
Named after Daniel Howell (formerly danisnotonfire) [YouTube]
Tsuzuru
Lucifer
Lucifer is a small panda pillow pet. Very easy to travel with bc he fits in most backpacks.
My mom told me she wanted me to have a stuffed animal with a biblical name, i picked him up, looked her in the eye and said "His name is Lucifer." My mom tried to protest. "You said a biblical name, Mom. Lucifer is in the bible."
Itaru
Pao(???)
Pao is a panda. They are also a phone holder thingy. Like it'll hold your phone if you're watching movies or whatever.
Like 5-ish years old. Got them from a friend. They have a tag with their name on it, but I read it once and then just called them "the panda" for some reason instead of their actual name and now the tag is too faded to read the name, but i am 38% sure it says Pao or something close to that.
Chikage
Tsuki
Tsuki is a dinosaur. Tsuki is a sparkly dino. He's green rn, but if you brush your hand over him, the sparkles turn over and he becomes orange. I like green tho bc his tummy and the bottom of his feet are orange and so are his eyes.
Named after Tsukishima Kei (Haikyuu)
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Summer Troupe:
Tenma
Hinata
Hinata is a narwhal. A bright orange narwhal. Infact he is the same color as Tenma's hair.
Named after Hinata Shoyo (Haikyuu) [bc its the same color as his hair. there is a theme with this narwhal and the anime boys i associate with them]
Yuki
Steve
Steve is a regular teddy bear, except he has a shirt that has pikachu on it. (the shirt was originally Tsuki's bc i got tsuki at a friends build a bear bday party, but it fits Steve better)
I just think Yuki would try new designs/color schemes/styles by making clothes for Steve to see how they look.
I got Steve from a claw machine (my bf at time won him for me just before we watched Endgame together.)
Named after Steve Rogers (Marvel)
Muku
Eeyore
Muku most definitely loves the Winnie the Pooh movies and I will fite for this hc. He gets my Eeyore. You know how Eeyore's tail is always going missing or falling off??? Eeyore's tail comes off (velcro) but its attached to his actual body with a string so it cant be misplaced.
Eeyore has a patch that says "official disney store" but i got him for $3 at a thrift store.
Misumi
Sherlock
Sherlock is a polar bear. Sherlock is very huggable. He makes Misumi feel safe. He has a hat and scarf (that don't come off. they are sewn on him)
the hat has a pom pom on top and the scarf has a pom pom on each end. the hat and scarf and the bottom of his feet have a blue/white plaid pattern.
Kazunari
Victor
Victor is a puppy and the first big stuffed animal of mine on the list! He's all tan and abt maybe 3-4 ft long. Victor lays pretty flat so he's comfy to lay/sit on. I think Kazu would like sitting or laying on him when drawing. Probably has him on his bed so he's like a giant pillow.
Victor is from Toys R Us. I got him last August-ish from my Aunt and Uncle who found him at a thrift store and thought I'd like him.
Named after Victor Nikiforov (Yuri On Ice)
Kumon
PJ
PJ is a small white tiger. He is also a ball. He can fit in one hand. When Kumon is thinking or stressed or bored (etc) he just lays on his back and tosses PJ up into the air.
When Kumon is laying on the floor tossing PJ, Misumi sits on the bed closest to where PJ is and tries to grab him (but only if Kumon is in a good mood and okay with it) It's a fun little game they made up they like to play.
Pretty sure he was named after KickthePJ (YouTube)
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liber pls give us a pic with all of autumn i am begging
Autumn Troupe:
Banri
Sammy
Sammy is another one of my large stuffed animals. He is also a puppy, but unlike Victor he is sitting instead of laying. He's abt 2-3 ft tall. His fur is the same color as Banri's hair. Great to squeeze at anytime, but very therapeutic when you're in a bad mood. Has a heart on his ear.
i got him abt 7 years ago. I had just finished spn season 2 and was upset abt the finale and had no way to start season 3.
Named after Sam Winchester
Juza
Tiggs
Tiggs is a beanie baby tiger. Tiggs is a little larger than PJ (and not a ball). He's a regular orange tiger instead of a white tiger like PJ. He'd buy Kumon PJ so they could have matching stuffed animals. Small and very comforting to just hold/hug.
Omi
Benedict (Ben)
Benedict, also known as Ben, is a small koala. Just a little bigger than Tiggs. He has a heart on one of his feet (i think the right one). very soft. very fluffy.
Named after Benedict Cumberbatch (Actor)
Taichi
Dean
Dean is my largest stuffed animal. He is a dark brown teddy bear that's abt 4-ish ft tall. He can be put in a corner and used as like a bean bag chair, or he can lay down flat and be a good pillow like Victor can.
It's very fun to just wrap around him and squeeze as tight as you can. Especially in when your in a bad mood. Very comforting to cry into.
I got him a couple years ago at a thrift store.
Named after Dean Winchester (Supernatural)
Sakyo
Lev
Lev is a lion abt the size of a regular teddy bear (maybe slightly larger). I got him a thrift store so he's slightly worn out from age. He's mostly a pastel dark yellow-ish tan and his mane is dark brown. very huggable.
He's the stuffed animal I sleep with. Smells nice all the time, like the fabric softener.
Named after Lev Haiba (Haikyuu)
Sakoda
Emotional Support Iron Man
So Iron Man is small and he sparkles. He will hurt you/someone if thrown hard enough. Sakoda likes heroes bc they remind him of Sakyo they look cool. I'd hc that he got Iron Man from Sakyo when he was younger and its one of his most valued possessions and goes everywhere with him (or stays with Azamo or Sakyo at the dorm. Maybe Izumi or a couple others are on the list of who can watch over Iron Man.) Very protective of it.
Got the emotional support part of his name from a friend.
She saw Eddie Redmayne on a movie cover (think it was The Danish Girl) and started freaking out bc she loved him. I handed her the Iron Man and the next day she thanked me and said he was an Emotional Support Iron Man and the name stayed.
Azami
[Emotional Support] Spooder-Mon
Sakoda knew Azami as a kid. He most definitely got him the Spider-Man so they could have matching plushies.
Spider-Man is square and has little blob hands doing the web thingy. The tag said travel pillow, but he probably just chills by Azami's bed. When needed, Iron Man will be placed next to him if Sakoda can't take Iron Man with him.
I brought him to school one day and we had a bio test and all the people sitting around me passed him around and gave him a pat for good luck. We all got good grades and then he was dubbed as Emotional Support Spooder-Mon, but the Emotional Support title isnt part of his name (unlike the Iron Man).
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i wanted guy in the pic, but i also wanted tsumu and hiso in the pic so you get 2 pics for winter
Winter Troupe:
Tsumugi
Phil
Phil is a zebra. He is a pillow pet zebra. Like Lucifer, Phil is also easy travel size. The bottom half of Phil is pink, so I refer to him as my pink zebra.
I just think it'd be cute to have Tsumugi with a pillow pet ok. I also thought he'd probably have has Phil for many years (since he was a kid) and Tasuku most definitely brings up things from when they were kids and shit.
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Tasuku: you chose the pink zebra, and for what???
Tsumugi: its a very aesthetically pleasing pastel pink.
Tasuku: THERE WAS A DOG PILLOW PET RIGHT THERE AND IT WAS CUTER
Tsumugi: dont talk bad abt Phil.
the rest of mankai: ????????
//////////
I got phil before I got Lucifer many years ago. He was old when i got him and he is very old now. I love him so much.
Named after Phil Lester (AmazingPhil) [YouTube]
Tasuku
Cap
Cap is a husky. He was won from a claw machine with Steve.
There's just something abt the grey and white that gave me Tasuku vibes. Also, Cap's eyes are abt the same shade of blue as Tsumugi's and Tasuku knows this bc they are in love. Very squishy when hugged and with the way he sits, you could make it look like he's guarding something.
Named after Captain America (Marvel)
Homare
Ushijima (Ushi)
Ushijima, also called Ushi, is the last of my giant stuffed animals. He is abt 2-3 ft tall (like Sammy) and has a tail abt the same length.
Ushi is a raccoon thats mostly hot pink. Ushi's eyes are also pink and just abt the same shade as Homare's hair, although Ushi's fur is brighter by a few shades.
Ushi hurts when thrown/swung hard enough. Very fun to hug bc he's filled with beans (like beanie babies) so unlike all my other giant animals, he doesn't have to be fixed/adjusted after everytime you squeeze him. The tail has cotton tho and makes a good pillow.
Homare would definitely just see a 3 ft tall hot pink raccoon and claim it with no explanation.
Named after Ushijima Wakatoshi (Haikyuu)
Hisoka
Vladmir Dracula the 3rd (Vlad, Drac)
Vladmir Dracula the 3rd, who has many other names but usually goes by Vlad or Drac, is a vampire (surprise).
Vlad is a squishmallow thingy, and their tags say something abt them being able to be used as pillows, and thats why Hisoka gets Vlad.
Vlad is triangular in shape, with triangle ears, and triangle fangs, so I thought abt Misumi, but i figured Hisoka bc it's a pillow.
He's like the perfect travel size and he has a cape and a bowtie.
Named after Vlad the Impaler, the real life inspiration behind Dracula (my brother thought he was named after Vladmir Putin and I wanted to punch him for that but I was too busy laughing.)
Also named after Dracula, who was a vampire.
Idk where 'the 3rd' came from, but it's part of his name for forever.
Azuma
Sebastian
Sebastian is a dinosaur thats blue with a white tummy.
He's also a squishmallow, but he's bigger than Vlad by abt 2× as wide, so he'd be harder to carry around, which is why Hisoka got Vlad instead. Being a squishmallow means he looks more blob than dinosaur and i love it.
His tag said his name was Dominic or something, but I named him Sebastian before I actually checked the tag, so he's Sebastian.
Named after Sebastian (Black Butler) and Sebastian Stan (Actor)
Guy
Moriarty
Moriarty is my other polar bear. I got him with Sherlock and named him Moriarty bc Moriarty is Sherlock's nemesis.
He's just a plain white bear thats very huggable and adorable. I usually have a bowtie on him bc it makes him look fancy.
Guy would like him bc he's plain white and very fluffy.
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yeehawfolk · 3 years
Note
Hi! I think yr totally right about Felix's teeth probably not being great and how he and the rest of the crew should have more scars! Do u have any other lil appearance HCs for him/the whole gang? (:
OK! SO! I have a Lot of HCs about the crew, appearance-wise, anyway. Don't get me wrong, I love their canon designs, but I feel like they didn't utilize "Halcyon is fucked" enough with your companions? If that makes sense. I'm going to break this up character by character, so it'll be an easier read!
Also, I'm gonna put a TW on this for slight self harm on this?? It's not emotionally motivated at all, it's like when you'd compete to see who can get the gnarliest eraser burn in middle school, but nevertheless, I want to warn y'all ahead of time, it's on Ellie's part.
Parvati:
-Honestly, her eyes are gorgeous. They're brown, but an amber kind of brown, and very bright.
-I personally HC that Parvati chews her nails when she's nervous, so they're always nubs and usually pretty dirty, bc Mechanic and all.
-Her hands have faint scars from nicks and burns from working on machinery. The skin on her hands doesn't scar easily, but she still has a few gnarly scars from particularly bad burns or cuts that she wasn't able to take proper care of.
-Constantly has bruises of unknown origin on her arms and legs. She bruises very easy, and always has, which is kind of precarious when you're a mechanic.
-This might already be canon and I just haven't noticed bc I'm using the Switch version, but I HC Parv has some freckles sprinkled around her face. Not a lot by any means, but I HC she gets frequent sun when she's working on certain parts of the town, and freckles are a bi-product of that.
-She has a couple small scars on her face; one just below her eye on her cheek, and another on her chin. I like to think she fell on her chin, and the other was from her first project that blew up in her face, literally.
-Her skin is just a bit ashy because she hasn't had access to a lot of good lotions over the years.
-Despite taking a shower every morning, she accumulates grease smudges and dirt from her plants on herself very easily. She cleans up for her and Junlei's dates, but for casual visits both don't really bother. Sometimes they make a game of smudging each other with grease while they work and by the time they're finished their faces look like they were going for war paint.
-I like to think Parvati and Junlei eventually wear rings with each other (like, years down the line) and when Parvati gets deep in thought, she rests it against her lips. Junlei does something similar by turning her ring on her finger.
-Parv has ok teeth, not like great, but she takes pretty good care of them, even if sometimes she has to forgo it for a day or few while out with the Captain.
-When she's in Edgewater, she's always skinny, and if you squinted you probably could pick out a rib or so. But after she moves in with The Captain, she gains weight, and finally has the little pooch of fat that you're supposed to have around the middle. Ellie helps her keep up with nutritional needs (what you can get in Halcyon, anyway) and gets very proud when she makes her goals.
Felix:
-This boy has horrible teeth. His sweet tooth + being an orphan in the Back Bays didn't leave much time for proper teeth cleaning. He probably never really had enough bits to get toothpaste with, either.
-Oh, boy. He has scars galore. Some are from scuffles (he has some on his back from when he was a kid and used to get in trouble for stealing) but a lot are also from getting burned by pipes, or jagged metal. A fair few are from him doing dumbass things in his teenage years ("I wonder what would happen if I heat up these rounds of light ammo with a flamethrower??") because you can't tell me this boy didn't do dumb things like every teenage boy did but with more disasterous results bc SciFi.
-His nose has been broken quite a few times, so it's crooked in a couple spots.
-Can frequently be found with bloody knuckles just because he forgets that punching someone with a mask over their face really isn't the best idea. This eventually culminates into him making the "Millstone Drop-Kick!" his go-to move.
-This isn't exactly appearance related, but I HC Felix has a fucked back from his life of hauling heavy boxes. It doesn't help that he drop kicks literally everything that moves tho.
-Probably has chronic pain in his hands from his hands getting crushed by boxes at some point or another. Several of his fingers are crooked from being broken and improperly set. His bones probably aren't the best bc of poor nutrition growing up, either, so they're a little easier to break.
-Just. Me thinking about Felix in his 40s, or even early 30s: Honey, you have a big storm coming.
-This is also a little random, but I like to think that it takes a long time for Felix to grow any kind of facial hair (he has chronic babyface) so he's super proud of his scruff.
-Max: That's peach fuzz. If that.
-Felix: Leave me alone you big hairy bastard, just bc you have to shave like every other day to keep a clean face doesn't mean all men do!!
-(He's just a bit sensitive about his facial hair)
-(He one day dreams of growing a glorious beard like Sanjar's, but it would take him like 50 years)
-(Shut up Max one day he'll have an amazing handlebar mustache and you won't be laughing then)
-I have no idea if piercings or tattoos are a Thing in Halcyon (probs not, honestly, but I can dream) but if they are, he tried to pierce his ears by himself once, they got infected, and he got really sad when he had to let them close. The marks are still there but the holes have closed by now.
-ELLIE PIERCES HIS EAR AND HELPS HIM KEEP IT CLEAN
-Felix is strong, but he's skinny and gangly as all hell and it's hard as fuck to get him to gain any weight, mostly because he still has his habit of eating only what he needs and stashing the rest. It takes him a while with the crew to get over that, and when he does, he gains a healthy amount of weight around his middle. Ellie teases him a bit, but is 1,000x happier that he's no longer damn near a walking skeleton.
-Listen. Ellie and Felix are bros I don't make the rules. She denies it but she would kill for Felix.
-Usually has slight dark circles under his eyes, because he has nightmares sometimes and can't sleep.
-His eyes are really, really pretty. Like. Super fucking pretty. He has long lashes and they sparkle when he smiles. His eyes are hazel like Max's, but more on the brown side, with streaks of green radiating out from the pupil.
-Speaking of smiles. He has the goofiest and sweetest grins around. A little self-conscious about his teeth, but honestly that doesn't stop him from laughing and smiling with everyone. He has a couple broken teeth, but honestly it just makes his grin a lil lopsided and cute.
-He gets the Worst bed-head. It stands almost straight up in every direction, but it's really easy to tame. Mostly because he just runs his hands through it and calls it a day.
-He found Max's hair gel once and went Ham. He used the whole can sticking his hair up into a mohawk, and proceeded to parade around for Ellie and Parvati. Then bolt to his room and lock the door when Max shouted his name from the bathroom. Max's hair was out of whack for like. A week. He kept blowing it out of his face and Felix and Ellie would giggle like madmen when he did.
-*BANGS FISTS ON TABLE* FELIX IS BABY! FELIX IS BABY!!
Max:
-My MANS
-Listen, I am extremely gay for Max. This needs to be known before I continue, because I have a metric fuckton of Max HCs.
-So, first off, Max takes VERY good care of his appearance. Like. Insanely good. His hair is always perfectly held back by a moderate amount of gel, his nails perfectly trimmed and cleaned. He keeps a clean-shaven face.
-But don't let that fool you, Max can and will get down and dirty when need be, he just doesn't care to stay like that.
-Quite a few scars from his prison and Tossball years. But because of the clothes he wears you wouldn't be able to see them easily. Mostly on his back/sides, though he has a couple on his torso and legs.
-The Captain calls him Bigfoot because his grows hair really fast and his arms and chest have some pretty thick hair. Max is very confused, because he personally doesn't think his feet are that big.
-Not an appearance HC per se, but he smells like soap, aftershave, and books.
-When he doesn't gel his hair, it falls in his face constantly, and it annoys the fuck out of him.
-Fuckin ripped bro. Just. What the fuck. Why is a priest this fuckin shredded. Why make my gay little heart ache more than it already does, Obsidian??
-Despite his arm muscles being like. Huge, he still has a healthy layer of fat over his middle, mostly because being an OSI Priest, he got a little bit better nutrition VS. literally all of Halcyon.
-When his knee gets Bad (like hiking through Monarch with the Captain) he has a slight limp? Barely noticeable, but you can tell he's not putting weight on it. I HC its an old Tossball injury (that might be canon, I haven't played in forever).
-Its hard to tell in the different lights of the game whether his hair is Black or Silver, and I like to think he's greying, but not fully grey yet. He can have a little hair color, still. As a treat.
-Fuckin no lashes to speak of. None at all. Baldy eyes. Its the only part of him that doesn't have really thick hair and ngl he is very salty about it. Tho his actual eyes are very pretty; they're hazel with a lot of green. He has a darker ring on the outside and flecks of brown in them.
-Has very good teeth, whiter than most of Halcyon's because of the OSI providing for him.
-Broke his nose once during Tossball, though he was able to get it set alright. Slight crook in the bridge of his nose.
-He has a lot of those moles from his face scattered around. Particularly his shoulders and back.
-Also have you seen his fuckin canon thighs??? Bro. They could crush a watermelon. Once again, I must say, what the fuck, why is this priest so fuckin shredded.
-Actually takes his physical health very seriously, so I like to think he's in great shape for his age. Seeing him in some of the canon outfits though makes me more inclined to think that's canon.
-Sorry, I have thought about this A Lot, and the gay jumps out of me sometimes.
-A fair amount of scars on his arms. Not as many as Nyoka, but a little bit more than Parvati.
-Has calloused hands, but they've softened over his years as a priest.
Ellie:
-Now I feel like Ellie wouldn't have many scars that she didn't let scar up on purpose to give her an edge. They're essentially superficial; they look cool but didn't do any real damage.
-Also, her skin is very pale, so she doesn't scar easily anyway.
-Though she does have some, and they're more recent. A couple of gashes on her arms, and a bullet wound in her side. She's proud of them.
-The dark circles under her eyes are because she likes to stay up late at night. Sometimes she contemplates her life, but she doesn't like it, and usually doesn't bother too much.
-Her lashes are very thick and full, and they compliment her eyes very well. Her eyes aren't exactly ice blue, they're a bit darker, and have real pretty lighter streaks in them.
-Yes, her lips are naturally that color. Good for picking up women, bad for looking intimidating to marauders.
-Really soft skin, she's always had access to good lotion. After she leaves Byzantium, she purposely looks a bit more grimy than she did then, which is easy to do because of her skin tone.
-Has a few moles and freckles, but not many, mostly on her shoulders and back. She was inside a lot prior to her leaving Byzantium.
-Her hair doesn't really sit down when she sleeps, but it does lose some poofiness, so she has to meticulously push it up in the mornings.
-Not quite an appearance HC, but I feel like when she gets comfortable with ADA, she gives her compliments. Stuff like "Your screen is very bright today, ADA!" ADA does the same thing. "And your hair is looking very bright as always, Dr. Fenhill."
-Muscular, but lean, and puts on weight a little easier than others, so she wouldn't look like she could kick your ass without her pirate get-up, but she could 100%, no holds barred kick your ass.
-Very good teeth. Despite wanting to look like a gnarly pirate she takes dental care very seriously. Tho she thinks about getting punched in the mouth occasionally so she could like break off a piece of her tooth. Not the whole thing, just enough to make her look tough.
-Idc if piercings and tattoos aren't a Thing in Halcyon, Ellie has pierced ears. Three in each ear, and I like to think an eyebrow and maybe nose ring. She doesn't wear them when she's in Dangerous Situations because she firsthand had to fix ears that had their earrings ripped out during rich catfights that she does NOT want that to happen to her.
-She also has tattoos covering most of her back, and some of her upper arms. She got them "illegally" (meaning it's illegal to The Board, but the Groundbreaker doesn't really give a shit) on The Groundbreaker and she's proud as fuck of them.
-I have Feelings about the missed opportunities for illegal tattoo/piercing parlors. Like I know there's not a lot of self-expression to be had and no Art aside from fonts, but c'mon. Humans have drawn on their skin since the beginning all around the world and we WOULD find ways to do it again, even if it's needle-poke tattoos.
-Anyway, back to Ellie.
-You ever hear of a "lighter tattoo"? Basically, you heat up a lighter and then stamp the hot metal into your skin and it makes a mark in the shape of the lighter head. If you get it hot enough and hold it long enough it can scar. They have a similar thing in Halcyon with Plasma Cutters. Instead of Stab, you heat it up, turn it off, and press the blade to your skin and it pretty much scars within a couple seconds.
-Ellie 100% did a few of those when she was in Byzantium as like the "hahaha edgy" thing that teenagers do.
-Like I know technically kids aren't around but... bruh... you can't tell me that teenagers in a SciFi setting wouldn't do dumb ass shit like that.
-Ellie is honestly the baddest bitch and I love her, ok, she just reminds me so much of of those high school delinquent tropes in 90s movies
Nyoka:
-SO I HAVE SOME FEELINGS ABOUT NYOKA'S CANON DESIGN... IN THAT SHE'S ESSENTIALLY A MONSTER HUNTER BUT SHE HAS NO SCARS!
-Listen, ok, she would 100% have a lot of scars from her life on Monarch. I share some HCs with @nyokaacore in that she has three scars over one of her eyes, and a few others around her face, like on her lips.
-The bulk of her scars are on her arms and body, though, as she usually is able to get the Canid or Rapt off before they get to her face.
-I like to think the scars on her eye are from Freida, the first Rapt she ever killed that's taxidermied on her wall.
-But she has a lot of scars from Raptidon claws and Canid mouthplates, sprinkled with some Manti burns and burns from Rapt spit.
-She also has her fair share of bullet scars on her, and definitely has some patches of skin discoloration from incidents regarding the sulphur pools. Chemical burns are a bitch.
-She's tall, and not exactly curvy? But broad. Big shoulders, wide hips, sturdy legs. Looks like she could kill you, could actually kill you alignment.
-The sand and sulphur in the air plays Hell on her skin, so she's got some old acne scars and places that scarred up into moles on her face. Has an issue with dry skin.
-Her skin is also pretty oily, and she washes it when she can, but water is usually better spent being drunk than washed with. However, she does carry a spare bottle of non-drinkable water to wash Rapt acid off in emergencies, so sometimes she'll pull from that to wash her face with.
-Big hands, calloused, pretty scarred up from her time on Monarch.
-I also like to think that she can tell you stories about most of the scars she has, lmao.
-Her nose, like Felix's, has been broken quite a few times and is pretty crooked.
-Most often, you see Nyoka with a slight sunburn on her face. It's hard to see, but her cheeks are usually warm to the touch.
-Her teeth aren't the best, but she does take as much care of them as she can out on Monarch. Still pretty yellow with some cavities, but not as bad at Felix's.
-Honestly the dark circles around her eyes are usually because she doesn't sleep a lot. She has dreams about CHARON, and that's not her favorite thing to do.
-At a pretty healthy weight for Halcyon, and ofc, has muscles as big as your head.
-Surprisingly soft hands, though.
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hoochieforcalum · 4 years
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Above the City | c.t.h.
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this sounds random but can you do a ceo!Cal and you’re his assistant (plus sized) & he finds out maybe you’re a Virgin bc of a convo they guys you spark up (even though you’re shy) and steamy shirt starts happening in his office 🥵
so, this was originally supposed to be apart of my plus size blurb weekend, but I loved this concept so much that I decided to make an entire OC fic based off of it -aliencal
ceo!calum x oc elle (she is plus sized!)
warnings: smut,,maybe some angst,,typos for sure
word count: 6k+
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“It’s going to be another long day Liz.” Elle sighed into her phone as she turned the corner. Her heels clicked against the concrete sidewalk as she strutted her way to the coffee shop. She could feel the cotton material of her plaid pencil skirt flapping against her knee, causing her to grow slightly irritated at the feeling. She knew that the skirt hardly fit her thick size, but considering she hadn’t the time to do her laundry this week, the skirt was the only thing she could find that made her look remotely business-like. 
She heard Liz sigh over the phone, “Again? This guy has got you working all hours. Doesn’t he let you sleep?” Elle could feel a smile taking over her lips as she yanked open the door to the coffee shop. The sound of fresh coffee beans grinding together in the machine was echoing throughout the small, hole-in-the-wall shop, blocking out the indie music that was playing softly over the stereo for a small moment before silencing. Elle’s eyes quickly did a scan over of the shop, surveying the lack of customers and quickly coming to the conclusion that the shop was in it’s post-afternoon rush phase. Her analysis was only proven right when she saw the way the barista, who looked to be in high school or a freshman in college, lazily threw the dirty rag into the sink with a heavy sigh. 
“Besides the weekend and my breaks, no. But you have to cut him some slack Liz. Christian groups are not letting up.” Elle said as she approached the counter where a young man stood waiting with a pen in his hand. She pulled the phone away from her ear, easily telling the boy the two usual's before lifting the phone back up. She could hear Liz groan.
“And? Why does he need you to help him sort out their hate letters?”
“It’s not just hate letters,” Elle said, throwing a five dollar bill into the jar as a tip before grabbing the cup of large black coffee and walking over to where they had the condiments laid out. She grabbed a french vanilla cream cup and began to add in the mixture. “There is also something going on at one of the branch facilities out East. And I’m his personal assistant Liz. I kind of have to help him with whatever he needs help with, so matter what I think or feel.”
“I know that miss attitude, but sleepless nights for paperwork? Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t join the corporate world.”
A cross between a scoff and a laugh left Elle’s throat, “Well not everyone decides to enter marine biology,” Elle noticed the same male placing the lid on her drink. “Hey, I gotta go okay? Save me something.” Elle quickly pressed the bright red button before grabbing the paper cup from the barista with a soft smile used as a silent thank you. She watched the guy - who looked to be roughly as old as an undergrad - give her a quick wink before wishing her a good day, but not without adding in a very uncomfortable gaze of her body. Elle felt her insides swarm with unease as she walked out the door, knowing fully well that the guy was staring at her backside as she walked. She gave herself a moment before shrugging off the feeling and walking back to her company.
Well, it wasn’t her company per say, but after being behind the scenes for roughly five months now, she felt like it was. But then again, that was the perk of being an intern to Calum Hood.
And Elle technically went above an intern. She was his personal assistant, which meant that she was with him everyday from 8AM to 11PM or until he would dismiss her. Calum was the CEO of Koa Healthcare Clinics, a moderately sized healthcare company that primarily focused on women’s health and reproductive rights, as well as regular treatments and screening for common colds or any other type of infection, virus, or health imperfection. Elle had been keen on getting into the medical world since she was a young girl, and once she heard that there was an opening with a man who had connections to every major hospital all across the United States, she jumped at the opportunity to become his personal assistant. She nearly cried when she found out she was selected, and from that night until the day Elle started as the personal assistant to Calum Hood, she dreamed of the job being filled with meeting top healthcare progressives and interesting new technologies that would advance the system or even see some new laws that he was trying to lobby for.
Instead, Elle got coffee runs, sore feet from walking back and forth between his office, the supply room, and the coffee shop; late nights with take-out and pure silence as she sorted through paperwork for new patients and whatnot while he did his thing; angry men in meetings who talked nothing of healthcare, but rather extension of new clinics; ink on her hands when the printer went askew; cold morning coffee which meant she’d have to brew a new pot; calls from Calum’s partners and meeting setups; setting up appointments for Calum that included dental and dinner plans; misogynistic and sexist coworkers that brag about their achievements in bed during every break and what “slut” they took out the night before; and hate from conservatives and Christian organizations claiming that she’d go to hell for even being associated with a company like Koa Healthcare Clinics. 
She got the opposite of what she had dreamed of. Yet, the position paid well, and Elle was in her second year of medical school and needed the money to pay for her education. Alongside, Calum Hood was not the worst person to look at - or be near for that fact.
Elle would describe him as easy on the eyes. The man had a jaw structure that was unmatched, puffy cheeks that only accented and compliment his jaw structure, deep brown eyes that held more color to them when they were lit up in the sun, dark brown hair that softly curled upwards, tattoos on his hands and his left arm that were only shown when his sleeves were rolled up, big, plump lips that looked so soft, and a fit body type that nearly made all the female employees swoon - even Elle, but she wasn’t going to make it known to him. And yet, even though Elle had been, at first, thrown by how good-looking he was, she was even more thrown at the fact that Calum had never taken any of his anger out on her.
He never made Elle do anything in spite of his anger from his daily duties as a CEO, and he never screamed at her when he was upset or frustrated. Instead, his voice was always soft when he spoke to her. He always thanked her for everything she did, paid for every coffee and every take-out meal, made sure that his driver got her home safe before he went home, and always addressed her with respect and never looked down on her. And it shocked her.
She could hear Calum’s angry voice as she stepped into his large office. As per usual with any modernized, big corporate office, he had an entire glass wall that looked out over the city of Los Angeles - she could even see the Santa Monica Pier when it was lit up. His desk was a dark mahogany shade, making his space grey accents stand out. His laptop was open and she saw the way he was angrily staring at his screen as the person on the other end was talking. She quietly set the cup of black coffee down on his desk, but even he caught the movement of her arm and she watched as his eyes quickly snapped up and met hers. He mouthed her a quick appreciative ‘thank you’ before looking back to his screen and paying full attention to the heated conversation that he was having with whoever. Elle turned on her heels and walked over to the plush couch that was the same mahogany color as his desk. The stack of papers regarding new patients was still there from earlier before she had to run to the coffee shop. She let out a soft sigh under her breath and started to sort through them again. Koa Healthcare Clinics was always receiving new patients every day due to how in-expensive the treatment and plans are, but judging by this stack of paperwork, and the way Calum let out an aggravated sigh as he hung up the phone and the sound of the printer started, Elle knew she was going to be here until midnight - at least.
But that’s what typically happened anyways. So at this point, Elle was used to going home late and waking up early the next day to repeat the same cycle.
By the time Elle heard her phone buzz, she noticed that it was nearing 11 p.m., and she promptly set down the paperwork and picked up her phone. She noticed that Liz had texted her, informing Elle that Noah was staying the night and telling her that her leftovers were on a plate in the kitchen, and as Elle picked up her phone to respond, she heard Calum clear his throat.
She felt her insides freeze at how dominant the sound was, and she quickly typed a response.
“Sorry,” Elle mumbled, “It’s just uh, my roommate.” She instantly set her phone back down, and it was then that she registered the feeling of Calum’s stare seeping into her skin. She shifted in her seat and began to flip through the pages of clinic income-reports, quickly removing the cap of the yellow highlighter to figure out which clinic had poor income, but even she knew how shaky her hand was. 
And Calum noticed it too. 
He had spent the past five months trying to figure Elle out. She was unlike his past personal assistants. The majority of them were always talkative, and were trying to pry into Calum’s lifestyle too much because they were not okay with just sitting in silence during late night hours at the office, and Calum always knew that a majority of the personal assistants that he’s had always tried to get into his pants or at least felt some attraction toward him. 
But Elle? Elle straight up confused him.
She rarely said more than a full sentence to him. And that sentence only pertained to the work that they were both doing. Sometimes she’d ask him a question if she noticed how stressed out or upset he was, and sometimes she’d comment on how hateful some people can be in their letters, but Calum would immediately notice how shy she’d be afterwards. He’d notice the way she’d curl back into herself as if to try and pretend that it didn’t happen or that she wasn’t even there in the room. It dawned on Calum that he truly knew nothing about Elle besides her work ethic, and for some reason, deep down inside of him: it bothered him.
Calum would usually know the basics about his personal assistants beyond what their resumes would say. He’d know their favorite color, music, food, coffee - but that one was always a must as he was always drinking it and insisted that his assistants get something for themselves - and other basics like city or dream place. But when it came to Elle, Calum only knew what kind of coffee she liked. 
It also bothered Calum because of how much he had taken a liking to Elle due to her nature; almost too much of a liking which only scared yet intrigued him. He had to secretly admit that she was much more beautiful than any other woman that he had laid eyes on. Her hips were the fullest figure that nearly made Calum’s mouth water when he saw her for the first time. Her stomach was round and full but it never bothered her in the way that it would most people. She wasn’t shy about wearing pencil skirts that hugged her figure or shy of her fat rolls whenever she sat - at least not from Calum’s perspective. Her eyes were a dazzling green color that reminded Calum of rolling green hills or of healthy spring green foliage. Her eyelashes were long, so long that she hardly needed to wear mascara so Calum was always so confused as to why she did. Her cheeks were dusted with freckles that were lighter than her dark brown hair, and everytime she smiled, Calum felt his heart speed up at the sight of her dimples. Her lips were almost as puffy as Calum’s own, and he became scared of himself when he spent an entire hour daydreaming of wanting to kiss her.
And he’s been harboring his feelings for three months out of the five that Elle has been here. 
It baffled Calum - to say the least. Elle was someone he wanted to know, and he wanted to figure out if she liked him as much as he liked her, because even Calum could see the way her cheeks would become red with blush whenever Calum stood too close to her or the way she would blush whenever she said more than that sentence to him.
“You can take it if you need too.” Calum said softly, watching Elle’s eyebrows furrow at his words as she continued to highlight various clinics - ones that Calum would eventually have to phone and scream at the supervisor for.
“No,” Elle dismissed quickly and flipped the page. “It wasn’t anything important.”
Calum observed her for a moment. Her hair was pulled back into a twisted bun due to the large, black claw hair clip that held it up, and her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth as she continued to do her work. But even Calum could see the blush on her cheeks. He wondered why she never complained about the late night shifts or how much paperwork he threw at her. His past assistants always did to some extent, but not Elle.
“You know,” Calum started, pushing himself out of his chair. “If you ever need to take a break or step out to take care of things with your roommate, you can.” He watched as Elle let out a soft sigh and shook her head.
“Really, it’s fine.” Elle excused, giving Calum a soft smile before looking back down at the paperwork in her lap.
“I’m serious though,” He sat beside Elle on the couch, causing her to immediately freeze up due to his closeness. “I work you way too much. It’s okay to take a break you know.”
Elle was thrown by his sudden, small-talk nature. She easily slid the cap back onto the highlighter before setting it down on her lap.
“Taking breaks doesn’t get the job done.” Elle said softly, swallowing the hard lump in her throat as she turned to look at Calum. She watched as his lips parted softly, a quick intake of breath following shortly after.
“But, constantly working may mean that the work,” Calum said, his voice faltering as he reached his hand forward to take the stapled packet off of Elle’s lap. He watched as her cheeks flared up in a soft blush while he felt his hand brush against her thigh, the material of the pencil skirt separating his skin from hers. “Is not the best work.”
The packet of clinic incomes was gently placed on the coffee table by Calum’s hand. Elle watched him, her own confusion setting into her bones as she tried to figure out what he was doing. He wasn’t usually like this.
“But, doesn’t sitting here talking also take away time to get work done? With all do respect Mr. Hood, why are you over here?”
Calum tried to stifle his laughter at the adorable, yet confused look on her face, “First of all, it’s Calum. And second, I just think you need a break. Come on,” he said and repositioned himself so that his body was facing Elle. “What is your roommate like?”
Elle shrugged at her boss and pursed her lips together as she tried to think of an answer, “She’s like any other roommate.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“She’s loud.”
“And?”
“Bold.”
“And?”
“Pays half the rent.”
“And?”
Elle could feel her frustrations starting to light her skin ablaze, “And she’s going into marine biology because she hates the corporate world. Mr. Hood, this is pointless. Why are you really over here?”
“Is it such a bad thing to want to get to know you?” Calum asked, but even after Elle had just snapped at him, Calum was still able to keep his voice calm and tender. She hadn’t upset him at all; she never does.
Elle scoffed, “No, but we both have work to do.”
“Meaning what?” Calum pushed. He could see how under her skin he was getting, and while that had not been his original intention, he was finding it extra adorable that her cheeks were getting redder due to the blush that kept appearing.
Elle sighed once more, “It’s late, and I am tired. Can you please just let me finish these assignments? Plus you never have wanted to get to know me so why start now?” The two of them stared at each other for what felt like minutes. Calum could feel himself growing enchanted by the way her green eyes never left his brown ones. Her cheeks, tinted with blush as always, looked so soft from the lighting that his office provided. He decided to take his chance, and he slowly reached out his hand to caress her mildly-warm cheek. His thumb dusted over the freckles that resided there before he spoke.
“Because I’m enchanted with you.” His words were a whisper that got lost in the air between them as Elle took them in. She felt her stomach drop, her heart speed up, and all she could do about it was focus on the way that Calum’s thumb ran gently over her bottom lip, his eyes following his own movements as she was trying to register what was happening. Enchanted with her? Impossible. Elle was always the last pick for every male she came across - maybe besides Noah - and no one had ever shown her much interest due to her body shape. She used to hate it, but after realizing that she didn’t need a man to make her happy, Elle eventually let it go. But hearing someone say that they were, at the very least, enchanted with her made her insides grow soft and her heart skip a beat. Although she was able to understand that there is more to her than looks, it was still nice to hear that someone had actually liked her. Maybe it’s a low moment for her for thinking like that, but Elle wasn’t going to dwell on it for too long.
Especially when she felt Calum’s soft lips press against hers.
His pressure was gentle but firm as he moved his lips against hers, deepening the kiss and swiping his tongue against her bottom lip. Elle could feel her body shock back to life as her brain registered who was kissing her. She instantly pulled away from him, the sound of her heartbeat drumming in her ears as she stared at him. Her lips craved his again and even though she knew it was wrong, she wanted to kiss him again, and she could even feel the tiniest bit of ache pooling in her body as she quickly thought about his lips kissing her skin. 
“I’m sorry,” Calum said quietly, his hand still on her cheek. “I shouldn’t have done that.” Elle let out a sigh and took her bottom lip between her teeth as she tried to sort out her thoughts. On one hand, this was her boss and this would be completely unprofessional. But on the other, she felt something during the brief kiss that woke her up and made her want more of him and to be with him. She casted her eyes downward toward his lap, wanting to desperately crawl onto it and just kiss him, but she stopped herself when her mind instantly reminded her of her weight. 
“Elle?” Her eyes snapped up again to meet Calum’s brown ones that noticeably seemed darker, and when she saw how puffy the quick kiss made his lips, she sighed once more and smiled.
To hell with her weight, and to hell with him being her boss.
Her lips crashed onto Calum’s as she quickly crawled into his lap, letting out soft giggles as she kissed him. Calum felt his heart swoon at the sound of her laughter, but quickly could feel heat rush to his tip when he felt her thick thighs around his body; the way that her soft lips were kissing him with such passion sent him into a frenzy.
God, the amount of times he’s dreamed of having her on top of him.
He became more aggressive with his kisses as she started to get playful - nipping at his bottom lip and laughing when their teeth clashed together - and Calum decided to take measures into his own hands. He slid his hands down her curvaceous and plump body in a sensual way that made Elle moan. Without a second thought and without hesitation, Calum squeezed her backside and slid his tongue into her mouth when she gasped at the feeling. They both fought each other for dominance before Calum finally had enough, pulling away and scooping Elle up into his arms.
“What happened to “we have a lot of work” hm?” He teased as he carried Elle over to his desk, his hands on her backside as she wrapped her arms around his neck to hold herself up.
“You are my work.” Elle replied with a smile.
Calum groaned and removed one of his hands to push the stack of papers off his desk. He gently sat Elle down and cupped her warm cheeks in his hands.
“That was sexy.”
“Really?” Elle asked and used her legs to bring Calum closer to her. “Because I don’t think that made any sense.” The two of them laughed as they kissed again, their lips turned upward in smiles as their teeth clashed together. Each kiss turned more intense than the last, causing heat to pool into Elle’s underwear as Calum’s erection only grew due to the sounds of her soft moans. It got worse for him when she moaned loudly after he found the sweet spot on her neck, the sound nearly causing Calum to moan himself. He started to unbutton her blouse when she stopped him.
“There’s something I have to tell you before you continue,” she said, placing her hands on Calum’s chest to essentially push him away from her. Both of them were out of breath. “I’m a virgin Calum.” Elle expected him to pull away from her and dismiss her, opting to just ignore what happened and allow her to go back to her work - or home. Instead, she smiled softly when Calum pressed a kiss to her forehead. 
“If you don’t want me to-”
“Woah okay, let’s not get crazy. I never said I didn’t want you to.”
“So you want me to?”
Elle bit her lip as she looked into Calum’s lust-ridden eyes, “I wouldn’t be on your desk with wet panties if I didn’t.”
Calum scoffed and allowed a smile to form on his lips at her words. He narrowed his eyes at her and hooked his hands around the back of her kneecaps. He pulled her to him with little force and felt the material of the skirt cause resistance.
“Let me do something about that then.”
It all was a blur to Elle. She was lost in her senses as Calum sensually loved on her. They were both so desperate for one another that she had lost herself in the pleasure that came with every tender touch and every feathery kiss that made her feel like she was being worshipped as if she were a Greek goddess. Her blouse was off in record time and her bra was soon to follow, and while Elle couldn’t get enough of his kisses, Calum couldn't get enough of her. Her body was a temple to him. Her rolls, curves, stretchmarks, and body dimples made him go weak at the knees and the sight of the hickies growing on her soft skin, along with the sounds of her moans and whimpers, made blush rush to his tip like never before. Calum could feel himself aching for her, and once his fingers made quick work of the pencil skirt, he wasted no time dropping to his knees. He groaned at the sight of the wet patch where her opening was, and he gently pulled back the cotton material to reveal her dripping core to his hungry eyes. He held himself back at just completely diving in, but the urge only grew when he caught sight of the tiny mound of black hair that rested above her clit. He moaned loudly and brought two of his fingers up to her core, collecting her arousal on his index finger before bringing it back up and putting it into his mouth. Elle sighed at the sight.
“I promise I’m going to make you feel good, my beautiful girl.” Her heart fluttered at his words, her core only growing more wet when she watched him reach up and begin to unbutton his shirt. She was in a daze as she stared at the way the city lights bounced off his caramel skin in all the right ways, the tattoos on his chest immediately sending her hot body into overdrive. She watched as Calum stepped forward in between her legs, reaching forward and grabbing her hands that were previously clutching the edges of his desk. He brought them up to his chest and placed them on his own pecs, proceeding to guide her soft hands down his chest. The amount of sexual tension and want increased in the both of them, Calum savoring the way her nails scratched against his skin and Elle savoring the way her chest and abdomen felt underneath her hands. She watched as Calum dropped back to his knees, causing her hands to slide back up to his body and tangle into his hair as she waited for him to do something. He started sucking at the skin on her thighs, leaving hickies as he made his way towards her center. He continued to tease her, kissing her plump, pussy lips before hungrily attaching his mouth to her core.
Elle was in complete bliss as Calum made slow and sensual work of his tongue. Her body was humming in pleasure as she focused on his tongue, moans leaving her lips as Calum lapped at her dripping core which such measured and rhythmic licks that it made her see stars. The vibrations from his own moans only sent her spiraling into a deep pool of pleasure, and she soon felt the knot of pressure form in her stomach. She tightly clutched his hair and started to grind herself onto his tongue, a moan ripping from both hers and Calum’s throats as she did so. She felt so close to her high and Calum could’ve sworn he had a mini orgasm from the taste and sound of her alone. 
“Fuck.” She moaned out and licked her dry lips, her thighs beginning to shake as the pressure only built. She let out a loud whimper as the knot came undone and her thighs shook violently against Calum’s head as her juices flowed out onto his chin. Calum moaned against her clit as he helped her ride out her first orgasm, the feeling of her thighs shaking causing pride to course through his veins as her body jerked from the pleasure that was taking over her body. Calum could feel the pre-cum dripping from his tip as he watched her body finally come to a stop and her thighs slow down to eventually stop shaking. He reluctantly pulled away from her core and stood back up, smiling softly when he saw the smile on her lips and the way her cheeks were overcome with blush for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was heavy, signaling to Calum that she was still coming down from her high.
He leaned over her and kissed her forehead, “Come back to me.” His voice was a whisper as she looked down at Elle, noticing the mini-freckles that dusted her eyelids. He pressed a kiss gently to her eyelid before doing the same to the other one; his heart melting when he saw her bright green eyes looking up at him after she opened them slowly. 
“Wow,” she giggled and brought his lips to hers. “You really know how to eat.” 
Calum let out a booming laugh as he kissed her again and pulled away, reaching into his bottom desktop drawer for the bottle of lube and a condom.
“Yeah well,” Calum sighed as he squirted the lube into his hand before rubbing the liquid onto her core, making sure to put extra around her hole to prepare her for him. “I have been kind of hungry and you naturally are a meal, so excuse me for feasting.” Elle rolled her eyes at him and his playful nature, the nerves of her first time completely gone as she felt so relaxed around Calum. A tiny laugh still managed to escape from her lips the more she thought about his words, but when she saw the size of Calum as he rolled the condom onto his member, she let out a breath of astonishment.
“Still want this?”
“Duh,” she said without a second thought, causing Calum to smile at her sass. Elle groaned and covered her face with her hands and she felt her body flush with embarrassment. “I mean ‘yes’.” Calum chuckled softly and leaned forward again, removing her hands from her face and biting his lip.
“Duh.” He whispered jokingly, but Elle was still able to hear how soft his voice was even when she had made a fool of herself. He kissed her nose before pulling away and using one hand to position himself at her entrance. He ran his tip up and down her folds to collect her arousal before looking up at her once more for clarification. Elle gave him a swift nod, and he gently guided himself into her. She could feel every inch of him stretch her out, causing a stifled moan - practically a squeak - to leave her throat as the pain set in. The lube had made it slightly bearable, but she could still feel the way her core was on fire due to the sudden stretch of Calum’s cock. Calum watched with concerned eyes as Elle’s eyes were tightly shut and her face was contorted in pain as he kept pushing in before pulling out again. Another squeak left her lips as he pushed back in again, but he could tell that it was much more painful due to the way she death-gripped the sides of his desk. Calum tried to help alleviate her pain by grabbing her waist and pulling her off the desk slightly, and once he bottomed out, he waited until he could move. 
And once he could, there was no stopping him. 
Calum was sure to keep in mind that she wasn’t used to any of this, but the way that her pussy clenched around him sent him into complete excitement. She felt so perfect wrapped around him that he just couldn’t hold back, but judging by the sound of her moans and the way her nails were dragging down his back as he fucked her at a pace that was moderately fast, Calum knew that she was enjoying this as much as he was. He couldn’t get enough of her; the feeling of her skin against him drove him wild and her tight, wet pussy clenching around him made him delirious. Moans were falling from both of their lips as the desk started to scrape against the floor and Calum could start to feel the sweat form on his body. He buried himself deep into her pussy as he chased his high, reaching down to rub Elle’s clit to make sure that she’d reach her own.
“Cal-” Her words were cut off by a loud moan, and Calum let out a deep groan at the way her walls clenched around him as she came. He still fucked her as she juices flowed around his cock, the feeling of her walls and her warm cum around him mixed with her soft skin rubbing against her already-hot skin and her moans echoing around the room caused Calum to come completely undone above her. His load shot into the condom with such force that he saw stars and lost himself in her body as he rode out his high; nothing but heavy breathing replacing his moans once all was said and done. Calum pulled his head out of Elle’s neck to look at her, but when their gazes made contact with one another, Calum could tell that there was something wrong. Elle had a far off look in her eyes as she stared at Calum, and he knew that she was not present. 
“Elle?” He asked, pushing himself up onto his palms to hold himself over her. She blinked twice, and then she suddenly started shaking her head. 
“What happened?” Calum asked again, now standing back up and slowly pulling out her to prevent her from getting hurt. Elle only shook her head and sat up, pushing herself off his desk and starting to search for her clothes. It’s almost like reality had caught up with her, and her mind had suddenly reminded her of who she just slept with. 
“I have to go.” She whispered and she slipped on her skirt and picked up her blouse. Calum watched in complete confusion, slowly putting on his boxers as he watched Elle scramble around for her clothing. He couldn’t even comprehend her sudden switch in moods, but he knew that she was in great pain due to the ways her face would scrunch up if she stepped a certain way.
“You shouldn’t be on your feet.” Calum said as he tried to stop her from buttoning her blouse. Elle shrugged off his touch and walked over to the couch to retrieve her shoes and her personal items.
“Elle, just wait a minute.” She could tell his voice was desperate, but her mind was screaming at her to leave. She knew that she had messed things up royally with what she had just done, and her flight or fight responses were kicking in. Calum was so baffled, but his own mind was screaming at him to get her to stay. But she wasn’t listening to him. She just kept shaking her head as if she was trying to shake off what just happened.
“Did I hurt you?”
“No,” Elle said and threw on her coat. “I shouldn’t have done that. You’re my boss. I shouldn’t have slept with you.” Her hand made quick work of the silver door knob. Calum watched as she slipped out into the lobby of the secretary, his mind racing at the sudden change in her mood. Of course he knew that they shouldn’t have done that, but he still felt an attraction towards her that he didn’t feel with anyone else - regardless if she was his assistant or not. He swiftly moved to the door and stepped out into the same lobby that she was just in. But before he could say anything, he watched as the elevator doors at the end of the hall closed shut, Elle on the other side of them.
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The lights in Elle’s apartment were dim when she lazily swung open the door after unlocking it. It was late, nearly around one in the morning, and Elle was confused to find the kitchen light on. The tears that she had cried on the way home were well dried up on her cheeks; the Uber driver being nice enough to not ask or say anything to her as she cried. The full weight of what she had done had hit her like a semi truck, and Elle could feel the shame deep into her bones as she spent every minute from the office to her apartment thinking about how she slept with her boss. She lost her virginity to someone who could easily control every move she did, meaning that Elle was now at the mercy of Calum come Monday. She dragged her body into the kitchen to find Noah, Liz’s boyfriend, grabbing a glass of water.
“Hey you! How was work?” He asked, his voice cheery and sweet like it always was. Elle immediately thought about the night’s events, and she could feel herself grow ashamed and regretful again.
“Long,” she croaked out, sucking in a deep breath to herself from crying again. “Really long.”
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hopefully y’all like this!!
taglist: 
@bloodmoonashton @cals-wildflower @cashtonasff5sos @fatallovesonghood @foreverlovingbands @fckngbored @generationsparkles @hoodschick @katcontreras @keithseabrook27​ @morguleth​ @myloverboyash​ @saphseoul​ @thesubtweeter​ @thomashoodetta​ @wantcalback​ @wastedheartcth​ @wildflower-cth​ @who-do-you-love-5sos​ @wtf-no-idk​ @wokeupinjapanisabop​
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ribcage-rodents · 3 years
Text
How Iris first had an inkling that Wally had a crush on Dick. Ok so like, bc Star and Gotham are absolutely horrifying during Halloween, Barry is like “I’ll patrol then Iris will take the babies trick or teating”
Originally Wally is really upset bc he wants to go patrolling w his uncle but once he finds out that he gets to hang out w the other hero’s he’s psyched.
So Wally is like 12-13 and dresses up as the flash naturally. Roy is like 14-15 and he’s totally too old for Halloween and over it bc he’s super angsty, and dresses up as like Jason form Friday the thirteenth or some shit bc Black Canary forces him to. Robin only ever celebrated Halloween during his circus days when everyone would paint their face scary and flying Graysons would do aerial ballet show w black fabric so it was like spiders but after that it was just horrifying.
Anyway so Barry picked up this tiny Batman costume and Iris was like “Barry hon, isn’t he like 10? Shouldn’t you get him a bigger outfit?” (He two years younger than Wally, and four younger than Roy) And Barry is like “no trust me babe he teeny”.
Batman shows up to their house followed by a tinsity winsty baby tiny Batman bc Barry ran it over b/f patrol. And wow is that cute. Tiny baby Batman is basically glued to Batman’s side, his teeny little head coming up to Batman’s lower thigh, last time Iris checked 10-year olds aren’t supposed to be that tiny but wow is it adorable. (I’m sorry I just love teeny baby Dickie& giant looming built-like-a-tank batdaddy)
Barry told her what Batman had already explained. That Robin is foreign and doesn’t really know a lot of holiday stuff and also has been severely traumatized the past couple of years and doesn’t really like strangers and knows better than to take anything from strangers.
So it’s obvious that Robin would rather be tied up and drugged w fear gas than in a family aquatintence’s home about to go trick or treating. And Iris is a little resentful of the other boys, hard as she try to be understanding, bc Wally looks so disappointed bc he just wants to have friends and these guys don’t want to have fun.
Anyway Roy is kinda warming up to the whole trick or treating thing but sometimes he can be really mean to Wally but maybe Iris is just overprotective of her boy. Iris takes several pictures during the entire night despite both Batmans being adamant about no photos.
Robin refuses to go up to any house but Iris doesn’t comment on it. She doesn’t want to alienate him, so she doesn’t say anything. She goes up and grabs him a peice of candy but he disappears into the night. She panics for a good couple of seconds but calms when tiny Batman shows up next to Wally and Roy.
She doesn’t try again after that. He likes to walk at the back of the group and every time Iris tries to keep an eye on him, bc he may be a trained hero but central isn’t as safe as smallsville and her parental instincts are going off. Every couple of blocks Wally will try to walk next to him and talk and it’ll work for a while then Robin will slow down and fall behind and Wally’s angelic little baby face gets so sad.
As their trip comes to an end Iris can see Robin wrapping the cape around him tightly w his eyes screwed shut and it breaks her heart a little bc this poor boy must be so uncomfortable and scared that he’s trying to imitate the feeling of his mentors hug. It’s a jarring to imagine Batman hugging anything but she supposes that a baby as cute as that must make even the dark knight just wanna squeeze his sweet rosy, chubby cheeks. She reaches out to place a hand on his head, bc he’s too short to comfortably put a hand on his shoulder.
He jerks back immediately and death glares her, his anger showing full force through the white eyelets. She sent him an apologetic smile and he seemed to unbistle a smidgen.
Once they were finally home Iris watched them from behind the kitchen counter. Wally and Roy were digging into the candy while Robin perched on top of the couch. He kept scratching at his arm, Barry said that it was fine as long as it was controlled. Apparently the poor baby had a pretty serious anxiety disorder and tended to scratch to make himself feel better, it was ok as long as he didn’t have an attack.
She tossed him the single candy across the room, he caught it swiftly in his tiny baby hand. (So cute) Wally shot up to his feet. “That’s not one of my candies right?” Iris smiled, her prefect gluttonous boy. “Nope it’s from your uncles,” it was lie but it didn’t harm anyone. “That’s my backup candy!” Wally cried racing towards the door and snatching up handfuls of candy from the trick or treater bowl. Iris pretend to scold him for being stingy.
Robin slowly unwrapped the candy then examined it breaking off a piece and finally eating the snickers. His eyelets widened comically and he chewed slowly staring down at the candy before shoving the entire (not that fun size is really that big) thing in his mouth. It was absolutely adorable! She wished she had take a video and wondered if this was his first ever candy. (Dick usually just ate cotton candy as a kid, he hadn’t discover cereal yet. But since his parents died he hasn’t had real sugar, Alfred has strict hold on anything sweet in the house and Robin was deemed too energetic already.)
Apparently Wally agreed bc his mouth was wide open and his face was a blotchy-red color. His eyes were filled w what Iris could only discribe as adoration.
Wally swallowed then stood up again. His arms filled w sweets. “Here you can have my candy!” Wally all but shouted at the other boy, he paused for a second looking at his arms, “or we could share,” he suggested instead.
That’s what got Iris, even before his flash experiment Wally has never shared food, not even w his uncle. But here he was offering up some to a boy he hardly knows bc he thinks it’s cute when he eats candy. God she might cry.
Robin smiled at Wally. A real smile, the first one she’s seen all night. “You could still have it all if you wanted!” Wally said again his face turning a couple shades darker and thrusting the candy at robin, who artfully avoided his touch.
“We can share, don’t speedsters need extra calories?” Wally nodded and then proceeded to gather up the rest of the candy scattered on the floor. It was then that Iris noticed that Roy and dipped.
She was slightly panicked. Roy could probably fight for himself but he’s still a baby, a baby that Iris was in charge of. She hurriedly pulled out some blankets and turned on the tv for the boys while she dialed Barry who called Ollie. In a strange turn of events Ollie actually apologized to Iris, saying quote, “Roy’s a little jack-ass of course he snuck off. Don’t worry I’ll find him, probably screwed off to get drunk at some highschool party. Thanks for watching him while you could, I honestly expected him to scurry off a lot sooner.”
It didn’t exactly ease the tension in Iris’ chest but watching those two babies sitting on the couch pass candy back forth watching Charlie Brown specials made her feel a lot better. They were on opposite sides of the couch and Iris could see Wally’s little fingers twitching by his legs, he got up to go to the bathroom and came back only to really casually sit right next to Robin, like basically on his lap.
Robin wiggled up onto the arm of the couch.
“Ok so this ones a Milky Way,” Wally said passing the treat up to Robin.
He popped it in his mouth and chewed. “What’s the difference between this one and the snickers?” He asked, Iris was a little surprised by how good Robins accent was, he spoke like a natural English speaker, which he wasn’t. Every once in a while he’d use a word wrong or mispronounce something, a lit of something would catch on what he was saying but his American accent was pretty flawless.
“Snickers have peanuts, milky ways don’t,” Wally supplied in a duh voice. Robin smiled, “golly, you sure know a bunch about candies. You must be really smart!” And isn’t that so cute! Everyone treats the speedsters like idiots just bc they’re dense but here Robin is picking up on the hidden intelligence like a Batman should. Wally puffed his chest out all proud his face was still all red like a patchy strawberry.
A couple hours passed when Batman showed up. Wearing a different not soaked in fear gas costume, both Iris and Wally were sad to see robin go, well Wally was more devastated. The minute Batman stepped through the front door Robin was disappearing underneath his cape, according to Barry Robin doesn’t like to be more than 3cm from Batman at all times.
“Maybe we can hang out more!” Wally called his blush finally fading. A chipper ok sounded from somewhere in Batman’s cape, (Wally’s face turned scarlet in an instant) at the same time Batman gruffed out a no. Wally’s perfect baby face fell, Batman and Robin left. “Hey don’t worry kiddo I’ll talk to him!” Wally gave a half-hearted smile then went back to his candy eating.
Later he was engrossed in a discussion of patrol w his uncle while they both ate most of central’s candy supply.
As Barry and Iris got ready for bed an hour or so later she turned to him w a mischievous smile. “So it’s seems like Wally’s got his first real crush!” She sing-songed. Barry looked at her confused a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. “Who?” “Robin” she responded. “That’s doesn’t make any sense!” She signed, somethings speedsters really were dense.
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sagurus · 4 years
Text
04. caged
Prompt was: Running out of time: caged.
Using @whumptober2020‘s prompt today.
The original idea behind this is credited to @magpythe; I don’t believe he’s posted any of his writing for this au himself yet, but it’s inspired entirely from a scenario that he started, and then we talked about collaboratively. For some context, this takes place in a world much like our own in terms of scientific rules, except there are magical/supernatural beings (vampires, werewolves, shinigami, kitsune, etc) living among us as well. This was a well-kept secret from the general populace bc those magical beings didn’t want to deal with the backlash, but alas this facade couldn’t last. Humans aren’t handling their new understanding of the world very well :’)
Anyway, onto the story.
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Eighteen hours, fifty-seven minutes, and counting.
The cell was minimalistic and austere. Plain walls behind and beside him. Metal bars before him, looking out at a vacant wall. The opposite side of the holding area. His cell was one of about five in the short hallway, all lined against one side of it, with a door on either end. Each cell was a little under two metres wide and three deep. Saguru’s own cell was the second from the right.
Insofar as he could tell, he was the only one in this particular holding area. In the nineteen hours he had spent here, the only sounds he heard beyond his own breathing were those of officers. It would seem that most non-human individuals who displayed the clinically-induced violent reaction were swiftly neutralized without extenuating circumstances to protect them. He was lucky, he thought bitterly, that nepotism could guarantee him the civility of a holding cell rather than more immediate measures. For other, less fortunate individuals, Saguru imagined that containing them was seen as risky. Or a waste of resources better dedicated to human criminals who had willingly broken the law, rather than innocent non-human civilians forced into a hopeless situation.
How long they intended to hold him here, though, he didn’t know. For all he knew, it could be indefinite. Or he could be released tomorrow. Or meet some more final fate. The seconds ticked by.
Nineteen hours, five minutes. By his calculation, it was almost noon, assuming his timekeeping wasn’t too faulty without the aid of his pocket watch.
The heavy, industrial door fell open and then closed again, sounding out a dulled thud. Footsteps clicked against linoleum tile. Saguru estimated at least three officers, until he belatedly managed to pick out a fourth, much lighter set of steps. Someone slight. A child? He dearly hoped it wasn’t a child’s footsteps he was hearing. There was something strange about them, too. Something about the way that these steps struck and slided across the tile, making them sound…sharp?
The cluster came near enough he could just make out the line of one of the officer’s uniforms. He stayed seated on his cot, listening. He couldn’t see the majority of the group from here, let alone make out whether the owner of the smaller footsteps had, indeed, been a child. There was a solemn air as the door to the cell neighboring his own. Small footsteps padded inside. The cell door shut. A woman’s voice, strained and tense (not with fear—guilt? Stress?) said, “Someone will bring your dinner around seven.”
A beat, something like hesitation hovering in the air, and then the officers’ steps (all three sets) retreating down the hall. Saguru held his breath, waiting for the officers to be out of the holding area entirely.
Once they were gone, he continued to wait, listening in for any activity from his new neighbor.
Saguru’s own arrival into this situation had been a rather unexpected one for all parties involved. The issue was this: the world was rapidly becoming aware of the existence of supernaturally-inclined beings existing among them in society—generally referred to as youkai in Japan. Sensationalized media ensured that this was not well-received, but at the very least most inhuman individuals still managed to keep the truth under wraps and continue to assimilate. Until scientific innovation introduced a drug which garnered no reaction from virtually all humans, but revealed any magically obscured, glamoured, or otherwise concealed features that these other beings possessed. It also bore a few potential unfortunate side effects for some youkai. The most common of these was an uncontrollable violence, pushing the recipient into a dangerous frenzy. In other, rarer cases, the drug had even killed some. The kicker here was that Hakuba labs was a major proponent for the creation of the drug and helped pioneer it. Once the drug left clinical trials, it was determined that it needed to be administered to as much of the populace of Japan as possible, in order to catalog human and youkai population.
Hakuba Takahiro and his ex-wife, Rosalin Caldwell, were both humans. As far as anyone had been aware, Hakuba Saguru was also human. Saguru himself had never doubted this.
That didn’t explain the flurry of flame, the way he had tried to surge out his seat, the loss of sense or understanding, vision gone red in outrage. They had barely managed to restrain him. His father had almost been struck with the explosive fire, before Saguru had somehow managed to extinguish it.
On principle, Saguru had been opposed to the usage of the drug; frankly, the ethical implications were horrifying even without the potential for dangerous side-effects geared specifically toward one party of people. Nevermind the fact there were not yet any laws to protect youkai, nor any clear delineation of a plan to accommodate for them a place in society. He had considered refusing to participate in receiving it and thus being complicit in the cause, but his father had left him little room for argument.
Needless to say, it had all gone very badly. So far, Saguru had not been informed at all about what was being discussed with regards to his fate.
Hell, he still didn’t even understand why it had happened.
In the cell beside Saguru’s, his new neighbor seemed to be getting acquainted with the room. Those strange, precise footsteps seemed to walk its inner perimeter. A few moments later, he heard the sound of the cot squeaking and settling.
Breathing, even and measured, but in a forced way. A restrained way. Holding something in.
Saguru couldn’t think of a single thing he could say to improve the situation. He decided he would wait until he heard some indication that the other would even want conversation.
Hours of mutual silence later, the heavy door opened and shut again. Heavy footfalls approaching from down the hallway. Saguru guessed that it was probably for dinner.
“Who would have thought Beika city’s murder magnet really was a shinigami after all?” the officer observed with an amusement that Saguru found chilling. It seemed to be directed at the neighboring cell, as the officer hadn’t reached Saguru yet.
Beika city’s murder magnet… Dawning horror. There was only one person Saguru could think of who matched that morbid description.
Meanwhile, the officer was met with tense silence. After apparently handing off the food, he moved onto Saguru. Saguru started at him icily. He was silent, privately daring the man to breathe a word in his direction. The officer, this time, was equally silent.
Once the officer was gone, Saguru set his food aside. He didn’t have any appetite to speak of, right now. Instead, he needed to know. “Edogawa-kun, is that you?”
The response was a startled, stammered, “Haku—Hakuba nii-san?” Alarm colored his voice. Clearly, he was just as distressed to find someone familiar here.
Saguru’s heart sank. “Yes, indeed, it’s me.”
“What are you doing here?” Edogawa demanded.
Saguru laid back on the cot, exhaled long and slow. “I suppose I’m not human,” he said simply. “Believe me, it was a surprise to me, too.” He paused, and then ventured, “Are you unhurt?”
He tried to imagine what Edogawa must look like, now. The officer had called him a shinigami, but Saguru wasn’t entirely clear on what, visually, that entailed. Bat wings came to mind. He thought back to the strange sound of the boy’s footsteps. How much of his anatomy had been forced to change to its truer form because of the injection?
“More or less,” was Edogawa’s noncommittal response.
Saguru was still trying to get his head around the fact that the police had put a seven-year-old in a holding cell. Youkai or not, this was a child. What did they intend to do with him?
This had all been much easier when all Saguru had to worry about was his own fate.
Edogawa Conan, as it turned out, made a perfectly good neighbor, and even a pleasant conversation partner. The sheer amount of boredom that came with sitting in a cell with nothing to do for hours that stretched into days was almost enough to forget the horror of their situation. Either way, the only real escape—from the horror or the boredom—was to fill the space with conversation.
Fortunately, there was plenty to talk about. Old cases, literature, trading favorite Sherlock Holmes stories. The situation at hand. It was difficult not to discuss the problem they were in together, as they were both people who couldn’t help but try to study a problem from all angles in order to try to solve it. But inevitably the direction of those conversations turned dark too quickly for Saguru’s comfort. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to focus on the ways things could go wrong.
“Hey, Hakuba,” Edogawa said one day, apparently forgetting to use the honorific (or simply electing to drop it, there being very little bandwidth for Edogawa’s more childish act). “What are you, anyway?”
It was a blunt question, but over the past handful of days, they had mutually elected not to worry too much over politeness. Saguru faltered, before saying honestly, “I haven’t the slightest idea. I suspect one of my parents may not be biologically related to me, and whoever the other contributing party was, was some variety of youkai.” Yesterday, Saguru had been granted a visit by a scientist, who had studied him like a specimen and taken a variety of samples, all while Saguru remained restrained for the scientist’s safety. Never mind the fact that the more alarming skill he (apparently) possessed was manifesting fire without the use of any tools, so he wasn’t sure what good restraining him would do to anybody. Regardless, the examination had gone by without incident, and Saguru suspected that there had been some kind of DNA test conducted, although he had no confirmation as to the results.
Edogawa made a noise of consideration, lapsed into silence, then started again. “Did you change?” He asked, almost delicately.
“I don’t think I did,” Saguru told him. “As far as I can tell, visually everything is still the same as it had been. Admittedly, I haven’t seen my reflection since some time before the incident, so I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty.”
Quiet, again, and Saguru wondered if he should ask if Edogawa had changed, then decided against it. The other boy could tell him if he’d like, but otherwise Saguru didn’t want Edogawa to trouble him with it.
“So, they found out you were youkai because…”
“Because I had—an outburst, yes.” Understatement of the century.
Saguru could hear the grimace in Edogawa’s voice when he asked, “—Was everybody alright?”
“I—” Saguru recalled the violence of his reaction, the flames licking out and nearly making contact in a dangerous way with his father as well as one of the nurses. He recalled the feeling of a vicious snarl contorting his expression and the way he’d surged against the precautionary restraints.
He recalled going perfectly still as soon as he’d regained a handle on himself. The doctor approaching him with a new syringe, and the distant thought, Is he giving me a sedative or is he euthanising me? The foreign, turbulent rage churning inside of him until he’d gone under thanks to the shot (sedative, it turned out).
“Nobody got hurt,” Saguru assured him after a too-long silence. “It was—frightening. But nobody was hurt.”
“—I hurt a nurse,” Edogawa said, and his voice was the sort of stony that belied the great effort of holding in his emotions. “It could have been a lot worse, but I still hurt somebody. Really badly.”
“You can’t fault yourself for it,” Saguru said immediately, sternly. “It speaks volumes about your sense of accountability and responsibility, that you feel guilty for it, but it wasn’t your fault that it happened.”
“If you say so.”
It was their seventh day like this. Still, Saguru received no news any time he asked a passing officer for updates.
Earlier today, Hattori Heiji had visited, apparently to discreetly provide Edogawa some contraband (such as books). Edogawa had kindly requested that Hattori pass one of those books to Saguru. The other detective had been frankly shocked to realize he was here, and despite their usual animosity, the other boy had seemed mostly genuinely concerned for him. When Saguru asked if there was anything Hattori could tell him about the situation, it had been a definite negative. Apparently his situation was being kept well out of the hands of the media, at least for now. Saguru could only imagine his father must have told the school that he was on some sort of vacation, or had accepted a case which required him to head overseas again. Nobody would be worried about him, then.
Now, the visit was over and they had lapsed into silence while they, for the moment, privately entertained themselves. Rather than read, Saguru had tucked the book away for later, and was instead practicing what little exercise he could to keep his body active. Right now it was warm-up stretches. He desperately ached to go on a run.
At some point, Edogawa cut into the silence.
“What do you think is going to happen, Hakuba?” and then, hastily added, “—nii-san.” He sounded pensive, uncertain. He didn’t sound afraid, but Saguru thought that he might be anyway.
“I don’t know,” he murmured, opting for honesty rather than false hope. “It’s been a week and we’re still here. I don’t know what anyone’s plan for us is.”
“Yeah…” Edogawa trailed off, deep in thought. Saguru wondered if it would have been better to say that he was sure things would wind up working out. The problem was, he wasn’t sure. He had been under the impression that he would be placed under holding until they worked out the best circumstance to harness or otherwise stifle his apparent abilities, and then return him to something like normal life, but with a tight leash.
But now it had been seven days, with no developments, and Saguru was beginning to wonder if this was all much more dire than he had thought.
They both went quiet again, only for Edogawa to speak up just as abruptly as he had before. “—I need to tell you something.”
Puzzled, Saguru went still. “Proceed.”
“It’s pretty unbelievable, so I need you to bear with me. Okay?”
Edogawa seemed to do a lot of things that fell quite near the ‘unbelievable’ category, in Saguru’s experience. Much like Kuroba tended to, although they had different styles in the ways they defied reality. “I’ll do my best to keep an open mind,” he assured Edogawa.
“My name isn’t really Edogawa Conan,” he began.
And the sky was blue, and Kaitou KID was Kuroba Kaito. “Mm.”
“It’s actually Kudou Shin’ichi, and I’m really seventeen, not seven.”
So this is what Edogawa meant when he said it was unbelievable. He couldn’t help but wonder if Edogawa was engaging in a delusion to cope with the frankly traumatic situation they had found themselves in. “Is that so?” he inquired, honoring his promise to keep an open mind. Edogawa was right, though. This was difficult to believe.
Edogawa made an irritated sound, like he could tell Saguru didn’t believe him. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to us, and almost no one knows. I want you to know. I—a year and a half ago, I went with Ran to Tropical Land, and worked that case with the roller coaster beheading.”
Saguru recalled the news reports of that case all too well. Truly, it had been a particularly gruesome case, so he was eternally gratefully it hadn’t been him on the scene.
“There were these suspicious men there, and after I solved the case I left Ran so I could tail them and figure out what they were up to. But one of them surprised me from behind, knocked me out, and gave me this—drug,” allegedly-Kudou-Shin’ichi explained. “It was supposed to kill me via apoptosis, but instead it… de-aged me. ”
It was certainly a lot to process. It felt a little bit like the plot of a bad science fiction. But he spoke with urgency, and he was clearly being genuine. Although Saguru was still inclined to lean toward delusion, he decided to consider his way through the facts he had from his limited research into the whereabouts of Kudou Shin’ichi. It was true that the same day Kudou disappeared, Mouri Ran had wound up taking in Edogawa Conan. It would explain the strange amount of knowledge and understanding Edogawa possessed, especially in terms of investigating crime scenes and solving cases. It also clarified anachronistic errors—moments when Edogawa would say he’d seen something when it was first released, even though it should have come out well before his birth date.
After analyzing the facts, Saguru realized there was nothing (beyond his own understanding of scientific development) that disproved the claim. None of the facts he had specifically proved it either, though. He didn’t know the other detective well enough to quiz Edogawa in order to prove it for himself, either.
He thought back to their previous conversation. They didn’t know, really, what would become of them here. If they would make it out of here. Perhaps this was a delusion, but if so, Saguru didn’t think it would do any good to deny the other that. It certainly wouldn’t change anything for the better in the short term.
Saguru resolved that he would take the other boy at his word, and, should he have the means and opportunity if they got out of this, he’d pursue it more critically then.
“—I see,” he said, nodding slowly although Kudou couldn’t see him. “It is good to have gotten to know you, then, Kudou-kun. I’m sorry it wasn’t under better circumstances.”
When the other boy next spoke, it was obvious to Saguru that something coiled very tightly had unwound. The relief was nearly palpable. “It’s good to meet you too, Hakuba-kun. Here’s to hoping we make it out of this so that we can keep getting to know each other.”
They could only hope. “I’ll do my best to remain optimistic,” Saguru murmured in agreement.
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roominthecastle · 4 years
Note
Since you listened to Mofftiss talk about EP 3, did you get why they didn’t want to show the Agatha / Dracula connection until the end? I read your post about it, but it was still a bit unclear as to why. Because they even said something along the lines of “it was hard pressed to keep that hidden until the end”, did they talk about it with the other episodes. Did you listen to the others? Just drama-vise I’m curious as to why, when it’s more common to play with that energy instead of hide it.
I’ve listened to the three episode companion podcasts + the bonus audio commentary for ep 3, and, as far as I can remember, they only touch on this particular topic twice, saying:
It felt very moving when he was lying across “Zagatha” on the table, drinking her blood. There was a sort of full-stop-ness to “You didn’t think I’d let it hurt, did you?” It was such an iron process of  not revealing that that story is happening. I think everyone who watches  goes, “Hang on. Those two. Those two, there is something weird there.”  But it’s not acknowledged, really, til the very end. And indeed when he  says it, “After all this time, did you think I’d let it hurt?”, you  know. Of course he wouldn’t. So it’s rather sweet. I like it. He finally  does actually bend a little.
During my very first interview the journalist asked, “Oh come on, there is something between those two, isn’t there?” I thought, “Really? Already? you got that from episode one?!” I remember we were constantly saying to [Claes and Dolly],“No, don’t play it. Let the audience find it.”
I'm afraid that for a more detailed answer you would have to go to them. All I can offer is my speculative interpretation, which is not exactly bulletproof but here it is anyway:
They aren't saying this angle is not toyed with throughout (it def is, imo -- like the whole convent gate scene where he is naked and she is smearing him w/ her blood, or when she has the noose around her neck and his foot is on the barrel, they are flirting ffs, they are enjoying each other), but it being there isn't explicitly acknowledged until the very end. So viewers who are distracted by the surface action are surprised when the evolving subtext surges up at the end of ep 3, but for those who are looking for it, there are traces as early as in ep 1.
Dracula’s special brand of seductive darkness pulls Agatha in but Agatha also has a hold on Dracula from the first moment they meet. It manifests in smaller stuff at first, eg. he calls off his bats when she asks and he spares Mina when Agatha demands it even though he could have just killed them both in a split second. Then he brings her aboard the ship disguised as his sick wife and, as he drinks from her, he enters the “blood dream” to spend time w/ her -- something he never does w/ anybody else. Despite its twistedness, it is also extremely intimate: they lie in bed, he is inside her, she is inside him, and they are exploring each other under the guise of a chess match. So over time, their entanglement gets more and more elaborate and contradictory and blurred (esp for Dracula since he is the emotionally less developed).
Feelings other than plain animosity are developing and mutating and wash together but never ever is this straightforwardly expressed by either character. The closest they drift to it is perhaps when Dracula says, "This takes me back. About three centuries, in fact. We must do it again.” but when Agatha rejects him, he quickly laughs it off and backpedals. Now that I think of it, he even says that she “came closer than anyone”, which is def an interesting statement that lends itself to multiple readings + “three centuries ago” Dracula was likely still a human man, so certain vulnerabilities around her may be alluded to here.
"Don't play it [=the emotion]" -- based on my limited knowledge of acting/directing -- does not mean seeds of emotion are not there to color behavior or for the audience to pick up on them if they are open to it/perceptive enough. It just means the actors focus on immediate & overall intent and not specific feelings bc feelings are very difficult to play consciously and convincingly as they are not clear-cut and are in flux. By concentrating on "what I want & how I am gonna get it" and not "how I feel", the emotion can naturally, unconsciously flow from the interaction (just as it does in real life), but this way it is not gonna be too obvious or just one thing. It results in a more nuanced and believable performance overall.
Given that what Dracula and Agatha want from each other changes and is not fully crystallized until the very end, their feelings are also shifting and in disarray until that final moment. They start from the mutual sentiment of “I will kill you but will toy w/ you first bc you are interesting” but the unintended side-effect of getting to know one another is that this original goal shifts. This goal change is just as spectacular in Agatha as it is in Dracula: she goes from “the last thing your eyes will ever see is the contempt in mine” to her genuinely smiling at Dracula as he finally gathers his courage and stands in the sunlight after 500 years -- sunlight she chooses to give back to him instead of trying to kill him or leaving him in the dark to suffer alone forever. And this gesture, this most precious gift, really, brings about a change in Dracula, too. She takes him back to the time when he was still human and he can finally die a proper death in her arms. But all this comes on “slowly then all at once”, and it comes as a result of figuring each other out, which takes all 3 episodes. It wouldn’t have been convincing or true to either character if explicit (romantic) feelings had entered the text earlier bc their original wants and convictions were just too strong for that.
I think they most def play with that "imperfectly suppressed" UST energy throughout the season, but I don't believe either Dracula or Agatha is fully conscious of how they feel about each other or allow themselves to embrace those other feelings until the final confrontation where everything is brought to light (literally and figuratively). And how they feel is in flux and contradictory due to the very nature of their interactions: they are locked in what they know is supposed to be a fight to the death but whenever they reach the tipping point, 9 out of 10 times they pull back.
This is why e.g. Agatha leaves one box and sits beside it waiting for Dracula to return and why Dracula gives his blood to Zoe to drink, then waits for Agatha's return. Agatha could have tossed the last box after she set him on fire to make absolute sure he has no chance to recover, and Dracula could have easily refused the blood donation w/ instructions bc he was about to get out of his cell anyway, but they wanted to crack the door open for the other to push through again. This is in direct (albeit still subtle) contradiction of their original goal but at the end of ep 2 that original goal (“I will kill you to survive” and “I will kill you to save others” respectively) still overrides other feelings that have begun sprouting underneath the surface action. But it’s a natural backsliding that will lead to the good stuff at the end of ep 3 when they are finally able to embrace another solution, the right one, together.
This is like Dracula not being conscious that internalized shame is what’s been driving him to debase himself. It unconsciously informs his actions, but he is not fully aware of it or ready to face it until the end. Same w/ his developing feelings for Agatha and Agatha's for him. Those are suppressed until a final understanding is reached.
and this has been today’s edition of “let me overthink this”.
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m4delin · 4 years
Note
I hope it's not too late for prompts because I'd like to request Illinois saying "I told you not to fall in love with me" to Yancy. Just fuck me up fam >:'3
Prompts are always open, I’m just a slow writer!
Also, confession time. I’m not very happy with this, and I might re-write it another time, but have this anyway bc I’ve been struggling with it now for a while. And I wanna post something!
I hope you enjoy this @juju-on-that-yeet
Title: Told You SoRating: T, for mostly swearingCharacters: Yancy, Bingiplier, Illinois, Actor MarkTags: No happy ending, Angst, brainwashing/reprogramming, implied torture, not beta’d
The first thing Yancy noticed were the sharp pain coming from his neck. He wasn’t sure if he groaned or whimpered from the pain, he wasn’t even sure if he was moving. Pain was all he registred for some time.
Then the sense of touch reached him. Something cold were pressing against one side of his face and side of the body and something uncomfortable were digging itself into his wrists. Where were his arms? He still couldn’t feel them.
After laying still and letting the coldness ground him for a while, sound finally started to filter through the buzz in his head and the streaks in front of his eyes slowly disappeared. Meaning he finally dared to open his eyes.
While Yancy wasn’t expecting to see anything particular, he found himself to be prepared for a blinding light that comes with being in Dr. Iplier’s room. But this was obviously not Edward’s small clinic at the Manor. Yancy wasn’t even on a bed. The ground were cement, the light were barely enough to see and were coming from the corridor and there were bars preventing him from getting outside of the room. Cell would be a more appropriate description.
He closed his eyes and let out a groan. His head was killing him. He wasn’t sure for how long he laid there, letting the coldness of the floor sooth his aching body, but when he heard footsteps approaching, he forced his eyes open to watch the person.
“Bing?” Yancy’s throat were hoarse and he needed a drink badly, but he barely noted that fact as Bing were watching him with his orange eyes. It sent a shiver down Yancy’s spine, he’ve never really seen Bing without his sunglasses. But the most worrying part were the fact that he looked emotionless. Way too much like Google.
Yancy grunted as he tried to sit up, but only to find his hands tied behind his back. Dread started to build in his stomach and he stared at Bing. “Bing, what’s happenin’?”
No answer.
Yancy shuffled himself up into a sitting position and stared right back at the android, annoyance overcoming the dread. “Are yous just gonna stare at me, huh? Like I’m some sort of an animal?” He spat.
At that Bing smirked, and opened the door and with a few long steps he was by Yancy. Yancy let out a curse when he was suddenly dragged up by his feet and pushed to walk.
He stumbled at the first push but somehow caught himself before he would slam into the bars. “Fuckin’ tincan! Lemme get my balance before I start walking or I’ll bust youses head in!”
The chuckle coming from behind him had the hairs on his arms stand. It sounded empty. “Sorry Yancy, but we’re in a bit of a hurry.”
With no more words, Yancy got pushed through a corridor filled with cells. Most of them seemed to be empty.
But when he saw a glimpse of a blue android in one of them, he tried to stop and look but Bing merely continued to push him forward, making Yancy stumble and almost fall. “That’s Google! What the fuck is he doing in a cell? What is going on?“ He yelled as he tried to turn around to look back.
"Don’t worry about him. He’s just being… repurposed. He’ll feel a lot better afterwards.” Bing didn’t stop for a moment in his walking. “I know I did.”
The last words were barely louder than a whisper and Yancy would’ve missed it if Bing weren’t close to push him forward again.
“Repurposed- what the fuck Bing? What have they done to you?”
He didn’t receive an answer other than a shove. Cursing and swearing were the only thing Yancy could do, and he got louder when he noticed other egos in other cells. Yandere, Bim, King, Silver. All of them laying still. And no amount of yelling and swearing made them react.
Eventually were Yancy brought to a bigger room that was more well lit than the corridor, it almost hurt his eyes. But he didn’t have to worry about that as a blinding pain ran across his skull.
He wasn’t sure if he fell to the floor or if Bing caught him, but as the worst pain dulled he knew he was manhandled and pressed against something flat.
And when he finally were able to focus and open his eyes again, he found himself tied to the wall.
Groaning, Yancy tried to muster strength to tug at the chains but it did nothing more than to rattle them.
“Ah! I see that Yancy are here and awake! Well done, Bing!”
Yancy followed the unfamiliar voice to an unfamiliar man standing in the doorway. Red bathrobe, white scarf, black cane, fucking slippers. A face not too unlike his own.
Another ego.
“Who the fuck are yous?”
“Oh? You don’t recognize me? Well, I do look quite different right now so I suppose I can’t blame you.” The man chuckled as he walked up by Bing. ”But I’m surprised that Damien haven’t told you about me.” He tilted his head.  “Of course, he likes to keep his secrets, doesn’t he?”
Yancy frowned. “I’m supposed to know yous? And who’s Damien?”
The man waved a hand dismissively in front of him. “Ah, I keep forgetting he goes by Dark these days. He could’ve found a better name than that, don’t you think?”
Staring at the man, he tried to form his thoughts and understand what was happening but the pain made his mind sluggish.
“But never mind that! I usually goes by the name Mark, and I know how it seems, but really! I’m one of the good guys!” The man, Mark, gesticulated with one of his hands as he talked.
Yancy barely listened to him talking, trying to figure out what happened before he woke up in that cell. He’d been outside.
“Bing here-” Mark’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and Mark put a hand on Bing’s shoulder- “have kindly seen reason! I must say, Damien really puts a lot of lies in everyone’s head!”
Bing’s face were blank with no hint of emotion behind his eyes. Now that Yancy got a look on him in better light, he was confident that even Google emitted more emotions from his face than Bing does now. And that scared him. The mischievous grin on Mark only added to the coming dread.
“I’m sure you will see reasons as well, my dear Yancy.”
Yancy’s mind were racing as Mark turned around and begun to walk over to a table where a hat rested. A very familiar hat.
Illinois.
He’d been outside with Illinois, Yandere and Bim as it been a nice day.
“What the fuck have yous done with Illinois?” Yancy growled and pulled against the chains, pain be damned.
Mark picked up the hat and walked back to his previous place beside Bing, a small, amused smile on his lips. “There’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“If youses hurt ‘Nois, I’ll fuckin’ murder yous!”
Mark studied him and Yancy kept growling, yanking at the chains. A chill ran down Yancy’s spine when Mark’s face suddenly brightened and laughed.
“You’re in love, aren’t you?”
Yancy growled in response.
Mark’s face softened. “Oh, Yancy.” As he stepped closer, he put the hat on top of his head and slowly the bathrobe faded to only be replaced by a beige shirt and brown pants. Cane dropped to the floor and slippers turning into shoes. The skin darkened to a tan color and the beard got scuffier. A charming smile were on his lips as he stopped in front of Yancy.
Yancy felt his mouth run dry as he stared at the man in front of him. “‘Nois?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Even the voice and accent were right.
Shaking his head, Yancy balled his fists. “No, yous ain’t him! Yous just some shapeshiftin’ dick!”
All the anger and fight left him as Mark- Illinois- fuck, he didn’t know anymore- gently grabbed Yancy’s chin and tilted it slightly upwards, looking into his eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Yancy. I told you not to fall in love with me.”
“‘Nois-” Yancy began but bit himself in the tongue. What was he gonna say?
Illinois backed up until he reached Bing. “Bing, we need to get started. Before Damien or William decides to come busting in.”
His voice too smooth for those words.
Bing nodded, turning around and walked out through the door. Illinois looked at Yancy with a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Sorry that it turned out like this. But I promise, you’ll feel better afterwards.”
“Yous- yous ain’t him! Yous ain’t ‘Nois!”
Illinois hummed. “I am now. You see, the original died during his first expedition after he arrived at the Manor. Quite easily to take his place without Damien noticing. And I must say, I’ve become quite fond of this hat,” he says and tiled said item a little bit backwards.
Air didn’t want to go down into his lungs.
“I- no. Yous… Yous lyin’.” His voice weren’t louder than a whisper. Yancy didn’t dare to speak any louder.
Illinois’ expression softened again. “Don’t worry, darling. I’ll take care of you.”
Yancy didn’t doubt him.
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yamisnuffles · 4 years
Text
Look at the Stars
Second in the Too Much of a Good Thing angel au and a follow up to In The Beginning. Please read that first, as this won’t make sense otherwise. Also feel free to read on Ao3.
- - - - -
~3500 BC -
Aziraphale remembered when the shapeless light from the dawn of creation was given form at last. The angels tasked with aiding in their creation had put the Almighty’s inspiration to good use. They’d been the original artists, painting with broad strokes in colors only God Herself had known before. No longer was there simply light and dark but stars, moons, nebulae, and more.  They were beautiful, brilliant, endless in their variety. The best comparison Aziraphale could make was to jewels but they had predated those and outshone even the finest. They’d put what came before to shame and it was good. Aziraphale had thought so then and even more so when he viewed it as intended, from the cradle of humanity.
While the beauty of the stars themselves had not dimmed, Aziraphale’s feelings about them had. His awe of them was spoiled by a growing sense of melancholy because every single night, without fail, he  traded Crawly’s company for theirs. He’d hoped viewing them together might be some consolation to poor Crawly when the seraph was banished from Eden along with the humans but the angel turned serpent had promptly gone to sleep.
That first night, Aziraphale had assumed Crawly was exhausted. It had been quite the day. There had been very few days to speak of, but that one had been monumental for the humans and the seraph alike. Aziraphale couldn’t even begin to imagine what Crawly had felt but fatigue seemed a fair response. Not that Aziraphale would know, having never felt fatigued, but he still had his true form. Crawly was trapped as a serpent. Perhaps, Aziraphale had reasoned, his new corporation simply needed more rest.
Then it had happened again. And again. And again. Just before the first star appeared in the dimming sky Crawly would, without fail, tuck his head away under his long coils and sleep until the final star faded with the return of the sun. It had continued on that way for the last one hundred and eighty two thousand, five hundred nights. Not that Aziraphale had grown concerned enough to keep exact track of the number.
“Even if you can no longer go to them the way you once could, I think you’d still enjoy the sight,” Aziraphale said softly but without much conviction. He felt an uncomfortable pang when he looked up at them sometimes. They didn’t change the way that everything else had and continued to do. He could reach them in an instant if he really wanted, but he liked that they felt so far away, out of reach of the corruption that had fallen seemingly everywhere else. Even Heaven had seen war and no one had come out of it unchanged.
Aziraphale wasn’t sure what exactly compelled him, but he manifested a straight, pointed stick into his hand. If forced, he could defend himself well even with such a simple thing. However, he wasn’t like the stars. He had changed and no longer wished to play the warrior. He’d much rather build up than tear down. With unsure, stuttering movements, he attempted to mirror the sky with patterns traced in the sand. He didn’t attempt to make an exact copy. Instead he endeavored to capture the feeling he got from them with swirling strokes and impulsive jabs. Once finished, he examined his work with a considering tilt of his head. When the light hit just so, the sand glimmered a bit like the cosmos above, however he was clearly no artist. The stick dropped from unhappy fingers. It was a poor imitation and was soon blown away with a resigned huff.
He sighed and looked at the serpent dozing softly at his side. “The ones you made are still beautiful. If you cared to look at them again and see. So are- well, I think you still are, as well.”
Aziraphale would never be so bold if he thought Crawly could hear him but the stars were currently at their brightest and so there would be no waking the sleeping snake. That freed Aziraphale to do something he also wouldn’t dare during the day. He reached out a steady hand and stroked his fingers along smooth scales. That form was meant to be a curse for leading humanity to sin, but Crawly wore it so well. There wasn’t, in Aziraphale’s opinion, a being on the face of the planet that could compare to the serpent of Eden.
In the light of day, Crawly appeared to be creamy white with a golden underbelly. The stars revealed something more. Light seemed to hit each scale differently. White was divided into gentler hues so that his whole body shimmered with it. They seemed to change right before Aziraphale’s eyes as they passed under the shadow of his hand. Such a remarkable thing, stardust captured in a graceful, sinuous form.
“The heavens were taken from you. Your name. Your form. I don’t think you need to punish yourself more, my dear, by taking the stars from yourself as well.”
No response, of course. Aziraphale rested his arms on his knees and propped his chin on top of them. Most nights he would go on walking as Crawly slept on his shoulders, but he’d found that harder and harder to do as the years stretched on. Unless he was in one of the human settlements or the moon was full, it was terribly dark. The dark had started to feel terribly lonely and the loneliness made it hard to continue on. So, instead, he let Crawley settle on whatever warm rock seemed best and kept himself company with his thoughts. Unfortunately for him, thinking while in Crawly’s presence often only led to one place.
Crawly had been made to all but Fall, with his angelic name stricken from memory and his true form taken from him until he might redeem himself. Whatever that might mean. The other angels certainly seemed to view him as little better than the Fallen. Over five centuries on and Aziraphale could still perfectly recall Gabriel’s expression of distaste as he commanded that the serpent be expelled from Eden. There had been no explicit command that Aziraphale follow suit when Crawly had been ejected from the garden, but he’d decided accompanying Crawly was the least he could do. Aziraphale couldn’t help but feel that what had happened was his fault. He had been on apple tree duty. He was also the reason the seraph knew about the tree in the first place.
The stars above shimmered oddly and Aziraphale realized tears were clouding his eyes. He dashed them away. “I’m a terrible angel. I was supposed to guard, to protect, and look what happened. If it wasn’t for me, you would still be you and the humans would probably still be in Eden.”
He picked up the stick again. It seemed a poor tool for the task he imagined. He pressed it into the sand, unsure. He couldn’t possibly. If he couldn’t capture stars, how was he supposed to capture the likeness of their maker? But what could it hurt to try. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Unlike Crawly’s name, the seraph’s former image had not been banished from memory. Aziraphale supposed it was some extended part of Crawly’s punishment- how else could he know what he’d lost if he couldn’t remember what he’d been? Or perhaps that wasn’t it at all. Perhaps only Aziraphale remembered because the sight had been burned into the all too human eyes of his corporation.
It was a cherished memory, drawn upon frequently but furtively, a secret Aziraphale kept in his heart. The eyes were easiest to remember as they’d been gold even then as they were now. There had been six wings, starlight bright and stunning. Hair like molten copper, that cascaded all the way to the ground in waves of unruly curls. Long, delicate fingers made for sculpting and not for folding around the hilt of a sword. A smile so bright, Aziraphale had wondered immediately upon seeing it what it would look like under the seraph’s creation, or if they could even see the night sky for its brilliance.
Aziraphale’s tongue poked through his lips and he concentrated on the stuttering movements of the stick. It would be an impermanent thing, all the better for how little it captured its subject, but he was determined to see it done. No matter how briefly or how poorly, he’d make sure the angel he’d met on the wall all those years ago would be seen again. The harshly beautiful lines of nose, cheekbones, and chin were softened by that smile. By the time it was finished, the first rosy fingers of dawn had stretched up from the horizon. Aziraphale smiled sadly back at the image he’d created before he banished it with a wave of his hand. Not long after, as the final star vanished from the sky, Crawly stirred.
“Ready for the day?” Aziraphale prompted, forcing a cheer into his voice that he didn’t feel at the moment. “I know it can take you a bit to regain your senses in the morning but I thought we might have an early start. There’s a human village off to the west that I thought we might visit. Spread a few blessings, good cheer, and all that.”
Aziraphale extended his arm toward Crawly, offering him an easy route up to his shoulders. Crawly didn’t take the offer. Instead the serpent curled further in on himself. “Sssss’not really my thing.” Aziraphale found the extra sibilance charming but he knew Crawly was self conscious about it. Sure enough, he silenced himself a moment to get a better handle on it. “Human cheer, that is,” he continued. “Usually it’s lots of screaming and pointing. Can’t say I blame ‘em.”
“That may be so but they shouldn’t blame you either,” Aziraphale countered. “You know Eve never did.”
“Yeah, well, she’d be the only one.”
“Come now, they’ll learn to think better of you if you give them time.”
“You know how it is every time, Aziraphale.” Crawly met him with an unnerving gaze. Aziraphale knew the serpent couldn’t do anything other than stare, but somehow Crawly had mastered different levels of it over the centuries. This gaze meant he all but dared Aziraphale to argue. The only movement he made was the darting flicker of his forked tongue. “Nah, I think I’ll go east,” he said, when he went unchallenged. “Nice oasis there I was thinking I’d check out. Better way to spend the day, anyhow.”
Aziraphale wasn’t ready to back down completely. “There’s no reason I can’t at least carry you until we part ways.”
“Plenty reason. We’re going in opposite directions, for one.” Crawly unspooled his long form in the serpentine equivalent of a stretch. “Still need some time in the sun, anyway. You go on ahead.”
Aziraphale waited a breath to see if Crawly would miraculously change his mind. “If you insist.”
“I do.”
“I’ll meet you in the evening?”
Crawly nodded and Aziraphale was forced to bite back a grin. Gestures he wouldn’t have given a second thought from anyone else were, dare he think it, cute when performed by the serpent. He didn’t think Crawly would appreciate the sentiment, though, so he was careful to keep it to himself. He pushed reluctantly to his feet. He gave Crawly a soft parting smile and then started off toward where he’d remembered the settlement to be. 
Aziraphale had to admit, if only to himself, that traveling on his own took a certain weight off his shoulders. This was true of course in the most literal sense given that Aziraphale often carried the serpent everywhere. Not that Crawly ever asked him to do such but he’d never minded. He was made of far sterner stuff than he might have appeared and one serpent, no matter the size, was little bother.
But that wasn’t the burden that had been lifted from him. No, Crawly was… trouble. He didn’t intend to be, surely, but he was nonetheless. He couldn’t help but ask questions. Sometimes they were harmless enough things, the sort of idle curiosity that seemed to pass ceaselessly through the serpent’s mind. Upon seeing goats put to the slaughter, Crawly had asked a shepherd how he got more goats. It had taken some work for Aziraphale to keep from giggling as the seraph listened in horror to the details of reproduction.
Other questions were, to put it mildly, a headache. Less mildly, dangerous. Very dangerous. The sort of thing that had gotten Crawly caught in his current predicament in the first place. When he asked, for example, why the rest of humanity had to pay for a sin they didn’t commit. What was the point of free will, he’d pondered, if they were born guilty? That had caused Aziraphale no end of trouble, as he hadn’t been able to do anything at all to soothe the people’s troubled minds. No amount of talk about ineffability and a greater plan had been enough to quell the seeds of doubt planted in some of the humans. Aziraphale fretted a bit that proximity alone would be enough to see him dragged into whatever punishment could come down. For the most part, though, he worried for Crawly. The seraph would only dig himself into deeper trouble if he carried on like that. Worse, he might finally properly Fall.
Without such worries, Aziraphale’s day passed quickly and enjoyably. Small blessings were placed on crops, minor miracles used to ease away the limp in a shepherd’s leg, and many lively discussions were had with young and old alike. At the end of it all, he was invited to share a meal, an invitation he was more than happy to accept. The fruits in the garden had been scrumptious, no doubt, but humans in all their ingenuity had figured out how to make something new and marvellous out of what they’d been given. The hearty stew they shared with him braced him more with its warmth and love than any nutritional value, of which the angel naturally had no need.
When all was said and done, he felt better prepared to face the night ahead. He was tempted to take the offer of a place with the humans for the night. It wasn’t as though Crawly would miss him as he slept. Aziraphale had said they would meet up again, though, so meet up they would. He gave his farewells to the humans and passed on a few more blessings as he went. He might not be with them but they would have his protection until the sun rose again, at least.
His steady pace eastward was interrupted by a shriek that pierced the peaceful evening air. In his alarm, Aziraphale forgot wings that might have carried him forward much faster and instead broke into a panicked run. He remembered Crawly’s complaint that the humans often screamed when they saw him. Aziraphale hoped that was all there was to it. Even so, what if the unfortunate creature panicked and attempted to attack Crawly? The stars had already started to peek through the gloom so Crawly would be caught unaware. Aziraphale’s legs pushed him onward, a minor miracle boosting his speed.
As the oasis came into view, Aziraphale saw Crawly wrapped around a small, spindly human. A child, from the looks of her, held in place by cords of muscle to still her angry thrashing. Aziraphale couldn’t make sense of the scene, of why the child was angry or why Crawly had her restrained. He didn’t have a chance to ponder what a child was even doing out so far on her own because the next thing he knew, Crawly struck. The serpent’s fangs sank deep into the girl’s neck
“Crawly!” Aziraphale called. There had to be some mistake, some reason why Crawly would do this. 
Crawly’s iron tight grip on the girl loosened immediately in his surprise. The second it did, the girl pulled an arm free and plunged a knife into his tail. Crawly hissed and thrashed but the knife had pinned him to the ground.
Too late Aziraphale felt it, the distinct current of malice. This close, he couldn’t miss the scent of ash, brimstone, and something else unpleasant and distinctly not of this world. The realization that he was looking not at a young human but a demon came just in time for him to dodge out of the way as she lunged at him. Crawly caught her by the wrist with his fangs. Her eyes were a muddy red with wide blown, horizontal pupils and their fury was divided between the two angels before her. Under her thin, sallow skin, black veins were slowly dyed gold.
The demon fell to her knees and folded in on herself in pain. She lifted her clotted blood eyes to glare. Black ichor dripped from her nostrils, her eyes, and her ears. “Like watching, do you, angel?” she said to Aziraphale. She offered him a bitter smile. 
“No, I-”
He looked away, the sight of a gummy mouth oozing black still in his mind. Demon or not, it was horrific. He could smell her burning from the inside. He had half a mind to speed her on her way when at last she got a toe into the earth and slipped back down to hell.
Crawly wiped the sides of his mouth on the earth in an attempt to rid himself of the demon blood that lingered there. “Bleugh,” he said. “Really makes me wish I could spit to get the taste out.”
Aziraphale blinked and shook himself from the stupor that lingered over him. He walked over to Crawly who was in the midst of a futile attempt to pull out the knife with his mouth. Aziraphale held out a hand in offer. Once he’d removed it, he tried to heal Crawly’s wound but it refused to close. Likely the blade had demonic origins and would need more than a normal miracle to mend.
“I have an idea. Stay there, my dear.”
“Not exactly going anywhere like this.”
The pain was unmistakable in his voice, though he clearly tried to keep it light. Aziraphale’s stomach flipped guiltily at the sound. It was his fault Crawly had been injured. He shouldn’t have shouted. He should have known Crawly had cause. He should have…
Aziraphale swallowed over the myriad of unpleasant sensations his corporation offered up in response. He hurried over to the small pool at the center of the oasis to test his theory. He scooped up a palmful of water, blessed it, and walked it carefully back to Crawly. He knelt next to the injured serpent and poured the water over the open wound. A stream of black smoke was released as the holy water cleansed the seraph’s blood. Crawly hissed in pain. Aziraphale immediately followed the cleansing water with a sweep of his hand. He felt the scales under the pads of his fingers as flesh was carefully knit back together, then another sweep just to assure himself that all was well. He released a tense breath and fell back onto his heels.
“All better, I’d say. How does it feel?”
Crawly wriggled his tail experimentally. “Seemssss better. Thankssss.”
He ducked his head in embarrassment, whether over the way he hissed or because he felt a burden, Aziraphale didn’t know. Aziraphale offered him a warm smile that he hoped covered the continued, confused tumble of emotions.
“It was my pleasure to help, you know.” He didn’t like being thanked, not when it was the least an angel could do for another and not when he felt he was only righting a situation he’d caused in the first place. He cast about for a change in subject and found an easy one with the unsettled earth on the ground between them. “What did you do to that demon? It seemed… unpleasant.”
Crawly wiped the ground smooth with his tail. “Venom is holy. Or, holyish. Holy enough. Enough that I’ve never had one try again after I did that to them.”
Aziraphale’s brows raised. “This has happened before?”
“Eeeh, not this exactly but-” Aziraphale got the distinct impression from the way that he squirmed that if Crawly had shoulders to shrug, he would have done so. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
A deep frown brought the corners of Aziraphale’s mouth down. “It certainly seems like something to worry about if you have demons after you. Did you know it was going to happen? Is that why you decided to go off on your own today? When else have they come for you? Why didn’t I know? Is that why you leave every time?”
Crawly didn’t answer immediately. He instead climbed up onto a boulder that would put him closer to eye level with Aziraphale. “And I thought questions were my thing,” he replied, a mixture of amusement and bitterness. “Maybe I just wanted space. I’m allowed that, right? Didn’t think I was your prisoner.”
“Of course you aren’t. I’m worried, is all. I hate to think of demons coming after you whenever they think you’re vulnerable”
“Yeah, well, ‘m fine. I can take care of myself.” Crawly turned in a half circle so that he was no longer facing Aziraphale. “It’s getting late. I’m gonna sleep. Feel free to come or go.”
At that, he tucked his head under one of his long coils. There was no saying if he really planned to sleep or was simply ignoring Aziraphale. Either way, Aziraphale knew from experience how long such bouts of pique could carry on. The conversation was effectively over and he was expected to simply leave the matter be.
Aziraphale’s shoulders sagged, the weight of another night alone nearly unbearable. “Is my company so undesirable?”
Crawly remained a motionless lump of scales. Eventually he must have realized Aziraphale wasn’t just going to let it drop. He picked up his head and turned it just enough to look askance at Aziraphale. “Is mine so desirable?” he countered.
“Of course.”
“Oh, don’t you ‘of course’ me.”
“Why not? What is so blatantly awful about you that should make my liking you so unimaginable?”
“Quesssstions, Aziraphale. Careful or you’ll end up just like me.”
Aziraphale frowned. “Quit joking around and answer me, if you’d please.”
Crawly slithered back around. “Deadly serious about that one.” He raised his head slowly, looking every bit the predator. “I’m the serpent of Eden. Don’t think I miss the way humans look at me or the way you do, for that matter. When they shy away. When I ask too many questions. You’re worried you could end up just like me. Tell me, how did they feel about you giving away that sword of yours?”
Aziraphale squirmed. “It hasn’t come up again, actually. And I don’t look any way at you. I only feel poorly for the way they all treat you.”
“Oh come off it, Aziraphale.”
“I’m being quite serious, I assure you. I only think well of you.”
“Is that why you insist on carrying me around everywhere?” Crawly moved closer and his voice dropped to a bitter hiss. “I’m perfectly content on the ground but you think it’s undignified. Don’t try to say it’s not.”
“I would ask you not to speak to how I feel, thank you.” Aziraphale lifted his chin to force more confidence than he felt at the moment. “If I… If I come across as embarrassed, it’s for you and not by you. You shouldn’t be made to crawl about on your belly.”
“Part of the whole idea of trapping me in this form. Meant to be embarrassssssing.”
“Yes, well, that doesn’t mean I have to agree. You are a seraph.”
“Am I?” 
Aziraphale crossed his arms. “Now who’s not being serious.”
“What’s my name?” Crawly hurried on before Aziraphale had a chance to answer. “Not the one on the tip of your tongue right now. My God given name.”
They both knew it was a trick question. He didn’t know. No one did anymore, which was likely the point Crawly was trying to make. When no reply came, he obviously thought he’d made his point and hid his head once more from the stars blossoming above.
Well, tonight Aziraphale wasn’t going to take it. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Am not,” came the muffled reply from under a tangled bundle of snake. 
“You are. You’re- you’re sulking.”
Crawly moved just enough that the tip of his snout was visible. “S’what if I am? I think I have a lot that I have a right to sulk about. Anyway, goodnight.”
Aziraphale crossed his arms and kept stubbornly in place. Just because he hadn’t had any luck on this front in the past five centuries, it didn’t mean he couldn’t now. He only needed to be bolder. To try harder.
“Please, my dear, just stay awake tonight.” Silence and not so much as a flicker of movement. “I apologize if I haven’t done enough to stand up for you with the humans, if I ever doubted you or did anything to make you feel lesser. I’ll admit, I might have begun my travels with you for… charitable reasons, but that’s not why I continued. As I said before, you’re not my prisoner but neither am I yours. We aren’t chained together. I continue on because I enjoy your company. Quite a bit, actually.”
A pair of golden eyes slowly emerged. Crawly’s head was still shadowed by the bulk of his body but it was still remarkable given the hundreds of years spent to the contrary. “You don’t,” he said.
“I do,” Aziraphale responded firmly.
“You can’t. You-” Crawly lost his line of thought in an unintelligible garble of sounds. When he picked up the thread again, he said, “Even the demons don’t like me and I’ve been doing their job for free. Although, come to think of it, probably why they don’t like me. Makes them look bad, an angel accidentally doing their job for them and better than any of them have managed.”
“Crawly-”
“No, I’m not- You can’t-” Crawly sputtered. “You’re a good angel, Aziraphale. I’m just… trouble.”
“You might be that,” Aziraphale said in what he hoped was a teasing tone, “but you’re so much more. You helped create all that.”
Aziraphale knew as soon as he gestured up at the heavens, that it was a step too far. Crawly hid away his eyes as if only remembering the time. “Been a while since I did that. Don’t think I could anymore even if I tried.”
Aziraphale closed the gap between them. He reached out a trembling hand and forced himself to place palm to scales. “It’s also been a while since you promised to look at them with me, but you could still do that. If you want. I would enjoy it immensely.”
“Can’t take you up to see them anymore,” Crawly mumbled.
Aziraphale glanced about and was struck with sudden inspiration. “Perhaps not, but…”
He spread his arms wide to scoop up the massive serpent. It wasn’t easy with the way Crawly struggled nor with the slip of scales, but Aziraphale’s warrior strength won out and he managed to pick the snake up.
“Put me down!”
And Aziraphale did. He wasn’t about to force Crawly into anything. However, like any good warrior, he had more than one weapon at his disposal. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t wish to do but I wish you’d go with me on this. I won’t ask again but please.”
Crawly groaned and even thrashed about a bit. “Fine. Fine. I can’t believe you’d break out that look for something like this. That’s playing dirty. Maybe you���re not such a good angel after all.”
“What look?”
“Oh-ho, you don’t even know you do it. That’s even worse somehow.” Crawly had kept his eyes locked on Aziraphale but flicked them toward the sky and back again. “Yeah, fine. Anything you want to do.”
Aziraphale’s face broke into a smile. “Excellent. Follow me.”
He didn’t look back to see if Crawly was following. He could tell from the prickle of grudging affection in the air that the serpent was there. Crawly continued following even as Aziraphale walked out onto the water.
“What’re we… oh.”
Aziraphale’s smile widened. “Yes,  I think that covers it. The effect is everything I’d hoped.”
By now the stars had come out in force. The weather was perfect for viewing them. Some would say miraculously so. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky and not so much as one puff of wind to stir the water. The pool was utterly still and so turned into a mirror. Aziraphale was proud to have found a way for Crawly to be in the middle of the stars once more without ever having to leave the Earth. As for the serpent, he was transfixed. Crawly’s mouth fell open slightly as he looked up at the sky, down at the pool, and back again.
“I… it’s…” Crawly’s voice trembled. He tried in fits to find words. When he failed, he slithered quickly up Aziraphale and buried his face in the crook of the principality’s neck. “Thank you, angel,” he murmured.
“Anytime, my dear.” Feeling emboldened by his success, Aziraphale stroked the top of Crawly’s head. He stopped when something struck him. “Wait, why did you call me ‘angel’? You’re not back on that whole ‘not really an angel’ yourself nonsense, are you? Because you know how I feel about that.”
“M’not. You’re just… you.” This close, Aziraphale could feel the frantic beat of a heart against his skin and a body that shivered nervously with emotion. “You’re the best angel. The only one who really deserves the title.”
“Well, that’s alright then, I suppose. As long as you know how fond I am of you.”
Crawly was at a loss for words. Or, at least, actual words. For all the times language had failed him tonight, Aziraphale might have thought the serpent was losing the ability to speak. But eventually he managed, “Can we just look at the stars like you planned?”
“I’d enjoy that very much.”
Crawly finished climbing up onto Aziraphale’s shoulders and the weight no longer felt like a penance but a blessing as they were lost together in the light all around them.
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kob131 · 4 years
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Hey remember when Soku said he was gonna stop talking about RWBY?
Guess who got caught lying?
https://sokumotanaka.tumblr.com/post/184748210112/phazonfire-the-rwde-tag-is-so-fucking
I don’t know what tag you’re looking through about the homophobia thing considering the majority of the people seem to be gay and would probably call you out if they saw this.
I don’t remember you guys ever calling anyone out for calling Illa a ‘psycho lesbian’ because villain + gay = psycho lesbian apparently.
Oh wait, which tag is it that says that? hm...
Look people doing rewrites on the series is a non problem, and the dumbest gripe.
so is 99% of what you fuckers pull. Like bitching that a catgirl was put into a catsuit.
But rwby isn’t well written some is allowed to watch it to fix it to reconstruct or deconstruct it there is no harm to this and the series could benefit from a rewrite.
Too bad you assholes break the show EVEN FURTHER when you do rewrite shit *cough* RE:RWBY *cough*.
If you don’t like it don’t go through the constructive criticism tag just to cry cause someone doesn’t wanna kiss rwby’s butt like you do.
Last time constructive criticism existed in the RWDE tag: 900 BC.
Yeah sure.
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https://sokumotanaka.tumblr.com/post/612590859661295616/your-idea-of-nit-picking-is-not-the-correct-use-of
I don't know how to tell some of ya'll that just because you constantly argue against criticism and the other person gets tried to talking to a brick wall doesn't mean you win.
This ain't your preschool, this requires critical thinking skills which some of ya'll clearly lack.
And just because you reject facts and demand that your delusions are true doesn’t make the other person a brick wall. You just don’t understand how to debate.
Your idea of nit picking is not the correct use of the term. Nor do whoever you are know what is and isn’t criticism on a subject. 
Nit picking. Noun. “looking for small or unimportant errors or faults, especially in order to criticize unnecessarily.“
Literally all you do.
Also I’m only an asshole to people who are assholes back. So don’t pretend like you know me and mind your own? Deal? Deal.
Sorry Soku, that makes you a sexist, racist, transphobic Nazi. You know, since that’s MY Modius Operandi.
Also your blog is FILLED with bad political takes so you’re  the LAST person I wanna hear tall about “not picking”
“Can white people approiate basic human decency?”
Remember that take on your old blog?
Now what were you saying about politics...
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https://sokumotanaka.tumblr.com/post/611875463897497600/i-didnt-watch-vol-7-thank-god-but-a-friend-of
I didn’t watch vol 7 thank god,-
So you have no idea what you’re about to say? Got it.
but a friend of mine on my discord mentioned flynt and neon returning (with Ik finally) and boy they really gave the catgirl a hoodie with cat ears on it? And Blake has a catsuit? Miles, Kerry, Shane and Monty always talked about how “subtle” they are with things like scenes and designs and they put both the catgirls in outfits that are so on the nose it might as well be a part of your skin.
Where was that said again?
Also that;s not were the term catsuits come from.  It comes from cat burglars using them.
Isn’t that like going “Hey black guy put these big lips on over your other lips? Or the black guy having a fucking basketball printed on their jacket?” Good lord, in a world where people can be born with cat ears, and tails don’t you think it’s kinda freaking disgusting that these exist where humans can wear them? 
And before you say that’s the point, in a world where none of the faunus get to say how they feel about these things and don’t have real life minority reactions to things like white dudes walking around with grills and fros and crap it kinda isn’t when the faunus girl wears a hoodie depicting one of the features of her own race that they were hunted down and slaughtered for.
Considering that it’d be no different than a white person getting cornrows-
Also it kind of is since black people walk around emphasizing their DARK SKIN, which is the basis of their discrimination.
You’re just race obsessed.
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https://sokumotanaka.tumblr.com/post/611637391064694784/hmm-funny-that-the-rich-white-girl-who-was-racist
Hmm funny that the rich white girl who was racist gets an overpowered semblance that shares alot of feats like her team like being able to make runes that increase speed, Platforms, Remove gravity, shoot projectiles, Make people stick to them etc etc. Oh and she has the ability to summon monsters that show feats of strength that rivals one of her partners.
Meanwhile the minority character is shown to fuck up alot, gets treated like shit and never gets an apology from said racist, get nerfed constantly, have her weapon poorly sautared back together while the rest of her team gets upgrades and has the weakest semblance of the three.
Seems alittle off white writers.
And who has the better fight record than the other?
... The minority?
Hm, seems off black complainer.
Oh did that sound racist? Hm, dunno why it sound considering you said the SAME THING
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https://sokumotanaka.tumblr.com/post/611636922643857408/so-let-me-get-this-straight-vol-7-has-ended-and
So Let me get this straight, vol 7 has ended and apparently they lost the one relic they had, still haven’t found the newer one or did but still have to deal with Ironwood and several others. Cinder is still alive, Neo is siding with her out of fear? When she wanted vengeance and could team up with rwby.
this is volume 7 of supposedly 10 so three more seasons and they still haven’t sat down and talked about what they’re supposed to to against the immortal grimm lady, they don’t know where the relic at beacon is and ozpin’s still ghosting them, and they’re foolishly gathering them all in one spot instead of taking the maiden and the relic and putting both of them on the farest corners of the planet? I thought they were going to atlas to meet with someone Weiss knew as the Anton Sokolov Play dishonored! of their world to build a rocket and send at least one rocket into a black hole and never have an issue with Salem again.
three more seasons and a plan hasn’t even been formed to deal with her or the relics, Emerald and Mercury are doing nothing, Cinder has no goal except to be the new adam and chase the heros and get her ass kicked, Hazel’s doing nothing, The comms are down and we haven’t heard a peep from whoever runs Vacuo, Blake and Ruby have still had barely any interaction, Weiss hasn’t apologized for her racism, We never addressed how and why did Raven appear in Yang’s dreams, Why did ren from shields over his hands and show off feats of strength that rival yangs or his weird ability to sense tyrian? Neo’s eyes changed color when she saw Raven and her teleport ability. Lore Like how semblance, Lien (the money that looks like credit cards but has zero numbers on it work) The examples of agriculture, Flora and Fauna, dust and so on.
A. Haven’t they said it’s more like twelve?
B. Nope, Ozpin’s back. But hey, who needs to actually KNOW what you’re talking about?
C. Can’t do that, don’t know where the Spring Maiden is. Would have known this if you watched Volume 6.
D. They never said that and expressly said they were meeting with Ironwood to get the relic somewhere secure. Gee, that’s the THIRD thing you’ve gotten wrong. Hm...
E.So Soku, how does Quirks affect agiculture? What were the original Quirks like? Who had the first Quirk? What was life like for people when Quirks were uncommon? Hm? Nothing is said?
MHA is shit, SOku said so.
But sure, three more seasons to cram that all in AND a plan and character interaction/Growth and so on, this is a lovely mess of a show.
And as you have shown, you paid attention to 0% of it so how would you know?
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So how’s that tar and feather treatment treating you Soku? Because I have so many more ways of humiliating you, happy showcase them as long as you open that bitchy little mouth of yours.
So go ahead and keep posting. It just lets me indulge my sadism without remorse.
11 notes · View notes
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Museum of Mayhem Art Analysis
ahhh it’s finally here and it’s AWESOME. Lots of credit to @ifalnasminiatures for bringing this to my attention! Also credit to Hayder Hype for providing (nat zero six on gearbox forums) sources (Ashley Landry on twitter) in the description of his video because oh man it’s a lot
you can view most of these art pieces on the borderlands instagram as well
lots to talk about especially regarding the calypso twins so let us dive right in
tl;dr: tyreen has a weird red marking on her face in some old designs. i think troy used to be blind and missing his metal plates. more proof for my elpis/chemical sludge/lost legion theory that the twins are using said chemical sludge to give their followers psuedo-siren powers bc a dahl pumping station (hyperion pumping stations on pandora) but dahl had a presence on the moon
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one of my favorites, it reminds me a lot of the Mask of Mayhem, but for villains.
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Punk Girl is shown again twice, probably further proving she’s tied in with the CoV somehow
we also got some crazy looking villains such as
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baby face. which is all kinds of extremely fucked up
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this dude who looks like he could be a miniboss with the glasgow smile and the cool goggles
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this guy who i legitimately thought was dr zed for a hot second there
could it be
the evilest brother?? pfft nahhh
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this girl who seems like she could be a unique character with a baseball cap. wondering if maybe she’s related to Punk Girl in any way. What’s the verdict on the other band members? 🤔
uhh let’s give it a solid maybe and move on
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this piece! very interesting to me
so, the very first thing i noticed is zane’s eye patch being on the other eye lol
amara’s tattoos are also gone, however that might’ve been for reasons similar to the japanese cover art of the game. 
most interestingly is a point @ifalnasminiatures made and it’s that the calypso twins are actually palette swapped! you can see Troy is the one with the white hair and Ty is the one with the darker hair. which I think mayyy play into a few things we see later about the twins
we also see a tiny ship in the background. i can’t tell if that’s sanctuary-iii or the blue/yellow ship, it all blends together a lot due to the quality of the pic. but it is next to the calypso twins, which makes me want to believe it’s the blue/yellow ship we see with red markings all over it. you know this one from the mural of mayhem wallpapers
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you can see the reddish markings on the back right next to the engines
then we have ummm
this cover art
😬
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thanks for not using this one gearbox cuz 
oh my god
she just reminds me of suicide squad, that’s not a good image you wanna dredge up from the deep recesses of your fans’ brains
she might be a unique character given the clothes/hair? cuz you don’t normally see psychos with stilettos on. or yknow, shoes in general. the hair also seems way to clean and neat to be a psycho/cultist
i just feel uncomfortable looking at this, so moving on
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a different logo. also not my favorite cover art, but at least im not physically uncomfortable looking at this. that poor girl’s pelvis... anyway
lots of silhouettes
interestingly, i feel like the roses might have been a thing they just put in for the new cover art. haven’t seen hide nor hair of them across any of the pictures i’ve seen.
we got a lot of figures. out of them i most definitely recognized amara, salvador, maya, another salvador?, zer0, moze (maybe?), and axton. i thiiink one of them is maya as well, but im not 100% on that. 
i can guess why they didn’t pick this one: it’s hard to tell who’s who. a lot of these poses make the silhouettes kinda hard to see and the merging together at the bottom makes things even worse. i do think it’s interesting there are some bl2 characters on here as well, but hayder hype mentioned they very well could be placeholders, and given that i can’t make out fl4k or zane, im inclined to believe him.
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this art which was used during the promo for this event
rip elpis i guess LMAO
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a better look at the psycho himself from the promo released by the borderlands twitter.
there’s a new red planet which hasn’t been shown off before, looks like a gassy planet kinda like jupiter, but interestingly it has this green crack in the side?
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very reminiscent of pandora’s eridium scar. i am wondering if this is because this planet had a vault opened, or if it is tied to the Eridians at all. be interesting if it was their homeworld.
also i have no idea what the symbolism is in the homeworld destroying another planet but maybe we shouldn’t think about it too hard e_e
the other planet that’s being destroyed... idk fellas
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it doesn’t match up to me but like, this is only one shot
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i don’t know 🤔 if you really squint, maybe you can see that hint of purple at the bottom there?
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here
tbh, i thought this was elpis the first time i saw it due to the cracks, but i figured elpis doesn’t have like continents across its surface, just craters. and wayyy more cracks.
so it’s probably not pandora and it’s probably not elpis.
huh...
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i do think the actual shot is suspended above promethea, you can see the familiar asteroid belt surrounding it
there’s also a planet in the background,
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which i imagine isn’t pandora bc no eridian scar
could be elpis or eden-6, or the 5th planet we don’t know about. i kinda get the feeling the 5th planet may be that gaseous red planet tho. which is probably going to be super weird to traverse now that i think about it. they said oz kits weren’t coming back, right? i wonder how that would work. hmmmm
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there’s also this redder planet here which i actually DO think is Pandora. if you squint real hard u can see the purple from the eridian scar. plus the color matches up pretty well with the pictures provided above.
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there’s also these two bodies over in the corner where the light is coming from. i can’t tell what they’re supposed to be
there are also these little dudes in the top right
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i assume they’re maliwan? they remind me a lot of the maliwan drop ship things that fly overhead when you enter promethea
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YESSS okay this is the start of some PRETTY WILD twin stuff
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troy: missing his tattoos, blind in one eye, has a weird mark above his eyebrow. also, no metal bits!
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Tyreen!!! with a red stripe across her left cheek going up to her eye??? no tattoos on her left arm as far as we can see, but that might be for marketing reasons (she’s also covering up part of her bicep). she’s also missing her coat and chains and wearing a different glove.
we also have a bunch of bl2 VHs taking up space. again i think hayder hype is right in that they’re simply placeholders. not much else to say, but 
this trend of Tyreen having red markings on her face and Troy being blind in an eye (or both) actually continues through a fair amount of these posters!!!
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more cover art. one of my least favorites again... i just think it looks like the psycho is puking out the VHs. also, seems to be an older version of the psycho mask.
fl4k seems to be less rendered than the rest of the cast? like they have less detail, especially on their coat
also you can see an older looking space shuttle up at the top, which reminds me a lot of the one we use in TFTBL to get to helios. except less caravanny and more rockety
the splatter also reminds me of siren powers, with the purple and the glitter. it’s cool that it’s showing a different shot than what’s behind it. maybe a hint to siren powers because it’s sort of like a portal.
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more puke! 
this time troy is blind in both eyes it seems,
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tyreen seems to still have a mark on the left side of her face, im wondering if this ties into her scars at all? it doesn’t seem as prominent as the previous red mark.
Zane seems to have an actual eye patch instead of his more high-tech eye patch, which reminds me a lot of the leaked character concepts from like january i wanna say
amara seems to be dual wielding lol i wonder if originally that was going to be one of her 3 skills but then they were like “wait salvador. wait. nisha. FUC-”
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also fl4k is being obscured by this weird saturn-like planet. let them be free!
moze is missing, the saturn like planet shows up 2 times total, and that blue/yellow ship is seen again behind troy
as for the purple stuff? you already know my theory that the twins are going to be using the chemical sludge on elpis to empower their followers. it could also just be straight eridium/slag. you know, like the testing from the WEP with bloodwing and even krieg. we’ll have to see. it would be interesting if they tied krieg into the story through there.
i do lowkey think it’s chemical sludge though, because some of it is actually glowing blue in places, you can see it clearly below amara’s feet. maybe some tie in to siren powers cuz they glow the same blueish color. who knoooows not i
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big shot of this psycho here, looks like he’s crumbling. 
i really like the 4 VHs standing at the base with the elongated shadows. very dark vibes from this tho, probably not suitable for the series as a whole. i can see why maybe they decided not to do it. 
i wonder if we’ll see this giant psycho statue somewhere on pandora. it would certainly be a sight to behold. 
also i kinda wish we had cloaks like the concept art shows. cloaks are cool
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more sketchy art. this one is also kinda strange, i definitely get why they decided not to go thru with it.
possibly tie-in with the ‘mother’ imagery we get on the propaganda signs across pandora.
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lmfao the foot
very bl2 like, im glad they didn’t stick with this. i like that they decided to change things up
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troy seems to be blind and also missing his metal implants on his face. his jacket also looks a lot different, it looks more like tyreen’s with the spikes and stuff across it. we also can’t see his metal arm at all, tho we do see his sword! which looks a lot different, im glad they decided to revamp it to be more visually interesting lol
tyreen is more interesting to me. it looks like her right arm has like a silver coating over it? unless that is a metal arm as well. she also is wearing a different kind of glove. her tattoos are missing as well, but again, it’s probably because of the cover art. her scars also definitely seem to have reached her left cheek at some point.
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zane also looks a lot different, tho amara, moze, and fl4k look about the same.
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another shot of the ship, this one is definitely the blue/yellow one. there’s gotta be some significance with that, right? either we’re getting skins for sanc-iii, we’re going to be painting it a new color, or it’s a different ship.
what the HECK
maybe the twins stole sanc-ii and we’re using sanc-iii. idek. this ship is driving me up a wall lol
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gun head.
not a lot to say here. i actually like this one lol it’s very mellow and straight to the point. it’s nice that the logo is right in the middle, not at the top like most of them.
game. buy it. okay? cool.
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similar to the other background we did, a bit different. again, like @ifalnasminiatures pointed out, the twins are actually palette swapped here. 
Zane also has the old eyepatch on his right eye instead of his left eye, and his jacket is black instead of blue. fuckin’ edgelord.
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one of my favorite ones out of all of them. it’s beautiful, i really wish they had kept it. Fl4k is missing but i assume they were meant to go next to Amara? i also think it’s interesting Moze is in the front, as I took Amara to be the leader this time around. Zane is also an older design, with the eyepatch back on his left eye again (starting to think this is an aesthetic thing lol) and a black jacket instead of blue.
We see the twins on the top. Tyreen has that mark on her face again, and Troy is the same as the last few covers.
We also see Maya, Zer0, and for some reason Brick? Which is weird to me considering we have a few other characters who initially feel much for important to the story (cough Lilith cough), but I’m not complaining. 
the purple splatters again make me think this is a tie in to eridium/slag/elpis’s chemical sludge. i also like the logo being worked into the design instead of just thrown on top, i think that’s a nice detail
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i couldn’t find a great shot of this poster which is a shame because it’s one of my favorites
a lot of baddies to go around on here. i love the dude up top, he reminds me of the Anchormen from the captain scarlett dlc in bl2!
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these dudes
we can see Punk Girl on the left again
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and this guy who appears to be in some medieval armor
i have no idea what’s going on there but i am EXCITED
i’ve been thinking and tbh i think the multiple planets thing was just an excuse for gearbox to go absolutely ham on the character designs/settings. 
i mean why should they have to hold back all their medieval armor designs for another dlc like tiny tina’s? all their pirate/sea-fairing designs for a pirate dlc? fuck it! go WILD. i think they did, anywho
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there’s also this post which... tbh i can’t make out much at all. again, seems like an older psycho mask design. it looks like there are characters in the splatter on the bottom left, but it’s very hard to tell who’s who, especially at this angle and image quality lol
if we get a better shot later on i may return to this piece and try to figure things out!
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we also have this piece which is giving me huge ‘Happy Together’ vibes. very trippy
moze looks like she’s using an untextured atlas gun? dunno what’s going on with that tbh lol
i really like this one too. it’s cool. i get why maybe they wanted to go a little crazier tho, feels too simplistic for the MAYHEM vibe they’re going for.
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oof! can we get an F in chat for whatever planet/moon this is
lots of pink floyd vibes going on here as well
we see a different looking blue/yellow ship flying away from the explosion. it seems to missing a lot of the parts that make sanc-iii so recognizable including the engines/wings
i like the destruction vibe they’re going for here, really sells the “universe destroying power” the twins are supposedly going to get. 
anyway, in addition to the cover art pieces, we also got a few concept art pieces as well!
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this bit which looks like a gun
you see the aiming mechanism up there? you see how it’s aimed at that planet/moon? yeah i 100% timed this so you’d see the above concept art with this immediately after :P (im kidding i didn’t but hey now you don’t have to scroll)
fuck yeah babey
we also have seen something similar to this in the gameplay trailer!
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i didn’t actually think it was a giant fucking GUN tho. can we get an F in chat for Promethea and/or whatever else this thing gets aimed at
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yooo
i thought this was opportunity at first cuz of the bridge but it’s more likely promethea
when u go meet zer0 you can see some water surrounding the city so i would guess this is somewhere else on promethea
im mostly interested in the giant fuckin triangle in the middle of that courtyard looking area
oh also the giant trench of destruction on the right there. that’s probably important, too.
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more concept art!
i think the bottom of the 4 VHs is actually what was leaked in january.
some art of the twins on the left there, tyreen is so much shorter than troy omfg
and this does indeed looks to be a younger version of angel so credit to @prettypinkdork for mentioning that on my angel post. it is nice to see those tech-y wings in action, definitely does prove it’s her.
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we can also see this art of what i think is Punk Girl, which is interesting to me because she looks to be doing something with her right hand. possible siren powers? maybe! 
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we also get a much cooler, bigger version of that maliwan ship people were talking about, with what look to be maliwan... eye bots? surrounding it. this is soooo fuckin awesome to me because it reminds me of a sailboat. and airships are fucking COOL
but something interesting is that i don’t think this ship was actually always maliwan
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we got an A in the back here... for Atlas? i mean... you know it’s coming... the colors would match up.��Yeahhhhhhh...
more interesting is that it actually looks like maliwan covered it up with their flags/tarps. i would not be surprised if this was claimed by maliwan possibly during the takeover.
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a cyclone, with a whole fuckin lot of detail. just... holy shit.
not much else to say here though. i like the stuffed animal on the side, though
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a better shot of jakobs manor which holy shit looks badass as fuck
big turret/observation thing on the right there? im not sure
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pretty sure this is eden-6. also more tropical trees? possibly a water planet? but maybe just ocean on eden-6. also there seems to be like webbing on whatever is on the road, so maybe some spider-like wildlife?
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most important to me is this
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yeah i would bet that’s eridium/slag/the chemical sludge from elpis
im pretty convinced this is something on elpis mostly because the DAHL logo on the side. which again, they were on pandora yes but they were mining for iridium not eridium. if this was pandoran pumping stations, that would be hyperion.
i do think this is elpis. and i do think the twins are using the chemical sludge that mutated the lost legion into those fake siren things to give their followers superpowers.”holy holy holy” indeed.
this, plus the rakk wings on the psycho in the mask of mayhem are just convincing me more and more
that’s all for now folks. i gotta run
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chaostwofold · 5 years
Note
1-41 on the asks? Also gn
1. if you were to have Hanahaki disease, what flowers would you cough up?
Morning glories!! not only are they already my favorite flower, theyre extremely toxic and mean unconditional love! i have a tendency to fall for the wrong people and not realize until after,, BUT thats only half and half!! some people i loved unconditionally and contine to love them and others set me back in the recovery process,,
2. if someone were to catch Hanahaki disease for you, what flowers would they cough up?
Begonias id assume? not only are hanahaki flowers supposed to represent your feelings, they should also represent the person. begonias are known for misfortune, dark/unpleasant thoughts, and caution to new situations. on the flip side, its harmonious communications, understanding, and gratitude.
3. if you were any historic trope, what would you be? (i.e., the knight, the town baker, the witch of the forest, etd.)
hm. well, what about the urchin whos actually a prince? someone who originates from grand places, a great misfortune turns them into something undesirable and possibly bitter, and then when theyre brought back to the light of stability they provide for those who are in the same situation as he was
4. tell us about your ideal battle outfit
im long range magic tactics and healing always bc im too afraid of conflict :pensive: but the closest thing would probably be something flexible but strong, in black and the more sensitive areas like the neck and thighs covered more carefully (read: shadowhunter gear)
5. what would you be a god/goddess of and what would people sacrifice to you?
change on an emotional and mental plane. they would sacrifice those who refuse to change for the better. i determine what is better, and if they choose the wrong person to sacrifice they would pay depending on why they attempted to sacrifice someone who didnt deserve it.
6. name five iconic quotes that make you feel things.
“there is a difference between wisdom and intelligence... a person may have one without the other.” is an all time favorite from my favorite book The Soulforge by Margret Weis!!!!!!!
“plant your trees and watch them grow.” OUGH
 “There is a thin semantic line separating the weird and the beautiful. and that line is covered in jellyfish.” NIGHTVALE
“Ive been good sir / so very very good for what? / and ive given you / every single thing ive got / its feeling strange man / this whole arrangement / is gonna end with / me totally deranged” From Disobedient, from su:tm!!! it slaps man
“ What do you want from me? Why don't you run from me? / What are you wondering? What do you know? / Why aren't you scared of me? Why do you care for me?” Ah. billie eilish ily
7. scythe, battle axe, broad sword, spear or trident?
Scythe! the weapon of fate and peace,, it is used to reap the souls of those deemed to die and its used for harvesting crops!! the end of all thngs, its a graceful and symbolical weapon.
8. what combination of natural scents would you use as perfume?
Vaniila, star anise, and clary sage
9. ancient scrolls or leather-bound books?
leather bound books!!
10. describe yourself as if you were a storm.
a cyclone, probably. something threatening on the outside but extremely calm on the inside.
11. what type of flower (other than a rose) would you offer someone you were trying to court?
amaryllis, which is splendid beauty and worth beyond beauty
12. honey in milk or cinnamon in tea?
cinnamon in tea!!!
13. cabin in the woods, apartment in the city or mansion in the suburbs?
apt in the city
14. curtains of beads or lace?
bead curtains!!! retro AND can be like “hoohoo welcome to my brewery pick your literal poison im a witch”
15. vocal or instrumental music?
yall know i could never pick,, music is too much of an intimate thing too be taken lightly (whch is one of the reasons i have a burning hatred for jokey nursery rhymes like baby shark)
16. describe your ideal fantasy outfit
SOBS okay so. ough it depends man. i rlly like the idea of like. ponchos and shawls n stuff,,, id prolly go for a witch in the woods ngl (the prince REPRESENTS me the best but. witch of the dark woods is my aesthetic) so prolly like a heavy green shawl over a black shirt and jeans and combat boots or smth,,, i WOULD have a flower crown of poisonous flowers, yes
Changeling or shapeshifter definitely!! to be able to constantly change form in super mecore
18. hard candy, fruit preserves or spice cake?
fruit preserves
19. show us an a picture of your ideal crown.
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you all knew it was gonna happen ( its a mountain laurel!! poisonous. of course)
20. tying your hair up using ribbon, yay or nay?
my hair is WAY too short for that but i used to do it when i had longer hair and its a definite yay
21. an evening in the forest with elves, a night in the caves with vampires or a morning in the garden with fae?
an evening in the forest with elves or a morning in the garden with fae!! i cant decide man,,, if it had been a night in a victorian castle w vamps i wouldve been tied w that too but caves are a dwarven thing
22. tell us, in detail, about a curse a witch would put on you.
hm. maybe like. a true self thing? where im forced to say what i mean, i cant say sorry for things im not sorry for, i have to say when things make me uncomfy, i just become less timid (the witch who cursed me got pissed off bc i said sorry too much and didnt answer questions properly)
23. talking with sylphs or singing with nymphs?
talking with sylphs prolly??? i dunno man ive always loved sylphs ngl
24. mint, rosemary, basil or sage?
def mint
25. favorite childhood story? (doesn’t have to be a fairy tale)
what childhood lmao (honestly?? i loved reading the grim fairytales just over and over)
26. tell us about an experience you’ve had that seemed unreal or supernatural. (doesn’t have to be scary)
uhhh one time i was accused of witchcraft bc i was “guessing” peoples fav colours at a christian summer camp and our supervisors asked me to stop bc it was freaking them out bc im not christian (i had them close their eyes, think of their colour, and i would see it bc id close my eyes) OH also one time luke spoiled some pl stuff bc he was thinking abt the spoiler too loudly
27. would you rather have poison or healing ointment in your traveling pack?
oh healing def!! i already know a bunch of native poisonous plants so itll b fine
28. tell us three sayings that you live by.
only two chances for everyone, and then i cut them off entirely
cringe culture is dead. the only cringy people are assholes
hurt luke youre dead
29. vials or mason jars?
no. no. you CANNOT make me pick. its illegal
30. describe your ideal masquerade ball outfit (mask included).
uh! moss green, its a onepiece thats baggy and tied with a golden decorative rope at the waist and tightened at the ankles!! its loose at the sleeves and the shoulders are showing whereas the neck is turtled!! there are designs showing black mambas and lilies of the valley (poisonous...). the mask is black and covers my right eye, with subtle smooth scales on it.
31. splashing around in a river with mermaids or flying through the sky with harpies?
BOTH are p mean uh. i said sylphs earlier so ig ill go mermaids??? plus im afraid of heights
32. what would you end up in the dungeon for?
as the royal magician/wizard/witch/alchemist/magic jester? calling the royal family out on their bullshit
33. if you were a fairy, what color would your wings be?
they would be black owls wings!!! (if you meant pixies, like tinkerbell, you shouldve said pixies fam :pensive:)
34. if you could have any magical item, what would it be?
deaths cloak or a truth charm to get people to tell me, you guessed it, the truth
35. what song would the bards sing about you when you passed by?
a song about grim ends ad new beginnings.
36. would you rather be a pirate or a king/queen?
royalty! so i can fuck shit up from the inside
37. would you spend more time in the field of flowers, the tavern, the docks or the marketplace?
field of flowers or marketplace!! seeing the things people create and natural beauty and solitude are both wonderful
38. would you have a painting of yourself?
a modest one with a very dark palette, with my eyes painted a gleaming golden.
39. what skill are you famous for?
i talk rlly fast
40. if you could live any fairy tale, which one would you?
im not sure,, 
41. stained glass windows or fairy lights?
FAIRYLIGHTSFAIRYLIGHTSFAIRYLIGHTS
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ssghoulhaise · 6 years
Text
mini-fic bc hide’s origin story made me sad™
Hide stands by an open grave, his black suit swallowing him whole.
The preparations had been hasty.
His death was almost insultingly mundane—a skirmish with a B-rated ghoul, late one night and with no back-up to be had.
Not even a big operation.
His father merely walked out the door that afternoon with a casual “be back later.” Hide hadn’t even bothered looking up from the book he was browsing.
And just like that, he was gone forever.
However, he was far from the first CCG investigator to die on the clock. There was protocol to be followed. There were formalities to be addressed.
Father and son lived alone. Their apartment was small, clean, and unlived in. It was just a place to sleep: his father spent the bulk of his days in the CCG quarters, and Hide killed time wandering the streets.
When the movers came, they fit all of the familial possessions in 4 measly cardboard boxes.
The house cleared and the boy retrieved, the next matter of business was the funeral.
He’s sitting on the dorm bed, dully gazing out the window at passers-by, when they enter the room.
Place something black and heavy on his bed.
Tell him to put it on, and be ready in 15 minutes.
He’s struggling with the tie as he steps into the hallway, tongue sticking from the side of his mouth as his small fingers fumble.
Heavy polished shoes make their way over and practiced fingers do the loops for him. The man says nothing as he gives the final tug, as he smooths Hide’s collar down.
This is just one orphan in a million. They blend together, after a certain point.
Regardless, Hide offers a smile up at the officer as thanks, running a hand down his tie front and looking himself over.
His father taught him what a good suit looked like, and this one is far too big. He didn’t have one already and they didn’t bother measuring.
His shoulders droop and the bottom of his pants pool at his feet. The tie goes past his belt line. The sleeves hide his fingers.
But there are no more adjustments to be had. The officers usher him down the stairs and into the car, and suddenly they’re there.
So as he stands at his father’s graveside, listening to some higher up say something generic about courage, he can’t help but shift awkwardly within his too-big suit, trying to even it out on his shoulders.
He wants to be mad.
Mad that they couldn’t just get him a suit that fits, one that wouldn’t distract him from his father’s rites.
He wants to be sad.
Sad that his father is no longer here, sad that this is his new life. Sad enough to leak tears, sad enough to sob like he knows he’s supposed to.
But these emotions don’t come easily to Hide. He’s hardly ever felt them before—he was too young to remember his mother, so this degree of loss is foreign.
The pain swirls beneath his skin, churning his stomach and squeezing his throat but not strong enough to manifest on the surface.
So he shows his emotions the only way he knows how.
He stands still, save for the occasional suit adjustment as he tries to fit himself into the new life the CCG is going to make for him, after taking his old one away.
X
They ask him if he wants to be adopted.
Not all children do. For some of them, the pain is too fresh, the memory is too clear. Shrugging off their old parents for a new one so quickly seems like an insult.
These are the kids that go into the Academy. The ones that live for the CCG alone, and ultimately die for it.
Hide doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want this to be a cycle. He doesn’t want to marry some nice receptionist, to have a kid and to leave them to the same fate.
So he agrees. New parents, please.
(Sorry, Dad.)
It takes a year or so to work out the details.
A year of wandering the dim, empty halls.
A year of meeting other kids—kids just like him—and trying to make this temporary home less of a morgue.
A year of learning how to make others smile.
He becomes more familiar with loss and its effects than he’d ever thought he’d be.
There’s the girl next door who shrieks herself awake every night. When Hide brings it up, she pretends she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But he can see it in the bruised purple under her eyes and the pallor of her face.
She likes knock knock jokes and badly singing along to pop songs—it’s the only time Hide sees her smile crinkle her eyes.
There’s a boy, down the hall to the left, who spends his time leaning against the wall, gazing at his feet. He doesn’t look up when Hide first addresses him.
So Hide just talks to him—about what he’d seen out the window that morning, about a new show he’d seen on TV, about everything and nothing.
There’s no indication that he’s listening, until one particularly short conversation when Hide turns to leave and a hand hooks itself into the hem of his shirt.
“Please don’t go,” a small voice murmurs.
So Hide sits down with a smile, launching back into the book he’d been recounting.
There are some twins, two right turns and a left away, that refuse to let go of each other. They hold hands, they link pinkies, they hug. They never stop touching.
Hide coerces them to join him in the playroom—he’s wanted to try this new video game for so long, and he needs a couple people to play with him.
And he watches as they relax their grip on each other ever so slightly, as they settle for leaning instead as their hands dance across the gaming controls.
Hide becomes an expert at befriending those who have lost. At making them forget the fresh hole torn in their lives.
And somehow, it makes him forget, too.
His purpose in life becomes making others smile. In easing their pain, and his own.
He refuses to let the sterile white walls and thick quiet of the orphan dorms suffocate him. He refuses to lose himself, as well as his father.
He serves as an escape, a ray of sunshine in a bleak environment. Hide has a purpose.
And then, 13 months later, the paperwork is done. He has a new home.
He steps outside the chain link fence of the dorm and the sun has never felt so warm, the air has never felt so crisp.
But even as he walks away, he spares a glance over his shoulder and tells himself to never forget.
That even if no one else remembers these orphans, at least he will.
X
He has two fathers, now.
They greet him at the front door to their small, yellow house, with a neatly trimmed lawn and a line of flowers under the windows.
It feels like a weight is lifted off his shoulders, the second he’s handed off from the black suit officer to the color-clad couple.
One of them gingerly places a hand on his back and it feels so good, so paternal, he could cry.
He hasn’t forgotten his father. A year has worn the jagged edges of his loss down, but the dull ache still lingers.
But he sees his father in this new couple.
He sees him in the square frames of one of their glasses.
He sees him in the innocent dad humor of the other man, in the sly grin as his husband bats his shoulder.
He sees him in the way they ask him what he’s reading, what he’s watching, what he’s doing.
He misses his father. But these two are the next best thing.
And, unlike his father, they’re present.
They’re unaffiliated with the CCG: one is a teacher, the other a real estate agent. He can always find one of them around the house.
Even though they just met him, they already care about him. So, so much.
They ask what they can do to personalize his room. Take him to a department store—let him pick clothes, let him choose posters. They paint his walls in vibrant yellows and line his shelves with CDs.
It’s been a while since Hide felt himself in his room. Been a while since he dressed like himself. Been a while since an adult genuinely smiled at him.
Life settles into a happier rhythm. He almost forgets the past year and where he came from.
And after two weeks, they tell him that he’s going to school.
The opportunity to meet new kids—kids in the outside world—is exciting beyond belief. He picks out an outfit, stuffs his new backpack with notebooks, and thinks of all the conversations he’s going to have.
He waltzes into the classroom that autumn day, grinning from ear to ear.
But the kids aren’t quite as receptive as he’d hoped. School has been in session for a month, and they already have their friends.
Recess comes around and a mass of kids flocks to the field, kicking a soccer ball around.
But Hide lingers. He watches them play for a moment, then scans the rest of the area for his first target.
And then he spots him.
A dark-haired boy, seated on the hill leading down from the school. He sits alone, intently staring at the thick book in his hands. His clothes are bland and his face is drawn in a way that Hide has only seen back in the orphan dorms.
Hide knows why he’s sitting alone. He can feel it.
Loss hangs around this boy like a gray cloud. It radiates outwards, it darkens the air around him. It’s the reason for the slump of his shoulders, for the downward tilt of his head.
He’s been forgotten. Hidden by the loss wrapped around him.
Well, that decides it. Target number one.
So Hide works up a smile—the one he’s practiced for a year—and walks over to the boy.
“Hey!” he shouts, beaming as he climbs the hill. “Whatcha reading there?”
The boy startles, dropping the book in his lap and hands forming a barrier. When he spots Hide, his hands lower and arms cross in front of him, shoulders scrunched.
“Um. Some poetry,” he stammers, his voice weak with disuse.
“That book looks huge! How long have you been working on it?”
“Like… uh,” the boy trails off, picking the book off his lap and leafing through to try to find his place. He dog-ears the page almost daintily, then looks back up. “Maybe two days?”
“Whoa! You read fast!” Hide exclaims, coming to sink down next to him. “My name is Hide, by the way. What’s yours?”
The boy blinks, like the question is foreign to him. “My name is Kaneki. Kaneki Ken.”
“Nice to meet you, Kaneki! Now I have a weird question for you.”
“...Yes?”
“I’m new in town, so I don’t have any friends,” Hide admits, glancing down at the other kids frolicking on the field and then back at the boy beside him.
Kaneki follows his gaze, taking a moment longer to meet Hide’s eyes again.
“So, Kaneki: can you be my friend?”
The question is blunt and unexpected; Kaneki leans back for a moment, staring at Hide as if waiting for him to yell, “sike!”
But Hide doesn’t.
He just stares back at Kaneki, his smile never faltering.
And slowly, the corners of Kaneki’s mouth rise.
“Yeah,” Kaneki agrees. “I’d like that.”
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