#ive been eyeing this anime for a while now i might watch it

[iwishf1wasreal]

NSFW F1 Driver Profiles: ✴ Max Verstappen ✴

smut ✴ 18+ readers only please

I. Flirt.

He’s not exactly known as a certified rizzster, but he does carry that Champion’s confidence and aura of success everywhere he goes. That usually works in his favour, but he would only approach if he were solidly in his own element. You’re a guest in the garage? Perfect. You’ve stumbled into the club where he’s having his birthday party in the VIP section? No problem, he’ll get you through the ropes. He’s much better at flirting once he’s in a relationship and you’ve established rapport and trust. He would rather be quiet than look stupid, which pretty much dissipates once you’re officially dating. Then, he’s more than glad to look like an idiot in front of you, especially if it will make you laugh.

II. Propositioning. 

He’s honest and extremely blunt. Straight up asks “do you want to have sex right now?” or “can we fuck when we get back to the hotel?” He purposefully enjoys saying it explicitly in front of someone, so it will instantly have your cheeks burning and your eyes furiously glaring at him. Max likes riling you up. He also likes that you smack or kick him in reaction. Then you yell at him about being a true menace to society or punctuate your whacks with You’re! So! Crude! And then he just has to make good on the accusation, doesn’t he? 

III. Libido.

It's pretty high. If you ended up fucking every time he felt like it, it might end up being two or three times a day. This isn’t to say that can’t or hasn’t been achieved, but it's not exactly practical when he has such a meticulously timed day, down to the approximate minute he must be asleep. But he’d roll his eyes if you ever told him that you considered him a sexual person. It’s not that he doesn’t think he is; it's just that the entire concept of sexual person seems redundant to him. Humans are sexual. Humans have the animal urge to procreate; therefore, it’s built into the human experience. It just seems like an unnecessary distinction to him. But he craves sex; he loves it and is constantly either thinking about it or talking about it. Despite this, he still has the audacity to turn to you and shape his mouth to say, “oh, so you.” with an evil smirk when he finds out what the word ‘nymphomaniac’ means. 

IV. Turn-Ons: tame & nasty.

Tame: Your exposed neck. String bikinis. A thong’s whale tail. When your Dutch isn’t half bad. Back massages. Treating you to nice things. Referring to his cats as your own. When you stand behind him whilst he’s sitting and run your hands down the planes of his body. That time he somehow was able to go to Oktoberfest, and you wore that traditional dress (he’s honestly never stopped thinking about your titties in it). Coming and straddling his lap when he calls you over. When you subconsciously reach for him in the middle of the night. Ignoring other men in favour of paying him attention. Calling him a world champion. Whenever you let him hang all over you. 

Nasty: Spanking. The way your ass ripples after getting spanked. Watching you undress while he remains fully clothed. Telling you what to do and filming it. Sundress and no panties. Your scent after sex. You taking control. Your hand around his throat. Nudes taken with his trophies. Cumming on your chest. Doing it in the dark with the big hotel windows open and city lights twinkling. Threesomes but only with another woman...for now. When you talk him through a handjob/blowjob and an orgasm (sometimes he likes it if you’re a little mean, too). When he does something embarrassing or awkward during sex and you just sweep his hair out of his eyes and laugh because it’s no big deal. 

V. Self-stimulation.

Porn is definitely an option for Max. He won’t be forthright with it, but he’s seen his fair share of the degrading, aggressive stuff. Obviously, you’d wring his neck if you found out that not only is a multi-millionaire too cheap to pay for his porn, but he’s freeriding on the most misogynist content he could find. Well, now that he’s a spoken-for man, he has a hard time keeping it up for women who aren’t you. It’s like he’s imprinted on you; he can only finish if he lets his memory/imagination or private folder on his phone take over. He’s not above a midnight call to you—really no regard for whatever you might be doing (and that’s kinda part of the fun)---all whiny and horny and begging you to at least stay on the line while he strokes off. 

VI. Foreplay.

He lowkey needs foreplay. His ego would never let him admit it, but sex is quite emotional for him. Max has never really excelled with one-night stands because he either finds himself not caring enough or caring too much. He felt like things changed between you once you started sleeping together–in the best way possible. Of course, there are occasions when you’re both just raring and pawing at each other as fast as you can. But generally, he likes to be warmed up and tended to, too. Dry humping is always a good time for him, and he likes watching you work your hips against him (and the patch of wetness that always transfers from your clothes to his) He’s also a big kisser. During sex, before, after, or without even thinking about sex, he wants to kiss you. Likes the heat of your breath, the soft feel of your tongue. Anywhere. Everywhere. 

VII. Rhythm.

To be honest, because of his headstrong tendencies and fast-paced thinking, it’s sort of become your job to set the rhythm. It’s not even that he wants to take you fast and hard; he just kind of…does. Even when he’s in a romantic headspace, he can just have a hard time slowing down and enjoying the moment. It’s not really a surprise to you. It’s the same way he is in every other part of his life. He doesn’t always realise that the habit of trying to speed through his least favourite parts of life has bled over into rushing through some of the good things too. No need to worry, though. The slow rock of your hips, the sweetness of your voice, and the patience in your hands is all he really needs. Maybe that’s why even thinking about sex with someone else is hard. You just get him. You take care of him. You give him exactly what he needs. 

VIII. How He Likes It.

Personally, he likes it deep. Especially because you are usually in more controlling positions. The eye contact, the kisses, the dirty talk. It’s just so much better. His favourite would be any variation on cowgirl (equally fond of front-facing and reverse–for titties and ass, respectively). He feels best in what some might call the chair position, where you’ll sit on his lap as he sits on the bed or a chair. In this position, he can hit your g-spot almost certainly while one of his hands works your clit. He’ll kiss down your shoulder, your cheek, your neck while your hands roam his thighs and your own body, reaching down to feel the two of you connecting. He’s somewhat willing to try new things but only for so long til he’s huffing and just whining for you to crawl on his lap and take over. 

IX. Location, location, location.

Craziest is probably in an alleyway behind a club. Really only is deemed the craziest because of how many close calls you had while trying to do it. You both know it would be a disaster if anyone found out; however… There are not usually many people wandering the streets at 3am and with so many restrictions with his fame and so much alcohol in your systems, it wasn’t that hard to convince you to give it a go. However, his favourite ‘place’ you’ve ever had sex is, for sure, the post-win blowjob he gets after every win. Obviously, some wins are more key than others, so you’ll do the best you can to create unique experiences for him each time. But honestly, he doesn’t really care. Just needs the warmth of your mouth and the shine of pride in your eyes when he’s finished. He also fantasises about Private Jet sex, even came close a few times when he still owned his. But the prophecy was not complete without you. 

X. Kink.

Pretty kinky. He’s down to try a lot but also has hard boundaries he has no issue expressing. He can be sweet and gentle and loving just as much as he can be rough and aggressive. He’s pretty good at catering to what you both feel at the moment. If you need him to go softer or just want to feel him better, nuzzling your face shyly into his neck with a soft whine of the request, he’s instantly adapting to what you want. It’s not that you’re “in charge”; he just really wants to please you. Or, if the mood strikes and you feel turned on by the clench in his jaw and the frustration of his voice, you’re more than willing to ask him to take it all out on you. And he can give you that too. The biggest fantasy fulfilled is probably after-race sex of any variety, even with his press officer banging incessantly on the locked door while you try and make use of the three whole minutes you have until his trainer comes back with the key. Despite how common it is, he’s not really into the Daddy or Mommy kink. He’d never outright say it, but he’s got enough mommy and daddy issues; he doesn’t need to confuse his psyche by bringing you into the mix, too. 

XI. Bedroom aids/Toys 

Feels pretty neutral about toys. Again, his common sense kind of takes over, and he gets why you need it. Does hold on to some hope that you don’t use it while he’s home and he’s readily available. Though if he is gaming all day and won’t tear himself way…Sometimes you’ll just set up the vibrator to rattle loudly against the headboard, so he knows what you’re doing. Almost always, he’ll get off the game and come play with you instead. He likes a lot of lube, if available. If he could squeeze some more ooey gooey stuff all over you just to make it nastier and wetter, he would. 

XII. Cum. 

He’s messy finisher. Not just on you but generally. He doesn’t care about messing up the bed or leaving too much evidence. To him, it’s sex; how are you supposed to control yourself during it? What, like people, can actually plan where they’ll cum? Perhaps it’s because he grew up relatively wealthy, or he’s just gotten used to people picking up after him. The number of times he’d told you, “just leave it, babe. The maids will get it.” while you scoff horrified at him. You make sure he realises his mistake, flinging whatever soiled garment at his face. 

XIII. Pleasure reciprocation. 

He’ll go down on you if you’re into it. He tends to think he’s probably a little bit better than he is, but he’s not bad. If anything, he’s got a passion and dedication for it. He likes the feeling of making you finish quickly or making you feel so good you can’t even keep your eyes open. He’s experienced but still clumsy. He knows his way around (mostly) but likes it better when you tell him what feels good or react to what he’s doing. He doesn’t have enough patience to keep the focus on you for /forever/ so he’s not one to spend hours down there but you get your fair share.  

XIV. Bonus.

Once you had sex in front of two of his friends who were touching themselves. It kinda just happened. You were out glamping for some EDM festival in Europe, pretending to have the humility of camping with all the five star amenities you could need. It was in the early hours of the morning after you’d been partying all night. One of them had complimented you, telling Max he was lucky to have a girlfriend like you. Then, Max kissed you. Never a huge fan of PDA, you always followed his lead on how much he wanted to show to the public. But then his hand was up yours skirt and when you broke away, he used his strength against you to pull you closer and kiss down your neck. Max was two fingers deep into you by the time you even remembered his friends were in the room. He told you to talk them through it, just like you did for him. But you couldn’t. First, the pads of his fingers had reached deep and found the spot that made it hard to thing, let alone talk. You weren’t much of an instructor, mumbling a few cues before popping the button on Max’s pants and pulling him free. He was breathing heavy and hard in your ear, moans muffled against your skin as you faced his friends. They’d fully thrown themselves into to pleasure, hands wrapped around their dicks and stroking in the same deseperate rhythm you were working with Max. As you neared an orgasm, you spread your legs, giving his friends a better view of how he filled you. It drove Max crazy, he moaned against your neck, a cocky laugh coming off the end of it. His friends finished before you–unable to keep up with the pace you and Max had set. Then, Max who helped you ride out your own after him, brain only malfunctioning a few times as you milked him into overstimulation. He made sure to show off how he’d finished inside you to his friends. Then the two of you just showered and went to bed like it never happened. 

#max verstappen #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen smut #f1 smut #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #max verstappen imagine #max verstappen fic #formula one x reader #formula 1 x reader #profile* #mv

[myheadphonesareneverloudenough]

i have this idea/possible au in my head and its been floating around for a while. it came to me when i realised that there were 5 lords in black and 5 nerdy prudes (including steph), and i thought what if these poor kids were each haunted by one of the LiB...

Ruth with Pokey, because of her love for theatre and dreams of being the star of a show. pokey would find her weak spot by offering her the role of a lifetime, her chance to be in the spotlight for once. i also have a hc for ruth that she has some form of ocd, and pokey has an affinity for everything to be perfect and in order, too.

Grace with Blinky, because her family and upbringing has taught her that everything she does in her life is under critical review. in grace's mind, she's always being watched anyways. she is always being judged or judging herself based on her actions and the "sins" she does/doesnt commit. honestly, she's so freaked out by doing the right thing at all times, she might already be watched by blinky.

Pete with Tinky, mostly because of that Spankoffski connection. of course, tinky wants to have the whole collection. ive thought a lot about how if ted is the time bastard, its likely that tinky would appoint his little brother as the space bastard. i hc pete to have a lot of social anxiety issues (im projecting) and believe me, it would be hell of a lot easier if space and time were on his side now and again.

the last two took some thinking. so bear with me.

Steph with Nibbly. not just because of nibblys "yum yum" line, or the very popular headcanon that steph's mother was honey queen (i still believe that she was, btw). but i think as the mayor's daughter, steph was raised to be very aware of her public image, that includes how she is perceived AND who she is associated with. before pete came into the picture, she probably had a lot of exes within the "cool kids" dating pool. someone she can be with for a few weeks to keep up her status, suck them dry until she couldn't bare to be with someone she didnt actually love, and then move onto the next. additionally, she probably has an idea in her head that she has to make herself "desirable" in order to keep up with the cool kids. between her hunger for attention, her father's hunger for success, and the overall high school hunger for popularity, nibbly would find a lot of places in steph to tap into.

lastly, Richie and Wiggly. and no, this has nothing to do with Jon playing both characters. richie, in my eyes, is a child at heart. not that he's immature or anything, but he just has a love for the simpler things. he likes anime and sci fi films. and, sure, he's smart and likes science, but he's not looking forward to college like his other nerdy friends. part of him wants to stay a kid forever, a feeling he would grow out of in time, but not before wiggly could take a stab at him. wiggly puts himself into a doll, for fucks sake. wiggly wants power and control, and richie wants his friends to stick around. wiggly wouldn't have to try very hard to befriend richie through his love of "childish" things, and from there he could "help" richie make sure his friends never, ever, leave.

im not sure how this would go, but the LiB each picking a different member of this friend group would cause a lot of competition down in the Black, and put a lot of strain on the relationships up in Hatchetfield.

#yes this has been in my head for a while #starkid #hatchetfield #hatchetverse #nerdy prudes must die #npmd #pete spankoffski #grace chasity #ruth fleming #stephanie lauter #richie lipschitz #the lords in black #wiggly #nibbly #blinky #pokey #tinky #wiggog y'wrath #nibblenephim #bliklotep #pokotho #t'noy karaxis #j screams

[jacesbeloved]

for the kingdom: part III

summary: being the youngest daughter of alicent, you hadn’t known what it was like to feel restraint until you had been betrothed to the eldest son of queen rhaenyra for a pact. for who? for the kingdom

pairing: jacaerys velaryon x fem!reader

warnings: violence, mentions of blood, themes of burning (??), very mild nsfw (consented), y/n is actually way more manipulative nd evil than u might think

part: I, II, III, IV

a/n: not rlly my fav work/part but it’s a plot point sooo >< this took me such a long time to proofread (this is like 4k words) and stuff gosh anyway i hope u guys like it!

Silence.

That was everything that was inside the tent after one word from Jace's mouth.

He blinked a few times when he watched you pull away, sitting back in your place across from him as the two of you breathed heavily. Tension is rotting both of you away.

You lick your lips, only now noticing how dry they were. Your face was back to its blank look like it used to be, narrowing your eyes as you went by him to head out of the tent, not being able to withstand what just happened while Jacaerys rushed to follow you.

"Did I just get turned down?" You thought to yourself. The mere idea of being turned down damages your ego far more than you imagined. Because of it, you rushed out. Talking to your husband is the last thing on your mind right now.

Jacaerys calls out your name as he too slips out of the tent, seeing you under the tree talking to Cregan. The man sighs, taking a sip of wine from his canteen before grimacing.

Various men approached him after a second of standing outside of their tent, talking to him about the animals they caught as well as their admiration for you, the princess.

He had to put on a fake smile for them, thinking it was just genuine admiration they had for you.

When he glanced back in your direction, there were a lot of people within your circle. When he saw you whisper something to one of the boys, his eyes narrowed, and the boy looked at you with wide eyes before nodding frantically.

You let out a fake giggle at his eagerness, laughing internally at how easy it was to have boys do your bidding just by having them believe such gullible things as having a date with you.

With your dismissal, the people surrounding you eventually dispersed, and you watched quietly as they ate, drank, and even fished by the trees.

Jace shook himself, sobering up before he poured the leftover wine in his canteen onto the grass, gathering confused stares from the ones with him. He excused himself from the men around him, smiling tightly as he made his way towards you.

The young prince sits on an empty log beside you, thankful that Cregan had been distracted enough not to notice him sitting there, saving him from possibly drinking even more than he already has.

You ignored his presence there, brushing off the looks the maidens gave you when they saw your husband behind you. They discreetly tried to tell you that he was behind you—with subtle waves, widened eyes, and obvious glares—but you ignored them.

When Jace cleared his throat, thinking it could possibly catch your attention, you turned your whole body in the opposite direction. He sighs as he is faced with your back.

He gets out of his seat, and the maidens giggle as they stare at him. You clenched your jaw, your patience running thin.

The both of you look shortly at each other, not really having the stomach and pride to look at each other for long, you stood up. He breathes heavily, walking away from the fire, and you follow him without any questions, dreading each step.

When he stops, you stop as well.

You notice that he brought both of you a bit far from the bonfire—not super far, but far enough to not let the other men see you both alone.

You two stand there in awkward silence. You take a step away from him to lean on a tree, crossing your arms on your chest as you glare at him.

"What do you want?" You ask loudly and in a monotone.

Jace licks his teeth subtly before taking a cautious step toward you. He awkwardly waves his hand, staring quietly at his feet.

"I'm sorry for earli-"

"Apology accepted. Good bye," you said as you walked away from the tree, and Jace, perplexed by your actions, drew you back by your arm.

"Hear me out first," he says quietly and you glare at him. "I was.. drunk. I didn't want something to happen to us when we're drunk. It's... different. When you left, I didn't want you to think that there was something about you, because there isn't," he stammers.

"Jace, it was just a kiss." You paused to emphasize on it. "Don't make it any bigger than it actually is. I assumed, and I was mistaken," you scoffed. "I shouldn't have expected anything more from you."

Jace's eyes looked down apologetically, pursing his lips as he nodded. "I apologize again."

You laugh sarcastically at him. "Jace, if you weren't drunk, would it have made any difference?" It was his turn to look at you weirdly, his forehead contorting as he tilted his head a bit, confused at the way you were laughing at him.

The prince remained silent, his lips opening ever so slightly before he closed them. Dozens of thoughts and possible responses ran through his head, but he remained quiet.

That simple action gave you every response you needed.

You walk away from the man, going back to the bonfire, only for your eyes to widen at the sight.

A naked man running to the flames, his screams deathly frightening as he frantically patted himself off, trying to stop the fire from spreading throughout his body. The people around him were all alarmed, desperately trying to get some water for him.

Jace immediately ran over to you, holding you by your shoulders as he saw what you were seeing. The two of you snapped at each other with both of your eyes wide.

Then a simple chuckle escapes your lips. You didn't even know why you laughed; there was something that entertained you, something that took away your boredom from that very moment. Jace glared at you, appalled by the fact that you were chuckling. It took him a second to look closely at the man before he recognized him as well.

The boy on fire was the same one who had asked for a chance with you the day before.

"My prince, princess!" One of the guards from the Red Keep calls out to the both of you, running to your side. Jace glared at you, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

The guard tried to say something, but it was obvious from the way he looked that he was equally shocked and frightened by the boy's screams.

"He's saying the princess made him do it!" He says. You gulp at the sudden news, recognizing the guard as one of your sworn guards. You turned to Jace with an unexplainable look on your face, and he looked back at you speechless.

Jace turns back to the guard. "What do you mean? Who was that?" He follows the guard back to the fire, where they were already pouring water on the boy, grimacing at the sight of the burns on his body.

"Prince Jacaerys!" Cregan approaches both of you, your guard shifting defensively to your side.

The two men face each other, Jace's jaw clenching in response to Cregan's stern expression.

"Where's the princess? This boy walked into the fires, yelling your wife's name," Cregan raged, pointing to the panting and writhing boy on the ground.

"Her! It was her! You promised me!" He screamed at you when your guard moved to the side. You moved back in shock, seeing Jace's arm come in front of you in a protective manner, shielding you from the other men coming close.

You acted scared, frowning at the burned boy's death glare at you. While you looked at Cregan with the softest eyes you'd ever seen.You tried your best, acting unaware of what was happening.

Cregan sighs, nudging his head over to the boy, commanding his men to bring him to the maesters. Once he saw that his men were already attending to the boy, he went towards you and Jace.

The women and men around you began to gossip, their inaudible chatter becoming louder than the owls hooting in the trees. You glared at them, analyzing each of their faces with your eyebrow raised, before you turned back to the two men.

Jace looked only once towards the crowd, followed by Cregan, and the chattering died down almost immediately. They scurried back to their tents, where they could gossip in peace.

"I hope you don't hold the sudden commotion against me, my prince, we were all shocked. He just ran to the fire and stayed there for a second. He kept babbling on about the princess' promise for him, but I haven't seen them together." Cregan brings it up while adjusting his shirt.

"What do you think, my prince?"

Jace glances at you before he withdraws his hand, pulling you close to him by your wrist and making you yelp.

"I..." He pauses for a long time, swallowing harshly, before he loosens his grip on your wrist, only noticing now how tight his grip was.

You look away from him; it would only take him one sentence to turn every person around you against you. He knew that the boy earlier was one of your playthings, one of your gullible boys during the hunt, and with just one confirmation or word from him that you did know the boy, you were done for.

The man visibly stiffens up, unsure of how to respond, while you and Cregan look at him expectantly.

"I was with her the whole night and day. I can assure you, Lord Cregan, my wife has never been near that boy." He reassured, nodding slowly as you exhaled a relieved breath.

The days that followed the hunt were tense and awkward.

Jace couldn't bring himself to be near you for more than what was needed, he kept thinking about how he lied for you and the screams of the innocent boy.

One side of him had been pestering him, telling him that what he did was below everything his mother had taught. Him lying for you, ignoring the accountability that you should have taken because of your actions, letting you go without any punishment all continued to eat at his conscience. Every time his eyes closed, he always remembered the screams of that boy.

However, the other side of him applauded him. You are his future queen, the woman who will bear and raise his children. Your protection and well-being, no matter how difficult they may be, should always be his priority. He even swore to always be with you and stand by you during your wedding. If he were to say the opposite of what he said that night, he wouldn't be able to keep any of his priorities or his vows.

Daemon is not innocent; he did bad things just to protect his wife, Jace's mother. Viserys surely isn't as well, for the protection of his wife. But here's Jace beating himself up because of it.

He never spoke about that night with you again; he was always so tensed and awkward around you. When it came to night, the barrier between the two of you became bigger and bigger. While you snored peacefully, Jacaerys moved closer to his side.

Eventually, some of the people in Winterfell noticed this, thinking maybe it was just one of many conflicts as a married couple.

You, on the other hand, hated how he was acting. "If he's going to keep acting like this, we might as well separate." You found yourself thinking to yourself at times, glaring at him whenever you could, a dirty expression on your face as he interacted with everyone but you.

This night, you were alone in your room. Your bedside was peacefully empty, as it had been for the past two days, with no worries about where or what Jace was doing. It was in the middle of the night; he couldn't possibly have any affairs or things to do with Cregan at this hour, but you couldn't care less. He could be fucking a whore, and you wouldn't bat an eyelash at that; you're used to your brother, Aegon, mentioning such activities.

Someone suddenly emerges from a hidden doorway, from the wall covered by a curtain. You stare in confusion as Jace walks in normally, stepping back in surprise when he saw you.

He awkwardly scratches the back of his head, hanging his coat on a hanger. "I'm sorry if I have woken you..."

"Was it that hard to lie?" You asked directly, standing up from the bed with your arms crossed. His eyebrows furrowed, shaking his head a bit in confusion.

"Let's not kid ourselves, Jace. You've been acting like I've murdered someone and asked you to seal your lips for me. I didn't even ask you to. I could have gotten myself out of that situation myself." You start off, "I don't care if you're distancing yourself from me, I'd actually like that! But at least tell me what you are doing; if you're fucking another person or if you'd rather not be near me, tell me. So I can plan how to make this shit marriage work. The more we act like this, the more we'll get in trouble with our mothers."

"How is it so easy for you?" Jace replies quietly, with his head hanging down, biting at his lips.

"What is?"

"That boy, an innocent boy, almost died from his burns because of your silly games, Y/N. You made him run into the fire in exchange for your hand, and you're married! You act like it's nothing. Laughing at the matter as if it is just a mere performance when it is a life, Y/N." Jace was enraged, his voice as loud as it had ever been. "And I lied about it.." He whispers after, massaging his scalp as he sat down on one of the chairs, obviously troubled by the guilt.

"You just lied, Jace. A little white lie. It's not like you killed someone."

You sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed that was face to face with the chair he sat on. You didn't care, honestly speaking.

He's right; to you, it was nothing more than a show, a distraction from your boredom that night. But Jace knew nothing—at least nothing that would alter his opinion in light of what you did.

"That boy wasn't innocent, Jacaerys, trust me. And you aren't as well; none of us are. Did you not understand that the moment you lied for me?" You spoke in a low tone, his head slowly rising to stare at you, "You'll never be a king if you think all is nice and good, Jacaerys."

"How do you think our ancestors became rulers? By asking nicely?" You laugh mockingly.

"They were evil, Jace. They killed, they lied, they cheated, and they played dirty! But all of that doesn't matter because it's all for us. Every evil thing they did, every life they gave up, every bad thing they thought of and did, it was all for their subjects, for the kingdom they ruled."

You watch the dilemma further intensify in Jacaerys' face, different thoughts conflicting in his head. Leaning against the stone wall, he watched the guards monitor the area, the torches in their hands lighting their pathways.

"How is that connected? When you told him to run into the fires, was it for the common good? Was it necessary? Did it save anyone?"

You sealed your lips at Jace's rhetorical questions, waiting for him to calm down as you saw him start to get angry at the subject. He notices the cautious look on your face, and so he sits back down on the chair in front of you.

He inhaled deeply. Part of him was relieved that he had finally gotten everything off his chest, but another part was also scared he might yell at you.

"I'm your wife, you are my husband. You should side with me, always." You stood up, walking to Jace as he looked up at you from his seat.

There had been something different when Jace looked into your eyes—something that pulled him differently.

In his mind, there were no longer two opposing sides; now, there was only one.

He rose from his seat, staring at you in silence as he was now looking down on you from his place.

Your forehead scrunched as you felt the air around both of you change, feeling a pair of hands go over the side of your bare arms, harshly pulling you close. Jace paused for a moment to look at you, licking his lips before he notices your slight nod, throwing every bit of rationality out of the window because of it.

The feeling of his lips hastily and aggressively attaching themselves to yours caught you off guard. Both of your eyes closed as you reciprocated the aggression, swiping your tongue against Jace's lips as you placed your arms around his neck, pulling him down.

He held the side of your face, tilting it a bit as he deepened the kiss. He leaned his body weight onto yours, the both of you stumbling before you hit the bedpost with an audible gasp.

You glared at him when he pulled away, his lips already pink and puffy.

"Get used to lying for me, I'm sure you could do that for your wife." You spoke quickly with one sharp intake of breath.

The sides of Jace's lips rise a bit, scoffing audibly before he kisses you once more. This time, much more aggressive than before. Tangling his tongue with yours as the two of you fought for dominance, his hands rushed to unbutton the buckles in front of his coat.

You pull roughly at the hair behind his head, pulling Jacaerys away with a teasing grin. He hissed at that, scowling at you.

"You are so insufferable," Jace mumbles before he pushes you softly onto the bed. He pulled off his vest as he went on top of you, harshly kissing your jaw while you held him close.

He starts sucking on various parts of your neck, his hands moving all over your body, making you mewl as you close your eyes. You felt his lips smile on your skin while leaving kisses on the places that he bit.

Right before he pulls off your nightgown, you felt him halt.

Your brows furrowed, slowly opening your eyes, only to see Jacaerys looking cautiously around the room, his nose scrunching as the smell started to invade your nose as well.

It smelled like fire, like something was burning.

You jerked up almost immediately, a hand on your chest as you took a quick look around. Smoke began to come in from the chamber door. Jace quickly turned over, pulling a random tunic from his closet. "There's something burning, stay here," he announces lowly, walking to the door.

You roll your eyes in disbelief; he just left you. Nonetheless, you stand up from the bed itself, walking to the window while Jace slowly opens the door. Smoke came into the chambers while the smell of the fire intensified as you approached the window. Your eyes squint at the foggy window, and you wave your hand by your face because of the smoke before a bright flame catches your attention.

Only then did it hit you that the fire wasn't inside the house; it was outside.

"Jace-"

A blade was put to your throat the moment you turned around. A boy that was a few centimeters taller than you with bandages all over his body, dark spots on his face. You gulped as you recognized him.

"I thought, the prince would be the one here..." he starts off, clutching your face tightly as he moves you away from the window. You gripped his arm as hard as you could, struggling to pull it off your jaw. "Doesn't matter. At least I'd get to collect your debt, running into the fire isn't exactly an... easy play. Acting like a gullible fool wasn't as well."

Your eyes flickered helplessly towards the door, hearing hard knocks from the outside and the door handle hitting loudly. He grabs your face with his other hand, pulling it in his direction with a wicked grin. "It's locked, princess."

He pulls off the bandage from one of his wrists, the one that wasn't holding you. Your forehead contorts as you see a familiar brand on it. He's from Essos, a member of the triarchy to be exact. "H-how did you get here?" You gritted your teeth when he pushed the blade closer as you spoke.

You don't get a response or a reaction from him, he merely stares at you. His fingers soon find themselves on your bare shoulders. "D'you know how many people have mistaken me for a boy?" He pulls you close to his lips, whispering in your ear, letting his foreign accent seep through his voice. You stiffened when you felt him lightly push aside the thin string of your nightdress.

"Think, Y/N." You screamed in your head, eyes blinking rapidly as you tried to think of something. Soon enough, you found yourself leaning back into the bed on your own accord as the man's eyebrow raised at your action, his grip on the blade loosening a bit as he let you do it. He paid close attention to your every move, like a predator to his prey.

You kept your eyes on him, pulling your leg up to make the ends of your dress hike up, and you felt a bit relieved as you saw his eyes go down your legs. He quickly stalks up to you, pressing his blade once more against your neck pulse.

"Don't jester with me, Hightower." He threatens, speaking the family name like something rotten.

"You said you wanted to get your end of the bargain, right?" You chuckled shakily, and he smirked as he watched you pull off the other string of your gown, his eyes feasting on your bare chest as he pulled down the front of your gown.

When you hear something clanging, you both turn quickly in that direction. Your eyes widen when you see Jacaerys, and you take a split second to grab a random golden vase from your bedside and smack the man's head as hard as you can.

"Took you long enough!" You yelled at Jace, glaring at him while the loud echo from the vase rang throughout the room. The man groaned loudly. Jace was about to reply when he saw the way the man's grip on the blade loosened before tightening once more around its handle.

He lunged towards him, pulling the man off of you as he pinned him down on the wooden floor with a loud thump, throwing away the blade from his grip. You pulled up the strings of your gown, running to their side and seeing Jace land a punch on him, the man under him trying to overpower him.

You sighed loudly, dropping down to the draping under the bed as you looked for the blade that Jace took away from the man. Once you managed to grab its handle, you pushed Jace off of him, driving the blade straight into his shoulder. What you did makes Jace's eyes widen. Your jaw clenched while you pulled the blade out before stabbing him once more. This time, in his chest, close to his heart.

His screams filled your chambers; what might sound like pure agony to Jace sounded like music to you. The man could have killed you as soon as you turned around, without any struggle, but it was his biggest mistake not doing so.

Right before you stab him the third time, Jace pulls you off. Taking the blade from your hand and dropping it to the floor. The two of you stare blankly at each other, chests heaving at what just happened. Everything happened so quickly—one moment you two were kissing, and then in the next you were already stabbing someone.

You blinked at the body on the bedroom floor, gulping as you saw the man panting for air, his hand covering the parts you had stabbed.

Jace watched you stare blankly at the body, also shocked at the sudden turn of events.

The two of you looked towards the doorway wherein Jace had entered, seeing Cregan and some of the guards of Winterfell with him. His eyes turned from the body on the floor to you and your bloodied hands, to Jace, and finally to the body laying on the floor. He gives one look to his guards, and they unlock your chamber's door. More men come in as they pull the body away.

Jace approaches your side, just as silent as you were. Cregan walks over to talk to the both of you, not before you beat him to speaking first.

"Me and my husband will be returning to King's Landing at first light on dragonback. Do tell your commanders to notify our guards of the decision." Jace turns to you. "Also, we will be bringing the man with us to face trial on charges of arson and attempted murder against the prince and princess."

Cregan looked to Jace for confirmation, concerned by your blank expression. You kept your face straight as you looked at Cregan, not bothering to look at Jacaerys.

"It is in my desire that you understand and accept my wife's decision, my lord. Her safety had been put at risk, as had mine.” He confirms, warily placing an arm around you.

You tilt your head, waiting for the lord's response. When he accepts your decision, saying that he'll arrange everything, you get to breathe again, walking away from the two men as you opened your cabinet and grabbed a new gown. You turned to them, raising an eyebrow before Cregan nodded, leaving the room and having servants clean the mess on the floor. 

"I told you, didn’t I?" You brought up when you and Jace were alone, the prince glancing at you. "He wasn't nice."

hearts, reactions, replies, and reblogs are very appreciated if you liked the story! <3 ^w^

jace taglist: @cosmicfairygirl @simrah1012 @lucerysvelaryonstan @lady-stark-winter-rose @moon1gt @aureliapappa @parkerctrl @bobfloydluvsblackwomen @m4nd0l0r

ftk taglist: @mfrnchsk @sexualityisajoke @elsyyie @instabull @ephemeralninon @chrisevansgirlfriendsposts @mainstreambitchlife @alexandra-001 @writer-lee5 @nightly-polaris @m4nd0l0r @roroswitherose @how2besalty @eds-gryff @icantpickausername @solacestyles @blue1006 @highexpectationsgurl @doe-inluv @kitkat-writes-stuff @alex4040 @cl-0-vr @frogoerson @neo-weareone @theamuz @illainebedeakin

#hotd #jacaerys imagines #jacaerys velaryon #jacaerys velaryon fic #jacaerys x reader imagine #jacaerys fluff #jacaerys x reader #jacaerys targaryen #hotd fics #jacaerys targaryen x reader

[ruiniel]

Hidden

Fandom: Castlevania series (2017-2021)

Pairing: Alucard x fem!reader

Rating: 🔞

Count: 1.5k

Tags & Warnings: Alucard POV, frustrated masturbation, Adrian get yourself together hon, pining, romantic angst, resolved emotional tension, finally they talk, this can only go on for so long, one chapter left

Part I - Part II - Part IV

III. Moments between

He paces up many coiled stairways, clawing carelessly at the wall with one taloned hand.

Why did you do that? You’re leaving, you sounded undecided but you will probably follow, and he’ll never see you again. He could barely keep himself from telling you all the things that sprouted like poison from his heart in those moments, but he tried, tried to be the friend you needed. 

Because he is a fool who waited for too long, and in the end, he does wish you well.

Adrian slams shut the door to his chamber, wondering how he ended up here as he gazes long at its darkness, its barrenness. With clipped movements he discards his coat and boots and slowly walks forward, dropping unceremoniously on the bed with his head in his hands. 

He's a fool, yes, and an idiot besides, because the pain of the tiding you imparted tonight is only surpassed by the sweet, hot silk of your tongue on an inch of skin. 

He rises again, walking to and fro like a trapped animal in a cage.

Why the hell did you do that? You're not the kind of person who would toy with another, and yet... he couldn’t read the look in your eyes. He sits back down, wanting to both cry and scream, not brave enough to go back there and ask you. And why, to make things worse? He's come to know you and he most certainly has come to love you in so many ways, and hell knows he respects you enough to not intervene in such an important moment of your life. 

And still, the most basic instinct curls like a cornered wolf inside him ready to pounce, shattering those honorable thoughts; the wetness of your mouth won't leave his mind.

Lying on the bed, he breathes in, breathes out, trying to shut it all from thought. He tries, but his body won’t listen. He tries, even as he slowly undoes his belts and trousers. 

He shouldn't, he has no right to use the memory of you this way.  Adrian growls low in his throat, arms falling at his sides. While he can gut night creatures with his bare hands, the guilty pleasure trickling like nectar from the warmth of your tongue makes it impossible to win here.

He'll be selfish. He'll have this, at least, for his own. He slides his trousers down his hips and takes himself in hand, and his fingers are soon sticky with his slick. He’s never been easily affected by these things, but now he's so sensitive it might consume him alive if he doesn't do something to ease the pressure and it doesn't take long, either; the thought of your closeness and the conjuring of his imagination is more than enough, and he strokes almost spitefully, until he's shivering and groaning, spilling himself over his hand. 

Panting, he stares up at the ceiling without seeing it, lying still with his trousers undone and his shirt in disarray. 

At least he can think now, but that is no improvement, apparently. His low, bitter laughter fills the silence. “Pathetic...” Adrian shakes his head, eyes closing against tears that mock.

He does his best to avoid crossing paths with you for the following days. He fills his time with every chore possible and roams the forest at night, running with the animals that see him as their own when he shape-shifts. His feelings fall in the background in that state, which provides much needed respite as the time of your departure approaches. Even though he tells himself he can't and won't be there, come the time, he's on the battlement high up, watching the cart he knows is yours depart on slow wheels.

He's not even said farewell, and you hadn't sought him out, either. It's better this way, Adrian keeps repeating, close to doubling over from the grief drowning the shores of his spirit. 

He walks away when the caravan disappears from sight, descending towards the laboratory and library on a known path strewn with many memories, berating himself for his cowardice for a while, but concluding with a sigh at the futility of it all.

“You're here.”

There is no greater absurdity than the sound of your voice. Has he gone mad? But then it’s accompanied by the sight of you, sitting at one long working table, a vial in hand and a tome in the other, looking straight at him.

Adrian goes rigid, a million conflicting thoughts pinning him to the spot. “... so are you.” He dreads asking, and he's never feared anything in his life before. “Why?”

You cast your eyes down. “I decided to stay,” you say, raising your gaze to his. “Here.”

He can't quite grasp it yet, merely waiting for you to continue.

“The gist of it is... I thought long about it: about what I want, and what I don't want. Matei and I spoke... we parted amiably enough.” You sigh, closing the tome.

If you're miserable for your choice, he's the lowest of beasts for the relief bursting through him. “You're staying.”

“I'm staying,” you repeat, not quite smiling. “And you've been avoiding me.”

Adrian takes a step further, then another. “I had to.” Damn his heart, choking on the words. “I needed to,” he admits.

“No,” you rise and near. “You don't need to explain yourself. I'm sorry for... I didn't think that night, I didn't mean to...”

Damn this. “You didn't?” He looks down on you now, taller as he is, because your face shows... vulnerability, the kind he's never, ever seen before, but now he can’t stop whatever pushes him. 

You're staring at him strangely. “Adrian I... you don't know... you don't know...” You turn away, hiding your face from him and how he wishes you wouldn't, because this feels like cleaning a festering wound: necessary.

He nears you, daring to place a hand on your shoulder. “Will you tell me, then?”

Your shoulders rise then fall. “I stayed for myself, yes. I stayed because it would be such a shame to throw away my purpose... but I also stayed to be near you. I couldn't imagine myself... so far away from...”

A pause. Elation. He feels like a jester whose cunning has been strangled out of him by a mad king. “I'm happy you stayed,” Adrian says simply. The admission hangs in the air, a fragile bridge spanning the chasm between you.

You turn your head, and in your eyes there is horror melded with surprise. Your hand goes involuntarily to your chest, and he knows what you're reaching for. “How so?”

He's dangerously close to shattering, but speaks anyway. “The night I gifted you that pendant, I wanted to ask you something, but then… well.”

You swallow a tremble to your voice when you speak. “What did you want to ask, Adrian?”

You’re standing there, closer than you've ever been. Everything is turned on its head, his sadness melted by the cinders of hope. “If you’d join me, if you'd go away with me, on a trip. Just you and I, together. I know a path, I’ve been… I’ve been going for years, at around this time. It involves a lot of trekking, but the sights are splendid, worth it.” 

“Just you and I?”

You’re tilting closer, a hand on his arm.

“Yes. It’s safe besides.”

“I'd feel safe with you anywhere,” you murmur, your lashes heavier. The speed of your heartbeat rouses his blood.  “ And I really didn’t mean to… last time, but I…” Your hand reaches for his, and he can but watch with bated breath as you hug it to your chest then kiss his palm, eyes closing. “I couldn’t help it.” And as if to prove it, you gently nip at one finger.

There are times in one's life when a single moment separates a chapter from another, but it may be so short that one breath of hesitation is enough to chase it away. No, Adrian thinks. Not this time. 

His finger glides along your lips, pausing midway. “You didn’t answer,” he follows gently, bathing in the sight, scent, and sensation of you. 

You seem trapped by the gesture, lips parted as Adrian slowly wets his thumb on the lower one. He’s beginning to see, to understand. 

“Yes,” you utter, eyes lowering just as his fingers wrap around your chin and he dips his face to yours.

You fall into him when he takes an eager taste of your mouth, and Adrian thanks his innate balance but lets himself be happily affected, an arm wrapping around you as he props himself against the nearest shelf. Your hands are on him, your body leaning into his with complete trust. And when you break apart, it’s with a clarity that overwhelms him, starved and haplessly relieved.

“Sweet, sweet girl…” Adrian soothes, running both hands up and down your back; you shudder, and the rush he feels at that is beatific. He doesn’t dare speak it aloud, not yet.

But there are steps, voices. 

You both quickly tilt towards a more secluded space, wrapped around each other, watching a study group walk into the library. 

Adrian closes his eyes, reminded of the time then looks at you, placing a short kiss on your forehead. This is far from over, you need to speak, there are so many things … you both need.  “... My chambers?” 

You nod without hesitation, coiling your arms tightly around his neck.

Part IV

#adrian tepes x reader #alucard castlevania x reader #castlevania x reader #x reader #alucard x reader #adrian tepes x you #ruiniel:fanfiction #castlevania alucard x reader #castlevania x you #castlevania imagine #character x reader #alucard x you

[lu-is-not-ok]

horrid thought i had: if your theory on k corp hong lu being semi-conscious during stasis is right, does that not mirror carmen during lobotomy corporation?

...

Wait. Hold on. Wait. Wait hold on.

Ok, so here's the thing: For a while now I've already had a suspicion that Hong Lu's deal is like, way more important than he lets on.

This might sound like a conspiracy Game Theory Matpat rant, but here me out.

First of all, Hong Lu has this weird tendency to break patterns in much less obvious ways than the other suspicious Sinners, to the point it's been driving me insane?

Like.

Okay.

First.

Remember those promo PVs of each Sinner? And how each of them ended on a glimpse of their trauma and All of them either directly referenced a potentially traumatic event or had the Sinner sound distraught? Except for Hong Lu, who doesn't sound in any way distressed like the others did, and then after the game logo is revealed he asks if something he said was weird.

Like, sure, it does make sense for him to say that in context of what he says during that video, but isn't it so fucking weird that the one Sinner with a section in his promo that seems slightly off is also the one who asks if anything he said during that section was weird?

Second.

You know those intro segments during the prologue, that are also on the official limbuscompany.com website? The ones that offer managerial instructions for each Sinner?

Pay close attention to those. For every Sinner, these instructions specify how to deal with that specific Sinner's eccentricities.

Don't show Gregor your disgust. Wait for Rodya's bad mood to pass. Give Sinclair positive reinforcement. Wait patiently for Yi Sang to finish thinking. Look Ishmael's way for sound advice, but don't break her trust. Understand Heathcliff is simple-minded and contact HR if he causes problems. Play along with Don's Fixer act. Don't make Ryoshu breed personal resentment towards you. Give clear and concise commands to Meursault. Give Outis short replies of agreement but keep an eye on her. Simply nod and get it over with when conversing with Faust.

...But then there's Hong Lu's. Which says nothing how to deal with his eccentricities, but rather to not let Other Sinners get physical with him over them. It's not about keeping him in line, it's about keeping other people's reactions to him in line.

I want to note this especially because several other Sinners break patterns in their introductions as well. Meursault's is one sentence. Ryoshu and Outis have a warning. Don Quixote's particulars include a [REDACTED] on the website. Faust's directly asks the manager to fuck around and find out. However, the way Hong Lu's intro instructions break the pattern is the most subtle out of all of them, to the point I genuinely did not realize that was the case until I had read all of them over multiple times.

Third.

Hong Lu's Base E.G.O animation. If you watch all of the Base E.G.O animations in a row, you'll notice that for all of them, the Sinners start already in frame... Except for Hong Lu, who visibly jumps into the frame from off-screen.

Now, you could argue that, technically, Don runs into her animation from off-screen as well, however I think there is a bit of a difference here. Don's animation is too quick to see her actually run in. We see she's not there for maybe a frame, before she pops with an animation that implies she had just run in and needs to break her momentum. This is unlike Hong Lu's, whom we Actively See descend from Off-Screen.

Now, I know what some of you may be thinking.

That I am coping. That these are coincidences. That I'm looking too deeply into things.

However. Here's a connection that I just recently realized, that has been Fucking Me Up.

Mild spoilers for Canto IV and like the first two chapters or so of Dream of the Red Chamber, if anyone cares.

You know how Limbus Company has this... fixation on stars? There's the whole thing with Dante following a star, stars granting wishes, people turning into weird beings from wishing to be stars, and there's this general connection to the sky and space because of Demian also doubling as a reference to The Little Prince.

And then something weird hit me.

See, Dream of the Red Chamber starts with a bit of a backstory to the jade that would later be reincarnated into Bao-yu. You see, it was one of the many stones used by a godess to create the sky. However, this one specific jadestone ended up being the only one not used in that creation, which then led to it feeling horrible about itself, which then led to a monk and a taoist deciding to have that stone reincarnate as a human and live through a human life, kickstarting the rest of the novel.

I'm like, heavily simplifying this, but that's the gist of how that whole thing starts.

Which. Made me think. A jadestone that was part of the ones meant to build the sky, but ended up being left unused. The sky. Stars. Hong Lu being seemingly named after the jade rather than Bao-yu directly.

Holy shit there's no way they won't reference this in some way, right? Right?

So, now imagine me, at my fucking wit's end, having the biggest crackpot theory brewing in my mind.

And you send this ask comparing K Corp Hong Lu to Carmen.

I am going insane.

#limbus company #limbus company project moon #hong lu #hong lu lcb #lcb analysis #lcb speculation #lcb canto iv #lcb spoilers #ask #mulberriesandtea #lu speaketh #no i'm not normal thanks for asking

[miirohs]

rats [u.s.p]

pairing: OPLA!Usopp x GN!Reader wc: 0.6k cw: spoilers for opla eps 5-7 but ive forgot which eps exactly so proceed with caution an: if i had a dime for every time i felt uncomfortable writing kisses id have a shit ton of dimes bc i dont want to write kisses but if it calls for it i must answer.

"Usopp, i need help!" You snapped, broom clutched precariously in your hands as you stood on the hanging table.

As your eyes scanned the floor, the small rat you had seen earlier darted across the floor, causing you to yelp and stumble back a little.

You had been stuck in the kitchen for a while, at a stalemate with the critter. You weren't sure anyone had heard your cries for help.

"Hey Y/n, i thought i hear you calling- What the hell?!" He jumped as the rat scuttled around his feet, moving back faster than you had ever seen him move before. It might have been comedically funny if it weren't for that fact that it was a rat, on deck of all things.

"Usopp you coward! Now's not the time to move away!" Usopp stared at you, looking down at the floor before looking back up with a hint of guilt in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, i might have left some snacks out, and i think... it might have attracted the little guy. But don't worry, I'll take care of it!" He offered, and you sighed in exasperation.

"Just... just be quiet for a moment. Let me handle this." With a deep breath, you steadied yourself on the table and lowered the broom cautiously towards the rat.

With a quick lunge, making a dangerous swipe at the critter.

"Gotcha! Wait whoa-" You lunged too far, dangerously far off the edge of the table.

Usopp's eyes widened in alarm, and he sprang into action, reaching out to grab you as your arms flailed, trying and failing to regain the balance.

Your breaths came in ragged gasps, and you looked up at him, your eyes wide.

"Rats," you muttered, warmth spreading across your face as you leaned slightly into his arms. "I'm sorry. Thank you for catching me, though."

He smiled, his dark eyes softening with concern. "Of course, I've got your back. It was a close call, though. Are you okay?"

You nodded, feeling grateful but also a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

Usopp chuckled, his hand still lingering on your waist. "Well, I guess I owe you one now."

As he let go, you couldn't help but notice the warmth in his eyes and the gentle smile on his face.

You continued to watch the rat scuttle about the room, eyes wandering from his, broom clutched firmly in your hands.

The little creature had found a temporary refuge beneath the table, and you beckoned to Usopp. Whispering, you said, "I think we need a more strategic plan."

Usopp nodded in agreement, strange look in his eye as he watched the animal alongside you. "You're right. Let's not scare it too much. I have an idea. You stay here and keep an eye on the rat, and I'll try to guide it toward you."

Grabbing a jar, he quickly set up a contraption, fiddling with it before eventually placing a piece of cheese under it.

"Where did you get the cheese?" You whispered as he joined you, crouching next to you behind the island.

Usopp grinned smugly. "I always have a secret stash of snacks. Just in case of emergencies, you know."

"Dude, in what case would we ever need cheese?" You laughed, hushing as Usopp landed a smack to the back, pointing to the jar.

The two of you watched as the rat slowly approached the jar, lured by the scent of the cheese. Its tiny nose twitched, and it cautiously entered the opening, pawing its way in.

With a deft movement, he slid a thin piece of cardboard under the jar, trapping the rat inside. It squeaked in surprise, causing you to jump a little.

"We got it!" Usopp exclaimed, a triumphant grin on his face. "Well done, (Y/N)!"

You couldn't help but laugh in relief, "You're a hero Usopp."

He grinned, his chest puffing out a little with pride. "Well, it's all in a day's work for the brave captain of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"Well, i don't think the actual captain would take very nicely to that," You smirked, taking the jar from him.

"Hey-" He said, looking at you seriously before breaking into a smile, "-there's no telling. It can just be our little secret."

"Well, i'm going to have to charge you for that... How about a kiss?" You smiled at him, putting down the jar.

He glanced around the room before leaning in closer to you, a mischievous glimmer in his eye.

"Well, I suppose I could consider it as payment for saving you from that rat," he replied, his voice teasing.

The two of you shared a brief, sweet kiss. Warmth spread, goosebumps running down your arms as the chaos of the kitchen seem to melt away.

When you finally pulled away, Usopp had a satisfied grin on his face. "Consider us even now."

"Deal-"

A crash interrupted you, and you turned around, smashed jar now on the floor instead of the counter, without a rat to hold.

"Rats. Not again."

"Rats indeed. Better not let Sanji see that," He said, scurrying away as you flushed.

"You better get your ass back here Usopp!"

#opla x reader #opla usopp #opla ussop x reader #opla spoilers #op live action #op x reader #op #opla #opla x y/n #one piece live action #opla x you #one piece live action spoilers #live action one piece #op x you #op x y/n #op usopp #op fluff #op usopp x reader #op fic #opla fic #opla fanfiction #opla fluff #usopp #one piece usopp #god usopp #one piece netflix #op fanfic #oplaedit

[hugejk]

hearts aglow - jb5

summary: idk really just based this off of hearts aglow by weyes blood

wc: idk it’s kinda long tho

"hearts aglow, we dont know where were going"

sitting at the counter in your kitchen, scrolling on your phone not knowing where jude is. He got off training almost an hour ago, he hasnt texted you in ages. you starte to worry but right as you went to tet him you hear the door swing open, "honey im home!" jude says as he dropped his bag. "Ive been worried sick jude, where have you been?" you say slightly angered as he hasnt texted you, but then jude reaches into his bag an pulls out a bag of your favorite snacks.

"i was so bored take me to the water babe, show me whats its like to be yours"

jude hugged you, taking in his scent. Somehow he smelt good for coming back from training. He puled away and looked you in your eyes, "i have a suprise for you.." You give him an eyebrow while looking him up an own, "whats the suprise?' you say. "its a suprise for a reason"" jude says with a cheeky grin.

"oh but baby your the only one who would drive me down to the pier, take me up on that ferris wheel"

"jude babe, i think we need gas.." you say as the tank is meter is barely on E. "yeah i think so too." jude says as hes stil focused on the road, pulling into the nearest gas station. "do you want any snacks?" he asks as hes getting our of the car. "no im good, you already got me enough snacks." you say chuckling a bit. You pull out your phone and start scrolling waiting for jude to finish. As he got back into the car he looks you up and down, mesmerized by your effortless beauty.

“you can’t control hearts aglow”

you watch as you pass by the lights of the inner city, wondering where jude is taking you. You pass by people with their families, loved ones, and friends. All walking into shops, laughing, eating, and talking. You can’t help to think of your family, how much you miss them. You come to a stop at a red light. “babe y’good?” jude asks in his thick accent. “yeah, just miss my family a little.” you say still looking out the window. “well hopefully this amazing suprise planned by the best boyfriend in the world will help cheer ya up” jude says as he steps on the gas pedal.

“might be the moon, or the cotton candy, or it might be a man, who finally understands me.”

you finally make it to the suprise destination, a small carnaval in a random old parking lot. Jude gets out and opens your door. He bows as you get out and you can’t help but laugh a little at his antics. Jude grabs your hand and leads you into the entrance, a small fee of 5 dollars per person. “i’m a bit hungry, you want anything?” jude says looking at all the food booths around you two. “Some funnel cake sounds really good right now.” you say hoping they have it. Seeing the booth that says “funnel cake” in bright lights makes you excited, you let go of jude’s hand without thinking and run over to the booth, getting in line enthusiastically. It takes a while for jude to come back to you, but once he does he puts his arm around your waist to let everyone know that youre his.

“cause i’ve been waiting for for my life to begin, for someone to light up my heart again”

after getting your food, you and jude casually walked around, pointing out the game booths, dogs casually walking around with no owners, some of the rides that sound interesting. Walking by one booth you see a stuffed animal of a seal (your favorite animal) and you immediately pull jude to the booth and beg him to win it for you. It was a simple game, get the rings onto the bottles to win a prize. Jude reluctantly agreed and you stood by him, watching how he flicked the rings onto the bottles, how his perfect face was contoured perfectly in all of the lights around him. You were so busy examining him, that you didn’t even see that he won the seal for you! As jude handed the stuffed seal to you, you pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, thanking him.

“hearts aglow, we don’t know where we’re going”

as your night came to an end, jude insisted you two got on the ferris wheel to complete it. With your seal between your arm and torso, you agreed and made your way to the ferris wheel. It wasn’t one of those big ones, a tiny humble wheel with enough room to fit you two. As long as the wait was your started to think maybe it wasn’t worth it, but finally it was your turn. as you two got into the tiny cart, seal stuffed in between you two, it was finally time to start the ride. Taking in the beautiful view from above, all of the lights, all of the people, cars, and buildings. Jude turned your head towards him and gently kissed your lips, as unexpected as it was, it was quite enjoyable. As his lips moved with yours perfectly, he pulled away and gave you a soft smile. “i was waiting all night to do that.” he said as he held you hand. “i was expecting a kiss before we left.” you said playing with his hand.

“i love you.”

“imposible, i love you more.”

A/N: FIRST FIC DONE LETS GOOOOO 😛😛 pls tell me what you think because i genuinely don’t know what i wrote 😭

#jude bellingham #jb22 #jude bellingham imagines #jb5 #jude bellingham one shot #jude

[enigmatist17]

Eh, just an idea that came to mind </3

--------------------

He's on the Resolute when he opens his eyes.

Well, that shouldn't be even remotely possible, Rex knows for a fact he died on Yavin IV.

He knows he died.

"Rex? Is everything alright?" Shaking his head, Rex is grateful he's wearing his bucket when he turns to see Ahsoka, a young Ahsoka with so much life to her, looking up at him expectantly.

"I, yes, sorry." Rex somehow wills his voice to remain steady, and Ahsoka raises her eyebrow.

"Right...so, are we still going to train with Jesse or what? I'm hoping to get at least an hour in before Master Anakin forces me to try and sleep." The padawan rolls her eyes, missing the way Rex allows himself a shaky breath as he wordlessly follows Ahsoka down hallways that he traveled in his nightmares.

"Hey, what took you guys so long?" Jesse waved when the two entered, and Ahsoka hurried her pace into the training room with a grin. "Hardcase and I are betting who can take you down first, and I plan on winning."

"In your dreams!" Hardcase laughed, shoving him goodnaturedly as some of the other men watched their banter in amusement.

"For the record, he has gotten further than you." Dogma pointed out, and smirked when Hardcase looked betrayed.

"You have to step your game up, otherwise all those delicious ration packs might be eaten." Fives laughed from where he and Echo were arm wrestling, lamenting when Echo managed to take his momentary distraction to his advantage. "Kriff."

"What was that about never losing?" Echo grinned, the expression faltering when he looked behind Fives. "Captain, are you alright?"

Every set of eyes in the room darted over to the door just as Rex's knees hit the floor, and the playful energy in the room vanishes as Ahsoka is the first to reach his side. He can hear her talking to him, but the ringing in his ears drowns over every word as small fingers probe him for injuries that aren't there, skin devoid of the scars he would come to earn later in his life. Kix is kneeling in front of him now, and Rex jerks back when the medic tries to lift his helmet off, scrambling to his feet and away from the mass of soldiers who were extremely concerned at seeing their captain acting out of the ordinary.

"Captain, talk to us." Fives approaches him with his hands raised, and Rex wants to joke about not being some scared animal, but every word he could have said just seem to get stuck in his throat as he just stares. "Please, let us help."

"I..." He sounds like he's been screaming for hours, and motions for Fives to step back as he regards the people in front of him.

"Hey, is everything alright in here?"

The universe stops as Rex turns ever so slightly to look at the other entrance to the training room, and has his blasters out and pointed before he can even blink.

"What the hell is going on?!" Jesse hissed, everyone remaining still as if the slightest movement could trigger Rex to fire. "Are you out of your mind Rex?!"

"Rex, buddy, what are you doing?" Anakin holds both of his hands up, staring back at the man who has both blasters focused directly at his head. While the Jedi might not be the best shooter, he knows when someone is aiming to kill, and more so when they're terrified of their target. The raw fear and anger spilling into the Force from Rex could probably be felt all the way to Coruscant, and Anakin can only wonder what's changed in the last hour since they had successfully completed their latest campaign.

"Stay right there." Rex nearly spits out the words to Anakin, and the Jedi doesn't move a muscle as Rex takes one step forward.

"Rex, talk to us." Ahsoka darted forward before anyone could protest, putting herself directly between Rex and Anakin. "We won't hurt you!"

"He would." The anger is gone from his voice, but his stance hasn't faltered for a moment as he readjusts his aim around her. "Move Ahsoka."

"No, I won't let you hurt Master Skywalker." She stood firm, and Rex finally looks away from Anakin down to her, and the sorrow that suddenly traveled through the Force nearly had her step back.

"Rex...what's happened to you?" Anakin doesn't flinch when Rex looks back up, just keeping his stance as calm as possible. "You can always talk to me about anything."

Rex shakes his head, and drops his arms with a strangled noise no one in the room had heard before, his guns clattering to the floor as he sinks back onto his knees. Ahsoka once again kneels in front of him, and Rex doesn't fight her as she reaches up and removes his bucket, revealing a tear-stained face heavy with loss and exhaustion.

If someone had looked at Rex earlier in the day, he would not be the same man now openly showing his sorrow in front of them, as if he'd been carrying a burden for a long time.

"Rex, talk to us." Echo kneels beside his commander, feeling dread at the way Rex looks at him with a pained expression.

"We lost everything."

The Resolute stands motionless in her post as every single clone aboard is ordered to the hangar, to be addressed by Captain Rex.

He talks to them for hours and tells them of the future, a future he had died as the last clone from the army that had once stood as millions strong. How they were all created to be one thing, a weapon to wield against the Jetti, and bring about an end to the Republic they fought for so dearly. His voice breaks when he speaks of the day they all turned against their Jetti, of how he and Ahsoka became one of the last of the surviving 501st because he had headed Fives' warning and fought against the weapons inside their heads. Rex tells them of the Empire that rose from the ashes of the day they had their free will torn from them, how clones either served and died under the Empire, or were tortured and killed by the same. He speaks of their numbers dwindling in such a short time, until finally, he was the only one left, the only one who had helped bring the Empire to its death.

Rex is staring at Anakin when he speaks of the way he was manipulated by Palpatine, the Jedi looking horrified when he learns he became a Sith that killed too many innocents to mention. Rex is staring at Ahsoka when he speaks of the Rebellion that she helped build, and is haunted when he speaks of the day she died in his arms.

Rex isn't standing by the end, his voice hoarse as he's slumped against Fives, just speaking about everything vital until he finally goes silent. He watches as Kix and the medics all but vault for the exit, and Rex can breathe in relief when he knows that the chips will be found within minutes.

Rex is left with the Jetti alone in the hangar when the men filter back to their posts, all awaiting their turn to be seen by the medics. Ahsoka is hugging him as tight as she can, feeling so horrified and lost at what they had learned, and wanted Rex to feel that he wasn't alone again. Anakin is sitting by his side, one hand on Rex's shoulder, and the other holding up his lightsaber as he stares at it, suddenly finding his weapon fit more for an executioner rather than a Knight.

"Keep it." Rex's voice is barely above a whisper, and Anakin looks at him. "You're a symbol."

"No...not with what you told me." Anakin was a monster, so blind to trust Palpatine, who was using him rather than actually caring for him.

"You have time, use it." Slowly, Rex places his hand on the hilt, and with a hum, the familiar blue blade slides out. "You are a good Jedi."

"I promise to stay that way, I promise." Anakin puts his other hand over Rex's, and for the first time since he had to watch his own brothers die so long ago, Rex feels something.

Hope.

#star wars #star wars clone wars #tcw #swtcw #captain rex #tcw rex #tcw ahsoka #tcw anakin #tcw jesse #tcw fives #tcw echo #tcw hardcase #tcw dogma #time travel fix it #rex time travel au? #I just felt super sad today #and Rex is just perfect for this #might expand might not #order 66 fix it

[aninag]

Lonesome

Series: FGO

Merlin x gender neutral reader

Warnings: blood, angst, memory loss, references to death, reader isn't a master, Merlin is sus but when isn't he sus, wounds

Word count: 4.9k

Strange things have been happening, but you're the only one who seems to take notice. Even your dearest Merlin seems to be oblivious.

--

ii.

"Darling, are you alright? What are you doing sitting here in the dark?"

You blinked. The setting sun cast long shadows on the table. There was still light out, but darkness had started to creep in the corners of the room. You rubbed your temples, trying to dispel whatever it was that had distracted you earlier.

A pair of warm arms engulfed you, followed by the sweet scent of flowers. You closed your eyes and leaned against his warmth. It felt as if you'd been running nonstop at a breakneck pace. The tension in your body eased as you snuggled closer.

"Sorry," you mumbled against his chest. "I was waiting for you and I guess I just got lost in thought... I can't even remember what I was thinking about."

Merlin ran his fingers through your hair before he pulled back. Even in the dim light, his purple eyes still shone bright. A fond expression filled his face, which made you smile back.

"Ah! Did you miss me? Was that making you worry?" He waggled his eyebrows before pressing a kiss to your cheek. "Silly darling. I'll always be here with you. You have nothing to fear."

He suddenly stood, carrying you out of your chair in one fell swoop. You grabbed at his shoulder to steady yourself as he lifted you out of the room.

"Now then, shall we get started on supper? I've worked up quite an appetite!"

He stepped out of the threshold, laughing at your halfhearted protests. A half-finished cup of tea sat abandoned on the table. As the light from the fading sun dimmed to red, one could hardly see the blood streaks on the teacup.

--

iii.

You always rose just before dawn. The farmstead was small, but you preferred to get most of the work done before high noon so you needed the early start. Most days, you'd wake before Merlin did. You'd prepare breakfast in the kitchen before the smell of coffee and food dragged him away from his slumber. He'd stagger in, yawning and grumbling all the way to the table.

On rare days however, just like this morning, you'd find yourself tangled up in his arms and pinned down by the weight of his body. His warmth, the slow rhythm of his breathing, and the softness of the bed; all of it tempted you to go back to sleep. On days like these, getting out of bed seemed an impossible task. It would have been so easy to just cave in and surrender, to just sleep in.

"Darling," you muttered against his ear, "I need to get up."

You heard him grumble before he tightened his grip around you. "You don't need to get up, you just want to."

You huffed. "Fine. I want to get up so I can get started on our breakfast. Could you let me go?"

"Don't you want to relax for once? Just sleep in with me for a bit?"

You smiled at his petulance. "Tempting. Very very tempting offer, my darling. But if I do that, Bessie, Gertie, Clover, and Dixie will go hungry in the barn. If they get grumpy they might not give us any milk or eggs."

He clicked his tongue. "The animals can survive a few hours. They'll understand if you need to get some rest. Just stay with me for a while?"

His eyes remained resolutely closed, but his brow was starting to furrow. You pressed kisses against his face until his face relaxed again.

"Thirty minutes. After that, we're both getting out of bed."

--

iv.

Hunting for the eggs was your favorite chore. Your two hens always made it a challenge. They kept picking small nooks and crannies to lay eggs in, and they rarely picked the same spot twice. Today however, both hens seemed to have it out for you. You'd been wandering the farmstead for an hour now and you didn't have a single egg to show for it.

The cows watched indifferently as you walked across the field. You'd checked the barn and the coop twice over. You'd even looked near the farmhouse but had only come up empty. The only place left to look was the tool shed. Hopefully the hens had just enough mercy for you that they wouldn't lay their eggs on the shed's roof.

You peered among the metal tools, looking for a splash of white or brown to clue you in. It was still early in the day, but the shed didn't have any windows to bring in the light. It was cold, dark, and musty. All you had to rely on was the stream of light from the doorway, so you clumsily felt around.

"Aha!"

You spotted a small brown egg tucked away behind a sickle. As carefully as you could, you reached out to grab it. Thankfully you didn't nick yourself with the sickle, and you carefully placed the egg inside. Before you could start looking for another egg however, a strange object caught your attention.

Your chest felt tight. Cold sweat formed on your brow. Dread pooled in your stomach. The object unnerved you yet you couldn't gaze away. It entranced you, pulling you closer and closer. With a trembling hand, you reached out to grab it. Your fingers grazed the cold metal surface, turning your dread into terror.

White robes filled your vision. Warm hands rubbed your back and stroked your hair. In your terror, you hugged him tight. Merlin brought you out into the sunlight, but the chill had settled in your skin. Your teeth chattered as he looked you over.

Worry was a strange expression on his face. It was never he that worried, it was always you. Right? He was always the one that brought sunshine and flowers to your gloomy days. He'd always be the one to console you, to tell you that everything was fine, that it was alright to just slip back to sleep-

"You're hurt!" you gasped.

Bright crimson streaks covered his white robes. His pristine face and white locks were flecked with red. Panicked, you rifled through the rest of his body, trying to figure out where he was bleeding from. His clothes didn't look torn. There were no obvious wounds on his hands or neck. But there was just so much blood! How could anyone be alright with that much blood coming out of them?

"Shh. Shh. I'm alright. I'm not hurt," he said. Gently, he guided your arm in front of you. "You must have gotten hurt inside the tool shed, darling."

Your arm was drenched in blood. A large gaping wound wrapped around your forearm, slowly dripping blood on both of you. The scent of copper hit you like a wave, overpowering the usual scent of flowers your darling always carried. Strangely enough, there was little to no pain. All you felt was an unnerving chill.

"I must have gotten nicked by the sickle..." you muttered. "I was looking for some eggs then-"

You pursed your lips. A confusing tangle of thoughts prevented you from recalling what happened. All you could remember was a dark shape, coupled with dread and terror. You couldn't move. You couldn't scream. All you could do was watch as it moved closer and closer, until the cold metal pressed firmly against your chest and-

"Shh. If it's too much, don't think about it anymore darling." Merlin hugged you tight. The combined scent of blood and flowers was almost nauseating. You bit your lip to keep yourself from gagging. "Let's get you all patched up and change into some clean clothes."

You nodded and let yourself be carried back to the house. He was right. What would dwelling upon it achieve at this point? You got hurt, so the next step was fixing yourself up. What did it matter if you couldn't recall exactly how you got hurt?

As he carried you across the field, your blood dripped down on the grass. As the blood fell, the once vibrant green shoots faded and shriveled up. Patches of grass started to die and crumble, revealing the dry cracked earth.

--

v.

"Penny for your thoughts, darling?"

You snapped out of your daze, but a high-pitched ringing remained in your ears. It was so persistent that you could have mistaken them for sirens in the distance. But that wouldn't have made sense. There were no busy cities or towns nearby. There was no reason for sirens to ring here in your peaceful, quiet farm.

Frustrated, you sat up and started rubbing at your ears. The sudden movement knocked off the throw wrapped around you. The air around you was warm enough given that you were curled up in front of the hearth. The cheery fire gave more than enough light to light up Merlin's features. Mischief and adoration danced in his eyes, and his mouth was upturned in a familiar smirk. He reached out to cradle your cheek.

"I hope you're not thinking of some other person while you're cuddling up to me, darling. My fragile ego can't take that hit," he teased, squeezing your cheek fondly.

You leaned into his hand and pressed a soft kiss in apology. "Sorry darling. I've just been drifting... I can't remember what I was even thinking so hard about... What were we talking about earlier?"

The corners of his eyes crinkled and he shook his head. "Nothing important. Don't worry about it darling. All that matters right now is that we're both safe here."

You grinned back. "Where else would I go?"

His smile remained, but the light in his eyes seemed to dim. His eyebrows knit together. The sounds of the fire seemed to soften and the air turned cold. Fear seized you. Your chest began to pound and your body tensed up. Your mouth ran dry and your tongue felt too heavy to move. Everything felt wrong.

You looked imploringly at him for answers, but he remained silent. His smile was colored with so much sadness that you felt like crying. You wanted to reach out, to hold him and comfort him. But you remained still, rooted to your spot by your dread fear.

He pressed a kiss to your forehead before everything faded to black.

"Where else would you go?" he muttered.

--

vi.

You shivered in the crisp spring air as you watched Merlin work in the field. The sun was high in the sky, but the rays were still too weak to combat the cold. You wrapped your jacket tighter against you and cradled your mug.

In the field, he tended to the crops with his staff. He'd forgone his white robes, choosing instead to work in his black shirt and pants. He spun his wooden staff, sending small clouds of rain to water the rows of wheat. He waved at you when he caught you staring. You waved back.

While he rose later than you did, he would almost always finish his chores quicker than you. He made tending to the crops look so easy. With a flick of his staff, meters of farmland would get fertilized and watered. What would have taken you several hours to complete would take him mere minutes.

The only reason you finished ahead today was because your chores revolved around the cows. The chickens were gone. Merlin opined that they must have escaped through a hole in the fence. It must have been a small hole since the cows hadn't run off, but it would be best to repair it soon. Chickens were easy enough to replace but cows were expensive. Perhaps you could ask him to help you repair the fence after he finished tending to the crops. You could grab some tools from the shed first and-

You dropped your mug. Cold, deep, nauseating fear sank deep in your bones. You looked at your arms, running your fingers on the smooth unblemished skin. There was no cut, no scars, no redness, no hurt. It was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!

You had a cut here yesterday! You were sure of it! It couldn't have possibly healed that quickly. And even if it had, such a large wound would have left a scar on you. It would have left a mark to remind you that something happened.

You grasped at your sleeves, rolling them up to expose more skin. Perhaps you had been mistaken on where the cut had been? Maybe it was further up your arm! Then you'd find it and have a good old laugh about how silly you were being. Maybe you'd tell Merlin too, and he'd have a grand old time teasing and laughing at silly old you.

You'd rolled up your sleeves to your shoulders, but you could only find unmarred skin. There were no wounds, no scars, no blood, no blemishes. Just skin as smooth as it had been the day you were born.

"Darling?"

You turned to see Merlin walking towards you. Worry seemed to be present more and more often on his face. His brows were knit and his mouth pressed into a firm line. Behind him, the weather seemed to take a turn for the worse. Gray clouds rolled from the horizon, blocking out the warm rays of the sun. Both of you needed to move. You needed to run back to the house before the rain poured.

As you moved your feet, you slipped on something slick. When you fell to the ground, the familiar scent of copper hit you. You were stuck in a large puddle of blood. Blood now covered your arms, your legs, your body. You tried to push yourself up, but it was as slippery and sticky as mud. The more you struggled, the further you sank.

You screamed and reached out for Merlin. He was running towards you now, but he was still so far away. Why was he so far away? You were sinking fast. The pressure of the puddle against your chest made it difficult to breathe. You gave one last cry before you were pulled under.

--

i.

You lay in an ocean of light. Scorching heat blazed against your skin. You screamed out in pain, but you heard nothing. You tried to move your body, but everything felt so heavy. Even keeping your eyes open became difficult. Your throat started to burn, but something deep inside you knew that you needed to keep screaming. That, as bad as the pain was, something worse awaited you if you stopped.

So, scream you did. You kept screaming even as your head began to pound. You screamed as your eyes fluttered shut. Even in that dreary darkness, you continued to call out.

"....! Aaaa-!?"

You stopped. How long had it been since you heard your voice? How long had you been in that silent hell? Cautiously, you opened your eyes. A bright sky strewn with hues of orange and pink greeted you. There was nothing else in the sky: no sun, no clouds, no stars, no moon. It looked beautiful, but oh so lonely. Oh so empty. All around you was a sea of flowers as far as the eye could see. Their petals danced and swayed along to a breeze you could not feel.

"Lovely, aren't they?"

You whirled around in surprise. A man with long white hair sat behind you, twirling a flower in his hand. His gaze was fixed on the blossom, and he watched it as if it was the most amusing thing in the world.

"I've always been curious to learn what they're called," he mused. "I looked them up in every book I could get my hands on but there's not one mention of them! It's like nobody else had seen them before. How strange. How sad."

His purple eyes found yours. A feeling of foreboding washed over you. You felt pinned in place as he looked you over. He seemed so familiar, so near and dear to you, but you couldn't remember his name. His bright purple eyes held a strange glint. It unnerved you but you couldn't bring yourself to look away. In the end, he was the one who broke away. As soon as he looked aside, you felt dizzy. Everything seemed to go out of focus. A distant ringing filled your ears. Your body felt like it had been sapped of all its strength.

"Now, now. Don't push yourself too hard. It must have been quite the journey to wind up here."

A gentle hand gripped your shoulder. You tensed up, but let yourself be supported until you could sit up on your own. Once your vision started to clear, you glanced up at him.

He was a strange man. He wore white robes adorned with flowers. By his side he carried a large staff decked with colorful ribbons. His long white hair swayed alongside the flowers in the field, subject to a breeze you couldn't feel.

But the strangest part about him was his face. His eyes were filled with gentle amusement and his mouth arced in a serene smile. Ordinarily, you would have called his face beautiful. It was the sort of face that anyone would have wanted to gaze at. But the perfectly sculpted lips, the high cheekbones, and those beautiful purple eyes made you want to flee. It was a face too perfect, too flawless, too... inhuman to fully trust.

And yet, there was a part of you that did trust him. He was dear to you despite being a stranger. It felt like he knew everything about you despite you knowing next to nothing about him. It felt like you'd lived a thousand lifetimes beside him, even if you were certain that this was the first time you'd met.

"Now then," he whispered against your ear. His voice was honeyed and comforting. He leaned in closer, brushing your face with his soft white hair. "Want to tell me what you've wished for?"

--

vii.

The first thing you noticed was thunder rumbling in the distance. Rain fell heavily on the roof and against the window. You sat in a dimly-lit room, with your hands clasped on a wooden table. Across you sat your darling a familiar stranger. His countenance was subdued, and he seemed determined not to glance at you. His gaze was fixed downward as he slowly stirred the contents of his mug.

Questions swirled about in your head. Where were you now? Where had you been before? Who was this man to you? How did you get here? But one question burst through all the others and came stumbling out of your lips.

"Am I dead?"

That familiar sad smile danced upon his lips before he shook his head. "No. You wouldn't be able to stay here if you were."

You bit your lip. "Am I dying?"

He closed his eyes. The world stood still. The sounds of the rain and thunder ceased. You held your breath.

"Yes."

All the dread, terror, and panic you'd bottled up burst out of you as nervous laughter. You laughed hard and loud. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, but you held them back. You laughed for as long as you had breath, ignoring the morose expression on his face.

"So what's this then?" you rasped. "One last dream before I die? I can't fucking believe this. I dreamt up a farm, a FARM right before I died! The one thing I wanted to do before I died was manage a fucking farm!?"

You slammed your fist against the table. It made a satisfying thud, but you didn't feel any pain from the impact. You dug your fingernails into your palm. Crescent-shaped depressions formed on the skin, but you registered no pain.

You glanced up at the man in front of you for answers, but he was still determined to not meet your gaze. He looked at his infuriating mug as if it held all the answers in the world. Growling under your breath, you knocked the mug aside to force him to look at you.

"Who the hell are you and why did you do this to me?" you snapped. "What made you decide that it was alright to invade a dying person's dreams and force them to adore you?"

You'd expected guilt on his face, not abject heartbreak. It was the look of a man who had his last remaining hope crushed in front of him. The rage you'd felt evaporated like foam, leaving only guilt and an overwhelming need to comfort him. Still, you grit your teeth and held your ground.

"My name is Merlin," he said. " As punishment for sins that I'll never be forgiven for, I've been exiled here in Avalon, the garden of dreams at the end of the world. I'm not allowed to leave. All I'm allowed to do is watch over humanity until the very end."

"I'd been bearing my punishment patiently for hundreds of years, mind you," he continued. "I've never questioned or tried to go against it. I've been content with watching both humanity's triumphs and failures from the comfort of my tower."

"That is, until you wound up here in Avalon." He finally glanced up at you. His mouth was pressed into a firm line, but his eyes were still so kind, still so soft, still so adoring.

"It was so strange to find someone else in Avalon, you see. It rarely ever lets souls pass through. Rarer still to let them stay long enough for me to come across them. So when I saw you, I decided to grant you a small reward for making it all the way to Avalon. I wanted to give you a good dream to carry with you as you passed on."

He let out a chuckle before draping his hand above yours. He squeezed your hand slightly before he continued.

"You were wrong, by the way. You didn't wish for a farm. The farm was a happy sort of accident that we just went along with. What you wished for was something much, much simpler."

He entwined his fingers with yours and looked directly into your eyes.

"You wished for me to hold your hand as you died. You wished for someone, even a complete stranger, to stay by your side while you lay dying... just so that you wouldn't be all alone in the end."

"So I built you a wonderful little dream. I couldn't hold your hand outside of Avalon, but I could at least keep you company inside a dream. I let you design and build everything, just so you'd be happy and safe. Everything happened and appeared according to your will. The only condition I applied was that the dream would be free of pain. Outside of that, my only purpose in the dream was to be someone who you could talk to."

Hot tears pricked at your eyes and your nose started to feel stuffy. "If that was the case, why did you do this to me? I-I hardly know anything about you but my mind is telling me that you're the person I adore the most! Why are you both familiar and unfamiliar to me?"

His free hand cradled your cheek and swiped away at an errant tear. His touch felt achingly familiar, but your memories came up blank. Still, you chased the comfort and leaned your face against his hand.

Instead of answering your question, he sent another question your way. "How long do you think we've been inside this dream?"

"...A couple of weeks? Maybe a month?" you hazarded a guess. The details were a blur but you were fairly certain it hadn't been that long.

"Ten years."

"No... No!" You drew back, shaking your head as you went. "If... If it's been that long why can't I remember?"

"I didn't think you were going to keep going for that long either," he mused. "I thought maybe a couple of months or perhaps a year if you were determined enough. But you just kept the dream going. You dreamt up new days, new adventures we could both go on without any signs of stopping."

"And I suppose...with how many years we spent by each other's side it was inevitable that we grew fond of each other." He smiled a sad little smile. "For my part, I can't say if it's love or not... I'm much too inhuman to feel emotions in that way. But I do care about you."

"So why... why can't I remember any of it then? All I remember is this farm!" you sobbed.

"Human minds were not made to sustain dreams like that for years on end. You held strong until about our fifth year in. Cracks were starting to form in the worlds you dreamt up. To help you cope with the strain in your mind, I persuaded you to scale down our adventures. We narrowed our scope from continents, to countries, to provinces, to cities."

"On our seventh year, you told me that you wanted to settle down." He gazed fondly out the window. "It was such a strange request that it made me laugh when I first heard it. Settling down and relaxing seemed uncharacteristic of you. You always seemed to keep going to new places, to keep experiencing new things."

He laughed. "Then again, perhaps a part of me recognized that it signified that the dream was coming to an end. That desperate part of me probably wanted you to keep going so I wouldn't have to say goodbye."

He leaned across the table and wiped away at your tears. His touch was cool and comforting. "So we wound up settling down here, in this farm. I think we were happier here... even more than we'd been on our adventures. Even if we did nothing but talk by the fireside, we were content."

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against yours. He took a deep, halting breath as if bracing himself.

"This year, you started to drift. You'd stare blankly in the distance for hours on end. Midway through our conversations, you'd stop responding. You started to forget about our old adventures. Your usual chores confused and frustrated you. The names you gave the animals kept changing. You'd forget what day it was." He took another deep breath. "But I only started to panic when you started bringing in things related to your death into the dream. You were starting to say goodbye without even realizing it."

"So the blood, the cuts, the gun-"

"Was your subconscious reminding you that you were dying... and that it was time to let go."

The terror, the dread, the anger left you. You collapsed back onto your chair. There was no logical reason for you to believe anything Merlin said. He could have been spinning you a tale to take advantage of your supposed memory loss.

But as you gazed up at his face, you could find no lie in his eyes. All you found was an expression of complete surrender. Gingerly, you held out your arms towards him for a hug. He held you in his arms and settled his face in the crook of your neck.

"So, is this the end of the dream?" you asked. The howling of the wind outside seemed to get stronger. Thunder and lightning crashed and boomed overhead.

"I'm afraid so," he murmured. "You can delay it for a while, but the edges of the dream have already started to collapse. I'm sorry I can't do anything to help."

You shook your head. "You gave me ten happy years. You've given me more than enough."

The window shattered. Cold air and wet rain blew into the room, putting out the lanterns. The room was plunged in darkness, punctuated only by brief flashes of lightning in the distance. You hugged Merlin tighter.

"I-I'm scared." You buried your face in his hair, taking in the scent of flowers, hoping that it would ground you. "I-I know that it's coming so I won't run... but I don't want to face it alone."

"Shh. Shh. I'm here. I'll always be here beside you."

The sounds of the rain and thunder suddenly stopped. You were plunged in impenetrable darkness. You couldn't even see your hand in front of you. You flailed around in your panic, crying and shouting and stumbling. You kept calling out Merlin's name in desperation.

A warm hand gripped your own.

"Merlin?! Are you there? I can't see you!"

You felt around and strained your eyes but all you could sense was his hand. You squeezed it tight, gasping in relief when you felt it squeeze back.

"I'm here darling, don't worry."

"Don't go! Please don't let me go."

"I won't. I'll be here for as long as you need me."

The darkness seemed to grow heavier. It pressed on your chest, making it more and more difficult to breathe.

"Merlin? Are you there?" you gasped.

"Yes my darling. I'm still here with you." His voice sounded faint. You tried to squeeze his hand again but you could barely summon any strength to move your fingers.

"Merlin? Are you there?"

You heard him chuckle. "Yes my darling. I'm here. Are you there, darling?"

"Yeah. I'm here." You could barely string words together now. "Merlin, are you there?"

"Yes my darling. Are you there, darling?"

"Yeah. Merlin-?"

"Yes my darling?"

"...Merlin."

"Darling?"

"..."

"Darling, are you there?"

---------

pain.exe

First non-explicit work on this account, and something highly experimental too!

I really adore Merlin! I enjoy reading works that center around him but most of the time he's played for laughs. (which isn't a bad thing! A huge part of his character in-game is playing around and teasing other people after all) I wanted a slightly more serious and sad story around him.

I wanted to explore the dream-generating aspect of Merlin's some more so I toyed with the idea of him granting someone a good dream before they succumbed to their death. I kinda had to push and tweak at his base personality for this story, but I hope he didn't come across as too ooc.

#merlin x reader #fgo x reader #fgo merlin x reader #aninag writes

[diorkyeom]

: : love, love, snapshoot

joshua x dokyeom, non-idols au, fluff, strangers to lovers

4.8k+ words, no warnings

also on ao3 | ngl i kinda think i might wanna make this a little longer? it's an idea ive had for sooo long haha

summary: "it was the fourth time this month that seokmin had come to the park, the fourth time he'd seen the pretty stranger sitting there, and also the fourth time his camera instinctively came up to his eyes, pressing the shutter with a small click. it was, however, the first time the stranger looked into his lens at the shuttering sound." seokmin takes photos of pretty things, and joshua is the pretty stranger he likes photographing the most.

Seokmin really needed to stop taking photos of this one stranger in the park every time he went out.

It was not like he was doing this on purpose. But sometimes, when life became too stressful, Seokmin liked to grab his camera and walk to his nearest park, taking pictures of the trees and the birds or the children in the distance as they lived through their childhood. Lately, though, there had been a man sitting there when Seokmin arrived, sipping a coffee or looking at his phone and being entirely oblivious to the world.

Seokmin liked pretty things! Pretty things, nice things, like the silhouette of an elderly man walking his dog during the evening, like the frost patterns across the wooden benches during the winter. Anything pretty that caught his eye would be photographed for him to keep as his reminder that this world was still a wonderful place. 

And, well.

This stranger was really, really pretty.

Late afternoon on a Friday found Seokmin taking a walk once again, the red straps of his camera wound around his wrists. The clouds were a soft grey, fluffily making their slow way across the tired blue of the sky, looking much like how Seokmin felt at that moment, all fatigued and relaxed. As he neared the park, he slowed down, fingers twitching around his camera as he recognised a familiar figure sitting on one of the benches.

This was insane.

It was the fourth time this month that Seokmin had come to the park to destress, and also the fourth time that he’d seen this pretty stranger sitting there, hair gently ruffled by the wind, looking like the handsome main character of some insanely aesthetic anime.

It was the fourth time that his camera instinctively came up to his eyes, watching as the man took a deep breath in, the upturned corners of his lips making him look like he had a permanent smile on his lips before Seokmin’s finger pressed down with a small click.

It was, however, the first time that the stranger turned to look right into his lens at the shuttering sound.

His first thought was that the stranger had the prettiest, warmest, most doe-like eyes that Seokmin had ever seen, and he decided that he really needed to sort out his brain if that was the first thing he noticed. His second thought was that this was a really, really awkward situation.

“Oops,” Seokmin blurted out, and felt a lot more idiotic when the word left his mouth. “Um. Sorry. I’m just—”

The pretty man was still just staring at him, eyes wide, while Seokmin fumbled over his words and fiddled with his camera and shuffled on the spot, trying desperately to figure out how to not make himself sound like a creepy stalker while trying to explain himself.

“Sorry,” Seokmin said again. He gestured to his camera weakly. “I like taking pictures of things ‘cause it helps me relax, and I come to this park sometimes because everything is just so peaceful. There are so many pretty things here and you’re pretty and I just— oh, God, you’re really pretty and you look all lovely while sitting there and I like to take pictures of, um, really pretty things and you… yeah.” He trailed off, realising that he was rambling and repeating himself now, and the man was still staring at him and he kind of wanted to go dig a hole into the ground and bury himself in the hopes that he’d never have to have another conversation with anyone ever again. “I promise I’m not a creep,” he added with a strained smile. “You’re just really… really pretty.”

The stranger blinked, open-mouthed, before suddenly he ducked his head and hid his mouth behind the back of his hand, but then his eyes crinkled as he took his hand away, laughing such a melodic laugh that Seokmin could almost see the white doves fluttering around and the sudden, angelic glow that lit up his vision as he watched the man’s lips curved up even more.

“Oh, wow, that’s okay,” the man said, still laughing softly, waving a hand reassuringly. “I, uh, come to the park sometimes as well, when I’m destressing myself. I had no idea I was being someone’s model at the same time.”

That made Seokmin wince a little. “Sorry,” he said, yet again, thumb brushing over the top of his camera nervously. “It’s probably really uncomfortable for you, and if you want, I can totally delete any photos I have, because um. I have a lot—”

“No, seriously, I don’t mind,” the man said, and his eyes were such a warm brown that Seokmin had to blink a few times to consciously stop himself from falling into their softness. “It’s okay with me. I’m okay with you taking photos of me.” He smiled, and his smile was so pretty and his expression so lovely and open that Seokmin felt dizzy.

“R… really?”

The man laughed again, and Seokmin saw dove feathers once more, cheeks heating up slightly at how absurd it was that he was finding a laugh to be so attractive. “Yeah, really,” the man said, eyes bright even in the fading light of the late afternoon. He paused, and then asked more hesitantly, “Could I see some of the photos, though? If that’s alright with you?”

“Oh!” Seokmin almost dropped his camera in surprise as the man stood up, making his way over to him, and this wasn’t how he’d thought his Friday late afternoon visit to the park would go, but this certainly wasn’t bad. “Yeah. I mean, they’re of you, so…”

The man just laughed, and then he leaned over Seokmin’s camera, standing so close to him that they were practically brushing shoulders. The man smelled nice, Seokmin thought faintly. Like something gentle and silky and sweet all at once. For a brief moment, he had a thought of how nice it would be to wake up in bed with that scent and a pair of arms wrapped securely around him. 

Okay. He really needed to get his brain sorted out. 

He opened up the camera gallery, tilting the screen slightly so the man could see the photo. The stranger hummed interestedly, tilting his head.

“Wow. That’s beautiful.”

In the photo, the sun was setting somewhere in the trees behind the man, and his side profile was darkened. But still, it managed to define the curve of his lips, the gentle slope of his nose, and the blue-grey sky and the peaceful colours of the park that drape so elegantly over the brown suede coat over the man’s shoulders only serve to make him look even more like the romantic, beautiful male lead of a fairytale-esque movie. 

That very same man looked up from Seokmin’s camera, eyes wide. “I think it’s incredible, how you managed to make me look like that.” And he was looking at Seokmin with such awe in his eyes, as if Seokmin had made him look prettier than reality, as if he didn’t know just how beautiful he truly was.

Seokmin lowered his head, feeling the blush that was rapidly creeping up his ears. “It’s nothing,” he said, shy. “It’s you doing all the work, anyway. It’s because you’re just so pretty.”

The man didn’t say anything to that, looking down at Seokmin’s camera again. “Can I see some more?” he asked softly, and there was no way that Seokmin would have ever been able to refuse.

And so, they stood there in the park, bent over Seokmin’s camera even though there was a bench right next to them, flicking through Seokmin’s pictures while the man hummed aloud in wonder and Seokmin blushed further and further.

“Oh wow,” the man said again, when he landed on one of the first pictures that Seokmin had taken of him, where the golden light of the setting sun painted his face with such beautifully warm colours, his lashes creating gentle shadows across his cheekbones while his head had been tilted down, eyes closed. Seokmin had been so awed by the man’s beauty that day, capturing that moment almost without being aware of what his hands were doing.

“This is one of my favourites,” Seokmin said, a little embarrassed, wondering how him taking photos of this stranger had somehow, in the span of fifteen minutes, led to him showing that same man all the photos he’d taken of him. 

“It’s incredible,” the man murmured. “Is it okay if I…?” After getting the reassurance from Seokmin, he wraps his own hands around the camera, warm fingers brushing against Seokmin’s for a moment before he hurriedly snatches his hands away, the blush painting tendrils all the way down his neck. 

He watches as the man brought the camera closer to his eyes, fascinated, and felt his heart constrict at how genuinely nice and sweet the man was being. As he looked up at Seokmin, eyes bright as he asked him how he managed to get the photo focused so well, Seokmin wondered whether maybe he’d met the love of his life, right in that moment. 

And also whether he’d be able to ask this pretty man for his phone number.

“You’re so talented,” the man said, the sincerity practically glowing in his words once he’d seen the last photo, handing the camera back to Seokmin. “I think you’re so incredible to be able to make things look so beautiful through a camera lens. I don’t think I’ve ever seen myself look so… ethereal.”

Seokmin’s eyes widened, surprised. “You’re the prettiest person in the world,” he said, and now it was his turn to have the glowing sincerity lighting up his words. “Honestly, I don’t really take photos of people as my main focus. It’s normally just landscapes, and maybe the occasional people as small dots in the distance, but you… and you’re such a nice person, too,” he added, for some reason feeling like he has to let this man know just how wonderful Seokmin thought he is. “If someone else had caught me taking photos of them, they would’ve… I dunno, smashed my camera by now, or something.”

The man gaped. “Who would do that?”

Seokmin bit his lips, embarrassed. “Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but they wouldn’t have been happy. But you even asked to see the other photos, you know? I don’t think others would have done that.” Seokmin smiled, and he knew he had that stupid starry-eyed admiration in his eyes, but by God was this man truly the loveliest man he’s ever met.

“I—” The man blinked rapidly, one hand coming up to brush his knuckles against his cheekbone, and his lips twitched as if holding back a smile. Then he looked at Seokmin again, eyes endlessly warm. “Thank you.”

Seokmin beamed, and his ears felt like they were on fire but he ignored it. “No thanking needed! You’re seriously just so pretty.” Seokmin thought he’d probably said the word ‘pretty’ during the span of their conversation more times than he’d ever said as a compliment for Minghao’s outfits, and that was really saying something. He held up his camera bashfully. “It’s why I took so many pictures of you, after all.”

The man stared at Seokmin for a long, long moment. 

“I’m Joshua,” he said abruptly, extending a hand in Seokmin’s direction. “And it’s really, really nice to meet you.”

The sudden introduction threw Seokmin off a little, startled, but Joshua’s eyes were so wide and earnest and he fiddled with his camera, trying to free his hand so he could return the handshake.

“I’m—”

“Joshuji! God, why did you get here so early? I bet you’ve been waiting for ages, haven’t you?”

Both Seokmin and Joshua startled at the new voice, and out of nowhere an arm suddenly slung around Joshua’s shoulders, tugging him close to another man’s chest. Seokmin blinked at the newcomer, feeling like he'd been hit in the chest because wow, this man was so pretty too.

The man grinned, and his eyes glittered as he looked at Joshua, not even seeming to notice Seokmin’s presence. “Let’s go, yeah? The theatre’s actually a bit further from here than I thought, so we’re gonna have to hurry if we want to get to the show in time.”

Joshua looked at the man and then back at Seokmin, looking a little panicked. “Uh, Jeonghan—”

“I know, I know,” the man, Jeonghan, interrupted, squeezing Joshua’s arm. “It’s all my fault. Don’t worry, if we run then we’ll be able to make it. Might be faster if you carry me,” he added with a laugh, and Seokmin’s heart sank.

“Jeonghan,” Joshua said again, “I’m talking to someone.”

Jeonghan finally looked over at Seokmin and then paused, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly. Instantly, his sweet, angelic face became something sharper, and Seokmin felt awfully like he was being judged. He was about to awkwardly wave when Jeonghan’s expression suddenly cleared, beaming so widely that it had Seokmin reeling a little at the abrupt change. 

“Hi, person that Joshua was talking to! Sorry, but I really gotta drag him away from you,” he said brightly. “He and I have a date, and we really don’t want to miss it.”

Joshua’s eyes widened. “Jeonghan! You can’t just—”

“Come on, babe,” Jeonghan said, removing his arm from around Joshua’s shoulders to instead intertwine their hands instead. He gave Seokmin a mini salute, mouth quirking up into a smirk that looked scarily devious. “Sorry I have to drag Shuji away so quickly. It was nice meeting you!”

“I’m so sorry,” Joshua apologised as Jeonghan started to pull him away, “If it’s alright, could I still please get your n—”

The rest of Joshua’s sentence was lost as Jeonghan tugged at him, hard, and the two of them walked away, fingers firmly interlaced, the wind ruffling Jeonghan’s hair and Joshua’s coat.

In a few seconds, they were gone, and Seokmin was left alone.

Damn. He sulked to himself, looking sadly down at his camera in his hands. He’d just met the love of his life, but apparently the love of his life was in love with someone else.

He and I have a date. He and I have a date. He and I have a date.

Seokmin sighed disappointedly, wrapping the red straps around his hands before beginning to walk out of the park and back home. Well, he supposed he could congratulate Jeonghan for being able to get Joshua to fall in love with him. Seokmin would do absolutely anything to have someone so lovely and pretty loving him, after all.

He kicked at the grass, the image of Joshua and Jeonghan holding hands while looking so utterly perfect next to each other ingrained in his mind. 

Joshua and Jeonghan. Even their names sounded so perfect with each other. Like brass bells, golden and ringing and sweet. 

Oh, well, Seokmin thought as he walked home, it wasn’t really like he would have had a chance with Joshua, anyway. Joshua was too pretty to be stuck with someone like him.

—

When Seokmin saw Joshua again, he was most surprised by the fact that it had actually happened. 

It had been a couple of weeks since their first proper meeting, where Seokmin had learned the name of the pretty stranger before he'd been whisked away by his pretty friend, and Seokmin had accepted that he'd probably never see Joshua again. Fate just didn't work that way. So when Seokmin was sat in a coffee shop in the morning and he saw Joshua's familiar form walk past the windows and open the door, he found himself blinking in amazement. 

They were going to meet in a coffee shop. All Seokmin could think about, for a short moment, was how this was such a beautifully cliché meeting, and it was so perfect and so horribly unfair. 

Because Joshua wasn't even his. 

Joshua’s eyes widened when he saw Seokmin sitting at a table in the corner the moment he walked into the cafe, and his face broke out into a startlingly relieved grin. Seokmin found himself returning the grin with equal vigour, giving Joshua a tiny wave as the man made his way over to sit at his table. 

“Hi,” Joshua said warmly, and maybe Seokmin’s ears were deceiving him but he sounded strangely happy to see him again. “Fancy bumping into you again, huh?”

Seokmin smiled wider, unable to stop the way his lips curved upwards at Joshua's voice. "Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something," he joked, and beamed as Joshua laughed. 

"Maybe," he agreed. He nodded in Seokmin's direction, eyes twinkling. "You don't have your camera today, hm? Grown tired of taking pictures of me?" 

Seokmin blushed, ducking his head. "I would have brought it if I'd known I was going to bump into you," he said shyly, his words partially true. "I'd never get tired of looking at you."

That part rang entirely truthful, and Seokmin worried briefly that it had been too forward when Joshua blinked, before the man's face melted into a smile that looked even softer than before. 

"I'd never get tired of looking or talking to you," Joshua said, apparently completely oblivious to the way Seokmin's heart started to flutter wildly in his chest. "And I'm gonna go order my coffee now, but is it okay if I sit with you after?"

Seokmin blinked, before nodding rapidly. "Yeah! I haven't seen you at the park in ages! Not that I was going there just to look for you," he added hurriedly, "but, like. You've been there every time that I've been there, so. I was hoping to see you. But then I didn't. But I was looking forward to! So it's really nice to see you," he finished abruptly, deciding that that was enough rambling for one day. 

Joshua just chuckled. "I wanted to see you too," he said, and Seokmin desperately tried to stop the blush rising up his face. "I'll just go get my coffee first, okay?"

And he did, and Seokmin watched him do so, wondering vaguely why Joshua looked so happy to see him, all soft smiles and bright eyes. And where was that other man? The angelic, scary man? 

"How was your date?" Seokmin asked once Joshua returned with his coffee. Joshua tilted his head, confused. 

"My date?"

"With—with that man," Seokmin said, confused as to why Joshua was confused. "When we met! That angelic man who came up to you and took you on a date? To the theatre?"

Joshua frowned, and then his face cleared. "Jeonghan is a menace," he sighed. "We're not actually dating. He's just my best friend, and besides, he has his own boyfriend.” Smiling slightly, Joshua carried on, “He’ll be glad to hear you called in an angel, though.”

“You’re not dating him?” Seokmin asked.

Joshua shook his head. “Nope. I’m not dating anyone. I’m really, really single.”

Seokmin grinned, suddenly feeling a lot better about seeing Joshua again. “Oh, me too! I’m almost painfully single, actually. My friend keeps telling me that I need to go out and start dating again ‘cause apparently I’m being too mopey and it’s ruining his vibes.”

That made Joshua laugh, eyes crinkling as he took a sip of his coffee. “You don’t seem like a mopey person to me,” he said. "You're the brightest person I know."

People told Seokmin things like that a lot, but oddly, hearing it from Joshua made it sound like the sweetest, rarest compliment in the world. 

"Although, I don't really know you," Joshua added. "I never did get your name, even though I gave you mine."

"Oh!" Seokmin's eyes widened. "Sorry, you're right." He adjusted himself in his seat, putting on his sweetest smile. "I'm Seokmin. Lee Seokmin."

"Seokmin," Joshua repeated softly, and his eyes had melted into an emotion that Seokmin couldn't quite name, all caramel-coloured and gentle gold. "It's lovely to meet you, Lee Seokmin."

Seokmin laughed, attempting to cover up the blush rapidly spreading across his face. "It's lovely to meet you too, Joshua!" he chirped. He tilted his head, smiling so widely that his own eyes crinkled. "It's wonderful to make the acquaintance of someone so pretty like you."

Joshua ducked his head at that, knuckles brushing against his cheek before looking up at Seokmin again, his cheekbones faintly stained pink. "Well, you're not so bad yourself," he said, smiling, and Seokmin found himself smiling even wider.

"Certainly no match for you," he returned, laughing, mesmerised by the way Joshua's eyes seemed to twinkle even more.

There was a short moment of silence then, as Joshua simply continued to smile at Seokmin, before suddenly his eyes widened and his cheeks appeared to pinken even more as he blinked rapidly.

"Seokmin," he started, "I—"

Just then, they both flinched as Seokmin's phone began blaring out his ringtone at an obscene volume, vibrating vigorously on the table. Seokmin winced, and hurried to pick up the call. 

"Hello? Oh, Seungkwan, what's up? What? Why are you at the hospital? Oh my god, is Hansol okay? Oh, good, good, that's good. Huh? You want me to do what? Just take the bus, you don't need to drive… Soonyoung is probably closer, isn't he? Alright, alright, fine! No, don't cry! I'm coming, I promise, just lemme get to my car."

Seokmin ended the call with a sigh, looking apologetically at Joshua. The man tilted his head, looking both worried and curious, and with the morning light filtering in through the windows behind him, he looked like some sort of gorgeous, benevolent deity. 

"Is everything okay?" Joshua asked. 

"Kind of? One of my friends took one of my other friends to A&E because he'd apparently fractured his wrist, and now they want me to pick them up," Seokmin said, quickly finishing his coffee and standing up. "I'm so sorry, I'm going to have to go."

"No, no, of course," Joshua said, standing up as well. "I understand. You should go help your friend."

"He's a little bit of an excessive drama queen," Seokmin joked, "but yeah. I should probably go. Hopefully I'll see you around?"

Joshua smiled, all lovely and pretty and it took all of Seokmin's strength not to melt on the spot. "I'd like that."

Seokmin had nothing to say to that, rendered flusteredly speechless, so he simply blushed further and waved goodbye before hurrying out of the coffee shop. 

It was as he was getting into his car, however, that he realised. 

He still hadn't managed to get Joshua's number. 

—

Seokmin ended up not seeing Joshua around. 

It was depressing. Depressing that he doesn't see Joshua, but also depressing that it was affecting him so much. Every Joshua-less day was taking its toll on him, and eventually Minghao had to take him by the shoulders, manhandle his camera into his hands and force him out of the front door to go to the park and make him relax and feel more himself again. 

It was weird, because Seokmin had only really seen Joshua twice (those times where he'd been accidentally stalking him did not count), but the memory of Joshua's smile and his gentleness and the melodic nature of his laugh was already ingrained into his brain, and Seokmin never wanted to forget it. 

But it had been weeks since their last encounter in the coffee shop, and Seokmin was devastated that he really was beginning to forget. 

The park was practically empty when Seokmin arrived, save for a couple of teenagers in crocs kicking a ball down the path. Seokmin didn't pay them any mind, instead sitting down on the nearest bench and looking around the park with a sigh. 

There was nothing pretty around. It was late afternoon, and the sky was a weird blue-grey and everything just looked so dull. It hurt his eyes, a little, how dull everything was, so he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, in an attempt to become at one with the peace of the silence. 

Click. 

Seokmin's eyes flew open, and he turned to the side to see a man smiling at him, phone raised up to his face before he lowered it, eyes drinking. 

“Sorry,” Joshua said, voice all light and sweet and warm, “But you just looked so pretty. I couldn’t help it.”

“Joshua?” Seokmin gaped, as the man sat down beside him, phone still in hand. “What are you doing here?”

Joshua laughed, tilting his head back, and Seokmin’s vision was blinded once again by the golden light he’d seen the first time he’d heard Joshua’s laugh. “Taking pictures of all the pretty things I see, of course,” he said, nudging his shoulder gently against Seokmin’s. “Wanna see the photo I took?”

He showed Seokmin the photo, pointing out the pale afternoon light that made Seokmin’s skin look like it was glowing, pointing out the relaxed curve of Seokmin’s mouth and the defined lines of Seokmin’s nose and jaw.

“Don’t you just think it’s so pretty?” Joshua said, almost absentmindedly, still smiling down at the photo he’d taken. “I think it’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Seokmin couldn’t help but smile to himself, immensely pleased and immensely shy. “I still think that you’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Joshua looked up at Seokmin then, mouth half open, and there again was that gentle pink brushing against his cheekbones before he blinked and straightened. “Seokmin, can I be really, really honest with you?”

The sudden change in topic made Seokmin stutter in surprise. “I—huh?”

“I kind of knew you’d been taking pictures of me,” Joshua admitted, and Seokmin balked. “But I never said anything, because you were always so quiet, and I kind of found you really handsome, the way you were so focused on taking such beautiful photos of everything. But on that day, I just… I guess I just really wanted you to know that I saw you, and I really… appreciated it? I suppose?”

“Wh—you knew?” Seokmin’s mind was reeling. He thought back to their first encounter, but nothing Joshua did had given away the fact that he’d known. 

Joshua fiddled with his phone, shy. “I think I kind of liked you,” he admitted. “You’re cute. And Jeonghan… he kind of sensed that I liked you, when he met you, so he went overboard to see if you thought that way about me too. But, uh, he kind of rushed it, so I never even managed to get your name, or your number, even though I really wanted to keep in contact with you.”

Seokmin gaped. “You—you what?”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to give me your number,” Joshua said hurriedly, as if that was the most important part about what he said, and not the fact that he thought Seokmin was cute. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, or if you don’t think about me in that way, or—”

“Can I get your number?” Seokmin blurted out, and Joshua paused. “I mean,” he rushed to carry on, “you’re so pretty and so nice and when I first saw you in the park back when I had no idea who you were I still thought that you were the most gorgeous person in existence and now I’ve gotten to know you better and you’re also someone who’s really lovely and kind and of course I would have loved to give you my number but to be honest, I really wanted you to give me yours because wow I think you’re exactly like my ideal type and I kind of really like you. A lot.”

Seokmin took a breath, and then let it out as a sigh. He really needed to stop rambling.

Joshua, to his credit, just smiled wider, as if Seokmin was being incredibly endearing. “It’s a good thing that I think you’re exactly my ideal type and I kind of really like you a lot too,” he said, teasing and fond all at once, looking at Seokmin with stars in his eyes. “I really like you, Seokmin. Even though we’ve met, like, three times in total.”

Seokmin laughed, giddy, as Joshua inputted his details into his phone before handing it back to him, eyes crinkling at the corners. He looked so pretty and it was doing things to Seokmin’s heart and his brain and he found himself saying out loud the first thing that came to his head.

“Can I take you out on a date?” he asked. “I really like you, seriously, and—and I wanna date you.” He blushed, aware of how weird he sounded, but Joshua just laughed and all Seokmin could see were those pure white dove feathers once again.

“You can take me out on all the dates,” Joshua promised, smiling. “Only if I get to have a kiss first, though.”

“A kiss?” Seokmin’s eyes widened. “Like, right now?”

“Yeah,” Joshua said, lips curving upwards and eyes twinkling almost shyly. “If that’s okay?”

“Oh my god,” Seokmin breathed out, eyes wide. “Oh my god, of course that’s okay.”

Joshua’s lips lifted even further as Seokmin carefully set down his camera, turned to him and gently cradled Joshua’s face in his hands. He looked at Joshua one last time, silently asking if this was really okay, and when Joshua’s eyes only crinkled further he grinned, leaning in closer.

As Joshua leaned in to finally close the gap between their lips, Seokmin was aware of the quiet click of a phone camera going off, capturing the gorgeous moment that was their first kiss.

#diorkyeom ᰔ fics #svt #seoksoo #seventeen #dokyeom #joshua #svt joshua #svt dokyeom #svt fluff #svt fic #svt fanfic #seventeen fic #svt imagines #seventeen imagines #seventeen fanfic #dokyeom fic #joshua fic #dk #svt dk #joshua fluff #dokyeom fluff #svt x reader #ao3 #svt seoksoo #ao3 writer

[dayurno]

i think if jean got stranded on a deserted island he’d be ok w it……. like “OK fine this is my life now. not worse than anything else ive been through. let me sit in the peace and quiet where nothing will try to kill me except for animals that don’t know any better. if they succeed at least they’ll feed.” they will be kinder to his body than the Moriyama’s. actually i think he would kind of take comfort in it after a while…… also shirtless jean on a hot island learning to make tools and fires and shelters by hand. his hands having a use that isn’t exy. he has survived worse. i can’t think ab him bc i will cry and also foam at the mouth. SORRY

THIS IS THE FUNNIEST ASK anon going back and forth between feeling bad for jean and wanting to fuck him....... many many many such cases....... haven't we all been there at some point. i agree i think he'd take comfort in being alone and at peace and surrounded by nature plus jean really can adapt to anything at this point. truly the 'might as well' aftg character. if i had to pick any character to be with me on a stranded island i have no doubt in my heart it'd be jean, and not even just for the eye candy

think with me. kevin would not know how to help at all. andrew would help himself (maybe) but definitely not me. neil the same. none of the other foxes (bar renee) have a survival instinct. jeremy is a normal ass person. jean is the only one who would feel enough empathy for me as a person to help get us both out of there safe and sound and has the capability of doing it. if i couldn't have jean i'd pick renee but i think she'd make it a religious experience of sorts and unfortunately i am the devil from the bible. riko would be just as useless as kevin but at least it'd be amusing to watch him have a breakdown. basically jean or i'm dead

#ITS SIMPLE MATH REALLY. #asks #jean

[merakiui]

one thing to note about the tweels that i really like is how floyd=🦈 jade=🐬. sharks are usually depicted as these monstrous creatures whereas we see dolphins in a kinder light but its quite the opposite, as far as my memory serves me. especially their teeth too! jades are small sharp, floyds are big sharp. ok now as im writing this it kinda feels like ive already sent something similar..

Putting the reply under the cut because it became long again. ^^;;;

Yes!! Jade looks and acts harmless, but he can be quite dangerous when he needs to be. It's like that advice they tell you when you encounter wild animals: appreciate from afar, but don't interfere or tread too deep into their territory. You could apply this warning to Jade because he's the one you should be most wary of out of the trio.

Floyd might seem like the walking red flag because he boasts his dangers carelessly (he even explained his unique magic in book three, which (if I remember correctly) Jade had been a little displeased with his willingness to reveal his tricks so simply). And Azul is so obviously too good to be true, so it can be easy to consider his and Floyd’s red flags (at least the ones you can see on the surface). But Jade doesn’t have any surface-level red flags. He really just seems like a boring, normal, bland guy who just happens to be Floyd’s twin. He isn’t as memorable as Floyd or Azul because he doesn’t immediately do anything that would stick in your mind.

When comparing the teeth, Jade's are thinner and more needle-like, whereas Floyd's are larger and chunkier (definitely more shark-like). Jade's teeth kind of remind me of a lamprey (more so just the small size and needle-like appearance/sharpness) while Floyd's definitely feel like a shark's teeth.

Here are some images of Jade's teeth (the Halloween card has most notable teeth shape):

And here are some images of Floyd's teeth:

The slight difference in teeth size/shape is interesting because it suits Jade and Floyd’s characters! Small teeth are easy to hide in smiles but also just as easy to tease, which is probably why Jade doesn’t fully smile as often as Floyd does. You only see him truly grin (showing his teeth) when he’s being malicious, threatening, or scheming. Then you’ll know he’s a danger. He also tends to do these little close-lipped smiles, which he then shields with his hand (usually he does it when he chuckles and he brings his hand up to his mouth as well). It’s interesting to consider because Jade doesn’t want you to know he’s menacing until you’ve fallen into his trap, and only then will he reveal the multiple dangers in his mouth.

Big teeth are a little more difficult to keep hidden, even with the smallest of smiles, but Floyd also likes to smile a lot and showcase his teeth (much like how he openly threatens to choke out students if they get on his nerves/break contract/etc). Floyd reacts swift and violently; he’s very verbal about the things he wants to do and he’ll act upon his whims right at that moment. Jade keeps his desires hidden and he builds up to it, much like how one would take steps towards well-kindled revenge. Floyd is like lightning that touches down very quickly and is over just like that. Jade is the conflagration that picks up from a tiny spark and grows in size over the course of time. It’s a build-up that’s slow at first, but becomes quick once the climax is reached and you’ll be too busy reeling with horror and the fight or flight response to look back on just how long Jade has waited and watched and planned, letting every piece fall into place.

He’s kind of like an invasive species, in a way, or ivy that takes over an abandoned house in the forest. It starts small (a single seed or one invasive pest) and it will soon multiply if not immediately dealt with. You won’t know you’ve caught Jade’s eye until it’s too late. Until you’re trapped under layers of twining ivy. Until he’s forced his way into your life and has dug poisonous roots into all of your relationships, snuffing sunlight and nutrients.

You can deal with Floyd’s dangers because they’re quick like an injection. But if you want to work out the tricks and traps Jade patiently plans, you’ll need to play sleuth. Unfortunately, that’s quite difficult because Jade will only allow you to see the things he wants you to see. He’s good at hiding things, and he’s a very patient man. Floyd can be scary with his threatening expressions, but a man who can smile even when rage boils beneath that pleasant countenance is far scarier. Floyd will tell you of all the ways he can skin you just to see you squirm. Jade will sit back and picture each way, and you won’t have a clue—certainly not when he smiles so kindly at you.

#twisted chit chat #once again please don’t mind my ramblings orz #i like to throw the eels under a microscope and study them :D

[written-in-flowers]

Something ive always wanted to see with Otto and Rosebud's family is how does Otto hang out with little Cedric? Would he carry him around the red keep or sit with him during council meetings when theres nothing serious on the agenda? Take him to the stables and watch horses? Keep Cedric's drawings in his office?! You have no idea hod often do i think about this little family 💚💚💚

Oh gossshhhhh I've been wanting to write some fluffy domestic stuff with this universe, so this is my chance!

Note: as of the newest installment "In the Dunes" , Cedric Hightower is three-years old. In these headcanons, the Greens kids are still teens, since I'm going based off of the age-group in the last part of the series.

***

Otto often remembers his time with his eldest son, Gwayne, whenever he holds or spends time with Cedric. Cedric certainly has more Hightower than Tyrell with his dark ginger curls and brown eyes, but he had your temperament. Or so Otto believes whenever he giggles or smiles. It still amazes him that he's doing the parenting thing all over again at his age, something he did not plan on until he married you. When people reach a certain age, they don't feel like going through the troubles of child caring again, but with you at his side, he feels just as confident than he once did.

He does spend time with his son in the family apartment, watching over him fondly and cuddling him whenever you're occupied or tired. He buys him small toys that are usually fit for toddlers: small wooden blocks, wooden knights and horses (especially horses), and even a wooden play sword that Cedric likes to swing around aimlessly.

He's a father of two already. He has experience with babies, even if they do have mothers and wet nurses to care for them. When Cedric cries, he can usually guess what the problem is: hungry, changing, or sleepy. Having a sister significantly younger than you and nephews and nieces, you've learned the basics of raising infants, but Otto knows the ins and outs.

You sometimes find him comforting a weeping Cedric in his solar. He'll have the boy cuddled to his chest, soothing him with back rubs while writing to Lord Whoever about Very Important Thing. He only hands him off to you when Cedric has fully calmed down, then goes back to work.

If this boy ever gets sick, Otto gets hourly reports about his illness when he is not around. When he is there, he does what he can to relieve any discomfort his baby boy might be having.

He isn't a man to be annoyed by a crying infant or have very little patience when they do not stop. It does rob him of sleep when Cedric wakes in the middle of night, but he never shows he's upset or angry. He simply lets you handle it, watching you sing him back to sleep in between you, since he refuses to sleep anywhere else after a nightmare.

We know little Ced loves horses. The calf you'd chosen when Cedric was an infant is now a grown pony, and Otto often takes him out riding whenever there is a hunting party or a trip into the forest. He loves seeing Cedric ride because it's the first thing a proper nobleman learns to do as he is growing up.

Since he's only 3-years-old, Cedric cannot hold a proper sword or learn any other martial skills, so Otto focuses on the academic side. He reads to Cedric, usually about history or The Faith or House Hightower. He used a book from Alicent's childhood to show him shapes and colors, teaching him how to say them properly. He showed Cedric pictures of animals or maps of different places, pointing out things and teaching him how to say the words. His son will be educated as well as strong.

Now, just because Cedric is a Hightower, does not mean he's isolated from the rest of his family. Alicent dotes on her younger brother, and showers him with sisterly love at all times; you and Cedric spend a lot of him in her rooms with Helaena and Aemond. Helaena herself sewed a dragonfly pillow for Cedric, and it immediately became his favorite pillow; she likes to give him her one of her many fidget toys to keep him occupied for short periods of time. Aegon doesn't dote or coddle his "baby uncle" like everyone else, but he may have once let Cedric drink from his wine cup when nobody was looking. Aemond sometimes reads to him as well, stoking Cedric's interest in dragons, and tried teaching him chess once. Daeron has met Cedric on a handful of occasions, and loves to play games with him, and showing him books about knights and legends.

And for the sake of utter cute, fluffy visuals: a clingy Cedric may have waddled behind his father into the small council chamber one day when you weren't paying attention to him. Since Alicent heads most of the meetings in her husband's place, she has no problem with Cedric remaining there until the end on the less important days. Otto likes to think one day Cedric himself might sit in Otto's seat, or on any of the council positions.

Cedric is a baby boy who is utterly surrounded by love from people who think themselves incapable of it for a time. All the things that happened to them, they will not let happen to Cedric, the purest and sweetest of them all.

A/N: feel free to send in more cute things because otherwise I'll start rambling about them in blank posts lmao

#otto hightower #otto x reader #otto x you #otto x yn #house of the dragon #hotd drabbles #hotd fanfic #hotd imagines #hotd fanfiction

[in-a-brown-study]

dont mind me just throwing some theories abt link click's opening out here somewhere bc ive got no friends. needless to say not only the animation is magnificent but the song is mind-blowing i might cry at how good it sounds

on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3MQTl86jub6KbdirMaEuGE?si=OHEipco7Tau6n_MjgSat4Q&utm_source=copy-link

first of all i don't want to think CXS falling down for almost two minutes will be the plot for season 2 but after watching the first two episodes that's exactly what i'm thinking :( lol

----part one: pink teddy=cxs----

so we start off with this scene, some kind of a shop i guess

next we see these toy machines, the one with the lights on looks like it's actually broken, because of the red light down below, and we can see a yellow tape reading "killing" on it.

now, if we're all on the same page, the pink teddy (we'll see later) is an alussion to CXS, because throughout the animation everytime we see the teddy it transitions to cxs

if we take on this thought further, the machine would be cxs's "house" somehow, and i said it's broken bc of the red light so there we have it, cxs is inside a 'broken home'

here we can see some stuff that is most probably chengxiaoshi's (a game, couple of photographs, a camera, a little ball) so that "killing" could mean someone or a group trying to "kill" (metaphorically or literally) cxs or trying to destroy his home. "home" here i don't mean the house where they live but more like a place/people he feels safe with

----will touch this later on----

----part two: photographs----

at the beginning (kinda) of the video we can see a glimpse of a bunch of photographs, all of them depict a crime scene or maybe different crime scenes, and cxs is surrounded by all of it while falling. he may be feeling miserable bc of all the murders/cases he's witnessing. he may be in a dark mental state especially bc of all the stuff he's been living through the lives of other people, maybe feeling drowned by all of it and helpless also, because he can't really change anything

----end part 2----

----part three: lu guang's powers----

interesting how lu guang's eyes look normal in every other scene but in this one where the glass breaks, his eyes are shining blue. could it be he'll experience some kind of problem with his powers? 😮

i've reached the pics limit, will post the rest later

#时光代理人 #link click #cheng xiaoshi #lu guang #linkclick #qiao ling #shiguang daili ren #donghua #anime #animation #music

[under-write-reblogs]

A Handful of Lamia’s

Just a one-shot. Honestly, it wasn’t even really supposed to be this long… it just got out of hand, I guess. 

Basically, the Tumblr user @vex-bittys wrote an adoption scenario for my alternate account (@under-art-reblogs  [ https://at.tumblr.com/vex-bittys/hi-there-ive-been-doing-a-lot-of-research-and/ist81pzebyyk]) with two of her lamias bitty types and it inspired me to write this. 

If you’re interested in Undertale bitty’s or lamia’s in general (along with a few other hybrid companions) they are a wonderful, amazing, (insert any other positive word here), person to check out!! I adore their blog even if I haven’t interacted much. 

Hope you enjoy! (Also the Ao3 link is below if you prefer that over tumblr)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42795993

As a young, introverted adult, life could sometimes be a bit lonely. Sure, you interacted with your coworkers a lot, and you had a small circle of friends you talked to and hung out with on occasion… but it didn’t make going home to an empty, quiet house any easier. 

You had considered getting a pet for a while, but you felt like all the typical, familiar options weren’t the right fit for you.

You adored the most basic of all pet companions: that being cats and dogs. 

After all, you’d always had at least one or two while growing up, but that was the main issue. There was always someone in the house to keep them company and keep an eye on them while you were a child. Most of the time they tended to be sweet… but you’d grown up with a good handful that could get into heaps of trouble in a very short amount of time. 

Not to mention, a cat or dog might need more attention than you could give them. Daily walks and brushing just a necessary thing required to provide for them (at least in your opinion), along with all the affection you could possibly give them… and just leaving them alone in a house all day didn’t sit right with you. And while a sibling might help keep them occupied, you would still worry about not being able to fully provide what they needed. 

So a quiet no for both of them, at least for now. Unfortunate, but at least there were other options, right?

Small mammals like mice, rats, guinea pigs, or even a rabbit might work. Except they needed a companion or two to keep them company, plenty of space, and they could be relatively smelly pets if you didn’t keep up with cleaning. Not to mention, they didn’t live for very long in comparison to other animal companions. It would break your heart to bond with some only to have them pass away in just a few years. Plus, on the off chance one of them managed to escape while you were out, you didn’t want to come home to chewed-up wires or other damages in your home. So not a great fit either.

Birds were an absolute no. While interesting to watch and pretty to look at, you knew yourself…. and you had little patience for excessive noise. Being an introvert was difficult, and whenever you were home, you wanted to recover your energy from the day… which meant that having an animal constantly squawking in the background of your home would get on your nerves far more than fill the loneliness. Not to mention they were high-maintenance pets that needed someone with experience to care for them properly. You weren’t really willing to research for a pet you knew you probably wouldn’t enjoy keeping long-term. So another no.    

Reptiles were yet another option you considered as you had always found them fascinating, but they were more… “look-at” rather than “play-with” pets. Many of them might not necessarily mind if you went home and held them every day, but they wouldn’t necessarily have a positive connection with you other than perhaps learning that you were the one to provide them with food. Not to mention, you didn’t really like bugs, and the idea of feeding a lizard crickets every other day… ick. No thanks. Ultimately, you knew getting one as a pet wouldn’t help solve your problem of wanting companionship, as interesting as you found the idea. So another no. 

….You wanted something that would greet you when you came home. Who would sit beside you while reading or occasionally watching a few movies, maybe even just relax nearby while you were writing in order to keep you company. Of course, this was a silly thought if you wanted a mere animal companion. They may be sweet, but very few could form a genuine connection with their owners and provide what you were seeking.

Thankfully, you knew that ‘The Lamia (and Felid) Bittybones Adoption Center’ had plenty of lamia’s (as the name implied), which acted as true companions, not just pets. At least they did, so long as you bonded and properly cared for them. Which made them perfect for you. 

Lamia’s were capable and intelligent enough to look after themselves while you were out of the house, but also be willing to keep you company whenever you left and if they were comfortable with you. Unfortunately, you hadn’t known about them until you moved into the city and overheard someone talking about getting another. But for a while, you had been consumed with rebuilding your life and hadn’t thought it would be fair to adopt one during that stressful time of trying to settle into a new routine. 

Thankfully you now felt comfortable enough to welcome one or two lamias into your home if they were willing. And if you got two, they could keep each other company on the off chance you couldn’t bring them with you outside the house for any reason. And after having done plenty of research, along with setting up a few places in your home for them to call their own and create a personal nest for themselves, you were fairly sure you knew of the two types that would suit you best. 

The obvious first choice for a companion had been the Chain lamia. After all, each Chain created a unique SOUL-bond with their ideal owner to connect with them and understand what they needed most. It allowed them to sense and experience the emotions of the person they bonded to, both positive and negative. And of course, it would let you do the same for him. It would give you a way to understand his needs and provide the companionship he also likely craved. They were someone to share the ups and downs of your life with, and since each bond was unique, you were sure you and your Chain would find hobbies to bond over. Not to mention they were typically known as loyal and protective, two traits you preferred in any companion.  

The other had been a King lamia. While a bit more proud and high-strung than a Chain, so long as you respected them, they were just as loyal companions. Despite their name, they preferred to act as the hero of any home they were a part of, patrolling and protecting what they considered their space, which usually translated into their owner’s home. And apparently, many of them shared your hobby of having one of their main past-times being reading, which you were sure the two of you could connect over. Not to mention, they could be very helpful. Fairly willing to do menial, routine tasks if given the praise they deserved for doing such things… and in all honesty, teaching a King about the tasks you usually couldn’t find the energy to perform and praising him for choosing to do so when you couldn’t sounded pretty rewarding.  

… someone who understood your feelings at a deep emotional level and was always willing to keep you company, and someone who shared a loved hobby of yours and who would protect your home while you were away? It seemed like the choice was made for you… and hopefully, two of the lamias would think you were the right fit for them as well. 

As you made your way closer and closer to the adoption center, you got more and more excited. Feeling almost like your very SOUL was pulling you towards something… which according to your research on Chains, it probably was. It seemed like your bondmate was waiting for you.

As you walked towards the adoption center entrance, you looked in through the window to hopefully catch a glimpse of the lamias inside, wondering if you could spot the Chain you knew was nearby. And you did… for a split second. 

You locked eyes with a miniature Chain sitting in the windowsill, eagerly watching those passing by. And upon catching sight of you, he rushed forward in excitement… colliding hard into the glass, seeming to have forgotten it was there. Hearing a distinctive thud even from outside the center, you rush in, the bell clinging gently above you despite your panicked rush. Seeing the poor lamia slumped over, you reach out in an effort to provide comfort and make sure he was alright. 

As soon as you make contact you could feel the comforting, warm sensation of the bond settling into place as you look over his bruised skull. You’re sure the Chain would feel it too if he hadn’t just bonked himself unconscious.

…Apparently, your panic hadn’t gone unnoticed as you hear a flurry of activity behind you, with several other lamias rushing towards the front desk, probably to get Miss Vex or one of the Nurse Papythons, but you do notice one lamia making their way towards you. A King. And he certainly looked determined about something.

Unfortunately, you think his laser focus had something to do with what happened next. You didn’t exactly see what it was, but it seemed that in trying to reach both you and the Chain he failed to notice something else cross his path… whether it was a particularly sturdy toy or maybe even another lamia he tripped mid-slither over something, knocking his head on one of the corners of the windowsill before faceplanting onto the floor. 

Sitting between two lamias who had just dazed themselves with their enthusiasm, you don’t think anyone could blame you for feeling a bit thrown off and confused by the bizarre events that had unfolded in under three minutes. 

Guess fate had a sense of humor… but you had definitely found the two lamias meant for you. (Though maybe you could invest in some bubble wrap for them, just to be safe).

By now, Miss Vex and several other lamia’s had made their way towards you again, and offering an easygoing smile, she implored you to stand and follow her so you could begin filling out the adoption forms. Reassuring you that the Nurse Papythons would have the two lamia’s sorted out in no time. 

You can’t help but chuckle as you look over the form, filling out the little bit of information needed. It was mostly a promise on paper saying that you would take care of both of them to the best of your abilities and also informing you on how to contact the center if you ever had any questions or concerns. 

Once you had signed it, the only thing left was to wait for the two lamias to recover enough to sign the form themselves. Hopefully the King would still be willing to do his display for you before signing the form. (You knew it was probably important to him).

Telling Vex this, she offered a smile explaining that he was also one of the only Kings currently in the adoption center who had made an effort to learn healing magic. …Not unheard of for a King, but not necessarily common either. 

A few minutes later, both lamias slithered out from behind the desk, making their way towards you and the adoption form. 

The Chain reached it first, hastily signing the paper before indicating he wanted to sit on your shoulder. You happily allowed him to slither up, where he let out a pleased hiss at finding the hood on your jacket was lined with faux fur, quickly making himself comfortable by burrowing into the soft sensation before looking back towards the desk and letting out a questioning chirp.

The King was still standing there, not quite meeting your eyes. 

Lamias naturally used hisses and chirps to communicate with each other, though they were capable of learning to speak whatever language their owner used… and yet, without him saying anything, you could tell he looked rather embarrassed for his earlier enthusiasm. His pride clearly bruised more than his skull for not being the one to save the day.

You can’t help but reassure him that you thought his eagerness was quite impressive, and you were confident that he would have done wonderfully had it not been so chaotic at the time. …Seeing as how he didn’t quite look convinced, you asked if he would like to do his display to prove his might. 

At the suggestion, he lit up, lifting himself to his full height, flaring his hood, and bowing. The King had some beautiful dark splotches along with the usual extravagant skull marking in the center.  

His stunning display was almost hypnotic in a way… it was almost like he was dancing, and you couldn’t help but applaud with enthusiasm as he finished, even though you already knew that you were going to adopt him. 

He was a prime example of all things noble and heroic, especially if he knew healing magic… the noblest task of all (at least in your opinion). And upon hearing that, it seemed his pride was restored. So he signed the adoption form as well, seemingly pleased with himself. 

Before leaving, you picked up a few other things for your new companions, allowing them to pick out a few other necessities of their own choosing before waving to Vex and leaving… off on your first adventure with your two lamias. Hopefully it would go better than your introduction, but whatever came next, at least the three of you would no longer have to face it alone.  

#undertale #undertale fic #a handful of lamia's #vex-bittys

[floorpancakes]

can you post what all the results to the quiz are & what charas they have? im just curious to see the answers to what i didn't get!

ok so ill probably add to this slowly but time for some stats and answers and stuff! obviously dont check this out if you dont wanna be spoiled (thread)

first, here's the actual amounts of each results people have been getting:

when i say i had NO IDEA we'd get so many chuunis....watching the numbers go up the first few days felt like a fever dream haha

but its comforting to know that everyone is cringe and free! i for one welcome our new gothy overlords!

i was also really surprised that gimmick idols got some of the lowest scores 😭 the space that spans is so wide so i was expecting way more people to get that result since i figured it'd catch a lot of people, but i guess you guys are rare!

---

now its time to look at the archetype list:

this was pretty tricky, especially cause i was working on the quiz for funsies at silly o clock in the morning for two nights while i was dealing with some sickness induced exhaustion lol. i wanted to include more (a few like the princely type nearly made the cut), but I found there was

1. a lot of crossover between archetypes (this even happened with some of the idols i chose for the results image!!! hanayo being average idoltwt user AND a harapeko type or minori being average idoltwt user AND fake it til you make it for example)

2. some archetypes that were only based on visuals or not on personality at all

3. kind of lowkey paradoxical (eg. someone might really fit the princely type, but often in idol shows they make it so that trait is pushed on them, but they secretly wanted to be feminine all along, which like, ok but then if someone actually fits the princely vibe I'd be slightly struggling for examples and we'd get all tied in knots unfortunately)

4. the amount of answers was already getting so long that if i added any more it'd start getting difficult to come up with more answers for some of the more concrete questions (like what you'd do post graduation etc)

...so I had to kind of draw the line somewhere. especially cause i thought like 3 of my idoltwt mutuals would take it and that's it 😭 maybe I'll make a part 2 or a more extensive quiz later who knows (guess who just remembered the 'rock is life' type idols and screamed into a pillow for only just remembering...)

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so the idol archetype categories themselves are DEFINITELY things I've picked up on in multiple series, altho they may require a lil bit of explaining so I'll quickly summarise each one when we go thru the characters. i should probably mention that some of these (like the chuunibyou) are word for word archetypes that people use all the time, while some were just me trying to put words to the character types so the wording was just a descriptor (fake it til you make it queen), altho i hope they were useful! ive seen a few people online using these terms after taking the quiz which is super cute...🙇 let's take a look at these categories shall we?

(note: i have varying levels of familiarity w these characters, i wanted to make it reasonably varied and recognisable but some of them i kind of just knew what category they fit and that's it)

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THE CHUUNIBYOU

to those who don't know, the chuunibyou is a pretty popular archetype beyond just idols, and tends to refer to people who are stuck in or going through their 'edgy phase'; chuu-ni being short for second year of middle school syndrome (think like, 13 or 14 year olds), but the general vibe tends to be associated with emo or goth phases, claiming to have an evil eye, being or being a servant of Satan, hiding a secret shy or self conscious side with edge, yaknow. average tween behaviour. it's not limited by age tho especially in anime media! one of the examples i used is a 26 year old grown man with a job. never too late!

Like with a lot of the other categories it was really hard to narrow down the results page characters, but from left to right:

1. Todo Yurika from Aikatsu!

Yurika takes being a lifestyle lolita to the next level, being a gothic lolita and punk idol with the chuuni character of a vicious vampire, which she desperately tries to keep up as part of her career, only letting people see her quiet nerdy self once in a blue moon. She has a secret soft spot for garlic ramen and sings some of the best songs in the entire series (which is an achievement cause aikatsus songs are god tier).

music rec (won't do this for everyone, only ones i know well, but pls feel free to fill in the blanks in the comments/reblogs!): check out Glass Doll, Onegai Venus and Eternally Flickering Flame! She has two singing voices over the series, both of which are incredible.

2. Asselin BB II (Asselin Beelzebub the Second) from The Idolm@ster SideM!

Asselin is a genius chef in his mid-twenties that ended up on the streets being kicked from countless jobs because of his ....quirks. He's a chuuni through and through, and its something a lot of the people around him didn't know how to handle, but when he gets taken in by Cafe Parade (both an idol group AND a real life dining establishment) to be their chef, he finally finds a place where he belongs. He's goofy and crazy while simultaneously being an introverted and nervous personality, and claims to be a servant of Satan, which just happens to be an adorable plushie that he carries around for comfort and finds difficult to be without, who gets painstakingly dressed up in matching outfits whenever he's included in a card! Don't be fooled by his softness though, this servant of satan has PIPES. You may recognise his voice, as he's played by well-known seiyuu Furukawa Makoto.

music rec: check out Waga Konton no Sabbath Marriage to immediately ascend, or Reversed Masquerade for a taste of the full CafePa experience.

3. Tsushima Yohane from Love Live Sunshine!!

Probably the most famous on the list so I'll keep it brief! She's been at this chuuni business since she was a little girl, so she encountered a lot of loneliness before joining Aqours, but she's got a cute and clumsy personality and has a tendency to yell about being a fallen angel. She's an absolute sweetheart, despite claiming that she's angered God himself, and is always there at the scene to deliver an edgy pose or stunning vocals.

music rec: check out Kowareyasuki and Strawberry Trapper for peak Yohane vocals, honestly Guilty Kiss in general should be mandatory listening homework

#idol quiz #idol archetype quiz #stats and info and stuff ahead! #thread