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bumblingbabooshka · 2 years

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Picture This: Tuvok gets asked out on a date exactly one(1) times in his academy years and it’s by a girl he hasn’t really spent too much time with interpersonally.

They work the same shifts and have one class together (I’m imagining the academy has a sort of work-study thing or an internship so you have hands-on experience by the time you graduate on to Starfleet proper) where they work side by side, mostly in silence.

And Tuvok’s surprised that she asks him out. He didn’t realize that people could see him in that way, especially non-vulcans who mostly just seem to view him as a bore or a spoilsport. Everytime they say something along those lines he feels a little proud. (He tells himself he feels nothing besides that, an appropriately dull pride). He thinks of his father and the cave.

Tuvok is also, at this point, very much crushing on some guy he sometimes works closely with because they both don’t like to talk too much. Tuvok once saw him half-reading a little book of poetry and reciting it monotonously to himself as if memorizing it. This struck him. And that frightened him to some degree, because of past experiences. (He thinks of his father and the cave and the fervid half-love before it)

[Un]fortunately this guy just got a girlfriend and Tuvok, even though he knows it was never going to work (hence his not making any sort of move but contrary to him learning makeup because this guy said once that he liked people with ‘bold looks.’) it’s still quietly devastated him. His devastation shames him and grows by the day, unattended to.

And because Tuvok is young and lonely and devastated and that guy has a girlfriend and this girl in front of him asking him out is perfectly pleasant and he’s still got a little bit of teenaged rebellion left in him - he says yes.

They arrange to meet at a cafe on the promenade or wherever and Tuvok prepares for the date extensively. He does, like, date research in order to be prepared for what happens on a date (he’s never been on one and doesn’t know what’s expected and he’s been told he’s not a good conversationalist in general, let alone by human standards).

The day of the date he’s heading there when a fellow ensign calls out to him like “Tuvok! You look fancy!” and he says yes. “Going somewhere?” Yes. “....Care to share?” -sigh- a date. “With Rhoda?” Tuvok realizes he doesn’t know the first name of the girl he’s supposed to be going on a date with - he only knows her as Teral, her last name. He says he’d rather not talk about it then leaves.

He goes to the place of their date and waits. and waits. and waits. Until eventually the woman behind the counter sympathetically says she doesn’t think anyone’s coming.

“That would seem to be the case, yes.”

“I’m sorry, hon.”

“Why?”

“I feel bad. Do you want a piece of pie?”

Tuvok leaves the cafe feeling lonelier than ever. He wonders why the ensign from before spoke to him - was there some hidden meaning to their conversation? He wishes he understood human mannerisms more so he’d know. He wishes he knew Teral’s first name. He stops himself from wishing more.

The girl doesn’t come to class the next day but he sees her as he’s heading up to his dorm. She’s sitting on the stairs with a friend and she looks stricken when she sees him. “Tuvok!” Hello. There’s a silence which Tuvok cannot decipher. He begins to move again.

The girl stops him, she says sorry about not showing up. She had something she forgot she had to do and she couldn’t contact him. Her friend is leaning on her leg and looking up at him with an expression that is again, to Tuvok, unreadable.

He tells Teral not to let it worry her and her friend sighs. “See? I told you he wouldn’t mind.” Teral shushes him but Tuvok is already walking past them. He ignores Teral’s attempts to speak further and shuts himself in his dorm.

The other bed in his room is thankfully empty. His roommate is polite enough but sometimes when Tuvok speaks he repeats whatever he said back to him, mimicking his inflection with a smile before continuing on. Tuvok doesn’t know if this is friendly or not. He tells himself he doesn’t ask about it because it doesn’t matter but he worries that’s a lie. He worries, late at night, that he actually just doesn’t want confirmation that it isn’t.

On his desk Tuvok has a barely begun letter that only contains the words ‘Earth is lonely.’ The word ‘lonely’ is made especially dark to cover up the fact that he had written ‘frightening’ earlier before remembering himself. Both are unacceptable.

He misses Vulcan. At least he understood when people disliked him. He knew what the rules were and when he broke them.

He wonders, as he pulls a thermos of replicated plomeek soup (or what passes as that here) from his bag, why he’s so incredibly disappointed. He didn’t even know her first name.

In his bag is also a small box, inside of which is a pressed flower. He ignores it. He will later place it in one of the many common rooms and it will be gone to whomever wants it.

He wants desperately to quit, to return home a failure once again. Surely it would be better than this, being an alien amongst aliens.

He quiets himself. He sips the soup. He pulls out a PADD and begins a letter in earnest.

Mother,

All is well…

#this is SO self indulgent but cringe is dead and this is my blog <- a calming mantra repeated through my teeth #I'm a sucker for people asking me very politely if I'd want to do things so here's the Tuvok gets stoodup monolith #ummmm its....itssomething about....listen - ensign/cadet Tuvok really gets me dude #I think about how exasperated and passionate he was in that one episode - flashback maybe?#and how that must have been building for a long time #and I was thinking about how Tuvok's reputation on Vulcan at this stage probably isn't good - Vulcans really value family names #and respectability and Tuvok being so lovesick that he gets kicked out of school and banished from his home is probably not respectable #I imagine he stayed in Starfleet for so long despite clearly being unhappy because he didn't want to be a failure again #But more concerning this ... thing. I was thinking about how strange and alien being amongst humans (aliens) would be...#like to Tuvok he's a normal guy and these weird aliens are so confusing and humans ARE confusing there's so many rules and tiny gestures #I wanted to make it unclear what any of the humans are doing really...what they're thinking and what they mean - it's a mystery #Is it meanspirited? Innocent? Is it a joke on you or are you supposed to laugh along?#Either way............everything's fine #A younger Tuvok just ignores emotions he doesn't want to deal with - by the time he gets older he doesn't do this v_v he's learned #my writing #I GUESS;;;#st voyager #Tuvok #After this experience Tuvok nods to himself and says the logical thing would be to just not go on any more dates #not because hes hurt or anything but because it's just...the logical thing to do. of course.#He'll just wait until either him or his bondmate go through pon farr v_v #meanwhile in medschool T'Pel is like: It's illogical for me to wait to have such experiences until my marriage. Come over here and kiss me.#Tuvok loves her for it and we ALL love her for it #awww....wouldn't it be cute if T'Pel took him on a date? I think it would #double date with Mark and Janeway so they don't feel as awkward...but then T&T just start wandering off on their own #Janeway: You're supposed to be here with me.#Tuvok: -at the top of a ferris wheel watching T'Pel's fascination- I will be down soon.

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tearlessrain · 1 month

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please help me- i used to be pretty smart but i’m having so much trouble grasping the concept of diegetic vs non-diegetic bdsm!

gfkjldghfd okay first of all I'm sorry for the confusion, if you're not finding anything on the phrase it's because I made it up and absolutely nobody but me ever uses it, but I haven't found a better way to express what I'm trying to say so I keep using it. but now you've given me an excuse to ramble on about some shit that is only relevant to me and my deeply inefficient way of talking and by god I'm going to take it.

SO. the way diegetic and non-diegetic are normally used is to talk about music and sound design in movies/tv shows. in case you aren't familiar with that concept, here's a rundown:

diegetic sound is sound that happens within the world of the movie/show and can be acknowledged by the characters, like a song playing on the stereo during a driving scene, or sung on stage in Phantom of the Opera. it's also most other sounds that happen in a movie, like the sounds of traffic in a city scene, or a thunderclap, or a marching band passing by. or one of the three stock horse sounds they use in every movie with a horse in it even though horses don't really vocalize much in real life, but that's beside the point, the horse is supposed to be actually making that noise within the movie's world and the characters can hear it whinnying.

non-diegetic sound is any sound that doesn't exist in the world of the movie/show and can't be perceived by the characters. this includes things like laugh tracks and most soundtrack music. when Duel of Fates plays in Star Wars during the lightsaber fight for dramatic effect, that's non-diegetic. it exists to the audience, but the characters don't know their fight is being backed by sick ass music and, sadly, can't hear it.

the lines can get blurry between the two, you've probably seen the film trope where the clearly non-diegetic music in the title sequence fades out to the same music, now diegetic and playing from the character's car stereo. and then there are things like Phantom of the Opera as mentioned above, where the soundtrack is also part of the plot, but Phantom of the Opera does also have segments of non-diegetic music: the Phantom probably does not have an entire orchestra and some guy with an electric guitar hiding down in his sewer just waiting for someone to break into song, but both of those show up in the songs they sing down there.

now, on to how I apply this to bdsm in fiction.

if I'm referring to diegetic bdsm what I mean is that the bdsm is acknowledged for what it is in-world. the characters themselves are roleplaying whatever scenarios their scenes involve and are operating with knowledge of real life rules/safety practices. if there's cnc depicted, it will be apparent at some point, usually right away, that both characters actually are fully consenting and it's all just a planned scene, and you'll often see on-screen negotiation and aftercare, and elements of the story may involve the kink community wherever the characters are. Love and Leashes is a great example of this, 50 Shades and Bonding are terrible examples of this, but they all feature characters that know they're doing bdsm and are intentional about it.

if I'm talking about non-diegetic bdsm, I'm referring to a story that portrays certain kinks without the direct acknowledgement that the characters are doing bdsm. this would be something like Captive Prince, or Phantom of the Opera again, or the vast majority of bodice ripper type stories where an innocent woman is kidnapped by a pirate king or something and totally doesn't want to be ravished but then it turns out he's so cool and sexy and good at ravishing that she decides she's into it and becomes his pirate consort or whatever it is that happens at the end of those books. the characters don't know they're playing out a cnc or D/s fantasy, and in-universe it's often straight up noncon or dubcon rather than cnc at all. the thing about entirely non-diegetic bdsm is that it's almost always Problematic™ in some way if you're not willing to meet the story where it's at, but as long as you're not judging it by the standards of diegetic bdsm, it's just providing the reader the same thing that a partner in a scene would: the illusion of whatever risk or taboo floats your boat, sometimes to extremes that can't be replicated in real life due to safety, practicality, physics, the law, vampires not being real, etc. it's consensual by default because it's already pretend; the characters are vehicles for the story and not actually people who can be hurt, and the reader chose to pick up the book and is aware that nothing in it is real, so it's all good.

this difference is where people tend to get hung up in the discourse, from what I've observed. which is why I started using this phrasing, because I think it's very crucial to be able to differentiate which one you're talking about if you try to have a conversation with someone about the portrayal of bdsm in media. it would also, frankly, be useful for tagging, because sometimes when you're in the mood for non-diegetic bodice ripper shit you'd call the police over in real life, it can get really annoying to read paragraphs of negotiation and check-ins that break the illusion of the scene and so on, and the opposite can be jarring too.

it's very possible to blur these together the same way Phantom of the Opera blurs its diegetic and non-diegetic music as well. this leaves you even more open to being misunderstood by people reading in bad faith, but it can also be really fun to play with. @not-poignant writes fantastic fanfic, novels, and original serials on ao3 that pull this off really well, if you're okay with some dark shit in your fiction I would highly recommend their work. some of it does get really fucking dark in places though, just like. be advised. read the tags and all that.

but yeah, spontaneous writer plug aside, that's what I mean.

#I found their original stuff while I was researching various waterhorses and their folklore for no reason #because one of the characters in their original work happens to be an each uisge #and then it turned out it ALSO included a lot of figures from welsh folklore in general #so yknow if you happen to have my incredibly specific hyperfixations you'll love it but even if you don't it's great #I didn't mean to bring up phantom of the opera so much it just happens to be very relevant to a lot of my talking points #I haven't actually seen it in years

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thatrandombystander · 10 months

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Ah. My youthful exuberance and whimsy for life combined with my inability to guess people's ages strikes against me yet again!

#what do you mean a bunch of the more fun cosplayers from the trigun meet were TEENAGERS #what am i supposed to do with that #i mean teenagers are great for the most part and these kids were very lovely and enthusiastic #but it's just not the same as a peer #they're not even out of high school yet #i mean some of them were clearly like 15 but two that i thought were at least 20 were 16 and 19????#19 is more whatever but the 16 year old???????#*by peer i just meant like life stage peer. not in a hierarchical sense #idk what it says about me when i get along with teens #is it.... a good thing? do i act immature and that's why we get along??????#sigh. I'm going to bed.#ramblings of a bystander

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luciddownloading · 7 months

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The 5th House and Star Power/Quality ✨

The sign on your 5th House cusp and/or planet(s) in your 5th shows how you shine. Bright like a diamond! It's the key to finding not only your talent but your star power, your It Factor. If you were a celebrity, it would be what people praise you the most for. But, everyone gets the most hype for their 5th House energies. So, be your own talent agent and take advantage of them!

Life hack for creatives and performers out there: your 5th House shows you "your lane" as an artist. Not your 10th House. It's the direction you should go in creatively if you feel like you're struggling to successfully carve out your niche or attract recognition. You will gain the biggest following by emphasizing it.

SUN IN THE 5TH and/or LEO ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

Lucky you! You seemingly just have to be you to gain an adoring following. People love how authentic you are, how you're not trying to be anyone other than you. This is "movie star" type energy. The kind of performer who is constantly "playing themselves" but is so charming and magnetic that nobody minds. You have Stage Presence. You could just stand around, doing nothing, and people want to watch. So, remember that you never have to try hard. You're just naturally entertaining and charismatic. Don't be afraid to play the role of the star, either! Admit it. You enjoy the attention. And others enjoy giving it to you! Your confidence plays a big role in this (whether it's natural or you're faking it til you're making it), creating this golden aura of greatness around you. You could turn the grocery store into a Red Carpet event just by walking in.

MOON IN THE 5TH and/or CANCER ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

No matter your age, you remain the girl or boy next door. Your star quality is cute, comforting, safe. Wholesome vibes. This is the actor who does a dozen rom-coms or tearjerkers that are like a fuzzy blanket on a rainy day. You gain the most applause via your vulnerability. In spite of what you may fear, shedding a few tears or having a cathartic meltdown only earns you admiration, not ridicule. Sensitivity allows you to shine! You might have a very charismatic mother figure that you clearly get your greatness from. Or, if/when you have children, they could look up to you as the brightest light in their life. Your whole immediate family may be very talented or entertaining and you're most in your element when around them.

MERCURY IN THE 5TH and/or GEMINI ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

Hello, Jack/Jill of all Trades! People will be enthralled by just how multi-talented you are. Double/triple/quadruple threats! It may even exhaust others a bit and even if you're not exactly mastering all those interests, you still make it fascinating to watch. But, let's be clear: writing is your bread and butter, whether it's screenwriting, prose, poetry, or blogging. You are a top-tier storyteller, even in person, and will probably gain the most attention for your writing. Your star quality stems from that witty, smart, cheeky, clever voice you have. When you have something to say, people listen! And it usually takes them in an unpredictable direction. Your duality is also the key to your charisma, as you are an entertaining bundle of opposites that others can't truly figure out.

VENUS IN THE 5TH and/or TAURUS/LIBRA ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

Okay, let's be honest. Your attractiveness keeps people in the palm of your hand. Most of your audience is so entertained by you because they think you're such a babe. Also, that you're just such a sweetheart! This would be the kind of actor whose characters you always root for because they're so damn likable. But, before you see your star power as superficial (as you may sometimes complain about not being taken seriously enough), you have some serious artistic prowess. It's largely visual. You'd make a fabulous director, painter or photographer because your aesthetic and eye for beauty leaves others wanting more. (You might even just be the best at curating your social media) PS: You are either the ultimate muse, constantly inspiring others' art or other notable efforts, or you tap into your light by making a special someone your muse.

MARS IN THE 5TH and/or ARIES ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

Do you hear that? It's the sound of your fans salivating over you! Your star power makes you hot as a summer day and it's not necessarily about how you look. You just have this sexual charisma to you. It's giving sexy rock star, with all the panties or boxer-briefs thrown on stage to prove it. So, if you were to be a performer, that would be your lane. Or possibly a rapper (depending on your skills/interests, obviously). Anything that lets you be wild, raw, hard-hitting. Regardless of your talents, you shine brightly when being daring and living on the edge. This also makes for extreme-sports enthusiasts and excellent athletes, the latter of which can lead to a killer bod. Which will definitely gain you much attention. Tbh, there are some himbo/bimbo vibes here but in the most empowered way. Like, "yes, I will wear little to no clothes because I know people love it and it's my power move."

JUPITER IN THE 5TH and/or SAGITTARIUS ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

Listen, you're not just talented. You have serious Chosen One energy. Whatever you are good at, it's blatantly obvious that you were put on Earth to do it. You live out your path like a God-given mission and it leaves people kind of in awe. If you're an artist (and there's a good 83.5 percent chance you are, with this placement), you are capable of either becoming a larger-than-life force in your creative field or gain a passionate cult following that is convinced you're terribly underrated (even though you're quite popular) and no one gets your work like they do. In the midst of it all, your sense of fun and humor remain, never taking yourself too seriously. You shine bright by being funny, colorful, a little bit extra and uncensored. Blunt, on-the-edge statements that others would be crucified for are mostly seen as entertaining and refreshing coming from you.

SATURN IN THE 5TH and/or CAPRICORN ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

This is definitely the girlboss position, even for the boys with this placement, lol, because you know how to be in-charge in a way that others find exciting and engaging. Like, "Yes, I want to get that bread, too!" But, few people can actually match your work ethic or authority, which could stem from a father figure who you worship and adore and make you a very commanding figure. It's funny but the more intimidating you are, the more you shine. Or should I say the brighter you shine, the more that light intimidates others? Most of you with this placement embrace it, seeing the perks of being feared. Popular people often are! You might not get the credit for your actual talent that you deserve, especially if you're an artist. People may think your greatness is a matter of image or focus more on how you hustled to the top. It may not be until you're a bit older that people start seeing your actual substance.

URANUS IN THE 5TH and/or AQUARIUS ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

You are most charismatic or entertaining when you're not trying to be. The nerdy, weird, or chaotic parts of yourself that you may cringe at or think nothing of are actually what gain you the most praise. You might be like that celebrity who acts like they're not famous or doesn't understand why they are. But, as time goes on, you learn to just go with it! Similar to Jupiter/Sagittarius in the 5th, your creative talents can be truly iconic. But, there's like an "artistic genius" or "young prodigy" vibe here. You might completely stumble into a skill and shock everyone, especially yourself, with what a natural you are. You also shine by defying certain gender roles, impressing others as a sensitive or beauty-loving guy or a tomboyish or aggressive lady.

NEPTUNE IN THE 5TH and/or PISCES ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

Your star power stems from the entire worlds and dimensions you can create. Obviously, this is a particularly artsy, imaginative placement. But, a role as a fantasy/sci-fi writer, especially, could lead to lots of praise. Few would excel at intricate world-building or provide glorious escapism like you. Whatever you do creatively, your special magic shines through. A chameleon type presence is also evident, like the type of actor who can easily "disappear" into roles. Even in regular life, people are most entertained by your disappearing acts. You might be very quiet and internal, even in a room full of people, intriguingly fading into the background. Or you could just be evasive, like a spirit that quickly vanishes and whose absence haunts you. Regardless, it's your softness, your mystery, your fantasy life that enthralls people. Bonus points if you have a particular alter ego you constantly assume.

PLUTO IN THE 5TH and/or SCORPIO ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

You entertain folks best when your highs and lows are on full display. People want to see the drama with you, the "sturm und drang", the tears and the ecstasy. A creative outlet is actually quite recommended for most of you with this influence. Those emotional extremes you're capable of draw your audience in the most, whether it's through introspective poetry or soul-baring music or the kind of raw character work that is worthy of Best Actor or Actress. The deeper you go, the more you shine. And while that may be scary, you embrace that fear and enjoy conquering it. But, there are limits to this intimacy, as you can be equally guarded in a way that ironically gains you more fans. It's that "leave them wanting more" star quality, a kind of Greta Garbo mystique. Even when you tell people you want to be alone, it doesn't stop them from trying harder to get into your business. The dilemma of such a private star!

CHIRON IN THE 5TH and/or VIRGO ON THE 5TH HOUSE CUSP

Feeling particularly neurotic? Like you're not good enough and like you have no clue how to do what you're supposedly talented at? This is the struggle of many creatives. But, for you, this insecurity is actually the essence of your star quality. You are the underdog that everyone roots for. Your fans might find it especially endearing or rather heartbreaking that you don't see your greatness. But, it creates this narrative around you where others want to invest in your endless journey to prove yourself. One secret you may keep, even from yourself, is that a part of you knows you're good. But, you're afraid to admit it because you think it'll jinx you. Or you think you have to squash any potential ego and remain impeccably humble. Allow yourself the occasional private "I'm feeling myself" moment. No one else will know!

Thank you for attending my Hype Session. Keep shining, babes.

#astrology #astro notes #the 5th house #5th house in astrology #sun in the 5th house #moon in the 5th house #mercury in the 5th house #venus in the 5th house #mars in the 5th house #jupiter in the 5th house #saturn in the 5th house #uranus in the 5th house #neptune in the 5th house #pluto in the 5th house #chiron in the 5th house #star power #star quality

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hiperchile · 1 year

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finally got around to watching l5y with nasia thomas & nicholas edwards and like. damn

this is everything the movie couldn’t lmao

#dunno if it's my favorite favorite version but #it's close!#the way they did next ten minutes is probably my favorite interpretation of it yet #like i was wondering how they were gonna do and damn #when it changes from jamie's to cathy's verse? the panning? hell yeah!!!#like. unbeatable.#the camerawork in general throughout the entire thing is /incredible/#real mvp tbh #the inclusion of the musicians ... the atmosphere... woopers dude #so nicely done #not even mentioning nasias vocals because damn what the fuck. human??? don #'t think so!!#also how it portrays distance like yknow what i mean. like on stage they're never together (excluding ntm and the end obvs) so there's just #just like this void #they don't do that here so the distance between them's like portrayed in a more subtle way and it really works tbh #like that end part of shiksa goddess where like. she's there. but she's not there there yknow?#fucking good #and it's clearly affected (beyond the obvious ofc lmao) by being a covid production tm but it really works in its favor #yeah idk it's just. fucking good. incredible interpretation well done #((did it also make the movie seem even worse somehow? so much. like look what you could have done!! but instead you were lazy about it :/ n #not gonna make this into a movie rant but they just never should have done it lmao it was just a bad idea from the start lmao)#l #m

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gimmeurtmi · 6 months

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groupie — 2min

pairing: kim seungmin x fem!reader x lee minho

tags: established relationship, polyamory, rock band!au, smut!!!🔞

warnings: swearing, throuple, mxm, sex in a public setting (but they're alone), possessive!minho, he's so jealous, use of “bunny”, “bubs”, "baby," and "babe", they jokingly refer to reader as their groupie many times, talking about putting out to get famous (no one does it ofc), facials, lmk if i forgot

inspo: 2min in the rockstar teaser pics.

notes: i can't not get carried away when it's 2min. this was meant to be just smut but i guess it kinda has a bit of plot and also it was not meant to be this long. it's also filthy as shit.

{ wc: 4126}

You leaned against the old, rusty sink, waiting patiently for your boyfriends to finish whatever they were getting up to.

There was a constant bloop noise, as other than rusty the sink was also leaking despite your attempts to fully shut the stream off.

As soon as they finished their set you rushed towards the most secluded place you could find. There was a toilet at the very edge of the backstage area of the venue with a sign that read “out of order”. The sign itself was so old that the marker used to write the words out was already starting to fade, a light layer of dust turning the white page to an unattractive beige.

Minho texted you just before he walked on stage, saying that he needed you. You told him where you were as soon as you settled.

After a few minutes the door opened slowly, creaking loudly and echoing horribly against the stained walls of the toilets.

“Why here?” Minho asked, planting a small kiss in your hair.

“Having sex in your dressing room stresses me out,” you rolled your eyes, “I can’t have fun when I keep feeling like we’re gonna get caught.”

“So you’d rather have sex in what is clearly a drug den?” He chuckled, wiping his hands against the counter where a few white specks were scattered around.

“No one’s gonna come in here though,” you reasoned.

“Unless you wanna wait until we go home?” Minho asked softly, his eyes sparkling at you.

You shook your head quickly. “When is Seungmin gonna finish, do you think?”

“Probably not for another hour,” Minho clicked his tongue, “some guys came backstage and started kissing his ass.”

You chuckled, “shouldn’t we go save him then?”

“No,” Minho shook his head, “they’re producers.”

You let out a small gasp, eyebrows high. “So why aren’t we there making him look better?”

“Because I’ve been hard through the whole set and I need your help,” he whined, snaking his hands around your waist.

You giggled at him before planting a comforting kiss to his forehead. “You did really well either way, didn’t even notice it.”

It was true, Minho did a wonderful job during their performance and luckily for him, being a drummer meant no one in the audience could see the problem he evidently had.

“I fucking hate him, by the way,” Minho mumbled as he buried his head into your neck. He planted small kisses on your skin, rubbing his palms around your back.

“Let me guess,” you sighed, “he left you high and dry seconds before you guys went on stage?”

“How did you know?”

“He looked especially smug,” you giggled, smiling widely at Minho’s annoyed expression.

“Help me,” Minho whined again.

“Why am I being made to clean his mess?” You exclaimed with a chuckle.

“Because,” he whined. You shook your head, chuckling at his antics.

It’s not that you didn’t want to help him with his problem, it was the only thing you were thinking about as you watched their performance. Minho was incredibly attractive when he played his drums, even more so with his new black hair—long enough to cover his eyes. The black eyeshadow you helped him put on before the show looked beautiful behind his bangs.

Now his eye makeup was slightly smudged from the sweat and the warm bright lights he was under. It made his eyes look darker somehow, more dangerous, even if he was whining at you like the sensitive person he actually is. But only you and Seungmin knew that side of him—everyone else thought he was another asshole wanna be rockstar like so many others were.

Minho leaned in to press his lips against yours softly, rubbing his thumb against your cheek lightly. “You’re staring, bunny.”

“Just admiring how well I did your makeup tonight,” you say, voice too thin to be at all believable.

“You wanna suck my dick so bad,” Minho chuckled, leaning in to kiss you with far more intent than before.

You didn’t answer, because that would mean pulling away from the kiss—and that’s the last thing you wanted. You grabbed onto his oversized shirt, pulling him even closer to you as your tongues clashed noisily.

He squeezed your hips tightly before he backed you up into the counter quickly, the pair of you stumbling as you climbed onto the solid surface with Minho’s blind help.

He didn’t pull away from the kiss once, sucking and nibbling at your bottom lip while his hand buried in your hair.

He didn’t waste any more time, bringing his hand between your bodies to softly rub against your clothed core. You mirrored his actions, rubbing him through his dark jeans.

In pure desperation, the pair of you started moaning loudly at the rush of pleasure.

As soon as you started playing with his zipper Minho pulled away, enough to fish for the condom he shoved into his pocket earlier that day. He asked you to hold onto it as he quickly shoved his jeans down—a small clatter noise following his action as his drumsticks fell out of his back pocket and onto to the floor.

You jumped off the counter, rushing to pull your own pants down. Minho rubbed your hips softly, kissing you quickly before he flipped you around—his dick rubbing against your ass as he pulled your back flat against his chest.

“You don’t need any prep?” He kisses your shoulder.

“Had too much time on my hands in the morning,” you chuckled.

Minho rolled his eyes at you with a soft smile sitting on his fond face. He eagerly grabbed the condom from you, throwing the wrapper to the floor as he quickly rolled it onto his dick.

He didn’t waste any time as soon as you gave him a reassuring nod, sinking all the way inside you.

Although you did use your toy in the morning, enough time has passed since then. Minho was stretching you fully, the sting slightly uncomfortable as he started to move.

He could notice, given the lack of your usual loud moaning, and so he made sure to distract you from it by sucking onto your neck.

The sensation paired with his hands digging into the flesh of your ass was enough to add to the wetness in your core—helping Minho to slide in and out of you with much more ease.

Soon your moans started echoing against the horrible acoustics of the toilets, mixing in with the sound of skin slapping against skin, and the big zippers on either of Minho’s pant leg dragging against the floor.

You gripped onto the counter, hard, relaxing against Minho’s hold as he slammed your bodies together.

“More, Min, please,” you whimpered, as the pleasure started building inside your stomach.

You knew he was needy from his text, and then you knew it again when you watched him play his drums with so much energy. And now, with his thrusts fast and unrelenting–you were sure nothing could make him stop until he was satisfied. And you were happy to be the person to satisfy him.

He held onto your hip bones tightly, using his grip to move you against his body, and so he told you to start rubbing your clit for him.

You brought a hand between your legs, trying your best to concentrate as Minho moved your body around quite roughly.

Then a loud creak made you yelp, the door opening slowly.

You jumped into Minho’s arms–him doing his best to shield you from the unwanted guest. Until the guest said, “sorry, sorry! It’s me!”

You both let out a sigh of relief as Seungmin walked up to the pair of you.

He planted a kiss on Minho’s lips before giving you a kiss as well, smiling softly.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologised, “I honestly didn’t think you’d be at it already.”

“Ran out of patience,” Minho grumbled. Noticing you were still tense around him, he rubbed your stomach softly, waiting until your body relaxed into him again.

“I wonder why,” Seungmin hummed, as if in deep thought.

“Fuck you,” Minho narrowed his eyes at him.

“Would you, hyung?” Seungmin grinned, wrapping his finger around Minho’s necklace before he tugged on it.

Minho stumbled into him, holding onto you with one hand as the other went to Seungmin’s shoulder to keep his balance.

“I’m in the middle of something,” Minho said, voice low. You could still hear him loudly, his voice jumping against the walls harshly.

“Yeah, I can see,” Seungmin laughed, bringing a hand to your hair as he rubbed his fingers against your scalp. “Thought you were my groupie.”

You chuckled at his pout, rolling your eyes at him. “Drummers do it better.”

Minho laughed at that, pushing into your softly. You almost forgot the two of you were still connected, but you supposed his renewed movement was meant to be some sort of reward for your remark. Truthfully, Minho was just waiting for you to feel comfortable again–and being a little shit to Seungmin was your ultimate comfort zone.

“And here I thought being the lead singer of a failing rock band would get me all the groupies I could ever want,” Seungmin sighed longingly.

“Heard you’re not failing anymore,” you patted his shoulder, “why aren’t you jerking off a producer somewhere?”

“Oh god,” Seungmin said, eyes wide, “they were all so hot.”

At that, Minho slammed into you roughly. Seungmin chuckled at your surprised groan before he jumped onto the counter. He grabbed your arms, manoeuvring you to stand right in front of him and lean your hands on his thighs.

He sunk his fingers into your hair again, scratching your scalp lightly. It was a big contrast to Minho’s rough thrusts, and you couldn’t understand which sensation your body was focused on. You let it overwhelm you either way.

“There were three of them,” he explained in a soft voice as Minho kept fucking into you, “they said they’d love to speak to our manager so I panicked and gave them Jeongin’s number. I didn’t want them to think we were massive rookies that don’t even have a manager.”

“But… you don’t,” you said, breathlessly.

“Sure, but I didn’t want Mr. Chan to think that. I also think he was flirting with me,” Seungmin rambled on. He wasn’t usually one to talk so much, the only exception being the few hours after they came off stage. The adrenaline always made him chatty, which neither of you minded usually.

But Minho was a jealous person.

“Oh, flirting with you, was he?” He said through clenched teeth.

“I think so,” Seungmin simply nodded, “and one of the other ones kept asking about you. Think he has a thing for drummers, too.”

He meant that last part at you, and you chuckled softly.

“So I think it can be a group effort,” he suggested, bringing his thumb to your cheek in a soft caress, “I’ll take that Chan guy, Minho can take the chatty one, and you can have the third one. His muscles looked amazing.”

“Wait, what?” You asked, hoping Minho didn’t notice you clenching. You didn’t know what these guys looked like, nor did you really care to partake in what Seungmin was talking about–but the way he said it so casually caused something to light up in your stomach.

“You know,” Seungmin gestured to the air, “fucking producers to get famous? It’s in all the rockstar handbooks.”

You laughed, but Minho stayed silent. In fact, he stopped moving entirely. He tapped your back slightly, an unconscious act he always did before he pulled out. So you knew to expect it, but it still surprised you when it happened.

You quickly turned around to face him, watching as he pulled the condom off and got dressed. Confused about what was going on, you did the same. You leaned against Seungmin’s knees, finding comfort in the way he instantly opened his legs and let you stand between them as the pair of you looked at Minho, silently.

“Hyung?”

Minho clenched his jaw, blinking rapidly as he looked anywhere but at the pair of you. You waited silently, as you knew to do with Minho. Sometimes he just needed a moment or two.

“You’re mine,” he mumbled, before looking back up at the pair of you, “both of you are mine.”

“Yes, hyung, of co–”

“--it turned her on, you know,” he said, sending an angry look your way. You brought your hands around your stomach, embarrassed that he did in fact notice.

“Yeah, well, just because Y/N’s a slut doesn’t mean I meant it like that,” Seungmin explained.

“Hey!” You tried to defend yourself, slapping Seungmin’s knee in protest. It didn’t help that you were still soaking wet–and him calling you names so casually wasn’t going to help you calm down.

“Mine,” Minho said again, far more determined this time. “Neither one of you is touching anyone else. I’m not letting anyone near you two.”

He closed the gap between you, trapping you in between his arms and Seungmin as he placed his hands flat on the younger’s thighs. You noticed his slid his fingers underneath the ripped out holes in Seungmin’s jeans, slowly raking his nails against the smooth skin of his thighs. You could hear Seungmin breathing louder.

“It’ll be for a good cause though,” Seungmin said, unable to stop teasing.

“I don’t give a shit about that,” Minho grumbled, “you’re mine.”

Seungmin tapped your waist lightly, slowly, as if he didn’t want Minho to see–which made you understand he definitely didn’t. He was giving you a hint, urging you to join him in provoking Minho even more.

“Don’t you wanna be famous, Min? I think Seung will have to fuck some producers to make that happen.”

“Mine,” Minho repeated, louder, “Kim Seungmin isn’t fucking anyone. And neither are you.”

“But, hyung,” Seungmin started, snaking his arms around your waist and reaching out for the loops on Minho’s jeans. He pulled him even closer to you–his still hard dick rubbing against your body lightly. “Do you wanna keep playing gigs at shitty venues?”

“Yeah,” Minho shrugged.

“And having to work two jobs for a month just to get one hour of studio time?” He added.

“Who cares,” Minho rolled his eyes, before looking right at you. He was daring you to say something else, you knew it, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it when his brown eyes were staring right at you like that. “There isn’t anything in this world that would make me share you two.”

“And if I wanted it for my birthday?” Seungmin asked with a toothy grin.

“Kim Seungmin,” Minho grumbled, grabbing onto the collar of Seungmin’s white blazer, “you’re such a fucking brat.”

“And you’re a jealous idiot,” he smirked back.

At that Minho grabbed the back of Seungmin’s neck, surging forward above your shoulder as he kissed him. The pair of them moaned into each other’s mouths, and you angled yourself as best you could to enjoy the view of them.

Minho always got so intense when he was even a little bit jealous, and considering how red his ears currently were it was safe to assume he was extremely jealous right now. Even though the scenario you were talking about was hypothetical at best, it didn’t stop Minho from letting his possessiveness take over him.

As the pair kept kissing, Seungmin brought a hand between your legs, tracing your wetness with his fingers. You quickly reacted, escalating things further as you grabbed Minho’s oversized white shirt from the collar, pulling it down to suck on the space right below his collarbone. It was his favourite spot, almost always already marked–but this time it wasn’t. You and Seungmin were surely lacking, but you’d quickly correct that.

With your mouth occupied with marking Minho’s beautiful skin, you opened the button on his jeans, shoving your hand into his boxers to start pumping his dick.

Minho pulled away from Seungmin’s lips at that, eyes fluttering shut as he threw his head back, enjoying your actions deeply–if the loud moans he let slip past his lips were anything to go by.

Seungmin, ever impatient, was eager for more kisses, and so he grabbed your chin and turned your face towards him. He instantly sucked on your bottom lip, groaning into your mouth.

As you kissed him, eager to taste him, he brought his hand into your underwear, slipping two fingers inside you with ease.

“Fuck,” he pulled away, watching as he shut his eyes tightly.

You then noticed Minho’s hand was down Seungmin’s boxers, too.

“Bubs, you’re so wet,” he moaned.

“You’d hope so if my dick was inside her like five minutes ago,” Minho grumbled. You squeezed his length lightly, prompting another loud moan to leave him, proving an effective way to shut him up.

“Can I be inside you?” Seungmin asked lowly, his breath shuddering as Minho started moving his hand quicker.

“Please,” you nodded eagerly.

You watched as Minho quickly dragged Seungmin off the counter. You watched as he tugged off Seungmin’s ripped jeans, getting another condom out of his pocket and rolling it on Seungmin’s length.

You waited as he secured it in place before Seungmin pushed down your pants. Just like Minho, he grabbed your ass firmly before slowly sliding into your core.

This time, you had Minho in front of you, and you could easily fall into his chest as Seungmin started thrusting into you. Minho held onto your back as Seungmin held your hips–and the sound of all three of you moaning was so incredibly loud in the old out of order toilets.

You hoped and prayed the rest of the crew were still loading Hyunjin’s van with the equipment and wouldn’t hear everything that was going on.

As much as you didn’t want to get caught (again, technically) you also really really couldn’t care enough to stop, nor be quiet about it.

Seungmin’s cock felt so good inside you, hitting the soft spot deep inside your body repeatedly as Minho kissed along your neck. He was rubbing himself against your stomach, moaning into your skin.

Minho peppered kisses along your jaw until he reached your cheek, placing soft and tender kisses on your skin.

“Mine, baby,” he reminded you softly. You nodded eagerly, moaning pathetically as your legs started to shake.

Seungmin was panting against your shoulder, his moans too broken to even make a sound at this point.

“Minho,” you moaned, willing your eyes to focus on his intense glare and not roll to the back of your head. He nodded at you, choking back a moan as you wrapped your hand around his length, rubbing your thumb against the tip lightly.

“Want both of you to cum inside me,” you groaned.

At that, Seungmin started to move faster–more desperate as he slid a hand underneath your shirt and grabbed your tits.

“Can’t get our groupie pregnant,” Minho smirked at you, “not good for the reputation.”

You let your head fall on Seungmin’s shoulder, eyes fluttering shut as he tugged on your nipples harshly. The pain mixed with the pleasure in the best way imaginable, and all you could do in response was pump Minho’s cock faster.

“Then cum on my tits, please, Min,” you begged, pushing your shirt up. You looked down at your chest, the sight of Seungmin’s big hands enveloping your chest caused you to clench around him tightly. “‘M close,”

“Where’d your bra go?” Minho tsked at you, “threw it on stage?”

You chuckled lightly, arching your back further into Seungmin’s chest.

“Seung, seung, don’t stop,” you started chanting, moans pitching higher and higher as Seungmin reached around to rub your clit in quick circles.

You grabbed onto Minho’s arms, grounding yourself as he pulled you into a messy kiss. You could barely concentrate on it, spit running down the corner of your mouth as you felt your high approaching you in seconds.

Before you could warn them you pulled away from Minho, your whole body shaking around Seungmin as he wrapped an arm around your stomach, holding you up as your knees threatened to give way. Minho sucked a spot on your neck as Seungmin fucked you through your orgasm–the pair of them surrounding you completely.

Soon after, as your walls were still fluttering in the aftershock, Seungmin came too–moaning your name loudly. You were both spent, but it didn’t stop you from pumping Minho together, Seungmin grabbing the base while you rubbed his tip.

“I’m close,” he warned, groaning as the pair of you started moving faster.

“Ask him again,” Seungmin whispered in your ear.

“Min, cum on me,” you said quickly.

“Go on, hyung,” Seungmin encouraged, “mark your territory.”

“Then I.. should, fuck, should cum on you, too,” Minho panted.

Seungmin smirked at you, that wicked smirk of his, before he pushed you onto your knees. He went down with you, joining you on the floor as he simply–with the most innocent puppy eyes he could master–stuck his tongue out. You quickly followed his lead, sticking your tongue out, too.

In a matter of seconds you felt warmth dropping onto your cheeks, and you watched in awe as Minho aimed the rest of his cum onto Seungmin’s tongue.

You pouted up at him, complaining loudly that he completely missed your tongue.

“Come here then,” Seungmin growled, pulling you into a kiss. It was salty and messy and bitter and you whimpered into the kiss.

You pulled away, desperate for some oxygen, and Seungmin took the opportunity to clean your cheeks from Minho’s cum–scooping it off your skin before he shoved his fingers in your mouth.

He chuckled at you, watched as you sucked his fingers clean before letting out hushed praises.

You felt Minho rub your head lightly, scratching at your hair as you looked up at him. “Let’s clean up, bunny.”

Seungmin helped you stand up as the three of you cleaned each other up, soft kisses exchanged between you. Once you were dressed again, and Seungmin spent a good few minutes trying to make your hair look normal again, Minho’s phone rang.

“It’s Felix, they said they took all the equipment back and they’re at a bar now. Wanna go join them?”

“Would it be lame if I said I wanna go sleep now?” Seungmin grumbled, making a point of plopping his chin on your shoulder.

Minho rolled his eyes, waiting for your answer as well. “I’m not a rockstar, so I definitely want to go to sleep now.”

“Let’s go home then,” Minho decided, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as he guided the pair of you out of the old, crumbling toilets.

Seungmin grabbed your hand, lacing your fingers together as the three of you walked in silence towards the parking lot.

That was until Minho decided to announce, “that was actually the worst place we’ve done it in. Hands down.”

“Hyung, nothing screams rockstar more than a quickie in a gross toilet with your number one groupie,” Seungmin reasoned.

“Number one?” You gasped, “you have another groupie?”

“Yes,” Seungmin smirked, “but he’s actually also the drummer in my band so I don’t know if it counts.”

“It doesn’t,” Minho huffed, “because the lead singer of my band is gonna disappear mysteriously tonight.”

The two of you laughed, watching fondly as Minho did his best to hold back his smile.

That night, the three of you climbed into bed–letting Minho take the middle so as to let his possessive streak from before calm down slightly. You were sure he wasn’t actually too insecure about it, but if being sandwiched between the two of you was what he needed you’d allow him that. Even if you did prefer the middle.

As the three of you snuggled closer to each other, Seungmin went into more concrete details about the producers he met. How they offered to record one of the songs they performed that night, how they always wanted to work with a rock band before–even though they were primarily into rap genres.

“Babe, did you tell the others about this?” Minho gasped, blinking rapidly.

“No, I went straight to you guys,” Seungmin shrugged.

“Well, this is huge for the band, Seungminnie. We have to tell them in the morning.” Seungmin nodded.

You moved closer into Minho’s chest, smiling proudly at your boyfriends.

“I can come to the studio, right? I have to see it happening,” you smiled.

“Obviously,” Seungmin grinned, “I mean, we still need to take one producer each, you know.”

You slapped Seungmin from across Minho’s torso, tsking at his apparently uncontrollable need to tease his boyfriend.

“Do you wanna go again, Kim Seungmin?” Minho grumbled at him, jaw clenching.

“Oh, baby,” Seungmin swooned dramatically, “thought you’d never ask.”

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inkskinned · 1 year

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she says he won't let her get a dog, which is fine, because they're in an apartment, and that's the kind of thing people say about their partners. he won't let me get a dog. and you're at a dinner party and you tilt your head a little to the side just like that dog he won't let her get, because is this the thing that's going to upset you? you don't know every corner of their relationship, she could be joking, they could have had so many healthy conversations about the dog, right, and maybe she's not letting herself get the dog because of money and time and whatever. but, like, she did say let

and she wants to move away from his hometown and he wants to stay and then he tells you with a wink and a conspiratorial stage whisper don't worry i'll convince her and she laughs about it - so clearly this is something they laugh about. but you do just stand there and stare at him like what the fuck, man. you can't say what you want to say which is why do you get the final say on everything because they're both obviously aware of the other person's stance on this and have obviously had private conversations about it and what are you going to do about it except make a scene and then he'll be mad at you and call you one of those bitches behind your back and she'll cut you off, which is a loss that doesn't feel worth it just because he makes you a little skeeved out every 3rd comment

and they both agree he just isn't the type to get flowers which is fine because everyone shows love differently, and are you really gonna judge someone based on their sense of individual relationship responsibility? maybe he's constantly cleaning her car and writing her poems and making her furniture or something. maybe she doesn't even like flowers and this is perfect, actually. and no you couldn't date him, obviously, ew; but like, she tells you she's happy. you almost send her a tiktok that says don't be 25 and the cool girl that doesn't need anything, you'll hate not getting flowers at 30, but that's like, starting drama & you shouldn't start drama needlessly.

and you're a little older than her but not so much older you can pull the whole trust me on this one babe thing and besides that wouldn't have worked anyway (when does it ever) and besides you have trauma so you and your therapist both agree that you're always looking for a problem even when there isn't one. and you tell yourself that just because you see them for 15 minutes every month does not mean you can identify every single red flag based on a single shitty half-joking(?) comment

and besides, what are you going to do? she says i actually wanted another stand mixer but thankfully he stops me when i'm about to spend too much money and you're standing there like are you okay? is this normal? is this just something people say? and again - what are you going to do?

to your therapist you try to language it - it's not, like, any of my business. but sometimes, doesn't it feel like - you should do something. there's got to be something, right? you've tried dropping little hints but they sail right through and you've tried having a single serious conversation and she got upset because why does it matter to you, yes it's different but we're happy, it doesn't need to make sense to you and you're like. really unwilling to push a boundary about it anymore; because the truth is that you know logically it shouldn't matter to you, as long as both parties are happy.

and besides, you've been wrong before. it's just... like, every time you see them both, something else happens, some kind of shiver down your spine like do you even hear each other when you talk. it's their strange, bickering orbit. just the way he's on his phone through dinner or watching sports instead of helping in the kitchen or, fuck, another one of these little throwaway comments he makes about we'll see about that, babe. she laughs when he calls her passions stupid shit and meanwhile she gets him tickets to see the knicks and he tells you well at least she's smart about something and still! it's none of your business.

you say get the dog anyway and she laughs. like, this is is you being funny. and not you saying - no really. get the dog. get the dog and get out of here. pack up and start running.

#this btw is not including toxic friendships this is legit just something ive experienced MANY times now #writeblr #you ever have a friend in one of those relationships where ur like #u don't HATE their partner explicitly #but ur like. what the fuck y'all #like the weird part of being an adult is that you can't be like . CERTAIN their relationship is toxic #and also if u move too fast or push too hard u can hurt someone who is already in a scary situation so you just are like #frozen there. laughing awkwardly. saying ''haha..... yeah..... couldn't be me....''#and like u can't tell - is this banter or does he actually think like. he's better than her.#all you can do is be there for your friend and hope they wake up to it #or ... that it really IS good #and it's just odd to you #tbh btw id rather have my friends feel safe coming to me if they have a concern about my relationship #like yes it's not ur business but it also IS bc im making u hang out with them and also ur my friend #it's a weird thing to experience as an adult bc it is such a blurry line and when u spend time #around couples that aren't like ACTUALLY ur friends but instead ''extended friend circle'' ur like #.... i don't know y'all well enough and he just called you a cow. and ur okay with that . and i don't know how to respond.#so ur like :) okay. um. go to couple's counselling i think #but also you are NOT supposed to pass judgement so it's like.... this weird limbo of feeling like you SHOULD say something #but knowing you CANNOT #idk that there's a way to resolve it!!!!!!!! it's probably a different approach person to person #edited my tags bc tumblr's new system fucked em up #PS EDIT: btw i should have said:#the pronouns in this can work in any and every direction. every gender and every sexuality and every #type of relationship tbh. even non-romantic relationships where ur like ''what do u mean ur bff calls u stupid''

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seananmcguire · 10 months

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That Xiran Jay Zhao video about the amount of time it takes to get paid by the publisher, a couple of time she says "that's just the way it is." Are there actual, legitimate business reasons for holding off paying someone 6 or 8 or more months what they've earned for their book? Or is it the publisher basically going "We'll pay you when we pay you. What are you gonna do about it?" because they're essentially the one in charge?

And is it the same for all authors? Or is there an unofficial "tier" system based on your name? Are they telling people like Stephen King or James Patterson or Neil Gaiman "you'll see your money in 8 months" or are they more likely to be getting monthly checks just because of who they are?

There are some legitimate business reasons, yes.

Okay, so let's look at the way a book is sold to a publisher. I'm going to use very round numbers, because I don't want to do a lot of math right now. So say I sell a book for $15,000 under the traditional three installment contract--signing, delivery/acceptance, and publication. What this means is I sign the contract, I get a $5,000 check! Yay! I will also get checks when the book is turned in and accepted, emphasis because it means I can't just give them a word jumble and claim I turned the book in, and then again when the book comes out. We're ignoring side situations like "book is never turned in" and "book is never published."

But wait! My agent gets 15% off the top of each of those checks, which isn't a whole lot at $5,000--$750--but means I'm receiving effectively a $4,250 check, and then waiting maybe a year for the next one.

In the US, 1/3rd of that check goes automatically to taxes, and I cannot math that very well, but it's about $1,416. So I'm left with $2,834 as my payment for the year. This is why most authors will have day jobs.

This structure makes sense. They pay you to call dibs on your book: they pay you when the dibs pan out: they pay you when they can start making money. Now, recently, some publishers have started going to a four stage advance payment, and I can't see any real justification for that. Maybe someone will give me one. I'd be fascinated to know what it is.

So here's the thing: until the book is out, there is no more money. You've been paid for the book, but it's not making money for the publisher yet, and so of course you're not getting more money. It used to be the expectation that your advance would pay your bills while you wrote the next book; that is clearly no longer the case. I live in Seattle. A single check from a three-stage advance isn't paying my mortgage for a month. But.

Once the book is out, it can start making money, and that's when things get complicated. Say a bookstore places an order for 10 copies of AWESOME NEW BESTSELLER. Yay! That should be ten sales, and ten units of whatever your royalty is, right? Only these are physical items, and bookstores can return them, so your publisher marks it down as "ten sales, five reserve against returns," meaning you're only getting credit for five sales until the return window (usually a year) runs out. Where it gets a little hinky is when the bookstore sells all ten and orders ten more, and the publisher still has it marked as "five (now ten) reserve against returns." Basically, you're only getting credit for half your sales until that reserve window closes.

Sadly, thanks to certain retailer policies, this has been grandfathered into applying to electronic sales as well.

TL,DR: The delay in royalty payments is to give bookstores time to sell the books, and mean that your publisher doesn't pay you for a hundred sales, only to ask for the money from fifty to be given back when books are returned. This could happen faster in the modern world, but that would involve publishers paying us faster, and they like to keep the money in their hands as long as possible.

To the best of my knowledge, no one is A Big Enough Author that they can demand their money now, right now. And this is why trad publishing continues to self-select for the wealthy and the young.

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scoops-stevie-archive · 1 year

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@steddieas-shegoes :)

the media and fans have a field day with it. steve and eddie have been public for years yet there's pictures all over twitter of steve cozied up in a booth in the corner of whatever bar, tucked tight into gareth's side under his arm with eddie nowhere in sight. a different fan posts a tiktok of them from a different angle and a little closer and you can clearly see that steve is drunk. his eyes shine unfocused in the camera flash and his cheeks are flushed. in the video he laughs loudly at something and just before one of cc's security guards blocks the view, steve leans in and buries his face in gareth's neck and gareth's fingers go to his hair.

the cheating allegations come out after that. article after article with the photo on the front page but it's nothing but radio silence from the band's twitter. no statement from eddie or gareth. fans think they're hashing it out behind the scenes and are preparing themselves for gareth's exit statement from the band or for the news to hit of steve and eddie breaking up.

none of that happens.

gareth stays in the band, steve and eddie go on like normal. they're papped in a starbucks in new york looking just as much in love as they were before the scandal. eddie and gareth don't behave any different in the videos they post of each other or on stage.

it kind of dies down after that- until a video goes up on the band's youtube one afternoon, shot that morning.

they try to keep themselves as authentic as they can, show the fans that not everything is sunshine and rainbows in the industry, and that they're real people who do real people things, too.

in the video, someone knocks on a hotel door and jeff answers. he says something that's purposefully scripted very badly and it gets a laugh out of the guys. the video shows them walking into jeff's room and it's revealed that it's a room tour. they pan around the corner into the main room and there's a lump in the bed.

there's no awkward silence between them, just a laugh from freak and a "jeeeff, it's almost ten a.m." and then eddie's pulling back the covers to reveal a slumbering steve.

people watching expect the footage to cut off abruptly or for eddie to angrily demand the situation, but again, it doesn't happen. he just laughs and squats down on the side of the bed and runs his hand through steve's hair until he wakes up.

"hey, sweetheart," he says, his voice dripping with fondness as he smiles a syrupy smile that hundreds of fans have dreampt of being on the receiving end of. "have a good sleep?"

they see steve reach out and pull eddie in by the head for a kiss. the video goes back to its scheduled programing after that, eddie following steve into the bathroom to get ready.

they don't do many interviews in the span of all this happening so fans and the media are left wondering what in the world is going on between the five of them. the boys act the same on stage every night without any signs of jealousy between them.

and then steve is photographed wearing a hoodie that fans can clearly see belongs to freak just from the size alone. neither steve or freak are small guys, but the garment is like a dress on steve. it almost goes down to his knees and the arms hang at least three inches passed his hands. it threatens to hang off of one shoulder but goddamn does steve look cozy and comfortable, burrowing into the hood pulled over his head like a little hamster.

the hoodie isn't what gets their attention, though.

it's the fact that the picture is from the band's soundcheck, to the band's twitter, and that steve is sitting on gareth's lap at his drum kit, while wearing the hoodie, and while eddie is leaning down and kissing him. gareth doesn't look put off by it. he's looking somewhere off camera and laughing but his hand is still on steve's waist and steve's is tangled in eddie's wild hair.

it answers all and none of everyone's questions.

#cj talks #this sort of ran away from me lmao #steddie #corroded coffin

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steddiealltheway · 6 months

Text

Happy Halloween everyone!! Here is some type of no upside down AU fic :)

Eddie drums his hands on the cafeteria table and looks around at his friends. "Alright gentlemen, what are we doing for Halloween?"

He instantly gets a sense that something is off when Jeff and Gareth exchange a guilty look. Eddie leans forward and props his chin up on his hand. "Want to share with the class?"

Gareth sighs and looks at the table for a moment before bursting out, "Well, my sister and Jeff's brother really wanted to go out trick-or-treating this year, and you know how they've gotten close. And the deal was that either Jeff and I would stay at our houses manning the candy bowl, or we would go out with the kids."

Eddie huffs out, "And let me guess, you chose free candy, torturous walking, and a cutesy group costume."

Jeff smiles guiltily. "You're looking at Shaggy and Scooby-Doo."

"Adorable," Eddie says with a big fake smile before turning to Frank. "You're not leaving me high and dry though, isn't that right, Frank?"

Only, Frank seems to be just as guilty-looking as the others.

"Frank... Don't do this to me, man," Eddie pleads.

Frank sighs, "I told my mom I would do a Halloween horror movie night with her. Sorry, Eddie."

Eddie looks between all his friends, wondering if they're pulling a prank on him and fulfilling the trick part of trick-or-treat. But he slowly realizes that they're not. "Shit," he whispers, "I guess I needed to book you guys early," Eddie jokes, trying not to feel too let down.

Jeff pats his hand and says, "Hey, you can come with us. We need a bad guy in a mask."

Eddie scrunches up his nose. "Willingly walking miles and dealing with kids on an endless sugar high? No thanks. But... I appreciate the thought." He sits back and picks up a few of his pretzels before dropping them back in the bag. What is he going to do? He has always loved Halloween, his friends know this. But what's the point in celebrating if he's alone?

"You could go to Harrington's infamous ball," Frank suggests. Gareth and Jeff immediately start laughing loudly. Eddie just glares at Frank, but he doesn't seem to be joking as he defends himself, "I'm not kidding! Come on, free beer and witnessing a bunch of shit drama."

Eddie snorts. "Yeah, because I would be so welcomed there."

"It's not like people will really notice. I hear his place is jam-packed with random people every year. Plus, you could wear your bat masquerade mask," Jeff interjects.

Eddie sighs and puts his head in his hands. "You're not seriously trying to convince me to go, right?"

"I mean... we're not not trying to convince you," Gareth supplies unhelpfully. There's an oof sound that Eddie's sure is the result of Jeff elbowing him in the side. "But seriously, you can wear the mask so no one will recognize you and your slutty vampire outfit-"

"It's not slutty."

"It has a tight leather lace-up vest, it's a little slutty," Jeff stage whispers to Eddie.

Eddie groans and dramatically thuds his head down on the table before quickly looking up. "Let me get this right. You want me to go to Steve Harrington's Halloween party in a mask as a Cinderella-type vampire because you guys are ditching me?"

"Precisely. Except the part where we ditched you because we clearly invited you-"

"Okay! Okay!" Eddie cuts Jeff off waving his hands.

"And hey, we all know that you would love to get some one-on-one time with Harrington, and what's a better time to do this than undercover?" Jeff asks.

Eddie dramatically shushes him and whispers, "I told you guys that secret while entirely way too high, you cannot hold that information against me right now."

"He's right," Frank says, "You can finally find out if Harrington truly isn't an asshole."

"And see if he has the hots for you while you're wearing your-"

"I swear, Gareth, if you call the costume slutty again..."

"Okay, but are you wearing it with your leather pants?" Jeff asks, eyebrows raised.

Eddie sighs and looks down at his lunchbox. "Maybe," he begrudgingly admits.

"Slutty!" Frank loudly says, and Gareth and Jeff immediately burst out laughing.

Eddie covers his face in his hands before joining in on their laughter. "Maybe it's a little slutty," he admits.

As the boys celebrate their win, Eddie feels someone staring over at him. He glances toward Harrington's table where he's sitting next to his ex and her new boyfriend and finds him staring directly at him. Eddie's heart beats a little harder when Steve slightly smiles at him before redirecting his attention to Jonathan.

"Jesus Christ, he looked at me again," Eddie mutters.

"Dude, you always say this, but we never see him do it," Frank groans.

"Yeah, because you don't obsessively check out his table," Gareth says with a laugh before he suddenly frowns and turns to Eddie. "No offense."

"None taken," Eddie replies as he chews on his bottom lip, thinking deeply. If he goes to the party, he can finally confront his crush on the guy he's never truly interacted with unless you count all the times they catch each other's eye then... they would be interacting somewhat often.

He can also finally figure out if it's all in his head or not.

"Okay. I'm going to the Harrington party," Eddie announces.

"Seriously?" Jeff asks incredulously.

"You guys are just so convincing," Eddie says with his hands over his heart.

"Bullshit," Frank says, "You're just going for a chance to maybe say two words to him."

Eddie crosses his arms and asks, "And what would those two words be?"

"'Slutty vampire' in response to 'What are you dressed as?'" Jeff quickly jokes, earning a shriek of laughter from Gareth and Frank.

Eddie thanks whatever entity is responsible for making the bell ring to announce lunch is over. "I need new friends," Eddie lies as he gathers his stuff up.

As Gareth and Frank rush off, Jeff lays a hand on Eddie's arm and says, "Hey, we can do a Halloween slasher night if you want to this weekend. Also, don't hesitate to call if you need help getting ready or need a second pair of eyes to make sure Harrington will approve."

Eddie gives him a genuine small smile and squeezes his shoulder, "Thanks, man."

"Don't mention it," Jeff says as he walks off with a bright smile.

As Eddie watches him walk away, he catches Harrington staring at him out of the corner of his eye, but as soon as he glances over, he looks away looking... angry? Eddie just sighs and shakes his head. He needs to stop thinking that Harrington in any way has thoughts dedicated to him.

Maybe this party will be good for Eddie.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Eddie stares at his reflection in the mirror and twists and turns. Maybe the leather is slutty, but he thinks the plain black cape does well to soften the look a bit. He stares at his hair and all the glossy individually finger-curled strands making his hair look a little more tame than usual. But hell, his arms and fingers ache. He just hopes it's all worth it.

He puts on the bat mask and frowns before taking it off and digging around for his eyeliner pencil he knows he has somewhere in the bathroom. He quickly finds it in a random basket and applies it before smudging it a bit. He puts the mask back on and smiles. He likes the way it has an elegant almost lace-looking quality to the plastic that offsets the leather of his costume.

He wishes he could call Jeff for a final look, but he doesn't want to take any precious time away from him and his brother although they're probably done trick-or-treating by now. Plus, he knows that Jeff would tell him that he looks great and not to overthink it. So, that's exactly what he's going to do.

He grabs the bright orange flyer he found on the floor at school for the Harrington Halloween House Party and cringes at the alliteration. He's pretty sure it's been the same thing for the past three years though, so it's not like Harrington has an option of changing it.

Gosh, he needs to stop stalling and finally leave for the party. He glances at his watch and sees that it's almost eleven, so people should be finally arriving an hour fashionably late. Better to be a part of that crowd to not draw much attention.

He drives over quickly, parking a little down the road when he starts seeing other cars, not wanting to get stuck if he wants to leave early. He takes a deep breath before glancing in the mirror again. He's not recognizable... right? Right.

He gets out of his van and quickly starts walking toward the intimidatingly large house. He's glad to find a group of people rushing inside and even more people outside on the front lawn who aren't sparing him a second glance. Usually, he would come to one of these things with his infamous lunchbox and upsell his stash, but he knew it would give him away tonight. Plus, it's nice to not be on edge the whole time, wondering who is approaching him for drugs and who is approaching him with a slur.

As he makes his way inside, he grimaces at the loud pop music people are wildly dancing to and the smell of alcohol that permeates the house. It's only a few minutes before someone is shoving a cup of mysteriously bright red liquid in Eddie's hand. He takes a tentative sip and shrugs. It's not horrible especially since Eddie likes terribly sweet things, but he definitely isn't going to waste time getting a second cup.

He's on a mission. And his mission is to find Steve and hope that he's not somewhere with his tongue down some random girl's throat. Eddie tries to shove away the thoughts telling him that he shouldn't expect Steve Harrington to not be doing exactly that at his party. Plus, why would he spare time to talk to Eddie of all people?

Eddie takes another sip of his drink and makes his way through the crowd, not finding a single glimpse of that Harrington mane that's usually easy to spot. He goes outside the backdoor and frowns at all the people making out in the pool before heading back inside.

He glances around a few more times before settling back in a corner, downing the rest of his drink before giving up on his search and settling on people watching. But god it’s boring.

These people are boring.

It’s just the same situation over and over again. A couple getting uncomfortably handsy with each other, or a guy and girl eyeing each other up across the room as their friends hype them up in a way that’s either grotesque or filled with squeals.

And the room is hot. So unbearably hot that his leather pants are starting to cling to Eddie in an uncomfortable way that makes him want to rip them off.

Instead, he settles on climbing the stairs and going to find whatever bathroom he can to splash some cold water in his face and hopefully get a moment to himself.

He looks at all the closed doors, pressing his ear against them before quickly backing away whenever he hears something gross. But then his ear settles on one door and there’s the distinct sound of nothing on the other side that puts him at ease.

He twists the knob and walks into the room, freezing when he realizes that, one, this is not a bathroom, and, two, someone with Steve Harrington's distinctive hair swoop is sitting in the room.

The man turns and makes eye contact with Eddie who instantly dies a little inside as he realizes it is Steve. "Sorry. I didn't mean to barge in."

Steve gives him a small smile and says, "I don't mind."

Eddie doesn't know what to do other than hover in the doorway of the dark room. Steve continues to stare at him and eventually asks, "Want to join me?"

Yes. Hell yes, he does. But also, Eddie has the distinct feeling that this either has to be a dream or a prank. But he still nods.

"Do you mind locking the door behind you? I just... don't want anyone trying to use this room as a place to hook up or something."

Now this definitely sets off a few alarms in Eddie's head, but there's a weird air of sadness surrounding Steve that makes it seem... genuine. So Eddie closes the door and locks it behind him, slowly making his way over to Steve. As he gets closer, some of the light trailing in through his blinds catches on the glittering crown that he's holding in his hands.

Eddie gestures toward it. "King Steve?"

Steve smiles sadly and looks down at the crown. "Something like that."

Eddie carefully sits next to Steve, trying to keep a respectable distance between them on the bed. His eyes trace over Steve's costume, a clearly expensive, gorgeous prince or king costume. "So, what are you supposed to be?"

"Prince Charming," Steve answers easily. He glances over at Eddie and shrugs. "Nancy thought that it would be funny because of my 'Harrington charm' mixed with King Steve, but I don't know. I kind of hate that nickname." He shakes his head and changes the subject. "What are you supposed to be?"

"Slutty vampire," Eddie says almost automatically, startling a laugh out of Steve as Eddie curses under his breath and puts his hands over his face. As his fingers press into the mask on his face, he's startled by the realization that Steve doesn't know who he is. "Sorry, my friends kept saying that, and I insisted it wasn't what I was going for. But they won that argument in the end I guess." God, he can't believe he actually said that.

"You look maybe a little slutty but in a good way," Steve rushes to say the last part. He runs a hand through his hair, getting a bit flustered. "I mean you look nice."

"So do you," Eddie admits honestly.

Steve holds his hand out to him. "Steve."

Eddie takes his hand and says, "Cinderella."

Steve laughs again. "Really?"

"I got the mask and everything," Eddie explains, not yet wanting to ruin things when Steve finds out who he really is.

"Cinderella then," Steve says with a smile that makes Eddie feel a little weak in the knees. Thank god he's sitting down.

"So, what are you doing in here in the dark all by yourself, Prince Charming?"

"I'm not by myself, I'm with you," Steve easily deflects.

Eddie raises his eyebrows although he's pretty sure the mask partially covers them.

Steve looks down at the crown again and raises it up. "I just wanted to not be this for a little bit tonight. Plus, the music was giving me a headache - too many concussions." He pauses before turning to Eddie. "And what were you doing escaping from things?"

"Looking for some quiet," Eddie says and looks down at his unnaturally bare hands. He wishes he would've kept on his rings so he could fidget with them. "I was thinking about leaving, but I wanted to stay in case I found you."

Steve shifts a little on the bed, moving to face him. "And now that you've found me?"

Eddie glances up at him and considers it for a moment. "I hadn't really thought that far."

Steve runs a hand through his hair. "Well, I hope I'm not too disappointing."

"Not at all," Eddie insists, "Actually I thought you'd be-"

"An asshole?" Steve interjects quickly, his expression becoming oddly stoic.

Eddie shakes his head. "Preoccupied with someone else. Anyone other than me really."

Steve face softens and he leans in closer, eyes tracing over Eddie's face as if trying to figure out what's under the mask covering most of the upper half of his face. "You know you can tell me your real name, right?"

Eddie swallows and shakes his head. "Maybe I'll just leave a clue behind or something. Not my shoe though. I always hated that plot line."

Steve smiles brightly. "If it fit perfectly then why did it fall off?"

"Exactly!" Eddie says clapping his hands together excitedly. "Plus, with all that dancing, I just know that shoe did not smell good."

Steve throws his head back and laughs, and Eddie just watches him, filled with pride at being able to pull that reaction out of him. As his laughter dies down, Steve glances back down at the crown.

"You should put it on," Eddie blurts out. Steve looks up at him with his eyebrows raised. "I want to see the whole costume."

Steve reluctantly places the crown on his head and glances toward Eddie. It's strange, how it fits him so perfectly at first glance, but he can see how it personally affects Steve, as if it adds a weight to his entire demeanor.

"You look good, but I think I prefer you without," Eddie admits.

Steve quickly takes it off his head and places it behind him. "Yeah, that's because it messes up my best feature."

"That's strange, I didn't see it mess with your eyes, or your smile, or your nose, or your-"

Eddie's suddenly cut off when Steve leans in and kisses him. He just as quickly pulls away and says, "Sorry. I'm so sorry. I should've asked before I just-"

"Steve," Eddie says, laying a hand over Steve's.

Steve looks up at him nervously.

"Please do that again," Eddie says.

Steve sighs in relief and instantly closes the distance between them again, but Eddie is able to prepare for it, properly cupping his face and kissing him back. He feels like he's in a dream again as Steve deepens the kiss and runs his hands through the curls Eddie took so long to perfect. But he doesn't care at all.

There's a sudden loud ringing of a grandfather clock that pierces through the house causing the two of them to jump apart. "Jesus, I forgot that I told them they could play that creepy recording at midnight," Steve says and freezes. "Wait, it's midnight."

"And?"

"You're Cinderella."

Eddie tries to swallow down the pain of once again realizing that to Steve, he's just some random guy that he doesn't know. But Eddie smiles and says, "Well, lucky for you, the magic doesn't run out until one or two in the morning."

Steve smiles back and says, "Lucky me." But instead of kissing Eddie, he surprises him by asking, "Tell me something about yourself."

Eddie shrugs, trying to think of something that won't give him away. "I play the guitar."

"Oh, is that why you wear the..." Steve trails off, eyes flickering down to his neck before looking away. "Forget I said that. I thought I saw something."

Eddie's brows furrow, but he doesn't press him on it. "What about you? Tell me something most people don't know."

Steve thinks for a moment before smiling. "I almost didn't show up to this tonight. I was going to go trick-or-treating with some of the kids I sort of babysit. But Dustin told me they didn't need a babysitter tonight, so I ended up here."

The story twists at Eddie's heart a bit. Even with his disillusioned crush on Steve, he would've never guessed there was a group of kids he cared for so much.

Eddie reaches out and intertwines his fingers with Steve's. "I'm sure they miss you."

"I don't know. They were going in custom-made costumes for these characters they play as in D and D or something. They seemed really excited about it, so they've probably forgotten about me by now."

Eddie swallows down the entire spiel he wants to make about Hellfire Club and asking who the kids are so he might be able to recruit them and instead says, "Well, you're pretty unforgettable."

Steve smiles and opens his mouth to respond when there's a sudden loud knock on the door. Steve frowns and loudly says, "Occupied!"

A voice on the other side of the door loudly says, "I think your neighbors down the way ratted us out! Someone said the police are on their way."

"Shit," Steve mutters and runs his hands over his face. "I'll be right there! Just get rid of all the alcohol you can find and turn off the music. Party is over." He stands up and turns to Eddie offering his hand which Eddie takes.

They both stand up and Eddie realizes he's never stood directly next to him and is surprised that they seem to be the same height. God, it's so nice to be at eye level with him.

"I guess this is goodbye, Cinderella," Steve says sadly and tucks a strand of hair behind his ear. "Will you leave me with at least a kiss?"

"You're too charming to say no to," Eddie jokes before he leans in and kisses Steve again, lingering in the kiss for as long as he can before they both pull away as there's another loud knock on the door.

Steve squeezes Eddie's shoulder one last time and says, "I promise to find you." He rushes out the door quickly after and Eddie is left standing in Steve's room alone. He takes a deep breath before he leaves slowly, distancing the time they were seen with each other.

Luckily, things are in a bit of a frenzy as he leaves so he doubts anyone noticed him slipping out of the same room as Steve. But on his drive home, Eddie realizes he gave Steve absolutely nothing to identify him with. He curses and debates turning back until he sees Hopper's police car pass him.

Steve's never going to find him.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The entire weekend, Eddie's friends have the pleasure of hearing him share the story over and over again while simultaneously complaining about not leaving something equivalent to a shoe behind.

"Well, it sounds like you at least left him with a lot of your saliva," Gareth says one time, and Eddie has to get Jeff to hold him back.

Monday morning is the worst when he realizes he has to see Steve and pretend like nothing happened. Because there's no way he's going to tell Steve that he's Cinderella and expect him to not punch him in the face.

Okay, Steve doesn't seem the type to do that, but there's no way he would be excited to hear that Eddie's the guy he swapped spit with - god, he really needs to get Gareth's words out of his head. But Eddie thinks he'll be able to deal with Steve never knowing than Steve rejecting him.

He sees Steve here and there in the hall but is luckily able to divert his path so Steve never directly sees him. Unfortunately, Eddie knows Steve will be at the same table as always at lunch which is right in his line of sight.

When he sits down, his friends are already nudging him and cracking jokes about Prince Charming and whatnot that pisses Eddie off. It makes things worse when he sees Steve sitting with his back to him, which he's never done before. At one point, Eddie just snaps, gets up, and leaves the cafeteria saying he needs a minute. He rushes off to his locker, digging around for his spare pack of cigarettes when he hears a pair of footsteps to his left.

He sighs and closes the locker door, expecting to see a teacher who has followed him, expecting him to do something suspicious. Instead, he gets the shock of his life when he sees Steve walking right up to him.

As Steve approaches, Eddie dumbly says, "Are you looking to buy something?"

Steve runs a hand through his hair before shaking his head. "No, I'm not, Cinderella."

Eddie's eyes widen. There's no way...

"Did you really think I didn't know who you were?" Steve asks, and Eddie can't get a read on him, but he seems... upset.

"I'm sorry?"

Steve sighs and runs a hand through his hair again. “Eddie, I know it was you, and I want to know why you've been avoiding me all day. Like did it really mean nothing to you? Is that why you didn't tell me your name?"

Eddie's head spins a little too fast at the revelation, so he clarifies, "Wait, you knew it was me the whole time?"

"Yes. I thought you were just really pretending to be in character or something, but today you were icing me out. And I know we haven't really talked before Friday night, but I thought I was clear about wanting to change that."

"Then why did you face with your back toward me in the cafeteria?" Eddie blurts out without thinking.

"There was something on my chair," Steve answers easily.

"Oh." Okay, maybe Eddie is an idiot but, "Wait, you really knew who I was and still, "he lowers his voice and leans in, "...kissed me?"

A look of realization crosses over Steve's face before he smiles. "Eddie, I've been staring at you for weeks now, and I just hadn't gotten the courage to talk to you yet. You're pretty intimidating."

"Me? I'm intimidating? You're literally called 'King Steve.'" Steve frowns at the title, but Eddie continues, "I never thought I had a shot with you without the mask on - or even with the mask on. I was avoiding you today because I didn't want you to realize it was me and reject me."

"I thought you called yourself Cinderella because I was dressed as Prince Charming," Steve laughs.

"I didn't even realize that was Cinderella's prince!" Eddie nearly shrieks, laughing loudly along with Steve. "We're a disaster," he says through his laughter.

Steve takes a deep breath, trying to kill his laughter a little to say, "I think we should start over a little and go on a date. This time without fake names and the police showing up."

"No promises about the second one," Eddie says with a big smile.

Steve smiles and looks at him as if waiting for something.

"What?" Eddie asks.

Steve laughs anxiously. "Is that a yes to the date?"

"Oh! Christ. Yes! Yes, it is. Sorry," Eddie sighs and runs a hand over his face, noting the way his hands don't catch on a mask this time. Steve Harrington is fine with him being Cinderella - more than fine with it really. He narrows his eyes at Steve. "And this isn't a trick?"

"I thought it would be more of a treat," Steve jokes.

Eddie rolls his eyes and simultaneously laughs at the horrible pun. "Did you know that you're really charming?"

Another laugh is startled out of Steve who quickly tries to hide it. He looks down at the ground and says, "I'm having a hard time thinking of a joke about a slutty vampire."

Eddie groans, "Don't remind me."

"I wouldn't mind if you reminded me," Steve flirts.

"Christ," Eddie says, feeling a blush quickly rise on his cheeks.

The bell for lunch rings again, and this time Eddie wants to curse the entity responsible for it.

"I'll slip you my number later so you can call me later, Cinderella" Steve announces, walking back to the cafeteria where he left his stuff.

"I'm charmed," Eddie replies with a wink that has Steve getting slightly flustered.

As he rounds the corner and gets out of sight, Eddie can't help but think about how Steve really kept his promise about finding him. He also can't wait to have proof that all his friends were wrong, except maybe he was a little bit of a slutty vampire... But it definitely paid off.

And it definitely was a very happy Halloween.

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #steddie fanfic #steddie fic #happy halloween

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cremedensada · 2 months

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Copycat Yandere whose obsession with you had led them to trying to embody you - your fashion style, your way of speaking, your routine, even the little quirks that you've never even realized you have. But they do, they're always observing - how else would he be able to copy you?

One might argue they're engaging in some identity theft but is it truly a crime when all they're doing is trying to embody the person they adore?

Copycat Yandere who has happily stepped in for your schedules in times where you are either busy, or sick, etc. Your coworkers/friends seem to recall you being with them in hours where you clearly recall not participating in. But maybe it's due to your faulty memory.

Besides, they're so good at pretending to be you that others would never suspect anything wrong.

Copycat Yandere who has developed a love-hate relationship with how people react when they're pretending to be you. They loath the fact your acquaintances don't seem to realize they're talking to someone who isn't you.

But then again, it makes them feel good. They're so good at copying you down to the littlest detail, they know you so well - it's the highest achievement they will only ever accept.

Copycat Yandere who finds out that someone asked you on a date. Delusional to believe no one else could ever be lucky enough to become your equal when they, themselves, couldn't even be half of what you are - even with all the copying and mimicking they've done.

Copycat Yandere who stages a bunch of inconvenience to stop you from going on the date, so they can go in your stead. Your supposed date's eyes light up when he sees them - and a part of them preens, because of course, you deserve nothing else but to be gazed upon like stars in the sky.

But disappointing. The guy doesn't even seem to realize he's not with the person he thought he'd be with.

Copycat Yandere who kills your date in cold blood. He's pathetic, a disappointment, and a lowlife unworthy of your attention.

No one is, not even themselves.

#sub yandere #sub character #yandere oc #yandere x reader #yandere x darling #yandere imagines #yandere headcanons #yandere #yandere scenarios #tw yandere #gn reader #gender neutral reader

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thinemoonshine · 5 days

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⋆ ˚｡𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓅𝓈 ୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

enhypen 8th fem!member x enhypen ot7 genre: fluff, slight angst (the members get upset and protective) type: oneshot word count: 1.3k

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ synopsis: in which (y/n) is given a clothing much too revealing and restrictive that it evokes the members’ protectiveness and heroic sense to win her justice ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

“Alright, idols! Please head into the dressing room for your fittings!! Stylists, please pay close attention to the new sets we brought in— check all their details and sizes and make sure nothing is wrong!” The head stylist reminds as she walks across the room and out into the corridor to grab some other stuff required for Enhypen’s stage.

Heeseung and the boys howl and sing in deep bass voices as they march into the makeup room in a messy line, all dressed in their new stage fits as they still need to check their practicability during dance.

"I nEEd tHe lIGh—" Heeseung freezes entirely at the doorway, causing Jake, Jay and Ni-ki as well as the other members behind to collide with one another's back.

Jay furrows as he flips his hair back before tidying them again with his fingers while Jake who's in front of him stares at the back of a frozen Hee's head.

"Why'd you stop?" He asks their oldest but when he follows the shocked gaze of the wide-eyed bambi, he too mimics his expression— jaw falling and eyes growing twice in size. "(y/n)?? Wha...what are you wearing?"

(y/n) lifts her head to them and instinctively crosses her arms, a feeble smile on her clearly strained expression. "Hey... It's my new set."

The sound of discomfort in her voice breaks their line as the members pour into the room like pool balls scattering across the board.

And as if witnessing a scene right out of a horror film playing right in front of their eyes, they express different forms of fright.

Sunoo with his hand flying to his mouth as a large gasp escapes, Jay and Ni-ki who are completely petrified with the former expressing evident displeasure and the latter just looking onto his shoes before the walls then, at (y/n) before back to his shoes; Sunghoon whose thick brows are scrunched and knitted yet lips tightly pressed and finally, Jungwon with a similar expression but jaw tightened.

In front of the standing mirror in the makeup room is (y/n) who's wearing a pink camisole top with frilly black trims and a thin satin ribbon in the centre of the sweetheart neck line. The fabric around the chest is elastic, hugging her tightly while the cloth that runs below it that reaches just slightly above her hip is sheer.

Her stomach can be seen faintly, blanketed by the translucent material and to make matters worse, it's paired with a low-rise pleated, black miniskirt that seems too short to even be called a miniskirt. Is there such thing as a mini miniskirt? Because that's how it looks to them. It looks more alike a frilly swimsuit than it is a stage outfit, at least where they're from.

It's tiny to the point that her safety shorts seem like normal shorts and at that moment, the Enhypen members are beginning to question the rationality of their staff— and the whole company.

"..W…Wow! Such a cute combo...!" Jake exclaims, trying to be supportive as to not offend or discourage their lone female teammate as he approaches her with an awkward grin. "Where's the jacket? Or a cardigan, maybe?"

(y/n)'s crossed arms lower to her abdomen, trying to conceal it as the sheerness of her camisole isn't doing much. "This is the whole fit, actually..."

"What?" Heeseung blurts as his expression falls and Jay walks over to (y/n), draping his leather jacket over her shoulders to which she quickly slips her sleeves in. "They expect you to perform in this?"

"This isn't practical," Jay comments, now left in his sleeveless shirt as he glares at whatever is in front but his stare softens when he looks at (y/n). "They said this is your new fit? Is there nothing else?"

She shakes her head and both him and Sunghoon emit a heavy sigh of frustration, the latter resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"This is impossible! You can't perform in this!" Sunoo loudly expresses his disagreement to her ensemble as he tightens the jacket around her, angrily fixing the zip together with an evident scowl. "Can't even give you some tights? Or a cardigan? It's not like they can't afford it!"

Jungwon steps forward and runs his solicitous gaze on the features of her face, reading her expression. "You want to wear something else? You should wear something else. You can't dance in this."

He doesn't even give her the opportunity to reply before he looks around the room, searching for any known stylists and keenly spots one blending in with the makeup artists. "Excuse me! Stylist-nim!"

The said staff turns and she walks over to the crowd of 7 that encircle the subject of their worry. "Yes?"

Jungwon gestures to (y/n) who stands uncomfortably. Being one of the youngest with no significant team role and the only female, she always has to tread more carefully than the others. Her position is after all, more vulnerable and she doesn’t want anything to risk it. Jungwon knows that. "She can't wear this."

The stylist turns to her before her lips form an 'O.' "Ah, this? Yes, this jacket is Jay's so this isn't supposed to—"

She's stopped by both Sunghoon's and Jay's hand that rest on her arm and shoulder respectively, directly preventing her from removing the jacket. Her head lifts, meeting eyes with the two and instantly feeling small at their stern gazes despite their lips that remain closed.

"We know that's Jay's jacket. We put it on her because her outfit doesn't seem appropriate for the stage. She can't perform in that," Heeseung interjects as his eyes travel from her head to toe. "Look, she's getting cold already."

"It's the company's decision so we can't—"

"So, you expect her to go out like this?" Jungwon interrupts and the frigid air around them melts from the fire burning in his usually gentle eyes and unmoving, defensive stance but it doesn’t make things better at the slightest. In fact, it feels worse.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

"We can’t change her set without prior notice to the company…” The stylist nervously says and Jay nods understandingly although, his soft frown and tightened lips suggest otherwise.

“Then, she can wear my jacket,” he says and the members give subtle nods, showing their unanimous approval.

Ni-ki stands closer to (y/n) and offers a small smile, sharp eyes gazing down at her before at the jacket. “Yeah, it looks nice like this too.”

“But—”

7 pairs of daunting eyes slice daggers onto her, unnerving her very being and she takes a small, subservient step backwards. They speak no words, not wanting to appear rude and demanding yet the grim aura that emanates and overpowers from the group is enough to stifle the whole room, enough to perturb, rid one of air with a tension so thick, you can cut.

“Um… I’ll see what I can do.”

She scurries away and after what seems like a frantic discussion, they decide to change her outfit. They keep the top, but pairs it with a matching black sweater knit shrug to cover her bare arms and shoulders, and replaces her miniskirt for a pair of high-waisted bootcut jeans that cover up to her waist.

It’s clear how happy (y/n) is after the alterations so it’s almost comedic and yet, heartwarming to see the boys even happier at seeing her twirl and grin in front of the standing mirror.

“Can’t believe they made her wear that,” Heeseung comments bitterly. “How is she supposed to dance?”

“Can’t believe the company even agreed on it,” Jay adds and Jungwon shakes his head with disbelief.

The sound of giddy chuckles fill the room and the older ones watch as Ni-ki and (y/n) have a hand-slapping match, both having too great of a balance to actually fall so they end up looking like those inflatable dummies.

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