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#mostly because I wanted to reference stuff in their universes
jeneveuxrein · 5 months
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safety net [1/2] (BLACKPINK Rosé)
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word count: 25.8K
part 1 (14.8K) | part 2 (11K)
(thanks to everyone who read the first story i published, truly appreciate it! this one's more plot than anything with a smidgen of you know)
“Hey.” 
You glance away from your screen to Park Chaeyoung standing in front of you, a determined look on her face. You prefer to call her Rosie, mostly because you know how much it irritates her, and you’re the only one that calls her by her English name.
“Uh hey Rosie,” You greet, slightly closing your laptop. “What’s up?” 
“I have a proposition for you,” Rosie leans over the table. “And please listen to it before you flat out say no.”
You raise an eyebrow, shutting your laptop completely. You start packing your belongings. 
“Wait what? What’re you doing?” Rosie straightens, taking a step back. 
“Well I’m hungry, and if I have to listen to you, I would rather do it while I’m eating,” You swing your backpack over one shoulder, adding, “You’re paying by the way.” 
As you walk away, you hear Rosie huff. You smirk when her arm loops with yours. 
“Fine,” You don’t have to look at her to know she’s pouting, but you wonder what, of all things, she needs you for.
Guess you’ll find out. 
--
The server places your orders in front of you, as Rosie sits across from you, sipping her iced coffee. You give a small thanks as your mouth waters at the sight of the burger. 
“You act like you don’t eat,” Rosie comments after you take the first bite. You flip her off after taking another bite. You hadn’t eaten lunch, so you were starving. 
“What do you want?” You ask before you continue eating, ignoring her comment. No matter what, you were ravenous. This burger would be gone before she finished.
“Okay,” Rosie takes a breath, composing herself. You realize that whatever she’s going to ask you is big, especially if she’s asking you. Though, you keep eating. “So you know how I’ve never been in a relationship right?” 
You nod. It wasn’t any of your business, nor did you pay any attention to her dating life specifically, but your friends, the girls mostly, commented a lot about her lack of dating, or really lack of interest in anyone.
“Well, there’s this guy who I’ve been talking to lately and I think I like him,” Rosie takes a small bite of her salad. “The only problem is my, I guess, experience, if you’re catching my drift.” 
This burger is too good for you to stop eating, but you nod anyways, having absolutely no idea what she’s referring to.
“I was wondering if you could help me in that department,” You raise an eyebrow, which you’re paying attention now. “I mean, will you show me how to have sex?” 
You choke, being mid-bite, that the burger falls apart onto the plate. You cough as Rosie’s suddenly next to you, hitting your back. 
“Oh my god, are you alright?” Rosie asks once you’ve stopped coughing.
“Yeah, I’m good,” You nod, waving off the server who was walking towards your table. “I’m good,” You repeat and Rosie takes her seat again. 
“So? What do you say?” 
“No,” You say flatly, staring at the deconstructed burger on your plate. Thankfully you finished most of it, but still.
“What? Why?” Rosie crosses her arms, eyes narrowing. 
It doesn’t faze you. You’re used to this, especially if it’s with Rosie.
“First let me ask, why me?” You attempt to put the burger back together, distracting yourself from the thoughts of Rosie like that.
“Well, it was Jennie’s idea really,” Rosie confesses, watching you rearrange the meat patty. “She said that if I want to feel comfortable doing stuff with Soohyun, I should just get it over with.”
Choi Soohyun, the rich pretty boy at your university. You’ve met him a few times, and he’s nice enough. You know his track record with women is on par with yours, but the difference is that he uses his father’s money to pull them in. You, on the other hand, come from a relatively wealthy family as well, but only Rosie and her three best friends know that. 
“And it has to be me?” You ask bluntly, appetite suddenly gone as you push the plate away.
“Yes,” Rosie nods enthusiastically, “As much as everyone calls you a playboy, girls talk. You allegedly know your way around a bedroom, and what better way for me to learn is from you.”
“Chaeyoung, absolutely not,” Using her real name was only saved for serious moments, and this was way too serious for a Tuesday afternoon. 
“Why not?” Rosie argues, rolling her eyes. “It’s just sex, isn’t that what all guys want?”
“I’m not sure what guys you’ve been hanging out with, but no, not all guys want just sex,” You mock, leaning back into the chair. “And shouldn’t your first time be special with someone you actually, I don’t know, like?” 
“In an ideal world, yes,” Chaeyoung answers, aggressively stabbing a piece of lettuce. “But I don’t care much for that stuff. You’re not answering my question, why won’t you have sex with me?” 
There was a list of reasons you could think of as to why you won’t have sex with Rosie. 
Number one, and the only one you were concerned about, being the history you have together. 
You’ve been sworn enemies since middle school, but there was a time before that where you were actually close. You grew up in the house next to hers, and your parents set up multiple play dates that she was someone you enjoyed spending time with. You considered her your best friend. It changed in middle school, for reasons you still didn’t know. You didn’t have the mental capacity at that age to fix it because you missed her, but you’ve never told her that. 
In high school, it was better, but you feigned indifference while she flat out ignored you. Unless your families were having dinner, but even then that consisted of snarky comments and petty arguments. The amount of times her older sister had to step in were too many to count. 
You thought university would be your fresh start, but lo and behold, you couldn’t seem to shake her presence from your life. You thought you wouldn’t see her as much since you were taking different subjects, but your friends ran in the same circle, so you saw her more than you needed to. 
“Do you not find me attractive?” Rosie’s question catches you off guard when you don’t respond. 
You’d be lying if you said no. You’ve been a witness to Rosie turning into a beautiful woman, but if she knew that, especially coming from you, her ego would skyrocket. A lot of the men, even women, on campus have a crush on her, but she typically rejected anyone because she was too focused on school and her dream of becoming a fashion designer—something she was very close to achieving with the amount of internships she’s been receiving from companies abroad. 
“Shut up, you know it’s not that,” You mumble, ignoring the smirk forming on Rosie’s face. “It’s you and me. We haven’t gotten along since we were like seven, now all of a sudden, you want to,” You pause, thinking of how to say it, “Have sex with me because of what you’ve heard?” 
“Look,” Rosie sighs, face falling. You detect the desperation, but she’d never admit it. “I know our relationship is complicated, but you’re the only guy I can trust to do this. Jungkook would blab. Taehyung would be an ass. And Yoongi’s too nice. Everyone else has a girlfriend who I very much would like to stay friends with. Can’t we just put the past behind us?” 
You didn’t want to further complicate things. At best, you two were civil. At worst, Rosie would be yelling at you along with repeatedly hitting your shoulder to take back whatever set her off. 
Adding sex into the mix? It’s a bomb waiting to go off. 
“I don’t know, Chaeyoung,” You say softly, pushing your plate away. “As much as you’re a pain in my ass, I don’t think I could do that with you. It would feel like I’m taking advantage of you.” 
Her face softens, and she reaches for your hand, “You’re not taking advantage of me. If anything, I’m taking advantage of you. It’s not like we have feelings for each other right?” 
You don’t, as far as you’re aware, but you have always, and will always, have a soft spot for her. You may not have gotten along over the years, but you’d still have her back. If she means what she says about her trusting you out of all the friends she has, it’s important. 
“No,” It feels off saying that, but you ignore it. “Fine,” You relent. You couldn’t believe you were agreeing. “But we have to set rules.”
“Really?” Rosie beams, clapping her hands. “Yes yes, of course.” 
“Uh, first rule, we’ll do it at my place since I live alone. I don’t need Jennie or Lisa or Jisoo hovering,” You say, which she nods. You love the girls, hell you’ve slept with Jennie on a couple occasions, but they can be nosey and overly critical. 
“That makes sense. Rule number two, no sleeping over,” She makes a face, “I will literally bring you home if it’s super late, or I’ll just bring you home in general.”
“You really don’t have to do that,” Rosie rolls her eyes. 
“I know I don’t, but I’m not budging,” You’re firm about that. Your parents would kill you if anything happened to Rosie and you were the last person to see her. 
“Rule three, if you sleep with other people, please let me know and use a fucking condom,” Rosie says, “I don’t want my first time to end up with a disease.”
You’re slightly offended because as much as you have sex, you are safe. Even when girls don’t want to use protection, you do. 
“Obviously I will.”
“Good,” Rosie nods, “Last rule, no feelings. If at any point you or I feel something more than our mutual disdain for each other, we stop.” 
“Okay,” You roll your eyes, “Like I’d ever fall for you, but fine.” 
A pit forms in your stomach after saying that, but again, you brush it off.
“Right back at ya,” Rosie winks, smiling brightly that she accomplished her mission. “So what’re you doing tonight? Can we start?”
You nearly choke on your saliva, eyes bugging out as Rosie looks completely serious. 
“Uh,” You don’t have anything planned. You still have to finish the budget report your professor assigned, but it wasn’t due for another week. “You want to start tonight?”
“The sooner, the better right?”
“Okay,” You nod, suddenly nervous about this whole situation. “Okay,” You say a bit more confidently. “You’re paying for this.”
“I know,” Rosie chuckles, signaling to the server for the bill. 
What did you get yourself into?
--
You open the door for Rosie, letting her in first before following. You shut the door while she takes off her shoes, neatly placing them to the side as you take off your coat. 
“So this is your place,” Rosie comments, walking along the wall as she inspects the photos. It is her first time here, not that she was never welcomed. Your apartment has always been your safe place, only allowing a select few here.  “Did you take these?” 
“Yeah, I’m minoring in photography, so,” You shrug, walking past her as she stares at a photo from Jennie’s birthday. “I’m going to change into sweats, did you need anything? Water? Soju?” You offer because you’re considering taking a shot before you get started to ease your nerves. 
Rosie laughs, shaking her head, “Soju? Really? You need that?” 
“Don’t make fun of me. It isn’t every day that one of the hottest girls at school asks me to teach her to have sex,” You mutter, but Rosie hears you loud and clear. 
“You admit that I’m hot then?” You swear you can hear her smirking behind you. 
“Fuck off, help yourself to whatever,” You roll your eyes as she laughs. 
You don’t bother entertaining her any longer, making your way to your room. You change into something comfy—grey sweats and a white shirt. You hadn’t expected company tonight, nor had you expected having sex. It’s been about a week since, even though your ex-girlfriend messaged you about hooking up for fun the other day. You didn’t even respond, knowing that would just end up messy.
When you return to the living room, Rosie sits on your couch, legs crossed as she types away on her phone. You’d bet she was texting Jennie. 
“So how do you want to do this?” You ask awkwardly, scratching the back of your neck as you sit next to her. You leave a decent amount of space in between, not wanting to seem too eager. 
“I don’t know,” Rosie sighs, “Is there a way we can just ease into it?” 
“Like making out and stuff?” You’ve never spoken about sex so mechanically, that this is a first for you too. 
“I guess? I don’t really know how to start this,” Rosie says unsurely, looking away. 
“Hey,” You reach over, a finger gently tilting her chin to look at you, “There’s no pressure okay? We can just watch TV first and go from there. We literally don’t even have to do anything. As long as you’re comfortable.”
You watch her lip quiver. You hope she doesn’t cry. The last girl you made cry was Nayeon when you broke up with her.
“Okay,” Rosie nods, leaning into your hand. “Thanks again for this. I know this whole situation is awkward.” 
“Stop,” You wave dismissively, rubbing her cheek with your thumb. “It’s important to you, so I guess by default it’s important to me. Your pace,” You smile. 
When Rosie smiles back, you can feel something itch behind your rib cage. You quickly shake that away before retracting your hand. “Here,” You grab the remote, “Put something on, I’ll get us drinks.”
“Oh there’s this new Netflix reality show I want to watch,” You hear Rosie say as you walk to the kitchen. 
You didn’t have that much to offer, since you hadn’t had the time to head to the store. You do opt for a couple bottles of soju to ease both of your nerves along with water because hydration matters. You peruse your pantry and there’s a bag of unopened chips, figuring that would be good to have too. At least for yourself to keep your hands busy. 
When you return to the couch, placing the items on the coffee table, you see the opening credits of what looks like university students? 
“What’s this about?” You ask. This time, you sit closer to her, so that any shift in your leg, your knees would touch. 
Rosie goes on to explain the premise of the show, where people are about to be of legal age and how they form relationships in two different settings. She heard about the show from Lisa who binged it with Jennie in one night. 
“Is this sappy?” You pour a shot each, handing Rosie the glass. 
“Probably, but it’s wholesome,” Rosie raises the glass, “To my virginity?”
“I’m absolutely not toasting to that,” You roll your eyes, taking the shot without waiting. 
Rosie scoffs, downing the drink in one go before putting the glass on the coffee table. “You’re so annoying sometimes.” 
You don’t respond, instead choosing to pour another shot as the contestants of the show enter the classroom. You usually don’t drink this much on a weekday, but this situation warrants it. It feels surreal to be with Rosie, alone, in your apartment of all places. You couldn’t remember the last time you were willingly alone with her, but the thought of those memories were tucked away. 
“Here,” Rosie grimaces at the drink. “Just one more.” 
Rosie relents, taking the shot without making another annoying toast. You smirk before following. The liquid goes down smooth, but you feel the effects starting. Your cheeks feel warm, soothing some–not all–of the nerves. 
You lean back into the couch, throwing an arm casually over the cushion. Rosie automatically leans into you, sighing deeply before resting her head on your shoulder. 
“You smell good,” Rosie comments, snuggling deeper into your side. The compliment throws you off because she hadn’t said anything remotely nice to you in years. 
“Uh thanks,” You bring your free hand to scratch the back of your neck. Rosie doesn’t say anything else, nor do you. You settle in, letting what’s on the screen take your attention. 
The show is corny, but you understand why Rosie said it’s wholesome. The sense of innocence and pureness everyone has when it comes to relationships is something you miss. You hadn’t had that kind of outlook in years, which slightly makes you want to go into your future relationships more honest about how you feel.
But Nayeon cheating on you over a year ago left its damage on you. 
You’d never be disrespectful towards women, but you were upfront that whatever you did with them would never be serious. You couldn’t let it get too intense. Sure they’d always want more, but you couldn’t give yourself to someone like that again. 
At least not yet. 
“What’re you thinking about?” Rosie asks after a few minutes, resting her hand on your stomach. 
“Nayeon,” You say simply. 
She raises her head to look at you, “Huh, what why? Didn’t you break up like last year?”
“This show’s making me a little sentimental,” You say sheepishly, rubbing the back of your neck. 
“Why’d you two break up anyways?” 
“What’d you hear?” You prod, curious as to what Nayeon told people. 
“According to Jennie, who heard it from Sana, Nayeon was tired of arguing,” Rosie furrows her eyebrows as she remembers what she heard. 
That’s one way to put it. 
“Ah well I guess so,” You shrug. 
“There’s more to it huh?” She's as perceptive as ever. 
“She cheated on me,” Rosie’s eyes widened. “We got into an argument about her meeting my parents. She kept pushing the issue, but you know how my parents are. She storms out and next thing you know, I’m getting a call from Jungkook to come to this party to pick up Nayeon cause she’s wasted.”
You remember that night clearly, something you wanted to very much forget. 
“I got there. I’m looking all over for her, Jungkook and Taehyung have no idea where she went. We pretty much split up looking for her, and lucky me, the first door I opened, Nayeon’s naked, on top of some guy.” 
Rosie sits up straight, crossing her legs on the cushion as she faces you. The concerned expression etched on her face has you believing she almost cares, but you don’t. 
“And she sees me, which immediately sobers her up. All I could do was nod, telling her that we’ll talk in the morning,” The memory still hurts to think about. “Nayeon, being Nayeon, followed me out, apologizing, saying it was a mistake.”
Rosie takes hold of your hand, and you let her. Letting this out feels nice since you hadn’t told anyone what happened. You told Nayeon to tell people whatever she felt was best, and you’d keep the real reason a secret. 
“Anyways, next day, we talk and she’s sorry, of course, but she just didn’t understand what the big deal was. It’s not that I didn’t love her, cause I did, but I didn’t think we were there yet for her to meet them,” You sigh, shaking your head. “But yeah we broke up. I didn’t care what she said, and I didn’t defend myself when Sana and Jihyo cornered me, calling me an ass. I just started to sleep around, which probably was the reason why I got that playboy reputation.” 
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Rosie says quietly after a minute, the words sinking in. 
You smile sadly, “It wasn’t for anyone to know, but it’s okay. It really is. Relationships are messy, which is why I avoid any emotional connection with girls. Not because I think less of them, but because I think the least of myself in that regard.”
“Stop,” Rosie squeezes your hand, forcing you to look at her. “I don’t know how you are in relationships, but I’m sure that whoever you’re with is lucky.”
“You’re just saying that,” Self-deprecation is something you’ve mastered in the past year.
Rosie tugs your hand with enough force so your face is in front of hers. You could feel her breath against your skin, the faint smell of alcohol lingering. “Stop,” She whispers. “I’m not.”
Blame it on the alcohol. Blame it on the sudden confession of why you are the way you’ve been. 
You kiss her, bringing your lips to hers. You sense her freeze, but she sighs softly after a moment. It ignites a fire in your chest, wanting nothing more than her close to you. 
You pull away, leaning your forehead on hers. You open your eyes first to see hers closed. 
“Sorry, I-”
“No,” Rosie cuts you off, cupping your face before kissing you again. 
Out of pure reflex, you pull Rosie on top of you, straddling your thighs as you wrap your arms around her waist. She lets out a small oomph, which you pause, but she continues moving her lips against yours. 
You dip your tongue in between her lips, earning a moan as she threads her fingers in your hair. A shiver goes down your spine as she tugs lightly, a move that turns you on immensely. Your cock stirs as her kisses become firmer, more sure. 
Rosie’s body starts to move. It’s subtle, but her hips slightly shift, causing you to pull away, groaning. 
“Chaeng,” You pant, hands gripping her waist to steady her. 
“Am I doing something wrong?” Rosie asks softly, chest heaving as she rests her forehead on yours. 
“No,” You kiss her on the nose. “You’re doing everything right. I just have to control myself,” You let out a breath. 
“Would it be the worst thing if you lost control?” Rosie murmurs, pecking you softly on the lips. 
The question goes straight to your cock. It doesn’t help that she’s seated right on top of it that you have to remember that this isn’t about you.
Yes is what you want to say because this is still new to her, and as lame as it sounds, like you actually care about her, you do want to make this enjoyable.
“I don’t know,” You shrug, loosening your grip. “But I don’t want to rush into it. Small steps right?”
“Right,” Rosie nods, kissing the corner of your mouth. “So what next?” 
“Uh,” Your brain’s short circuiting because all the blood in your body seems to have rushed south. “Maybe just rock your hips and see how it feels?”
“Like this?” She gently rolls herself over you, testing the waters. 
“Is it doing anything for you?” You grit out. 
“I’m not sure, let me try again,” She rolls her body again, but with a little more pressure that she moans softly. “That did.”
It definitely did something for you because your cock stiffens at the contact. 
“Just do what feels good for you,” Your head falls back as she repeats the motion, undulating her hips over your erection. “Yeah just like that,” You sigh, guiding her movements along your length. 
All you feel is Rosie. She’s wearing leggings, but the friction over your sweats overwhelms your senses. You act on impulse, kissing her again. She returns the kiss with the same enthusiasm, grinding down. 
You didn’t think dry humping would get you this worked up, but the small moans Rosie lets out against your lips has you hoping you don’t make a mess of yourself. 
“Fuck,” Rosie moans, tearing her lips off yours as her rhythm falters. 
It leaves her neck exposed, so you trail your lips along her chin, peppering soft bites that has her gripping your shoulders tightly. 
You feel her nails digging into your skin. Her pace quickens before her body suddenly seizes, jerking on top of you, as she moans loudly.
Fuck she’s coming. 
Doing what you can to prolong her orgasm, you rock up into her, hoping you’re hitting her clit at the right angle. Her body freezes, shaking that you didn’t have the reflex to control your own body before cumming into your sweats, groaning in the crook of her neck. 
You hadn’t had a visceral response like that in years, but that was the hottest thing you’d ever experienced. The fact that Rosie got off by rubbing herself against you goes straight to your head. 
Rosie’s breathing heavily against you, playing with the hairs on your neck as you try to regulate your own breath. 
“I—fuck, I’m so sorry,” Rosie says softly, resting her butt on your thighs. 
“What?” Your voice comes out hoarse. “Why are you apologizing?” 
“I don’t know,” She buries her head into your neck. 
“That was hot,” You confess, placing a soft kiss on her neck. Her body shivers at the contact, causing you to smile.
“Really?” She sounds so unsure, that you don’t know how else to make her believe you. 
“Really,” You pull back to her, avoiding your gaze. Her cheeks are flushed, hair a little wild, but she looks hot either way. 
Maybe it was the release of hormones after an orgasm that could be clouding your thoughts, but you find her so attractive at this moment that you want to kiss her again. 
“Did you, you know?” Rosie glances down, biting her lip. 
“Uh,” You force out a chuckle. “Yeah… Sorry about that. I should probably change.” 
“Right,” Rosie’s eyes stay looking at your crotch before she shakes her head. “Right,” She repeats and moves off your lap. 
“Give me a few and I’ll drive you home, okay?” You stand, placing a hand over the wet spot on the fabric. 
“You really don’t have to, I can call a car.”
“No,” Shaking your head, “I insist.”
“You’re so fucking stubborn sometimes,” And just like that, it’s back to normal. 
“Yeah and you used me to cum, so,” She throws a pillow at you, which you easily dodge, laughing as you walk to your room. 
--
--
Can we meet tonight? 
The words glowing on your screen as you walk out of the building, just finished your last class of the day. 
It’s been about a week since Rosie asked you. You hadn’t seen her, but she occasionally sent you articles regarding sex and if you ever experienced such things. The one that had you almost drop your phone was if you ever made a girl squirt, which you haven’t, but you explained not all girls can. 
Instead of replying back with a message, you call her. 
“Hello?”
“Where are you? We can do take away,” You offer, walking in the direction of where she might be. 
“I’m in the music building with Jennie,” You immediately turn around to go the other direction. 
“Okay I’m on the way, I’ll be there in a little,” You hang up without waiting for her to respond. You’ll probably get a slap or two, but it’s not like it matters. 
By the time you reach the music building, Rosie and Jennie are outside, talking with another person. You can’t see who it is, but as you get closer, it’s Nayeon. 
Fuck. 
It wasn’t like Nayeon and you were on bad terms. You were always polite and treated her with the same respect you would like anyone else. It would just look suspicious to be walking alone with Rosie since she always made remarks about the weird feeling she got when you were in the same vicinity. She described it as unresolved sexual tension, but it never felt like that to you. 
“Oppa,” Jennie greets, her gummy smile forming as you walk up to them. There’s a mischievous glint in her eyes as they dart between you and Rosie because of course she knows about the arrangement. 
“Hey,” You smile, waving awkwardly to Nayeon. 
Nayeon gives a small hi while Rosie slaps your shoulder, “That’s for hanging up on me.” 
“Okay,” You rub where she hit. “Ready to go?” You ask, reaching for Rosie’s bag without thinking. 
“Uh?” Jennie’s eyes widen while Nayeon’s narrow at the gesture. “How nice of you?” Rosie reluctantly hands over her bag. 
You don’t know what came over you because you definitely didn’t just carry a girl’s bag, which Nayeon was very aware of. She knew you only carried stuff for the girl you’re dating, something she experienced firsthand. 
“My way of saying sorry for hanging up on you,” You say smoothly. Her bag is heavy, which you hope they can’t tell you’re struggling.
“Nayeon was telling us about a party this weekend,” Jennie says. 
“It’s Mina’s birthday,” Nayeon says softly, eyes on you. “You should come if you’re free.” There’s a hopeful tone in her voice.
“Um,” You’re put on the spot, wracking your brain for any excuse, but Rosie saves you. 
“Don’t we have dinner with our parents? If we get back early enough, you could probably make it.”
You try to ignore the way Nayeon’s face falls, but you can’t ignore Jennie’s confusion since she obviously would’ve known. 
“Oh yeah, you’re right,” You play along. You hadn’t had a family dinner in months, but it was a somewhat believable excuse. “I’ll see if I can make it.” 
You listen as the girls say bye, Jennie opting to walk with Nayeon to catch up. When the two women leave, Rosie tries grabbing her bag back. 
“What’re you doing?” She huffs when you don’t let go. 
“I can carry my own bag, you know,” Rosie walks in front of you, clearly annoyed. 
“I know, but just let me do this for you.” 
“You’re most likely giving me an orgasm tonight, you’re doing enough,” Rosie rolls her eyes, attempting once again. “I don’t want people to get the wrong idea.” 
“Fine, here,” Her comment pisses you off, but she has a point. The university playboy holding the bag of one of the most wanted girls on campus? That would surely be part of the gossip mill. You hand over the bag, a muttered thanks makes you roll your eyes. 
“You’re paying for dinner tonight,” Rosie states. 
You honestly already planned to, but you nod anyway. 
--
“Can you take your shirt off?” Rosie asks, out of breath, as you hover over her. 
“Uh yeah,” You lean back, pulling your shirt over your head, tossing it somewhere to the side before bringing your lips back to hers. 
That same show plays in the background, unopened food forgotten on the coffee table. The plan was to eat then fool around, but Rosie had something else in mind. 
“Okay don’t let this get to your head,” Rosie says against your lips, in between kisses, trailing a finger over your abdomen, “But you’re actually hot.” 
The muscles flex under her touch, that you pull her body to the edge of the couch cushion, “I know,” You smirk, dipping a hand underneath her blouse. “Is this okay?” You ask. 
“More than okay,” Rosie spreads her legs wider to let you rest in between. 
You grind yourself against the apex of her thighs, thankful she wore a skirt today. She moans as it spurs you on to do it again. Mimicking the motion of thrusting in and out of her has your imagination running wild as to what it will be like when you’re actually inside her. 
“Fuck,” Rosie grips your arms as you continue the motion. “Don’t stop.” 
You won’t until she cums, and her back arches as she rolls her hips down to meet your thrusts. After one particularly hard thrust, her body tenses and bingo. 
“There?” You breathe out as you hit the same spot again. She nods, as you watch her face scrunch up. “Gonna cum for me?” 
“Yeah,” Her eyes open, gaze locked in between your legs. “Fuck, Jennie was right. You’re huge.”
As if your ego couldn’t get any bigger. You’re sure she felt just how big you were last week, but she most likely didn’t see it. It probably didn’t help that you were wearing sweats that accentuated your size. 
“Thanks,” You grunt, too focused on her pleasure and your own. 
You flip her skirt up, mouth watering at the sight of her choice in lingerie. A simple lavender thong with a small bow at the waistband has your hips rutting into her faster. 
“Fuck you’re so hot,” You bite your lip, head thrown back as she moans louder. 
“I think I’m—oh shit,” Rosie’s body tenses in your hands, back arching as her orgasm washes over her. You feel her clit pulse through your sweats that you continue grinding against her. 
You’re more composed this time and don’t prematurely cum. However, your cock hurts from not having a release. You’ll likely just suffer through it and deal with your problem after you drop her off. 
You don’t move from your position, keeping the pressure of Rosie’s cloth-covered pussy against you. You might not get to cum, but it still feels nice. After a few minutes of her regulating her breathing and you thinking of everything not related to fucking her, she smiles up at you. You return the smile, tickling her skin that she squirms in your hold. 
“Stop!” She slaps your arm. “You know I’m ticklish.” 
“I know,” You fold over, resting your head on her stomach. “Was that okay?” Her skirt hasn’t moved, and you’re trying very hard not to touch her there. 
“Yeah, that was… something,” Rosie sighs, placing her hand lazily on your head, lightly scratching. “Can you do something else since we’re already here?” 
“Sure, what?” You look up to Rosie biting her lip. 
“Can you touch me?” Rosie asks softly, adding, “Like down there?” 
Your palm twitches at the request, hell, your cock twitches too. 
“Uh, yeah,” You push yourself up, kneeling in between her legs. They try to close, but with how you’re positioned, it doesn’t go very far. “Just let me know if anything hurts, I’ll stop.”
Rosie nods, giving you the signal to do something. What you really wanted to do was find out how she tastes, but you tuck that thought away for another time. There will be a time in the future where that’ll happen. 
You reach under her skirt, gently pulling the fabric down. She kicks it away, leaving her completely bare from the waist down.
You’re fucked. 
Your mouth waters at the sight of her. Your gaze must’ve made her nervous because she quickly covers herself. 
“Shit, I’m sorry,” You pull back. 
“No, no,” Rosie shakes her head, crossing her legs. “I’m just nervous.”
“Hey,” You move to sit next to her. “We don’t have to do anything.”
“Can we go to your room?” Rosie offers weakly, which you nod, standing, extending a hand out. She gives you a small smile, taking it before you pull her up. She stumbles a little, but you’re there to catch her. “Lead the way?” 
You guide Rosie to your room, nerves prickling at you because no woman has ever been in your room except Nayeon. You had a strict rule of sleeping with women at their place, never yours. Rosie notices your hesitation when you stand in the doorway, asking if you were okay. 
“Um, this is going to sound bad, but the last woman that was in my bed was Nayeon,” You say quietly, letting go of Rosie’s hand. 
“That’s okay?” Rosie says unsurely. “If it’s too much for you, we can go back to the couch.” 
You shake your head. It isn’t that big of a deal, you were probably overthinking it. “No, it’s okay. I just felt like telling you that,” Which was true. You wanted to tell Rosie that, even though there wasn’t a reason to. 
Rosie kisses your shoulder softly before walking around you towards your bed. She slips underneath the comforter, which you follow right after her, laying on your side as she’s on her back. 
“You okay? We don’t have to do anything else tonight,” You prop your head on your hand, staring at her as she looks at the ceiling. 
“Yeah I’m okay, more than okay. It just feels…” Rosie trails off, pouting a little as she tries to find the words. She looks pretty cute like this, but you immediately shake that thought away. You aren’t supposed to be having thoughts like that when this whole situation was transactional. “Intimate, I guess. To be in your bed like this.” 
“I suppose so.” 
“But yeah let’s keep going,” Rosie glances at you before turning to face you. “How should we…?”
A question pops into your mind, “Have you ever touched yourself?” 
“Err, yes?” 
“What does that mean?” You chuckle.
“I guess I have. I’ve never gotten off on my own though. I’ve put a finger inside myself, but it felt weird so I just stopped,” Rosie blushes, turning away. 
“Uncomfortable?” You ask softly, bringing your hand to rest on her stomach. 
“I guess? I don’t exactly know what I’m doing,” Rosie mumbles. 
“Let me, yeah?” You move so you’re sitting up, back against the headboard. “Come here, sit in between my legs.” 
Rosie complies, settling in between your legs as she lays against your chest. You kiss the crown of her head, sliding your arms around her body. 
Now this feels intimate, and oddly feels right to be with her like this. Again, you shake that feeling away, reminding yourself that this is just sex. 
A finger traces down her stomach aimlessly, hoping it relaxes her. She sighs contentedly before resting her head on your shoulder. You kiss her neck, and she giggles. 
“That tickles,” Rosie says shyly. 
“But in a good way right?” You murmur, bringing your hand lower. Her legs automatically widen and her breath hitches as you apply light pressure on her hip bone. 
“Yeah,” Rosie sighs, shifting against your cock. 
“Good. You trust me right?” You dip your hand in between her legs, resting on her pubis. Her hands find your thighs to hold on to, nodding. 
You swipe a finger in between her folds, slowly, and she’s absolutely soaked. Your cock twitches at how wet she is. You’re sure you’re leaking into the fabric of your sweats. 
“You’re wet,” You don’t recognize your voice. 
“I’m sorry?” Rosie moans as you swipe through again, gently brushing over her clit. 
“No, it’s fucking hot,” You murmur and her nails scratch at your skin. “So fucking hot.” 
You repeat the motion a few times, eliciting soft moans as she squirms against you. Your other hand carefully unbuttons her blouse, and when the last button comes undone, you cup her breast, squeezing lightly. 
“You’re being a tease,” You smirk against her skin, nipping lightly as she drops her head down. 
“Just making you feel comfortable,” You chuckle as you swipe down, dipping your index finger inside. 
“Oh shit,” Rosie throws her head back when you pull your finger out. 
Your finger circles her entrance slowly as her legs spread wider. This position isn’t the best and you’ll likely strain your wrist, but you couldn’t care less about yourself at the moment. You insert your finger in again, but this time, you don’t pull out, letting your finger rest inside her. 
You imagine your cock inside her, stretching her out. Your cock literally aches to be inside her because if this was how she felt—tight, warm, wet—you’d bust. 
“Move,” Rosie commands through gritted teeth, her hips rolling down to get more of you inside her. 
“So impatient,” You whisper, biting her skin softly. “It’s like you want me or something.” 
“Oh fuck you,” Rosie’s nails digging into your skin as you start to move. 
“You will,” Your voice comes out low, slowly moving in and out of her slick. “Not tonight,” Unfortunately, “But you will.” 
“You’re so—fuck,” Rosie chokes on her words when your palm brushes over her clit, the penetration overstimulating her. 
You smirk, freeing your hand from her chest and bringing hers under yours, “Touch yourself.”
Rosie easily obliges, rubbing her fingers over her clit as you begin pumping a smidge closer. Her pussy’s still tight, but her body’s slowly welcoming the intrusion. Based on the blissed-out expression on her face, eyes closed, she’s biting her lip. 
“Don’t be shy Rosie,” You kiss behind her ear, “Let me hear you.” 
Her eyes open, and the lust is there. She moans louder as her fingers move faster, causing you to match her pace. Your cock aches, wanting some sort of relief that your hips lightly thrust against her backside. 
“Fuck,” Is all you can say because you want to fuck Rosie, especially with how her walls are squeezing your fingers.
“Cum,” You say simply and she does.
Her body spasms, back arching as she presses her butt directly on your cock. She lets out the sexiest moan you’ve ever heard, drawn out as her free hand reaches for your neck. Her walls aren’t letting your fingers move, so you opt to gently move them to prolong her orgasm.
After a minute, or two, Rosie falls limp in your hold, her arms flailing over your thighs. You slowly pull your fingers out, peering over her shoulder to see her slick. A nasty thought comes to you, and you bringing your fingers to your mouth, cleaning them to see what she tastes like, and dear fuck you want it directly from the source. 
“You’re fucking gross,” Rosie pants softly, weakly lifting her arm to swat your hand away. 
“You wanna taste yourself?” You brush your finger against her lips, and she makes a disgusted face. “Eh, if not now, later.”
Rosie tries to sit up, but she falls back into your chest, resting her head on your shoulder as you bring your arms around her stomach. You kiss her neck, murmuring, “Was that okay?” 
“It was great,” Rosie nods slowly, turning her head slightly to kiss your cheek. “Thanks for that. I see the appeal in it now.”
You chuckle, chest vibrating against her body, “Yeah sex is pretty great.” 
“I’m so tired,” Rosie yawns.
“Uh,” You’re still hard, which you hoped Rosie was too blissed out to notice. “Let me just shower first and I’ll take you home.” A cold shower was needed. You’ll probably give yourself relief when you get home, but you don’t think you’ll be able to survive the drive. 
“Okay,” Rosie yawns again, “But can we stay here for a few more minutes?” 
“Of course.”
Rosie sighs contentedly, snuggling into your chest. You typically didn’t cuddle after, but with her, it felt warranted. You wouldn’t say it felt right, but it didn’t feel wrong. You were comfortable doing this with her, and you hadn’t felt that since Nayeon. 
You would be lying if you said you hadn’t missed Rosie. Child-you would be happy to spend time with her, but adult-you knows what this is—sex. A knot forms in your stomach at the thought, but your rational side knew you  and her weren’t ever going to be together. 
Weird, but you dismiss the feeling completely.
“I’ll give you some clothes to wear,” You offer, nuzzling your chin into her. 
“They’ll give you shit, you know that right?” Referring to her friends.
“Tell Jennie she never got anything from me,” You quip, earning a light slap on your leg. “What! She didn’t!” 
“Stop talking about my friend who you’ve slept with after you just gave me two orgasms,” You didn’t need to see her face to know she rolled her eyes. 
“Sorry,” You mumble, kissing her neck. 
Rosie laughs, a sweet airy laugh that has your heart fluttering, and you think that it’s a sound you’d want to hear more often. 
--
--
Someone ruffles your hair as you’re zoned in on finishing this expense report and you hear laughter behind you. 
“What the fuck,” You pull your headphones out to see the offender. 
Rosie. 
With Lisa right behind her. 
“Sorry,” Lisa peeks her head over Rosie, “You just looked too focused that I wanted to mess with you.” 
“What do you two want?” Your eyes narrow as Rosie smiles. It eases your irritation, but still.
“Figured we’d say hello. Chaeng saw you, but didn’t want to disturb you. I, however, did,” Lisa answers, stepping forward. There’s a shit-eating grin on her face. 
“Hey,” Rosie says softly. “I’m sorry. I told her not to.” 
“It’s okay,” You shrug, checking your watch. 
“Do you have plans tonight?” Lisa wiggles her eyebrows, eyes darting to Rosie, who slaps the back of her head. “Ow.”
“I have a game with Yoongi in about an hour.” 
“Oh we should watch!” Lisa nudges Rosie, who rolls her eyes. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” 
Rosie gives you a look, as if she’s waiting for you to invite her yourself. You smile, giving a small nod. 
“Okay fine,” Rosie sighs, shaking her head, but she smiles at you anyways. 
“Are you good oppa? I’ve seen Yoongi play, and he’s pretty good,” Lisa asks as you start to pack your stuff. 
“I guess you’ll see,” You didn’t like talking about yourself. You considered yourself decent, but there would always be someone better. 
When you finish, you decide you wanted to tease Rosie. You wait until Lisa’s a few feet away, leaning forward, “I’m usually pretty riled up after a game, so I hope you’ll come over after.” 
The blush on Rosie’s face has you grinning, which gets even wider when she gives you a small nod.
--
“I don’t get why you do that.”
“Do what?” You ask, mouth full of mandu. 
“Say you’re not good, but then score twenty points like it’s nothing.”
“So you were keeping track?” You smirk, reaching for another mandu on the table with your chopsticks. 
“No, Yoongi told me after the game,” Rosie huffs, crossing her arms as she slouches into the couch. 
“It’s okay if you did, I’m flattered you paid that much attention to me.” That earns you a slap, but you couldn’t care. You played the whole game so you were starving. 
You’re back at yours, just hanging out. You really had no intention of doing anything with Rosie tonight, even if you did tease her about being riled up. As much as you’d hate to admit it, you enjoy spending time with her as of lately. 
Lisa gave you a thumbs up when Rosie told her she’d be leaving with you. No one seemed to notice when you two walked out together, but Yoongi did text you asking where you went since the team usually went out after. 
“I have a question.”
“Go for it.”
“Do you ever feel frustrated after we you know?” 
“Uh,” The question catches you off guard. 
It’s been two days since, and you can admit it was a struggle after feeling her cum on your fingers. You thought about having sex with someone to give you some relief, but that thought had the knot in your stomach tightening. 
“Frustrated in the sense I need to release,” You answer honestly, but quickly followed up with, “But it’s not that big of a deal. I took care of it.” The tips of your ears burned at the implication.
Rosie sighs next to you, shaking her head, “Okay can I be honest?” 
“Uh of course?” 
“I feel bad,” You were about to bite into the last mandu, but you stopped. “I feel like you’re always making me feel good, but I feel like I’m doing nothing in return.”
You place the mandu back in the box, dropping your chopsticks with it. 
“Believe me you are,” The memory of Rosie’s face as her orgasm hit was something that could not be forgotten. 
“But it doesn’t feel like it!” She throws her hands up dramatically. “I haven’t even seen your you know yet.”
“Oh my god,” You chuckle. “Just say it. It’s not a bad word.” 
“Cock?”
“No.”
“Penis?”
“No.”
This conversation is getting nowhere. 
“Take it out,” Rosie says suddenly.
“Only if you say cock,” You raise an eyebrow. 
“No.”
“Then no cock for you,” You poke her nose after she huffs, hitting your leg. 
After a minute, Rosie shoves her face into your chest. She mumbles something that you can’t quite make out, asking her to repeat. 
“Cock,” Rosie says quietly, rubbing her face deeper from embarrassment. 
“Was that so hard?” You smile, kissing her head. “Do you really want me to ‘take it out’ as you so eloquently put it?” 
“Yeah,” Rosie mumbles, and you swear there’s a pout. 
“You do it,” You offer, shifting slightly to wrap an arm around her. “No pressure Chaeng. Do whatever you feel is right and if anything hurts me, I’ll tell you.”
Rosie shyly asks if you could move to your bed, which you happily oblige. You swoop her in her arms, causing her to scream and slap your chest the whole way to your room. You laugh as she curses at you, but it’s fun for you and you know she thinks it is too. 
“You’re annoying,” Rosie comments after you drop her on the bed. “Literally the most annoying person I know. How do girls put up with you?” 
“I can think of a few ways that make up for it,” You sit on the edge of the bed, facing her. 
“Arrogant too,” Rosie adds, shifting her body so she’s next to you. 
Neither of you say anything while you’re sitting. You’re trying to think of how to guide Rosie while she stares at the floor. An idea pops into your mind, as you scoot until your back is pressed against the headboard. 
“What’re you doing?” 
“Seduce me,” You say simply, patting the space next to you. Her eyebrows furrow, but she’s right back next to you in no time. 
“How?” 
“We’ve done a few things together, I’m sure you could figure it out.” It wouldn’t take much to turn you on. Your control slips every time Rosie’s over that your body has a mind of its own. 
She could kiss you and you’d be hard, as embarrassing as that is.
“Um okay,” Rosie bites her lip as she looks at you. 
You smile, winking even, that makes her roll her eyes. 
Rosie leans forward, kissing you softly on the lips. You keep your hands still, but your lips move easily against hers. She lets out a small moan when you dip your tongue into her mouth. Her arms circle around your neck, pulling you closer.
The blood in your body rushes south, waking your cock as Rosie presses against you. Kissing her has become one of your favorite things even if you’ve only done less than a handful of times. As someone who has had a healthy sex life, it’s scary how easily your body reacts to her.
She detaches her lips, placing soft kisses along your jawline. You let her, relaxing into the headboard as your eyes close.
A groan escapes from your lips when Rosie places her hand over your crotch. 
“What?” She pulls back, a concerned look etched on her face. Her hand doesn’t move though. 
“Nothing, you’re doing great,” You take a breath, “Just caught me off guard.” 
Rosie makes a sound, but goes back to kissing your face. Her hand starts to move, palming your cock over your sweats.
Your body immediately reacts, hardening underneath her touch. She smirks against your neck, “Well hello.” 
You laugh, shaking your head before kissing her sweetly on her forehead, “It’s a bodily reaction, what do you expect?”
“I think your body likes me,” Rosie brings her lips to yours before sitting straight. In a swift move, she swings her leg over you, cupping your face and bringing you in a bruising kiss, not giving you a chance to answer.
You instinctively rest your hands on her waist, pulling her body flushed against yours. She lets out a moan as your grip tightens. 
You’re too lost in the kiss to notice Rosie sneaking her hand in between. Her fingers brush against the waistband of your sweats, abdomen tightening at her touch. You mumble a pathetic please because all she’s doing is riling you up. She smirks against your lips, dipping her hand to actually touch you. 
Your head’s spinning and your hips involuntarily thrust into her hand. Given the space, it’s a little tight, but Rosie’s hand wrapped around you has your control slipping faster than before. You pull your sweats down so you’re fully free.
“Is this okay?” Rosie asks in between kisses as she slowly moves her hand up and down your length.
“Fuck yes,” You groan, detaching your lips from hers as your head falls backs. 
Her hand’s soft, velvet-like, as she strokes you. You’re almost scared to look down because you feel yourself leaking as she cups the tip. She tentatively spreads it over you, that it’s making you lose your mind. 
You open your eyes to Rosie intently staring at her ministrations, her tongue slightly peaking out. 
“You can squeeze a little, but—ow shit!” Your hand shoots out, holding her wrist as you gasp. 
“Oh my god,” Rosie automatically lets go, “I’m so sorry!” 
You cough, catching your breath. You’re already sensitive, but it felt like Rosie was about to rip your dick off. “I’m fine,” You cough again, “Just a little lighter.” 
“Sorry,” Rosie mumbles, looking away. 
You place your hand over hers, together enclosing over your cock. “Like this,” You slowly move her hand under yours, applying enough pressure. Her hand’s smaller than yours, so she can’t completely fit around your girth. 
“How does it feel?” Rosie asks softly. 
“Good,” You nod, eyes rolling back as you let go of her hand. “So good.” 
Rosie experiments with her grip and pace for a while, going faster at times while squeezing the right amount that has you seeing stars. You’re too focused on her hand that you don’t notice her move off your lap. 
Something warm envelopes your cock and your eyes shoot open to Rosie’s mouth around the head. 
“Fuck,” You grip the bedsheet, nearly tearing it off. “Give me a warning next time,” You moan. 
“Sorry,” Your cock fucking pops out of her mouth as she continues to stroke you, “It seemed warranted. Too much?” 
“Not enough,” Your abdomen tenses as she engulfs you again, going farther down your length. 
Her tongue licks your tip as you watch her cheeks hollow out. You're mesmerized as she moves her head up and down your length, and each time she gets lower. 
“Has anyone ever deepthroated you?” Rosie asks, catching her breath, but her hands don’t remain idle. 
“Uh,” You barely hear her question, “I don’t know,” You couldn’t give a fuck about anyone else at the moment, but if she wants to try, you’ll let her. 
“Can I try?” Rosie places a sweet kiss on the tip, making a face as a smidge of precum gets on her lip. 
“By all means,” Your eyes roll back. Your hand itches to hold onto her head, but you’re scared of forcing her to take more than she can. 
Rosie’s lips are around you once again, and the tip hits the back of her throat. There’s a sharp inhale, and you’re not sure if it’s from her or you, but that doesn’t deter her. 
“Chaeng,” You grit out and your hand moves to the back of her head, threading your fingers in her hair. You don’t push down, but her throat relaxes and takes you all the way. “Fuck,” Your fingers fist through her locks, keeping her there until her finger taps on your thigh. 
You immediately let go, and she comes off your cock, a slight dribble of drool on her chin. 
“How was that?” Rosie smirks. 
“Either make me cum or fuck off,” Your eyes narrow, challenging her that she doesn’t reply, instead taking you down her throat once more, swallowing around your length that you cum without warning. 
You try to pull her off as your release shoots down her throat, but she’s adamant to take all of you. Your eyes roll back when she swallows, the pressure becoming too much as your hips thrust up into her mouth. 
Rosie’s mouth is dangerous, and you’re thanking whatever deity for her skills. You’ve had your fair share of blow jobs, but she’s number one in your book. You’re definitely never going to tell her because practice makes perfect, and you know she’s a perfectionist. It might be a little selfish, but you’ll gladly be willing to take whatever she gives you until this is over. 
Once your orgasm and she’s drained you for all that you’ve had, your hand relaxes, dropping to the side. She slowly comes off your cock, overly sensitive, but she licks the underside and that has your head spinning. 
“So,” Rosie sits in between your legs, wiping her chin with the back of her hand, “How was I?”
You’re still trying to catch your breath, but you weakly get out, “There’s always room for improvement.”
“Really?” Rosie raises an eyebrow, eyeing your now-soft cock. “I drained you in less than fifteen minutes.” 
“I’ve been pent up,” You mumble, eyes closing. “I blame you.”
“Just admit you think I’m hot,” Rosie’s suddenly hovering over you, hair tickling your face. 
“Move your hair,” You try to push her off, but you’re bone dead. Playing a game followed by this has your body exhausted. 
“Admit it,” Rosie kisses your lips, a slight tang on them. “I did,” She adds. 
You groan, wrapping an arm around her so she’s fully on top of you, “Why do you need to hear that?” You know she knows you think so. 
“Cause,” She kisses you again, leaving her lips on yours.
“Cause what?” You sigh, lazily moving your lips against hers. 
Rosie’s tongue dips into your mouth, short circuiting your brain before murmuring, “Cause it’s you.”
Your eyes feel heavy, wanting to pass out and you actually might. Something washes over you before your body shuts down. You don’t know why, but you tell her, “You’re not hot, you’re beautiful,” before sleep takes over completely.
(You wake up a few hours later, alone, but not without a note on your nightstand, groaning at Rosie’s cursive— 
Thanks handsome guy <3 see you around. 
ps I called a car, and before you beat yourself up, it’s okay)
--
--
It’s stupid. 
You’re stupid. 
A fool, some might say.
You’re calling yourself a fool. 
What compels you to be at Rosie’s apartment door, waiting, holding a bouquet of roses, without even asking if she’s home, is beyond you. 
It’s a risky move, the longer you wait for her—or anyone for that matter—to open the door. 
You immediately felt guilty waking up to Rosie’s note. You didn’t even return the favor, and you’ve been wanting to. In your mind, showing up at her place, uninvited, with flowers, was a way to make it up to her before asking if she wanted to come over so you could thoroughly make it up to her. 
The door swings open and it’s Lisa, clothes wrinkled and hair all over the place. You don’t comment on it because you know something’s going on between her and Jennie, but it wasn’t your place to ask. Instead you ask, “Hey, sorry to bother, but is Rosie in?” 
Lisa smiles, and your face falls, the answer doesn’t need to be said, but she invites you in anyways. 
You don’t know why you just don’t leave, but you enter their apartment, slipping off your shoes while awkwardly holding the flowers. 
“Here, let me take those.” They’re out of your hands before you could respond. “Make yourself at home.”
You’ve been here a handful of times, mostly when there was a party or someone needed a ride home, but it feels off being here. 
Or does it feel that way because she wasn’t here? 
You follow Lisa to the living room, seeing Jennie seated on the couch in the same disheveled appearance. Her eyes widen when she realizes it’s you here, but she doesn’t say anything except for a polite hello. 
Neither of the women say anything, but Lisa prepares the flowers in the vase. You stare at the coffee table, trying to find any words to explain why you’re here. 
“So what brings you here?” Jennie asks a question she knows the answer to. 
“Uh, I thought Rosie would be in,” You answer, scratching the back of your head. You notice the silent exchange between the two, but the sad smile that forms on Jennie’s face says enough. 
“She’s out at the moment,” Jennie bites her lip, thinking of what to say. “She should be back in an hour or so. You’re more than welcome to stay.”
“I probably shouldn’t,” You sigh, realizing just how stupid it was for you to show up. Your thoughts stray that she’s out with Soohyun, but that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. 
“She’s having dinner with Soohyun,” Lisa says and you watch Jennie’s eyes narrow, rolling her eyes. 
“Lisa.”
“What? He should know,” The woman shrugs, acting as if it’s not a big deal. 
And it’s not. 
At least, that’s what you’re telling yourself. 
“Rosie can do whatever she likes,” It comes out harsher than you intended, but you’re feeling something that you don’t want to acknowledge. You stand, “I should get going. Uh, you guys can keep those. No need to tell her that’s for her. Sorry they’re not blue Jen,” You add, knowing those are her favorite. 
Jennie gives you a sympathetic smile, shaking her head, “You’re sweet, you know that right?” 
“Sure,” You shrug, walking towards the door. “Sorry to bother you both,” You bow after slipping your shoes on.
“You sure you don’t want to stay?” Jennie asks, meeting you by the door. 
“Yeah, it’s okay. Please don’t tell her,” There’s a fifty-fifty chance Rosie would find out, odds being Lisa telling her where the roses came from. 
“Why not? It’s sweet you brought her flowers.”
“I don’t really have a reason as to why,” You do have a reason, but you’re not sure how much Rosie shares with them. 
Jennie looks like she doesn’t believe you, but she doesn’t press you anymore, nodding. “See you at Mina’s?” 
“Maybe,” You answer vaguely, remembering that you actually have to see your parents this weekend sans the Parks. “I have a business meeting with my parents, so I doubt I’ll make it back in time.” 
“With Chaeng?” Jennie raises an eyebrow. 
“No, just me, so I’ll be in Seong-buk,” You grimace at the thought of having to sit in this, but your father’s adamant it’s good exposure for you. 
“Well I hope you can make it,” Jennie reassures, hugging you briefly before taking a step back. 
“You’ll see me if I do,” You wink. “Thanks again Jen.”
Once the door shuts, you sigh. You couldn’t believe you showed up at Rosie’s place, unannounced. What were you expecting? You’re still not entirely sure, but you’re disappointed nonetheless. It’s almost been two weeks since this arrangement started and you’re scared you’re getting attached. You’ve had longer flings and felt zero attachment to them. 
You question why it feels different, and you toy with the idea of joining Jungkook in Hongdae to remind yourself that you don’t get attached. A wave of guilt passes through you, which you’re torn on what you should do. 
“Fuck it,” You mumble to the empty hallway. 
--
You hear the door knock and pause the show you’ve been sort of watching with Rosie. You’d rather drown in the river than admit you actually like this show. 
You aren’t expecting anyone except the food delivery, so you are surprised when you open the door to see Rosie. 
“Uh hey?” You greet. One look at her and you know she’s upset based on the fire in her eyes. 
“What the fuck,” Rosie spits out. 
Great. Fucking Lisa. 
You aren’t given the chance to ask anything as she barges through the door. You turn around once the door’s shut, and she’s seething. 
“What’s wrong?” 
“Why the fuck did you show up at my place?”
“Drop off flowers for Jennie and Lisa,” You answer noncommittally, crossing your arms as you lean against the door. 
“Bullshit. Tell me why,” Rosie steps forward, invading your space. Her perfume makes you dizzy, but you can’t dwell on it too much since she looks like she’s about five seconds away from ripping your head off. 
“What do you want me to say?” You deflect. You didn’t want to get into the reason why—the actual reason—that had you take the train back to yours instead of a club. 
“The fucking truth!” She throws her hands up dramatically, shaking her head. 
“I came over because I wanted to make it up to you for completely knocking out last night, happy?” You roll your eyes, pushing yourself off the door and walking past her. 
“No, I’m not—hey! Get back here, I’m still talking to you,” Rosie’s hand encloses over your wrist. 
The move forces you to turn around, reflexively pulling her into you so that you’re face-to-face. 
“Don’t,” Your voice comes out low. “I’m being honest. Your turn now, why are you here?” 
“Because,” Rosie tries to get out of your grasp, but it’s futile. “As soon as I get home, Lisa fucking singsongs that you dropped by with flowers to see me. Then she told me she mentioned to you that I was out with Soohyun.”
You let go, dropping her hand completely before taking a step back. Hearing his name makes you sick, but you refuse to admit why. 
“How was that?” You ask, tired, because you knew what you signed up for. 
“Do you really want to know?” Rosie crosses her arms, glaring. 
“I don’t, but you’ll tell me anyway.”
“It was good. He’s funny. He’s polite, offered to pay the bill, and walked me to the door,” Each word digs at you, but you don’t let it show. “He wanted to come in to say hello to the girls, but I told him I just wanted to sleep. He asked me out again.”
“And? Is there going to be a second date?” 
“Yes,” Rosie says flatly. 
“Good, happy for you,” You hoped you sounded as detached as possible. “Now you still didn’t answer why you’re here if you ‘just wanted to sleep’?” 
“Because I’ve been fucking frustrated since last night,” Rosie sighs, shaking her head. “I didn’t think I would be, but you fucking fell asleep. I tried dealing with it myself, but that made it worse.” 
All you’re imagining is Rosie, in her bed, touching herself, which has you immediately hard. But you’re a little ticked off at the moment to fully enjoy that imagery.
“Why didn’t you ask Soohyun to help you?” It’s a low blow, but you couldn’t help yourself.
Rosie pushes you, like actually pushes you, with enough force to move. 
“You’re a fucking asshole,” Rosie seethes out, turning to walk out. “I planned on coming over after the dinner for you to take care of the problem you created.”
You’re faster, grabbing her arm to pull her body flush against yours. 
“So you couldn’t cum?” You whisper. 
“Fuck you,” Rosie struggles to get out from your hold, but you have one arm securely wrapped around her waist. 
“I don’t think we’re there yet,” You murmur, “But there is something I still haven’t done.” 
“I’m mad at you,” Rosie ignores your suggestion. 
“If I do what I want to do, I promise you won’t be mad.”
“Doubtful,” Rosie pouts, relaxing into your embrace. 
“I’m sorry,” You mean it.
“I’m still mad,” She huffs, burying her face into your chest. 
“Let me make it up to you,” You tilt her head up, forcing her to look at you. “Please?” 
“Fine. On the condition I sleep over.”
You freeze, vividly remembering the rules you set in place that she wouldn’t sleep over. 
“Our rules?” 
“You broke the first one by coming over without telling me,” She reasons. 
“Do you want to spend the night?” You ask nervously. You hadn’t spent the night with a girl since Nayeon. Every time you had sex, you’d leave before they woke up, or right after. 
“Yes,” Rosie rocks on her tiptoes to kiss you briefly, wrapping her arms around your neck. “It makes things easier for us.” 
“Can I still bring you home in the morning?” You ask shyly, looking away. 
“You better,” Rosie smiles. “I’m still mad though.” 
You roll your eyes, using your strength to pick her up, wrapping her legs around your waist, “I’ll make it up to you.” 
Rosie squeals, hitting your shoulder as you carry her towards your room. “Don’t drop me!” 
You chuckle, shaking your head, as you kick the door open, “You’re fine, trust me.”
You do drop her on the bed and Rosie huffs as she sprawls out on the bed. You take in her appearance—a simple black dress that falls mid-thigh with her hair half-up. She’s beautiful, but you won’t say it out loud—even though you feel like you’ve told her. 
“You’re staring,” Rosie comments, resting on her elbows, a small smile tugging at her lips. 
“Can you blame me?” You drop to your knees, pulling her towards the edge of the bed. “Do you trust me?” You ask softly, locking eyes with her.
“Yes,” And that’s all you need.
— 
You wake up slowly, yawning and stretching. Your arm hits a body, causing you to almost jump when you notice a body’s pressed to your side. You remember that Rosie stayed the night after spending a good amount of time and effort in between her legs. 
She had physically yanked you away from overstimulation, but it was worth it. The sounds she made along with how she tasted was something you wanted to do again. You barely scratched the surface, but you were addicted. 
You had to give her credit because she came three times. You tried to go for a fourth, but she mustered enough strength to kick you away. You wouldn’t let up until she wasn’t mad anymore. By the second orgasm, she wasn’t, but you had to make sure. 
When you were done, cleaning up the mess you made, you kissed her softly as she laid limply on the bed. “Thanks,” She mumbled, sighing contentedly as she played with the hairs on the back of your neck. “I’m not mad at you anymore.” 
“I know,” You smirked, kissing her again before laying your head on the pillow. 
Rosie wanted to return the favor, but you shook your head, embarrassed to share that you were touching yourself while eating her out. She found out anyway because you couldn’t lie to her. It went straight to her head, teasing you that you couldn’t help yourself. She kissed the pout away before falling asleep. 
You check the clock on your nightstand, “Fuck,” You mutter, stirring Rosie awake. 
“What’s wrong?” Rosie’s voice comes out hoarse, slightly turning her body. 
It’s almost noon, and you haven’t finished looking over the reports and proposals your father sent over last night. 
“I’m so sorry,” You sit up, shaking your head in frustration. “I would make you breakfast, but I have to review some things for tonight.” 
“What’s tonight?” You watch her rub her eyes, and you can’t help but think how cute she is. 
“I have a business dinner with my parents.” 
“Oh.”
“Yeah…” You trail off. 
“Do you want me to go with you? I’d just have to stop by my place to change, but I can go,” Rosie offers, turning as she pulls the blanket over her. 
Your heart flutters. If there’s anyone that knows your parents, it’s Rosie. She’s known them since you were kids, seeing just how much pressure was put on you being their only child. It sucked a lot when things changed, but you couldn’t dwell on it that much. You were just trying to appease what they wanted, even though you knew it would never be enough. 
“Alice is home too,” Rosie adds when you don’t respond. “I can just hang out with her until you’re done.” 
“Are you sure?” You didn’t want to impose on her plans for the day. 
“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t,” Rosie sits up, the blanket falling slightly down her body. You glance and remember she was wearing one of your shirts that was a little too big on her. “Mina’s party is later, so we could go after if you need to blow off steam.”
“We’ll see how I feel,” You scoff, knowing exactly how you’d feel after. “But thanks Chaeng, it means a lot.” 
“Eh, I know how they are, so,” Rosie shrugs, leaning forward to kiss you on the cheek. She rests her head on your shoulder, laying an arm along your stomach. “I’m sorry it hasn’t gotten any better.” 
“It’s okay,” You say a little too quickly, but she doesn’t press the issue, snuggling deeper into your side. “Thanks,” You mumble. 
“You could always do whatever you want, they’d come around,” Rosie suggests, tracing a finger up and down your abdomen. 
“Yeah, like being a photographer would make enough money for them. They’d see it as a hobby, which it is, not as a career,” You say bitterly, shaking your head at the memory of when you suggested it that one time. 
“Well you could always take pictures of me, and you know, I know people in fashion that could see your portfolio.”
“Chaeng, you’ve done enough for me,” You’re shocked that she’d even offer this. You knew that she had connections, but she worked hard for those. It would feel wrong to actually take her up on it. 
“You’ve also done enough for me,” She pokes your cheek. “Just think about it, the offer’s there.”
You don’t know what to say. You deflect with humor and sarcasm because it’s what you know, especially with her, “Careful, it sounds like you actually like me or something.”
“Oh fuck off,” Rosie slaps your chest, giggling. 
She doesn’t confirm or deny it. You’re left wondering if she ever could. 
--
The car’s silent except for the music Rosie asked—demanded—to play, connecting her phone before you could say yes. You’re on your way back to the city, finished with the business meeting with your parents and some overseas executive who brought his daughter too. 
You were completely blindsided. It was a business meeting disguised as a fucking introduction to a ‘potential’ wife that your parents shamelessly arranged on your behalf. You weren’t that much of an ass to be completely rude to the girl—Kazuha—who also didn’t want to be there. She flat out told you what the meeting was, which you appreciated her honesty.
Nakamura Kazuha was pretty, an innocent air around her that would have you interested if it was under normal circumstances. Your parents coincidentally left you alone for a bit to get to know each other, and she seemed like a great person. She was shy, but polite. She was funny, in a quiet sort of way where you had to be paying attention. 
Kazuha told you she had a boyfriend that she wanted to be with; however, her parents didn’t approve. It was a point of contention because it wasn’t like Satoshi was a bad person, he just didn’t meet the standards they had—in other words, not wealthy.
You shared that same sentiment, explaining your last relationship with Nayeon and how she was a great person, but you knew your parents would never approve. 
“Who was that girl you dropped off?” Kazuha asked once dinner was over. Your parents off to the wine cellar. 
What? 
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry,” Kazuha smiled. “We arrived the same time you did and I saw you walk a girl to the house next door.”
“Oh uh that’s Rosie,” You answered vaguely. 
“She’s pretty. Are you two dating?” 
“What? No, she’s just a friend,” You rushed out, but Kazuha wasn’t dumb. She could tell that you weren’t just friends. 
“Interesting. I don’t know many guys who walk friends to the door, but,” She shrugged, “It’s none of my business. That’s sweet of you though.” 
When you only nodded, she smiled again, moving on to talk about other things. The thought of her observation struck a chord, causing you to dwell on it for the rest of the evening. 
“Do you want to talk about it?” Rosie’s voice cuts through your thoughts. 
“Do you want to hear about it?” 
“I do,” Rosie nods in your periphery. 
You tell her everything. 
How the meeting wasn’t actually business for your parents. How they purposely set you and Kazuha up. How your father tricked you into preparing for something that was already signed. How your mother boldly asked when you and Kazuha would see each other next—when she lived in another country. How you were pissed and irritated and upset. How you were just tired of it. 
���I mean, fuck, at this rate, I might as well just go along with it because every single choice is made for me,” You hit the wheel while stopped at a redlight. 
“Hey,” Rosie coos, reaching for your hand, the tension melting away from your touch. “Don’t say that.”
“Well it’s not like I have any other fucking choice, unless I end up with someone who’s as rich or richer than my family, they’ll never approve. I’m literally setting up my future wife for a lifetime of disapproval. Look at Minjun, his wife hardly even attends family gatherings,” You scoff. 
You saw firsthand how your cousin’s marriage was affected by someone your family deemed ‘not good enough’. You also admired how Minjun stayed with his wife when everyone, even you, said not too because it wasn’t worth the headache. 
Rosie tugs your hand to look at her, a sad smile etched on her face, “Well then you just haven’t met that somebody yet.”
“How can I when I’m literally getting put into arranged marriages at this point?” You sigh, tired from the dinner. 
“You will, I’m sure of it,” She squeezes your hand, interlacing your fingers together. “You’re smart. You’re kind. And don’t let it get to your head, but you are good-looking. Anyone who gets to be with you would be lucky.” 
Your ears burn from her compliments. The comment of your looks does go to your head, but you don’t want to ruin the moment. 
“Thanks,” You mumble shyly, looking away as you start driving. 
“Are we going to Mina’s?” Rosie asks, keeping your hand on her lap. 
The use of we has you confused. 
“Uh, I was just going to drop you off and stay in. I don’t feel very social anymore. I’m still worked up,” You roll your eyes, turning right onto Mina’s street. 
Rosie squeezes your hand, her thumb rubbing your skin, “Are you sure? It could help you get your mind off things.”
“The only thing that would get my mind off anything is I fuck someone,” You say crassly. 
“I’m right here,” Rosie lets go of your hand, huffing.
“Yeah but I have a bit of aggression at the moment. I can’t exactly take you roughly,” You pull up to the curb, a few houses down from Mina’s. 
“And why not?” Rosie unbuckles her seat belt, crossing her legs on the seat to face you. 
“You think really low of me if I’d have your first time be like that,” You reason, rolling your shoulders as you shut the car off. 
Could you imagine taking Rosie roughly? Absolutely. You know how flexible she is, and you could have fun with her body if she gives you enough time with her. You wanted to prolong this arrangement because time’s running out. You weren’t sure if it would be a one and done type of thing, but you didn’t want to ask. 
“I don’t,” Rosie scoffs, leaning forward to kiss you softly on the cheek. “But I hope we’ll get there.” 
The kiss sends a shiver down your spine, melting into the car seat. You turn to kiss her on the lips, a simple peck that she deepens, pulling you into her that has your body on fire. 
“Can I convince you to stay?” Rosie murmurs, sneaking a hand to your slacks. She palms you through the fabric, causing you to groan against her lips. “I think I can.” Her hand deftly lowers the zipper. 
“Chaeng,” You tear away your lips, head falling back on the headrest as you watch her take your cock out. 
“Yeah?” Rosie moves over the center console, dropping her head. 
“We’re in public,” Your voice comes out hoarse as her head goes lower, tongue slipping out to lick your tip. 
“It’s dark,” Rosie kisses your cock, “Better be quick then.”
In a swift move, Rosie’s mouth encloses over you and you’re a goner. 
--
You laugh at the nonsense Jungkook says in an attempt to distract the pair across the table from missing the shot. It works, and you’re one cup away from winning again.
You feel lighter than you did an hour ago. All thanks to the woman who happens to be sitting very closely to the man she’s interested in. Although, you’re trying your best not to dwell on the sinking feeling in your stomach every time you glance her way. 
“Dude you got it,” You nod to Jungkook who’s a bit drunk, but he swears his coordination gets better the more he drinks. 
Your best friend smirks, winking at the other team before smoothly tossing the ball and it falling perfectly into the lone cup. 
“And that’s game,” Jungkook puffs his chest out while the other two roll their eyes. “Who’s next?” 
“Take Yoongi for this round, I need some air,” You say without waiting for his response. You walk off to the kitchen, grabbing a beer before you make your way to the backyard. 
A few people stop you, mostly girls, asking what you’re doing after. You give a noncommittal answer because you would like to leave with Rosie, but the odds of that happening are low. 
The cool air hits your lungs and you let out a breath. A much needed one with the amount of people that are inside. There’s a few people, but they’re all in their own conversations, not paying you any mind. 
You find an unoccupied couch, deciding to sit alone before Jungkook finds you. You’re not drunk, but you’re not sober either. You’re in that limbo of a few more drinks might put you over the edge. 
Your mind vividly replays Rosie ‘convincing’ you to stay. She didn’t need to do much to get you to cum, but she did well to get you there in less than five minutes. You were almost tempted to say fuck the party and head back to yours, but after she swallowed you for all you had to give, she patted your head and said it was time to go inside. 
“Can I sit with you?” A voice immediately brings you out of your thoughts, your gaze falling on your ex-girlfriend. 
“Sure,” You scoot over, making some room on the couch. 
You take a sip of your beer, letting the bitter liquid sit in your mouth as you gather your thoughts. It wasn’t that it was hard to be around Nayeon, it was just awkward. You two were cordial, and you knew–thanks to Sana–that she wanted to get back together. You tried avoiding her, but running in the same social circle made it difficult. 
“How’s your night?” Nayeon asks after a few minutes. 
“It’s good,” You answer politely. “How about yours?” 
“Same.”
The noise from the house fills the silence when neither of you say anything else. 
You were with Nayeon for almost two years, and there was never a lull in the conversation. She would either be asking you a million questions or she would be telling you about her day in great detail. You tried to be friends with her after you broke up, but you didn’t think it was worth it. 
“How are you and Chaeyoung?” Nayeon asks nonchalantly that you pause mid-sip. 
“What’s there to know?” You finish your beer, placing the glass bottle on the table. 
Nayeon shrugs, sipping her wine, “I saw you two walk in together.” 
“We had dinner with our parents,” You lie, but it was more a half-lie since you actually did have dinner with your parents, just separately. 
Nayeon makes a humming sound before saying, “Your relationship with her was always interesting to me.” When you don’t ask what she means–she’ll tell you anyways–she continues, “I knew you two quote unquote hated each other, but regardless of that, there was always something that made me think you, or her, might’ve had feelings.” 
“What the fuck are you talking about, Nayeon?” You sigh. The way this conversation was going instantly killed your mood. 
“It’s hard to explain,” Nayeon shrugs, taking another sip. “But she likes Soohyun right? Or they’ve gone out together.” 
“I don’t know who Rosie likes, and it’s honestly none of my business,” You were getting irritated, especially since his name was now in the conversation. 
“I’m not saying it is your business, but all I’m saying is to be careful. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” 
“That’s rich coming from you,” You snap. “You literally fucking cheated on me over an argument.” 
“You don’t think I regret that?” Nayeon’s voice cracks. “I’ve regretted that ever since.” 
“It’s too fucking late for that Nayeon, I don’t want to hear it,” You stand, blood boiling. “I’m fucking over this.” 
First the dinner with your parents, now this. You didn’t want to rehash the past with Nayeon. It was over. You got cheated on by a girl who was your first serious relationship, someone you loved, and thought about a future with. Then said-girl was telling you to be careful with Rosie, of all people. 
You knew what you were doing with Rosie, but for Nayeon to say what she said struck a chord.
Why? 
That was something you weren’t ready to admit. 
You walk away from Nayeon, leaving her alone. As soon as you enter the house, Jungkook calls you over, but you beeline for the front door without a second glance at Rosie. 
(But if you did, you would’ve seen her stand up from her seat next to Soohyun.) 
“Hey!” Rosie calls out to you. You don’t turn around, your pace picks up. “Hey, what the fuck happened?” Her hand encloses around your wrist, stopping you as soon as you reach your car. 
“Nothing,” You pull your hand away, jaw clenching as you try to compose yourself. 
“That’s a fucking lie.” 
You turn around, eyes glaring to the same expression, “Just let me be. I don’t want to deal with anyone else tonight.” 
“Too fucking bad, I’m not letting you leave until you tell me what happened,” Rosie crosses her arms. “I also have your fucking keys dumbass.” 
Fuck. 
“Give them to me,” You reach around her, knowing she put it in her back pocket, but she was faster. She took the keys out of her pocket, holding it up in front of your face. “Chaeng.” 
“You’re not fucking driving in this state. You’ve been drinking and you’re obviously pissed for whatever reason. I’m calling us a car and we’ll get yours in the morning. Don’t fucking fight with me about this,” Rosie glares, raising her chin defiantly. 
“Fine,” You roll your eyes, leaning against your car. 
You watch Rosie pull her phone out, calling a car or whatever. The alcohol was catching up to you. You close your eyes, trying to calm your nerves because you were still pissed off. You shouldn’t have taken it out on Rosie, but you weren’t expecting to see her for the rest of the night. 
You feel arms wrap around your back, Rosie’s perfume suddenly invading your senses, as she rests her head on your chest. 
“Let’s just sleep tonight okay?” Rosie whispers against your chest. “You’ve had a long day.” 
“I’m sorry,” You mumble, realizing your mistake. 
“Don’t be,” Rosie’s hand finds its way underneath your shirt, soothingly rubbing your lower back. 
“What about Soohyun?” You ask, doing your best to not sound like you were watching her. 
“He’s not relevant right now,” Rosie says softly, looping her fingers through your belt loop. “I’ll talk to him this weekend.” 
It annoys you a little bit, but you can’t help but think you’ve won some non-existent, one-sided competition with Soohyun. Rosie’s leaving with you and not him. 
You’re treading a thin line, crossing into dangerous territory. You’re hoping that once you have sex, all these feelings and thoughts that have been plaguing your mind will vanish. 
Because getting involved with Rosie was never on your mind. 
--
--
--
(It was way too long to fit in one post -_-)
801 notes · View notes
thatdeadaquarius · 1 year
Text
SAGAU / Isekai Genshin:
You can still use your characters! ... as in possessing them 👻
(all art by me down below, hope its decent lol - did it for u guys and myself i mean what )
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Edit 9/7/23: 1,500+ NOTES??? BRO WHAT!! THABK YOU <3
Edit 12/24/23 + 4/5/24:
My dumbass forgot to put this here .-.
Anywya this is a full length fanfic now ;)
PART 1 (you're here!) / Part 2
So.
You got sucked into a video game. 
Crazy, but it happens ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯
yknow how it issss
...you very quickly discover that unfortunately video game rules still apply...
which wouldn't normally be an issue! like, needing to use the bathroom in the middle of a fight? Nope! minor cuts and bruises like papercuts, only actual enemies or fall damage counting? hell yeah that'd be great (theoretically no chronic pains if you got that?? hmmmm unsure)
see the issue comes when you realize, you as a player, don't have a "character" that's all your own
there's aether/lumine yeah.. but bc the game's real now, they're their own people, and you didn't wake up to find yourself as a blonde twin...
the closest you can describe your form as is .. like a seelie?
or like the way ghosts look in game?
but a lot more "starry"
like your specterlike, but you look like you got filled up with stars and the milky way, maybe a reference of you being from another universe/world? (aether/lumine/dainsleif/khaenriah star symbol reference secret thEORY-)
but yah.
you also got just, white eyes.
like, not iris, not pupil. like your pupil and iris got erased
you gotta admit, at least you look really aesthetic now.
(u also got a little cape and hood on at all times, and you cant take it off to see your starrified hair >:/ ,very Blue Diamond-esque, look up Steven Universe, Blue Diamond if you dont know who im talking about)
so needless to say, as soon as you sort of glitched your way into existence you were HYPE
i mean ur ACTUALLY IN TEYVAT WITH THE BOYSSSS
...then you realize your a spooky-no-character-to-pilot-around-thus-no-character-model-body-for-you thingy
and that you cant touch stuff!! >:(
like wth!!!
thats just downright unfair.
so, you figure if you got no body to be.... you gotta find a new "character" to pilot >:)
...
I choose you, yellow fungi!
...
....
you're in the fucking woods (Sumeru somewhere obv, u knew that the moment you opened ur eyes),
what'd you expect?? an archon??
..wait a minute. can you possess an archon-
these kinda thoughts plague your first few days of irl genshin impact playing
a rishabold tiger? yep.
a sumpter beast? kinda slow and heavy feeling but yeah.
...you also try a ruin machine LOL
by far, the fungi and ruin machines are the best to possess, mostly because you can remain upright with those
(tho u did find some type of flying monkey that wasnt in game, but its like,, a real world and jungle now so that makes sense there'd be more complexity + stuff)
you do eventually think you should try and possess a person at this point... but ur kinda nervous 👉👈
its ur first time doin this okay nobody explained the basics to you youve been winging for a week now!
will your mind be replaced with theirs? it hasn't been so far with the creatures/bots
and as far as you can tell, they kinda just-
forget what happened or "wake up" after you possess them
(the tiger you were for a day looked confused as hell when it realized that there was a new pile of fruit next to it when it "woke up", it was your way of saying thank you to the animals of the jungle, u left them little piles of food you collected running around as them)
so THEORHETICALLY-
you should be good to go and possess a random poor eremite
... you figure you want to possess something human-like eventually even if you get a puppet body like wanderer/raiden so...
here goes nothing...
so it's been 2 weeks since you've been forcefully yanked into teyvat, and by the second week, you were trying to possess eremites
which! worked out!
mostly..!
you kinda convinced the entirety of two eremite camps that a certain part one of sumeru's forests is hella haunted bc ppl keep "blacking out" and doing things they don't remember doing, yknow... like possesssion LMAO
they kinda ran off to escape you but, hey!
experiment #2: people possession, success!!
now you were kinda convinced of this when you realized no matter the angle the animals and machines of sumeru didnt react to you getting super close to them (you dont have to touch something to posses it, just look at it really, but you wanted to test limits, so you walked up to sumpter beasts and fungi and ruin machines)
but no one can see you.
you don't have a "character" most of the time, you can float and glide around the ground like scaramouche lol
you cant touch stuff bc of this, you cant smell stuff (u saw the eremites campfires & couldnt smell the smoke until you were them)
you cant eat stuff w/o a body, so.. it makes sense that the eremites and passing merchants, cant see you when you float around, trying to reorient yourself after 2 weeks of experimenting
:( ur only a lil sad about it... but mostly not bc lol u got possession powers so trade off u guess
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the first time you see a vision-bearer you literally scream
LMAO
ur so lucky u cant be seen or heard
bc Collei would have def screamed back lol
needless to say u stalk the forest ranger- ALL DAY.
Collei goes on patrol around the woods? you go on a patrol.
collei goes to visit other forest rangers? you "visit" other forest rangers at base (lol u def possess a guy who was asleep on a bench nearby & wake up to go talk to Collei "in-person", poor guy was so worried he sleep walked/talked so hard he went to see Tighnari an hour later lmao)
welp, you decide this is your life now, follow Collei everywhere, talk one-sided to Collei until you can possess a forest ranger w/o it being suspicious (dont wanna turn the poor rangers into the terrified eremites from a week or two ago...)
then, after you get the courage and erase the paranoia that tighnari can just... somehow hear your ghostly bullshit-
u do the same to Tighnari (then Cyno when he visits! no u didnt squeal, so what, nobody can hear you- )
Tighnari begins to get suspicious about 3 weeks into this routine.
he's been starting to collect and start a file on all the rangers or nearby villagers that've started randomly "blacking out/sleep walking" in the evenings usually
(u possess as close to nighttime as u can so it seems like sleepwalking)
So when Cyno comes back from a mission gone wrong,
having nearly been decapitated by a rogue flying ruin machine, only to black out and come to standing calmly 10 feet further than he remembered being 1 minute ago...
Tighnari's suspicions are confirmed, and he launches into researching this phenomenon.
his first thought is something like the aranara, but that doesn't account for the effect this thing is having on people
after all, what little forest spirit is strong enough to-
-control humans??
Tighnari begins to get the sense he's in over his head after he finds himself pushed into going into Sumeru City in order to collect more library books or ask around if the blackouts have spread to the city people
he answer is negative, on both accounts.
and he spends about one half of the day walking around, and the other reading up all he can on mythical creatures or ailments
Tighnari gives up for the day, and as he makes his way back to Ghandarvaville, he almost gets ambushed by some particularly nasty muggers
...and then he wakes up 20 feet away, his denro vision thrumming with power, full of worry and fondness for himself??, (just like Cyno said he felt happen to him..)
...Tighnari decides he needs reinforcements.
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YOU GUYS-
UR LOCAL ZODIAC SIGN OBSESSED W/GENSHIN HIT A CHARACTER LIMIT ON A POST FINALLY. 😦
??? THIS WOULDVE BEEN LONGER BUT I BARELY GOT SPACE FOR THIS- I- EVEN THE QIQI POST DIDNT HIT LIMIT-
uh cya ig!!
Safe travels lmao,
💀♒️
♡the beloveds♡
@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist @revonie / @hat-on-a-cat / @takottai / @sickly-falling (?) / @iruiji
(Sorry about the late tag! I forgot to update my taglist before i posted this 💀 my bad guys)
Also if the people who got put there who i couldnt find a blog for see this, idk what went wrong ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - maybe check and see if ur setting for "being able to be searched/looked up" is turned on?? Idk man
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north-noire · 24 days
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I just had an urge to make my own designs/redesigns on TSE charlie and henry (ofc it's them), so feel free to read my notes/general character designs I had about them! (a little messy, but whatever)
also thought that drawing them with my designs from Hidden Hands AU would be a fun little compare and contrast!! (as my FNAF AU is more game-universe adjacent but still have a few of the novel elements such as Aunt Jen = Jennifer Emily, etc. Tbh I generally treat the FNAF novels and games as NOT the same universes at all, they're completely separate universes in my mind, I feel like it makes the fandom's interpretations a lot more creative/interesting in my opinion since there's really "no canon" universe, I mean we have THREE canons to work with now come on xD)
TSE Character Design notes and my own ramblings below the cut! I mostly just relied on the book descriptions of them and nothing much else other than my own inspiration gathering from 2000s fashion/horror games/media.
TSE charlie character design notes: in the novels' description, TSE charlie had frizzy hair and it was light brown. I found it strange that the graphic novel design overlooked that, so I had to add that in (nothing wrong with charlie's design, I actually quite like TFC Charlie). anyway, my TSE charlie design wears a patchwork denim because I thought it'd give her a little bit more character (and I like the symbolism of patchwork for her - being a person that Henry stitched up together with memories, etc etc. Although I don't like the TSE Charlie = robot twist, it just kinda grew on me) I also wanted her to have a 2000s horror protagonist vibe - although most of the characters I looked at for reference/inspiration had short skirts, so I did a "skirt-like" vibe with her tying TSE henry's flannel to her waist. I like the idea that she kept something of a memento from her father's stuff with her :]
TSE henry notes: his pants are pajamas. man is the ABSOLUTE face of depression. also wanted him to have not seen better days and really look like he's just wallowing in his basement with greying hairs and wrinkles and eyebags and definitely hasn't gone out in weeks, probably a month or so. also thought that glasses would suit him nicely - and I thought him having a long-sleeved flannel and his fit makes him look pretty much from the 2000s/Y2K era. Personally I feel like TSE Henry looked too plain and a problem I had that I had while reading the graphic novel is that they tended to make William and Henry look similar (I straight up thought that one William scene with Elizabeth's memory was Henry. That's how ungodly confused I was) which made it really look uninteresting to me, so I tried my best to make his design describe him a little better.
If you've read this far, thanks so much for reading this! It's just a little fun character design exercise I did and it was really fun having some creative freedom with these two characters!
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moonrisecoeur · 5 months
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Nobody wants to talk about this so its down to us babe 😔 but can we think about SUGAR BABY LEON. Because im sick of all this 'sugar daddy this, sugar daddy that' what if we spoil the babygirl 🤨
if i’m so for real with u i’m literally a starbies barista i do not make the money to be a sugar mommy and i like men who give me stuff and buy me whatever i want BUT on the off chance leon ends up with a rich partner…
i also have some darker ideas for this if u want that kinda vibe too!! just let me know !!
no pronouns mentioned, reader is referred to as having a cock but straps count too 💥 , somno and free use mentioned
he does not know what to do with himself. like okay if we’re in a non apocalypse au and leon is just a cop, he’s making okay money, but he’s not living lavishly. and if we’re in the canon universe and leon is like a government agent, i still don’t think they’re paying him much beyond enough to cover basic living essentials. basically he’s getting by fine but not much more than that.
and then he meets someone, you. you have more money than you know what to do with, so what do you decide to do? you spend it all on the pretty boy you met at the coffee shop. you pay for his drinks, his pastries, and then it keeps going until you’re paying for his rent, utilities, you’re buying him new furniture since his is old and you’re taking him out to expensive dinners and wining and dining him, giving him fancy jewelry and designer clothes.
he doesn’t know what to do!! he feels like he has to repay you even if you insist he doesn’t, “leon, sweetheart. the point of me doing all of that was so you wouldn’t be paying it back. those were gifts, baby.”
“i- i know but… this can’t be right i- i can’t just take all of your money!”
“sweetie, you can have all of my money, i don’t care. i want to spend time with you,” you mumble as you press a kiss to his cheek.
he likes people who are just a little bit older, a little more intelligent, a little more confident than him. and you tick all of those boxes. you could have easily just asked him out, and started a normal relationship. he would have fallen for you anyway. but there’s something very down to earth about you thinking the only way you could spend time with him is by throwing your money at him. he doesn’t like the feeling of guilt that hangs on his heart.
but honestly? you’re completely satisfied, he has nothing to worry about. even with the allowance you give him (you have to secretly deposit it into his account otherwise he’ll feel guilty accepting it even if he needs it) you’ll still have more money than you know what to do with.
and also, every date night, you wine and dine him as usual at some fancy restaurant, you come home and fuck his brains out.
i’m talking like, he can’t think about anything but your cock for an extended period of time. you make him cum over and over until his body gives out and he goes unconscious. you take care of him, cleaning him up and cuddling him while you fall asleep, and when he wakes up, it’s morning and there’s breakfast waiting for him in the kitchen of your luxurious apartment.
after a while, you convince him to move in with you! rent is so expensive these days (you say like it even makes a dent in your net worth) and it would be more convenient if he just lived with you. it takes a lot of convincing, but he comes around. he’s a good roommate, he’s tidy and does all the chores (mostly again because he feels like he has to repay you somehow!)
and you buy him cute little gifts and bring them home for him to open after you get off work!! little things that remind you of him or things you remember him mentioning he wanted.
also, since he lives with you 24/7 now, it’s so much more convenient when you want to fuck him senseless. you don’t even have to ask him, just bend him over the kitchen counter while he’s making dinner. or fuck him when you get home from work and he fell asleep on the couch. that’ll wake him up!!
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the-voldsoy · 3 months
Text
Parallels/references/a couple theories about TMAGP EP1:
grouped in order of actual theories, vague things i noticed, and even vaguer comments! (using the same terminology as in TMA for ease)
HEAVY Spoilers !!
Stronger:
“Colin, mate, you know you’re never getting out of here” +won't leave until they figure out the errors “Or they finally kill me” → couldn't quit the Archives because they thought they just wanted to understand and know (but later found out they could only get out by dying or blinding)
Lena talks about cake → Mr Spider doesn't like cake + Elias seemed to love the stuff
pub called The Seward -> Peter Lukas vibes?
“There has to be a way to do this online” → haha ! you wish. (AKA supernatural interferes with internet so it cant be dont online)
“There's this box for a "Response 121" on the form.” → MAG121 is the episode Jon is woken from his coma/brought back to life by Oliver Banks
Talk about how there used to be a separate “Response” department → Elias tells Jon its their job to watch, not interfere (iirc)
Old as shit computer → old as shit tape recorders
AKA: the computer seems to be the only thing that can handle the supernatural
“ "Dolls comma watching" or "Dolls comma human skin" “ → violently Stranger and possibly Eye, has me in mind of MAG24 (the one the Calliope is first mentioned in, where the boyfriend is turned into a doll iirc) 
Barely understandable, long as shit file names →barely understandable, long as shit files names by Gertrude 
[in response to where the files go] “some long dead database that no one will ever look at or care about” → the Archives were unmanaged, decrepit and barely used by anyone outside of them
Work during the night - no sun, cut off from outside world → worked in a basement - no sun, cut off from outside world
Martin (and later Jon) taking the statements → did the same in TMA but in reverse (although I’d love to know if there's any reason behind them being called Chester and Norris, besides what's stated?)
Haha Martin and Jon (and Jonah) are now part of the World Wide Web → shit now they're part of the Web (just like with the tape recorders !!)
Someone talks about how they're sorry, they should've listened, couldn't face not hearing him again → martin @ jon and vice versa
Stranger statement with hints of the Dark → first TMA statement was a Stranger in the dark, and it does put me in mind of the Anglerfish tbh
Sorting system for the statements (although there's is a Lot more detailed and v different) → Smirke’s Fourteen
Gwen openly does not like Lena → literally anyone @ Elias
Asked if they were tricked into working here → well, we know the Archives and Elias
“The awful, terrible thing that landed you here?” → most of the Archives (excluding Sasha and maybe Martin) had something that made them Marked, that mostly led to them working there
Someone who's into spelunking listed the Institute as “cleared” → who could that be (if we know them at all)? Buried avatar, i'd guess, but we don't really know any of them
Photos of the Institute don't show up → photos of the supernatural don't work
The Institute was “weird”, made the subject paranoid → lingering Eye
Fire twenty years ago that burned the Institute → Like the fire at Hilltop Road? Or like that time Gertrude tried to burn down the Institute?
Third floor was the most burned → assuming that's the top floor (and correct me if i'm wrong), wasn’t Jonah in (and later killed) on the top floor?
“offices like little cells” → employees were certainly trapped ! also Millbank Prison
Worried non-existent doors were going to slam shut → the Distortion
Weren’t any papers → left behind before the Institute came to this Somewhere Else (assuming it's the same Institute)? (we need an actual name for the original universe and this Somewhere Else)
Suspicious stains on some floors → my darling, that is blood ! or possibly squished worms, or ink. or possibly something Else
“an old wooden thing with a bunch of similar symbols on” → genuinely unsure what this could be
Strange symbols → For all the Fears, or just the Eye, i wonder? I think i remember them saying something about an Eye symbol at this point, but now i can't find where
“you get a job, I get a fresh victim. It’s all in your contract.” → Elias @ his employees
 “To new beginnings, with old friends” → to a new beginning, with our old friends Jon, Martin and Jimmy Magma :)
“You’re not as clever as you think you are. You think you've got us all fooled, that no-one knows you're listening, But I do. I know. I’m going to find you and then…” → hi what did he mean by this
They (jon, martin & jonah) are Watching and Listening and following through technology→ just like Elias (Panopticon vibes tbh) and Sergey Ushanka
Vaguer (idk if theres anyhting here, but wanted to include it anyway):
Alice loves coffee -> Martin loved tea
Meeting in a cemetery → Sasha with Michael pre-prentiss attack, Naomi Herne 
Not wanting to stay at home because it's full of memories → Jon moving with Georgie, Martin moving to the Archives
Gwen Bouchard wants Lena’s job → Bouchard (appeared to) climb the job ladder quicker than he should have
Heh bug list → corruption
 “You don’t seem like the usual hopeless wasters Lena hires” “The awful, terrible thing that landed you here?” → okayy no need to be rude. But anyways the OG Archives crew were actually pretty disconnected from the rest of the world +were barely there by choice?
“freight cars near Brighton” → hey where did Melanie get her first Slaughter mark ?
“it’s not too awkward working with an ex?” → Georgie and Jon?
FR3-d1 -> i feel like there's something there, but i cannot figure it out
Just words that made me irrationally scared:
Stranger(‘s)
Distortion
Opposites:
Starts with a party for someone leaving → couldn't quit the archives
“ …you are perfectly within your rights to resign. No one is forcing you to stay here.”
please put any opinions/additions in the tags !!
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writerblue275 · 5 months
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(Best)FWB!Ezreal Headcanons (18+)
Inspiration: This was one of the of ideas that got me to start this account lol. I’m also in the process of writing a fic based on this idea and it would be so much easier to just reference this post in the header rather than explain everything in the prose.
Champion: Ezreal (like Pilty!Ezreal/Explorer!Ezreal)
Genre: Headcanon
Category: TINIEST amount of angst but primarily FLUFF and SMUT - I mean what were you expecting. We're talking about best friends with benefits here. Typically the benefits are of an adult nature. 18+ ONLY. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.
Length: This is a looooong one, friends. In my defense, I'm using this headcanon as world-building/background information for at least 1 future fic (It's quickly turning into multiple parts lmao).
Gender: Fem!Reader/reader who is fem presenting? Ahhhh even my non-binary ass doesn't know how to describe this...mention of dresses and stuff.
TW: Adult themes. Friends with benefits, reference to adult activities and kinks. For example: semi-public petting or Dom/sub dynamics. Slight mention of what (probably) happened to his parents and the emotional fallout of that. Mention of alcohol (always drink responsibly y’all). Swearing (as per usual).
Important context: I know game Ez’s age is a bit debated, though generally agreed on somewhere in early to early-mid-20s. For adult Ez in this, let’s say he’s like 23-24? Also Indiana Jones exists in this universe because DAMNIT I WANT TO CALL HIM INDIANA JONES AS A NICKNAME.
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SFW
Your father is a history professor at the academy who knows/works with Ezreal’s uncle, Professor Lymere, and who often collaborated with Ez’s parents before they disappeared. Archeology and history go hand-in-hand, after all.
These collaborations led to you and Ezreal being together often as kids since you were around the same age, and a close friendship developed.
To the point of casual physical affection (hugs, hand holding, occasional cuddles) and silly nicknames for each other. He calls you princess, you call him…idiot mostly. (Jk…kinda.) You’ve called him Indiana Jones for forever since he was just as fascinated about archeology/artifacts as his parents.
You have called him an idiot many times though, especially when he’s been extremely rash and reckless.
At various points in your friendship, people have seen the two of you and assumed you had to be dating. It’s hysterical to both of you.
“Me dating Ezreal?! Nah, he’s just my best friend.”
“(Y/N)?? Absolutely not. We’re just best friends.”
You’re one of the few people who can humble Ezreal, a specialty of yours since early on in your friendship.
You: *In your father’s office studying while he teaches a lecture to one of his classes in a nearby lecture hall*
Ez: *Runs into the office, breathlessly laughing as he leans against the now closed door, holding a toupee*
You: *Eyebrows raise* Whatcha got there, Ez?
Ez: *grins* One of the campus warden’s toupees!
You: *Stares at him for a second and sighs* You’re a moron….*goes back to studying*
After his parents’ disappearance, you were understandably worried for Ezreal. You watched as your best friend struggled through the stages of grief, and even worse, stalled before he could get to the acceptance stage of what most likely happened.
You were always there to listen when he needed an ear. Even more importantly you tried to serve as a voice of reason once Ez started planning his own expedition to find the final resting place of Ne’Zuk.
You never said anything to completely dissuade him, because you wanted him to follow his heart and his dreams, but you couldn’t help but worry. With what likely happened to his parents, you were utterly terrified he wouldn’t come back, especially considering his stubbornness, his recklessness, and his age. Losing your best friend was a thought you just couldn’t stomach.
Only you knew about his plan to sneak onto a supply ship bound for Nashramae. You sent him off in the middle of the night with a giant hug and a “Be safe, Indiana Jones. You better come back alive…Write when you can…”
After a second he pulled back from the hug, gave you a signature Ez smirk, and said, “You know me well enough to know I’ll be fine, princess…”
Once he did set off, you had to convincingly act as though you didn’t know where he went. It was difficult, especially seeing how distraught his uncle was once he read Ez’s note, but your loyalty was to your friend.
It was torment waiting for any sort of news. Ez wasn’t exactly going to the most populated areas.
Thankfully, he did eventually return, excited to show off his new gauntlet, using it often to flash behind you and scare you.
“Ez, I swear if you keep scaring me, I cannot be held responsible for any damage to your stupid handsome face.”
*Smirk* “Handsome eh?”
“…Shut up…f-forget I said anything…the last thing you need is an inflated ego.”
But he didn’t forget.
Over the years as he gained notoriety and fame from his adventures, you were one of the few people who didn’t treat him any differently from how you had in the past.
As much as his ego craved the validation and fame, hoping they’d be enough to draw his parents back (god damn this man needs HELLA therapy), having someone who just treated him as Ezreal, not as the prodigal explorer, was really nice…
Once he was a little older, when he started getting invites to parties and banquets to talk about his adventures, you became his go-to date.
As he told you, “It’s just easier than dealing with the rabid fans. Also you’re good-looking, and I need someone with me that helps make me look good.”
That earned him a sarcastic eye roll and “Thanks, I guess?” from you.
With the fame and scale of his adventures, Ez collected a decent amount of wealth on top of what his family already had. As thanks for being his go-to plus-one, he’d always take care of the cost of your clothes and accessories for these events, sometimes even buying outfits for you himself; things that he thought would look good on you. He has shockingly good taste and understands your sense of style very well. (SUGAR DADDY FRIEND EZ, ANYONE?)
It was about a year and a half ago that things in your friendship changed. He’d been gone almost 3-months chasing a particularly legendary relic rumored to be surrounded by an incredible number of traps that were said to be impassable.
“Impassable” is Ez’s specialty, as you know.
Of course, his exuberant return made him a popular invite to all the parties. Everyone wanted to hear the tales of Piltover’s prodigal explorer.
You were just fucking relieved to have your best friend home, alive, and in one piece.
NSFW
It was after one of these fancy parties when things popped off. There’d been an open bar during the dancing portion of the evening. Both of you were tipsy. Both of you were giggly. Ez gave you a piggy back ride home since you decided to kick off your incredibly uncomfortable heels the second you stepped outside. (What a gentleman.)
Once you arrived at your apartment, you invited him to stay the night as he always did since it was so late. Of course he agreed, grabbing the extra set of comfy clothes he stashed there for such situations and going to change while you prepared the couch for your usual post-event chats, setting up, pillows, blankets, snacks, and water.
As he came out of the hallway to the living room where you were, you could feel his gaze glued to you as you bent down to prep some things*
You: *blushing a little and not looking up at him* “Yes?”
Ez: *smirks* I thought that dress would look incredible on you, and I was right….you look even sexier than usual…
You looked up at him with wide eyes, your cheeks DEFINITELY pinker as your mind took a second to register what he said* “You thought about how I’d look in this? W-wait…you think I’m sexy?”
He just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “Of course I did and of course I do. I’ve told you before that you’re good looking. Do you remember when you accidentally blurted out that I was handsome? Do you still think I am?”
You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or your curiosity about the direction of this conversation that had you saying, “Yes I do. I’ve thought that for a long time. But, I don’t understand why that matters? You’re my best friend, Ezreal, and to be honest, dating you sounds like a nightmare. I already worry enough about you when you’re on your expeditions. Adding deeper feelings into that sounds like a one-way express ticket to driving myself insane.”
Ez chuckled, “Who said anything about dating or deeper feelings? Feelings are the last thing I need in my life (again THERAPY, MY GUY). But, the way I see it, I’m physically attracted to you, you’re physically attracted to me, neither of us want feelings involved beyond what our friendship is now….that sounds like an arrangement that is mutually beneficial…”
You straightened up and folded your arms together as you contemplate his words. “So like a…friends with benefits sort of thing?”
Ez grinned. “More like best friends with benefits, but yes. I have needs. I’m assuming based on the fact that you’re currently not seeing anyone either that you also have needs. We’ve helped each other out with problems many times….why not help each other with this one?”
Ok, but why was he making so much sense??
He was also right. You’d been going through a hell of a dry spell as of late. And hey, when it comes to people, you trust Ezreal more than anyone else. You’d also be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t find him extremely attractive. All of these reasons pinged around your mind until finally…
“Yes…ok…yes….tonight can serve as a test of sorts…but I’m not finalizing anything until tomorrow morning when both of us are stone cold sober. I have conditions, but they don’t apply at the moment. Got it?”
His response was an frantic nod and an eager “Got it,” as he stepped closer and reached for your waist to pull you to him.
Your response was to turn around and move your hair to the side. “Ah ah ah. First help me with my zipper…then show me what you can do, pretty boy…”
And BOY DID HE. Quite honestly he blew your mind (and your back out 😉). But we’ll get to that later on.
The important conversation happened the next morning after you two woke up tangled with each other.
Ez sat up and stretched, and you couldn’t help it as you sleepily reached over and gently ran your fingers along his abs.
He gave you a sleepy smirk and eyebrow raise before murmuring, “Already want another round, princess?”
This resulted in you pinching him before you also pulled yourself up, not even caring that he was baldly admiring you as you stretched. “I tentatively agree to this arrangement, Ez, but I want to talk about limits/conditions. Let’s talk as we get breakfast ready…”
Your conditions: 1. While this arrangement is in place, he’s not sleeping with anyone else and that includes on expeditions. You don’t want the chance for any sort of disease. 2. If either of you falls for another person, the arrangement needs to end (obviously you two would talk about it so the other knows what’s going on). 3. This can’t fuck up your friendship. Even if things physically end, your friendship needs to remain intact. You don’t want to lose your best friend. 4. No falling in love with each other.
Ez easily agreed to your terms and laid out his own: 1. He’ll see you when he gets home from expeditions and while he’s in Piltover. 2. If he’s not sleeping with anyone else, he hopes you won’t either. 3. He wants you to take care of yourself mentally (a bit ironic), physically, and emotionally, especially while he’s gone. (He won’t admit it, but when he’s on his explorations, he thinks/worries about you often and wonders if you’re doing alright.) 4. He wants to continue to buy you gifts and clothes, and he also wants to start including lingerie in said gifts if you tell him your sizes and style preferences.
The last one surprised you. “Lingerie? Why? That seems pretty intimate for fuck buddies. I certainly don’t expect such gifts from you.”
He was unfazed, instead just grinning and chuckling at the surprise on your face. “Believe it or not, it’s almost more for me than you. Undressing you will be like unwrapping my own present.”
Strangely enough you couldn’t find any fault with that logic.
You agreed to all his terms, and the two of you did a little hand shake to finalize things. A strangely small gesture to seal a massive change in your friendship.
(*Clears throat*) And now for the important part…
Definitely NSFW - AKA How is Ez as a FWB?
With an ego like his, you might think Ez is a selfish lover.
And you know what, maybe to start he is, but you shut that shit down IMMEDIATELY. Remember, you’re one of the only ones who can humble this man.
Once you make it clear that this arrangement will not be one-sided in pleasure if he wants it to continue, he makes sure to act RIGHT.
Like he really makes sure to blow your back out every single time (hell yeah go you).
A large part of his initial “selfishness” is hesitance. You two have known each other forever, but certainly not in this way. You telling him off? Honestly it reminds him that this is still you, his best friend, who he knows better than just about anyone. He is just learning about another side of you.
That is a confidence boost to him and banishes any insecurities he has.
(Unlike Heartsteel Ez who I see very primarily as a sub) Ez is a true switch maybe even leaning a little dom.
Whatever you need him to be, he can be.
Ezreal can be VERY PLAYFUL. Your normal friendship is filled with laughter and teasing, and your friendship in the bedroom is no different.
That doesn’t mean he can’t be serious though, he absolutely can be.
He’s the extremely teasing type, expertly working you up with just a couple touches in public or private and then making you wait.
For example, at those fancy dinners you go to with him? If anyone bothers to look under the tablecloth they'll see his hand on you, thumb tracing shapes into the fabric of your dress high up on your thigh, while he casually recounts the harrowing details of his adventures.
There you are, just sitting there trying to keep a straight face and not blush. He does it often enough you think you’d be used to it by now but NOPE.
You’re really glad no one expects you to tell any stories at those things because every time his hand creeps onto your thigh, your brain short circuits a little bit. Trying to tell a story or hold more than a passing conversation would be incredibly difficult.
And he KNOWS IT TOO. Once he’s not speaking, he always looks over at you and gives you a little smirk.
And if you do the same to him when he’s not telling stories? He will not stop leaning over and softly complaining in your ear.
You take great pleasure in whispering in his ear, “Can’t handle what you dish out? This is what you get, you teasing fuck.” (Or something similar lol.) Then you pass everything off as normal with a very quick, friendly, and casual kiss on the cheek which makes HIS brain short circuit a little bit.
Very touchy and LOUD in bed, especially when you’re on top. To the point you have had to cover his mouth with your hand and threaten to STOP riding him if he doesn’t get himself together and be quieter. He knows damn well how thin apartment walls in Piltover are.
Eventually you just gag him with something, because let’s be honest, it’s an empty threat. You definitely DON’T want to stop and he’s well aware of that.
When he’s on top though, Ez intentionally will do things that cause your sounds to get louder, making no attempts to quiet you. Instead he just smirks down at you and whispers in your ear, “Is that all you’ve got, princess? I know you can get louder than that…don’t hold back for me…”
Don’t be afraid to mark him. Feeling your nails dig into his shoulders/back or feeling you mark his collarbone with hickeys drives him absolutely wild.
Very very VERY good at dirty talk. His wit and sass translate extremely well to more intimate contexts. And when you dirty talk right back at him? He loves it when you’re just as playful as he is. His favorite is when you murmur something filthy in his ear and follow it up with a playful little nip somewhere.
Loves tying you up and loves being tied up, as well as using blindfolds.
Not the most attentive with aftercare, but hey, your arrangement isn’t romantic so you don’t mind. He at least stays the night/for breakfast and cuddles you which is honestly more than you thought he’d do.
It might be a bit inconsistent concerning WHEN you see Ezreal since who knows when he’ll come back from his expeditions, but whenever he is in Piltover, the two of you certainly have a good time. Besides, it’s good to know your best friend is home safe…at least until he sets off on another adventure.
Thank you for reading!! Omg I had so much fun with this one. And I’m already enjoying writing the associated fic. It was literally just supposed to be a one-shot and now there’s absolutely going to be multiple parts, so keep an eye out for that!
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thepascalofus · 7 months
Text
Growing on Me - Chapter One
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AO3
Din Djarin x botanist!Reader
Word Count: 6.1K
Summary: The Plant Species Inventory Project is a one hundred day expedition in the forests of Nevarro. You’re Nevarro’s best (and only) botanist, which is something Karga doesn’t want to risk losing. Making sure you’re safe on this years expedition, Karga hired a Mandalorian to protect you—Mando.
Series Content Warnings: 18+ only, MDNI, swearing, completely made up species and/or irl species instead of canon ones, inaccurate descriptions of Nevarro (it has forests instead of lava plains), lots of biology and environmental stuff (I promise I won’t go too deep with it [i have a bio degree]), 70% strangers/30% enemies to lovers, semi-slow burn, lots of tropes (because what are tropes if we don’t use them am I right?), canon violence, eventual SMUT, eventual FLUFF, reader is described as gender neutral as possible but has female sex organs and is occasionally referred to as a girl, no Y/N, hurt/comfort, happy ending guaranteed!
A/N: I have had this idea brewing in my mind for a while now. I’m so happy to share this with all of you. I truly love the topic I went to school for (biology), so this is mostly for me, oops. There will be lots of biology related stuff in this series, but I promise it will be “comprehensible”, not textbook jargon. Every single like, reblog, comment, smoke signal (that’d be a fun one), and ask truly means the world to me. Sharing my writing is a new thing for me and I’m enjoying it so far. Alsssoooo, I’m planning for this fic to be a long(er) series. 
Leaves crunched underneath your hiking boots with every step you took into the forest. Further and further in, green soaked into your vision and found its home. The forest was moderately dense. Trees of various shapes and sizes were scattered throughout the land. Distances between tree trunks varied, but gaps still allowed for traversion.
The understory was spectacular. Biodiversity could be defined in a dictionary, and a picture of this landscape would take up two and a half pages. Tall, leafy plants with elongated petioles and broad leaves gave the small shade plants cover. Tiny collections of different mosses littered the surfaces of landlocked rocks. Vines found their way up tree trunks and retreated back down, hanging from branches as thick, green ropes.
Light peeked in from the gaps in the forest canopy. Small lizards basked on rocks where the light shined especially bright. Happy, buzzing pollinators made their way from flower to flower in search of sweet nectar.
The light also reflected off of Mando’s silver beskar, and right into your eyes.
You squinted at the white splotches that harassed your vision. In response, you turned your head and ignored the man that stood in the corner of your eye. Your feet continued to weave between plants, careful not to break too many with your steps. With each step, the brown rucksack on your back bounced against your torso and your blaster patted against your thigh.
Karga lent you the rucksack to hold the maps and forms needed for the expedition. It was one hundred days out here. You’ve done longer land surveys and experienced plenty of joy from doing them. But you were with your university mentor then.
Now you’re with Mando.
Karga insisted that the Mandalorian come with you. You sauntered into his office this morning to retrieve the rucksack and its contents, and were met with two men instead of just the High Magistrate himself. Karga pulled you aside and told you to, “think of him as more of an assistant,” but you knew he truly hired the man donning beskar to protect you.
You rolled your eyes in response, but thanked Karga nevertheless. The Plant Species Inventory Project was in its third year, and you were on your third year of running it. Every year you hiked through the surrounding forests of Nevarro for one hundred days to document the species of the forest.
But last year you had to stop early due to receiving a venomous bite from a lizard. Karga called in an airlift and had you rushed to the hospital. The doctors said that if you had arrived five minutes later, you would’ve been dead.
This year, Karga decided that your knife and blaster weren’t good enough against lizards. Instead of getting you better self defense tools, he bought a Mandalorian to protect you. From the lizards.
Right before you passed another rock with a lizard sunbathing on its peak, Mando made his way over to you and put his body between you and the rock. You huffed in response. The lizard had brown, pointy skin with splotches of blue along its back.
“That one is harmless, Mando,” you deadpanned to the man.
“Yeah? How do you know?” He quipped in response.
Taken aback by his sudden eagerness to talk to you—he hasn’t said a word to you since you both left Karga’s office—you quickly explained, “The harmless ones, Glendia ropensis, have blue spots on their back. The venomous ones, Glendia frediama, have green spots.”
Mando turned his helmet to look at you. You stared back at him, directly in his black visor. Other people have told you bits and pieces of folklore about the Mandalorians. The galaxy’s best warriors. They trained to develop their fighting skills as soon as they were old enough.
Yet, the beskar man didn’t phase you. Karga wouldn’t send you into a remote forest with a man he didn’t trust…right? You trusted Karga and his judgment, therefore you trusted Mando to not kill you.
“I thought you were a botanist?” The shiny man stated in confusion.
“I am,” you replied, “just because I know plants doesn’t mean I can’t know animals.”
His helmet tilted in a “fair enough” motion and you two continued to trek through the forest. Mando cleared his throat, “Karga said you were Nevarro’s best botanist.”
“I am,” you repeated, then continued with tight lips, “I’m also Nevarro’s only botanist.”
The man hummed, the sound crackling through the helmet. Facing forward, your gaze drifted downwards to the array of plants on the forest floor. Different leaf shapes popped out at you. Some plants had bright flowers while others lacked them.
BEEP BEEP BEEP.
Your watch went off, signaling for the first sampling. Bringing your rucksack around your shoulder and in front of you, you plopped it down on the ground and opened the sack. A holopad and two cubes were held in your hands as you brought them from out of the brown bag. 
Flipping the switch on one of the cubes, you tossed it to Mando. He stood there, examining the device, while you pulled up the proper programs on the holopad. One program mapped your hike while the other helped you record the species you sampled. You tucked the holopad under your arm after setting up your sampling preferences.
You looked up to see Mando fiddling with the cube you gave him. Your hand whose arm wasn’t holding the holopad flicked the switch on the corresponding cube.
A hologram square projected out of the cubes, the devices corresponded to two diagonal corners of the square. You walked closer to the Mandalorian and the square shrunk. You walked further and the square grew.
Selecting a small rock protruding from the ground, you set the device on top of it. Mando picked up on your motions and found a log to prop the corresponding device onto.
“Don’t all of the sampling plots need to be the same size?” The silver man questioned.
You retrieved the holopad from under your arm and tapped the screen to initiate the calculations on the size of the plot. Looking up from the holopad you pointed to the screen, and replied to Mando with a hint of sass, “The programs standardize everything, so the sampling plots don’t need to be exact.”
His gaze bored into yours while the program calculated the dimensions of the plot and ran other diagnostics of the area. You raised an eyebrow at him, shifting your weight to one foot, “Do you not trust Nevarro’s best botanist?” You asked jokingly, yet with a tone of seriousness.
At first Mando didn’t respond in words, but his shoulders rose, as if he let out a silent laugh at you. He shook his head, helmet rotating from side to side, “It’s only been a couple hours, we’ll see,” Mando drawled. Light glinted off the beskar donning his head as he turned to observe the surrounding woods. 
Bending down, you began to assess the leaves of the first plant to identify. The veins were parallel, running side by side to each other. Leaf arrangement was alternate, no two leaves shared the same growth point on the stem. No vein on the plant touched. They all went and came from the same direction, never meeting.
The second plant had net-like veining on its leaves. Veins crossed and morphed into each other. Leaf arrangement was opposite. Pairs of leaves pinched the stem with their petioles and crossed it perpendicularly. Every feature on the small herb met and weaved together. Each vein could only be minutely distinguished among the web of veins working together to keep the plant alive. 
Stenica aparinese and Wortanum tortanumus.
The pair of you haven’t met before. You knew nothing about the beskar man, besides that he didn’t talk much. But it had only been a few hours, as Mando said before, and you still don’t feel like your paths have crossed. Even though you two have been walking side by side. 
You completed ten samplings before you decided to call it a day. Squatting over plants and counting petals wasn’t mentally difficult, but it was physically. Knees aching and thighs burning, you two made your way through the maze of trees. The holopad glowed in the fading sunlight and aided you in finding the nearest safehouse. 
Footsteps created a chorus of crunches that echoed off the tree trunks. Your gait was focused on avoiding the small, rare plants on the forest floor. Occasionally, you’d stop to get a closer look at some—having never seen them before. 
Mando would pause behind you. His large hands settled on his belt, palm resting near his blaster. The helmet swiveled from side to side as he dragged his gaze over the forest. He would wait patiently near you as you took notes about the species, attempting to identify it. 
“Are we good to go?” He’d grit out after a couple minutes. 
You stood up from a squat and clicked the holopad off, throwing him a quick nod. The crunching chorus resumed, feet finding pockets of common grasses and clovers. Mando’s heavy boots tried to fall within the same pockets of green that yours did, but his success was debatable. 
Sunlight shining down from the canopy became scarce, but not obsolete. The blaster hanging in a holster on your hip tapped against your thigh. The crunches caused by footsteps were accompanied by a cadence of muted pats.
Mando cleared his throat, a sound that choked out of the helmet’s modulator, “Do you know how to use that thing?” The beskar man asked.
You turned to face him, stopping in your tracks. You’ve never had to shoot it, the blaster hung from a holster just in case you needed it. But it can’t be that hard, right? Just point and shoot.
“I mean, yeah,” you shrugged, “you just point and shoot.” Thinking that was an acceptable answer for Mando, you turned to continue towards the safehouse.
“Just point and shoot?” Dry exasperation churned out like gravel from his helmet. 
Lips became a line on your face, and your torso faced him again. Before you could start speaking, he cut you off. “You haven’t used it, have you?” Mando sighed.
You crossed your arms over your chest, exhaustion took over your expression, “Why does it matter? Does a Mandalorian need back up?”
Head turning, your footsteps resumed towards the safehouse. The holopad indicated it was less than fifty meters away. A warm shower and a comfy mattress sounded better than a shooting tutorial—from a man destined to be far better at it than you—would be.
Mando sighed and continued behind you. “What’s the point of carrying a blaster if you don’t know how to use it? If you’ve never shot it?” His helmet gave his tone a sharp edge.
“So I can look like I know how to use it. I don’t want to use it.” 
It was true. You didn’t know what you would do if you actually had to use it. Your biology courses always talked about the fight or flight response, but they rarely talked about freeze.
That’s probably what you would do. You’d freeze. 
“Firing bad shots at someone who does know how to use it, makes you look like you don’t know how to use it,” Mando said matter-of-factly. 
Shoulders dropping, you sighed and trekked forwards. “Look, I know that the bolt comes out of the barrel and to point it at what I want to shoot. And pulling the trigger fires the blaster. I feel like that’s good enough for now,” you rebuked. 
Thankfully, Mando dropped the subject, since the gray exterior of the safehouse came into view. The small building formed a basic cube of cement walls. Only a few windows interrupted the slabs of stone, and they were dark, bleak. Near the tree-brown door was the only sign that the safehouse wasn’t a long-lost monument—a glowing, yellow keypad. If you were the only humans in the forest, the safehouse shouldn’t have been used since last year. 
Approaching the brown door, you dug into your memory for the code that allows entry. Karga asked you what code you wanted when he had them built throughout the forest. 
That’s right! The code is your birth date.
You pressed the corresponding keys, the yellow glow bathed your fingertips in a warm light. The brown door slid open once the last key was pressed. Before you could even find the kriffing lightswitch, a crackle came from behind your head.
“What’s the code?” Mando asked with intention.
Mando must have assumed that you knew where the lightswitch was, because he continued his path over the threshold and directly into your back. The momentum from his body ramming into yours made you stumble, falling towards the wooden floors. You brought your arms up to brace yourself for the harsh impact.
And they hit nothing.
Instead, a large, gloved hand settled on your stomach and pulled you upwards. The muscles of his arm pressed against your side and burned their warmth into your skin. Suddenly, you were back on your feet and the lights were turned on.
You turned around, eyes wide in shock at the speed of events. Mando’s gloved finger dropped from its position under the switch. “Sorry about that,” he sighed.
Acting like he didn’t just seamlessly haul you back to your feet with one arm.
A feeling that was foreign—but not too foreign—seeped from your chest down to your stomach. The ticklish warmth emanated throughout your body in all directions. The same feeling you opted to tune out at while you were at university. Shit.
One guy put a hand on you and now you have butterflies? C’monnn. 
Just like every other time, you blockade the warmth from spreading too far out. Mentally, barricades went up before the feeling could leave your torso. It’s better to stay focused on the task at hand.
Shhkt.
The Mandalorian pressed a button that triggered the door to slide closed.
“Um…”
Were you supposed to thank him? Scold him? Leave it at that? Your mouth tightened and you gave the Mandalorian a curt nod and a, “Thanks.” 
Before receiving his reaction, you turned your back to him to assess the layout of the safehouse. A small, cozy living room with a fireplace filled up most of the space to your left. Knit blankets were draped over the thick cushions that sat upon the wooden furniture frames. 
The space continued into the equally small kitchen. Basic silver appliances filled up most of the kitchen space. Simple, gray pantry doors blended with the small, semi-shiny machines. On the right of you were two doors, one you assumed contained the fresher, and the other containing beds.
Turning to your left, you removed your bag and plopped onto the thick cushions of the couch. The burning in your legs made you unconcerned about making food for dinner or discussing sleeping arrangements.
The burning—or maybe lack thereof—in Mando’s thighs didn’t dissuade him from being persistent.
Mando sauntered over to the couch you were laying on. The thunks of his heavy footsteps became louder as he grew nearer. “Are you going to tell me the code?” Mando’s helmet came into your line of sight as he towered over your slumped figure.
You groaned, “Are you going to stop walking into me?”
The horizontal line of his visor tilted in your view, signifying a, “really?” emotion. His shoulders dropped, “I just want to be able to get in and out of the houses.”
Begrudgingly you told him the code, “It’s my birthday,” you explained.
“Oh, uh, happy birthday.” He gave you a curt nod and turned to walk into the kitchen.
A small smile spread across your face, and you sighed once more, “Today isn’t my birthday, metal man, the code is my birthday.” You propped one of your elbows on the couch to look over the back of the couch at him. He stood against the small metal sink, arms crossed. His large hands grasped his biceps on each side of him. The Mandalorian made the sink look like he stole it from a child’s playset. 
Once your gaze landed on him, his shoulders slumped. The T-shaped visor looked away from you and towards a map displayed on the wall. Silence ensued over the space. You too glanced at the map—yet there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it.
Mando’s visor pivoted on his shoulders and returned your gaze. After a few seconds his helmet crackled to life, “You’re getting a shooting lesson tomorrow morning.”
Your brows furrowed together and slanted downwards. “Ugggghh. I thought I told you I was good for now,” you gritted out. You let your elbow give out from underneath you and you flopped back down onto the couch cushions. 
A rumbling noise came from over the back of the couch. Footsteps followed. The heavy boots Mando wore sent muted dunks your way—then they ceased. A black T framed by silver entered your view yet again.
“I’m not good with it. Tomorrow morning after you eat,” Mando finalized.
You maintained “eye contact” with him after you rolled your eyes. Instead of staying awake—sore—and putting up with his banthashit, you willed your body to get up and to one of the wooden doors on the right side of the safehouse. Bending down, you scooped your bag onto your shoulder. Hopefully the room was the fresher.
A few paces. The turn of a doorknob. Creaking door opened. A sink, similar to the one in the kitchen, welcomed you with—metal arms? Either way, you were glad to be able to get to clean yourself after a long day. The heavy backpack slid from your shoulder and onto the floor in front of the silver sink.
Turning to close the door, you look up and Mando’s stare is directed at you. An eyebrow of yours raised, directed at him. He began to saunter over to the door next to the freshers’. His bag hung from a large, closed fist at his side.
His frame passed the threshold, making the rectangular entrance appear much smaller. A heavy object hit something soft. Hopefully Mando was finally laying down so you could be left alone. You paused for a couple seconds to see if the heavy footsteps would resume—but nothing.
Relief flooded your body, giving you the idea to close the door and get ready for the night. Water washed away the remnants of soil, tiny pieces of bark, and fragments of shed leaves from your skin. Liquid that once ran dark down the fresher drain steadily turned clear. Your body was a sponge, sucking the warmth from the water into your bones.
You finished your pre-sleep routine and ventured over to the room that contained the beds. Calling it a bedroom was too homey for this space. It was more of a room bunk beds would be kept in at camping lodges. Except there were only two adult-sized beds. And Mando’s confusedly still-silver frame covered most of the bed he chose. He laid on the mattress like someone was giving a eulogy—for him.
Peeling your gaze away from the Mandalorian’s mummy-like body, you peeled back the blankets and shuffled onto the mediocre mattress. You faced away from Mando, getting a nice view of a generic forest picture framed on the wall. It was the only decoration in the room.
“Night, metal man,” you murmured. He was already asleep, why not tease him again?
The helmet crackled to life.
“Metal man earned you one lesson. Say it again and you’ll earn another,” the words gritted out from the beskar helmet.
You laid in your bed, wide-eyed. Not knowing what to say, and honestly too tired to have this conversation, you opted to say nothing. After a couple moments, you heard shuffling from over your shoulder. The helmet crackled once more.
“Night.”
Your eyes drooped once your brain knew that social interaction was no longer required for the night. The pillow beneath your head lulled your slumber closer and closer.
“Ruus,” came from behind you.
Too tired. So sleepy. You’ll ask in the morning.
You woke up to birds chirping. Their calls and songs came in through your cracked bedroom window. Naturally, your brain deciphered the individual calls.
Cheep. Cheep. Cheep.
Shrrrrrk. Shrrrrrk.
Ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki.
A common house sparrow, a buzzard, and a finch.
You shuffled around in your bed seeking a couple more minutes of comfort before your alarm inevitably went off. Mattress providing a soft cushion of support for your body, pillow delightfully cold against your face, and your eyelids heavy, your body absorbed your surroundings and let them influence you. Everything influenced you to stay the fuck in bed. Shifting in and out of consciousness, your blurry dreams pulled you further into a deeper slumber. 
Dawn quickly approached, signaling for the birds to scream at each other that they’re awake. Bird calls blared through the air like tiny sirens. The rays of sunlight shone through the slits in the window blinds.
The extra-loud bird sounds snapped you out of your dreamlike state. Your gaze was trained on the warm glow of sunlight seeping into the room. Everything was natural. Ethereal. In sync and calm.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Dank farrik. Whipping the duvet off your body and swinging your legs to let your feet touch the ground, you hurriedly zipped open your bag to find the holopad. Once your hands found it between clothes and your notebooks, you clicked it on. The bright screen made your eyes squint at the device. Clicking the screen once more, the alarm was silenced. Now that the blaring ceased, your mind began to catch up to your surroundings. 
Oh kriff, the alarm probably woke up Mando. Your voice was a whisper, “I’m sorry if that woke yo–.” You turned towards his bed and the silver frame of his body was no longer there. Once you noticed his absence, you quieted yourself and listened for any noise. Nothing.
But then you smelled caf. 
Your brain put two and two together. Your thoughts slowed down. After a second, you rummaged in your bag for a change of clothes and your toiletries. Once your outfit was changed, you strode over to the door and aimed to enter the fresher.
The wooden door opened to reveal Mando sitting on the couch, reading something on his holopad. Hopefully the helmet muffled any sounds you could make. You took one sock-clad step over the threshold. Then another. And another. Only a couple more until you reached the other door.
“Morning,” Mando’s speech crackled.
You turned towards him, holding up a hand, offering a quick, “Morning,” back. He didn’t say anything afterwards. Slunking into the fresher, you closed the door behind you and began your morning ritual. 
Mid-teeth-brushing, you remembered last night.
“You’re getting a shooting lesson tomorrow morning.”
Fuck.
Well, wouldn’t Mando remind you the moment he saw you in the morning. You didn’t even set one foot inside the safehouse before he demanded the code for the door. Maybe he forgot. You can only hope.
The wooden rectangle swung on the hinges, opening the fresher. You stepped out and made your way to the kitchen. Before you entered the pantry covered space, you glanced over Mando’s shoulder to see what he was reading. His gloved finger clicked the holopad off before you could get a good look. Silver beskar filled your vision as he leaned forward to place the holopad on the empty table in front of the couch. 
You continued to the kitchen, too hungry to care. Reaching into a cabinet, you retrieved a mug, then poured a generous amount of caf into it. In the adjacent cabinet were ration packs and miscellaneous hiking-friendly snacks. Trail mix. Jerky. Protein bars. Cans lined one section of a shelf—in case anyone wanted to craft their own meal, instead of tearing open a ration pack.
Being Nevarro’s best botanist had its perks, and one was that you helped Karga set up these safehouses. So your favorite ration packs were always in stock.
You reached for one and opened the pack, eager to satiate your stomach. Your fingers found the lip of a drawer and pulled, revealing small piles of cutlery in a wooden organizer. The same fingers danced over the utensils, determining which one you preferred. Opting for a spoon, you took the utensil and fed yourself generous spoonfuls. Hiking did a number on your hunger, plus you needed the energy.
After a few sips of your caf, finishing half the mug, and a ration pack, you leaned against the counter and observed the back of Mando. His large frame nearly spanned across an entire couch cushion. Silver donned his shoulders and traveled its way down his arms, towards his hands. He spread his wingspan across the couch, exaggerating his size—not that he needed to. The Mandalorian’s leather-clad fists also donned beskar on top of them. One of his fists flexed and relaxed in a slow rhythm. 
Bubbling began at the center of your stomach, threatening to boil over into the rest of you. Heat bloomed near your face at the sight of him.
Nope. Not happening.
You peeled your gaze away from his figure and went to wash the mug. Thoughts wandered and yours landed on how Mando still hasn’t mentioned the lessons. Maybe you got off this time, you got lucky. Warm water poured over your grasp. Suds coated the shiny surface of the ceramic drinkware. The faucet let out a steady stream of water, and it dribbled against the metal lining of the sink. Soundwaves from the water traveled to your ears, which blocked the sounds of Mando’s footsteps approaching the kitchen.
You shut the faucet off and turned to place the mug back into the cabinet. The Mandalorian’s towering beskar figure standing in the space between the living room and the kitchen made you gasp in a lungful of air. 
The modulator in his helmet crushed the tone of the sentence he spoke, “Let’s go, time for your lesson.”
Shit.
“You’re holding it wrong,” Mando stated sternly.
You sighed and rolled your eyes at him, “I’ve been holding it for, like, ten seconds. Not even.” Instead of focusing on the black T stamped on his silver helmet, you shifted your attention to the stump of a fallen tree. It was covered in moss and mushrooms, decaying. The fallen trunk with dense branches sprawled out on the forest floor behind the stump. Light could barely make it through the thick foliage.
Metal man insisted that the lesson should take place at a location far from the safehouse, “to keep it hidden, in case anything hears the blaster shots,” he reasoned. You supposed that it wasn’t a bad explanation, but the hike before your lesson was challenging. Mando guided you through the forest for so long, you thought he forgot about the lesson. But he didn’t. And this lesson sucked.
You were having more fun looking at the ground around you. A couple different leaf shapes popped out at you from below. Flowers were scattered throughout the area, and you matched them to their respective leaves, giving you quick identifications. 
Mando used one of his gloved fingers to tap you on the shoulder. The gesture returned you to the present moment from your resentful thoughts. His leather-gloved hands gripped his own blaster. It was much larger than yours, yet his grasp consumed the handle of the weapon. Another broad, gloved hand covered the one gripping the handle. 
Your hands attempted to match him on your own blaster. It was clear that you were struggling. Eyes in slits and brows furrowed, your gaze repeatedly shifted from his grip to your grip. Fingers stumbled to find their rightful places. Instead of giving up, you settled on something that sort of resembled the position his hands were in. 
His helmet tilted downwards at you and cocked to the side, another expression of, “really?” This gesture seemed common with him. Metal clicked onto metal when Mando re-holstered his blaster. Then, his hands were on your blaster, giving the weapon a slight tug to release it from your grip.
You thought he was going to demonstrate on your considerably smaller blaster. Instead, he grabbed the barrel of the blaster and pointed the handle at you. His other hand reached for your wrist. Worn, warm leather slid against your skin. A wide palm rested against the back of your hand. Thick fingers formed a loose—but stern—grip around the base of your palm. 
His hand was so warm. And strong. Every movement was done with purpose and confidence. The grip he had on your hand guided yours to the handle. Once you grasped the metal you expected him to let go, but his hold remained. Small flecks of light glinted off the barrel of the weapon when Mando turned your wrist.
Light shined off the helmet as well. He leaned down to check if your fingers were in the right places. Spotting an incorrect placement, he used his other hand to nudge a finger downwards and onto the handle. He nodded, “Good.”
The short praise sent heat flying towards your face, and you willed for it to sink back down. His thumb shifted on your wrist, giving you slight goosebumps. How could his fingers be that thick? And his hands so strong? What would they feel li—.
You backtracked in your head. Nope. You didn’t want to go there. You had one hundred days in this forest with this guy, and you had a job to do.
Mando took your other hand with his other hand, and placed it on top of the one gripping the handle. The hold he had over the new hand tightened. In exchange, your own grip tightened over the handle.
“This hand,” he tightened his grasp once more, “squeezes down on this hand,” he rasped as he shook the wrist holding onto the warming metal. Each squeeze threatened the bubbling in your stomach to evaporate into the rest of your body, but you repressed it. Managing to control your pointless butterflies, you did as he explained, and the hold you maintained felt better than it did previously. 
As you raised the blaster up towards your eye level, Mando stepped away. Shutting one eye, you looked down the barrel and at the old tree stump. Your arms were both steady and relaxed. Remembering only the second half of Mando’s lecture from earlier, you spaced your feet shoulder width apart, and squeezed your grip around the trigger.
A bolt shot out of the end of the silver barrel and into the top of the tree stump—much higher than where you aimed. Crackling came from your right, “The piece of metal at the end of the barrel needs to line up with the notches above the trigger.”
You let out a heavy exhale, that information was in the second half of his lecture, “That’s what I did,” you told him. He let out an exhale in response, but his was in amusement, “Well, you didn’t hit the center,” his head jerked towards the stump to make his point.
He stood with his hands on his belt, shoulders back, with one knee out. Chrome plated armor gleamed from the sun coming in through the forest's canopy. His dark leather and clothing contrasted the bright metal. Without seeing his face, you knew he had a smirk on it. 
You huffed as you turned towards him, “If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it?”
He gave you his signature head tilt towards the side, “You know that I would hit it,” he stated.
Honestly, you knew he could. The man is fully decked out in beskar armor and carries several weapons with him at all times. But you were fed up with the slight smugness he exuded. “Do it,” you challenged him.
Before you could even register he was doing so, he pulled his blaster from its holster. With a firm grip and confident aim, his blaster bolt hit dead center into the tree stump. Just as quickly as he pulled it out, he re-holstered his blaster and looked at you. 
His incoming responses went through your mind, “It’s because I don’t suck,” “Don’t even bother,” “Why’d you buy a blaster in the first place?”
“Just try again,” his helmet gritted and the black T shook from side to side, “I’ve just been doing this longer than you have. It takes practice.”
Without thinking, you responded, “And what is ‘this’?” The Mandalorian gave you a stare—not like it wasn’t always a stare—but his helmet didn’t move a bit, unlike the usual tilts and shakes you had been getting. 
“If by ‘this’ you mean shooting, then I’ve been shooting since I could hold a blaster. If you mean my profession, my occupation has required shooting since I’ve been an adult,” his voice stated, sounding like churning gravel.
Both of your eyebrows lifted and your eyes widened. You tried to hide it, but you probably failed. Only a few professions in the galaxy required shooting all of the time.
“So you’re a bounty hunter?” You asked with confusion, your mouth semi-dry.
Mando nodded, “Yes, now try again,” he pointed towards the stump.
‘Okay cool, we’re just going to gloss over that one?’, you thought. Instead of voicing your inner monologue, you raised the blaster once more. The metal lined up with the notch and you squeezed the trigger. Your shot landed half a meter above Mando’s. It was far from his shot, but much closer than your previous one.
“Better. But you flinched,” Mando critiqued. His gloved hands rested on his hips and his visor bored into you. 
Trying again, the notch lined up with the metal as you peered down the barrel. Instead of holding your aim and then getting ready to fire, you fired as soon as your barrel lined up with the center of the stump. Energy left the end of the blaster and shot into the decaying wood. It landed about fifteen centimeters above Mando’s.
You heard crunching on the ground as the Mandalorian walked towards you. Lowering your blaster, you pointed the barrel at the ground. Maker, if he showed you how to hold the blaster again, you were going to lose it. Once he reached you, he stood in front of you, hands clasped in front of his belt buckle.
The helmet crackled to life, “Good job. Those were better than my first shots,” he stated plainly, then turned, “Let’s get going.” Before waiting for your response, he continued on into the dense forest.
The section of the forest you just entered was darker than any other area the pair of you had been in previously. Light barely made its way down from the forest canopy. Shade-loving plants bathed in the lack of light. Small rodents scampered from shrub to shrub, picking the fruits off of their stems. Scuttles were heard in all directions, creating a chorus of sounds influenced by food-web interactions. 
Mando decided to lead the way. His helmet remained on a swivel as he constantly scanned the area. You had been this way before and knew there was nothing harmful, it was just dark and ‘scary’.
Then the scuttles stopped. And in response, Mando stopped. Which made you run right into the back of him. “Ufff!” You let out as your chest collided with his back. Rough, black fabric scratched against your face. It smelled like wood and musk, but in a good way. Did he usually smell like that or was it just the forest?
You pushed yourself off of him and stayed behind. Mando held a hand out to his side in a, ‘stay behind me’, signal. Everything froze, and left you freezing with it.
Then you felt it.
The ground shook softly. A steady rhythm of shakes became increasingly more intense. Trees sensed the waves too, as their leaves rattled above. You looked downwards and noticed that Mando retrieved his blaster from its holster. His stare was locked forwards. Almost as if he was looking beyond the dense foliage into the distance.
Dun. Dun. DUN.
Each shake caused your feet to vibrate in your boots. And then they stopped. In front of you, the large silhouette of a creature made its way through the foliage and towards you both. You squinted into the darkness in an attempt to identify the creature.
And Mando fired his blaster.
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remidyal · 3 months
Text
FHJY New Names over-analysis post
We're a few days past an episode that introduced a lot of new npcs and ideas and all, and I figured I'd dig into some of the names and references and all that I noticed to see if any hints might have been snuck in there for the rest of the season.
Interim Emergency Backup Principal Arcturus Grix: A couple of different things in here, but I'll just get what I think is the most likely one out of the way: Arcturus is a star that is part of the constellation Bootes (a herdsman in various myths), and the name translates to 'guardian of the bear'.
Or, perhaps, guardian of the owlbears.
Brennan absolutely seems like someone who would have at some point been way into constellations and their stories so I'd put money on this being an intentional stealth-ish pun.
I think Grix is just supposed to sound machine-y but I might be missing it.
Terpsichore Skullcleaver: Back on the Greek mythology theme, Terpsichore is one of the Greek Muses, and specifically is the Muse of Dance. Obviously a wildly appropriate name for a dance teacher who is hopefully going to actually inspire Fabian.
Skullcleaver presumably means she is of some relation to Katja, of course.
Lucillia Lullaby: I mean, this one is pretty obvious; a Lullaby is a type of song, and from what she saw she seems to be a pretty calming presence to suit attempting to get a toddler to sleep as that song type does. This name was actually, unlike the two above, on the payroll list from freshman year so it's a lot more directly on the nose (because, frankly, Brennan was coming up with like 30 npcs who would probably never appear).
Tiberia Runestaff: Runestaff similarly is just kind of obvious and also was on the freshman year list; Tiberia as a name literally just means born near the river Tiber, and so I think was chosen mostly because it sounds kind of severe and wizard-y.
Yolanda Badgood: Also from the freshman year list, and I suppose it would take someone both bad and good to teach students of both 'good' and 'evil' divinities. Brennan's gotten better at his NPC names over the years, or just it's hard to do a freaking list. I sympathize, as someone who keeps a random name generator tab open while GMing. Also, on a random note, the freshman year list has a driver's ed teacher (one Alphonse Doublefist) and I NEED a scene of Fig having to take driver's ed because she's been driving without a license for two years.
Mazey Phaedra: Mazey is such a groanworthy name for a minotaur-adjacent person that I'm surprised they didn't throw things at him for it; Phaedra is another Greek myth name, this one of the daughter of Minos (of building-the-maze fame) and also a whole other thing we don't have time to get into because it might start Discourse and that probably isn't relevant because it's really just another Minotaur reference.
CUS Dabus: One of the universities Riz looks at, I mostly want to call it out because of being a reference to my personal favorite official DnD setting. It's mentioned as being in the City of Doors, which is the nickname of course of the extra-planar city of Sigil. The Dabus are a race that are the entourage of the mysterious Lady of Pain, the very-definitely-not-a-god who loosely rules over that city. I doubt we ever really visit Sigil, but who knows, we've been to the Nine Hells and the cosmological stuff seems to largely conform to traditional DnD.
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enden-k · 3 months
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Hi!! You're free to ignore this if it doesn't interest you ofc but I wanted to talk a bit about the "Aventurine racism" thing. It's mostly people not reading things right and misinterpreting things (as always.)
Aventurine is said to be Sigonian, a race known for being untrustworthy. Now, "Sigonian" is not a reference to any real place or community, in any language. It's entirely made up and exists only within the honkai universe. The reason people started speculating that he is Romani is because he calls himself "Avgin", which the game translates as "honey", and "Avgin" is indeed the romani word for "honey". This, of course, doesn't prove he's Romani or based on any Romani culture at all, but people took it and ran with it.
Ratio called him "Sigonian thrall" and, since Romani people have suffered a lot with slavery, people started freaking out. The thing is, Aventurine is a slave, but it has nothing to do with any Romani inspiration or traits he might have. Aventurine is a slave because he works for the IPC, and a good majority of IPC workers are enslaved to the IPC. He's not even the first character to be shown to have a branding mark. Topaz, who I didn't see anyone complaining about, is also enslaved to the IPC and has the same marking on her neck.
It should also be noted that although both Sparkle and Ratio were racist towards Aventurine, the "race" being discriminated against is entirely fictional and not meant to represent any real ethnicity or culture. We should keep in mind that the story is set in a magical universe, and we have nearly no information on Sigonians or Sigonia-IV.
Personally - and this is just my own theory/interpretation - I don't think Ratio was being racist at all. Judging by how the IPC operates, Sigonia-IV has most likely been destroyed or suffered a great disaster, so his claim of Aventurine being a "Sigonian thrall" could've been just a mention to how he has nowhere to run from the IPC, since his home world is gone. Also, Sparkle is just mean, and not really a trustworthy source of information - her comment on Sigonians being notoriously untrustworthy could be her own personal opinion rather than fact (of course, we don't have enough information on this to claim that it's just her opinion, nor that it isn't.).
Sorry for the long ask! I also have more to say about the possibility of Aventurine being romani if it interests you, based on him being a Su expy.
thanks for explaining this further, i dont really have anything add to it other that i share your interpretation there but i think its interesting for the others to see as well (this entire topic is tiring me out but mostly bc of some ppl taking it to extremes or making stuff up to prove their points. thanks for taking the time to write and explain all this!!)
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sweaterweatherever · 1 year
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Heyyy, could you do a Ajax imagine with the soulmates theme ?? with the tattoo idea of soulmates. I would love if you write more of him
Four-letter word (Ajax Petropolus x Reader)
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Pairing: Ajax Petropolus x Fem Reader, Wednesday Addams x Enid Sinclair (Lightly, mostly insinuated)
Warnings: Cursing. Insecurities, mental health issues, googling symptoms.
A/N: I thought so much about this. Like, before falling asleep, on the bus. I still don’t think I ironed all the kinks of how a universe like this would work, but it was a lovely experience. Also, send more Ajax requests, I love writing him.
Requested: Yes. I loved writing this, anon you are amazing! I would love to write more of him, too.
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One night, when you were six years old, you had woken up crying and screaming from a pain so intense in your arm you thought you were burning up. You had screamed your little throat raw. Once the pain subsided, your mother had appeared on your doorstep, all happy and proud.
“It’s your soulmate.” She had told you, pulling your arm to show you how above the inside of your elbow, was an ugly handwriting, with an even uglier phrase. “It’s… It’s… Don’t worry about it, baby. We’ll get something to cover it up.”
There weren’t many girls with soulmate’s identifying marks. You couldn’t help but stare, every time you saw another girl changing after gym class. Most of them had immaculate skin, whereas you got a tattoo. Apparently, that made you lucky. You didn’t feel lucky, with those crude words engraved on your arm. You had taken to covering the tattoo, ashamed of what others could think. Was it so terrible a destiny to be your soulmate that they had to say that when seeing you for the first time?
What kind of person was your soulmate? You guessed he was a boy, with the ugly chicken scrawls that adorned your arm. Or it could be a girl, maybe a doctor? But the words were hateful, insulting even. It didn’t speak of a mature person, you guessed you would meet them when you were still young.
The words stayed with you as the years passed, gnawing at you, diminishing your self-confidence. Every time you saw them in the mirror, you wondered if it was such a terrible fate to be tied to you. What could possibly be so wrong about you that the person who was supposed to be made for you didn’t want you and felt such rejection at meeting you?
Your teenage years weren’t easy. Despite your hopes of meeting your soulmate when still young, with the secret hope you could excuse their lack of tact due to their age, the time never came. You made it until junior year before resigning yourself to meeting a mature person who hated you so much they needed to say that.
Then, the visions started. You kept touching stuff and seeing disturbing things at seemingly random patterns. Maybe this was it, you guessed. This was what repulsed your soulmate so much. You had to be going crazy. You didn’t dare tell your parents, fearing being sent away to some sort of institution. Of course, being you, you did exactly what you shouldn’t and looked the symptoms in google. You promptly diagnosed yourself with schizophrenia.
Junior year was hard. All this pressure of choosing a mayor, a college, doing extracurriculars on top of your weird hallucinations and your fear of meeting your soulmate and them hating you, it was really eating at you. Your parents noticed soon, and when confronted with the question “Is everything okay?” You couldn’t help but blurt it all out. Your parents had been concerned, rightfully so, and taken you to a doctor. Thing was, you weren’t schizophrenic, you were something else. An outcast.
Outcast. The word tasted foreign in your tongue, like something you would hear used to refer to others, never you. Your parents were normal. You were not. Was your soulmate like you? Or were they so disgusted because they didn’t like outcasts?
Off to Nevermore you went, for your senior year. They would be able to help you there, your parents had explained. They would teach you to get your powers under control, and you would meet people like you. People like you. You wondered when your parents had decided there was a divide between you and them, when they had decided you were some other kind of people.
Thinking about things too much made you sad, so when the principal introduced you to your new roommate, you decided you were being given a chance that not many people got: The ability to start from zero, to be whoever you wanted to be. And this new you, she didn’t overthink.
“Hi.” You extended your hand to the girl, noticing her blouse. “My name is Y/N. I like the collar of your shirt.”
The girl brightened considerably.
“Oh, thank you. I got it thrifting! My name is Yoko.”
“Oh, you thrift?” You asked her, looking at her outfit with renewed interest. “You must have some pretty interesting pieces, then. They don’t make clothes as they used to.”
“Yeah! Want me to show you?” Yoko didn’t wait for a reply, opening her dresser. “Here, look. I got this one for only two dollars! And it’s original…”
That was how your friendship with Yoko was formed, bonding over cute clothes. You came to learn many valuable things from her. First, the best spots at Jericho. Which stores had the cheapest and prettiest clothes, which bookstore was the one to go if you wanted a romance novel, and where to go if you needed a textbook. Second, how Nevermore actually worked, and how outcasts related to each other during their teenage years. But the most important one: You weren’t a freak or unlovable.
It had happened accidentally, really. You had been coming out of the shower, only in your towel, but with the band firmly placed over your soulmate tattoo.
“You can take it off here.” She had said, pointing at it. “We are different from normies, most of us have one.”
“Oh?” You asked, fiddling casually with your wet hair. You would rather not take it off. If you did, Yoko would see what your soulmate thought of you and maybe wouldn’t want to be your friend anymore. Who wanted to befriend a loser who not even her soulmate liked?
“Yeah, from what I know, in our year only Wednesday doesn’t have one. But that's okay. She still found hers, Enid has her words on her arm.” Yoko lifted her shirt to show a pretty cursive that looped around her bicep. It read: The moon pales next to your beauty, miss. It was still in the black writing, anyone who had not met their soulmate yet had. Of course, someone as cool as Yoko got a cute remark from her soulmate, and you were stuck with yours.
“I still… I don’t want to… Mine is not as nice.” You said to her. Yoko rolled down her shirt sleeve, placing her sunglasses on top of her head. She looked much like an old lady preparing to read something in a tiny letter. You wondered if her sunglasses were for more than shielding her eyes from the sunlight and had a prescription too.
“Oh, god. What, they insult you?” Yoko laughed. At your serious expression, she gave your hand an encouraging squeeze. “Because believe me, I have seen some pretty bad ones. Enid’s arm says: I break out into hives, and then the flesh peels off my bones. Can you top that?”
Pacified at the fact she wasn’t laughing at you, you took off the band. Yoko stared.
“That bad?” You laughed nervously.
“No! I have seen worse!” Yoko hurried to reassure you. Her hand grabbed your arm, turning it, so the writing faced her more. She squinted at it, a frown on her perfect eyebrows. “It’s just… I think I know the handwriting.”
Butterflies took residence on your stomach. You could be meeting them soon. The person who was made for you. You stomped on the butterflies harshly. They didn’t like you, so why get all giggling and excited? It was not going to go well, your first meeting.
“Oh?” You asked, feigning disinterest. Fake it till you make it, you said to yourself. One day, you would outgrow your childish want for a soulmate, but for now, you could pretend you didn’t care.
“I have seen it, but I can’t remember where. I think one of the boys in our year? Or maybe… I don’t know, at home? I have many cousins, could be one of them?”
But Yoko didn’t remember, and the topic got dropped in favor of something else. You thought she had forgotten, except when she introduced you to Enid, she did by saying you were the one with the soulmate in your year.
“Here, show her!” Yoko said, excitedly. “Show your arm to Enid.”
You took a look at the café. It was pretty quiet, no other students in sight. You rolled up your sleeve, showing her your arm. Enid’s hands grabbed yours, almost too roughly. Her excitement was evident, nervous energy pouring off her in waves.
Your breath hitched… Could it really be that easy? Enid could be the key to finally meeting your soulmate?
“Of course, I know the writing!” Enid clapped, excitedly. Her soulmate, Wednesday, only gave a nod. You guessed that must mean approval, since she didn’t talk a lot. “She is Ajax’s. Look at the letters. Only he can write that poorly.”
Ajax. So, that was his name. Your soulmate. The one who will reject you. It didn't feel real. A mix of excitement and dread filled your stomach. You are sure it showed in your face because Yoko grabbed your hand between hers.
“Ajax?” Yoko squeezed firmly, smiling. “Oh my god, makes total sense. You are way too pretty for him, really. He is a lucky guy.”
“Thank you.” You beamed at her, fluttering your lashes for good measure. Yoko was fun to tease. She didn't disappoint, making a kissy face at you. “I don’t think I know him, is he in our year?”
“Yeah, he is the tall one who sits next to Kent in History.” Yoko said. You gave her a blank look. “Umm, always wears a beanie and matching hoodie?”
“Yoko, you are literally describing half the gorgons.” Enid leaned more towards you, eyes widening. "Look, he has dark eyes and brows, and his mouth kinda looks like Tom Holland’s.”
You stared some more. So, a guy. A guy and a gorgon, with dark eyes and awful writing. Tall, too. And made total sense he went around cursing and talking shit. A douche. Ew.
“Just show her his socials already.” Wednesday said, rolling her eyes. Apparently, she was the person with more brain cells on the table because both Yoko and Enid scrambled to pull out their phones and show you.
“Here.” Enid said, pointing out a boy in one of the pictures. He was… Cuter than you expected. He had a kind face, too.
“Oh, he is cute.” You muttered. And he was. You liked the way he smiled, all dimples and boyish charm. He had a regular sense of fashion, at least he didn’t look homeless. It was strange, looking at this person and thinking: This is my soulmate, this person was made for me. It didn’t feel real.
“Another basic white boy, really. But you could do worse.” Yoko peered over your shoulder. “He is nice, but tends to put his foot in his mouth.”
“He is…” Wednesday lowered her voice, like a kid saying a dirty word. “Cheery.”
“Ugh, disgusting really.” Enid poked her in the ribs. Then, she turned to look at you. “Come on, let’s go talk to him.” And without even letting you roll your shirt down, she started dragging you back towards the school.
Soon, you two ended up in a place unfamiliar to you. The dorms for the boys looked similar to the girls, but much more run down and different at the same place. You worried a teacher might spot you, but Enid seemed to know her way around them, twisting and ducking into mostly empty hallways.
“Enid… I don’t think this is a good idea…” Truth was, you weren’t sure you wanted to meet him. You needed time to mentally prepare for the rejection that was soon to follow. At least you were wearing cute clothes, but if you had known you were meeting your soulmate today, you would have put on something cuter than jeans and a sweater. To look better… Even if you were getting rejected. “My mark isn't…”
“Oh, I read it. I’m sure it must be a misunderstanding. Maybe he swears so much because he thinks you are too pretty.” And with that, she was pounding on one of the doors. You cringed, eyeing the empty hallway. You could always make a run for it, even if you didn’t know the way back to your dorm. Someone would surely step on your path and you could get directions.
“Ajax! I know you are in there.” Enid screamed, knocking again.
“Wait, Enid! I’m coming.” A voice said. It was a nice voice, you guessed. He sounded impatient, so you guessed that was going to prompt the rejection.
“Hurry! There is someone you need to meet.”
“Give me a second!” But Enid wasn’t in a waiting mood, and so, with surprising strength, she pushed the door open and shoved you inside.
The last thing you heard when you came face to face with a very naked, terrified looking boy with serpents for hair was
“Shit! What the hell are you doing here?! Get out!” Your last conscious thought before ending petrified was that at least, he wasn’t rejecting you.
The voices were the first thing you noticed. Enid, high and airy, Yoko in her no nonsense tone and a boy, sounding terrified. At first, you didn’t remember what happened, your whole body felt rigid and achy, like if you had a very intense workout session. Opening your eyes didn’t give you any clues, either. The ceiling looked just like any other, and you were unable to take in more details because your eyes felt full of sand. You pressed the heels of your hands against them. God, what the hell?
“How could you just push her in? Enid, I petrified her!” That voice… Ajax. Oh god, you didn’t know if you wanted to laugh or cry. Your soulmate had petrified you! But, he sounded concerned, even if he was being a little loud for your taste. Still, it wasn’t a rejection, the petrification hadn’t been on purpose. The thought made you feel all kinds of warm. Maybe there was hope for you two.
“Yeah, Enid. What the hell?” Yoko. That was Yoko. And by her tone of voice, she was going to give Enid the tongue lashing of her life.
“It was always going to happen! I took a risk! And I…” By her tone of voice, she was panicking. They were near your bed, you could feel the chairs shifting when they moved. You tried to reach for one of them on the left side, but your hand only met concrete.
“What? No, that’s not how it works!” Ajax raised his tone, and this time, you followed his voice, grasping desperately at some part of his body. You could feel cotton scrunching under your fingers, he was sitting on your right. Good to know he had gotten dressed, you didn’t want to see so much of your soulmate on your first meeting as you had seen already. Even if, from what you remembered, he was cute.
“Shut up! My head fucking hurts!” You complained. At hearing your voice, they all paused. You heard Ajax take a shuddering breath. Were those his words? Oh, god, and you thought yours were bad.
“Oh, thank god.” The boy leaned down, pushing a few strands of hair off your face. He was in a panic, words tumbling out of his mouth with seemingly no filter. It was surprisingly endearing. “How are you feeling? I’m so sorry, I… I would have never petrified you if I knew you were my soulmate. Not like I go around petrifying people who aren’t my soulmate, I just meant… I would have been more careful. No, fuck, I don’t mean…”
You weren’t sure what to say to all that, so you did the best next thing.
“Shut up.” You squeezed his arm, eyes still closed. Too afraid of the pain, you didn’t dare open them again. This had to be the oddest sensation of your life. Your muscles felt all rigid, your joints ached, and you were in the middle of an emotional turmoil big enough to leave PMS to shame.
“Do you want me to get you anything? Water? Food? More pillows?” He offered, more quietly this time. “I’m sorry, again.”
“That’s okay.” You answered, still groggy.“I… You are…”
“Ajax. Ajax Petropolus.” He paused, almost if he didn’t know what to say, if he was allowed to. His voice lowered, almost to a whisper. “Your soulmate.”
“I think this is a talk you need to have in private…” Enid said, and you heard her get up. “Come on, Yoko.”
“But what if he…?” Your eyes stayed closed, but you could feel Ajax tense up at your side. The insinuation seemed to offend him.
“Go, Yoko.” You said to her. Yoko made a huffing noise.
“Are you scared?” Ajax asked, removing his hand from you. “Because… She can stay, if you would be more comfortable.”
“No.” You answered. “Yoko, go.” You heard her standing up and leaving the room. Ajax shifted in his seat. Why did he think you were scared?
“But your eyes…” Ajax said, and you almost snorted. Did he think you didn’t dare look at him?
“They hurt. Feels like sand all over them.” You explained, pressing your hands to your eyes once again.
“Oh, that’s, that’s my fault. I have petrified myself before…” You smiled at that, and his voice brightened considerably. “When your eyes are open, they dry out. I can get you water, if you like, but it will go away on its own.”
“Yeah.” And, sure, it was a lame answer, but what else were you supposed to say? This wasn’t what you had been expecting, not at all. You thought he would be repulsed by you, for some reason, not all sweet and caring. Certainly, it never crossed your head he would petrify you.
“I understand if you want me to….” Ajax offered, trailing off like it was too painful to even finish the sentence. Was he thinking of leaving? Because he thought you didn’t want him? “But I want you to know, before I leave that you are the most precious thing to me. You are gorgeous, and I have seen you in class, you are smart as hell. Maybe I don’t deserve you, but I would never hurt you on purpose.”
“No!” You grasped blindly for his arm. You didn’t want him to leave. Ajax pressed his hand into yours. “Stay. I have thought all my life you were going to reject me.” You confessed, eyes still firmly shut. You didn't want to see his face when you asked, too scared of his reaction. “This is not that?”
“No! I… I could never… I would love to take you on a date, if you let me.” The confession made you almost sing with joy. You felt his hand on your hair, absentmindedly carding the strands back. You sighed in contentment.
“Okay.” You answered him, risking opening your eyes just to look at him. The pain had lowered significantly. He had the prettiest smile you had ever seen. “Take me out on a date. I would love that.”
“Tomorrow. For today… Can I watch over you?” Ajax was still smiling. You wondered if you looked as lovesick as him, as your mouth stretched into a smile.
“Might not be the best company. Tired.” Ajax seemed unable to resist touching you again, this time stroking your hair. Your eyes closed out of their own accord.
“Sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up. And… Sorry again.”
“It’s fine.” You slurred, turning in the bed to face him. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For wanting me.”
“Oh, love, there is no world in which I wouldn’t want you.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead, and you snuggled more under the covers. You drifted off, happy and safe.
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gffa · 6 months
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hiya! long time listener, first time caller-- I'm writing a couple fics with Jedi protagonists (Shaak Ti, Mace, other Prequel Jedi) which is really fun so far except for the part where I "majored in" (read: hyperfixated on) Organization and Tactics of the GAR and don't actually know that much about the Jedi as individuals, *especially* anything that happened before TPM.
I was wondering if you know of any resources that organize/compile information about that era of Jedi? Things like lineage lists, who was on the Council when, typical schedules/roles/responsibilities, that kinda thing. Resources can be any format; other Tumblr blogs, articles, images, discord servers, archived websites, whatever works! Even the obvious stuff can be helpful (outside of Wookiepedia), since this isn't a part of fandom I've walked through much. You're the only big-name Jedi blog I know.
(If you don't have the spoons to respond, I understand, thanks for reading anyway!)
Hi! Congrats on writing your fic, I'm wishing you all the luck in the world! And here's where my brain starts spinning in a bunch of different directions, because here's the sticky thing about Star Wars "lore": there are three separate continuities and, while you are absolutely free to mix and match as you like and should pick out all the things that interest you, no matter the continuity, they do still exist in separate realms. You have Lucas' Star Wars, you have Legends Star Wars (the Extended Universe/EU under Lucas' ownership of SW, but he has explicitly said it's a separate world from his Star Wars), and you have Disney Star Wars. There is worldbuilding in each of them (though, often very thin on the ground at times) but what's true in one isn't going to be true in another--for example, in Legends there was an age cut off for Jedi initiates at 13, if they didn't get a Master. This limit does not exist at all in Lucas' SW (is contradicted by Ahsoka at 14 being said to be YOUNG for being a Padawan) and Disney Star Wars (there's an Initiate who is 16 and doesn't have a Master and will have to wait at least another year to try again, with no hint of them aging out). You pick which works for you! Just that I think it helps to be aware of what bits come from which continuity. There's also not a ton of pre-TPM content, at least not after The High Republic! Though, I've found THR stuff generally pretty helpful for prequel-era Jedi stuff, because they act and behave 98% of the same way imo! THAT SAID, I tend to collate as much of the Lucas continuity and Disney continuity (as they're the ones I generally prefer) and I have a bunch of resources if you don't mind some homework reading! 😂 I did at least make it as easy to browse as I can, though! - Jedi Culture and Teachings in Canon - A mix of Lucas and Disney content mostly, organized by sections for hopefully easier browsing for what you're looking for! Because 75k words of citations is a lot. orz This is going to give you probably the most of what you want, because I have been working to collect all of that kind of stuff--descriptions of the Temple and personal quarters, any rituals they have, how a Jedi's day is structured, what different paths and roles are common with Jedi, all the Jedi philosophy, what kind of pets they have, etc. It's in three (so far) parts, so you'll have to browse through each of them, but the set-up is the same in each one, so if you find a section that you need the info on, just Ctrl+F to find it in the next part or skip to the same chapter, they're the same template for each! - My "reference" tag - Which is a mixed bag of various posts and different continuities (primarily Lucas + Disney, though) that organize this kind of thing, like a possible in-universe calendar system [also here], a collection of worldbuilding bits specific to Padawan, which was pre-TPM, crossection of the Jedi Temple, a Jedi Council seating arrangement chart through the years, a list of the handful of Master&Apprentice match-ups that we know, a list of "what kind of swearing do people of the galaxy do?" because it's hilarious, a compilation of everything I could find about Jedi healers in ANY continuity, etc. I hope this helps and if you have any other questions (or anyone else wants to suggest other resources!), feel free to ask, I might be able to better steer you if you have a specific question--or at least tell you that I don't think we have anything on that. AND ALSO just remember: the books and games and comics are pretty low on the "hard canon" level, the movies and the TV shows are the highest level of canon, everything else is supplementary and you do NOT have to scour every inch of it if you don't want to! Relax and have fun with it as best you can. <3
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toxinoire · 5 months
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Because of boredom, here's some Superfriends(+Supercorp, Brainia and Dansen if you squint) headcannons (Miraculous season 6 please just release I'm begging, Heathers The Musical please come back)
~~~~~
• Kara is actually scared shitless of the dark, but due to xray vision she doesn't mind it. So when she solar flares she tries to sleep with the lights on. Lena found out about it and made her a nightlight.
• Brainy, Nia and Esme definitely watch Miraculous.
• Lena refers to them all as greatest friends, however she refers to Nia as her favorite nuisance and Alex as her least favorite nuisance (she loves them tho)
• Nia and Esme made Kara and Lena binge watch Miraculous all the from season 1 with them once and now they're attached to the plot. (Kara and Lena had to pause and breathe soooo many times during that night they watched it for the first time because holy shit why is everything similar to them)
• Kara actually really loves listening to cover artists like Annapantsu, Lydia The Bard, Chloe Breez, Reinaeiry, Caleb Hayles, Will Stetson, etc. (Yes, Will Stetson mostly does English covers but have you heard that man's voice?)
• Kelly made Lena listen to the singer Malinda Kathleen Reese's songs because of the fact that she uses Irish style music and oh no, Lena's playlist is overflowing now.
• Lena's bi, but she's into women more (specifically Kara)
• Kelly is the mom friend
• Brainy and Nia went on a date to the cinema to watch the Miraculous awakening movie and they have been annoying ever since they watched it. "Guys, stop singing those damn songs (Stronger Together and Now I See specifically) you're making Kara and Lena cry" -Alex and Kelly
• Someone Kara accidentally introduced Esme to Heathers The Musical. And while Alex and Kelly love the musical Esme is too yOUNG FOR THAT-
• J'onn: These are my dysfunctionial Earth- Brainy: Some of aren't from Earth- J'onn: Earth children.
• Lena never wanted to admit that she's in love with Kara out loud in fear that the universe might take it all away from her.
• Kara's always been in love with Lena, she just never realized until Alex and Kelly's wedding.
• Esme: Auntie Kara and Auntie Lena are just like Marinette and Adrien! :) Kelly: Aaaaand there's the cry of outrage. Alex: The question is, who's it from? Kara or Lena?
• Once a Valentine's Day, Brainy made Nia a little funko pop of herself as Nia, not Dreamer. And whenever she taps on it's head it makes a "boop" noise. Nia loves it so much.
• Kelly once baked Alex a blueberry cheesecake because she remembered that Alex said she loved those once during a game night long ago. Esme has never seen her mom cry so hard.
• Nia found the book "Vertigo Peaks" in Lena's stuff once and decided to read it. Lena was horrified, and Nia teased her endlessly about it.
• Kelly and Lena once got into a debate of whether or not escapism is a good coping mechanism, and both of them had valid arguments PLUS cited their sources of information. Color Alex and Kara scared, but they're also attracted to this.
• Esme's favorite aunt is Lena and aspires to be like her. When they found out, everyone was like "awwww" but Lena was like "...Bad idea. Esme, honey, bad idea-" then everyone else was like "Don't listen to her."
• Alex, Kelly, Nia and Brainy once tried to convince Lena to be in the battlefield with them but Lena was like "Yeah no, someone needs to stay and be the brains of the operation." Kara then said "YEAH" because she doesn't want to see Lena get hurt and she knows she's abandoning the villain the second she sees Lena get hurt so no distractions allowed. Then Esme delivered the final blow by saying "Someone needs to stay and make whatchamacallits so you all don't die :)"
• Kara is extremely self sacrificial, but Esme unintentionally gave her a reality check by saying "But Auntie Kara, everyone won't sleep if you're in danger! Health is important!" and it sounds so innocent but deep down Kara is like "Oh right they will actually bend over backwards to save me and neglect themselves ah I need to stop"
• Lena releases all her pent up rage by walking onto the roof or balcony, taking a deep breath and scream.
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aihoshiino · 1 month
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Atp i would like to see how ruby and aqua's relarionship will go. Not in "Yasss incest!" way but more of how they (mostly ruby) realize that they need to go their past lives and accept their relation as siblings. Or at least how wrong it is even if ruby wants it so much. There is no way incest would happen because Aka hates it. I am more interested in their psychological state and their conflict and resolving that conflict.
I don't think we can definitely say Akasaka Loves or Hates XYZ just because none of us know him, but there is a weird sense of like... discomfort or maybe avoidance on the topic of incest in OnK that I find kind of interesting to just poke at in my head sometimes. Because like, one of my main issues with the way OnK has handled the incest since 123 is that it just... well, hasn't.
I know that sounds insane in a post 143 world but going through the way the AquRuby stuff (or lbr just Ruby) has been written since 123, it feels like there's a very clear distinction between the ideas of "Ruby having feelings for Aqua, her brother" and "Ruby (& Sarina through her) having feelings for Goro, her doctor". When the story wants to play AquRuby for laughs, it leans into Ruby being attracted to her brother. When it actually takes things seriously, the framing is almost always Ruby addressing Gorou and the concept of incest is so loudly, conspicuously absent. You can even sort of see this line being drawn all the way back in 123, just at the end where Ruby very pointedly first addresses Aqua and then, separately, addresses "Sensei". It's almost as if she's purposely trying to create a divide so she can have one without dealing with the reality of what it would mean to be with the other.
It's hard to tell whether or not this is intentional in the sense of being part of Ruby's arc but it nevertheless creates a sense of the series wanting to have its cake and eat it too, indulging in the shock value and spicy intrigue of incest as a taboo without meaningfully engaging with it as subject matter. I've described it elsewhere recently as the series exclusively toying with the *aesthetics* of incest, its surface level referential language and set dressing, while resolutely avoiding going any deeper and I still stand by that. The 143 kiss is actually a really good example of this - the imagery is that of two siblings kissing but on that very same page, Ruby reminds us that in her eyes, she is talking to and in love with her "Sensei". The series has conducted this deeply convoluted narrative trick where it can depict what is very clearly incest without it technically being incest. Even when roadblocks to the GRSR relationship are addressed, it's only ever in reference to their age gap and Ruby always frames it as something that *used* to stand in their way but is no longer an issue now she's 18.
On days I am feeling charitable towards the series, I'm inclined to think this is an intentional part of Ruby's arc and that she is, in universe, being a bit delulu about the whole thing as an unhealthy coping mechanism - her being avoidant of emotionally inconvenient truths is something we see popping up more than once, so this being an extension of that tendency would make sense. When I am feeling more cynical, however, I tend towards thinking this is just an excuse to indulge in shocking imagery that generates clicks without ever having to actually commit to upsetting readers by sinking *or* canonizing incest ship. My best guess is that the truth is somewhere in the middle but it must be stressed that this is just my thoughts and I have no idea what goes on in Akasaka's brain.
Anyway this is just a long and rambly way of saying "word". Regardless of what direction the story takes AquRuby, I just want the story to finally fucking commit to something instead of chickening out every time it gears up to do so.
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sky-scribbles · 2 months
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Playlist for my Aeor longfic
I failed to figure out how to do a fancy spotify embed like the kids do but uh. Here's the playlist for Gravity!
I listened to this while planning and writing, and there are even a few shout-outs to the songs in the fic... Songs are arranged chronologically, so you should be able to hear the story happening, hopefully :'D
Further yelling about song choices under the cut!
A Matter of Time - This one is... sort of the fic's opening titles in my head? I wanted to start out with an instrumental, to capture the vibes of the months before the fic opens - Essek and Caleb apart, thinking about the T-Dock, and each other. Wondering. Waiting.
Horse to Water - Essek in Chapter 1, knowing his life as the Shadowhand is ending, waiting for Caleb to come and take him away to whatever comes next. (I'm normally very picky about not putting songs that reference modern day stuff on fantasy playlists but this one's vibes were too perfect)
Dear Fellow Traveller - Two wizards heading into Aeor together.
Conquest of Spaces - A song for Aeor. A dark, beautiful city, the remains of a people who lived by greed and power. (And two wizards in the ruins, trying to draw closer to each other.)
Neptune - This is mostly for Essek's breakdown in chapter 5, as he worries he'll never break out of his Shadowhand manipulation, wanting to be closer to Caleb and not knowing what that would even look like. And it's a little for Caleb in chapter 6, too, grappling with his feelings for Essek and his fears that they'll ultimately be bad for each other.
Please Don't Say You Love Me - ... and as they move past those fears, this song is for them tentatively acknowledging what they might be to each other. Not yet. But maybe soon.
Woodwork - This is for the chapters 6-9 span, as they learn more about Brashaar's plan. The pressure of a crisis has an odd way of making them realise just how deep their trust and care for each other runs.
Two Evils - Since we're at the point where Brashaar shows up, she gets a song now! This is pretty much her internal monologue during her confrontation with the wizards (though she really should have paid attention to 'if you're not careful, you will lose her' in reference to Quaera...)
Winter - Travelling northward, and yearning. Wishing they had more time.
Mind - A song for a young Quaera, slowly forming a personality, wondering about who she is and how her identity forms...
The Tower - ... and having their own breakdown.
What Could Have Been - I love me a good villainous breakdown, and this is a song for Brashaar's. This is how I imagine she feels during the final confrontation, raging against the gods, against Caleb and Essek, against Quaera after they turn from her. Not quite able to let go of what she thinks Aeor could have been. What, in her eyes, the world is meant to be. (As a bonus, I think the second verse sounds a bit like a retort to her from Quaera...)
Everybody Wants to Rule the World - This is such a fun cinematic cover, and I can't tell you how many times I've imagined a mental AMV of the final battle with Brashaar set to it :'D
Ori, Embracing the Light - I wanted an instrumental here too, because... Essek is dead, Caleb is in shutdown, and Essek and Quaera are communing with the Luxon, a being that doesn't really speak with words. Also, 'embracing the light' is exactly what Quaera does at this point.
Would That I - I know we all use this as Caleb's 'learning to live and love again' song... and I am no exception. This is for him after the T-Dock, finally fully acknowledging his grief, and his love for Essek.
First Day of my Life - Just two wizards realising that they have a future, and agreeing to slowly work at what's between them.
Ready to Call This Love - This one speaks for itself, honestly.
Five - Both of the wizards in the final chapter, but especially Essek realising how isolated he's been from the world, and letting it all in so he can feel it. (Also, studying the universe is a love language - )
Gravity - Gravity is a metaphor for love!!!!
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jpitha · 1 year
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Table of Contents!
Hi Everyone! I'm jpitha!
I write sci-fi shorts and stories! I have a few universes that I like to write about, mostly so I can keep worldbuilding straight. I post here and on r/HFY (a scifi writing focused reddit) and I've been trying out posting links back to here on Threads.
I like to post nearly every day. My longer works usually get posted once or twice a week, but I try and fill out the week with other stuff.
Since I have a bunch of posts now, here's a ToC to help you find the kind you want to read, broken out roughly by theme:
Multi-Part Long Reads
The Race (2 parts) First long one I did and the first time I introduced a K'laxi. I edited it from its original post as I learned more about them. Complete
Blockade Runner (2 parts) Might come back to this one later
Awakenings (4 parts, Intertwined with Hidden Depths) Complete
We Need a Ride (7 parts, 2 Codas stuff in Awakenings and Hidden Depths references it) Complete
Hidden Depths A Multi POV Adventure about when everyone on the Joint Human/K'laxi Starbase comes together to defeat an invasion force with the help of a long lost colony ship. (27, plus extra parts, Intertwined with Awakenings) Complete
Just A Little Further YA Flavored, first person adventure about Melody Mullen and what happens when she goes along on an exploratory trip to try and reach the end of the Warp Gate system. (40 parts) Complete
The Dreams of Hyacinth Cyberpunk Noir. Nicholas North is a easygoing small time crook who lives on the Corporation owned High Mars Orbital Hyacinth. When he is asked by a friend for some help, he agrees readily, not realizing what he's getting drawn into. Ongoing
Aliens are Gardenworlders
I want to live on the Gardenworld
Tumbling on a low gee world
Diary of a Human on the Gardenworld
Spacediving
Gord the Maplelegger
Gord's Tall Tale
On Lawbreaking
Gord Goes Curling
Gord Meets His Match?
Worldbuilding
Blockade Runner (redux)
Avoid Humans are Mary-Sue's
Remember that your Aliens aren't idiots
The Fire Brigade
Starjumper age
On AIs
How to Communicate Across Vast Distances
Working out the Day/Time/Date differential
The Real World is Messy
Humans Are Old (friends)
Humans get fevers
How to Communicate Across Vast Distances
Hidden Depths: A Side Story
On Cooperation
Did AIs Ever Think to Wipe Out Humanity?
The First Few Rows Will Get Wet
Slice of Life Stories
The Cyclists
Acetone is bad?
Gene's High Gee Gym
Hospitality
K'laxi and Human kids playing
Office Cookies
Humans and their Hobbies
All Human Ships Have a Manual Override
Allergies
Liver and Kidneys mean we eat anything
Frisbee tricks
Risk Tolerance
The Dinner Party
The Long Way Round
Humans Solve Problems With Explosions
Humans Play Wargames
Everyone has Proprioception
K'laxi Used to Run on All Fours
Humans Still Solve Problems With Explosions
Tattoos and Piercings
Ambassador Transport
Just One Question
Lin Makes Art
Bar fight Aftermath
K'laxi and Cats
Do it With Style
Upgrading Starbase
How are AIs Powered Anyway?
Computing Power (edited)
Outside the K'laxiverse posts
Humans and their computers
Who Is The Human?
Throwing
Mating Rituals
Hunting
Determination
Lateral Thinking
Catching
Oxygen Ain't Nothing to Mess With
Flash Fiction Friday Posts
FFF187 - You Can't Be Serious
FFF189 - Because You Need It
FFF191 - We're On Our Way
FFF200 - It's Just a Walk for You?
Encyclopedia Posts
Humans Make Friends with Anything
Human Kids Make Friends Easily
Humans Make an Entrance
Humans bring Busking
War Emergency Power
On Starjumpers and Battle
War Stories
A Matter of Scale
Just Another Merc
Time to Go
Gotcha! (or is it?)
Inter-Colony War
Always Ready
The Sacrifice
Relationship Stories
K'laxi Can Eat Waffles
Peripheral Vision
Dancing
Flirting through exercise
Nilan and Ta'reni learn about timekeeping
The Big Game
Heart to Heart
YA-esque Stories
Water Balloon War
The Birthday Surprise
Kelly and Panemi look at kittens
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98chao · 2 months
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Sonic Prime thing
so basically after i watched Sonic Prime S3 (on the day it came out) i was left pretty unsatisfied with the weird storytelling, plot holes and loose ends and decided to start brainstorming a re-imagining for it and drew some designs...
so this is gonna be long but i wanna preface this by saying i'm not a writer or even that good at character design 😭!!!! and also the majority of this is like from almost 2 months ago and it's very incomplete so i haven't done much thought on it i just had some ideas and ran with it Tbh. so if stuff doesn't make much sense Lmk bc a multiverse story is a very big thing to tackle, you really have to pay attention to the little stuff for everything to be complete.
also i like stuff with darker themes so if a lot of this is like "a Sonic show wouldn't do that" well. Yeah. this isn't a pitch to SEGA it's just my own thing LOL
(also also we're just gonna throw out the whole "Prime is canon to the games" here, i use the games as a basis but i wouldn't say this is in the realms of canon for multiple reasons)
~ The Main Stuff ~
so pretty much i went into this mostly thinking about changing the shatterverses while still keeping the base ideas that Prime had, and also a bit about how the shatterverse works in the first place. so i have some bullet points that i wrote down. i haven't watched s1&2 in a long time so i don't remember too much of the lore they already established, so if some of this is just reiterating what they said in the show then that's my bad
i wasn't exactly sure how it made sense that a single rock in some random cave conveniently in green hills had control of the entire universe so i want the explanation for why breaking the prism had this kind of effect to be something else (or to just change the prism to be something different) but i'm not sure exactly what. definitely not like "it was an illusion like the phantom ruby" or some stupid shit but it felt off that something completely world (universe) ending was so easily accessible. anyway.
Sonic explicitly doesn't exist in each alternate universe because he was the one who broke the prism. Sonic being the final piece that brings the universe together should probably have bigger lore implications as well
i think this is already what's in canon but Shadow used chaos control as the prism got shattered, causing himself to get fragmented across time and space as well.
unlike in the show, Shadow still has alternate versions of himself in each of the universes, but he has to kinda do an EEAAO and swap into their consciousness for him to be able to enter their respective universes (which takes a lot of energy bc its literally dimension travel so he can't do it a lot). his actual body is stuck in the void which means its at risk of erosion and also any hazard in the void like asteroids n stuff. it also explains why he's greatly weakened in the show (because his ass should not have been handed to him that easily in s3) cuz bits of his . being. is split across each universe, and can only be completed by the prism.
the void decays life which adds a higher stake to Sonic needing to complete the prism asap and also why Shadow is so hellbent on getting him to do it quickly. his actual, original self is slowly dying. (adds a bit of a character flaw too like the zombot arc, because you'd think the ultimate lifeform would be resistant to erosion. maybe at first he thinks he'll be fine and does the dimension travelling for fun until he starts feeling Really drained)
before i get to the individual universes, i'll talk a bout Sonic's character real quick because hoo boy, was it BAD in Prime. no shade to anyone who enjoyed his character in Prime, but as a show that claims to be "canon to the games", he was embarrassingly out of character. if it were just another version of him like movie Sonic i wouldn't really be so weirded out by it. so i wanna just say right off the bat that i'm using my own favourite iteration of Sonic as a reference for his character, which is the characterization from Sonic X.
i think when the prism gets properly explained, Sonic would kind of put 2 and 2 together and realize completing the prism would erase the other universes. and rather than being all ambiguous about it like Prime was, here it very explicitly would be that restoring the prism will erase the shatterverse. so Sonic get's really stuck between a rock and a hard place, because restoring the prism brings his friends and world back, but then he's effectively killing thousands of people, many of them who look exactly like his friends, all for the sake of his own world.
i think this is the kind of dilemma that would be really good for a character like Sonic, who's carefree and always does what he believes to be the right thing regardless of what other people say. his conflict with Nine isn't even all that different from his conflict with Merlina. but would he be okay with being enemies with someone who's literally just his little brother? i don't think Sonic would have tried to reason with Nine as much as he did in Prime, attachment be damned, but i still think it would still be hard for him to come to terms with the fact that Nine is his enemy and that in the end he would have to erase him too.
this is all i wanna say about Sonic rn because truth be told i'm not exactly sure how different the decisions he made in Prime would be here since i haven't thought too much on it, i would have to rewatch the show (god forbid) to figure that out lol.
~New Yolk City~
so i actually have designs for this, some of them have went through changes but they're all pretty "initial concepts". i wanna say that first off, i wanted this to be explicitly an alternate timeline and not just an alternate universe. one where Sonic doesn't exist in the main timeline so nobody really does anything to stop Eggman and he takes over the world. the designs are deliberately edgy so i call it sonic underfell in my notes lol
also, because a dystopian Sonic premise already exists in the form of SatAM... we got Sally Acorn back :D i didn't include all the Freedom Fighters for fear of the cast getting too big, but Nicole is here too because i love Sonic comic's robo assistants like Nicole and Kintobor. Sonia and Manic were also considered as added characters since Sonic Underground also has a dystopian premise, but i think it would be weird to add Sonic's siblings in a world where he doesn't exist, so it's not like they'd have a little 'OMG he's my long lost brother' moment. like no they don't even know who he is LOL.
alright so for character info i'll start with Nine because he's like the 3rd most important character in the show. i have a few different sketches of him, most incomplete... and for the third one my friend wanted him to look more emo. i wanted to add a bit more to that design but i wasn't sure what to do. if anyone has suggestions lmk
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just like in the show, bc Sonic never meets Tails, Tails doesn't get saved from bullying and becomes very jaded. as for the robot face and tails, i think in the show they really drive it home how Nine values robots over people very much, going as far as to make robot clones of his friends in order to replace them. so... robot body parts doesn't seem too out of the realm for what he'd do! it's a very good parallel to what i have planned for Eggman/the Chaos Council it's also very fucking gruesome and sad esp because hes like 8 years old..
also, i'd really love it if he wasn't just weirdly evil the way he was in Prime S3. because no the hell he is not evil, it felt like a cheap way to get you to stop sympathizing with him until the very last moment where he had a change of heart. he's just a small, traumatized kid who was shown friendship for the first time only to realize that Sonic only cared about him because he was a Tails and actually pretty much wanted him dead (even if this all wasn't exactly true, i can genuinely see why he felt this way).
next i'll talk about who the main extra characters in this universe will be, which is Sally and Nicole.
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so obv the resistance is called the Freedom Fighters, and Sally is the commander (like she should've been in Sonic Forces/IDW, but alas, she is dead to SEGA). she'd have a much more serious personality compared to her Archie/SatAM counterpart. where she'd usually banter with Sonic in Archie, here she would straight up tell him to gtfo. the aim of the Freedom Fighters in current time isn't really to fight to get their world back, just to survive and preserve what they still have.
just like in other media, Nicole is Sally's AI assistant slash potential love interest who does all the tech-y stuff, like scanning the area for threats, hacking things, etc. which gives them a bit of more power against the enemy without needing Nine's help.
next we got Amy aka Rusty Rose, this time she's fully a robot instead of being only half of one, and i'll expand on why. (also to note i didn't look at other Metal Amy fan designs when making this just to try and keep this a bit more original lol)
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so, obviously being inspired by SatAM and Archie, roboticization is a concept that would be reintroduced here through Rusty Rose. she was previously a freedom fighter who got a bit reckless and was captured, and was roboticized before her allies could save her. she's kind of used as a cautionary tale among the Freedom Fighters as a way to hammer in don't be reckless and don't get caught.
i remember in Sonic Prime they tried to use the flicky 'powering' her as a way to keep her connection with humanity, which was great except for the fact that she still had half a mobian face so she wasn't even fully robot. in this case, i decided to make her fully robot and keep the flicky, except this time it is genuinely powering her lifeforce unlike whatever they did in the show. obviously taking it out for a bit just to showcase the fact she does have a flicky won't insta-kill her, but she will slowly die without the flicky inside of her. not sure why the Chaos Council didnt just slap a chaos drive in there but whatever lol, it's nice symbolism anyway.
also just a note, she can shoot bullets out of her fingers if you were wondering why her hands looked like that. yes its an Aigis Persona 3 reference. but also she no longer uses her hammer because as a robot she's stripped of her personality and autonomy, and the Piko-Piko hammer was like an Amy signature weapon, who Rusty Rose no longer is at this point. but mostly it's an Aigis Persona 3 reference. We ball
next is Rouge, who's no longer a leader of the Freedom Fighters, but just a spy/intelligence agent who still has an eye for shiny things.
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in the inital art i drew of her i named her Agent Rebel, but honestly Agent Rouge works just fine because yknow. Rouge is just the word for red in french. if they really have to all have different names then Agent Red also works too, but it might be a bit on the nose. anyway she's apart of the Freedom Fighters as their spy, something they desperately need because of the constant surveillance around new yolk. of course she's still the morally gray bastard she usually is, so she always desires compensation for her efforts, especially on the more dangerous missions.
the reason why i demoted her from leader is because Rouge is really not the leader type, maybe you could give her a leading role if it were a smaller group like Team Dark, but when its a whole resistance she's genuinely not cut out for it, especially because she's not particularly selfless and definitely doesn't give too much of a shit about the well being of others. here she understands very well that her life is also at risk, so aiding the Freedom Fighters is pretty much her only choice.
next we got Knuckles who is definitely not having a good time. he never met Sonic so he's very distrusting towards everyone, even allies. he lived on Angel Island until it was attacked by Eggman and he lost the Master Emerald. unfortunately i didn't draw anything full body or coloured so i only have this sketch
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being from a clan of warriors, i'd say its a no-brainer that he'd be co-commander of the Freedom Fighters. as for all the injuries, they're from a time where he was captured. to compensate for his... lack of knuckles... he now wears brass knuckles. he's definitely the most angry and vengeful of all the different versions of Knuckles, because he feels as if he's been disgraced in multiple ways, and he sees the Freedom Fighters as a means to an end. his pure, unadultered rage definitely helps with taking out enemies tho.
okay, i mentioned that Shadow would have alternate versions of himself and lucky for yall i did draw a design for New Yolk Shadow, who's named Terios and is inspired by that beta design.
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Terios isn't apart of the Freedom Fighters, but he's not on the side of the Chaos Council. hes kind of an anti-hero vigilante, he's cordial with Rouge but not really interested in the Freedom Fighters. he kinda does his own shit. realistically, since New Yolk is an alternate timeline where Sonic doesn't exist, and it's implied that Gerald based Shadow off of Super Sonic then technically Shadow shouldn't exist but hey, this is the one plot hole i'm not gonna try to mend. We Ball. Shadow exists because he's goated like that.
anyway his backstory is the same but because everything is so Fucked Up he never really gets the chance to explode the world like he wanted. since he's not on the evil side i'll say that Eggman wasn't the one who woke him up tho and he got talked out of his homicidal urges. who woke him up? idk i'll think about it
now for another added character... Silver!!! but he goes by the alias "Venice"... because his beta design is called Venice LOL
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before i explain Silver's deal, i'll talk abt how i imagine time works in the Sonic universe. basically, the future isn't something predestined and is actively changed by events in the present. this is in fact something that 06 contradicts since the future was messed up before Sonic even met Elise, but that in and of itself contradicts Sonic CD which does the whole "actions in the present affect the future" thing with the good future/bad future. so i went with CD's time mechanics because it makes more sense for this story. also 06 isn't canon so #WeBall
so Silver, being from the future, wakes up one day to find everything all fucked up again. except now he's in the present too. he tries to ask ppl if they know where Sonic is, assuming that of course Sonic would know what happened, but nobody seems to know who he's talking about. Silver eventually crosses paths with Shadow/Terios and asks him where Sonic is, but even Terios doesn't know who Sonic is (at this point, our Shadow hasn't linked his consciousness w/ Terios) so Silver is just really fucking lost and doesn't know what the hell is happening, why it's happening and why nobody seems to know who Sonic is.
he ends up following Terios around as sort of an apprentice type thing because he's the only familiar face so far and he really needs to understand what's going on. Terios isn't very happy about it but can tell Silver's a pretty strong person he would want as an ally, so he keeps him around. Silver wears a cloak and goes by the alias Venice as a way to protect his identity.
so obv when Sonic shows up he KNOWS Sonic fucked up real bad somehow. cue the 'it's no use! take this!' loop
(Blaze isn't here because she's relaxing and enjoying a cup of tea in her palace. also trying to tackle how the prism affects the Sol Dimension will make things way more convoluted)
~ New Yolk City: The Chaos Council ~
okay... NOW we talk about Eggman. so maybe you've noticed i kept switching between saying Eggman and the Chaos Council, and i will explain.
the Chaos Council do still exist in this reimagining, but Eggman also exists. Kind of.
basically my idea for the Chaos Council was that it was originally just Eggman ruling the world (btw his name would be Robotnik because nobody was there to call him Eggman), but here comes the inspiration from Archie again, and now he's split himself into 5 robots to help rule over New Yolk City. and i say it's inspired from Archie because i very vividly remember that Robotnik fucking died in Archie and then uploaded his consciousness into a robot or some shit, and then when it came time for his modern design to be incorporated into the comic he literally switched robot bodies to become modern Eggman. So Yeah.
multiple facets of himself get uploaded into robot bodies, because what's the point of living a mortal fleshy life when you can be a sick ass immortal shiny robot (throwback to how i said it would be a parallel to Nine) and these different "facets" of Eggman would just be different parts of his personality, these are what i had in mind but it's still a WIP:
intelligence (cunning, manipulative, thinks logically and lacks empathy)
childishness (interest in juvenile things like themeparks, acts. well. childish)
vain (self-absorbed, uncooperative, gets upset by criticism, interest in flashy things/theatrics)
emotional (prone to outbursts--typically rage, empathetic)
dramatic (placeholder until i think of a better one because this is just grouped in with vanity tbh)
bad news is that i never drew designs for these. because if im not good at designing characters, im ESPECIALLY not good at designing robots. Rusty Rose was already a challenge. but ill figure it out lol.
ANYWAY now we're done with New Yolk. if this seemed long, don't worry because it was pretty much the only one i did brainstorming on. i have one more design and a few notes but nothing else for the rest of the shatterverses.
~ No Place ~
there's not much about No Place i would change other than the character roster and basic premise. it's still pirate-y, and Dread is DEFINITELY staying the same because i Love him.
pretty much my idea is that instead of there only being one crew which is Dread's, there are two. one with Dread, Amy and Tails, and another crew with Rouge, Shadow and whoever else i think to add. basically they're rival crews that compete to get treasure, and the prism shard is just another one they set their eyes on. Marine is also gonna be there probably on Dread's crew.
Sonic initially takes Dread's side because hes a Knuckles, Knuckles is his friend and Rouge usually means trouble, but when Dread starts being yknow. batshit crazy and manipulative. Sonic realizes that he picked wrong and hes kinda on his own to get that shard.
the only thing i drew for this is a design of Rouge
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i imagine Shadow would just be the one pirate design from that Sonic mobile game that everyone likes to draw. his name would also be Blackheart because of the lyrics "black-hearted evil / brave-hearted hero" from I Am... All Of Me
that's all i have for No Place. in truth i didn't make much changes because i actually very much enjoyed No Place (mostly bc of Dread)
~ Boscage ~
so... this one i've done the least thinking about, and honestly it's because i don't really know what to do with this one. something about Boscage rubs me the wrong way, maybe just bc it's a jungle universe and the designs make me cringe a little bit. if anyone has any ideas on this then lmk. i don't think i want to get rid of it entirely but i just don't know how to go about this one.
all i have in terms of notes is that:
it should be a bit similar to Sonic Boom in setting, so an island with dense forests
Sticks should be a character, potentially taking Prim's role in the story
~ Extra Notes ~
more characters in the main cast like Cream and the Chaotix should appear
other characters robot copies should resemble canonical ones like Metal Sonic, Knuckles and Amy, however Nine's robot copies should look Fucked Up to emphasize the Wrongness in how he views his robot copies as true friends
^ this means Chaos Sonic should literally just be Metal Sonic. sorry Chaos Sonic fans i love him too but it made no sense to me that it wouldn't be Metal Sonic but lmk your thoughts on that
that's it for everything i think. i might have had more but i didn't write it down so it has just been forever lost in the dark depths of my brain. this is very unorganized and way too long but i hope it was interesting to read at least. ofc any feedback is welcome. i don't think i'll make any kind of story out of this but i'd like to complete it tbh
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