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#my main hot take: if you’re going to have a standalone series then it should be able to STAND ALONE

kuronekonerochan · 3 years

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Hi...how are you? If you don't mind me asking what are your top 5 favorite danmei novels (until now)? And why? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....

Hi, sorry for being slow at answering!

In no particular order:

Ok, so I liked the 3 from MXTX:

- Grandmaster of Diabolic Cultivation/ Mo Dao Zu Shi

This one I loved but it has a particular style that ppl might not like in that it feels jumpy, confusing and with information gaps while reading, even though eventually everything that matters does end up being explained...in other works this would probably be just lazy writing, but here it is clearly an intentional choice bc 1) she doesn’t do this in her other novels 2) this is in WWX’s pov and dude has heavy ptsd and adhd, plus he tends to pretend to take everything lightly as a coping mechanisms...all this put together and it’s easy to understand why the story has such an unreliable narrator that even the other characters constantly point it out. I ended up loving this extra layer of storytelling.

- Heaven Official’s Blessings/ Tian Guan Ci Fu

If you’re in the mood for a saga type long ass novel with a ton of interesting side stories and side characters with a main character who is a true cinnamon bun in sweet romance with a side dish of sweet sweet aaaangst.

- Scum Villains Self Saving System

The most entertaining out of all of them. It manages to be a parody of two genres, both danmeis and wuia/jianghu harem het novels (fighter of destiny style) with OP leads, while also being its own cute and funny story with a heart to it.

From other authors:

- Meatbun’s 2ha/ Dumb Husky and his White Cat Shizun

What if someone took a look at the parody that is SVSSS and said...”no, you know what? This really deserves to be an epic, long ass, and I mean, topping old classics’ length novel packed with angst, filled with pain and topped with despair...and then we’re sprinkling some funfetti on top to fool y’all”...and you know what? that’s some good cake. (If you’re into cdramas SVSSS is to 2ha what The Romance of Tiger and Rose is to Goodbye My Princess).

- Priest’s Sha Po Lang:

Steampunk China plus creepy voodoo tribal ritual magic, involved in internal and external wars over petrol (with a different name) and with our leads in Iron Man suits, fighting, among other enemies hot young(er) hands on, on the field, western troop General, the Pope, that I can only visualize in my head as Jude Law. I tell you all of this nonsense just to say that instead of the ridiculous fun this should be, it ends up being a very compelling romance with lots of scheming and heavy plot and some heartbreaking scenes.

- The Golden Stage:

This is a court drama type novel with friends-to-rivals-to-lovers that is just the right length and compelling with not too many plot twists but two main characters who are really great both individually and together and this is the one out of all in the list I feel like re reading the most. It really is a solid read and I feel like I’m selling it short, bc it really is good. It is similar to Sha Po Lang and To Rule in a Turbulent World, a simpler version of those but not worse for it.

(Since you said top 5 and I’ve said 6, I regretfully cut down Heaven Official’s Blessing bc even though I love it, unlike MDZS or SVSSS, it didn’t feel like a standalone novel because some of the several storylines of the side characters that I loved were left open ended (although the main characters had a complete story arc), as if this book was supposed to be the first of a series and those characters would have their own spinoff books where I’d know where their story took them...except this really is a standalone, and so the lack of resolution bothers me).

>> Honorable Mentions:

- To Rule in a Turbulent World

This one doesn’t go in the top 5 list yet bc it’s not fully translated, last time I checked (tho it’s very near the end). As an ongoing novel, I adore it. If the ending isn’t terrible it might be in my top 3. It’s similar to the two above in plotlines but it has a quality to it that it takes care to make every character in it multidimensional. There are no good and bad characters, even the ones on the opposite side are given something that makes them relatable and human. Plus, the characters all change throughout the novel, most of all the protagonists and the novel gives itself breathing time between events where you just chill with the characters and learn about random things like agricultural practices.

- The Wife Is First

This one is just that light fluff feel good one that is great to pick up from time to time since it’s on going. Dumb Jock husband did everything wrong in his first life, gets a re-do and from then on it’s adorable respect the spouse juice and awe of said spouse smarts. Cute. Also, there’s a baby pet tiger.

>> Others I did like, just not in the top 5:

-Faraway Wanderers and Lord Seventh/Qi Ye by Priest:

Qi Ye is similar to To Rule in A Turbulent World/The Golden Stage/Sha Po Lang. I really liked it still, just a tiny bit less than these. Since it’s the same author as SPL and I think it was written earlier, I have to say, the writing only got better.

Faraway Wanderers is a short read, but you’re only gonna like it if you’re ok with amoral main characters (I guess that is true for many on this list but it’s more obvious in this one bc the novel and the characters are unapologetic about it).

- YuWu by Meatbun - Still reading it, but is isn’t grabbing me like 2ha did.

>> I assumed you only wanted danmeis as in period fantasy bl novels, but if we go modern, fantasy or not:

- Silent Readings by Priest:

I love crime fiction novels (love Ding Mo’s novels) and this is that type of conspiracy, murder novel with smart criminals and smart investigators. Little romance, but still there.

- Guardian by Priest:

Priest is hilarious and except the last part that gets a bit heavy on the lore this is just a joy to read. Also pretty short.

- Advance Bravely:

I read it a long time ago and it’s okayish, with some cute and some weird, problematic characters.

- Addicted/ Heroin:

Also read it (this is 2 books) ages ago...and this one is NOT cute. It starts out as a pretty normal, but kind of toxic very typical oldschool drama/manga romance right down to the step brothers’ trope....and then it keeps escalating to new levels of WTF am I reading?!! All I have to say for this one is, that while I cannot recommend it per se, nor say it’s good, the title really is fitting, bc it is addictive as f.

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sailorbadger · 3 years

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Book Review - 6 modern female-led Robin Hood adaptations

In the past 8 months or so I have read/watched/listened to over 30 different Robin Hood adaptations. Over the summer I found myself reading almost exclusively adaptations that were written by women and centered women in the story one way or another. (I also found out that “lesbian Robin Hood” is a whole genre on its own.) I decided to write short reviews for 6 of these books since I know I have followers that probably share my enjoyment of this particular niche.

This post includes spoiler-free reviews for the following books

Outlaw and Scarlet by Niamh Murphy

Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood by Anna Burke

Hood by Jenny Elder Moke

Marian, Princess Thief by C.K. Brooke

Heart of Sherwood by Edale Lane

The rest of the post will be under the cut since this is quite long.

Despite the fact that I read other books that could technically fit this same category, I decided to focus on these six in my review because these ones are easily accessible to most of my audience (meaning that they are in English and new enough - the oldest one being from 2018 I think - so that you should be able to find them easily).

I tried to keep these reviews relatively short and spoiler-free. That means that describing specific plot points is impossible because in most of these, the basic premise is the typical Robin Hood origin story. I tried to focus on my general feelings about the books and the characters and their relationships.

I won’t be doing any numerical ratings. I know that the order in which I read these impacted on how I felt about them. If I had read them in a different order, I would probably feel differently about some of them. That’s why it’s difficult for me to give any real ratings. The reviews are not in any real order either, apart from my favorite being the last one.

These reviews are also about 75% serious and 25% not serious. When my friend and I started to go through all these different Robin Hood adaptations, we made a bingo card that features tropes/themes/details found in a lot of different versions of the story. I’ll leave quick comments on the reviews on how each of these did, but I won’t go too much into detail on those.

Niamh Murphy: Outlaw & Scarlet

I grouped these two books together because they are the first two parts of a series. My understanding is that the author does plan on eventually releasing more, but since Scarlet was released this year, it might take a while. If a third book does come out, I might read it, but I’m not in a hurry to reread these two.

Outlaw tells the story of how Robyn, the daughter of a baron, ends up becoming an outlaw. If you are familiar with at least a few Robin Hood adaptations, you will know how it goes. There are no big surprises, but I suppose the purpose of this story is to introduce us to the characters and set the scene for the later books. Scarlet continues Robyn’s story and introduces a new character to the story. (I won’t go too much into details on the second book to avoid spoilers, since its plot does not follow familiar beats as much as the first one.)

Besides the books on this list, I have also read/watched/listened to several other Robin Hood adaptations as well, and when it comes to plot, Outlaw lands in the “uninteresting” section. There was nothing new or exciting there, and seeing that I have spent most of the year in a Robin Hood -bubble, I was left wanting more. Scarlet was a slight improvement seeing as Outlaw was mostly a very generic Robin Hood origin story. Together they still feel like this is just the beginning of a longer story, so I hope that if a third book comes out we get into the real action.

Outlaw is marketed as a “lesbian retelling” of the Robin Hood story, but compared to some of the other titles on this list, I was left wanting more. The romance aspect is barely there, so if you’re going to pick these up for Robyn and Marian’s relationship, prepare for slow burn.

The characters didn’t leave a huge impression on me. I do have to say that the Sheriff’s wife was interesting and I wish we had gotten more of her. Other than her, I felt that at times many of the characters could have been from any adaptation.

Overall, there wasn’t anything really wrong with these books, but they just didn’t entertain me as much as the others. I feel that if I had read these before all the other ones on this list, I would have enjoyed them more. Outlaw and Scarlet are a good read for someone who wants a basic Robin Hood story with a lesbian lead. I still think that marketing the first book as a “lesbian retelling” is setting unrealistic expectations for some, but I hope that in the future the series really earns that title.

I completely forgot to fill out a bingo card for these two and at this point I have forgotten many of the details so unfortunately we’ll never know the result. Most of the tropes hit were so general they probably weren’t on our card anyway.

Anna Burke: Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood

Out of all of the books in this list, Anna Burke’s Nottingham is perhaps the most explicit in its queerness. Although the story obviously doesn’t use modern labels, I would say that it includes representation for (at least) lesbian, bi and trans character(s). None of this feels too out-of-place, and instead Nottingham offers a (mostly) historically accurate Robin Hood tale with a queer main cast.

The plot mostly follows your typical Robin Hood -formula: After a hunting accident, Robyn becomes an outlaw, surrounds herself with loyal friends and helps those in need. This aspect of the book doesn’t offer any new ideas or challenge the existing ideas about Robin Hood as a story. However, it focuses more on the characters, so it doesn’t really need anything new. Marian especially has to come to terms with her feelings towards Robyn and women in general. I do have to say though, that the romance between Robyn and Marian happens a little fast - they only meet a few times before falling in love. [Insert joke about lesbians moving too fast here] It didn’t bother me too much, but I do wish there had been a little more buildup.

From this list, I read this book the most recently. It may be that I was just so burned out from reading all these Robin Hood -stories but I didn’t connect with the book that well. I enjoyed it, but I wish there had been more of that fun sense of adventure I look for in these stories.

I would recommend Nottingham to anyone who wants to read a story that manages to be historically accurate and use the Robin Hood mythos to its advantage while not shying away from its portrayal of queerness. Although it did not hold my attention as well as some of the other books, it is still written well and has a good story.

This book didn’t get a bingo unless you interpret “lähentely* which is uncomfortable for the audience” as the sex scene (there is sex in this book but nothing that explicit, I would say high T/low M in Ao3-ratings) being uncomfortable for the reader OR the third person in that scene being uncomfortable. About half of the bingo card was still filled.

*I couldn’t come up with a good translation for this word, it means something along the lines of making moves/coming onto someone/making advances, though for this bingo I use it to generally mean anything flirty/intimate/sexual/etc.

Jenny Elder Moke: Hood

This book was the first one on this list I read. Compared to the other novels, I would say that Hood is the least like your typical Robin Hood story. The book follows Isabelle, Robin and Marian’s daughter, who has to find her father in order to save her mother. The adventure is brand new, though there are still familiar characters and the basic concept of Robin Hood is honored. This is a story about the next generation of outlaws, so if you’re looking for something that focuses on characters from the legends, you may be disappointed.

Speaking of the characters, I loved Little, Patrick and Helena. I could have just read a book where this group of young outlaws has adventures and been satisfied. Unfortunately I didn’t connect well with the main lead, Isabelle, and the love interest, Adam, felt like a very generic hot guy from a YA novel. The romance itself is practically non-existent, and honestly I could have done without it. Seriously, I had completely forgotten about that whole thing until I started writing this review. This story is more about Isabelle’s relationship with her parents, which I like. She also gets to build genuine friendships with the other characters. I just wish the book had been a little longer so that it could have spent more time developing some of these relationships.

Had I read this book when I was a teenager, I most likely would have loved it a lot more. It is YA, and at times it really shows. As far as Robin Hood stories go, I generally enjoy the “outlaws being outlaws in the forest” content the most, and unfortunately this featured surprisingly little of it. It still offered its own take on what could happen after the legends everyone knows, even if it doesn’t add much to the legends themselves.

It is important that I mention here that if Allan has a child in an adaptation, this child must be named either Allan jr. or Alana. This book fulfills this basic need for me and I am satisfied. It also checked most of the boxes on the bingo, and I almost filled the whole sheet. So somehow, despite not really following the typical Robin Hood formula, Hood managed to include all the important tropes.

If you are a teenager who enjoys Robin Hood -stories, I would definitely recommend this book. It’s not the best YA novel out there, but it’s a good standalone story. I think that for adults, this can be a good read if you are a fan of Robin Hood -stories and/or enjoy this type of YA anyway. I wasn’t sure what type of book this was when I started reading, but if you just prepare yourself for a fun adventure aimed at young teens, you can enjoy this. It’s very quick to read, I think I read it in one day.

Also, I must quote a review I saw on Storygraph (imagine this is in all caps) : “hjsxhfjsdksfjk???????????? Patrick best character no cap”

C. K. Brooke: Marian, Princess Thief

In Marian, Princess Thief, Robin Hood doesn’t exist at all. Instead the story follows Marian, who in this version is a princess, who escaped an assassination attempt and is now living in the forest as an outlaw with six other women - the genderbent versions of the Merry Men. Eventually there is a romance in this book as well, but the biggest force carrying through the book is the friendship between the women. If I had to describe the novel in just one word, I would say it’s lovable. If I had to describe it in two, I would say it’s dissappointingly heterosexual.

Maybe the fact that I found a genre that is basically “lesbian Robin Hood” has ruined me, but how can you write a story that features seven women living in the forest as outlaws, and not one of them is queer? This is entirely a thing that bothers me personally, and the book doesn’t need queer representation to be good, but there is no reason to not include it. Headcanons can fortunately go a long way, but I’m just saying that you could easily keep everything about Scarlett’s backstory the same except make her a lesbian. (In fact, I’m 98% joking when I say that her not being a lesbian is a homophobic choice. I will elaborate on this if you ask me but I won’t go too much into it here because I would have to explain things about other adaptations as well.)

As for the straight romance, I can’t say that I was feeling it. I could see the points where I was supposed to feel something, so maybe it’s just the fact that I’m aspec myself, but I didn’t care that much about it. Still, it was refreshing to see a story where the romance doesn’t overshadow the friendships between the women, and instead they are valued just as much (if not more) as the romantic relationship. The story doesn’t dig too deeply into the characters, but I still loved all the women. (I don’t care about the male lead. But I know others who would.)

I think the biggest “problem” this book has (apart from not making Scarlett a lesbian) is that the ending feels just a little bit rushed compared to the rest of the novel. I still think that the novel achieves everything it tries to do, but I could have used one more chapter to flesh out the climax.

The bingo card wasn’t even close to being full, but you know what, Marian, Princess Thief is good enough as it is and doesn’t need to follow all the familiar tropes. Still, how hard is it to include a bird?

This was a very quick read, in fact I basically just read it all in one go. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read something lighthearted and, like me, is often disappointed by the lack of women in Robin Hood stories.

To end this, I will leave you with a translated quote from my WhatsApp commentary: “What is it that in all these Robin Hood stories these old dudes are all after these young maidens like get yourself a hot milf and leave the kids alone”

Edale Lane: Heart of Sherwood

Heart of Sherwood is my favorite Robin Hood -novel that I have read so far. It has just about everything I could want: good characters, a fun sense of adventure, political scheming, great relationships (both romantic and platonic) and a good ending. I was less than two chapters into this book when I knew that this would be a difficult one to top.

The premise of this book is very similar to Burke’s Nottingham: both follow the story of Robyn becoming an outlaw, making friends with the other Merry (Wo)Men and developing a relationship with Marian. I don’t want to compare these two stories too much, but I did prefer the more lighthearted tone of Heart of Sherwood. This was also the first book where I was actually invested in the romance. Normally in pretty much all Robin Hood adaptations, the relationship between Robin and Marian doesn’t interest me greatly; I don’t mind it, but it’s not something I have too many personal feelings about. However, only a few chapters into Heart of Sherwood I thought: “If these two don’t get a happy ending I’m going to jump out of the window.” (I won’t spoil where this threat ended up going.)

One thing I appreciate about the romance in this one is that Robyn and Marian already know each other, so I didn’t have to deal with a romance that develops too fast. The novel also had other things to offer besides being a “lesbian Robin Hood” story, so I didn’t feel like I had to enjoy the romance to enjoy the whole story. I was very invested the whole way through, and out of all the books I’ve reviewed here, this one made me the most emotional.

As a fan of the BBC show, I do have to say that this novel had a very similar vibe; there was a good balance of action and humor. Maybe that was a part of why I enjoyed this so much. I was also able to predict exactly how certain things would end up. I kind of wish I would have been more surprised.

This novel is well paced, it is exactly the right length for the story it’s telling and overall I can’t really find things to complain about. If I wasn’t petty, I would give this book full five stars, but because I am petty, for very personal reasons I’m giving it 4,99999… stars. As for the bingo, this one filled most of the sheet.

I’ll end this review with this random line I had shared on WhatsApp for some reason: ""Does this mean I am dead?" Alan asked in jest. - - - "Nay; same annoying jester, alive as ever, and likely wanting for a pint about now."”

Conclusion

Writing these reviews was surprisingly difficult because most of the stories follow the same formula, so commenting on anything that moves away from said formula could be considered a spoiler. Hopefully if you read this far you were still interested enough in at least one of these books and feel inspired to read them. I would happily recommend any of them, and if you want to know my more detailed thoughts on them, feel free to message me. The same applies to all the adaptations I’ve gone through. I have Thoughts that I’m dying to share.

#robin hood #my post #I have no idea how to tag this???#my own tag for the bbc robin hood is pretty much my general rh tag but I don't want to put this in the public tag since this technically has #nothing to do with it

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crazy-loca-blog · 3 years

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Personal thoughts on… 2020 releases (Part II)

Note: As the title says, these are just personal opinions on Choices books and chapters. Of course, you may agree or disagree with them, I only use this platform to express my thoughts on what I read every week.

Welcome to the second post! Sorry for the delay, but it took me a little while to finish it for two main reasons: I wanted to have one extra chapter of Foreign Affairs before giving an opinion on the book and I realized I had a lot of catching up to do with My Two First Loves... but here I am!

Remember that this is a three-part post (you may find the first one here) and that I will include current releases and books that were released during 2019 but were finished in 2020. The list is organized in alphabetical order, and it doesn’t include the VIP Books (as I’ll talk about them in a fourth post). The only books I will be skipping will be Desire & Decorum: First Winter and Bloodbound: Dark Solstice, as they’re seasonal books that I fully covered in the 2019 review.

Foreign Affairs (December 30, 2020 - present): It’s hard to talk about a book after only three chapters, but I have to admit I really, really like what I’ve seen so far. My favorite thing is how the writers approach the characters. All these people have some serious reputation to keep and they all are trying to balance it with the fact that they’re young adults who want to have fun and are discovering themselves as individuals. Growing up in the spotlight is hard, and I guess it must be harder when it’s not your choice, as you’re not allowed to make mistakes and your life path seems to be already decided without even asking what do you want for you. I don’t know if you noticed it, but none of the students seems to be attending Vancross because they want, they all attend the institute because they must. In the end, it looks like we’ll have a great story about people with very different backgrounds who have much more in common than they believe. High School Story: Class Act, Book 3 (October 30, 2019 - March 11, 2020): I know that the original High School Story series was way too popular, and that made things hard for HSSCA since the very beginning. However, and even though this is probably the weakest book in the series, I feel like there were certain things we didn’t appreciate enough when it was originally released. The third book not only addressed Skye’s issues with her abusive family, but it also took our twins back to their roots. It was nice to discover that they are actually British and that they still have an aunt who is alive (and who was glad to meet them). However, I think the writers wasted a great opportunity to give an amazing closure to this series, especially because we knew this was the very last adventure of our Berry High students. The characters did have to face some serious stuff in all three books (more than the OG cast) and I felt that PB could have used that to make our kids grow up faster than expected or to translate the experiences in their personal lives to their final performance at the festival in London. Instead, they gave us a fight with another drama club and a mix of characters of both HSS and HSSCA that personally didn’t convince me that much.

Hot Couture (VIP release: December 19, 2019 / General release: December 16, 2020): When it comes to the first three fully released VIP books, there is no doubt for me that Hot Couture is the weakest one. However, this doesn’t mean it’s a bad book, not at all! It is well-written, it has interesting LI’s and it’s definitely what I like to call a “romance with substance” book: that is, there is a love story, but the main focus of the plot is not on the romance. We have a MC who works hard for what she wants, who is aware of what she can do and who doesn’t need a LI to blossom. The romance is only one added element to the main story. I still think they should have gone deeper into the issues that models must face (eating disorders, rivalries, the stress of feeling that you’re “disposable” for the industry, salary breaches, etc.) but overall, I ended up being super invested in the book, to the point it was the first full release in a long time that only took me a few days to complete. It’s not what I would consider a masterpiece, but it is a great, fun and enjoyable standalone book. My Two First Loves (July 27, 2020 - present): I think there is a lot to be said about this book… and I don’t even know where to begin with. MTFL is not only the very first daily release in the app (and I think it will be the only one), it also introduced us to a different concept when it comes to romance books: exploring. Yeah, because when it seems like most players tend to choose one LI and stick to them, My Two First Loves leaves us no choice but to romance or to have very close relationships with all three LIs in the book as part of its plot, something that made a lot of players uncomfortable and/or upset. My main problem with the book is its extension: there are so many little chapters that there are two or three days when it seems like nothing happens. This became a problem to the point that it’s been hard to appreciate how the story has actually evolved or how much the characters have grown (I’m seriously loving Mason and Ava’s growth, and I think Noah got stuck at some point in the middle of the story and he hasn’t been as interesting as he was in the first half of the book). As a reader, I think my biggest mistake was trying to read the story every day after the chapter release. This actually led to a “lack of fluency” to me. Now I wait a few days and read four or five chapters at once, and trust me, the story is way more enjoyable this way. Open Heart, Second Year (February 29, 2020 – November 7, 2020): Sorry guys… I try not to, but I can’t help being completely biased when it comes to Open Heart, as this is my absolute favorite series in the app. And even though a lot of people think OH2 is a mess, I have to disagree with you. From my point of view, one of the things that makes Open Heart a different series is that it is meant to be a slow story, where every chapter is a little piece of something bigger that ends up being solved at the very end of the book (it’s like having a big puzzle where we have very different pieces that don’t seem to have much sense individually, but in the end they all fit in and create some beautiful image), so it plays a lot with our patience as players because nothing is instant. This is also another book that I consider as a “romance with substance”, as the main focus of the story is on the medical cases, not on the romance. Would I change things about this book? Of course I would! More time with our friends, similar time with our LIs, Zaid and Ines finally assuming that they’re a couple… but overall, the book delivered, especially because it takes talent to give closure to the insane amount of subplots this book had. Kudos to the writers for it! Queen B (June 26, 2020 - October 2, 2020): I have mixed emotions about one of the most popular releases of 2020. It doesn’t matter if you like Queen B or not, I think there are a few things no one can’t deny: the plot is consistent, the book is easy to read, there is always something going on, and it keeps you wanting more during most chapters. All of these things make the book a very, very attractive and likeable release. However, at some point, the level of bullying in the story was too much for me to handle. I couldn’t care less about the popularity contest after a few chapters, basically because it made my MC change and become a person I could barely recognize, and because what Poppy did to Zoey (who is the real Queen B in my opinion!) and Ian/Ina (threatening to destroy their career “because she can”) is plain EVIL! Also, the fact that Ian/Ina became so possessive of the MC at the end of the book was kind of scary, to the point that I’m seriously considering replaying Book 1 before Book 2 is released just to remain single.

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arlakos · 4 years

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The problem I realized with Adrien Agreste (and many of the other miraculous characters)

Ok, let me just put a disclaimer here.

I love all the characters in miraculous Ladybug, I really do. I mean, aside from Lila and Gabriel, but really who doesn’t? I think all the characters are cool from both design and initial character standpoints and made you wish we see more of them.

But just like most of my other posts, I see both good and bad in the show and acknowledge all of it. I like the concepts, but I don’t have to necessarily like all the executions of said concepts.

I’ve been holding off this post for a while due to me wanting to take some time to review the show first and see if there was anything that would have made me change my mind on my newfound stance. But surprisingly, there really wasn’t.

So let me get to the point

Adrien Agreste...Is one of the blandest characters I have ever seen in a show

As with most to all the other characters in the show as well.

(Cue sounds of betrayal)

“But Arlakos!” you might say, “Why would you think this way? You love Adrien! He has a great personality!”

Yeah, I love him. I love his initial character and I think he as Chat Noir is just amazing. But having watched three seasons of a single show, as well as comparing Miraculous to ANOTHER similar show, I have to address this issue and how it affects all the characters.

So first, let's talk about the show

Spanning three seasons, Miraculous Ladybug, as of this moment has released 78 episodes of this show (also including the Christmas special). In comparison, the show I'm using has released 87 episodes, so I feel that after this long, its fair to now compare the two shows, even with the 9 episode difference.

After watching Miraculous Ladybug for so long, I realized by this point that a lot of episodes in the series are pretty much flash and no substance, along with some ship teasing. I would call it filler, but that's under the implication that there was any plot they were following, to begin with. With each of the episodes bottled into one standalone story, most of the episodes have no impact to each other aside from a few rare few. Season 1 was chock full of this, but it was ok for the time being as Season 1 was used to introduce most of the characters in the show and the world itself. But that has also been the basis for the other two seasons as well, especially those that promised to expand the story of the show.

But it didn’t. Each of the episodes would occur, their story would end, and any important lessons the characters would learn would be forgotten by the end. The episode and its story would never be brought up again, aside from the Akuma if the person in question was to be re-akumatized again. Maybe it would be brought up in passing, such as Kim and Ondine’s relationship, but truth be told, none of the episodes mattered to the lore or plot of the show. You could feasibly cut out most of the episodes, aside from episodes introducing a new hero, the finales and the first episode of each new season and the show would still work plot-wise.

Because of this format of the show, the characters have undoubtedly suffered a lot development-wise, due to character resets cause of the nature of standalone episodes, most characters not being utilized in most episodes unless its for setting up an akuma, and the overall Marinette focused nature of the show not allowing any other characters to have focus.

And nobody has really suffered more, that the Big Cat himself, Adrien Agreste.

But why though?

To understand this, let's go over his initial character traits

He’s Kind

He’s willing to see the good in people

He’s Lonely and has no friends

He’s a model

He loves Ladybug.

He makes puns (as Chat Noir)

He’s flirty with Ladybug (as Chat Noir)

As you can see, most to all of these character traits are pretty much all the traits Adrien has shown in season 1. Actually, all of these traits were shown in just the Origins itself which, being the first chronological show in the series, does a pretty good job of setting up Adrien's initial character.

(Also just a quick mid note here, I just realized why the show produced this episode last compared to the others. If this was the episode that came out first, most to all of the other episodes in comparison would just be seen as boring. With the origins being both action-packed and plot rich with its main cast, most of the other episodes would be seen as filler if they came out after this banger of a season finale.)

But going on the topic of later seasons, ask yourself:

What have you learned about Adrien's Character in season 2 and 3?

And when I say character, i mean actual stuff about him. What other stuff does he like? What does he want to do in the future? What does he do when he spends time with Nino? What does he think of other people (aside from Lila)?

Chances are, that unless the stuff you’re pulling at might be from a headcanon in whatever fanfic you are writing, most of you will answer nothing. I mean, sure some people may say that he’s likes games as made evident from Gamer, but that is probably the only moment where we see a bit more of Adrien's character, and again we are talking about season 1, so it doesn't really count

Some people may say that Gorizilla was an episode that explored Adrien's character. While I do agree that it was more Adrien focused than others, and easily one of the best episodes in the show, looking back on the episode, I realized that more or less all it does is show how Adrien is pretty much a Disney Princess more helpless than Snow White. He’s trapped in the house, unable to escape, waiting for a hero in spots to ‘save him’ from his loneliness. Also, it had some Adrienette in it, but again it was just teasing.

(Note: I just gotta say though that Wayhem’s character and growth were just the best. Being just another fanboy at first, he realized his mistake and even stood up to an Akuma to save Adrien, then apologized at the end even though he would pretty much get no reward for his action, becoming an actual character in the process rather than just a background one. The fact that Adrien became friends with Wayhem was just heartwarming for a background character. Despite Roi Singe being a blast, I’m really sorry that they restricted Wayhems character to just being another Akuma in Party Crasher, it would have been nice for Wayhem to be an actual Friend Adrien could talk to outside of school and add more development into the show.)

So back on the Topic of Adrien, we haven’t really learned much about Adrien's character or see him develop in any meaningful way. The only thing we ever see him really do outside of being part of the Squad (Alya, Nino, Adrien, Marinette) is just either pine for Ladybug in his spare time, or complaining about not being able to spend time with his dad. No seriously, look at most episodes where Adrien's at home and that's all he does!

But now for the topic of Chat Noir. I mean, Adrien is trapped as a normal boy, so it would make sense that Chat Noir would be able to develop as a character and show the world he is more than just a sidekick right?

Unfortunately, Chat Noir, just like his civilian counterpart, also suffers from a lack of any meaningful character growth. Shorts vids on youtube aside (which btw should never be used to develop the main characters, otherwise what is the point of the show), we never see him talk to Ladybug in any meaningful way (I mean he does try, but chances are Ladybug shuts him up because (a) she wants to leave and (b) blah blah secret identity)

Basically, he has three different moods.

He flirts with Ladybug, often using puns to do so.

He’s a suicidal mofo who takes hits for Ladybug, saying its because she's the only one who can save the day (Hot take though, I just think Chat Noir is just the persona of Tumblr that wants to die)

He worships Ladybug and thinks shes amazing, complimenting her on the daily, as well as comforting her and giving her pep talks when shes low.

Other than that, he’s written as basically useless. Don’t expect him to come up with any plans and if he does, expect them to fail (Reflekdoll). Don't expect him to actually help Ladybug and for Ladybug to always say him. If Ladybug is in any way made useless or incapacitated, be sure that Chat will in no way be able to help Ladybug as he will be made to be more useless than Ladybug so that Ladybug has to take care of him (Reverser). Also Chat will flirt at the worst times to show Ladybug is better and more ‘professional’ at being a hero (Prime Queen)

Also Chat Missile

WARNING: Not suitable for anyone under 13 years old. Only use if your a superhero with increased Strength, otherwise it may hurt your back.

These are all the same traits we see in every episode, without change without fail. I mean, in Glacitator Chat promised to stop flirting with Ladybug because she likes another boy, but since characters reset after every episode he went back to flirting the next episode. So yeah, that's it. Next episode

Aside from that, we never see him do anything else, nor have anything as a hero impact him in any way. The only times I have ever seen him be impacted as a hero was

Syren, where he was tired his partner kept hiding secrets from him (as HE SHOULD), and was about to quit, but reconsidered once Fu arrived and explained some stuff, which bascially set him back to normal, which i guess its fine, but i wish the episode had more of an impact on Chat’s character.

Frozer (where Astruc was making Adrien salt cause Luka)

The Ladybug episode, where he saw a living, thinking duplicate of Ladybug, who had just become free from Mayura and became a hero, killed by said villain, and was just about to have a heroic breakdown and attack Mayura. However, this one was cut off due to Hawkmoth, resulting in Chat going from Heroic breakdown to making puns about Hawkmoths age. Really?

However, despite all that I have said, some of you may still think I am wrong. You may think that Adrien does show more character and that I'm just pulling facts out of my ass. You may think he does show character because of that one ship tease moment that you think qualifies at plot development.

But some of you may also think, why does this even matter? Its called Miraculous Ladybug, the show is about Marinette and Ladybug. Its all about her. Who cares about the other characters? Who cares about Adrien? He doesn’t need character development, we need to focus on Marinette and her making Adrien's birthday gifts for his next 35 birthdays. We should all just stop worrying about Adrien's character. All he should be is just a kind pretty boy for Marinette to idolize and have as a prize at the finale, and for Chat Noir to be useless comic relief while Ladybug saves the day, because she is juuuust that amaziiiiing.

Well first of all

It’s called Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Miraculous Ladybug is just a nickname used by fans and writers to simplify the name. The name implies that there is another main character, known as... Chat Noir. It's not called tales of Ladybug and Marinette, get with the program.

The show can still focus on one main character but still develop other characters as well. If anyone thinks otherwise, they either have a character bias or don't realize how to make a good show.

If anyone actually thinks this way, well then screw you. Developing a character should not be made at the expense of another character. Chat Noir should not have to be made to be comic relief just because Ladybug is the only one who can purify Akumas.

Secondly (yes I realized that I used 3 points but IDC) there’s another show that is very similar to Ladybug that also focuses on a school girl saving the world with the help of her sidekick male character.

That’s right, I’m talking about ... KIM POSSIBLE!

But to be more precise, I’m talking about its secondary hero... Ron Stoppable.

This guy right here, just in case any of you thought I was talking about the kung fu naked mole-rat.

But in all seriousness though, let's talk about him.

In the series, Ron Stoppable is the partner of the teenage heroine Kim Possible. Just like Chat Noir, he helps KP on her missions, and unlike Chat, is actually seen as a sidekick by the world, including KP.

Then why is it that I think he’s a better Character than Chat?

Well, the thing is unlike Miraculous, the show has a good job of integrating its school and hero stories together, and it helped to explore Ron’s character as well. Sure, he was a clumsy dude who got scared a lot and had an unhealthy obsession with Mexican fast food, but we still got to explore his character.

Just a few small examples:

Most episodes in KP had the fine job of adding stuff to Ron’s Character. Small stuff, but it fleshed him out over time He shows in one episode that despite being clumsy in the hero business, he can cook pretty well! In another episode, he learns he is pretty good at running and becomes a back runner for the football team at his school.

He also gets to have a few episodes where he and his buddy Rufus (the naked mole rat) get to shine despite being a secondary character. He becomes the second incarnation of the fearless ferret (an in show super hero), visits Japan where he gets to learn some monkey Kung Fu, and often times fights villains himself, though this is usually in one of the situations where he gets a one time power up or Kim Possible is not available, but it still showed that Ron could be a hero as well. Hell in the finale, he actually helped Kim Possible as a partner rather than a sidekick.

Now I get that Miraculous and KP are two radically different shows. Secret Identities aside, Kim Possible has a large variety of villains, while Miraculous only has the One big villain, so it's very difficult to have Chat be able to stand on his own two feet while the only thing they are fighting is something only Ladybug can fix.

But in that regard, this also shows the importance of Miraculous needing more plot progressed the story. Unlike Kim Possible, who’s many villains and overall lack of an ‘ending villain’ can allow for one-off episodes involving Ron and some villains, Miraculous only has the one. Once Hawkmoth is defeated, the show technically ends (future version not counting), so It would make sense that the characters should develop over time as the show gets closer to that finale.

So in that Regard, what could I do to make Chat Noir more fleshed out?

Honestly, you could add in some moments in the show where Chat noir interacts with Paris. Like maybe in one episode Chat rescues lost cats and takes them to the shelter, or perhaps he works at a cat shelter in his spare hero time.

Perhaps have an episode or two where Chat saves the day on his own while Ladybug is busy or oblivious to the trouble in Paris. Regarding Akuma, I have often considered Chat should have an ‘ability’ similar to Ladybugs that allows him to ‘purify’ the Akuma by disrupting the magic inside the Akuma (the ability being called Disruption), but can’t use it too often without proper training due to the dark energies in the Akuma being too harmful to Chat to use often. That way Chat can occasionally take on a few Akuma by himself.

Have a few episodes where something happens which allows the audience to learn what Adrien/Chat likes. Maybe there’s an episode where he learns to cook desserts, and finds out he’s actually pretty good at it!

I feel the need to add some ideas in because in the end I still love Chat Noir and consider him my favorite character. But I also have to acknowledge this problem because it ruins the quality of the show.

In fact, I think that Adrien's problem isn’t just limited to him, but also to every other character in the show, and even Marinette to an extent.

Going back to the show and looking at all the side characters, it's obvious that looking at them, a lot of them are very one dimensional in their character. We don't learn much about them or their personality, and even when we do, we only learn about them when it's their turn to be akumatized, or if the akumatized person is related to them in some way like in Markov. Once they usually are done, we don't get to see the characters much, unless there is a second akumatization.

Juleka only became important when she got akumatized twice and aside from that, we don't get to see her much or learn about her. Ivan and Mylene were basically forgotten after they became akumatized. Pretty much no one is affected post akumatization with any sort of trauma or worry, so nothing about the characters actually changes as a result of events in the show.

Even those that do become heroes don’t really get any character growth, they are just considered to be worthy to be heroes because they are good people, but considering the qualifications of good in the show are determined by if you like Marinette, that means pretty much everyone in Marinette’s class could be a hero, aside from Chloe because HEY! SHE DOESN’T LIKE MARINETTE THEREFORE SHE’S VILLAIN!

(God I hate Miracle Queen)

Also, these problems pretty much apply to Marinette as well.

I mean, all the things she does in the show basically comes back to the same simple fact that ‘Marinette is kind and helpful’. That's it.

She helps Jagged getting some glasses, its because she is kind and helpful. Helping her classmates? Kind and Helpful? Helping Kitty Section with Costumes? Kind and Helpful? Helping Adrien? She wants to get into his pants.

(Also because she’s kind and helpful.)

Like, this isn’t bad, but nothing seems to change about her, she goes and helps people as Marinette, helps people as Ladybug, and despite this, is unaffected by the school or her life. What is she going to do post Lycee? How is she going to become a fashion designer? Work as an intern at a fashion company. Work at Gabriel Agreste’s company? Startup her own local business? The show refuses to acknowledge any of these things, despite her being a schoolgirl, because she has more important things to worry about than school. Such as being a Guardian for a box magically bound to her that will take away her memories if she tries to get rid of it.

(God Miracle Queen was a mistake, she didn’t even learn how to be a Guardian yet! )

To close things up, most of the characters in the show lack any meaningful character development, which i can safely say is due to the structure of single-story episodes in a show that has a defined ending (and therefore doesn't work) lack of care for writing these amazing characters, and just the writing in general.

Despite what some people may say about Astruc, it's clear that beyond all that, he’s not good at writing stories and characters beyond initial design, he’d rather go making one-dimensional characters and show off how amazing Marinette is, rather than allowing them to develop in any logical and meaningful way that shows the distinction between earlier and later seasons

Here’s to hoping these characters get some character development in season 4. Even if all we get is Plagg learning he likes milk.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk. As always, thanks to the amazing @twin-books for talking to me and helping to refine my views on the characters and the show!

#Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug salt #ML salt #Miraculous Ladybug critique #Miraculous writers salt #Adrien salt #Though not for Adrien himself but its lack of character growth #Marinette salt #Miraculous class salt #Salt of every character for its lack of character growth #Astruc salt #Long Post #REALLY LONG POST

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tikki-tok · 3 years

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Ok so as someone who has never seen the original Winx club, the new reboot as a standalone series is actually not terrible. There were a lot of moments where the characters blended well and had very emotional moments that felt genuine (may have a swayed opinion on this cause hyper empathy but I digress). I think it actually has a LOT of potential story-wise. There are quite a few issues I have with the show though, ngl. I hope that my long ramblings don’t come off as me hating on the show or being unnecessarily critical (personally, the show was a lot of fun to watch for me) but rather comes off as genuine things that I hope get improved on as the show continues on, which ok yeah imma say it, I hope the show succeeds- even if is just another dark reboot of an old kids franchise. Anyways- long-winded analysis under the cut! (spoilers for the Winx reboot)

So uh,,, about that visual design. I know so many other people have said this before, but if you’re going to take a super bright, colorful, insane kids show and make it more for adults with a darker or more serious tone, then you kinda still have to accept that what you’re rebooting started off as a kid’s tv show. The thing about Fate is that if you were to change the characters names, you wouldn’t be able to tell that it was a Winx Club reboot. They took almost no inspiration aside from the vague concepts of a magic school, elemental fairies, and specialists. I don’t mean to say that every character should have gotten their own transformation scenes and everything or whatever or that they need to wear those skimpy costumes, but like at least a little bit of visual inspiration would have gone a long way. I mean, they showed at the end that they CAN make the wings and transformation a thing and not make it absolutely terrible. With a bit of fine tuning, things like that would have totally worked! But they scrapped it instead for the sake of just making them basically witches from any other fantasy setting. Like for having gone through the trouble of buying the rights to the Winx Club, they really did all they could to carry over none of the things that would tie this show to the original. I get it, maybe that well of creativity was a little dry, but seriously please give us interesting and distinct visual designs aside from glowy eyes I’m begging.

When it comes to the characters, some are surprisingly fleshed out. I found that Stella is actually a character that I surprisingly enjoyed seeing the development of and exploration of her character. Her past with being abused by her mother and having to preserve her image no matter the cost is something that really shone through in the way that she acted, and she was the character that made the most sense. Aisha is really underdeveloped, and she just ends up being either used to gather information for Bloom or to get Bloom out of a stupid situation. At the end, her friendship with Bloom felt really unearned writing-wise, as we never got to see them bond or ever trust each other like,,,, at all. At the start, I thought that Aisha would end up being Bloom’s closest friend (and maybe love interest but that was more wishful thinking) but they just ended up growing more and more distant and it didn’t feel like a good relationship or a desirable friendship. Terra and Musa got a lot of development as friends actually, and they’re in the same situation Ayesha and Bloom were in- both assigned as roommates who learned to live with each other and grew close as friends. At the end, when they work together to save the life of Terra’s brother, it feels like an awesome payoff to that friendship, and I really wish we got to see more of these character moments and interactions between the story beats. Why this couldn’t have been done with Aisha and Bloom as well? We may never know. (It got sidelined for pretty white boy character. shocker) One thing you’ll hear me say about a lot about this show is that everything felt better near the middle of the season. In the middle, Beatrix was actually interesting and compelling. We had no idea what side she was working for or how to feel about her aside from the lying/murder thing (which yeah maybe not something to hand waive but there are a surprising amount of murderers in this show). By the end, she somehow captivated Dane and Riven, despite the only thing we see her doing with them is drugs or just generally being an asshole to them. It’s an unearned outcome for the character because we never got to see why these guys actually love her so much. From what we see, there’s almost nothing that would make us assume that she feels any genuine love for either of them at all. Bloom herself felt kinda iffy for me. As a character, she’s quick to anger and doesn’t back down from confrontation. Because of this, she breaks a lot of rules. I will say that one thing that a lot of shows with a similar dynamic do is have the hot-headed main character drag their friends into everything they’re doing and selfishly put them in danger. I feel like Bloom wasn’t like that, but that’s mostly because her friendships with the other girls felt pretty,,,, weak. Like we get to see them interact with each other a lot, but Bloom kinda felt like she was off doing something else most of the time. The one character she confides in and gets to show some development with is Sky, but Sky is just bland white boy love interest #90594 and aside from being kinda nice and chivalrous sometimes, he mainly just exists because it wouldn’t be an angsty teen drama without a boring love interest shoehorned in. The ONLY time I liked Sky was his moments with Stella, because Stella had originally broken up with him, before late coming back to him and missing him. In other shows, this normally ends up in an annoying and stupid love triangle that takes up way too much screen time. For Fate though, they held off on the romance with Bloom because she told him that she wasn’t ready at the moment to deal with a relationship, and the story respected that decision and chose instead to focus on Sky and Stella’s relationship, which got a clean ending when they both mutually agreed that their relationship is co-depended and unhealthy. Even if Sky is a boring love interest, and his and Bloom’s relationship feels uninteresting, I appreciate that the writers gave both dynamics their time to breathe.

The ending of the show felt,,,, so rushed and unsatisfying. Having all of our characters work to stop the oncoming threat, only for all of it to be ripped away in a montage just to tease a second season isn’t a good way to make people want to continue watching. Plus, they just killed the headmaster out of the blue?? Just as we were liking her as a character and beginning to trust that she had good intentions and wasn’t evil??? Plus we don’t get to see any of the characters reactions or even see Bloom’s reaction, especially since we finally got to see her get a good moment of reconciliation with her. Like,,, god that ending was so dumb, and I know the only reason they did it was to make it seem like there’s this huge intense overarching story when really,,,, that could be explored in the second season. I really hate that this show made it all like “oh Bloom is the chosen one with the dragon fire” or whatever. Netflix shows do this a lot in my experience, where they have this main character with some vaguely defined chosen one abilities and they have to face off against some approaching evil we haven’t seen yet that is TOTALLY worse than this season’s villain just you wait. Just,,, stop, please let me enjoy the payoff of the season. If I enjoyed it, then you don’t need some stupid cliffhanger to keep me coming for the next season- I’ll come back because the show was captivating and left a good impression.

So yeah those are my thoughts. I think that the show has potential that was squandered by poor design and lack of character interaction in favor of pushing the overarching plot forward. I really hope it succeeds and improves on what it fell short on, and despite all of the harsh things I had to say about it, it’s a fun time! If it looks like it might interest you, there’s definitely something there to enjoy. If it looks like it would be more fun to laugh at because it’s an edgy reboot of a children’s fairy magical girl cartoon, then that’s ok too! I’m with you there lol

#fate winx saga #winx #winx reboot #winx spoilers #fate winx saga spoilers #do I think that anyone has that tag spoiled?#no #no I do not #because I don't think there is a single person on earth who was looking forward to watching this tbh fdjkkfdlgj

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deathbyseventeen · 4 years

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Since the Day I Met You (1)

Title: Since the Day I Met You (Part 1 of 2) || Part 2

Series: Between the Dusty and the Sparks

Words: ≅18.002

Genre: Steampunk, Sci-Fi, Romance, Pining, Adventure, Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Woozi/Jihoon x (F)Reader

❦❦

Blurb: For better or worse, he’s been your friend since the day you met. You’ve been through a lot together already, you, Jihoon, and your ragtag rebel family. But someone messed up, someone made the elitist Sparks government focus on you all– a group of nobody rebels in the cast-off City of Dust that have never even seen the luxury of the walled-off City of Sparks. With a heavy, love-stricken heart, choices have to be made; and, as the leaders of this family, for better or worse

they will be made.

A/N: This AU can be read as a standalone but it *is* a continuation of Steampunk Hoshi - that can be found here: MISSED CONNECTIONS (Y/N ver.) or MISSED CONNECTIONS (Third Person, AO3 Ver).

❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦❦

As the sun rose higher into the sky and the heated the land of the Dust, two of its resident engineers tinkered on their projects silently.

They worked inside a long building, separated from their main house by a make-shift greenhouse, that only held two rooms. Inside these medium-sized rooms were workshops, personalized by each of its owners; and yet, their workshops were nearly identical.

A long table with gears, tools, and half-finished projects was set up against the back wall. Crates filled to the brim with nuts, bolts, gears, and scrap metal were pushed up and stacked on top of one another, against the left walls, waiting to be used.

A single, thin, decaying wall at the center of the building divided them. The sound of their hammers being brought down on metal sheets and their fists pounding against their worktables in frustration, could be heard when one stopped to rest.

At times, they stared at the door on the flimsy wall that connected the rooms and wondered if the day would come where they could stop pretending that they only held the feelings of friends for each other.

But, it hadn’t yet, so they sat on their stools and continued on with their projects.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

It was the old, rusty hammer that you had found one day when you had snuck out of the house and roamed the Dunes of the Forgotten, that your hand was most accustomed to. It was the hammer that had gone missing from your tool box months ago.

You weren’t sure how you knew the specific sound it made when it was being used, but you did, and at the moment, you could hear him using it— slamming it against his latest project, the sound reverberating through the cracked anvil that he owned.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

You sighed as you wiped the sweat off your face and then wiped your hands on your pants. They were dirty anyway, covered in grease and dust. Who would notice the difference?

You looked out the window that faced the path back home, wondering how long you had been in your workshop when the bell attached to your favorite window started to ring.

It couldn’t be ignored. They knew.

Even when you were completely immersed in your ministrations, you always found yourself glancing out of your favorite “casement window” (as Joshua had explained to you when he had fixed it) with a half-circle top. It was tall and wide and it let you see out to where the fences had been added to surround the house.

“Y/N! Jihoon!” A faint, faraway voice drifted into your workshop, tearing you away from your favorite window.

You turned around to face the front door and found it closed. A moment later, you remembered you had closed it to keep the warmth of the fire you had started in your furnace in your room. Sighing, you stood up to take a peek out of the small, square-shaped window that faced the back of your house.

Joshua.

Even with the bonnet-styled roof dropping a shadow over the window, you could still make out that it was him running in your direction because of the way the small lather pack wrapped around his left thigh bounced against his leg.

Grinning to yourself, you ran up to the dividing wall, lifted a hand to pound it, and paused. Usually, you’d let Jihoon known that someone was coming and that he should come by pounding on the door.

But… it had been hours since you had last seen Jihoon.

Trying not to run, you jogged out of your workshop and straight into Jihoon’s. A wave of heat hit you instantly as you crossed the threshold.

“Wow,” you said, “it’s really hot in here. Maybe you should turn off your furnace for a while.”

It was almost comical the way Jihoon dropped the hammer he had in his hand and turned to look at you like he had just been caught doing something indecent.

You tried not to giggle, choosing to look around to calm down first. That’s when you noticed that he didn’t have a fire in his furnace— the heat in the room was coming from the sun entering the room from the left wall’s window.

“Oh, it’s hot because the sun’s hitting your shop directly… Ji, you should come over and use my workshop instead of staying here like this.”

“W-what are you doing here?” He stuttered, his face flush.

“Jihoon,” you sighed, “don’t change the subject. Look at your face.”

“M-my face?” He asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah—” you answered as stepped closer to him, your hands reaching up to gingerly cups his cheeks, “you’re too hot. You’re burning up. You could be minutes away from having a heat stroke.”

You were simply worried about his wellbeing. Your words were far from registering in your thoughts and they wouldn’t until nightfall when you would revisit the day’s events.

If it wasn’t for the suffocating heat that had plastered red on Jihoon’s cheeks, you might have been able to notice a fresh, non-sun induced wave of heat running up his face and to the tips of ears.

“I’m fine,” Jihoon told you, swallowing.

“Next time go to my workshop. I won’t mind. Alright?”

“Alright,” Jihoon nodded.

You frowned and it took Jihoon all he had in him not to kiss your frown away. Instead, he lifted his hands to lay them on yours, and while he tried not to intertwine them, he pulled your hands off his cheeks.

“Why are you here?”

You paused. It sounded like he didn’t want you here.

Smiling, you cleared your throat and backtracked to the door, “I wasn’t sure if you heard the bell—” Jihoon looked at the bell tied above his window, “Joshua’s coming up the trail right now. My shop, yeah?”

Perhaps it had been a bad idea to come to his workshop instead of knocking on the diving door to let him know they shared a visitor like always.

He hummed in response— a yes, you knew and nodded before backing out of his shop and speed walking back into yours. A quick look outside showed you Joshua was nearly there. So, you rushed to your worktable and placed an empty box over the project you had just been working on.

Not a second later, you watched as Joshua neared your door, glanced at Jihoon’s workshop, nodded at him, and then jogged into your shop.

“Y/N!” He cheered as he enveloped you in a hug, pushing you backward.

“Joshua!” You laughed. “You’re back! How was the trip? You aren’t hurt, are you?”

“Trip?” He said as he shot you a look and then motioned for you to sit down. “Y/N, you know very well that I wasn’t on a trip. I was doing recon—”

“What’s wrong about letting Y/N call it a ‘trip?’ We know what it was,” Jihoon grumbled as he entered through the front door.

He glanced at you for a fleeting moment before focusing on Joshua. Seconds passed as they both took opposite walls to lean against. Joshua on the dividing and Jihoon on the opposite. They smiled at each other as if the dry, afternoon wind had just brought in the smell of rot and decay from the dunes of the Forgotten, miles away.

“Alright,” you swallowed nervously. The two never seemed to get along and figuring out why didn’t seem to be in your cards. “The bells were ringing. Is something going on?”

“Cheol wants to call a meeting.”

You nodded, “Okay, I’ll meet you guys at home. I just need to put away my things.”

“I’ll wait for you,” Joshua said.

“No, no,” you responded quickly, “I’ll only be a minute. You guys go on…ahead.”

“O-kay?” Joshua said hesitantly.

You watched as Jihoon hurried out the door, not once turning back to spare you a second glance.

“Go on,” you smiled reassuringly at Joshua when he stopped at the door. Then you waited.

It didn’t take very long for either of them to be far enough where they couldn’t see into your workshop. In an instant, you were up from your seat and at the door closing it, gently, so they wouldn’t turn around and come back.

Running back to your worktable, you removed the box you had placed over your project and smiled. Quickly, as to not risk having it seen, you grabbed the half-done brown, leather belt’s pieces and one by one, placed them in the box— the belt, the holster, the three small packs you were planning to add to it, all of it. Then, you closed the box and sealed it with a long piece of used tape.

It only needed to look sealed, after all. You would be back to work on it as soon as you could. You just didn’t want anyone to see it.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Where’s Y/N?” You heard Seungcheol say as you entered the back hallway of the house and headed straight to the door the opened up to the inner courtyard.

“She said she’d be a minute,” Joshua sighed.

“Why didn’t you stay with her? You know she’s going to start working again.”

“Y/N doesn’t need a babysitter,” Jihoon snapped and you stopped. Never had you been more grateful for your tendency to wear your dying, brown combat boots. Their worn-out blocked heel, so close to the ground, kept you from making any noise when you walked; and now, they let you see how Jihoon interacted with Seungcheol and the others when you weren’t around.

Your mind jumped back to a day three years ago when they had all refused to tell you what was going on after you returned. You could feel the heaviness in the room that day but you never managed to get the truth out of them.

“She’s perfectly capable of following through on her word on her own,” he grumbled, “Why can’t you just start the meeting already.”

“I asked for a meeting,” Seungcheol grumbled in return.

Your eyebrows furrowed, Seungcheol really had no reason to hold back because you weren’t there.

“I can’t start a meeting. You two are the leaders of this group. None of us can do anything without your approval.”

“Our approval?” Jihoon scoffed, “Neither of us asked to be leaders of this shitty group.”

You frowned. Deciding it was time to stop eavesdropping, you crossed through the door and sped walked to the center of the courtyard.

While more of the people you had… found, were sitting legs crossed within the overgrown grass inside the stone fountain, others, including the newest addition to your once sanctuary, were standing backs straight and tense, as the watched Seungcheol and Jihoon. Those two, on the other hand, were standing inches from each other. If you didn’t know better, you’d say they looked like they had their chests puffed out to intimidate the other and there were only seconds left before someone threw a punch. But you did, and you knew that within their narrowed eyes, a fight was already raging on.

Jihoon shifted.

“Enough,” You barked with faux confidence, “I don’t understand what’s going on here, but it’s enough.”

Standing behind Soonyoung, one of the first you and Jihoon had found, a twenty-two-year-old woman that he had brought from Sparks, squeaked and clutched his torso. You scoffed. She had already been around all of you for half a year.

“Afraid, are you,” you sneered, giving her outfit choice a once over. She was wearing a loose, leather brown dress, a copper-colored, long-sleeved, button-up shirt, and brown, ankle-high boots. Everything, including her socks and the piece of cloth holding her hair in a ponytail, screamed Dusty. But, she wasn’t.

You hated it.

She wasn’t a Dusty. Even with the clothes, she didn’t look like she belonged here.

She didn’t.

You knew the disgust was obvious on your face.

“Y/N,” Soonyoung said. A warning was evident in his voice and in the narrowing of his eyes.

“What?” Jihoon snapped, turning to him. “Do you have something to say. Soonyoung? Because I don’t think you have the right to complain.”

“Enough,” You barked again. You rolled your eyes as Luz— the Sparkian, jumped. “I don’t care what you think, Star-man.”

Then, you turned to Seungcheol who watched on with crossed arms.

“You called a meeting, didn’t you?” A discussion about leadership would have to take place later. You already had one headache starting to build.

“Right,” Seungcheol nodded. Though he still had a frown on his face, he motioned for you to take a seat next to the others— Chan, Seokmin, and Mingyu, in the fountain. Jihoon followed suit if only to lean against the top half of it, next to you on your right.

“I don’t know if you remember, but Joshua left us a month ago to go on a recon mission. Only I, Y/N, and Jihoon, really knew why and since Joshua came back today, I think it’s better if we all know what he discovered,” he paused and glanced at you and Jihoon, “Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Y/N agreed, turning to nod at everyone else.

“Joshua?” Seungcheol asked, “Would you mind telling us what you found?”

On your other side, Joshua shifted and cleared his throat. “O-Of course,” he answered.

Dread ran down your body in an involuntary shudder. Something felt wrong.

Joshua stood up and joined Seungcheol at the front. He smiled awkwardly before clearing his throat again.

“Well, I went away to go check on the other access points we have into Sparks. They’re all fine and nothing has been moved from the way we set it up and there were no footprints in the sand. After I was done with that I was supposed to find a way into the government’s database to see if they had any information on any of us.”

“Get to the point,” Jihoon said curtly, cutting in.

“Mmm, well… I had to sneak into the Sparking Tower… it’s the government’s headquarters. I-It was the only way to…” he trailed off nervously.

“What… did you find?” You asked slowly, pushing yourself off the ground to stand tall next to Jihoon.

“They don’t know much about us, who we are or what we’re doing… but they do suspect that we’re a band of rebels trying to usurp the government.” He stopped and looked down at his feet.

“Isn’t that what we are?” Chan, the youngest in their group, asked. He was confused. Having the title of rebels had long been wordlessly accepted between everyone. Now that Joshua was openly stating it and hesitating at that, something felt off.

“Yes,” Jihoon answered him quietly as if it were some taboo secret that he couldn’t bring himself to talk about any louder.

“Sort of,” you added quietly, “A bit. But not exactly, Chan. We’re not trying to overthrow the government… but we are… against them?” What you were was hard for you to explain when you couldn’t figure out how to form sentences that made sense.

You looked at Joshua. He refused to meet anyone’s eyes. That’s when you knew there was something else going on that he didn’t want to say— something he didn’t know how to say.

“What else?” You asked calmly though your hands were starting to ball up into clammy fists.

“They know about Soonyoung and Luz.”

“So?” You asked. Anger was beginning to bubble. Even without the light of the sun reflecting off discarded glass and metals, everything around you was starting to be overtaken by a red tint.

“They… might be trying to figure out how they communicated between borders. And since they suspect that they’re in a relationship, and Luz was…” he trailed off, shooting Luz and apologetic look before continuing, “a common citizen in Sparks, they’re on high alert.”

“Meaning?” You asked through gritted teeth, trying very hard to not scream.

“Meaning they probably assigned some elite to come after us. Is that it, Joshua?”

You looked at Jihoon, horrified at the words coming out of his mouth. He, more than anyone else here, knew what those words triggered inside you.

He avoided you eyes. He stared unblinkingly at Joshua instead, a red flush racing to the top of his ears.

“They assigned a special operations agent to investigate us, find us, and eventually… eliminate us.” he finished, swallowing the rock that was forming in his throat.

You paused, trying to swallow the anger you felt.

You failed.

“Because of a nobody?” You asked. Every word you spoke rose in volume as the anger flowed freely. “Because… of a nobody,” you hissed, “she isn’t even one of us.”

“Y/N!” Soonyoung boomed.

“What?!” You yelled in return, turning to your left to glare at him.

He glared at you in return, and behind him, Luz avoided your gaze.

“You have no right—”

“No right?” You scoffed.

“Our lives are in danger because you decided to bring some nobody into our home.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Not fair?” You hissed, “You’re a lovesick idiot. Have you even finished the repairs on the zeppelin or have you been too busy fucking that Sparkian on the runway? Who, by the way, probably didn’t even believe that the Dusty deserved the same rights as her. Ask her!” You yelled, “Ask her what she thought of the Dusty! You brought in a stranger, Soonyoung! Did she even know your real name?!”

“I did what I had to do!”

“What you had to do?” You laughed.

“She’s responsible for her own actions just as much as you are,” you hissed, “she knew what she was doing when she used that damn Monet! And let’s not forget that if she hadn’t used it in broad daylight like some idiot, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place!”

Luz jumped and ran inside.

“Pathetic,” you seethed.

“Y/N!” Soonyoung growled, fury written all over his face.

“Fuck off,” Jihoon grumbled, stepping in front of you protectively, “You know Y/N’s right. Our lives are on the line and it’s your fault. We worked in secrecy and you two screwed it up.”

“Screw you,” Soonyoung hissed.

“No need,” you snapped as you started to back away in the direction of the workshops, “You already did that when you chose to bring some privileged Spark here and had her pretend she’s one of us.”

Soonyoung didn’t answer. He glared at you before turning around and chasing after Luz.

Sitting in the fountain, Chan, Seokmin and Mingyu, looked on wide-eyed.

They didn’t know what to do. They had just been hit with an avalanche of information.

Chan nudged Seokmin and Mingyu. He pointed a thumb toward the inside of their home and as they disappeared inside, Seungcheol groaned and followed.

Joshua was the last one to remain outside, looking your retreating back.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Y/N,” Joshua yelled, trying to console you. But, you ignored him.

“Infamous last words,” Jihoon grumbled at him as he walked beside you, and, you couldn’t agree more.

A distance away from the courtyard, in the empty backyard, Jihoon walked as he had been doing with you lately, silently.

With everything that had gone down, you were thankful that at the least, the person you considered your closest friend was still walking beside you.

You didn’t try talking to him, too afraid that he would leave you to walk alone with your thoughts, to wallow without end.

A gentle touch brought you out of your own torment. Out of the corner of your left eye, you saw Jihoon’s hand hovering over your elbow. It took him a second to realize that you were looking at him and retreat back into himself.

Disappointed, you cleared your throat and shoved your hands into the pockets of your pants. The heat of the sun had warmed your clothes and shoving your hands into the pockets of your pants gave you a fleeting feeling of warmth spreading all over your body.

But not a minute later, you found your left hand being pulled out of your pocket and into another.

Jihoon coughed, avoiding your eyes as you whipped your head around to look at him.

All thoughts left you and without realizing, your gaze trailed down his arm until it reached his hand. Hidden as it may have been inside his own pocket, you were able to see his hand enveloping yours.

It was calloused but pleasing. It sent warmth up your arms, up your cheeks, and down your body.

You wondered if your cheeks were red because you swore you couldn’t feel anything but his hand at that moment.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” he whispered when you turned back around, squeezing your hand. And at that moment, the weird way he had been acting disappeared, replaced by the comfort he made you feel and the trust he reminded you that you had in him.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

10 Years Ago (Age: 13)

It was the first night in three months that it wasn’t raining. Hours ago, the rain had stopped but you were still stuck inside your home, waiting for the sloshy ground to dry.

You had been warned plenty of times by your parents that if you tried to go out while the land was settling its dues with the rainwater, you’d be putting your life in danger. ‘Death,’ it seemed like they had wanted to say, but instead decided on saying that the earth would swallow you up.

You wanted to laugh. It had been raining without end for three months. What could be worse than having to use small, steam-powered boats to travel?

…

Alright. You had to admit that technically going out at night in the Dusty was probably more dangerous itself.

Raiders walked day and night, their… shadier business happening under the cover of night. Or at least that’s what your parents had told you when noises outside your window woke you up in the middle of the night and they rushed into your room to tell you to lock your door and hide under the bed until they told you to open the door.

Houses were raided.

People went missing.

This was constant.

But you ignored this. If you didn’t, you feared that you’d be too afraid to go outside again.

Ignoring the warning they had given you, you found yourself jumping out of your bed and racing to put on the warmest clothes you could find. Though it’d been raining day and night, the way temperature worked was yet to change. Days were hot and nights were cold as ice.

A worn pair of old, dark brown leather pants your dad had gifted you not long ago for your twelfth birthday, an old, yellowing, long-sleeved shirt, a black, cotton jacket, and black, knee-high boots.

You shoved some coins into your pockets and plucked the heart-shaped stone that your parents had gifted you. It went into your pockets like the coins.

Then, after poking your head out of your room to check that your parents were asleep, you sped walked through the open hallways, staring up at the night sky and shivering as the cold air hit you. The stairs caused you no trouble, they were easy to jog down; and, before you knew it, you were slipping past the smaller, metal front door that you had just helped your father oil that same day, locking it with your key, and racing towards the train tracks a mile away.

You glanced down at your wrist as you ran, trying to catch a glimpse of your watch to see the time. Half an hour till midnight. You’d be getting to the main city of Dust around midnight if you managed to catch the train.

Luck was on your side that night as you got to the tracks with a minute to spare.

As the freight train raced passed you, your eyes locked onto one car in the distance. Its door had been left open and you knew that was the car you had to make it into.

Jumping trains was a dance with death. Without your parents to spot you, you had to rely on your own skill.

You took a deep breath as it was ten seconds away from you. ‘I’m a Dusty,’ you reminded yourself.

Five seconds.

Your parents had been teaching you to do this since you could walk. It’s the only way to get around without horses. But back then, they’d always held your hand as they ran. They’d basically pulled you the entire time. Now you were doing it on your own.

Three seconds.

You took another deep breath and stomped your feet, losing the clumps of mud that had stuck to them like glue.

Then you ran.

Just as the car started to reach you, you jumped, lunged, and tumbled into the car, narrowly avoiding one of the moving side rods on the train’s wheels.

You laughed as you laid inside, the air whipping past you.

The rain was gone.

It had been so long since you had been out.

And the ground had yet to eat you up.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

You weren’t sure what you had been expecting when you reached the main city of Dust. Maybe you hadn’t been expecting anything in the first place. But when you got there and found the streets were under a foot of water, you found yourself startled.

Water was dangerous for a Dusty. Hardly anyone ever learned how to swim— large bodies of water were…rare. Your parents had told you about “pools” existing in the old world, a structure that had been built for people to swim in. They told you how some homes, bigger homes, had pools meant for that specific home.

Things like that would be considered wasteful now.

You paused. Would the planetarium you wanted to go to still be open?

The streets weren’t as full as they usually were, but they weren’t empty either.

They felt like the back alleys and abandoned sections of the city, where people always went missing or wound up dead.

‘Well,’ you thought to yourself, ‘I’ve already come this far,’ and with that, you set off to the north end of the city.

You hadn’t been walking for five minutes when you realized that you had followed a very bad idea. Not only was the water level rising, but the streets were getting emptier by the second.

Soulless.

It seemed everyone else had realized much sooner that the north end of the city would be significantly underwater. The city’s land dropped after all before it came up again like a hill.

It wasn’t much of a drop, not much a hill, but it was enough for the water to reach your waist. You waded through it, pushing through with as much force as you could as the frigid waters made it harder to move.

There was no way the planetarium, or any places for that matter, would be open.

You shook your head, disappointed.

The only thing you could do now was to go back in the direction you had come from. You were just about to take a step in the other direction when a body rammed into you, knocking you into the water.

Caught off guard, you sunk to the bottom while choking on the water that rushed into your lungs before a hand grabbed yours and pulled you up.

“We have to run!”

They pulled you up as you struggled to breathe, heaving water at every second. At that moment, it didn’t seem to matter to you that some stranger was pulling you along.

Until it did.

“What the heck?!” You yelped, pulling your hand out of their grip. “Stranger!” You yelled as you turned to run the other way. “Stranger danger!”

“Stop, would you!” They snapped.

You stopped, ignoring the voice in your head telling you to run.

The voice you were hearing was too ‘childish,’ you thought to yourself. They were annoyed, yes, but their voice was too soft to belong to an adult like your dad or your mom.

You turned around slowly then, afraid that your judgment had been wrong.

But it hadn’t.

In front of you, a boy no older than you by the looks of it, stared at you wide-eyed and panting. His round cheeks were as red as you imagined yours were.

It was instinct to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“They’re after me! And they’ll grab you too.”

“What?” You asked, confused.

For a moment, the boy looked ashamed. Then the look

disappeared and instead, he looked impatient, “I stole something from them and they caught me as I was leaving.”

“Then give it back,” you said.

He scoffed, “It’s too late for that. They’re looking for blood now and whether they find you or me, they’ll kill.”

“Wha—”

“Where are you, you fucking twerp? I know you’re down here! The waters don’t lie!” An older, rougher voice bellowed around the corner from where the two of you had stopped.

Your heart stopped.

That voice sounded far from friendly.

“We have to go,” the boy whispered hurriedly. This time you didn’t try to wiggle your arm out of his hand. Instead, you ran as fast as you could through the waters until he eventually let go.

Then, when the waters reached your chest, you grabbed his hand yourself.

The cold was making it hard to move, but fear ate away at your insides and pushed you to keep moving.

“W-where are we going?” You whispered.

“W-we have to g-go to my hideout, or we’ll g-get s-sick, but w-we have to hide f-first,” the cold was starting to get to him too.

“Come out. Come out, wherever you are. I promise not to hurt you.” The pursuers gruff voice laughed around the corner. The water sloshed as they came closer.

A flash of heat ran down your body as you panicked.

“In t-there,” the boy pointed at the building next to the two of you.

The windows had been left open and even in the darkness, you could tell that the room dipped inside.

“We c-can’t go in there,” you stopped him as he took a step towards it, “the waters are deeper. I don’t know how to swim.”

The boy stared at you for a second, “I won’t let you drown. I-I promise.”

It took you a moment to answer him. In hushed whispers, you relented and let him pull you forward.

In less than a minute, he was pulling you into the darkness of the farthest corner, where even the light of the moon couldn’t reach.

Just barely, on the tip of your toes, could you push your face over the water.

“On the count of three,” he said as the sloshing got closer, “w-we go under.”

“One,” you said, swallowing your fear.

“Two,” he followed as the man’s grumbling sounds neared the building.

‘Three,’ he mouthed, and then, together, you submerged yourselves underwater.

Holding your breath was torture. You remembered that the only times you’d ever tried to keep your breath was when your mother used to fill the tub with warm water. In those moments, you’d always have the option to rise and breathe when you needed it. You didn’t have that option now; and, with every second that ticked by, you felt your resolve breaking.

As if sensing your struggle, the boy squeezed your hand and although that didn’t solve the air problem, it did comfort you a bit.

You forced yourself to relax, emptying all the thoughts in your head and clutching his hand. Time moved faster then, and before you knew it, he was pulling you closer to him so he could lead you forward.

“I-Is he gone?” You whispered when you were above water.

“I think so,” he answered, “I can’t hear him anymore.”

You nodded sluggishly.

“Common,” he said, pulling you forward, “we need to go.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

You were drenched. From head to toe, all you could feel was the prickly iciness of your clothes sticking to your skin and the cold night air hitting it.

Your bones hurt.

How long you’d been walking with the nameless boy beside you, you didn’t know. You weren’t even sure that your watch continued to work after going through the works with water.

You weren’t even sure in which direction he was taking you, all memory of the city was lost along with the feeling in your toes.

“How much farther?” You asked quietly.

“We’re here,” he answered just as quietly. He nodded at the old building just up ahead.

It looked old and worn out like most of the buildings in the Dust. But closer to it, you saw that it was missing windows and doors too. ‘Ravaged for parts,’ you thought to yourself.

“That doesn’t look so safe,” you tried to say, but your voice dwindled as you spoke.

“It’s fine,” the boy said, “it does its job.”

You didn’t answer as you followed him. You were too tired to argue with him.

When he realized you weren’t going to answer, he spoke again, “It’s not that bad. It’s falling apart but it’s not dangerous. The rain didn’t get inside either, so it’s dry.”

“Okay,” you said.

The inside of the building looked just as the outside did, old and worn out. But to the boy's credit, you admitted that it didn’t look as bad as you imagined it would be. The walls were just beginning to peel and the holes in them looked more like someone had taken a hammer to them. They weren’t decayed, or at least, they weren’t as decayed as the buildings you were used to.

“We’re going into the basement,” the boy muttered in front of you.

“Is there light?”

“No, I usually use a torch. We can use it to start a fire though,” he said. You could almost hear his desire for sleep in his voice, “it’ll help dry us so we won’t get hypothermia.”

“I think we’re past that,” you said, “I can’t feel my toes. Besides, I need to get home before the suns up.”

“I’ll help you get home,” he sighed, “but let’s start a fire first.”

You would have liked your descent into the basement to be slow and careful. But despite your silent hopes, the boy walked quicker, already accustomed to the place and that left you to follow quicker than you liked lest you be left in the dark to figure it out yourself.

You were pleasantly surprised, though, when after reaching the final step, you found yourself in a concrete basement full of fruits and blankets; and, at the center of it all, wood stacked up in a pile and the boy was already lighting it on fire.

“Mothers of gears,” you shuddered as a wave of heat reached you.

“Take off what you want dried,” he mumbled, red smoothing over his cheeks. “I promise I won’t look. You can cover yourself with the blankets.”

You did so quickly, taking off your boots, socks, pants, shirt, sweater— everything but your undergarments, piled it up, and shoved it towards the fire. After wrapping a thick blanket around yourself, you settled near the fire and called out to him.

“I’m done.”

Without a word, he swiveled around and neared you to take the clothes you had taken off. You watched on silently as he set-up a pulley system above the fire and hanged your clothes and shoes.

An hour later, while you were both laying on opposite sides of the fire, curiosity spiked inside you though sleep was starting to nip at you.

“What did you even steal to get them that mad?” You asked.

The boy was silent for a while before answering, “Food.”

“Oh.” You didn’t know what to say. He had been caught stealing food. Why did he even have to steal food in the first place? He was too young to steal…

“Don’t judge me,” he grumbled, pulling his blanket tighter around himself.

“I’m not judging you,” you said, “I know that some of us have to steal to survive. My parents have done it before too.”

Silence.

“Sorry.”

“No need,” he mumbled, “I’m used to it.”

“You’re a stranger,” you spoke, staring into the flames in front of you, “but you look as old as I am. And to think that you had to steal food…it just doesn’t—”

There was silence between the two of you. Without meaning to, you eyes flicked over to the boy.

“I’m Jihoon.”

“Y/N.”

“Thank you… for trusting me, even though you don’t know me.”

You shrugged under the blankets, meeting Jihoon’s eyes, “Something told me I could trust you.”

Even under his own blankets, you could have sworn he shot you a smile. A blush crept up your neck and flooded into your cheeks.

You curled into yourself, embarrassed by the fire on your cheeks.

“Do you… do you actually trust me?”

“Yes.”

In another life, you might have been ashamed of how fast you answered him.

“Then sleep,” he whispered, “I’ll wake you in an hour and help you get home.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

It had been three years since Jihoon had offered you a home in his own. Three years since that boy had offered you a room next to his; and, three years since your parents had…

No.

No. You wouldn’t think of that.

It had been days since you had fought with Soonyoung because of the insufferable tick he’s got attached to his side. Neither had spoken a word to each other; and when Luz caught a glance of you, she would scurry like a rat back into her hole.

Her inability to face you only made you dislike her even more.

And to top it all off, Seungcheol had yet to treat himself as a leader, insisting that you and Jihoon were the true leaders of this band of rebels. If that were the case, you thought to yourself, you were running out of time to come up with a plan.

A plan had to be made, sooner rather than later. You had choices to make and you couldn’t make them alone.

You’d been awake since four in the morning, huddled in the corner that your bed rested on. You could glance out of your window if you turned your head enough, and see the outline of your workshop.

You wondered if anyone else was awake. Were nightmares plaguing their dreams like they were yours? Unable to sleep for long?

The wall across from yours shuddered with a small pang.

You were still for a second.

That wall also belonged to Jihoon.

You stood up and made your way to the door, trying not to trip over the length of your pajama pants in your hurry.

Without giving yourself a moment to doubt your choice, you stepped to the door next to yours, opened it, and stepped inside.

You looked at Jihoon dumbly, your mouth moving like a fish’s as you tried to think of what to say.

“You’re awake?”

Jihoon looked at you blankly, nodding once.

“Me too.” Stupid. “I-I just, I heard you hit the wall and I was awake and I was just wondering if you were…alright?”

Silence.

“Yeah.”

Silence yet again.

A gust of wind hit your partially exposed back, making you shiver. Putting on a sweater hadn’t crossed your mind.

“You forgot to bring a sweater,” Jihoon said, glancing at your bare arms.

You nodded in confirmation. Without missing a beat, he patted the spot next to him on his bed.

Thankful that he wasn’t kicking you out yet, you threw the door closed and rushed to his side. You practically jumped into his bed and pulled the blanket over the two of you, sitting side by side.

Relaxed and content with the silence between the two of you, you started to doze off. Only when your head fell on his shoulder did you startle yourself back awake.

“Jihoon,” you whispered, softly as to not disturb him if he had already fallen asleep.

He hummed in response.

“What are we going to do?”

“About?”

“The impending doom that Joshua was trying to tell us about.”

“Nothing’s going to happen,” he scoffed under his breath. But you were able to hear him anyway.

“But what if that man does find out about us? Where we live.”

“We’ll be alright.”

“How?” You asked him, worry bleeding into the question.

“We’ll disappear before he can get to us. Find a new home.”

Silence overtook the two as you tried to unravel what he was proposing.

“We’d have to abandon your house?” You whispered sadly to him, pushing off his shoulder to look at him in the darkness of his room. But even in the darkness, you could still find his eyes staring attentively at you.

“This isn’t just my house,” he said, “this is your house too.”

“Jihoon,” you started, “this is your parent’s house.”

“But it’s not my only home.”

Under the covers, Jihoon’s left hand made its way to yours, his fingers intertwining with yours. He held your hand gently as if he were afraid of crushing it.

“Don’t you trust me?”

“I do.”

“So…”

“If they find out about us… and they send someone after us…”

“Trust me, and we’ll escape. I won’t let anything happen to us,” he whispered to you.

You knew you could trust him. As he peered into your eyes, trying to get you to understand that nothing bad would happen, you felt your love for him, your trust for him, grow.

“Okay,” you whispered back to him, squeezing his hand.

“Let’s go to sleep, yeah?” He asked you as he nodded at the pillow on his bed.

You nodded. “Sleep would be nice,” you mumbled, laying down next to the wall.

Jihoon laid down next to you, trapping you against the wall. He waited for you to complain, to show any signs of discomfort, but you didn’t.

He pulled the covers gently over both your bodies.

You sighed in contempt as you nuzzled into one of his pillows.

Even if only for a few hours, you’d be sleeping comfortably for the rest of the night.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

The fire you were standing over, turned your face red.

You gritted your teeth in a shaky snarl as you brought your hammer down on the red hot metal below you.

No matter how much you tried not to think, your anger was spilling out with each blow you brought upon the metal. The metal, it mocked you.

While you tried to make sure that it bent in the direction you were working for, it showed you your reflection. A red face. A snarl. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes.

It made you angry.

You felt like a fool.

<><><><><><><><><>

“Should we wake them up?”

“What are they even doing together?”

“Do we have a choice?”

“Let’s wake them.”

“But, I’ve never seen them sleep past sunrise…”

“I’ll go ask Cheol if we can postpone.”

They all mumbled so they wouldn’t wake you. Still, you were awoken by their conversation.

Squeezing your eyes shut as the sunlight started to bypass your eyelids, you hummed and nuzzled further into your pillow.

Someone aww’d. Who it was, you didn’t know. Your brain was still loading.

“They look so cute together!”

That startled you.

You were starting to register that someone was in your room. A couple of seconds later, you registered their words.

A particularly long inhale introduced a musky and sweaty scent to you. It was a familiar smell, and it didn’t take you long to place it.

You opened your eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light in the room. It wasn’t long before you noticed you were staring at black cloth.

You had a palm against it. Your fingers twitched, and it dawned you. You were pressed up against a chest.

Whose chest? Who was you cuddled up to?

Jihoon.

You gulped.

You almost didn’t want to check. But the warmth you were feeling...

Ever so carefully, so you wouldn’t alert the others in the room, you tilted your head upwards until you could see the person you were sleeping with.

‘Jihoon,’ you gulped.

Your eyes darted back down to the hand against the black fabric— ‘Jihoon’s chest,’ you corrected yourself.

He was warm.

Your fingers curled around the black fabric of his tee. You could feel his hard chest below your hand.

You wanted nothing more than to curl up against Jihoon again, take in his scent and bask in his warmth.

But you couldn’t. To anyone unfamiliar with Jihoon’s sleeping patterns, they might have missed the twitch of his fingers. You couldn’t.

The arm he had draped over you tensed. Anyone might have been able to miss his movements. But again, you couldn’t. When you looked at his face again, you realized he was awake.

He looked asleep, but his eyes told you otherwise. Still heavy with sleep, his eyes were only open a slither. The others couldn’t see. His head was angled downward as if curling towards you.

He never blinked.

You wondered if he even saw you.

Then his eyes shot open, and blood rushed to the tip of his ears and dusted his cheeks. Now you knew he saw you.

“Cheol said we should let them sle—”

It came like rain in the Dusty, unexpectedly and suddenly. You were on the ground before you could even get a word out, landing on your side and spraining your wrist.

You groaned from your spot on the ground.

It took everyone else a moment to process what had happened before they rushed to you.

“What happened?!” Chan.

“Are you alright?” Seokmin.

“Here.” Joshua. “Let me help you up.”

“Ow. Ow. OW,” You yelped as he helped you stand.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“I think…” you paused to ride a wave of pain, “I hit my ribs.”

“I don’t think you could have broken them,” Joshua said as he glanced at your side, eyes narrowed in concern, “Perhaps just bruised yourself.”

“Yeah,” you said.

“What happened? How did you fall?” Seokmin asked as he fixed your hair.

“Oh, I just…I think I just…,” you trailed off, glancing at Jihoon.

You studied him, taking in his appearance. His eyes were shut, and his breathing was level.

He looked like he was perfectly asleep.

“I guess I just rolled over and fell out of bed,” you smiled, hoping it didn’t look as fake as you felt it did.

<><><><><><><><><>

He had pushed you out of bed.

You held back a growl as you brought down your hammer again. You should have been more than careful with your project, considering how small it was. The heart you were building fit in the center of your palm perfectly.

Your fingers curled around it, hiding it as you clutched it in anger. Despite the heat it was enveloped in and the searing pain it was causing your palm, you kept it there.

You were starting to question the point in finishing this project, and yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to stop.

The bells started to ring not long after.

As if finally registering the pain you were causing yourself, you tossed your heart into the box on the table behind you.

It took you a single look from your peripheral vision to see Joshua’s form starting to materialize in the distance.

You didn’t wait.

After quickly pouring water into the fire and extinguishing it, you hurried out your door and locked it.

Joshua was perhaps only halfway to the workshops before you sped walked to his side.

“Aren’t you going to wait for Jihoon?” He asked, glancing between you and the workshops.

“If you want, you can go and get him. I’ll go ahead to the meeting. Fountain, right?”

“Yeah,” he answered.

There was a pause as you stared ahead, refusing to look back.

“Better hurry. I plan to make the meeting start as soon as I get there. Don’t feel like wasting any time today.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

It had been a couple of days since you had last seen him, and although he wasn’t looking at you, you could still feel the ghosts of his eyes following your movements.

He glared at the floor, arms crossed, and with his lover protectively at his side.

You wanted to scoff.

You wouldn’t hurt her. Not unless she gave you a reason to.

But you liked it this way. Seeing the Sparkian curling into herself pathetically, avoiding being in your line of sight like you had the power to crush her from so far away.

The rest seemed to ignore it all, casually sitting in the grassy ruins of the fountain.

“Another meeting? It hasn’t even been a week yet.”

“Yeah,” Seungcheol nodded at you. He waited until you had hoisted yourself up into the second bowl of the fountain to continue. “Some…,” he hesitated, “information was brought to my attention.”

“By who?” You asked stiffly. Your swaying legs came to a stop as you crossed them and leaned back on your arms.

You hadn’t realized it until now, but it was frustrating that an ex-Sparkian held information you were supposed to know being as even he had said you were one of the leaders. Even if Seungcheol had joined your group of outlaws years ago…

“Outside sources.”

You raised an eyebrow questioningly. Not that deep down, you knew you could trust him. But, it still frustrated you that he had all the information you were supposed to know.

“What’s going on?”

Jihoon.

It took an amount of restraint you didn’t know you had to keep your eyes on Seungcheol instead of looking at Jihoon, who walked in with Joshua at his heels.

No one responded his question. They didn’t know if they should.

The way you and Seungcheol had yet to take your eyes off each other grew unrest within them. Though in reality, you could see it in Seungcheol’s eyes that he was wondering why you weren’t answering Jihoon’s question.

Eventually, Jihoon reached the fountain and stood off to its side. You could feel his gaze on you, and it made you wonder if he had been asking you that question.

But it didn’t matter, you weren’t going to answer.

Seungcheol seemed to understand that you weren’t going to answer him then when you wouldn’t turn or acknowledge Jihoon in any way.

“We received some new information.”

“And that would be?” You asked impatiently.

“Sparks assigned an elite to trace us. They picked a top operative that goes by the name ‘Eight.’”

Silence.

Seungcheol’s gaze met your’s again and stopped. If the rest didn’t understand what he meant by that information, you did.

“So, they’ll come after us. And even if we’re in the uncharted Dusty, isolated from the main city of Dust… it won’t take that elite long to figure out where we are.”

“What?” You heard Seokmin gasp at your words.

“How long do you think we have?”

“At the most? A week, maybe less.”

“Then we have to leave as soon as possible— get as much distance between us and him as soon as we can.”

“Will that really be enough to get that elite off our trail?” Chan asked, worry lacing his voice.

“Nowhere will be far enough,” Joshua answered quietly.

Startled, your gaze flicked over to him, standing beside Seungcheol. He met your gaze without hesitation, conveying to you all his thoughts in a single second.

Then you hissed, hurt, as you sucked in a breath of air through your teeth. Your breathing sounded so loud to you, you doubted that the rest of your crew had failed to notice.

“What do you mean?” Mingyu asked after a moment of hesitation.

“He…” you started and paused, hoping to find the right words, “…means that we need to disappear.”

“And that would mean?” Chan asked.

“We need help making magic real,” Joshua spoke.

On your right, you could feel Jihoon’s stare land on you again despite your silence.

“Someone really needs to spit it out right now,” Chan grumbled out of growing fear. You could tell.

“We have no government, no law… do we?” You asked rhetorically. “If we want to escape, then we need someone’s help.”

“And who,” Jihoon asked tensely, holding back a growl, “would that be, exactly?”

He was asking you, you knew. But, you couldn’t help but bite your tongue and wait for someone else to answer, still avoiding looking at him.

“The self-proclaimed King of the Dusty,” Joshua began. “As rich and elusive as he can be, anyone who needs… special help usually finds him.”

“His existence is only of rumors,” Jihoon snapped.

“He’s real,” Joshua started, eyes meeting yours.

“And I know how to find him,” you finished, looking into his eyes.

Jihoon scoffed beside you, “You’re going to go find a man that can’t be found? A man that’s known to be a traitor to all? I don’t think so.”

You clenched your teeth together, angry at the words leaving him; and, for the first time all day, you spoke to him though you still didn’t look at him, “This isn’t your choice to make.”

“There must be another way, Seungcheol,” Jihoon snapped, ignoring you.

It made you even angrier.

You thought about meeting Jihoon for the first time— letting him save you.

You thought about Jihoon giving you a safe haven after your’s disappeared.

You thought about the promises he had made you last night.

You were always helpless.

“I’ve made my choice,” you growled, whipping around to look at him before turning to Joshua and Seungcheol. “I’ll be the one to go.”

But not anymore.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

3 Years Ago (Age: 20)

“Keep running!” You screamed over the pounding in your ears.

In the heat of the sun, sweat dripped down your face in bucket fulls. No matter how many times you had run in the scorching sun, your eyes had yet to stop burning when drops of sweat touched them.

You clenched your eyes shut as you tried to force the stinging to go away. Your feet stumbled over each other as the tips of your boots hit the hillsides, and you fumbled to right yourself as you tried to run up and down hills.

Planks of rotten wood that littered the ground tripped you, causing you fell. Your knees hit the ground with a shallow thud, and pain shot up your legs.

Through blurry, narrowed eyes, you studied the floor in front of you, making sure there weren’t any upturned nails and stuck your hands out to push yourself up.

You whimpered as you took a step forward, and your leg gave out for a second.

You were about to fall again when someone pulled you up and forward.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. Just breathe,” Jihoon rushed out. Letting go of your arm, he reached for your hand without a second of doubt.

“Agh!” You yelped. Sweat trailed into your eyes and stung you again.

“Breathe,” he gasped out. The exertion of running up and down hills was starting to get to him, and the run was far from over. How were you going to get to the rest of your crew before the group of raiders caught you?

As if sensing your thoughts, Jihoon gave your hand a squeeze. Reassurance.

You were going to make it. All you had to do was trust in him.

“I can’t see!” Another voice screamed behind you before the owner of said voice reached out to hold your other hand.

You held back a snarl as he held onto you but didn’t shake him off. It was added weight, just another thing to hold you back as you ran. But, if you made it back to where your crew was waiting without him, you feared you’d pay even more for it.

“Just keep running,” you grumbled out. You helped pull him along with as much strength as you could muster.

But, it took you two more minutes before you all reached the actual city of the Forgotten.

Buildings in the process of falling down, stained in a rusting color, surrounded the three of you.

Shade came and went while running through the streets.

Pieces of concrete protruded the ground in jagged and random lines. Most of them were visible, but you were sure there was some hiding in the small mounds of dirt and sand that had been piled all over the place.

“How much—”

Two words were all you were able to get out before you were pulled down, and a yelp escaped you.

“What the hell, Joshua,” you snapped as you ripped your hand out of his.

Leaving him on the ground, you shakily stood up, your hands pushing off the ground. Somehow, during the fall, your hand had managed to slip out of Jihoon’s.

Once you were standing upright, you realized he was standing beside you, no longer in front of you where he should have been.

“Gee, thanks for the help,” you grumbled as you dusted off your legs.

“I think we have a problem,” he said.

“Like we didn’t already?” You huffed. You slapped your knees harshly, biting back a yelp. At the most, you had been expecting you bruised your knees during the fall. But, when you brought up your hands to slap the dust off of them, you realized there was blood on them.

A single glance downward confirmed your suspicions.

Your black leather pants had torn from the knees when you hit the crumbling concrete beneath you. Your knees had been scraped, and though you didn’t want to be dramatic, you were sure, that under the dripping blood, you could see your kneecaps.

“Oh…crap,” you winced. You turned around quickly to ask Jihoon for help. But, as you did, a bigger problem fell into your laps.

“What the hell happened?” You asked.

Laying in front of you, the man you had been forced to lug around in ‘good faith’ to ‘show him around’ was out cold on the floor. A tiny pool of blood was forming on the ground near his temple.

“I-Is that blood?!” You yelped.

“Yes,” Jihoon hissed, bending down to the boys level to study him, “I think he hit his head on the way down. He’s got a gash on his forehead.”

“Crap,” you muttered, “I didn’t bring any first-aide with me today.”

“It’s fine, we’ll just have to hurry. Quick,” he grunted as he pulled one of the man’s arms around his neck, “prop his other side on your shoulder. We’re gonna have to carry him out of here.”

“Alright,” you said. A dull throbbing in your knees made you wince, but you moved nonetheless, doing what Jihoon had asked you as fast as you could.

You had just made it to the corner of the street, twenty steps away, shuffling under the man’s weight when you felt it.

“You need to go,” you told him through gritted teeth. You hadn’t moved much, but the pain in your knees was shooting through your legs in waves. You wouldn’t be able to get far, move fast. You’d collapse in almost no time. The three of you would be caught — taken as prisoners, maybe worse.

Soonyoung…Chan…Seokmin…Mingyu… none of them would be able to find you.

“You need to go,” you repeated, forcing Jihoon to a stop.

“What?” He asked you confusedly.

You looked into his narrowed, brown eyes determined, “You need to go.”

“No.” One word, but it had a steadfast furry behind it that you could only ever imagine coming from him. It was in his eyes too, the determination to get the three of you to safety and the anger of hearing you suggest leaving you behind. But, you were willing to bet that you had the same type of determination as him.

“Yes,” you forced out, “I can’t move very quickly with these knees—”

“No.”

“You’re carrying around extra weight too—”

“No.”

“So, you need to leave us.”

“No,” Jihoon snapped.

“Yes,” you insisted, “look, we’ll hide in this building. You go get the others, get some weapons—” you unholstered the rusted beam gun you had blindly brought along, “that aren’t broken.”

“No, Y/N. I’m not leaving you here.”

“You have to, Ji.” It was a risk, you knew, but you had to take it, or you’d be risking worse. Still, it took all the courage and determination you had in you to avoid his gaze and start pulling him in the direction of the building closest to you before you could change your mind.

“They’ll be here soon,” you told him.

He followed you silently, trying not to trip over his feet while he glared at the floor.

“I’m not leaving you.”

You didn’t answer him.

Once inside, you pulled him toward the first room you saw towards the back of the building. Then, you helped him lower the Sparkian onto the ground, leaning him against a wall.

It was done.

You knew you had gotten him to agree, now you just needed him to get moving.

“Just…” you started, finally finding his eyes, “promise me you’ll come back.” You finished in a whisper as if what you were telling him was a secret no one else could hear.

Jihoon nodded grimly, training his eyes on the floor.

“Stay safe.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

It had only been ten minutes since Jihoon left when a sharp pain spread from your lower abdomen to the rest of your stomach. Just like your knees, it felt like fire was blooming.

The feeling was overwhelming. You had just managed to lower yourself next to the Sparkian’s limp body when you felt your legs numb out.

Another wave of pain rolled through you then, and you had to bite back a wimpier to keep yourself from crying. You tried to clutch your stomach in sudden fear, only to feel like you had just set fire to yourself all over again.

You studied yourself; from head to toe, nothing seemed to be out of place.

Your knees were still bleeding, blood slowly sliding over your pants and onto the floor.

Then you saw it.

A speck of blood where it shouldn’t be.

With the most care you could have with shaky hands, you lifted your black shirt and winced when you saw the firsts bits of your blood-soaked skin.

“No, please no,” you whispered, tears trailing down your cheeks.

There was a long gash on the bottom right side of your stomach. Blood streamed out of it slowly.

Not a minute later, as you were trying to untie your belt, your hands went numb. Then darkness started to curl around the edges of your vision.

“Please, hurry,” you whispered.

The sound of heavy footsteps growing closer interrupted your whispers to Jihoon.

You bit your lips, trying to stifle your whimpers. But it was no use. From the corner of your eyes, as you tried to focus on the small window across from you opening up to the sky, you saw a man come inside. He stopped beside you, studying you and the man beside you.

‘This is it,’ you thought, a buzzing sensation starting to overtake your consciousness, ‘they found me, and if I don’t die right now, I’m going to wish I was dead.’

“This is quite a situation that you’ve gotten yourself into, isn’t it?” They asked.

The man had blocked your view of the window. Though you didn’t want the last thing you saw before dying to be the face of a raider, you lifted your gaze to see the man before you.

He looked like he was around your age. High cheekbones, dark, golden-brown hair, and shapely lips.

He didn’t look like a raider, and, if memory served you correctly, you hadn’t seen him with the raiders either.

But here he was, staring at you with an expressionless face, hands crossed over his chest.

A shudder ran down your spine. Spots started to appear in your vision.

But before either of you could say anything else, you blacked out.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Your body felt like a throbbing, inflated balloon. It pounded, but it also buzzed.

You groaned as you opened your eyes. They had stuck together, and opening them felt uncomfortable. But when you did, a bright light about you, forced you to close them again.

“What the hell?” You groaned again.

There was a click around you, “Sorry about that, I don’t think anyone thought you’d wake up.”

It was a smooth voice, nearly velvety, but it had a cold edge to it that put you on edge.

Your eyes shot open.

Memories rushed back.

Above you, staring down at you was the same man that you had seen before you blacked out.

Your first instinct was to sit up, run away. The moment you tried to though, you discovered that you were tied down to a cot. Ropes were wrapped around your torso, legs, and arms, pinning you down and immobilizing you.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Some of these are tied directly above your injury…” He clicked his tongue, shaking his head disdainfully at you.

“What the fu—”

“Language!” He snapped. “I thought Sparks were taught to keep clean.”

“I’m not a Sparkian,” you grunted, glaring at the man as you tried to lift your arms.

“Is that so?” He hissed. He moved quickly, grabbing your chin with a hand. For a second, you feared he was going to snap your neck. Then, he forced you to look to your left.

The Sparkian.

“I’m pretty sure that right there is a Spark.”

You gulped.

“I’m not a Spark.”

His fingers dug into your skin.

“I’m not a Spark,” he mocked.

Your breath caught in your throat. Was this man going to torture you?

“Let me go you fucking raider,” you spit on his face, “or kill us already.”

The rage on his face dissipated as he stood up straight. Like the moment he found you, the expressions on his face dulled until it looked like he was staring at a piece of scrap metal without any idea what to do with it.

A door opened.

“Jun, she’s not a Sparks citizen,” a woman’s voice pipped up.

The man— Jun, raised a single eyebrow in your direction before stepping away.

“No matter what she is, she’s a traitor to the Dusty’s,” he said.

He left your side, and you took the moment to study your surroundings before following his movements.

He, or rather they, you thought, had brought you to an empty warehouse. The walls had been stripped of their inner skins, and only their bones could be seen. Even the roof was bare-skinned, only showing its inner metal works, the outer wall, and the lights that hung like bait on strings.

You and the Sparkian had been placed at the center of the room. Two large, heavy doors were planted on the far right side of the room. Besides them, Jun and a young girl beside him stood in conversation.

“She’s a Dusty, Jun.”

“And the man?”

“Sparkian. Chuu found him in the central database. Looks like he’s a promising engineer. Name: Joshua Hong, twenty-years-old just like her.”

“Fucking raiders,” you yelled, “you’re casing out your victims now too?!”

Jun ignored you. But, the girl beside him turned to look at you.

“We aren’t raiders. Why exactly do you think we’re raiders?”

You bit your lip. The less they knew about you and what you did, the better.

When you didn’t answer, the girl glanced at the handless gauntlet she wore on her right arm. She pressed some buttons, and a green light suddenly emitted from it.

“Y/N Y/L/N. Age twenty. Orphan. Ex-Blacksmith apprentice. Parents killed five years ago. Lives with some Lee Jihoon, age—”

“Enough!” You growled, twisting in your ropes. Though you didn’t want to hear the names of any of your friends coming out of their mouths, hearing Jihoon’s name felt like a slap.

Pain shot through your torso as the rope dug into your injury. Though you couldn’t see, you could feel the blood exiting your body.

“Look at what you did,” Jun huffed, “Do you think we have medical supplies just lying around to waste on traitors?”

“Fuck you,” you spit.

He rolled his eyes, “I heard traders were going to be in the Forgotten City. Instead, I get a traitor and a Spark. Maybe I can get some ransom out of him.”

“Traders?! Those weren’t traders! They were raiders!”

“I don’t think anyone would give a ransom for her though…”

“Jun,” the girl chastised him.

“Ahh,” he whined, “fine, go find Haseul so she can fix her.”

“On it,” the girl told him, spinning on the heels of her black combat boots.

“Oh, and Kim Lip,” he stopped her, “make sure to bring Chuu with you.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Jun had stayed in the room with you for a couple of minutes before he left wordlessly. The door had slammed behind him, and before you knew it, you had been left alone to dwell in your thoughts.

How long had you been here?

What had happened to Jihoon and the boys? Did the Sparkian’s friend kill them because both of them had gone missing?

You were sure that the only sign of your existence in the city— in the building you had hidden in, would be a pool of blood.

Did they think you were dead?

Tears formed in your eyes as your thoughts returned to Jihoon and that girl’s— Kim Lip, words.

Did he think you were dead?

Was he okay?

Orphan.

Orphans.

How much did they know about you? About him? Was he in danger now?

Jihoon had been your only family for three years. You had been his for far longer. You couldn’t bear the thought of having put him in danger. Of Jihoon having the same end like you.

A shiver ran down your spine.

Had that really been the last time you would get to see him?

You let out a cry then, twisting and turning in your binds. You only stopped when the pain made it impossible to breathe.

You looked at the Sparkian beside you. Still out cold, it seemed.

He had the same binds tied around him and gauze wrapped around his forehead.

“He isn’t dead if that’s what you’re wondering.”

You whipped your head around at the sudden voice and jumped when you saw her proximity.

“I figured,” you grumbled before hissing.

The woman had plunged a needle into your side, and while the pain in your side was numbing out, you could still feel the resonating pinch and the girl’s other hand pressing down on the injury.

“Please let me go,” you begged her.

“Oh, sure. Just one condition…”

Jun.

Hidden in the shadows near the door, Jun, Kim Lip, and another, widely smiling girl leaned against the beams of the wall. How long had they been there?

“Kill your little friend.”

Silence.

You couldn’t do that. You glared at him.

“That’s what I thought,” he smiled stiffly.

“Please let us go.”

Amidst their silent glares, the Sparkian awoke, and using his wheezy voice, pleaded for their release.

“Mr. Hong, you finally join us.”

Tense, you turned your head slowly. Mr. Hong was flicking his gaze between the lot of them, eyes red and watery.

Though you doubted he knew what was happening, it seemed that he was picking up the details of your predicament faster then you had.

“Please let us go.”

“I’m afraid I can’t. You see, you’re a Sparks citizen and I…well I’m the King of the Dusty.”

“The Dusty don’t have a king,” he coughed.

Jun laughed, “According to… you… we don’t. But ask around, the Dusty have their king, and it’s me.”

“The King of the Dusty is a myth! A fairytale!” You growled, but he ignored you.

“Then let her go,” Mr. Hong struggled to get out, “she’s got nothing to do with me. I don’t even know her.”

“How nice,” Jun laughed as he walked closer to your cots, stopping next to the girl who had injected you, “you want to protect your friend.”

“She’s not my friend,” Joshua said.

“Right,” Jun nodded, though it was clear that he didn’t believe him.

“There,” the woman said, “as long as you don’t touch move too much, the wound shouldn’t reopen.”

“What did you do?” You grumbled.

“She just saved your life… again,” Jun answered, scoffing, “And does she get a thank you? No. Traitors are all the same.”

“Please,” Mr. Hong cried, “She just met me. I threatened her into showing me the Dusty.”

“You,” Jun laughed, “threatened her? Frankly, I don’t believe that.”

“It’s true,” Mr. Hong insisted, “I snuck into the Dusty. I found her and her friends. She hates Sparks just as much as I do.”

“Doubt it,” Jun laughed before snarling, “I lost everything I ever cared for because of people like you.”

“Jun.” Kim Lip snapped, stomping her way to the cots. The smiling girl followed behind her. “Enough.”

“Sorry,” Jun smiled, nodding at Kim Lip, “I just—”

“I know. You don’t need to apologize,” she sighed, “but we can’t just punish anyone with any sort of ties to Sparks.”

“Fine,” Jun said defeatedly. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes turned hazy as he stepped away from your cot.

The smiling girl behind Kim Lip flicked her gaze between them, “Well now seems like the best time to interrupt. Jun?”

He was silent, still lost in his own world.

“Jun?” She called out to him again.

“Hmm?” He hummed, turning around to look at her before realization dawned on him, “Oh, Chuu, right. Tell us what you found.”

“Alright, well I managed to track their movements using old security systems that are still running without anyone knowing—”

“After this, take Heejin and make sure to erase any proof of their existence. Make it so no one else can have access to that, only us.”

“Already on it, boss. Now on the issue of them,” she nodded her head in your direction, “I was able to track them all the way to their first encounter. It seems she and her friends stumbled upon one Joshua Hong and Choi Seungcheol, both citizens of Sparks.”

“Premeditated?”

“Actually, no. Choi and Hong appeared to be lost and one of her crew, in good faith, took them to a resting place. From the footage recovered, it seemed Miss Y/L/N was planning on… eliminating both of them before a ‘Lee Chan’ interfered and stopped her.”

“And yet now she’s one of them.”

“Fuck you!” You spit, trying as hard as you could to kick your feet.

Chuu ignored your outburst and brought up her arm where she could use her gauntlet. She pressed a button on it, just like Kim Lip had done before, and in an instant, a green light shot upwards from it.

You couldn’t see what it was projecting by the speed that Chuu was tapping away at. It took her no less than three seconds before a video started to play.

“Watch this,” Chuu said, turning her arm so Jun could have the perfect view of it. In turn, you got to see what he did too, though you had to look on from behind.

It was you. It was Jihoon. It was Chan and Seokmin and Mingyu.

It was the Sparkians on their knees.

“…. please….”

The images were near grainy and the audio crackly and hard to make out, but it was clear what was happening. Joshua Hong and Choi Seungcheol were on their knees, begging to you and your crew.

What they begged could only be guessed.

Two Sparks on their knees for a group of Dusties— it was a sight to be held, but your eyes only managed to focus on it for a couple of seconds.

Instead, your gaze moved to the other figures being projected until they stopped on Jihoon’s figure standing next to yours.

You hadn’t noticed it then, the way Jihoon glanced at you every couple of seconds to check on you. It looked like he was constantly sneaking a glance at you to defer the decisions to you. He was waiting for you to call the shots.

Then it happened.

His arms were crossed over his chest as he glared at the Sparkians. But in a brief moment where you remembered all you could feel was anger, Jihoon moved his hand a fraction of an inch.

It was almost indiscernible if they weren’t paying attention.

But like a butterfly’s kiss, his hand brushed past your right arm’s bicep. His thumb made circular motions on your skin before pulling away as if it had never happened.

You couldn’t remember that moment happening. But it had. The video that was playing on Chuu’s gauntlet proved that it had happened.

You thought back to that day, that moment of anger, and realized that you could remember feeling your anger dissipate in a fleeting moment.

And it was all because of Jihoon.

A painful pang ran through your heart at the thought of him.

But, before you could dwell on the pain and think about him, Jun grinned as if he’d just won the Dusty’s yearly suppliers lottery. Though, you doubted that he would grin or enjoy that or anything that was sponsored by Sparks.

“Well, what do we have here?” Jun asked, stalking over to Joshua, and grabbing his chin forcefully like he had grabbed yours. “A Spark that begged for what? Tell me.”

“What the hell do you care what he begged for?” You spit, glaring at Jun’s side profile.

Jun chuckled, and without letting go of Joshua’s chin or turning around to look at you, he spoke, “A real fire burns inside of you, doesn’t it. I doubt it wants to be extinguished.”

When neither of them, Joshua or you, spoke, Jun roughly pushed Joshua’s chin away and moved to stand next to Chuu again.

He nodded for her to stop the video, “To me, you’re nothing but a traitor to our kind. I don’t care for traitors. But some people—” he paused to glance at Kim Lip, “think you might be worth a little more.”

“Wait!” Joshua yelled as Jun started to walk away, “Don’t ransom me to Sparks! They’ll kill me! Please!”

“Ransom,” Jun chuckled as he came to a stop near the door, “Your death isn’t really my problem. Sparks would pay good money to get someone back before they spilled their city’s precious secrets.”

“Please!” Joshua yelled again while you silently glared at Jun.

“Kim Lip,” he grumbled, “it’s lights out. It’s your call.”

She nodded, and Jun left.

“Haseul,” she said, turning around to look at the girl who had been tending to your wounds before, “put them to sleep.”

Haseul nodded and whipped around to face you.

“What?!” You yelped as your eyes fell on the needle in her hand; and, without a second to waste, plunged the needle into your arm.

It took seconds before you felt your eyelids start to drop, and in those weary seconds, the last thing you saw was another needle being plunged into Joshua Hong’s skin.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

When you woke up, you thought you were having a lucid dream where all you could see was darkness— and it felt like your mind was torturing you.

You could tell that you were moving your arms, stretching your limbs, hitting a hard substance but, it wasn’t until you saw a flickering shadow on the ground in front of you, and adrenaline spiked throughout your body, that you realized you were wide awake.

Your eyes searched for the source until they finally landed on metal torches that had been fastened to the walls. Then your eyes adjusted, and you were able to make out your surroundings.

You fumed as you realized where you had been brought. If the wall of bars in front of you were any indication, you had been placed in a cell in a basement far below the earth.

A shuffling near you made you whip your head around, looking for the origins of the sound.

Joshua Hong, the Sparkian you blamed for this mess, was propped up against the bars that made up the right side of your cell wall.

He was still unconscious, but in a cell of his own and shivering constantly. He was far but not far enough for you to keep your emotions under control.

“Joshua,” you grumbled, your voice rough from sleep. When he didn’t wake, you tried again, “Joshua.”

Nothing.

“Mr. Joshua Hong,” you snapped.

Like a bucket of water had been poured over him, he woke up gasping for air. His hands made their way to his face, where he rubbed his temple frantically only to hiss in pain.

You watched on in silence, sucking on your bottom lip as you wondered if it had been such a good idea to wake him.

Too late now.

Besides, why did he get to go on living blissfully asleep and unaware of the predicament they were in while you were forced to be awake and think.

“Morning, Sunshine,” you said mockingly.

“Y/N?”

“That’s still Y/L/N to you.”

“M-miss Y/L/N,” Joshua stuttered, “where are we? What’s going on?”

“Oh? Would you like a recap of our situation?”

“I—”

“No! Allow me,” you quickly went on, “After knocking yourself out, we were captured by a group of raiders, who after tending to our injuries, have placed us in cells. Would you like to guess what they are most likely going to do us?”

“Kill us?” Joshua responded quietly, feeling the fury you were withholding.

“Oh, you wish they’d kill us,” you spit at him, “Did you really believe they’d trade you? That’s wishful thinking.”

“I-I don’t understand.”

You laughed hopelessly before answering him, “You’re a Sparkian. It’s obvious he loathes you and your kind. What’s better that to parade you around Dusty as his own little prisoner.”

There was fear in his silence. You could feel it radiating off of him like the heat of a winter fire.

“What will they do to you?” He asked in a small voice.

“Me? How kind of you to ask—” you paused to glare at the floor underneath you and dig your nails into the dirt floor, “I’ll probably just be tortured down here. Kept alive until I’m nothing but a stupid shell. All because you and your damn friend had to see the Dusty for yourselves. Well, how was it?!” You yelled. “Did you enjoy your little tour of the Dusty? Were we all you were expecting?!”

“Quite the lovers spat you two are having. What are you guys— forbidden lovers?” Someone squealed, “Tell me more!”

You froze, your hammering heart lodging itself in your throat. You turned around to look for the owner of the voice— fear making you question if they had come back already.

“Over here!” the voice said cheerfully, “To your left!”

You turned and before you sat a dark-haired girl in tattered clothes and bruises that were barely visible on her face and arms. You stared at her with a renewed, fearful realization that you would most likely look like that when the raiders came back.

When you didn’t respond, the girl took it upon herself to keep talking.

“Sooo…are you guys a couple? A Spark and a Dusty in love?”

Her question sent a jolt of anger through you, “I would never fall in love with a Sparkian, let alone date one.”

The girl was silent for a moment as she stared at you, then she blinked, “But you are in love with someone then?”

You flinched, “I never said that,” then grumbled, “How long have you even been there?”

The girl lifted an eyebrow, “Listening in on your conversation? Since the beginning, honey.”

“That’s not— that’s not what I meant.”

“Right,” the girl nodded, “Well, I’ve been locked down here for about two years. Tell me, is the land still as red as I remember it to be?”

You flinched, “You’ve been down here two years?”

“Yup,” the girl sighed, slouching against the bars now that her entertainment had vanished, though she still faced your direction, “two… years.”

“H-how?”

“How? Or why?”

“I—”

“They aren’t raiders, you know,” the girl mumbled sadly.

“What?”

“I’m just saying. Whoever you met before coming down here… they aren’t raiders.”

“If they aren’t raiders, then who the hell are they?” You grumbled, arms crossing over your chest.

The girl was silent again, and you had to concentrate to make out the expression on her face.

“Have you ever heard of the King of the Dusty?” She said, her voice as distant as her eyes.

“He’s a myth,” you whispered.

“He’s a legend,” the girl said, “A Dusty with an abundance of resources and an army of his own. He helps our people and—”

“He isn’t real!” You whispered harshly. “And even if he was, he’s a traitor to everyone!”

“No,” the girl shook her head, “he helps the Dusty’s, but he doesn’t help anyone who stands with Sparks. You probably met him upstairs. He has a sharp face, brown hair, and his actual name is Jun.”

“H-how do you know this?” You asked quietly.

The girl smiled sadly, “I was one of the people that Jun saved. I was part of his army. But one day, while I was scouting, I met this man. I never thought he could be anything but a Dusty— I mean, who’s ever heard of a Spark coming out willingly and dressing like us.”

“What happened?”

“I got close to him. Eventually, he told me he was a Sparkian that had run away from Sparks— that he hated them. Before I knew it, I was in love with him, and I hated seeing him suffer, jumping from place to place without a permeant home.”

The girl turned silent for a moment, and you felt like you knew what the girl had done get thrown in the dungeons.

“I realize now that I didn’t think it through. I shouldn’t have told him about Jun… about his army… about what Jun stands for,” the girl squeezed her eyes shut like she was withstanding an onslaught of pain, “I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t. I should have known. I should have known not to sell his secrets.”

The girl continued to mutter to herself, curling into the farthest corner of her cell, turning her back on the pair.

Feeling unnerved at the girl’s sudden change in attitude, you turned away from her and stared at the torch across your cell. You could feel Joshua Hong’s eyes on you, waiting for you to say something, perhaps a way to get you two out. But all you could bring yourself to say nudged you deeper into a cesspool of hopelessness.

“I should have known better than to believe a Sparkian wanted to escape Sparks.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

“Hey,” Kim Lip snapped as she banged a metal plate of slosh against your cell bars, “wake up. You eat now, or you don’t eat at all.”

You sucked in a breath as you opened your eyes. You didn’t know when it had happened, but your body was quickly growing heavier and sluggish.

You’d stopped trying to count the days when you realized that it would be impossible to keep track when there was no sun to see, and food was brought to you at times where it felt like an eternity had gone by.

Even your memory was starting to crack under your sluggishness. All you could really remember was constantly coming in and out of sleep.

You knew that Joshua Hong stared at you more often than not. But you couldn’t bring yourself to care. If he wanted to escape, he could figure that out himself— you didn’t want anything to do with him.

Kim Lip had placed a new tray of food on the ground at the entrance of each of their cells and collected the dirty ones where they had eaten last, before leaving them to the darkness again.

You crawled over to the tray of food and ate a spoonful of slosh before closing your eyes with the spoon still in your mouth. Maybe if you tried to savor the food longer, you’d be able to distract yourself.

“You know,” the girl said, slurping her slosh loudly, “pretending like you’re not eating slosh is just going to make it harder for you to accept that you’re stuck down here.”

“Leave her alone,” Joshua grumbled, scooping his own slosh so carefully anyone watching would question if they even gave him slosh in the first place.

“What did you guys do to get thrown down here, anyway?” She continued, ignoring Joshua.

“Would you just s—”

“Nothing,” you said, cutting off Joshua, “We were running from raiders. We were injured, and King Jun found us— the Dusty and the Spark, dying of blood loss.”

“Must have been quite a scene. How’d you two get together anyways?”

You scoffed.

Joshua answered.

“We didn’t get together,” Joshua whispered, “She and her friends found me and my friend and saved us from dying of heatstroke.”

“What?” The girl laughed, not believing what Joshua was saying.

“It’s… true,” Joshua sighed, “After they saved us, we begged them to show us around for a day.”

“No one in their right mind would ever do anything for a Spark—”

“We told them that if they didn’t, we’d take them to Sparks and accuse them of having kidnapped us.”

“What?” The girl asked, her eyes narrowed, “How many of you were there?”

“Just two,” Joshua said shamefully, lowering his gaze to the floor, “but we said that we had new tech that would immobilize them before they could even take out their laser guns.”

The girl looked at you, “And you fell for that?”

You stayed silent. This was news to you too, but you didn’t want to think. You didn’t want to regret it when you couldn’t— not when the first thing you would always think about was the safety of your friends.

“Wow,” the girl laughed, “and you really didn’t have this tech?”

“No,” Joshua whispered.

“And you honestly left Sparks because you wanted to explore? You aren’t trying to spy?” The girl asked curiously, peering at Joshua Hong though the bars of their cells.

“No,” he answered, “My friend and I… we felt suffocated in Sparks— we felt like we were always hiding. And no one knows our names, who we are here… so we thought it would be nice… to disappear for a few days.”

The girl scoffed, “And you didn’t think that your disappearance would be noticed?”

“No,” Joshua answered firmly. “I made sure that our presence would be registered in each of our homes. I made us take some days off.”

“Some genius, are you? And yet you ended up ruining this poor girl’s life.”

Joshua flinched, “I-I know.”

“Catch that, did you?”

You flinched and dropped your spoon to cover your ears when a sudden screeching overtook your cells. The sound reminded you of train wheels when someone tried to force them to stop. If it didn’t stop, your ears would start to bleed, no matter how much weight you placed against them.

Then, when you felt like your brain was going to explode, it stopped, and a robotic voice joined them, “No signs of deceit detected.”

“Sorry!” Another voice followed. Chuu’s voice, you realized. “The sound system is still glitching out before connecting!”

You whipped your head around, trying to find the girl.

“Classifying as non-threatening. Proceed to main office.”

“What?” You asked, eyes widening as you whipped your head around until finally noticing that the girl who had been celled with you was slowly standing up and dusting herself off. “W-what’s going on?”

The girl glanced at you momentarily before pushing through an imperceptible door at the front of the cell. She walked over to your cell without a word, and after taking out a pair of keys, unlocked your cell. Then, she moved onto Joshua’s and did the same.

You were shell shocked.

“If you two would follow me, please.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

In a large room with worn-out couches on one end and a single wooden desk on the other, sunlight streamed inside through broken windows.

You and Joshua Hong stood at the center of the room, trying not to close your eyes and bask in the warmth of the sun you felt you had felt ages ago.

Behind you, the girl who had been in the cells with you lounged on the couch like she didn’t have a care in the world.

After minutes of standing at the center of the room, Jun came barging in, Kim Lip and Chuu behind him. He sped walked to his desk without sparing you two a glance, then paused.

“Where’s my chair? Who took my chair?”

“I think I saw Heejin with a chair that looked oddly similar,” the girl answered him.

Jun swallowed back a sigh, “Thank you, Yves. You’ve done well today.”

“No problem.”

“What do you want with us?” You said, fear eating away at your patience. You couldn’t think of anything else besides that anyways.

Jun trained his eyes on you, lifting a single eyebrow to stare you down before answering.

“I wanted the truth. Luckily for you, he gave it to me sooner rather than later.”

“What?”

“I’ve been reading your files,” Jun said, tapping on the desk to turn it on. Like the gauntlets that you had seen before, the tabletop started glowing green, and even from a distance, you could see the makings of what seemed to be a picture of you.

“Y/N Y/L/N usually found with a Lee Jihoon and four others. The five of you are no threat to me. If anything, you stand for the same things I do.”

A growl formed in your throat.

“Oh, am I wrong?” Jun asked you. “Do you and your friends not hate Sparks? Is this information about you and your friends actively opposing the Sparks government wrong? I think this right here—” he pointed to something on the desk you couldn’t see, “about you and Lee Jihoon helping and caring for some Dusties that were close to death, speaks for itself, doesn’t it? I think you’ve even managed to steal and run out the few Spark officials that you’ve come across… running their plans to kidnap Dusties.”

You were aghast.

There was nothing wrong with what you had done, not to you and not to him either, it seemed. Maybe it felt wrong to the Sparkian besides you, but he was Spark, and in the end, his opinion wouldn’t matter to you.

No.

You were aghast because Jun knew about everything you and Jihoon, and ultimately Chan, Seokmin, Mingyu, and Soonyoung, did. Most of these were things nobody was ever supposed to know. You worked under the cover of night after all.

But he knew it all.

“Am I wrong?” Jun asked, gently this time.

“No.”

“Then, I’d like to offer you a deal if you don’t mind.” When you didn’t answer, he continued, “Join my army. Help me accomplish what I’ve set out to do.”

“And what exactly would that be?”

He glanced at Joshua.

“Him too,” he said, changing the subject, “he’s no threat to me or my people. But I don’t offer you the same deal. You’re a Spark, and I will never trust you or your kind. I will let you go, though with a fair warning that if you ever speak of me, my people, or anything you saw here, we will find you.”

“Yes, sir,” Joshua gulped.

You swallowed, “How long have you kept us here?”

“Just a few days. You spent two knocked out and just one in the cells.”

“One?!” You yelped.

“Yes,” Jun nodded, “We have ways of making sure you lose track of time.” He mimicked bringing a spoon up to his face, and you knew exactly what he meant.

Though that fact was still processing in your mind, one that you had been keeping locked up in the back of your mind because it hurt to think about, started to surface.

You had been gone for a total of three days. Your friends— Jihoon, probably thought you were dead. You couldn’t bear the thought.

“If we are no longer your prisoners, I would like to go home too,” you sighed, “that’s all I want.”

Jun sighed, “If that’s what you want.” He knocked on the desk, and the glowing disappeared.

Inside, you still feared Jun. You didn’t know if you believed that he was the fabled King of the Dusty or that he’d really let you go. But when you thought about it, he had been the one to save you, and he hadn’t done anything to harm you two. There was a bit of manipulation to get the truth out of you… but still, there was something about him.

This was your problem, you sighed. Jihoon told you this all the time.

When it came to Dusties, you always tried to find the good in them. You trusted them easier.

But when you listened to your gut, you were more often than not— right about your decisions.

“You can leave tomorrow morning, it’ll take you two days to get home. Chuu will show you the way tonight. For now, you’ll be given some rooms to rest and eat. Yves, will you please?”

“Okay,” she nodded, sitting upright.

“Okay,” Jun nodded, making his way to the door. He stopped suddenly and looked at you, “I’ll just ask one thing from you. Don’t tell anyone who we are or where you spent your time. Not even your friends.”

You nodded.

“If you ever change your mind about joining me or need help… just… find your way back here.”

“Why?” You asked.

“Because,” Jun said sternly before his voice quieted down into something like a soft whisper, “I have nothing against orphans who came to be the same way as I did.”

He shot you a look that spoke volumes to you. In a simple sentence and a single look, you felt like you had just come to understand who he was.

“Thank you,” you said to him.

Jun nodded then disappeared through the door. Chuu and Kim Lip silently followed behind him.

Yves stood up then, slowly making her way to the two of you.

“I hope you know that Jun is being sincere,” she said, “he’s a good guy. He really is the King of the Dusty.”

You nodded wordlessly.

In the silence, Yves shifted on her feet, “I’m sorry we had to... you know, mess with your heads to get you to talk. But it had to be done, and it’s not like we can just... trust anyone. If we did, then... the King would’ve disappeared long ago.”

“I... get it,” you nodded.

“Just a tip, then? You might want to work on your resistance in interrogations and mind games, just in case you’re ever in a situation like this again,” Yves said, suddenly smiling nervously at you.

“Right,” you nodded, “I… I wouldn’t know how to go about that though…”

“I can help if you want.”

“Sure,” you nodded, “yes. That would be great.”

“Alright, well if you two will follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms. I think Kim Lip might have already gotten someone to assemble packs of supplies for the both of you and put them in your rooms.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

You and Joshua traveled for two days, stopping only for necessities like eating and sleeping, with the sun beating down your backs before you were able to make out the place you called home on the horizon.

“There,” you stopped at the top of a dune to point out a large, tan, one-story Spanish adobe styled home. It was encapsulated by a half-finished metal fence and had arches outlining its long porch.

It was something you could point out on sight, but Joshua had never been there before, and you knew that he could use the hope and excitement of almost being safe.

“That’s home— Jihoon’s home, I mean.”

“That looks close,” Joshua whispered, “really close.”

“Yeah,” you nodded, “ten, twenty minutes tops. We’re almost there.”

Half an hour later, you finally reached the house.

Your steps stuttered as you saw the front door unlocked and wide open. Something felt wrong. Something felt off.

“Common,” you told Joshua, “stay close behind me.”

You set off quickly, crossing through the door and closing it behind Joshua, locking it to make sure nothing could get in or out without a pause.

The house looked like it was devoid of any life. Dust was normal in the Dusty, but you had always taken pride in the fact that the youngest of your friends always tried to keep their home clean. But now, now dust and dirt covered the floor, the furniture, the windows, and even the walls.

You stood silently, gaping at the living room aghast.

“Then leave!” Someone— it was Jihoon, you knew, his voice was something you could never forget, yelled. “I don’t need you! I never asked you to be here.”

You set off running. Jihoon’s words sparked worry in you that you had been trying so hard to keep down since you had been separated. Anger was evident in the way he was speaking, but there was something else there too. Something that you had never heard from him before and it made you feel like something bad was about to happen.

Through the living room, and out a door that opened up into the courtyard, you ran, Joshua following behind you.

You came to a skidding stop behind an uncut hedge when you found yourself witnessing your friends, and Choi Seungcheol, Joshua’s friend, face off against Jihoon. There were no weapons— unless you counted the knife that you had been clutching as you ran, but you promptly put that away when you saw it was only them. They just faced each other, Jihoon glaring at the others.

“You can’t keep acting like this,” Seungcheol snapped at him.

You narrowed your eyes. Who had given him the right to speak to him like that?

“And what right do you have to speak to me like that?”

“Jihoon, we’re only trying to help you. You can’t keep acting like this, it’s bad for your health. We’re here for you,” Mingyu pleaded to him. Words had never made you worry more.

“I’m fine,” he grumbled, “I don’t need babysitters. So go ahead, leave, the door is right there—” he motioned in the direction of the door that you had just walked through, without looking— “I didn’t ask you to be here for me.”

Silence brewed, and you chose that moment to step out from behind the hedge.

In a quiet voice, you asked, “What’s going on?”

Time froze before speeding up again. Nobody moved, they were all static, then like puppets all being pulled by the same string, they all whipped their heads around. Their eyes widened, and though you were staring at them expectingly, none of them answered you.

Then Jihoon let out a shuddering breath nobody could have missed if they wanted to, and he rushed forward, enveloping you in a hug that had you shutting your eyes and melting into his chest.

“What’s going on?” You whispered to him, the smell of him making it hard for you to pull away.

“Nothing,” Jihoon answered.

“But I heard you guys arguing,” you told him.

“It was nothing,” Jihoon sighed and pulled away, though his hands itched to hold you again. But instead, he pacified himself by looking you up and down, willing himself to believe that you were real, and he wasn’t imagining things.

Then he saw the bandages wrapped around your knee, and the one peeking out from under your untucked shirt and a rock lodged itself in his throat.

“What happened? Where were you guys?” Seungcheol’s voice forced you to tear your eyes away from Jihoon and focus on the reality behind him.

“W-we got taken,” Joshua stuttered out next to him.

“Yeah, we passed out from blood loss, and when we woke up we were somewhere else. They kept us for a few days, and then they let us go.”

“But who?” Seungcheol asked, “And why?”

“Who doesn’t matter,” you said, remembering what Jun had asked of you two, “and as for why, they did it just… because.”

“Just… because?” Seungcheol repeated, looking at Joshua for confirmation. He looked at you panicked, but instead of butting in, you stared at him expressionlessly.

“Yeah,” Joshua nodded, “just because.”

“Enough talking,” Jihoon said, “Y/N needs to get those bandages changed.”

“So does Joshua,” Seungcheol said, trying not to snap at Jihoon’s exclusion.

Jihoon narrowed his eyes, a retort starting to form. But before he could say anything, you cut in, already sensing what Jihoon was about to do.

“Joshua will get his bandages changed too. And, you’ll be allowed to stay here for another day before leaving.”

“Thank you,” Seungcheol responded.

“No,” you said sternly. At the swaying of your body (the pain in your knees and torso was coming back, but you weren’t about to tell anyone), the rest of your friends came running up to you. The four of them gave you quick hugs before Chan and Seokmin threw your arms around their shoulders to help keep you standing, and Mingyu and Soonyoung took the pack were were carrying off of you.

Jihoon walked around from behind them and motioned for Mingyu to give him the bag before standing next to Chan, on their left and giving you a careful, worried look.

“I’m fine,” you muttered before turning back to Seungcheol and Joshua. “Joshua told me the truth. The whole truth.”

Blood rushed to his cheeks, and he had the decency to look ashamed.

“I don’t trust you,” you said slowly, “but I’ll give Joshua the benefit of the doubt.”

“Tha—”

“Because of that,” you cut him off, “I’ll give you both a place in this home when you need it, but we are not some vacation home for you to come and use as you please. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Seungcheol replied unconsciously.

“That being said,” you swallowed. You feared that the words that followed could end up making things really bad with them, “you should know that we don’t take Sparks kindly here. If you stay here, if you join us, it’s because you dislike Sparks just as much as we do. We don’t stand with Sparks, we don’t do what they say is law, we stand against them, and we do what we can to usurp them when we can.”

Seungcheol was silent, staring at you with a look in his eyes that you couldn’t discern.

When he turned to look at Joshua, he found him looking at you calmly and relaxed. He had already made his choice. Now only you were left.

“The choice is yours,” you said, “But I do expect the two of you to apologize to the rest of them.”

“Understood,” Seungcheol nodded.

Then without a second more to waste, Jihoon steered Chan and Seokmin in the direction of the bedroom they had transformed into a med station. Joshua nodded at Seungcheol smiling, and they followed close behind.

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Part 2

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unfolded73 · 4 years

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Boyfriends (1/1) - schitt’s creek ff

I’ve got some other unfinished works in what’s going to be a series of standalone fics titled Labels. This is the first fic in that series. Rated Explicit, 3400 words.

________________________

Boyfriend, n. a frequent or regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship

Patrick watched Roland walking around the store, fondling the bottles on the shelves, and was glad that David was out on an errand and not here to see the way Roland was touching all the products.

“Are you sure you won’t be getting any more of Mr. Hockley’s tea in?” Roland asked.

“Very sure,” Patrick said, leaning against the counter. Fortunately, they’d gotten rid of that so-called ‘tea’ before their new store was shut down by law enforcement. (He suspected Stevie had probably ended up with some of it stashed away in her apartment, but he wasn’t going to quibble over that.)

Roland grumbled and wandered over to the other side of the store.

The bell above the door rang, and Patrick looked over to see Johnny Rose coming in.

“Oh hi, Mr. Rose,” Patrick said, and he immediately felt himself starting to sweat. He and David had only been… whatever they were for a few weeks and he wasn’t sure what David’s father knew, but it seemed likely, given that Alexis and Moira knew they’d kissed about twelve hours after it happened, that Johnny Rose knew that Patrick and his son were involved.

“Hi, Patrick,” Johnny said, a pleasant smile on his face.

“Johnny, buddy! Not sure if you spending money at your son’s store really helps the family’s revenue stream, you know?”

“Can I help you find anything?” Patrick asked while Johnny rolled his eyes at Roland.

“Moira wanted me to see if you had any more of that Viognier that she liked,” Johnny said, walking over to where they had bottles of wine displayed.

“I think we have some in the back,” Patrick replied, happy to excuse himself to the storeroom for a minute to try to get some of his equilibrium back. The box of wine was exactly where it was supposed to be though, so it only took him a few seconds to retrieve a bottle and carry it back out to the main floor. “Found some.”

“Hey, you know what you should carry in the store, Pat?” Roland called across the length of the large room.

“That’s the one,” Johnny said, taking the wine bottle and examining the label. “Maybe I’ll get some brie to go with it,” he said, moving over to the refrigerator.

“Lube. You should carry lube,” Roland continued. His voice was very, very loud.

Patrick felt his face flush. “Thanks for the suggestion, Roland.” He glanced over at Johnny. “The brie’s on the third shelf, on the left there,” he said, pointing, hoping to get David’s father out of the store before Roland suggested anything worse.

Roland seemed to sense Patrick’s discomfort, though, and he grinned, approaching the front of the store where Johnny and Patrick were standing. “You know, you and your boyfriend David could sample some different varieties, maybe. To ensure you were selling a good quality product.”

Oh god. Patrick began praying for the floor to open up and swallow him whole. An inner voice took that moment to point out to him that ‘boyfriend’ wasn’t even a term that David had used yet, but that hardly seemed the point.

“Okay, Roland, that’s enough,” Johnny said, setting his wine and cheese down, and Patrick went over to the register and began ringing up his purchases.

“I’m just saying—”

“Yeah, yeah, I think we all understand what you’re saying,” Johnny interrupted.

Roland clapped Johnny on the back, grinning at Patrick. “So, I’m gonna take off,” he said, as if he had deduced that the absolute worst thing he could do at this moment was to leave Johnny and Patrick alone, and so he was doing exactly that. “Have a good one, Pat!” he called as he left. He hadn’t even had the decency to buy anything, Patrick thought.

“That’ll be $27.47,” Patrick said to Johnny, and then cleared his throat. “Sorry about that.” He didn’t know what he was apologizing for. For the fact that Roland Schitt existed? For the fact that Patrick was having sex with Johnny’s son, and that Roland (and the rest of the town, probably) somehow knew about it?

“Well, that’s Roland, you know. Wildly inappropriate as always!” He pulled a couple of bills out of his wallet and handed them to Patrick.

Patrick gave an uneasy chuckle. “Yeah.”

“Not that there’s anything inappropriate about… you know… you and David, umm…” Johnny fumbled while Patrick desperately looked for a conversational on-ramp so that he could stop Johnny from heading down the road he appeared to be on.

“Let me just get your change here,” Patrick said too loudly, popping the cash register open.

“I’ll admit, though, mixing a business relationship and a romantic relationship,” Johnny continued, and here he’d stopped fumbling with his words, and Patrick looked up to lock eyes with him. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that it can be complicated. Especially if things don’t work out, and you still have to see each other at the store every day.”

Patrick tried to imagine his own father in Mr. Rose’s shoes, his main concern about David and Patrick’s relationship being the fate of the business rather than the fact that David was a man. He hoped it would be that way, but he honestly wasn’t sure. The ease with which David’s father took his son’s sexual orientation in stride filled Patrick with a swell of affection for him.

“We have, um, talked about that,” Patrick said, handing over Johnny’s change. He didn’t want David’s father to think that if things between him and David didn’t work out romantically that he would leave David in the lurch. “The store is very important to us. To me. I want it to succeed, regardless of… anything else.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

Patrick put the wine and cheese in a bag and handed it over. “Thanks for coming in, Mr. Rose.”

Johnny took the bag. “You should join the family for dinner sometime,” he said with a kind smile. “Let us get to know you better.”

Patrick suspected David might not be thrilled with that idea, as if too much exposure of the Roses to Patrick would pop the new relationship bubble they were currently floating in. Not to mention the fact that having dinner with the family was a boyfriend activity, and they weren’t using that word. Yet, his brain supplied optimistically. “I’d like that,” Patrick replied, hoping his face didn’t betray any of his doubts.

“Great. Thanks again for the wine, Patrick.” With a small wave, he left the store.

By the time David came back a half hour later, Patrick had resolved not to tell him about any of his encounter with Roland and Johnny, but then David opened his mouth. “Why was Roland just winking at me in the post office and telling me to ask you about his suggestion for the store?” He kissed Patrick’s cheek as he went to put the box he was carrying in the storeroom, and Patrick did his best to pretend that even that innocent touch of David’s lips didn’t make him flush hot all over.

“Do you really want to know the answer to that question, David?” Patrick said, following him behind the curtain.

“Probably not,” David said, setting his sunglasses down on the desk. “But tell me anyway.”

“He wants us to carry lube.”

David’s face went on a fascinating journey that Patrick watched with amusement. “The thing is,” David said, “I’ve been considering it. But I don’t want to know that much about the sexual habits of the residents of this town. Roland especially.”

“Also, he suggested that you and I sample some varieties together,” Patrick said, figuring maybe it was better to just tell David the truth.

“Oh my god.”

“And he said this in front of your dad.”

“Oh my god.”

“Yeah.”

“Was my dad weird about it?” David asked, wincing.

“He seemed more concerned about us breaking up and the store falling apart,” Patrick admitted.

David’s wince got more exaggerated. “What did he say to you?”

“It was fine,” Patrick said, getting in David’s personal space and putting his hands on David’s hips. “Sounds like he wants me to get to know your family better.”

“That would be a terrible mistake,” David said, but he leaned in and kissed Patrick on the lips, like he couldn’t not when they were this close to each other, regardless of what they were talking about. “Once you’ve gotten to know my family, our days are numbered.”

“I seriously doubt that’s true, David,” Patrick said, returning the kiss with a little more intensity (and tongue). A line about kissing from Pretty in Pink suddenly popped into his head: “Did you feel it in your knees?” Patrick’s cousin Jennifer was always watching 80s movies when Patrick was a kid, and for some reason that piece of dialogue had stuck with him. He’d never known what it meant until David.

“You’ve never heard my mother reminisce out loud about Sunrise Bay,” David said when they finally parted, his arms draping over Patrick’s shoulders.

“Yeah, I don’t think that will bother me,” Patrick said, fingers looping in David’s belt loops and pulling him closer.

David hummed with skepticism, but his mouth bent into a half-smile and his eyes sparkled. “You say that now.”

Patrick kissed him again, his teeth scraping across David’s lip, just enough to make David shiver and kiss him harder.

~*~

It was another week before David used the word ‘boyfriend’, and while it might have been a mistaken utterance in the midst of an outburst about toilet plungers and lip balm and Patrick’s shoes, when David sat on Patrick’s lap in the store that night and smiled into their kiss, Patrick figured he must not regret saying it. Boyfriend. Patrick had a boyfriend. He’d been thinking along those lines since he asked David out, but it was nice to have the word out there between them, agreed upon. Sealed with a kiss, as it were.

He took the label for a test drive the following day, running over to the café in the middle of the afternoon. As the rhythms of the store were starting to settle into discernible patterns, Patrick had noticed that his and David’s energy tended to flag just before the late afternoon influx of customers. Caffeine was often necessary to make it to closing.

“Hi, Patrick!” Twyla grinned as he approached the counter. “A tea for you and a macchiato for David?”

“We’re getting that predictable already, huh?”

“That depends,” she said. “Are you coming in for a dinner date on Friday?”

Okay, that wasn’t fair, they’d only done that once since David’s birthday. It was hardly a pattern. “Actually, my boyfriend wants to try some Thai place in Elmdale on Friday,” he said, trying to slip the word naturally into conversation, but he felt like it stuck out like a flashing sign.

Twyla winked at him. “Sounds fun. I’ll go get your drinks.”

It was in that moment that it hit Patrick so hard that he almost doubled over like he’d taken a blow to the stomach. He was out of the closet. Not to everyone, of course — not to his family or his ex-fiancée, but he didn’t feel ready to even contemplate that yet. But he was out to his boyfriend’s family, who seemed to have accepted his presence in David’s life. (Particularly Alexis, who texted him regularly and had even saved him a seat at Asbestos Fest that day when he was running late closing up the store.) He was out to Ray, who’d said he was fine with it if David wanted to sleep over. He was out to Twyla and Roland and the lady who came in for bath salts that day they couldn’t stop kissing and, given the way small town rumor mills worked, to probably everyone in Schitt’s Creek. It was completely revolutionary and yet somehow the easiest thing in the world. He and David were boyfriends and no one seemed to care, at least not for the reason he would have feared.

When he returned to the store with his tea and David’s macchiato, he gave his boyfriend a lingering kiss even though there was a customer in the back fondling the alpaca scarves.

“Mmm,” David vocalized, accepting his coffee and taking a sip. “What was that for?”

“Would you like to, um, come over tonight?” Patrick asked.

“I thought Ray played poker on Wednesdays?” It was Saturday, and the allusion to what they had gotten up to last Wednesday in a blissfully empty house sent a shiver down Patrick’s spine.

“He does, and so yes, he’ll probably be there. But I told you, he doesn’t mind. You’ll probably have to put up with some polite conversation—”

“Lengthy conversation,” David said.

“Okay, lengthy conversation. After which we can excuse ourselves to my room.”

Their lone customer brought over a scarf along with a basketful of other items, so Patrick set about ringing up her purchases while David bagged them. As soon as the bell punctuated her departure, David rounded on him again.

“And what, pray tell, would we do in your room? Because I don’t know if you’re aware, but you can be a bit… noisy.”

Patrick blushed. He did know that, and he tried not to be, but this whole voyage of sexual discovery he was on with David left him a bit… out of control. “If you’re not comfortable doing anything while Ray’s home, we don’t have to. I just want to be with you.”

David’s mouth contorted into an almost-smile. “Are you saying you want to… snuggle?”

Patrick huffed as a few customers came in. He didn’t really feel like playing this game in front of other people. “I’d be interested in you coming over and sleeping with me. In my bed,” he said softly enough to not be overheard. “That’s what I want.”

Eyelashes fluttering, David nodded. “Okay, I suppose… I would be fine with that,” he said, his voice breathy. Patrick was starting to learn David’s tells and one of them was this, the way he spoke and acted when he was trying to pretend he didn’t care all that much about something that he actually cared about a great deal.

“Great,” Patrick said, leaving David to go see if the customers needed any help.

They ended up eating dinner with Ray and watching television with him for a little while after. While Ray and David argued over The Bachelorette, Patrick scrolled his phone, looking for a funny gift for David. He’d sent David flowers when they had been dating for a month, and David was so amusingly put out by the idea of celebrating a monthly anniversary that Patrick couldn’t resist doing something even more sickeningly romantic to mark two months. He paused on a teddy bear that said ‘I wuv u beary much’ on the belly, but he figured David would break up with him over something like that. It needed to be more subtle.

By the time they went upstairs, it felt almost normal to Patrick that they were just going to sleep. David spent a long time across the hall in the bathroom going through a skincare process that was still a mystery to Patrick. By the time David came back to the room, Patrick had almost nodded off over The Small Business Bible twice. David, in a t-shirt and sweatpants, got under the covers.

“I prefer being the little spoon,” David said.

“I’ve actually already picked up on that preference, David,” Patrick said, putting his book aside and turning off his lamp before curling up against David’s back. Being the shorter one, Patrick found that if their pelvises were lined up, his face was against David’s shoulder blade. Patrick pressed a kiss over his t-shirt, his arm wrapping around David and hand settling on his chest. Patrick took a deep breath and let it out.

“This is nice,” David said after a few seconds of silence.

It was. It was also reminding Patrick of the last time David had been in his bed, when Patrick had been much less about snuggling and much more about fucking David into the mattress. He felt himself getting hard and of course, David noticed immediately, wiggling his ass against Patrick’s erection.

“Sorry,” Patrick whispered.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Because we’re just going to sleep.”

“We don’t have to just sleep,” David said, rolling over toward him.

“What about Ray?”

“You’ll just have to keep quiet,” David said, leaning over to kiss Patrick’s neck, a wet drag of tongue and lips that made him shiver.

“You’re not exactly quiet, David, at least in my somewhat limited experience,” Patrick said, his hand clenching on David’s hip.

“I can be,” David murmured against Patrick’s skin. “If I’m sufficiently motivated.”

“Also this bed squeaks pretty alarmingly, as we learned on Wednesday,” Patrick said.

“So we’ll stay as still as we can,” David murmured, already reaching for the bedside table drawer. Realizing his protests were perfunctory, Patrick kicked his pajama bottoms and underwear off, shoving them toward the foot of the bed.

The sensation of David’s slick hand on his cock made Patrick gasp like the first time David had touched him, the two of them fooling around in the back of the store a few days after their first kiss, when the definition of ‘slow’ had been stretched to allow for how badly Patrick wanted David to touch him and vice versa. He still wasn’t used to it, though, the way David’s hand could take him apart so effectively.

“Jesus,” Patrick hissed, teeth sinking into David’s shoulder, and he couldn’t resist just a little bit of thrusting into David’s fist. He tried to move as carefully as possible to keep any bed noise to a minimum.

“Love seeing you like this, Patrick,” David whispered. “So turned on.” Patrick nodded frantically, closing his mouth before he completely lost control and broke the skin of David’s shoulder with his teeth.

“Wanna touch you too,” Patrick said. He needed to focus at least part of his attention on making David feel good before he came embarrassingly quickly.

“Right now, at the same time?” David asked.

Patrick nodded.

There was more fumbling with clothes and lube, and then the two of them were again lying face-to-face, stroking each other and trying their best to be quiet. Patrick looked down between them, loving the sight of David’s dick in his hand almost as much as he loved the feel of it against his tongue. It was unbearably intimate and yet Patrick felt safe and cared for, the apprehension that had always accompanied sex for him just… not there with David. He squeezed his eyes shut, his other hand gripping David’s hip, fingernails marking his skin.

“That’s it, come all over me,” David murmured, and Patrick wondered if David could feel him get harder, signaling the fact that Patrick was close. Regardless, he couldn’t help but obey, stifling his moans against David’s shoulder again as he rode out his orgasm. He tried not to break the rhythm of his hand on David and he wasn’t sure he succeeded, so he redoubled his efforts. David’s own hand covered Patrick’s, making him squeeze tighter, guiding him to a faster rhythm. Then David kissed him, sloppy and uncoordinated, and stifled his moan in Patrick’s mouth as he came.

After a brief and only somewhat adequate cleanup job, they snuggled against each other, David once again the little spoon. Patrick felt the pull of post-coital drowsiness and he closed his eyes.

“Thanks for coming over to sleep with me, David,” he murmured.

“Mmm. So what did you think of that lube?” David asked.

Patrick’s eyes popped back open and he frowned. “Why?” Patrick hadn’t noticed it. He was used to that being something David took care of since he had strong opinions about such things.

“It’s a sample for the store.” David yawned. “It’s organic and claims to be carbon neutral, I guess? I’m test driving it.”

“So, exactly what Roland suggested we do,” Patrick said, smirking against David’s back. “He’ll be so happy to hear that.”

“If you tell him, we’re breaking up,” David said, adjusting his head on his pillow.

“Okay, well I don’t want to break up. Should I only tell your dad, then?”

“Goodnight, Patrick.”

Patrick kissed David one more time on the shoulder, grinning. “Goodnight, David.”

#schitt's creek ff #schitt's creek fic #david x patrick ff #david x patrick fic #david x patrick smut #my fic #labels fic

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annacwrites · 4 years

Text

the wip list

Alright, gang. Buckle up. This is going to be a long one, and at this point I can’t even bring myself to be sorry about it. I meant to put this off but then I started thinking about it, so here we are (at 1:05 in the morning when I have to work at 8:30, what am I doing?).

I’m going to break this down in a couple of ways—fanfiction vs. original fiction, fandom (if it’s a fanfic), series/universe (if it’s in one), and then the individual books themselves (if I have the ability to do that, because quite frankly, for some of these I don’t because I have no idea what the titles are or where I’m splitting the story yet).

Also, “WIP” is an incredibly broad term here. In some cases it means I’ve already written the whole thing but I plan to 100% rewrite it (and haven’t started yet). In some cases it means I’ve written half of the thing but haven’t finished yet. In some cases it means I have it all outlined but haven’t started writing yet. In some cases it means I haven’t really touched an outline on paper yet but I have it all worked out in my head. Take the “in progress” part of WIP with a grain of salt.

(Putting this whole thing under the cut because it is so freaking long. I apologize if the read-more doesn’t work on your dash. Idk what tumblr is doing.)

Starting off easy—the fics:

Harry Potter: (JKR can fuck off with her transphobia and cultural appropriation and all the other stupid and fucked-up shit that she’s done/promoted but, as I said to my friends, she can pry my next-gen fanfics from my cold dead hands. Cursed Child is not canon in my life because I’ve never read it and I don’t care what nonsense she came up with.)

The “In Your Arms I’ll Stay” universe (Tedtoire/Scorose):

The first fic in this universe is the first fic I ever finished. 110k words followed up by a ~137k word sequel. It is a disaster and a half but it’s also my baby and I fully intend to rewrite it one of these days. It is full of standard Tedtoire trope-y nonsense—best friends since childhood! two-year age gap! jealousy about other relationships! obliviousness!—and at 15 I thought it was a really good idea to try to turn it into a mystery too, which is a mistake that I have every intention of rectifying because it was unnecessary and I just didn’t know how to do drama and tension back then.

Anyway. It will probably be two parts again when I rewrite it because one part per school year just works, yeah? We’re covering Vic’s fifth/Teddy’s seventh year and Vic’s sixth year/Teddy’s first year out of school over the course of these parts.

Within this universe we also have Heartbeat and Bone, which is a Scorose fic that I’ve written probably 75% of already but have no intention of actually finishing before I rewrite it. I want to get the stories in the right order so that I can get details straightened out, so Teddy and Victoire get the rewrites first and then I’ll be revisiting this fic. Also full of trope-y nonsense (and my continued acceptance of the headcanon that the Heads have their own dormitory at Hogwarts, because it’s just too much fun that way).

some things were meant to be (Tedtoire):

Oh god, another fic with a cliché title taken from Can’t Help Falling In Love. I have zero regrets because it fits them perfectly.

This one is... half-done? I fully intend to finish it but I need to finish the outline first. It was my 2019 NaNoWriMo project and I am 100% just writing it for the lols (and because Teddy and Vic are like... my comfort ship where writing is concerned). I wanted to play with a different universe and change up their relationship and roles at school a bit, but once again... trope-y nonsense. It’s unavoidable with them. There is obliviousness everywhere.

Star Wars: (it’s Reylo, okay? It’s Reylo. I don’t want to hear it about how the ship is ~so terrible.~ That is literally the furthest thing in the world from a hot take, you can’t say a single thing that I haven’t heard before, and I’m a grown adult and can do what I want. Bite me.)

looking for the map that leads me home (Reylo):

Stole the title on this one from We Take Care of Our Own by Bruce Springsteen, because why the fuck not, right?

To put it simply: musician AU. To put it a little less simply: he’s got a dead career, she wants to have even the slightest shot at one, Rose is the best, Poe’s a singing heartthrob, Finn is a love-struck goofball. You know, all that fun stuff. The entire thing is based on a playlist that I made and every chapter has a song that acts as its theme. I haven’t touched it since January 2018. I want to finish it eventually but it’s not really at the top of the priority list.

There’s a few other fics from other fandoms that I’ve started and never finished but the odds of me touching them again are like... nonexistent, so I’m not including them here. I’ll update this post if anything changes on that front (but it probably won’t).

Now for the complicated part—the original fiction:

Maker’s Magic

This is a trilogy (or at least, it’s supposed to be). This is also a rewrite of the first story I ever finished—the fantasy novel that I wrote for my first-ever Camp NaNoWriMo back in August of 2011, when I had literally no clue what I was doing at all and essentially stole the plot structure from The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and built my own story around it. This is not a good way to write a piece of fiction that you want to publish, kids, but it is a damn good way to get your feet wet when you’ve never really written before.

I am reworking this story entirely from scratch. The characters are... kind of the same as the original story. Kind of. Maybe. I’ve changed a few names and merged a few people together and scrapped some others and entirely shifted the backstory of pretty much everyone, but... they’re definitely still the same, right?

Basically, at this point the plot is really only similar to The Obsidian Trilogy in that we’ve got a trilogy, we’ve got some elves, and it’s your standard good vs. evil fantasy story (in its own unique fashion, of course). I’m still working out the details of this rewrite, but this is kind of the Holy Grail of all of my writing projects and the one that I’m most concerned about getting right, so I’m anticipating that I’ll be in it for the long haul on this one. I’m hoping I might be able to get a draft of the first book done this year, but... we’ll see.

(I also don’t want to give too many details about this project, ‘cause it’s the one that I’d really like to maybe publish one day, so...)

The Willow Hill universe

This started as a single story plus a standalone sequel set in the same universe, conceptualized when I was fourteen and missing horseback riding terribly (so yes, it is a story for all those Weird Horse Girls™ out there). I wrote a good portion of it, then deleted it, then rewrote the entire thing, then deleted it again a few years ago because I was no longer satisfied with the writing quality (after hitting top 100 on the Teen Fiction list on Wattpad way back when, so... I didn’t do too badly as a 16-year-old, but the writing still sucked). I’ve been promising a rewrite to my Wattpad followers since 2016 or something like that (2014? Whenever the hell it was that I deleted it the second time) but haven’t delivered at all.

I now envision this universe as a duology plus the aforementioned standalone sequel, except it’s not entirely fair to call it a YA duology in that the first book is definitely YA, but the second is more romance-y?

I originally just revealed the main character’s endgame relationship in the epilogue of the story, but I love both her and her boyfriend and their relationship so much that I decided that I’m going to be self-indulgent and write the story of them actually falling in love with each other, so that’s book two (so really, you don’t actually have to read book two to understand anything, I’m just writing it because I want to and it’s also kind of a present to anyone who read the original story when they were also a teenager and is now an adult who wants to read other stuff).

Book one is now about the teenage struggle of crushes and trying to figure out what it is that you actually want out of your life and what you value (I say “now” because it was definitely way more self-insert-y the first time I wrote it and it is decidedly not at this point). It’s also sort of a love letter to trainers who are amazing and the kind of person we should all be so lucky as to be coached by.

These characters are my comfort characters where original fiction is concerned since they’ve been bouncing around in my head for the last ten years or so, and I’m hoping I can get at least the first book rewritten in the next year-ish, partly because I’ve been promising it for so long, and partly because I just really enjoy this world and I want to get back to it again.

The Coffee Shop Chronicles

AKA, I lived in one coffee shop on my university campus for pretty much the entirety of my college experience and it was a very inspiring place to be, so this has less to do with coffee shop AUs and more to do with the fact that I met several of my favorite human beings on this earth over a vanilla chai latte and mutual sass with the baristas.

(One of said baristas is very near and dear to me and introduced me to another regular who is now a very good friend with the statement “You’re both sarcastic assholes. You’ll love each other.”)

None of the characters in this universe are based on actual human beings whom I know, but I liked the idea of the campus coffee shop serving as this thing that tangentially connected all of these people to one another, much in the way that I am tangentially connected to god knows how many people via my barista friend. Essentially, the idea is that the stories in this universe are all standalone, but the characters sometimes cross paths with one another at Caffeinated, so it’s sort of... Easter-egg-y in terms of who pops up where in which story.

Currently I only have two stories in this universe that are legitimately plotted out, but there is room for any number of spin-offs based on whichever characters show up in those stories (or don’t—that’s the fun of it being a coffee shop. The barista is the only reliable character). Those two stories are as follows:

Chance Encounters (title so totally subject to change, also stealing the terribly summary from the Wattpad draft that never saw the light of day):

For Bennett McGuire, things with guys just didn't seem to want to go her way. From the disasters that were her attempts at dating in high school to the problem that had been Elijah Becker, she hadn't exactly had the best luck. With all that in mind, it made perfect sense to swear off dating until she finished college—that is, it made sense until one frozen day in February when Gordon Evans walked into her life. After that, who was to say what would happen?

What’s Your Metaphor? (once again, enjoy the terrible summary from the Wattpad draft that never was. I am cringing reading it but also too tired to come up with anything better):

"What's the point?"

It's a question asked widely, for all sorts of reasons, and it's one that April Hayes didn't know the answer to any better than anyone else. All she knew was that she had her plan, and she was going to stick to it, because it was the only thing that seemed to have any sort of logic to it in her life. The things she thought, the things she believed—well, they all fell before the plan, because she didn't have time to ask herself "What's the point?"

That is, she didn't have the time to know the answer—her answer—until one guy by the name of Drew Collier showed up and made her consider things that she had never even thought of before.

High Blood

Yinz can go read my WIP introduction post for this one. It’s a fantasy story. Just for the hell of it, here’s the summary from said WIP introduction post:

At the age of seventeen, Thessaly of Averak had a choice—take the crown of her people and her place as her father’s heir, or set it aside to become one of the High Warriors, dedicated to protecting their people and the country that her long-dead ancestor Enred built after leading its citizens out of a long and bloody war. Amidst raids and famine at the borders, she gave up her crown to better serve the people that her family rules.

Ten years later, all is quiet. At least, all is quiet until Beca’s pendant is stolen by a thief who disappears into the night on the journey back from the summer palace, Tess gets herself stabbed, and the discovery is made that the rock-solid foundations of their family’s claim to the throne—and the peace that depends upon them—are laced with hairline fractures.

(I didn’t write anything to speak of for Camp NaNo July 2020 and actually wound up deleting my project for this on the NaNo site because my dad was hit by a car while cycling the Friday before the weekend when I was planning to write like... 30k words to catch up, so obviously I gave up on that plan (he is doing well now, thank you for asking). I’m hoping I’ll get around to this one eventually because this particular universe arguably has the most potential for having multiple stories set in it, fantasy-wise.)

Emerson’s Lights

Natalie Flynn has been best friends with Evan Acheson practically since birth. They've stuck together through thick and thin, from her braces in seventh grade to his jump to stardom as a singer-songwriter their freshman year of college.

She’d do anything for him, but spending a week with him on tour involves a lot more than she bargained for, culminating in the turn of events that is Caleb Blake, lead singer and primary songwriter of opening act Emerson’s Lights, moving into her house for the better part of a month.

She always knew there would be complications being the best friend of a rock star, but this? This was one that she didn’t bet on.

(Aka, girl meets boy in a band trope. Yay.)

(NaNoWriMo 2020 project)

The famous musician story (this thing doesn’t have a title right now and I’m not even going to try)

Stupid, trope-y nonsense idea that I came up with for my own personal amusement and nothing else. I’ve written a few chapters of it but genuinely have no idea where this falls in the hierarchy of things that I want to get done. Long story short, she’s in grad school for history, he’s a famous musician in town recording for a new album, they meet in the library, she pretends she has no idea who he is, and shenanigans ensue.

And that is where I think I’m going to leave it. There’s four other stories that I can think of off the top of my head that I could theoretically add to this list, but they are legitimately just ideas right now so they can be added at a later date when they’ve manifested themselves a little more strongly. There’s also another quartet in the Willow Hill universe that I came up with in high school that could theoretically be added but I think I might just steal those character names and give them their own little world instead. We’ll see.

Basically, if you didn’t get the point from this list: I am working on a lot of things, and when I say I’m writing, it could mean literally anything on this list (or any of the other ideas that I have floating around). The stories/universe here are the most likely candidates for my time, depending on whether I’m doing a deep dive into my writing or just playing around with something fun, and hopefully (god, hopefully) I’ll be able to move one or two of these to a “completed works” list in the next year(ish).

(Or at least, as complete as a draft ever gets before you start going in on it again.)

#the wip list

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veroticker · 4 years

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Finishing in the New Year - Krystyna Allyn

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Summary (from Krystyna Allyn’s website)

Danger! Men with big umm ... egos can be hazardous to your health.

Have you ever had a moment of pure insanity, landing you up against an elevator wall with a total stranger?

Just me then, huh?

Well, he wasn’t exactly unknown, but that’s besides the point.

The second I met Jared Carrington, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to throat punch him or kiss him. Choosing the latter was a mistake of epic proportions, and after two of the best months of my life he broke my heart.

Big surprise.

If you’re on the fence about hooking up with a guy like him, use my story as a cautionary tale. Stay away from arrogant jerks with skillful hands and a tongue that …

You get the point.

Blurb

“Empty pussy.

Cooper told me about this phenomenon once and I didn’t believe him until today. In fact, I’m staring at one passed out in my bed. I have a lot of respect for women who know what they want sexually and go after it; I actually prefer fucking those types. As of this moment my priorities have shifted and it only took a night of extreme sex with his woman, Beth, and Cooper as a third. That shit was intense, life altering, and damn mind-blowing.

Let me be clear. This isn’t a team Cooper or team Jared situation, meaning I’m not upset she didn’t choose me. Rather I’d like to find a woman to worship as much as Cooper does Beth. I’m a determined motherfucker and being as such, I make a promise to myself. As the clock ticks down to midnight, I smile, knowing for damn sure I’ll make it come true.”

(review under the cut)

Review

(audiobook) Picture a young woman sacrificing everything to keep custody of her younger brother and who left her cheating boyfriend, and an ex-playboy who decided to look for his happily ever after after a threesome with his best friend and the woman his best friend wants to marry. That’s one hell of a premise, right? Now imagine how hard it’ll be for them to end up together when you add the cheating boyfriend wanting his girl back and a spoiled woman who can’t take no for an answer, two fabulous villains who want to ruin Marla and Jared’s burgeoning relationship.

It was a fun ride, I enjoyed it. Especially the two villains who, following the tradition, are as stupid as they are mean. And the younger brother, who’s funny and endearingly protective of his sister.

Thumbs up for sizzling hot love scenes that push some boundaries, the expression of true passion. The chemistry between Marla and Jared is over 9000.

My main complain is with the female narrator. I thought she sounded a bit too snobish for a poor hard working latina woman--even though she’s good. The male narrator was good too, and gave life to the arrogant side of Jared. But he didn’t do much for me either.

Quickie

Series: Sexy romantic standalone #2

Hashtags: #multicultural romance #playboy

Main couple: Marla Rivera & Jared Carrington

Hotness: 5/5

Romance: 4/5

+ delicious side characters

- I’m a bit tired of instalove that feel more like instalust (though this one was really hot)

Stalker mode

You can suscribe to Krystyna Allyn’s newsletter on her website.

You can also follow her on Facebook.

#Krystyna Allyn #Finishing in the New Year #contemporary romance #multicultural romance

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average-mother-ducker · 5 years

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Toxic (not Brittany Spears)

Have I put off making this post for a week? I sure have! You know why? People are toxic. I understand that not everyone will agree with my opinions (and facts), but there has to be a line.

First off- hello. I’m just your average mother ducker trying to find a way in this strange world. Just a few facts about me and what this shit post will be about- Marvel, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings. Yeah bitch, we’re talking about fandoms. Buckle it- this is gonna be a bumpy ride.

For starters- Everything nowadays is toxic. Anyone can find something wrong with anything. Do you enjoy something? I’m sure someone’s bashing it right as we speak- because they like to fuck with other people. That came out wrong.

Being toxic isn’t anything new. In fact, the main reason I left the Harry Potter fandom was due to how toxic the community, “Potterheads”, were. I used to love and enjoy this series- but I could NOT take it anymore. Everyone was bashing Harry, loving Dramione, hating Ron, and.... Well... Have you seen J.K. Rowling? The fandom was WAY too defensive. If you said ANYTHING wrong about it- “true fans” attacked you. Are you a Gryffindor? Then you’re “not a real fan- since you just wanna be like Harry, Ron, and Hermione.” Bitch, if you want to be a Gryffindor- BE A GRYFFINDOR. A lot of fans took this trend WAY too far for my personal liking- but if you really love something- then embrace it (as long as its not murder, homophobic, racist, and so on). I got attacked by hoards of people and anons on Wattpad and Quizup around two years ago. I cried like a baby, to be honest. That’s why I left the fandom. My family was ultimately concerned why I had a sudden disinterest in my former favorite book and movie series. I just played it off as, “I was getting older.” But, this isn’t about dissing Harry Potter. It’s about sharing my personal opinions on how toxic fandoms have become.

Although two years ago I love Harry Potter with all my heart- I’ve found a new love about a year ago. Star Wars. I had always teased my friends and family who liked it- even though I never gave it a chance. But, when I actually sat down and watched it- I became enthralled in the saga. It’s been a year since then- and I’m very passionate about it. Star Wars has been around for over forty years, meaning you have a variety of fans.

• Originals who think that everything else sucks

• Prequels who enjoy the originals and prequels as well as reddit memes,

• Sequels who hate prequels but love sequels and originals

• Memers who are only in it for the meme

• Fourteen year old girls (and guys) who think the actors are hot and most likely ship Reylo

• Saga Lovers, who love EVERYTHING

• EU fans who have read the EU, seen TCW, and are disappointed with the sequels, but accept them

• Fans who have accepted the fact that they can’t get everything they want and aren’t toxic (RARE)

Those are just a select few categories! It just shows how toxic people are these days. We shouldn’t be categorized on how we are in a fandom- we should embrace that we all love Star Wars, and accept differences. But, of course, that would be a miracle!

A large majority of the fandom dissed the prequels. I, personally, loved the prequels (although slightly corny). I even loved The Force Awakens. I’ve read some of the novels (and plan to read more, though they’re considered legends), and have tried binging TCW. But, I’ve got to draw the line somewhere. I personally didn’t like The Last Jedi. There were certain moments that I enjoyed- but overall, it’s my least favorite Star Wars film (we don’t speak of the Holiday Special). I have high hopes for The Rise Of Skywalker- but here’s the thing...

Prequel fans, I love you. You witnessed the prequels get dissed for YEARS- then suddenly, everyone loves the prequels because they don’t love the sequels. You’ve been through hell- and you’re thriving watching the fandom fall apart.

Originals- get something through your head. We all love the originals. We’ve got you boo 😘! Although the prequels and sequels are different (Anon: Wait... TFA is basically ANH)- we WANT different. But to a certain extent. Still, we love the originals. We wouldn’t have Star Wars without the originals.

Sequel Fans- Hush, you’re okay, boo. But you need to chill out a bit, okay? Not everyone’s going to LOVE the sequels- and that’s okay. If you like it- awesome! But- don’t be toxic just because people (and duckers like me) don’t personally like The Last Jedi.

TO ALL STANDALONE LOVERS- Rogue One was a masterpiece, and we STAN. Solo, I’m sorry that you didn’t do well in the box office. Solo was an amazing movie. ...we love you...

But... But. BUT. I have to draw the line somewhere on sugarcoating. I, personally, don’t like Reylo. I actually hate the very idea of it. But not everyone’s racist, not everyone thinks Kylo is a child rapist, and not everyone thinks Adam Driver is hot. People ship what they ship. I don’t agree with it- and although half of Reylo shippers are hateful- that doesn’t mean we should spread hate as well. Anti’s can be toxic. Reylos can be toxic. Anti-Antis can be toxic. point is- everyone can be toxic. Does that make it okay? No. Hell no. I didn’t like Rose’s character. But I love Kelly Marie Tran as an actress and person- she’s so kind and didn’t deserve the hate. It’s not her fault her character is badly written.

Moving on from Star Wars and it’s currently toxic fandom- I bring you the MCU. Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’ve only been a part of the MCU fandom for about a month or two- and I’ve gotta say, I’m disappointed. Although many of you are very kind and welcoming- I’ve seen posts attacking people. Tom Holland’s girlfriend (not confirmed) was getting SO much hate. What the duck is wrong with you people? Tom Holland deserves to have a relationship without people hating on his partner. He has a life. Lay off. Personally, I think they‘re adorable together. That’s my opinion. But don’t send HATE to innocent people. Don’t send hate to anyone PERIOD unless they truly did something wrong. By far, the MCU has one of the MOST toxic yet supporting fandoms I have ever seen. It’s confusing- but true.

The last fandom of the day is: THE LORD OF THE RINGS. I rarely see any hate for this fandom- which is amazing. The fandom truly cares about J.R.R. Tolkien and his legacy.

Sorry for the rant- but Potter Heads, Star Wars Fans (my galactic mother duckers), and MCU fans need to freaking chill. We love you- but y’all need to learn some respect. I admit I’ve done some shit to people- but that doesn’t make it right. But y’all need to learn to be KIND. Thank you for reading this Ted Talk.

#my rants #rant #star wars rants #harry potter rant

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cathygeha · 5 years

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REVIEW

Making Up by Helena Hunting

Shacking Up #4

Cosy Felton is a college student working in an adult toy shop to make ends meet. When Griffin Mills stops by the store to buy a list of items for a bachelor party Cosy makes a less than fun shopping trip a lot less embarrassing. As Griffin is drawn to Cosy he returns later to ask her on a date...and though she says no they do eventually go out. For awhile the eleven year age difference seems it might be a stumbling block but not for long...nope...soon other things seem to pop up that cause problems. There are ups and downs in their relationship but throughout the story it is impossible NOT to see them together.

What I liked:

* Griffin: WONDERFUL book boyfriend!

* Cosy: a nice balance to Griffin and his soul mate

* The meet cute

* The way the two usually ended up talking things out rather than giving up

* The steamy scenes

* Griffin’s family

* Knowing how the characters were feeling and what they were thinking – first person dual points of view

* How it all worked out

What I did not like: * Imogen – Griffin’s Ex-fiance

* Armstrong – Griffin’s cousin

* The drama of the ups and downs though they did allow for a lot of making up

* All the comments about the age difference although there were times Cosy seemed younger than 22

Did I like this book? Yes

Will I read more in the series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

Synopsis:

A new standalone, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting.

Cosy Felton is great at her job—she knows just how to handle the awkwardness that comes with working at an adult toy store. So when the hottest guy she’s ever seen walks into the shop looking completely overwhelmed, she’s more than happy to turn on the charm and help him purchase all of the items on his list.

Griffin Mills is using his business trip in Las Vegas as a chance to escape the broken pieces of his life in New York City. The last thing he wants is to be put in charge of buying gag gifts for his friend’s bachelor party. Despite being totally out of his element, and mortified by the whole experience, Griffin is pleasantly surprised when he finds himself attracted to the sales girl that helped him.

As skeptical as Cosy may be of Griffin’s motivations, there’s something about him that intrigues her. But sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas and when real life gets in the way, all bets are off. Filled with hilariously awkward situations and enough sexual chemistry to power Sin City, Making Up is the next standalone in the Shacking Up world.

Excerpt

We’re a couple of minutes away from my apartment, which also means we’re almost at the end of our date. End-of-date protocol often means a goodnight kiss.

And I’ve eaten onions. Lots of them. What the hell was I thinking? I feel around in my shorts pocket, hoping I have a random stick of gum. I find a tiny square packet and pull it out, along with an old tissue. I shove that back in my pocket and sigh with relief as I carefully open the Listerine Pocketpak. There’s one strip left. I pop it in my mouth, wishing I had water since my mouth is dry and I’m suddenly super nervous.

Griffin pulls up in front of my apartment building. I swallow a bunch of times, trying to get the strip to dissolve on my tongue and glance out the tinted window, seeing it from his perspective. I don’t live in a bad part of town, but I sure as hell wouldn’t leave this car sitting out here for any length of time unless I wanted it keyed or stripped down.

Griffin shifts into park and turns to me, one hand resting on the back of my seat near the headrest. “I had a great time, Cosy.”

“Me too, thanks for dinner.” I tried to fork over my share, but he was quick on the credit card draw.

“It was my pleasure.” He leans in the tiniest bit, a nonverbal cue that he’s going in for a kiss.

I mirror the movement, giving him the go ahead. My stomach flutters in anticipation. I exhale slowly through my nose. Even though the Listerine strip should be doing its job to mask the onions, I don’t want to ruin the moment by breathing that in his face.

His fingertips skim my jaw, and I close my eyes. And then his lips brush my cheek. I wait for them to move a couple of inches to the right, but after what feels like a lot of seconds—and is probably only a few—I crack a lid.

Griffin is still close, a wry smile on his lips and a smolder in his eyes.

“Seriously, that’s it? A kiss on the cheek?”

His smile widens, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. He’s nothing like the guys I usually end up on dates with. College boys don’t take things slow. If I were out with one of the guys from school, I’d be sitting in a beat-up Civic with some stupid music playing, and he’d be all over me with his tongue halfway down my throat, copping a feel.

“I thought all the onions you ate were the equivalent to garlic for vampires.” Griffin fingers my hair near my shoulder. I’d really like him to finger something else. Wait. I mean I’d like to feel his hands on me. Not in my pants. Okay, maybe I’d like them in my pants, but not after date number one.

“I wasn’t thinking, and I really like onions. A lot. In hindsight, it’s not a great date food. I feel kinda dumb. And I guess at first I wasn’t so sure about you. How was I supposed to know you’d actually be kind of normalish?”

“Normalish?”

“Well, you drink club soda on purpose, so you can’t be all there.” I tap his temple.

Griffin circles my wrist with his fingers and drops his head, lips brushing over my knuckle. “We can’t all be perfect, now, can we?”

“I suppose not, and perfect is boring.”

“That it is.” He hums against my skin, and I feel it through my entire body. “I would like to try that kiss again, if you’re still interested.”

Buy-Book Link: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250253378

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She's writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.

Helena Hunting Blog Tour Q&A

What inspired you to write Making Up?

I’d introduced Griffin in the previous Shacking Up Series novels, Shacking Up and Hooking Up—he was a bit of a mystery for readers because he was talked about, but not really present. I had a very clear picture in my mind of who he was, and the kind of woman who would end up being the perfect fit for him, and it was not his fiancé from the previous books.

Introduce us to your main characters!

Griffin Mills is the oldest of the three Mills brothers. At thirty-three he’s had several very long term relationships and was formerly engaged, but that relationship went up in flames. He’s gorgeous, smart, loves the numbers side of the family business he’s part of—a chain of hotels he’s set to inherit with his brothers. Also, he’s a little awkward, which I love, because there’s nothing quite like a hot guy who doesn’t have all the lines and fumbles a bit when he’s dealing with someone he’s attracted to. It makes for some hilarious banter with his love interest, Cosy Felton. Our heroine is a twenty-two year old who has been a bit of a nomad for most of her life, but is finally finishing school and happens to work at an Adult Toy Store part time. It’s definitely not her favourite job, but it pays the bills. She’s sassy, not much of a planner and definitely more than Griffin bargained for.

Lots of aspiring authors out there. Any advice for them?

Just keep writing. Every day put words on the page and surround yourself with positive people who are there to support you. Ask questions, join book groups, be an avid reader and an observer.

How is Making Up different from your other books?

Making Up has a trope I’ve never really explored or played around with before, so it was a lot of fun to write. While I’ve written age gaps before, it hasn’t been a key part of the storyline, or had a significant impact on how the characters perceive the relationship. Griffin and Cosy are from two very different worlds and balancing their expectations and insecurities was one of my favourite parts of writing their story. Making Up has my signature quirky, sassy heroines and I love writing heroes that are sexy, yet a little awkward. While it’s a light read, there’s some drama, and some heavy baggage, which I think grounds the story and balances out the hilarity.

I know asking someone’s all-time favorite book is a loaded question so what’s your current favorite read?

I’ve been so lucky to read so many amazing books this year but I’m going to go with Broken Knight by LJ Shen which releases this August. I love YA/NA romance and angst, and she knows how to deliver both flawlessly.

Alright, the ultimate question: why should we read your book?

We all need a little escape from our own realities once in a while and Making Up is a fun, sexy romance that’s perfect for the summer. Also, Griffin is hot, and not particularly suave at times. I think we can all appreciate a guy who doesn’t have all the lines, especially if he looks like he should.

A famous movie producer wants to make your books into movies and they want you to cast your characters from Making Up. Which actors/actresses make the cut?

This is always a fun question and I’ll be 100% honest, I never actually look at actors prior to writing a story because I generally have a picture of the character in my head. But, I went on a Pinterest mission and Alex Morgan (she’s a soccer player, not an actress) would make a fabulous Cosy if she suddenly switched career paths. Hailee Steinfeld (Bumblebee) is super sassy, and could definitely play up the humor in this story, so she would be a legitimate actress choice. Gabriel Macht has a great smolder and can rock a seriously sexy suit, so I think he’d be great as Griffin.

Favorite quote or scene you wrote in Making Up?

Making Up is definitely a rom-com with some incredibly hilarious moments, but Griffin has some heavy baggage, which means there are also serious moments, and this is one of my favourites: “Talk to me. Fall apart on me. Show me your weakness so I can give you my strength.”

What inspired you to become a writer?

I’ve always loved to write, but finding time was a challenge during university and then afterward I was building a career and we renovated a house down to the studs—which takes up a lot of time and doesn’t leave much of an opportunity for putting down words (but it was an amazing experience). When I gave birth to my daughter she struggled to sleep—or rather stay asleep—and that meant I spent a lot of time awake in the middle of the night. So I started writing again during those late nights, and finally penned my first full novel.

What is a typical writing day like?

I usually start with a run and then copious amounts of coffee while I manage the administrative side of things—ie emails, social media posts etc. But when I sit down to write I have a playlist I put on repeat, more coffee, sparking water (so I can stay hydrated) and my cat Pumpkin generally lies on top of my closed laptop and supervises me for the day.

Do you have any interesting writing quirks or habits?

I listen to the same playlist while I write a novel. So if it takes me two months, then I listen to the same set of songs for two full months. I’ve destroyed A LOT of albums for my husband over the past several years. I just need the background noise, and listening to the radio or unfamiliar songs can be distracting.

What has been one of the most surprising things you’ve learned as a published author?

I’ve only been in the industry for five years and there has been so much change, learning to adjust and adapt and just staying true to your personal goal is really the most important thing I’ve learned. I think when you start out there are just so many unknowns, and taking risks can be scary, but if you don’t take those risks, it’s hard to grow as an author.

Can you tell us about what’s coming up next after this for you writing wise?

I have one more book in The Shacking Up Series, HANDLE WITH CARE, which releases at the end of August! Griffin’s cousin and best friend, Lincoln Moorehead, is the hero and if you didn’t know, he is also Armstrong’s brother. Lincoln is the polar opposite of Armstrong so it was so fun to write. I can’t wait for people to meet Griffin and Cosy and Lincoln and Wren.

How can readers connect with you online?

They can connect with me all over social media! (add links)

Website→ http://www.helenahunting.com/

Amazon → http://amzn.to/1y6OBB7

Twitter → http://bit.ly/HelenaHTwitter

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/helena.hunting69/

Pinterest → http://bit.ly/1oQYRVN

Instagram → http://instagram.com/helenahunting Goodreads→ http://bit.ly/GoodReadsHH NEWSLETTER → http://bit.ly/HelenaHnewsletter

Bookbub → http://bit.ly/BookBubHH

Facebook Reader Group → http://bit.ly/TheBeaverDenHH

#Helena Hunting #Shacking Up 4 #Contemporary Romance #Macmillan publishing #St. Martin's Press #SMP

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roonil-wazlib-at-221b · 6 years

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Rising Stars

A/N: Tom is 21 in this fic, you’re 19. All movies you’ve featured in are purely fictional and if they’re the names of real movies, ignore that.

Not in any way connected to ‘Protection’ but this was in my drafts so... Enjoy!

Tom sighs and rests his chin on his hand, staring boredly at the movie screen. He’s watching some movie with Haz and his brothers and frankly, he’s enjoyed some quite more than this one. However, Harrison seems to be enjoying the movie, so he’s at least pretending to be invested. It rather seems to be the same sort of story—girl meets boy, they fall in love, they have a fight, they kiss and make up. Along with some murder and guns, which is what Harrison is chuckling at.

Then the main character’s best friend comes onto the screen. Tom’s eyes widen. The girl is… absolutely gorgeous. She should’ve had the starring movie role instead of the supporting character, even if the main role is being played by a much bigger name than yours.

He can’t help but marvel at how well you play your character, who’s name is Maria. You never even think about breaking character, he can tell, or maybe you’re just acting like yourself. Either way, Tom’s in awe. How could someone this gorgeous be so talented? There’s gotta be something you can’t do, but at one point you have to sing karaoke with the main character and your voice is stunning. Nope, you’re perfect.

All too soon, the movie is over, ending with the two main characters getting together and being happy. Tom grunts unhappily. He’d have liked to see you one more time.

“Dude!” Harrison laughs. “You were drooling over Maria!”

Tom immediately blushes. “I was not!”

“You so were!” Sam chimes in, his nose crinkling with disgust. “I saw you when she was singing!”

“You guys are so annoying,” Tom grumbles and tries to discreetly wipe off his chin just in case there is something on there. Harrison snorts.“Maybe you’ll end up in a movie with her,” he suggests optimistically. Tom shakes his head. That could never happen—he’s a good enough actor, sure, but you’re fantastic.

“Her name’s Y/N Y/L/N. She’s nineteen years old, only recently started acting,” Harry says, reading off his phone screen. “She was in a movie called ‘Evanescence’, which is supposed to be really good.”

Tom makes a mental note of that before saying loudly, “You guys are being ridiculous. I thought she was pretty, but I’m not about to watch every movie she’s ever been in.”

Which is exactly what he does. You’ve only been in five: ‘Evanescence’; in which you were the main character and it’s about a girl who is unable to be remembered by anyone she doesn’t see after more than a few days ‘cuz at the end it’s revealed that you’re a ghost, ‘Idols’; which was your first movie, in which you played a more or less important supporting character in a society that entirely lives underground but you were only in that one for about twenty minutes, ‘Jade Necklaces’; a movie in which you played the sidekick again in a story about a girl who sells jade necklaces on the black market, ‘Stormy’; a film about a girl with anxiety, and the one that Tom had watched with Harrison, which is called ‘Scars’.

Tom doesn’t want to call himself a stalker, exactly, but he does watch all your movies, and looks at your Instagram daily (he wants to watch your story but he doesn’t want the off chance of you seeing that he saw it), and he finds out that you have two brothers; one younger named Noah and one older named Caleb.

Harrison, however, repeatedly calls Tom a stalker, especially when he sees Tom’s wallpaper: a picture from ‘Jade Necklaces’ in which you’re wearing a sundress and laughing on a beach.

Tom nearly freaks out when he sees your most recent Instagram post: a small Spider-man plushie with a head as big as your hand next to your cat with the caption ‘Peter Parker isn’t dead because I say so fight me, I cried during Loki’s (faked) death and That Scene’. He hadn’t realized you like Marvel, let alone the character he plays!

Harry walks in on Tom on his bed, staring at the picture as he debates whether or not to like it. It’s a post about him, right, so it wouldn’t be super weird to like it, like liking a regular post of someone you don’t even know that has nothing to do with him. Of course, you’re also a movie star, so lots of people like every single thing you post, but still.

“You’ve been staring at that same picture for the last two hours,” Harry says matter-of-factly. “Just thought you should know.”

“Should I like it?” Tom groans with desperation. “Harry, help me!”

Harry shrugs and leaves the room.

“Thanks for your help!” Tom shouts after him, patting Tessa when she moves.

“I know you,” you say excitedly when you meet your co-star, Zendaya Coleman, before one of the readings for your upcoming movie. “You were in Spider-man: Homecoming! I loved that movie!” You then blush, flustered when you realize you hadn’t introduced yourself. “I mean, hi, I’m Y/N Y/L/N and I’m going to be your co-star.”

Zendaya smiles at you brightly, shaking your hand firmly. “I’m Zendaya and it’s fine, I’ve seen some of your movies too! You’re so talented. I can’t wait to work with you. My friend is going to freak out when he hears about this; he absolutely loves you.”

You blush a deep scarlet, letting out an awkward chuckle. “I’m really not that good. You’ve definitely had more experience than me.”

Zendaya shrugs and smiles. “Agree to disagree?” After your nod, she says, “I’ve actually not read the books for this, but I read the script. Have you, yet?”

Your eyes light up. “Oh, yeah! Actually, it’s a trilogy, so we’ll probably be called back if it’s a good enough success. And I’ve actually read the books. I loved them, but I nearly refused to act in the movies—too many series are ruined by film adaptations, you know?” You fake-shudder. “Don’t get me started on the Percy Jackson movies.”

“I know, right?” Zendaya bursts out. “They made me so angry!”

“Exactly!” You point at her. “It would have been amazing if they had actually had at least a moderately good grip on the gist of the books, but they didn’t even deserve to be called Percy Jackson. Actually, they would have been good as standalone films about the Greek gods, ‘cuz the screenwriters literally took the names of the main characters and that was it.” You blush again. “I’m sorry, that was off-topic.”

Zendaya waves a hand nonchalantly.

“The scripts for this are actually pretty on point, except in the book, your character, Alit,… dies,” you say apologetically. “From the Killer. In the second book, the base is bombed so it’s mostly about my character, Jag, who’s working in our makeshift base in the forest, and Matthew as he tries to break into the facility to get the virus. It ends on a cliffhanger of him being caught. In the third book, he makes it out but without the virus, but during the middle it turns out that he was exposed to it in the lab and didn’t die, so he’s immune, and Catherine manages to make an antidote out of it but… Jag dies too.” You laugh. “The author was pretty ruthless. Anyways, Matthew takes out President 67 and figures out that it was actually his mom all along—she’d faked her death to leave him and his dad. I don’t know what they’re going to do with your character, but your character and Matt will most likely get together at the end—it was implied during the first book that they liked each other and would have gotten together if Alit hadn’t died.”

Zendaya nods thoughtfully. “That sounds sweet.”

“Hopefully the next two movies stick to the books as much as this one did,” you say, smiling. Then you wiggle your eyebrows. “I’m actually disappointed you’re not playing Catherine, because she and Jag get together before Jag dies. Not many people get to say they’ve kissed Zendaya Coleman.”

Zendaya laughs loudly and just then, the director walks in. “Okay, guys, today we’re going to be reading through scenes one to ten. Let me know if you guys need a break!” Everyone shuffles to their seats. Your eyes skim over the people you’re going to be knowing very well, taking in the wide age ranges sitting at the table.

“Opening scene: Family sitting at a dinner table eating mush,” someone reads outloud. You have to smirk at that.

“Papa, have you heard from Uncle Mick lately?” a small child asks.

“He said he would be gone still until Monday,” a man reads.

And so it begins.

You and your friends are all watching ‘Spider-man: Homecoming’, which includes Zendaya and Ashley, the girl who plays Catherine in your upcoming movie. Your friends are all sufficiently awed by Z, who willingly takes photos with them, before you all settle down to watch the movie. You and your closest friend from school, Vivien, exchange excited glances. You two are humongous Marvel fans. She loves to make edits out of clips from Marvel movies, mainly about Bucky, but one edit that had been about Spider-man had gotten commented on by the actual Tom Holland.

He’d only commented ‘This is sick!’ but still, the two of you had squealed excitedly when she’d gotten the notification. You swear you’d nearly had a heart attack. Tom Holland is literally the sweetest thing ever, and so nice and talented, and yes, extremely hot. You’ve got a picture of him shirtless from the scene in his room during ‘Homecoming’ and it’s probably a bit creepy but he’s honestly gorgeous.

Your other friend, Athena, who is just as obsessed with Tom Holland as you, squeals with you when you see him on the screen for the first time without the suit on. Zendaya just smirks at the two of you and grins when MJ appears on-screen.

“That’s you,” you sing, drawing out the word ‘you’ and hugging a pillow to your chest.

“I know,” she says, grinning, and starts texting Harrison. The basement is filled with giggles and squeals the rest of the night, along with Z occasionally interjecting to tell funny stories about filming the movie.

About halfway through ‘Homecoming’ you stop and stare at her.

“Yes?” she asks, suppressing a laugh at the dumbfounded look on your face.

“You know Tom Holland,” you whisper and then put your face in your hands. “Oh my gosh, you’re so telling him about how ridiculous I am!”

“Ooh, thanks for the idea,” she teases.

“Z!” you squeal, lunging for her phone. She holds it out of your reach, shushing you.

“The movie’s playing!”

You cross your arms and pout but turn back to the movie just in time for Peter to be buried under rubble by the vulture. You scowl.

“Remember when this was the worst thing that happened to Peter Parker?” Athena asks.

“‘Infinity War’ is not to be mentioned in this household,” you command.

“She’s been like this for a while,” Vivien whispers loudly to Zendaya.

“That’s because he deserved better!” you say heatedly.

Athena holds up her hands. “Does it look like anyone else is arguing with you?”

Zendaya: Haz, you WOULD NOT BELIEVE who’s my costar and obsessed with tom

Harrison: Storm Reid?

Zendaya: What? No

Harrison: Rowan Blanchard?

Zendaya: NO

Zendaya: Y/N Y/L/N

Zendaya: She’s like in love with tom

Harrison: …

Harrison: How does that even happen

Zendaya: Can you believe how lucky they both are

Harrison: So we gotta set them up right

Zendaya: What kinda friends would we be if we didn’t? Meghan markle’s friends set her up with harry

Harrison: Who?

Zendaya: nvm

Zendaya: We just have to think of something

Zendaya: Hey Y/N, wanna go hiking?

Y/N: Sure, Z! When? How’re ur scenes doing?

Zendaya: its fun but a lot of work! I might invite some of my other friends too, is that cool? And i was thinking next saturday

Y/N: Yep, that’s fine.

Zendaya: bring noah too, all right?

Y/N: I’ll see if i can take him

Haz: Hey tom wanna go hiking with z and some of her friends?

Tom: sure, when

Haz: idk maybe next saturday?

Tom: that works, i’ll see u guys then

Haz: bring harry, sam, and paddy too, one of her friends is bringing their younger sibling

Tom: got it

Zendaya: Did he say yes?

Haz: Yeah, did she?

Zendaya: Yep! Jeez, i can’t wait to see her face. She is literally so smitten with him

Haz: I bet Tom’s worse.

You and Ashley have hardly been able to look each other in the eyes recently without bursting into fits of giggles. Having to kiss one of your friends is definitely a lot more awkward than you thought it would be, and trying to do it while pretending to be injured is another thing entirely.

“Scene thirty-nine, take five!” the director yells.

Ashley fixes you with a serious look. You can’t stop yourself from laughing at the sheer awkwardness of the situation.

“Y/N, please!” the director shouts, rubbing his face with his hands.

“Sorry, sir,” you say, trying and failing to mask your features into one of indifference. “Note to self: ask to film the kissing scenes before I see my ‘partner’ streaking across the set.”

Ashley colors and laughs as well, both of you glancing over at the actor who plays Matthew, who rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Please!” the director asks again and you two both quickly school your expressions back into that of seriousness. “Scene thirty-nine, take six!”

Ashley stares at you seriously, putting down the unused bandages. “Jag… you don’t have to be last in line to be helped. You can be selfish every once in a while.”

“Soldiers aren’t selfish,” you say stiffly, remembering that Jag has a nasty graze on her left side, so you lean a bit to the left. You keep your eyes on the wall but sneak a glance at her when she turns away.

“Are you a soldier 24/7?” Ashley asks, putting her hand on your cheek under the guise of checking the fake gash on your forehead. You blink slowly, staring up at her with an expression akin to the one you’d use if you ever saw Tom Holland. “Is that all you are?”

“Isn’t it?” you whisper and then Ashley puts her other hand on your cheek and presses her lips to yours. You stiffen, eyes wide, before slowly letting them flutter shut. Your hands rise to her waist.

“And cut!” the director shouts, not a moment too late. You can’t help yourself from breaking into loud guffaws and Ashley does the same. “Come on guys, be mature…” he sighs. You wave a hand at him, your eyes watering.

Noah is bouncing off the doors of the car, excited that you’re letting him sit in the front seat for the first time in his life.

“These are my friends, so behave,” you say sternly after you pull up to the start of the trail. “We’ll eat later, so make sure you have snacks, and don’t forget your stick.”

He nods impatiently, holding his lacrosse stick tightly in his fist, and shoulders his Avengers drawstring bag. “Can we go?”

“We’re going to wait for my friends,” you remind him. “Wanna throw?”

You two throw with your sticks for twenty minutes before he gets bored and pulls a small Nerf football out of his bag. You’ve only just started throwing with that before Zendaya pulls up, waving wildly. You wave back, giving Noah a perfect opportunity to hit you in the face with the football.

He gulps when you glare at him and points to your friend. “Don’t you need to behave?” He throws your words back at you.

You wag a finger at him. “Not cool, mister.”

“Okay, so I think my friends already started hiking, so we can head up,” Z calls once she’s close enough, checking her watch. “We’re going to meet them at the top and then hike along the top for a while before coming back. That cool?”

Noah nods at her and scampers ahead, instantly forgetting about his bag, stick, and football. Rolling your eyes, you scoop up his stuff and trail after him, chatting with Z about how weird it is to kiss your friends.

The hike isn’t long, and before long you can see the opening of the trees to the top. You’d dumped Noah’s stuff on him a while back, and he’s still bursting with energy despite having to lug it up the trail and quite a bit ahead of you and your friend. You’re a little out of breath but not too badly.

A small boy runs to greet you three, accompanied by a grey dog. You immediately coo at the sight of it, crouching down to let it barrel into your legs. Zendaya rolls her eyes and leaves you there, scratching at the dog’s belly.

“Hey, Tom!” she greets her friend but not too loudly so you don’t hear. “Hey Haz!”

They both greet her.

“Where’s Tessa?” Tom asks awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. Normally she doesn’t run off, and if she gets lost it’ll ruin the whole trip.

Zendaya rolls her eyes. “Oh, my friend’s petting her. She loves dogs.”

“I bet Tessa’s bothering her, I’ll go get her,” the boy mutters and jogs down the path. A girl with Y/H/C is crouching down to pet Tessa, cooing at her. A lacrosse stick is at her side.

You look up when you hear the footsteps approaching, and nearly have a heart attack.

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contact--light · 6 years

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a promptis fic catalogue post

note: I made this as like my own personal directory type thing when if I suddenly have the urge to reread a particular fic I already read, I would look at this and be like oh yeah that’s the bitch

all these fics are completed and are as promptis-centric as possible, so I put down other pairs that also feature in the stories (sadly, I don’t do ot3/ot4). please note I still have a ton of other promptis to read too so if u don’t see a fic that’s like THE ONE ppl have read, that’s bcos I’m still finding the time to read it in one go (can’t read fics on and off or else I’ll get side-tracked and forget the plot completely)

ALSO each and every story absolutely bangs so I put a little comment about them so if the authors ever see this, know I am incredibly sorry if I have offended you with how I worded my praises, but know that they are praises of the highest calibre that I can write this is why I’m not a writer lmao

ALSO possible spoiler alert for the main game and the fics I rec. it’s a ‘fic directory’, not a well written one but it’s good enough for me and if other people enjoy it, very cool, I like u, let’s be pals

Links to the story and links to the author’s other promptis works are provided (if available)

ANYWAY, on to the nitty gritty! There is no god in the order I rec these fics, absolutely no order, except the end of the list are the mega angsty fics but aside from that, again, there is no god in this list.

lucidus by scylaire

12,270 words | Rated T

this au is so feel good like minimal angst (but bcos resident emo prince just can’t be himself w/out some angst), mad fluff bcos of cuddle buddy prompto, and they in college. all in all, a very nice fic

runaway by tenzoh

70,828 words | Rated M

other pairs: minor lunyx

I can’t believe this fic broke into my house and straight up murdered me. I love this one and will reread this again when the other fics aren’t trying to barge through my door like I’m dodging tax. this canon divergence goodness is based on if no one fucking died, which is a godsend of a fic already, and oho u might think ‘oh that’s good!’ that no one dies, well tru but the dRAMA and the SCANDAL and noct’s priorities man oh man

the loveless prince by niuniu

196,869 words | Rated T

this absolute unit took me 4 days to read despite having work and uni bcos it had one of my fave tropes: soulmate au, so I was instantly hooked, it’s also somewhat canon divergence bcos noct is still a prince and the astrals are around but bruv, every chapter I finish got me thinkin like “what happens next will shock u”; absolutely gripping stuff ‘eva is a story that repeats’

cactus in the valley by liziscribbles

112,330 words Rated M

other pairs: gladnis, iris/aranea

another absolute unit of an college au that has all the ingredients of a wonderful soap opera (as is promised on the fic’s tags): DRAMA ✅ DISASTER ✅ LOVE ✅ RESOLUTION ✅ ARDYN ✅ liziscribbles writes a TON of promptis, I swear I’ve read most of them and I rate them so check their other stuff out too

in another time by dragongem777 & kiacoral

85,687 words | Rated ehh I’ll guess about M

other pairs: mad gladnis happenin outchea

I’m hesitant to call this a canon divergence bcos it’s based on the main storyline but it’s essentially a reincarnation au and BOY DOES IT DELIVER. the lads one by one recall their past lives and we follow their journey on how they find each other and how prom and noct fall in love all over again #the gladnis is pretty heavy in this one

the royal wedding of noctis and prompto by latias_likes_pizza

6975 words | Rated G

other pairs: gladnis, lunyx and cindy/aranea

I read this when I feel down bcos it’s my pick-me-up fic, this is the promptis royal wedding ending we all deserve and more, you can really feel the love in this fic and I can’t emphasise enough how much I adore this work

emperor who? by andromedas_void

3,817 words | Rated G

I really rate this fic bcos I like emperor prompto aus and I really beg for more of this goodness, this has tons of potential but it’s terrific as a standalone piece

the last prince of tenebrae by oh my fae

21,694 words | Rated M

Oh my fae? More like Oh my DAY...S. I haven’t read this for the second time in ages but I remember feeling really good about reading this and I saved it on my phone’s bookmarks so that must deffo mean it bangs. this is another prince prompto au but if he was the 3rd nox fleuret sibling wHICH at the time I found this was (lady gaga) SPECTACULAR, NEVER THE SAME, TOTALLY UNIQUE, COMPLETELY NOT EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE

affogato by moonside

55,442 words | Rated E for hEhEhEhEhE noice

other pairs: bare gladnis

most works by moonside are actually so good so go check their whole ffxv works out too if u like this one. I’m gonna be completely honest, based on emotional memory, this fic made me feel good but the actual plot of this fic? A-FFO-GA-TO (get it? I forgot tho, whatevs man I think that’s funny) but from what I can probs remember is this is a coffee shop au with gladnis drama AND if u like gladnis there’s a second instalment that is gladnis drama heavy

to build a home by just_peachy

61,642 words | Rated M

other pairs: gladnis, lunyx, cindy/aranea

hello, this is another case of “I swear I read this bcos I have a good feeling about this fic but I can’t recall the plot to save my life but my heart says I likes the fic so I’m gonna go with that” plus its by just_peachy who has done TREMENDOUS amount of work and you can really see them progress in their skills as a writer, reading from their past to current stories so I always look forward to any future fics they complete bcos they deliver with quantity and increasing quality as well but I’m digressing, this one is a soulmate au which is an au I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO READ and it’s a modern au (business instead of royalty) AND prom finally gets to be the photographer he’s always wanted to be

secrets by trirocksalt

4785 words Rated G for GOD THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE

while I was undergoing my second playthrough of ffxv, and (finally) went to altissia-- although it IS beautiful, I miss the chocobos and the fucking car and just not being able to be restrained to travel by city walls and social pressures by not sprinting in public and dON’T GET ME STARTED WITH THE GONDOLA SYSTEM— due to my frustrations, I remembered this feel good fic, where it’s like noctis is taking over as CEO for regis’ massive business and prompto as a gondolier, and it took me SO LONG to find this fic again, and being in altissia made my heart so heavy so this was the perfect fic to get me through the shitstorm that is chapter 9

croquis by peonysoda

43,113 word | Rated T

PEONYSODA TAKE MY HEART all their promptis stuff ARE ABSOLUTE GEMS! this is a college au where noct has to model for a figure drawing class aND CAN U GUESS WHO’S IN THAT CLASS?!??!

something just like this by yuneyn

42,712 words | Rated M for Mecessary smut

this fic is literally like as if it cleared the dark rainclouds from a bad storm and descended from the heavens with open arms, rays of light shining behind it, to offer you salvation; in other words, this fluff-a-mania of a fic is all feel good no bad shit happening here and it DELIVERS, bcos I’m so used to expecting bad stuff happening when the couple gets together very early, but this fic doesn’t do that, nah mate, but it does make dino look like the bad(abing badaboom) guy but eh, u get over it. this ‘stuck-in-the-airport’ au will have u grinning from ear to ear throughout the whole thing

to love by emziewrites

other pairs: lunyx, some cheeky gladnis

37,020 words Rated E for EYYYYYYYY

this one’s an age difference royalty au, where king noct finds the one thing he’s missing and prompto is much more than just the hoe he thinks he’s hired as. literally DIS FIC IS 2 HOT 4 U and most of their promptis fics are top quality too check their works out too

like & subscribe by just_peachy

36,590 words | Rated M for MIGOS

I read this one quite recently and I very much enjoyed this youtuber au but with a twist bcos prom became a youtuber thanks to his princely pal, who has been giving him lovey dovey eyes in each upload that sunshine boy is completely oblivious to it, but viewers needn’t not be eagle eyed to see noct’s infatuation

marry your best friend, but like literally by brosura

8,300 words | Rated T for TERRIFIC

other pairs: cheeky gladnis

exactly what it says on the fucking tin and it DELIVERS (I need a new phrase). all feel good times about MARRIED BOYS AND HOW THEIR LIVES ARE BEAUTIFUL TOGETHER. this GOOD TIME OF AN AU is one of some that brosura wrote, but all in all, the mother of feel good fics and I'm gonna rec another, just watch me

‘the Good Time Train™’ series by brosura

25,090 words | Rated T for y’all TOTALLY saw me rec another brosura work

other pairs: hints of lunoct

features stories such as: ‘friends with benefits’ au and an extra piece. Now, friends with benefits IS another good time train bUT IT’S DIFFERENT THIS TIME: the 4th chapter, after being so used to the journey of the good time train, feels like that part when the train splits to two and you’re on the wrong compartment, and the destination really isn’t going where u think it’s going bcos this end of the train takes a different detour and destination and u see this as the fic starts getting deep and u should have really paid more attention to the train conductor’s announcements so it’s completely ur fault that u didn’t BUT there IS a complimentary fic about blanket forts if that’s any consolation AND this is a good read

king of catfishing by trashmccree

10,567 words | Rated I’ll guess about a T

Other pairs: minor cindy/aranea

this tinder/catfish AU got all up on my FEELS and the fishing puns! I love a good pun, especially if it hurts other people.

golden catfish, king catfish by unsungillumination

9541 words | Rated T

hOLY SHIT ANOTHER CATFISH AU! BLESSED BE THE STARS FOR THIS BOUNTIFUL HARVEST. I can never have enough of aus. so the boys find each other via online gaming and silly prompto put himself as a girl on his online profile! and noctis is asking to meet with him?! What will prompto do??? No I’m serious, what did he do, I forgot, so NOW I have to reread this

FFXV Promptis SFW Week by treya_barton

23,871 words | Rated if I recall correctly there may have been some implied stuff so I’ll put M to be safe

This smorgasbord has 8 chapters, approaching each prompt given from, you guessed it, Promptis Fanweek 2k18; each story I believe (IIRC AGAIN) are standalones, but all in all a very good read, I truly enjoy reading treya_barton’s works

A Thing with Feathers by farseersfool

22,713 words | Rated T

I. LOVE. THIS. FUCKING. FIC. it’s a domestic AU where prompto and noct live together, and they’re adults, like obvs there’s still a bit of drama here but not as overly dramatic as it would be if they were younger, ANYWAY prompto adopts a cockatoo called HER RADIANCE QUEEN SQUISHUMS, THE FIRST OF HER NAME and I LOVE HER. There’s also a lot of emotional constipation from both sides but with a large, very clever bird involved and eavesdropping—and oh, have I mentioned that I love Her Radiance?

Guide to Fake Dating: Best Friend Edition by cup_of_comfort

22,607 words | Rated T

WHO LOVES FAKE/PRETEND RELATIONSHIP AU? /I/ FUCKING LOVE FAKE/PRETEND RELATIONSHIP AU. This fic is literally, prom and noct being part of the cosmic joke and not getting the punchline.

Ghost of the Sun by Phosphorite

22,371 words | Rated M

INSOMNIA BOYS ON TOUR M.E. 7XX doesn’t go as well as they hoped as noct slowly realises that his migraines are trying to tell him something. in this canon divergent like au, noct and everyone he loves finally gets the happiness they deserve.......kinda. this fic was an absolute trip, I mean I didn’t think it would take me where I thought it would, but where I ended up was still plenty good, despite the destination being flooded. by my own tears.

Prince Noctis' Hot New Date? Read More on Page 7! by SharkbaitSekki

3719 words | Rated T to be safe

Prom ends up in the hospital and ignis is ‘mom’ on his phone au. I live for fics where ignis is ‘mom’ on the chocobro’s phones.

sunshine blues by dirtmemer

9124 words | Rated G for GOD IGNIS LET THE BOYS BE HAPPY

In a surprising twist of canon, ignis, for once, makes a super horrible, very bad decision and is not the voice of reason in this story. What happened here DID shock me, this is borderline whump so fair warning to those with prompto biases

perhaps you noticed something strange yesterday by ObscureReference

1681 words | Rated T

This isn’t really like bait promptis but it’s a good fic that makes me think a bit. Those kinds that leaves u going like ‘huh’ and u have to take a pause before you continue on with your day

birth of a wish by whimsofffate

15,729 words | Rated T

A groundhog day AU that will make you want to scream at the skies warning the astrals to catch your hands bcos ur gonna fight them, kick them, you’ll punch a cloud u don’t give a fuck! So they reluctantly listened and gave u that happy ending…. for now

feathers and fleece by ienablu

12,774 words | Rated T for Texting

King Regis starts texting Prompto bcos Noct doesn’t. The man is just concerned for his only son, pls noct ur angsty teenager phase is showing. you also slowly find out that King Regis is like any other dad… meaning he is a massive troll.

Sunflowers by moonside

18,955 words | Rated E

PROFESSOR/STUDENT AU IS A FUCKING JAAAAAAAAM. In here, we have sexy economics professor Noctis, and uni student prompto who have mutual hots for each other but it’s not all sexy fun times ladies and gentlepeople, for I bear warnings of a tragedy occurring in this fic, but aside from that, it’s a very good read, great plot and again, DIS FIC IS 2 HOT 4 U.

Life Imitates by Riona

3293 words | Rated T for TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR, GLADIO! but u gotta admit, it’s effective

Everyone gives Noctis and Prompto the shovel talk, which would have been very useful if they were actually together. This fic is an absolute classic.

convince lucis that you're dating (and get an existential crisis while you're at it), a guide by prompto by crosspolination

13,841 words | Rated G

THE RUMOUR COME OUT: does noctis lucis caelum is gay? This great fake/pretend relationship au (with proms family consisting of dad cor and big sis aranea) this fic will have you wanting to join in on teasing prom about the situation he’s in, thanks to a prince who has yet to learn how to think before he speaks

The Pursuit of Happiness by mahbecks

15,568 words | Rated E for ahh… it’s Explicit

I forgot this fic was explicit lmao but there’s a quote at the end of chapter two that absolutely grips me by the heart, it’s those kinds of quotes that got u thinking that it could be written in like a profound book or said in a deep film but no, surprise bitch it’s in this incredible soulmate au fic.

Horizon Linked by cup_of_comfort

18,470 words | Rated E for EVERY CHAPTER (ish) IS LOTS OF SMUT MY GOD

a/b/o fics may not be for everyone, but I liked this, it’s also angsty but what’s different about this is that it definitely has a happy ending and a great resolution, so the angst train is present but the happy ending J U S T about outweighs it. It still has tons of heavy, and dark themes so read with caution if ur not into that, but I liked the fuck out of this

Suggested Forms of Intimacy by Akumeoi

21,091 words | Rated T

A fake/pretend relationship, university au all in the name of science?! Well, more like, u get to live in a flat during the research and who would say no to that, I’d do it too mate. SO prom and noct sign up for a study that’s for like close relationships and they see how they fair in a shared flat. Mad fluff happens

In Defence of by eblisbaculum

1700-ish words | Rated I’d say about a T for the swearing

This fic isn’t on AO3 but it deserves a shoutout bcos of BAMF Prompto defending his best friend, and there really isn’t any glaringly obvious promptis in here but the end implies something but hoo boy this fic is a trip

‘Fucking Finally’ and it’s sequel ‘Word Theory’ by repmet

around 2000 words altogether | Rated T for the word ‘fuck’

Again, I found these on tumblr but it’s a short and sweet soulmate au, so this one is a massive shout if u want a quick read

Waking the Gods by Asidian

778 words | Rated G

This isn’t really promptis but I LOVE ORACLE PROM AUS AND I WISH THERE WAS MORE OF THIS AU but in this one it’s like canon divergence and prom is the oracle instead. Spectacular read (AND HAS ACCOMPANYING ART BY KACI!) THANK YOU FOR THIS BOUNTY

Black is the Colour by withoutdrawbacks

1371 words | Rated T

Noct lends prom his clothes and he totally isn’t staring too long. A lovely short and sweet fic about pining noct

somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond by bellpickle

10,188 words |Rated T

The canon did luna so fucking dirty, she didn’t deserve that fam, so here’s Luna writing letters, not only to Noctis, but to Prompto as well. Ever like the all-knowing big sister, she knows these boys ain’t slick

Tight fit by Dandy

26,982 words | Rated T

Prompto gets shoved in a locker by a bunch of jealous, little bitches and Noct wants blood when he finds out that Prom is ignoring him bcos he was in a locker for DAYS, fam that’s mad

Tolerable Toxicity Levels by saltslimes

3796 words | Rated T

Another glorious ‘Ignis is ‘mom’ on our phone’ au, where prompto is sick at work, noctis and his retinue arrive to the rescue and manager aranea hates prompto’s parents.

strange obsession (for my automatic weapon) by dustofwarfare

8530 words | Rated E

Who doesn’t like a bit of BAMF Prompto? Apparently, Noctis likes it… maybe TOO much, but that’s not a problem at all, it’s more like admitting it to Prompto that he likes that shit. This is some cute gunplay smut, no wounds or nothing like that at all, just the gun, and some sexy times bcos of it

Ten Years Is a Long Time by Tenzoh

9443 words | Rated T

other pairs: prompto/cindy

MY HEART HEAVES FOR THIS STORY. in this au borderline canon divergence fic is based on the 10-year time skip, world of ruin etc when noct returns and he confronts everything that has CHANGED. The happy twist is that noct doesn’t die, but the catch? Prom and cindy are together, and noct has to cope with his feels. The journey of reading this was close enough to make me cry; tenzoh, stay right where u are, I’m calling the police

raining knives, like, all the time by zinthos

13,132 words | Rated

other pairs: lunyx

this is literally the second fic I’ve rec’d featuring big birds with big names (FLAPPERDIGINOUS FLORATIO FONDA THE THIRD aka FLAPPY BIRD) hence why I named my chocobo in FFXV (the first playthrough) Flappy Bird as tribute to this amazing fic. But u have big sis luna in here and I love that so much, but u also have stupid af noct with an equally stupid af prompto so what’s not to love in this fic

Watching the Rain become the Sea by Ieroses

12,604 words | Rated T

The scenery in this au, my god, ieroses paints an absolute beautiful picture of this fic using words as her brush and canvas, like I remember reading this and I picture the scenes, and for some reason it reminds me of a CSI episode or smth like that, which makes sense bcos it’s like a crime au but the angst is evened out by a good ending

Epiphany by moonside

10,552 words | Rated E

Don’t 👏 stop 👏 me 👏 recommending 👏 moonside 👏 for 👏 smut 👏 bcos 👏 I 👏 won’t 👏 stop 👏 Another terrific age difference au and it DELIVERS. AGAIN. Moonside u done it again u crazy son of a gun. This one is literally pure smut, as it’s a one-night stand au with the promise of more in the end? Not like a sequel (I CAN DREAM THOUGH) but u can see inklings of noct liking prom more than just a one-time ting

To be Happy, To be Loved by thatoldeblackmagic

10,079 words | Rated T

Regis wearing the typical Jimmy Buffet ‘dad-on-holiday’ ensemble? outstanding. noctis being made fun of as a discount Sasuke Uchiha? ground-breaking. matchmaker regis? oh yeah, I’m game. also great shout out to that meme where cups were stacked on ppl who are asleep, I swear someone redrew that but with noct instead, pls @ me on that if it is out there

The Trouble with Rumours by candiedillusions

9630 words | Rated T

I JUST. CAN’T HOLD ALL THESE FAKE/PRETEND RELATIONSHIP AUS. In this instalment, Prompto and Noctis become BFs instead of BFFs thanks to a typo on social media.

noctis gets a toy stuck up his ass and calls prompto for help by demnocts

1500-ish words I guess | Rated E

I couldn’t breathe typing up the ‘title’ of this piece bcos it’s literally, what it fucking says on the tin and I can’t stop crying. what else do u want me to say about this? It’s hot af, full stop. this smut is no plot set-up, all punchline, get-on-your-fucking-knees, proper full-on dirty

Where the Blue of the Sea Meets the Sky by canary

16,265 words | Rated M for MEAT BEATING

don’t let the smut fool u into thinkin this got a happy ending nah fam I got bittersweet at bEST (but that good smut is there, teetering between the M to E rating) this fic got all up on my feels in the last bit; that the friendly banter between prom and noct (top-notch characterisation), is all smoke and show behind the impending doom that is altissia. And don’t get me started how the scenery in this fic gives you that full immersion u need to feel like ur in Caem

The Experience by MakikoIgami

7735 words | Rated E

aND BOY WAS THIS FIC AN EXPERIENCE. Basically, the boys think of all the loopholes they can use to reach maximum satisfaction AND the experience is an experience bcos u get all this good, filthy smut and in the end the feels train hits you out of nowhere so u don’t know what to do with urself

Letters for Nobody by Ashino

13,939 words | Rated I’ll gauge it about M

other pairs: gladnis

wherein umbra becomes postman pat for the crownsguard and their late king. This fic, although set in the tragedy that is the canon end, has a lot of feel good letters in there that makes u wanna get out ur best stationery and write one urself.

Nothing to Lose by AJDiamond

4986 words | Rated T

HHHIIII I like age difference promptis so here’s a classic coffee shop au, with gladio being a broken record in terms of his love advice

here is the root of the root (and the bud of the bud) by stardusting

11025 words | Rated T

U kno ur fandom made it when it’s got a hanahaki au, so ur sorted for that angst, plus their other works are also very cute!

designation by yeaka

1327 words | Rated E

this a/b/o fic never fails to get me hot under the collar no matter how many times i read it #mkinyk #dont@me but DO check out the promptis yeaka writes fam fucking W O W read them

galleria by omegas

2180 words | Rated G for GOOD SHIT

in the famous words of utada hikaru: simple and clean is the way that this fic makes me feel tonight. in this au, prom opens a photo gallery, noct is smooth af and the art industry in insomnia is just like the one in real life: difficult

silver linings by countingpaperstars

7625 words | Rated E

I bet if they were an indie band, they’d be called prompto and the niffs but I digress. IN THIS BAND AU we get massive fanboy prince noctis and iggy the square doing his typical: no u cant do blah bcos u r the prince and responsibility and reputation etc; can never get enough of these, plus smut in the end 👌🏼 absolute cherry on top of this sundae

‘holidays with promptis’ series by fmpsimon

10,389 words | Rated M

Get urself in the spirit of Christmas by reading these beauties; plus their other work s are also worth the read

ANGST AHOY:

‘the body’ series by ipacialiera

79,199 words | Rated E for MASSIVELY EXPLICIT

other pairs: highspecs, lunoct, ravus/gentiana, promptio, prompto/iris, promdyn, promptHOE, verstael/iedolas, soz if I missed some but go read their tags

lemme say this first and foremost: I tend to avoid angst and heavy, dark themed stories like the plague, but bcos I’m an absolute little shit I obviously read the first chapter of this and I was instantly hooked; I don’t recommend this to anyone who wants to have a good time bcos as much as this story was engaging, my soul cries for the boys in this film noire/detective/crime au so read if you like the sound of it. I give massive, massive props to the writer bcos this 2-part series was a rollercoaster, and at least you get some closure in this fic, but that’s like trying to douse a kitchen fire with a cup of water; however, it’s literally better than no closure. I implore those who consider this fic to look at each tag the author puts down and if you really, really can’t read something like them, don’t bloody read it, like I can’t say I enjoy reading these kinds of stories bcos I don’t but I just wanna give credit where it’s due because this is incredibly written

a long december by promptoschocohoe

32,934 words | Rated M for My God, I still haven’t stopped crying bcos of this one

other pairs: gladnis

so this and ‘the body’ will probably be the only angst heavy fics I will rec in this whole list unless I get back on my bullshit again and this one absolutely hurt me, incredibly bittersweet with 17% sweet and 83% bitter from the heavy themes you will face on here, and the reason why this fic hits me more is because it feels very ‘real world, real life’ believable like I can imagine this being something someone will actually go through. again, I rec this one to give credit where it’s due bcos, man, I’m still reeling from this. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it. read their story’s tags and if u don’t like don’t read and the song choices are just. a good choice. can someone pls make a spotify playlist of it and @ me on that so I can follow it and cry my heart out again? thanks x

#promptis #ffxv #final fantasy xv #prompto argentum #noctis lucis caelum #ffxv prompto #ffxv noctis #noctis x prompto #prompto x noctis #final fantasy 15 #ff15 #this isn't even it's final form #if any authors don't want me to link their works please tell me and i'll remove it from this list #promptis fic rec #promptis fanfiction #ff

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thumper-darling · 7 years

Note

all the writer asks? and can you use your current story for the blank ones?

1. Favorite place to write.

My most productive nights writing were spent in hotel rooms with cheap black coffee and terrible lighting. It sets a very motivating vibe.

2. Favorite part of writing.

Creating and developing characters. Character arcs?? are ?? my favorite??

3. Least favorite part of writing.

writing ™

4. Do you have writing habits or rituals?

Yeah, procrastinating for months. :’)

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.

Patrick Ness and Stephen Chbosky are pretty big idols of mine

6. Favorite character you ever created.

Cadence, she’s my hero

7. Favorite author.

Rainbow Rowell or Patrick Ness

8. Favorite trope to write.

Coming of Age Angst ™ and realistic development for the main character

9. Least favorite trope to write.

Love triangles or over-dramatic and non-realistic romantic interests.

10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about.

I’d love to work with Chbosky and write a spin-off of Perks of Being a Wallflower, or like a potential sequel? That would make my actual dreams come true.

11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish.

In the beginning, I print off a million character questionnaires and fill out every detail about my main characters. It’s funny, because my characters always come first, and the story soon follows. After I know my characters inside and out, I think in their mindset for days and write down notes about things I for sure want to include in my story whether it be a plot twist or just a small piece of dialogue. Once I find the character’s voice, I feel ready to start writing the story.

12. How do you deal with self-doubts?

I’m still not great with this, because I have a LOT of self-doubt, but I know that writing is what I want to pursue. I just remember that I have talent and I shouldn’t worry about the first draft because the first draft is almost always awful.

13. How do you deal with writers block?

I read. A lot. Reading helps spark ideas and un-stick my story.

14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book?

OH MY GOD. I would look at maps and historic timelines. I filled nearly 4-5 pages of a journal just with a timeline of events and it was lit.

15. Where does your inspiration come from?

Literally anything. That bench on the corner? INSPIRED. Pulling out of a driveway? INSPIRED. That sandwich looks tasty. INSPIRED. No, but in all seriousness I just observe my surroundings at all times and in an average day I can pull an idea out of something.

16. Where do you take your motivation from?

I just think of my future and what impact/ message I’d like to leave behind to anybody who reads my writing.

17. On avarage, how much writing do you get done in a day?

None. Writing isn’t something I can do everyday. Some days I’m more inspired and motivated than others. If I try writing when I don’t have the energy, it turns out forced and choppy. I let the motivation come to me.

18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like?

I typically like to wait a week or two before re-reading and editing, that way I can have space from my writing. I do it gradually through out the story so I can draw potential ideas from what I have so far.

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.

Version 1: “The shop had been empty for a little over an hour, and Charlotte was beginning to grow restless.”

Version 2: “Charlotte had a look of determination set in the furrow of her eyebrows and curiosity in the gleam of her eyes.”

20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.

“Whenever Jordyn spoke, it was reminiscent of watching an old southern film. Her slight, hidden drawl was nothing less than soothing. Charlotte sometimes liked to picture her with obnoxiously tight ringlet curls and big, poofy southern belle dresses with frilly ribbons and lace. The thought brought a subtle snort from Charlotte.”

21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s.

Version 1: “He just followed his feet, and they lead him to her.”

Version 2: “His only response was a smirk before he opened the door to the back alley.”

22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?

At least a million

23. Single or multi POV, and why?

Single, I feel like it leaves for more mystery. That way the reader can interpret different POV’s for themselves.

24. Poetry or prose, and why?

Prose, rhyming isn’t my forte

25. Linear or non-linear, and why?

Depends on the story I’m trying to tell. Sometimes one way has more impact than another.

26. Standalone or series, and why?

Standalones are beautiful for some stories, but others simply must be more than just one book long. Some stories exceed one book.

27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished?

I share drafts with people I trust to edit or give me feedback.

28. And who do you share them with?

My friends that love stories.

29. Who do you write for?

Mainly for myself, but also for anybody that needs to hear the message my story can offer them.

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.

“So, as a sign of letting go, I introduced my lips to his cheek and the sound of my skin meeting his was a melody playing a sweet goodbye.”

“Kissing him was like kissing air or water, it was so sweet and slow that it was a natural instinct to flow with it. However, kissing her was like fire because it was warm, inviting, and compelling, but had all the potential to burn him. Their love was like melting into each other, neither would make it out alive.”

31. Hardest character to write.

Side characters or the main character’s family. Because those characters are always important and meaningful, but I don’t want to write them only as a means of helping the main character. I hate flat characters and everybody deserves to have a story, you know?

32. Easiest character to write.

The sidekick ™

The one who always knows just what to say and how to say it.

33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing?

Only for specific scenes that music could really inspire me for. Like if I’m writing a sad scene and I’m not really in that head space, I listen to depressing ass music so I can understand the scene better.

34. Handwritten notes or typed notes?

Both. Here, have some of my notes.

Just some random dialogue drabbles:

“So, can I find you here often?” “Jamie…I work here.” “Oh, yeah, right. Of course.”

“There’s nothing beautiful nor poetic about being an asshole, Jenny. Calm down.”

“Listen, you’ll always be a jalapeno bagel and strawberry cream cheese to me, but I sort of feel like I should know your name by now.”

“Emma, have you ever been in love?” “I might have been. Then again, girls are easy to love, I’m pretty sure Jamie is a different story. If you want my advice Charlotte, date a girl.”

35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________.

The main character is named Charlotte Caroline Tillman. She’s named after the city and state(ish) that her parents met in. She has an older brother named Chance and a calico cat named Sally Mae. Charlotte goes to an Arts Magnet High School and she has a troubled history with her father, and a lot of the story is about her accepting things she cannot change. Her best friend, Emma, is v gay and v hot.

36. A spoiler for story _________.

Charlotte ends up leaving town and everyone she loves. All that’s left behind is a note and a phone number. She leaves her life behind. No closure and no goodbyes. She’s kind of a dick.

37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Everybody has a story, and every one is worth being told.”

38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it?

Lol no, my outline isn’t even finished homeboy

39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.

I usually base my side characters off of people I know or have met, even if only for a brief moment. For example, today at work I saw somebody and instantly knew that I needed her in my story. She is now the inspiration for my character Jenny.

40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why?

Both are equally fun and important. Fanfiction is an amazing starting point for beginners, and it helps them write. However, original fiction is so raw and new that it could inspire future writers.

41. How many stories do you work on at one time?

Typically just one, but I always have other stories in the back of my head. I like to focus on one at a time though, that way I can keep characters and plot points straight.

42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc.

Well, like I’ve said, my characters come first. So based on whatever kind of story I want to tell, my character has to portray that. So I pick and choose different tropes and arc ideas that could impact the story even further.

43. Are you an avid reader?

I heckin’ try to be. Sadly, I don’t always get into stories easily.

44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

I had an English teacher write a note on one of my writing pieces telling me that she knew I had talent and every teacher has one student where they think “That one…that one’s gonna be the one who makes it” I was that student for her. Oh, and my composition professor had my class read some of our writing pieces, and he told the next semester’s class about my writing. The next time I had him in class, he handed me a form for a writing contest.

45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

I honestly probably blocked it out. Idk, probably that I use too many commas? Or that one of my chapters was written in a passive voice.

46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie?

OH MAN! It would be great and I feel like a lot of the stories I write would be 100 times better on the big screen.

47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story?

Characters.

48. Favorite genre to write in.

Contemporary or science fiction

49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end?

The middle

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

A coven of teenage witches that were randomly selected to be given magic. Some of them became corrupt with power, and the others found good use for them.

51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words.

Self love, friendship, denial, heavy, heartbreaking

52. How did writing change you?

It opened my mind to endless ideas and helped me grow. I often didn’t know what I was feeling until I wrote about it.

53. What does writing mean to you?

It means creating a million versions of yourself and turning it into a lesson or inspiration for other.

54. Any writing advice you want to share?

Don’t stop. There are so many things you have to tell the world, so tell them.

#ask

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30-days-of-exciting-stuff-blog · 7 years

Text

Day 10 - Black Mirror [Series]

Do you ever feel fabulously grateful for something crappy that happened to you, because it eventually led to something good? This is one of my favourite things in the world. I had one of these moments a few weeks ago. A co-worker had been motivating us all week to spend a crazy Friday night out. For totally work-unrelated reasons, I had been feeling pretty depressed lately and most of my evenings were spent alone in my apartment (mostly re-watching bad Youtube videos, probably in order to make sure that I still didn’t like them), so I looked forward to this night out. Getting anywhere close to drunk was off the table because I had made some damn good resolutions, but I was kind of hoping that we’d meet wonderfully weird people, and find a place where the decoration would make me laugh even more than the huge portrait of Angela Merkel that took up all the space of the ladies’ restroom door in a Germany-themed bar I once went to. Enjoying the city lights and probably dancing - to some terrible 2000’s music that would remind me of the awkward teenage parties I usually wasn’t invited to anyway – sounded like a nice sequel to this.

In case you wonder: The weird Angela Merkel bar is actually called the Black Forest Society, and it’s located in Lyon, France. They have nice, original, good-resolutions-incompatible cocktails made with Black Forest Gin and fancy liquors and cocoa, sometimes served in kitschy recipients. A bit expensive, but still a nice experience. Oh, and they have bretzels as well.

Unfortunately, they had all lost their motivation sparkle by the time Friday came. Some of them wanted to get up early tomorrow, some had other plans, some were tired. I ended up being the only one who actually wanted to go. I had booked my train tickets to my parents’ for the next morning, so it became clear that this would be another lonely night in my flat. I soon found myself texting my co-worker, whining about how bored I was and asking her if she could think of something nice for me to read or watch. She suggested me to try Black Mirror if I wanted food for thought about modern society. Black Mirror is a series of one-hour standalone episodes. That, my friends, is already a pretty great point for people like me who try to watch a zillion series at once - and inevitably end up forgetting what the hell the hot smart gay intern’s name is because 1) all these character names adding up can be rather confusing 2) they find time for an episode of the show every two months or so. Standalone episodes have that great habit of rightly assuming that, just like Jon Snow, the viewer knows nothing. Each one has its own cast, setting, and reality, which basically makes them short movies. What they all have in common in Black Mirror is the theme of new technologies and their unexpected consequences.

By the way: Connor Walsh. The hot smart gay intern from How to get away with murder is Connor Walsh. He’s one of the main characters for the Seven’s sake, how could you even forget?

As you may have noticed, the theme is pretty broad, which allows for a number of variations. Some episodes are built around a specific fictional technology – what would happen, for instance, if everyone had a chimp implant that recorded everything they did, saw or heard, and allowed them to replay the entire memory, either in front of their eyes or on a screen? The Entire History of You is centered around that possibility. In an alternative reality where this technology allows personal data storage to go even further than it currently does – and anyone who once cringed in front of an n-th attempt from Facebook to revive awkward 8-year-old memories to celebrate a virtual friendship birthday will probably argue that this has already gone way too far – memories are never faded, let alone erased. Every recording is potentially an evidence to the jealous protagonist, who suspects his wife to have cheated on him with her ex and gets more and more paranoid as he keeps replaying potentially incriminating memories. The chilling Be right back, on the other hand, introduces us to realistic androids simulating the deceased using their previous communication data. Martha, a grieving young woman whose husband died in a car crash, reluctantly begins to communicate with an artificial intelligence accurately imitating her late partner – humour, interests, reactions, everything is calculated to sound like him. The digital ghost is convincing and Martha soon finds herself in love with him, until she gets frustrated with his inability to express emotions accurately, and his lack of the traits that were not expressed by her deceased husband in his digital life. The resulting story is truly haunting – no pun intended -, and is both a heart-wrenching exploration of grief and a starting point to an authentic riot of questions in the viewer’s mind, the most interesting probably being “What spares the human from a thinking machine anticipating its reaction to every situation, and able to be loved by the ones who knew the person behind?”.

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The Entire History of You - Nah, you told me your relationship had lasted one week, not one month, LOOK, I HAVE PROOF. *Memory replays*

Hi digital ghost, I guess.

My favourite episodes, however, are those set in dehumanized, acerbic, cynical dystopias, built and revealed slowly over the course of the episode. In the thought-provoking Fifteen million merits, citizens only go out of their confined sleeping boxes to cycle endlessly on exercise bikes to power their screen-covered surroundings and generate Merits, a currency that allows them to skip the untimely, inopportune, sometimes obscene advertisements that keep interrupting their activities to sell them nothing but virtual items such as accessories for their avatars. Sleep. Cycle. Skip ad – if you can afford it. Interact briefly with one or two avatars. Repeat. The protagonist progressively becomes aware of the vacuity of this existence and craves realness since he got a glimpse of it in the singing voice of one of his co-cyclers, but even the only perceived escapes usually turn out to be smoking mirrors. Another great episode, Nosedive, is set in a colourful, alternative reality where people rate one another using their phones. Ratings determine their employability, access to services and overall value in society – some neighbourhoods are exclusively reserved to people with high ratings, and a low rating will make you lose your job. This leads people to obsess over their ratings and calculate every single social interaction, hoping to get the favours of high-rated people in order to raise their score and finally be able to get the discount they need to rent a house. Satires about social media society probably aren’t uncommon, but this one has that cynical feel created by the sharp contrast between the pink-and-pastel visuals and the hypocritical, chained social interactions that take place under a social media eye constantly ready to pull people under if they dare speak their minds or complain about anything. Nosedive gets even scarier when you think back about it and realise that the terrifying society described over the episode already exists, although in a less visible way. Social media does play a huge role in our personal and professional lives – who never thought of posting something on the social media just to impress someone? Who never heard a story of someone who got in trouble at work, or didn’t get hired, because of social media material? Who never got stuck into a conversation about what a common acquaintance posted on social media the day before? Who never paid at least a little attention to the number of likes they got on their Facebook post? And about the whole rating thing – I’m pretty sure you’re already familiar with “We’ll go to that restaurant, it’s really well-rated on Tripadvisor” or “If you liked it, please don’t forget to rate us”. And actually, apps that rate people are already a thing.

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Fifteen million merits and Nosedive - Different atmospheres, different alternate realities, same feeling of suffocating fakeness.

This is where Black Mirror generally gets brilliant: Although the alternate realities depicted in the show are usually noticeably different from ours, the viewer always ends up seeing a reflection of their own society. The scenarios X-ray aspects of our modern world and disguise them in a satirical, clever, accurate way that makes you think back about Black Mirror episodes long after you watched them. The questions raised by the series go way beyond the usual “You should all turn off your phones, get real again and go for a walk in the forest with your neighbour, social media turned you into narcissist brainless zombies” rhetoric. The variety of scenarios, from political satire to intimate drama, make sure you keep being surprised and never get bored. However, you will probably get uneasy pretty often – and I’m not saying that because the first episode revolves around the Prime Minister being ordered to have sex with a pig in order to save a princess from being killed. A cuddly blanket, a nice cup of tea, your favourite biscuits and a pair of arms/loving cat/soft toy (depending on what you have in store) are probably advised during, or after, a Black Mirror episode. Not providing yourself with that equipment and watching it right before going to bed will be at your own risk – I promise you don’t want your nightmares to turn into technologically advanced dystopias. Old school monsters are easier to run from.

And also: This is the tenth post of this Tumblr, which definitely deserves to be celebrated with the song that kind of inspired it. As hinted in the Crypt of the Necrodancer post, it’s the famous standard “My favorite things” (except I usually write it, like everything on that Tumblr, with the British spelling – I’m neither British nor American, and I’m trying hard to avoid cliché-ridden justifications such as “because it makes my blog posts smell like my beloved Twinings tea”). Just like that enthusiastic blog of mine, it’s an enumeration of amazing things. Let’s face it, “whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens” probably sound much better than “sad novels, weird computer games, robot exhibits and sci-fi-ish series”, but I promise I love kittens and soft mittens as well. I just don’t have enough material to write about them. Anyway, I thought you may enjoy this cover by Pomplamoose as much as I do.

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#black mirror #the entire history of you #nosedive #15 million merits #fifteen million merits #be right back #pomplamoose #my favourite things #my favorite things #dystopia #series #technology #cover #social media #data storage #connor walsh #how to get away with murder

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