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pinchofhoney · 6 months

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be careful what you wish for

coriolanus snow x fem!reader

word count: 1.7k

warning: platonic relationship, quite angst-ish, text in italics is a flashback

summary: Turning in a district boy to the authorities felt like the right thing to do for Coriolanus. But what if, in doing so, he betrayed you as well?

a/n: absolutely no one asked for it, but i'll deliver it to you anyway<33 i'd say have fun but i'm not sure i'd be appropriate here

pages that may interest you: masterlist ♡ taglist ♡ who i write for

taglist: @watercolorskyy

gif is not mine, credit to the owner

The moment Sejanus shared Billy Taup's escape plan with you, there wasn't much hesitation on your part. It's not that you acted without thinking; it's just that you didn't need much time to decide.

The summer was scorching, feeling like an unending oven. The sun never let up, and even when you hoped for cooler nights, the heat lingered. You've gotten used to the coal dust that's practically become your second skin in District 12, but what truly got to you wasn't the clinging dirt. It was the musty scent of men's sweat, a scent that clung to the air, heavy with the hard work that defined your daily life.

Being one of the few female Peacekeepers among a crowd of men wasn't your ideal situation. Many other girls had come and gone, unable to stand the sacrifices the job demanded, but you stood your ground, determined to prove yourself in this role, even if serving in this particular district wasn't your dream come true.

At least until a certain point.

When you first arrived in District 12, your main goal was to pass your officer's exam as quickly as possible and secure a transfer elsewhere. But when young Plinth kindled the idea of a life beyond authority and rules, the seed of belief in freedom took root within you. The very thought of it resonated in your mind, sounding truly incredible, and you couldn't wait to leave the filthy district behind, escaping through a gap in the wire mesh fence.

But, of course, life wouldn't be too easy if everything just went as planned, right?

One moment, you were getting ready with Sejanus and the other rebels, gathering the basics for your escape north to the supposedly destroyed District 13. The next, you found yourself standing behind one of the empty houses on the Seam with Coriolanus. He held onto your shoulders, telling you urgently that you had to leave the District as soon as possible.

“What?” was the first word that slipped from your lips, your brows furrowed in confusion as you looked at your friend. “Isn't that exactly what we're working on?” you added, slightly amused, pushing Coriolanus' hands off your shoulders.

Shaking your head, you were about to update him on your progress when he caught your forearm again. “I think you misunderstood me, Y/N,” he said, his face dead serious. “You need to get out of here now,” he continued, and seeing your raised eyebrow, he almost gritted the last word through his teeth.

“What do you mean, Coryo?” you asked, breaking the silence after staring at him for a while, tired of him speaking in riddles.

Now Coriolanus was the one staying silent, his cool eyes fixed on you. You couldn't decipher his expressions; it felt like he was betraying a hundred feelings at once and, at the same time, nothing at all.

“I… um, there's…” the blond man started, stumbling over his words, unsure how to share the information he needed to tell you. “There's a chance that the talk Sejanus and I had, which you joined not long ago, about your escape plan, might have been fully recorded by one of the jabberjays.”

You seemed not to grasp the gravity of Coriolanus' words, so you stared at him, searching for any hint in his eyes that he might be joking.

“Okay, so what?” you eventually asked, once again furrowing your brows, this time with a bit less intensity.When a twig snapped around the building's corner, you quickly turned, thinking it might be someone eavesdropping, but finding only a small hedgehog, you shifted your attention back to the boy in the bluish uniform.

“So what?” Coriolanus repeated your question, unable to believe your difficulty in connecting the dots. “Y/N, these birds are headed to the Capitol. To the lab of the woman who’s the Head Gamemaker of the Hunger Games. And do you know what the Capitol authorities do to rebels?” he asked the question, not waiting for your response. “They hang them on the hanging tree, Y/N.”

You stared at Coriolanus, steadying yourself with a hand against the wooden building. With every word he spoke, you felt the color drain from your face.

“How… How did this happen?” you asked, trying to keep your emotions in check.

Coriolanus happily took care of the mockingjays, moving their cages, tagging them, and passing them along. As Bug left with the fiftieth cage, Sejanus burst into the room, full of excitement. He shared the good news about the upcoming package from his mother with his friends, watching Bug leave with a smile before turning to Coriolanus, who had just finished dealing with the bird marked as number 1.

The bird chirped in its cage, mimicking the last mockingbird, but once Bug was gone, Sejanus' cheerful expression faded, replaced by a troubled look. He glanced around the hangar to ensure they were alone before speaking in a quiet voice.

“Listen, we've only got a few minutes. I know you might not like what I'm about to do, but I need you to at least understand it. After what you said the other day, about us being like brothers, well, I feel I owe you an explanation. Please, just hear me out.”

This was the moment, the confession.

Now was the time for the pieces to be explained, especially about the alliance with rebels and money that he found in Sejanus' belongings. Once Coriolanus heard it, he'd be as good as one of them, a traitor to the Capitol.

Panic, running, or trying to silence Sejanus could be expected, but Coriolanus did none of these things. Instead, his hands moved instinctively. His left hand adjusted the cover of the jabberjay cage, while his right, hidden from Sejanus's view by his body, reached for a remote on the counter. Coriolanus pressed RECORD, and the jabberjay fell silent.

Turning his back to the cage, Coriolanus leaned on the table with his hands, waiting.

In the middle of Sejanus' explanation, you dashed into the hangar like a hurricane itself.

“There you are!” you exclaimed, both happy and a bit annoyed to find young Plinth. “Why didn't you wait for me? I said I wanted to go to Coryo with you,” you added, crossing your arms on your chest as you closed the gap between the boys and yourself.

It seemed that Coriolanus, noticing you in the hangar, tensed up a bit. He glanced briefly at the cage with the bird recording the conversation on the table, but neither of you or Sejanus noticed, and together, you continued explaining your plan to him.

During your report, where you and Sejanus competed over who could give Coriolanus more details, he lowered his head and rubbed his brow with his fingertips. It looked like he was trying to gather his thoughts, unsure how long he could stay silent without seeming suspicious.

But Sejanus rushed on, “I couldn't leave without telling you. You've been like a brother to me. I'll never forget what you did for me in the arena. I'll find a way to let Ma know what happened to me. And my father, too. I'll let him know the Plinth name lives on, even if it's in obscurity.”

The mention of the Plinth name was enough.

Coriolanus's left hand found the remote, and he pressed the NEUTRAL button with his thumb. The jabberjay resumed its earlier song.

Something caught Coriolanus's attention. “Here comes Bug.”

“Here comes Bug,” the bird echoed in his voice.

“Hush, you silly thing,” he scolded the bird, secretly pleased it had returned to its normal pattern. Nothing to alert both of you. He quickly covered the cage with a cloth and marked it with J1.

“I swear, I have no idea,” Coriolanus lied, wearing a worried expression. “While rearranging the cages, one of them must have snagged the remote control.”

You lightly bit your lower lip, eyeing your friend. Without any reason to doubt him, you finally let out a shaky breath.

Gazing up at the sky, you counted to three in your mind to steady your nerves. Then, you looked back at Coriolanus.

“Does Sejanus know?”

“Of course, I told him first,” he lied again, his gaze fixed beyond your shoulders without losing the concerned look on his face.

“God, what are we going to do now?” nerves took over every cell in your body as you asked another question. You leaned against the wooden building, slowly lowering yourself until you were sitting on the ground.

You lifted your head to meet Coriolanus's eyes, and he crouched in front of you, placing his hand on one of your knees.

“Hey, don't stress. You're heading back to the base now. Pack what you need, and tonight, you'll slip out of the district just like you planned with the rebels. You'll meet Sejanus at the lake, alright?” he spoke with a calmness, almost like talking to a kid, trying to reassure you.

Even though Coriolanus despised rebels — those who went against the Capitol's rules — he didn't want you to suffer the consequences that would surely befall Sejanus. He had nothing against you; in fact, he genuinely liked you. Your innocence about a better life beyond the Capitol's control wasn't his concern because you hadn't caused him any trouble, unlike young Plinth who had stirred up problems more than once.

“But won't it be suspicious if I suddenly vanish? They'll be searching for me, Coryo. They'll find me and punish me,” you said, placing your hand on his.

“I told you not to worry, remember?” Coriolanus replied, a bit sharper but still maintaining his reassuring tone. “I'll figure something out. No one's going to harm you.”

“But Coryo, you-” you began, but he quickly cut you off.

“Enough, Y/N,” Coriolanus said firmly, standing up from his crouch. “Get up. We're heading back to base,” he reached out a hand to you, which you took after a moment's hesitation. He helped you stand, silently conveying to act naturally before stepping out from behind the building.

You had no choice but to go along with Coriolanus' questionable plan, clinging to the hope that he knew what he was doing.

Little did you grasp the reality—that he was the cunning architect behind the recorded conversation. Sejanus wouldn't show up at the lake beyond District 12's boundaries. Instead, his fate would take a dark turn as he dangled lifeless from a tree in a matter of days.

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0fth34byss · 3 months

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Sex Isn't Love | Part 4

Noah Sebastian x female reader

Minors, please DNI

🔞⚠️: Lord of the Rings spoilers, angst, sexual frustration, fingering (f receiving), oral sex (f receiving), unprotected p in v sex, masturbation, voyeurism, spitting, biting, kissing, praise kink, (slight) dom!Noah

2,285 words

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

“Hold on! I don't think I can be in a relationship with someone who thinks the Battle of Pelennor Fields is better than the Battle of Helm's Deep just because it's bigger!” You exclaimed, turning to Noah who was shovelling salted popcorn into his mouth.

“Yeah, but Pelennor had oliphaunts and Éowyn killed the Witch King - you know, your favourite movie girl power moment.” Noah attempted to retort.

“Okay, but Helm's Deep has so much cool shit that goes down,” you countered. “Legolas using the shield as a sledge, Haldir showing up like a boss with the Elven army, oh, and let's not forget when Gandalf and the Rohirrim ride in.”

Noah wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you in so he could kiss the top of your head before affectionately mocking you, “My little nerd.”

A few weeks had passed since you'd started dating Noah ‘for real’ and in that time you'd been on every kind of date - from hikes and museum visits to cute coffee shop dates and fancy dinners. This afternoon though, you were having a Lord of the Rings movie marathon at your place after Noah realised you guys hadn't just hung out since you'd agreed to date him.

You let out an audible sigh and turned your attention back to the movie, allowing your hand to rest on top of Noah's thigh as you leaned into him. Sexual frustration was seeping out of your pores at this point, so you hoped that at least by halfway through Return of the King, Noah would be on the same page as you. Then your mind began to race with all of the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’. What if he'd been sleeping with other people to tide himself over while you figured things out? Maybe he was just biding his time and once you had sex with him again, you'd slip back into a situationship?

It all became too much chatter in your head.

“Noah?”

“Yeah?” He replied, shifting slightly to face you.

“Please don't get mad when I ask this, but have you been sleeping with other people while we put sex on pause?”

He looked completely mortified to hear the question come out of your mouth. Tears stung your eyes as you began to regret opening your mouth.

“Wait, you really think I would do that?” He uttered, his voice shaking.

“Forget I said anything. I'm sorry, Noah. It's fine.”

“Clearly, it's not. Please talk to me. If we're going to make this work we need to communicate.” Noah pleaded.

“I just, I know that I haven't always been the only one you've been involved with since we met. So, umm, with us not having any sex over the last few weeks, I thought you'd maybe gone back to that to fill the void.” You choked out, unable to look at Noah.

Noah looked devastated. He sat with his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees. You began to think that maybe you'd just fucked things up by letting your insecurities be known.

“You've been the only one since that night you came over to my place, when I told you I'd had that big argument with Matt and Jolly in the studio, just to make sure I was going to be okay. I knew then you were, not to be a cliché but, different from the others, and from there I just felt this need to get to know you.” Noah explained. After a few minutes of silence, he continued, “Why would you think I'd been sleeping around?”

You burst into tears, remembering that night from months ago and feeling incredibly guilty that you had doubts.

“Every time I've asked if you want to sleep with me since we've been dating, you've straight up said no. I dunno, I guess I just thought you were getting it elsewhere.” You sobbed.

Noah pulled away from you and stood up, towering over you while you stayed seated, “You're un-fucking-believable! You're the one who wanted no sex until it was ‘real’, remember?”

“So, you don't think what we have is real?” You shouted, now also getting to your feet.

“That's not what I said.”

“I'm so confused, Noah. One minute you're calling me yours and telling people we're in a relationship now, the next you won't do more than kiss me!” You explained, struggling to not lose your temper.

You stood facing each other with fists clenched and chests heaving like you were about to start sparring. Neither wanted to make the next move.

Noah took a step forward so you were toe-to-toe and grabbed your hips pulling you flush against him.

“I need to do more than kiss you, believe me. I just don't want to risk losing you if you regret anything.” Noah breathed in your ear.

You wrapped your arms around him, your fingertips tracing up and his back as you felt your heart drop to your stomach. You buried your face into his chest before looking up at him. The bulge in his joggers twitched against your stomach as your eyes met his.

“I need to feel wanted by you.” You whispered.

“Is that what this has all been about? You don't think I want you?”

You shrugged your shoulders, breaking eye contact and mumbled, “I don't know if that's even what it is. Noah, I love you. I want to be with you in every sense but I just have this doubt in the back of my mind sometimes. Like, you won't be satisfied with just me.”

Noah dropped to his knees, placing his hands on the front of your thighs with his fingers edging under your shorts. You tried to suck in a deep breath as you broke down and sobbed. Noah attempted to soothe you but you were too overwhelmed. He placed gentle kisses across your stomach and wrapped his arms around the back of your legs while he let you get the tears out of your system.

When you couldn't cry anymore, you looked down at Noah and ran your fingers through his hair. He looked up at you with concerned eyes and gulped down hard.

“I love you too,” Noah said softly. “You have to believe me when I say you're the only one I want and need.”

“I'm so sorry about feeling like this,” you uttered.

“Hey, don't be sorry. Thank you for not bottling it up. How about we make up for some lost time?” He said with a wink.

“Okay, but you owe me a lot of orgasms!” You giggled.

Noah pulled your shorts and thong down to your ankles and helped you step out of them, never breaking eye contact. You nodded to give him consent to continue as his hands began to massage your inner thighs. He ran his thumb over your slick folds, delighting in how wet you already were despite him barely touching you. Without warning Noah slipped his index and middle fingers inside your pussy, curling them so he could apply pressure to your g-spot. You gasped at the feeling. You tangled your fingers in his hair as he simultaneously began making slow circular movements against your clit with his thumb. Throwing your head back, you pulled on his hair, groaning as you felt your body tense. He began pumping his long fingers in and out as you tightly clenched around him. Your entire body shuddered as Noah continued to finger-fuck you through your first orgasm in weeks.

Noah withdrew his fingers and got to his feet as he licked them clean. You took off your t-shirt so you were now completely naked. You ached for Noah's touch as you asked him to take off his clothes too so you could see all of him. He obliged without question, eager to please you, as you admired his already hard cock.

He took you by the hand and led you back to the couch before throwing you down on it. Noah grabbed your legs and moved you so you were lying on your back with your legs spread, with one hooked over the back of the couch and the other positioned so your foot was on the floor. He licked his lips as he stood on the other side of the armrest and looked down at your wet, exposed pussy. You moved your hand down in between your legs until your fingertips found your clit. You bit your lip as you looked at Noah watching you intently. You were still feeling sensitive from Noah fingering you so, it didn't take much until you started getting yourself off.

“Touch yourself too, Noah. I wanna see you touch yourself,” you pleaded.

Noah spat in his hand and coated his cock with saliva before he started slowly working himself. You smiled as you began bucking your hips as your stomach and legs began to stiffen. You moaned loudly and called out for Noah as you applied more pressure and sped up your fingers to draw out an orgasm. He let go of his cock and gripped the armrest fighting the urge to cum.

“Good girl. Come on, let me see you cum,” Noah encouraged you.

Hearing him call you a ‘good girl’ was enough to drive you over the edge as you shrieked when pleasure ran through your body.

You lay there breathless for a few moments then Noah scooped you up in his arms and carried you to your bedroom. He set you down on the bed and made sure you were okay to continue.

“Please, Noah. Keep going,” you whimpered.

“Hmm, such a pretty, good girl. Move up the bed and spread your legs for me,” Noah growled at you.

You felt so sensitive but you still needed more. It was like Noah could tell you needed this to be drawn out. He crawled in between your legs, leaving soft kisses and bites on your thighs. You bucked your hips towards his face, craving his tongue. Noah dove in head first, lapping at your arousal. He was consuming you like you were a last meal and he was on death row. Your breathing became rapid as he focused his attention on your swollen clit. He teased with short licks in quick successions first, then began to suck.

“Noah. Please. Stop. I need a second!” You called out tears leaking from the corners of your eyes.

Noah whipped his head up, a concerned look on his face. The excitement building between your legs had become too much too quickly and your brain started to short-circuit.

Regaining composure, you begged Noah to continue. He placed one of his arms over your hips to still them as he went back to work on pleasing your clit. He used his free hand to push your leg out wider. His tongue moved with ease against you in a consistent rhythm. A high-pitched moan escaped you lips as you held onto Noah's hair in an attempt to pull him tightly against your. Soon you were in raptures as your legs began to shake and you called out for Noah.

Before you'd even finish coming down from your climax-high, Noah crawled on top of you. Your arousal mixed with his saliva was dripping from his chin. He looked so good covered in you. You leant up as much as you could and licked his chin and mouth clean before pulling him in for a desperate kiss.

“Cum inside of me,” you breathed, breaking away from him.

“Anything for you, baby. Are you okay with me being on top? I want to feel you under me.”

You nodded and moved one of your hands to his cock to guide him to your entrance. You felt his tip begin to stretch you as you wrapped your legs around his waist. Noah grabbed both of your wrists and pushed them into the mattress above your head as he filled you inch by inch. You were so full of his cock, you felt euphoric.

“Keep your hands there. Good girl,” Noah groaned then kissed your neck desperately.

You clenched tightly around him, begging him to start moving. With his hands no longer restraining you, Noah focused on your breasts. He began kneading them tenderly, occasionally flicking your nipples with his thumbs. Once he had you squirming beneath him, he supported his weight on his elbows and began rutting into you. Noah didn't hold back. Each time he slammed into you, you felt a shockwave run through your body.

“I need you to cum soon. I can't hold it in much longer,” Noah grunted as he pushed as deep into you as possible.

You literally couldn't speak. Your eyes rolled back as you clawed at the sheets. Noah kept his pace steady and consistent as he felt your stomach tensing. Just as you started to feel overstimulated again, you lost control as your entire body shuddered.

“NOAH!” You wailed as another orgasm ripped through you.

Noah continued fucking hard and fast as he grew closer to his own orgasm. Your exhausted body revelled in the feeling of Noah seeking his own release. His movements became more urgent until he pushed himself deep into your pussy and stilled his hips as your felt the warmth of his load.

You were both panting as he pulled out and rolled off you.

“That was… yeah,” you chuckled.

Noah turned over so he was facing you, his hand resting on your stomach.

“Sex with you as my girlfriend is so much better,” Noah uttered then leant over to kiss your temple.

“So I'm officially your girlfriend now?” You teased, shooting him a wink.

“And I'm your boyfriend,” Noah replied, beaming.

#bad omens fanfiction #bad omens #bad omens band #noah sebastian bad omens #noah sebastian x reader #noah sebastian fanfic #noah sebastian fanfiction #noah sebastian #noah sebastian fic #bad omens fic #bad omens smut #noah sebastian smut

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peleksstuff · 5 months

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fluorescent l harry styles x bassist!reader

*gifs not mine*

Summary: In an empty office, a tense conversation unfolds between you and Harry Styles about the aftermath of a shared moment. Despite the connection, Harry insists on maintaining a professional relationship. The studio, once a place of collaboration, becomes a battleground of emotions as you grapple with the pain of unrequited feelings.

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The fluorescent lights hummed above, glowing sterile in the otherwise empty office. As you nervously approached Harry Styles ' desk, the air felt heavy with the weight of unspoken words. The memory of last night lingered a bitter aftertaste that left you feeling vulnerable and uncertain.

"Harry, we need to talk," you began, your voice barely above a whisper.

He looked up from his work, his green eyes meeting yours with a mixture of guilt and hesitation. "Sure, what's on your mind?"

Last night's shared moment played in your mind like a haunting melody. The kisses, the whispered confessions – they had all felt so real. But reality had a cruel way of settling in, and you needed to confront it.

"Harry, what are we?" you asked, the vulnerability in your voice echoing the ache in your chest.

He sighed, running a hand through his disheveled curls. "I thought we were on the same page, you know? Just colleagues, nothing more."

You felt a lump forming in your throat, struggling to hold back the tears threatening to spill. "But last night—"

"Last night was a mistake," he interrupted his words cutting through the air like a sharp knife. "I'm not ready for anything more than what we have."

The words hung in the air, a painful silence settling between you. The reality crashed down, and you felt the sting of rejection like a cold wind on a winter's night.

"I don't understand," you whispered, your voice breaking. "You kissed me. You made me believe that there was something between us."

Harry avoided your gaze, his eyes fixed on the paperwork in front of him. "I got caught up in the moment. It doesn't change anything. We're colleagues, and that's all I can offer right now."

The tears you had been holding back finally spilled over, tracing a path down your cheeks. You couldn't comprehend how something that felt so real to you could be dismissed so casually by him.

"I thought we had something," you choked out, your voice betraying the hurt within.

Harry sighed again, a heavy burden on his shoulders. "I can't give you what you want. I'm not in a place for a relationship. I thought I could, but I was wrong."

You nodded, the weight of his words sinking in. "So, that's it? We go back to being just colleagues?"

He looked at you with a mixture of regret and remorse. "I think it's for the best. We need to focus on work and keep things professional."

The next day at the studio felt like a cruel twist of fate. The air was thick with tension as you set up your bass, avoiding eye contact with Harry at all costs. The once familiar rhythm of collaboration now felt strained and awkward.

The fluorescent lights hummed above once again, but this time, the sterile glow highlighted the awkwardness in the air. Every stolen glance, every accidental brush of hands felt like a painful reminder of what could never be.

As the song's first notes filled the room, you couldn't help but feel a pang in your chest. Music had always been your solace, but now it was a painful backdrop to the fractured connection between you and Harry.

You found yourself outside the studio during a break, needing a moment to breathe. The cool breeze did little to soothe the storm raging inside you. You replayed the conversation from the office, the sting of rejection still fresh in your mind.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice Harry approaching until he spoke. "Hey, you okay?"

The words hung in the air, a heavy question that begged for an answer. You nodded, your throat tight with unspoken emotions.

"I'm sorry," Harry began, his eyes filled with genuine remorse. "I didn't mean for things to get so complicated."

A bitter laugh escaped your lips. "Complicated? Harry, you made me believe there was something between us, and then you just dismissed it as a mistake."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I messed up. I got caught in the moment and should have been clearer about my intentions."

Tears welled up in your eyes, a mix of frustration and hurt. "Intentions? What exactly are your intentions, Harry?"

He hesitated before speaking, choosing his words carefully. "My focus is on my career, and I thought I could handle something more, but I was wrong."

The reality of his words hit you like a tidal wave. The man you had shared stolen moments with, the one whose music resonated with your soul, was not ready for the kind of connection you craved.

"So, what now?" you asked, your voice trembling. "We pretend like nothing happened?"

Harry looked at you, his eyes reflecting the turmoil within. "I still want us to be friends, to work together professionally. I care about you, but I can't give you what you want."

You took a deep breath, attempting to steady your emotions. The pain was palpable, but you nodded, accepting the reality of the situation. "Friends," you echoed, though the word felt hollow and distant.

For the rest of the recording session, you pushed through the heartache, focusing on the music and the professionalism that had once defined your relationship with Harry. Each note played felt like a reminder of what could have been, a melody of lost possibilities.

Days turned into weeks, and the studio became a battleground of emotions. The camaraderie you once shared with Harry was now replaced by a strained politeness, a facade of the connection that had crumbled. Colleagues by day, strangers by night.

As time passed, you found yourself avoiding Harry outside of work. The pain of seeing him, knowing that the warmth you once shared had turned cold, was too much to bear. The fluorescent lights of the office and studio continued to hum, casting a harsh light on the shattered remains of what was once a promising connection.

One evening, as you gathered your things to leave the studio, you noticed a hushed conversation between Harry and a woman near the exit. Their laughter echoed through the empty hallways, and a knot tightened in your stomach. The fluorescent lights seemed to flicker, mirroring the uncertainty in your heart.

The next day, rumors about Harry's new girlfriend buzzed around the studio. Whispers followed you like a shadow as you navigated the familiar spaces that now felt foreign. The fluorescent lights, once a backdrop to shared laughter and music, now served as cruel witnesses to your heartache.

It wasn't long before you saw them together – Harry and his girlfriend. They strolled through the studio hand in hand, a public declaration that sent a sharp pang through your chest. The sterile glow of the fluorescent lights illuminated the scene, emphasizing their connection while casting shadows on your solitude.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, witnessing the person you longed for being proudly shown off with someone else. The ache in your chest deepened as you continued to navigate the professional facade during work hours. Colleagues and friends – those were just distant echoes of what once was.

Weeks turned into months, and the ache in your chest persisted. Once a sanctuary of creativity and collaboration, the studio now felt like a battleground of emotions.

Harry walked in one day as you sat alone in the breakroom, nursing a cup of lukewarm coffee. The air thickened with tension as he hesitated near the doorway. It was a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken rift that had formed between you.

"Can we talk?" he asked, his voice carrying the weight of regret.

You sighed, looking into his eyes, searching for answers. "What's left to say, Harry? You made your choice."

He took a seat across from you, his eyes avoiding yours. "I never meant to hurt you."

"You didn't mean to hurt me?" you scoffed, bitterness lacing your words.

"Actions speak louder than words, Harry. I saw you with someone else while I was stuck here, trying to pick up the pieces."

He looked down, unable to meet your gaze. "It's not that simple."

"Isn't it?" you retorted, frustration bubbling to the surface. "You said you weren't ready for a relationship, but here you are, happily dating her. What was so wrong with me?"

Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's not about you. It's about me. I'm still figuring things out, and I never meant to lead you on."

The wounds reopened with his words, the pain resurfacing like a tidal wave.

"Well, congratulations, Harry. You've figured things out, and I'm left here dealing with the aftermath."

He reached out tentatively as if to comfort you, but you pulled away.

"Don't."

Silence hung in the air, broken only by the distant hum of the fluorescent lights above. The breakroom, once a place of shared laughter, now felt like a mausoleum of a connection buried too soon.

"I just want things to go back to how they were," Harry whispered, his voice filled with remorse.

You shook your head, a bitter smile on your lips. "That's the thing, Harry. They can't. You made sure of that."

Days turned into a monotonous routine of work, each encounter with Harry a painful reminder of what once was. The fluorescent lights continued to hum, indifferent to the shattered fragments of a connection scattered in their glow.

One evening, as you packed up your belongings, you caught a glimpse of Harry through the studio window. He was engrossed in conversation with his girlfriend, laughter echoing in the empty halls. The sight twisted the knife in your heart, and you turned away, swallowing the bitter pill of reality.

As time passed, the pain dulled, but the scars remained. You found solace in the music, pouring your emotions into every note you played. The studio, once tainted by heartache, became a sanctuary once again, a place where you could escape the echoes of a fractured connection.

The fluorescent lights continued to hum, casting their sterile glow on the studio. But this time, you walked through their light with a newfound strength, a resilience born from the ashes of a love that never had the chance to bloom. The melody of your music became a testament to your healing, a reminder that even in the face of heartbreak, the music would endure.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fic #harry styles writing #harry styles angst #imagines harry styles #harry styles blurb

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natureismynature · 7 months

Text

BBH: Foolish, I've got a question for you.

Foolish: Oh, okay?

BBH: Do you think... there's anything wrong with burning the forrest down to save the trees?

Foolish: Well... do all the trees burn down?

BBH: No, only the ones you don't care about.

Foolish: *laughs*

*a few minutes later*

Foolish: Okay, Bad, let's pretend these pillars of wood is a forrest, and you're feeling like an arsonist. But if course, you can't destroy the whole the whole thing or else you can't destroy trees in the future. Obviously, you're gonna have to keep some of the trees if they're gonna regrow. So, about how many of these trees would you burn down?

BBH: All of them. Except for... the ones that I care about.

Foolish: Uh-huh...

BBH: But! Foolish, the only reason you have to burn the trees is because of fire management. The point is, if the tree's family is just returned, then nothing has to be burned at all.

Foolish: Right... there's no need for fire management if there's nothing to manage, exactly... but if the fire management is being managed poorly, if Smokey the bear is having a tough time managing all this fire, you're thinking you step in and try your own fire protection methods.

BBH: Possibly.

Foolish: *laughs again* You know what I say about that, Bad? You know what my thoughts are?

BBH: What?

Foolish: I say fuck it *burns down the forrest*

BBH: Alright! So, we're on the same page?

Foolish: I don't know if we're gonna act the same way to try and protect the fire, but I'm certainly not gonna stop you from trying to protect it the way you see fit.

BBH: You know what, Foolish? Same to you, pal, same to you.

Foolish: *more laughter* In fact, I think we're both doing some different things right now... very different, but I think both interesting in their own way.

BBH: Yeah... yeah, we are. Hopefully, when the smoke clears, we'll at least have... a mutual appreciation.

Foolish: And now it's just ash.

BBH: We'll see what happens, you know?

(THEY ARE SO COOL)

#qsmp #foolish gamers #badboyhalo #landduo #vodblogging

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magicalrocketships · 24 days

Note

Okay but …. I want the bit where people are worried about Daniel, even though it will cause me immense pain, because I too read this and feel worried about him and how he was after the impact of losing small Max originally and then how having small Max back is going to drag him back to that dark place all over when Max inevitably goes big again

You can have a little bit of people worrying about Daniel! This has been sitting in my file for ages but I'm not sure quite where it fitted and I was going to come back to it, so it's just a little snippet.

Similar in tone to Waking Up, where Daniel wakes up and Max is big again and he's gone. This is a different Max going big, though, from later on (hope nobody is asking for a clear timeline with some of these bits and pieces, we're jumping all over the place, and I know vaguely where they'd fit if I ever put it together into something cohesive). Also Scotty is in Monaco, which is where he lives. At this time. In this fic. Okay, cool. We're all on the same page.

All earlier parts can be found either in this masterpost or on AO3 here.

Max is big again.

Max is on his way back from playing padel when somebody grabs his elbow.

He's half way to shoving them away when he realises it's that dickhead friend of Daniel's, Scotty. "What the fuck?" Max says, but Scotty looks urgent.

"Where's Daniel?" he asks.

Max makes a big show of looking around him. "Why the fuck should I know, he is an adult."

"No," Scotty says, and Scotty is an idiot, Scotty is always an idiot, but today he is being a weird idiot. "When did you stop being a kid?"

Max does not go red. He doesn't get embarrassed but he'd rather not think about that stupid baby Max. "It is none of your business."

"Fuck you," Scotty says, which is a stupid thing to say because Scotty stopped him and Scotty is still holding on tight to Max's arm. Scotty has his phone out and he's telling Siri to call Daniel except he calls him 'D.R' which is not Daniel's name. "D.R., mate, fucking call me back. I've just seen Max so I know you're not parenting it up anymore."

Max flinches.

Scotty hangs up. He thumbs a text, but still does not let Max go. Then there is another phone call. Another grim stare from Scotty as he waits for someone to answer the phone.

"Michelle, sorry, I know, it's late for you. Have you heard from D.R.? I've just found fucking Max in the fucking street. No. Not fucking kid Max, fucking normal sized Max. I know, fucking hell. He's not answering his phone." Scotty is not letting Max go. "Fuck. What about your parents? Max, how long have you been back?"

"Three days," Max says. His heart is beating hard and he doesn't know why.

"Fuck," Scotty says. "Did you hear that? He's been by himself for three fucking days."

Max's entire body goes cold. They are talking about Daniel and they are scared, and Max doesn't know why.

#my fic #de-aged maxiel #it's you and me #fic that i wrote #baby max #except max is grown up #and this is only a little bit

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howlingday · 9 months

Text

The Deal

Salem: Jaune... Why have you come to see me?

Jaune: Believe me, Salem, you're the last person I would EVER want to see, but... I don't know who else to turn to. It's my little nephew, Adrian. He's really sick, and I... They're saying he's not going to make it. You're the only person who could save him.

Salem: You expect me to save your nephew? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Very well, but I do expect one thing in return, Jaune...

Jaune: Yes! Anything! What is it?

Salem: In exchange for saving your nephew, what I want... is your marriage! AHAHAHA!

Jaune: Waitwaitwait! Hold up! You... want my marriage?

Salem: Yes! Your marriage to your wife, Pyrrha Nikos-Arc!

Jaune: I'm... I'm sorry, I'm just confused by this whole thing. What exactly are you asking me for?

Salem: Am I not making this clear? I want your love with Pyrrha Nikos-Arc.

Jaune: OOOOOOOH! I get it now!

Salem: Yes...

Jaune: You wanna bang my wife! That's what you want!

Salem: Ye- NO! Nonononono! That is NOT what I want!

Jaune: Look, lady, it's a weird thing to ask, and I don't really feel comfortable with it-

Salem: I'm not trying to bang your wife, Jaune! Fucking Oum!

Jaune: You're not! Okay! Thank goodness! Goodgoodgoodgood! Because that would have been really weird.

Salem: Look, let me try to be more specific, just so we're on the same page. Basically, what I want is for you and Pyrrha... to forget you were ever married. Okay? That's literally all I want.

Jaune: Right. Right. Cool. Coolcoolcoolcool. So, uh, are we, uh... Are we still going to be dating?

Salem: Yeah, you guys can still date. I don't really give a shit.

Jaune: And then we can just... get married again later, right?

Salem: Yeah, sure, go for it.

Jaune: So instead of my soul, my semblance, my aura, all of that shit, you just want to fuck with me?

Salem: Yeah, it gets kinda boring out here in the Grimmlands. I just wanna cause some drama myself.

Jaune: Y'know what? Fuck it! You got yourself a deal! Let's do this shit!

#rwby #salem #jaune arc #spencedubs #arkos

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ruified · 3 months

Text

i just finished osamu dazai’s entrance exam and it was SO GOOD??????? in no way did the anime do it an ounce of justice

anyways, just like last time, here are some quotes and my thoughts

i love love love the way we get to really explore kunikida and dazai’s dynamic as partners in this light novel, it really helps the reader understand how they work together so well

"I'm impressed, Kunikida. Nothing gets by you, does it? Incredible." His smile is cold, inhuman. "I'm so glad you were my partner."

"What do you want?! Why did you threaten the detective agency?! What was the point of killing the missing people and setting the bomb?! You... You were..."

You were so talented.

I couldn't have asked for a better partner.

they drive me crazy i love them so much </3 in this scene kunikida is questioning dazai and threatening his life on the suspicions of dazai being the azure apostle, it’s the way that even though they had only spent so little time working together that they both felt they were good partners

i love how in the ln it’s actively a mystery for those who don’t know what’s going on, even as someone who watched the anime, dazai being setup was pretty convincing

the speech given at the end of it all by dazai to kunikida on the risks of following one’s ideals also carries a bigger impact than what was provided in the anime, it makes more sense

the way that sasaki is also a genuine love interest of kunikida’s is also so heart wrenching, her last words really just hit hard

here’s something i found so sweet

"Hello, little one. Can you hear me?" Dazai takes over the call.

"We here are airplane experts. There's nothing to worry about anymore. We're going to fix the plane. What's your name, little miss?"

"Ch-Chiyo..."

"Chiyo, everything's going to be okay. Got any snacks with you?"

"Mommy gave me this piece of candy..."

"Candy, huh? I love candy, too. It's so sweet, and it really helps you relax, doesn't it?"

"Dazai—"

"I've got this... Chiyo, first, I want you to really take your time enjoying that piece of candy. After that, I'm going to need you to take that device you're talking into and bring it to the captain's room. Do you know where the captain's room is?" Chiyo nods, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Don't worry. There's nobody screaming in there, and I bet your mommy will be feeling better in no time."

"B-but I... I can't go alone. I can't leave Mommy behind..."

"Your mommy's gonna be just fine. The pilot will make things all better. So I'm going to need you to take that device to their room and give it to them, okay?"

"Well, this is just no good. I'm quite weak, you see. A big guy like yourself would snap me right in two... But I promised Chiyo I would save her."

THE WAY HE TALKS TO THE LITTLE GIRL WARMS MY HEART AND MAKES IT ACHE AT THE SAME TIME HE HANDLES IT SO WELL AND THE WAY HE WANTS TO KEEP HIS PROMISE UEUEUE

I tear the stitches off my hip pocket and pull out a sheet of paper.

"...I always have a spare page with me for emergencies."

I unfold the paper and write with my own blood.

"The Matchless Poet: Release Key!"

here’s kunikida just being cool i love him sm i love my wife

here’s some silly ones

"It's this incredibly rare book called The Complete Suicide. I've been searching all over for it, and I just noticed it on display in the used bookstore back there — Ah! I have to go back and buy it before someone else does."

Nobody asked.

"Tsk... Guess I'll just have to come up with another way to use you as bait. I bet the criminal targets tourists. All right, Kunikida, slip on your rubber boots, throw on your backpack, put on your red-and-green-striped shirt, and start walking the town in your knickerbockers. Make sure to bring a giant camera with you to take pictures of everyone who walks by and say 'eh' at the end of every sentence."

"Like hell I will!"

""Like hell I will, eh!'"

"You call that a strategy? That's a terri-"

"A terrible idea, eh?'"

"Stop guessing what I'm going to say!"

"Hmm? In that case, how about you get naked, put on a top

you like?"

hat, and ride around on a unicycle screaming what kind of girls

"We're not even talking about the same thing anymore!"

all in all i highly suggest you read osamu dazai’s entrance exam i promise it is so worth it <3

#ෆ┊¡ notes from val #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd dazai #dazai osamu #bsd kunikida #kunikida doppo #doppo kunikida #osamu dazai #kunikidazai #kunidazai

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iguana-eyanna · 11 months

Note

Hey I was wondering if you do requests? If you do could you do a Gil x reader where she’s Betty’s tutor in science and he swears he’s never seen her (but they go to the same school) and he is so smitten. Also some sibling antics between the Rizzo siblings like in the show haha! I also LOVE your writing!

Omg yes!!! Love this concept. Here’s a little one shot I thought of.

T🪽Birds request: Meeting… Again (Gil)

"Ma! I got the groceries!" Gil said out loud as he kicked his boots off at the doorway.

Gil's mom comes at the door, smiling at her eldest as he came to pick up groceries for their family.

"Gil, I told you i'd get them after Betty's tutor session is done." she lightly scolded him as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Nah, it's not a problem. I dropped the guys off and had some time on my plate. Where is dear sister of mine?"

He asks, wanting to make fun of Betty as she failed her last science quiz at school.

"She's in the kitchen with her tutor. Don't interrupt, please." She said before making her way in their house. Once gone, Gil runs for the kitchen and starts his antics.

He was about to announce his presence till he saw you and Betty sitting at the table while you were pointing at the book.

"-and that's how you use the scientific method." You said, dropping your pencil as you pointed out the page with it.

Betty brightened up as she looks back at you.

"It's so easy to understand now! When Mr. Winslow explains it, my brain turns to mush."

"Yeah, I had Mr. Winslow when I was your grade. I thought he was from the planet Mars." You joke as both of you laugh.

"You had him too?" Gil asked out loud.

You and Betty look at him as you didn't realize he was in the room.

"Get away, Gil. I'm trying to study." Betty said sharply.

"Hey, I'm not the one failing science right now. I'm just trying to get to know this beautiful and smart lady in front of me who unfortunately had to take that old man's class." Gil said, offering his hand towards you.

You lightly scoff as you look at Gil.

"Well, we both took his class together at Betty's grade. Or have you forgotten that we've been going to the same schools since junior high?" You ask, slightly teasing him.

Gil's face falls and his sister tries to silence her giggles. One thing about you is that you're not afraid to say what's on your mind.

He thought that was so cool.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend." He said, trying to chuckle it off as he straightened up.

Your features become softer as you give him a sympathetic look.

"It's alright. We're not really in the same classes now. I don't usually stand out for fun people like you, Gil." You said, making him feel more at ease.

Gil pretended to ponder, a playful smirk dancing on his lips. "Hmm, maybe I just have a selective memory. But I'm definitely not forgetting you anytime soon."

You two silently stare at each other, smiling until Betty interrupted, waving her arm to grab your attention.

"Hello? I didn't realize this tutor session turned into a date." She slightly yells out loud.

You and Gil break out of your trance as you cough in embarrassment.

"Sorry. Let's focus on chapter 5." You said, staring down at the book. Gil waves a small goodbye as he leaves you both alone and heads to his room, not knowing you were looking at him leave.

He slumps on his bed and looks up at the ceiling, sighing contently as all he could do was think of your smile.

That’s when he realized you got him twirled around his finger.

And he’s more than okay with that.

#gil rizzo #gil rizzo x reader #gil x reader #rise of the pink ladies #grease #grease rise of the pink ladies

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happilychee · 2 months

Note

The aromantic Levy headcannons anon here!

Levy is in a qpr with Jet & Droy. Gajeel ofc becomes a part of it once he joins Fairy Tail. So does Lily

She did feel like she was a bit of an outcast since the girl's and some guys would talk about romance and she didn't understand it. Same as Lucy, Levy enjoyed reading about it, but the love parts just to her, weird and confusing

Jet & Droy helped her figure herself out and finding out she was aromantic made her smile.

Levy had to contain her excitement when Lucy approached her, talking the way she used to about romance. She was happy that she wasn't the only aro girl in the guild.

Gajeel surprisingly was the easiest to tell that she was aromantic. "...I'm aromantic" "Cool" "Wow. That was easy" Natsu on the other hand, was the hardest. He just stood there with a confused look on his face so she had to explain it in a different way. "I prefer friendship over romance, Natsu" "So calling you my best friend is okay?" " Yes you dummy"

it's not a lot but I hope you like them

sending hugs and a nice warm bowl of soup your way, anon; I love these mwah <2

writing this post just in time for aromantic spectrum awareness week!!

aromantic fairy tail headcanons

♡ yes to everything above. levy adores jet and droy, then gajeel and lily. she gets such a sense of fulfillment and joy when she's with them.

♡ levy wears green on valentine's day. yes, it's a statement, and she'll patiently spend the day explaining aromanticism to anyone who asks. she also binges on discount chocolates with lucy that night as they watch shitty romcom movies. the two can and do coexist.

♡ another qpr/qpp pairing is juvia and lisanna. they're not only close emotionally; lisanna is by nature a physically affectionate person, and juvia is severely touch starved. the only person she could theoretically be comfortable with touching her is gajeel, but he's not one for soft affection (she's been thrown into too many brotherly headlocks over the years.) so when lisanna casually grabs onto juvia's arm when they're out and about, a switch flips in her head. juvia is very touchy with lisanna, and only lisanna. this leads to most of the guild thinking they're dating.

♡ the words "we're just friends" leave a bad taste in lisanna's mouth. juvia wrinkles her nose when she hears people say "oh, so you're not more than friends." both consider each other one of the most important people in their lives. them being friends doesn't somehow diminish that. juvia lets the worry slip when she's shopping with lucy, who brings her to levy. the three have a long and thoughtful discussion, but honestly, it leaves juvia feeling confused. she's never been one for close relationships with anyone, given her childhood, and all these labels make her head hurt. levy and lucy say that's fine, the only person she really needs to make sure is on the same page is lisanna.

♡ lisanna is very much on the same page of "idk what we are but I like where we are." they decide to just... keep doing what they're doing. when there's new developments (juvia gets a nosebleed when she sees lisanna in a swimsuit, to her own horror), they talk it out and set boundaries for what they want and don't want to do (juvia very, very shyly asks if she could give lisanna a kiss on the cheek.)

♡ also, at some point, juvia and lisanna move out of fairy hills and get an apartment together. mira objects to this only on the grounds that she won't be able to prevent them from starting kitchen fires with their baking attempts. she ends up over more often than not, and lisanna feels her chest swell with warmth at seeing her big sister and her best friend get along so well.

♡ also big aro vibes... gray, cana, and loke. the three of them are so chill about everything. the guild suspects they're in a relationship, but then they also see cana going out with lucy and get confused. gray just shrugs and says it's a girls' night. completely unbothered king. besides, he's got a board game score to settle with loke and natsu.

♡ erza, I think, is a big romantic at heart, but the thing is she does that to everyone. she gets a lot of money from s-class jobs, and there's only so much she can spend on herself or new sets of armor. eventually, team natsu starts finding beautiful bouquets of flowers on their doorsteps. someone dares to tell erza that men don't like flowers, and suddenly every man in fairy tail is getting a monthly bouquet of roses.

♡ erza also misses a lot of "romantic" cues. she wouldn't be able to tell if someone was flirting with her if her life depended on it. gray and natsu, the little shits, take full advantage of this to mess with the poor suitor. I also think erza is demi, so she really has to have a strong emotional bond with someone before she considers having sex with them. she likes to take care and be taken care of, so she wants it to be with someone who knows her inside and out.

♡ natsu honestly has huge aspec vibes, mostly because he completely bulldozes over any societal conventions, labels, and definitions. if natsu feels a certain way, he's going to let the person know. if he wants to be cuddly with them and they're okay with it, he will be cuddly. doesn't matter who they are; even laxus gets the occasional natsu cuddle. levy and lucy almost lose their minds because they're so busy having deep discussions about the intricacies of aromanticism, and then natsu comes in like a breath of fresh air because he genuinely does not care. not in a bad way, he loves to listen to lucy's passionate rants (she's cute when she's excited) but. it's just something that never bothered him. personally, I do think out of everyone, he's closest to lucy in the "romantic" sense, but even then, it's just a different type of relationship to him. there's no way in hell he would specifically choose just lucy over everyone else in the guild. they're all his family!

♡ in conclusion, fairy tail is aromantic and aspec as fuck.

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woso-dreamzzz · 4 months

Text

Sharks II

Meadema x Child!Reader

Summary: You get comfortable with Viv

You're used to having Viv in your house now. She's always there and she sleeps in bed with Mummy a lot and helps you through your morning routine every day.

She makes sure to hang out with you away from Mummy too, like that time that she took you to the big maze store that she called IKEA and you called stupid.

She bought you a new shark toy she called the Blåhaj shark but you corrected her to a Blue Shark.

You love having Viv around (though there's a name floating in your head for her that's definitely not Viv) but you're still happy to have your alone time with Mummy.

Viv's out with some of her friends so Mummy's propped you up on her lap and is reading you a story book.

"Mummy," You say," That's not English." You point at the words.

She smiles at you. "That's right," She says," That's Dutch."

"Dutch," You repeat," Like Viv."

"Like Viv. We're both going to be studying a bit of Dutch so Viv can feel more at home."

"Because she's from Dutch?"

"The Netherlands," Mummy corrects," And yes."

You think for a moment. The story book looks fun and has English and Dutch in it so you still understand it. "Okay," You say," We learn Dutch for Viv."

Mummy presses a kiss to your head as she turns the page and helps you sound out the words.

●～●～●～●～

Viv takes you to the aquarium on her next day off. Mummy would have come with too but she was busy with Auntie Leah and Auntie Katie so it's just you and Viv.

She got you dressed this morning - your favourite shark t-shirt and a pair of shorts before bundling you into her arms and heading to the train station.

"Cool," You say, making sure to keep a tight hold of Viv's hand because Mummy always says you have to hold an adult's hand when you're out.

There's a bit of the aquarium that's just clear glass on the floor looking into one of the tanks and you spend so much time standing on it that Viv gets a little worried that you think that's all there is.

"Come on, liefje," She says," Let's keep going. There's more to see."

You let her pull you along happily.

Ma-Viv shows you lots of different fishies and is more than happy to crouch next to you and read off the little placards by the tanks. She's pleasantly surprised when you ask her to translate it into Dutch.

"That's a Sand Tiger Shark," You say as you point up to the big tank," They like to hunt at night."

"That's very interesting, liefje," Ma-Viv says, pointing at another shark floating along the bottom," What about that one?"

You study it for a moment, head tilted to the side as you watch it. "Nurse shark! They have moustaches that are actually taste buds!"

Ma-Viv smiles at you, an affectionate hand running over your head. "Come on," She pulls you along to one of the walkways near the end.

You wander closer to one of those electronic screens that has buttons to choose your answers on it.

You can read your little story books at home (both in English and Dutch now) but this is a little too advanced to you so you tug on Mama's hand to get her attention.

"Read please," You tell her.

It's a little quiz on sharks with multiple choice answers that you happily press the buttons to choose.

You get all of them right (of course) and get especially excited when a goblin shark appears on the screen.

"Goblin shark!" You cry," Like my top, Mama! Like my top!"

You don't know why but Mama looks at you with wide eyes, mouth falling open. She looks a little tearful as she nods. "Yeah, liefje, it is like your top."

You look down happily at your t-shirt and then back at the screen.

Mama bought you this top the day after your trip to get your Blåhaj shark and for the first two days, you refused to take it off. Mummy hates it but you love it so you keep it in your room, under your pillow so she can't throw it away.

"Mama, come on," You say to her as she remains frozen in the same spot. You've finished the quiz and kind of want to move on - Mummy promised that Mama would buy you something at the gift shop.

She still looks slightly tearful and drops your hand.

You turn to look at her. "Mama?"

She picks you up, holding you closer as she rest her chin on the top of your head.

"Mama? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, liefje. Why...Why don't we stop off at the touch tanks and then we'll get you your presents?"

You nod along, practically shaking with excitement as you reach into the tank to run your fingers gently over the back of an epaulette shark. Mummy always tells you to be gentle when stroking cats and dogs so you make sure to be extra gentle with the little shark.

"You touch," You tell Mama, who's still holding you tight.

"I'm fine, liefje," She says, refusing to relinquish her hold on you," This is for you."

"I'm going to study sharks when I'm older," You tell Mama earnestly as she walks you to the gift shop.

"You are? No football?"

You reach out to touch a shark mug. "Sharks are more fun than football," You tell her," Can this be my present?"

"Just this?"

"Mummy says that I can only get one thing."

Mama smiles at you. "We've just had a very special day, liefje. I think we get you more than one thing."

You beam, remembering the sentence that Mummy taught you last week. "Thank you, Mama! Ik houd van je (I love you)!"

She looks as shocked as she was earlier when you saw the goblin shark photo. "I love you too, liefje."

#woso x reader #meadema x reader #beth mead x reader #beth mead #vivianne miedema x reader #vivianne miedema #woso community #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso

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anghraine · 6 months

Text

Dealing with images on Dreamwidth

Okay, one more Dreamwidth post!

DW is geared around text posts and currently handles images rather awkwardly. But it does actually have image hosting capabilities, though the space isn't unlimited (I've never come near to maxing it out). I was thinking about that and figured I could make a post over here about how I back up images to Dreamwidth, and then post them using the Rich Text Editor.

I tried to explain what I do as clearly as I could, but the detail might make it sound more complex and difficult than it really is. I'm sorry if so! But here goes:

Step 1: Go to the main page at www.dreamwidth.org. It should look something like this:

Step 2: Click the red button in the upper-right to log in. Once you do, the main page should look something like this:

Step 3: If you look below the Dreamwidth logo, you'll see five categories of things you can do. You want the first category, "Create." Click on it and select "Upload Images" from the drop-down list. I've put a blue circle around it in the picture below:

Step 4: Upload your picture!

The picture above is the standard "Upload Images" screen. From here, you can click the link to "View all your images" to see everything you've uploaded, and I think "manage your images" lets you adjust titles and descriptions of the images and such. But what you want is the "Browse" button. It'll take you to your computer files and you can upload the picture or pictures you want.

Let's suppose I want to upload two pictures from Baldur's Gate 3:

and

Okay. So after I click "Browse", find the right folder on my computer, and use CTRL+click to select both of these pictures (you can also upload pictures one-by-one if you wish), the space below the "Browse" button will show the pictures you've uploaded. It should look something like this:

There they are! You can give the pictures names in the "Title" boxes, but if you want the file names saved, make sure you click the "Save descriptions" button below the pictures (circled in blue below):

At this point (much faster than it sounds like), you've uploaded the pictures to your account where you can look at every picture or file you've ever uploaded to Dreamwidth. That's cool, but they're not actually in a post yet.

Step 5: Make a new post.

In a new tab, open Dreamwidth (www.dreamwidth.org) again. It's important that this is in a different tab and you don't navigate away from the one your pictures are showing on.

You should see the "Post" button in the upper right of the main page, below your username. I've circled it in blue here:

Click on "Post."

That'll take you to the Create Post page where you actually put things on your blog.

I'm currently trying out the beta version of this page that's going to get applied pretty soon, so the style looks a little different here than in standard Dreamwidth. I figured I'd use the beta version because a) it's what people will see in the future, and b) we're going to use the old Rich Text Editor that is the same in both styles.

The Rich Text Editor has a blue rectangle around it and a blue arrow pointing at it in the picture above.

Let's narrow in on the Rich Text Editor. Like in any post, you can just start typing into the Rich Text Editor, if you want words at all. So here I typed a little explanation for the BG3 pictures and put the cursor where I want the pictures to show up.

You can see that there's a bar of options above what I've typed, with buttons that let you bold, italicize, underline, etc. We want a button further on—the square button with a yellow background that looks like a tiny landscape of mountains and sunshine. I've put a blue circle around it on the screenshot below:

Step 6: Add your pictures!

Clicking on the little landscape button will open a box where you can paste the URL of any image you want to put in your Dreamwidth post. The image doesn't have to be hosted on Dreamwidth—you could paste a link to a picture on Tumblr or whatever—but it'll be more stable if it is, so that's what we're doing.

It looks like this:

Since we already uploaded our pictures to Dreamwidth in the earlier steps, we just need the URLs for the pictures. There's a pretty easy way to see what it is.

Step 7: Copy-paste the URL.

Click back to the tab with your newly uploaded pictures. There will be a code at the bottom of each one. In our case, it looks like this:

It might look a bit intimidating if you're not used to code, but you can ignore the most of it. You just want that little part that begins with https and ends with .jpg.

Copy the URL (I've put a blue box around it above) and click back to the Create Post tab. The "Image Properties" box from Step 6 should still be up.

Paste the URL into the top box that says "URL." I've surrounded the correct box with a red rectangle in this picture:

Hit the "OK" button at the bottom and:

You'll see tiny boxes around the frame. Those will go away if you click anywhere other than the picture; they're for adjusting the size.

Step 8: Adjust the picture if you want

You know how Tumblr automatically stretches/shrinks pictures to make them fit? Dreamwidth just leaves them the way they are, so if your original picture is very big, it will look very big, and if it's small, it will look small. But you can adjust the picture yourself.

Maybe my picture of Shadowheart seems really big compared to the text and I want it smaller. I'll click on the tiny box in the upper-left corner of the picture (that one simply because it's the most convenient) and drag it inwards until the picture is the size I want.

And there she is!

BTW: No matter what size you make a picture look in your post, once it is posted, you can always right-click with your mouse and say "open image in new tab" to see it in its real size.

Here's a real post I made with a picture of Shadowheart I'd slightly shrunk in the Dreamwidth editor:

But if I right-click on the image and tell it to open in another tab, you can see that the saved picture is actually full-size:

So feel free to adjust your picture in the post however you want; it won't change the version you originally uploaded to Dreamwidth.

I'm sure there are other ways to do this, but that's how I get images uploaded to Dreamwidth and then embedded in Dreamwidth posts!

#there's been talk of a proper image upload function within Create Post but they've had more urgent updates so ... maybe #for now this works though #anghraine babbles #dreamwidth #long post #anghraine's pics

54 notes · View notes

givemewallywestorgivemedeath · 2 years

Text

Summary of Dick's meeting in Dark Crisis #5:

Dick: Thank you all for coming to the mission brief. My plan to save the world is -

Gar, dramatically posing in the doorway: I'M NOT DEAD AND I'M HERE TO KICK SLADE'S ASS

The Teen Titans: *cheering*

Dick: Okay, thank you Gar. I'm so glad that you are well enough to join us today. It wouldn't be the end of the world without you.

Dick: To get back to the plan though, I'm thinking-

The JSA: Not to interrupt but we actually have our own thing that we're going to do so we're just going to leave?

Dick: Oh, uh, you don't want to maybe strategize first or... aaaaand they're already gone. Okay, cool, that's fine. That's helpful. We can work with that.

Dick: Alright, so to get everyone else on the same page here the plan-

Jon, kicking the door down and throwing a giant metal machine on the floor: EVERYTHING WE KNOW IS A LIE. I WENT A FREAKY MAGIC DRUG TRIP AND I FOUND THIS MACHINE AND- Oh hey Damian, sup?

Damian: I'm leaving.

Dick: Wait, what? Damian no, why-

Damian, pointing at a random hero: and I'm taking this person with me

Dick, taking a deep breath: Okay fine, whatever.

Dick: I don't really know what to do with this machine but thanks for the information Jon.

Dick: Moving on, the plan is to-

Wally, crashing through the wall like the Kool Aid Man: THERE'S AN ARMY OF ZOMBIE SUPERVILLAINS AT OUR FRONT DOOR

Dick:

Dick, sighing and closing his laptop with his 30 slide PowerPoint presentation: Titans, the plan is simple. Attack.

480 notes · View notes

jinxhallows · 6 months

Text

𝐔𝐧𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 .

━━━━━━━━

☾ -- ᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛs

━━━━━━━━

ᴍʏ ᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴏᴜs ᴛᴀɢʟɪsᴛ -- @sikebishes @hamburgers101 @felix-housewife @agnes-king @exfolitae @brojustfknkillm3 @skzswife @just-randomm-stuff @thunderous-wolf @3rachasninja @katsukis1wife @hanjingin @mylilliposts

☾ -- ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴀɢʟɪsᴛ? ᴄʟɪᴄᴋ ʜᴇʀᴇ

━━━━━━━━

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ | ᴡᴄ: 𝟼.𝟿ᴋ

━━━━━━━━

Santiago methodically lays out the estimated duration it will take for you to reach the final point of contact, another type of demon who holds the key to getting to the entrance of Abysmora’s gates. Leo and Lyra, a couple of strides behind, quietly prepare themselves for the journey ahead.

"Don't you do anything reckless now, you hear? You don't know these people, we're doing this because we owe them demons, and Santiago looks out for us, your family," he stresses. Lyra nods, her lips pressed together in a thin line. Of course, this was her family, they raised her, taught her everything, and helped her grow into the wolf she's become. But now, armed with the chilling details of the night of her parents' murder, she begins to wonder—what if that dreadful night hadn't happened? Could she have been raised with her original family?

And why didn't Leo tell her, if he knew? Perhaps it was to protect her, but she's beginning to question that, along with many other things.

But he's right; she may be your sister by blood, but who knows how your different lives have shaped you.

Beneath the silvery moonlight, the forest unfurls in a mesmerizing display of nature's grandeur. Towering trees, ancient and wise, stand like stoic guardians, their branches interweaving to create an intricate tapestry against the night sky.

"I'll be okay," Lyra mutters.

"This ain't your fight to fight, Lyra—"

"I said I'll be okay, damn it!" She flares up, immediately recoiling as she looks down. "I'm sorry; it's just... I've seen the pack do this over and over again. Have faith in me. I can do this. We can do this," she asserts, aware of Leo's love for her, his paternal instincts strong. Though she's never led the pack to Abysmora, she's seen others embark on the journey and return unscathed. The pack had no business in Abysmora anymore, like they did in the past when they first settled up here, so she hadn't ventured there herself.

"It's not that I doubt your abilities, Lyra. I just know you've been looking for your siblings your whole life. I know you, and I'm telling you, this ain't your fight to fight. They seem to have it together, know what they're doin' and all that. If she's with them, she's more than capable of taking care of herself," Leo says, his words still carrying the weight of his wisdom. He then sighs, becoming aware of his lecture-like tone. "Just get back safe."

"I will." Lyra leans forward and steps up on her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you."

"Love you too, kid."

You all venture deeper into the woods, and the atmosphere isn't as tense as it often is when you’re constantly vigilant for lurking dangers. True, the threat of peril looms, but with a formidable pack of creatures armed with keen senses, they both deter weaker adversaries and can detect the scent of mightier foes in case anyone or anything wishes to challenge them.

The forest floor, adorned with plush moss and fallen leaves, appears to swallow every footstep, muffling the sounds of their journey. A gentle, cool breeze carries the earthy essence of the woods. The wolfpack moves confidently, and it's comforting not to feel so alone. A few minutes into their hike, once everyone has ensured they are on the same page, Lyra gradually drifts back towards you.

"Do you have a plan for when you get there?" she inquires. "Do you know where to find this flower?"

You shake your head thoughtfully. "No, but Felix and Jisung have a fairly good idea of where to look."

"And if demons attack you?"

"We fight," you assert confidently, and Lyra's heart swells with pride, hearing the unshakable determination in your voice. You and Lyra share this fearless spirit, a comforting connection.

"Saw you talking to Chan. So..." You lower your voice, even though Chan is quite a distance ahead, engaged in conversation with Santiago and a couple of wolves at the front of the group. "What do you think?" You ask, eager to know her impression.

"Well, he's going to put his best foot forward, I'm your sister he never expected to meet," she begins thoughtfully. "But he seems nice. He's got an accent, where's he from?"

"Australia."

"Oh, it's hot over there. How does a vampire hybrid exist in Australia?"

You ponder her point for a moment. "He's a hybrid, so he can tolerate a bit of sunlight."

"And Felix?"

Questions left unanswered hang in the air.

"To be fair, one, I never considered that, and two, I don't think they were turned there. You should ask him sometime, considering you two had those private conversations this morning," you suggest with an eye roll, fighting back a chuckle.

Lyra grows defensive. "He just wanted to know a bit more about conjure, that's all."

"Oh, just wanted to know a bit more about conjure, huh? That's funny. Vampires can't conjure."

There's a momentary silence between you both.

Felix must not have told you about the self-sacrifice, Lyra assumes by the confidence in your statement.

"Anyway, I can't imagine Australian vampires existing," she continues walking, her fingers laced through the backpack straps as she gazes at the path ahead, taking long, powerful strides. "That place gets so much sun. I'd be miserable."

"Well, they do," you retort, readjusting your backpack on your shoulders as you observe Chan chatting with Hyunjin, who's joined him. "I'm in love with one."

━━━━━━━━

"Brother, back at the first stop, with Lysandra," Chan begins, prompting Hyunjin to hum in curiosity. "You two have something going on or was I imagining things?"

"I mean, she's very intelligent, beautiful, well-spoken, and we shared great conversation. Is that what you mean?"

"Did you two...?"

Hyunjin smirks, savoring the enigma he's woven around their relationship. "No, we didn't have sex."

"I heard sex." Jisung wedges himself between the two brothers, glancing from one to the other. "They're back there discussing Australian vampires. I'm bored out of my mind. What's going on up here?"

"Hyunjin has something going on with Lysandra."

"I didn't say that—" He corrects his older brother.

"Come on, brother, it's not poisonous to admit when you like someone," Chan laughs. "For a demon, she's one hell of a conjurer."

"She's one hell of a creature," Hyunjin amends.

"Oh, you like her like her," Jisung teases.

"Like I said," Hyunjin reiterates, "We shared great conversation."

Jisung and Chan exchange eye rolls, recognizing that's all they'll get out of him for now. Jisung retrieves his water bottle from the side pocket of his backpack, takes a swig, then caps it and stows it away again. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "Has the little witch been having any more nightmares?"

"No, nothing that's woken me up, at least."

"I'm worried. When I was possessed, what if I opened a portal? What if Edith's watching us, waiting for the moment to strike?" Jisung expresses his concern. "Things like that don't just happen to me."

Chan glances over at him. He wants to mention that Jisung might be more susceptible to attacks because he's losing power, but he's sworn to secrecy. As far as he knows, Hyunjin doesn't know about it either, nor does Felix.

"A lot of things have been happening to us lately that don't make sense," Chan offers.

Hyunjin, however, doesn't concur with Jisung's theory of Edith spying on them. "If she was going to do something, she would've done it by now. There were plenty of times she could've struck successfully in the last two days. She probably used up a lot of power just getting that message across. A foolish mistake."

"How can we be sure it was Edith?"

"She's the only enemy we've got in purgatory right now."

There’s a wail that can be heard in the distance, and the wolfpack freezes, their senses on high alert even in their human forms, using their keen sense of smell and hearing to discern the danger. One of them points off to the side, “Nine o’clock.”

“What have we got?”

There is a shrill, bone-chilling scream from an otherworldly creature that none of you can spot as one of the Wolfpack members stumbles backward, his chest sliced with jagged claw marks, blood spilling forth as he yells and drops to his knees, pain searing through him.

“Never a dull moment,” Hyunjin says before he takes off toward the threat. Chan kicks off, leaving dirt in his wake, and Felix follows suit, leaving nothing but swaying leaves and branches as evidence of their presence.

“What’s going on?!” You ask frantically, looking around as the others ready themselves on all sides. You can catch the glint of their eyes turning a deep, glowing gold, and hear the rumbling beneath their breath.

“Stand down, keep the humans safe,” Lyra commands. “Santiago, what are we dealing with?”

The mention of your ex’s name causes you to look over at him, frustration building inside of you. “Why aren’t you with them?! What are you just standing here for?”

Jisung holds his hands out a few inches, extending an olive branch in the midst of chaos. “We have a plan, remember? We let the others go first, and then—”

“Fuck the plan, you're an archdemon, and you're just gonna let them—”

“Hold on, y/n, hold on.” Lyra stops you as she sniffs the air. In the brief silence, a disgusting choking noise is heard in the distance, spattering and hacking, and then nothing.

“I’m sorry I ever agreed to do this with you.”

Santiago says, causing an unexpected silence to fall onto a few nearby members, while the others are waiting either for more orders, or for the rest of the team to return. He’s towering over a lot of the Wolfpack, with a few of them blocking your view of him. He can’t see your face, struck with hurt, a hurt you don’t understand.

“What?”

“I’m sorry I ever agreed to do this with you. I didn’t know you’d be a part of it, or I would’ve said no. You’re fucking unbearable, you know that, you?” As his voice heightens, the others start to space out, leaving a direct path from you to him. “When you don’t get your way, its everybody’s fault, eres una puto niña, you’re such a fucking child–”

“Cool it, Santiago.” Jisung comes to your defense, but you look at him and shake your head, you’ve got this, you assure him silently, then you take a few steps toward the archdemon.

“I’m unbearable….I’m—un…bearable?” Your anger is hot, making your voice crack as you feel the adrenaline beginning to surge through you.

Hyunjin returns, his fist clenched around the wet, dirty hair of the head of a frightening creature. Its skin is as black as night, no, maybe darker, with bright red eyes and long, rectangular pupils reminiscent of prey animals like goats and sheep. Its slack jaw displays sharp, pointed double rows of teeth.

Hyunjin’s excited about the kill when he vamps over, but once he notices that something serious is going down, he slows down, pushing his hair out of his face and behind his ear as he ducks lower to avoid being seen and joins Jisung.

Lyra is now trying to interpret the connection you have with Santiago and why everyone is allowing this to just happen. She looks around desperately at her pack, still waiting for the others to come back, then deciding to hurry over to her wounded pack member, kneeling down to tend to them while checking around for any sign of Felix or Chan.

“Being abandoned was unbearable! Having to coexist with someone that made me feel like I was nothing and refuses to acknowledge it is unbearable!”

“I acknowledged it!” Santiago’s eyes are wild and wide, he’s exasperated. He’s hurt, he’s broken. He doesn’t want to admit it, as strong as he is, that it's been the heaviest weight out of everything happening that you’re no longer his, and that your stupid hybrid partner keeps rubbing his nose in it every chance he gets.

“I acknowledged it, and I apologized for it!!” He steps forward. “And you still hang it over my fucking head, are you wanting to crucify me or something?! You won’t even talk to me about it!” He’s under the pressure of Minho, the entire Lee family, and following the laws of the hierarchy of their demon society, and the dangers ahead combined with seeing you for the first time in years, now with another man, and having to playing house with your strange fucking makeshift family unit of freaks and—

“BECAUSE YOU WONT TELL ME THE TRUTH!”

Leaves flutter around in the air as the space between you and Santiago is filled with both Felix and Chan, holding two additional heads each. They’re fresh, dripping black blood into the soil below, which bubbles like a thick soup as the earth absorbs it.

“Damn, they got more than me.” Hyunjin mutters under his breath with a snap of his fingers. He looks down at his trophy kill and then rolls his eyes, throwing it over his shoulder carelessly.

A Wolfpack member shrieks as she barely dodges it.

Chan looks around before he directs his amber eyes to Santiago. “Do we have a problem here, mate?”

Oof.

Felix vamps over to Lyra, the wolf blood scent strong in his nose as he helps them both, sinking his teeth into his wrist and feeding his blood to the injured pack mate.

“She and I have the problem—”

Chan's laughter cut through the tension, but it held an eerie, unsettling quality. “No, no, no, that’s not how this works,” He casually places the heads of his gruesome trophies at his feet, their grotesque features illuminated by the eerie glow of the moon. Each detail of his actions seemed designed to unsettle as his smile drops. His cold gaze locks onto Santiago, angular features, framed by dark, tousled hair, illuminated by the ominous gleam in his eyes. “Whatever you two had is done. It’s over now, and was over a long time ago. Y/N is mine, so if she has a problem, then I have a problem.” The moonlight dances across his face, highlighting the glint of his piercing amber eyes. It's a chilling sight, and the fact that he managed to maintain an air of calm in the face of such tension only added to the sense of foreboding.

“So now, we have a problem.”

Santiago’s teeth grit behind his tightened lips.

Chan’s brothers quietly watch their eldest sibling, but they don’t intervene.

A fight would solve nothing.

He can’t tell you he left to work for the Lee family.

He just can’t.

Santiago takes in a deep breath as he straightens himself.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

The way he says it, stings.

But you remain silent, the heat of the argument still simmering within you, leaving you feeling exposed in front of Lyra and her pack. It was an inauspicious start, the first time they witnessed your explosive exchange in this treacherous environment. The fact that Santiago dismissed you so casually, as if your shared history meant nothing, sent a pang of hurt through you. How could this man, who you allowed inside of your body, act as though you were strangers? It was unjust, and the lingering discomfort is almost unbearable.

Chan arches a questioning eyebrow, coming to a brief halt to allow Santiago an opportunity to speak further, but when met with silence, he turns his attention to the assembled group.

"Listen up, everyone," he begins, his presence alone commanding the undivided attention of those gathered. "We've just taken care of a pack of these nasty creatures, and I can tell you, I've never seen anything like 'em, not in life or death." His foot rests casually on one of the severed heads.

"These creatures are swift and skilled climbers. Their bites are poisonous. How do we know?" Felix steps forward, rolling up his hoodie sleeve to reveal a shiny, raised scar shaped like a bite. The irritated, reddened flesh stands in stark contrast to his pale skin.

"One of 'em bit me," Felix continues, turning slowly to address the group. "Let me tell you, it burns like hell. Luckily, they're not hard to kill."

"You rip their heads off, clean off," Chan adds, his voice matter-of-fact as he gestures towards the severed heads.

Jisung, on the other hand, squats down, studying the heads closely. His eyes widen as he calls you over.

"Little witch, c'mere a sec."

You join him and, upon seeing the creatures up close, recognition strikes you like a bolt of lightning. The memory is vivid, causing you to gasp and nearly stumble backward. Chan's quick reflexes keep you from falling.

"Th-Those monsters, they're from purgatory!" You exclaim, the mention of that place making your skin prickle as your body recalls the traumatic experience. The wolves begin to chatter among themselves, clearly shocked by your revelation about purgatory.

"What?"

"Amelia said they're Edith’s creations." Jisung stands up, still staring at the severed head. He remembers the overwhelming sensation of his own power, the blood that dripped from his ear when he let out a force hard enough to expel them. It’s as if he feels the phantom sensation all over again. His fingers gently touch his jaw as he straightens up, gazing at the frozen horror before him. He’s relieved he feels no blood.

"And they can fly."

"You recognize these from purgatory?" Hyunjin slips through the crowd, his presence suddenly among you. "I've never seen them before."

"These are definitely from purgatory," you affirm wearily, meeting Jisung's eyes with a mix of fear and uncertainty. He wishes he could offer you reassurance, but he knows there are no easy answers to bring you comfort in this unsettling moment.

"Amelia said they could only exist between worlds."

"We're only a few miles away from your meeting point," Lyra says. You all turn to her, and she continues, "They say, the closer you get to Abysmora, the thinner the veil between Hell and the living becomes."

Santiago feels uneasiness welling inside of him at the conversation. The veil is thinning, sure, but an ambush attack from a species nobody has encountered before? That's a first, even for him. Even he doesn’t recognize the creatures, which was enough to raise alarm, with how old and powerful he is. "We should keep moving," he says, "If someone is trying to assassinate you, always be a moving target. We didn't come this far to get killed off now."

"Rio, since you were the first to notice, you, Jax, and Pete transform and run ahead," Lyra instructs, pointing ahead. The wolves nod and take off into a run, leaping into the air, fur bursting through their skin, bones shattering and rebuilding, and they never miss a beat, landing on all four feet and running ahead.

"Are you sacrificing us for them now?" a disgruntled packmate mutters.

"Are you questioning my leadership?" Lyra challenges coolly as they continue walking. Felix is a few paces behind and can feel the temperature rising in the packmate, though he silences himself against Lyra.

They don't fear you enough, he thinks to himself.

Mutiny could arise if she keeps this up.

Felix calls out from behind as he jogs at a humble, human pace, making his way up to the front line, "I'm going to catch up with the wolves."

"Yeah, Felix? You sure?" Chan asks. He's curious as to why his brother's so eager to go running with wolves, but doesn't stop him.

Felix turns around, agile as ever, jogging backwards. He holds two hands up, wiggling his fingers. "You never know when you'll need a pair of opposable thumbs." He winks and turns around, vamping off out of sight.

Lyra grins, looking down at her feet as she takes each step, her face warming but nearly undetectable on her deep almond skin.

Chan hears the quickening of a heartbeat and turns around curiously, giving the others a once-over until he spots Lyra.

Why's her heart beating so fast?

"Chan," you say, unintentionally interrupting his side thought. "Those dreams I had... Do you think, I don't know, she's using them to get access to me? I mean, first, a message through Jisung, now a wolf right next to me gets sliced through the chest? Her aim is shitty, but she's still aiming for me."

Chan grapples with the weight of your words, knowing that your pregnancy makes you the prime target. However, he doesn't want to distress you further, so he chooses his response carefully. "She could be aiming for any of us. It only takes the death of one of us for the destiny bond to bring her back."

Your hand instinctively finds your pregnant belly. You're more concerned for your child's safety than anything else. The idea of nurturing a life within you still feels surreal, and you wonder if that maternal instinct will truly blossom when you finally lay eyes on your daughter.

"How you feeling, sis?" Lyra joins you from behind, concern etching her features. "I can't say I've ever seen a pregnant woman hike this much."

"Even when I wasn't pregnant, hiking wasn't my thing," you huff, beads of sweat glistening on your forehead. "But I'm getting by with conjure and blood. Both take the pain away."

"Oh god, you drink blood, Y/N?"

You can't help but smirk at her reaction. "I not only drink it, but I also enjoy it on some occasions." Laughter bubbles up as Lyra cringes, her expression of disgust clear. You're curious now, wondering if she's ever been intimate with a vampire before. "You've never had vampire blood before?"

"No, and I have zero interest in it." She smiles, dismissing the idea. "Who are you feeding from?"

"Whoa, personal much?" You hold out a hand.

Lyra rolls her eyes, pushing your hand away. "Come on, obviously your boyfriend for one. Who's next?"

"Lyra! Why are you asking? No, I don't feed from Felix!"

She punches you in the arm, and you reach out to tag her back before she retreats to the back of the group, her laughter echoing.

"You can't hide from me forever," You warn with a playful smile. "I'm a witch, remember?"

Chan grins as he walks alongside both of you. It's a different side of you, seeing the way you interact with your sibling. The immediate comfort and lack of self-doubt in your relationship bring a smile to his face. Amidst all the chaos, your sibling manages to sprinkle moments of joy with every giggle that escapes your lips.

The sounds of snarling and snapping pierce the air, jolting you from the brief afterglow of laughter. A few seconds later, Felix returns, this time clutching two severed heads in his tightened fist before hurling them to the ground.

"Impressive, your pack doesn’t hesitate, took one down together, and I managed to nab the others. A few got away, though, flying off into the trees," he explains, pointing toward the towering branches above. "And I did get some of their blood on my hoodie this time."

"You're losing your touch," Hyunjin teases with a playful grin.

"At least there's hope in their weakness," Jisung remarks. "Are you sure you don't want me to scout ahead?"

"I'll handle it with the pack. We won't have their support after we reach the meeting point, and that’s when we’ll need you the most." Felix replies. He glances at Santiago, who has been silently forging ahead with an intensity that sends a clear signal to everyone, causing them to maintain a respectful distance from him.

“Speaking of which,” Chan says as they reach a summit. Together, you all stand at the edge of a rocky, jagged cliff. Beyond, all that can be seen in the valleys below are trees. There’s a large body of water far off in the distance, but the immediate drop is into the thicket of forestry below. “Is this the cliff you mentioned earlier, our marker?”

“It is. We’re only about a mile away; we have to descend. There’s a path over here—” Santiago points to where the cliff has a more shallow descent into trees that cover the path. It's difficult to see in the dark, but the moonlight guides you, and it's nearly Full.

“How many days until the Full Moon?” You ask, looking above at the ominous skies.

“I’ve lost track, but I think it's about 8 or 9?” Jisung says, looking up at it next to you, “Why? You worried about it?”

You shrug, “Yeah, a little.”

“We’ll be okay. Worst-case scenario, everyone rages out, kills everybody, and we get the blood bloom. We go home the day after with a mega hangover.”

Jisung’s casual, joking tone pulls a little chuckle out of you, but as you’re looking at the Moon, you start to feel a little woozy. You blink a few times, looking back at the land surrounding you, wondering if focusing on the brightness of the moon had maybe disoriented you a tad bit. But you stumble to the side, catching yourself, trying to mask it.

It doesn’t get past Jisung, who’s standing right beside you.

“Whoa, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I'm just... I’m light-headed.” You curl your upper lip back as you rub between your brows with the back of your index finger, trying to stabilize yourself.

No, no, no, please no.

Not right now.

Please.

“Something’s wrong, little witch.” his voice lowers to a whisper. “Maybe you need to feed again?”

Jisung's eyes, usually warm and reassuring, now hold a flicker of concern. The moonlight reflects off his face, emphasizing the lines of worry etched across his features. He's seen this before, the subtle shifts in your demeanor, the telltale signs of an impending thirst. “We just did a couple nights ago.” “You don’t call the shots anymore, she does.”

Chan’s sigh from behind startles you so much, you jump. “A brat, just like her mother then.” He looks around at the group. “I’ll get the others, give you a little privacy.”

“Hold on, breaking skin out here doesn’t feel like the best idea, especially Jisung’s–” You begin to push back, despite how much you were beginning to feel the ill effects of your thirst. The symptoms crashed on you as soon as you realized something was wrong. You’re hoping if you just keep walking, you can trick your body into getting distracted by the danger instead.

“The further we go, the worse our chances. Go, hurry.” Chan taps your backside twice, urging you towards the cover of trees as he walks over to the others. “We’ll start again in fifteen.” Chan tells the group, and they disperse, some sitting on the rocks by the cliff’s edge, soaking in the moonlight, others anxiously milling about.

“We’re going to need to go underground if we delay any more, brother. What’s going on?” Felix asks with concern. He's no fool; he's seen you and Jisung duck off, and the scent of blood lingers in the air. He usually allows others to reveal information at their leisure, but the sudden stop has him questioning what’s happening that he isn’t privy to.

Chan sighs.

He looks around briefly, making sure nobody else is within earshot and paying attention. He answers, his voice low, “She needs to feed, from a human, and Jisung, he’s...” Chan trails off, finding it difficult to come to terms with it himself. “He’s losing his power, wrecked himself cheating death so many times. So when she feeds…”

Felix puts the puzzle together before it's even been fully revealed, barely whispering, “He’s giving it to the baby, his magick, through the blood.” As he finishes, his expression changes, more concern evident as he looks to his elder sibling once more, “And then?”

Felix continues, “He loses his conjure and then? He dies? He’s mortal? I – what’s he going to do?”

“He doesn’t know yet, Felix, and you can’t speak a word. I promised not to tell. Am I understood, brother?”

Felix saves his interrogation for another time. He turns instead, wordlessly walking over to the cliff’s edge, hands in his pockets as he watches the streams and rapids below. Why would Jisung keep something like that from him? They were close friends, and with Felix’s help, he could try to find some kind of solution.

“Ah.” Felix’s torrent of thoughts comes to a halt as he chuckles, tongue resting in his cheek.

That’s why he hasn’t told him.

He knows Felix, stubborn and steadfast, would never rest until he found an answer. Hyunjin paces the cliff's perimeter, his mind swirling with echoes of his mother's words from the other night. The moon, relentless in its luminosity, bears down on him, causing his skin to prickle uncomfortably. Contemplation threatens his control, and the scent of blood intrudes against his will. Fangs dripping venom, he swallows the saliva pooling in his mouth. Joining his brothers at the edge, he gazes into the distance.

"Why's Jisung bloodletting?" he casually asks, his eyes fixed on the rapids.

"Stocking up for the fight," Felix responds promptly.

"Hm," Hyunjin rocks onto the balls of his feet, pulling his hoodie over his messy hair. "I don't believe you."

Felix turns to his younger sibling. "You're gonna have to for now." He kicks a small rock off the edge, the distinct patter echoing as it tumbles through the rocks below. "Things will make sense soon."

Chan appreciates his brother's adept evasion of the topic.

Hyunjin accepts the answer, for now.

He, too, harbors secrets not yet ready to be revealed.

"This archdemon—he’s got a nasty fixation on you and the pretty witch," he says.

Chan raises a questioning brow.

"He used a human sacrifice to reach Minho and mentioned her by name. I couldn’t hear Minho, but he was talking about wanting to have gotten further sooner, and pretty confidently said I wouldn’t be a problem but you, on the other hand…" Hyunjin smirks up at his brother.

Chan checks over his shoulder to ensure no one is within earshot before lowering his voice significantly. "Minho doesn’t give a shit about the relationships between us, why is he even bothering to check in? Santiago just owes a debt."

"Lysandra said he works for the Lee family."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Felix interjects, "Like he’s currently working for them?"

"I’m almost certain he is, despite claiming to be free from his assigned family when we all first met," Hyunjin affirms. "Minho is keeping tabs on us, he wants to gain something from this, Santiago is completing a job for him."

"Fucking demons," Chan mutters under his breath, his eyes darting back and forth as his mind races with disjointed thoughts, reminiscent of his wolf form. He exhales, frustrated, letting out a growl as he tilts his head back to the moon.

"The Blood Bloom," Felix declares, "Minho wants the Blood Bloom; nothing else would make sense."

"He could’ve gotten it himself at any time, could’ve asked his dad, summoned a family friend. Why use us to get it?" Chan drops his chin back down.

"That’s what I haven’t figured out yet," Hyunjin notes. "He needs us in this equation, and I don’t know why."

━━━━━━━━

Jisung gracefully pours a vial of inky liquid across his arm, watching as it miraculously heals over. He wipes it clean with a rag before turning his attention to you, tenderly cleaning the smudge of blood on your chin. Pausing for a moment, he lowers the rag, revealing a half-smile.

“Can I teach you something?” he asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Conjure. I want to show you how to do elemental conjure.” Jisung stands up, pulling you alongside him. The two of you stroll out of the woods onto the other side, away from prying eyes, until you reach the edge of the cliff. The stream from the other side continues, curving around the bend to where you and Jisung stand.

“When you’re near an element, you can borrow from its energy to conjure. It’s a good way to practice so you can do it on your own without the element.” Jisung kneels down and picks up a wooden branch, holding it out towards the water. He wraps his hand around the end, and you see and smell the smoke emanating from his closed fist. Jisung lets go, and the tip of the branch is engulfed in a brilliant blue flame that settles back to a regular orange, flickering as the flame works its way up. Holding the stick far from his body, Jisung steps in a wide circle until he's facing you. “Put the fire out.”

“What?” you ask, holding your hands out defensively, uncertain of your next move.

“Put out the fire, little witch. Listen to the water and focus.”

You close your eyes, pushing away the sound of the crackling burning branch for the running rapids instead. As you take in a deep breath, someone grabs your wrist, and your eyes open to see Jisung pressing the branch into your open palm.

“Jis—”

“Shhh.” He holds a finger against his lips, hushing you before you react prematurely. You feel an uncomfortable wetness in your palm, and when you open it, the damp end of the branch falls onto the ground from your surprisingly wet hand. You flick your fingers, and water droplets fly off, as if you had just stuck your hand into a bucket of water.

In amazement, you look over to Jisung, who gives you a smile before patting your back.

“C’mon, let’s get back to the others.”

━━━━━━━━

The descent down the mountain is steep and scattered with rocks. As a human, you struggle to maintain your balance, but Chan ensures you won't fall. The supernatural beings move with agile ease, navigating each step effortlessly, keeping their focus ahead. Winding through the trees, the land levels out, and the temperature drops significantly. It's icy, prompting you to zip up your jacket, seeking warmth. While the mountains are naturally cold at this elevation, tonight feels even colder than usual.

Lyra walks beside you on the left, arms crossed over her chest. Chan, on your right, remains quiet, pensive, and alert. Santiago pays attention to nearby landmarks, despite the transformed landscape. Hyunjin and Felix, a few steps ahead, are accompanied by wolves, their fur shielding them from the harsh chill.

The Full Moon begins to cast its negative influence on everyone, affecting your relationships. Jisung trails a few paces behind, lost in thought. His blank expression and slow, measured gaze scan the wilderness. His spirit seems unsettled, torn between the curse and the unease of the darkness. Muttering under his breath, he illuminates a wide radius, revealing nothing of significance.

Yet, a looming storm of uncertainty hangs over you all, a heavy cloud collecting above, mirroring the ominous feel of the night. The babbling brook's sounds intensify, prompting you to look around, attempting to ascertain its direction. The others seem so sure of themselves, you want to be able to feel that confident, too. You wonder, how must the world look from their perspective? How must it feel? To take danger head on, fearlessly with victory after victory, knowing what you’re capable of and always pushing beyond it.

After an eternity, the moving water comes into view through the thinning trees. The moon graces the foamy rapids, casting an ethereal glow on the wet, jagged rocks that protrude from the water. The dirt floor, almost frozen, feels solid beneath your feet as the group gathers by the banks.

"Who are we meeting here?"

Santiago looks around. "Something we call a coyote demon. Very few of them exist. They're the only ones that can guide you to the gates, or you'd miss it in plain sight."

"You're late." A voice hisses from the woods, spiking your pulse as you whip around, feeling its eerie proximity. Tree branches snap, revealing a terrifying figure. Tall, matching Santiago in height, the body hidden under a black cloak is disturbingly thin. The black, hollow, sunken eyes and cheeks, pale skin, and emotionless expression create an unsettling sight. No eyebrows, a hood covering its head with no visible hair, it glides over, a few inches above the ground, with no feet. It moves past you all to the edge of the bank, tutting to itself, its voice haggard and weak. "Late, late, late," it mutters as it kneels down.

Hyunjin looks to Jisung for an explanation, but Jisung shrugs, equally at a loss.

Felix is the first to approach the murmuring coyote demon. It's the first time he's seen appendages on it, long, thin fingers curling into the dirt. He watches quietly, squatting down a few feet from the creature. It's unlike anything he has ever seen or read about before. Felix can hardly believe it, having never heard of a species like this, never seen a creature like this.

The demon's head shoots up, a shaky, thin wrist pointing a bony finger across the rapids. "We walk, vampire."

The words weren't directed at Felix, but he knows he's being addressed. He still can't discern the creature's intentions, if it has any at all. Does it possess awareness? The demon stands up, gliding off the bank into the water, untouched by the rapids. The water remains still and peaceful where it stands.

It turns around to face the rest of you, its face devoid of expression, its lifeless lack of eyes freezing everyone in time. You've been effectively spooked, the hair standing up on your arms. Santiago turns to the group.

"This is where we part ways," he says, and Lyra steps forward to approach him. She's still uncertain about him, carrying judgments from the earlier altercation, but diplomatic she remains. She extends her hand to the archdemon, who shakes it firmly with a nod. "Thank you for your protection and guidance; I'm in your debt."

"And consider the Equinox clan free of all demon debts."

Santiago snaps his fingers, and a few red sparks and a black puff of smoke emanate. Just like that, the chains have been snapped on the other side, and the debts are cleared.

"Done."

He leaves, stepping off into the bank to join the coyote demon.

Lyra feels a surge of pride and confidence in her ability and pack for making the journey. An archdemon in their debt would undoubtedly prove invaluable one day. You begin to feel a little anxious at the idea of bidding farewell to the safety of numbers and to the sibling you had just reconnected with only a day prior. You hurry over as she turns to look for you, rushing into her arms. She hugs you tight, nearly lifting you off the ground. When you look at her again and notice the tears in the corner of her eyes, yours spill down your cheeks as she grabs the back of your head, pulling you in for another deep, comforting hug.

Hyunjin nudges Chan while they watch it all unfold. Chan nudges his brother back, and they exchange small smiles, understanding the significance of their family bond and the emotions tied to reconnecting with a sibling thought to be lost forever.

“Holy shit, please don’t die?” Lyra laughs through her tears, sniffling and wiping her nose. “I want to come visit you.”

“I know the best place for ice cream, and it's open all night,” you say, squeezing her hands before looking back at Chan, who nods with a small grin. He steps forward, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lyra,” he says, nodding towards the river, “You ready, my little witch?”

You're brought back to the imminent danger, the pressing task at hand, and the figure waiting wordlessly in the water. You wish you could return to the cabin with the rest of the pack, but your determination to break this curse makes you straighten your back a little more. You have a family to protect. You join Chan, who takes your hand as you two step into the water carefully, and just as it did with the figure, the water ceases to run. It's still cold, soaking your body up to your waist, but it isn't moving.

“Thanks for the help.” Hyunjin waves as he turns and steps off the bank, following the others across. Jisung stands at the bank, still hesitant, touching it with his finger and shaking it out, shivering at how cold it is. Hyunjin drags him, stumbling and yelling in with him, and Jisung falls in, standing up, his entire body drenched as he wipes his face.

Felix remains the last one standing, hands in his pockets. He takes one step, and another, and another, to approach Lyra, until they’re face to face. She's silent, her breath hitched in her throat as she awaits his words. She feels his eyes as they land on the features of her face, taking time to drink in each one. The longer he has been in her presence, the less pungent her scent has become, unless it has just become background fuzz like his brother’s scent had after living alongside him for centuries.

“I look forward to meeting you again one day, under different circumstances.” Felix finally speaks, his voice soft, airy, and low, as his sparkling dark eyes meet her gaze once more. He wants to say more, to do more, but he can't bring himself to. He takes a step back instead, a small bow of his head as his eyes close, and he speaks, “Goodbye, Lyra.”

“Goodbye, Felix.”

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