#the invite shouldn’t expire

[labete-du-gevaudan]

My good pals over at The Singular Fortean Society have made their discord server public! It had previously been only for their Patreon supporters but they want to build a community of like-minded folks.

If you’re interested in chatting with others that are fascinated by the unknown, feel free to join me there!

#the invite shouldn’t expire #wen babbles #cryptozoology #paranormal #Fortean

[theblackqueen-ofmyheart]

You know what we need @fiery-red-kryptonite? We need a diabetic convention.

A few days long where diabetics of all ages could all get together and just talk, share things. both type 1 and type 2 diabetics. I know where I live there were diabetes camps but like…those were for kids and that’s great but so many people who are older need the support.

Because honestly no one understands a diabetic like another diabetic, doctors don’t get me the way you do. Other friends may try to help (and they do an amazing job when I need them to help) but I can just message you and go “holy shit the low I had today” and you understand and share what helps you. I can say “my lord the dream I had today” and you respond with “how was your blood sugar?”.

Plus I know way too many type 2 diabetics who are sorely uneducated on type 1 diabetes and I feel like they would learn better in an open, friendly environment rather than a doctors office where the doctor might not even fully know.

New diabetics who are scared and worried being able to talk face to face with elder diabetics who’ve been dealing with this Illness for most of their lives and hearing from some who knows first hand how they handle it. Being able to go back to their doctors with informed ideas on how to better manage their diabetes.

Panels set up by diabetics for diabetics (and their families because let’s be honest families need more education than they get too)

Little sales booths where diabetics can sell little trinkets to decorate pump or pen pouches. Little bears to help little kids with diabetes brave the injections (I had one his name was poke, he was my second favourite bear)

Just something for diabetics to get together in person and be able to share. Make connections with each other and finally feel a little bit less alone.

I don’t know this idea struck me while I was changing my sensor and I felt like a post that other diabetics may see and share etc would be nice……at least we can have a diabetic Tumblr group or something 😂

Edit: the post has been reblogged and liked a few times so I went ahead and made a discord so diabetics can connect in some way at the very least. The invite shouldn’t expire but if it does please let me know and I’ll put a new one or invite you personally.

#diabetics #diabetes #type one diabetic #type one diabetes #type two diabetes #type two diabetic #type 2 diabetes #type 1 diabetic #type 1 diabetes #type 2 diabetic #I’m actually considering blazing the post so more diabetics can see it…..

[fickleminder]

Karasu’s Confession Corner

Seeing Karasu, one of Mammon’s crow familiars, at your windowsill isn’t an uncommon occurrence. He likes to stop by sometimes to hang out with you, but today he’s acting oddly for some reason…

Written for the OM Secret Santa 2022 event @omsecretsanta2022. Features Mammon x GN!MC.

Happy holidays @kydrogendragon! Your first idea reminded me of this fic so I hope you don’t mind that I wrote the second one instead. Please enjoy :)

Thank Diavolo It’s Friday.

It’s been another long week at RAD, filled with pop quizzes and reading assignments and helping out with student council duties, and all you want to do is take a page from Belphie’s book and sleep the entire weekend away. Satan is the one to walk you home today, and he must have noticed how tired you are because he doesn’t even bother trying to steer you towards a cat cafe on the way back.

Once the two of you return to the House of Lamentation, you thank him for his company and make a beeline for the safety of your room. Trudging inside, you barely muster the energy to change into more comfortable clothing before flopping onto your bed in an exhausted sprawl.

You almost miss the soft rustle coming from the direction of your clothes rack. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice something slipping out of your uniform pocket and fluttering to the ground. Tilting your head slightly to get a better look, you sigh at the tiny piece of paper staring back at you.

It’s a voucher for this boba tea cafe that Asmo had introduced you to several months ago. Levi had gotten it for free with one of his recent Akuzon purchases, and gifted it to you in exchange for helping him queue for some exclusive merch. The cafe had been growing in popularity with RAD students lately, and you were hoping to invite Mammon out after school today to redeem a one-for-one drink from their special menu.

Unfortunately, Mammon said he had “errands” to run (which you knew meant the witches were after his ass again) and quickly ran off after the last bell, leaving his younger brother to escort you home. Watching Mammon rush out of the school gates as though Cerberus was hot on his heels sent a pang of regret through you, for taking so long to gather the courage to ask him out, especially given that the voucher expired the next day.

You sigh again. Your guardian definitely had a nasty habit of always getting himself into trouble, that silly, lovable demon.

Lovable… Your cheeks warm at the thought. But not all hope is lost, and you can still salvage this situation yet. Maybe you could go with him after dinner? It’s the weekend tomorrow, so surely Lucifer wouldn’t mind letting the two of you stay out a little longer tonight. If Mammon even comes back by then, you think gloomily. If he’s dealing with the witches, he’s usually gone for a few days… 

Something raps at your window, the sharp sounds abruptly jolting you from your reverie. You sit up to see a large black crow perched on the sill, cawing loudly at you from the other side of the glass pane, begging to be let in. You recognize him right away; it’s not the first time one of Mammon’s familiars has stopped by to visit, and you’re actually glad for his presence right now. 

“Hey Karasu, it’s been a while!” Feeling a little more energized now, you give the bird a bright smile as you lift open the window. “What are you doing here? Sol told me your chicks hatched the other day, so shouldn’t you be with your mate taking care of them?”

Karasu cocks his head to the side, looking somewhat confused. But he seems insistent on coming in, and, well, who were you to deny the adorable little thing?

“Are you hungry? I still have some of your favorite peanuts left.” You pull open your desk drawer and rummage around for one of the leftover sachets. Karasu waits patiently as you tear it open and pour it out neatly at his feet. “Go on, eat up!”

He appears hesitant at first, but opens up obediently when you pick up a piece and nudge it at his beak. Soon enough, he’s happily vacuuming up the entire pile peck by peck.

“There’s nothing like human world peanuts, am I right?” You laugh at the sight of the crow greedily going at his snack like a woodpecker, and toss the empty package into the trash can. “I don’t have much left, but I’ll be sure to pick up more the next time I go back to visit. Don’t tell Beel, okay?”

You stroke Karasu’s feathers when he’s done eating and giggle as he puffs up in response to your gentle touch. Spending time with animals really never fails to improve your mood. No wonder Satan’s always seeking out cats to hang out with.

“Such a good bird,” you coo. “Your mate’s so lucky to have you.”

Again, at the mention of a mate, Karasu appears startled. He can’t seem to look you in the eye, and his gaze darts everywhere but at your face. It eventually lands on the shiny, laminated coupon on the floor, and he lets out a questioning caw.

“Oh, this? It’s just a voucher for a drink.” You walk over and pick it up with a small huff of disappointment. “I wanted to invite Mammon out to redeem it today, but he already had other plans.”

Karasu perks up at the mention of his master. You start to feel a little bad for talking about Mammon behind his back, to one of his trusted familiars no less, but you can’t help the words spilling out anymore. Just being able to tell someone about this is cathartic, even if you are venting to a crow.

“It’s a one-for-one voucher for drinks at Spoopy’s, and it was going to be my treat so he wouldn’t have to spend a Grimm. It makes me happy when he takes me out and buys me stuff, even if he denies it, so I wanted to return the favor. I want to make him feel as special as he makes me feel.

Sometimes I think Mammon’s brothers are a little too harsh on him. Everybody makes mistakes, and it’s not fair that he gets disciplined the most for succumbing to his greed. I can’t say I know what it’s like, but being an Avatar of Sin mustn’t be easy.”

Your heart aches as you give Karasu a sad look, because it’s true. Mammon’s always the butt of his brothers’ jokes, always taking the brunt of Lucifer’s harshest punishments. And yet, he never stops smiling, never stops looking out for his family because he loves them so much despite how badly they treat him sometimes. Plus, tsundere attitude aside, he’s only ever been kind to you after you had first been teleported to the Devildom. Knowing all of this, how could you not fall for him?

“If I can make him happy, even just for a little while, it’ll be worth it,” you whisper, seemingly to yourself. “That’s what you do for someone you love, isn’t it?”

Karasu gives a loud caw, snapping you out of your depressive thoughts. You think he must be pitying the lovelorn expression on your face, because he hops closer to nuzzle your jaw with his beak, just below the corner of your lips.

“Aww… Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Karasu. You’re so sweet!” You pet the crow on his head, smiling softly. He really is such a good bird. “I wouldn’t want your mate to come after me, so I’ll give you this instead.”

You put your middle and index fingers together on one hand and kiss the tips, and then you press them to Karasu’s beak. 

A sudden burst of light blinds you, sending you reeling backwards with a startled yelp. Something— someone— reaches out to steady you, their arms around your waist and shoulders, preventing you from toppling over and hitting your head. When the brightness finally fades, you blink the spots in your vision away only to see…

“Mammon?!” You splutter in shock. “What— How did—”

“I can’t believe one of my familiars has been cozying up to ya,” the white-haired demon grumbles, still holding you in a dip pose as though the two of you had been dancing together at one of Diavolo’s fancy balls. “Gonna have words with that bird, I swear—”

“Mammon! How are you here?” You push lightly at his chest, trying to stand up properly. Your face is burning from the sinking realization that you just confessed your feelings to a crow that had actually been the object of your affections all along holy shit—

“It ain’t my fault, it was those damn witches and their nasty curses! More importantly, don’t ya go giving your kisses to anyone else but me, ya hear?” Mammon demands, his face equally flushed. He helps you up gently, and a distant part of your brain notices that he doesn’t let go of your hand. “Forget dinner with my brothers; I’m taking ya out, and then we can go grab some boba tea later! How’s that sound, huh?”

With the sheer amount of hope and excitement swelling in your chest, you have to remind yourself to breathe. “That sounds perfect,” you manage, your cheeks starting to hurt from how wide you’re smiling.

Mammon pulls you into a tight hug, one you don’t hesitate to reciprocate. You know he’s trying to hide, too embarrassed to face you directly, but his next words tell you all you need to know.

“Love ya too, treasure,” he whispers in your ear, and your heart soars.

#writing #obey me #obey me fanfic #obey me mammon #omsecretsanta22

[holylulusworld]

Cabin of love (1)

Title: Cabin of love (1)

Summary: Grump meets cocky.

Pairing: Alpha!Dean Winchester x Omega!Reader

Square 18 filled for @spnabobingo (expired): Cinnamon/Cardamom/Cloves 

Square 12 filled for @spnchristmasbingo: Hot cocoa

Lulus xmas bingo: Square 18: Fireplace  

Winter bingo: Square 6: Grumpy person

Warnings: language, grumpy Dean, a/b/o, cocky reader

Words: 1,2 k

Cabin of love masterlist

Divider by @firefly-graphics

Snow. Nothing but snow as far as you can look. 

“Fuck’s sake. I can’t be lost in the woods during winter,” you puff out a huff. Your teeth shatter and you are fairly sure, your toes are frozen.

Looking left and right you try to find out which way to turn. “I only want to reach this fucking cabin.”

You shiver and run your gloved hands up and down your arms while the backpack on your back seems to get heavier by the minute.

“Great. Just great. Why did I want to spend Christmas at a cabin in the middle of nowhere again?”

It’s hard to see when the wind begins to blow snow in your face. “I don’t want to die out here, and for the wolves to feast on my sexy body.”

“Damn. I wonder if my feet will still look sexy with a few missing toes,” you look down at your body and chuckle. 

You groan, crack your neck, and decide to walk left. “I’m going to find this cabin. Even if it’s the last thing I’ll do…”

You stomp through the snow masses, huffing and puffing until your eyes land on a cabin. 

“There it is. My cabin,” you squeal. “Holy shit. I found it. FUCK! YES!!!”

Hurriedly making your way toward the cabin you grin like an idiot. You defeated the snow masses, the woods, and the cold. Now you are standing in front of the cabin, releasing a shuddery breath.

“Cabin of love?” you furrow your brows as you read the name of the cabin carved into the door. “What? I wanted the cabin of solitude, not love. That fucking idiot booked me the wrong cabin.”

“Sonofabitch!” you scream as a man almost rips the door out of its hinges. He growls at you and flares his nostrils. “What are you doing here at my cabin?” He barks.

“Your cabin?” you point a gloved hand at the man. “That’s my cabin. My assistant booked it for me.”

“Lady, this is my cabin,” the alpha steps outside. He smirks as you fight the cold and shift from one foot to the other. “You should call your assistant and fire them. They gave you the wrong information.”

“Sir, I made my way through the woods, snow, and cold to get here. This is my cabin. You can fight me on this, but you won’t succeed,” you snarl at the alpha. “Now leave my cabin.”

“Miss, this is the cabin my father built for my mother before my birth,” the man argues. “See, he called it cabin of love. You ended up at the wrong place.”

“Let me inside,” you point at the door. “It’s ice-cold and I can’t feel my toes. Don’t be an asshole.”

“Sweetheart,” he chuckles darkly, “you shouldn’t call a stranger asshole. Especially when he’s the man standing between you and hot cocoa.”

“Hot cocoa?” you lick your lips. “I’d kill for hot cocoa. Lemme inside and I pay you fifty bucks.”

“Stop demanding shit and I’ll let you inside to warm your feet up. After you had your hot cocoa, you’ll leave this place. I came here for a reason.”

“I’ll not leave,” pursing your lips you hold the alpha’s gaze. “I walked for like three hours. I will not walk back to my car. Did you see all the snow?”

“Did you realize this is not your cabin and that it’s already occupied?” he watches you brush past him. “Hey! You can’t just…” the alpha huffs as you make your way inside the cabin. “Yeah, why don’t you come inside and make yourself home.”

“I’m planning on it,” you drop your backpack to the ground as the man follows you inside his cabin. “Be a sweetheart and make me that hot cocoa you were talking about.”

“What? Lady, this is not a hotel,” snapping your fingers at the alpha you wait for him to make you hot cocoa. “Who do you think you are?”

“Your guest,” you quip.

The alpha just stares at you. “Lady, I didn’t invite you to stay.”

“Don’t act like a caveman,” you use your teeth to take off your gloves. “Be nice, and I’ll pay you for your service.”

“I’m not a peasant,” the alpha grits his teeth. “Lady, I’m warning you. If you don’t—hey!” you drop your coat, scarf, and boots to the ground to hurriedly make your way toward the fireplace. “Don’t litter at my cabin.”

“Don’t yell at me, grump,” you talk back. “I want that hot cocoa.” You sit on the large beanbag in front of the fireplace to get warm and cozy. 

“You can’t just invade my—” the alpha huffs. “I wanted to be alone on Christmas. This includes not having guests at my cabin. You can have the hot cocoa, and then you’ll leave.”

“You’re not nice.”

“I’m not the one invading someone else’s place, miss,” he mutters. The alpha walks toward the small kitchenette to get you a mug of hot cocoa. “I’ll kick her out the moment she finished her hot cocoa. I swear.”

“You know, it’s impolite to mumble, Sir. And you still didn’t tell me your name,” you say. “My name is Y/N. What’s your name?”

“None of your business.” 

“That’s a stupid name,” the alpha huffs as he walks toward the fireplace to hand you a mug of hot cocoa. He even added a few tiny marshmallows. 

“That’s not my name. I just meant that-“ he groans as you smirk darkly. “You’re annoying as fuck.”

“You’re a grump so we are even,” you take a sip of the warm cocoa, moaning at its taste. “The cocoa is good. You’re not a hopeless case then. I taste cinnamon and cloves. But there’s something else.”

“Cardamom,” he grumbles. “Drink up. I want you on your way.”

“I won’t leave,” you state. “You can’t just throw a girl out of your cabin in the middle of a snowstorm. An alpha should protect and care about an omega.”

“You’re not my omega,” he retorts. “I don’t feel responsible for you.”

You harrumph. 

“I’ll drive you back to town. That’s all I can do,” he offers. “You can talk to Singer to book a new cabin.”

“It’s late,” you yawn. “Can I not sleep here?”

“You don’t even know me. I could be a serial killer or something,” he furrows his brows as you start to cackle. “I mean it.”

“Nah, you’re all bark but no bite,” you wiggle on the beanbag.

“How do you wanna know?” he sits on the other beanbag next to you and stretches his bowed legs out to warm his feet. “I could easily break your neck or worse.”

“I got the black belt and you’re a cute puppy,” sipping at your mug you watch the alpha stare into the fire. “Why do you want to spend Christmas alone?”

“My parents booked a flight to Fiji. My brother will spend Christmas at his parents-in-law's place. All of my friends are married,” he shrugs. “I didn’t want to bother one of them. I hate being the third wheel.”

“Hmm…sounds like you are a grumpy alpha on the run,” you carefully get up from the beanbag, balancing the mug in your hand as you walk toward the alpha. “Good thing I’m around now. I’ll help you, big grump…”

>> Part 2

Tags in reblog.

#dean winchester #dean winchester x you #spnchristmasbingo #dean winchester fanfic #dean winchester fanfiction #lulusxmasbingo #Luluswinterbingo #dean winchester SPN #dean x reader #alpha!dean winchester #alpha!dean x omega!reader #a/b/o

[abovesn4kes]

Hi! First thing, I just wanted to let you know that the link to your discord server doesn't work anymore... It says that the invite expired... Second thing, absolutely adore your art! Its so good, thanks for sharing it :)

Thanks for letting me know! And thank you for liking my art!!! I’m glad you do ❤️❤️

Here’s a fresh link and I’m going to keep it in my bio; this one shouldn’t expire :-).

#rdr2 #red dead redemption #rdr discord

[witcherladiesamirite]

Witcher Ladies & Femslash Discord

Post season-three server promo!!

Come yell about Women with us.

We started as a femslash server but also we are just here to scream about the women. Share art of the women. Make all the women queer and sometimes trans and write them kissing. Send shitty femslash memes. Yall know how it goes

Invite here! https://discord.gg/BGPnWM6rZB

(It shouldn’t expire, dm this tumblr (our server blog, where we also yell about and promote all the Women) if it somehow does)

(Also, since ppl have asked in the past, no, you don’t have to be a woman to join! I’m transmasc and a mod so I would hope not lol)

#yennefer #yennefer of vengerberg #fringilla #triss #yennaia #triss merigold #ciri #cirilla #princess cirilla #cirilla fiona elen riannon #philippa eilhart #keira metz #margarita laux antille #fringilla vigo #renfri #renfri of creyden #witcher ciri #the witcher #witcher netflix #twn #the witcher netflix #the witcher season 3 #tissaia #tissaia de vries #yenntriss #yennefer x tissaia #francesca x fringilla #francesca findabair #frinfran #yenfri

[discourse-on-decadence]

ango! we should do a hot pot again, shouldn’t we? i’ll buy all my ingredients day of to make sure nothing is expired!

(@darkesteras)

we should. Did you invite Oda too?

#ango bsd #ango rp bsd #bsd roleplay #bsd rp #bungo gay dogs #bungo stray dogs

[enfate03]

Secondhand

Chapter Three ♡ You Know

wc: 3.1k

cw: insecurity, talking bad about yourself, like one curse? let me know if there’s anything else to tag

Masterlist | Prev | Next

Heeseung’s car is black and sleek, leaving you wondering just how much being a famous idol pays. Sure, you’ve seen the Prada brand deals and Elle photoshoots, but the seat-warmers in his car have you questioning how big the divide between his life and yours must really be.

Without GPS, Heeseung drives with his left hand on the wheel, a surety in his grip and gaze. With his right hand, he offers you the aux cord. “Feel free to put on anything.”

“Is this a test?” You ask jokingly, surfing through your Spotify likes. “If I put on shit, will you kick me out of the car?”

Heeseung barks out a laugh as he twists around in his chair, looking behind while reversing. “Well, if you don’t put on shit, you have nothing to worry about, right?”

You consider putting on an Enhypen song to tease him, but eventually settle on a song that suits the steadily approaching evening hours. Heeseung nods in approval as you adjust the volume, settling his hand on the console so that it’s only millimeters away from your own. A comfortable conversation settles between you, but throughout the entire drive, you wish you had the courage to move your hand just a little bit to the left. Then the sleeve of his hoodie rides up, and you’re reminded of the soulmark that’s inked into his skin. You can’t. You shouldn’t. You don’t.   

You’re surprised when Heeseung takes you to an aquarium. Heeseung tugs a black face mask over his mouth and nose before bringing you to the front, obviously prepared to hid from the general public. There’s a sign in the front advertising a special overnight sleepover experience, targeted mostly to families, and some pamphlets at the front desk celebrating the birth of a new dolphin. To your surprise, Heeseung whips out two tickets from his pocket and hands them to the information desk to tear off the stub.

“When did you get that?” You ask him, a bit shocked at his forward planning.

Heeseung shrugs, not meeting your eyes. “They were a gift from someone, and I figured I’d use them before they expire.”

The pair of you walk through the entrance and are immediately greeted with tanks filled with fish of all different colors and sizes. It’s been a while since you’ve last been to the aquarium, and you find yourself mesmerized as you enter the tunnel where sharks swim overhead with their bellies on display. There’s a special dark section for jellyfish, and Heeseung listens to you coo over the seahorses with interlocked tails. Eventually you reach the dolphins, and both of you are surprised when one of the mammals swims up to Heeseung and follows him as he walks.

But it’s the penguins that give you the biggest surprise, as Heeseung stops you right before moving on and tugs you toward an employee-only door. He flashes his tickets once more to the employee, as you’re surprised as the worker leads you inside the penguin exhibit.

“Your friend bought you two tickets to the aquarium and the special penguin experience? Are you sure said friend wasn’t hoping you would bring them instead of me?”

Heeseung chuckles at that, patting you on the head before gently leading you to walk in front of him, a hand on the small of your back. “If Jake wanted to see the penguins at the aquarium, he could’ve brought himself.”

You’re led past a couple lockers, each given a pair of latex gloves, and there are two small plastic stools that they invite you to sit on while waiting. With his long legs, Heeseung looks rather scrunched, and you stifle a laugh. The employee brings out a bucket with a noticeably fishy smell and kneels down as some of the penguins start to make their way over, squawking in anticipation.

“They’re so.. cute,” you marvel as they waddle closer.

“Yeah, from this distance they look nothing like Sunghoon,” Heeseung holds a hand out, as if willing one of the penguins to come up to him.

“Sunghoon? Is that one of your members?”

As the penguins crowd around the fish bucket, the employee starts dropping the fish down their gullets in an obvious practiced motion. After the initial ravenous rush fades, the employee gestures for you both to come over. Cautiously, you dip a hand into the bucket and hold out a fish for an attentive penguin just in front of you. Eagerly, it nibbles on the fish before eventually pulling it out of your hand and swallowing it.

Heeseung takes a different approach, as he grabs a fish and raises it in the air high above their heads. He flicks his wrist as if preparing to throw the fish, and a group of five penguins follow the motion, bobbing their heads in anticipation. “Don’t be mean to them!” you scold, but both of you are giggling at their innocent reactions. Finally, he tosses the fish directly into the beak of a taller one in the back.

The employee, you finally think of looking at the nametag, Minjun, starts pointing out the penguins and naming each of them. You’re both a bit amazed at his ability to tell all the penguins apart, but it’s all in the small details, he explains. “Each African penguin has their own unique pattern of black spots on the stomach. They’re also weighed frequently to watch for weight fluctuations, and we can also tell them apart by height and any injuries they may get from playfighting.”

You’re hanging onto Minjun’s every word, your mouth a little open in awe as Minjun points out that Suzy, one of the littler penguins, has only 6 freckles in a little dipper pattern, while Tuxedo is much taller and has a chip in his beak from an accident. Suddenly, you hear a shutter click, and glance over at the culprit, Heeseung. He’s not taking pictures of the penguins, but rather is grinning at what seems to be a picture of you.

“Delete that!” you whine, reaching out to grab his phone. Unfortunately, as if you’re now the penguin, Heeseung holds the phone high over his head, way out of reach.

“Hmm, I don’t want to, though?”

Minjun laughs at your antics. “Do you guys want me to take a photo of the both of you with the penguins?”

On reflex, you start to decline, “That’s okay—”

“Yes, that would great.” Heeseung brings his phone down slightly to hand it over to Minjun, dodging your futile attempt to swipe it during the exchange, and then grabs your hand, dragging you into the crowd of penguins. “Is this good lighting?”

Minjun holds up a thumb before counting down, “Say kimchi!” Wryly, you say the word, barely registering the quick pressure on your check, there and gone in the blink of an eye. When you look up, Heeseung is staring straight ahead at the camera, an innocent smile on his lips, but at this point you know him well enough to know better.   

When Heeseung leads you out of the aquarium, it’s half past 8pm, and you were starting to see groups of people laying out sleeping bags in preparation of an overnight experience. You’re glad, at least, that Heeseung’s surprise didn’t involve a sleepover since neither of you appeared to have a change of clothes or toiletries.

Instead, he bought a black cap with a cartoon image of a penguin from the gift shop and put it on your head before guiding you down the street. Heeseung stops in front of a ramen restaurant you don’t recognize, opening the door and gesturing for you to walk in first.

The place is absolutely hopping, with booths pushed against the wall filled with groups of university students and families, and businesspeople hogging seats at the bar in various states of “thank fuck the workday is over.” Heeseung pushes his own cap further down his face, adjusting his mask before addressing the hostess, asking in no uncertain terms to be sat in the quietest corner of the izakaya.

You’re led to a corner booth, and Heeseung takes the spot angled away from the view of the door. Before you can sit across from him, he holds his arm out, blocking you, and nods toward the seat next to him. Hesitantly, you sit down, but Heeseung doesn’t move in much, forcing you to sit with thighs touching.

You can only stand looking at the menu for a few seconds, barely registering the different broths offered, before you have to slam it shut, catching Heeseung’s attention and likely the group sitting behind you as well. Before you can lose your nerve, “Is this supposed to be a date?”

“Hmm?” The singer next to you hums, not taking his eyes off the menu. You have the sneaking suspicion that he already knows what he’s going to order.

“First the aquarium, now dinner, and don’t think I’m so stupid I didn’t feel your kiss during that picture. I thought we were just going to be hanging out, but this is starting to feel more and more like a date.” As the words spill from your mouth, you realize you’re a lot more upset than you thought. But your father’s words are starting to echo in your head, and the ache that pulses stronger and stronger in your chest is making it harder to breathe.           

You haven’t told Heeseung that you’re a baseborn, a person without a soulmark, yet. Would he still want to go out on a date with you if he knew that you were a defective person, someone who could fall in love with him and not have a soulmate to fall back on? Because that’s all this can be, right? A lonely man who’s only filling in the time before he crosses paths with his soulmate once more, and you the perfect distraction.

Would he still want to go out on a date with you if he knew that you had met his soulmate and yet had done nothing to help them reunite?

 Against your will, your eyes start to water, and Heeseung finally looks up in time to catch you conspicuously rubbing away any evidence of tears. He sighs, his hand coming up to cup your face. “Now what’s this all about? I thought we were having a good time together.” His thumb gently unrolls your bottom lip out from under the grip of your teeth.

“I can’t be on a date with you.” You rasp out.

“Then it’s not a date,” Heeseung soothes. “Just two friends, feeding penguins then feeding themselves. How does that sound?”

You close your eyes and take a deep breath, secretly savoring his tender touch. But it’s not the right thing to do. When your eyes open once more, you place your hand over his and gently move it back onto the table. “That, I can do.” Heeseung shifts over, giving you more room to sit, and the rest of the night is filled with slurping and strained small talk.

It’s almost a week later before you see a member of Enhypen again. This time it’s a face no less handsome than any of the others, but the mole beneath his eye is only barely familiar to you. A prickle of amusement rushes through you when he introduces himself as Sunghoon, and you remember that each penguin has their own unique pattern of spots. If Sunghoon notices your stifled titter, he doesn’t say anything.

“We have a concert coming up next week. Heeseung couldn’t come himself, but he wanted me to give you a ticket.” The idol takes one of his hands out of his pocket, revealing said ticket.

“That’s very nice and all, but I have to man the bar. I can’t accept this.”

Sunghoon hesitates before pushing further, “He told me to say that it’s on a Monday, and therefore you have no excuse.”

“Did he now?” Rolling your eyes, you turn around to take stock of the bottles on the wall behind you. “Would you like a drink, Sunghoon? How about a bottle to take back to the dorm, on the house?”

The silver-haired man behind you stutters in surprise before shyly agreeing to just a drink. You give him an 8ounce of beer, choosing to indulge in a small sip before handing it over. Sunghoon raises it slightly before sipping as well, but his eyes are inquisitive when he places the glass back on the counter. “Why don’t you want to go to the concert?”

 Of course, you want to go to the concert. When given the choice between listening to Heeseung sing and not, you’d love to choose the first a hundred times over. But you can’t ignore the fact that it isn’t as simple as just going to a concert. This is someone you almost went on a date with asking you to come to a concert. Someone that, according to all your father’s teachings, you should be trying to cut all ties with, if only to spare yourself the heartbreak. “Is this normal, Sunghoon? Does the rest of Enhypen go around offering tickets to any random person they meet at a bar?”  

“Are you really just a random person to Heeseung?”

With Secondhand currently empty, the only noise that can be heard is your muted and shuffled YouTube playlist. With a bit of irony, you realize that Heeseung’s cover, the one apparently dedicated to his soulmate, is playing. At the very least, you cannot say that Heeseung is just a random person to you.

There’s something frustrating about the way Sunghoon looks at you, indiscernible and soft. Almost pitying. Like he’s figured out something before you have, and yet he’s already said too much. “It’s normal for us to give tickets to our friends and people we care about.” A pause. “Look, no one can force you to come. But it would make Heeseung really happy if you did. Just consider it.” Sunghoon lifts his drink and uses it as a weight to anchor the concert ticket to the table.

He spares you a sympathetic look on the way out. Before Sunghoon steps outside, he slips on a pair of aviators and a black hoodie over his head. His secretive attire makes you feel guilty that he came all the way out here to give you a ticket in person, and you find yourself regretting your bitter attitude towards him.

Against your typical rule: not getting drunk off your own stock, you down the rest of Sunghoon’s unfinished beer before the condensation has a chance to wet the ticket. Out of curiosity, you pick up the ticket and scan it. The seats are floor seats. Not exactly centered, but close enough to the stage that you’d be able to see the group sweat.

“Whatcha looking at?” a voice lilts in front you, and you jump. It’s Gahyeon. You somehow didn’t even notice her come in, and yet now she’s only a few inches from your face, craning her neck to read the writing on the ticket. Instinctively, you pull your hand back, level to your ear. Gahyeon is the last person you want to see this ticket.

“Why can’t I see? And who was that man who just left the bar? Was that your soulmate?” Gahyeon’s mouth is pursed in a sweet pout. Today, her hair is pinned back into a braided bun, and her makeup is glittery gold. “Surprised to see me again?”

You nod truthfully.

“You don’t talk much, do you? Well, I guess that’s what I like about this place. Even if you don’t have food, it’s so much quieter than the bars right next to campus. Not that I don’t like a nice night out, but sometimes you just need time to think!” Gahyeon examines the list of drinks on the blackboard behind you, pointing with freshly painted red nails. “That one looks good!”

You turn around to check which drink she’s talking about, expecting to see one of the new autumn-themed cocktails you added to the list recently in preparation for Halloween. “The ginger pear bourbon?”

In your distraction, suddenly those red nails pluck the ticket right out from your hand, Gahyeon leaning over the counter to give herself extra leverage. “Hey!”

“This is a ticket for Enhypen!” Gahyeon ignores your attempts to grab it back. She holds the ticket right in front of her face, mouthing to herself as she reads each line. “Row A? That’s front row! How did you even get this?”

At her question, you press your lips together until they turn white, clenching your fists by your side.

“How much does a ticket like this cost?”

Honestly, you’re not sure. You can imagine the biggest die-hard fan would be willing to pay hundreds, if not thousands. And yet here you were, given a free gift that you didn’t feel you deserved.

“Can I have this?”

“No.” Almost against your will, you reprimand her and finally make a successful grab for the ticket. When it’s back in your hands, you clutch it to your chest protectively. “It’s mine.”

Gahyeon pulls out the puppy dog eyes, but when those don’t work against your iron defense, she sighs. “Do you remember what I told you when I came in last time? That I’ve been unable to meet my soulmate because he’s a really famous person? Well, he’s actually a member of Enhypen.” Gahyeon pauses, as if waiting for the dramatic sitcom gasp that comes only belatedly as you play your part. She nods when she hears you, satisfied, and continues, “If you give me this ticket, it could be my chance to see Heeseung again. To finally connect with him and solidify our bond!”

Gahyeon’s words are so passionate, with the first sincere spark of hope lighting up in her eyes since you’ve met her. Now that you can see this side of her, you quickly realize that most of Gahyeon’s behavior before was likely a façade to cover up how depressed she was about her situation.

“You understand, right? You have your own soulmate, after all. Won’t you give me the chance to meet mine?”

No, you don’t understand. In fact, you’re probably one of the few people in the world who is not capable of understanding. Or maybe, you just don’t want to. But it still hurts, because even though you don’t understand what it feels like to meet a soulmate, to feel that instant attraction and connection and safety, you know what it feels like to be lonely. You know what can happen to someone forced to live without their soulmate, too.

You know that despite all the love your father had for you, he never loved as much as he loved his soulmate. He just wasn’t capable of it.

It hurts. But you know Heeseung isn’t capable of loving you as much as he could love Gahyeon.

“Okay.” You give Gahyeon the ticket and fake a smile without teeth. “You deserve it.”

“Thank you so much! I promise, I’ll pay you back for this.”

“No need.”

Author's note: back with another update. took a bit of time since I'm adjusting to a new job, even though I had this chapter mostly written. I feel like it's hard to express sunghoon through such a short conversation, but hopefully the date and the angst at the end was satisfying. I'm not trying to write Gahyeon as a villain or anything, but just from a very biased perspective since I'm representing the reader's feeling. Anyway, don't have much to say except hope you enjoyed.

#enhypen #lee heeseung #soulmate au #enhypen x reader #secondhand

[justsome-di]

New Writing Discord Server: Words Words Words

I figured I might as well give it a shot and make a server for writers! It’s a server for sharing advice, getting advice, and promoting your own works and reading others’! You don't have to feel pressured about participating. It's okay to lurk.

The servers has an advice category and a promo category (plus other gen channels that are intros and such). Advice channels are divided by types of advice. Promo channels are divided by genre.

I intend for this to be a positive, supportive server where people can drop in for advice or a promo whenever they'd like.

Anyone is free to join. The invite link shouldn’t expire. Share it with anyone you'd like!

#writeblr #writing community #writing #writing advice #writblr

[sooghostwriter]

Third Name

Member/Pairing: Do Kyung Soo x OC

Genre/Type: Mature, Romance, Royalty/ Dictatorship AU, Action, Time jumps. Multichapter, SMUT. 

Word count:  8534 words.

Notes: The story takes place in a made up country. We start at one point of the story and then go back in time the moment they met and how their relationship develops. Later, we will go back to the present and see how the story keeps moving. We get to read parts of Kyung Soo’s diary to locate us in time.

Summary: Anna has a plan for her own freedom. Prince Kyung Soo has one for the nation. She thinks she is meeting her enemy, he just wants to meet her. When the revolution begins he will need her help to claim their freedom.

PS: I block empty blogs.

Chapter 7

January 3, 1991

These past two days have been… wonderful. 

The castle has been quiet after the big new year's party. The Order and all crown activities are on hold until the middle of January. 

I've been locked in my bedroom with Anna. She arrives at breakfast and leaves after dinner. We talk to the point that by the end of the day my throat is sore. My hands are always reaching for her and kissing her became an obsession. We mold together. I love the feeling of her arms hugging my shoulders. When I rest my head on her shoulder as she rubs my ear I drown in her scent. Lemons and sun. 

I want to live this for eternity.  

I know I can't. 

That's why I'm taking all her time.

The first thing he did when everything was back to normal and Chanyeol and Sehun were back at work was telling them about Anna. They reacted as he expected. Loud shouts and whistles. 

"We are happy for you" Chanyeol told him, patting his back with too much force. 

"Yeah we are, and we can help you," Sehun added. 

"Really? What do you mean?"

"I know the guard at the dorms, so she can stay out without snitches telling on her, I can tell him that I'm sleeping with her or something" He didn't like the last part. 

"I’m not sleeping with her " Kyung Soo felt like he had to clarify that.

"Well, not now but someday, right?" Chanyeol added with a grin. 

"What I mean is that is not that kind of relationship" Both of them stared at him frowning. 

"You guys are just friends?" They asked at the same time. 

"No! we are dating, what I mean is that I’m not just planning on having sex with her, I really like her" Sehun and Chanyeol jumped from their sits shouting and clapping, making a ruckus. 

After they were done with their teasing, yet honest happiness, they began planning the tactics to take care of the prince's girlfriend. Not only to protect her from danger but mostly to protect the secrecy of their relationship. The Order and his parents couldn't find out. That would put Anna's integrity and plan at high risk. 

So for now it will remain a secret. Probably for the rest of the relationship, since he knew they had an expiration date.

January 10, 1991

Talking with Anna feels like we are both tearing down and building up walls between us. m

I'm always on the verge of sharing everything about the Clan with her. But she also seems like she is hiding something from me. And she wants to share it, I can tell that much, but she always changes the subject. 

I'm fine with it. I'm insanely curious, but I understand it.

I can tell that she is completely honest about other issues, regarding me and how she cherishes me. I get flustered just by writing this, embarrassed too. 

Anna and Junmyeon met after lunch at a coffee shop close to the main square. She was actually missing him since he spent the holidays in the countryside, at one of his father's properties. He greeted her with a tight hug that she answered eagerly. 

Her friend invited her to a big piece of cake and coffee as they chatted about their days so far. The whole time Anna wondered if she should tell him about her and Kyung Soo. She wasn't sure of why she shouldn't or why she should. On one hand, Junmyeon's family was part of the Order, although she knew he didn't share the same ideas. On the other hand, she wanted a friend to share what was happening. 

As they left the coffee shop, ready to visit some stores in search of nothing in particular, Anna grabbed his hand and pulled him to the side of the street. Junmyeon's face showed nothing but worry, she was sure that her face didn't look better. 

"What happened Anna?" He asked, holding her hands between his. 

"I have something to tell you" He nodded, tightening his grip. 

"As your only friend, and in exchange of all the warm meals my mom gave you as a child, you have to promise me that you are not going to tell anyone about it" She told him, releasing herself from his grip to hold his hands with desperation. 

"Of course!  Whatever you have to tell me I will keep to myself but please just say it, I'm scared now" Anna trusted his words and after taking a deep breath, she confessed to her friend.

"I'm dating Kyung Soo " Junmyeon cursed as he covered his mouth with both hands in shock. 

"You what?" He asked under his breath. She only nodded. His hands slid down his face slowly, as the corner of his mouth kept pulling to the side, forming a smile. 

"Shit Anna, your father is going to kill you" He broke into a silly laugh, patting her shoulder. 

"That's all you have to say, you ass?! " 

"What else can I say? I'm shocked of course, it was obvious that he liked you,  but I wasn't sure about how you felt, but Anna, your father is going to hate this" He kept getting interrupted by his own laughter as she was fuming next to him, this wasn't the reaction she was expecting. 

"I'm not planning on telling him.. still, what we have has no future" Junmyeon looked at her confused. 

"Why not?" She didn't even know where to start, probably the only thing they had on their side was what they felt for each other and the passages. 

"I appreciate your approach to all this, but I would rather stay realistic. I like talking with him, spending time with him, and that's what matters, I don't want to think about the future," Junmyeon nodded, caressing her right shoulder, a thin smile on his lips. 

"I think I understand, and I will keep this to myself, I promised you, but I'm still surprised…you used to spit fire at him…and now you are dating him" 

"I know, and it took me some time, but his acts, the way he talks, his honesty… I don't know, I feel hopeful around him, despite all the hate I have for the crown, he makes me feel hopeful… and I like him for that" Junmyeon's smile kept growing bigger and bigger as she spoke. She was glad she had his support. But what he told her later kept resonating in her mind for days. 

"I get what you mean, I like him for that reason too, you can see that he is not like his parents, we are lucky to have a soon to be king like him, but remember this Anna, the crown is there just to look nice and be the icon of the nation… the people from the Order are the ones in charge. I'm sure Kyung Soo will be an amazing king, but the Order will not allow him to do so" He took a deep breath, shaking his head with slight frustration. 

"I feel hopeful too, but he can’t do this alone, he needs more people to make a change ".

January 12, 1991

Celebrating my birthday feels strange every year. I don't like being congratulated by people I don't care about, I don't like how much money my parents spend on the celebration, I don't like the gifts and I don't like the long, boring parties. 

I do like the food and the greetings from the members of the clan. I like the hug that Sehun gives me and the handmade gift that Chanyeol's mom sends me. 

But this year I got the best thing. A gift from Anna.

After thinking obsessively about what she could give to her boyfriend on his birthday, the answer came to her as she stared at the copy of the Bible on her desk. 

A couple of weeks ago Kyung Soo took Anna to the greenhouse and gave her a couple of flowers that she pointed to as her favorites. 

With red ears, he handed the small Pansy and the white peonies. 

"You can press them on a book, they last longer and look prettier" He recommended, still a bit shy. 

So she bought a cheap locket and changed the old chain for a pin so he could pin it to his jacket, like the medals he wore with his outfits. 

Anna chose the smallest and prettiest petals of the Pansy and with the help of tweezers she put them inside the locket. After several tries she was finally able to close the locket with the petals inside. 

She didn't know what Kyung Soo wanted or needed for his birthday. What could the prince need when he is the prince?. But she knew that he would appreciate a gift like hers. Handmade, simple and meaningful. 

And she was right. Because that morning when they met, before fulfilling all his obligations as the celebrated prince of the nation,  she gave him her gift and the smile he gave her could only mean that he was happy with his gift. 

And the hug and kiss that followed left no doubts. 

"Is this the flower I gave you?" He asked, taking the lock to his chest. A gesture that melted her insides. 

"Yes, I pressed it and then turned it into something for you, I'm not giving it back, I'm giving you a part of me or something like that, I don't know, I just thought you would…" Kyung Soo cut her speech short with another very grateful kiss. There was nothing she liked more than kissing him. How sometimes they were so close to each other that they would suddenly start kissing, not even remembering who started. She would just focus on running her hands down the curve of his back and enjoy the feeling of his fingers in her hair. 

He kissed her one last time and rested his forehead against hers.

“Thank you, I love it” He whispered, still smiling. 

“I know is not a lot” 

“Anna, it's so much, thank you” She gave up on apologizing for her small present and just accepted that he was happy. 

“I wish I could spend this day with you” He complained. 

“I wish I could give you an amazing birthday,” She said, playfully. He giggled adorably.

“Maybe next year” He adventured. 

“Next year for sure” Kyung Soo held to her promise, knowing it was impossible. But he wanted to believe. 

 He was able to free himself from his birthday obligations a little bit past ten. His body, mind, and soul were exhausted. It was moments like this where he felt the most contradicted and guilty. His parents showered him with their honest love as he planned their fall. He received expensive gifts and had to hug the people that subdued the citizens he was trying to save.

His birthdays were never his and never meant more than the pass of time. But there was something different now. In his right pocket, he was holding on to the gift Anna gave him. A piece of her, as she said. It felt warm and heavy between his fingers. 

He opened the door of his room and his body felt something like an electric shock as he stepped inside. He stood still, scanning the room, searching for any sign, any sound. 

Everything around his bedroom was in the right place and the usual calm of his room was the only thing greeting him, but the feeling was still there. He knew there was someone in his room. And if that someone was hiding, it couldn't mean anything good. He had already sent his friends to their rooms and by protocol, he should have left his room and sought help. But his instinct, and maybe a bit of ego, made him grab one of the decorative swords on his wall and walk inside the room. Whoever was inside, was probably hiding inside his wardrobe or in the bathroom. The first one was clear, so he took two wide steps towards the bathroom door. As he lifted the sword, ready to corner the person that broke into his room, he recognized a familiar scent. 

"Anna! " He shouted, opening the door and finding her standing behind it, nervous, but still smiling sweetly at him.

"I wasn't sure if it was you, so I hid, sorry if I scared you" She apologized, looking insanely cute yet slightly scared by the sword in his hand. 

"How did you get here? What are you doing here?" He grabbed her hand and took her out of the bathroom, dropping the decorative piece on the floor. 

"The passages, of course, I came here so we could spend the last minutes of your birthday together" She checked her watch with a pout but smiled when she noticed that they still had an hour left to celebrate. 

"Thank you, I would love that" He kissed her cheek, but lingered there for a couple of seconds, taking in her perfume. It wasn't an overpowering smell, but it was there.

"I tend to go a bit overboard with my perfume when I use the passages, I don't want the smell of humidity on me" She explained herself, smelling the sleeve of her jacket.

"Don't worry, I like it" He didn't tell her that he recognized her by her scent to not make her even more aware of it. 

Slightly drunk by her delicious perfume, he told her the one wish he had for his birthday. 

"Stay with me tonight" Anna smiled wider and accepted his invitation. 

After sharing with her the events of his day, Anna borrowed some warm clothing from him and got in bed. The view of her tucked under the covers, watching him as he changed into his pajamas made him almost tear up. It felt so domestic and intimate. 

"May I ask you some questions and just chat before we fall asleep? " She asked, hugging him and resting her head on his chest. 

"I would love that, " She giggled adorably. That night there was a sweetness pouring out of her that made her cutter and softer than before. As he hugged her he felt as if he was taking in and sharing that sweetness. 

"Kyung Soo, do you want to become the king?" Anna wanted to learn a bit from him. To grab a hold of why he acted the way he did. To understand, and hopefully, support. 

"I do" He lied instantly. 

"Do you want to be like your father?"

"No, " He answered honestly. 

"You want to change things right?" It felt like there were several seconds between each word. She was still not sure of what she could ask and what was not appropriate. Not because he was the king, but because she didn't want to make him feel suffocated by her curiosity, she had already taken too much. 

"I… built myself up to make things different, yes, to make things less violent, to give some freedom, if not full freedom, to our country, yes" Confessing that between the walls of the castle felt dangerous. He held his breath for a second, waiting for the guards of the Order to break into his room and take him for treason. But nothing happened of course. 

"I see" Was the only thing she said. But the way she hugged him spoke louder. He had her support. 

"Is that even possible? How do you rebuild a country after such abuse? " She asked the question he had asked himself several times and still couldn't fully answer. 

"We are not big enough to gain the interest of other countries to support our future democracy. Neighbors help our decedents and sell some of their products to us, but that's as much as they do because we are not profitable to anybody, we have no mineral to exploit, no natural resources, we are just some novelty, a country that lives in the past, where kings and queens are not just a reason to sell souvenirs" Kyung Soo's anger and disappointment made her feel anguished. 

"We could have a political system like some of our neighbors, with a senate, house of commons, we could have a representative republic, granting powers to the executive, choosing a particular person who could hold their authority for years in an honest yet committed way, but we have to be careful because if the ruling party is military or aristocratic, it will demand a monarchy, that could be constitutional, but it would inevitably deteriorate into absolutism, like how it happened 100 years ago" Anna incorporated on the bed, holding on to his chest, her eyes sad.

"You are part of the aristocracy, you speak as if you couldn't be part of the healing of this country, I thought you wanted, I thought you were planning on doing it after becoming the king" Her voice sounded accusing, and when Anna saw his pain, she was quick to clarify that she wasn't disappointed nor blaming him. She just wanted to understand. 

"Anna, I think it's enough for now, I will share more in the future" He held her hand and kissed it, apologizing. Anna understood, and smiled at his loving gesture, lying on his chest again. 

February 5, 1991

If none of this works out. 

If somehow our dream of a free nation means harm to our people and we have to keep living like a monarchy. 

If I'm left alone with my ideas and plan. 

If I have to become the king, I want her to be my queen.

Since the weather was nice and he had some free time after a while, Kyung Soo invited Anna to the greenhouse so they could eat the food she liked and spend some time together. But Anna said no. She told him that her mom was visiting, but he had his doubts. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew she was lying. He noticed how Anna has been acting strangely for the last week. No one noticed it, not Chanyeol or Sehun. They even mocked him when he said it. But he could see the little changes since he was always looking at her. Her leg kept bouncing, she had few words to share about her day and whenever he invited her out during the day, she always had something to do. 

His first thought was she is cheating on me, and he felt horrible for thinking that. But if it wasn’t that, there was something else going on. And he wished she was cheating on him, that would be safer for her than any other thing she could be doing. 

Anna canceled on Kyung Soo for the third time that week so his mood wasn’t the best. Right after dinner, Chanyeol dashed into his room telling him that Minseok needed him at the Clan as soon as possible. They immediately went down into the humid passages leaving Sehun at the castle to cover for him. 

When he arrived at Minseok’s office, he greeted Kyung Soo with a shit-eating grin. He immediately got annoyed. 

“My friend, sit down,” He said, grabbing him by the shoulder and taking him to the sofa where they used to sit. 

“Minseok, what is going on? Is there a problem? You are scaring me and annoying me so please tell me what you need to say '' Minseok smiled at him, emphasizing his feline features. 

He stood in front of him, with his hands behind his back and a weird shine in his eyes. 

“There’s a lot, and I don’t know how to start, so I’m going to start from the root of all this, or at least what I suspect is the root of all this” He stared at the ceiling with a cute pout on his lips, organizing his ideas.  

“At the very beginning of the year, you took Anna to the library where the Order keeps the forbidden books, right?” Kyung Soo didn’t answer, only stood up in defensive mode. 

“Let me finish please, you told me she took some books with her, I told you that it could be risky, you said you didn’t think about it, you just wanted to make her happy, and I understood it… but I told you that thinking about the possibility of anyone going through her things and finding the books, saving her from that would be hard even for me…well, we worried about her safety, but we never worried about the safety of our country's peace by giving her those books” He finished with a happy chuckle and walked behind his desk pulling a bunch of papers from inside a drawer. He fanned himself with it as he approached him again, Minseok was having a great time, it was clear. Kyung Soo grabbed the stack of papers and noticed how they were bound by a rudimentary booking technique. The paper was bad, similar to the one used in newspapers and the tint wasn’t better. The first two pages were blank, and the third one had written in big bold letters Animal Farm by George Orwell.  Kyung Soo read it several times and began examining the rest of the copy. He found the exact copy of his favorite book, two pages on one sheet,  small font, but big enough to read without getting a headache. 

“That’s what has been circulating around the lower neighborhoods, someone from the Clan brought me this copy and says that there are more, he doesn’t know who is giving them away or who is making these copies, but I think I have a good candidate” 

“You think it was Anna?” Minseok opened his arms and laid back on his seat.

“It’s a good option, no one is bringing them from outside the country, already checked, you gave her a copy of that book…”

“But how is she getting it copied, this requires some kind of printing device” He interrupted him. Minseok noticed the anxiousness in his friend's voice, so he walked to his side and sat next to him, speaking softly and calmly. 

“Well, I wanted to talk to you first before I give the order to investigate, we don’t even know how many copies are circulating, but we are sure that the Order doesn't know about this”

“Investigate, I need to know if it’s her so I can protect her, don’t stop the books from circulating, but this can’t reach anyone from the Order, so keep an eye on that” Minseok nodded once and grinned.

'You can also ask her, you know? " Kyung Soo loved Minseok with his entire soul, but now he really felt like punching him.

“I know I could Minseok, I could clear all our doubts tonight, but also I don’t want to expose us and most importantly I don’t want to stop her”

“You should, this could be dangerous” He knew that, but whatever Anna was doing could be good for the Clan and the idea they held. 

"But Kyung Soo, look at the bright side, you are dating a book terrorist, it’s a couple made in heaven” Kyung Soo chuckled bitterly as his friend patted his back. 

"You think she is trying to rattle things up? Put an idea in people's heads? if that's the case, I like it, bring her here I would like to meet her" Kyung Soo kept shaking his head as Minseok spoke, that wasn't a possibility. 

"I don't want her to get involved, she has a life plan, which reminds me, is Yixing still at international affairs? " Kyung Soo stood up, feeling his knees wobble as he did. 

"He is, in a higher position now, why? " Minseok followed him and walked behind Kyung Soo around his office. 

" I would like to meet him, I have a favor to ask, " Minseok stared at him, asking for an explanation. 

"It's related to Anna… she is going to apply for the exchange program in a couple of years and I'm sure she could get it, but I need to make it happen this year" His friend looked at him as if he was from another planet. He didn’t want to explain himself or listen to a more rational mind like Minseok’s, so he left before his friend could make him change his opinion. 

Despite everything fitting like perfect pieces of a puzzle, they couldn’t be completely sure about their suspicions. The original book could come from outside, or they could have found it hidden somewhere, although Kyung Soo was sure that Animal Farm never made it into the country. But if Anna was doing it, she was clearly working with someone, someone who was making the copies. That would also explain why she was so busy, coming out with excuses as to why she couldn't meet him. 

But although he was shaken by the news, he wasn't shocked by the idea. He knew Anna was brave, reckless some would say. This was very dangerous and quite a hard quest. Something that could or couldn't be planned in advance but that required an effort to erase every single trace so nothing could connect the books to her, or them.

And as a weapon, this was incredibly damaging. A book like that one, in the hands that needed it, could plant a seed that could start a deep change. He and the Clan did something similar, but with different approaches. 

Thinking about Anna being the one behind this, coming up with the idea, and planning the whole thing made his heart rumble, mixed with the fear he felt for her and the love that filled his body.

The next day he met with Yixing and it took him a couple of minutes to arrange Anna’s departure during the first semester. 

February 18, 1991

Writing about what happened last night would be disrespectful to Anna. 

And I don't need to write it. The memory will live in my head, skin, bones, and heart for the rest of my days. 

Today I gained a third name. 

"Kyung Soo you need to tell her" This was the tenth time Chanyeol said that in the last ten minutes. 

"No, this is just a meeting, bureaucracy, she never asks about details, I don't want to say the real reason to her" His friends shook their heads at the same time.

"No,  you have to tell her that this is a marriage-related meeting for two reasons, this is the first one you have, so people will talk about it, and second… I may tell her by accident" Kyung Soo punched him in the shoulder as Sehun laughed. 

"Kyung Soo, tell her, she will understand, " Chanyeol insisted, after having his laugh. 

"I don't even know how to say it,  Anna I'm meeting the daughter of my father's best friend because they want us to get married… what if she gets mad, what if she wants to break up with me" Kyung Soo's desperate face made his friends giggle. 

"If she finds out through a rumor, she might break up with you, if you tell her beforehand, you get better chances " Sehun had a good argument, but just imagining himself sitting down and telling her about his marriage meeting turned his stomach up and down. For some reason, he was scared of her. After all, she knew how to use a sword now, and she was incredibly good at it. 

Anna was starting to slowly lose her cool whenever she had to train with Kyung Soo. Not only did he look incredibly handsome training, always with a serious face and never making a mistake, but also he used the sexiest outfits to do so. It was always dark, high-waisted pants and light, silk shirts. The pants always framed him perfectly, and his shirts were sticking to his damp skin in the right places. She even had steamy dreams about it, too often for her own good. 

When training, she always teamed up with Sehun. He wasn't the best teacher, Kyung Soo was, but he wasn't a competitive freak like Chanyeol. 

She was honestly surprised at how good her training went. They kept telling her that she had improved in such a short period of time. She noticed how her moves were quicker now, her coordination was sometimes as good as Kyung Soo’s and she felt stronger than before. The training was actually working and quickly she understood that the sword does become an extension of her arm. 

They often meet a couple of times a week to train, but that afternoon the only ones that made it to the training room were Kyung Soo and her. He said that Sehun and Chanyeol had things to do, but she knew him enough to know that he was lying. 

As always, they shared some snacks after training. Although this time Kyung Soo brought more than usual. That, plus the lie about his friends, the overall nervousness he showed, and the fact that he was having a hard time trying to meet her eyes assured her that something was wrong. 

“Kyung Soo, it’s everything alright?” She made sure to ask in a way that gave him the possibility of choosing what to share and what not to share. He could simply say yes, or say no, and add the details that he wanted to add. 

“Everything is alright…but I have to tell you something” She left her half-eaten pastry on a napkin and turned around on her seat, facing him. Kyung Soo remained looking at the floor. 

“My father is taking me tomorrow on a short trip outside the city to visit a friend” He took a deep breath and went on. 

“This friend is a daughter, around my age, and they want me to start dating her…so she can become the queen in the future” She stared at him in shock, she was not expecting that, and she was certainly not expecting her reaction. 

“But you are dating me” He was surprised by her comment and was finally looking at her. 

“Yes I am, this is just a formality” 

“But you are still going to share time with another woman, another woman who I’m sure wants to be the queen” There was a voice in her head telling her to calm down, but she liked this way more. 

“Anna this means nothing, it’s just a meal” He sounded calm, trying to calm her down.

“I know...but knowing your parents, this is not just a meal it’s just the first meeting until the wedding”  She stood up, angry and desperate. Kyung Soo followed her, holding her hand.

“Anna, that is not going to happen” 

“It will, and I shouldn’t care, but I’m so jealous and so angry, I already despise her, you…”

“I’m your boyfriend,  nothing is going to happen, it's just a meal, I promise" She turned around and met his honest eyes, looking at her, beginning. She held his face between her hands, feeling sorry for Kyung Soo. Anna didn’t want to blame him, but she was upset and shocked by her reaction. The jealousy, anger, and just loss of better judgment. Kyung Soo always affected her like that. 

“There’s no way out?” She asked, kissing him, so maybe he could quit all this. He shook his head as she let go of his lips. He didn't let go of her, hands on her waist, holding her closely. The frustration was making her chest hot, she wanted to throw a fit, scream, and cry. But Kyung Soo kept caressing her back and waist, knowing very well how calming that was for her. She wanted to keep kissing him, to forget what was going on and just make him hers. 

That thought rattled something inside her. She opened her eyes in the kiss, feeling possessive, and deepened the kiss, biting his lower lip and sliding her tongue inside his mouth. Kyung Soo released a little moan that made her cling to him and let herself go. 

She could change the stakes. 

She changed the deep kisses for short pecks all over his face, enjoying his goofy laugh as she did. 

“Kyung Soo” She whispered against his lips “I want to stay with you tonight” This wasn’t the first time they would do that, but Kyung Soo was smart enough to notice that it was different this time. 

“You... You want to?” She nodded, kissing him again, although his nervousness was stopping him from answering back. 

“I want to…and I want more, but I don’t think I’m bold enough to say it, or ask for it” Kyung Soo hugged her, whispering something she couldn’t hear. As she felt his lips on her neck, a hot wave spread from her lower back to the rest of her body. 

“Let’s go,” He whispered against her skin. He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him to the big door of the training room. She had to stop him, pulling his hand, having to use all her force.

“We can’t just walk out of here, someone could see us, let’s use the passage” Kyung Soo laughed at his own foolishness and this time walked her to the door of the passage, still with the same urgency. 

They stood in the middle of Kyung Soo’s room in silence. They were now safe, alone, and nervous. So nervous that Anna’s hand was shaking in his. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, worried as always. 

“I am, I’m just nervous, excited too, it’s your door locked?” He nodded. 

“Then what do we do now?” Kyung Soo pondered her question for a while and pointed at his bathroom.

“May I take a shower first? We were training, and I don’t want to be all sweaty” Anna's eyes shone with an idea. 

“Let’s take a shower together, it will break the ice” Kyung Soo looked around and held her hand with some hesitation. She assured him that it was alright, grabbed his hand with the firmness he was lacking, and took him to his bathroom. 

Anna began taking her top off, confident but in a hurry just to get over it. She noticed that Kyung Soo wasn’t moving. She hurried him and he only giggled, she hurried him again and he began unbuttoning his beautiful silk shirt. This was such a dear fantasy of hers, so she stopped his hands from doing so, and began to undress him herself. Kyung Soo said nothing, just let her do what she wanted, looking at her with warmth, although when she brushed his lower abdomen as she pulled down his pants, his eyes narrowed and went darker. 

She kissed his jaw as she got rid of his underwear. Kyung Soo finally touched her, placing his hands softly on each side of her neck, so soft she thought it wasn't real. He pulled her gently to him and kissed her. First as delicate as the brush of a feather, only to grow more desperate with each breath. Sucking on her lower lip and grunting at the shy movements of her tongue against his. He held her against his chest possessively, running his hands over her back, and kissing down her neck, over her collarbone. She arched her back, guiding him in the right direction, but Kyung Soo didn’t follow. She knew him enough to know that he was grasping to his last strands of self-control, and she didn’t want that.  She held his round face between her hands and asked him what was wrong. He avoided her stare when he confessed that he was feeling wary. 

“We have been together for a while now, you should touch me more,” She said as she grabbed his right hand and put it on her left breast, still covered by her thin bra. The change in his face, the sudden light in his eyes, the blush on his cheeks as his lips formed a soft smile left her breathless, feeling even more possessive over him. 

“I just don't feel like I deserved it,” He said under his breath. 

“I get to decide that” She kissed him again, taking off her bra and guiding his other hand to her chest. Apparently, all wariness was gone since Kyung Soo was now pulling down her pants, not caring about buttons or zippers. His desperation amused her and made her want more, growing as desperate as him. 

In between kisses and groping each other, Kyung Soo walked them to the big shower in one corner of the bathroom. The warm water washed down their tired bodies, enhancing their heat.

Each stroke, every move of their hands cleaning soap from their bodies let the tension build and build. He kissed her shoulders, back, and arms, licking the water from her skin. She washed his abs, shoulders, and back, pressing her naked body against his. 

When they were fully dry, they broke into desperate kisses. Grabbing each other, breathing into each other's mouths. Kyung Soo lifted her from the floor and took her to his bed. He sat her on the edge of the bed and stood between her legs, brushing her hair caringly as he stared at her with the most lustful stare she has ever seen. 

Kyung Soo held her face, this time with some intensity, and pulled her to him. She almost immediately leaned back into him, hugging his waist as he kissed her. Anna used her tongue to trace over his lips and taste his mouth. Kyung Soo sighed through her mouth, his fingers wounding around the back of Anna’s neck and pulling her closer. She was never close enough. It took some begging and loving banter to make him sit on the bed so she could straddle him. 

She kissed his forehead and caressed his ears. Kyung Soo began tracing the skin of her thighs as she dragged her hands over the taut muscles of his chest and arms. 

“You are so beautiful” She commented, kissing the tip of his nose. Kyung Soo chuckled as he started raining kisses all over her collarbone, moving his mouth down her chest and taking one of her nipples into his mouth. She moaned loud for the first time that night. She even surprised herself, covering her mouth involuntarily. Kyung Soo did the same with her other breast, but this time, held her wrist so she couldn’t cover her mouth. 

“I’m the only one who can hear you, don’t cover yourself, let me see and hear all of you, would you?” His big, pleading eyes looking at her from between her breasts were all she needed to just fall under his mercy and do whatever he wanted. She would give him anything he wanted and do anything for him. Anna held his head and guided his mouth to her breast, so she could moan again for him. And she did until her skin was marked by his mouth.

The possessiveness she felt over Kyung Soo kept pumping her with confidence. And the way he responded to her caresses, the undulation of her hips on top of him, and his moans and grunts made her eager for more. Anna grabbed his hand and slid it between her legs. She gasped as he slid two fingers inside her and then pulled them out, rubbing her clit slowly but firmly. He commented on how wet she was, followed by a breathtaking kiss.

"You have no idea what you do to me," She told him, simply and honestly. He called her name a couple of times, softly and sensually.

“Touch me” He asked her, kissing the corner of her lips and licking his way down to her neck. A hot shiver ran down her body as he sucked on the skin of her neck. Her right hand slid down his chest and she felt his muscles tightening under her fingertips with anticipation. She slightly twisted her hand and brushed his hardening cock with two fingers. Kyung Soo’s breath shivered on her neck and his hips thrusted slightly, seeking her touch. She did what he asked for, how not to, and groped him softly. She gasped as she felt him for the first time, surprised by his hardness and size. Not that she was expecting anything, she never thought about it. But now she was pleasantly surprised. Her boyfriend smiled at her reaction, looking down at her hand touching him.

“You have no idea what you do to me” He copied her.

Anna began experimenting with her hand. Amazed by his body and how it reacted to her. From his skin to his voice. She slowed down and ran her thumb over the flushed head of his cock. Kyung Soo tipped his head back, and Anna was absorbed by his Adam apple bobbing up and down. She wanted to suck it, but Kyung Soo stopped her from doing so by pushing her on her back and getting between her legs. 

“I promise you a long night, so please let me have you now” She liked how he gave her orders and begged her. They were just starting and he was giving her such a range of charming reactions that fitted quite well with his day-to-day personality. Kyung Soo was a man of contrast, and the way his hands were touching her and his lips devouring her was proof of that. 

Anna felt so weak. There was no reason in their whole existence that could make her say no to him. Kyung Soo was her only weakness, the only person or reason that could make her forget about everything and act irresponsibly, even going against her believings. She nodded, capturing him with arms and legs and kissing him so deep that she felt as if she could suck his soul through his gorgeous mouth. 

Kyung Soo kissed her gratefully before he pushed himself up, away from her. He stared at her naked, flushed body for a couple of seconds as he rested his hands on her hips pulling her to him. Her stomach tightened as his finger rubbed her clit to then slide it inside her, and then another finger, and then another, stretching her. She needed more, and she urged him for more. He groaned, frowning in a way that always took her breath away. And when he rubbed his cock with his hand covered with her wetness she felt as if her heart and lungs stopped functioning. It was so incredibly erotic and dirty. 

She felt like they were too young for such overwhelming passion. 

“Breathe” He whispered as she felt the tip of his cock rubbing her folds. She arched her body, bringing him in and moaning loudly.

“An…Anna” He stuttered as he slid inside her. Her mouth fell open, her hands twisting the comforter. The rhythm of her breathing began to quicken when his hips began to roll. First testing, seeking. But that didn’t last long. Soon he rested his hands next to her head, holding himself firmer so he could drive his hips harder. He started breathing heavily as she began moving her hips with him. She wanted him closer, his chest against hers, his skin melting with hers. Anna pulled him down until his arms gave up and he dropped his body on top of hers, followed by his goofy laugh. 

Kyung Soo began pressing soft kisses over her shoulder, moving his hips slower but deeper. Anna held him, fingers carding through his hair as he fucked her slowly but firmly. 

“Don’t stop, your majesty” But he did the opposite, coming to a halt and cracking a smile of disbelief. She smiled back at him, trying hard to hold her laugh, his reaction was priceless. 

“Are you kidding me, Anna?” He asked, amused, although his voice held a smidge of exasperation. She burst into laughter, grabbing his lovely face and kissing him softly, still laughing. 

“Kyung Soo let me do that much, I know you don’t like it, but I do, maybe I have a kink” Anna caressed his cheeks and neck as he stared at her with a mocking smile. 

“Anna, you hate the monarchy, how can that be your kink?” He kissed the palm of her hand and then down her arm until he reached her neck, and began sucking on her skin as he began moving his hips again, making it hard for her to answer. 

“I don’t like the monarchy, but I like you, and I like the prince you are, and maybe, just maybe, I like the fact that this country girl is sleeping with our nations prince” He grunted, giving one hard thrust into her, hugging her by the shoulders. She brought her legs higher so he could reach deeper and hid her face on his neck. 

“Damn it, Anna, you are driving me crazy, all this because of that dinner?” His voice sounded rough and desperate, his movements and touch strong and possessive. 

“I’m a jealous woman I guess” She ventured between moans. Maybe she wasn’t, maybe she was just small and pity. Or maybe she was too deep into him. It wasn’t a confession that made her proud. 

“Don’t change, take me” Then she understood the words Kyung Soo had told her between those walls. She understood from where his desperate voice and the harshness of his moves came. She wanted him just as much, if not more. 

“Kyung Soo” She called his name, almost screamed it, and used all her strength to turn them around and push him on his back, straddling him. He looked at her with half-hooded eyes, licking his lips in such a sinful way that it made her clench her walls around him. The moan that followed made her repeat the move until Kyung Soo couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Fuck Anna, move” He growled, fingernails digging against her hips as he lifted his hips from the mattress. She rolled her hips experimentally and was delighted with the way it made him hiss, closing his eyes with pleasure and throwing his head back. He cursed when she began moving her hips quickly and with short strokes. Kyung Soo wasn’t someone who would just stay there, she knew that well by now, so when he began thrusting upwards, filling her slowly she began moaning loudly, her head falling forward as he grabbed her hips tightly. They started moving with the same rhythm. Their movements got rougher and rougher. She loved the feeling of his hands holding her so hard that she knew she would get bruises. Anna held his hands so he wouldn’t let go of her.

She rolled her hips, thrilled by the sensations. Each time he cursed,  she answered with a moan, increasing her speed. Soon, wet sounds began filling up the room. She felt the sensation swirling in circles, building itself around her thighs as she bucked her hips harder and harder.

It took him some convincing to make her let go of his hands so he could touch her. She didn’t regret it. He sat up immediately, bringing one of her breasts to his mouth, sucking on her hard nipple as his hand played with the other one.  She held onto his shoulders, bringing him closer, kissing his forehead, and caressing his ears and nape. He let go of his nipple with a loud pop and brought his fingers to his mouth, holding her stare as he sucked them to then brought them down to her pussy. 

He began stroking her in time with her thrusts, bringing Anna closer and closer to her release. She only managed another two more thrusts before she came with a shudder, unable to control her hips as she rode her orgasm, gripping his hair with the furor of the moment. 

Kyung Soo growled and hugged her waist as she clenched around him. He voiced his need with frenzy and he encourage it, whispering in his ear. He pushed her on her back and climbed on top of her, going inside her easily and driving into her, filling her so deliciously that it brought tears to her eyes. She hugged him with arms and legs, kissing him through his orgasm. As beautiful and mighty as he was. 

She wanted to own him, mark him, create a necessity, give him something to thirst about. 

And for what? You are leaving anyway, a voice repeated from somewhere in her consciousness. But Kyung Soo’s lips and shallow thrusts distracted her. 

His fingers caressed the side of her face gently as she nuzzled on his shoulder. Her touch still felt hot against his skin. He offered to put on some clothes, but she refused, so they got under the blankets naked. Anna stuck to him immediately, hugging him in a way that could feel asphyxiating if it wasn’t because he was already addicted to it. He wanted her closer, all day, all the time. 

“Kyung Soo” She called his name softly. Anna asked him about the time, concept that right now was completely foreign to him. He ignored her question and asked her the important things.  

“You are going to call me by my name?  Just by my name?” Anna didn’t understand his question. 

“What do you mean just by your name?  You don't like it?” He liked it. He still remembered the first time she used his name. And since then, every time she used her beautiful voice just to call him, he rejoiced in it. But now, just being called Kyung Soo by her was not enough. 

“My mother and father call me son, Sehun and Chanyeol call me Kyung Soo, the rest call me your majesty, you have to be different” He expected a merry laugh from her, but of course, she took it seriously. 

“How do you want me to call you?” He knew how he wanted to be called. In his dreams, she always used that word to refer to him. It was scary to recognize it, but he felt confident with Anna. 

“Love” He whispered, hiding his face in his hair. 

“Love, why?” She lift her head from the pillow and looked at him with a warm smile. 

“Because that's what I am to you, right?” She bit her lip and smiled, closing her eyes and giving a low squeal. 

“Yes, you are right,  it's the perfect name for you, my love” Kyung Soo released a sigh of relief. Now he was Kyung Soo, our majesty and love. He had won a third name. And it was just hers to use. 

He kissed her. Just a little peck to thank her. But that could never happen, especially that night. Instead of pulling away and going to sleep, Kyung Soo deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Anna wrapped her arms around his neck and sank them deeper between the sheets. 

The warmth, her scent, and the taste of her mouth made him curse internally. It was going to be so hard to let her go. It was going to physically hurt him not to have her anymore. 

TBC

#exowritersnet #exosnet #Kyungsoo #kyungsoo fanfic #exo fanfiction

[princessmadafu]

Detectives

Am I incompetent?

I’m still trying to work out how to share links from my private cloud with my Tumblr friends, so apparently I have to share the link with myself before I can share it with you.

All I want to do is let you watch some detective stuff with me.

Does this link work?

My Videos Expiration date: 08/19/2023Read permission https://c.gmx.com/@558027900469641886/p5rJHBK8TGGtepyy7YneDw 

Trying to link Episode 01 of Attorney Woo and a couple of my favourite episodes of Armchair Detectives. Just because you’re not sitting on the sofa next to me doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to watch them with you.

We could form a private detective appreciation club, share a link every weekend, and we can sit on our geographically divergent sofas with a little bottle of wine and some nibbles. I mean, if I’m legally allowed to invite my next door neighbour round to help me watch a DVD and eat popcorn, I must be legally allowed to invite long-distance friends, right?

[forestsandtea]

do you know if the mori discord still exists, and if it's accepting new members? the original post about it is under a readmore on a password protected blog, and i can't find any extant invites. i'm sorry if this is intrusive or rude, and if the community is closed to newbies i completely understand

Yikes I never use tumblr anymore so I just saw this, but yes! It is still open and active! Here is a new link that shouldn’t expire anytime soon! 

Hope to see you there, and please make sure to do an intro when you join so you don’t get kicked as spam haha 

https://discord.gg/GHx2zRGNPj

#morikei #mori kei #morigirl #mori girl #moridiscord #mori discord #morikeidiscord #mori kei discord #mori

[thepinkcrayon]

MacDalton Discord

https://discord.gg/YpDyZyPMya

The invite shouldn’t expire. I’ve never made a Discord before so it’s probably not the best but... it exists now?

#Angus MacGyver/Jack Dalton #MacDalton #Jack Dalton #Angus MacGyver #macgyver discord #macdalton discord

[starlingsrps]

fascinating new thing.

ben had planned to be upstairs when freya arrived, ready to shepherd her into the basement before his mother knew there was a girl in the house. a girl he sort of worked for and who he had somehow talked into watching lord of the rings with but a girl all the same. but then daisy had needed to go out and his hair didn’t look right (why did he care about his hair??) so he’d had to wet it and try to fix it and by the time that was all done, he could hear his mother cheerfully greeting freya and it was too fucking late. he loves his parents. they’ve all but carried him over the last few years, had been nothing but patient and generous parents but right now, he'd rather be an orphan.

he throws himself up the stairs but she’s already in the kitchen with his mother, who is rooting around the fridge and claiming that she wishes ben had told her someone was coming over so she could have cooked something. he has a perfectly good bag of chips and a six pack downstairs for this occasion but he knows better than to even suggest that she not feed guests. “benji,” she scolds, emerging with a pitcher of iced tea. “you didn’t tell me you invited freya over.”

“i said i was having a friend over?” somehow, his declarative statements always turn into questions around her. he rubs the back of his neck, suddenly brutally uncomfortable. this was a terrible idea. he works for freya (kind of). she’s pretty and whip smart and isn’t afraid of anything and he’s an awkward dork who lives with his parents and dragged her over here to watch lord of the rings. his expiration date on being cool died along with his college baseball career and he shouldn’t have even thought he could pull this off.

“but /freya,” she says pointedly, pouring the drink while glaring at him like he’s called his nana a bad name. “i don’t even have anything out for supper.”

“mom-“

“it’s okay, mrs. phelan.” freya sips from the tea and slides off the stool to come stand next to him. “we were talking about ordering a pizza.”

she starts to squawk a protest but freya is right on top of it. “why don’t you and mr. phelan go out? you were saying it’s been awhile since he took you on a date and it’s so nice out today.”

ben sees her attention instantly snap to the sliding glass doors. his dad is visible through them, watering his herb garden and probably listening to public radio on his headphones. to ben, he’s a pretty average guy who tucks his t-shirts into his jeans but he knows that to his mom, he’s a david duchovny look alike that she’s still borderline crazy about after almost thirty years. freya can’t know exactly that but that she thought fast enough to suggest it….well, if he didn’t already have a hopeless crush on her already he’d be sunk.

claudia disappears through the doors, dropping them immediately to yell at her husband until she gets his attention. ben grabs freya by the shoulders and spins her around to hustle her down the stairs before she can change her mind. freya greets daisy, dropping to a crouch to offer her a hand to sniff. she doesn’t see very well anymore and is a little skittish until she’s comfortable with someone’s smell but her tail is swishing happily in no time. ben would have more feelings about it but instead, he’s collapsing on the couch with his head in his hands.

“oh my god.”

freya laughs. “worried that i heard the dirt?”

“what did she tell you?” he asks, his voice muffled by his hands. “wait. benji.”

“it’s almost as cute as benjamin.”

“don’t, i’m begging you.”

“she said it was about goddamn time you had a girl over.”

“i’m so sorry.”

“don’t be,” she says with another laugh. “she’s sweet.”

“she thought i was going to die alone and now she’s picking out wedding china or whatever.” he’s being hyperbolic, trying to signal to her that he’s joking and cracks his fingers to look at her - the better to confirm.

she bites the inside of her cheek, forcing back more laughter. her eyes are bright and she has a dimple as deep as the harbor outside in her left cheek and she’s way too pretty and warm for him. “i think i’m supposed to pick out the wedding china.”

“yeah?”

“as long as you’re cool with hercules plates."

he drops his hands and smiles, the barbed wire knot of anxiety in his stomach finally relaxing. "i think that could work."

#type: writing #s: ben x freya

[prismatranslates-cue]

Riko [Embrace Your Good Fortune] Part 2

Previously: Part 1

Mahoro: Even if she’s just going to the convenience store, Riko’s been getting driven there by car.

Aya: It’s not like she’s actually won the role yet, right?

Miharu: But…it’s for the leading lady in one of Director Kuroyama’s films, you know? If she lands it, that’ll put her on the world stage.

Mahoro: A director who’s won the grand prize at 3 major international film festivals…

Aya: A living legend, for sure.

Mahoro: Which means we’d be friends with a bona fide star.

Miharu: Maybe we’ll even be on TV.

Miharu: You know, like, “Please welcome to the show, Riko-san’s classmates and friends from school!”

Aya: We’re not exactly her classmates, though.

Mahoro: Maybe…it’s time for a diet.

Aya: I think you could wait until and unless she actually gets it.

Miharu: That’s true, we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. It’d put more pressure on Riko as well.

Mahoro: Riko’s world debut, huh…

Miharu: Can you speak English, Mahoro?

Mahoro: No, I’m pretty bad at it.

Miharu: Oh, I should check when my passport expires.

Aya: Come on, you two. You’re getting ahead of yourselves.

Mahoro: She’s right. We should avoid saying anything unnecessary, especially when we’re around Riko.

Miharu: Agreed.

Riko: Oh, you’re all here.

Miharu: Riko? Is something the matter?

Riko: Oh, nothing. Listen, sorry I haven’t really been spending time with you girls. I’ve finally got a bit of a break right now, you wanna go get some tea?

Miharu: Oh heavens, my fair lady, you needn’t trouble yourself so.

Mahoro: Verily, we would not wish to impose upon you.

Riko: Uh…huh. Alright, maybe next time.

Miharu: Our deepest and most sincere apologies.

Riko: Ahaha…are you feeling okay, Miharu?

Miharu: You’ve got this, Riko.

Riko: Huh? What?

Mahoro: Go get ‘em.

Riko: Right…but why are we whispering?

Miharu: Kya.

Miharu and Mahoro flee.

Riko: What the heck was up with them?

---

Manager: How you feeling, Riko? Nervous? Thirsty? Need anything?

Riko: Just some peace and quiet. I want to focus.

Manager: Alright, you got it.

Manager: But you know, I think you’ve done everything you could. Now you just gotta believe in yourself, and you’ll be fine.

Riko: I said shush, Manager.

Manager: Right, right, sorry. Shutting up now…

Woman in Suit: Now then, we’ll begin the audition. I’ll hand out the script you’ll be reading from.

Riko flips through her copy

Riko: This is…

Manager: What’s up?

Riko: This is the same script that Kirika-sensei had me practising with! I don’t even need to read it, I could recite it all in my sleep!

Manager: Whoa, really? That’s so lucky!

Riko: Alright, here I go!

Manager: Break a leg!

--- Later

Woman in Suit: Thank you all for taking the time to attend today’s audition.

Manager: Here it comes…

Woman in Suit: There is only one winner. I will now read her name.

Manager: Riko Hinakura, Riko Hinakura, Riko Hinakura…

Woman in Suit: …-san. Congratulations.

Crowd claps.

Manager: No…

---

Riko: Sorry Manager, I couldn’t get the win.

Manager: No, no, if anything I’m the one who should be sorry.

Riko: The staff member who initially invited me spoke to me and said that for the last evaluation…I did too well.

Manager: Huh?

Riko: I really did fit the image they were looking for, she said, but they were hoping to find someone with less experience.

Manager: So all that work ended up being a disadvantage…

Riko: Man, and I thought I was getting so lucky…

Manager: …

Riko: Well, either way, even just getting to have this experience is plenty lucky.

Manager: Still, it’s frustrating…

Riko: Come on, cheer up already. Here, I’ll buy you a drink.

Can clunks out of vending machine.

Riko: Oh, I guess I really am lucky.

Manager: Hm?

Riko: I won a free drink from the vending machine! You want another?

Fin.

#CUE #Riko Hinakura #Mahoro Miyaji #Aya Kamuro #Miharu Yomine #Wind #Character Episode #Hinakura Riko #Miyaji Mahoro #Kamuro Aya #Yomine Miharu #QC by Shiku #QC by Budder

[eyebeastposts]

June 2023 Update

Here's what's going on with the Patreon, stories, and myself for this month.

Upcoming Stories/Change to Story Releases

The winner of last month's story poll was an interesting tale of fusing Juri and Chun-li into a single, obese woman. Will be working a little slower on this one to try and incorporate aspects from their versions in the new Street Fighter, but shouldn't take too long. Aside from that, I should have the usual output of commissioned stories, plus maybe a few fun things along the way.

This would be the part where I usually talk about how $3 and up Patrons can get early access to previews and stories. While that's still true, I'm going to be updating how the stories release. You might have noticed that I've started to include word counts for each of the stories. In the past, regardless of the length, there would only be a one day exclusivity for Patrons. In an effort to better thank those that support me and give myself a bit of an extra reward for the longer stories, I'll be changing things to have the meatier stories take a few extra days to be released.

The new system is as follows: 5000 words and below: 1 day exclusivity 6000-10,000 words: 2 day exclusivity Over 10,000 words: 3 day exclusivity

Patreon Link: https://t.co/36C0cEkTAu

Prompt Requests

The newest version of the prompt request post is up. As a reminder, $5 and up Patrons can make weekly prompt requests: https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-2023-prompt-83842869

And for those that would prefer to do a one time donation in exchange for a prompt request, it can be done via my Ko-fi page: https://ko-fi.com/post/Ko-Fi-Prompt-Request-Guidelines-S6S2HGJCV

June Story Poll Suggestions

Off of the heels of the event I threw for reaching 5000 watchers on DA, I would like to mention that you can suggest stories for the monthly story poll by being a $10 or higher Patron. The due date for submitting ideas for this month is JUNE 15TH AT 11:59 PM CST: https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-2023-story-83843045

Discord

Made a couple of additions to the Discord server in the form of two new channels. First, is the idea brainstorming channel, a place where people can make suggestions (within certain limitations) for myself and others to peruse. No guarantee that these will be written, but if you have something to share, that's the place. Secondly, I've created a channel for polls that's still a little in a rough state, but seems to be working for now.

If you would like to join the server and participate in/ignore these channels, here's the latest version of the server invite. If it expires and you still want to join, feel free to message me: https://discord.gg/p66ahTQw

Life Update/Miscellaneous Stuff

As of time of writing, I am still unemployed. Good news is that I think I'm getting close to finding a stable job. Downside of this is that it would mean things would slow down on the writing side. As much as I would like to do this as a living, it's not making quite enough yet to sustain myself. Hopefully that day will come in the future. For now, I'll be working on writing and a few other projects.

As a final note, no matter who you go to bed with or who you go to bed as, I appreciate your support. Thank you so much for indulging me in my strange stories.

#eyebeast #patreon #announcement #suggestion #writing prompt #request #exercise