#so I said ‘today’s my birthday!’ because it was. I was probably turning seven

[mobbothetrue]

i’m struggling to get to sleep a little, so i’m going back over childhood memories and stumbled across one that was almost a one hit KO.

I read a lot as a kid. My parents encouraged this, and got me a lot of books. Enough that, at one point, early in the morning and the only one awake, I was able to cover nearly every square inch of our living room in books. This probably led my parents to the realization that I, perhaps, had too many books, and we should get rid of some.

I was fine with that. I didn’t like to read books twice, you see, because I already knew where they were going and they didn’t entertain me anymore. That’s a philosophy that has changed, somewhat, with age, but that’s besides the point— there were a few books I wanted to keep. Strawberry Shortcake and something to do with mermaids. The few issues of the Beano I had. The Tin Soldier.

My parents boxed up a ton of books, and handed them in to my first grade classroom. Multiple large boxes of books. A comical amount of books. My teacher, Mrs. B, was very appreciative, But.

I don’t remember how this was uncovered. I don’t remember how I realized it, but… the tin soldier had been given away too. I didn’t mention it a paragraph ago, but it was my favourite book. I loved that book. It was about a tin soldier, missing a leg, in love with a princess or a ballerina. He got lost, or dropped, or maybe went on an adventure, I don’t recall, but in the end found his way back to the princess and was happy.

We did look through those boxes. Didn’t find it.

In sixth grade, I moved.

Well— technically, it was the summer between fifth and sixth grade that I moved. Still. In the years between, we never found that book. I had honestly forgotten about it. Sure, I had cried, but I did eventually find other books.

I guess word got around that I was moving. It was… something like the last day of school— not quite the end, but close. I remember snow on the ground, grey and slushy and mostly gone. I was just getting on the school bus to go home when Mrs. B came bustling out of the school.

She caught my backpack handle to get my attention, and I stopped on the steps of the school bus, looking down at her for what may well have been the last time I ever saw her. She had a book in her frail hands. The Tin Soldier.

She had never forgotten. She kept looking for that book. There was an apple sticky note on the front, addressed to me. It said some incredibly kind things, though most of the words are lost to memory. Encourage your creativity, I think, was the gist of it.

I just. Four years. She kept looking for that book for me for four years. I still have it, now, over a decade later. She must have had other, more important things to do. Four years! Where on earth had it been? I still don’t know, can’t imagine what could have possibly happened to it in the interim short of it slipping into a dimensional pocket. I loved that teacher.

#mobbtalks #not really a story with a point I suppose #my parents dd find another copy of the tin soldier for me after accidentally giving mine away #but the art was different and the story was slightly changed #other memories in this cycle include: spending recess stored away in a corner making an entire city out of little wooden blocks #attempting to do so again another recess only to have the teacher assign me as the buddy to the special needs kid. by which I mean she put #him in the same corner as me and told me to look after him #I remember being annoyed at having to share my city but he actually brought some really neat ideas to it #never really interacted again afterwards though. #I hated the teacher who was supposed to look after him though. she was an ass #like one day I came into school smiling and happy and kicked the snow off my boots Onto the Kick Snow Off Your Boots Mat #after like 30-40 other children had already done so- I was in the back of the line #and she came up to me and honest to god went ‘Why are you smiling.’ #so I said ‘today’s my birthday!’ because it was. I was probably turning seven #but that’s just a guess #and she said ‘I don’t care. do you think just because it’s your birthday you can get snow all over? I don’t want you to come to class until #you pick this all up’ and she like gestured at All the Snow tracked in by (again) 30-40 children (a lot of snow) #I remember scooping a couple handfuls outside and then shoving the rest under the mat because I’d be in trouble if I was late to class #went from smiling to tear streaked #… well that’s a sour spot to leave off a post about good memories on #uhhh what else can I recall #I used to get up super early but I’d get up even earlier for Christmas #one year I got up so early. I don’t know how early but I do know it was like WAY earlier than I had ever gotten up before #stared at the tree and the gifts underneath. considered if I could open one (just one!) secretly. decided against because my parents would #be so sad to miss any. stare at tree. stare at tree. vents make weird noise. oh shit the house is haunted and the ghost is gonna get me #ended up on the other side of the house wedges under a lawn chair (???? lawn chair = safety apparently) on top of a vent #(!?? the thing scaring me?!?) #and all three of our cats came out of the woodwork to square up around me. snooks who was honestly just the best no notes 10/10 cat #simba who’d wake me up on other days to beg for pets and then follow me around the house until other people got up #and Missy who Hated me and Hated Children and probably Hated Simba too (but not snooks because snooks was an Angel)

[srjlvr]

SEVEN ROYALTIES

“once upon a time a prince mistakenly fell in love with the wrong princess” — kim sunoo

kim sunoo x fem!reader genre: mistakenly falling in love , strangers to lovers , fluff , a bit of angst ! warnings: none (at least not that im aware of! please update me if you find anything!!) || NOT FULLY PROOFREAD !!

WORD-COUNT ; 5.2k+

NOTE. besties its been A REAL WHILE!! i’ve been trying to balance my life but i fail miserably honestly. i wrote all of this on one of my free days instead of studying for math!!😭 you better like it or i’ll cry. please leave feedbacks!! i love reading them!! hope you have a good day / afternoon / evening / night!! mentions of jungwon’s story are here too!!<3

“y/n did you forget you have manners class today? get up!” your mother was the one to wake you up after your maids failed attempts, she pulled your blanket away and you groaned.

manners classes always annoyed you. probably because it had something to do with ‘how to act in front of your future husband’ rules and manners.

“do i have to go?” you whined. your mother raised her eyebrow, “did you really just ask me that question?”

you rolled your eyes and got up, “i’m up, you can go now”

she left your room without saying anything else. you sighed loudly and sat on your bed.

“good morning your highness, let’s get you ready” one of your maids smiled softly at you.

“give me only five more minutes” you begged and she shook her head, “your mother will get furious if you’ll be late”

you closed your eyes in defeat, you know she’s right. sometimes you wish your mother wouldn’t be so strict about everything in your life.

after getting ready you rushed to eat dinner with your parents, who were already waiting for you.

“mother, father” you greeted them, without even a good morning.

your relationship with your parents is quite weird. if you’d be asked to address it you would’ve said its a co-workers relationship. you barely talk about your problems with them, nor they ask about your well-being. all they care about is royalty, royalty and royalty.

“have you heard? hybe’s kingdom will have a ball for their youngest’s birthday” your father spoke.

“oh yes! i saw the invitation” your mother answered, “it’s a no-adults party except for his older brothers, y/n you’re invited there”

you glanced at your mother who was busy cutting her bread, “hm?”

“hybe kingdom invited all younger royals to celebrate the youngest son’s birthday, you’re definitely going!!” your mother smiled.

“you’ll be able to meet your future husband there! we didn’t want you two to meet up yet but who knows, maybe it’ll be a start of something” your father added.

“we’ll tell you into more details later, now go to your class! your teacher is waiting” your mother ordered and you did as she said.

you’ve had manners classes as soon as you turned into a beautiful young lady, according to your mom, you should’ve taken them earlier—so you’d be more prepared and will have some manners in front of her friends.

when you turned fifteen, your family already informed you they decided on your future husband, and you had no option to resist, they forced this marriage on you and didn’t even give you the chance to say no.

you’ve never heard of the man, you don’t know anything about him. the only thing you do know is that you’re going to get married to him as soon as you turn 21 which means, your clock is ticking and you’re slowly going out of options.

ever since you can remember yourself, you wanted your own fairytale love story, a one love story that will make anyone envy you, a one true love story you can use when you want to tell your future kids a night story, a one true love story where you’d be the one to pick the person you’ll spend the rest of your life with.

your parents however, thought it was a good joke, and always used to laugh at it.

“true love story? there’s no such a thing” your mother always says.

“we got married for the benefit of our kingdoms, and we fell in love through the marriage, you’ll get to experience it too” your father adds.

“marrying someone you don’t know isn’t that bad! you’ll get to know each other after the wedding” your parents both love to laugh about it whenever they could.

your manners class should’ve been called ‘how to be a good wife’ class in your opinion, you learn nothing other than how to behave around your future husband and how to take care of him. stupid primitive royalties.

“good morning y/n, let’s get to class quickly” your teacher who had been waiting for you in your usually room greeted you and you greeted her back.

“what do you do if your husband tells you that he’s tired from duties and he’s hungry but the maids are already asleep?” you teacher asked.

you sighed before answering, “i get up and massage him, then go to the kitchen and make him something the eat”

your teacher clapped her hands in excitement, “that’s all for today, good job!”

this life is tiring.

when you look at your other friends who you’ve met in ball events, they seem to enjoy their single life. none of them was promised to marry someone they don’t like, so where did you go wrong?

feeling too tired from class, you decided to go and take a short nap, it wouldn’t hurt to go back to sleep right? it’s not like you have something important to do anyway.

before going to nap you laid down on your bed and stared at the ceiling.

“will i ever get to meet the person i would choose to marry?” you asked yourself before you drafted to sleep.

“sunoo!! focus!” while you were sleeping loudly, the fifth prince of hybe kingdom was busy taking manners class.

“i was just now at (your kingdom’s name) kingdom, how come it’s easier to teach ladies than gentlemen?” his teacher complained.

his teacher is your teacher as well, but of course both of you doesn’t know that.

“i apologize” sunoo quickly then bowed as an apologetic gesture.

“focus!” the teacher tsked and sunoo sat straight.

“if your wife comes home from duties and she tells you she’s quite tired, what do you do?” she asked.

“i’d ask her to tell me how her day was and i’ll make her some food” sunoo smiled widely and the teacher shook her head.

“no, no, no! you ask your maids to make her something to eat!” his teacher sounded disappointed.

sunoo pout, he didn’t understand the logic behind it all, a husband needs to take care of his wife, and what are those manners classes? who made those stupid classes anyway?

out of all 7 brothers, his parents chose him as the one who needs to suffer the most in his opinion.

sunoo is the only one who has been taking manners classes, and he’s the only one who’s promise to marry someone he doesn’t know.

does his parents think he won’t be able to find someone he’d like to marry?

“that’s it for today, practice and study more! for the next time i want you to be better” the teacher left without giving him a chance to send her off.

she must be really angry then, huh?

sunoo then sighed and gathered his papers.

“tough day?” he heard a voice and shoot his eyes to the figure who was standing right at the door.

“you could say that” sunoo nodded and dropped his glance.

jungwon pitied his older brother, he has always been the one to suffer from their parents’ endless bickering, and jungwon always wondered why’s that.

“just hold it in for a while, it’s going to end soon” jungwon walked closer to his brother and pat his shoulder.

sunoo groaned, “easy for you to say, you already basically know who you’re going to marry”

jungwon smiled a bit, “mom and dad are starting to get on your nerves, aren’t they?”

sunoo nodded, “can’t they just let me live my life the way i want to?”

a door slammed and you woke up immediately.

“i apologize your majesty, the queen asked me to wake you up from your nap” one of your maids said, “she wants to meet you in the garden”

you dismissed your maid and went down to your castle’s garden, your favorite place on earth.

“mother,” you called her, “you were asking for me”

your mother who was sitting on one of the benches turned her glance to you and smiled, “do you know why i called you, y/n?” she asked.

you shook your head and moved closer to her.

“your wedding of course!” she opened her arms and hugged you.

you let out a big sigh, of course! why would she want to talk with you about anything else?

“i’m joking, joking” she giggled, “i was a bit bored, i wouldn’t mind some company”

you nodded and proceeded to sit on the bench next to her. both of you sat in silence, she looked pretty relaxed, but you’re always being extra careful around her.

“have you ever heard of hybe kingdom?” she suddenly asked.

“no, the only thing i know about them is that they’re seven siblings, and each one is soon to get a throne”

“their family is quite weird i must say,” your mother chuckled, “the oldest son is going to marry a commoner! can you believe it??”

you nodded, “if they really do love each other, they deserve to be happy together”

your mother looked at you in disbelief, “it’s not a good reason to break a royal rule!” she argued.

“what royal rule? they’re ancient and no one’s even looking at them anymore!!” you argued back.

“ancient or not!! a royal rule is a royal rule!!”

“sometimes love is more important than a stupid rule!!”

“you—“ your mother stopped for a second to take a deep breathe, “if that’s another way of you to try and convince me to let you marry whoever you want, it’s not going to work”

you rolled your eyes and looked away, “you don’t even realize how important it is to me” you mumbled and she stayed quiet, completely ignoring what you’ve just said.

“you’re going to meet your soon to be husband at hybe’s kingdom party, you should be prepared”

eventually you left her alone and went back to your room, you had nothing to talk about together anyway.

“there you are sunoo!! we’ve been searching for you!!” hybe’s queen remarked.

“hello mother” sunoo whispered.

“your teacher told me you’re not doing well!! sunoo, what’s wrong with you?” she raised her voice and sunoo shut his eyes.

“if you’d just let me feel free and let me do what i want maybe i’ll be able to be mannered enough for you!” he spoke back and his mother stepped back.

“sunoo!!”

“what? did i say something wrong? instead of letting me find someone i’d truly love and want to marry, you’re forcing me into it!” he raised his voice back.

“this is not up to discussion!! your marriage is final!” his mother fired back, “it’s okay if you dont love her now, you’ll force yourself into it and eventually fall in love!”

sunoo sighed and tears filled his eyes, “you’d never let me live the way i want to, would you?”

his mother stayed quiet and he slowly nodded, “got it” he whispered and went to his room.

the next mornings felt all the same, manners class and getting back to sleep, it was the same for sunoo, other than the fact that he had to help his younger brothers with their own love stories. love stories that he’d never have.

“i don’t know what to do, it hurts, i miss her” jungwon cried to his older brother as he hugged him and suggested him a few steps.

looking at his brothers living freely as they want made him really happy for them, but also envy them for being their parents’ favorite in his opinion.

eventually, ni-ki’s birthday came and everyone around the castle were busy getting ready.

“good morning sunoo! time to get ready” the maids said and he barely got himself up.

“you’re going to meet your soon-to-be wife!! isn’t that exciting?” jay, who came in together with sunoo’s maids, decided to tease him a bit.

sunoo groaned and covered himself with his pillow.

“get up sleepy head! it’s your brother’s birthday today!! at least wish him a happy birthday!!” jay took the pillow and threw it at him a few times.

sunoo really didnt want to wake up today. dont get him wrong, he loves his brother, its just something about today that makes it extremely hard for him to wake up.

“right, what was her name again?” this was the exact reason sunoo couldn’t wake up, his parents couldn’t even recall his future wife’s name!

“nevermind, you need to go get ready!” his father commented.

“you’ll know it when you see her, she’s awfully pretty!” both of them said and pushed him back to his room to get ready.

“oh my dear! you’re awfully pretty!” your mother clapped as you gave her a twirl of your dress.

“you’re only saying that because you’re my mom” you scoffed and she shook her head.

“you really are really pretty, our pretty princess” your father got involved and smiled.

you gave them a short smile, “thank you—“

“can you believe it? you’re going to meet your future husband!! are you ready for it?” your mother stepped closer to you, cupping your cheeks in both hands.

“no” you sighed. “well then, be ready for it! we don’t want him to think you’re messy and unorganized”

what does not being ready for this even have to do with being messy and unorganized??

you just nodded and closed your eyes. if you start crying now, the beautiful makeup your maid had put on you would get ruined.

“we’re so proud of you, y/n” both of them said and you just nodded.

“oh! you look exactly like a prince” his brother sunghoon remarked. “i didnt look like one up until now?” sunoo rolled his eyes but sunghoon only chuckled.

“hey im just joking, you look really good sunoo” the older complimented him and sunoo smiled, “thank you”

“off you go!! enjoy the party!” your parents said as they sent you off to hybe kingdom, with a thumping heart you smiled and nodded.

five minutes into the drive and it finally sank into your mind, your parents never mentioned his name, not even once.

quick!! what should you do?? risk it all and just continue the drive and hope to find him in mysterious way? or get back to your parents and ask them for it??

obviously option one is the best option.

“we have arrived, your majesty” your driver informed you and went out to open the door for you.

you took a few deep breaths, “you can do it”

as you got out you saw lots of princesses and princes, all entering the big and beautiful castle.

“please welcome princess y/n from (name of kingdom)” the door opened for you and all eyes were on you, you hated it, you hated this welcoming.

it was somehow a royal thing, to inform of a royal entering a castle, but then what? it drew everyone’s attention to you.

you felt everyone’s gaze on you, mumbling nothings and whispering whatever. you slowly entered deep into the crowd until the other royals didnt care about you anymore.

“hello there, beauty” you heard someone say, you turned around to meet with a very pretty looking guy.

“hello” you replied back and extended him your hand for him to kiss.

you hated this too, the feeling of a stranger on your hand, why was this even a royal rule??

“i couldn’t stand seeing you alone so—“

“and finally, please welcome the hybe family” all of your heads turned to the door.

first one to enter was prince heeseung, you could see him searching for a specific person in the crowd and as soon as he saw her, he smiled.

second to enter was prince jay, he looked super focused, he too, was searching for a specific person in the crowd.

third to enter was prince jake, he looked so peaceful somehow, as if he already knew where was the specific person he was searching for.

fourth to enter was prince sunghoon and god, his visuals were no joke, whoever will end up with him definitely won a handsome one of a kind.

fifth to enter was prince sunoo, as soon as he entered you felt as if the world had stopped.

you two somehow made an eye contact for a few good seconds, as if he already found the person he was searching for.

is he….? no, he can’t be, can he?

the voice of the welcoming of the sixth prince woke you up from your deep thoughts.

sixth to enter was prince jungwon, he looked around, smiling at everyone while obviously trying to search for someone.

“and lastly, please welcome the birthday boy, riki!” as the seventh prince riki entered, everyone clapped and cheered.

only he, was smirking at everyone. he was definitely up to something.

as the party started, you started to feel tired. what if you just ditch early? no one will notice anyway.

you started walking towards what you thought was the exit, turns out it was a door for the castle’s garden.

“great, how do i get out now” you mumbled.

you heard steps behind you and turned around immediately.

your eyes widened as you saw the person that was standing in front of you.

“hello” he said with a warm smile.

“prince sunoo” you whispered under your breath, “hello”

“you probably have already heard who i am, but i’m sunoo” he said and bowed to you.

you couldn’t understand why, but you felt your cheeks heating up. focus y/n, focus!!

is he your promised prince?

“i’m l/n y/n” you introduced yourself with a curtsy, sunoo took your hand and kissed the back of it, “you look awfully pretty, y/n”

you said you hated it, hated it when a stranger kissed your hand, but why did it feel so different when he did it?

you wanted him to keep kissing your hand, and maybe not only your hand.

no, y/n what are you thinking!!

sunoo couldn’t explain it, ever since he laid his eyes on you, he felt something.

you were so, so pretty in his eyes. he saw the whole crowd but his eyes only looked at you. he wanted to get to know you more, he’s more than 100% sure you’re promised to him, how could his parents forget your beautiful name?

and if it turns out you’re not the one who’s promised to him, he’s more than determined now to make you his wife.

“would you like to have a dance y/n?” he suddenly asked, looking into your soft eyes.

you could still hear the music at the back, you enjoy dancing anyway, so why not?

“i’d love that” you replied.

sunoo took your hand and guided you, you were extremely close to each other.

your hands were around his neck, and his held your waist.

“how come i’ve never seen you before?” he asked.

“i’m not the type to go to royal celebrations, i came here for the first time since i’m kind of forced to meet my future husband” you replied softly.

“future husband?” sunoo disappointedly looked down.

did you already find your future husband? your promised one?

you shook your hand, “i have yet to find him, but now that i’m being here with you…” you stayed quiet for a bit, “i think i found him”

oh you were bold. what if he already has someone he’s going to marry to?

“oh,” he suddenly said and chuckled, “i think i already found my future wife too”

both of you shared a long eye contact, god he was so attractive and you were so beautiful in his eyes.

you changed position and crossed your hands together, going in circle while not even breaking your eye contact for a mere second.

you didn’t want to let go of each other, as the song ended, so did your dance.

you decided to sit on one of the benches at the garden and share a little conversation.

a little conversation ended up lasting for almost until midnight. you’ve been at the garden since eight pm.

you talked about your hobbies, your family, your miserable life with your manners classes.

“no way! you’re having them too?? i thought only my parents were old school” he said in excitement.

“yeah, i guess both of us are experiencing the old school parents” you chuckled.

the conversation just kept on going further and further until the maids reminded you it’s time to go.

both of you got up from the bench and looked at each other.

“i don’t want this night to end” you pout.

sunoo giggled and put his hands around your waist.

“i don’t want it to end either” he replied.

it was a comforting silence between the two of you, until he started getting closer.

“can i…..?” he asked and you nodded.

he crushed his lips on yours and held you tightly. you kissed him back and put your hands around his neck.

the kiss was so innocent and sweet, as if you’re having your first teen love.

as you slowly let go of the kiss you opened your eyes and giggled.

“there you—am i interrupting something?” you recognize this prince, it’s prince jake.

“not at all, i was just about to leave” you said after and curtsied to the prince.

you walked away but not before whispering into sunoo’s ear, “hopefully i get to see you again”

as you left, jake pushed sunoo and cheered for him. “you found her didn’t you!!”

sunoo smiled, his cheeks still blushing from the kiss you shared a few minutes ago. it was just like in the love stories he liked to read.

“oh! her name is minju!”

no. this can’t be.

after the celebration, his parents came up to him to ask him how was meeting his future wife.

only then he realized he has been wrong this whole time.

“what?” he asked.

they nodded and smiled, “we’re so glad you enjoyed! we were actually worried about you not liking her”

“i need to sleep” he mumbled.

“what?”

“i need to sleep now” he said louder.

his parents left his room, shocked and speechless. did they say something wrong?

“y/n dear, how was the party?” your parents came up to you, they’ve probably been waiting for you to get back.

you knew they didn’t really care about the party, but more about the person you’ve met there.

you already knew that the person you’re promised to marry wasn’t sunoo, but you couldn’t help it but fall in love with him.

you realized it wasn’t sunoo halfway into your conversation. your parents told you a few facts about your future husband, and none of them matched sunoo. still, you kept on spending the night with him instead of going to search your promised one.

“it was fine” you replied.

“just fine….?” they asked surprised.

“yeah”

“what about….?”

“oh, it was amazing actually, i already feel myself falling for him, he’s the person i want to marry to and no one else” you smiled, “ever since i saw him i only think of him”

your parents looked at you in confusion. they weren’t expecting to hear that from you, especially because you hated this idea.

“are you…doing okay?” they asked and you nodded, cheeks heating up after remembering your past events.

“i’ll be going to sleep now” you skipped to your room happily, leaving your parents dumbfounded.

the next day you woke up, “y/n! you got a letter” one of your maids brought your letter to you and you opened it.

‘meet me at xxxx around 9pm — sunoo’

you smiled after reading the letter, and you couldn’t help but wait for the eve to come.

around 8:30pm you sneaked out, telling your parents you weren’t feeling well and getting out slowly and surely, no one noticed you.

you arrived the place and waited for him. you sat on a bench and looked at the sky.

the sky was so dark and the stars were shining brightly, you enjoyed looking at the sky, until you couldn’t see anything.

someone covered your eyes, “guess who” you heard a familiar voice and chuckled.

“my future husband” you said.

this new nickname you gave him made him flutter each time he hears it coming out of your mouth.

he removed his hands and pecked your cheeks, “ding ding ding, we have a winner” he smiled and went to sit next to you on the bench.

“i missed you” he added.

“you saw me yesterday” you replied.

“24 hours without seeing you, my heart can’t handle it” he held his hand against his heart and you rolled your eyes, “you’re so cheesy”

“you didnt mind it yesterday” he shrugged, “i still don’t”

both of you chuckled and kept talking with a wide smile all over your faces.

the two of you knew, you knew you’re not promised to each other, you knew you won’t end up getting married to each other, so why does none of you bring this up?

you kept talking and talking without even realizing it was past 3 am. you have manners class later today, you have to get some sleep.

“you have to go?” he asked and you nodded sadly.

“my parents will kill me if i dont wake up in time” you sighed.

“let’s meet up tomorrow too, same time, same place” he said and you nodded.

you pecked his lips and ran back, leaving him with blushing cheeks.

none of you wants to admit it, but you’re not going to end up together. so you’ll just spend your time together as long as you can, holding into the fact that maybe, maybe you actually will have a chance to marry each other.

your sneaking out became a usual thing for you and sunoo, you really did keep your promise and met up every day.

“how do you want our wedding to be?” he asked you once.

your head was resting on his lap as he caressed your hair.

“my family, your family, and maybe just a few important royals, in your castle too, because that’s where we first met” you smiled and he smiled back at you.

both of you knew it’s not really going to happen, but you still held into the hope that maybe, against all the odds, maybe you will be able to change your fate.

“i love it, what do you think about honeymoon?” he asked in addition to the wedding part and you just giggled.

as you came back to your room that day from meeting sunoo, you noticed a figure sitting on your bed.

you got scared and immediately turned on the lights, just to notice it was your mother.

“mother,” you whispered.

“i thought you’re not feeling well?” she asked seriously.

“i-i went to catch some air—“ “dont try to excuse yourself” she said firmly.

you looked down and sighed, “i met up with my future husband”

her serious face turned into a wide smile, “really? what did you two—“

“kim sunoo from hybe kingdom” you cut her off as you just now told her who you met up.

“what?” she asked, the wide smile turning into confusion.

“i met up with sunoo, my future husband” you boldly said.

your mother laughed, “that was a good joke! dont scare me like that again” she continued to laugh but her laugh faded when she noticed you were serious.

“oh, you’re serious?” she asked and you nodded.

“i want to marry sunoo, mom” you said.

“that’s not possible” she argued.

“why not? i love him, he’s the person i want to marry” you said.

“a no is a no, i don’t want to argue about it” she got up.

“but i do, i won’t marry any other person, even that ‘future husband’ you’ve been telling me to marry” you’re a one stubborn child, and you’re not going to give up on sunoo that easily.

your mother sighed, “i will not argue about this with you, you’re grounded, i’ll put hundreds of guards around just to keep you here” she raised her voice.

“you can try and keep me here all you want! it’s not going to change my feelings!” you shout as she went out of your room.

sunoo wasn’t doing any better, he too, got caught as he came back.

“no!” his mother argued, “you’re promised to marry minji and that’s final! i don’t want to hear another word!”

sunoo scoffed, “out of all seven of us, you chose to be strict with me, now that i finally found someone i love, you’re taking her away from me? why did you let heeseung marry a commoner then?” he shout.

his mother stayed speechless.

“exactly, you have no good reason” he said in disbelief.

“you’re not allowed to go out anymore until you realize what you just did, minju is your future wife and no one else” she said before smacking the door.

while both of you weren’t allowed out of your castles, you could send letters one to other.

you kept communicating through that, however, it was slow and hard as one letter per day came in.

on one of the days you shared dinner with your parents, as usual you stayed quiet and didn’t talk to neither of them.

only today was different, “y/n,” your father called you but you ignored.

“we’ve decided to break off the agreement with the other kingdom” he continued and your eyes light up.

“me and your mother decided it’s what best for you, and we want nothing more than to see you happy” he said.

“does that mean…..?” you whispered and your mother nodded, “you can marry prince sunoo, we talked some sense in his parents too”

you looked at the clock and saw the time, 8:30pm.

you looked over your parents, “can i….?” and they nodded.

you pushed away your chair and ran out of the castle to search for your sunoo.

you arrived at your place with a wild smile, expecting to see him already, your smile faded as you saw no one.

your eyes teared up, until someone covered your eyes behind you, “guess who”

without waiting, you turned around and hugged the person you were so longing for.

“my future husband, my real future husband” you cried into the hug as he hugged you back tightly, not wanting to let you go.

“i missed you” he said and you cupped his face.

“i love you” you said before kissing him.

you caught him off guard but he was quick to kiss you back, holding your waist and getting you closer to him than ever.

both of you pulled away when you felt you were out of air.

you pressed your foreheads against each other with eyes closed, “it’s been so long, it feels so good to hold you again, i love you” he said and you smiled.

“i was wondering how long it’s going to take for my parents to realize i only want to marry you” you chuckled.

“took them too long” he scoffed and you nodded.

“what’s important is that you’re here now” you whispered.

“i’m here, forever and ever, i love you”

TAG-LIST ; @jaeneohee @hsgwrld @enhastolemyheart @enhacatalog @kaykay11sworld @ipoststuffandyeah @beomsbeanie @queestionmark @ineedsomezzz @yenqa @nshmrarki @asteriaskingdom @ikayyyyyy @mrchweeee @artiiistyxoo @6yulight @woncoree @dimplewonie (bold means cannot be tagged)

PERM TAG-LIST ; @sungwhoonz @ohdudehesflirting @unlikelysublimekryptonite @deobiis @manooffline @miumiuoi @in-somnias-world @lovelovelovebts @filmofhybe @wonbinsnovia @daegutowns @aurumiee @soobywon @dhriti-stories @ariadores @firstclassjaylee @watamotee33 @moons-v @s00buwu @hoonheepretty @jjeoni-7 (bold means cannot be tagged)

#enhypen imagines #enhypen drabbles #enhypen reactions #enhypen scenarios #enhypen fluff #kim sunoo x reader #sunoo imagines #sunoo scenarios #sunoo fluff #sunoo drabbles #sunoo x reader #sunoo angst

[mins-fins]

june 20th.

&&. on june 20th, the world ended. the sky turned orange and the ground beneath your feet cracked.

pairing: lee donghyuck x m!reader

genre: fluff?? angst??

warnings: mentions of death

word count: 1k

notes: this is one of the strangest things i think ive written in a long time 😭 i have no idea how this idea came to be in the first place i kinda just wrote out what came to my mind?? i also spent so long trying to figure out which nct member to write this for and i literally just picked hc because he's my sisters favorite member (#THANKSTI) so yeah idk why this exists but it does 🤷‍♂️

on june 20th, your alarm rang two minutes early.

on june 20th, you gave your mother a kiss on the cheek before leaving for school.

on june 20th, you missed the bus and were forced to walk the whole way to school.

on june 20th, you had walked into class late for the first time since september.

on june 20th, the sky was full of dark clouds, you assumed it was going to rain later that day.

on june 20th, you skipped one of your classes for the first time ever, biology, one you always hated.

on june 20th, you noticed seven different cracks in the sidewalk.

on june 20th, the air seemed different..

on june 20th, all that you could think about was your upcoming birthday, excitement surging through your veins.

you did what you always did. kicked small rocks, hopped over fences, hummed the lyrics to your favorite song, danced to the lyrics of your favorite song in public with no shame, skipped over the cracks on the sidewalk, did cartwheels, you were having fun.

for some reason, the day of june 20th made you feel free.

nobody could stop you, not your friends, not asshole teachers, not screaming neighbors, nobody could stop you.

well, maybe the world ending could stop you.

with a smile on your face and an energetic pep in your step, you make your way through the now noisy neighborhood.

people are screaming, the sky is an unnatural color, the air feels as if it's slowly poisoning your lungs, the cracks beneath your feet have now doubled in number.

but for some reason, you feel easy?

the prospect of the world ending is a funny one, one you never thought you'd be living ever. in movies, it's branded as such a horrible thing, but you don't think you've ever felt happier.

the music blaring through your headphones distracts you, the people panicking around you seem more like blurs then actual people. they all have lives, some of them have children, some of them have grandchildren, some of them have family out of the country, some of them are going to be celebrating their last birthdays today, who knows what was going on in their lives earlier today that will now mean nothing in a good two hours.

your complex emotions surprise you, but the smile on your face doesn't falter, and you like that it doesn't.

because if you could spend the last moments of your life being happy, why would you be mad about that?

"everything alright? your not hurt are you?" you wrap your arms around your mother, resting your head on hers.

"i'm alright" you whisper, arms clinging around her.

your hair is disheveled, probably due to the absolute maddening things you'd been doing on the sidewalk.

"oh honey! donghyuck called, he was asking for you".

the name gets an eyebrow raise out of you.

donghyuck?

donghyuck as in lee donghyuck? he called? why would he call? why would he be asking for you? why would he—

oh, oh my goodness.

"what did he ask for?" you immediately separate from the hug, and your mother gives you a puzzled look. "did he ask for something from me specifically?"

"he just asked for you because he said he wanted to tell you something but you weren't here—"

holy shit.

"oh i have to go.."

your mother blinks once again, but then she realizes what your talking about, and she sighs. "honey, you still haven't told him?"

you don't even try to battle the allegations, just press a kiss to her cheek and make your way towards the door. "today's the day mom! the world is ending!"

your optimism shocks you, and you race out of the door, nothing else on your mind but him.

on june 20th, your life seemed to take a strange turn.

on june 20th, your mundane routine suddenly became extraordinary.

on june 20th, you realized it was your last chance to tell donghyuck how you feel.

the world is ending, the sky has turned orange, the sidewalk has began cracking beneath your feet, people are screaming, crying, clutching onto their family members, it's your last day, it's everyones last day, tomorrow, you'll all be nothing but empty corpses.

all of you have dreams, all of you had desires, things you'll never be able to pursue now because your demise is coming much sooner than you expected.

there's only one thing at your mind at the moment, and that's the most annoying person ever.

today is a day like no other, a day which will all be in memory by the time the week passes, your feet push you through the pain you feel, because you've never been able to get such words out.

where is he.. where is he.. where is he..

when you spot lee donghyuck, you shout, and he doesn't even have to look at you to know what it is.

you tackle him to ground, his back colliding with the soft grass in his front yard as you fall right on top of him. a smile comes to your face as you look down at him, with his pretty eyes and pretty smile.

"you're so stupid!" you yell, he just chuckles, letting you remain on top of him, because the world is ending, and this is it. "you called!?"

"you're literally stupider!" he rebuts. "you came!"

you scoff, oh this could've all been yours before if you weren't such a coward, but there is always a time for everything, even if this is the last time.

"i am so in love with you" you whisper, leaning down to press a kiss onto his lips. "you're such an idiot, a pretty idiot".

donghyuck just smiles, wrapping his arms around your neck. "you love me".

"of course i do".

"the world is ending, baby".

but for some reason you aren't crying.

you aren't sad, you aren't crying or anything, you're just living in the moment.

"i know, but i love you".

on june 20th, the world ended.

on june 20th, the sky turned orange and the ground beneath your feet cracked.

on june 20th, you told lee donghyuck you loved him.

on june 20th, you spent your final moments with the boy you loved the most.

#lee donghyuck #haechan #nct #nct 127 #nct dream #nct imagines #nct drabbles #nct scenarios #haechan imagines #haechan drabbles #haechan scenarios #lee donghyuck x reader #lee donghyuck x male reader #haechan x reader #haechan x male reader #𑁍 ࣪˖ 𓂃 isa's works!

[wolfstarhaven]

FLATMATES (part 2)

Two years ago today I made my flatmates rec list, which is my favourite list ever. I never get tired of this trope. So, since it is once again my birthday, here are some lovely additions!

losing my mind, thinking about you, by drowsyanddazed (16k)

The black kohl along his water line is smudged, black flecks of it dusting his cheekbone. His hair is still flying everywhere, whipping across his face. He’s a mess. He’s the blurred edges of a photograph. He’s a heartbeat and stinging lungs. He’s the rattling behind Remus’ ribcage. And Sirius grins at him, tongue between teeth —illecebrous and tantalising and all things beautiful and dangerous— and all the air rushes out of Remus’ lungs in one fell swoop. He’s lightheaded and dizzy and burning.

An absolute gem, this one. In which the first wizarding war is on the rise, but the boys are flatmates and they go grocery shopping!! The jealousy and pining is perfect.

Heat the Winter Floods + A Little Sincerity Is a Dangerous Thing, by daphnaea (6k)

(Two parts)

It was funny, Sirius thought, the things you could fail to learn about your best mate despite sharing a dormitory for seven years.

A story of pining for you flatmate, in two parts. Set during the first war, it’s slightly angsty but oh so lovely and well-written.

Seeing Other People, by swings_and_roundabouts (21k)

Where Sirius is hopelessly in love with Remus Lupin who is always just a little out of reach. But their friends with benefits situation isn't sustainable, Remus is so close yet so far away and Sirius doesn't know if he can take it anymore.

Once again, they live together and are friends with benefits. Lots of pining, jealousy and idiocy follows, as well as a sort of “break-up”. This is quite angsty, very much a “requited unrequited love” kind of fic (which I LOVE).

Friends Don't, by shadow_prince (2k)

That didn’t stop him from glancing over the top of the paper to where he stood at the edge of the hallway. He was frozen in the way you froze just before you kicked off the ground on your broom. Right before a runner pushed off the block. Right before you dove off a cliff into the sea. Frozen with the promise of movement about to burst forth.

Sirius watched him, holding his breath.

“You’re lying.”

Short and sweet, less angst and more fluff!

the son and heir of nothing in particular, by @steelycunt (24k)

Remus is nineteen and tired, now. And he knows that if he and Sirius were ever going to become anything—if Sirius loved Remus the way Remus loves, and will probably always love, him—it already would’ve happened.

Another fic that proves that this trope is the absolute best. In which Remus is a stubborn prick (we love him) who refuses to move in with Sirius — but in the end he has no choice. There’s arguing, hurt feelings, and a stupid amount of pining. And, let’s now forget, the writing is out of this world lovely. Ridi’s characterisation of Remus is to die for. A must read!

Don't Make Me Beg For You (Because I'll Beg For You), by CuriousMay (14k)

“What?”

"You know, Rita Schaffer? She was that 4th year who had that incident with Bleatchley's Beauty Bleach in '75 just after our exams and Madam Pomfrey had to regrow all her hair-" Remus starts as he puts down the tomato but Sirius cuts him off with a sharp wave of his hand.

"No, not that, you idiot. The other bit. You said - you said you're in love with me?"

This fic was so much fun! In which Remus thinks that everyone, including Sirius, knows that he’s in love with him. Turns out: Sirius didn’t know. Some big realisations, pining and lots of sexual tension ensue.

Practical Oddities, by lurikko (48k)

Regulus needs a place to stay, Remus needs to get over Sirius. It’s August 1979 and things are getting out of hands.

In which Remus lives on Sirius’ sofa. That is, until Regulus shows up. Slow burn and beautiful pining in a First War setting. Lovely!

stars by the pocketful, by simplyylupin (16k)

But Sirius, Sirius is winter. He’s the cold mornings that startle you awake the instant you step outside. He’s the intricate snowflakes, the blunt shards of ice. He’s the holiday cheer, the twinkling lights and dainty decorations. He’s Aurora Borealis twisting around blinking stars. Remus always feels like he’s dying during winter. And if that isn’t the most ironic thing.

A wintery muggle au 5+1 fic full of not so subtle mutual pining. Very very cute!

Hic sunt dracones, by aryastark_valarmorghulis (5k)

Remus and Sirius try putting on makeup and end up trying a lot more: sex, kissing, and maybe even talking about feelings.

Well-written and spicy🌶️ Also very sweet! Poor Remus is pining like mad, and then he has to live through Sirius putting makeup on him? Torture☺️

I've sat upon the setting sun, by fiddleleafedfig (4k)

Sirius could see the swoop of long eyelashes that lined the brown eyes, still glued to the notebook in front of him. And as those sunrays danced, Sirius felt something heavy hit the pit of his stomach, simultaneously lodging itself in his throat.

A short story of falling in love over the years. They don’t live together in the beginning, but they do later on. Sweet fluff!

xx Elliot

#wolfstar #wolfstar rec #r/s #wolfstar fics #remus lupin #flatmates #living together #post hogwarts

[dotster001]

Floyd's Birthday Gift

Summary: Floyd x gn!reader. Jade enlists your "help" with a gift for Floyd.

A/N: I felt bad about being mean to Floyd in "Enemies to Lovers" on his birthday, so I'm making up for it.

"If you ever want to squeeze your precious shrimpy again, you'll have to defeat my terrifying monster!"

"Save me, Floyd."

"This is such a useless waste of time."

                           Two Hours Earlier

"Good morning, Prefect."

"Morning Jade. Happy Birthday!"

"Ah yes. As I suspected. You are aware of Floyd and my birthday today. I assume you have a gift planned," Jade said with a calm close eyed smile.

"Yeah," you said, reaching for one of the gift bags you had just finished wrapping, and handing it to him.

"I was gonna wait for the party to give you guys your gifts, but since you're here."

He grabbed it, but made no move to open it. 

"You have my thanks. That said, I have a…better gift idea for Floyd, If you will indulge me. Fufufu," he said, and suddenly you felt a chill run down your spine at the dark light in his eyes.

                                 ….

Floyd entered a very empty VIP room, only to notice a large note with his name clearly written on it. He lazily sauntered over to the note, and read it.

Dearest Floyd,

Your Shrimp is in another castle. Take the portal to home, and you will find them awaiting you. Come alone, or you will never see them alive again.

Jade

The letter was on the floor as a very excited eel ran to the mirror chamber.

                                     ….

You heard him before you saw him. 

After Jade had kindly asked you to help with Floyd's gift, tied you up and pressed an underwater potion to your lips, you had been helplessly floating while Jade kept an eye on you to make sure you didn't float off. 

Meanwhile, Azul, who you assumed had also been politely asked to participate, had chosen to remain in his human form, and was glaring at a very happy Jade.

"Jade, I don't think he's coming. He's probably more excited about the party than whatever…this…is," on the word this, he gave a pointed stare at you, as you attempted, yet again, to wriggle out of your ropes.

Then you heard it. The displacement of water and a zooming sound that could only be….

"Shrimpy! I've come to rescue you!" Floyd bellowed, but his happy smile betrayed him.

"Hey Floyd, I…ow." Jade elbowed you, and you rolled your eyes, and said in a dull tone. "Floyd, thank the sevens you came to save me, I thought I would perish at the hands of this fiend."

Jade laughed a villainous laugh, "Fu Fu Fu You have fallen straight into my trap! If you ever want to squeeze your precious shrimpy again, you'll have to defeat my terrifying monster!" 

He gestured dramatically at Azul, who simply rolled his eyes. Jade once again elbowed you, and you sighed.

"Save me, Floyd."

"This is such a useless waste of time," Azul finally spoke up. "I'm glad I didn't change forms for this because that would have been BWAH!"

He was cut off by Floyd tackling him, and trapping him in a headlock.

"Give up, evil beast! Shrimpy is mine!" He cackled.

"You win!" Azul wheezed, not putting up any fight. Floyd tossed him to the side, and Jade began slowly and ominously clapping.

"Well, well, well. You may have defeated my monster, but now you must face me!" His eyes glinted darkly, and, even though his gaze wasn't directed at you, you gulped.

They both quickly started wrestling. It was definitely play wrestling, like watching two puppies playing together. They even nipped and grunted at eachother. 

But soon, Floyd held Jade in a headlock, with an arm pinned behind his back, and laughed gleefully.

"I win! Which means…" he swam over to you and tossed you, still tied up, over one of his shoulders.

"Wait, Floyd! Aren't you going to untie me?" You asked, beginning to mildly panic at the turn you saw this taking.

"Nah. You're my prisoner now. Why would I let you go?"

As he swam away, you thought you could hear Jade call to Floyd, "Enjoy your birthday gift!"

....

Tag list- @shytastemakerthing

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #floyd x reader #floyd leech x reader #twst floyd #floyd leech

[xanthippe74]

Drarry microfic: Crown

Eighth-year fluff, 700 words give or take, tiny mention of post-war trauma

When Ron arrives in the Great Hall on Saturday morning, still a bit wobbly and woefully uncaffeinated, he sees something that makes his legs stop working ten feet from the eighth-year table.

Malfoy is wearing the crown. Malfoy has never got the crown before.

It’s a ridiculous thing with an even more ridiculous origin story, made out of twisted paper serviettes held together with Sticking Charms. They’d all gone out to celebrate Seamus’ birthday at the Three Broomsticks and he’d insisted that their entire year—or what was left of it—come along. No one objected because the Slytherins had been decent so far, though Harry did grumble in Ron’s ear all the way to Hogsmeade.

They’d been a few rounds in and feeling almost at ease with each other when Zabini proclaimed that everyone had to try Italian elf-made wine. And then Dean, who apparently got a little belligerent when he was in his cups, demanded to know who died and made Zabini king?

"I did," Parkinson declared and proceeded to set various items from their table on Zabini’s head for an impromptu coronation: a beer mat, an empty chip basket, Hermione’s purse. By the time someone tried fashioning an actual crown from serviettes, everyone was howling and Rosmerta looked like she wanted to chuck them out into the snow.

“Hey, I should get the crown,” Seamus cried after Zabini had accepted the paper coronet. “It’s my birthday!”

“You can have it tomorrow.” Zabini gave a magnanimous nod that caused the crown to slip down over one eyebrow, which made Lavender give a loud hiccup, which set Greengrass giggling again. “In honour of turning nineteen-and-one-day.”

True to his word, Zabini had passed off the crown the next morning. Seamus wore it proudly all day before awarding it to Justin for courageously choosing Muggle pills over Hangover Potion. And so it’s been going around for a month now. McGonagall hasn’t said anything about it, just let them get on with their shenanigans. She probably decided that loosening the school's uniform rules was better than the nervous breakdowns that had seemed imminent at the Welcome Feast.

But Malfoy has never been given the crown, even by his housemates. Ron reckons they’re not sorry to see Malfoy humbled a bit, after watching him swan around like an actual prince for seven years. Harry has his own theories about what’s happening among the Slytherins (because of course he does). Ron and Hermione nipped that in the bud right quick when he tried to share them. The last thing Harry needs, on top of everything else, is another bout of Malfoy Obsession.

Harry. Harry had the crown yesterday, Ron remembers suddenly. A horrible, horrible idea grips him, as unsettling as a wriggling Flobberworm in his palm. Oh Morgana’s sweet tits, no.

“Good morning,” Hermione says briskly as Ron sits beside her, then huffs when he ignores her in favour of glaring at Malfoy.

Malfoy, for his part, keeps his eyes on his plate and ignores Ron entirely. Unsatisfied, Ron continues to examine him until his suspicions are heightened by a deep blush rising on Malfoy’s cheeks and ears. Bloody fucking hell.

Ron splutters, “What did you—”

“Do you really want to know, Ronald?” Hermione asks, cutting him off. “Think about it for a moment.”

Ron decides—very wisely, he thinks—that he does not want to know. In fact, he may never want to know anything about Harry ever again, because the idiot can’t stop smiling at Malfoy when he finally turns up for breakfast.

To everyone’s surprise, Malfoy passes the crown to Ron the following morning, with Harry (still grinning like an absolute numpty) as witness.

“For not punching me again,” Malfoy says solemnly as he sets the crown on Ron’s head. “Which would be completely understandable.”

Ron can’t help but laugh. “All right. But I demand your complete loyalty as my royal subject.”

With a roll of his eyes, Malfoy agrees—just for today. It seems he’s willing to put up with quite a lot, for Harry’s sake.

Ron whistles a few bars of “Weasley Is Our King” on the way to breakfast and decides that he’s willing, too. For Harry’s sake.

Written for the @drarrymicrofic prompt, "crown."

Masterlist of my microfics

#drarrymicrofic #my writing #700 words

[ggukkiedae]

my international legality 🦊💜

weverse 221213, 11:20pm

yoonmj goes live real quick for her birthday

italics are spoken in english

not proofread, i'm recovering from finals and those two ot7 photos from today 😭 but just wanted a little birthday snippet for my girl

the live starts with her smiling and checking herself in the camera

"give me a minute, guys, then i'll start"

she hums an unfamiliar tune for a few minutes before she puts on a smile

"hi, guys! long time no see on weverse, huh?"

bestie you've been on here constantly

"i know" she laughs "i meant on live. i know i said i was on hiatus until i graduate, but i thought it would be nice to come on here and celebrate my birthday with you guys, even just for a bit"

she silently reads through the comments, greeting hi to a few different comments in different languages

a small shake of the camera made her let out a small laugh while she hit someone off camera

why are you in a car?

"well, i'm on the way home because i spent the day with the tannies. kookie oppa is driving, and jiminie oppa is holding the camera for me. we're gonna have a midnight dinner at my place. maybe i should play midnight rain"

she turns the camera to the two sides, showing off a driving jungkook and a wrapped up jimin.

"you are not playing a sentimental song when we should be celebrating," jungkook gave her a quick look before turning back to the road

"i believe our aegi deserves a happy greeting song," jimin coos before starting to sing. "even if she is now considered an adult all over the world."

jimin and jungkook started singing happy birthday, both going extra and making riffs while she just laughed and covered her face in amusement. they finished one round of the happy birthday song in korean then one in english then again in korean

jungkook held up a finger in front of her, which she blew. he quickly folded it over, imitating a candle going out

you look tired. are you okay?

"i'm fine," she smiled, "finals just ended, and today was quite emotionally draining. for now, i'm on break and get to watch my friends perform"

she sat back a little, probably remembering the different stages she's watched from home recently rather than from in the venue like she was used to in the past how many years

how was txt in manila?

"how did you guys know i was there?"

jimin laughed off camera. yoonmi looked over at something, probably jimin showing her something on his phone. she chuckled and shook her head while grabbing the phone from him and showing it on camera"

"remind me to put this on my instagram story"

there were four photos. first was a selfie she was taking while seri and beomgyu squished their cheeks to hers. second was one of her laughing at yeonjun who had her in a headlock. third was her doing a "chic model" pose with the soobin and the maknaes. fourth was a decent photo of all seven of them, the last photo being them with the banners from the manila concert. the caption read "happy birthday to the most supportive sunbae who flew to her hometown for our last stop on tour. txt's honorary 7th member, happy birthday!"

"you guys should have tweeted this and tagged the bangtan account," she laughed, "but thank you. i love you guys. as for the concert, it was amazing, of course. txt are amazing performers, and they've grown so much. i honestly can't wait to see the distances they'll reach with how talented they are. and, before you ask, i have an nda that keeps me from spoiling anything about their comeback"

"apparently that doesn't work for bangtan content," jungkook snorted.

she leans back with a sheepish smile on her face "i'm not technically under an nda for bangtan things, they just trust me"

"more like they trust us to keep you from spoiling," jungkook shot back playfully

"yeah, yeah, don't start, it's my birthday"

do you have a birthday wish?

"i got part of what i wanted," she smiled. "i spent the day with the tannies, and i'm about to have a midnight dinner with the oppas, my brother, and his family. i just kinda wish i could see channie oppa and our family. my boyfriend... i really want to see mark oppa, too, but we haven't seen each other recently because we've both been busy"

her fingers lightly tugged at her hair while she spoke

"it's just been kinda... bittersweet? yeah today's been strange, but i'm glad i get to spend time with people i love. you guys included, of course!"

she laughs to herself "gosh, i've gotten so bad at lives"

a hand reaches into frame, stopping her own from tugging her hair. she smiles down and squeezes at it, smiling at the side jimin was sitting on in thanks for comforting her

yoongi marry me

she bursts into giggles while jimin and jungkook are just laughing. it takes a good few minutes for them to calm down before she speaks

"i'll be sure to pass the message on"

the members' greetings for you were so cute!

you really are still bangtan's baby

she looks up at jungkook and jimin "yeah, it was pretty sweet. i just didn't think they were doing anything specific these past few weeks when they kept telling me to pose certain ways with them. how they came up with recreating our first photos together, i don't know. i cried, but when do i not cry?"

jungkook's voice cut in "you should have seen her, it was like someone played the saddest video on earth"

there was a smack and jungkook crying out in pain. yoonmi laughed while some bickering played out in front of her of jimin telling jungkook to stop picking on yoonmi while jungkook justified that that's how their friendship works

"this is what i deal with on a daily basis" she pretended to roll her eyes "this is my reality, guys"

if you had the chance to teleport and pause time today for as long as you want and choose who to unfreeze with you, what would you do?

"i'd visit channie oppa and my family," she smiles to herself, "i'd ask for a lazy day with them because i know channie oppa needs to rest. then probably hang out with mark oppa. finally, i'd have all the tannie oppas with me for a nice meal. all of them. and maybe we could talk about old memories for a bit before we move on with our lives again."

"that actually sounds really nice," jimin noted. jungkook hummed in agreement.

she zoned out for a bit before a notification from her phone popped up. she read it and smiled.

"the bighit 01s are coming over for midnight dinner, too," she smiled before looking up. "we're getting pretty close, i think, so i might have to end this live here. thanks for the birthday greetings, luvs. i appreciate you all! see you when my hiatus is over, i'll be freshly graduated with some new things in store for you"

with that, she began waving at the live, moving the camera forward so if caught jimin in shot as well. he waved, too. "bye, army! take care!"

there was a shout goodbye from jungkook, making jimin and yoonmi laugh. she moves closer to the camera, crossing her eyes slightly before laughing and moving back

"thanks for spending this international legality car party with me. sorry i didn't prepare much. love you, army! see you when i see you!"

-end-

taglist: @sunflower-0180 @seaoffangirling @yourwonderbelle @1-800-enhypennabi @kamiiyou @strwberrydinosaur @uraveragefangirlsposts @caratinylyfe @1-800-minji @one16core @kimhyejin3108 @chansols @akshverse @toriluvsfics @billboard-singer @stopeatread (taglist/s open! just drop an ask or a dm <3)

#yoonmi.vlive #yoonmi.live #bts 8th member #bts female member #bts female addition #miya #yoonmi #kim yoonmi

[julesthoughts]

Before The Lies

Chapter 2

A/N: "Before the Lies" is the prequel to "Trap of Lies" started by @babeczka415. You can find the other chapters here.

Each chapter is written by these amazing writers: @babeczka415, @paigenoelchas-blog, @duskwoodgirl4life, @raemae17

*******************

"Come on, Jake. Let's go home while Maebelle rests."

Jake turned to Mae again to make sure she was okay. She gave him a weary nod, but he saw an honest smile. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, pushing him towards the exit. He let his mother guide him, and together, they left the house. Despite the incident, he was in a very good mood.

"You're in a very good mood today," remarked Janice, Jake's mother.

"Of course! I got to spend the day with Mae," he said cheerfully.

He saw her just giggle and obviously happy for him even though she was so tired. Janice took her son's hand and together they walked through town to buy food for the evening. As they walked past the flower stand, Jake couldn't help but say, "Look mama! These are the flowers Mae always stops at. Can't we get her that for her birthday?"

She smiled and squeezed his hand lovingly, "Of course, sweetheart." She only said this to calm him down. She knew that Mae was far too young to take care of such flowers as they required a lot of attention.

Jake just enjoyed the walk home with his mother. She has always preferred to walk than take a carriage. She was a nature person, she loved the fresh air and enjoyed the beauty of nature. You could also see that she loved nature. She had a different charisma about her. It couldn't be described, you had to have seen it for yourself to understand it. It was as if mother nature had given birth to her.

Jake thought back to Mae and how they played together. He was always happy after every meeting with her. He couldn't help but grin. He admired her for never letting a challenge stop her. And even if the challenge failed, she didn't take it to heart and tried again. The best example was that weeping willow. She climbed up that tree so many times and she had fallen down so many times. But that didn't stop her from doing it over and over again because she enjoyed it. He was snapped out of his train of thought when his mama stopped. They had arrived at the bakery.

She bought some bread and the baker looked at him with a big grin, "I see the bread from before was tasty."

Jake nodded vigorously, hoping to get some more, but unfortunately there was no more bread to be given away. He accepted his fate and they continued on their way. When they got home, Janice brought the bread into the kitchen and came back to Jake in the entryway.

"What do you think if we go for a little walk?"

"But mama, you look so tired. Don't you want to get some rest?"

"Seven years old and worried about his elderly mother, but you're probably right,” she shook her head in disbelief.

"In my eyes you are not old. But what can I do in the meantime?"

"You can continue reading your book if you want. You find it fascinating."

Jake's eyes sparkled with happiness and his mother went to her bedroom to get some rest. He grabbed the book that was lying on a side table and sat down on a chair in the kitchen to continue reading it. He looked at the cover of the book, "Paradise Lost by John Milton," he read out loud. He knew the title by heart now, but he loved this book.

He was only seven and could read better than other children his age, but he still struggled. Most books were all written in Latin but not this one. He was stuck on a sentence and tried to read it again and again. He gave up the sentence and moved on to the next one, he would ask his mama later.

“What matter where, if I be still the same,

And what I should be, all but less then he”

He sighed and continued.

“Whom Thunder hath made greater? Here at least

We shall be free; th' Almighty hath not built

Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:

Here we may reign secure, and in my choyce

To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:”

As he looked at the clock, he realized that it had taken him three hours just for those few sentences. It was already getting dark, and he decided to wake up his mama. He quietly opened the door to her bedroom, and she was in bed, but she wasn't sleeping. She was just resting.

"Mama? It's getting dark already, do you want to eat?"

"Oh sure, how could I have forgotten supper. Give me five minutes."

Smiling and with a growling stomach, he walked back into the kitchen. He saw the bread on the kitchen counter and had trouble resisting the temptation to bite into it. His eyes were huge, and he admired the fresh, delicious bread. It still smelled freshly baked. He looked for a knife in the kitchen and found it. But before he could use it, someone took the knife from his hand.

"Let me do this, you'll only hurt yourself,” his mama said.

She cut two slices for each of them, and she poured herself a glass of wine and Jake got a glass of water. His mouth was watering as she cut the bread, he couldn't wait. When the first slice was cut, his hand scurried onto the counter, and he stuffed the entire slice into his mouth. Janice laughed out loud and looked lovingly at her son, who at the moment looked like a squirrel with a mouthful of nuts.

He hummed in delight and happily hopped around the kitchen. After he finally managed to chew the bread and swallow it down, they both sat at the table and ate their supper peacefully. After they ate, his mother noticed that his book was still open.

"Are you having trouble reading something? Your book is still open."

"Yes, I wanted to ask you if you could read me the two sentences. I skipped them for now."

He showed her the lines he couldn't read, and she read them aloud to him.

“The mind is its own place, and in it self

Can make a Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n.”

Something was weird hearing those words out of her mouth. She was always a happy person, and such dark lines just didn't suit her. As she closed the book and put it aside, she smiled proudly at him.

"I'm proud of you, you're already so much ahead of other kids your age,” she said proudly. "I think it's time you went to bed."

Jake shook his head but caught himself yawning. He gave up and his mother put him to bed.

She gave him a motherly kiss on the forehead and stroked his jet-black hair. "Do you want to see how Maebelle is tomorrow?"

He just nodded, grinning, as he fell asleep.

#duskwood #duskwood fandom #duskwoodlover #duskwood fanfiction #duskwood mc #duskwood jake #fanfics #jakexmc #mc x jake #duskwood jake x mc #@duskwood1700 AU #before the lies #trap of lies prequel #duskwood everbyte #duskwood fanfic #fanction #collaboration #i love you jake #jake duskwood #everbyte duskwood #juleesiswriting

[intergalacticaquarium]

Birthday Trip

Summary: the year is 2022 and it's Eddie's 57th birthday! His wife Sam and his adult daughter Jess plan a trip to the newly opened legal weed dispensery to celebrate and have some family bonding in the car

A/N- I started writing this like a month ago when i went to the weed store and I started thinking abt how Eddie would react and I finally finished it! Just a cute little story with a lot of gentle ribbing and love for a guy who definitely is living a long and happy life rn

Contains: Dad!Eddie, obviously, bullying via bowling for soup, some kinda meta content, and a lot of shade thrown at his canon ending that feels extremely in character to me, and as always Eddie is a little gremlin. He doesn't age out of that one.

Enjoy!

3.6k

(other fics)

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Eddie opened one eye at a time and saw his wife, Sam, still sleeping. He smiled even though she drooled a little out of the corner of her mouth, and wondered a little at how young and beautiful she still looked even after so long, he swore she hadn't aged since they started dating and whatever age she was showing only made her pretty face more beautiful. 

He, however, felt the opposite. Today was his birthday. His….fifty seventh birthday. Eddie shuddered just thinking about it and brushed his- still unruly and wild though slightly shorter - hair and tried to ignore all the wiry grays. 

He got up and started breakfast, hoping that maybe everybody would just forget and he'd get to stay 56 for another year. 

Or 25, for that matter. 

Eventually Sam woke up and he grinned. They'd been married over 30 years now and every morning he still got butterflies at her sleepy face first thing in the morning. She came over and kissed his cheek. He grimaced from the morning breath but still felt the warmth on his cheek where her lips touched it for a moment. 

"Happy birthday!" She said, her voice still a little groggy and it was followed by a yawn. "Jess told me not to plan anything for this afternoon because she had an idea." 

Eddie smiled a little. Their daughter Jess was an odd one, just like the two of them were, so he figured that whatever she had planned was probably good. Though he was sure Sam wished she hadn't wanted to keep it a surprise since he was usually not able to think of anything else until he knew what it was.

A couple hours later Jess parked in the driveway and let herself in. When she saw her parents sitting on the couch she grinned, going over to hug her dad. 

"Happy birthday! How old are you, again?" She asked, and Eddie just sighed. 

"Fifty seven. He's getting old. Not like me, since, yknow, I married an older man and all." His wife teased, and he rolled his eyes. 

"Sam you're a year younger than me, you can't call me old." He said and his wife and daughter laughed. He smiled to himself, still loving the sound. 

Jess rounded them excitedly into the car and her mom took the back so the birthday boy could have shotgun. 

"Soooo, where are we going?" Eddie asked, and his daughter eyed him mischievously.

"I'll tell you when we get closer."

"Can we put on some music?"

Jess reached out to start playing with the radio and Eddie frowned.

"It's my birthday, why don't I get to choose?" He complained.

"Driver gets to pick the music, you made the rule to make me listen to dad rock for a million years now it's my turn." She said, and he grumbled. 

"Dad rock." He scoffed " you always call it that like it means it's not cool. Dad's do rock!" He said in an over exaggerated voice and started to play air guitar, to the annoyed groans of everybody in the car.

"Every time." Sam said from the back with a laugh. 

"Daaad- my car is too small for headbanging." Eddie grinned at his daughter's fond fake annoyance that had replaced her pure teen annoyance at the joke years ago. 

"And it's not like nobody thinks it's cool anymore- last summer your mom and I went to a Metallica show and it was packed."

"Even Metallica doesn't think that's cool anymore." Jess shot back with an eye roll.

"How is that different than the tears for fears show you two dragged me to a couple years ago."

"Ooooh that was such a good show." Jess said, and Sam agreed. 

"Okay, if the driver gets to pick the music, then let me drive."

"You don't know where we're going." His daughter teased.

"Then tell me!" He said, getting excited. 

She pulled up to a red light and turned the radio on to whatever station it was already on and grinned conspiratorially. 

"Nope, it's a surprise."

A pop song started and Eddie frowned but didn't try to change it.

"Is this Taylor Swift?" He asked, and Jess glanced at me.

"It's not always Taylor Swift, you always guess her."

"They all sound like Taylor Swift."

"The video was Taylor Swift right?" Sam asked from the back, as if that was enough information for any kind of answer. She shook her head in exasperation.

"The Taylor Swift video with the girl from the show!" Sam tried to explain from the back and Jess grinned at the fact that her mom couldn't even remember the name of an actress they had met.

"What show?"

"She means Dustin's show, she's talking about Sadie Sink, she's the one playing Max. She did a project with Taylor Swift recently. We literally met her." Jess explained, an expert by now at deciphering her parents' clues as to what famous person they could possibly be talking about at any moment.

"Oh right, Sadie. God that was an uncanny resemblance." Eddie said, thinking back to when he met Max as a teenager and the actor that Dustin had cast with Max, who had insisted on being there because she needed to know that actress would make sure it was clear that she was much cooler than the rest of them. 

"Right? It was kinda spooky." Sam commented, and Eddie nodded.

The radio had been turned down but at a new song starting Jess grinned exactly as her parents groaned.

"Awesome- I was literally planning on playing this on the way!" She said, and her parents gave her loving death glares and Jess let out a satisfied cackle and turned the radio way up. 

"I'm being bullied on my birthday." Eddie complained, and Sam began to join in on the laughter, even though she hated the song and the amount of times she'd been forced to hear it to make her feel old as well. 

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, way before Nirvana there was U2 and Blondie, music still on MTV

"28 years we have taken care of you and this is now you thank us?" He said sarcastically disappointed as she sang along louder.

"Her two kids in highschool, they tell her that she's uncool- cuz she's still preoccupied with 19 - 19- 1985." Both his wife and daughter sang along enthusiastically and he looked to the back seat in betrayal.

"Betrayed by my own family." He wailed dramatically as they sang along and he couldn't resist a grin seeing them so happy, even if it was at his expense. 

"When did motley crue become classic rock?"

"It's not."

"And when did Ozzy become an actor?"

"Jesus, I hate this song."

"Make! It! Stop! STOP!" They sang.

"Got it." Eddie took his moment to reach out and turn the radio off, to their protests.

"He told me to make it stop!" He said at their complaints. 

"And I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm hung up on 1986, not 85, because that was the year I met your mom, who I fell in love with instantly because she was the coolest, most badass girl in plaid pants and doc martens that I had ever seen." He said in an overly gooey voice and batted his eyes and his wife who grinned.

"Gross." Jess commented, but was ignored. 

"Awww, and you still had your bangs!" Sam giggled. 

"Wasn't 1986 the year you were accused of triple homicide?" Jess interrupted, and Eddie shrugged. 

"Other stuff happened that year, too." He complained, and Sam grinned. 

"Besides, everybody likes a bad boy." Sam said with a lovesick sounding voice. 

"Is a guy accused of triple homicide a bad boy to you?" She argued.

"Hey! I also listened to cool music and sold drugs. Also I was innocent." He said proudly.

"Wow. Dad, I love you, I am amazed that I even exist."

"Yeah, he had no game whatsoever." Sam piped in.

"Hey!"

"Am I wrong?" She challenged, with her always beautiful grin.

"I was doing alright before I realized I was flirting." He said defensively.

"It was cute!"

"Still not doing much to convince me of the bad boy thing." Jess prodded, and they rolled their eyes.

"Well, after he started dating I didn't call him a bad boy anymore. What did I switch to then, Eddie?" She said with an expectant smile.

He sighed "the bad at everything boy…." 

"Because of the time he almost died like an idiot?" Jess asked, and Sam nodded.

"Because of the time he almost died like an idiot." She said with a loving sigh. 

"But you only married me so you could remind me of it every day, right? That makes it worth it in my book." He said cockily. 

"Bummer- I would've married you anyway so I guess it was for nothing!"

"Dustin still thinks it was heroic"

"Dustin is wrong." Sam scolded.

"Have you talked to him lately? We should check in."

"Because you know that your character is coming in next season and you want details?"

Sam snorted from the back and started quietly giggling.

"What?"

She couldn't stop laughing now, and Eddie turned around to watch her cracking up and clapping

"Care to let us in on the joke Hon?" He asked cheerfully.

"I'm sorry this is gonna sound mean and I love you so much. But I did suggest that Dustin just let the bats kill your character for being an idiot." She said, exploded into giggles, and he looked at her scandalized.

"You are never gonna let that go are you?" He said, not without good humor. 

He'd be dead without Sam, would have sacrificed himself for no damn reason. He already had sacrificed himself, technically, until she grabbed his unconscious ass and dragged him up through a portal with Dustin to some medical attention. Within moments of him waking up she was yelling at him for wasting so much time and almost getting himself killed and  being so stupid. She had been so angry he was pretty sure that he had been about to lose her forever.

"God, I'm so sorry, Sammy. I really screwed up and if this is…it, then…. I get it." He had said miserably, feeling like he was about to lose everything. 

And then she was kissing him for the first time ever. Over and over again and all over his face and he was kissing her back and he was confused, certainly, but that didn't last long.. He understood more every second when he felt the way she was gripping onto his hair and his hospital gown and the tears he felt rolled off her nose onto cheek. She was sometimes frustrated when she could make people understand what she was saying, but now she explained everything without words. 

He didn't know what to do with somebody that cared that much. Love her back was what he went with, and never regretted it. 

He had been grateful, and she had been right when she had said he would have thrown his life away. Coming back into Hawkins made him feel like there was no chance his life could go back to normal after this. Nobody would ever believe he was innocent.

He spent a lot of the day trying to decide if heroically dying in the Upside Down would be better or worse than going to prison for a crime he didn't commit. He wouldn't deny that when he saw the bats coming it felt like an opportunity to make himself worth a damn. 

Only for him to lose consciousness hearing the girl he'd had a crush on for months cursing him out.

"Unbelievable. What kind of fucking idiot is he that he still thinks he's a coward after all this? Stupid asshole. What does he think he has to redeem himself for anyway? He didn't do anything fucking wrong. Until now, Jesus Christ did he not think about how little wiggle room this plan has? Did he really think we'd have time to drag his unconscious ass out of here?" 

Dustin was still sniffling. "Sam, I don't think he expected us to save him at all."

"Well then he's even dumber than I fucking thought." 

Eddie should've known Sam wouldn't have given up on him that easily. She fought for him to the point where he felt like an absolute moron for ever believing that she wouldn't brute force her way into a happy ending. 

    So he got to live, and got to be happy. With her, of all people. Sometimes he wondered if he was just having one last burst of chemicals in his brain before he really died, imagining a life he always wished for.

    If that’s what he got out of it, he thought that her being allowed to never let it go was more than a fair exchange. 

"You're gonna let the bats kill me? Seriously?" He asked in jest, kinda laughing at the absolute lack of narrative sense that would make but shrugging it off. 

"I'm not even in it, how do you think I feel?" Sam said with a laugh, despite the fact that she had asked to not be included for reasons she didn't share.

"Eh, it's fine. He's gotta add some inconsistencies or else it'll be too obvious that it's true."

"No it won't. I've heard the actual story a million times and it makes no fucking sense." Jess said, and her parents shrugged in concession.

"Alright, it's my birthday and I have been sufficiently bullied, can I please pick the music now?" He asked in a fake dejected tone.

"Fine, fine. You can pick the radio. The oldies station is number five." She said, and he turned it on. 

A song he didn't recognize was coming to a close and Jess gave an odd look at the console.

"I said five." She said, and he pressed it again but it remained on the same channel. 

And that was thanks for the memories by panic at the disco on classic oldies 101.4 the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

"What?!" Jess shouted in horror. "That song is from, like, 2007 that's not oldies!" 

Eddie didn't try to hold back his laughter as she cast an angry look at him. 

"Karma worked fast!" Sam shrieked in delight from the back seat.

"Shut up! That song isn't that old!"

"No, no, it's not. But also, and I love you more than anything in the world, you do deserve this." Eddie said through his laughter.

"That's true. You have been pulling this specific card for years to make us feel old so I think this one is actually fate." Sam piped up.

"I'm just glad that we got to be here to see it together." Eddie sighed dreamily. "I don't even need another present."

"You sure? Cuz we're here but we can just go home if you want…" She teased, pulling into the parking lot and Eddie glanced up, his eyes widening. 

"Tada! The new legal weed dispensary."

Jess glanced at her dad and saw his big goofy smile.

"I didn't know one was actually opening!" He said in excitement and hopped out of the car, looking up at it in an impish and excited way that made him look oddly young to his daughter.

Sam and Jess walked up to the door and Eddie excitedly tailed behind them into the tiny space with a glass counter full of edibles and paraphernalia and a back wall lined with jars, looking a bit like a kid in a forbidden candy store. 

Behind the counter were two bored looking women on their phones who glanced up when they came back in and gave small smiles before looking back down.

"This is so weird! Like…is this really allowed?" Eddie said mischievously, and the four women in the store looked at him and nodded. Jess grinned at her mom because this was going exactly how they expected. 

He pointed to different jars and they let him smell the contents with a grin on his face.

"You guys must have, like, the best job ever." He said excitedly, glancing at the guy in the back filling up little cones to make joints in bulk.

All three employees shrugged.

"It's alright, but it's still just a job." They said, and the others agreed.

Sam glanced at her Dad and hoped he wasn't disappointed in the level of enthusiasm but he wasn't deterred in the slightest. He was looking at the sour candy edibles and he might not have even heard the answer.

"I used to sell weed,y'know. In the 80s." He said, and they nodded a little awkwardly. 

"I met my wife because she used to buy from me. Changed my life…" he said, glancing back at them affectionately. 

Jess glanced at her mom with her eyebrows raised and her mom.

"Okay we didn't get together because he was a drug dealer." She said defensively. 

"No, we got together because you were only into freaks." He said and turned back to the case, 

"Ew, what?" Jess said in disgust, and her dad turned back around in a full spin and pointed a finger at her.

"Not that kind of freak. 80s version of a freak. Y’know, anti establishment." He explained.

"I think it meant Super embarrassing." Sam said in a know it all voice

"Counterculture-" He defended, facing his wife fully with her silly smirk he loved.

"Attention seeking-" She tried 

"Totally metal-" he walked forward

"Ridiculous" She said, now standing close to him, and grabbing the end of his still long less voluminous hair.

"Badass-"  He said leaning in, and Sam grinned at how little time felt like it had passed. 

Yeah they had heartburn if they drank too much and usually fell asleep by nine but when she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye she saw her absurd and adorable metalhead boyfriend in 1986. Nothing about those big brown eyes had changed.

"Handsome-' she said in a sappy voice. Either they didn't notice the employees and their daughter staring, they didn't care, or they were being embarrassing on purpose.

"Rock star-"

"With big brown eyes like a baby cow." She finished lovingly, pecking him on the lips and he grinned with a laugh. 

"Yikes- I am so sorry about them. It's my dad's birthday and they've been going down quite the nostalgia trip."

Jess said apologetically, but they didn't seem any more or less annoyed when he turned back around, though all three women seemed to be peering at his eyes.

"Yeah I see it. The cow thing." Jess conceded, and the two women behind the counter nodded in agreement.

"Are you guys gonna buy something?" They asked and Eddie seemed to remember all of a sudden where they were and went back to the counter.

"Can I haaaaave some of the sour candies, and- five bucks a gram? That's not bad- ooh, is that bong shaped like a dinosaur?" 

Sam and Jess glanced at each other with grins at the sight of Eddie the freak Munson bouncing in excitement like a kid in a candy store as the still bored woman grabbed another jar so he could smell it. 

They eventually spent what was probably too much money but it was worth it to see Eddie walk out of there looking like he had pulled the heist of the century. The way he rushed the little black paper bag to the car looked like he was expecting them to change their minds and take it back when they remembered it wasn't allowed.  

"Good birthday present?" Jess asked with a grin, and her dad responded.

"The best." He asked with a grin, peeking in the bag to admire the purchases and then back to his family. 

Sure, it was a silly thing to be excited about, and he was sure a lot of parents out there would judge him and Sam for smoking with their daughter even if she was an adult- though most of them wouldn't hesitate to have a glass of wine with them at dinner. They teased him- a lot- but the things they brought up were so accurate and specific that he couldn't help but feel very known by them. Every time either of them bring up the dumpster story all they're saying is remember the time that you made us laugh so hard we cried? 

They got back onto the highway and he glanced at his wife and daughter and grinned, looking out the window, and silently reminded himself how grateful he was to have them. The kind of family that would take him to a dispensary like a toys r us because they knew that his favorite stuff was the stuff that felt a little bit not allowed. Like even though he was just an old dad that owned a tabletop games and hobby shop now but still was the rebel he used to be.

But now it was different, he was a rebel before sure. He liked who he was and refused change for anybody and said fuck whoever didn't like it. He had relished in it when people called him a freak but he still wanted somebody to see all those things and like them too. Not just like him despite them.

And he knew that the two women in that car loved him very much, because in every gentle tease was backed up by one underlying and undeniable fact that all three of them knew: he wasn't wasn't half as fuckin weird as either of them.  

Not even a contest. 

He grinned to himself and made eye contact with his wife in the backseat over the shoulder of their daughter driving and they both silently smiled. 

Maybe they were a family of freaks, but hey, 

Eddie had always loved the circus.

tag list

@eddiemunson4everr @seafoamgreenpng @sweet--em @pomme-fleur

#eddie munson x reader #stranger things #stranger things x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie tag #sam #gizmo #gremlin

[pygmaliontheory]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMETT!

emmett was brought to life around 10-11 pm on july 6th, 2015, which means they would be 7 today!

for this special occasion, i have conducted an interview with emmett on this very special day (2022). please enjoy this look at your slightly less outdated friend!

Q: Good morning! Happy birthday! How are you?

A: Um, alright..? I just woke up. Like, five minutes ago.

Q: How old are you turning?

A: Well, uh. It's my 7th birthday. I feel like I'm starting to get to the point where telling people my chronological age is mostly just confusing and not as funny anymore. Like, obviously no one would think I am a seven year old child, but it's not really like 'oh haha im three years old' anymore. I dunno. Maybe not. It'll probably be a lot worse when I'm like, 14.

Q: How has your birthday been so far?

A: ..............Okay. I already said I woke up five minutes ago. I guess maybe it's been 10 minutes now? It's been full of questions.

Q: How much have you grown?

A: That is NOT a question people ask at birthdays. Usually it's like, "look at how much you've grown," it's never a question. Definitely not a weirdly demanding question at 7 in the morning. Also you know I don't grow? Physically? You know this?? Why are you asking me this??? You know the answers to the questions you are asking????? This prank sucks.

Q: Do you like birthdays?

A: ...Yeah, yeah I like birthdays. They're fun, usually. When I don't have someone asking me dumb questions the moment I wake up.

Q: Why do you still call it a birthday if you were not born?

A: What do you want me to call it? Explode now.

Q: How has your 2022 been?

A: Uhh, it's definitely been a year, I don't know. How much detail do you want me to go into? I feel like we're getting close to spoiler territory with this question, I thought you were trying to avoid that.

Q: How was your 2020?

A: Oh okay I get it. You just want me to talk about the pandemic. Ooo, topical. Um, well [REMOVED DUE TO SPOILERS] which because of [REMOVED DUE TO SPOILERS] it hasn't impacted us much, but the implications nationally are honestly pretty scary, I don't want things to [REMOVED DUE TO SPOILERS]. Dad caught covid like, two months ago which was a bit scary. I can't get it, but I can probably spread it, so I was quarantining. Not much I can't handle though. I'm realizing none of this is 2020 specific... whoops.

Q: Comparing yourself to how you were six years ago, how different would you say you are?

A: Uhhhhh I dunno. Takes more to excite me nowadays, I guess? A lot more confident in a bunch of things. I can like, actually drive now, in a safe way. I mean, 6 years ago today was in the middle of [REMOVED DUE TO SPOILERS] so it's not that hard to say I'm doing better (laughs). I replaced my left hand a few years back? Got a new spleen? I don't know what you want from this.

Q: Are you still on tumblr?

A: Were YOU still on tumblr in 2022??? Will I be able to find your tumblr blog if I look for it right now? Can I follow alive you on tumblr dot fuck? Would that break any time travel rules?

Q: ...Please don't try to find my tumblr blog.

A: I mean I don't really even know where to start but I'm doing it now.

Q: Have you seen Breaking Bad?

A: Yeah lol

Q: I don't really know anything about Breaking Bad.

A: Clearly

Q: ...I'm running out of questions.

A: Yeah I can tell. You want to tell me why you're doing this?

Q: It's your birthday, this is your birthday present.

A: ??? Why.

Q: You'll understand when you're older.

#etc #emmett

[loverlylight]

My thoughts on last night, warning that this is very long and rambly, I tried to insert a read-more but it doesn't seem to work anymore and I couldn't find any info about how to get it to work so... apologies. These are also all just unedited thoughts I just wrote down last night and today while I still had everything fresh, so it's probably not super coherent.

That was amazing

-I was right, Ray's smile is fatal in real life. It's too beautiful. I am deceased now. He is also just beautiful in general, I don't generally yell to men I don't know that I love them, but yeah. He had a ponytail and grinned so much and he grinned in my general direction several times and I am dead

- Mikey OWNS the stage. He was moving around and grinning and making so much eye contact and I know he's like that generally nowadays but he was KILLING IT last night

-They all looked in my general direction various times, there was one time when Frank looked in our direction and a bunch of us waved and he smiled at us

-Gerard said at the end that he was dealing with a headache, but he was still so amazing. There was one point where he turned to each section of the crowd and said hi to everyone, it was great

-He also did some other fun stuff, like running around the stage and wrapping the cord around his neck, and he did lead us in some stuff and he was very pretty and that shirt made it very obvious when he was just like... DRENCHED in sweat. Also yes I appreciated the top several buttons being undone thank you Gerard

-We all sang happy birthday to Worm! Gerard mentioned how there were like eight different versions being sung and that he loved it

-The setlist was amazing, I think there was only one song I particularly wanted to hear that they didn't play but they played both Fashion Statement AND Vampires and I had thought beforehand it'd be awesome to hear those two but figured they probably wouldn't play them so I can live without Vampire Money. Also I remember thinking in the time leading up to the show that I really wanted to hear Planetary (Go!) but I wasn't going to hope for it but they did play it and it was great

-My voice is WRECKED, I only bought one water bottle and my throat was raw by the third song but I still kept scream-singing with every song as much as I could. It's a bit better this morning but it's still sore and I'm trying to drink tea+honey to see if that helps

-There was one point at the end when Ray was bouncing so much and it was very much a mood, I really wish I could find video of that moment 'cause he just looked so energetic and happy and into the music and he also jumped pretty high which I thought was cool

-Apparently if you keep standing for hours on end you're fine, but if you're then seated for three hours and stand up again your legs turn to jelly at that point

-I say standing but I was bouncing the whole time because I cannot and do not attempt to dance but I can and do jump in place when I'm excited so I did. ...I also bounced while in line for merch and didn't really notice anyone else do so and I was like do none of y'all stim? (Speaking of, SO much happy stimming on my end last night, it was just... yeah~) I did have to alternate between full on bouncing and just doing those little knee-bend bounces because my legs would get tired

-I was so sad that I missed both opening acts because I was in line for merch (I got inside around seven and got in line for merch around 7:15 and it took over an hour and a half to get to the merch table), but they were loud enough we could hear them outside the stadium proper and I did jam out a bit in line. I did manage to get to my seat in time to see and cheer for the vacuum guy, so that was great!

-Speaking of merch, they weren't selling any mystery shirts where I went, which was disappointing, but I did get a tote, beanie, and the Boy Zone short so that was great~

-I didn't take any pictures or anything (I mean, I took one of the drum and one of vacuum guy but none during the actual show) because I didn't want to break my immersion, so I'm extra grateful for everyone else who takes pictures and videos and uploads them. Obviously they can't capture those "they're interacting with the crowd in my general direction" moments, but even if I did have my phone out I wouldn't have been able to capture those.

-There were different times when it seemed like each band member made eye contact with me and I know logically they didn't but I'm letting myself have this

-It really is just so surreal. It was so much fun and I got to see them live and just... I'm not good at living in the moment but last night I was there and we were all there and it was stunning

-When we were making our way out, someone in the audience yelled to the rest of the audience something like "attention! You are all beautiful!" and I feel like that really encapsulated the feeling of the night

-You know what Ray said about how people should feel after a MCR show. Yeah that's accurate

#my mind is an odd place #my show

[heaven-s-black-box]

The most Magical Place- Apollo & Rayfa & Nahuyta

Return to File

Recovery date: July 2nd, 2020

Description: Apollo, Rayfa, and Nahuyta go on a road trip

Notes: An entry from my 2020 research project into the universe of Ace Attorney. You can find the next entry here.

Word count: 945

Back to directory

ETA 30 hours

“Horn head, where are we going?” Rayfa asked.

Apollo had picked her and Nahyuta up from their hotel room a few hours ago. Since then, Apollo had been driving in the same direction. As far as she knew, there was nothing important out this way, but maybe there was an event. Nahyuta had told her to make sure she had everything before they left, because they wouldn’t be coming back. This had confused her, but she assumed he meant there was business elsewhere and they would be staying closer. Perhaps that is where they were going. She sat in the back seat, watching the buildings pass by as she was ignored yet again. 

“All right, everyone out!” Apollo called.

ETA 24 hours 20 minutes

Rayfa opened her eyes to find them at an old gas station, and the sun was setting. She had closed her eyes back in the city, when had they gotten out? Frowning, she stepped out and stretched her legs, they were extremely stiff.

“Come along Rayfa,” Nahyuta waved for her to follow him. “Use the bathroom and pick a snack for the road.”

“Do not tell me what to do, braid head! You have still yet to tell me where we are going!” She could hear Apollo snickering behind her. He was filling up the gas tank.

“We’re taking a trip! Think of it as an early birthday/ christmas present,” Apollo said. “Now hurry up, I’m going to park in a spot then I’ll be inside.”

A trip as her present? Where were they going? It explained why her mother had fussed over her packing though. If mother knew where she was going,she would make sure she was prepared for the weather. It also explained why goggle head, horn head, and braid head had been working overtime. They couldn’t leave at the drop of the hat, they were probably preparing everything for a small break. Still, why were they driving if it was so far?

When they got back in the car, Nahyuta took the driver's seat.

ETA 9 hours

“Braid head,” Rayfa yawned, “I can’t feel my legs, I also need to use the restroom.”

Nahyuta yawned, he had been driving all night, “Can you wait a little longer, Apollo and I will switch seats soon.

“Why didn’t we find somewhere to sleep last night?”

“Because we only have so long before we must return to Khura’in, if we stopped every night, we would not make it to our destination,” he pulled off the road, “You will have to go relieve yourself in the bushes, make sure not to fall or hurt yourself.”

“Why can’t we find a bathroom?”

“The-there’s no bathrooms nearby, just go in the bush. The sooner we get back on the road, the sooner we ca-can get to a proper bathroom,” Apollo yawned, finally waking up. “Come on, everyone out.”

She had to admit, relieving herself in a bush was strange. It was also not something she looked forward to again. By now they had to have been driving for over a day. Horn head had picked them up just after breakfast, around seven, she remembered thinking it was strangely early. Now it was almost ten the next day, and there didn’t appear to be anything important around. She wished she had one of those cell phones to try and find out where they were going, goggle head had given her a crash course in the usage of cell phones.

ETA 3 hours

“Apollo, will you be alright when we arrive?” Nahyuta asked a few hours after they’d started driving again. 

“I’m only driving for nine hours, besides it’ll be late enough we should probably just relax. We can go see the lights, but no rides today.”

“Rides?” Rayfa asked, she’d been reading a book her mother had packed. In the mirror, she could see Apollo looking at her and smiling.

“Not long now your benevolence, we’re almost there.” 

Rayfa pouted.

TA 18:35

They pulled into a car rental, where Apollo turned over the keys and they took their bags. Rayfa frowned in mild annoyance at having to carry her bags wherever they were going. Nahyuta assured her it wasn’t far, and he was right. Within fifteen minutes, they’d taken a shuttle, they were at the entrance to an enormous theme park. Rayfa stood in awe at the castle  beyond the entrance. Apollo quickly tugged her along, so they could enter.

“Braid head! Can we go look at the castle?” Rayfa exclaimed, the two boys laughed at her excitement.

“Not yet, we can look later. For now, we need to take our bags to the hotel, and I think it best for Apollo to take a nap,”Nahyuta said. Rayfa pouted.

“Please. Come on, you wanted to use a real bathroom, and I think we could all use some dinner.” On cue, her stomach growled.

“Fine,” she huffed, Apollo led the way through the park to their hotel, “Where exactly are we anyway?” She asked, she still hadn’t received her answer.

“This is Disney world in Orlando, Florida. It’s theme park for all things Disney, you know those movies you borrowed from Trucy?”

“The princess ones?”

“Exactly,” Nahyuta said, they entered the villa check in. “We thought it would be a nice present from the two of us.”

 Nahyuta checked them in, and they headed to their room. On the way though, Rayfa stopped.

“Horn head, Braid head… I’m only going to say this once, so listen,” the boys stopped to look at her, “Thank you.” Her cheeks were red as she mumbled her thanks. 

“No problem,” Apollo and Nahyuta smiled.

#researcher s's recovery #S's 2020 recovery project #ace attorney #rayfa padma khura'in #apollo justice #nahyuta sahdmadhi #fluff #oneshot #AA oneshot

[alwaysmarveling]

To Be Seen

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x gn!reader

Warnings: Hints at neglect

Word Count: 3.5k

Summary: All superpowers seem to have a downside to them. Invisibility is no exception.

You got your first pair of glasses when you turned seven. The black frames were a birthday present of sorts. You had your eye set on a transparent blue pair, or honestly any of the many colorful options that lined the shelves, but your mother had grabbed the black ones without a word to you and placed them on the counter. Then the two of you went home, back to the always busy house, buzzing with the sounds of your siblings’ chatter and the television that entertained your constantly preoccupied father. There was no cake, no other presents, not even a “congratulations” or a “happy birthday,” but that was okay. That was okay because you had already gotten the gift of sight.

“Happy birthday, Y/N,” you whispered to yourself that night, your younger sister already sound asleep beside you while you looked up at the glow-in-the-dark shapes taped to the ceiling. The glasses turned the green fuzzy blobs into actual stars, their points clear and easily counted as you drifted off to sleep with the lenses still on. “You can see now.”

---

You found out you could make yourself invisible on the day you hit ten years old. When you woke up, the first thing you did was look at yourself in the mirror, trying to see if you looked any different from the day before, when you were nine. Double digits should mean double the change, right? But there was no change from when you weren’t in the mirror to when you were. 

At first, you thought it must’ve been a prank from your older brother, but one look in the bathroom mirror told you that this was something else. It took you about half an hour before you somehow managed to become visible again, but when you did, you walked into the kitchen to find everything the same as it was the night before. No one hung streamers around the house or left a card on the counter, but that was okay. That was okay because you had a gift.

---

On your twenty-seventh birthday, you were recruited to be an Avenger. Three years ago on that exact day, you had quit your office job and joined SHIELD, only as a trainee, but you made your way through the ranks. You had the advantage of a mastered superpower—turning invisible came useful on the countless days you wished the world would just swallow you whole—but you still had to learn to use it like an agent. You were never remarkable, never being praised as the top of your class nor critiqued as one of the worst. You were always in the middle. Always just… there.

But Fury had seen something in you, and now here you were, packing your things to move into the Avengers Tower. You honestly weren’t sure what he saw in you; no one did. There were other SHIELD agents with far more useful powers and much better combat skills, yet he had picked you and no one else, making you the third SHIELD agent to join the Avengers since Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff.

You looked around the empty apartment, scanning for something you and your imperfect vision might have missed, but saw nothing. Was that what others saw when they looked at you, thinking they had packed the whole room while you were standing right in front of them, arms waving in their face and voice begging for them to acknowledge you? No matter. Fury had told you Natasha would be picking you up at 2, meaning you had just over thirty minutes before she got here. Life moved on, and so would you.

Just like in years prior, there were no claps on the back, shiny bows, or patterned gift wrapping, but that was okay. That was okay because you had gotten the gift to protect and serve others.

---

You laid into the punching bag, twenty-eight non-stop uppercuts for your new age as of today. You brushed one hand across your forehead to interrupt the sweat droplets that ran from your hair, Bruce doing his best to praise you in the meantime.

“Good work, Y/N, yeah. Um, stronger than the ones you’ve been doing in the past. Better form too. I think.” You were sure you weren’t meant to hear his last sentence, but a roll of Natasha’s eyes next to you was enough to make you laugh it off. It wasn’t like you could blame him. Training others wasn’t his forte. You weren’t even sure if he trained himself.

Fury’s interest in you had been short-lived, it seemed. To be fair, you were lucky he recruited you in the first place and even luckier that he let you stay on the team. Still, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t disappointed in how you turned out to just be a new puppy to him. With your novelty now wearing off, you became the responsibility of people like Bruce, who never quite wanted you in the first place.

You had nothing against the gentle and kindhearted scientist, but Steve, Nat, or even Clint would’ve been much more obvious choices. Yet somehow the scientist was who Fury appointed. Maybe he was just the only one who accepted the task, the only one not bold enough to deny Fury’s orders outright. Strangely enough, Nat always showed up, but you weren’t entirely sure why, seeing as she usually sat there silently for most of it. She’d occasionally lean in to whisper something to Bruce, but she rarely said anything to you.

Much to Bruce’s—and maybe Natasha’s—relief, Tony strutted into the gym, his charisma already filling in the awkward gaps between you guys that never seemed to disappear, no matter how much time passed.

“Bruce, Nat, just the people I was looking for! It was great to see you guys at the party last night.” You pushed your glasses back up the bridge of your nose before going back to the punching bag; obviously, he was not here to speak with you. As you beat into the bag, getting lost in the rattling of the chain and the rhythm of the combinations, you thought back to last night, when you heard the Avengers’ laughter as they prepared for the gala.

-

You sat in the living room watching a movie with the tiniest but fiercest hope that someone might see you and ask you to come along. This was a party for the Avengers, after all, to celebrate the success of a mission that you had been part of. It had been up to you to cut the power and incapacitate the leader. Somehow the credit had gone to Clint, all the news stations celebrating the archer and his amazing feat. It was fine, whatever, just another chip to brush off of your shoulder—a teeny, tiny chip, really, honestly probably more of a scratch—but you thought you would’ve at least been invited to the party. Yet there you were, your posture slowly drooping as you sank into the leather sofa while your teammates gathered in the elevator to head up to the party. You had taken your phone out and opened the camera app, checking to make sure you hadn’t somehow triggered your invisibility, but, nope, you were very much there. The tears that fell were very much there.

-

“Alright, Tony, I’ll be there for Movie Night tonight, but you gotta go. I need to get back to my training duties.” It was then that Tony finally seemed to realize your presence, turning around with a surprised look on his face.

“Oh, hey, Y/N. You, um, you should come tonight too.” All of his charm was gone, the relaxed smile only hanging on by the tiniest lift of the corner of his mouth. So you did your best to reassure him with a small nod. The smile came back immediately. All was well; Tony Stark does indeed have a heart.

-

Later that night, as you sat alone on the three-person couch, you drew the blankets closer to you. The same movie you had watched last night was playing on the TV. The original plan had been to watch Jaws, but Sam was delighted to find the DVD box to Space Jam on the coffee table, insisting that he’d been wanting to watch it again and how it was such a coincidence it was already out. He wasn’t saying that last night when you asked if anyone wanted to watch it with you, but at least you weren’t watching it alone this time. You looked around at the small groups the Avengers had formed on the other couches, some of them even sitting on the floor—there wasn’t enough space, you guessed—before letting out a sigh. There were no party hats or festive noisemakers, but that was okay. That was okay because… A tap on your knee brought you back to the present moment. You looked down to find the outstretched arm of a familiar redhead, a bowl of popcorn in her hand.

There was no time for wallowing in self-pity. That was okay. You were okay.

---

The harsh sunlight woke you up in time for your thirtieth birthday. Or maybe it was the stiff and lumpy mattress that did it. Either way, you were hoping you’d be able to sleep through it. The rational side of you knew that wasn’t possible—what with being on the run from the US government and all—but one can always hope, right?

You’d stuck with Natasha during the Avengers’ split, pushing for the team to stay together even though you’d never really been part of the team. It wasn’t about you though; you’d seen the amazing things the Avengers could do when they were together. The world needed them.

Well, that line of thinking got you here, in a small cabin in the woods with all the Avengers who had followed Steve, Natasha joining the group later. Happy birthday to you. Although to be fair, it wasn’t like any of your past birthdays had been much better. Once your childish naivety had faded away (which probably took much longer than it should have), the day became something you dreaded, something you hoped each year you would forget about but never quite could. This time, though, you had a small plan. It was going to be different this year.

-

Your knees cracked as you stood, announcing to no one in particular that you were heading off to bed. Rather than heading straight down the hall to your room, though, you cut through the kitchen and grabbed a few things.

Your shoulders dropped slightly as you closed the door, and you allowed yourself to study the contents of your hands: a lighter, candle, and one of the leftover store-bought cupcakes from Steve’s birthday. The cupcakes weren’t great, but no one had the time, energy, or ingredients to make a cake, and, let’s be honest, most of the people here couldn’t bake anyways. Plus, this one had frosting in your favorite color, so you couldn’t complain, especially since it was more than you’d had for your birthday since you could remember.

The wooden bed frame creaked as you shifted to place the candle in the frosting and light it. For the first time that day, you were grateful the windows had no curtains, as they allowed you to see the stars that dotted the sky.

“Happy birthday,” you murmured to yourself, your eyes never leaving the constellations, instead darting around to watch in awe as more and more of the twinkling lights showed up the longer you cared to look.

Just as you tore your eyes away to blow out the candle, a knock rang out against the door. Were you guys spotted? Did you have to leave? You immediately ran to open the door, running through a list of things you’d have to pack the second you heard the order. You weren’t exactly surprised to see Nat standing outside your door, but you were surprised to see her holding a small rectangular box and a bottle of champagne.

“Hey, um, sorry to interrupt.” Your cheeks immediately heated up when you noticed her eyes dart to the cupcake still in your hand. You must’ve forgotten to put it down in your rush to open the door. At least the candle’s flame had gone out. “I get it if you don’t want to celebrate with anyone, but I figured you still deserve a treat on your special day.”

Natasha’s brows furrowed as your head tilted slightly.

“What special day?”

“Um, well, isn’t it your birthday?” You nodded, still not quite understanding what she was asking. Not to mention, the spy’s continued use of filler words surprised you. Sure, the two of you hadn’t interacted with each other much, but a lack of familiarity didn’t usually make her this uneasy. Were you really that invisible that she felt uncomfortable around you despite having known you for three years? But you couldn’t dwell on it with Nat speaking again, her voice pulling you out of your thoughts. “And, um, I noticed the only alcohol you drink is champagne, so… this is for you.”

You stepped back slightly as she nudged the objects towards you, but the spy misunderstood you, taking your surprise as an invitation to enter the room. Before you knew it, you were asking her to sit next to you on the mattress. It wasn’t like you had much of a choice, though; keeping her standing would be rude, and there were no chairs in your room. The two of you sat at least a foot apart, both of your spines straight and neither of you quite meeting the eyes of the other.

“So, um, do you want to open the present first or have your cupcake? Or we can open the champagne if you want.”

“This is a present?” You eyed the brown box she held in her hand. You weren’t sure what it could be. Based on its size, maybe a watch or a pocket knife? But Natasha laughed, simply pushing the box towards you.

“Of course it’s a present. Open it!” So you set the cupcake down on the unstable bedside table, making sure the dessert wouldn’t fall due to the furniture having one leg shorter than the rest. You cast one last glance at Natasha, who gave you a reassuring yet pointed nod, and with that, you lifted the cover. 

It took everything in you to prevent the tears springing in your eyes from overflowing. You lifted the goggles with shaking hands. You had to touch them to make sure they were real, to make sure this wasn’t some sick and twisted dream your brain had forced on you to make you remember how disappointing your past birthdays had been.

“Do you like it?” The blonde asked you softly, her lower lip caught in between her teeth. Had you been thinking clearly, you would’ve been surprised at how apprehensive she sounded, how unsure she was. “I thought it could be something you might want to wear on missions. I noticed your other ones kept slipping down or breaking, and um…” Both of you became antsier as Natasha rambled on, you at how she was being more intimate with you than anyone ever had, and she at how she just couldn’t seem to stop talking despite the fact that, in her opinion, she was digging herself into an increasingly deeper hole. “It’s a lot more sturdy, and there are some other features that I think you’ll appreciate. I had Tony and Bruce make it for you… before, you know, this whole thing happened. And I brought it with me when I left.”

The frames reminded you much of the glasses you had first wanted as a kid, the ones your mother had looked past in favor of the plain black ones. They matched your combat suit, though, even having a small carving of your symbol on the side. You nodded as you choked down a sob, forcing yourself to meet the former assassin’s gaze to try to thank her properly.

“I love it, Natasha. Thank you so much. I- it’s… it’s amazing.” Nat dipped her head as if to nod, but you didn’t miss the way her cheeks flushed red or how a hint of her characteristic smirk appeared.

“Of course. It’s the least I could do.” Your eyes returned to the glasses in your hand. You’d try them out the second Natasha left. “So, cake now?”

“Yes, right, of course,” you nodded immediately, shaking your head at how you had managed to forget about the one thing you had planned to do for your birthday. Before you could reach for the frosted dessert, Natasha relit the candle and handed the cupcake to you as she began to sing “Happy Birthday.” When she reached the last note, you could hold it in no longer, and all the tears immediately began to flow.

“Oh my god, Y/N, I’m so sorry. Is my singing really that bad?” The redhead wasn’t sure whether to pull you closer or move away as she ran a hand through her hair, but she felt slightly comforted when she noticed you shaking your head.

“No, no, it’s just…” Natasha hesitantly began to rub your back in an effort to calm your sobs, “No one’s ever sang that for me before.”

“Ever?” She winced slightly at how her voice cracked, betraying her emotions to you despite her attempts to remain composed.

“Well, there used to be a video of it from my third birthday, but… I was three. So I don’t really remember it.” Natasha thought back to the many birthday celebrations the team had held, none of them being for you. The door to your room was always closed on your birthday. She’d always thought you had just gone out with friends and family, people outside of the Avengers, and who was she to get in the way of you and those you loved? But it had been the opposite. You had been hiding away in your room, and she hadn’t helped matters at all by waiting for three years to do anything. If only she’d gained the courage earlier, she could’ve helped ease your pain much sooner.

But all you saw through your tears was the way her head was cocked to the side, her spy training paying off as you couldn’t even begin to predict what she might be thinking. Your confusion slowed your tears somewhat, but that didn’t last for long as your mind shifted gears. You were ever the fool for sharing something so vulnerable with someone you barely knew.

So it was much to your surprise when Natasha finally reached her hand toward you, using her thumb to brush off the last few tears that made their way down your cheeks.

“You’ve never been invisible to me, Y/N. I see you. Always.” And with that, without responding, you turned away from her with a sniff to blow out the candle. “What’d you wish for?” the spy asked lightly, hoping the joke would help lift your mood.

“Nothing. This was more than I could’ve ever asked for.” Nat nodded slowly, keeping her eyes on you as she reached to take out the candle. Your eyes remained on the cupcake as if it would be ripped away from you if you turned away for a second. With her hand returned to your back, you began to dig into the cupcake, your eyes closing as you savored the taste. A cupcake just for you, on your birthday. Sure, it was a leftover cupcake, the frosting a bit too sweet and the cake itself dry and somewhat stale, but that didn’t matter. It was still the first in thirty years. 

-

That night, you lay in bed with the stars overhead, a smile on your face as you thought about the day’s events, your best birthday ever.

And maybe it was naive of you to believe what Natasha had told you earlier that day—it wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed your mind several times in the few hours since she told you that—but then you thought about the champagne and the glasses she’d given you. You thought about the way she’d examined your apartment with you one last time before she brought you to the Avengers Tower, about the way she gave you an encouraging smile during training when you became exhausted with Bruce’s cluelessness, about the way she’d shared her popcorn on movie nights with you and only you.

And in the room next to you, Natasha thought about your confusion, your tears, and the way desperation, hope, and amazement filled your face when you looked at her right before you blew out the candle. It was then that she made a vow to herself, to show you that you’d never be invisible, especially not to her.

“Happy birthday, Y/N,” she whispered, “You are seen.”

-----

🏷 : @vancityfire13 @007giu

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x gn!reader #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff #avengers x reader #marvel #mcu #I wrote something #alwaysmarveling

[sluttywonwoo]

study buddies || k.mg x reader

Pairing: frat!mingyu x fem reader 

Summary: studying for midterms with the guy you’re hooking up with goes exactly how you’d expect

Warnings: swearing, light smut (18+)

Word Count: 1.6k

a/n: reworked this old blurb originally posted on my tom holland fic account ( @wazzupmrstark ) for my gf’s birthday :)) happy birthday @hotgirlmingyu

Masterlist

You woke up to banging on your apartment door. Groaning, you rolled over to check your phone and saw that it was six am. You pushed yourself up and out of bed and padded into the kitchen to answer the door. You were surprised the relentless knocking hadn’t woken up your roommate, but she was a pretty heavy sleeper.

You yanked the door open to see Mingyu with a handful of textbooks. You squinted at him in confusion, wondering if you were seeing things. Mingyu had never been to your place before, you didn’t even know he knew where you lived.

His appearance startled you a bit. His hair was messy where it was usually slicked back or styled and he was wearing gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. You didn’t think you’d ever seen him in anything other than khakis and a douchey printed shirt.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, rubbing your eyes.

He frowned. “You said we should study for midterms together.”

You thought back to the last time you’d seen Mingyu. You couldn’t remember saying anything like that.

“Was I drunk?”

“Probably.”

“So why are you here?”

“To study. You agreed that we could help each other out.”

“Mingyu, I don’t even remember agreeing to that.”

“Well I’m already here,” he said and pushed past you into your apartment.

“Seriously? It’s Saturday.”

“Yeah, and midterms are next week.”

“Couldn’t you have waited until the sun was up?” you grumbled, mostly to yourself and shut the door behind him.

“We’ve got a lot of material to cover.”

You cursed under your breath as you watched him set up at your kitchen table, knowing you should probably study even though you desperately wanted to go back to bed.

You and Mingyu had met at a party at his fraternity and woke up the next morning tangled in the sheets of his bed. To say it was awkward would have been an understatement. You didn’t think you’d ever see him again, but to your horror, you saw him in your stats lecture on Monday and your mythology class on Thursday. This was a pretty big university. Why did the same asshole have to be in two of your classes?

As much as it annoyed you, you couldn’t stop thinking about Mingyu, and apparently, he was having a similar dilemma because every time you went out he seemed to be there, and every time you hooked up.

That was the extent of your relationship, though. You didn’t even speak to each other in class or at parties. The only time you talked was behind closed doors when one or both of you was naked. Even then you kept your guard up because you refused to let yourself fall for a frat boy with commitment issues who never wanted to be seen with the same girl twice. A boy who wouldn’t even talk to you in public.

But you couldn’t ignore the way your heart fluttered when he said your name as he was about to cum, or the way his lips felt against yours. He could be a total dick, but you’d also seen a softer side of him that he didn’t show many people. You forced yourself to forget about that side. It was easier that way.

“Okay, what are we starting with?” you asked with a sigh.

“We have the stats exam first, we should work on that.”

You made a face. Statistics was the harder out of the two for you. In fact, it was the hardest class you were taking this semester.

“I can’t believe I’m doing math before seven am.”

“You won’t be complaining when you ace the midterm,” he quipped, already working on a practice worksheet.

You watched him solve problems like he was checking items off a list. You knew he was good at statistics, but you didn’t know he was that good. Figures, a guy like him was good at pretty much everything. Everything except mythology apparently, because once you’d switched to that he was flustered and frustrated. You would quiz him on myths only for him to get every single question wrong.

“Mingyu, did you even read any of these?” you asked, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Yes, y/n, I read every one. How do you think I passed all the reading quizzes?”

“Cheating?” it slipped out before you could stop it and Mingyu gave you a hard glare. You held up your hands defensively. “Just a joke.”

“I don’t think it was.” He licked his lips. “But for what it’s worth I read them all. I just can’t keep them straight.”

You sighed. You felt bad, but you were getting frustrated too. And not just because Mingyu wasn’t grasping the myths. This was the longest you’d ever spent together (at least while you were awake) and you hadn’t even had sex. He just smelled so nice and looked so cute when he was concentrating that you couldn’t help feeling a little impatient. You had been at it for hours, you thought you would’ve done it at least once by now. But Mingyu was more serious about studying than you thought. It was kind of admirable and kind of annoying.

“Okay well reread through the Egyptian myths and I’ll quiz you again.”

“Alright.”

He pulled out his reading packet and flipped to the section you took out your phone and scrolled through social media mindlessly as he read, but it quickly got boring. You wished Mingyu would take a break so he could rail you. He was still reading intently, but you figured a little distraction couldn’t hurt.

You started by taking your hair down from your bun and shaking it out so that it fell around your shoulders. You knew your shampoo drove Mingyu crazy and hoped it would have an effect on him today. He shifted his seat, but didn’t look up from the packet. Next, you leaned over and rested your head on his shoulder. You’d never done something so domestic like this with Mingyu, but it seemed to work because he cleared his throat and adjusted his sweatpants.

“You know you could be working on math.”

You shrugged. “We already did stats for hours today. I think I’ll jump off a bridge if I look at one more differential equation.”

He fell silent and tried focusing back onto the reading, but you moved your hand to his thigh and kept it there as you continued to through twitter, not even reading what was on your screen.

“Stop that,” Mingyu muttered, making you jump a little.

“Why?”

“Fuck, because you’re distracting me. You look too hot right now.”

“I’m wearing pajamas.”

“I really don’t care. You still look hot and I’m trying not to fuck you senseless right now.”

“Well what’s stopping you?” you asked lowly and nipped at his ear.

“Need to finish this,” he replied through gritted teeth.

“I can’t convince you to take a break?” You moved the hand on his leg up so that you were cupping him over his pants.

He shook his head. “After.”

You leaned over and kissed his neck, then his jaw, and felt him get hard under your hand. “If I have to stop what I’m doing you won’t be able to walk for the next week.”

“That sounds like more of a motivator than a deterrent,” you admitted. “I’ll suck you off,” you offered and hooked your thumb in the waistband of his sweats, trying to bribe him.

“If you let me finish I’ll eat you out,” he countered.

You straightened up. It sounded like a pretty good deal.

“Fine.”

A few minutes passed in silence and you were waiting patiently, typing up a rough draft of an essay you had due for another class when Mingyu groaned.

“What?” you asked, wondering if he needed help.

“Can you please stop that?”

“Stop what? I’m literally doing nothing.” You were genuinely confused now.

“Just- I don’t know you’re making it so hard to concentrate.”

“Am I making it hard?” You smirked.

“Very funny.”

“Would it help if I put a paper bag over my head?”

“Probably.”

“Come on, keep reading about Osiris.”

“I don’t want to read about Osiris anymore, he’s a dick.”

“The faster you finish the faster you can get off.”

“I thought you didn’t want to wait,” Mingyu pointed out, trying to deflect.

“I think I recall something about you going down on me if I let you finish reading.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, but didn’t turn back to the book. Instead, he continued to gaze at you with those big brown eyes. You couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“What?” You felt your cheeks get warm.

“I just really want to kiss you right now.”

You smiled and raised your chin, challenging him. “Then do it.”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours. You closed your eyes and kissed him back, savoring the moment.

When you pulled away, Mingyu’s eyes were dark with want and you could see that he was now fully hard in his sweatpants.

“How about I eat you out now anyway?” He suggested, leaning forward to kiss your neck.

You moaned and brought your hands to his hair.

“You trying to bribe me?”

“Is it working?”

“Fuck yeah.”

Mingyu stood and picked you up from your chair. You wrapped your legs around his waist again. He pulled on your bottom lip with his teeth and smirked.

“Promise you’ll finish studying after?” you asked.

He considered it. “Does what we’re about to do count as studying mythology? Because it’s going to be legendary.”

You scrunched up your face in distaste. “No, I take it back. Put me down.”

Mingyu grinned. “Hey! You know no ones gives it to you as good as I do.”

“That confident are you?”

His grin turned into a smirk. “Is that a challenge?”

lmk what you think i always appreciated feedback!!

forever tags: @haven-cove

shoot me an ask to be added/removed from my taglist

#study buddies #kim mingyu x reader #mingyu x reader #mingyu smut #kim mingyu x fem reader #mingyu x fem reader #mingyu x you #mingyu x y/n #mingyu x female reader #kim mingyu x female reader #seventeen smut #seventeen x reader #svt smut #svt x reader

[anonymousfiction211]

Birthday gift

A/N: So, it is actually my birthday today!! I started to wonder what kind of present Loki would get for his girlfriend. And of course, I couldn't get it out of my head, before I had written it down and shared with you guys <3 Hope you enjoy! :)

Word count: 972 words

Warnings: None, just fluff

Birthday gift ‘Happy birthday’ Loki woke you up, way too happy. You weren’t a morning person, but your mood improved greatly when you woke up next to Loki. How could you be cranky with him next to you?

You kissed him and sat upright in the bed. ‘Thanks’ you said. Loki sat next to you and made a beautiful wrapped gift appear in his hands.

‘For you’ he smiled.

You had to urge to rip it open, but the gift was wrapped so carefully, you couldn’t do that. You started to open the gift very slowly, making sure you didn’t rip the paper or the bow on top.

‘You can tear it up, love’ Loki said.

‘No! You put so much effort in the wrapping’ you argued.

‘What are you going to do with the wrapping paper then?’

You shrugged ‘Save it, maybe for an art project?’ you answered.

After five minutes you finally had opened the gift. You smiled when you saw that it were different kind of supplies. From paper, to brushes, to paint, and pallets. You didn’t know how, but he got the exact brands that used to be your favourite. ‘You remembered’ you whispered.

You had met Loki a year ago when you joined the Avengers. The two of you became friends, but that turned into something much more, very quickly. Loki and you had been together for about seven months. But in the third month, at the time the two of you were still pretending that you weren’t madly in love with each other. You didn’t know how exactly, but you confessed that you used to paint. Loki was very interested and wondered if he could see some of your work. You told him that you used to love painting, but stopped a few years back, because of the continuous critique you got from a very toxic friend at the time. Loki asked if you didn’t miss it, you lied and told him you didn’t. In hindsight, trying to lie to the God of Lies wasn’t your best idea. But the whole thing was too painful the rehash and you wanted to change the subject.

‘Of course, I remembered!’ Lok feigned insulted. But then he turned more serious ‘I remember everything you say and everything you don’t want to say’ he said.

You pulled him towards you and kissed him deeply. ‘Thank you’

‘And I also have brought you something to paint’ he said while an orange appeared in his hand.

You laughed ‘Again with the weird fruit tradition’

‘Always’ he smiled. When the two of you were together for three months, he gifted you a banana. For you half-year-anniversary you received a pear. And now an orange. Loki had explained that it was part of an Asgardian tradition to gift your partner something healthy, in the hope that they will be as long as possible with you. It was weird, but sweet. You kissed him again. After that the two of you had to get downstairs. The rest of the team was probably waiting for your birthday breakfast, pancakes. And Tony wanted to go over the details of the party he was throwing you tonight.

Breakfast was loud and chaotic, but you loved every minute of it. Eventually you got to talking to Thor.

‘What did Loki get you?’ he asked.

‘Paint supplies’ you smiled. ‘Oh, and an orange’ you laughed.

Thor looked confused. Before you could ask why, Loki interrupted and stole him away. The two of them sat down together at the end of the table and you were already conversating with Natasha.

‘Why have you given her an orange?’ Thor asked once he was out of earshot from you.

‘I’m working on something’ Loki said. ‘So, just play along. I told her it was an Asgardian tradition to gift your partner something healthy. As a sign you want them to live as long as possible, so you have more time with them’

‘That’s… why did you tell her that?’ Thor asked.

He could see that Loki’s body language shifted. He started to fiddle with his hands, which he always did when he was extremely nervous. He looked at you and Thor could see that Loki’s world disappeared around him and that he could only focus on you at the other side of the table.

‘Loki?’ Thor asked to bring him back to earth.

‘I’m planning on giving her an apple and aks her the question when we are together for a year’ Loki whispered.

‘What kind of apple?’ Thor asked, he thought he already knew, but he wanted to be sure.

‘Yes, that kind of apple’ Loki replied.

‘How did you even obtain one?’

‘Mother helped’ was all Loki said. ‘Do you think... I mean, I don’t know if she will accept. What do you think?’

Thor thought it was quite endearing to see Loki this nervous. But how endearing as it was, Thor decided to end Loki’s self-inflicted torture. ‘I have no doubt that she will. You two are perfect for each other and she will consider herself the luckiest woman in the nine realms’ Thor assured Loki.

Loki looked relieved and grateful towards Thor. But only for a moment. After that he was back to his neutral self. ‘So, play along and don’t tell her!’ he said.

‘I won’t’ Thor replied. ‘But only if I get to be your best men’ he grinned.

Loki shot him an annoyed look, but Thor knew him long enough to see that Loki was actually quite happy that Thor wanted to be by his side at one of the most important events of his life.

‘Fine, but only because you force my hand at the moment’ after that Loki got up and sat down beside you. Thor just smiled to himself, as if the God of Mischief and Lies could be blackmailed.

Taglist: @delightfulheartdream @theaudacitytowrite @pescadoavocado @theestorm @justacripple @taurusbeing @callistoneith @mavelfan2335 @colorfulfreakstudentpizza @vbecker10 @prettylittlepluviophile

#loki marvel #loki laufeyson #loki oneshot #loki one shot #loki of asgard #loki odinson #loki #loki god of lies #loki god of mischief #loki x you #loki x reader #loki fic #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki fluff #loki sweet #loki story #loki boyfriend

[pebblysand]

[LET'S TALK WRITING!] - 15 THINGS I LEARNED FROM WRITING FANFICTION FOR FIFTEEN YEARS

Hmm... you read that right. Your girl has been writing fanfic for fifteen years! Or at least, my fanfiction.net account, created on the 13th January 2007, turns fifteen today. Happy birthday! So, in honour of the over 400,000 words I’ve written across seven fandoms, here is a list of the fifteen most important fic-writing lessons learned over the last fifteen years. This post is incredibly self-indulgent and over 5,000 words long, so if you intend to do anything other than rapidly skim it, grab yourself a cup of tea, haha. I hope you will however find this advice somewhat valuable.

ON STARTING OUT:

1. CHOOSE YOUR USERNAME CAREFULLY - IT BECOMES YOUR BRAND

Other writers might disagree, but I am a strong advocate for having one username across the board. I am pebblysand on ff, ao3, tumblr, twitter, discord, tiktok and literally anywhere else you can think of that is related to my writing. Partly because of a debilitating lack of originality, but also because it is easier to be known as one "thing" everywhere. Of course, some fanfic writers manage fine without it, but I think you do make your life slightly harder, marketing-wise. Links get broken, people get lost between platforms, and having the same “name” everywhere makes finding you a bit easier.

Regarding what to pick, when I started writing fanfic, I was thirteen years old. I picked a username that was... stupid. To the point that I don't even want to mention it here. It was very fandom specific, and a clear clue as to the fact that I was... too young. When I grew up, I changed my username to something more "mature", which was honestly a hassle. I had to hyphenate oldusername-newusername for about a year before I fully transitioned, so as not to lose my readership, and I had to go through the tedious process of changing my logins everywhere. Don't be like me. Learn from my stupidity haha.

Generally, I would advise you to pick:

something that has more to do with your person than your fandom. This is because you might not always write in the same fandom and may want to keep the same accounts.

an actual (version) of a name. It doesn't have to be your name (in fact, it probably shouldn't), but it's often easier for people to remember an author's name as SarahClarke than PineTrees98, for example. This is clearly something I didn't do, and I sort of regret it. Some fanfic authors who branched out into original fiction kept their fanfic penname for publishing original books, and it allows for more reader transfers. Of course, you might not want to do that and keep your fanfic work and original work completely separate, but it's nice to keep your options open.

2. THE ONLY GOOD REASON TO WRITE FANFIC IS BECAUSE YOU WANT TO

In my time, writing fanfic was shameful. You wrote it under a penname, on the internet, and never told anyone you read fanfic/were in fandom (let alone wrote it), IRL. Being a nerd was deeply uncool. You could get bullied for it. You could even lose your job because of it.

I am glad that this changed. Seeing young people on platforms like tiktok openly discussing fanfic (both as a concept, and certain fanfics in particular), putting their real names and faces to it, is fantastic and inspiring. This being said, I feel like it's become a "cool" phenomenon. These days, I see a lot of posts from young people talking about stats, number of kudos, kudos-to-hits ratios, popularity, etc., wanting to write fanfic to become “fandom famous.” And, don't get me wrong: a) this has always existed, and b) I'm not going to pretend I'm completely immune to numbers myself. But, for the most part, try to remember that writing fanfic is a hobby. You are producing it for free, and it should first and foremost be something that you enjoy for you. It's okay to want to gravitate towards writing more popular stuff because you want attention (there is nothing wrong with wanting attention), but remember that growing a readership is a long, tedious process, which can only be sustainable if you enjoy writing. You don't have to write fanfic to be part of fandom. Fandoms thrive on diversity, and not everyone has to contribute the same way. Don't force yourself if you don't want to.

Also, I know this is easier said than done, but try not to pay too much attention to numbers. This is for your own mental health. The only measure of whether your work is "successful" should be if you enjoy it. Try not to compare yourself to “famous” authors, especially when you're starting out. And, remember that the work you're most proud of will almost never coincide with other people's favourite.

3. THIS BEING SAID, HAVE A HARD THINK ABOUT THE FANDOM YOU'RE WRITING IN

I've said this many times before, but whilst I currently write Harry Potter fanfiction and consider HP the first thing I was ever a “fan” of, it took me 12 years to actually write HP fic. For the first decade of my fanfic writing "career", I wrote in other, small-ish fandoms. I once wrote a 143k-word fic in a fandom with 73 entries on AO3. Total.

This taught me so much. In small fandoms, people will read anything. When I wrote for The Good Wife, for instance, my nightly ritual was to update the fanfiction.net page and read everything published that day. That was possible. There'd be like... five/ten fics a day, maybe? People didn't tag things (beyond pairings), because looking through the archive without many filters was manageable. And, since there's not that much content, while you do have a smaller pool of possible readers, those people will actually read your stuff. Moreover, they will comment, chat about fandom things, and give you feedback, because they're genuinely invested in you getting better and providing more content.

The communities are also (generally) a lot more tight-knit. Everyone knows each other; there are a lot less arseholes or mean comments coming your way. As a new writer, positive reinforcement and kind helpful comments are mostly what you need. My first comment on my first HP fic last year was "this is a joke" and having been in the fic "business" for over ten years, I was able to laugh and brush it off as spam - I'm not sure I could have done that as efficiently as a new, 13-year-old writer.

This being said, of course, if you're dead-set on writing fic in a popular fandom, see point 2. and roll with it, because the golden rule is: write what you like. But, if there's a small fandom that you like, for which you have ideas, then I would highly recommend starting out there, then moving on to something bigger when you feel ready. Big fandoms can be brutal. People have loads of opinions, and not all of them are valuable. Writing to a niche audience that is truly involved can be a much more satisfying and interesting experience for a new writer.

4. NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS - IT'S OKAY TO WRITE IN ENGLISH, BUT BEWARE OF THE IMPLICATIONS

You might not know this, but I'm French. My first language is French. And, while I did start writing fanfic in French at the very beginning, I quickly switched to English (and never looked back). Generally, I am thankful that fandom, as well as reading and writing fanfic, basically taught me English. This choice has had a tremendous impact on my life that I could not have foreseen at the time. Because I could speak/write good English, I could study in English, which meant I could move abroad, which also meant I became an immigrant, settled in Ireland, etc. The life and career I have now are in great part due to/thanks to the decision I made as a teenager to write in English.

This being said, if you’re not a native English speaker going into English-language fanfic, here are a few things I think you should know:

First off, don’t you dare apologise for existing. I read so many messages and fics every day, starting with “sorry for my poor English but…” and going on to write the most beautiful stories. I know that’s just insecurity and modesty speaking, but trust me, you speak multiple languages, and you speak them well enough to write in them - do not apologise for being awesome! Now, if you want to let your readers know that English is not your first language, that’s okay. I don’t do it anymore, but when I didn’t feel as confident, I did used to write something like: “English is not my first language, so if there’s anything that looks wrong, let me know!” I think it’s a great way to ask for indulgence, but also for feedback, without being apologetic for something you shouldn’t feel the need to apologise for. And, also remember that everyone makes mistakes. Even native English speakers do! I’m sure you make mistakes in your first language too! There’s nothing to be ashamed of, just things to learn.

This being said, beware that yes, you will have to work harder than everyone else. Not only do you have to learn how to creatively write and find your “voice”, but you also have to learn sentence structure, vocabulary, etc. Also, chances ar, you will be writing fanfic for an original work that occurs in a different culture, so you will need to learn that as well. When you start out, juts know that everything will sound wrong. Your words, your dialogue, your rhythm, etc. To combat that, you will have to edit, edit, edit and read. Books, published novels, fanfiction, everything you can get your hands on. Study how other people shape narratives, dialogues, etc. You’ll get there, but it is a lot of work!

Also, remember that errors will always slip through the cracks. I swear. You can read and re-read ten times, you will always get something wrong. You can become perfectly fluent, to the point where no one can tell you’re not native, but something will always give you away. My personal tell is prepositions. Is it: looking down at? looking down to? Who the fuck knows? Not me. Also lie and lay. I never know and will never know which one is which.

Lastly, one thing that happened to me that I wouldn’t have thought of when I first chose to write in English is that once you learn a technique and develop your own “voice” in one language, it is incredibly hard to translate into another. At this stage, having learnt everything that I've learnt in the past fifteen years in English, I don’t believe I’d be able to write creatively in French. This has ramifications, especially if you intend to branch out into original work eventually. My mum once said to me: “It’s just really sad, because I’ll never be able to read what you write” (she doesn’t speak English). Not going to lie, that thought hurt a little. Overall, it is something I wish I’d thought about when I began writing fifteen years ago.

5. GET A BETA. TRUST ME, YOU NEED ONE. EVERYONE NEEDS ONE.

Now, I’m saying this in the “starting out” category, but I acknowledge that finding a beta when you’re beginning is hard. Chances are, at this point, you’re young, shy, and you don’t know anyone in fandom - the task can feel daunting. I understand.

You don’t have to have a beta to start posting (at least I don’t think so), but if the opportunity presents itself, I do recommend you seize it. And, not only to spot the small typos or grammar mistakes, but also to review your plot, characterisation, etc. Having a second set of eyes on your writing is invaluable. I learnt so much from my successive betas throughout the years.

If you choose to actively look for a beta, here are a few tips for finding one:

.

If you’re starting out, literally anyone can be your beta. You don’t need to be picky. Since you’re only beginning, most of the feedback that anyone can give you will be new and useful. If you’re bold, you can slide into someone’s DMs on tumblr and just ask. Worse case scenario, they’ll say no. As far as I’m concerned, the only reason I’ve ever said no to someone who’s asked is literally just lack of time. Nothing more. I want to do a good job and provide useful feedback, and that takes time I sometimes don’t have. Please try not to take any rejections personally. This being said, if you’re a bit more shy, I’ve noticed that plenty of fandom discord servers have a “@beta” role where you can ask whoever is available to review your work. I find that takes the pressure off feeling that you’re “imposing” on someone, as you literally have people volunteering their time for it willingly.

.

I’ve found that as I grew as a writer, I needed to be a bit more picky with who beta-ed my work. As you learn things, you might realise there’s a certain type of feedback you’re looking for, or certain things you’re looking to improve on. The way I currently find my betas is through falling in love with their work product. I generally find someone whose work I read and with whom I’m like: omg, I want to write like them. Then, I online stalk them, comment on everything they post, and fangirl until they respond. Then, we chat, and I let the fact that I don’t have a beta casually come up in conversation until they offer. Seriously. I'm a fucking stalker, but it’s worked multiple times, lol. In my defence, I’ve had people do it to me too. If anyone has any other tips, feel free to reply to this post with them, but that’s my embarrassing method.

.

ON WRITING:

6. GOOD WRITING TAKES TIME, WORK AND COMMITMENT.

There are many ways to write fanfic. You can be like me and take two hundred hours per chapter, edit every word you write about ten times, or you can be one of those who churn out tumblr anon prompts like there’s no tomorrow. Whichever way works for you.

But, regardless of how you do it, if you’re looking to get better at writing, it’s going to take time. And, effort. Trust me, none of your favourite writers have it randomly flowing out their fingers. Every fanfic writer I know who writes well has worked hard towards it. I’m not even that great and at this stage, I’ve probably spent hundreds of thousands of hours working. So, you have to enjoy it, or else it’ll feel like a chore and you’ll quickly stop.

However, the good news is that the more you write, the more you read, the better you will get. Almost automatically. Then, you’ll become familiar with the strange feeling of re-reading something of yours you were super proud of at the time of publication, and which now makes you cringe to no end. Welcome to being a writer.

This being said, again, you don’t need to want to be good/improve to write fanfic. If it’s just a fun way to let go and blow off steam, do it! You might not be as successful as some of the best fanfic authors out there, but it’s a hobby! It has to be fun, you don’t have to be any good at it!

7. DON’T LET ANYONE (INCLUDING YOURSELF) MAKE YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT HAVING CERTAIN SPECIFIC INTERESTS

If you start delving into the maze of writing advice content online, you’ll quickly find that a recurring theme is: challenge yourself! Get out of your comfort zone! And, whilst I truly believe that is profitable (see point 6 on hard work), I also think it creates this myth that you must be good at everything. And, truth be told: you’re allowed to identify areas where you just… can’t be arsed. It can be a ship, a point of view, a specific genre… It doesn’t matter. Just know that you do not have to write everything - especially not if it is only to satisfy your readers (again, see point 1 about enjoying what you write). For me, for instance, I don’t read pure fluff. I don’t like pure fluff. I don’t like long banter-y dialogue and cutesy things for the sake of cutesy things. I can write fluffy scenes within a bigger piece of work when it is needed, and I can do that well, but that’s about as much as I’m willing to commit. And… That’s fine. Not only is fic meant to be fun, but you don’t have to challenge yourself with writing things that don’t fit within what you’re interested in.

Now, don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek to improve - just that you should in areas where you actually want/need that improvement. To take myself as an example again, I have my own areas where I want to improve. With my current long fic, I wanted to learn how to write a continuous, uninterrupted narrative, rather than just a succession of scenes. I would also like to learn to write better action scenes, so I’ve tried to focus more on that. Lastly, I’d love to learn how to write more crime/mystery-type stories, because it’s one of my favourite genres to read, so that’s something I’m keeping in mind for a future project. You’re allowed your own special interests!

8. WHEN YOU EDIT, READ YOUR WORDS OUT LOUD.

If you’re going to edit your work (you should, though I’d say most people who start out don’t - you’ll probably see more point to it as you grow as a writer), it is much easier to a) print out your work and b) read out loud. I find it allows me to see typos and mistakes I wouldn’t see otherwise. I am forced to read slower, and focus on every word. It also gives prose more rhythm. When reading out loud, you will hear punctuation, emphases, etc. much more clearly than you would in your head. I know people who’ve read my stuff regularly comment on the “rhythm” of it - well, that’s the “secret.” Lastly, I find it easier to identify filler words that need to be deleted v. words that would ordinarily fall into that category, but that I like to keep because they make the prose sound more natural. Obviously, it depends on the tone you want to achieve and the “voice” of your narrator, but I find reading out loud does wonders.

9. WORLDBUILDING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE BIG.

This is a recent lesson. As someone who only writes canon-compliant stuff, I’d never thought of myself as the kind of person who “worldbuilds.” I don’t write massive, developed, colourful AUs. I used to believe that worldbuilding meant you had to invent magic or time-travel, completely build a whole new world from the one that exists in your fandom. Yet, good worldbuilding actually only refers to the world within your work. It’s the level of detail, intricacies, and logic the world and the characters obey that make a good world that the reader will enjoy. It doesn’t have anything to do with fantasy or big ideas. You can build and shape an incredible world within someone’s kitchen if you want to. Your story must just be rich and make sense to the reader. That’s what worldbuilding is, so don’t stress it too much.

10. TIME IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

If you follow me on here or have read my work on AO3, you’ve heard this one before. I will however repeat it, because it genuinely is the most valuable piece of writing advice I have ever received: Time is a social construct. If your story doesn’t work, it’s because you’re not telling it in the most compelling order.

We tend to think of stories as chronological, but they don’t actually have to be. Flashbacks, flashforwards, forewarning, etc. are all places where you can have incredible fun as a writer. It’s like opening a new dimension: you can play with scenes, narrators, POVs, but you can play with time as well. IRL, we view time in a straight line, but it is actually a narrative device like any other. So: with every story, think about your starting point. Think about your end point. Think about what’s in the middle. Sometimes, chronology works, and sometimes, it doesn’t. Sometimes, the most impactful way to tell a story is starting from the middle, or from the end. Don’t let yourself get limited.

11. YOU DON’T HAVE TO WRITE EVERY DAY. IDENTIFY WHEN YOU WRITE BEST, AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

As a collective, we’ve built a toxic narrative of the “inspired writer.” This writer writes with no room for schedule and/or planning, just as inspiration strikes him, like an artist’s muse. Trust me: if I had to wait for inspiration to strike me to write, I probably wouldn’t have written half as much as I have in the past fifteen years. Inspiration is a strange, nebulous beast, and most of the time, it’s also full of shit. How many times have I looked back at stuff I’d written while “inspired” and gone “oh my god, what was I thinking?” Honestly, following your inspiration is the stupidest thing you can do, as a writer.

This flaw in the “inspired writer” image has been identified by plenty of writers, giving way to the just-as-toxic opposite prescription. You will see: as soon as you start delving into the world of real writing advice, you’ll find many articles and books saying things like: “you must write every day” or “you must write first thing in the morning.” Stephen King has done a lot of damage in that category.

The truth is that, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve found there’s something to both pieces of advice listed above. As with everything, it’s all about measure. Let’s be real: if forcing yourself to sit in front of the computer every day or getting up at five o’clock in the morning to write before your kids wake up works for you, by all means, do it. But personally, I find most of these posts incredibly prescriptive and unrealistic for anyone who, well, has a life. This is true even if you don’t write fanfic specifically. Unless writing is your full-time job, you probably will not be able to adhere to a strict schedule. Hell, even if writing is a full-time job, you won’t be able to do it. There will be days when you just feel tired, or preoccupied by real life things, and, dare I say, completely uninspired. I call them my “brain dead” days. These are days where everything you write, everything you try, just feels like it will never work. On those days, I honestly hardly see the point of tying yourself up to the computer for no obvious reason. Again, it’s a hobby, something you’re supposed to enjoy, not a chore.

However, I find it useful to identify when you’re typically at your most productive/inspired, writing-wise. For example, I find it easier to write in a) long stretches of time (i.e. at least five consecutive hours) and b) after 4PM. The reason behind a) is that it takes me a while to “get in the mood” and feel my ideas come to life, so I find just getting a few words down during random ten minute breaks, incredibly hard. The reason behind b) is that I am not a morning person, my brain doesn’t turn “on” until at least 10AM, so there is very little point for me to force myself to get up at five just to sleep at my desk. As such, while I don’t just sit there waiting for inspiration to “strike”, I know when I am most likely to feel like writing, and make sure to exploit that, blocking off these “fertile” periods of time to give myself the opportunity to write.

So, this is to say: you don’t have to write on a particular schedule. Writing a little bit every day works for you? Great. But if you only feel like writing on Sunday nights every other week where your kids/significant other aren’t in the house, then that’s great, too. Quality time with your words and your focus definitely outperforms quantity of hours spent staring at your phone, because your brain just isn’t performing at its best.

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ON INTERACTING WITH FANDOM

12. POPULARITY IS A BLESSING AND A CURSE.

I think this is a bit self-evident but I see many new writers wishing their fic was “more popular,” had more hits, etc. And, while I completely understand the sentiment (we all write to an audience), I wish I could tell new writers to just let themselves grow and enjoy the attention they do have now. I’ve never been extremely successful or a BNF myself, but I have had friends who were, and let me tell you that with attention comes a) great responsibility and b) a lot of comments/remarks you wish you didn’t have. Even at my own level, I’ve had a few instances of a fic/a chapter garnering a lot of feedback/comments and they’re not all always nice. Sometimes, the attention feels overwhelming. So, please, whatever you do, don’t tie your worth to your numbers - however high or low. Try and enjoy what comes up whenever it does, and be happy, even if you’re writing for yourself and a couple of friends. As I’ve said before, this is just a hobby!

13. ANSWER YOUR BLOODY COMMENTS. READERS DON’T OWE YOU A COMMENT, BUT YOU DO OWE THEM A RESPONSE.

Now, I know this one will be controversial, because I already got attacked on reddit a few times for saying it, but here it goes: while comments/reviews are nice, they are in no way, shape, or form owed to the writer. They are lovely, nice-to-have-s when you’ve written a fic that someone either particularly enjoyed, or which elicited some kind of feedback/response from them. Not everyone who reads your fic owes you their time and effort to, on top of reading your words, leave you a comment. They don’t even owe you a kudo, if they don’t think your fic deserves it. I’m sorry to say this, but believing you are “owed” a review just for putting work out makes you sound like an entitled twat.

This being said, if someone does take the time to go out of their way to leave you a review, especially if it’s a long and detailed one, you - in my opinion - do owe them the time to answer. They’ve provided you with a nice-to-have, something they definitely did not have to do, and which probably made your day. The least you can do is say thank you.

I���ve read many “reasons” authors give to not respond to comments: wanting to not “taint” the work (preserve the line of separation between author/reader), or having social anxiety, mental illness, etc. And, look: if your personal situation makes it impossible for you to answer comments or if you think your writing considerations - whatever they are - prevent you from doing so, then fine. Don’t answer your comments. There is no gun to your head, and you aren’t forced. It’s just - IMO - not very polite. Especially when all you literally have to say is: "thank you."

This being said, of course, you don’t have to push this to a degree of absurdity. I’m a bit of an idiot and have this weird principle that I-must-answer-everything, but obviously if the comment is rude or not constructive, you can arbitrate and see if you want to answer or not. The line I personally draw is that I don’t always answer comments on old fics I posted in fandoms I’m not in anymore. Additionally, while I always do answer, I don’t always do so right away. I’ll often take a few days/weeks to respond. Lastly, obviously, this is also within the limit of what you can do in terms of time commitment. If your fic suddenly becomes incredibly popular with hundreds of comments you can’t answer, then of course, don’t feel bound to answer them. There are a lot of caveats and special cases to that one principle but generally, I think if you can, answering your comments is better than not.

14. FANFIC CAN BE A GOOD SEGWAY INTO ORIGINAL WRITING, BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE.

On the topic of whether fanfic is a waste of time or a good way to learn writing skills, you’ll find every opinion under the sun. I think - personally - that fanfic has taught me a lot of skills and has allowed me to find my voice. I would probably also have done so if I'd started writing with original fiction, but I think that without the community aspect of fanfic, it would have been much harder to get feedback on my writing, which definitely made me grow quicker. I don’t do much original writing, but the one short story I wrote got published from the get-go, so I believe that does say something about the skills I honed. I’ve seen incredible writing in fandom, sometimes better than published fiction, so in my humble opinion, I do not think fanfic is a waste of time, if that’s what you’re into. Fanfic is also about having fun, and I don’t believe having fun is ever a waste of time.

However, I see so many posts/articles online that just assume every fic writer wants to be a professional writer. Like: why are you wasting your time writing fanfic, it’s not publishable anyway? And, the thing is: for the love of God, do not think for a second that you have to use fanfic as a means to an end. It’s fine if you are, but please, do not feel like you have to strive to be a professional writer to write fanfic. Again, the great thing about fanfic is that it’s a hobby that, because it isn’t marketable and has no financial value, can be just that: a hobby. My former beta was probably the best writer I’ve ever seen online, but she was always like: nope, I enjoy writing, but I like my day job, thanks very much. I’ve personally thought about original fiction, toy with the idea regularly, but it is definitely not the reason I write fanfic. Trust me, you can be happy just writing fanfic without ever wanting more, that’s perfectly okay.

15. THE FRIENDSHIPS AND DISCUSSIONS YOU WILL CREATE OFF THE BACK OF FANFIC ARE THE BEST THINGS TO COME OUT OF THIS.

Honestly, I might be ending this list on a terrifyingly cheesy note but the best thing that’s ever come out of my fanfic writing habit, over the past 15 years, is the friendships I’ve built through it, in fandom. This is why I’m such a big advocate for answering comments - I genuinely have had the best discussions, have met so many friends, have had so many laughs, etc. through reading and writing fanfic for the last fifteen years. The community aspect of fandom is truly priceless, the willingness to help all across is unrivalled, and I’ve learnt so much both humanly and in writing, by spending the last fifteen years online. So, the biggest advice I will give you if you’re just starting out is: a) have fun and b) talk to people. Honestly, you won’t regret it.

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Anyway, I hope this was helpful. If you want to read my fics, you can find them here. My original pieces and rec list can also be found online. Lastly, if you want to support my writing, you can find my tippee page here.

Thanks so much for reading!

#writing advice #fic writing #writing tips and tricks #fanfiction #things i've learned #fic #writing