smitten: y/n (reluctantly) agrees to go to jimin's big halloween bash and she forgot how much she actually hated parties
➺ pairing; jeon jungkook x reader
➺ genre; smitten!miniseries!! bff!kook and smitten!y/n!! university!au!! honk honk humour!! the boohoo angsty wattpady fic of your dreams!! the pining and yearning is off the charts!! jimin’s still an asshole but what’s new!!
➺ wordcount; 9.2k
➺ summary; putting on a smile while watching ji-eun cuddle up to jungkook is already hard enough, but when y/n is (reluctantly) invited to jimin’s massive halloween party, she can’t help but even more out of place.
➺ what to expect; “you know, you’re my best friend and i wanna make sure that everything is… good between us.”
➺ currently playing on cee.fm; favourite crime [olivia rodrigo]
➺ smitten: part one [the almost confession]; part two [the incriminating note]; part three [the date]
»»————- 👻 ————-««
you’re pretty sure you’re in hell.
you’re not sure what you did in your past life to have deserved this, but past-life y/n must’ve killed a baby or set an entire village on fire or something to that degree because you’re pretty sure that in this current timeline, you’re in hell
you stay quiet as you munch on your (slightly soggy, unfortunately) sandwich, scrolling through your phone (but not really paying attention to your instagram feed because apparently you’re a glutton for punishment and you keep wanting to look up and just stare at jungkook and ji-eun in all their coupley glory) while your foot taps anxiously against the ground
you know that if you say you can sit somewhere else to give the two of them some privacy that jungkook will insist that you stay, but you feel like the longer you sit here the faster the people around you will see that you’re just a big ol’ monster truck sized third wheel
you could lie and say that you have to go to the library to get some work done, but jungkook’s really good at knowing when you’re lying to him (apparently you have VERY obvious tells which you were very unaware of) so that’s not going to be a feasible plan either
it’s just that being here is incredibly uncomfortable but it seems like the only option you have is to stay and sit through it — which, again, reiterates your point of you being pretty sure you’re being punished for something you did in your past life
“my handsome boy…” ji-eun giggles lightly, reaching over to adjust the collar of jungkook’s jacket before leaning over to kiss him on the cheek, “i like this jacket a lot.”
“yeah?” he gives his girlfriend a boyish grin, looking down at his jacket before looking back up at her, “lucky for you, you can borrow it anytime you’d like-“ you glance up at them, the little voice in your brain stopping you from interrupting them to say that that is a nice jacket because you chose it for jungkook — and you feel like that comment could potentially lump you into the pick-me-girl-best-friend category which you’d very much like to avoid
“borrow? no, i’m stealing it-“
“no way! i got this thrifted for, like, fifteen bucks, i’m not letting you steal it-“
“alright, then you better sleep with one eye open the next time i stay over at yours because this is a nice jacket-“
you can’t help but look over at the empty seat next to you on the bench as you let out a quiet sigh… you have never felt so horribly single in your entire life.
and it doesn’t help that it’s cuffing szn this cuffing szn that all over your social media — your tiktok feed has not been very friendly to you as of late, the app flooded with countless videos of cute couples bundling up for the colder seasons
if anything you need to be cuffed to the wall before you go crazy and rip your eyelashes out from frustration
unsurprisingly, jungkook and ji-eun are a couple now, but really, are you surprised? jungkook is great, ji-eun is great, they went on a great first date (thanks to you, let’s be honest) and all the dates after that went well too because it lead to jungkook asking ji-eun if she wanted to be exclusive with him
you knew that things were going well when jungkook started hanging out with you less and less
and then when they officially got together, you didn’t think it could possibly get any worse but your already puny twice a week hangouts turned into two hours a week before he’d zip off to spend time with ji-eun
in fact, within the last two weeks, he’s only hung out with you once… which is fine, because you understand the honeymoon stage and you understand how giddy people can be when they get into a brand new relationship and just want to spend all their time with this new person
you know for sure that if you were the one who’d gotten into a new relationship, you’d definitely want to spend as much time with your person because why wouldn’t you want to do that? you really can’t blame the guy
you have other friends you can hang out with, but it’s just not as fun because even when you’re having a good time with them, your mind keeps wandering back to what jungkook is doing with ji-eun
and of course, when jungkook mentioned to you over a quick lunch one afternoon that he was planning on asking ji-eun to make things official, it’s not like you could tell him that it was a horrible idea and that he shouldn’t be dating ji-eun without ruffling feathers and raising brows of suspicion
the only person it would be a horrible idea for would be you, and you’re not enough of a dickhead to ruin a potentially good thing because of your own desires
and obviously, she said yes because why wouldn’t she say yes?
…
you know, there really isn’t a way for you to talk about this situation without sounding like the most bitter person on the planet, so perhaps you should move on now
“okay, i’m putting you two on drinks duty for the party!” jimin seems to appear out of thin air and you turn your head to look at him standing at the front of the table with an armful of flyers and the usual bossy, snarky persona that literally drains you every time you have an interaction with him, “unless you’re too busy making out to handle that.”
“no, we can handle it-“ ji-eun rolls her eyes playfully, pulling away from jungkook before reaching over and plucking the list from jimin’s slim fingers, “jesus, jimin. twelve bottles of vodka??”
“i’ll give you my credit card, just put all the charges on it-“ jimin shrugs, sliding in next to you before nudging you over a little, “this is going to be my greatest party yet. i’m charging $10 an admission and i’m renting out this huge house- i don’t think you can even comprehend how massive this party is going to be. it’s gonna be so much better than last year’s one.”
“i remember hearing about your party last year!” you chime in, offering jimin a polite smile even though he’s not looking at you, “it sounded like it was super fun.”
“so, you guys are on drinks, so that’s covered-“ jimin makes a tick on his clipboard before nodding to himself, “decor is covered, catering is covered, rent for the night is covered…”
you poke your tongue against the inside of your cheek, slumping in your seat a little and resisting the urge to roll your eyes
you still have no clue what jimin’s problem is with you, but at this point you’ve gotten used to the way he acts like you literally do not exist at all
you mentioned it to jungkook one time, wondering if maybe you were just looking too far into it and that there was nothing to take personally to which he responded with an enthusiastic nod and a “no, i also get the vibe that he doesn’t like you and i have no idea why… just let him be an ass if he wants to be one, don’t stoop to his level. life is too short to waste energy on weird people.”
so if jimin wants to continue being an ass to you, you’re just gonna let it roll off you like water off a duck’s back
“funny enough, y/n and i were gonna go to your party last year, but the kids in y/n’s building were trick or treating so we decided to stay home and watch horror movies and hand out candy instead-“ jungkook clears his throat, eyes flickering over to you for a brief second, “we also, like, decorated the doorway like it was a haunted apartment to freak the kids out. and y/n had this great idea to have a cauldron filled with warm spaghetti and she told the kids it was brain stew-“
“oh my god, i forgot about that-“ you snort, “i feel like we should’ve done, like, warm pudding instead or something, but the spaghetti kinda had the same effect and my kitchen smelled like an italian restaurant for two weeks after that-“
“let’s talk costumes!” jimin interrupts you, smacking his palm down on the table before pointing his pen at ji-eun and jungkook, “please don’t show up in anything tacky.”
“we were thinking barbie and ken!” ji-eun grins, “not tacky, totally trendy — i know we probably won’t be the only barbie and kens in the room, but it’s just so trendy and i loved her pink sequinned cowboy outfit- or if that’s not available, i think the 80s skater costumes were a vibe-“
“i can’t whait to talk about horshes and capitahlism wiv a bunch of ovher kensj.” jungkook laughs lightly with a mouthful of sandwich, dabbing his mouth with his napkin before crumpling it up into a ball and tossing it at you
you scowl playfully when it bounces off your forehead and lands on the ground
“you could go as allen, y/n. that’d be pretty funny.” jungkook swallows his bite, and you want to tell him that he doesn’t have to include you in every part of the conversation because you can practically see the pity for you radiating off of him in waves
you know for a fact he feels bad that he’s not been able to hang out with you as much lately because every time you do hang out he always brings you a drink or a snack with sympathetic little puppy dog eyes
and every time you have lunch with him and ji-eun he’s always making an effort to include you in the conversation — especially when jimin is around because again, it’s pretty clear the guy doesn’t like you
you and jungkook spent an entire afternoon trying to figure out why he didn’t like you so much, but you couldn’t come up with any conclusive results, so now whenever jimin is around, jungkook makes even more effort to include you in the conversation
“allen was my favourite character, so that’s not even a bad idea.” you chirp, pulling out one of the flyers from jimin’s neat pile before looking at it for the details
“oh, right. yeah, you can come too, i guess.” jimin clears his throat quietly, taking the flyer back from you with a chuckle, “…you don’t seem like you’d have anything crazy going on on a friday night.”
“i can come too? i thought that everyone was invited to this thing?” you raise an eyebrow, pointing to the little note on the flyer, “all it says is general admission.”
“…right.” jimin smiles sweetly at you, “and i suppose i’ll waive the fee for you since you’re… friends with jungkook.”
“how sweet of you.” you respond curtly, offering a smile just as sweet before letting it drop as soon as he looks away
you are absolutely dreading having to go to this party.
»»————- 👻 ————-««
“are you sure you don’t want us to come and pick you up? ji-eun has space in her car, you’d just have to sit in the back with all the drinks n stuff-“
“i’m good, jungkook, really-“ you mutter, pausing for a second to smudge out your lipstick before leaning back in your chair and turning side to side to look at your finished look
not that this is jungkook’s fault, but the fact that the two of you really haven’t been hanging out as often gave you a lot of time to think about what you wanted to dress up as for jimin’s halloween costume, and after a solo spooky movie binge the other weekend, you decided that you wanted to dress up as emily from the corpse bride
sure, it’s been done so many times — but you love the movie and you love emily and you had so much time to get everything you needed for this costume so why not dress up as her??
you reach up to adjust your blue wig, tugging at it slightly to make sure it’s nice and secure
“i’m just gonna uber there! plus, my place is kind of out of the way if you guys are already headed to jimin’s.” you clear your throat, “thank you for the offer though. make sure to let ji-eun know i really appreciate the gesture.”
“okay, i will…” jungkook murmurs, and you can tell by the tone in his voice that he wants to say something but he’s holding himself back, “i guess i’ll see you at the party, then? we’ll probably be there in about forty minutes.”
“yes, i’ll see you guys at the party.” you nod, wiping the leftover blue lipstick on your fingers on a tissue before reaching over to get ready to press the hangup button
“y/n?” jungkook’s voice crackling out from your phone speaker makes you pause, and you pull your hand back
“yea?”
“we’re- we’re good, right?” the question is somewhat of a surprise to you due to its weirdly serious, non-jungkook nature, your eyes flickering down to look at the contact photo you have set for your friend
he grins like a maniac at the camera, eyes wide and lit up with excitement at the cheesy corn dog he’s holding in front of him
the corner of your mouth twitches in a fond smile at the memory of that day — jungkook was convinced he’d be able to eat three corn dogs in one sitting and the day ended with him basically destroying your toilet and then refusing to let you use it until the smell cleared out
“what do you mean?” you clear your throat quietly, lips parting to say something else before you press them together and decide against it
“i mean- i know we haven’t been hanging out a lot lately so i just-“ jungkook coughs, “you know, you’re my best friend and i wanna make sure that everything is… good between us.”
“i-“ you pause again, gaze averting to the side as you think about his comment
if you’re being completely honest, you don’t think everything is good between the two of you — the first reason why being the fact that you are still completely and utterly head over heels in love with him, and the second reason being that he’s in a relationship with someone else and you’re really not sure how much more of this you can take before you go insane
but this isn’t exactly something you can hash out over a crackly phone call, and you’re really not in the mood to potentially destroy two relationships at once
you really don’t know what you’re going to do about this emotional mess, but what you do know is that you’re going to have to take it day by day until you’re eventually ready to face it head on — and tonight, your only job is to smile, enjoy being young, and have lots of fun at what you’re sure is going to be an amazing party despite it being hosted by someone who hates your guts for no reason
“we’re- we’re good, kook.” you manage to push out, despite the words practically fighting their way out of your mouth, “you’re my best friend, too.”
“okay. so i’ll see you soon?”
“yea.” you look at yourself in the vanity mirror, wondering if the sadness in your eyes will make your costume that much more believable, “i’ll see you soon.”
»»————- 👻 ————-««
the six pack of lime seltzer water (you got the fancy kinds in glass bottles) clinks in their cardboard carrier as you walk on the sidewalk, blue heels clicking against the pavement as you follow the path leading up towards the house that-
“holy shit.” your jaw drops at the sheer size of this literal mansion — what looks to be an endless number of burgundy bricks separated by neat, thin layers of cement that are stacked on top of each other, two large, white columns that cast identical shadows on the curved sidewalk leading up to the large, black front door, and not to mention, the insane halloween decorations: huge spider webs stretched over the door and windows, fairy lights wrapped around the columns, a stack of pumpkins sitting by the front steps kardashian-style
you don’t like jimin but you have to hand it to him, he sure can throw a party
“s’cuse us, sorry!” a trio of girls dressed up as sluttier versions of the powerpuff girls brush past you, bubbles turning around to shoot you a grin, “love your costume, by the way!”
“oh, thank you!” your face immediately breaks into a wide grin, “you guys look great, too-“
the random compliment lifts your mood up slightly — you know you’re more than capable of making friends anywhere you go, so if jungkook is too busy mingling with the other couples, you know you’ll be fine
and hopefully jimin will be too busy playing host to give you any attitude tonight
you lift your dress up as you make your way up the steps, the corners of your mouth lifting in an excited smile when you see taehyung standing by the door greeting people and collecting their $10 by… having them tuck the bills into the waistband of his boxers
“magic mike?” you laugh, taehyung’s right eye dropping in a wink before thrusts his hips towards you
“you know it, baby-“ he coos, reaching over to pinch the fabric of your dress to pull you towards him, your cheeks flushing when you stumble into his chest, “be nice to me and i’ll give you a lil lap dance in one of the private rooms-“
“taehyung, i swear to god, do not let any of those bills fall into your boxers because i’m not touching anything that touched your penis-“ jimin pops up behind taehyung dressed in a veryaccurate joker costume, his usual blonde hair dyed completely green for the look
“hi, welcome to the party, $10 an admiss-“ the sweet smile immediately drops from his face when he realises it’s you, jimin leaning back slightly, “wow, corpse bride!” jimin nods, looking you up and down, “seems fitting.” he mutters under his breath, watching as taehyung tapes the neon orange bracelet around your wrist
“nice to see you too, jimin.” you raise an eyebrow, lifting the six pack up with your other hand, “i didn’t want to come empty-handed, so i brought some drinks!”
“you brought six drinks for a house party? six sparkly waters, too… interesting.” jimin scoffs lightly, plucking the carrier from you before offering you a saccharine sweet smile, “how thoughtful of you. drinks are in the kitchen - first two shots are free, and then it’s $15 a shot after that. cocktails are $5 each, mocktails are $3- you seem like a shirley temple girl anyway- and all of it can be paid through venmo. the bartender will answer any other questions you have. bathrooms are upstairs, and the results to the costume competition will be announced at the end of the night. there are fifteen winners, and the votes are made by everyone here, so you might have a shot at winning something here.” jimin steps aside, gesturing towards the party, “have fun!”
“thank you, jimin.” you smile politely, stepping into the house and immediately rolling your eyes as soon as you turn away from him
so you weren’t able to completely avoid his dickheadedness, but hopefully that’ll be your only interaction with him tonight considering he’s probably going to be busy playing businessman all night
$15 a shot is kind of insane, though
you keep your phone pressed flush to your chest as you manoeuvre your way through the packed floor, the neon lights flashing and disco ball glimmering from above making it damn near impossible to navigate this place without bumping into backs and stepping on toes
the DJ pumps his arm up into the air as he continues spinning his fingers against the discs, the crowd going wild as the song builds up to the chorus
you can already tell that most of the people here are drunk (you can smell it, too) and you know, if you can’t beat ‘em, why not join them?
you can find jungkook later, and alcohol is definitely going to make this night a little easier to handle
“hi!” you smack your hands down on the marble countertop when you finally make your way to the bar, the vampire bartender turning to glance at you over his shoulder before tossing a cloth over his shoulder, “i want- something. shots, a drink, anything-“ your voice is already straining from the way you’re basically screaming over the music but this seems to be the proper way to communicate at a party like this
“wait, y/n?” your eyes light up when you realise that it’s none other than namjoon in charge of the drinks (and you wonder if your friendship with him will mean he gives you more drinks without charging you for it) and you let out a gasp as you lean over the counter to grasp onto his wrist
“namjoon!” you grin, “oh my god, thank god, finally someone i know at this damn party. why didn’t you tell me you were going to be here??”
“why didn’t you tell me you were gonna be here?! i haven’t seen you at the library at all, otherwise i definitely would’ve talked to you about it- what can i get for you?”
“top-shelf tequila, baby. i saw the list of brands that jimin bought - i want the most expensive one.” you raise an eyebrow, namjoon laughing to himself before nodding
“alright, i gotcha- you need any chasers with that?”
“you got cranberry juice?”
“for you, i’ve got anything-“ namjoon smirks, holding a finger up to excuse himself
it’s five seconds later that you’re presented with not one, not two, but three shots of tequila, namjoon winking at you as he slides the cranberry juice chasers over to you as well
“you better take these before jimin realises i’ve given you a freebie- i’m about to take a break here, someone else is gonna come in a sec to replace me- you wanna dance?”
“um, of course i do!” you can’t help but squeal excitedly, “take one with me!” you push a shot glass towards him, namjoon shrugging before picking up the shot and downing it in less than two seconds
you take your second shot, eyes squinting as the burn of alcohol trickles down your throat
you immediately shudder, reaching for the cranberry juice and tossing it down the hatch
“oh, jesus-“ you hiss, shuddering against before sticking your tongue out in disgust, “god, that cranberry juice does not help whatsoever-!” you don’t get much of a chance to say anything else before namjoon has his slender fingers wrapped around your wrist, giggles bubbling out of your mouth as he drags you towards the crowded dance floor to join the rest of the drunken crowd
»»————- 👻 ————-««
okay, so maybe this party didn’t turn out to be as bad as you thought it was going to be!
“that- oh my god-!” you throw your head back in laughter when namjoon pulls out the worst dance moves you’ve ever seen, your eyes pinching shut as you clutch at your stomach
you’re not sure how much time has passed (to be fair, it’s gonna be hard to tell how much time has passed when you’re at a massive house party with flashing lights and nothing but the sound of speakers booming to guide you) but you know you’ve been having a lot more fun with namjoon than you’ve had with jungkook these last few weeks) ((in fact you’re having so much fun that you almost forgot you were supposed to be heartbroken that the love of your life is with someone else, but also, that could probably be the alcohol taking over))
you know at some point you’re going to have to go over and say hi to jungkook eventually because you don’t want him to think that you’re purposely ignoring him or something — after all, it’s not his fault that he likes ji-eun and it’s not something you can pin on him and grill him for — but for now, you’re going to dance a little more, sing a little more, and-
“i gotta pee!” you gasp all of a sudden, realising that you haven’t peed once since coming here and there’s a lot of tequila sloshing around in your system
“what?” namjoon furrows his brows, reaching up to tap against his ear, “too loud, can’t hear you!”
“i gotta go pee!” you repeat yourself, pointing towards the staircase leading upstairs, “’m gonna go pee n then ‘m gonna come right back-“
“oh, pee?” namjoon nods, finally catching your words before stepping aside a little, “okay, i’ll be right here!”
»»————- 👻 ————-««
the silence of the bathroom is more than welcome as soon as you step in and flick the lights on, not at all surprised to see a pair of elegant looking wall sconces lighting up the space
you squint your eyes as you lean into the mirror, double checking that your makeup is still somewhat intact and you don’t look insane
“hm. not bad.” you mutter to yourself, turning your head from side to side before nodding, reaching down to pull the endless amounts of tulle up so you can hopefully not piss all over yourself in your tipsy state
…
…
…
you set the lid down as the toilet flushes, turning the tap on and rinsing your hands underneath the cool water
“oh, damn-“ you wince when you realise you’re washing some of the blue body paint away and you quickly turn the tap off, shaking the water off your hands before reaching for a neatly folded cotton towelette of course, because regular paper towels aren’t fancy enough for a park jimin party
you give yourself one last glance in the mirror (you could use a little more lipstick but it’s dark down there so no one’s going to be able to tell anyway) before flicking the lights off
“oops! i’m sorry-“ you apologise instinctively when you open the door and stumble right into someone, taking a few steps back before looking up to see that it’s jimin, “oh, hey…” you clear your throat quietly, standing up a little straighter before offering him a meek smile
you always feel like you’re in trouble when you’re around jimin and it’s the worst feeling in the world
like he’s the principal and you just got caught cheating on a test and he’s about to call home to tell your parents as punishment
or he’s an officer and he’s about to test you with the breathalyser and you know you’re going to fail because you definitely can’t walk in a straight line right now
“why am i not surprised that you clearly don’t know how to handle alcohol?” jimin snorts, holding his hands out in case you fall over, “you better not throw up all over me, this suit is custom made-“
“i wasn’t throwing up in the bathroom, i just went in there to pee-“ you roll your eyes, placing both hands on your hips before shaking your head, “you are ridiculous, you know that? even if i was throwing up in your stupid fancy toilets, the normal thing to do would be to ask if me i was okay and if i needed some water! you- you are just so self-centred and just-“
“yeah, uh-huh-“ jimin reaches up to pat the side of your face with a smile, “by the way, if you were looking for jungkook, he’s at the VIP booth with ji-eun and the rest of us.”
“oh, perfect!” you nod, thankful for the information, “i’ll pop over and say hi in a bit, i think it’d be good to sit down too because my heels are kind of killing me and i wouldn’t be surprised if i had, like, a million blisters right now-“
“woah, i never said you were allowed to be in the booth with us.” jimin scoffs, pressing a hand against your shoulder to keep you from moving, “silly girl.”
your lips part slightly as you look at him, and for a moment the only thing that can be heard is the faint boom and bass of the music playing from downstairs
“are you… serious?” you ask, unsure if jimin’s joking with you or not
the bored expression on his face tells you that he is indeed, super serious
all of this just feels so incredibly cliquey and immature and stupid and you know that you’re supposed to be the bigger person because jimin clearly won’t be and you like to think that you’re ten times more emotionally mature than him but he’s making it harder and harder for you to not want to shred up his nice suit with a pair of scissors and cuss him out in front of everyone
“i’m dead serious. i’m just telling you this so that you don’t embarrass yourself when your drunk ass stumbles over and tries to join us.” jimin says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the entire world, “enjoy the rest of the party, sweetheart.” he brushes past you to head into the washroom and-
“you’re a fucking dickhead, you know that?” you snap, jimin stopping in his tracks before turning his head slightly so you can just make out the side of his face, “i think i’ve been nothing but nice to you ever since i met you, and to be honest, i can’t even think of one reason why you are constantly so fucking rude and overall just unpleasant to me. i don’t say anything when you purposely cut me out of the conversation, i don’t nag when you ignore my questions and comments but respond to everyone else’s, and most importantly, i’ve never called you out for being a jackass when i think i’ve had every chance and opportunity to. if you have a problem with me, then just say so so that we can hash this stupid weird rivalry out and just get along. your best friend and my best friend are in a relationship, and i think it’s in everyone’s best interest that we at least try to get along-“
“oh, shut the fuck up, y/n.” jimin scoffs, turning around to face you, “you know, you always act like you’re better than everyone else, that’s why i don’t like you.”
you feel your shoulders stiffen at the comment before you shrug, crossing your arms over your chest, “well, i’m sorry if i’ve given you that impression but that’s not my intention, i don’t think i’m better than you, i don’t think i’m better than everyone else, and i can’t control how you feel about me but-“
“oh my god, even when you’re confronting me about being a dickhead to you you’re still being a sensible goddamn person, it’s like you’re purposely trying to piss me off-“
“okay, well, i’m not going to apologise to you for literally being myself because there’s nothing i can do about it. this is a you problem, not a me problem, so if you insist on being such an unreasonable drama queen for however long we’re going to have to spend time together, then i think the solution here is just for you to ignore me — which, you’re already doing a stellar job of, congratulations — and in return, i’ll happily ignore you.”
“i hate when people aren’t themselves. i pick up on that shit right away, and i gotta tell you, y/n, you might be the fakest person of them all.”
“what the hell are you talking about?”
“i think we both know you’re hiding something from all of us. i think you’re hiding something from yourself, too. i think you’re lying to yourself.”
there’s a pregnant pause in the conversation and for a second you want to ask him what exactly he’s implying here, but…
“alright, jimin, well-“ you turn around to head towards the stairs, “you’re fuckin’ being weird, and i’m just trying to have a good time, so i’m just gonna go back down-“
“yeah, have a wonderful rest of your evening, corpse bride-“
you resist the very strong urge to whip around and literally just strangle the man, but you remind yourself that before you had this little interaction you were actually having a very good time
“y/n!” jungkook stands at the bottom of the staircase as you make your way down, being careful not to trip over your heels, “hi!”
“jungkook! oh, there you are- i was wondering where you were-“ you loop an arm with his as you drag him through the hoards of people and towards the bar (you really need a drink and it looks like namjoon is back on the clock)
“there you are!” he laughs lightly, reaching over to tap your hand gently, “i’ve been texting you all night trying to figure out where you were but- is your phone on do not disturb or something?“
“no, it’s not! i’m sorry, i should’ve checked my phone-“ you smile sheepishly, “i’ve been dancing with namjoon this whole time but- where are you guys sitting?”
“i don’t know, some area that jimin squared off for us and a few others- ji-eun’s been asking about you, she wanted to say hi-“
“oh! oh my god, yeah, i should probably go say hi to ji-eun-“ you gesture for namjoon to get you some water and he nods, grabbing a cup and filling it up for you, :your ken costume turned out great, by the way-“ you laugh, patting jungkook’s bare chest, “it’s, uh- it’s really giving horses and the patriarchy.”
“thank you, thank you- and your costume turned out so cool too, we should watch corpse bride again when we eventually have another movie night-“
“sure! sure, for sure.” you clear your throat quietly, a moment of awkward silence settling in between the two of you
your friendship feels so… different now
like there’s this unspoken air of something in between you and jungkook like an invisible brick wall
and maybe it’s the liquid courage currently sloshing around in your body and the leftover exhilaration from finally calling jimin out on his bullshit, but now you have the urge to talk to jungkook about the weird tension
“hey, kook, listen-“ you reach up to scratch the back of your neck, “there’s something i’ve been meaning to tell you but i’ve definitely been putting off for a while…”
all of a sudden, a drum roll begins to boom from the speakers, the spotlights darting around the crowd before shining towards the main stage at the front of the room, whoops and cheers bouncing off the walls as jimin waltzes his way towards the microphone, a cocky smirk on his face as he raises his hand to get people to quiet down
“oh, shit, the costume competition results!!” jungkook nudges your side as the two of you turn to face the front, “we can talk about it later, i wanna see who won what- i voted myself for best ken costume, so-“
you let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding and you nod, thankful for the interruption
maybe it’s a good thing you were interrupted
telling him in the middle of a party probably wasn’t the best idea, anyway
»»————- 👻 ————-««
once again, you really have to hand in to jimin
the man truly knows how to throw a party, because it seems like just about everyone is having the time of their lives — and this costume competition just made things so much more fun
there are definitely a lot of good costumes here tonight and jimin decided to change it up with twenty-five different categories to go through so he’s kind of speed running through the names
most scary costume, most realistic costume, most well-made costume: he’s got a lot of categories to get through
you keep a content smile on your face as the costume contest continues to go on, enjoying jimin’s commentary to the point that you nearly forget that the two of you hate each other and he totally just disrespected you like he’s never disrespected you before twenty minutes ago
“i wonder how that guy made it look like his head was floating… that shit was so cool.” jungkook claps his hands along with the crowd and you nod enthusiastically
“i know, right?! i’m sure he probably took it off tiktok or something - we can definitely look it up after the party and maybe we can try to recreate-“ you stop yourself mid-sentence, suddenly remembering that you guys haven’t exactly been the closest as of late so it feels weird to be offering to do something together, “um-“ you clear your throat, offering a half-hearted shrug, “yeah, we can, like, look it up later or something. maybe you and ji-eun can figure it out and let me know.”
“yeah! or- you know, you and me-“ jungkook licks over his chapped lips, “like- you know, like- old times or whatever-“
“yeah, yeah- maybe! maybe-“
“now, before i announce this special category, i have something to read because-“ jimin sucks in a breath through his teeth before cocking his head to the side, “well, let’s just say it’s some context for the best simp costume of the night.”
you can’t help but frown at the strange category — out of all the halloween costume competitions you’ve been to, “best simp” has certainly never been one that you’ve seen before
“just wanna remind everyone that this is just a costume competition, everything is based off the costume you’re wearing.” jimin adds, taking a slip of paper out of his back pocket before unfolding it with nimble fingers, “so, uh- you know. don’t take anything seriously, you know? just gotta loosen up and have fun.”
your brows dip slightly at the weird disclaimer
…
something about this doesn’t feel right.
“dear j, this is something that i’ve wanted to tell you for a while but have never had the courage to until now. throughout our entire friendship, you’ve been so kind and loyal and honest with me, and i think that you deserve the same, so this is me being honest with you.” jimin speaks into the microphone, reading the words off the slip of paper with a tone of amusement laced in his powder-soft voice, “to be honest, i’ve liked you for nearly a year now, and i’ve tried so many times to push those feelings down but it’s clear that my feelings aren’t going anywhere anytime soon…” he recites, a smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth as he puts the piece of paper down, “any thoughts on who the winner could be? or should i keep going?”
your eyelids flutter slightly at the weird change in mood of the lines and a strange feeling of familiarity of those words
“me at that one hot english professor.” a voice pipes out from the crowd and that gets a round of laughter
you laugh along politely, but you can’t help but feel as though something is off
something is off
something is very, very off
“i cherish you as a friend and the last thing i want to do is to make things weird, so… you don’t have to worry about my feelings, you know?”
oh my god.
you feel the blood immediately drain from your face when you finally realize why these lines are so familiar — it’s because they’re from the note you wrote for jungkook when you were going to tell him you liked him.
your brain begins to work overtime to figure out how the hell jimin got his hands on that note and why the hell he’d think it’d be okay to read it aloud to this massive group of people and what the hell he’s even doing right now
“what i’m trying to say is that i like you, j. i like you so much that i don’t know where to even put my feelings, and i’m sick of holding my feelings back and pretending that i’m fine with being just your friend.”
you know that jimin’s never really been a fan of you, but even this seems like too much of a dickhead move even for him
you pluck at the cuff of your sleeve anxiously, tracing your steps all the way back to the day you were going to tell jungkook about your feelings for him and the note that you’d accidentally given him that you were hoping was rotting away somewhere in a dump yard but clearly isn’t
jungkook said he’d given ji-eun the note to spit her gum out into
but what if she uncrumpled the paper and saw the note?
and what if jimin was there when she uncrumpled the note?
and then they read it together and ji-eun mentioned that you were reciting this aloud in the bathroom and-
your heart starts to race in your chest and you feel the hairs prickle on your arms as anxiety begins to bubble in your stomach, and you know that no one’s looking at you but you feel like everyone’s looking at you
you feel sick
you feel like you’re going to throw up and explode at the same time
“how could you like someone for a year and not tell ‘em?” jungkook snorts, nudging you with his elbow, “who do you think the poor sucker is who said that?”
“beats me.” you breathe out, feeling yourself shrink slightly when you notice jimin starting to scan the audience, clearly laser-focused on finding you, “i have to- um, i think i need some fresh air, it’s a little warm in here-“
“oh- okay-“ jungkook doesn’t get the chance to say much else before you’re turning around, pushing yourself through the crowd of people and trying your best to stay calm
just breathe
in and out
in and out
in and out in and out in and out oh my god HURRY UP MOVE MOVE MOVE-
you’re sure that no one will notice if you slink out through the back
and you can always text namjoon later and say that it was great spending time with him but you had a personal emergency and needed to leave the party earlier
and if jimin decides to expose you, at least you’ll be gone and out of this house and nowhere near any of these people and you don’t have to look at their stupid sympathetic faces and you don’t have to deal with-
“and the best simp of the night goes to our lovely corpse bride.”
you freeze when the spotlight lands on you, your heart going a hundred miles a minute as it starts to beat harder and faster in your chest
you only manage to turn your head weakly to glance over your right shoulder, catching jimin in your peripheral view before you’re slowly twisting around to face him, feet glued to the ground
“why don’t you come up here and accept your sash, corpse bride?” jimin smirks, plucking the satin sash from (a shocked looking) taehyung’s arms before raising it up in the air slightly, “congratulations on winning, you get two free drinks from the bar. one for you and one for… well, probably also you. get on up here and claim your coupons!”
you feel your face burning bright red in humiliation and you’re unable to tear your eyes away from jimin, your hands clenched into tight fists at your sides
this is a nightmare
this is actually a nightmare
this is traumatising in so many ways
the music seems to quiet down, a loud silence washing over the room as people look at you with expressions of confusion on their faces, everyone clearly a little thrown off at the weird category
eyes, there are just a million pairs of eyes on you and you feel like you can’t move or breathe or even do anything but stand still in shock
it’s only then that you notice the calculating look on jungkook’s face, his eyelids fluttering slightly before his eyes widen and his head snaps up and over to look at you
his lips part slightly as his eyes dart over the features of your face and you feel your entire body flushing in humiliation and shame, forcing your eyes away from your friend and back to the dickhead on the stage
“you are really something else, park jimin.” you manage to mutter out before turning on your heel and pushing your way through the crowd, people stepping aside to let you out
“aw, where are you going? you had a great costume, that’s all we were trying to say!” jimin laughs, actually laughs into the microphone before shrugging, tossing the sash over his shoulder before moving on, “alright, well, more drinks for me, i guess. the next category is best couple’s costume-“
“y/n- y/n, wait!” jungkook’s voice is the one thing you hear among the music and bustle of the crowd but he’s the last person you want to talk to right now so you pick up your pace upon spotting the front door
tears blur your vision as you finally burst out into the open air, your chin trembling as you try your best to keep your composure and not completely burst into tears
“oh my god, oh my fucking god-“ you whimper, sucking in large breaths of air
run, run, run, the only instinct you have is to run, and you reach down to yank both heels off before taking off into a sprint, the grass slightly damp beneath your bare feet
it feels very cliché to be running out of a mansion in a big poofy dress, but you can’t even take the moment to laugh at yourself because the only thing you can focus on is the fact that everything has changed completely and you’re forced to face reality a lot sooner than you would’ve liked
“y/n, come on!” you turn to glance over your shoulder to see jungkook hot on your trail, “you can’t just run away from a discussion you don’t want to have, we need to talk because we both know that things have been off since i started dating ji-eun and now-“
“okay, well, now you know, then!” your chest heaves as you come to a stop to catch your breath (you have no idea why you thought running would be a good idea, you get winded after thirty seconds on the treadmill), spinning around to face your friend who skids to a stop, tripping over his feet a little before standing up straight, “the secret’s out, jungkook. we finally solved the puzzle. i love you. i’ve loved you for so long that i don’t even remember when i started feeling this way, but all i know is i love you. you’re the first person i think of when i wake up and you’re the last person i think about before i fall asleep. i would literally drop everything i was doing if you needed me, and you’re the only person i want to spend my free time with.” all the words that you’ve been holding in for the last who knows how long finally spill out, your mouth running uncontrollably, “i love you so much that i helped you set up your date with ji-eun, i love you so much that i’m willing to run in the rain just to get you a teddy bear and a bouquet that’s not even going to me, jungkook, i-“ you blubber, reaching up to wipe at your eyes, “i don’t know what to do. there is no one else in the world i’d rather be with than you, jungkook, and i- to be honest, maybe it’s a good thing that jimin did what he did because you do deserve to know the truth and you do deserve to know how i really feel about you. if this didn’t happen i think i’d just keep it to myself for the rest of my life, but you deserve to know this. i love you, jungkook. i love you and i don’t know if i can keep being friends with you if you’re dating someone else because it’s actually killing me on the inside-“
“i love you, y/n,” jungkook breathes out, and you feel yourself letting out a breath that you didn’t even know you were holding
relief
for the first time in a long time, you feel relieved, like a massive weight’s just been lifted off your shoulders
you feel your heart soar in your chest, and suddenly it’s like all the humiliation and shame has completely washed away, and suddenly you have the feeling to run back into the house to thank jimin for doing this because you know you wouldn’t have said anything if it weren’t for this slightly traumatising experience
“i love you, i do, but… not in that way.” his shoulders droop slightly and you feel your heart beginning to crackle like a delicate glass sculpture, each splinter creating more damage than the last, “i love you like you’re the first person i call when i get good news because i know you’ll be proud of me, or when i get bad news because i know you’ll be there to comfort me. i love you, like i envision you standing next to me at my wedding fixing my tie or calming me down when whoever i end up marrying is walking down the aisle. i love you like you’ll be fun auntie y/n who spoils my kids with shopping sprees at the mall and who allows them an extra scoop of ice cream after dinner. i love you because you make me a better person, i love you because you encourage me to be the best version of myself i can possibly be. i love you because you remind me to be smart and kind and humble and honest and i trust you to be the one to put me in my place if i ever need it but i-“
“stop.” you feel nauseated hearing all of these words coming out of his mouth, telling you that he loves you because and he loves you because but not just i love you too. “just stop, jungkook.” you know that you can’t control someone else’s feelings but you can control your own reactions, and if jungkook would’ve kept rattling on you don’t know what you would’ve said but you know you probably would’ve lashed out at him
and it’s good that you finally got your answer, right? he loves you, but not in that way — not in the way that you love him
“y/n, please-“ jungkook whispers, reaching out for you, his eyebrows scrunching together when you take a small step back, wrapping your arms around yourself, “please, i can’t lose you as a friend, you mean so much to me-“
“i need some time.” you manage to force out, the sickening feeling of humiliation and shame and embarrassment and disappointment and frustration and anger swirling around in your stomach, “i just need some time.”
“how much time?”
“you should probably go back to the party.” you clear your throat quietly, offering your friend a weak smile, “i heard you and ji-eun were up for best couple’s costume. not saying that jimin rigged the system or anything, but-“
“y/n, how much time?” jungkook’s looking at you with sad puppy-dog eyes, and though it breaks your heart to see him like that, you need to put yourself first for once
every instinct inside of you screams to console jungkook, to reassure him and let him now that you’ll still be around but you just need some space from him and the whole situation
your eyes begin to water again as you press your lips together, shaking your head quietly, “i’m gonna go see if i can catch the bus home.”
»»————- 👻 ————-««
(- “the FUCK is wrong with you, huh?!” jungkook barks, slamming jimin up against the wall before grabbing two fistfuls of his shirt, “you sadistic fuck, who in their right mind would ever fucking do that to another human being?!”
“i’m the sadistic one?” jimin laughs, reaching up to wrap his fingers around jungkook’s wrists, “are you fucking serious? you’re the one whose been dangling yourself in front of y/n like a damn carrot to a starved rabbit-“
“what are you talking about?”
“you can’t stand here and honestly say that you didn’t have an inkling that y/n liked you more than a friend. i’ve seen the way you talk to her, i’ve seen the way you look at her, i’ve seen the way you are around her- you think i’m the evil one? at least i don’t take advantage of my friends who are CLEARLY head over heels in love with me and would obviously do anything i wanted them to do and ask them to help me set up a date that i’m taking someone else out on-“
“get a fucking life and mind your own damn business for once, you motherf-“)
🎙️ console y/n or call out jimin because what the hell was that?! (talk to my characters!)
📚 why not explore the rest of the library while you're here? (go say hi to yoongi and y/n in la vie en bonsai!)
💫 or perhaps you want something shorter to read? (drabbles and mini series!)
🌟 or something even shorter? (teeny tidbits!)
601 notes
·
View notes
The brothers finding you asleep in their bed [Part Two]
➳ Summary: The brothers come home late to find MC sleeping in their bed. When asked, MC admits that they missed them while they were gone.
➳ Content info: MC is gender neutral.
➳ Characters: Leviathan and Satan
➳ Word Count: Leviathan- 2,047 // Satan- 1,444
Part one
Being an otaku was exhausting work. This, Leviathan knew well. But his hard work was worth it all as he walked through the empty halls of the House of Lamentation with a limited edition Ruri-chan figurine within his grasp. He had spent hours of the early morning, lined up with other super fans in order to get a chance to score such a precious item. There had only been a small amount of this special figurine. Not wanting to take any chances, Levi had set out the night before, eager to be as early as possible to the event. He had spent much too much time in the outside world, social battery drained just from having to spend so long packed in a line full of others. But at the end, it was worth it.
Despite his fatigue, excitement coarsed through his veins as he thought over all the places he could put this precious new addition to his collection. He knew she had to be front and center! She deserved no less. He wanted absolutely everyone to see this masterpiece! Not like... anyone really went into his room. But you did, and he just knew you were going to love her! So he had to make sure she was in a nice spot.
Just as he pictured the cute smile you’d give him when he was finally able to show off his new prize, he opened the door. His entire body felt like it was melting in relaxation at the sight of his room. He could already feel his energy meter beginning to fill again as he took a step inside, calming blue lights welcoming him in.
And then, he froze as movement from the corner of his eye drew his attention. Movement specifically coming from his bed. Upon closer look, he saw a lump underneath his covers where a lump should not be.
Frightened out of his mind, convinced some terrible creature had snuck it’s way into his room (after all, he had just played a new horror game the night before,) he hugged Ruri-chan tight to his chest. He took one more careful step into his room, craning his neck as far as it could go to see over the edge of the bathtub.
The lump moved again, and Levi jumped back in surprise. He yelped at the movement, only to hear a quiet voice mumble in response.
Wait. That sounded a little bit like.... MC?
Hah, no, that was silly. As if someone like you would ever want to sleep in the bed of someone like him. It was absolutely more likely that the scary monster from his game was under there, not you. He was completely imagining things.
Except, as his strained eyes continued to stare in fear, a head popped out from under the blankets. A head with a pretty face attached to it, a face that looked just like yours. and it looked incredibly adorable snuggled tightly in his bed. Your eyelids fluttered just a bit, showing him those gorgeous eyes he could get lost in forever. And then, he knew for sure.
You mumbled something incoherent, then your eyes slid back shut.
It was unmistakably you. He could never, ever forget your face! Or your voice, even when he couldn’t really understand what you were saying. And the monster from his game wasn’t a shapeshifter... so it really was you? But, why?
A lightbulb went off in Levi’s mind. This all must be a dream. The best dream of his life, for sure. It was the only way to explain how he managed to score such an incredibly rare item, and the only reason that the person of his dreams would be laying right there in his bed.
Levi stood there for a moment, taking it all in. If this was really a dream, then he wanted to soak it all in for as long as he could. He held Ruri-chan close to his chest. But even then, even as he wanted to revel in both parts of this increible dream, he couldn’t really take his eyes off of you.
That’s okay, he thought. This was enough to make him happy. He’d treasure the memory of your dream self snuggled up like this forever.
With a sigh and a firm nod to himself, he decided that he should wake up now. Enough relishing. Although, now that he thought about it, he never really checked if it was a dream. They say you can’t feel pain in your dreams, right? You’re supposed to pinch yourself to check. That’s what he’s heard, at least.
Leviathan tucked Ruri-chan underneath his arm- even if it was all a dream, he could never just drop her, or put her on the dirty ground!- and dug his nails into his flesh.
He yelped once again, this time in pain. He put his all into that pinch, convinced that it wouldn’t hurt. Now he had deep crescent shapes marked into his arm, irritated and beading with blood.
Wait... so was this honestly real? All of this? That meant that he really did get this awesome Ruri-chan figurine! Yes!
And, that meant that you were really sleeping in his bed...
WAIT, THAT MEANT THAT YOU WERE REALLY SLEEPING IN HIS BED!
Levi’s head shot up to look back at you, panic now erupting through him at the confirmation that this wasn’t all in his head.
Oh no, his head felt light. Was he about to faint?
Okay, okay, think Levi, He thought as he braced himself against the wall, This must be some trick of the mind. Lack of food, and water, and sleep. Yeah that’s it! Gotta be it. Don’t freak out.
But that wasn’t it. That became increasingly clear as you started to stir, the bright light shining in through the crack in the door becoming irriting to your sleeping mind.
He barely noticed at first that you started to return to reality. Not when your eyes started fluttering back open, fully awake this time. Not when you pushed the covers away from yourself and stretched out your arms with a little yawn. Only when you fully sat up to look at him from over the lip of the tub did he notice, and he jumped yet again.
You smiled a cute, lazy smile as you rubbed your tired eyes. Goodness, you even looked perfect straight out of bed, sleepy and a bit disheveled.
He started stuttering your name. It was all his brain could really muster in the moment. He couldn’t really think of anything other then you right then, and his panic was making him do a bad job of speaking.
You giggled. He felt mortified by the possibility that maybe you were laughing at him.
“Levi, you’re here. Welcome back.”
How could you be so casual about this!? You were sleeping in his bed! What are you even doing there!?
Wait, shit. Did he say that out loud? Why were you smirking like that?
“Mm... I just missed you is all.”
...WHAT!?
His heart was about to burst right out of his chest. You were literally about to kill him, did you even realize that!? You- you were trying to kill him, you must’ve been! This was an attempt on his life!
But completely oblivious to the hammering beats against his ribcage, you pointed towards Ruri-chan, still tucked underneath his arm.
“You got it!” You said, excitement in your voice.
That eased him up, just a bit. He knew you’d be excited...
All he could do was nod though, holding the box up in his hands for you to see.
“She’s so cute,” You said with another giggle, pulling yourself up and out of his bed. You stepped onto his cold floor, stretching out your legs this time, “I told you that you’d get her. Where are you going to put her?”
He felt happiness bloom across his chest, even in his anxiety-ridden state. This is why you were his best friend. You always engaged in his intrests and passions. You always cheered him on, even when no one else did.
Except... why did it feel so weird to call you just his friend? Especially after what he’d seen? That panging in his heart over seeing you in his bed... was that a normal thing to feel towards a friend?
Best friends sleep in each other’s beds when they miss each other, right?
Sure. This was normal.
Levi tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down, just like you’d taught him. This panic was over nothing. This was normal!
“I’m not sure yet. Do you maybe want to- um... do you wanna help me choose a spot?”
You nodded, even despite the fact that you looked so tired. Even through your fatigued eyes, you looked more then happy to help him.
The two of you spent the next few moments discussing which shelf she would look best on. You helped him rearrange some things to fit her in, treating each piece of his collection like a precious artifact. And that’s why you were the only person he’d let help him do this. Because he knew you were the only one he could trust to treat them- and by extention, him- with respect.
Once that task was completed, you both looked upon your work in triumph. She looked perfect there, the spot you chose was the best one in the room. He knew he could rely on your opinion.
After just a moment of observing, a yawn escaped your lips, drawing Levi’s attention back to you. You smiled sheepishly.
“I should probably head back to my room for the rest of the night. I’m still sleepy.”
“Right, uh... Sorry I woke you up.”
You laughed, shaking your head.
“No worries. Goodnight, Levi.”
“Night...”
His eyes never left you as you made your way to the door, trailing after you the entire time. He was thankful for it when you turned to look behind your shoulder as you reached the door. You sent him a wave. In a daze, he waved back. Then the door was shut, and you disappeared behind it.
Leviathan took a deep breath of relief, feeling the tension start to dissipate. With nothing left to do, now exhausted from both his excursion, and his panic of the evening, he begun his nightly routine to get ready for sleep.
Though, once it was time to get in bed, he hesitated. He wasn’t sure what he was so anxious of. Somehow, sleeping in the same spot that you once had felt strange. Wrong. Even when it was his own bed. Like you had blessed it with your pure pressence, and he would taint it the moment he touched it.
Eventually, the call of his soft blankets and pillows drew him in. And he was so glad it did.
It wasn’t until he rested his head onto the pillow that he realized his bedding smelled of you. The pillows he lined the tub with, the blankets, and sheets, all of it. The smell of you invaded his senses in the best way, and he felt his entire body ease.
You were so strange. You made him so nervous. You made him feel so tense, in an odd way that he didn’t understand. And yet, even the very thought of you, the very scent of you relaxed him. You were an enigma. A paradox. How could both things be true at once? It made no sense.
Despite this, he snuggled into his bed, into your scent, as much as possible. He felt so relaxed surrounded by you... so comforted. Almost like you were still there, laying next to him. Holding him in a gentle hug...
He shook his head, as if he could shake the thought right out of his brain. Maybe that was another thought for another day, as his swirling thoughts of you were starting to trouble him. He could think on it another time. Or he could avoid it, and loose himself in video games instead. It was a choice for future Leviathan to worry about.
One thing was true for certain, however. Levi got the most comforting sleep that night. More comforting then he’d had in a long time.
On days like this, Satan was rather greatful for the exsistence of libraries. Not only for the wealth of knowledge right as his fingertips, but for the silence they offered him in times of distress. A library was like a sancuary to him, where the chaos of the day could melt away, and the wrath that boiled just below his skin could be temporarily forgotten.
Just that morning, Satan had once again lost his temper towards Lucifer. Over what, he could hardly remember. But he remembered exploding, his words flying from his mouth a mile a minute. And what made it worse was that Lucifer had barely even reacted. He just kept this annoying, stoic expression on his face, and that only served to piss Satan off more.
That bastard really thought he was perfect, acting like nothing had any effect on him. But Satan yelling at him must’ve upset him! It must’ve!
Satan had ended up storming out of the house in his distress, warning everybody to not follow after. The library was where he retreated to, as usual. But even as nice as the stillness of it was, he couldn’t help but wonder why, for the first time, it felt so lonely.
It wasn’t until late at night that he dared return home, but even then he still felt tense. Asmo greeted him at the door, expressing worry but clearly treading carefully in case he was still in a bad mood. Satan made an attempt at assuring him otherwise, but he knew his dialogue still came off as stiff. Asmo left him alone rather quickly, at least reassured that Satan was back home, but not wanting to set him off again.
Satan took a deep breath, then sighed it out slowly. It was a long day, and he was looking forward to falling asleep in the comfort of his bed.
He made the trek up the stairs, thankful he had yet to come face to face with Lucifer again. Though he was calmed down considerably, he wasn’t sure if seeing the demon’s face would set him off once more. Better safe then sorry.
Satan’s jaw was still clenched, and his eyebrows still furrowed, but even with the tension still lingering in his body, it felt like it all melted away the moment he opened the door to his bedroom. There, laying in the bed right in front of him, was you. It was hard to miss, the way the stacks of books littering his room framed you perfectly. Not to mention the moonlight that filtered in through the window behind you, acting as a spotlight to you and your peaceful rest.
How precious, he thought as he stepped inside, closing the door as silently as possible. He skillfully stepped around the mess of books to get to you, and with each step the frustrations of the day became further and further away from his thoughts.
In your hands, he noticed a book hanging from limp fingertips. A book from his own collection, he believed. Seems as though you’d helped yourself as you waited for him. A luxury granted to you and you alone, so long as you were mindful of the cursed and forbidden tomes hidden amongst the piles.
He couldn’t help but smile as he slid the book from your grip and set it aside, sure to save your place with the bookmark on his bedside table so you could pick up where you left off later.
He shed his jacket, kicked off his shoes, then crawled in bed with you. He dare not touch you, not wanting to cross any unknown boundaries. But he laid there beside you, and that was enough. He felt so at ease just being next to you. He fell asleep in no time, thanking you for being his most effective stress relief.
In that moment, just before he was whisked away into a dreamless sleep, he felt so silly. Just that morning, he had been so caught up in his rage he had forgotten that you, too, were his sanctuary. Even more precious then any word on a page. Had he remembered that this is how wonderfully being in your pressence would go, he would have sought you out, not gone to some stupid library.
The last words to drift in his mind before his eyes slid closed for the remainder of the night were accompanied by a soft smile.
I’d be wise not to forget it again...
When he awoke the next morning it was to the sight of you, rather frazzled. It seemed as though you had become a lot closer in the night, you with your head on his chest and him, with his arms holding you with no soon intent to let go.
He released you the moment he had become aware of it however, not wanting to make you uncomfortable. You let out a relieved breath and scooted away just the smallest bit, but he still noticed your slight hesitation the moment before you parted from him.
He apologized, feeling bad that he had indeed crossed a boundary, despite his own wishes the night before. He supposed even in his sleeping moments, he wanted to be near you as much as possible.
You took it in stride, not worried or upset. Simply a little flustered to have woken up in such an unexpected way.
“I hope I didn’t have you caged in for too long,” He said, a grin forming on his lips. Now knowing that you weren’t upset, it meant that the situation was open for teasing. Of course, he was also keenly aware of the fact that he were the one to hold you in the first place. He was just as open for teasing as you.
“No, don’t worry. I woke up just before you did...”
He nodded, and a silence began to settle over you. Normally, Satan would enjoy the fact, not because he grew tired of you speaking, but because it was the state he found most peace in. Your times together were often like this. Silent, simply enjoying one another’s pressence.
He was rather aware of how... cat-like that was. Especially when you teased him so much for it.
However, in that moment, Satan had one more question on his mind. He would have to set aside that moment of silence for just a minute longer.
He called your name, softly. Your head rose to face him again, still flustered. Adorable.
“Not that I’m complaining at all, but why exactly are you here?” He wondered.
“Well, you weren’t answering my calls yesterday and I was really worried. And I... I...” Your voice trailed off, the rest of your sentence turning into mumbled words he could no longer understand.
He leaned in forward and asked, “Sorry, what was that?”
“I said I... I really missed you.”
Satan felt like his heart was suddenly soaring through the bright, starry Devildom sky.
Yet even with all these soft feelings swirling around his chest, he couldn’t help but show something else on the outside. A teasing, smug smile formed on his lips.
“Is that right?”
“I- I did! You left in such a hurry and I didn’t know when you were going to come back...”
He sighed, the smug smile falling from his lips. He found his hand raise to cup your chin, guiding your gaze upwards to meet his own. He hoped you could feel the sincerity within his eyes.
“I’m sorry I worried you, MC. I feared that if I responded to your calls then I would end up taking my anger out on you."
He really hadn’t meant to upset you. He hadn’t even been thinking that clearly. All he knew was that he needed to be alone, away from everything. To know he worried you in the process made him feel terrible. Never did he want to be the cause of your bad feelings.
Seemingly gaining some sort of courage, you gave him the meanest face you could muster. It wasn’t all that mean, nor that threatening. It was actually rather cute. Like a kitten, trying to prove that it was scary. He didn’t say that though, keeping in the adoring smile that threatened to grace his face.
“Well next time, you be sure to at least let me know where you’ve gone, got it?”
With a nod, Satan let his hand trail up from you chin to hold your cheek instead. Hid thumb brushed against your cheekbone, and your “mean” expression melted.
“Got it,” He agreed, his voice light. Warm, “Now, would you mind coming back over here? I’d like to spend a bit more time with you before I have to face Lucifer again.”
509 notes
·
View notes
Two Idiots, One Body | previous • next
Beef awoke with a yawn and a stretch, sitting up in his bed. It took him a few seconds of staring blankly at his bedsheets to realize that he was, in fact, looking at his bedsheets and not at the back of his eyelids like he originally thought he was.
In fact, he discovered after clumsily waving his hand around in front of his face for a moment or two, he was barely registering anything this morning, which normally only happened when he was really, really tired. It was like someone had tossed a thick white veil over his vision and a thick fog into his brain.
Only dimly registering that he seemed to be moving on autopilot this morning, he went with it and spent his normal morning routine thinking about what on earth could be going on here. Coffee with two shots of creamer and a tablespoon of sugar, just like he always made it...
Beef suddenly snapped to reality so quickly that he felt like he'd been whacked with a sheet of linoleum. He didn't like his coffee with sugar and creamer, he drank it black! Come to think about it, this was day 2 of the season! How did he even have coffee, much less a coffee machine? And that wasn't even the worst of it.
Beef turned around slowly, taking in the surroundings. He was standing in what could pass as a kitchen inside of what was clearly a cave. Yes, there was the entrance over there. In one corner lay a lime-green bed.
This wasn't his house.
Beef didn't even have a house yet because he wasn't here yesterday!
Despite all of the pitfalls in his memory, however, Beef already knew exactly who was behind all of this.
"Iskall," he said loudly into the cool air of the cave. Then, louder: "ISKALL!"
The cave did not respond. Neither did Iskall.
Beef stalked outside (he did not stomp when he was angry, he just walked with an incredibly menacing aura) and glowered at the area around him. There were a couple of tuff pillars and random chests around. It was a beautiful morning, with thin wisps of stratus clouds flying their pale banners above a bright white sun. The air smelled sweet and fresh.
"When I get my hands on Iskall85," Beef declared to the open sky, "I am going to prank her so hard that he's going to be finding wet sand in her socks for the next season and a half. May God be my witness."
"Hm?" asked a voice nearby. Beef turned around to see Stress' head pop up over the top of the nearby hill. "Oh, hi Beef! Glad you made it!"
"Hello, Stress," said Beef, nodding up at her. "Have you seen Iskall lately?"
Stress scrunched her face up in thought. "Hmm," she said, "no, not this morning, but he was here yesterday. I can send her a message if you want."
"Sure," said Beef, looking around again to try and get his bearings. Iskall's base was just east of spawn, with Ren and Cleo nearby.
Again, Beef had zero idea how he knew any of this, seeing as this was his first time on the server.
"By the way," said Stress, hopping down to squint at him, "did you steal Iskall's armor?"
"What?" asked Beef, looking down and realizing as he did that he was indeed wearing a full set of iron plate armor, complete with a diamond helmet and boots. "What?"
"You're not very good at lying, love," said Stress, mistaking his utter confusion for a weak attempt at an alibi. "That's his armor. And her shield, too. There's chests full of materials next to spawn, divided up for everybody. There should be one for you, unless Grian took it."
"I know," snapped Beef, even though he definitely did not before that moment. Stress raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed. "I'm sorry. It's been a really weird morning. I woke up in Iskall's bed with all of his stuff on me and I just want to know what exactly she did and how on Earth he did it."
"Okay," said Stress, still not sounding entirely convinced. "Well, the most I got out of her yesterday was that he was still recovering from a monster cold. The last I saw her was in this area yesterday. Maybe you could go ask Mumbo for news."
--
"Yeah, I have no idea," said Mumbo, a little too cheerfully for a man standing in full iron armor. "Haven't seen him at all today."
Beef frowned. "Nothing?"
"Nope," said Mumbo, absently walking to one side. The man was always in motion. It was really distracting. Beef had to repress a sigh as he turned to follow him. "No messages, no notes in your base, no nothing?"
"No nothing," Mumbo confirmed. "If you want me to tell ya when he shows up, I can do that."
"Please," said Beef. "That would be extremely helpful."
"Am I allowed to know why you want to know her whereabouts so badly?" asked Mumbo, raising one eyebrow. "Or is that classified information?"
Beef paused a moment. On one hand, he was happy to explain. On the other, he couldn't exactly say that he woke up in Iskall's bed with his armor on and all her tools in his inventory now could he? Beef internally shuddered to think of the implications of that.
"It's classified," he said with a nod. "Thank you, though."
Mumbo nodded in return. "No problem, mate," he said, going back to whatever it was he was doing with no further questions. Beef appreciated that quality in a man. Most people, when probed for the sort of information he was after, would ask awkward things like why and how and what's up with this guy. Mumbo, meanwhile, was blissfully head-empty when it came to all matters except for redstone knowledge and Grian.
--
After that conversation, the strange mental fog cleared out almost instantly. Beef got to work building a house close to but not too close to spawn, choosing the location for the flatness of the land and the tranquilness of the surrounding landscape. It was a quiet place, a comfortable spot where you could kick back on the front porch and watch the sunset.
Beef went to sleep that night in his own bed that he'd build himself, comfortable and cosy. Maybe, he thought as he drifted off to sleep, Iskall would be online tomorrow. And if he was, there'd be hell to pay...
21 notes
·
View notes
Hot take(possibly??): most of the demigods in pjo/toa/hoo are villain coded. Not all but a lot of them and the best part of this is they're villain coded but they're known as untouchable heroes which is incredibly interesting for me.
For example, the cliche, the obvious, Percy. I love him don't get me wrong but that man's fatal flaw is canonically his loyalty, his personal loyalties specifically. The reason he went on his first quest initially was to bring his mom back from the underworld, essentially back from the dead because his mom is extremely important to him more so than his dad who was absent most his life, not retrieving the lightning bolt though he did end up doing that and Hades had Sally safe and well. The common saying is "a hero will sacrifice the one he loves to save the world. a villain will burn the world to keep the one he loves safe." You cannot look me dead in the eyes and tell me Percy Jackson, the man who while angry and bitter about his mother's "death" and this quest sent Medusa's head in a box to olympus, who after falling for Annabeth couldn't forget her even when Hera wiped his memory, would EVER let anything happen to her. He went to literal hell with her has killed monsters in brutal dark ways while in said hell and even before that jumped into siren infested waters to save Annabeth personal safety and quest be damned. He has turned down immortality for her. The gods could give him an ultimatum and he would choose Annabeth every time over anything, except his mortal family, but even then Percy would save everyone and then burn Olympus for daring to make him make that choice.
Additionally another one of my favorites who is increasingly more complex or at the very least somewhat the opposite to Percy in his villain coding is Nico Di Angelo.
For starters he's lost so much and has failed to save whoever was most important to him, twice. His fatal flaw is canonically, that he holds grudges, which is specifically noted to be dangerous for kids of Hades. Probably because demigods have shown on multiple occasions to have their powers connected to their emotions. IE: Percy through the entire first book and Nico in his first battle with Percy where he essentially summons an army in a panic. Or possibly because of their connection to death, the afterlife, and creatures from the underworld. Luckily this son of Hades is in control as he gets older so it's most likely the ladder in this case. Anyways after Percy got his sister, the only person Nico had left, killed Nico started running and using avoidance as a coping mechanism. Which in itself is a classic villain backstory set up because once someone has nothing they can be pushed to risk everything. However, my personal hypothesis is he spent that time running to avoid a violent outburst and act out on his grudge to cause Percy harm or put him into harms way, on top of the crushing guilt he must've felt for having a crush on the one who got his sister killed. To gain control over his emotions and come to terms with his new reality without his sister and with his new lineage and powers associated with. When he first comes back he is untrusting and distant. Then there was the whole "I have a friend who fully accepts me and I may be able to learn how to love again, trust again, and have friends" thing with Jason and then Rick killed him. That alone gives Nico more than a right to be angry and start fucking shit up tm. But he didn't and now he has Will. Classic case of the fooled me once shame on me fooled me twice shame on you imo. The set up for the same to happen again is underway as well. So at the very least three strikes you're out because I genuinely believe if anything happens to Will, Nico will no longer follow the heroes path. I believe the world would crumble and quake beneath his feet as the most guttural scream escapes his mouth. The dead will rise as he storms Olympus for giving him a story so cruel despite how hard he's fought and how good he's tried to be. I believe he would raise hell so intensely that the gods themselves would resurrect Will in fear of being overthrown by the wrath of the prince of darkness.
317 notes
·
View notes
GRAND! NOW I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT WEREWOLF!THORIN😤
RA Masterlist
Thorin is moody and bad-tempered, which doesn’t make him particularly popular with the villagers. Hence is why he’s the outsider.
Not that he minds. He keeps himself occupied with woodworking and carpeting, perfectly content to be left alone and only conduct business when necessary.
Tends to wear his hair in a messy though charming man bun.
Also, lots of flannel shirts.
You two get off on the wrong foot, meeting a few days after your arrival in the village.
''So, this is the city dweller.” Arms crossed, he appeared at your side when you went to check out the venue for your business. “Tell me, miss, what's a woman like you doing in Scotland?''
“I could ask the same of you,” you said, triggered by the condescending tone in his voice. “What’s a Mid-lander doing up north?”
“Answer the question.”
''I'm here to fix up this building.''
''Why?''
''My grandmother left it to me.''
''Doesn't mean you have to do anything with it. Might as well demolish it or sell it. Look at the place. It's in shambles.''
''But it's what my Nan left me.''
''Wow, what an inheritance.''
''Well, if you must know, I have some people willing to help fix this place. All of who told me they'd appreciate a bakery in town.''
''Any experience running a business?''
''N- No...'' you admitted, avoiding his icy blue eyes.
''Thought as much. You look more like an office worker than a baker.'' He snorted. ''Good luck. It's as dilapidated as the castle ruins.''
Nevertheless, he ended up helping with the renovation after seeing you struggle carrying furniture assembly kits, covered in paint.
Thorin didn’t know how to respond when you told him to take a break and have a cup of coffee.
Neither did he know why he followed your movements and felt awkward when your eyes met for a second. Feigning nonchalance, he averted his gaze to something in the distance, feeling rather hot under the collar.
He’s more wolf than man, so he’s not one for conversation and can be rather rough around the edges.
But he also leaves you flowers or berries he finds in the woods when he makes his usual rounds around his territory.
At first they showed up on your doorstep in a rattan basket without a trace of who sent them. However, when he walked by and saw the happiness on your face when you put the flowers in a vase, he added a note.
His handwriting isn’t the best, but that didn’t matter.
What did is that you finally knew his name.
Yes, only then did you learn it because he didn’t introduce himself while helping you set up the bakery and the villagers only refer to him as “sassenach” or worse.
Lycanthropy has already fully erased the memory of his cousins, who live nearby and keep an eye on him.
Appreciates how you make him breakfast ever since he first showed up on your doorstep after the full moon.
And how could you have turned him away when he's naked, panting, and looking awfully pale?
Thinks it’s adorable how you’re so concerned for him.
But you are because you believe he isn’t the monster the others make him out to be. Deep down, he’s a good man.
It takes some bloody work to help clear his atrocious reputation, though.
Let me clarify what makes it incredibly hard:
He frequently hunts in wolf form and returns all bloody dragging a carcass.
Fights tend to break out in the pub whenever he goes there for a bevvy.
He growls and snarls.
People have seen him skulking around the castle ruins naked early in the morning, sometimes covered in blood and grime.
Thorin gives you apologetic puppy eyes whenever you tell him to be a little nicer.
Recently, he went through a drastic change. It left you gobsmacked to the point you had to consciously make an effort to put down the hot tray with freshly baked bread and properly inspect the man standing at the counter.
“Who are you and what have you done to Thorin?”
“Very funny,” he grumbled, self-consciously rubbing the back of his neck.
“Seriously, though. What’s the reason for this?”
“You told me to be a little more human, so I cut my hair.”
“I meant in demeanour, not appearance! Also, why listen to what I say? I thought you were too bloody stubborn for that.”
“Be a bit clearer next time. Just because I don’t respond doesn’t mean I’m not listening.” He averted his gaze to the ground. “All that effort for nothing.”
“You look good, though.”
“I do?”
“Yeah.” You crossed your arms and smiled at him to ease his discomfort. “It’s weird to see you with short hair, but I’m sure we’ll both get used to it. Anyway, what do you want for breakfast?”
“The usual.”
“The rough night one?”
“Mhm.”
“Got it. By the way, thank you for the flowers.” You turned back to him for a moment and bounced on your heels. “I really like them.”
“My pleasure.”
He briefly watched you set off to make your famous deluxe breakfast club sandwich as he sat down on one of the stools and leaned on the counter.
There’s a lot he still doesn’t understand when it comes to you.
However, what he knows for sure is that he doesn’t want to forget you. Moreover, the Wolf and him both are strangely fond of you.
And you’re prettier than any flower in the world.
110 notes
·
View notes
TOP 10 personal Favorite Manga.
Here's just a couple of manga that I love & just think are top-notch.
NUMBER: 1 : TOKYO GHOUL
A series that means a lot to me in many ways. When I first got into Tokyo Ghoul it was by the very first season of the anime during 2014 and upon hearing the opening theme of Unravel and seeing the first episode, I was hooked and went into the manga series right after. A nuanced morally compelling storytelling with an array of so many cool and great characters and narratives, incredible art progression from Ishida Sui, and overall just a satisfyingly great conclusion to boot.
NUMBER: 2 : J NO SUBETE
On the surface, looks like a regular BL series, but underneath an emotional-roller-coaster and pretty heavy story about a transwoman named J. Set in the 40s /50s, you fellow J childhood and the awful, rough bullshit she deals with in life as well as her love & massive admiration of Marilyn Monroe. Really such a good story that deals with some real heavy shit...but still so good.
NUMBER: 3 : MONSTER
Not only one of my favorite anime adaptations but also equally as wonderfully engaging & just as well done as a manga as well. Monster is such a captivating, intense story and truly one of my favorites from Urasawa's works. Following Dr. Tenma, a talented neurosurgeon who has grips with the moral dilemma of either saving the Mayor or saving a young boy who was shot in a murder. Tenma chose to save the boy instead and while it costs him being demoted he still believes he did the right thing. Unfortunately years later discovering the boy he saves...turns out to be a killer. This series is such a banger from its storytelling to the characters and just one of the best from Urasawa's.
NUMBER: 4 : GOODNIGHT PUNPUN
At first glance of this manga, you might think of it as something of a cute slice-of-life story about a cute cartoony bird. But actually when reading it...IT'S WAY MORE DARKER and GETS A LOT MORE FUCK UP! For real Goodnight Punpun is one of those series that's start-up pretty light-hearted and a little bit goofy with Punpun being a cartoony-drawn bird amongst very average-looking humans as a young kid in the first volumes of the series. But as things move forward within the story as Punpun gets older and his family situation gets more unstable as well as his life, the tone gets more depressing as a whole. Love the dark psychological storytelling, although it definitely the type of story you can only read once in awhile or in a good headspace because it definitely can be a hard read.
NUMBER: 5 : BERSERK
Seriously, what can I say about Berserk that already hasn't been said on some level. But this manga is seriously, I feel one of the most top iconic series within manga as well as one of the most engaging, moving, fantastic, epic storyline I've read thus far. I know the series itself is still ongoing, and I've been keeping up-to-date with this story since reading the very first chapter. Hearing about Kentaro Miura death....was tough, I knew he had serious health issues, which is why volumes would tend to go on pretty long hatiuses... but man. Another influential iconic figure in manga gone, Berserk is definitely a series any manga-lover or anime fan should read once in awhile.
NUMBER: 6 : SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU
Not only one of the most beautifully mature, well-written, compelling storytelling I've seen thus far in an anime series. But as a manga, even more so, a well-crafted story on the life and times of a sad, burden-ridden, slightly bitter, depressed, old man known as Yakumo Yurakutei, who is a highly skilled and experienced master of Rakugo, which for those who don't know is an traditional Japanese verbal form of entertainment. Think of it as something like a form of Improv done by only one person playing different characters to tell a story, This series has many layers to its storytelling that's is done so well dealing with Yakumo and those in his life that has impacted him as to the type of pained almost broken old man he is within the present time. Just a overall good & bittersweet but fantastic story that's deserves to be check out more.
NUMBER: 7 : INNOCENT
It is one of the most beautifully drawn manga series that I have read so far while also being equally gruesome as well. Innocent is a fictionalized historical manga set during 18th century France about the story and legacy of Charles Henri Sanson (actual real historical figure), who is the fourth generation of a family of Executioners known as the Sanson family who are the royal Executioners of Paris. The story follows Charles rough journey towards his path of becoming the Monsieur De Paris. This absolutely such a fantastic piece of work, both in terms of the visually amazing stunning artwork and along with the historical storytelling of Charles coming to terms with his hated lineage and becoming Executioner of Paris but also showcasing the societal/political chaotic changes and upheaval of France slowly leading up to the French revolution. Although some historical aspects are obviously fictionalized, but still such a good series.
NUMBER: 8 : THE PROMISED NEVERLAND
While my feelings on the anime are highly mixed due to really, really, really not caring for the way they handled parts of the storytelling from season 2 of the anime series. But the manga, on the other hand, is a totally different story. Seriously, reading this series was a blast and just an enjoyable experience from beginning to end, as well as seeing Emma and Ray also Norman grow & and develop throughout each arc was great to witness including seeing the rest of the kids thrive and survive the outside world. For this manga was a great read, and definitely, I'll say at least personally to me was done far better then the second season flimsy adaptation.
NUMBER: 9 : HOMUNCULUS
Truly an mindfuck of a manga in more ways than one. But still a pretty damned good and wild story, Homunculus is a story about a homeless man named Susumu Nakoshi who ends up meeting a seemingly antagonistic young medical student named Itoh Manabu to do a little experiment on him by drilling a actual hole in his skull for a total of 700,000 ¥en. Itoh, who is very fascinated with studying the human minds and amongst other things such as ghosts and the occult, but ultimately he thinks he can unlock the hidden psychic potential of Susumu brain. Nakoshi goes through the process, and at first, nothing seems to happen after going through the the operation. Until he closes his right eye and starts seeing otherworldly nightmarish monsters and shapes with his left eye when he looks at other people. This series is truly a weird but also such a highly intriguing and fascinating psychological read while at the same time being a bit of a downer, but still an excellent but messed-up good story.
NUMBER : 10 : ATELIER OF WITCH HAT
Okay, so I just recently started reading this manga series not that long ago, about a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm so freaking hooked. Atelier of Witch hat has truly captured my heart and mind with its engaging and creatively fascinating world-building involving witches and magic to the just as highly interesting characters and storytelling. Which centers around our young protagonist Coco ( the girl on the cover) who is this super adorably passionate girl who has such a huge love for all things magical /witches and deeply wishes she could become one as well, but unfortunately normal people or "outsiders" can't become witches, you have to be born into it, but that's doesn't stop Coco from trying her hardest to still wanting to be a witch. One of the things I love most about this world and how it handles dealing with magic and witches is that magic is really normal within this world and how witches tend to uses it to help and serve regular people in need or even for lighting up a cobblestone pathway also I really like how the magic system is structured in this series, such as instead of casting spells or any from of magic with words or a phrase, magic is casted by drawing, Coco here ends up in a pickle with accidentally casting magic that ends up turning her mom into stone & thus Coco journey towards witchood begins.
Seriously, even though I've just recently gotten into this manga & and its ongoing tale it's already has captivated me on so many levels and I just can't get enough of it so far wonderful storytelling and amazingly beautiful drawn artsy apart of it which really adds a lot of this series fantastical elements. Definitely a must to check out!!
Wanted to do a list of a couple of some of my most top favorite manga series and ones were I feel other's should give them a shot at checking out if there into any of these stories. (^ _ ^)
14 notes
·
View notes
The Stomped Stomping Grounds (Brought to you by Ultra Magnus. On Accident.) ((Part 1?))
Being in the deep woods of an alien planet was both incredibly exciting and also absolutely awful. On one hand, new plants and trees and creatures! On the other hand, there was a giant metal monster chasing you.
You were setting up your campsite when it first showed up. You were lucky to crash somewhere safe for humans, but your luck ended up just as squashed as your tent when a foot the size of cabin descended upon your site. You were able to move out of the way, but in the process managed to draw the things attention.
——————
Everyone knew it. Rodimus, Megatron, Drift, pit, even Tailgate knew Ultra Magnus was not too fond of organics. That’s why it was so surprising when he was sent to survey an assumed uninhabited planet. At least it was a change of pace, the antics of the Lost Light’s crew had been particularly irritating that cycle, and he knew he couldn’t put anyone else in the brig.
So now he was alone, on a possibly energon rich planet, covered in organic life he really didn’t appreciate. As he followed the tracker, Ultra Magnus went through lists in his mind about who was going to get a citation and what he needed get up to code, right up until he heard a small squeak from below him.
Oh. Oh no. Not this. He was not going to deal with this today.
The thing below him dashed under his legs and to the forest behind him. He wouldn’t be that worried about it, of course, if it weren’t for the fact there was an obvious campsite the thing had came out of. One he had just stepped on. Oh primus help him.
Dispute his distaste, he wasn’t going to have a possible new species have their first interaction with a cybertrionian be unpleasant. Again. He tired to speak to them, only earning him more squeaks as they ran farther away from him. It’s never that easy, is it?
———————
Oh, great, you made it angry. Maybe, it was hard to tell when all you heard was grinding metal of some sort. Adrenaline pumped through your veins. You dove under roots and leaves, climbed your way through thick foliage and cut a path it couldn’t find you. Well, you thought it couldn’t find you.
Your heart pounded out of your chest, your breathing quickened and your mind began to melt into pure instinct. Unbelievably big metal hands began to descend near your hiding place. To your left, to your right, they slowly closed in on your position as you sat helpless before the behemoth.
———————
I needed to write something and so I did. I had no plan before this, and I don’t know where I’m going with it. I also haven’t actually read all of the comics yet so this is me throwing up information I may or may not have right in the form of a fanfiction.
I am also very tired and as a result didn’t have the energy to put in as much effort as I normally would, which is why this one is so short and why I will probably make a part two at some point.
-👾👾👾
OOOOOO this is so good so far!!!!!! Ultra Magnus is so underrated for first contact fics, this was a great choice!!! I love how annoyed he was at the fact of having to deal with the human HAHAHA
If you ever make a part 2 please share it!!!
19 notes
·
View notes
How the antiship community held me back from healing
I don't like necessarily labeling myself in this discourse now but I suppose I would technically be considered an ex-antishipper.
In the past I was antiship because proshippers abused me, or well I thought they did. Because obviously my abusers and predators when I was a kid would be proshippers right? Because they must have liked the content about the stuff that they did to me. Even the ones who never talked about the content. Because they were never proshippers they were just cartel members, organized crime, customers of such, or child predators. Being in antiship spaces lead to people trying to convince me of that. I don't think I ever fully lied... I am both histrionic and a sociopath and when I was pre-therapy (for trauma- I had therapy as a kid for suicidality and self harm but not the other issues until adulthood), I was incredibly delusional and easily influenced. I was being pushed to believe these things by others so hard that I didn't understand where my "filler" memories for my amnesiac periods of time and terror of the unknown started or ended. My perception of reality was easy to mold and change. And with that warped perception of "these were my abusers" and "these people are the same as my abusers" my own delusion was able to be weaponized against others.
Part of why it took so long to accept this as what happened is because I wanted to believe I had gotten better. Being raised in a cult originally also tends to mean reactionary and unreasonable beliefs stick and stay deep inside of you. But I was so certain I was different. We moved away when I was 9 and when I got internet access starting at 11 I slowly got into leftism. I couldn't possibly still be affected, I was better now, safer. I had to be or that meant I deserved to die obviously. (Something antishippers also sadly seem to be the types to push as well- reform only for those who do minors ills.) Those thought patterns and delusional fears of being a monster were just the continuation of ideas from the cult. Those problems with my thought patterns and ideas never got resolved merely the targets changed and people around me convinced me I was acting justly.
I hadn't healed as much as I thought I had and everyone around me was enabling my delusions. People were actively making it harder to heal and the fact I didn't have a proper therapist yet for what had actually happened and the actual extent of my disorders certainly didn't help. Cult brainwashing doesn't go away because you educate yourself on topics, it needs deep intensive help to fully remove. My current therapist cannot even fully help me in that regard. I need a deprogrammer. But antishippers often told me otherwise, and the community in general lead me and I know so many others to holding conflicting beliefs and allowing reactionary ideology to go unchallenged.
I want to be clear here that antishipping itself is not a cult nor cultlike and as a survivor of a cult I find it repulsive to compare the two. Antishippers do not have a child trafficking operation with connections to the cartel set up in their temple's basement. They don't have preschools that work as a front for further trafficking, and they don't murder their detractors and bribe the police to cover it up or ignore the mass graves. But what many antishippers do is take advantage of people who have experienced those things and similar.
I started having my doubts as I healed more and more and I became incredibly more and more jaded against antishippers in general as time went on and I heard more horror stories and saw more antiship people going after people who held the positions I did as not being "antiship enough" or "secretly being proship". See, the idea I had in my mind of a proshipper was someone who would send gore, death threats, threaten to assault you, purposefully trigger you, bait you into self harm, and throw a tantrum over media ever being analyzed by anyone ever. Because those were the kinds of people who would go out of their way to dig through my various tiny social media accounts to harass me for the one time every 7 months I would ever talk about shipping discourse.
Normal people (meaning most proshippers) would not take time responding to a child having a mental breakdown and thinking that all proshippers are literally the people who abused them (and yes I say literally because I did believe at one point in my life that every proshipper I had interacted with had been one of my past abusers on an alt account because again I was severely mentally ill and not properly treated and my OCD has psychotic elements) but the neo-nazis and the genuine child predators would.
I think that's part of what keeps people like me in the antiship sphere for so long. I was bound to be pushed out eventually given my love for media such as Berserk, Fear and Hunger, and games by Nitro+CHiRAL. I've always loved dark media, I've loved blood and gore and death, and even before I accepted I was a necrophiliac I found corpses incredibly intriguing in a way that was obviously not normal. I had opinions in line with what I've seen people say proship is- no harassment to others, like what you like, don't want the government to get involved with things. But because the only proshippers who would interact with actively unhinged and deranged posts and meltdowns I had were bound to be bad people and/or ill equipped to handle a child in active crisis- who mind you was getting trafficked the entire duration of the time and was having constant blackout episodes- I was lead to believe that the proship community and those within it were all a genuine danger to my safety. And I never once had the courage to question if the antiship community was harming me as well. Not until I started getting into recovery at least.
Because part of recovery was having repressed memories come up, part of recovery was having those memories be a constant thing I had to sit with. Part of recovery was me desperately wanting to write about what happened to me in fiction but being terrified if I did I would be ostracized for being a proshipper even when I was planning to handle the topic "correctly" in my writing. Part of recovery was being told that the reason I found certain things so attractive was because I may have died if my brain didn't change the horrors I experienced and the sense of helplessness into a new form of control through lust and desire. Part of recovery was realizing I had been lied to by everything and everyone since the day I was born and having to question everything I knew about myself and my ideas.
And those questions lead to answers.
The main core the main thing that people had gotten to me on in order to fully convince me of the antiship position above all else- was so insignificant and stupid.
I used to be into guro and very much liked it when I was 12/13 or so and part of that was as a way of coping with what I had repressed. Part of my issues and dissociation had been not noticing the scars that litter my own body. Scars I've had since I was under the age of 10. Scars that are inseparable from the real issue that caused me to act the way I did that got blamed on my consumption of darkfics and guro. I was violent and aggressive to others in middle school and early highschool and at some point antishippers convinced me it was because the media I read had normalized it and pushed me to act in these ways. But then I broke through more of my amnesia and realized I was getting trafficked weekly multiple times a week when I had these outbursts. It was never my fault and I never was tainted by the media I read. I was scared and I was having flashbacks and hurting people on accident and nobody understood what was happening.
I feel so fucking stupid for having hated myself for so long for having been able to be convinced that reading stuff caused that when maybe just maybe I could have realized things sooner maybe someone would have saved me. But of course that's also wishful thinking.
Media was my escape and it was torn from me and deemed the source of the symptoms of my abuse that I was trying to escape from.
I may not consider myself a proshipper. But I most certainly am not an anti. Not after realizing everything. Now I'm actually allowing myself to indulge in things I've been missing and to accept my paraphilia that my trauma left me with. Because one final part of this and that coming to accept that it's okay to be a necrophile is accepting I can write and make art about it and have a character centered around it who I very much do plan to post about. I can also stop feeling guilty for my kinks and fetishes and playing games that may sexualize bad situations and actions. Because fuck it I do find slavery hot and I'm allowed to as a survivor of it and I find weird tentacle rape hentai as hot as well. I may be grossed out or scared of other media as well but that doesn't mean it's actually dangerous to me. And people cannot convince me I'm in danger and scare me as easily as they could before.
══════════════✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿══════════════
I am anti-contact for paraphilias that would break consent or cause egregious harm to a person even with consent. Disclaimer is here because I mention my paraphilia in this post and want to be clear I have no wishes to act on it IRL. I also know not everyone who like fictophilic para content is actually attracted to the real versions- I don't get that given my attractions to fiction are identical in reality but I'm also really autistic and weird so ya do what you will. Feel free to add anything if you wish!
══════════════✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿══════════════
16 notes
·
View notes
hello my dear 💙 what's your absolute favorite part of season three of tbb so far? maybe top three favorite parts?
and of course yours truly is always open to asks
Hi & thanks for the ask 😃😃😃
This question isn't that easy because some episodes so far were absolutely mixed bags… so I'm going to rate each episode and will conclude with a ranking of the best of them.
Therefore, long post inbound!
03x01 - Confined: 5/5
This episode set the mood for the entire season perfectly and showed nicely how cold and uncaring the Empire is - compared to Tantiss, Kamino is almost homely. (Tantiss really mirrors Kamino, doesn't it?) Also the juxtapose between Omega and Crosshair in all their differences was set in scene nicely and brought forth their incredible chemistry which is definitely one of the highlights in this season. Personally, I adore as well the clock-symbolism of the centrifuge machine thanks to its ability to create an undercurrent of tension.
03x02 - Paths Unknown: 2/5
Yes, probably a bit hard rating but the slither vine wasn't that good.
The young clones are adorable side-characters and were put to good use by making a connection to the main conflict (being a family vs being soldiers).
Themewise this episode was good, but plot-wise not so much - like mentioned before, Wrecker and Hunter haven't got much synergy to carry a scene or even a whole episode together. In this episode I missed Tech dearly - not only because of the data extraction part, but as a character who lets everyone around him shine and who asks questions which creates a certain tension in the team as well a lot of funny moments.
03x03 - Shadows of Tantiss: 5/5
This episode as well was pure joy for me: Omega and Cross working together to escape was superbly done - the one works to get them out, the other one keeps the spirits up during the escape. 😍 Also, Batcher as back-up was nicely done!
But equally I like that Omega and Cross only escaped because Nala Se gave them the means and Hemlock didn't wanted to risk killing Omega - the plausibility was well done in this episode.
And introducing the Vault was artfully done as well!
03x04 - A Different Approach: 5/5
Like in every episode with the main focus on Cross&Omega I enjoyed this as well - it showed nicely how much Omega has learned but that she isn't ready to face the big bad universe on her own. Also the slimy officer was a fun minor antagonist and got a very deserving end! (Which reminds me: Only the first episode is an episode without any big monster…)
The sole flaw was that they cut the reunion too early and didn't bother to explain Hunters and Wreckers frowns… yep, I'm still salty because of that.
03x05 - The Return: 4/5
Oh boy, here I'm torn between 3/5 and 4/5. Ultimately, I went for 4/5 because all the small moments were done good: Echo as the teams moderator, Cross getting his armor back, AZI and the target practice, hinting Omegas conflicted feelings regarding the other clones in Tantiss, the vulture symbolism, paying a tribute to Mayday, Phees cameo.
The big flaw - like you repeatedly pointed out - is the handling of the conflict between Crosshair and Hunter: The build-up was nice, but they chickend out of the portrayal with introducing the ice wyrm (pray tell, what's the difference to the Krayt Dragons on Tatooine?)
03x06 - Infiltration: 3/5
This gets a 3 out of 5 - even though it wasn't a bad episode. I just dislike how overpowered CX-2 is albeit his mirroring of the Bad Batch as whole is an awesome concept. Also why did the writers decided to bench Echo out of all the characters??
The conflict between Cross and Rexs squad was done nicely, as well the chilling nature of the CXs - but I wished that they had done more than hinting what happened to Cross. There's only so long you can push the can down the street.
Another point of criticism that arises from the latest episode is that withholding information is kind off OOC for Crosshair, especially when Omegas life is on the line and that Rex doesn't know what a M-count is, is pretty ridiclious. (And a boring conflict as well!)
03x07 - Extraction: 3/5
Same as Episode 6: The fight Crosshair vs the CX-2 was well set up and nicely done but they should have spilled the beans further about what happened (just my opinion). But hats off for the continued portrayal of Crosshairs handshaking and the consequences it produced.
(And I love the scene "I'm much worse" sooo much 😍)
I think the conflict Wolffe vs Rex was underutilized and they got too easily away… therefore 3 stars.
03x08 - Bad Territory : 2/5
Two stars solely for the Omega and Crosshair-moments; the rest of the episode was far too long and too plot-less for my taste. One would think that after all this time the boys would have learned how to broker a better deal than that. Also, the writers could have illustrated Hunters senses better because now I don't know what's supposed to be so special about them…
03x09 - The Harbinger: 1/5
Def my least favorite episode - y'know why.
03x10 - Identity Crisis: 5/5
This episode was unexpected, but very welcome - the deep dive into Emeries POV is very well done. Especially the showing of her emotions and the growing doubts were depicted perfectly and the kidnapping of Bayrn (the baby Tarlafar) was heartbreaking as well as the other kids. It's just like Kamino all over again except these kids know exactly what they have lost.
03x11 - Point of No Return: 4/5
Omega giving herself up was so very in character as well fitting into her emotional conflict in this episode; the invasion of Pabu was peak imperial villainness. Also Hunter hijacking the ship and Cross fighting with the troopers felt very in character and apropriate regarding the high stakes.
But somehow, I couldn't enjoy this episode completely… still searching for the why.
Maybe it just hit too close to my heart with the destruction of the Marauder or maybe the stealth of CX-2 was overdone…
03x12 - Juggernaut: 4/5
Once again a case between 3/5 and 4/5 - in the end, 4/5 won because:
- amazing Phee-piloting
- Rampart as absolutely petty b*tch
- the remaining batch working flawlessly together
- Hemlock playing mind games with Omega
Flaws imo are Cross giving up information far too late and the copy-paste from The Believer…
Final ranking is therefore: ✨✨✨
🥇Shadows of Tantiss
🥈A Different Approach
🥉Confined & Identity Crisis
🏅 Honorable mention: Point of No Return for the perfect heartfelt drama
Sorry that it got so long but once again thanks for your questions & I can't wait to discuss this list in more detail with you 😃
3 notes
·
View notes
Treacherous (14)
Relationship: Druig x Reader
Warnings: angst, such angst, bc of course
Summary: Soulmate!AU - Soulmate tattoos are incredibly rare but you’ve never felt really proud to have one. Everyone else around you gushed over it while you found the whole thing ominous and a little inconvenient. Truthfully, you were never really convinced you’d find your other half… That is until a random camping trip leads you to a quaint village run by a dark and brooding man who just so happens to be your soulmate. Stuck in the forest with nothing else to lose, you agree to join his world, his little village, and see if there’s actually love behind the markings.
A/N: whoops, my bad, forgot to update tumblr again but ... anyways, here you go! I do wanna thank y’all for still reading this (at least, I hope people are?) and I hope the reactions and love y’all give for this is...genuine? idk i’m weird about compliments, especially on my fanfic writing, and sometimes it’s hard for me to understand if people actually like what i do or if i’m being mocked in a way...? sorry, it’s hard to explain, but I hope you still like it. and I am also sorry if this fic is not turning out the way you would’ve written it. I do fear i’m constantly going to disappoint readers so apologies if that’s happening and i understand if you wanna tune off of it.
‘Treacherous’ Masterlist | Main Masterlist
You felt like a fog had been lifted as you slowly forced your eyes open and slowly took in the wide stretch of water that set before you. The first thing you noticed was how peaceful everything was. The sun was just starting to sink below the horizon.
The sun… It was so clear. You frowned. Why was it — Where were the trees? You turned your head and were somehow surprised to find that you could move freely. Why wouldn’t you think you could? And again, where were the trees? A forest was off some feet away but you couldn’t tell if it was your forest —
Oh. The village. The monster. The people. You went to take a step one way when a man cut in front of you. Well, it wasn’t just any man.
"Druig," you said, finding your voice a bit groggy, "Wh-What…" You tried forming a sentence but you didn’t know where to start.
"How are you feeling?" He asked as his hands rested on your arms, holding you in front of him.
"I…" How did you feel? A little dazed, you supposed. Almost like you had taken a decade-long nap. "Weird. I feel weird."
But why was that? Everything had been fine until that godforsaken monster had attacked and then…
You took in a sharp breath. The only thing you remembered after that was Druig’s voice telling you to stay put.
But he hadn’t just asked you to do that, he had commanded it. He had willed it.
You sensed a strong wave of guilt hit your soul as you slowly pieced together what happened. Druig knew you knew.
"Did you"—you hiccuped; your voice caught in your throat—"control me?"
What was even the point of asking, you wondered. It was written on his face. You could still hear the faint whispers of Druig in your brain. It had been done. Slowly, he let his arms fall to his side, effectively removing a touch you had admittedly found comfort in.
Druig’s voice was incredibly soft as he spoke. "I had to. I didn’t know what that thing was capable of and I couldn’t risk finding out, dear. I couldn’t risk you. I told you before I’ll do anything to keep you safe, that I wouldn’t cross such a line unless I had to, and…and I had no other choice. You and that amazing, stubborn heart weren’t going to stop." He shook his head as his eyes began to water. "You can be mad at me all you want. Yell, scream, cry, hit me, I don’t care. Please just know that I only did it to protect you."
You heard his words, you understood the weight of the situation, and yet you didn’t think you had it in you to be angry. Yeah, your reaction had surprised you as well, but that was becoming the truth of it all.
You felt how heavy and genuine his words were. The regret and shame poured out of the bond like a chaotic waterfall. On top of it all, you could remember how scared you were when you saw that monster attacking the village. The thing was beyond dangerous and, well, Druig was right. Despite the fact you should’ve had obvious reservations, you weren’t going to listen to stop from trying to help or something.
But also… Damn. He really did have that much power over you. Again, it was something you were always very aware of but to actually be on the receiving end… He had been honest with you before about his usage of such powers on you and, granted, he kept his word, but it was undoubtedly unsettling, to say the least. Still, concern didn’t equal anger.
"I… I’m not exactly happy about what happened," you admitted, sadly. It was clear Druig, of course, didn’t like your words but he didn’t seem surprised by them. "But I can see why you’d choose to do what you did. You’re right, I don’t think anything was going to stop me. The situation was…chaotic. You did what you had to in the moment." You paused. "At least, I am trying to believe you did it as a last resort."
"Of course," Druig insisted. "I promised you, and that’s not something I take lightly, do you understand?"
You nodded, slowly. You were caught in an unwell place mentally, still recovering from previous actions while also trying to make sense of it all. But for all your uncertainty, you didn’t find yourself completely displeased with your soulmate. Even after everything.
"What, um, what happened with the village and everyone?" You asked, a not-so-subtle way of changing the subject.
Druig’s eyes shifted at your question. "The village is in ruins."
Your heart sank. You had feared these results upon seeing that creature penetrate the place that you had come to accept. There had been so much left, so much Druig promised to show you. The flowers, the gardens, the crafts… Had it all truly vanished? You had gotten so comfortable with the idea, it felt like your world even if you had only inhabited it for a short period.
There were things to explore. People to care for. Hell — you hadn’t even learned the language yet. Too much was left unfinished. How could this be?
"And the people?" You asked, your voice dropping to just above a whisper. You didn’t want to ask, really. You felt you knew.
"I sent them on their way," he muttered, clearly as uncomfortable and hurt by the situation as you.
You almost couldn’t believe this was happening. You were whisked into an unknown world with an unknown man only to find a place with so much life and culture. A place you could almost see yourself sharing with the one revealed to be your soulmate.
But now it was all gone. All that was left standing were you two and this bond you shared.
"Druig, I’m sorry—,"
"No," he cut you off promptly, shaking his head. "I’m the one that needs to apologize. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for…" He sighed. "I’m sorry for everything. The lying, the controlling, the sneakiness, everything you had to endure. I’ve sent you on a whirlwind and you deserved much better." He took an unsettling pause. "And I am especially sorry for what I have to do."
"Wh-What are you talking about?"
Druig looked over your shoulder, likely at the other Eternals who you could feel were staring at you two, as you awaited anxiously for his response. You couldn’t read how he was feeling all of a sudden, almost like he was fighting it back.
Or… Or maybe he wasn’t feeling anything. Maybe what he "has" to do is just business to him. You didn’t know why that suddenly made you feel even weirder.
When Druig finally spoke, it was words you never imagined hearing. "I’m sending you home."
Your jaw went slack. "Home?" You asked in a breathy, surprised gasp. Home? As in New York? But he had called the village home, he had called your time with him home. How were you meant to just go back to all of that? You could only imagine your parents’ reaction, your boyfriend’s bewilderment, as you marched back into New York.
Was there even anything left for you, personally, back in New York? You were going to be back to where you had started, where you had been before you made that fateful march into the Amazon.
This didn’t make any sense.
Druig was looking in your direction but specifically not at you as you waited, silently pleaded, for an explanation. Actually, for him to tell you this was all one giant joke would definitely be better.
Maybe you were asleep and the last weeks, months even, of your life hadn’t been real because you weren’t sure how much longer you could stay on this treacherous path. Every low felt detrimental and every high felt transient.
"I’ve promised to help them," Druig said, nodding again towards the peering Eternals. You didn’t have the strength to look at them. You didn’t want to remember that any third party was witnessing this moment. "It’s not safe for you to come along and I… There’s nowhere else for you. I only want to protect you, dear."
His explanation was sufficient but, still, a dangerous question forced its way to the front of your mind.
"Will I ever see you again?"
The question hurt worse when you said it out loud. It was excruciating to ask and even more painful to think about. What if the answer was no? Could you truly live knowing you had found your soulmate but would never be reunited with him?
It was crazy to think that you had gone all those years never having a single clue about who your soulmate could be. You had survived so long without him, had even been ready to consider walking away from it all, but now that it was happening in such a way even just a day separated crushed something in your soul.
You don’t think you had wanted to be forced apart. Not like this.
"Should all go according to plan," he said, "I believe it will be temporary."
You didn’t like that vagueness. You knew what was at stake here, Druig had laid out the circumstance in odd but obvious terms, and yet you were hung up with something in his tone.
"I don’t like this," you said like it wasn’t already obvious, "I don’t feel…confident in whatever is going on but I can’t stop it, can I?"
"I care about you a lot," Druig confessed but it came out more like a beg. "I promise I only do this to protect you. I truly hope you understand."
"I really can’t help you guys?" You asked in some sad last-ditch effort. "I—I don’t have powers, obviously, but—,"
Druig shook his head. "I won’t allow it."
You looked back over at the group still watching you two in the distance. "But—,"
"I love that you care so much," Druig said, promptly cutting you off. His compliment sent shockwaves between you two. You turned your attention back to him as he continued, "You’re so wonderful, you know that? Have I ever told you that?"
You felt your cheeks flush at his words. "You’re saying this so I’ll stop bugging."
"I’m saying it because you deserve to hear it," he replied. "It’s for all the times I should’ve said it, whether you were ready to hear it or not because it’s all true. You’re so caring and accepting and lovely, my lady. What have I told you before about dismissing my words? You shouldn’t, not ever, because I don’t just say things for the sake of saying them."
Your chest warmed at his kind words, words you absolutely knew he meant but didn’t completely want to accept. It wasn’t even a reciprocating thing — it was just about how overwhelming this relationship could be. You felt everything between you two, your own emotions and others included. It was scary, you had to admit, much scarier than you had anticipated.
But it was real and — you also had to admit — good.
"I…" Your mouth dried as you let yourself focus on your soulmate. A million thoughts, phrases, words, ran through your head when you looked at him. "You’re…wonderful as well."
Oof. You had to nearly stop yourself from physically cringing at your own words. You, historically, hadn’t been particularly great at expressing feelings of such kind and now it was like the dial had been turned up to 10 on all your emotions, making everything harder somehow.
Druig, though, didn’t seem bothered by your words. The soft grin that broke out on his face told you he appreciated it. He took half a step closer to you. Your bodies were nearly touching.
Gently, he brought one hand up to cup the side of your face. His thumb traced soft mindless patterns on your skin as he kept your eyes engaged with his. It was all so suddenly intimate and you thought, just for a second, the words would come out…
"It’s going to be okay," Druig finally said in a voice just above a whisper. Something in you deflated and you snapped yourself back to reality.
"Oh—Okay," you replied. You didn’t know what else to say.
But it ended up not really mattering. Before you could even consider formulating another sentence, Druig’s lips were on yours. He pulled you in close, probably as close as two could be, and you found yourself happily returning the kiss. It was familiar yet brand new all at once. There was so much said and unsaid in the moment but the kiss covered it all. Frankly, it left you dazed. The rest of the world, including the looky-loos in the distance, melted away.
Druig was the first to pull away surprisingly, and a little to your dismay, but you understood. There was work to be done. You had somewhere to be. Which actually did bring up a new question.
"How am I—,"
Druig must���ve read your mind, an ability you could only assume he possessed because a familiar sensation overcame you. Everything was distant once again. You were here and not here, feeling more like you were floating or outside of your body. It felt like Druig encompassed you in every way possible.
Only briefly did you consider exactly how necessary this was as your mind could subtly pick up what was happening before there was no more.
***
When you came back to, the first thing that hit you was the sound of cars racing by. Slowly, you blinked your eyes open and were greeted by a high-rise apartment building you instantly recognized. A honking of a car behind you made you jump. And then someone pushed past you.
You looked around, realizing you had been thrown back into the bustle of New York City. You had no idea how you actually got back here nor did you appreciate the fact Druig had controlled you—
You gasped as a sharp pain hit from somewhere deep in your chest. Druig. That’s right. You two were separated…for who knows how long. Your conversation hit you in waves as you finally shook yourself back to reality.
Seriously, if you ever saw your soulmate again, you were going to make it a point that you were never putting up with this mind control stuff ever again. Not only was it weird, but the side effects were annoying. You didn’t care about whatever circumstance you found yourself in.
Sighing, you turned your attention back to the apartment building in front of you. Your apartment building. You were…home, you guessed.
Deciding that standing in the middle of a New York City sidewalk was not your best move, you began walking towards the lobby entrance when someone behind you frantically called out your name. You whipped your head around to see who had called for you.
And then your eyes landed on them. Your parents. Before you knew it, they were both racing towards you, weeping. You must’ve caught them right when they were coming home.
What were the odds?
As they engulfed you in hugs and questions, you found all you could do was just stand there, frozen.
You were truly back, you were out of the village, away from…him. It hurt so much. Especially when that little tattoo on your wrist began to itch.
99 notes
·
View notes
I had vacation and tooth surgery and thus a lot of time to be lazy! <3 A chunk of it I spent listening to the narrations of some creepypasta series. Though, honestly, I'm not sure they can be called that? They're more episodic paranormal stories. Yes, there's monsters running around and dangerous, maybe scary stuff going on, but they're also incredibly wholesome and soo sweet and very queer! So if you're into that, go look for the stories written by @02321 on r/nosleep and Youtube!
My Name's Skyler, I'm a Freelance P.I. narrated by Baron Landred (the title on r/nosleep is I Work as a P.I and a Government Agent approached me to help with a case) and I Deliver Mail to Cryptids narrated by Animas. (And also a bunch of stories more set in the same universe of the Silver King.)
Now back to our regular books! We have 4 princes, 2 kings and 1 queen this month!
Banshee Blues (Nina Blazon): I'm in the editing process of my latest novel, which I'm writing in German, so I felt I should read a German, non-translated book for once. This was the only one in my pile but it is from my favourite German author, so all was well. I have a lot to thank her for. The first novel read from her was Der Dunkle Kuss der Sterne (The Stars' Dark Kiss) and that was the first time I liked first-person viewpoint! Her next book had split POV and different tenses and I had to admit it was done well. Banshee Blues was not quite up to par with her previous works but it went a few new directions than usual which was nice as well. It tried very hard to lead you astray with what's going on and who is evil and who isn't. And while I liked how things turned out between the two leads it would have been monumental to have them stay platonic.
The Fallen King's Penitent Soldier (Tales of the High Court 5) (Megan Derr): Sigh, it's been a ride. I had a good time with the whole series. I love the worldbuilding, really. But it is alright to end it here, while it's still good, you know. In a way, these five stories are all built very similar: Being kidnapped by bad guys, running from the bad guys or running after the bad guys for the first half and afterwards waiting to let other people sort it out. There's probably a limited amount of iterations you can go through while still be interesting. But for these five volumes it was fun! As for book 5 by itself, I think it's a good thing it comes so late in the series. Because it really takes its time. There's a lot introspection going on for the two protagonists which is okay because they go through a lot but it's also very long and sometimes not much else happens. I liked the two of them, I liked how religion was handled, I liked how it went full circle back to Allen's story. I liked the series. Good times. :)
Prince & Knight (Daniel Haack & Stevie Lewis): I wanted this for the pretty pictures. But apparently the universe didn't want me to? I ordered this last year already, but the package went on an odyssee through several cities without ever arriving at my home. I ordered it again this year and … the same thing happened?! 8D The odyssee was shorter this time, mind you, but … why again?! I tried a third time and ordered it for pick up at a local bookstore and that finally worked. Geez! It's a children's picture book so the story is as basic as it goes. Is it goo for children? I wouldn't know. The dragon doesn't die and it's very sweet and very pretty.
In all seinen Farben (Boy Queen) (George Lester): I had some exhausting weeks at work and thought I could use something inspirational. Something about finding your own way and shine. Which happens in this book but there's also a lot of drama going on and I was not prepared for the rock-bottom-hit in the beginning. xD I mean, it was written in the blurb but I've owned the book for a year why should I reread the blurb … I know nothing about drag or make-up or anything in that direction (I did watch like 15 minutes of the drag show at Comic Con Stuttgart last year but that hardly counts), so it was charming and interesting to read about.
We Could Be so Good (Cat Sebastian): I have to apologise to everyone on the waitlist for this at my library because I could have read it faster but … once I realised what sort of direction the 70% drama might take I had a tough time reading on. They were so happy and it was nice and I just did not want to suffer! I did assume, since the book goes out of its way to address how all queer books published during the mid of the last century would have to end badly (and the protagonist outright refusing to read them therefore), it would probably take a turn for a happy ending. That was the only hope that kept me going. If I had known any of the author's other work I maybe wouldn't have worried so much, because it's written in her bio already that she'll only write happy endings?! Well … So for anyone else fearing the drama of a book set in 1959: No queer person was harmed in this book! (Nothing major anyway.) I like the book, though! Enjoyed reading it. Nick and Andy are both sweet. But that fear did something to me, took me a while to recover. :'D
Prince & Assasssin (Perilous Courts 1) (Tavia Lark): I needed something simple for my fragile heart and it seems gay fantasy is my comfort read now in the same way my mom reads stuff named like "The Little Bakery at XYZ Street". And what should I tell you, yeah, there're men who are tenderly and not so tenderly intimate with each other, yeah yeah, but there's also giant talking cats! Giant talking cats! Also, I really like the author's writing style. It's so smooth! I started reading and didn't want to put it down anymore because it read so smoothly! The book itself was so much better than I had expected (which was basically nothing). It won't blow you off your feet but it's pretty enjoyable and surprisingly wholesome. Also the worldbuilding felt just right. I'm looking forward to reading the next volumes soon!
King of Immortal Tithe (Darkmourn 2) (Ben Alderson): Did I buy the expensive hardcover just because I like the illustration more than the one of the paperback? Why hello, that's me. So this is the second fae book I read this year. It's apparently a universal truth now that fae men are the most beautiful and well endowed beings on earth and beyond. Not that I mind, you do you, but why does fae anatomy work the same as humans' actually? Anyway, this is a stand-alone in a series of stories all set within the same universe. I like that concept. Hunting for pieces of lore is fun. Arlo is a feisty character so following him was enjoyable. The switch from enemy to lovers was kinda sudden like … I can see why but personally it still felt sudden. Also Faenir calling Arlo constantly Darling was not my taste but you know, if it's just that, I can overlook it. The twist at the end had me barking out evil laughter (which means approval). I did hold back reading the final chapter until I read the first volume as not to spoil any more! (While they are stand-alones the previous story is referenced in this one.)
Lord of Eternal Night (Darkmourn 1) (Ben Alderson): "He was so tall and his hands were so large and his length was so great and so thick my fingers couldn't touch reaching around it. He was not just a man, he was a god!" I laughed. That's not a literal quote, but a good summary. Yeah. I laughed. And while praising one guy he was also dissing his former lover, the baker's son, for not being as large. Not the poor lad's fault, no need to get mean! Should have known at that point already who was the true evil mastermind. :'P. But in all fairness, there is a little more going on in the story. And well, these books know very well what kind of fantasy they're catering. There's a short guy, a little crafty and feisty, not too weak, and the very tall, very beautiful guy who everyone says is evil, but turns out he isn't so evil, he just has a tragic past, he also falls very hard for the protagonist and oops, maybe he does have some capacity for evil. I did like how the story subverted who's good and who's bad like three times. Otherwise, it's not really complex. But I'm kinda into the ending.
Alpha of Mortal Flesh (Darkmourn 3) (Ben Alderson): The third installment in the series, they've been getting more elaborate with each volume. So instead of the 2 and 3 half characters we had in the first one, there's actually a whole cast in here with motivations and backstories. That was nice. The writing style, however, is still as … trying as hard as in the beginning. It's not bad, mind you, I commend it for trying to use the full range of the English language, but there's a lot of words, making everything longer than needed, and sometimes their choice is really weird. Example: "My tongue broke free. It slithered from the confines of my mouth." But it's just a normal human tongue licking something eagerly yet still very normally! And, they're indie books, yeah, but I do wish all three books would have gone through another round of editing. The unnecessary repetitions and errors made me suffer a little. And while I got a little bored and impatient at the end I do like the story and what it's trying to do. Just that it was trying too hard in some aspects of the writing and not hard enough in others.
That's it for July! Apparently, August will be library month again. My TBR bookshelf disapproves but duh. Let's go and have fun. :P
12 notes
·
View notes
Framing
TW: Mentions of child abuse
I promise at some point I will write a proper framing fic. Sadly, I live with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and my energy is very limited. For now, I hope you’ll bear with me and accept this explanation of our setting.
At first I was largely inspired by @necros-writing-stufff and it’s Young AU. I liked the idea of ‘what if?’ Necro has a talent for the dark and tortured that I lack and asked ‘what if things went badly?’ I went the other way and asked ‘what if things went a little better?’ That being said, there is still angst and abuse here, so mind the trigger warnings as I tell you about our setting.
Bailey and Eden, both boys in this telling, grow up in the orphanage we all know and ‘love.’ They look out for each other as well as they can, but it’s hard. The current caretaker is a monster, his thugs are just as bad, and they all have an awful temper. Abuse is common, food is scarce, safety even scarcer.
When our boys are 8 a new girl just a few months younger than them is left at the orphanage. Her name is Koriander Elizabeth Ackerman, Kore. She had been living with her father, camping in the woods. Kore’s father struggled with addiction and did his best for her, but eventually he’s arrested and our young PC was put in care. No one notices her or thinks much about her at first. She’s another young, shy, traumatized child in a building full of them.
Not long after Kore arrives, a week or maybe days, she witnesses the caretaker beating Eden. Bailey is trying to pull the man off the young boy, but they’re both much smaller and weaker than their attacker. Kore disappears from the room, Bailey noticing but dismissing it as another orphan running from danger.
This could not be further from the truth.
The caretaker feels a tug on his sleeve a few minutes later and lashes out at the source, knocking the tiny Kore to the ground. She doesn’t cry, simply looks up at him with big, sad eyes and tells him there’s smoke coming from his office. The man runs off, leaving her with a recovering Eden and a stunned Bailey.
Bailey asks what Kore did, and she shrugs and mumbles that the caretaker had left a cigarette in the ashtray on his desk, and it must have ‘fallen’ into the nearby trash can. She doesn’t explain, but Kore’s father had taught her well. He knew his daughter was going to have a hard life and taught her as much as he could to give her a chance at survival. He taught her to watch people, and to not fight. She was too small and weak to fight. Instead, she should use what she has around her to her advantage. Be sneaky, be quick, and get out of a bad situation as quickly as possible. In this case the easiest way to end the bad situation was by starting a small fire.
Bailey, uncorrupted by the evils of the world at this point, is thrilled and takes an immediate liking to Kore. While Eden is unsure, Bailey insists the girl stick with them from now on. She’s proven she’s smart, and willing to stick her neck out for them. Kore, glad to have friends and not be alone, agrees and the three of them form a trio that stick together for years to come.
Each has their role in their little family. Bailey is the smartest of them. He’s a quick thinker, a superb liar, and has daring to spare. He plans for them, anticipates danger, and guides them through any problem they encounter. Eden is the strongest, physically. If something needs to be hit, he hits it. If one of them needs protecting, he protects them. He becomes a wall that goes between the people he cares about, and whatever is threatening them. Kore is their emotional support, and manages their resources. Kore is incredibly perceptive and good at reading people. She uses this to support her boys when they’re emotionally vulnerable, and to help Bailey suss out the intentions of people around them. In addition to this, thanks to her father, she is also an incredible forager. She keeps them fed, keeps their clothes mended, and engineers tiny moments of joy for them that helps keep the misery of their lives at bay.
Eden, Bailey, and Kore form a family that looks out for and protects each other on all fronts. They have an unshakable bond that is, at the heart of this story, the reason things go better than they do in the game.
Now, don’t worry. I promised you no love triangles, and I aim to stand by that.
Bailey and Kore think of themselves as brother and sister. In this story, partially because I love how happy it makes Necro, Bailey is an aromantic asexual. There is never, and will never be anything romantic between Bailey and Kore. Kore is also asexual, but we’ll come back to that later.
Eden has been in love with Kore since they were twelve.
Kore has been a source of warmth, affection, and gentleness in Eden’s life that he never had access to before, thought he was unworthy of (and still kind of does), and that he can no longer fathom living without. He would do anything to keep Kore safe, and happy. She respects him, doesn’t treat him like a freak, and makes him feel like he and his preferred way of doing things has value.
Eden cannot, will not, live without Kore. It never crosses his mind that she may feel the same way about him as he does about her. Kore is achingly beautiful. She’s really supposed to hit that 6, Your Beauty is Divine, and Eden can’t imagine someone like that wanting him of all people. When someone first asks her out in the cafeteria at school, Eden starts to panic. It’s finally happened. Someone else has recognized how wonderful Kore is, and has come to take her away from him. He didn’t think it would happen so soon. He thought he had time to come up with a plan to keep people away from her, to chase them away. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do. Eden hates this feeling. It’s like he’s going mad.
Then Kore politely turns the person down, and they go away with no hard feelings.
Eden is shocked.
Kore shrugs and explains that she’d rather spend time with Eden and Bailey than date. Eden chalks this up to her being asexual, and is both relieved and thankful. He forms plans, awful plans, for what to do when Kore eventually does start dating someone, but she never does. Every time someone asks her out, she turns them down. If they don’t take no for an answer, she tells her boys and they handle the problem together. She hides nothing from them. They need to be honest with each other if they’re going to protect each other.
It never occurs to Eden that she’s turning them down because she already has someone she likes.
That brings us to the start of our story. They’re all eighteen, finishing highschool, and figuring out what to do with their lives. This story will be told a little bit out of order, but I’ll let you know where things fall in the timeline as we go.
This should be all the framing you need for now! Next, we’re going to learn a little about Kore and her personality, then we’ll get into the admittedly very smutty fics!
13 notes
·
View notes
1, 12, 13, 29, 30
rambly answers 4 u, under the cut cos it got long
1. at what age did you start RPing?
i started in (checks notes) september '22 ! so uhhh Recently!
i mean technically i very briefly did warrior cats rp in elementary school at recess but honestly, who didn't
12. what do you think about AUs?
i personally struggle with writing AUs because i'm a very canon-focused writer when it comes to fan content? like i get really stressed out by writing things that stray too far from a canon. i develop a lot of headcanons or will choose to diverge from canon out of spite for how the original writer treated the source material, but that's about the extent of how far i'll go. i do enjoy other people's AUs-- i just come across them very rarely since usually i stay away from fandom.
i'm just not a Fandom Guy, generally speaking... i have very little patience for the internet drama that comes with fandom spaces, and i think a lot of it gets very pointless very quickly.
13. what do you think about OCs?
OCs r so epic and awesome and fweaking cool. personally i'd struggle with them in a mfrp setting-- most of my muses (besides gabe) i've apped bc of other characters in the group i could see them building relationships with, and without those connections i would have a Really hard time getting off the ground. but i do write an OC in a different group who is native to the group's setting, and it's an absolute blast to work with the lore of that group and with the other people who write related OCs!!
(also before isola i was primarily a long-form writer so generally i don't use the term OC to refer to characters OTL)
tl;dr: respect the OC crew!! shoutouts
29. what are your honest thought about your muse’s canon?
man..... i will never be a lmk defender, i think the way the showrunners went about creating this show (initially? idk if it's stayed the same over time) was hugely disrespectful, the western fandom is very white, which a lot of the time ends up very disrespectful as well. (i remain grateful that the show doesn't have guanyin in it bc i would explode and die if i had to see white people talk about her the same way they talked about the rest of the cast, and i'm not even a buddhist.)
anyway. meta stuff aside, ultimately it's a kid's show, so some stuff doesn't hit, but whatever. i don't like a lot of season 1's monster of the week stuff while they're still trying to settle into a story. also a lot of the worldbuilding is lackluster, and i'm a huge freak for interesting worldbuilding (<- spoiled by friends at the table). i do like the characters though... i am not immune to mythology retellings.
i do think it's very fun to play with, especially considering the richness of tradition of jttw retellings... we have three separate jttw casts hanging out in here! i have my qualms with the show but i write macaque cos it's incredibly fun bouncing around with y'all.
30. what are your favorite RP tropes to play? (angst, hurt-comfort, etc…)
retired gods is hands down my favorite. like what happens when you're a god and you want to stop being a god... epic
i do indulge in hurt/comfort sometimes but i generally lean heavier on the comfort than the hurt. i have a hard time writing angst for a lot of complicated reasons
i like really meticulous worldbuilding, does that count as a trope
i don't know other tropes
2 notes
·
View notes
Review: ‘A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers’, Percy Jackson Episode 5
**Spoiler Alert for the entire book!**
I would like to start this review off on the nature of adaptations and when to go astray, given the less-than-stellar dip in quality of episode 4. Inevitably, details must change from the source material, some things are unfilmable. The source material in question here is in first person, which leaves so much of the story outside the protagonist’s head unwritten.
Had this season been given, say 10 episodes, and worked to establish the side characters we watch fight and die in the name of the gods and their friends later down the line, no one would have complained. Characters I won’t name (but iykyk) that got criminally little ‘screen time’ during Percy’s POV in the later books, only to have incredibly tragic demises were sad enough. Now imagine if, assuming the Disney show can accomplish filming all five books, we got to see these characters grow for all five seasons.
The era of TV we find ourselves in treats filler as universally bad and unacceptable. Plopping down on your couch on a weeknight to watch an off-beat episode of that cop drama you love or that addictive doctor show, or teen romance, that didn’t require your full attention all the time because every scene was important to the plot doesn’t happen anymore. An episode that was funny or charming or a romantic little side quest putting the characters we love in interesting circumstances is now far and few between. It still told the grand story, even if it didn’t service the grand plot. That’s the nature of television.
The filler everyone complains about is when it’s uninteresting, contrived, and very clearly for no other reason than to pad the runtime. Taking a C-list monster and giving her an unnecessary monologue and a need to ‘hunt’ that wasn’t in the book? Boring filler.
Cutting back to camp and really selling us on how Luke is an awesome dude looking out for all the younger kids so he can twist the knife later? Good filler! He’s the main villain of the series (besides you know who) and we got so little of him in the books because it was limited to Percy’s POV. Build his relationships with Chiron, Beckendorf, Silena, Clarisse, the Stolls, and the other demigods he ends up turning Dark Side with him. Make him the lovable everyman because he really did love the kids. He hated how the gods treated them. Die hard book fans, if the writers really went for it and understood why his character does what he does, would have loved it.
Now onto the episode that I was hoping and praying would be more like episode 3 than 4.
So. They included the snipping of the thread. And Percy wasn’t there to see it, nor was it at all as creepy and foreboding as it should have been. I kept waiting for them to flash back to Percy’s experience in the river with the naiad and they didn’t. Maybe they ran out of under-water effects budget. Percy’s “maybe my dad does love me” tonal whiplash is disappointing since 90% of the river scene was lost (and he didn’t even come out of the water dry).
Ares’ casting isn’t what I pictured but it fits really well and I can’t place why. His features don’t really feel *godly*. Him starting Twitter wars is wonderfully petty and absolutely in-character. He just acts like an unhinged jerk, not the God of War, as funny and entertaining as it is.
It is also disappointing that Annabeth is the one that snarks to Ares and not Percy, because his attitude is what eggs on their big fight on the beach while she and Grover actively try to tame Percy’s temper. The episode, to this point, is *fine*.
Everything after… I was laughing at the absurdity. The absolute deadpan confusion on their faces when “What is Love” starts playing like the mixer accidentally edited in a track from their Spotify. The set designers forgetting that “Waterland” is a waterpark, not just an amusement park. Grover being unrecognizably sly and confident in front of Ares when he wasn’t supposed to be there at all. Some of the dry attempts at humor, like Percy’s “I think I heard this at an orthodontist” line, not in itself funny, but his dry delivery was.
Grover’s ongoing conversation trying to probe Ares is hilarious, even if that’s not Grover on screen. It’s not bad, it’s just… not Grover. Percy and Annabeth’s jaunt and awkward exposition and line delivery in the Tunnel of Love is also *fine*. Them hyperfocusing on the Fates’ string this episode is another *interesting* change and so is Percy’s second attempt to sacrifice himself in a scene that’s way more dramatic than it needed to be. Boy is all teary-eyed convinced he’s going to die here in this trap when, in the book, he was trying to get Annabeth to move her behind because she was petrified by robotic spiders. She has her come-to-Jesus moment here, which was sorely needed for this version of her character who, up to this point, had very little depth.
And there are no robot spiders. Did they not have the budget for robot spiders? Is Percy not allowed to have the rest of his powers? Were they too afraid of giving Annabeth a phobia? Did they just desperately need to inject some angst into this scene? All of the angst, to the sound of heartbreaking violins in a score that also went way too hard. Nobody seriously thought Percy was going to bite the dust here, did they?
Overall, this is better than 4, but not as good as 3, if I had to rank them. If you pretend this isn’t supposed to be the first season of at least five, Grover likely doesn’t seem like a problem. His whole arc, across all five books, is gaining self-confidence and courage. He can’t grow into a brave Lord of the Wild if he starts his journey back-talking the God of War.
Annabeth not having her entirely useless panic attack over the spiders and forcing Percy to have to save them was the main takeaway from the original trip to Waterland. She’s not perfect, but this flaw is also entirely outside of her control, it’s in her blood as a child of Athena. It’s ridiculous that someone as smart and strong and cunning as she is can be petrified by spiders – but that’s the point.
The commentary on how the gods, as a family, constantly backstab each other was interesting. Not sure that this episode was the best place for it, but it’s nice that it exists.
The changes that were made were entertainingly confusing. It was not what I ordered, but I didn’t hate what I was served. Ares is easily the best part of this episode, but it is glaringly obvious that this show, whether by budget or the Powers That Be, is allergic to action scenes.
Here’s to hoping they saved all their eggs to drop in the basket of the big climactic beach brawl, because this is still an action-adventure series, not just adventure.
5 notes
·
View notes
wait.. if you’re willing could you go more into depth of why warped sucked. i never got to go to warped so i wouldn’t know.
sorry i totally missed this from last night! but yes ofc. disclaimer i personally never went to warped (though many of my friends did around 2014-14 when they were in middle school). i also don't Hate warped tour, it's an important part of third wave history and a traveling all ages show is actually a pretty great idea imo.
that being said most of the issues with warped are a result of bad policy and mismanagement. first and foremost, warped was predicated on this idea that "any band could play at any time" (names would be drawn for determining stage sets). combined with the fact they would be playing a lot of back to back shows, after insane travel. most bands just. they didn't perform well! and with how hard the techs had to work the sound stage sucked. for bands that aren't 2005 my chemical romance, the pay apparently sucked- it was a fest where you destroyed your body and banked on exposure. i think this is a bad way to run a fest!
second of all, every issue people have with wwwy and the lack of women is v much a symptom of warped's problems. notoriously bad at booking women to the point shiragirl camped out in 2004 (in a sparkly rv btw- sorry I hate this) to advocate for an "all-girl" stage. The solution, the shiragirl stage was almost worse imo- a stage smaller than the rest sectioned off from the rest of the fest and covered in pink. easy to ignore if you don't care and it subsequently has been in the minds of warped tour attendees. unless you were paramore, the chances of women getting on main stages were incredibly slim.
warped/lyman also was just generally accepting of abhorrent behavior- from allowing conservative assholes like guttermouth to play and harass other bands for being "fags" to letting a pro-life tent onto the org advocacy grounds. but the worst and easily the sticking point of a lot of criticism of warped is the complete blindspot with sexual violence, both in terms of letting bands with accusations play and in terms of violence/harassment in the crowds. considering the age of many of warped's attendees, imo, this is incredibly egregious
this is getting too long there is more to say about the culture/band change at the turn of the decade and lyman being a punk ass bitch saying "scene politics" caused ppl to not want to do warped anymore but at the end of the day warped is never coming back bc paying $40 for a fest ticket is impossible unless you aren't paying bands and staff or your whole operation is beholden to monster energy
6 notes
·
View notes