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emerson-grimes-apologist · 26 days

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Is it me or do I think (or theorize) that almost all the women in candle cove are all a reminder or ATLEAST symbolize Janice's girlhood, or just anything relating struggles about being a woman. Mostly because of their roles and personality and such, especially in a male-dominated world and practices such as piracy.

You got Janice, who is pretty much a typical girl, who is the embodiment of innocence, curiosity and guilt (for something she did not mean to do as in her mom died giving birth to her) and who is traumatized from her sister, Melrose. Melrose is GREIVING because of a female parental figure being lost in her life. She could be an embodiment of impulse since her only hobby is bullying Janice without thinking "would this hurt her feelings?". She is confident in doing this to her thinking it would make everything better, but it didn't, it only made everything worse for her and Janice.

Now Mary, is an embodiment of rage, and hate itself. She is an intrusive thought of feminine urge. Only burning people because she feels like it, and using techniques to get her way (such as putting on an act as a nice person, saving lillian so she would be more believable) and then throwing it all out so she can betray the crew. It's more like a "I'm just a girl" thing

Sariah is an embodiment of innocence being lost, and the stereotypical things people say about women, (she's naive, innocent, wears pink, falls head over heels to men like milo). When Milo killed her she lost all that stuff and grieved over someone who loved her and killed her only for him to get killed by the Skin-taker.

Lillian represents motherhood, due to how she comforts thade after thade was hesitant joining her crew because his previous crew was harsh. She has a mother-like personality and protected Auburn from Mary, which is typical mother things.

Auburn is the embodiment of free will and justice. Who sees the world being unfair, and is a caring soul. She is trying to receive justice, like many wronged women try to receive it.

Sunny, I cannot think what she embodies but it's mostly how she is the OPPOSITE of what men perceived women at the time. She's vicious, she's tomboyish and the only member in a crew which has mostly men in it. She has been seen equal by the crew because she orders the crew around when Horace is asleep or drunk, but that is because they never knew she's a woman because Horace refers to her as "he". If she did say she was a women, the crew would throw her off or even kill her, since back then people thought women were bad luck on ships.

Susan siren is an embodiment of how men want women to be and look. She's beautiful, long haired She's barely wearing clothes, she's flirtatious. She is chained to a rock and that only shows women cannot escape from men's standards, even if they are the exact opposite without getting sexualized.

Laughingstock is the embodiment of leadership, and always has the final say in things. She keeps trying to tell Percy to go inside caves and stuff. Even if Percy refuses.

Mrs skin-taker is also an embodiment of how men see married wives as. (Nagging housewives) The reason for this is because she wanted to divorce Skin-Taker all because "he's changed". She also had a stereotypical things associated with housewives (thick lips, and a necklace)

So yea I hope this makes sense and English isn't my first language 😭😭 I just like theorizing little things and maybe I'm obsessed with symbolism

AGH, I was so excited when I came home to this ask!! I made some tea and sat down and read this like I’d read a chapter of a favorite book.

It’s really great to see other people into symbolism and media analysis. It’s not something I see often in fandom spaces even though analyzing media deeply like this is really fun, and I can’t be the only one who thinks so. (Well, the only one besides you, Anon.)

This ask has really stirred my brain, so I may have… written a whole essay in response. Heh. (Sorry for taking a while to respond by the way, I wanted to make sure what I wrote made sense.)

I feel like as Janice is growing up and “growing into a young woman” as people say, she would be observing the women around her and learning about the different ways to be a woman. Janice is 9, and it’s around that age when kids really start to form their identities, so it would make sense.

Also, I think being thrown into Candle Cove and the world of pirates, where there’s mostly men, would make her feel like being a girl makes her different, and as the adage goes, identity is formed by finding ways you’re different from other people. So I think coming to Candle Cove and being surrounded by men would solidify her identity as a girl, and lead her to observe and imitate the women around her even more.

Also, a lot of people theorize that Candle Cove is all in Janice’s imagination and by extension, all the characters from Candle Cove represent some aspect of her psyche, which would make this make even more sense. Like, each of the women in Candle Cove could represent a woman (or type of woman) Janice looks up to for guidance.

JANICE

Janice does embody guilt, and I think specifically how women are made to bear the guilt for things that aren’t their fault. Janice is blamed for her mother’s death, but what was she supposed to do? Not get born? And she was a literal NEWBORN BABY—the most innocent a person can be—and is still blamed for something as serious as killing someone. Not to mention that she’s a victim in this situation, too, having never known her mother. But the people around her don’t seem to care.

MELROSE

This might be a reach, but I think she may also represent women who side with men against other women. I’m applying my headcanons to make this work, but what if Melrose learned to bully Janice by watching how her father acts around her? We already know Mr. Stewart is… well, not a very good parent, based on how he doesn’t seem to do anything about Melrose harassing Janice. So it wouldn’t be a reach to say he’s also not a very good parent in other ways. Maybe he’s cold and dismissive towards Janice, bitter because she’s the reason (in his perspective) that his wife died and he’s left to take care of two daughters by himself. And Melrose, as children do, could have learned her behavior from him, bullying Janice because she thinks that's what her father wants her to do. And it’s worse because Melrose is somebody Janice is supposed to have solidarity with, as her sister, and yet she treats her so poorly. It reminds me of how in real life, women put each other down for male validation instead of having solidarity with one another.

RED MARY

She does definitely embody female rage, but I feel like she could also embody women who perform traditional feminine roles to get ahead in life. Like, women are often pressured into being docile and accommodating or else be shamed and called bitches (whereas men doing the same things wouldn’t be shamed and instead even be praised for taking initiative). So women are forced to fit themselves into this docile female role if they want people to like them and to get what they want.

Red isn’t traditionally feminine. She isn’t kind. She isn’t docile. She isn’t nurturing. In fact, she’s the opposite of nurturing—she kills people and draws out their suffering. But she pretended to be all these things when she was with the Tarantula Crew because they wouldn’t take to her otherwise. Like you said, she saved the crew in the past to earn their trust, which obviously isn’t something she would do out of the kindness of her heart. It isn’t made known why she wanted to be with the crew, but whatever the reason was, she didn’t need to be with them anymore at the end of Come and Rip, and so then she was able to be her true self and let go of the act.

SARIAH

I agree with what you said about Sariah representing innocence being lost. She’s naive and probably has an unrealistic, romanticized view on dating men. She was in love with Milo, but in the end, Milo only used her to get something else (Skin-Taker’s trust). It reminds me of how in real life, men often start relationships with women (and take advantage of their naivete) mostly because they want to use them for something else, like sex or free housework.

I also think maybe she represents women who are “props.” Women who have no significance (at least seemingly) other than their relationships with men. A good percentage of female characters in 1970s media fell into this role, so this would be another female role Janice would know of.

Sariah is not portrayed as having any depth. All we know about her is that she’s pretty and has 2 personality traits. She can and probably does have more to her personality, but the audience doesn’t need to know any more because the only thing that’s important about her is her relationship with Milo. He’s the one who matters—she’s just there to support and define him.

And this is something that I realized recently, but the wiki doesn’t actually say Sariah is Milo’s girlfriend. She’s only ever called his “love interest” or “the girl he likes,” which is more vague. She could very well have no relationship with Milo at all. And that’s so much WORSE to me because she could have zero interest in Milo, and yet her whole identity and her whole life (all the way to her death) is defined by him just because she was unfortunate enough to be the object of his attraction. She was doomed by the narrative to be a background character in his story no matter what she did.

LILLIAN

I don’t really have anything to add here. Lillian is obviously motherly. Like you explained, she’s comforting and protective. She’s also sensitive to others’ emotions, which is also a trait mothers are expected to have. Also, I didn’t notice this until now, but Lillian is the only character in Candle Cove who is a mother (unless you count Janice’s mother). So it checks out all around.

AUBURN

I don’t really have anything to add here either, BUT I’m gonna take this opportunity to talk about something that I find interesting:

Auburn is a little girl, and Boar is a grown and capable adult. And yet it’s Auburn who swears to kill Red Mary and avenge Lillian. Boar just tells Auburn that it’s impossible to kill her and leaves right after. Also, bear in mind that Boar and Lillian are described as “very close friends,” so it’s not like he has no reason to feel just as upset and vindictive as Auburn does. Anyway, I think this scene goes to show how intense Auburn is. She, a young and incapable girl, swears on her mother’s grave to do something impossible (kill an Abyssian), even when the adult, the more capable one, just shrugs his shoulders. Like, if Boar sees no point in trying to avenge Lillian, then it really shows Auburn’s vindictiveness that she’s dead set on it, even though she’s weaker compared to him.

SUNNY

I think Sunny represents women who present less femininely in order to be taken seriously. There are women like Red Mary who get their way by following the feminine role of being docile and obedient to curry favor from people, and then there are women who do the opposite: acting masculinely so that people will think they’re owed the same level of respect as men.

This is taken to the extreme with Sunny, who I think deliberately disguises herself as a man. The wiki makes it sound as though the Rubber Fishes simply don’t notice that she’s a woman, but I’m doubtful of that. Not only is she tomboyish—she doesn’t have any overtly feminine traits. She’s bald. She wears androgynous clothes. And yes, she could just be gender-nonconforming, BUT the wiki mentions that she has a feminine-sounding voice, but rarely talks. This leads me to think she keeps quiet deliberately in order to hide her voice, and hide her being a woman. And also, if this is deliberate, that the other ways she presents as masculine are also deliberate. My other support is that female pirates in history, like Anne Bonny and Mary Read, had to disguise themselves as men in order to be accepted by their pirate crews, so her crew thinking she’s a man could have been inspired by that.

While there aren’t many modern-day situations of women literally needing to pretend to be men to get ahead, less feminine women are seen as more deserving of respect than feminine women. For example, when women want to be taken seriously, common advice that’s given to them is along the lines of “Don’t wear so much makeup” or “Carry a briefcase instead of a purse.” There’s also the phenomenon of women saying they’re “not like other girls” as a way to BRAG, because according to them, not being interested in makeup or clothes or other feminine things make them better and more deserving of respect.

All that aside, I personally like to think that Sunny is just GNC by choice and that the Rubber Fishes would accept her all the same if they knew she was a woman, but I still think this interpretation is interesting.

SUSAN

The way you said that women are sexualized no matter what interests me because sirens as mythological creatures got sexualized. Listen: in Ancient Greek literature, they were these frightening bird-women who tempted people by offering to reveal secret knowledge to them, drawing them in by singing and playing instruments. Then in the Middle Ages, their unique traits were removed—no frightening looks, no arcane knowledge, no playing instruments, even—so that they could become these unoriginal, conventionally attractive mermaid/succubus-esque creatures that seduced sailors to kill them. Unsurprisingly, this is the interpretation that stuck. (Does anyone know of that image of some Overwatch character or whatever before and after she was “un-Tumblrized”? It’s exactly like that to me.)

Yeah, so as Janice is growing up, she’s probably being exposed to magazines and TV shows and what-have-you where most of the women are half-naked and doe-eyed and not serving any purpose in their media other than to look pretty, especially bearing in mind that Candle Cove takes place in the ‘70s, where women’s representation in media was even worse. So Susan represents that role for women—the sex object. Which is also, like you said, the way society wants women to be.

Susan isn’t reduced to being a sex object, though. She has an active role in the story, luring a ship to save the Laughingstocks. And heck, she’s actually very powerful, having almost sunk a whole fleet of ships in the past. It’s interesting, though, that her source of power (her singing), like everything else about her, is beautiful. It reminds me that no matter what they do, even if they have agency, society expects women to be beautiful and able to be sexualized as they’re doing it. Able to be turned into the mere sex objects that society wants them to be.

Also, the way that you said that her being chained represents how she’s trapped by men’s standards got me thinking…. Her clothes are basically lingerie, but what’s interesting to me is that they’re made of chains. This leads me to think that they’re not her own clothes, but clothes she’s forced to wear as a prisoner. Stripping people was (and still is) a common form of punishment, so it would make sense. And I sense some symbolism here too, with her clothes being made out of chains. Like, women are chained by society’s standard to be sexy. Pressured to wear revealing clothes or else be shamed and called a prude. Basically, she’s trapped, literally because she’s chained to the rock, and figuratively because society pressures her to be a sex object.

And one last point while I’m here: Even when she’s imprisoned, she continues to have perfect hair and doe eyes and revealing clothes. It reminds me of how, even in suffering and oppression, women are still expected by society to be pretty. (Does anyone know of that old trend on TikTok where women did makeup to make themselves look like they’ve been crying? Not as special effects makeup, but regular makeup to wear to look pretty? And think about how, even though crying realistically involves being puffy and having snot all over your face, this trend implies that women crying is seen as (and expected to be) beautiful by society? That’s one example.)

THE LAUGHINGSTOCK

@mewpirate posted a screenshot from the wiki that said something like, “the creators explained that Ms. Laughingstock isn’t supposed to represent a mother, but a boss,” so I think what you’re saying is actually canon. The wiki does say, now, that she considers herself to be Janice’s “substitute parent,” but still, I see her as a mother in a “head of the household” sense, not so much a “nurturer” sense. She orders people around (mostly Percy), like you said, and also briefs the audience at the beginning of each episode explaining what the characters do in that episode.

MRS. SKIN-TAKER

Mrs. Skin-Taker definitely seems like a housewife viewed from the perspective of her husband. She doesn’t do anything but nag, as if she’s an exaggeration created in her husband’s mind. Like, men get so pissy about their wives complaining now and again (instead of sitting quietly as women are supposed to /s) that they come to only see them as nags. She also kind of reminds me of how wives are portrayed in '70s sitcoms (written by men), so this could be where Janice learned this role from.

And also, she doesn’t have anything to her character other than being Skin-Taker’s wife. She’s basically a gender-swapped version of him. She doesn’t even have her own name—she’s just “Mrs. Skin-Taker.” She’s like his appendage, not an individual person. Although this may be justified, seeing that she was just a throwaway character for one episode and so wouldn’t be very fleshed-out.

You know, I often like to imagine that there isn’t any historically accurate misogyny in Candle Cove, and I didn’t think there was any historically accurate misogyny in Candle Cove based on what the wiki said, but… after reading your ask and then writing about it, I think maybe the creators of the wiki created it with the misogyny of the times in mind? Because a lot of these women seem like they were written a certain way because they’re a woman in the Golden Age of Piracy (like with Sunny needing to disguise herself as a man) or that they were written a certain way because they’re a female character in 1970s television (like with Sariah and Mrs. Skin-Taker being flat and only there to support the male characters).

On one hand, I like to think of Candle Cove as an escapist utopia where misogyny doesn’t exist, but on the other hand, I do like feminist themes in media and to use media to explore the struggles of being a woman. So I have mixed feelings about this, but all in all, it’s really interesting to think about. Media analysis is fun!!

Also, I feel like I should say thank you for reading this whole thing. Here, have some food to regain your energy with: 🍊🍎🥐🧀🥓🍳🍪☕🍫

#women of candle cove my beloved #i love you women of candle cove #candle cove #janice #melrose #red mary #sariah #lillian #auburn #sunny #susan siren #the laughingstock #mrs. skin-taker #asks #analysis #the fact that this is 9 pages long in times new roman size 12 font double spaced...#(to clarify i DID NOT write this in times new roman size 12 font double spaced like a masochist.#i was just curious to see how long this would have been if this was a literal essay so i ctrl+a’d it)

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officialdaydreamer00 · 6 months

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Is idia my fated Hades? Can flowers of happiness learn to bloom in the land of death? Does he wither from missing me as I? Does distance make the heart grow fonder?

"The King of the Underworld and the Maiden of Springtime

Destined to cross paths, distance be its prime

Despairing indeed, but the Fates have yet to end

Their bond prevails, beyond death they shall meet again."

pairing: idia shroud x reader

content: fluff, (kind of) use of clichés, idia being socially awkward, just a sprinkle of angst, greek mythology

the oracle speaks — i'm really proud of the prophecy i made!! ^-^ love how my first request is about idia lmao, so early event entry!!

May the Fates be kind to this soul.

— a beat of silence.

that was all it took to wake you up-- since when had you dozed off?

blinking the sleep away, your thoughts got all jumbled up. what was that voice you heard in that short nap? and what did it mean by 'destined'?

quiet murmurs and whispers entered your ears, a blatant reminder of reality pulling you back to the land of living. right, you sighed, you were in a library. and in the presence of people.

your eyes swept through rows of bookshelves and immersive readers, before they stopped at a far corner of the library. there, you see a person, simply reading the time away. you couldn't see their face, as it was covered by the oversized hoodie they wore.

what you noticed, however, was the distinct glowing blue hair. like fire, you mused; pretty, and rather hard to miss.

the more you stared at the mysterious person, the stronger you felt a sense of familiarity. the warm feeling buried deep within your heart, resurfaced. a feeling you never knew you could experience until today.

have you met this person before? you couldn't have, right?

... a soft voice echoed, snapping you out of your stupor.

your eyes met gold hues, and that feeling came crashing down like tsunami waves.

he was tall, towering over you even, he had to hunch down to look at you. the hood was pulled down, revealing his ghostly pale face, and long fire-like blue hair cascading down his back. and his eyes, a molten gold so bright and eerie, yet so soft as he stared at you with an expression difficult to read. melancholic? wistful? you couldn't tell which.

again, his soft voice snapped you out of your thoughts. he was fidgeting with his hands as he quietly asked if you were okay, since you were spacing out. you blinked, oh right, you still had a job to do.

wordlessly, you checked through the books, fighting down a blush in embarrassment, all while sneaking little glances at him. in the few chances your eyes met, you looked away as if nothing happened, spare for the heat presented on your face. only after he left, did you let out a relieved sigh.

"what was that all about?" you murmured, your hand hovered over where your heart was. the strange feeling was real, you mused, but why did your heart feel so empty when he left?

you made it your mission to get to the bottom of this. perhaps you could find that boy again, if the fates were on your side.

his heart was hammering as he left the building. through the darkened glass panes, he could make out your figure standing there behind the desk. he found himself smiling at the sight of your thoughtful look. his soul longs for you, craving for you to be in his arms.

it seems like the fates have smiled at him once more, weaving his destiny to reunite with his beloved.

"I have found you at last. My Persephone."

🏷️ @identity-theft-101 @twistwonderlanddevotee @krenenbaker @dove-da-birb @siren-serenity @cave-of-jade @xen-blank @edith-is-apparently-a-cat @lyle-my-beloved

remember to reblog if you like my works ^-^

#irene's writings ♡#twst #twisted wonderland #twst au #twst drabble #twst x reader #idia shroud #twst idia #idia shroud x reader #twst idia x reader #elysium ❤️‍🔥

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hotvintagepoll · 27 days

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Propaganda

Josephine Baker (The Siren of the Tropics, ZouZou)— Josephine Baker was an American born actress, singer, and utter icon of the period, creating the 1920s banana skirt look. She was the first black woman to star in a major motion film. She fought in the French resistance in WWII, given a Legion of Honour, as well as refusing to perform in segregated theatres in the US. She was bisexual, a fighter, and overall an absolutely incredible woman as well as being extremely attractive.

Joan Crawford (Dancing Lady, Mildred Pierce, The Women)— God, where do I start!!! Her face is so UNIQUE and compelling and stands out so much. I love her thick brows and high cheekbones. She has a school-marmy hardness too her that makes her a little scary and therefore sexy. Her low thick voice also does it for me. Despite being an unusual looking woman with an unusual face, she never loses her glamour. Just a gorgeous talented actress, AND she was some sort of gay!!!

This is round 5 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut. the famous banana skirt is mildly NSFW.]

Josephine Baker:

Black, American-born, French dancer and singer. Phenomenal sensation, took music-halls by storm. Famous in the silent film era.

Let's talk La Revue Negre, Shuffle Along. The iconique banana outfit? But also getting a Croix de Guerre and full military honors at burial in Paris due to working with the Resistance.

She exuded sex, was a beautiful dancer, vivacious, and her silliness and humor added to her attractiveness. She looked just as good in drag too.

So I know she was more famous for other stuff than movies and her movies weren’t Hollywood but my first exposure to her was in her films so I’ve always thought of her as a film actress first and foremost. Also she was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture so I think that warrants an entry

Iconic! Just look up anything about her life. She was a fascinating woman.

Joan Crawford:

I just love women that are very mean.

she was a smoke show in every decade, from the 20s to the 60s.

The classic matronly beauty with amazing eyebrows

of course there's a space for MILF joan but i want to just take a second and say she was so cute in her early movies (like grand hotel and the women)! those parts often get forgotten but her stardom shines in them just as much as in her older #queen #icon roles

Misremembered for wire hanger hatred, this original screen queen mastered the art of the comeback and refused to let Hollywood toss her aside as she aged. The term “auteur” is usually revered for directors or writer-directors, but most critics have one actor they’ll give that title to as well: Crawford—anyone who knows classic movies already has a “Crawford picture” in their head. She knew how to style herself and promote herself. She made herself a star and kept herself fixated in the Hollywood firmament. What’s hotter than knowing just how hot you are?

(don’t think about Mommie Dearest right now) Joan was known for being super nice to all the like crew of the movies she worked on and she’d get everyone gifts. Joan would hold movie nights at her house and knit at the back of her home theater. Joan was sooo obsessed with other women including Greta Garbo, whos dressing room she would obsessively and purposefully walk by. She said that while working on Grand Hotel, Garbo grabbed her face and “if there ever was a time in my life where I would’ve been a lesbian, that was it.” But like Joan also probably did sleep with women including Barbara Stanwyck. Joan was so obsessed with Bette Davis, screening multiple movies of hers in a day at her watch party, constantly trying to spend time with her or do a movie together, insisting on the dressing room next to hers at Warners and sending her daily gifts… etc. Once Bette said that sex was gods joke to humanity and Joan said “I think the joke is on her.” Joan fucked a lot. Joan got caught publicly fucking a man and sent a letter to the woman who saw them basically saying “I bet it excited you” and the woman was like you know what. It did. Joan was best friends with a gay man. Joan was an actually genuinely good actress even though people mocked her a lot for being like cheap and stupid (partially because she never finished school because her family was broke). Joan was so insane and so cool that’s all.

#joan crawford #josephine baker #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 5

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tinietaehyun · 7 months

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Entranced Melody

[Siren!Taehyun x Researcher!reader] [One-shot] [Mystic Trail Series]

Pairing: Siren!Taehyun x Researcher!Reader

Genre(s): Fantasy, dark fantasy, romance, thriller.

Contains: Profanity, dark themes, mentions of blood, possessive behaviour, captivity, gaslighting, manipulation, mentions of deep waters/drowning.

Links: MYSTIC TRAIL || MASTERLIST

Summary: You had heard about numerous siren sightings upon this very beach; and you were determined to take a photo of at least one!

Perhaps, it was stupid, though, you were just ever so intrigued. After all this field of research was your specialty. Though, you’ve been here for two days and there’s still not single sight of one. Was your effort coming here going to got to waste?

A sudden voice breaks your thoughts, “My, my, are all humans this adorable when they space out?” You freeze instantly. No way.

—————————•••••••••••••————————

Grimacing, you tiredly trek across the sandy shoreline with sand beginning to slowly seep into your boots. The sound of the howling wind and ghastly chorus of waves splashing onto the shore make you feel slightly uneasy. You’ve never been too much of a fan of deep water; nor were you keen on anything related to the ocean, but this particular site was something you just had to go to.

You’d gained permission to conduct your own mini expedition for three days to gain evidence and to research the sirens along this particular stretch of coastline. Many rumours, photographs and most prominently the haunting songs of the sirens at night were enough proof for numerous researchers to come here on the regular. You just absolutely had to find one! Maybe even take a picture!

You place a trusty hand on your satchel containing your notes and your beloved camera. It had already been two days and you had spotted nothing. You’ve not even heard a single siren song either. At first you thought you’d stepped into the wrong portion of beach but to your dismay, this was indeed the place. Were you out of luck? Or was it not the proper season? Perhaps you were just misfortunate.

Sighing, you spot a rock and decide to settle yourself on it to rest. Your legs ache from all the walking you’ve done. Your gaze lifts up to the horizon where you see the edge of the sun dipping into the majestic line dividing the sky and sea. The blossoming hues of oranges, pinks and yellows fill the sky slowly like a watercolour to a paper. It was incredibly stunning. You had already taken a photo of this on your first day; but it still didn’t get tiring to see.

You feel the tide rise higher as the water caresses your boots. The foam and froth of the water being left behind with each sway and waves that climbed higher and higher up the shore. The salty air was now beginning to make your head ache from its pungency. You had collected various sea shells too from the sand; all of gorgeous variety.

However, you weren’t here for all that. You were here for the sirens. You simply wished to stay least get a glimpse of one. To see their enticing beauty, hear their alluring cries (not that you wish to be drawn to it of course) perhaps from a distance. Though it seems, fate had different plans for you. Maybe you weren’t meant to see one. This was your last day; you’d have to go back to your camp back up the cliffs and start packing. A frown graces your lips.

Well, hey, some alone time peering at the ocean wouldn’t do any harm now would it? You rest your chin on the palm of your hand and place your satchel to the side. Your mind drifts as you focus on the lapping waves and the looming sky. The beautiful scene had a touch of a melancholy aura. A mystical feeling that just made you want to stay here. There was indeed something about this place.

A sudden voice breaks your thoughts, “My, my, are all humans this adorable when they space out?” You freeze instantly. Your body stiffens as you turn your head to the source of the voice. To your surprise you spot a head and shoulders peeking out of the water just to the left of you.

Your entire being shakes with nervousness and excitement. No fucking way!

“Hm? Why so quiet, human? I swear your kind are much louder and cause much more ruckus than you do.” You peer agape at him; you drink in his appearance more clearly. “You’re…”

Your eyes are drawn to his damp red hair in which the glossy strands splay across his forehead. Not to mention his skin! His skin that shimmers in an almost bluish hue. His eyes that pierce into you with a gaze that’s half-playful, half-alluring. His chiselled features and his ever so slightly pointed ears give him away. He wades closer to the shoreline giving you a glimpse of his toned torso and siren markings. This was astonishing!

“Now, now human, don’t forget! You need to breathe. With your jaw hanging like that, you’d think a fly would go in.” You compose yourself feeling an excited jitter. “A siren…a real siren…” you murmur in awe. He was stunning, as though the gods had handcrafted and sculpted him with their bare hands! You couldn’t determine what species of siren he was (surely a rare one looking at those markings!) but either way this was insane. No less, he was talking to you!

“Hm…” he tilts his head seeming just as fascinated with you as you were with him. God, his eyes, his iridescent skin that shimmered beautifully as the sun melts into the horizon giving him an almost ethereal glow. He continues, “Why, yes, a real siren? Are you surprised, my pretty little human?”

“Pretty?” You quirk in confusion. The siren hums amused, “Yes? Did I show any hesitation in my speech? You seem a lot different to the other humans who come here trekking with all their fancy, expensive equipment. You seem younger… lovelier to look at. Less of a threat even.”

Well, a compliment was a compliment you suppose as weird as this interaction was. You had to be cautious, sirens were known to be vicious when upset. You hum tentatively, “…I see. Well, it’s lovely to meet you. I never thought I’d see a real siren before. This is just so, fascinating. You’re g-gorgeous.”

The male siren seems to gleam at your words and the water splashes as he swims closer, “My, are you flirting with me, pretty human?” Your eyes widen, “No-! I was just making observations.” The siren releases a breathy chuckle running his hands through his dripping locks of red hair. You notice the ever so subtle webbed skin between his fingers.

“You know, I don’t usually talk to humans. They particularly annoy me. Especially…you researcher folk. Always coming here with your big, noisy groups. Destroying the lovely scenery with your disgusting litter and obnoxious chatter.” As he speaks you note his teeth; rather pointy and sharp. His eyes snap back to yours locking your gaze, “However, you. You’re different. You’re by yourself, I’ve been observing you. Since the day you got here.”

You stiffen. Since when? How come you never spotted him? You made sure to look everywhere. There wasn’t even a suspicious ripple in the water as you walked. He cooes with a tempting smile, “Oh human, don’t think too hard, I’d find it more concerning if you were able to find me than not.” You nod slowly processing his tangled words. How impressive sirens were at hiding themselves.

“Does the human have a name I can call out?” His lips form an alluring smile. You murmur, “Tell me yours, and I’ll tell you mine.” He releases a breathless laugh before humming, “Taehyun. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, pretty human.” Taehyun’s eyes twinkle in excitement, “Now yours?” Inhaling deeply you murmur, “Y/n. It’s y/n.”

“Hm…y/n. Fascinating name indeed. Not from around here, definitely.” Your hands were itching to open your satchel and take your camera out. Though, you perhaps you were being too greedy. It was already a huge step you were taking with being face to face and talking with a siren. If he started singing; it’d be game over for you. You also knew of some grizzly tales of photographers being attacked - perhaps sirens weren’t as photogenic as they looked.

He wades even closer until he’s right in front of you where the water laps at your boots. The water is shallower here and you see glimpses of his dark blue shimmering tail. Taehyun notices your gaze and smirks coyly, “Oh? You like my tail?” He raises it more out of the water letting his scales glimmer and shimmer in all their glory. His strong, defined arms hold up his torso getting stained by the grains of sand.

Damn, how attractive he was. You suppose that was the point of their species after all. “Aw, how endearing you are. So concentrated and focused. I love the way you look at me with such amazement and awe,” Taehyun hums peering up at you.

He reaches out his hand and you flinch making him chuckle, “Surely, you’re not scared of me? I can’t even come far out of the water. I’ve never been so close to a human before.” Taehyun tilts his head running his dark gaze down your body making you shiver reflexively. He resumes, “Most of your kind seem to want to put us into nets or chambers. Or wish to aim little darts and such at us. How cruel…” He frowns but his tone of voice is dark, “And then we get all the blame when we have to get all violent. If they just left us alone, we wouldn’t need to defend ourselves so viciously.” His eyes meet yours intensely, “Don’t you agree, my sweet human?”

Clearing your throat, you carefully answer, “Well, yes. I do believe tactics like that are a bit-no, very barbaric. You are also civilised creatures after all.” Taehyun’s lips form a grin showcasing his sharp canines, “Oh my, not only are you a treat for the eyes, but you’re capable of thinking, more than the rest of your pitiful species.” He rests his chin atop his palm as he leans his elbow into the wet sand. Taehyun hums peering up at you, “See, we’re not all bad. We’re taking so nicely right now, aren’t we, y/n?”

You nod hesitantly as you still had to be wary. You didn’t want to leave this trip without nothing. You murmur, “I’m not sure if you’re keen on photos. But…may I sketch you, at least. If that’s alright? Y-You d-don’t have to-“ you begin stammering. His eyes glimmer and he chuckles, “Oh my precious human, don’t be so afraid of me. I like you a lot. I really like you…”

He hums deep in thought pondering your words, “Mm…I’ll grant your request, since you’re so lovely. In exchange, you’ll have to grant one of mine, hm?” There it is. Of course. Of fucking course! You murmur, “You know what- actually. I’m not that good of an artist-“

His gaze darkens and his expression stills making you halt your words. Taehyun moves up the shore almost crawling and you stumble off the boulder you were sat on, onto the sand. You scoot backwards feeling fearful. He pulls himself atop the boulder sitting on it showing off his illustrious tail and form. Your shoulders relax, “I- you-“ He grins mischievously, “I’m sorry, your fearful expression was too adorable for me to pass up. I just wanted to see your reaction, is all! You can sketch me.”

You shakily murmur, “O-Oh. Right.” He hums, “You know I wouldn’t hurt you right? You’re so lovely. Actually…why don’t you begin to draw now? We can spend more time chatting together.” You peer at the sun now almost disappearing into the horizon and the dim lamps along the beach being your only source of light.

He leans forward with an alluring tone of voice, “Human why so far? Come closer. Take a good look. This is not a privilege I extend to just anyone so lightly.” You awkwardly smile, “Ah, I can see just fine from here.” Taehyun cooes, “I don’t bite, pretty.”

You reluctantly scoot forward. You get out your notepad and a pencil as you begin to sketch. You weren’t about to leave this damn beach without anything. You begin sketching roughly. You’d redraw and label this later with more anatomical and scientific terms. For now this was as good as you were going to get.

The scraping of pencil against paper contrasts the roaring waves. Taehyun keeps his gaze firmly on you as he leans on the boulder keeping as still as he could. His lips form a teasing smirk as you nervously sketch him occasionally meeting his intense gaze. “Mm, talk to me won’t you? I like the sound of your voice. It’s ever so soft. Keep talking to me.”

“What’s there to talk about? I’ve already said everything I wanted to,” you enquire. Taehyun pouts, “Oh gorgeous, but I’d thought you’d have so many burning questions to ask me? Are you not curious?” ‘Curiosity killed the cat’, is what they all say. Although some say, the ‘answer brought it back.’

Were you willing to bite the bait, was the question?

“Perhaps another time, Taehyun.” You murmur continuing to sketch. He huffs, “Fine, then let me ask you question. Have you truly never seen another siren before? You were so determined these last two days. I enjoyed watching you miserably walk around in search of my kind.” You scoff, “No and I am glad my misery is so entertaining.”

Taehyun cooes with a smile, “Don’t frown, pretty human. I’m only teasing after all. The sky’s getting darker, it must be hard to see from that distance. How else are you going to get the intricate details?”

You nervously titter, “A-Ah, no worries. It’s mainly general outstanding features I’m worried about.” He hums, “well you could get a close up of my gills, markings?”

You bite your lip tempted; no one has properly seen these markings; you knew Taehyun’s siren species was rather rare. The typical plain skinned siren was well researched. Him…however…

“Come on…” he whines. His eyes glimmer, “You know you want to. I’m happy to be your muse, my dear human.” You quiver before slightly moving closer and you yelp as you feel his damp hand wrap around your ankle. His fingers soothe the skin as he caresses it with his fingers. The coolness of his touch sends shudders along your spine. A relaxed exhale releases from your parted lips.

“Mm…your skin is so smooth and soft. How curious indeed. It’s pleasant sensation to my senses,” he notes. He releases his grip but it makes you want more of his cool touch upon your warm skin. Taehyun smirks, “Oh?” You peer back down at your notepad. “Oh, did the human like my touch?”

“No, could you keep still, please?” You huff softly.

Taehyun peers down at you, “What an endearing little thing you are.” You glare softly at him making him chuckle, “Apologies, pretty. I might be sounding rather condescending-“ “Patronising,” you simultaneously say. He grins, “Well, you have my apology.” You mutter out an exasperated, “Thanks.”

As you continue to sketch you notice his gaze upon you- noticing all your intricate movements and motions. “Do you have anyone waiting for you back home, human?” Sighing you respond, “Yes, I do.” Taehyun hums sighing, “Oh what a shame…”

Raising a brow, you question, “A shame? Why?” He shrugs nonchalantly, “You humans value familial bonds so closely. It’s a weakness when it comes to survival. Staying altogether like that.” Your eyes narrow, “Well, lucky we don’t live out in the middle of nowhere with any apex predators.”

He hums amused, “Well, you humans do seem to like to think your kind is invincible. When you clearly aren’t. I’m not talking about you, sweet thing. You’re too lovely to be seen as prey.”

You grimace, “I appreciate your perspective.” His eyes sparkle as they narrow in on you, “Do you think of yourself as prey? Do you even have a weapon on you?” You stiffen, “I…” You had a hunting knife, pepper spray and those projectile batons that you almost knocked yourself unconscious with one time. “Yeah, I do. In my satchel. I’m not stupid.” You were beginning to feel internally question the validity of your statement.

Taehyun slyly smiles, “I never said you were, pretty thing. I’m glad you do in fact. You’ve always got to give a predator a bit of a chase after all.” You stop drawing and peer up at him; you notice him leaning forward putting his weight on his forearms. He leers at you with a sly smirk, “Hm? Oh? I don’t mean to frighten you. I simply don’t like to mince my words, is all.”

You were almost done. “Will you come visit this spot tomorrow? I’ll be waiting for you. I find you rather intriguing. I like you a lot, in fact.” He rambles more to himself as you try to hurriedly finish off the sketch. You were beginning to feel uneasy. You peer to your side seeing the ocean fog up and a mist forming on the far stretch of beach. Your heart palpitates in anxiousness.

You murmur, “Oh…today’s my last day. It was a three day expedition. I’ll be going home tomorrow morning.” Something about your words makes Taehyun stiffen and he tilts his head with wide eyes, “Your last day here? Oh but we’ve only begun to get to know each other!”

You nervously hum, “I’m sure I’ll be back soon on another expedition, Taehyun.” His eyes narrow and he sharply quips, “Don’t lie to me.”

You halt at the rasp in his tone. His tail splashes irritably in the surrounding water beside the boulder. “I wouldn’t have spent so much time being so cautious for the first few days, if I knew you were going to leave so quickly.” He whines, “Oh but why? The other human groups that come here stay for months!”

You awkwardly put your notepad away, “Ah, w-well those are properly organised expeditions with numerous scholars and sufficient funding, Taehyun. My trip was merely to satiate my curiosity and hopefully add some things to my thesis or general knowledge.” His jaw tightens and he peers at you with a dark gaze, “But you’re the first human I’ve ever properly conversed with. You’re so lovely to be around and talk to. Surely you wouldn’t leave me behind? What if other groups try to take me, hunt me down? I might not even be here next time!” Oh, how his playfully sly demeanour changed?

You awkwardly stammer, “I- Taehyun. I’m sure you can handle yourself. You’ve managed this far-“ He frowns, “You don’t understand, I’ve finally made a human friend and now you’re just going?” You didn’t expect sirens to get so attached. It’s ironic considering he was the one who mocked humankind for their reliance on close relationships.

You softly murmur, “I have a life beyond this Taehyun,” you chuckle anxiously, “I have to get back, to work and spend time with my family and friends.” He frowns, “I can’t do that, I can’t leave this ocean.” A pang of guilt arises within you. “I can’t stay with you here forever, Taehyun. I’m sure you understand that very well.” He looks at you with a shattered expression making you frown. He really did look pitiful. You didn’t expect this from him. You initially felt uneasy considering all the dangerous rumours you’ve heard of sirens.

His hands form fists and he scoffs, “You humans and your so called relationships.” You frown, “I’m sorry Taehyun.” Why were you even apologising? “If you were sorry, you’d not leave….leave me yet. Won’t you stay with me for one more day?” You go quiet. You couldn’t extend your time more than this. You’d be in for a whole lot of penalty paperwork and a lot of yelling.

Shaking your head you respond, “I…I can’t Taehyun.” You also didn’t want to risk it being out here. The aura of this place wasn’t exactly friendly. “I wish I could…really, I’ll try to come back another time when we’re allotted here.” You stand up slinging the strap of your satchel on your right shoulder. He lets out a, ‘tch,’ before sliding off the boulder and immersing his tail back into the water only allowing his torso to show.

His eyes glaze over almost as if he were genuinely upset at your answer. “It was lovely chatting with you, Taehyun. I sincerely thank you for letting me sketch you-“ “I’ll let you photograph me. You like that little camera of yours. I saw you take photos of the beach and sky. I’ll let you-“

You murmur firmly, “No, no. Taehyun really. It’s sweet that you are comfortable with me but I have to be going. It’s getting really dark.”

He says nothing as you give him a soft smile. “Please don’t be upset,” you mumble. Taehyun doesn’t respond continuing to look pitifully at you. He finally sighs, “Okay; fine. I…I understand, human. I’m sorry for being so demanding.”

Your heart twinges with guilt and you feel bad for leaving him behind. His expression cuts into your conscience like blades. “Bye…Taehyun,” you utter out gently.

“Goodbye…hum-y/n. Y/n,” he murmurs raising a hand with a deep frown. You feel your heart ache tremendously at his broken expression.

Reluctantly, you twist yourself away and begin to walk through the sludge of wet sand. Your body feels fatigued and solemn. This was indeed a rare memory to be cherish- your encounter with a real siren. A siren who was sweet under his playful facade. Who felt lonely and wanted to communicate. Poor thing…

You begin to take a step forward hearing your boot crunch into the sand.

“Hear my voice, underneath the sea. Sleeping now so peacefully. Sleep for all eternity…” A haunting voice echoes out behind you filling the void of the air. Your joints stiffen and your eyes widen in horror.

“Listen to this siren’s song, worry not for there’s nothing wrong…” His melodic voice reverberates across the shoreline and drives its way down your ears and you slam your hands over your ears tightly. No! No! No! You peer over your shoulder seeing him sitting where the water and sand meet. He peers at you with most malevolent expression you’ve ever seen. His sharp teeth and dark smirk make your knees weak.

A piercing scream rips itself out of your throat as you try to move yourself forward but a force makes your legs feel weak. No matter how you trek forward, it feels as though your legs weren’t cooperating with you. The melody of his tauntingly beautiful voice wraps around your body and senses like a terrible vice. The hands over your ears seem more for show than practicality. Hints of his song seem to seep between the gaps between your fingers.

A sob escapes your throat; you try to crawl forwards as your knees finally collapse. His mellifluous tone captures you like a poor fish in a net. “Struggle not, soon peace will come…” he hums with a dark smile as he drags his sharp nails through the sand.

You find it difficult to breathe as you try with all your might to resist his melody - his enchanting voice. “Succumb to me, pretty thing. Why resist me so brutally? I’m hurt,” he calls out with a pout momentarily halting his singing. You crawl forward desperately. He begins singing once more with a sadistically delightful expression, “Let my voice lead you astray..”

You collapse and you find your senses going haywire. Perhaps it was too late for you. “Trust me…come into my arms,” he cooes melodically. You find the world around you go blurry and you twist around facing him entirely. You shakily crawl towards him; your balance buckling here and there. Your mind screams for you to stop yet your body complies to his dangerously sinful voice.

“That’s right…very good,” he praises with a dark gleam in his eye. “Oh you do look so appealing when you crawl towards me like that. Like a subservient mutt, wishing to please its master.” You shiver; his spell taking ahold of you. “Let my voice guide you tonight…” he sings peering as you crawl towards him laced with utter desperation.

You needed him. You had be with him. All you wanted was him. Your beloved siren. Your eternal lover. The one you’d be safe with.

No-! No you couldn’t. Oh, but you would.

Entranced, you clamber nearing the boulder not caring how the water sways at your hands and knees wetting your attire. Taehyun grins outstretching his hand, “Come my sweet, sweet human, come to me…you’ll be safe with me.”

You struggle to take his hand. He tilts his hand with a snark in voice, “Oh? Still resisting. I didn’t take you as a fighter. I knew weren’t stupid, but you weren’t too bright either. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here in this position, hm?”

He continues humming keeping his hand outstretched. With that, you finally succumb. Your consciousness is slipping away and your free will is falling into Taehyun’s chains. You take his hand and he rapidly intertwines his fingers with yours. A dazed smile decorates your entranced expression.

A chuckle escapes his lips, “How cute,” he comments before giving one swift and harsh tug. You collapse forward and he immediately wraps his other arm around you snugly pressing your torso against his. It’s almost intimate. He drags his nose and lips along the curve of your neck; he inhales deeply getting a feel of your scent. “Oh you sweet thing, getting all caught up in my spell,” he cooes caressing your damp hair.

He strongly cups your jaw making you face him and he peers down at your visage with a teasing smirk, “How dazed you look, not a single thought in that pretty head of yours. I find it’s better that way. You humans tend to overthink a lot, hm. Don’t you agree?” All you can respond with is a slow nod and a blissful hum making him grin. “So soft, my own little human to keep. I doubt you’ll last long underwater. Though, I do know of a cove nearby,” he ponders in thought.

Taehyun slyly hums, “My dearest human, you were indeed foolish, though I suppose I had a part to play. You don’t understand how incredibly tiresome it was to play the lovestruck and lonely creature, eager for a humans affection. Seducing you wasn’t working, but apparently being pitiful was enough to make you lower your guard.” He notices how out of it you seem and hums, “Not that you’d care now anyways. All you now care about is being with me,” he sharply hums tightening his grip around you. His nails press into your skin; surely they’d draw blood soon.

“Are you fond of me, pretty human?” He cooes moving the strands of wet hair out of your face. You hum, “Mhm.” “Would you like to stay with me forever?” “Mhm,” you answer blissfully ignorant of your predicament. How tragic this was indeed. A young researcher curious about sirens only to be taken by the one thing she wished to investigate. How unbecoming for a scholar!

Suddenly, he moves back into the water with you in his arms before with one heave he drags you underwater. You cough and your body naturally flails and flaps around as air escapes your lungs. You hair wafts around you and silent screams escape your lips as Taehyun watches on with a cruel smile tainting his angelic features.

You cling to Taehyun after a while. He resurfaces with a sadistic smile on his face, “Oh, I was right, you humans are clearly not built for water. My bad, my dearest human. Simply had to have a little fun. Though, I’d rather not have you drown, so quickly.”

He chuckles at your dim response only clinging onto him for quite literally dear life. You begin to shiver from the cold ocean water. Taehyun cups the back of your head gently and lets you rest your head against his torso, “My sweet thing, be not afraid. I’ll never let any harm come to you.” You hum, “Mhm,” your heartbeat relaxes.

“Let us stay like this for a moment before we swim to the cove I was speaking of,” he hums nonchalantly, “I’m sure you’ll find it charming there. You’ll find anything charming as long as I’m there with you, won’t you?” He runs his thumb along your cheek down to your bottom lip tugging it down ever so slightly sending a pleasurable jolt through your senses. It was a seductive motion that had you craving for more- he knew it as well.

“Oh I could just devour you up,” he playfully growls into you neck. “Do try to last longer than the others, won’t you? I’m quite a bit more fond of you than anyone else I’ve come across. There’s just something about you…”

Taehyun hums into your neck that same addictive melody as he holds your shivering body against his. The scene is intimate but dark as the stars in the sky peer down at yet another tragedy that’s befallen the coastline.

All that now lies on the coast is a damp satchel containing a ruined sketch, and a no longer working camera. A trace of your tragic disappearance.

Taehyun squeezes you against him; the silhouette of you two mirroring two lovers in the moonlight; albeit more twisted. He whispers lowly as his eyes meet yours twinkling glossy ones, “A pretty thing indeed…and all mine.”

Oh, how foolish of you to think you could converse unscathed with a Siren…

248 notes · View notes

nc-vb · 11 months

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𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚, 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐡𝐰𝐚, & 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐡𝐮𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐬

a long time coming that I've meant to compile a list, but it just kept growing and growing and growing...

the webtoon list includes my very personal & important in-my-heart recommendations. aaaaand the rest are mostly smutty, kinky, and even a little dark.......... do not perceive, just enjoy. and support the official author's work and translations if you can!!

if there are any in this list you'd like a heads up about before reading, feel free to drop me an ask and I'll give you my honest opinion/review.

if you're having trouble locating anything, shoot me an ask (because i have most, if not all, of the links saved).

and feel free to gush to me if you liked any of them!! i'm always happy to talk about mmm's.

[updated july 3rd, 2023] - newly added titles are in green.

𝐵𝐿 = boy's love genre 𝐆𝐋 = girl's love genre 𝟏+ = includes harems & poly relationships ❤ = absolute masterpieces, highly recommended! ! = proceed with extreme caution/heed all warnings

please heed all warnings and tags found within each of these recommendations, as well as my own warnings from the symbol legend above and found throughout this post.

some of these are sfw and some aren't. some of these aren't for the faint of heart and will be marked to be read at your own risk. additionally, not all are translated into English. 𝐵𝐿/𝐆𝐋 are separate from the general list.

𝐖𝐄𝐁𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐍

A Messy Fairy Tale 𝟏+

A Summer Night's Dream

Age Matters ❤

Back to You

Bailin and Li Yun BL❤

Bitten Contract

Boyfriend of the Dead

Castle Swimmer BL

City of Blank

Dating With a Tail

Daytime Star

Devil Number 4 ❤

Devilish Romance

Down to Earth

Dreaming Freedom

Ghost Wife

Ghostly Buddie

Half-Ghost

Harem of LuuAnh

Hello Baby ❤

I'm the Grim Reaper

I Love Yoo ❤

It's Mine

Jeff's Disorders

Kind of Confidential

Little Rain

Lore Olympus ❤

Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell ❤

Mage & Demon Queen GL

Marry Me!

Maybe Meant to Be

Meow Man

Midnight Poppy Land

Midnight Rain

Mom, I'm Sorry

Morgana and Oz

Muse on Fame

My Beloved Emperor

My Dear Cold-Blooded King

My Four Husbands 𝟏+

My In-Laws are Obsessed with Me ❤

My Lovely Bodyguard

Nice to Meet You

Not Even Bones

Operation: True Love ❤

Pastel-colored Pages

Phase

Scorching Romance

See You in My 19th Life ❤

Selina ~ Moon Bride ~

Siren's Lament ❤

Soleil

Space Boy

Strange and Wild

SubZero

Swimming Lessons for a Mermaid ❤

Take Off BL

The Devil is a Handsome Man

The First Night With the Duke ❤

The Guy Upstairs

The Newlywed Diary of a Witch and a Dragon ❤

The RUNWAY

There Must Be Happy Endings

To the Stars and Back BL

Trapped ❤

Unlovable Replacement

When Jasy Whistles ❤❤

Winter Woods

Your Smile is a Trap ❤

𝐒𝐅𝐖

Abe-kun's Got Me Now! (Abe-kun ni Nerawaretemasu)

A Master, Who Woke Up As a Concubine ❤

And Yet, You Are So Sweet (Na no ni, Chigira-kun amasugiru)

Beloved in-Laws (poor transl.)

Bon Appétit ❤

Don't Blush, Sekime

Forget My Husband, I'll Go Make Money (Aug 2023)

Golden Forest !

I, My, Me, Mine ❤ (アイマイミーマイン)

I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter

I Can't Keep Up With My Stallion Duke ❤❤

I Will Change the Genre

I Will Rewrite the Dead End Novel

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk ❤ (Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki)

It's My Destiny to Be the Hero's Saviour !

Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible

Love's in Sight!

Loving Yamada at Lv 999 ❤❤❤

Male Lead, I'll Respect Your Taste !

Ookami no Musume ❤❤

Pink and Habanero ❤ (Pink to Habanero)

Protected by My Dragon Knight (Seijo wa Ryuukishi-sama ni Mamorarete)

Scary Faced High Schooler and Miss Plain Jane

Second Life of a Trash Princess

Sinking too deep in your rabbit hole, now I'm drowning in your love

Stella Next to Me ❤ (Tonari no Stella)

The Cunning Princess and the Shark ❤

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity ❤ (Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku)

The Muscle Girl Next Door

The Obsessive Second Male Lead Has Gone Wild

The Reasons We Fall in Love ❤ (Watashi-tachi ga koisuru riyuu)

The Tyrant's Comfort Doll !

To the Dear F-Phantom of the Opera (Shinai naru F e: Opera-za no Kaijin)

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun ❤ (Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun)

Vampire Lord's Greatest Wife ❤

Welcome to the Yandere Cafe (rating subject to change)

Yojouhan no Ibara Hime

𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐅𝐖

あざと可愛い✕くんの執着サド交尾は本物です x!!!

無能力巫女は狛犬の淫紋快楽漬け x❤!

2LDK IKEMEN Tsuki Bukken Arimasu !!

A Dream Between the Sheets ❤❤

A Gentle Sea Monster and a Lonely Girl !

A Predator in a Skirt !

A Sip of Poison !

Boy's Abyss (subject to change, new read) !!

Childhood Friend's Secret Massage !

Consort to the Fox Spirit Lord

Dark Fall !

Depths of Malice !

Devoured by a Bookworm Girl !

Fire in His Fingertips ❤

Former Delinquent Farmer's Sex Appeal is Dangerous!

From Him to Who? ~Sex With My Body-Snatched Husband ❤

Gokudou to Omega - Mukidashi no Katsuai

Hana's Demons of Lust !

Hare-kon 𝟏+

Heat 200 Meters Away (200 M Saki no Netsu)

Honey, I'm Going On a Strike!

How to Make a Frigid Girl Cum

I'm in Love With Mr. Hanabusa

Lady K and the Sick Man ❤❤

Last Order wa Ojou-san de Dekiai Jouren Kyaku ni Kyuuai saretemasu

Junai - Pure Wet Love

Kuma to Tora ~Taikakusa Osananajimi no Hajimete kara, Kemono ni Naru 2-kakan made~ x

Madoka Exorcist ❤!

Mede Little Roy !

Mr. Tada is a Top Performer

Muttsuri Akazukin-kun kara wa nige rarenai

My Cold Co-worker Obsessively Loves Me

Pet Baby Doll

Pygmalion's Savior is a Big But Immature Love Monster !❤

Red Hot Proposal: Surrounded by His Tanned Body

Sadistic Beauty !!!!

Sakaki the Lazybones Shows His Talents at Night ❤❤

Sapphire Dew ~ Infatuated Gentlemanly Boyfriend Seizes the Initiative !

Seishun no Hekireki

Seriously can't pass this up. - Kohai's passionate sex won't stop until morning

Sinful Nun Pays Penitence to the Serpent ❤❤

Spring Amidst My Wintertide ❤

Superstitious Nine ❤

Sweet Lies Layered Like a Mille Feuille ❤

Tadano Renai Nanka de Kikkonai ❤❤

The Golden Forest !

The Goldfish’s Corpse Lies at the Bottom of the Swamp !!!!!!!!

The Greengrocer is a Carnivore in Bed!?

The Man Who Saved Me in My Isekai Trip Was a Killer!!!!!!!

The Neighbor in Room 203 Disappeared Leaving a Key Behind !!!!!!!

The Reincarnated Saint Falls for the Demon Lord

The Tainted Half !

The Virgin Witch

The Weird Senior in the Seat Next to Me ❤❤❤! (Tonari Senpai)

Toshishita Osananajimi ga Watashi o Shibatte Hanasa nai! x

Totem's Realm

Touching is Better Than Looking

Under the Oak Tree

Until the Obedient Bodyguard Exposes the Body and the Lie of the Fake Lady ❤

"Wanna Cum?" The Pure Taiga Advances Slow and Sweet ❤❤

Welcome to the Muscle Salon ❤❤❤

When Beauty Meets Beasts

When You Are Reincarnated As The villain NPC's Girl And Be Loved By The Strongest Prince Who Is Not A Capture Target !!

Wild Eyes

Will You Pledge Your Love to an Incubus?

Wish Upon a Husband

Yaba Ai Instructor !

You're Too Cute for Me to Be Gentle

𝐁𝐋 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐒

4 Week Lovers BL

A Handless Day BL!

A Hot Wet Job for Three -Adult Toy Tester- BL, 𝟏+

A Kiss for You, My Shinobi BL

A Tree Without Roots BL❤!

Angel Buddy BL❤❤

Bidou Wakadanna Koi Shitau Wa Koushoku Otoko BL❤

Bitten by Moonlight BL

Black Mirror BL!!!

Blind Play BL!!

Can't Think Straight BL

Cherry Blossoms After Winter BL

Confession Night BL

Dangerous Convenience Store BL

Dawn of the Dragon BL

Dear Door BL

DEATH or LOVE BL

Delinquent Omega Belongs to the Beast King BL

Demon of Lustful Hell BL

Desharow Merman BL❤

Die If You Aren't a Virgin BL

Eat Me Up, My Husband BL!

Ennead

Eunsoo's Good Day BL

Eye Contact BL

Fake Fact Lips BL

Frenemies: Thicker Than Blood BL❤

Friends, Engaged

Fucking in the Dorms BL!

Ghost Gate BL!!!!!

Healing Paradox BL❤

He's a Better Top Than Me?! BL

Home Far Away BL❤!!!

Horeta Otoko wa Shin'yuu de BL!

Housekeeper's Love Affair BL

How to convince your best friend to sleep with you BL

Hyperventilation BL❤❤❤

I Didn't Ask You to Eat Me!

I Love You, Nothing Else Matters BL❤

In an Empty Classroom BL

Indigo BL

I Ship My Rival x Me BL

It's Just a Dream... Right? BL❤❤❤

Jinx BL!

Kabukicho Bad Trip BL

Kiss de Egaku Ittousei BL❤

Kiss Me, Liar BL!

Lala no Kekkon BL!

Liveta BL

Love in Kitsch BL

Love is an Illusion BL!

Love Jinx BL❤

Low Tide in Twilight BL!!

Mad Dog BL❤❤

Miscreants and Mayhem BL

Missing Love BL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (<I cannot express this enough.)

My Delicious Dream Boy BL❤

My Demon Crybaby, Maria BL

My Partner Suddenly Got Younger - An Omega Caretaker Plays Alpha BL!

Natsu no Teppen ni Saku BL

Old-Fashioned Cupcake BL❤❤ (has a j-drama)

Pain, Sweet Pain BL

Passion BL

Payback BL❤❤❤

Pearl Boy BL❤!!!!!!

Pink Heart Jam BL❤❤

Please, Candy! BL!

Roses and Champagne BL!

Sadistic Beauty: Side Story BL!!!!!!

Secret Inside My Head BL❤❤❤

Semantic Error BL (has a j-drama)

Sensei wa Nekketsu ga Areba Juubunda! BL!

Sick BL

Sign BL❤❤❤

Sketch BL❤

Speak of the Devil BL

Steel Under Silk BL❤

Surge Looking for You BL❤

Sweet Trap BL

Tabetemo Oishiku Arimasen BL

Tentacle Recipe BL(?)❤

The Blessed Life of a Retired Nian Monster BL

The Crybaby's at the Mean Devil's Mercy BL❤

The Foxy Mouse's Romance BL

The Origin of Species BL!

The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace BL

The Pure-Hearted Puppy and the Erotic Tattoo BL❤

The Silent Concubine BL!

The Unquenchable Mr. Kim BL❤

The Words in Your Snare BL❤❤❤

To Take An Enemy's Heart BL!

Tomodachi Engagement BL

Trick Turned Into a Threesome With the Tachibana Brother BL

Under the Greenlight BL

Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami BL❤

Unromantic Romance BL❤

Young Lover BL!!

Your Wish is My Command BL❤

Yours to Claim BL

Zenryaku, Onii-chan wa Seijo ni Narimashita BL!

more recommendations will likely be added as time goes on! feel free to copy these recs for your own checklist of 'to reads'.

hope you enjoy them like i did! :)

#manga recommendation #manhwa recommendation #manhua recommendation #bl manga #bl manhwa #bl manhua #manga recs #manhwa recs #manhua recs #PLEASE HEED THE WARNINGS FOR THE EXCLAMATION TAGGED RECS OKAY??? I'M NOT JOKING ABOUT THEM.#i've read some pretty awful things over the past few years... like really awful.#... a lot of them did not make this list.#'Missing Love' has that many !!! and is bolded in red for a REASON-- i've never cried so hard for a MC than i did for Lee Geom.#seriously... it's so awful. and i hate that i found it because i need to know that he eventually has something good happen for him.#i don't really want to discuss it but for anyone's curiosities... i mean... feel free to ask me in dms so i can warn you...#✦ nc vb.

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damnation-if · 11 months

Note

I just want to say, as a certified monster fucker, I'm already in love with your story hahaaa <3 I'm glad we're getting more adult stories and the themes in this one are so intriguing, can't wait for the rest ! Alsooo, I really liked the way you describe things? I do not know how to explain it haha but I could easily visualize what was happening and the general atmosphere you're going for and I thought that was neat :^)

thank you so much for your kind words!! i truly appreciate them and i'm so glad the descriptions were to your liking! i have at least some level of aphantasia, so i'm always worried that i'm not describing things enough haha... glad that doesn't seem to be the case!

i was actually talking to my friends just yesterday about how there's relatively few Creacher-y ROs around... so for whatever reason, i guess because it's on my mind, i thought i'd take a bit of time/space here to mention all of the Monsterfucker Approved (TM) ROs that i could come up with, in case anyone else might be interested. this list isn't meant to be exhaustive (in case i miss anyone) as sadly i am yet to become all-seeing and all-knowing 😔

Creacher (Alien)

Rhaxa and Imxa from Project Hadea by my beloved @nyehilismwriting. spikey, scaley, bitey, etc. 👌i also love and appreciate the attention to detail put into worldbuilding for the different ways their species communicates and thinks and so on, showing the culture gaps between them and humans. quality buggies!

Creacher (Eldritch)

Roach from The Passenger... the mc is also an eldritch creacher in this one, which may add or subtract to the enjoyment for various different people lol

Sysba from Attollo; i also think this game in general is pretty monster friendly, with a bunch of monstrous side characters and so forth. the cool kind of neo-gothic vibes give it a feeling a bit akin to a cyberpunk Penny Dreadful... it's about as Monsterfucker as cyberpunk gets i think!

Beacon from Stygian: The Abyssal Lighthouse by my good friend @salty-stories. this one is probably the most Lovecraftian of the eldritch creachers i think, heavy Call of Cthulhu vibes. it's still in progress but i'm personally willing to wait haha

Creacher (Parahuman)

Lorelei and The Other from The Golden Harp; pirates and sirens and mermaids, oh my!

Danny and Isla from When It Hungers by the wonderful @roast-ifs ... the game is still on hiatus but it still lives rent-free in my head always... the monster mcs are So *chef's kiss*

Oisein from The Nameless; due to the sheevra mc there's a Lot of really cool exploration of the boundaries of humanity and stuff like that... we love a "nonhumans shouldn't be able to feel/do this" story... we love it a Normal amount for sure.

Creacher (Indefinable)

Trace from Greenwarden by @fiddles-ifs; an iconique creacher... the game itself also has excellent kind of Appalachian gothic/supernatural vibes and a dark undercurrent of Lurking Monster Foreboding.

Games with Applicably Creacher-esque Vibes

Virtue's End by my beloved friend dani... the ROs might be human, but the mc most certainly is not<3 dark fantasy and sumptuous Monster vibes, what more can you ask?

anything by the extremely talented @thirtybythirty (links to their games in their pinned post). everything they write has a compelling undercurrent of... eldritch existentialism. perhaps the creacher is in fact the Narrative... or maybe the humans were the creachers all along...

the fabulous OFNA: Birds of a Feather - it has the perfect combination of things Not Quite Human and Not Quite Right to create a rich and ominous atmosphere, well-worth playing even though everyone is Technically human lmfao

anyway sorry for rambling on and i'm sure there's a bunch i have missed but. i do feel like it's worth giving praise where it's due for games and writers that we appreciate! thank you again for your kind message (and for giving me a chance to talk about this a bit lol)

#what does the chaos mirror see #glucosify #long post.#passing these notes out at the monthly monsterfucker conference #sorry to put trace in their own category but. also i feel like they'd have it no other way lmfao #avoiding putting my games on here like a good boi... especially the ones i haven't written yet #there's also sort of monster-adjacent things like leftski-if's orcs and werewolves but #there sort of opens up a rabbithole once you get into. Nontypical Humanoids #like i had this problem with a lot of demon!ROs as well they're kind of. Mostly Human #like don't get me wrong i enjoyed keeper of the sun and moon for example but the cambions and nephilim are not. Particularly Inhuman #however obviously my categorisations are very arbitrary and i'm not. gatekeeping monsters XD just for the sake of this post not being longe

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i-smoke-chapstick · 24 days

Note

Okay I think I’ve finally come up with a plot for that jervis story I was telling you about. This is pretty long- I’m sorry 😭

Basically could follow the same plots as the ‘come on Eileen’ story with an age gap but obv themed for Jervis’s character. For the sake of everything, since this could be already dark-ish, instead of Alice being his sister, she’s his coworker. Very similar story tied with the btas version. Anyways continuing that, let’s say reader is Jim and Barbara’s kid all the way from episode 1 when they were still in there couple era (I miss it 😔). Jim had custody over reader when Barbara was sent to Arkham but once she’s out and running the sirens club, her and Jim come to an agreement for the sake of the reader to co-parent. Reader is about 10-13 during that time and then jumping to like season 3 with jervis being introduced, reader is around 17-19 (I’m not sure if this is the realistic time jump but whatever). During the first episode with how Barbara introduces tabby to jervis, imagine that same scenario but with reader also present. Jervis realizes how much reader reminds him of the book version of Alice with their curiosity, ambition, etc. I’d like to imagine Barbara finds it cute in a way similar with that one fix you did when jervis was leaving stuff for the reader while tabby is like “Stay away from the baby 😡”.

Now when Alice gets killed, we know jervis makes him go through all these games of killing and stuff and then he has to choose the one he loves. Instead of Val, it’s reader. As much as Jervis doesn’t want to hurt his current crush, he tries to be nicer about it and shoots them where the bullet won’t damage them as bad?? Idk where else I’m goin with this lol. I’ll let you come up with whatever else you wanna do. Be creative if you’d like.

I’d say basically it follows the plot of season 3 but without Alice and reader is present.

Thank you Cupid 🙏🖤

'DON'T BLAME ME, [PART ONE]

-GOTHAM!JERVIS TETCH X READER-

⋆ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ; Everything's always the same in Gotham. Hard to imagine things changing.

⋆ tags/warnings. GOTHAM!jervis x female reader. SLOW BURN!!! Not sure how many chapters this will be yet! LOTS OF PLOT SET-UP!! AGE GAP ROMANCE! (reader is Jim and Barbara's daughter) Readers got trauma. Reader's also a cynic and dissociating. She fell first, he fell harder. Writing this kind of artistically and as character studies for everyone. Jervis being an obsessive freak, per usual. Jervis and reader are soulmates, not just in his head but in real life! More about reader is revealed as the story goes on. I'm taking canon out back and beating it with a stick until it stops twitching.

⋆ tag list (tell me if you want to be removed!) @adalwolfgang @jervis-tetch-my-beloved @honestmrdual @moonlightnyx

⋆ 'PART ONE, - 'PART TWO, - ‘PART THREE, - ‘PART FOUR, - ‘PART FIVE, - ‘PART SIX, - 'PART SEVEN, - 'PART EIGHT, - 'PART NINE, -'PART TEN, - 'PART ELEVEN, - 'PART TWELVE, - 'PART THIRTEEN,

Special thanks to @adalwolfgang for giving me the idea for this fic <3 really really excited to make this multichapter !!

♫ “Echoes of your name inside my mind / Halo, hiding my obsession.” Don't Blame Me by Taylor Swift

You feel like your ten again, staring into space, watching the passerby's from inside a Gala. You're mother used to take you there, when you're dad wasn't available.

You sometimes miss it, even though you used to complain. You hated just sitting there, hours on end, seeing rich people dance; like there weren't people being murdered on the street two blocks down. Maybe you took after your father in that aspect. It was a curse.

Your mom used to do your hair. You remember the way she finger-twirled your curls, gasping as she looked in the mirror. Eyes wide, she always said the same thing.

"Look at you, you're gorgeous!" You'd laugh and hit her on the shoulder, young and innocent. Sometimes, you'd make a mess of her lipsticks and bronzer. You'd try on her dresses which were far too tall for your young stature.

The sound of yelling rips you away from your thoughts.

This place isn't a gala. It's a club. And you didn't get ready with your mom, you got ready in the morning, waking up alone in your dads house.

You watch the two men argue from across the bar. You're cradling a drink; unsure what to do with it. Selina had stole it for you, somehow. You didn't ask questions anymore. You'd known her since you were eleven and she was eight. You didn't really like to drink. She knew that. You don't know where she ran off too.

Mindlessly stirring your glass in your palm, you can't help but squint under the bright blue lights. This place...it's not your first choice of where you'd like to be right now. Never is.

You hear a feminine voice calling you to the front of the club, and you can already guess who it is. You haven't seen her in a little over a week, not that it matters.

You decide to down your drink anyway. Who cares.

Pushing your way through the crowds of Gothamites, you notice the stage light up. Your mother and Tabitha stand in grand dresses. Tabitha's resting, one arm on the bar, looking effectively bored out of her mind. Your mother, on the contrary, looks utterly pleased. You fight the urge to snort.

There's a man on the stage. Long hair, cat-like smile. Your eyes follow the contours of his cheek bones. He's spouting something about waking up from an animal-identity. You're frankly lost, staring into his dark eyes. They look pitch black.

Sounds of clapping arise from the back. You simply suck your teeth. Someone new comes into the club everyday with a different act. This guy certainly wasn't any different.

"A magician? Really?" Tabitha asks, interrupting your thoughts. She sounds displeased and confounded, unsure what to make of Barbara's smile.

"Hypnotist." Your mom answers, correcting her. Ah, so thats what he is. You think. Couldn't hypnotize himself to have a better act? You almost make yourself laugh. Barbara mistakes it for agreeance.

"See! I like him! Y/N likes him!" Barbara chimes, smile lighting up to be a bit more genuine at your laugh. "Like mother like daughter. Plus, the place is packed. Be happy." She waves her drink around. Tabitha still looks peeved.

You want to correct her, but the words 'like mother like daughter' make bile rise in your throat. You don't speak.

"Just a taste, ladies and gentlemen." The man purrs, pulling your attention to him. That dark stare of his never once leaves the crowd. "But now...let us venture into something more arcane."

His eyes drift to you in the crowd, and it feels like a jolt of electricity. You wonder if he feels it too. He must have, since he cocks his head, pausing in his words for a little too long. His brows furrow, until the crowd begins to murmur. It's awfully intense.

You tear your gaze away to look at your mom, wondering if she was who he was looking at instead. It would certainly make more sense, given they must've been around the same age. But as soon as your gaze leaves his, the man clears his throat, and goes right back to speaking.

"The hell was that?" Tabitha whispers to me, and my mind goes blank.

"...No clue."

We watch the rest of the act, intrigued. He makes a man stand on the back of a chair, which definitely does not obey the laws of physics whatsoever. I can see why some people might find this amusing.

Your mom does bring up a good question though.

"So you could get him to do anything you wanted?" She asks, abet too excitedly. You want to roll your eyes. When you were younger, she would've made fun of this guy with you.

The man looks between the two of us, and you squint your eyes.

"Did you have something in mind, Ms. Kean?" He asks, and her gaze darkens. You feel a little sick.

As the act finishes, the man takes one too many bows, but the crowd eats it up. That blinding blue light still bounces off his face. Something about it is...unsettling. You notice it more as he stalks towards the three of you.

"Very impressive, Mr. Tetch." Your mom compliments. Mr. Tetch, huh. Well, you finally have a name for the man. "You have quite the gift. But you didn't answer my question. Can you make people do anything you tell them to do?" She speaks, slowly. Mr. Tetch looks flattered at the praise.

He clicks his tongue. "Only things they secretly wish to do," he remarks, eyes falling on me once more. "It's surprising what people will wish for," His eye contact remains on you, voice getting quieter. "Secretly. Deep down." He repeats.

Your mother makes a sound akin to a pleased hum. Tabitha looks between the man and you, and she looks less than amused.

"True," Tabitha speaks, pushing you to the side a bit. You watch as his gaze leaves yours, and snaps up to her. There's a ghost of a scowl on both of their faces that suddenly makes you confused. "You must be a very popular man."

She takes a swig out of her drink as she says the words, a bit sarcastically. Mr. Tetch, or whatever his name is, doesn't falter in his resolve. He instead offers a polite chuckle.

"Oh, I wish. Parties like this help pave my way, so, thank you."

"And you're new to Gotham?" Your mom asks.

"Yes...just arrived from up north."

"You have a place to stay?" Tabitha asks, head cocked. You begin to feel a bit embarrassed, heat rising in your clothes. They're asking the guy way too many questions. And he's a new comer. Poor man probably doesn't know a thing.

Before the man can answer, you butt in.

"Let the man breathe." You huff, and all three of them look at you in unison. Eyes-narrowed on you, the man blinks. Barbara looks at you, surprised, and Tabitha glares daggers.

Silence surrounds the four of you, and you shiver uncomfortably.

"Just saying." You mumble. Barbara raises an eyebrow.

"You'll have to excuse her. This is my daughter, Y/N."

Jervis's face lights up in realization.

"Ah, I see." He remarks, taking your hand. Tabitha instinctively steps close, watching the way he takes it. He presses a soft kiss to your knuckles. "Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Y/N."

"Thank you," You say, softly, looking into his eyes. It really does feel like time stops. You can understand why people are hypnotized by him.

Tabitha finally steps in between you two, as Barbara watches the interaction with vague intrigue. He drops your hand with some reluctance. You don't blame him.

"I think you should get going." Tabitha says, firm. The man simply nods.

"Very well. Enjoy your night." He speaks. "Ms. Kean, Ms. Y/N." He bids one last nod of goodbye, before turning on his heel.

#gotham #x reader #gotham x reader #batman #batman rogues #batman rouges gallery #batman x reader #gotham villains x reader #dc comics #jervis tetch #jervis tetch x reader #jervis tetch x reader imagine #mad hatter x reader #gotham mad hatter #the mad hatter dc #the mad hatter #fic series

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darklydeliciousdesires · 7 months

Text

Immortal Beloved - Chapter One.

Oh guys, when I tell you I was touched beyond words at how this was received by you all. I have been sitting here squeaking with joy at your lovely reviews! If I have missed anybody out in my thank you notes, please take my humble apology and know that I appreciate you so much for taking the time to both read and offer feedback.

Okay, so on with the first chapter, then. You'll notice here that my imagination weaves with canon to make some slight changes, such as giving the boy's (and Ada's) mother a name, also I wrote John only to have one child with his late wife. It made sense to me, not having to pull focus from the plot too much by having to characterise four little ones on top of everything else.

So yes, here we are, then. I think I'm going to choose Thursday as our update day and keep it to once a week posting. Those who know me of old know that I often like to throw in a little surprise update sometimes, though! Once again, thank you so much for the feedback, and I truly hope you continue to enjoy it :)

Previous chapters - Prologue

Tag list - In the comments

Words - 4,057

Warnings - Adult themes + vampire content throughout. Minors DNI!

“John?”

He was still in a daze as he entered the back room, seeing Polly lift her gaze from the paper she read in front of the crackling hearth, her dark eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re bloody white as a sheet. If you’re about to be sick, go back outside. I’ve neither the desire nor patience for mopping up the contents of your stomach.”

“Nah, I’m... I’m alright, Pol,” he began, his voice just as vacant as the expression upon his face, the toothpick between his lips practically dangling.

She wasn’t convinced by his statement, placing the paper upon the arm of the chair and rising to her feet. “John, you look like you’ve seen a ghost, and you...” She sniffed his breath, her mouth down turning as she scoffed, “and you stink like a brewery floor. What did Tommy say, eh, about getting in this state. Look at you!”

Her admonishment barely even landed; John still in a state of shock at what he’d witnessed, his eyes flitting to the table. Whiskey. Yes.

Polly’s gaze followed. “No. There’ll be no more of that. You’ve had enough.”

Finally, he moved, side stepping his aunt as he reached for the bottle, uncorking it rapidly and drinking from it directly. “Believe me, Pol. After what I just saw, all the fucking whiskey in Ireland ain’t enough.”

She folded her arms, watching as he crashed down in the chair opposite the one she’d been comfortably sitting in. “Well, you don’t look hurt. Whatever it was, it can’t have been that bad.”

“Not for me, but...” he began, taking another swig of the golden liquid within his grasp, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve as his eyes found hers, “for the fella outside missing his head, I can’t say the same.”

“You bloody what, John Shelby?” Her voice rose like a siren, Polly’s authoritative boom filling the space. “A Rasmussen, I take it? And since when have you been in the habit of lopping off heads and leaving the evidence all over the bloody street? Holy shit, you boys will be the death of me!”

She then studied him a little closer. No blood. He'd have been covered in more than just a fine misting of crimson, should he have removed somebody of their head. It also wasn’t John’s style, as far as despatching of an enemy went. He was a gangster, not a barbarian. She wouldn’t have even pegged his elder brothers for such acts, and their bloodlust far exceeded John’s. Her statement was about to be recanted when her nephew offered his reply.

“No, not me. I didn’t do fuck all!” he corrected, gulping back more whiskey, the shock starting to soften as his muscles began to unclench, one by one. “It weren’t me, but you wouldn’t believe me if I told you what I’ve just seen out there.”

“Is that so?” she charged, moving swiftly to stand beside his chair. “Try me.”

He pointed his index finger towards the door, his eyes rounding once more as he relived it in his mind. “A woman, a fucking woman in a white dress, covered in blood, moving faster than I could see. She fucking... grabbed this fella, right, like he was a kiddie’s doll, bit into his neck, and then ripped his fucking head off. I ain’t lying to ya. I swear on my soul, that’s what I saw. She had these teeth, teeth like a fucking wolf.”

Polly lifted her chin, a wave of cold dread sloshing through her insides. She knew exactly what John had seen, but could scarcely believe it. They were back. “You’re drunk. Go to bed.”

His eyes narrowed, leaning forward in his seat. Her answer, it had been a little too swiftly delivered. “You believe me, don’t you? You know what she was.”

“I said go to bed.”

“I ain’t going nowhere until you tell me what the fuck that thing outside was.” Yes, Polly could be firm, but so could her nephew. It was a trait that ran strongly through the Shelby blood. She sighed, her shoulders dropping, striding to the cabinet and fetching two glasses.

“Pour.” John met her instruction wordlessly, tipping the whiskey into the glasses she held, taking the other from her. Polly sank into her seat, sipping her whiskey and pulling a cigarette from the case beside her, lighting up. “Your great-grandmother used to call them the shadow walkers, but it’s only since that Bram Stoker fellow wrote his novel that there’s been a commonly known name for them. That woman you saw, John, she wasn’t human. She was a vampire.”

John was baffled, and his face showed it. “But they ain’t real. I’ve heard of that book you’re on about, Dracula, isn’t it? They... they’re fiction.”

A light snort sounded from Polly’s nose, her cigarette glowing as she took a fierce drag upon it. “Most people think that they are. They think of them as nothing more than monsters of make-believe, dreamed into existence by the imagination of a brilliant novelist.” Pausing, she smirked darkly, sighing through her nose. “I wish to god above I was one of those people. They keep themselves very well hidden, the vampires. And who would believe it, that these blood sucking creatures of the night truly exist, eh? Seeing is believing, though, and by god, John. I wish you hadn’t seen her. Those things, they’re evil incarnate.”

“She saved me life,” he admitted, eyebrows rising a fraction. “That man, and apparently three mates of his, they were all waiting for me. The one missing his head was Samuel Rasmussen. She knew him by name.”

Polly cocked her head slightly. “What did she say to you?”

“Not much,” he sniffed, sipping his drink. “Said what I’ve just told you, then said my blood smelled like earth and fire, other things an’ all but I forget what. Oh, and that I was the most beautiful creature she’d seen in a long time.”

She smiled, nodding slightly. “Well, she got that part right. You take after your mother in that respect.” It never ceased to amaze her, just how much John resembled Thora, her late sister-in-law. His blue eyes, lily skin and auburn hair came straight from her. “I’m warning you now, though. What she did for you won’t have been out of sheer magnanimity, oh no. There’ll be a reason behind it, and whatever that reason is, I am telling you, John, you’ll want for no part in it.”

He smirked, feeling a little more himself. “What if the reason is that she just wants to fuck me?”

Immediately, he found his ear clipped. “Fucking hell, Pol!”

“Take something seriously for once in your fucking life!”

He rubbed the side of his head, chewing aggressively on his toothpick. “I bloody am.”

Her snort dripped in sarcasm “Like fuck, you are. You’d want throwing right into the loony bin if you even contemplated that, you bloody daft boy!” She remained forward in her seat, her dark eyes fixing him in an unbreakable stare. “Don’t trust her, not even for a second, or it’ll be your head ripped off your shoulders and left out for the coppers to find next. You hear me?”

“You make it sound like I’m going to see her again,” he mused, swirling the whiskey around within the glass tumbler before sinking it.

“You will,” she assured, her tone bitter. “You will see her again, because like I said, they don’t do anything without good reason to, those creatures. But you’ll be prepared. Carry a silver knife and get up to the church sharpish, fill a little bottle with holy water from the font. When weaponised, silver will kill her and the water will burn. And whatever you do, John, never, ever invite her into this house. She can’t get in unless she’s invited.”

He had to wonder how, exactly, Polly had such a wealth of knowledge over them. “Have you ever met one before? You talk like you know them of old.”

“No, thank god, but your great-grandmother Boswell, she had. Those campfire stories she told us as babes, we knew they weren’t fibs. We heeded her warnings. They’re drawn to gypsy blood, you see, something about it being palatable.”

“She didn’t bite me, though,” John reasoned, Polly scoffing lightly.

“If she’d just taken out four other fellas, she probably wasn’t hungry. That’s what they need to survive, the blood of the living. Trust me, she’ll be back, but you’ll be prepared. Stab her in her cold, dead heart and forget you ever met her. Don’t even think twice about it. We’ve got enough to be reckoning with, what with these fucking Rasmussen’s and the pile of shit they’re throwing our way. I don’t need the worry that you’re being stalked by the bloody undead on top of that.”

“Why didn’t you mention any of this to us before?”

Sinking her drink, she cleared her throat, reaching for the bottle. “And have you think I’d gone loopy?” Her snorted words brought a smile to John, Polly continuing. “We just don’t speak of them any longer. They’re rare, not an everyday threat. I’ve never heard hide nor hair of them since hearing nana’s stories, since I was just a young girl.”

As the lie fell from her lips, Polly felt conflicted. She had to protect him, though. Keep the details scant. Besides, he was too drunk to take on anything else. Indeed, there was more she could have explained. She decided against it, clamping her lips between her teeth for a moment.

“Hang on,” he spoke, frowning a little. “What did you mean, when you said undead?”

“They aren’t alive anymore, John.” She paused, picking a little fleck of tobacco from her lip. “They walk and talk, but they’re not really living. Something about how they’re made, I don’t know the details, but yes. Undead. An enchanted corpse, basically.”

“I dunno about enchanted, but she was enchanting,” he began, the corner of his mouth upturning. “She was bloody beautiful.” His face further softened as he remembered that feeling of magic lingering in the air between he and her, the pull to her, her essence shining like the brightest star within a pitch-black sky.

“John, no. Absolutely fucking not.” Her pointed finger only momentarily wiped the growing smirk from his handsome features. “I mean it, do not even consider a fucking dalliance with a bloody vampire!”

He shrugged slightly. “I’ve took worse to bed.”

“John!” Her acerbic bite of his name had him in soft fits, the whiskey seeming to do the trick in placating the fear he’d felt at the time, now he was no longer in peril. “Your fucking face when you walked in here not ten minutes ago, looking like you’d seen a ghost. I was surprised your trousers were still dry, you looked that afraid!”

“Bloody hell, Pol. I was only pulling your leg,” he laughed, rising from his seat. “Don’t worry, I ain’t stupid. I’m going to bed. Maybe all of this is just a drunken dream, I dunno.” Suddenly, her foot shot out, kicking him in the shin. “Ow, what the fuck?”

“Did that feel like a dream to you?”

“No, it feels like it’s gonna be a whacking great bruise on me leg!”

She smirked, entertained at herself. “Good, might have knocked a bit of sense into you. Goodnight, love.”

“Yeah, night, Pol.”

He departed for the stairs, ambling up quietly so as not to wake Finn, entering his room and shivering upon the removal of his coat. His stripping of clothes into long johns and a vest was done at speed, diving under the bed covers and burrowing beneath the many woollen blankets. He hated that his room was the farthest from the chimney breast, meaning the heat didn’t ever reach the room where he could see his breath clouding through the darkness, it was so bitterly chilly.

The knocking through of the three houses that allowed for their once illegal bookmaking endeavours to be run from the Watery Lane properties meant one large communal home, Tommy and Arthur’s abodes flanking the three, John remaining within the house he’d been born in twenty-eight years previously. It was the home he and his late wife had lived in, before he’d sadly lost her four years previously.

Closing his eyes, he felt the pull of sleep tug at him, drifting off into dreamless slumber, awoken the following morning by the sound of the milkman’s cart doing the morning deliveries. Oh, his head. He needed tea and jam slathered toast, and quickly. Heading downstairs, he warmed enough water to have a wash and shave, combing his hair and returning to pull on a suit, opening the front door to take the milk in off the front step.

“Morning, Mr Shelby.”

“Morning, Jack,” he called back to the milkman, his cart paused, John turning to see a throng of people gathered a little further down the lane. “What’s all that about?”

“Some kids found a headless body down by number six, so I’ve been told. The bobbies are on their way. Shocking business for a Wednesday morning, I can tell you!”

John’s heart skipped on a beat as the night before rushed back over his neurons. He truly hadn’t been dreaming. “Blimey,” he began, feigning something as close to shock as he could, craning his neck a little further, able to make out the figures of his elder brother’s there surveying the scene, the local constabulary appearing right at the bottom of the lane. “Wonder how he ended up headless?”

Jack lit a cigarette, his chest tightening as he coughed. “Might be best not to know, eh?” He paused, John seeing it, the unspoken statement there upon the milkman’s face. Grim discoveries close to a Shelby dwelling. Of course, he suspected it had something to do with him or his brothers, but Jack was much too cautious to speak it. Their reputation preceded them, after all.

“I’ll be moving along now, Mr Shelby.” He flicked the reins, clicking his tongue. “C’mon, Beamish. Walk on.” The giant, bay shire horse snorted before continuing to the next house, Jack’s lad jumping off the back of the cart to lay the required bottles next to each door, both getting a good look at the grizzly scene as they passed it by, Tommy and Arthur having a brief chat with Sergeant Moss before walking back to meet John on the doorstep.

The former cocked his head back in the direction of the small crowd. “Know anything about that, John? How one of our adversaries came to be missing his head almost right outside our front doors?” He’d recognised Samuel’s face as it lay wide-eyed upon the cobbles ten feet from his body, remembering him from the race meet.

Tommy watched as his younger brother stepped back into the house, his mouth thinning. “I think we need a family meeting.” With the elders of the Shelby family assembled, cups of tea poured and cigarettes lit, John recounted the events of the night before to his brother’s, Polly interjecting with details that backed up his story. Tommy listened passively, but Arthur, well...

His gruff laughter sounded through the air, sweeping a hand through his hair. His laughter was not mocking, though. It carried with it all the hollowness of fear. “A bloody what?”

“Arthur, you know he’s telling the truth,” Polly stated defiantly, her eldest nephew still laughing, laughing to stop himself beginning to shake with fright.

“What a pile of old shit! A bloody vampire, eh? Fucking hell, you two have lost your faculties if you’re expecting us to believe that!” Turning to his brother, Arthur was surprised to see Tommy completely unmoved by the story, his face unflinching, taking another drag of his cigarette.

“Come on, Arthur,” he spoke evenly, sipping his tea. “Nobody is having you on, and you know it.” Turning to John, he placed his tea down. “This woman, John. Long, dark hair with a tattooed throat and chest?”

He nodded a little dumbly. “Yeah, that’s her.”

Tommy sat back again, flicking ash into the nearby ashtray with a sniff. “She’s been watching the house for a couple of weeks now.”

“And you didn’t feel the need to mention that to anyone?” Polly charged him with, a deep frown settling between her eyebrows.

“Speak not of the shadow walkers, lest ye bring them into the light. That’s what our dad used to say,” he revealed, Arthur scoffing immediately as he threw himself to his feet.

“I ain’t listening to this load of old cobblers! Fucking mad, the lot of ya!”

“Arthur, you know it’s true. You saw what I did on that night,” he reasoned softly, Arthur’s agitation winding tighter by the second as he paced the flagstones. “It’s time to face up to what happened.”

“What night?” John demanded lightly, looking between them. Silence followed. “One of you better give me a fucking answer.”

Tommy paused, bringing his cigarette to his lips once more. “I’ve thought about that night here and there over the years, but never mentioned it. Dad told us not to breathe a word to anyone,” he began, Arthur making a start for the door, almost throwing it off its hinges and slamming it behind him.

Jerking his head in his wake he raised his eyebrows a fraction. “Terrified the life out of Arthur, so much so that he pissed himself. He’s never come to terms with that he witnessed, refuses to acknowledge it ever happened at all. He can’t comprehend what he saw, what we saw on that night, when dad took us up to the Black Patch when we were nippers to visit family. Now, I don’t know how much Polly revealed to you, but they aren’t spoken about, the shadow walkers as our gypsy kin always referred to them as, but for centuries, they had a pact.

“Gypsy blood to a vampire is what a fine wine or whiskey is to us, so for hundreds of years, vampires would guard the camps in exchange for feeding upon that blood. That was, at least, until the pact was broken. I don’t know why, and neither did our dad, but one night they returned, to hand out the punishment they felt befitting of that broken pact.

“Our dad did perhaps the only honourable thing he ever has as a father, and got on a horse, riding us out of there to the nearest church where he hid us away until the dawn. Vampires cannot walk upon hallowed ground, nor can they stand in the daylight, lest they burn to ashes. The rest of the camp weren’t so lucky. People were attacked, only very few surviving, but in a state of dread that one day, they’d be back. I suppose that day was last night, for I highly doubt she’s acting alone.”

John immediately stared at Polly. “Did you know all of this?”

She nodded in confirmation. “I did.”

“So why the fuck didn’t you tell me last night?” he demanded, his eyes narrowing.

“Because you were drunk as a lord, John. What I said was enough explanation without going into the finer details, of which I wasn’t sure you’d be able to absorb. I’m fucking surprised you comprehended even half of what I told you, to be frank.”

John’s puzzlement was clear as it ghosted across his face, sighing as he rubbed his brow. “But it don’t make no sense. If she was here because she wanted us dead, some kind of further punishment for our kin breaking the pact, then why am I still alive? She could have had me head off, just the same as she did to Samuel fucking Rasmussen, but she didn’t.” He felt his heart flutter as he remembered how fondly she’d gazed upon him. God, she was such a beauty.

Tommy shrugged lightly. “At a guess, I’d say she wants to rekindle the blood pact. Why she’d choose us and not one of the other families out there, well, I can’t answer that.”

“Which means she probably wants something else from us, something greater,” a frowning Polly mused, the dread in her voice quite clear. It was a distinct change to her usual confident, self-assured tone.

“And we’re not about to give her the chance to even broach it.” Tommy then turned to John, his eyes wide. “You’ll carry a silver knife upon your person from now on, as we all will. Her kind are not to be trusted. Killing that man, I suspect was to lure you into a false sense of security. Vampires are immortal; they have all the fucking time in the world to exact a plan. She’s biding her time.”

“She didn’t only kill him,” John snorted, jerking his head to the right. “Coppers will find another three bodies somewhere out there soon enough.”

Tommy rose to his feet, keen to move to his office and begin the day. “All the more reason not to trust her when she returns. Mark my words, John boy. She’ll be back. She’ll be back, I tell you, and it won’t lead to anything good.”

All talk of vampires, blood pacts and a family history unknown to John meant that he could forget his pounding head for a short time. After his refuelling with toast and tea, he walked through to the offices, grasping the ledger and beginning to write, the space soon filling, the usual loud chaos abounding.

Hangovers and mysterious, vampiric women aside, John’s day ended certainly more favourably than the previous. The favourite at Epson, Shamrock Pride pulled up lame in the fifth race, just as he was intended to. This netted a very tidy profit for them, John finishing his day with a spring in his step because of it.

The Garrison for a whiskey or three? Whyever not.

“Daddy?”

The soft grasp of a tiny hand curled his little finger, John pausing from pulling on his overcoat to look down into the big, green eyes of his daughter, Katie carrying a book within her grasp.

“You should be in bed, pige.” Pige. Short for pigeon, the fond pet name for his only child from his short marriage to Martha, his wife taken from him by the cruel clutches of consumption when Katie was mere baby in arms.

Poking out her bottom lip, she proffered the book forth. The Velveteen Rabbit. It had to have been their fourth read through at that point, the book only published six months before. “Please?”

He sighed softly through his nose. “Go on,” he spoke to his brother, “I’ll catch up with you.”

Arthur nodded, leaving John to place his coat over the back of the fireside armchair there in the front room, adjusting his trousers as he sat, Katie scrambling onto his lap. “Right, where were we?”

Opening the book, the cloth binding soft and velvety against his fingers, John laid the well-worn leather bookmark across Katie’s legs, stroking her strawberry blonde curls as he began to read. Ten minutes, give or take, and she would nod off with her little rosy cheeked face nestled against his chest.

Eleven and a half minutes later, and the soft little piglet snorts of a babe in slumber filled the space, John smiling down at her. “Let’s get you up them stairs, eh, pige?” Once he’d placed her into her bed and covered her in blankets, he laid a kiss to her forehead, whispering his love before creeping out, overcoat thrown on and a cigarette lit before stepping out into the frigid night.

Snowflakes fluttered down over the streets of Small Heath, John feeling winter tingle as his cheeks, the flames of the blast furnaces offering a roar of warmth as he passed them by, the lights of The Garrison twinkling through the inky gloom.

“John.”

The whisper of his name echoed through his ears, John turning, his eyes scanning for the source. Nobody. On he walked.

“John.”

It was louder than before this time as once again he halted, turning, looking for the female to whom the voice belonged. He almost dived out of his skin when upon his turn back, there she was.

The vampire looked even more breathtaking to him than she had the night before.

#john shelby fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfiction #john shelby smut #peaky blinders smut #john shelby x ofc #john shelby fanfic #john shelby fic #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders fic

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iamthecomet · 8 months

Text

Worthy

[Kinktober - Day 10 - Body Worship] Rating: Explicit.

Pairing: Dewdrop/Cumulus (Cumdrop my beloved)

Featuring: A little bit of angst. Body worship. Cunnilingus. Biting. Marking. Dew having a six sense about these things. It's so soft and not very kinky. I can't help it. Zero projection, none at all.

Word Count: 1.2k

Cumulus' self-esteem slips. Dew's there to fix it.

Read on AO3 or below the cut.

Cumulus is expecting Cirrus back to their shared hotel room any moment. It’s been a long day, a hard show. Her skin feels too tight. When she catches sight of herself in the full length mirror on the bathroom door she retreats across the room with her tail between her legs. She can’t help it. Most days she loves her curves. Loves herself. Knows that everyone else does too. She’s confident. It’s easy.

Today? After long, fully glamored, flights and treks through crowded airports? After a show that never seemed to end? She can’t. She cannot keep up the facade of self-love. She’s too tired. She’s weak to the voices in her head that say she would be so much happier if she looked like Aurora, or Sunshine, or even Mist.

She knows Cirrus will help get her out of the funk, that she will whisper words to her and tell her how beautiful she is and reassure her. But she doesn’t want to talk about it–doesn’t want to hear it. She wants to sink into herself. Curl up under the blanket she brought from home–the one that still somehow smells like Aether, and sleep for the rest of the week.

There’s a quick rap at the door. Two knocks. And then the swipe of the keycard in the door. Cumulus has already showered and changed. Dressed in one of Aether’s oversized t-shirts and underwear. She’s cross legged on the bed, caccooned in her fuzzy blanket just as the door clicks open. She’s expecting Cirrus so she doesn’t look up right away. She keeps her eyes on her phone, some game Sunshine told her helped keep her mind off of things when she was anxious on tour.

It’s late, past midnight, but the city is still wide awake outside the hotel. Sirens wail, people talk, engines rev. Cumulus leans back against the generic headboard and tries to focus. To turn her brain off. They have another long day tomorrow whether she is in a good mood or not–the least she can do is sleep.

Bony fingers slip into her view, hover near the edge of her phone before they pluck it from her grip. She looks up, finds Dew looking at her from the side of the bed. Arms crossed over his narrow chest, her phone in one of his hands.

She blinks at him, confused. “Where’s Cirrus?” “We traded,” he says and doesn’t elaborate on why. Cumulus doesn’t think he needs to.

On her worst days, Dewdrop finds her. She’s not sure how he always knows. Always finds his way into her space, her arms, her bed. He can tell from across the stage. From down the hall. The word comes crashing down around her, and Dew is there like he can smell it on her. Maybe he can.

She’s never asked. Afraid that if she does, she’ll break the spell. Disrupt the magic. That he’ll stop doing it. She can’t even talk about it with him, thank him properly. She’s usually good with words, with feelings. But there is something scared about these moments.

Dew hops onto the bed, settles in front of her. His knees touching hers as he mirrors how she’s sitting. He tosses her phone onto the other side of the bed and looks at her. He reaches across the distance to catch a corkscrewed curl in his fingers. He straights it out, lets it go and watches it spring back up before he tucks it behind her ear. Fingers gentle over her skin as he does.

She wonders if she does this for the others. If they find Dewdrop waiting outside their doors when it feels like their world is imploding, like their skin is too tight. Or if she is special. She knows she gets a side of him not many people do. Easy, gentle, devoted.

He sinks his fingers into her hair and leans in, rocking up onto his knees to kiss her. No more words. Just action. They won’t talk about it–not yet. Maybe he’ll weasel her problem out of her after he’s made her cum upwards of a dozen times. But until then they are done speaking.

He licks into her mouth when she sighs. Tongues sliding together. He pushes until she’s laying down and he’s kneeling between her thighs. One hand on her face, the other slipping up under the hem of her shirt to drag calloused fingers over velvet soft skin.

Cumulus lets herself be carried away on it. She’s shirtless before she knows it, wearing only her underwear now. And then Dew is too. Kneeling before her in a pair of skin tight skinny jeans and a studded belt and not much else. He leans back on his haunches to really look at her. Head tilting as his eyes drag over her collarbone, her tits, the softness of her belly and thighs.

She waits. Wants to hide, to cross her arms, to close her legs, but she digs her fingers into the bed sheets instead. She allowes him this indulgence, half expecting this will be the time he scoffs and turns away.

“So fucking gorgeous .” He whispers instead. Bending to press their bodies together as he latches his mouth onto her pulse. One hand braced by her head, the other cups one of her breasts. Dragging his overwarm palm over her nipple as he squeezes.

Cumulus’ eyes flutter closed as his mouth dips lower. Tongue dragging over her collarbone. Licking at the sweat beading in her sternum. He latches onto her other nipple and she moans. Hand flying to his hair as her rolls her piercing between his teeth.

She slits her eyes open to find him looking up at her. Staring at her face. Molten copper eyes blown nearly black already.

“Dew.”

He pulls way, a string of spit connecting his mouth to her nipple. “Shh, lay back. Close your eyes, Lus. Let me take care of you, please .”

She could argue. Part of her wants to–to assert that she doesn’t deserve this. But there is something in his tone, in the way he rolls his hips against her thigh, that makes her think this is for him too. That the lust in his eyes is genuine.

So she listens. Lets him call the shots just this once. She drags her nails over his scalp as he sucks a deep purple mark next to her nipple and lets her head fall back into the pillows. She closes her eyes. Dew gives her other nipple the same treatment. Then works his way downward, sucking and biting dark marks into her skin the whole way. On her ribs. Her hips. The slope of her belly. The inside of both thighs. By the time he finally pulls her panties down and licks into her cunt she’s boneless. Eyes slitted open so she can watch. He groans low at the first taste of her. Tongue flicking out over her clit. Pulling her thighs over his shoulders, tight around his head like he would gladly die between her legs.

“Can’t believe I get to have you,” he muses like he’s the lucky one here. He’s lost in her, drunk off of the taste of her, the feel of her curves beneath his hands. Cumulus feels holy when Dew gets like this. Worthy of his worship. His devotion.

She settles in, gives in to pleasure. Allows him to pray at her altar.

#comet writes #kinktober #kinktober 2023 #ghostober #cumulus/dewdrop #dewdrop/cumulus #cumdrop #cumulus ghoulette #dewdrop ghoul #ghost fic #ghost fanfic #ghost fanfiction #ghost band fanfic #ghost band fic #ghost band fanfiction

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lunaria--annua · 7 months

Text

Greetings, Viewer. 👁

I am divine, like you, like everyone. But only like some, I am also a God.

We are in a plane of existence high above the countless realms of fiction. Not bound by it's linear fates. But only some of us look into the space below, and see not what is, but what could be. Only some dare to forge a world with their own two hands.

Only some become artists, only some become gods.

Are you curious about my world?

For to fill the void, you have to plunge your hands, your tools, in ink. Any real material, so the process of creation can begin, to create something that does not truly exist. No like us, at least.

So behold! My biggest and every growing, ever changing creation to date, my fictional world: PHANTASTEREI

The name can be translated as Mad Fantasy, or Madly Fantasizing. The name sounds like the incantation of a spell too, hence why I found the name fitting.

I have created it, am creating it, and will continue creating it. Parts of it will and have become dated, I need you to be aware of this. I do not let it grow stagnant. I can never show you everything. It's too vast. But I will show you parts of it in many different ways. Words written, pictures drawn and painted, animated.

You know the true origin of the world, but the people within it have conjured their own myths. While they vary, The Four Deities are always at the centre of these tales.

The malevolent Light, The benevolent Dark, The trickster Magic and the only non-immortal, Mortality.

Forces of Nature, given consciousness.

There are so many places for humans to survive in.

There are the scattered islands from pole to pole, surrounded by the ocean. The fiery continent of deserts and savannah. The impossibly high rocky mountains of earth filled with caverns. Tropics with thin mountains and deep cliffs with so much space for air to fill. A continent so green, so bursting with floral life.

And no matter where, not even with natural innate magic by their side, which they pass down on every generation, humans are never completely safe. Never on top of the foodchain.

From sirens luring them into the waves, nagas stalking them through the dunes, false corpses catching them by surprise in the caves, fairies fluttering in the wind to trick them, or dryads hiding in the bushes with ill intent.

Everywhere where there are humans, there are their predators present too.

I've heard that God's shouldn't pick favourites… But, that's how often protagonists come to be. The reason why their god gives them special attention.

Look into the painting, do you see him? In the distance? The boy standing in front of his father's house, waving towards his beloved. Harbourer of two elements that at first glance, seem incompatible. Fire and Flora. 🔥🌿

Through bits and pieces, through different mediums, I will show you, just like with the rest of the world, his (and others) journey. I will use him, to show you the world. Typically not in a chronological manner, and constantly developing, like with everything.

The friend in black is Anyra, necromancer from a nearby village, but nothing like you are used to. You are used to them conjuring servants of bones and rotting flesh, playing some villainous role. But the target of her magic is herself. Resilient, keeping herself alive on the threshold of death, with not much magic left to preform any other undead tricks. ☠️

The one standing is the partner, Cadel. They possess two magical elements, giving them control over the realms of both birds and fish, the wind and water. Abilities like these can come useful in daring escapes or the endless exploring. This vagabond is quite the enigmatic one. Never staying in one place for long, and going places where no one goes. ☁️🌊

And of course, I will not forget about one more crucial person. The Dark Warlock - and while that sounds like quite the villainous title to you, it is not, if you recall the benevolence of The Dark… You can't see him in these paintings, but it will not be difficult to find him elsewhere here.

A warlock, powers granted by the deity, but it doesn't mean he didn't have his own type of magic before. One that has far more terrible associations in this world, similar to the wicked connotations you thought or felt when I first told you his title. He hides it with good reason, not wanting to be identified as who he was before The Dark possession.

However, dreadful deeds tend to not stay hidden forever. And especially in Ranaer's case, where the consequences of his past are inevitably engulfing his apprentice Krit, and Krit's beloved, in a tidal wave of problems and dangers, as the truth is slowly creeping into The Light.

#illustration #worldbuilding #painting #animation #original character #drawing #my art #phantasterei #sir lou #Krit #Anyra #cadel #ranaer #dark #light #mortality #ekito #Intro for my world! Behold!#💜💜💜💜

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yharnamesque · 2 years

Text

The Failed Evacuation and Protection of Yharnam

We’ve all seen how much of a mess Central Yharnam is. The destroyed carriages, the heaps of luggage, horse corpses and dozens of caskets littering the streets. The clear signs of a town that has lost hope of trying to get out with their lives and resigned themselves to wasting away indoors and waiting to see if whoever remains can get rid of the beasts. But a big question is why are all these things strewn about in the first place?

For the longest time, my belief has been that at some point before the beginning of the game, the common Yharnamites realised how deep in trouble they truly were and decided to make an evacuation attempt. Even with their addiction to the blood and years of indoctrination by Healing Church propaganda, the constant deaths and nights of beasts flooding the streets became too much and people realised that they needed to get out

Families packing up their belongings and leaving them ready to be picked up by any carriages out that might’ve had space. People on the upper levels working together to help get their stuff down to the main roads so they weren’t left behind. And of course the most important part of all; bottling up as much of that sweet siren song as they could because why would you risk leaving the best thing in your life behind when you’ve clearly got the space for it? These people were ready to go, they had accepted they would have to uproot their lives and leave their homes behind in order to escape the nightmare that their beloved Yharnam had become

But evidently it didn’t work. Some people might have managed to escape if they were lucky enough to be part of the first waves, but the vast majority didn’t

Whether they just weren’t fast enough or they decided too late to try and get out, the presence of the beasts became too overwhelming for it to be safe to make any further attempts. Those beginning to lose themselves to the transformation would also have been a contributing factor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some had ended up turning on their loved ones in the middle of trying to leave. Hence resulting in everything needing to be ditched immediately to allow a chance for the people to safely get back into their houses

For the survivors, the only thing left they could do was try and protect themselves, try and reduce numbers and continue to do some form of cleanup

While I’m sure at least some of these structures were already part of Yharnam’s architecture, such as the larger gates on the underside of the Great Bridge, I’m more inclined to believe the smaller gates and ladder mechanisms were added later on in an attempt to try and at least make it more difficult for the beasts to spread further. Segmenting parts of Yharnam would make daytime cleanup easier as the hunters could deal with a single section at a time and making sure it was absolutely safe before moving onto the next

The ladders could be used as a main way to reach the upper streets since the pathways and stairs leading up would most likely have to be blocked off in one way or another. It wouldn’t stop the beasts that are capable of scaling the blockades or even the ones that figured out how to climb the outsides of the buildings, but it would at least slow them down enough that only a couple would be able to get through at a time and could be easily dealt with

Eventually it all kept degrading to the point we find it in. Beasthood kept advancing in those who patrolled the streets to keep them clean and it resulted in those closed off parts never becoming safe enough to open up again. They built their pyres and continued to lose themselves as they, perhaps instinctively, walked the paths they had when they were still lucid, cutting down whoever they didn’t recognise

It’s a shame because these methods of protection were actually working to a degree. It’s not even because what they put in place was poorly built, since we know that heavy reinforced door is more than enough to keep the brick troll huntsman from getting through even with all his pounding. They just didn’t put any of it in place fast enough, or implement enough of it, and it played a part in their downfall

#bloodborne #bloodborne lore #central yharnam

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meidui · 2 months

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writing pattern game!!

tagged by THE BEAUTIFUL, THE TALENTED, MY BELOVED @imperialstark @soliloquent-stark @16woodsequ

Rule: List the first line of your last 10 posted fics and see if there’s a pattern!

business affairs: Tony glances at the date on his calendar. Today is two years since Steve started working for him.

talk just right: Steve doesn’t talk a lot, and it bothers Tony.

he's my lovin' one-man show: Steve isn’t intentionally sleeping through the team one by one and leaving Tony off the list, but that’s the way it happens.

out of the cold: Steve has been running a days-long fever that’s steadily climbing towards 50°C.

on the mend: Steve rarely feels this awful after a fight, but then again, he hasn’t been on a solo mission in months.

nothing wrong with love: Steve doesn’t know anyone until he pushes open the door to a record store because it looks like the only quiet place in this city, and the man sorting vinyls behind the counter looks up at him and smiles. From then on, Steve knows Sam Wilson.

tough it out: It was really weird, especially at first. Tony hadn’t taken parallel universes into account when he designed the time-space GPS because how the shit could he have known that was a possibility?

best laid plans: Tony is the one who leaves, but he leaves loudly and in broad daylight. He says goodbye. Steve is the one who drops off the radar completely and doesn’t leave a phone number or address for him to find this time, lost in the half-dead darkness of New York.

salt: Steve’s heard the stories of the water between these cliffs. Orpheus, who played his lyre, and Odysseus, who sealed his men’s ears with wax and tied himself to the ship’s mast. He didn’t end up here, sitting on the shore with sand and seawater in his boots talking to a beautiful siren with emeralds for eyes and fire for hair because he’s stupid.

grace requires nothing of me: Thanos takes one more thing from them before he turns his gaze to the horizon and crumbles into dust, and Tony’s arms close and close around a rapidly shrinking Steve until he finally gets a steady hold of him, but by then, those blue eyes that had been wide with fear have shuttered and Steve’s body has gone limp.

i'm so late to playing this game i feel like a lot of people have done it already? 🤭 tagging @areiton @cloudbells @tinystark616 @itsmaybitheway and everyone else who wants to do it!! <3

#i don't know what my pattern is ;_;#tag game #*

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bexorok · 14 days

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Poorly written Sonic Movie 3 Pitch/outline pt. 7

THE scene

This was actually one of the first scenes I wrote. Maria’s death might be one of the most heartbreaking but somehow beloved scenes in the entire franchise. Why is that? I think it’s a moment that a lot of people really connected with due to the shear amount of tragedy in it. A lot of people played this game as a kid, and this was probably the most thought provoking scene in all of Sonic media. I was too young to understand watching my cousins play the game what the scene really meant, but I had that moment latter on watching Sonic X. I was a kid seeing another kid go through this great sacrifice and felt the weight of her choice, and it made me understand Shadows philosophy before and after he remembered.

I wanted to make that really stand out. I wanted to build and feel the connection between Shadow and Maria the way Project Shadow did. I wanted to capture how they were just kids dreaming of seeing the world, and wanted the audience to feel the weight of the consequences of Maria’s choices, and the added tragedy that shadow only remembered the sacrifice and not what it was for.

I also wanted Amy’s speech to go beyond just “give humanity a chance”. I know her speech to him is pivotal, but I decided to make it focused on reminding him of who he really is rather than the means of revenge Gerald turned him into. I also wanted it all to tie back into her own experiences and character development through the course of the film. Of remembering those of the past while still opening yourself up to new people.

This might seem way too deep, or like I’m reading way too much into it, but this is how that original scene makes me feel now. I hope people enjoy it, and I hope people know that even though I title these as “poorly written” I actually put a lot of thought into them. Thanks for reading. I’ll definitely write more as my mind races with even more concepts I hope that the movies include.

Interior: Space Colony Ark

Amy’s search for sonic leads her to an open observation room. The entire wall is taken up by a single window, and earth can be seen. Lights continue to flash, and the distant sound of sirens reminds the viewer that the Ark has only 22 minutes until it enters earth’s atmosphere.

In the room, Sonic is sitting on the floor, looking out at the earth as it draws near. Amy opens her mouth to say something, then closes it. She sits down next to him.

Sonic: It's weird seeing it like this. We tried so hard to save it, and now it’s too late. I can’t fix this.

Amy: I know. You can’t alone. But maybe there’s still time.

Sonic: how? Shadow’s the only other person here that can use the emeralds’ power, and I can’t get through to him.

Amy: you don’t have the full story.

Sonic glances at her.

Sonic: Then who does?

Amy: I think he does. He just doesn’t remember.

Sonic: What do you mean?

Amy: I mean, I saw a security tape. I saw… everything that happened that day. And I heard everything too. Shadows story lines up, but it’s missing a huge piece of the puzzle. He doesn’t remember how much he and Maria loved the earth. All he remembers is the moment all of that came to an end, and nothing else.

Sonic: So what now? Show him the video?

Amy: no. This is something he needs to remember himself. I just need to talk to him.

Sonic: how do you know he would still want to work together?

Amy’s face brightens into a smile.

Amy: Sonic, you’ve always seen the best in people, given them the chance they needed to prove themselves. You never gave up on them, never gave up on me. It’s one of the things I admire most about you. You have an amazing power, and it has nothing to do with the emeralds. Somehow, despite being alone for so long, after everything you went through, you brought us all together, as a team. As a family. If there’s anyone on earth that Shadow would rally behind, it’s you.

Flashbacks of moments from the previous movies appear as Amy talks. Sonic asking Tom for help getting to San Francisco. Him talking to knuckles on the beach. Him holding out his hand to Tails to follow him through the portal. Him giving Amy a fist bump, signifying that she’s officially part of the team. The flashbacks end with one group shot of team Sonic celebrating finding their first chaos emerald.

We cut back to the room. Amy is dreamily staring at the earth, lost in thought. Sonic looks at her in awe, a blush creeping up on his face.

Sonic: that… that was the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever said to me.

Amy smiles at him.

Amy: And I believe every word of it. I’m sure that Shadow will too.

Sonic sheepishly grins back at her.

Sonic: I don’t think I’ll be able to do it alone this time.

A realization crosses Amy’s mind as her eyes light up.

Amy: I need to help him become the hero…

Sonic: sorry, what was that?

Amy: (more excited) I need to help him become the hero! The cards weren’t just talking about teaching you, they were telling me that I have to be the one to talk to Shadow!

Sonic: the fortune?

Amy: oh thank you Sonic!

She embraces him and his face flushes again. She realizes what she’s doing and stops, also looking bashful.

Amy: you go find the emeralds, leave the rest to me!

She runs out of the room and down the hall. Sonic watches for a moment before he smirks and takes off to find the emeralds.

THE scene

Interior: Space Colony ARK

Shadow is looking out the window of the observatory room. The ARK continues to gain speed, and earth slowly but surely gets bigger. Amy runs into the room.

Amy: Shadow…

Shadow: have you come to admire the view one last time? I must admit, it’s bittersweet seeing it like this.

Amy: Do you know why you’re doing this?

Shadow: an odd question. This was my mission. Destroy humanity.

Amy: Are you sure?

Shadow turns to glare at her.

Shadow: and what is that supposed to mean?

Amy: We found some records earlier. Do you really know why Gerald created you?

Shadow opens his mouth to say something, only to close it again.

Amy: You weren’t meant to be a weapon like GUN wanted you to be. You were created to heal.

Shadow winces.

Shadow: None of that matters! My purpose is gone now and it’s thanks to those despicable humans! The only thing left is this!

Amy: Is that what you really think?

Shadow holds his head in his hands.

Amy: (realization) You keep fighting it, the rest of the memory.

Shadow: Shut up!

Amy: I’m so sorry, Shadow. What happened was horrible. It must be so painful to remember, to have only that final moment replay in your head again and again. It’s the only thing you were able to hold onto. That isn’t your fault though.

Shadow writhes, his head pounding.

Amy: I know it hurts to think about. That’s why you haven’t let yourself remember. But letting yourself remember all the good times you had together, the moments that gave your life and hers meaning, it’s how you can honor her memory.

Shadow clams his breath.

Shadow: When? When will it stop hurting?

Amy smiles sadly.

Amy: I wish I knew.

Over Amy’s monologue, we see flashes of her past as well as Sonic and Knuckles. Amy with her grandmother, learning how to fortune read, followed by an image of her in front of a gravestone with a flower in hand. Sonic wrapped in a hug from Longclaw, followed by the scene of him racing towards her only to phase through the ring portal as it closed. Then the scene of him looking out at the hologram of Longclaw disappearing as he solemnly reaches towards it. Knuckles looking at his father walking away with the rest of his tribe, followed by a scene of him and the ghost of Pechacamac.

Amy: There isn’t anyone who can answer that. But we remember anyway. Because it means all those moments meant something. They helped make us who we are now.

Shadow exhales, seemingly preparing for something.

Amy: I know it’s painful, but please, try to remember the entire story. Remember what happened before the end.

Shadow relaxes, letting his mind finally go.

We cut to a flash of memories all coming at once. The first is of Maria looking at Shadow in a testing tube, covered in wires as he’s suspended in fluid. She presses her hand up to the glass and stares up in wonder.

The next is of them dancing in the halls of the ARK while Yellow Submarine play on a cassette tape. They laugh together as they trip up while trying to dance.

The clips get more brief.

There's a memory of Shadow helping Maria brush her hair, putting in her signature hairband, one of them looking up at the Milky Way, one of Shadow resting his head on Maria’s lap as they look at the earth, one of them eating together in the mass hall, one of them reading together, and moments that flash too fast to properly make out what’s happening.

The flashes suddenly stop, and we cut to the final memory. Maria is looking at Shadow through the glass of the space capsule with tears in her eyes. We hold on her for a few seconds before the camera cuts to Shadow, looking terrified.

Shadow: Maria, what are you doing?

Maria: I’m not going to let them catch you, Shadow. Grandpa and I found out the truth. If they catch you, they’ll turn you into a weapon. I have to do this.

Shadow: Maria, please… Come with me! We said we would go to earth together!

Maria: I’m sorry, Shadow. I wish I could go with you. There’s nothing in the universe that I want more than to go with you! But I wouldn’t survive down there. My illness would catch up to me the moment the capsule opened.

Shadow: I can’t leave you!

Maria: And I can’t let them take you!

The room is completely silent as they both stare at each other.

Maria: Shadow, there’s a whole world of people that need you. Give them a chance. You were created to help humanity, not just me. Please, I beg you, give them the same hope that you gave me. Protect them. Let them live their dreams. Promise me you will.

Shadow: Maria…

Maria: Promise me, shadow! Please...

The room is silent as we pan on Shadow, looking reluctant.

Shadow: I… I promise.

Maria smiles through her tears. She walks over to the lever, resting her hand on it.

Maria: Shadow. You’re the best brother I could have ever had. I love you. If you don’t remember anything else, remember this, I love you.

Tears stream down her face as she turns to smile at him.

Maria: Sayonara, Shadow The Hedgehog.

Before she can pull the lever, an agent holding a gun walks into the room.

Agent: freeze!

Maria doesn’t even turn to look at him. Both hands are on the lever, a determined look on her face.

Agent: I said stop!

Maria closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

Shadow: Maria! No! Please don’t-

Maria pulls down on the lever, and we hear the sound of a shot ring out as we focus on shadow, suspended in the single moment. All sound is cut, except for the sound of ringing.

Shadow: MARIA!

The cry is visceral, and pierces the silence. We only focus on the shot of shadow as the capsule finally is ejected into space. Shadow curls up. No sound is heard, but the full body heaving lets us know he’s crying.

We cut back to the present shot of Shadow. Tears are running down his face as he tries to maintain his composure.

Shadow: Maria… I- I promised you I would protect them. What have I done?

Amy: It's not too late, shadow!

Shadow turns to her, wiping his face.

Shadow: It’s not too late...

Amy: Sonic’s already gone to get the chaos emeralds. He should be waiting for you.

Shadow smiles in relief.

Shadow: I can’t believe I’d forgotten.

Amy: I’m sure it wasn’t easy remembering all of that.

Shadow: No. Remembering was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But now I know my true purpose. I won’t be the weapon they want me to be. I won’t be the means of revenge that Gerald tried to turn me into.

Amy: Well, what are you waiting for? You have a promise to keep.

Shadow smiles.

Shadow: Thank you, Amy.

In a flash, he runs out of the room.

Amy smiles to herself.

Amy: You’re welcome, Shadow.

She runs out of the room herself to meet up with everyone.

#sonic movie #sonic movie 3 #sonic 3 #sonic #shadow the hedgehog

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indouloureux · 2 years

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augie !!

thinking ‘bout steve being in love with the new girl in town <3 she’s a loner and painfully shy but she gave el a flower from the shop she works at and el was smiling the rest of the day <3 max says she was given the coolest ring with a pretty rock on it that the new girl made for her <3 the new girl is cute and giggles (a lot!!!) and blushes every time steve so much as looks at her <3 he tries to make her feel comfortable whenever they bump into each other to ease her anxiety <3 max and el love her so she becomes a familiar face to the gang <3 she wears flowy skirts and flowery dresses and soft sweaters and ‘alice in wonderland’ shirts <3 she skips instead of walking sometimes so her hair flows back and forth <3 town gossip says she’s either too childish or a devil worshipper because of her witch-y vibe <3 because of her tarot cards and crystals and because she often talks to herself and to animals <3 but steve thinks she’s an angel every time she cutely tucks her hair behind her ears when he says something sweet to her <3 she braids her hair with little flowers intertwined in it <3 she wears lipgloss on her lips and shimmery white powder on her eyelids and pretty dangly flowers earrings <3 to steve she’s a woodland fairy <3 her hands are adorned with rings and she gives steve her favorite one that he wears on his left ring finger!!! <3 she makes steve a cute necklace that has his birth flower pressed in it and he kisses it before bed <3 she reads sci-fi and loves horror movies and is obsessed with myths and can talk about true crime and the original fairytales for hours <3 and steve loves her voice so he doesn’t mind just listening to her <3 steve briefly wonders if maybe instead of a fairy she’s a siren ‘cause her voice hypnotizes him almost <3

one day steve and his fairy are at a fair and go to a photobooth and steve just has to use the excuse of limited space in the bench to get her to shyly perch herself on his lap and the pictures capture her pressing her lips to his and giving him her first kiss and and how surprise steve was for a second before kissing her again. and again and again and again. until dustin bangs on the booth to get them to leave.

they consider that their first date.

HARMONIA why'd u do this to me :(

she had a complexion that put those colorful flowers to shame; had that sui generis beauty that was incomparable to a rose, and she bloomed effervescently in the field of up the hill, the sun shining above her that names her breathtakingly angelic.

she's the girl in his dreams and she's the girl of his dreams.

luckily for him, she stood behind that monotonous counter with a smile that paints everything livelier; the sunflower in her hand was the epitome of her charisma, with her novelty mien and lovely smile.

you grinned brightly at the two girls— el and max, who both came with matching scrunchies that tied their hair and clothings that make them, well, them—and it made steve's heart swell. he stood outside the store, hands in his pockets to fiddle with his change, mustering up all his courage before he sauntered and pushed the door open.

you had looked up from the bell chiming. And like always, you'd beamed at him, warm and welcoming. you wore that dress with ruffles on the sleeves, baby blue with white forget-me-nots, lipgloss a shine coat of pink, hair clamped halfway with another forget-me-nots on the ends. you looked lovely as you'd always been.

"hey!" you quipped, making el and max turn to look at their beloved babysitter who's smiles had then turned into mischief, knowing how in denial steve had always been when it came to his feelings. "lovely seeing you here, steve-o,"

he chuckled at the moniker. "you know me. i always need to stop by my favorite shop,"

max snorted. "favorite shop, or favorite person?"

el laughed out of her nose, looking away from max to look up curiously at steve. "yeah. shop or person?"

"can't it be both?" he raised a brow, feeling triumphant when he smiled. and there it was, the way you bashfully tuck your hair behind your ears, the stone ring that glinted from the sun that adds light to your small little shop. steve rubs his pinkie on the matching ring you'd given him, feeling up the soft, silver stone. "i'd like to ask if you're still up for tonight? with us, i mean. dustin and the kids."

a roseate cherubic glow coated your plump cheeks when he looked at you, and he could sense how your anxiety had returned to bang against your heart. all steve could do was offer you a smile, and you're relaxed.

"wouldn't miss it for the world," you leaned against the counter, forearms side by side. when steve stared at you longer, he doesn't realize that the two girls had giggled their way out of the shop, whispered to each other like they would when they found something so amusing.

you frowned when you realized you hadn't even said your goodbye, but your smile returned immediately when you looked back at him, as if he'd been one of the flowers waiting patiently to be plucked by you.

steve observed the crystals aligned at the desk before he spoke up again. "there's a new shipment of horror movies," he told you, chuckling at the way you perked up. "and i managed to snatch up hyperion from henderson for you to read."

"really?" you beamed, rocking on your heels. "oh, god stevie, thank you!"

he tried not to stare too long when your eyelashes fluttered at him. "no problem," steve nodded at her, hand nervously coming up to fiddle with the necklace you made him and god, how is it he's still nervous around you? "alright, sunshine, do you have those- um, hooker's lips?"

"what for?"

"robin wants one," steve's got his lips pursed when he searched for the money in his pocket.

you smiled at the thought of robin. "yeah, we have those."

you returned from the back not even a minute later, a heavy pot on your hands with the plant robin's been yelling at his ear about. steve smiled, carefully taking it from you.

"thanks, sunshine," he slid the money to you.

"steve- this is too much,"

"oh, right!" he balanced the plant in one hand, turning around to pluck a daisy from one of the stalls and handed it to you. "this one's for you."

again, you blushed. "thank you. i'm breaking company rules by letting you pluck one out without any staff assistance, but thank you for the gift,"

suddenly he's embarrassed, with his face ignited up to flames. he walks backwards, with robin's plant hugged tightly against his chest, his back smacking against a shelf that poked at the bottom of his spine, toppling over a fridge magnet that clattered loudly when it fell to the ground. you both winced.

"shit, sorry," he bent down, sticking it back to the metal plate. "i'll just- see you later!"

"and then they found foot prints in the flower beds. you know what the shoes were? avia sneakers. they also found the bullets there from the previous attack."

you like how steve heeds your words like they're the most important news in the world. the way he nods his head, looks at you like you painted the speck of stars in the sky and hung the sun that makes his gloomy days bright, gasps and reacts to your scary little stories because he likes them.

you rant about the night stalker. one of the active murderers going on about right now, and steve has a handful of cotton candies with a variety of colors, a pocket heavy with change and his keys, and an ear perked to the kids who run around to play with robin and eddie.

"he doesn't really have a sequence. he just randomly kills people and it's insane and it's complex and it's so appalling. it's scary and it's interesting at the same time."

steve eyes your dress — flowy, white and pretty that hangs above your knees. the flower clip above your ear that locks your hair out of your face and your plump lips glistening from the vibrancy of the carnival lights. your eyes wide and move excitedly, pupils dilated, and they flicker between his and the surroundings.

he can't decide if your voice was a siren or a harmony. it hypnotizes him — takes his attention by a single swipe of a finger and suddenly he's tethered to you and only you; he wonders why no one else felt this way, why they thought you were weird or some devil worshipper if you were merely being yourself confidently, unbridled with harsh judgements of those insecure and bigoted.

mid story, you take his vacant hand and start fiddling with the stone being harbored proudly by his thick finger. steve blushes, chuckles at the way you don't realize at what you were doing as you continue to talk about blood and gore.

"hey, steve!" dustin yells, a light lisp from the blue braces hugging his teeth tightly. "a photobooth!"

while lucas takes the blue cotton candy and gives it to max who holds tightly at el's hand, steve lets eddie take the cluster out of his arm when he eyes the small box with a curtain for a door. you stop talking, finding your attention snapped to the booth, and you both look at each other knowingly.

but before you even know it, you're being shoved inside by a very eager robin — her hand on you soft and her hand on steve's back hard and almost painful. steve berates her, pressing his hand on the slope of your back and guides you in.

he ducks, bending above you when you settle on the small bench. but oh, it's a one seater. it could barely fit the both of you. you're both bent awkwardly inside the booth, his back hunched and he feels immediately a slight ache right above his spine.

"we don't fit," you pout. but steve — thank heavens for the small bench.

"you can sit on my lap," he pats his thigh, neck aching. "i don't mind, babe,"

and you don't, either. steve settles down in the middle of the metal bench, watching you nervously put all your weight on his fat thigh. he grunts lightly, ameliorates your anxiety by rubbing your back as you fix yourself and straighten your shoulders, the bright square of light making your eyes ache as it beams above the small camera.

steve's other hand fiddles with the necklace tickling his chest — one you've also given him that he can't help but kiss every night. it's the closest thing he has of you, practically beside his heart.

"we've got four pictures," you tell him. "you ready, steve-o,"

"ready when you are, sunshine,"

you press on the button, and you're startled by a sudden loud countdown. steve chuckles behind you, placing his head beside yours with his chin on your shoulder before he mimics the ever bright smile that etches itself on your blooming face.

snap. then a camera flash. the second picture comes next with steve wrinkling his nose, teeth glinting when he parts them and hovers his mouth above your plump cheeks, your hand coming up to squeeze his own with your mouth parted to copy him.

then the third, unexpected when it comes. steve had looked at you suddenly, smile fallen, faint but genuine when his pupils dilate and gloss over adoration as you tuck his hair behind his ears, pushing all the mightiness of his tresses behind him.

you like steve. how couldn't you? he's nice and he's charming. he's the king of your heart, you think—you know. he's wearing the ring you gave him, for fuck's sake. he listens to you ramble about murder like you've stained your dress with blood yet somehow you were the rarest flower in the meadow. and he looks at you the way no one else did.

and he likes you, too. but he wouldn't admit that. not yet, at least.

okay, maybe he would. but only because suddenly, after his doting stare that lingered even after the third shot, you kissed him.

you kissed him, his face in your hands, rings pressing up on the scattered moles on his face, your lips slanted against his. and shit, it's your first kiss and you don't even realize it even when you breathe in his boyish musk of cedar wood and fabric detergent with a hint of plastic from the vhs tapes that lingers on the back of his neck.

steve's surprised at first, a noise in the back or his throat that makes you unsettled, but you're back on your feet when he wraps his arms around you and kisses you with just as much fervor.

breaking away with a small click, he follows you, kissing you once more through short pecks but long enough to let you know how he feels through the gentle graze of his tongue. he's kissing you — steve harrington's kissing you. he's not making out with you.

he's kissing you; softly, delicately, lovingly. the clicks of your mouths overwhelming the sound of the camera.

when he breaks away, finally, he's got a silly smile on his face, rubbing his hot nose against yours and rubbing his palms on your waist and he says, "you've got soft lips, sunshine. like a petal,"

you giggle, twirling his hair in your gem-clad finger and kiss his nose. "you don't need to charm me, stevie. i already kisses you."

he kisses you again and again, even though the booth whirrs and your photo slips out the small box outside where the kids could see your photographed first kiss, lips collided while etched in a smile, eyelashes that tickle both your cheeks, and hearts thumping one another.

and steve still kisses you even when dustin bangs loudly on the door, telling you to get out and that mike and will wanted to try it too.

harmonia, baby, i'm sorry it sucked :(

reblogs and feedback are appreciated <3

#steve harrington blurb #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fic #steve harrington #stranger things

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