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My brain likes to lag in the most random times

I want a refund :((((

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A Horde of EVIL Won't Stop a Father from Seeing His Child for the First Time. "Day Zero" reviewed! (Well Go USA / Entertainment)

“Day Zero” on Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment Convicted on charges of assault, ex-special forces and all-around big guy Emon looks to keep his nose clean, banking off his good behavior to get him released from prison to see his wife and child, who he has never laid eyes on since being incarcerated. When trouble finds him behind bars, Emon loses his chance with a dismissive warden until a…

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ᯓᡣ𐭩 the embodiment of grace and deviousness

⛓️ pairing: seungcheol x f!reader ⛓️ genre: sfw, fluff, angst, mafia au, soulmate au ⛓️ word count: ~8k ⛓️ warnings: mentions of violence, weapons, open wounds. do not interact if it can be triggering! there's going to be cursing too because seungcheol is a grumpy one :") ⛓️ summary: as an author, it's almost poetic that your soulmate tattoo would be a flower. actually... half a flower. a snapdragon, to be exact. the petals on your arm, the vines on seungcheol's. it's even more cliche when you meet him on valentine's day. to you it means grace, but for seungcheol, he still has zero idea on what flower his tattoo is. he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious at all, but during this season of love, you're about to figure out exactly what this all means for you and him, the leader of the city's most dangerous mafia.

author's note: suuurprise! to commemorate my first valentines' on this platform, here is a fic, part of @ddeonghwa-s Secret Cupid Event 💌 thank you so much to @ddeonghwa-s for putting this event together, and of course to the wonderful @kpopflowerfield for giving me this opportunity to write for you, i hope you like this as much as i did💘

here is the event masterlist! do support the works of all other authors too, all of them are so so amazing <3 happy valentines' day!!

depending on the POV, italics signify either the author's writing or Seungcheol's thoughts <3

"Territory 13 is acting up again, sir."

"Are they?"

"They're giving trouble. Threatening to cut off our chain supply in the north."

“Hm.”

“We’ve lost a few men fighting them for the past few days. The situation doesn’t seem to be de-escalating, so we reported to you.”

“Nowhere else we can push to weaken them?”

“They seem to have it figured out, sir. They outnumber us at every turn.”

"Well, we can't have that, can we?"

"No, sir."

"You have three hours till dawn. Take the men you need and get it settled. It won't be pretty if I don't get better news by then."

"Yes, sir."

"Go."

He swings his chair around to the fading sky of the night, nursing his glass of amber. He looks down to his full sleeve of black, red, and blue ink. Zinnias, dahlias, rhododendrons, and in the centre, like the highlight of a Naturalism painting, a whorl of vines and small, green leaves, linked to the vines of other flowers. He has no idea what it means, has had no idea since the day he got it. Ever since, all he's focused on is getting it covered, blended in with other flowers on his skin.

What is the point of such a mark on his skin, he wonders for the umpteenth time as he runs his hands over the permanent imprint, if the universe won't show me what it means?

He glances at the corner of his screen. 1:30am. 14 February. Hm.

He looks away.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we can proceed with cover design and vetting for you, ma'am."

"Oh... Not possible? At all?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am. Your drafts weren’t given the green light from our Head of Publishing, and our team can't exactly spare the manpower to help you right now."

"...I see. And there’s no one else I can look for? Or….. any contacts you may have?”

“We can try, ma’am, but we can’t promise anything. It’s busy period for us publishers at the moment.”

“Ah. Well, thank you anyway. I hope we can work together in the future."

You put your phone down and sink back into your chair, covering your face with your hands. Your most recent creative co-director pulled out two days ago, another graphic design deal fell through, and now this publishing company. At this rate, you don't know if your book will even ever reach the local bookstore across the street.

You blow out a breath, look down at the only black ink on unblemished skin, the one that's been there since the day you turned 20 years old.... the petals of a snapdragon.

Your phone lights up with a text from a friend, and as you unlock it, the date catches your attention.

14 February. Happy Valentines' Day to you.

Your final straw comes when you're walking home from your office the next night. You rub your tattoo, which has been irritated the whole of today. You have no idea what it means, just that it can't be good for your soulmate bond. But you've never been concerned for him, not the slightest bit, since the day you got the tattoo. Because he's not something you're looking for right now.

Then you hear scuffling, a familiar thing here in the rougher area of town where you live. Your only intention is to walk past and ignore everything. From prior experience, that's the best survival tactic you have: Don't go looking for trouble, and it won't find you.

A man appears on the sidewalk and walks towards you. You walk faster, calculating the distance it takes. Two hundred metres and you'll be under the safety of the street lights. One hundred and fifty. One hundred. The man seems to be getting closer.

You hear a thud. Fuck. What was that?

You squeeze your eyes together and turn around. It sounds stupid, but you'd like to at least see the face of your captor before you see darkness. You read novels about this. When a character gets out of a captor's grasp, they can never tell the police what the kidnappers look like. If now is your time, you won't go down making the same mistake.

Except there isn't a captor nor a body bag. It's just another man, hands in pockets, bending down to survey the unconscious lump on the concrete ground just behind you. He looks at you, the exact moment that you too meet his eyes. And you feel it. At the worst possible time in your life, ever, for crying out loud.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of volts of electricity. A rising and a pop in your head, a sizzling burn on your forearm. Who knew a soulmate bond snapping into place could be this painful? You choke out a gasp as the pain sears, brands itself into your arm. The outline of the flower appears in full glory, the vines entwining itself around your arm as it links with the petals. It's beautiful and horrifying, and you watch as the flower you've been waiting for finally, finally blooms.

Before long, the bloom appears on your forearm. A snapdragon.

The man seems to feel the same thing, as he doubles over in pain, pupils dilated in shock and clutching his arm. His face is covered by his hood so you can't see what he looks like, but he turns and runs, and before long he's disappeared into the darkness.

A few minutes pass before the pain finally subsides, and in its place comes a wave of exhaustion. You sink on the concrete, careful not to stir your unconscious stalker, who's still lying on the ground motionless.

You've found your soulmate. On the day of love.

You touch your mouth when you feel a smile creeping up your face.

--------------------------------

Seungcheol opens his door, barks an order to his guard outside not to disturb him unless "someone is bloody dead", sinks down on a couch and grabs a whisky. He downs it, the burn of the alcohol close to nothing as compared to that of the flower sitting oh-so-innocently on his forearm. He'll never forget the way the snapdragon petals appeared, as if they were burnt into his skin.

He stares at it, remembers the girl who gasped in pain just as he did. He never meant for this to happen. He was only passing by and saw a man from one of the local, problematic gangs sneaking up on you. He only meant to get the man away as he usually would for anyone else, because his principles, despite his rough line of work, never permitted him to disrespect women. He only meant to do one thing and go on his way. He only felt his arm burning right before he turned onto that damn street.

He glares at his arm, like the ordeal is its fault. His hand is shaking. It never shakes.

He didn't mean to feel his bond snap into place, never meant to meet you. He takes another long swig. This is the worst timing ever, he thinks darkly.

Meeting your soulmate on Valentines' Day can't be pure coincidence. If there wasn't a sign before that this was your chance, there very well was now. The next day you come up with a mission plan.

Find the man who is apparently my soulmate

...........

And that's when you sit down and have a good think. What are you even going to do when you do find him, anyway? Get together with him purely because he's meant for you, as the universe dictated? What if he's a rude jerk? What if he's ugly? What if... oh god, what if his breath stinks?

What if... he doesn't like you?

You continue writing on your notepad, absently, mindlessly writing sentences and paragraphs like word-vomit. Before long, you look down on the page to see almost a full journal entry, like you always do when you're anxious or stressed.

"Great," You mutter. "May as well write a book about this."

You enter the bookstore, waving at the little old lady who runs it.

"Good morning," She hums. "What are you looking for?"

You smile, thumbing through the different books on the shelf. "Morning. Something about flowers, maybe? I'm doing research... for a book I'm writing."

She nods. "Perhaps a book that explains the flower on your arm?"

You chuckle. Nothing could ever get past her eyes. "You caught me."

The lady laughs in return. "That," she says, hobbling out from the counter to rummage her inventory, "is a snapdragon. Yours is lovely -- a nice shade of red."

You smile. "Does its colour represent something, too?"

The old lady pulls down a thick book, flips through it and sweeps off the dust on the cover. "Every colour has its representation, but it's also your choice to decide what it means to you." She passes you the book. "In Chinese culture, it means prosperity. It's a lucky colour. For others, it could mean passion and love. It could also mean danger, perhaps courage..."

"Wow," You mumble, flipping through the book. "One colour and thousands of meanings?"

The old lady shrugs. "Colours and nature existed way before we did," She takes the book from you and goes to wrap it up in construction paper. "Is that the tattoo that brings you to your other half?"

"So the world says," You shrug, as you pay for the book. "I had the petals first, so the stem and leaves appeared when I met him, but I don't know where he is... or even what he looks like."

The lady nods in understanding. "I wouldn't worry. You'll find your way back to each other. I'd think that's what the tattoo's for."

"Do you know about them? What do they do?"

"Some stories say they help soulmates detect when one is in danger. Other stories say the closer you are, the warmer it feels... I've never tried."

Huh. You nod. "Thank you. So very much."

There is a soft shimmer of fascination in the old lady's eyes as she waves you goodbye. "I have faith that what's meant for you will come to you in due course, dear. Have a good day now."

------------------------------------

Seungcheol hasn't stopped glowering at his tattoo all day. It looks... out of place. The petals aren't supposed to be there. It looks like an outsider, a strange feeling he can't place. If this is the bond acting up, he surmises, it fucking sucks.

He needs coffee to cure the pounding headache building up.

He orders someone to get his coffee, and as he sits to wait, he taps at his keyboard impatiently, trying to figure out how the tattoo had built up.

The petals came later, he thinks. Is that supposed to mean something?

When his right-hand man, a freckled, tan man comes in with the coffee, Seungcheol is still none the wiser on the phenomenon. So he lowers his guard (for once, he thinks bitterly, for a soulmate bond of all things), and asks the man who's currently laying his coffee cup down. "Lee."

Lee looks up. "Yes, sir?"

"What do you know about soulmate bond tattoos?"

Lee looks visibly excited. "Did you get yours, sir?"

"Asking for a friend," Seungcheol deflects immediately. "So, what do you know about it?"

"I have one, sir," Lee says, and rolls up his sleeve to reveal a... half-faded anchor tattoo. "I was so.... it felt so strange to meet my other half."

"Strange. What was it like?"

Lee shrugs as he sets down a serviette. "Can I speak freely?"

Seungcheol waves at him to go ahead. He's usually the man who acts like he has a stick up his ass, but this time, he wants to find out everything he can about having a soulmate. Just so I don't drag the poor girl down with me for no good reason, he reasons to himself.

"It wasn't all good feelings," Lee explains thoughtfully, hands pausing mid-air. "My soulmate... he was an underground weapons dealer. And you know people in our circle, we don't do feelings. They're liabilities, it's another thing enemies can use against us." He chuckles bitterly. "That was one of the only things we had in common."

Seungcheol doesn't miss the way he's speaking in past tense. "You don't have to explain yourself," He says cautiously.

"No, that's okay," Lee says. "It was a while back. See, I have fading scars to prove that."

"What did it... feel like?"

"It started fading and it hurt so much, I knew something was wrong." Lee shows his arm again.

"What happened?"

Lee shrugs. "He died in an underground turf war. One of those."

Seungcheol makes eye contact. "Did you at least have good days with him?"

Lee looks at him, then looks away. "We did. Almost left the circle for each other, but..." He shrugs again. "Time just wasn't on our side."

"No," Seungcheol agrees. "It wasn't."

His fists clench. So this is what could happen to both parties who were in the circle, nevermind a civilian. He nods. "Thank you for telling me."

Lee gives him a half-smile. "So is this about your tattoo?"

"Y- No, for my friend," Seungcheol replies, cursing himself at the slip-up.

"I see," Lee says, the mischievous glint in his eyes returning. Seungcheol knows Lee doesn't believe him. As his right-hand man for years, how could he not see through Seungcheol? He starts walking towards the door. "Well, tell your friend that if there's anything I learnt, it's that time is a bitch. There's going to be a lot of fear, and it won't be pretty. But... take it from me," He smiles sadly. "It's going to feel worse when you don't treasure time and lose them. After all...." He opens the door. "I lived to tell the tale."

When the door closes behind him, Seungcheol leans back into his chair and rubs his temples.

"Some soulmates you find in the lecture hall of your school. Some you find along the way of life. Some... are pre-ordained by the universe, in the form of a snapdragon tattoo.

But are these... pre-meditated, pre-planned people meant to stay?"

You put down your pen.

You're curious. At the world, for giving you a person. How that system came about. About your soulmate. What he's like, what he looks like.

But there's no straightforward way to find him. No instruction manual that tells you where to go and what to do.

You decide to take a walk that evening. No distance limit. Just wherever your feet takes you.

And it brings you to this cafe on a street you've never been, with soft music and oak furniture, and a smiley, freckled and tan man behind the counter grins at you. "Welcome to Choi's."

"Hello," You say, smiling a bit. "Could I get a latte, and... that croissant? It looks amazing."

"Of course," He says, before turning to another burly staff that just appeared. "Get her a latte, will you?"

The staff nods, and disappears behind the coffee machine.

You take a seat, and hum as you wait. When the pastry and drink appear on your table, you thank the staff and look down to see the milk foam in the shape of a heart. Mmm. You take a sip, already feeling a lot better.

The bell jingles, and a man steps in, hands in his pockets. and heads for the counter. By force of habit, you look up and send him a cursory glance. And then you freeze. The man has rolled up his sleeves as he speaks to the staff, as if they already know each other, and on his arms....

A full tattoo sleeve of flowers. Zinnias, dahlias, rhododendrons, and in the centre, a whorl of vines leading to the most prominent flower. It looks fresh, like it was inked in a mere five minutes earlier.... in a shade of brilliant red... a snapdragon.

It's him.

The man must have excellent situational awareness because he acutely notices someone staring at him and he turns to you. Your shell-shocked face, your trembling hands... and his eyes fall on your forearm.

Choi Seungcheol had never felt this thunderstruck, not even when he found out half his men had been bought over by rivals years ago. He knows he'll never forget this feeling.

So he does the next best thing. He excuses himself from his staff and leaves.

So you get up and run after him.

Seungcheol's in the middle of cursing himself and the world out when he hears your voice calling for him.

"Sir...?"

He can pretend he doesn't know you're calling him. Sure. He can do that. Keep on walking, Seungcheol.

Until he hears running, and a tap on his shoulder. Ah.

He swallows, closes his eyes, and turns around. "Yes?" He asks coldly.

Ah. So he's not in the habit of making conversation, you think. "I'm really sorry about this, but can I...."

"Can you what?" Seungcheol replies, even though he already knows what you're going to say.

"Can I see your arm? For a second? I just wanted to make sure I wasn't seeing wrongly."

"No, you may not."

You cringe. Silence dwindles between both of you. "Uh... right."

Seungcheol reaches for his car key. "Why do you want to see my arm, love?" He casts a cursory glance at your arm. "To see if I'm your soulmate?"

You look down, then at him. "...Yeah. I got this tattoo, and I don't know what my soulmate looks like, so..."

"So you're trying to find him in me, huh?" Seungcheol doesn't mean to be rude, but this is the only way to get you off his back, at least until he knows how to move forward. The least he can do is to warn you. "News flash, love. I'm just a man who enjoys flowers. But me as your soulmate?" He chuckles and presses a button. From a distance, his car makes a beeping sound and unlocks. "I highly doubt it. You'll need to know who we are before you enter our world."

"And who are you?" The words come out before you can stop them.

Seungcheol supposes it doesn't hurt to establish who he is, just so you'll have enough sense to stay away.

"The mafia, love," He says softly, as he walks towards his car. "I'm the leader, here. I'd advise you to stay away from me, soulmate or otherwise."

When his car pulls away, you sigh and look at your tattoo.

The biggest joke the universe could have pulled on you. Making a mafia leader, out of 8 billion other people, your soulmate.

When he reaches home, Seungcheol reaches for his phone. When Lee answers, Seungcheol gives him a long list of things to do, for the cafe and for the mafia.

"Has anyone caught on the cafe yet?" He asks.

"Nope," Lee answers. "It was a good front to keep track of the public, but it seems like a normal cafe to them. So I'd say everything's fine, boss."

"Good."

"Anything else?" Lee says.

"....One more thing." Seungcheol says, sighing through his nose. "A girl came to the cafe tonight."

"...Uh-huh."

"The girl in the white cardigan and jeans."

"Right."

"Warn her not to divulge who we are and what the cafe really is. With any luck, she'll figure out that the cafe is protecting us."

"Protecting us..." Lee gasps. "Sir, you told her who you are? Why?"

"To get her to leave me alone," Seungcheol mutters. "Anyway, just tell her to zip her mouth. I don't care how you do it."

He regrets the words once they exit his mouth. "Just don't hit her or anything. We're not in that business."

A soft laugh comes over the phone. "She your soulmate or something, boss?"

Seungcheol pinches his nose. "So she thinks. Just because we have a matching..."

An idea hits him. "Do me another favour."

"Name it, boss."

"Find out where she was last night. Just to make clear something for me."

"You got it."

A knock on your door sounds in the middle of the night. When you open the door, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you flinch when two burly guys flanking the same freckled, tan man from the cafe last night step in your doorway.

"Uh...you're from the cafe, aren't you?"

"I thought a familiar face might help matters," The freckled man says. "My name's Lee. And you?"

You introduce yourself cautiously, but you look at the two men. "So... what the man said yesterday was true? You're not really a cafe, are you?"

Lee shrugs. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, anyway." He nods to the men. "We just came here to give a little warning."

You have a feeling you already know. "What warning?"

"Don't pry, and don't tell," Lee says, still smiling, but you sense the underlying threat within. "I don't know what business you have with us, but it should end now." He nods at you. "For both yours and our good."

The burly man on the left makes a point of nodding towards your home. "We know where you live, and we can find you no matter where you go. Don't complicate things for yourself. You won't like what comes next."

And they leave, leaving you shaking in the doorway. Anger courses through you. Your soulmate sent people after you to push you away.

You don't know everything about soulmate bonds, but what you do know is that soulmates are drawn to each other: to protect, and to take care of. Either your soulmate is very, very clueless; or he just doesn't want anything to do with you. You have to find out which answer it is before you decide whether to let go of him or not.

Alright, Mr. Mafia Boss, you clench your teeth. I don't have to deal with your mafia directly to get an audience with you. Let's see how far this game can go.

Moonlight slants through his ceiling-to-floor windows. Seungcheol grits his teeth as he watches the surveillance that Lee found for him. You, walking home the night of 14 February, around 10pm, going faster and faster as that son-of-a-bitch followed you. His arms rest on his chair as he sees himself appear and knock the guy out cold.

He sighs. So it really was you. He'd recognise that face anywhere.

He looks at his tattoo once more, hating how perfectly it entwines with the rest of his tattoos. So much for covering it up. He turns his arm around again and again. It's exquisite, but it lies there like a burden.

And it picks the perfect timing to start burning. Seungcheol grunts in pain, clutching his arm as it burns, sears with the same pain it did that night. He doesn't know how the system came about, but what he knows is this: You're in danger. And as annoyed as he is about this whole situation, he has to find you. If only to make the pain stop.

He reaches for his telephone, and when the other line picks up he hisses: "Find her. Now. Scour all the surveillance in the city. I don't care what you have to do, but find her."

He can hear his man barking out orders in the background, and he shakily puts the phone down. Lee comes bursting into the room, grabs Seungcheol's arm to check on him. Normally, Seungcheol would have the head of anyone who dared to touch him without permission, but given Lee's position in this predicament, he allows him to.

"Is it supposed to be like this?" Seungcheol groans out. "It hurts like hell."

"Yup," Lee mutters. "It is. Looks and seems exactly like mine whenever Bri got into danger."

"Danger--" Seungcheol scowls and tries getting up. "You mean she's injured?"

Lee shrugs. "I don't know if it extends to normal minor situations, but whenever Bri got into a fight, I'd feel my arm burning."

"Her, fight. Don't make me laugh," Seungcheol scoffs, then grunts again as another wave of pain hits him. "She looks like she couldn't hurt a fly."

"We've located her, boss," Another man comes into the room, holding a laptop towards him.

"Where?"

When silence answers him, he hisses. "I didn't ask you this question for you to not fucking reply. I asked where?"

"The border of Territory 7, sir."

"What the hell is she doing there? Is she an underworld member, too?" Lee wonders out loud.

Seungcheol pushes himself up off his seat, wincing as his arm throbs slightly. "Fuck if I know. But I guess I have to find her if I want this pain to stop."

"I'll get men and go with you," Lee starts, but Seungcheol waves him off. "No need. We don't need to stir up a fuss, not when the territories are already misbehaving these few weeks. I'll get her, and... figure it out later."

You're tapping your foot as you wander the edges of the city's largest turf. It's well-known that civilians shouldn't pass by here if they want to get home alive and well, but with the recent news of unrest stirring in such turfs, you figure that it's the best way to seek Seungcheol out. It's stupid, but it's your best bet. Plus, you figure that the nearer you are to

You must be near a group of militants on patrol duty, because you can hear hushed orders and boots crunching. You sigh and look at your watch.

"Are you actually stupid?"

You raise your head. "So it worked. So nice of you to join me this evening."

Seungcheol storms towards you. "So you tricked me?"

"Wasn't a trick." You mutter. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"You are a nutcase," He seethes, as he grabs your arm and starts dragging you away. "Do you have any idea what would happen if anyone caught you? These few places are red-light districts now. You're not supposed to be here."

"I wouldn't know. You came anyway."

Seungcheol lets you go and huffs at you. "Go home, and don't get any more stupid ideas. Yes, I'm your soulmate. Yes, my tattoo is also a snapdragon, and I guess I can sense when you're in places you shouldn't be because my arm fucking burns, okay? Got your answer?"

"No," You say defiantly. "I haven't found out one thing. Why were you so desperate to deny that you weren't my soulmate? But you still came running anyway."

"This," He hisses, stepping closer to you, "is a pain in my ass. I can't work if my tattoo's going to start hurting every half hour. So for god's sake, please stay out of anything that doesn't concern you. Do not run into a lion's den to get an audience with me."

"So you're going to give me a way to contact you?" You shrug. "Sure, if that will keep me from making rash decisions."

Seungcheol furrows his brows. "What gave you that idea?"

"Well, you can't think I'm going to let you go after all of this, do you?"

What??

"Did I not make myself clear en-"

"Oh, you did," You say. "Like you said, you came running because you could sense I was somewhere I shouldn't be. So you can't stay away no matter how much I piss you off, can you?"

"I nev-"

"That's how soulmates work, Mr. Mafia Boss." You say smugly. "We can't stay away from each other, like a moth can't stray from the light."

Seungcheol scowls at you and then proceeds to maintain a ten-second glaring competition until he blows out a breath.

"Ten more reasons why I hate this bond so much," He mutters, before pulling out a business card and shoving it into your hands. "I've got ground rules. Don't call me for stupid reasons. Do not call to ask me out privately. Do not give my number to anyone for any reason. No exceptions, unless you want a bullet through your brain."

"Did you just threaten to shoot me...." You peruse the business card. "Choi Seungcheol?"

"Yes, and what about it?"

"You know nothing about being a gentleman."

"Never said I was one. Get in the car."

"You''re going to shoot me in there? With the expensive leather?"

"I will if you don't keep your mouth shut and start moving."

You zip it and follow him.

Success. You've met your soulmate. (You're sitting in his car, too.)

He said you couldn't call. But texting exists, so.... You're determined to bug him until he takes notice.

"It's me."

He leaves you on read.

The next day you add another message. "I guess I'll write to an empty chatroom. I'm doing good, I just had a sandwich for breakfast and I'm going to continue writing now."

5pm: "I'm done with my next chapter. Trying to find an illustrator for the cover. I'm craving soup."

11pm: "goodnight! hope your work or whatever's going well. You can't tell me anything about what you're doing?"

And so it continues, for a full three days, with silly texts about a sentence error you wrote, or a funny thing you ate, or asking him what he's doing at work, until you get a single response from him that has you rolling your eyes: "Be quiet."

You do not, to Seungcheol's chagrin, keep quiet.

He didn't think you could talk so much to someone who never replied. In a week he'd all but figured out your life pattern: wake up, eat, write (he had no idea what you were writing), find publishers and illustrators, take a walk maybe in the late afternoon, eat again, and write until it was time to sleep. You lead an awfully idyllic life compared to him, he thinks as he closes your text.

You also seem to have a love for soup, he realises. The weirdest fucking craving.

And croissants from his fake cafe. You sent him photos of it across the week, and he wonders how you never get tired of the damn thing. Your food cravings change from soup to something else every now and then, getting more bizarre with each one. (Pasta with pickles? Really?)

It was cute. (He cursed himself out after thinking about it.)

And so it goes for two more weeks until Seungcheol decides this has to stop. He texts you back for once, and you're elated as you read his text.

"Be ready Saturday night. Zip it for now, will you? I'm trying to work."

You're waiting outside your house when he pulls up. You already know that he knows exactly where you live, so you never bothered texting him your address. You get in once he stops the car, his grumpy face still on full display.

"Thanks for taking me out," You say, smiling at him, and he grunts as he pulls out and steps on the accelerator. "Isn't that exactly what you wanted?"

You shrug. "And you gave in. Is that a soulmate thing?"

"I will drop you off right this second if you say 'soulmate' one more time." He threatens.

He rubs the sleeve covering the skin on which his tattoo lies, and you frown. "Is it causing you trouble? I haven't gone anywhere weird recently, though."

"No. And you better not have."

He doesn't say much after that, simply drives about twenty minutes to a sleek, al fresco restaurant. The neon lights, warm-looking space draws you in, and when you read the menu outside while waiting for him to park...

"Soup? So you did read my texts!"

"You won't shut up about it. A little hard to miss it even if I wanted to."

You chuckle and flip through the menu. "So what're you getting?"

"You pick, you're the one craving soup of all things," He mutters absently. "Don't really care. Just came to get a message across."

"What is it?"

"Sit first before I tell you."

And so you do. He lets you get tomato soup and grilled cheese, pasta and a soda, and says absolutely nothing. He eats a little, rolling his eyes at the amount you inhale. Finally, you put down your fork. "So what did you want to tell me?"

He swallows his water before putting the glass down. "Just one thing."

You cock your head. "I'm listening."

"Why are you contacting me personally, so often? I'm sure I said not to do that."

"You said not to call," You reply, smiling. When he looks like he's about to protest, you smile again. "So I texted."

"You're fucking impossible," He mutters.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing. Anyway, stop that. I'm a busy man."

"I know. That's why I text, like, three times in a day. It's not a lot, is it?"

His hand comes down on the table, not loud enough to cause a scene but firm enough to catch your attention. "I don't have the time to entertain you, Miss Y/N. You know who I am, and that was my fault, and I think it would do you good to remember that."

"Pulling the mafia leader card on me, again?" You sigh and shake your head. "I don't know what you do, and you won't tell me. I write about people like you and mobsters. You're exactly what I write in my books."

"I am not one of your little book characters," Seungcheol hisses back. "I am not a work of fiction or something you pull out of your imagination and twist about like your plaything. I am real, and I am someone who can hurt you if I want to. And I don't owe you any information. Stop bothering me, got it?"

"Is that why you brought me here?" A surge of confidence and defiance grips you. He couldn't have taken you out to somewhere he knew you'd enjoy for no reason.

He scowls. “I can go wherever I want. Don’t read too much into it.”

You grin. “Sure.”

He nods.

“So can I continue messaging you?”

He groans. “Did you not get any of what I just said?”

You shrug. "Guess you’ll have to tell me a few more times.”

He sighs loudly, and his fingers drum the table as he seemingly goes deep into thought. The scowl is almost becoming a permanent fixture on his face, you think.

After a long moment, he groans and utters: “Next Sunday. 6pm.”

He takes you out two more times. The next Sunday, to a small restaurant you chose. This time he ate better, the consistent strain in his forehead almost easing as he bit into the lasagna.

He answered your questions, albeit grumpily, and when you got off his car that night, you thought, as you opened your journal up again, that he was finally, finally warming up to you.

But the next time he brings you out, he is visibly in a stormy mood, barely making conversation and stabbing his meat with his fork.

“Is there something wrong?” You ask.

“No.”

And there the conversation ends.

As dessert rolls in, you try one more time.

“So… how’s work lately?”

“Fine.”

“Ah.”

Please talk. Please.

“You know, I always wonder what a mafia boss does,” You pick up your spoon. “Like, order kills or something?”

Seungcheol picks up his glass. “I remember telling you not to ask about what I do.”

“And you don’t have to give me a full answer,” You shrug. “I’m just asking for a general idea. I thought it’d be nice if I got to know what you do.”

Seungcheol sits back in his seat. "Don't read too much into what I do, love." He takes another sip of water. "You can't honestly think I'm interested in you enough to reveal myself after a few meals. You said you're a writer. You shouldn't be this easy to lie to, you know that?"

Yeah, screw this.

Any confidence you had sizzles out. Easy to lie to. He thinks you're a gullible, small girl eating up every morsel of attention he deigns to give you when he feels like it. Red-hot, burning humiliation and shame rise in you.

After a long pause, you nod. "Alright. Fine. I get it. I apologise for occupying your time."

He surveys you for a second, then nods, like he just made a good business deal. "Just so we make things clear with each other."

"Crystal," You reply, no warmth in your words. "I think I finally got what you wanted to say. I thought you just weren't used to this... idea of having a soulmate, so I wanted to warm you up to it. But now I see you never wanted one in the first place."

Seungcheol furrows his brows just a fraction.

You push your chair back. You're careful not to look or seem angry, in part not to show him you're affected, and also to just... save face. He already embarrassed you. No need to do it again in public. "Take care, Mr. Choi. Thanks for putting up with me, anyway. It won't happen again. I’ll get the bill."

Soulmate, my ass.

----------------------------------

It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

It wasn't supposed to turn out this way.

Glass meets the plaster of the wall. His tattoo lies there, barren, lacking its usual warmth even though nothing was taken away.

----------------------------------

Ladies and gentlemen, this is perhaps how the story goes. He pushed her away, and she realised how the universe’s plan, this whole concept, had utterly failed. There were never meant to be pre-ordained people. People change, and oftentimes they disappoint…

The journal remains open, the last sentence discontinued.

T w o M o n t h s L a t e r

Soft, oozing vocals of Clara Bow fill your apartment as you pack your writing materials. You're done writing for the day.

You glance at the clock. Nine p.m. In time for a snack and TV before you head to bed.

When you turn on the TV, the news catches your attention. Another territory struggle, another turf battle for control. You shake your head and switch the channel. Typical.

As you settle down into the cushions with chips and a glass of white wine, sudden searing pain, hot and white and agonising, shoots down your arm. You gasp and grasp it in your other hand, almost keeling over at how painful it is.

Something is wrong. Very, very, wrong.

You sink to the floor, clutching your arm and sweat starting to bead your forehead. It hurts, your arm hurts, everything hurts.

Is Seungcheol in trouble?

His name card. Right. You can just find out for yourself, and if he asks, you could just say the tattoo's causing you a lot of pain. Yes. That's it.

You stagger to your drawers to find his card, messing everything up in the process. You fumble for your phone and dial his number, again and again and again, but all you’re greeted with is a beep and an automated voice instructing you to leave a message.

You don’t know what to do. No emergency contact, no one you can find… hell, you don’t even know where he is. As you’re standing, getting ready to run out and search, there's a pounding on your door.

You barely make it to the door and open it, and there stands the freckled, tan man whose name you never got. He looks awkward, eyes racing to your tattoo. "I'm sure you must be in a lot of pain," He says. "Mr. Choi ordered me to check on you."

"Check on me?" You almost wheeze. "What's going on that my arm hurts this badly?"

Lee shakes his head. "Not right now. We will talk in the van."

"Of course you can't say." You snap, patience wearing thin, temper as riled up as the pain in your arm. You're done with his secrets. "I can't know what he's doing, I can't know where he is, or if he's alive or dead, even if the pain he's causing may very well kill me too."

"You won't die," Lee says, a little more kindly. "If this comforts you, my soulmate's gone, and I'm still here."

Your anger evaporates a fraction. "I'm sorry about that."

"No need to be." Lee sighs, then reaches his own arm out. "Hold on to me, I won’t do anything weird. I'll take you to him. He's going to be a bitch when he sees you, but... I think it would be good for both of you. More often than not, distance breaks things apart."

"He's enough of a bitch even when I'm around," You mumble, but you take his arm anyway as he helps you out.

Without much effort, he gets you into the van he came in, and barks out an order to the curious men inside to drive into what he calls "The Heart".

"What's the Heart?" You ask, as he passes you a canteen of water to drink from.

"It's what it sounds like. The heart of our territory." Lee explains, eyes trained in front. "Mr. Choi's there when we... have scuffles, and that's usually the place where security is tightest, so he can be near to us to get updates and give orders, and still not get into danger."

"So he is a leader."

"He is, and one of those you wouldn't want to cross. He's quick with his work, and he can resort to getting his hands dirty if he has to. His network and connections are... frighteningly impressive, to say the least."

"Funny how I'm hearing it from you and not him," You huff as you lay your head back, trying not to think about the pain.

"He hasn't had the experience of telling people about his life, Miss," Lee chuckles. "But I figured you'll know eventually, so better sooner than later, right?"

"Sooner than later?"

"You're meant to stick around him, Miss. For the good and bad. You're his soulmate, after all."

"I don't know if we'll get there." You sigh, and close your eyes. "Is he badly hurt? Will me being there even help matters?"

Lee shrugs. "We'll find out."

Lee gets six men to flank you both as he walks you in. Up ahead, there's a building seemingly made of unforgiving steel, it's blank canvas looming in the dark red, streaked sky.

"That's the Heart?"

"That’s the one. Unpenetrable, Miss. Let's go in."

You pray for all your sakes it really is as Lee takes you up into the elevator. When he opens one of the (almost) hundreds of similar doors to lead to an empty, cell-like room, and inside sits Seungcheol, with a red fabric pressed---

"You're bleeding," You blurt. The pain in your arm subsides just a fraction, perhaps jarred by the sensation of finally, finally, meeting him.

He looks up, eyes twisting in furious shock as he glares at Lee, and then you (you don’t know why). "Exactly which part of my order did you not understand, Lee?"

Lee bows his head in apology. "I'll never take away a chance to meet your soulmate away, you know that, sir."

Seungcheol scowls hard, and you're almost afraid he's going to shoot Lee there and then.

"Get out."

Lee smiles, ushers you in and walks out. "I'll be back in half an hour to report. I'll call for the doctor again."

You bend and peel aside the fabric. Once white, it's now soaked red, it's warmth unsettling. There's blood, so much of it, and on his once unblemished skin now contains a mess of open flesh, blood, and a...

A bullet.

"A gun." You mumble.

"Try not to throw up." He replies, ever-so-gently nudging you away. "This is Armani."

"You jerk."

His face twists in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." The anger is returning. "You say all sorts of fucking nonsense to keep me away, and we meet again months later because you're shot. And that may be a normal day for you, Mr. Choi, but us civilians don't go about our day-to-day expecting a bullet hole to appear in our skin."

His hand clenches up.

"This is why I said everything I did," He snarls in return, putting more pressure on his wound. "I knew I would never want you to try to handle what I am!"

"You never let me try," You hiss. "You refused to tell me anything, to let me see what your life was like. No, you chose to shut me out! And don't you dare tell me what I can or can't handle."

He huffs. "I see no reason in dragging you, or anyone else, in when it isn't needed."

"Yet Lee brought me here tonight." You point out. "He knows something you clearly don't."

"Lee is a nosy fucker." He snaps.

"He's someone who's experienced it all. His soulmate is gone, Seungcheol."

"And look at the pain it caused him. At least if anything happens to me, it's no love lost for you."

"Shut up."

"What?"

"I said shut up. Sometimes people want to help you. Sometimes people wouldn't actually mind, I don't know, going into this Heart place to check on you. Sometimes, you need to get it into your thick skull that I actually want to be here, to make sure you don't die while this stupid snapdragon is burned into me!"

His eyes meet yours.

"But you won't get it!" You chuckle. "You send men to check on me when I’m in pain, but I doubt you have any intention of finding me after all this gets better."

"You think I wanted to?" He shoots back.

"And you think I had it all settled for me? That I was better off not knowing the person that was meant for me, this whole time?"

"I never wanted that." Seungcheol insists hotly. "Look at my world, it's a mess, a violent place, a--"

"And there has to be a reason I'm the one picked out!" You defend. "Do you have any idea what snapdragons stand for?"

When he doesn't reply, you continue. "It stands for grace and strength. I can handle all of this. I'm not meant to measure up with your headstrong personality anyway."

"Then what are you meant for?" He asks, tone now soft, dejected.

"To complement you," You reply. You've never been this sure in your life. "To make up for the traits you lack. I'm not supposed to be as strong, or as fierce as you are. I'm meant to... ground you. That's what soulmates are. To... allow each other's strengths to shine and make up for what they don't have yet."

Seungcheol goes quiet.

"And you?" He asks, after a long pause. "What do I complement you in?"

You survey him again. "That's something I can't discover yet, because you won't let me."

“So what do you suggest?” He continues.

“No more hiding. Show me who you are. No restraint, I don’t need you to keep anything secret.”

“What if you end up like Lee?”

“Then it would have been a life well spent, at least.”

Seungcheol grunts with effort as he leaves his seat and stumbles to you. "And if I obeyed, and let you in?"

You look at him square in the eye. "Then it would be my honour to stand with you... or in the shadows, or wherever you make me stand."

"This sounds a lot like an induction of one of my men," Seungcheol murmurs. "I don't want that."

"Then what do you want?" You ask softly.

Seungcheol looks down at you, emotions warring in his eyes. After a while, he slumps and turns away. “Fuck. I can’t do this to you.”

“Tell me what you want, Seungcheol,” You say quietly. “You order people around for a living. I’m telling you to be honest with me, too.”

"…You. With me. Wherever you, or I, want to be."

You shrug a little as he cups your face. "I can live with that."

"You better," Seungcheol mumbles, as his mouth finds yours at last, burning more than any wretched tattoo, warmth spreading to your fingertips. "After everything you just said... I don't imagine you're going anywhere for a while."

February 14, 2026

The doctor came to patch him up. His hand squeezed yours hard as the bullet was finally pried out of him.

It's honestly a blur to you now when you think about it, but all you remember is his eyes boring into yours, his unwavering, callused grip on your hand.

"The snapdragon symbolises strength and grace reflected in their tall, strong stems, blooms and resistance to colder temperatures. Others believe they also represent deception and deviousness.

She embodied grace. She was his missing piece, the trait he needed to complement his headstrong nature. But he also needed someone strong enough to stand with him, through every obstacle his work throws him in. And she... she needed his courage and unwavering will to stand with her through it all."

You put the pen down. Mmm. Not too bad for a closing chapter. You send a text to the new publishing house that you contacted two weeks ago. They had seen your draft, and they loved it. Two weeks from now, when everything is settled, you promise yourself, you will show Seungcheol. He'd been curious for a while now about what holed you up in your writing room.

"Love?"

You look up from biting into your croissant. "Well, look who's back from Sicily. How did the meetings go?"

Seungcheol smiles and opens his arms. "Not too bad. I suppose the love you share for novels, along with the Don's* wife, was a selling point. She was most keen on sending you," He cocks his head to the pile of books at his feet, "this. She said it'd make a good Valentines' gift, since I've been poor at accompanying you these few months."

"That sounds perfect. We're both suckers for romances."

As you sink into his embrace, the tattoo once again burns, but it's not the passionate, red-hot zealous heat. It's warm, comforting, like a hot chocolate in winter.

He sighs. "Happy Valentines', love. I'm going to lose my girl to a bunch of fictional mafia men again?"

"You know it."

"I still don't understand why. You have one right here, next to y-"

"Softer! Do you want the whole town to hear you?"

fin.

*Don = the highest role in an organised crime family

thank you for reading 💟

main masterlist

580 notes · View notes

MASTERLIST - 🖋️ indicates my personal favorites !

[FICS]

HONKAI: STAR RAIL

my home, for all seasons [serval x reader] 🖋️

bad romance [DARK CONTENT: DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT] [acheron x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

any way you want me, baby [ruan mei x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

sleepless nights [himeko x reader] [kafka x reader] 🖋️

first time [himeko x reader] [yukong x reader] [natasha x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

good god, let me give you my life [ruan mei x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI] 🖋️

real deal [ruan mei x reader] [NSFT][MDNI]

GENSHIN IMPACT

lazy morning loving [arlecchino x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

love me like you do [arlecchino x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

bring me the sun [arlecchino x reader] 🖋️

PATH TO NOWHERE

breaking point [zoya x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

what is this feeling? [zoya x reader]

act three: resolution [deren x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

back to you [deren x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

video star [deren x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

cloudgazer [deren x reader]

experience [rahu x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI] 🖋️

all i see is red lights [rahu x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

worship (like a dog) [rahu x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI] 🖋️

(sun)dress [shalom x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

equestrian au (part 1) [cinnabar]

equestrian au (part 2) [shalom] [rahu]

like music [multiple] [NSFT] [MDNI]

de-stress [nightingale x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

ZENLESS ZONE ZERO

cat & mouse [jane doe x reader] [NSFT] [MDNI]

machinist! [grace howard x reader] [NSFT][MDNI]

MULTIPLE

on top (part 1) [NSFT][MDNI]

on top (part 2) [NSFT][MDNI]

voracity [NSFT][MDNI]

as the world caves in 🖋️

[SCRIBBLES & THIRSTS]

GENSHIN IMPACT

ARLECCHINO -> thinking about mornings with arle... -> love is most felt when it is leaving... -> nicknames... -> slow burn... -> f1!arle and motogp!reader... -> boss form arle... [NSFT][MDNI] -> a new sibling... [NSFT][MDNI] -> soft domming... [NSFT][MDNI] -> flirty with a twist... [NSFT][MDNI] -> on your knees... [NSFT][MDNI]

KUJOU SARA -> arranged marriage... -> give you the world... -> anatomy of a poisoning... 🖋️

NAVIA & CLORINDE -> starting a family... [NSFT][MDNI] -> clorivia and cafe owner!reader... ����️

NINGGUANG -> barefoot, on the beach of yaoguang shoal... 🖋️

HONKAI: STAR RAIL

FEIXIAO -> early hours with feixiao... -> scratches & marks... -> mooncakes... -> in the night... -> at first sight... -> laundry... -> feixiao and a regular s/o... -> terms of endearment... -> an arrow... 🖋️ -> modern!au... -> giving feixiao head... [NSFT][MDNI] -> taking feixiao's knot for the first time... [NSFT][MDNI] -> feixiao in rut... [NSFT][MDNI] -> tease... [NSFT][MDNI] -> knotted... [NSFT][MDNI] -> modern!au car sex [NSFT][MDNI]

YUKONG -> retainer... -> tag teaming with feixiao... [NSFT][MDNI]

ACHERON -> 'so take my tags, and i'll take yours'...

HIMEKO -> albireo, rising from indigo...

JINGLIU -> the person who knew jingliu the longest... 🖋️ -> legacies and dreams... -> fool's errand... [NSFT][MDNI]

KAFKA -> baby you and me are a twisted fantasy... [NSFT][MDNI] -> kafhime sharing... [NSFT][MDNI] -> shalom & kafka tag teaming... [NSFT][MDNI]

NATASHA -> tending your wounds... 🖋️

JADE -> bodyguard... [NSFT][MDNI]

PATH TO NOWHERE

ZOYA -> reunions... [NSFT][MDNI]

NOX -> nox headcanons... [NSFT][MDNI]

RAHU -> afab rahu... [NSFT][MDNI] -> shalom & rahu tag teaming... [NSFT][MDNI]

SHALOM -> 'you came?' 'you called'... 🖋️ -> post canon thoughts... [NSFT][MDNI] -> shalom & kafka tag teaming... [NSFT][MDNI] -> shalom & rahu tag teaming... [NSFT][MDNI]

ZENLESS ZONE ZERO

JANE DOE -> brief reunions... -> interrogation... [NSFT][MDNI]

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A One Direction fic rec of soulmate fics that are hidden gems as requested in this ask. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! You can find my other recs here. Happy reading!

- Louis / Harry -

💕 De amore ex temporeby @persephoneflouwers

(M, 101k, historical) the Time Travel AU where alternate versions of themselves live simultaneously in different realities and their paths collide every time, until somehow, they converge into one.

💕 I'm Praying (that you don't burn out or fade away)by @lululawrence

(NR, 75k, soul stars) Harry and Louis are literal stars who have known they were soulmates from their creation eons ago, however when Louis came to Earth to start the next phase of their fated future, he forgot everything. Even Harry.

💕 You, Who Never Arrivedbyabrighteryellow / @a-brighter-yellow

(T, 42k, 90s au) Louis Tomlinson is days away from marrying a perfectly nice podiatrist when he gets a phone call that changes everything. Or, theOnly YouAU in which Louis has a soulmate and it's definitelynotHarry Styles.

💕 i got a heart (but i don't got a soul)bytempolarriefics / @tempolarriefix

(NR, 19k, famous/not famous) the one where louis sells his soul before meeting his soulmate, harry is a popstar with a heart of gold, niall is inadvertently responsible for harry's boners, liam is a meddling angel, and zayn is a demon who made a mistake

💕 The Journalby4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou ,RecycledStardust

(G, 13k, magic) When Harry finds himself purchasing an antique journal in the ancient bookshop of a town he's never heard of, he doesn't exactly want to admit that he has no idea how he got there.

💕 Swimming Against the Tideby @neondiamond

(G, 9k, enemies to lovers) Louis and Harry are rival competitive swimmers who kinda hate each other. Turns out they’re also soulmates.

💕 You Can See It with the Lights Outby @larryatendoftheday

(M, 8k, canon) In a universe where you know as soon as you meet your soulmate, Harry's been shaking hands his whole career, waiting for the one.

💕 Crimson Cloverbybabyhoneyhslt / @babyhoneyheslt

(T, 5k, historical) Harry and Louis are soulmates, but one is already promised to another. When their plan to flee is discovered and they are separated, Harry falls gravely ill.

💕 Oh, what a world, and then there is youbyLaDiDah

(T, 5k, historical) Harry and Louis have met many times before, in many different universes. Soulmates always find each other.

💕 Can't Imagine You Without The Same Smile In Your Eyesbygalactic_larry / @galacticlarry

(T, 4k, uni) It’s been over a week since Harry’s first semester at university began, and he has had zero new exciting friendships or noteworthy experiences, just a bizarre dream that keeps waking him up in the middle of the night.

💕 Louis and the no good, very bad dayby @haztobegood

(E, 4k, soulmate goose) Louis collapses back into the bed with a groan. Just when he thought his day couldn’t get any worse, there’s a fucking goose stuck on his balcony.

💕 Fallingby @reminiscingintherain

(T, 4k, soulmarks) Based off the prompt: you’re my soulmate and I know we’d have a happy ever after but you’re my best friends ex and if I dated you they’d never speak to me again and I don’t know what to do

💕 That’s the way love goesbybella28

(T, 4k, soulmate goose) In a world, where soulmate geese are sent to the people who can't figure out who their soulmate is, Harry finds himself stuck with a goose when he is attending a concert of his favourite artist Louis Tomlinson.

💕 Bitter Soulmates Series bytheweightofmywords / @lil0

(T, 4k, angst) They had never met, but he didn’t think there was anyone in the world he missed more.

💕 So Paris When We Kissbycherrylarry / @beelou

(G, 4k, exes) There’s a travel website open that he certainly did not open himself. Niall has been trying to get him to Paris ever since he got his mark. There’s not any particular reason why he hasn’t gone, it just never felt like the right time.

💕 What’s in a Nameby @hellolovers13

(T, 2k, friends to lovers) Louis had always known Harry was his soulmate. The name on his arm disagreed.

💕 emotions won’t growbylocalopa / @voulezloux

(G, 1k, angst with a happy ending) so, you’re the unfortunate soul stuck with me

- Rare Pairs -

💕 neither wanting more, neither asking why (series) by @justanothershadeofblue

(E, 40k, ot5) For Louis Tomlinson, there's nothing that compares with getting his soulmark and meeting his soulmate. Nothing that he could imagine that ever could.

💕 I Saw Several Angels in the Self Help SectionbyLadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(G, 3k, ot5) Zayn and Louis are soulmates. They're also missing some soulmates. For extra flavour, it's Christmas.

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Camisa 10 - Mark Lee

Oii gente, sumi porque estava com zero criatividade, mas tive esse surto ontem...então aqui está kkk, aceito ideias e sugestões.

!: friends to lovers, angst bem fraquinho, br!au, acho que �� só...

O cheiro docinho de pods de diversos sabores se misturava com o cheiro forte do tabaco vindo dos cigarros de palha. Um mar de pessoas de diferentes estilos, cursos e idades se misturavam em conversas quase gritadas pelo som alto do pagode. Era sexta a noite e as únicas almas no campus eram os estudantes desesperados por pontos extras naquela matéria impossível ou os infelizes que tinham aulas com professores amargurados o suficiente para aplicar uma prova em plena sexta-feira.

Para sua sorte nenhum dos casos era o seu, andava entre as pessoas com agilidade em busca de seu grupo de amigos no barzinho da faculdade, o bar não era da faculdade em si, mas de um empreendedor esperto o suficiente de abrir uma portinha com bebida barata na frente de uma universidade, virando o ponto oficial da vida social universitária.

Hoje era noite de pagode, um dos seus gêneros musicais favoritos, começou a se arrumar horas antes, o cabelo perfeitamente alinhado, a maquiagem meticulosamente aplicada, uma sainha e top preto que a faziam sentir uma verdadeira gostosa, combinado com seus acessórios grandes e dourados.

Sorriu ao encontrar sua turma, abraçando cada um e roubando um gole de xeque-mate de sua melhor amiga. A conversa fluia animada e logo mais foi inserida no tópico, porém o momento não durou muito, sentiu mãos masculinas circularem sua cintura e o cheiro inconfundível do perfume dele.

-Gatinha..

Mark chamou naquele tom que te deixava molinha e teve que morder o lábio inferior para conter o sorriso enquanto se virava para o rapaz, vestia uma blusa preta mais apertada que mostrava os resultados da academia e aquela bendita correntinha dourada que tirava sua paz. O que tinham era…complicado, ficavam em festinhas, passavam horas no celular conversando, andavam juntinhos nos corredores da universidade, mas ele nunca havia te chamado para sair, não falava de relacionamento sério, era confuso para você.

Havia sido criada como princesinha em casa, ensinada sobre o amor perfeito, sonhava em encontros clichês e em ganhar buquês de flores. Se fosse qualquer outro já teria o bloqueado há tempos, mas com Mark…ah, com ele era diferente, se sentia idiota como largava mão de qualquer exigência por ele, qualquer critério por aquele maldito sorriso.

-Não me disse que vinha.

Ele sorriu, te fitando de cima a baixo com pura devoção, precisava se manter firme, não queria dar o braço a torcer, havia praticado vezes demais consigo em frente ao espelho para ser firme com Mark, queria algo sério.

-Eu deveria?

Questionou, erguendo a sobrancelha e recebeu um sorriso ladino do rapaz.

-Qual é, princesa? Cê mal falou comigo esses dias...tô com saudades - ele disse manhoso, te levando com tanta delicadeza pra um cantinho contra a parede chapiscada que mal percebeu quando suas pernas começaram a se mover pra longe das amigas. - O que aconteceu, hm?

Suspirou, cruzando os braços, colocou sua melhor cara de marra, se preparando para falar, não podia dar pra trás agora.

-Não quero isso, Mark.. - falou baixinho, fazendo o moreno se aproximar pra te ouvir melhor. - ficar assim, por ficar, só porque tô lá convenientemente…não sou mulher disso, quero algo sério.

Mark te olhou surpreso, limpando a lágrima que nem percebeu ter caído.

-Pô princesa, claro que não…não tô contigo por conveniência, gosto demais de você - disse sério, seu olhos a fitavam com tamanha intensidade que as pessoas ao redor pareciam sumir - me desculpa, eu sei que eu devia ter falado contigo melhor, essas paradas de sentimentos…eu não sou bom em conversar sobre, sabe? Mas ‘cê é a mulher da minha vida.

Disse sincero, te arrancando um sorriso bobo, se sentia feliz e tola ao mesmo tempo, por ter guardado aquilo por tanto tempo e não ter dito logo o que sentia.

-Jura? - perguntou baixinho, recebendo um selinho de confirmação, te fazendo rir- me chama pra sair então.

Foi a vez de Mark rir, esboçando um sorriso largo, ele iria dizer algo, mas foi interrompido pela voz de diversos estudantes bebados cantando Turma do Pagode nas alturas, copos e mãos para o ar enquanto professavam cada palavra com sentimento. Ele não pensou muito antes de te puxar pra perto, amavam dançar, assim coladinhos, do jeito de vocês, meio sem ritmo.

-Eu não me separo de você mulher, nem se a globeleza um dia me quiser… - cantava ao pé do seu ouvido, te fazendo sorrir boba, as mãos envoltas em sua cintura, te puxando pra pertinho, te guiando enquanto moviam os corpos em perfeita sintonia, fazendo seu coração bater mais forte. - te pego amanhã às 20 hrs.

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Multi Riddlers x a Artist s/o. Bonus if they meet during a heist.

a/n: this is giving deja vu to riddler's story in joker's asylum more or less his tendency for art galleries in general lmao sorry i skipped some riddle boys I just felt it was getting a tiny bit repetitive...and i just realized I sorta missed the "meet the heist" bit sorry anon lol hope this still works regardless!

The Riddlers with an Artist!Reader

Arkhamverse Riddler:

- Aahh yes an extra pair of hands to help with his enigmatic propaganda!

- He will not hear any of your criticisms either…if you even dare try to give him any.

- Which by the way…probably don't do that…

- And don't you dare suggest another color! Do you have any idea how long it took him to solidify green as his color?!

- He does appreciate your creativity, but mind you, he never shows it–

- Edward is definitely likely to see a design or figure you draw and try to replicate and it “make it better” or “make it his own”

- Sure, some of the work gets repetitive, but at least Ed keeps you well supplied in art supplies.

Reevesverse/Dano Riddler:

- Ed wishes he can see the world the way you do…

- To be able to express his thoughts, emotions, ambitions like you do…

- He's enamored by how you put so much into every sketch and stroke on a canvas.

- Ed feels special whenever you allow him to look at your sketchbook or if you show him a work in progress.

- When the city turns down your series of art or your desire to paint a mural…

- It just continues to fuel Ed's ire.

- This city doesn't appreciate the likes of you or him, but they all will one day.

Gotham Riddler:

- Eddie thinks your craft is super neat.

- Eddie was always intrigued to see if you had anything new sketched out in your sketchbook.

- Has definitely tried to sneak a peek or two without you looking.

- If you're ever in an art block, Eddie has plenty of visual ideas in his head.

- And yes, there will always most definitely be some question mark hidden in the drawing he suggests.

- Cause that's what makes art fun! You could draw anything in plain sight that some may not notice!

- Definitely never a dull moment with Eddie supporting your art.

BTAS Riddler:

- Edward has always been appreciative of the arts…

- After all, some games are only as good as their design and overall visual appeal.

- When he discovers you're an artist he's instantly fascinated and wants to see your work!

- I also imagine this Eddie being artistic as well…

- So he will show you his work if you show him yours.

- Likely to be the first one there if you ever open up a gallery

- And extremely supportive of all your projects and artistic endeavors.

Zero Year/Capullo Riddler:

- Oh whoop de doo

- You can draw, paint, photograph, or whatever…

- Ed is the most indifferent to you being an artist.

- Likely to see you as lesser than–

- But it's all for show…and because he's a huge asshole.

- He does think it's kind of neat…

- He also absolutely knows of ways he can take advantage of your talents.

Young Justice Riddler:

- You're genuinely one of the coolest people he's ever known.

- Eddie is always curious to see what you're drawing when you're sketching away at something.

- Literally can't imagine a higher honor than to participate in your artistic creations or see them.

- Definitely wonders if you have ever drawn him

- (may or may not fantasize about you drawing him with little hearts around it)

- (omg he may actually faint if he ever saw that aaahhh)

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I've been very critical of Obama and his legacy since the election this year, in large part because I think he completely failed at the job of being the de facto head of a political party (despite not being a parliamentary system, the president in the US does play that role).

When he was elected in 2008 he inherited a massive House majority and a Senate supermajority. During his presidency his party was absolutely annihilated in two separate midterm elections. At the state level in particular the Democratic Party was in tatters; I can remember there being a lot of talk in the mid-late 2010s about how Democrats basically had no "bench" of presidential contenders because they've been so thoroughly decimated in gubernatorial races and other downballot elections in the first part of the decade.

And all this was just years after Republicans had been apparently swept out of power for a generation after the disasters of Iraq and the financial crisis had discredited them so badly!

The losses in the 2010 midterms in particular are something Democrats have arguably never recovered from, both from a redistricting pov and also because that election marks a point of no return for their standing in rural America in particular. When the new Congress took office in 2009, Democrats had senators from Alaska (1), Arkansas (2), Florida (1), Indiana (1), Iowa (1), Louisiana (1), Missouri (1), Montana (2), Nebraska (1), South Dakota (1), and West Virginia (2). That's 14 senators from what are now red states. Six years later when the new Congress took office in 2015 for the last two years of Obama's second term, only 5 of those 14 were still in office, and with Tester losing in Montana this year and Manchin retiring, there are now zero Democratic senators left from any of those states.

(For all that senators like Manchin rightfully get a lot of grief, it's mathematically impossible for Democrats win a workable Senate majority without red-state senators, at least based on what states are currently considered "red.")

Maybe that trend was inevitable with the increasing nationalization of congressional races, but it's still hard for me not to be critical of Obama given the wave of support he came into office with and the weakness of the Republican Party at the time, and the way he (imo) completely squandered that in ways that are still being felt.

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News from Birmingham, 2: 'we're out of battery soon'

ACHTUNG, BABY: these pics do NOT belong to me. Please do NOT steal them, Mordorians, as you usually do. I don't want to see them chez Marple, BIF or Purv, I do not want them on X and I certainly do NOT want them on Brazilian Instagram accounts who also charge people, or ANY OTHER Instagram account, for that matter. I will come for you with feather and brimstone if you do. Fuck ye and yer clan if you show no respect - this is a legit casus belli situation.

Heroically reporting from the Q&A panel, our girls are running out of battery juice in their phones, because -as loyal C mainly - they took a bajillion pics. I am selecting them as I write.

First thing, C specifically asked the minder (whom many people I have talked to, today, described as a 'nasty pox of a man'/'un asco de hombre') to let the fans sit next to her and ask their questions as they feel, no tedious standing in line needed. C, always the politician of Those Two, LOL:

Before anything else, I was entrusted with a FULL audio recording of the Birmingham panel. As per copyright regulations and attendance contract I am NOT allowed to post it and I do not want to harm my two wonderful friends in ANY way, shape or form. That being said, I will take my time, tonight (and lots of Nescafe Brasero Strong) to listen to it and give you all the juicy parts, in transcription. Short transcribed bits, we can do. Thank you for your understanding,

And boy, do we have juicy parts, babes. For now, I will just share the best pics and the on the spot reactions.

First question was 'how do you feel as a real mom?' Her solution was to simply say ' Sophie, where are you?' I will check with the audio and repost, but it simply goes to say: a) she won't address anything Blonde Bambino related and b) she/they are still very close to Skeleton, whom they seem to have adopted. Sort of. Sophie knows many secrets. Trust.

✔️Will she stay/remain in Scotland after OL is over? 'Well, my husband is Scottish and so are his parents'. Lip service to the narrative all the way.

✔️A fan asked something she did not understand/catch well, while Steve the 'Asco de Hombre' minder was fumbling around with the mic, so she informally went 'whaat?' So Steve dutifully barked, in a LOUD voice 'IT'S ABOUT TONY, YOUR REAL HUSBAND' (🙄 - I would fire that dick on the spot, he simply makes her look controlled and a fool). I was also told to listen carefully to the audio, for context and I shall give you my honest sentiment, as always. Note to self: to be found around the 25' mark.

✔️Turns out the fan asked if she and Tracula share the same musical tastes. She answers du tac au tac/on the spot, 'who, me and Sam?' (CAITRIONA!). And this is when Steve 'Nasty Pox of a Man' interjected, 'NO, TONY, YOUR REAL HUSBAND'. Like father, like daughter: remember that Tydavnet interview for the public Irish radio, when she was promoting Belfast? Well, there we go ('And Tony!/ 'And Tony' - zero enthusiasm, Mr. Balfe, bless your big 💖in Heaven).

I will come back with more. Our friends' batteries died, but they still managed to share with me the entire audio panel.

And I swear to God - if I ever see one of your sock accounts (@homechef, anyone?) come to steal from here and then tell the world it was the Team or who the hell else who found it while you were having your tonsils polished/an umpteeenth root canal mended/dinner with Brad Pitt's Sunset Boulevard lookalike/whatever, you shall be reported.

And yes, I have more pics. In fact, I have about 35 of them, in all and for all.

I LOVE MY FRIENDS AND THEY LOVE ME. TAKE THAT, HATERS.

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— This is basically all the info about Electricpuke that I have collected over time

– CW: EP himself is a warning, allegations of abuse, manipulation, faking a disorder, among other things, mention of gore, incest, weird fetishes, etc (more cw in the future. In case something from this cw is not mentioned now it is because I have not edited it yet).

Basic info

Riel, also known as ElectricPuke/EP, is a former artist, creator, and game developer who participated in the creation of BtD along with Darqx and Gatobob. He created the route for Sano for BtD and the routes for Cain and Vincent in BtD2. Not much is known about his private life, only that he lived in an apartment in California before moving to Texas (This was taken from a Russian page of dubious origin).

Aliases

Afterdark, arioddsandends, askparasitegods, cyanidesin, doctor-dollmaker, electricpuke, fuckbyknifepoint, nagakira, nurseharlot, rocklandgames, runawayoutlaw, scarletaegis, scarletmarionette, trentboyett

Characters

Abel, Adam, Adam Whesker, Akihiko Kojima, Akira Kojima, Alchemy Willow, Alice (EP), Alice Carroll, Amaterasu, Ami, Amy, Ana (Rockland), Ana (Viral), Annabelle Winter, Arcadian, Aria King, Ashley Kinley, Ashton Kinley, Athena Dianoia, Audrey, August Dixie, Avery Greyson, Axel.

Baal.

Cain Zeitgeist, Callum Willow, Cassiel, Charlie Willow, Chase Knox, Chase Valentine, Christopher “Chris” King, Circe.

Damien Morningstar, Dante Stryker, Dominick Torrero, Dylan.

Edison Tekker, Elise, Elizabeth Bathory, Enoch, Eve.

Faereighn, Farz Murphy (EP), Foal, Freya.

Gabriel, Gabriel Lily, Grace Quinn.

Hades, Hammerclaw, Hana, Heidi, Horus, Hunter.

Itsuki Mori.

Jack Buchanan, Jason Buchanan, Jason Carmine (Rook), Jiyun, John.

Kali, Karasu, Kaz Tyagi, Kenny, Kiku Kojima, Kiyoshi, Kurt.

Lachesis Chronis, Lady Yuzu, Leo Taylor, Lilith, Lily Taylor, Lincoln, Logan, Loki Marshall, Lucifer Morningstar.

Macey, Marco Jennings, Marcus De La Cruz, Max, Melanie, Meredith, Mia, Michael Fitzroy, Michael Volkov, Mio, Molly, Morgan, Morgan Le Fey, Munchie.

Naoki “Nathan” Donovan, Nicolas Flamel.

Olivia, Oswalt Morrison.

Peyton.

Quinton 'Quill' Willow.

Rai, Raizer, Raja, Ramiel, Raphael, Raphael Sivori, Reiko Nakamura, Ribbon, Richter (hotelPSYCHO), Rory Stryker, Rose Martinez, Rosey, Roy McNamara, Ruby Red Graves.

Sally, Samael Volkov, Sanae, Sano Kojima, Sejun, Seong-Mi Yeon (Emily), Sergio Marino, Sergio Morrison, Shane, Shiro Suzuki, Sparrow, Sun-Mi Yeon (Scarlet), Sydney Dixie.

Teagan Buchanan, The Engineer, Thor, Tobias Reeves, Trace, Trevor McLoughlin, Tsubaki, Tyler.

Uriel Metzger.

Valak, Vencil Cartier, Veni (EP), Verak, Vincent Castillo (EP), (The real) Vincent Metzger, Vincent Metzger, Vincent Metzger (Lesser Angel), Vlad.

Xander Rosario.

Zero (Dollmaker), Zero (Empire), Zeus.

Projects + their plot

— I don't remember the plot of all of them and some barely have any info. If you have any information about any of them, don't hesitate to tell me.

Arcane.

Boyfriend to Death: horrorporn visual novel where you (the protagonist) have to survive the characters.

Boyfriend to Death 2: Fresh Blood: x2

CodeZero

Crazy AU.

Dark Circus AU.

Devil's Night Carnival.

Dollmaker: Remake of Sano's route

Empire.

Foxtail.

Huntress: basically how Akira became Vincent (A/N: This is so random cuz wdym he turned into a werewolf just by swallowing his eye with vomit? 💀)

Inferno.

Mark of Belial.

Nightclub.

Of Gods And Monsters.

Rockland.

MOB

Most Wanted.

The Hand of God.

The Misfits

Route 66: how Vincent met Farz

The Artist.

The Carnival Game.

The Commander. The Doctor.

The Hunt.

The Puppetmaster.

The Serial Killer.

Till Death Do Us Part: Visual novel where you are married to some weirdo (except Chris... I guess)

Viral.

Welcome Home: Farmhouse

Welcome Home: Mansion

YanAki

Zeitgeist: Remake of Cain's route

(some) Allegations

— Some are confirmed and others are not, it's up to you to believe or not.

Abusive and manipulative behavior.

Pretending to have DID.

Art tracing without credit.

Incest and piss fetish (both on and off the internet).

Grooming.

Draw CP

Gatobob/EP Drama

— Info taken from 'ElectricPuke (+18)' on VK.

It started around 2018, when their personal relationship deteriorated drastically. According to Gatobob herself, she and Riel had a relationship: they were both married, but at the same time they were swingers. Over time, Riel began to act against Gatobob, both psychologically and sexually, which left a significant mark on Gatobob's psyche. EP used Gato to obtain various benefits, from raffles and communication, to financial aid, gifts and money transfers for fake needs such as fake disorder. Despite the nature of the relationship, Gato continued to maintain a relationship with Riel, hoping that he would change. At the same time, her marriage with Alan, who was EP's friend, was also difficult: Alan was abusive, kept Gato's earnings and was involved in manipulations against her (not to mention that he and EP spoke ill of her behind her back). Finally, after everything that happened, Gato decides to end her marriage and end all relationships with EP. This period was accompanied by an emotional crisis, which ended with an overdose. Recovery took a long time, including therapy and long-term treatment.

(mini) Gallery

Want more? Click here

— I'll add more in the future, right now I'm too lazy lol.

‐ Special thanks to my mom for giving me info on certain parts (I still hate her but whatever), I always knew that having parents who are visual novels enthusiasts would be useful to me at some point. 🚶

Last update: 01/05/25

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De-polute me - Astarion x reader

Note: Astarion means a lot to me as a character and this is kinda based off of my own trauma because I see a lot of myself in him. I also haven't written in a minute so pardon any weird phrasing.

The reader is as vaguely described as I could manage so any and all can enjoy

cw: Trauma, vomit, panic attack.

--------------------------

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Astarion knew he had to snap out of it. To come back to the present where he lay with his lover. But he couldn’t.

It was like watching the world through water. Everything was the same but somehow not. Like there was a distance and the other side held a place where he couldn’t survive right now. Where the air would leave his lungs with no way of replenishing itself. That he would choke on what he was faced with.

He watched how you slept, chest slowly rising and falling in the dim light of the fire. Still in a state of undress.

His eyes lingered on the bite on your neck. Two little puncture marks that had been reopened by his fangs so often they’d started to scar.

It made his stomach twist and turn, bile rising up his throat as he zeroed in on these tiny wounds.

He felt filthy for having left them there, even though you’d assured him time and again that it was alright. Sometimes you even enjoyed it.

But he couldn’t think of anything but how much of a parasite he was.

Leeching off of your goodwill and kindness, repaying you with his body because it was the only way he knew how. To lie on his back, purr some pretty phrases and slot into that old, familiar role of seductive pretty boy.

He had to give something back. He had to. Otherwise you’d likely come to demand payment regardless. Everyone always did. No kindness was just done for the sake of being kind.

His stomach turned again as guilt set in, draping over his shoulders like a heavy blanket. He knew he shouldn’t think these things of you but he couldn’t help it.

Quietly, he rose from his spot next to you. A place he didn’t feel should belong to him. Hells, he had seen the way Gale looked at you when he thought no one else paid attention. He could give the gentle kind of love Astarion felt incapable of.

He could grant you warmth Astarion didn’t possess. He could cook for you, share a meal, not have to leech off your body to keep himself alive.

Astarion walked a distance further into the treeline and all at once, his body lurched and his last meal found itself on the forest floor. He gagged and retched, tears flowing down his cheeks from discomfort and humiliation.

His pride felt wounded as he emptied his stomach, spitting after to try and clear the sour, copper taste from his mouth. He still stood bent over, vision blurred with tears as he fought a sob.

Suddenly he felt like a child again, desperately longing for his mother, who’s face he’d all but forgotten. He let himself cry, granting himself the luxury of it. His shoulders shook, his fangs sinking into his bottom lip as all the negative thoughts filled his head like a storm.

Then suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, a soft voice taking him out of his head. He jerked up as if burned. He whirled around, furious he’d been caught unaware, without his knife. What if it was-

But whatever imagined horror he conjured up was nothing compared to the horror that the person who crept up on him was you.

His heart hammered against his ribs and he could hear his blood rush in his ears, vision going blurry at the edges. His breaths came stunted and he was only vaguely aware that you were speaking. But still, he felt like he was watching things through water, only this time he was drowning.

Like an animal fueled by instinct, he stepped back. He didn’t want you to touch him. For him to taint you further. He was trying to find words to say but the panic was too great.

For a moment, he thought he was about to die. That somehow, inexplicably, this would be the end of him. To die in a forest, in his own sick because he was caught in a moment of weakness .

A perfectly humiliating end to the life of a parasite of no consequence. A man who’d been so corrupt it nearly cost him his life only to be reduced to nothing but a pretty face and a willing cock. All to lead people into their untimely death, like the monster he was. A pretty face with a rotten core.

He didn’t realize he was saying these things aloud, nor that he was crying until your hand gingerly wiped his tears away. He flinched and he saw the heartbreak on your face, another twist of the dagger that had lodged itself into his chest.

“Breathe.”

The one word cut through the fog in his head and somehow he willed himself to obey your gently spoken command. The first breath in was stunted, like a small child after a crying fit. But breathing was easy enough to do, a simple thing to focus on for just a moment as he found the hurt, humiliation and pain he felt.

In, out. In. Hold. Out.

In. Hold. Out.

In. Out

He calmed down slowly, his vision sharpening, his heart slowing down.

And there you stood, eyes trained on him with a look of concern in your eyes.

His first instinct was anger. He already had a cutting remark on his tongue but he swallowed it.

You were worried about him. You were just trying to help.

“Are you okay?”

Astarion found himself bristling again at the comment, righting his back and pointing his chin, as if he had any pride left to hold onto. As if you didn’t just see him in the middle of a panic attack because god forbid you saw him as weak.

“I’m fine.” He lied, hating how unsteady his voice sounded.

You looked at him in a way that let on you were the farthest thing from fooled and he didn’t want to give up the game. To tear himself open, cry into your arms like a small part of him wanted to.

Eventually, you nodded.

“Can I touch you?’

The simple question knocked the wind out of him. A simple ask of consent disarmed him fully and he wanted to loathe himself for it again but couldn’t. He was so tired.

“Please.” Came his reply. Soft and pained as he finally stopped fighting himself.

You had barely embraced him when a new torrent of tears came. He buried his face in the junction of where your neck met your shoulder. A place he was intimately familiar with, but right now it wasn’t about sating his hunger. He felt your hand gently stroke his back as you comforted him.

Years of habit made him wonder when you’d use this against him but he did his best to ignore the thought. Instead focusing on the here and now. On the smell of your skin, how soft and warm you felt against him, of the sound of your voice as you told him he was alright. That you were there.

And for a moment, Astarion allowed himself to feel it.

To feel safe.

He felt the urge to be sick again.

Despite himself, he breathed deep like he had earlier, his crying slowing to a soft sniveling. He untangled himself from your embrace, your eyes still on him. He couldn’t bare to meet your gaze, clearing his throat as he studied the forest floor beneath your feet.

“Is there anything you need?” You asked and the question seemed a little absurd to him. He quietly shook his head.

“If it’s all the same to you, darling, I would like to go back to bed. And not speak of this again.”

His tone was a little harsh but you seemed to not take offense. You merely gave him the ghost of a smile.

“Come. I have a waterskin so you can rinse your mouth.” you said, half turning to the campsite.

Astarion nodded. He wanted to say thank you but the words rested heavy on his tongue only for them to die there.

In silence, the pair made their way back to the fire. With that frustratingly soft look on your face, you handed him your waterskin.

Astarion rinsed his mouth, relieved to no longer taste blood for a moment. He handed it back to you before quietly settling in so you could sleep and he could close his eyes for a moment.

Then tomorrow you could both pack up your things and move on to the next place. Kill what needed killing and pretend to be heroes.

“Would it be alright if I held you?”

Astarion looked up, surprised because despite himself, he was already getting back into his own head. He deflected it, as he usually did.

“Cannot get enough of me, darling?” The words, even if they were meant in jest, rang a little hollow. You gave him a look and he simply nodded, almost reluctantly settling in your arms.

He focused on the sound of your heartbeat, the rhythm of it lulling him into something close to comfort. He heard your breaths slow, sleep dragging you back into the land of dreams.

Astarion’s own eyes grew heavy as he settled against you, And for a moment, despite the fact the gods had never listened, he found himself thanking them for making someone like you.

Because even if he still had a long road to go, you made him feel a little less like a monster, and a little more like Astarion Ancunin.

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Today marks the 3rd anniversary of my fic The Infinity Cube. I can still remember posting the first chapter, hoping at least one person out there liked it, and I can still remember how it felt to reach the end, a feat that wouldn't have been possible without the support of so many kind souls 💗 I wanted to make something for the occasion and having seen so many amazing web weavings out there, I thought I'd give it my best shot 😊

THE INFINITY CUBE: a journey home

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis // I Choose You by Adam Melchor // When Did It Happen? by Mary Oliver // First Love by Jennifer Franklin // The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde // The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons // The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman // 10 a.m Is When You Come To Me by Louise Bourgeois // Maybe In Another Universe, I Deserve You by Gaby Dunn // Maybe When the Time is Right You Will Find Me Again - K. Tolnoe // We Were Missing the Present by Mahmoud Darwish // Persona (1966) // Matched by Ally Condie // In the Pines by Alice Notley // It Wasn't Love // La Pointe Courte (1955) // "My better half" by Pablo J. Davis // The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller // Bioshock Infinite // Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar // Oh It Was Meant to Be - Kate McGahan // Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell // If My Body Could Speak by Blythe Baird // Fourth of July by Sufjan Stevens // Unending Love by Rabindranath Tagore // The Blinding Star by Blanca Varela // Wild Spirit, Soft Heart by Butterflies Rising // Finding You by Kesha // Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths // Web weaving about the untold story in you // "Feel like making a deal with the devil?" // A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara // Reborn: Journals ad Notebooks by Susan Sontag // I love you like a rotten dog // Sax Rohmer #1 by The Mountain Goats // The Bubble (2022) // Rabbit Hole (2010) // Beginning with O by Olga Broumas // How many times can the same thing break your heart? // War of the Foxes by Richard Siken // On Death in Heartbreak // Lonely Day by System of A Down // This Road (The Mirror is a Trap) by Poe // Memory for Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish // "Do you think we're soulmates in another universe?" // Radio Silence by Alice Oseman // "In one timeline we kiss" - Elizabeth Hewer // Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed // Almond Blossoms and Beyond by Mahmoud Darwish // X // The Collected Poems of Alvaro de Campos by Fernando Pessoa // Excerpt from Moony Moonless Sky's 'I am an observer, but not by choice' // @/lookoflove // Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg // "Do you know what it's like to live somewhere that loves you back?" - Danez Smith // Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros // The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White // Home // You and Me

All Pedro Photos - Pinterest // Reader in my story is physically a blank slate, I just really like the photo of Javi + Gabriela touching foreheads

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CIY- 7

Chapter Seven

📍pairing: detective ateez ot8 x detective afab reader

📍word count: 3.2k

📍network: @pirateeznet

📍Warnings: descriptions of disturbing criminal activity: mentions of death and prostitution, drugs, and fight rings. Mentions of human trafficking. Slight description of a de@d minor.

📍Beta readers (and sole motivation): @flurrys-creativity , @candypop1611 and @daesukiii

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“You mother fucker.” Striding into the office with a permanent scowl on your features you pointed right at Yunho. “You knew didn't you?!”

Yunho looked up from his coffee, stirring in some of the cheap creamer they had at the corner coffee station. “I know a lot of things, have to be a bit more specific, doll.” He drawled out with a teasing smirk as you stomped over to him.

“You fucking knew didn't you? That HE'S my neighbor?!!” You pointed at Mingi's empty desk, even more pissed off he wasn't here yet for you to yell at as well.

Yunho's smirk turned into a full blown grin. “Oh… that.”

“Why is there yelling first thing today?” Seonghwa emerged from his office, frowning.

“Did you know?!” You swiveled on Seonghwa, arms spread wide and brows raised high.

Seonghwa tilted his head in confusion, looking to Yunho for clarification but he was laughing too hard to answer. “Look- I need an explanation.”

It was your luck Mingi walked in down the hall, probably from a back door, in a seemingly good mood. He paused when he saw you, expression shifting. “Oh look, my new neighbor.”

You groaned, rolling your eyes and head, pointing at him. “I could have lived the rest of my life not knowing the sounds you make during sex. And did you HAVE to pound into my wall all night?”

Yunho's laughter increased in volume behind you, his coffee set down as he held his stomach. Even Seonghwa chuckled.

Mingi just shrugged, making his way to his desk with visible marks on his neck. “I wouldn't mind if you got off to them buttercup, since you'll have to get used to them.”

“Oh my God are you serious?!” Even more frustrated you pinched the bridge of your nose.

“Sounds like you're stressed- have you tried sex? I hear it's great.” Mingi chuckled as he sat at his desk, patting his lap.

“Go fuck yourself.” You flicked him off, glare trained on him but you noticed Hongjoong and a sleepy San entering from the same direction that Mingi had come from.

“Why do that when there are plenty of women who want to do it for me?” Mingi shrugged, receiving a high five from a still cackling Yunho as he sat down with his coffee.

“Fucking manwhore.”

“And not even a man whore would sleep with you.”

“What did we miss?” Hongjoong chimed in, adjusting the suit he wore while San was in jeans and a black form fitting long sleeve. Seonghwa leaned in and filled in Hongjoong.

“I mean I offered- but apparently I wasn't good enough.” Yunho huffed out, catching his breath.

You zeroed in on San, huffing in frustration. “He's probably the only one here I'd take up on that offer.”

San lifted his brow, the wound from the other day no longer covered up. “Is that an invitation?”

“Ew, I don't want to hear that shit.” Mingi gagged out, being dramatic about it.

“Too fucking bad.” You sneered out at him, hands on your hips. “It is an invitation.”

Before San or Mingi could say anything else, Hongjoong cleared his throat. “While I am enjoying the banter, we’re burning daylight. Mingi, Yunho, you two come chat with me for a moment, I have a new assignment for you probably. San, get them caught up so that you can get back to your assignment.”

“I can help him with that.” Seonghwa offered, stepping past you to the board you now realized was rearranged. “We set this up for you.”

You were almost touched- almost. Their kindness always came with a secret motive, even if you don't know what that is yet. Still, you offered your thanks. “The Green Vipers right?”

“Mmhmm.” San stepped up to your right, looking over the board just as you did. “Ah- we have to fix something.” He rushed off, leaving just you and the Vice-Captain as the others had slunk away.

He stood to your left, his presence almost domineering. But as the seconds passed you realized that was more so you being on edge. Very little he's done has left a good impression on you, but the quiet between you wasn't that bad. That might have to do with the entirety of your focus being on the board.

You recognized some of the names, but there were some new ones. One stood out to you the most, and you tried to place it. He wasn't one of the big 4, but right under. “Who is that?”

Seonghwa had been watching you, immediately glancing at the picture you pointed to. “Hwon Taejin, he's sort of a freelancer. While he has ties to the Green Vipers, he sort of runs his own organization of runners he sells out to whichever gang pays him the most. Currently it's the Green Vipers.”

“Huh… I think I've interviewed him before.” You mind flitted through your previous cases. “Actually… his name came up a few times.”

“Not surprising, since his runners are usually minors. They get less time for bigger crimes, or uniforms just overlook them or give them warnings. Your unit dealt with those crimes huh?”

You nodded slowly, pieces being put together. “When I interviewed him… it was because of his nephew who he has sole custody of. He got found with too much illegal goods to just be ignored. I think the kid only got a few months in Juvie and was supposed to be seen by child protective services. He was thirteen…” that was a year ago and you remember the hell you caused Chan after that case. All because you had a very bad vibe about this Hwon Taejin.

Your jaw tightened just thinking about it. “This scumbag- I didn't realize he had ties to the mafia but it makes sense.”

San returned then, a file in hand. “Forgot to grab this from Yeosang. A new case connected to this.”

“Was it the murder?” Seonghwa asked, moving around you to take the file from San as the latter went to the board and pinned up a few pictures.

Your mouth fell open, taking a step forward and ripping it off the board. “He was murdered?”

San frowned down at you, then looked over to Seonghwa. “Does she know the kid?”

“Seems so. She was just telling me-”

“He was just a kid. Was it his uncle?” You looked up at San, interrupting Seonghwa.

He shook his head. “It's probably the Green Vipers doing. They… have a certain way of dealing with members who want to leave. It doesn't always result in death but that's more likely for the adults who can take a beating.”

“I thought you said Hwon didn't belong to the Green Vipers?” You turned to Seonghwa, hands trembling as you clutched the picture tight.

Something in your expression caused him to soften, taking a step forward and gently taking the picture out of your iron grip. “It's possible Hwon sold the kid to the Vipers and the kid wanted out. We don't know for certain but we'll look into it.”

“He's just a kid… w-was just a kid.” Without the picture to hold onto, your arms wrapped themselves around your stomach.

San gently called your name, flanking your other side and reaching out as if to touch your back but made no physical contact. “We'll get them.”

“How?!” You snapped out, stepping away from them both. “The S.K unit was supposed to get minors safe and off the streets- get them on better paths. I arrested this kid, I charged him and sent him to Juvie and we did ALL we could by law to help him- and that clearly wasn't enough. What happens when it's another kid? When it gets worse than this?” You nodded to the picture Seonghwa put away.

The young boy wasn't even recognizable from how bloody and bruised he was. Head smashed in, clothes dirty and soaked in old blood and just left in an alley to rot. If it wasn't for the mug shot San had put on the board you wouldn't have been able to guess who it was.

“We do the best we can.”

“Oh don't give me that shit Vice! I heard enough of that from Chan. ‘If we don't follow the law we don't lead a good example’. Or my favorite being ‘we have to trust in the system’. Ha!” You scoffed, jutting your chin at the board. “These fuckers run circles around the system and laugh at it and it gets young kids killed. Fuck the system and I don't care if you write me up for it.” You snarled out.

Seonghwa and San shared a look, watching you huff and pout at the board with your nose scrunched in disgust. After a moment, Seonghwa asked “What would you do then? To stop them?”

Still frustrated, you answered honestly. “Make them destroy each other in a way that causes the least damage to the general public. Two organizations have smaller units just to control and clean up nuisances. I'd make a nuisance out of this fucker to the point that the others have no choice but to take care of him. Preferably in a very painful way.” You sneered out.

San chuckled, nodding. “That's a pretty good idea. How'd you make him a nuisance?”

You thought about it, letting your mind wander. “Plant evidence. I'd take it a step further and pin two groups against each other. From what I know the Green Vipers do mostly illegal fight clubs- that's their main source of income. But they're cocky… I'm sure it won't be hard to get them angry enough at a large group, maybe the Red Wolves? No, they'd just take the minors and lower members for their trafficking.”

“What about the White Guardian's?”

You looked up at Seonghwa at his suggestion, snapping your fingers and grinning. “Yes. They care about keeping a low profile. If the Green Vipers stir up enough shit, they would take action. San mentioned how a few of the smaller gangs had disappeared over the years because they were drawing too much police attention. The running theory is the Guardians took them out right?”

“Mhmm.” You don't know what it was about Seonghwa's expression, but it felt like a mother encouraging their child's inspiration. There was no judgment in his eyes, you had his undivided attention and it felt… accepting.

It urged you to keep going. “The Black Pirates are also good for control. If we could get them to tighten the Green Vipers trade and limit their funds… no, I don't think I know enough about them just yet.” You trailed off, pinching your chin between your thumb and forefinger in thought.

“What do you know about them?” San asked this time, done fixing the board but you refused to look at it; not with the picture on the board.

You shrugged, recalling your notes. “They seem more on regulating crime than doing crime. They monitor and control usage of the docks by other organizations. According to the Blue Goblins, they have to pay a hefty fee to do business in the south part of the city and in regulated areas. There was a small massacre between them two years ago when the Goblins broke that rule- their drugs were smeared on one of their hideouts with several members beaten to near death and clearly tortured. They were put away for a good amount of time. I don't know their methods but clearly the Pirates are feared enough not to be tested.”

“Good, you're correct.” Seonghwa's praise went straight to your head and you found yourself stepping close to him as he continued. “They launder money and tax heavily for both legal and illegal work in the area. However- they seem to also invest in the community as well.”

“I noticed that yesterday. Heavy gang areas normally have a hard time thriving. Actually… I noticed a pattern with the gangs in general.”

“Tell us about it.” San hummed out, stepping next to Seonghwa.

Whether they meant to or not, their gentle urging was validating you in a way you realized you needed after what happened with the S.K unit. Back then, you had to do things the proper way, the safe way, and think for the unit. You loved Chan, you loved them all, but the restrictions of the job had left you feeling less.

You relaxed, a smile spreading over your face as you continued your tangent with the slight prompts from them. “The old and new gangs, they're sort of mirrored. The White Guardians focus on control and secrecy, so do the Black Pirates. The Golden Circle prioritize providing pleasure and business, so do the Green Vipers even if they're more violent in their ways. Then there are the Blue Goblins and Red Wolves: both focus more on the illegal trade and business with no care for the consequences or how they treat their people. The parallels actually make it a bit more interesting….”

San chuckled, a twinkle in his eye when you looked up at him, perplexed by his reaction. “Sorry, I'm just impressed. You are quite the detective, discerning all that from the last week of your own research?”

Your face warmed up considerably, huffing in response. “I take my job as a detective very seriously, San.”

“Considering you're insisting on staying here despite the way things started, I believe that.” Seonghwa chimed in, then he did something unexpected: he reached out and rested his hand on top of your head, ruffling it softly. “Good job.”

Your whole body felt warm at the touch, nerves lit and eyes wide as you stared at him.

San whined next to you both, saving you from stuttering out a reply. “Hwa- your mothering is showing.”

Seonghwa's hand dropped at that, smiling sheepishly down at you. “Sorry if that bothered you.”

“No no- it's fine.” You brought your hand up to the.top of your head, looking away as you cleared your throat. “Anyways, back to the original topic- exactly what's the game plan against the Green Vipers? What pieces are in play?” You turned your back to them both, scrutinizing the board as if that would help you focus back on the task at hand.

San cleared his throat and moved back into your peripheral. “You should learn all the players on their side first- then I can explain what we're doing.”

“But all those pieces are right there and you went over it yesterday. Hwon Taejin is a new factor but he's not a current mark is he?”

“No-”

“Then what are our pieces?” You glanced over at San, finally having your bearings about you. You told yourself the praise and attention meant nothing, that you weren't a part of this unit and had no reason to accept it or expect it. You had plenty to prove and truthfully so did they.

San sighed. “Detective Wooyoung is currently acting as a freelancer just like Hwon, employing and renting out bodies and products. Currently we have a contract with the Green Vipers. Aka I'm a fighter in their rings and Wooyoung is my… well he handles the business.”

“I see. So he makes the connections and you're the product he sells to lock those connections in. That's why you were all bloodied up when I met you?”

He nodded, reaching up to touch the cut on his brow. “Yeah, but I won the fights.”

“I'd hate to see the other guys.” You let out a soft laugh, forcing the image of San fighting in a ring out of your head as well as ignoring the contrasting emotions that were brought out because of it.

“All fights are orchestrated by this guy right here-” He pointed to the middle of three pictures: they were the three directly under the head, in charge of different portions of the gang. “We're using him to get closer to the head, but he isn't our only mark. The guy on the right handles their product, Mingi has been handling that.”

“Their product?”

“Recreational drugs but they're usually sold through clubs that require a reputation to get into the back rooms. He's building that.”

You sneered at the reminder of Mingi. “What- as a womanizer?”

“Sort of… they're the ones who have to invite you in. He's also the one scoping out downtown for the clubs run by the Golden Circle and the prostitution rings from the Goblins.”

Your face scrunched with even more disgust. “He needs a condom attached to his dick at this point, that can't be safe.”

San chuckled, shaking his head. “There are a few of us that partake to increase the chances and surveillance. Sometimes it's worth it.”

“The fucks that good?”

“Mm maybe.” He stepped closer, dipping into your field of view with a wide, playful grin. “They probably have nothing on you I bet.” The dark look he fixed you with had heat running down your spine and settling in your core.

“Maybe you'll have a chance to find out.” You matched his stare, letting your lust for him show from the flutter of your lashes to the way you bit your lip.

The rumble that vibrated his chest sounded like a pleased purr. “I'd like that… sweetcheeks.”

At the use of the nickname, you rolled your eyes and gently pushed at his chest. He grabbed your hand and held it flat against him, stalking forward as your eyes went wide. “San-”

“Yes baby?” His voice dipped as he lowered his head, closing the distance with each step back you took.

“W-we have a job to do don't we?” You looked around for Seonghwa in hopes to ask him for help but the two of you were alone and you were running out of places to run.

“Why not a quick break? You've been so worked up- maybe I can take care of that?” As your legs hit the desk you nearly toppled back, squeaking as San's other hand wrapped around you and supported the small of your back. He pulled you flush against his body as you arched back in an attempt for some distance. “What do you say?”

There was a very large part of you that wanted to say yes and jump his bones right then and there, but a quick glance behind him and you could see the pictures hanging up- the dead body of a boy you had desperately wanted to help before. It snapped you out of the lustful fog you had found yourself in and you pushed away roughly, face and neck hot.

San whined out, letting you put distance between you both. “Was that too much?”

You floundered for the right words, mouth gaping like a fish out of water. “I uh…. It's almost alarming how dangerous you lot are.”

“Dangerous? Me? I'm as cute as a kitten.” He batted his eyes at you, demeanor changing.

You rolled your eyes, hand to your chest to ease the mess of emotions there. “Don't you separate work from life?”

He shook his head, watching you move back to the board. “No- it's one and the same. You'll learn that when you get in the field.”

“So you think I will?”

He laughed. “Oh no question about it. Sweetcheeks, I happen to think that you fit in so fucking perfectly here. In fact, you are fucking perfect.”

You rolled your eyes again, glad your back was to him because truthfully his words had you elated.

Taglist (form): @mingsolo | @wowie-hockey | @crispybaguettes | @tiny-apocalypse | @philijack | @lelaleleb | @idfkeddieishot | @isiloiale | @candypop1611 | @vannabanana1995 | @piratequeen-queenofgames | @starstruckforyou | @minheeskitten | @amphiroxx | @cloudysannie | @fire-and-flame | @sugarnspice630 | @hongjoongswifefr | @sanhwalvr | @plutoneu | @auroreen |@iwishiwasrichasfuck | @bitchwhytho | @st4rhwa | @fixonjoongg |

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Roots - Snapetober Day 6

Harry is in detention, and Severus notices something is off.

Prompts by @superfallingstars

“Potter!”

The boy looked up from his station during detention, hand hovering with the pestle in his grip. He looked blankly at Severus, who was leaning across his desk. Glaring, he pointed to the weapon in Potter’s hand which had been in more contact with the sides of the bowl than the roots in it. Unsurprising to Severus that the boy couldn’t grasp the basics in preparation. “You have been grinding ingredients for five years, Potter. How are you so incompetent with something as simple as asphodel?” The boy blinked, not moving a muscle in his face.

Severus glided over from his desk to the first row of tables. Bearing down on the boy, he saw the distinct shadows under his green eyes. The usual brightness was dulled behind heavy lids. When their eyes met, Potter avert his gaze and stared into the mess of roots in front of him.

“This is how you need to crush them, Potter.” Snatching the pestle, Severus demonstrated with some force, how to prepare the asphodel roots properly. He applied pressure through his wrist and twisted the abrasive tool until the roots were a fine powder. “If the roots are not properly prepared, they won’t dilute with the wormwood,” he explained, transferring the dust to a large vial. “Continue,” he growled, returning to his desk.

“What potion is it used for?” asked Potter. Severus raised an eyebrow at the missing honorific. “- sir,” he hastily added.

“If you brew the powdered asphodel root with an infusion of wormwood, you’ll find yourself concocting a Draught of Living Death,” replied Severus, wearily. “You should already know this, Potter. I will be surprised if you manage to scrape an Acceptable in your OWL,” he sneered, dipping a black feathered quill into a bottle of ink. He glanced over from his marking and saw Potter’s face taught with concentration. The boy remained silent for the rest of the hour, focusing on his task.

As Potter was leaving, Severus strode over to his workstation and noticed a missing vial.

“Did you grind the roots with such strength that they’ve ceased to exist, Potter?” The boy slowly turned, hand grabbing the strap of his backpack. “Sir?” he replied, weakly.

“With the amount of asphodel roots I gave you to prepare, there should be three vials full. Where is the third vial?”

The boy froze. Severus approached him.

“Turn out your pockets, Potter,” he glared, holding his hand for the stolen ingredients. Potter reached inside of his robes and produced a small vial of powder. Severus snatched it from his fingers. “Explain,” he hissed.

“I wanted to brew the potion... the one you mentioned... the de- living one,” Potter explained, poorly. “You know, for my exam... to make sure I can do it,” he said.

“You honestly expect me to believe you - the boy who has shown zero interest in my subject - is willingly brewing a potion outside of his compulsory class?”

“Yes,” Potter replied, icily.

“Where do you expect to get the infusion of wormwood?” jeered Severus, “from my own personal stores, I presume?”

Madness was gathering in pools around them, so Severus took the plunge to rescue the child. No one had been there for Severus when he’d been so desperate to sleep. No one had held his head above the rapid currents, pulling him away from the tide he was desperate to drown in. No one sat him on the shore and comforted him until he was dry and free from dark thoughts.

“The side effects, if consumed against its intended use, are waking nightmares and sleep paralysis. You do not want to experience even a fraction of that terror, Potter. I assure you,” sighed Severus. “You do not want to do this.” Potter’s eyes were glistening, he hastily brushed an arm across his face and cleared his throat.

“Can I get a dreamless sleep, sir?”

“Yes, Potter. I will get you one.”

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LIFAD turns 15 years old today 💿🎶

On this day, the 16th of October 2009, the album 'Liebe ist für alle da' was released. The work for this album started the year prior, as the preproduction for the album took place from February to October 2008. The focus of the band in the beginning period of the production lay on learning how to work together again, playing songs together and gather ideas. In Hermannshagen, over the course of about one month, the band came up with up to 90 recordings of little snippets (like choruses and riffs), which they recorded for later.

After this brainstorming period, the band moved to the Beesenstedt castle in Sachsen-Anhalt to rehearse. The process apparently was less than easy due to tension in the band. The individual members seemingly first had to reconnect with each other, since the last production had been some time ago. Richard described the process of working on the album as difficult at times: "Everyone was involved and interested in everything, which meant the decision-making power was practically zero because everyone wanted to go in a different direction. Six people on the boat and everyone playing captain – that's really tough."

After the work period in Germany, the band moved over to the US for recording. Drum recording took place in the Henson Studios located in Los Angeles, and the final destination were the Sonoma Studios in San Francisco. The studio they had booked there fell far short of their expectations – the band felt cramped and not as comfortable as they had hoped for a successful recording of their new album. Paul describes it as follows: "There we ended up in a studio that was in the middle of a retiree resort. We had imagined that differently, because actually the area was quite cool. There were cougars and deer running around, but we were in the middle of nowhere, and when we booked, we couldn't see the barbed wire that fenced off all the paths. We felt cramped, and on top of that, the studio wasn't exactly inviting. The owner had hung unsightly things everywhere that we had to take down first. However, after de-cluttering the rooms, we started to feel better."

In total, about 20 songs were recorded, of which 18 songs were published (15 on the special edition of the album, plusMein LandandVergiss uns nichton the single forMein Land, andGib mir deine Augenon the single forMein Herz brennt.)

The promotion for this album was done by advertising clips, for example an old lady enjoying "Frühling in Paris" and a bodybuilder lifting weights while listening to "Mehr".

Eugenio Recuenco was the artist behind the album aesthetic - he shoot the pictures for the booklet as well as for the cover of the album. Richard mentioned a similarity to the painter Hieronymus Bosch regarding the style and arrangment in the pictures. In the US, the cover was censored - an additional inlay paper on top of the usual cover showed the cover picture, but without the woman on the table

Less than a month after the album's release, it was placed on the German index. The reasons given for this were the song Ich tu dir weh, which was seen as glorifying violence, as well as this particular image of Richard:

Due to these reasons, from November 11, 2009, the original version could only be sold upon request to adult customers and was no longer allowed to be advertised. On the re-release of the CD following the indexing of the album, there is only a several-second pause in place of the song. On the cover, Ich tu dir weh is crossed out in red and marked with the footnote "Removed after censorship by the authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany." The letters of the song lyrics in the booklet were replaced with Xs except for brief excerpts.

After a lengthy legal dispute, the album was finally removed from the index in October 2011 and can once again be distributed with Ich tu dir weh.

Nevertheless: The album, like its predecessors, entered directly at number 1 on the German charts and stayed there for two weeks. In total, it was in the Top 100 for 83 weeks. It also held the number 1 spot for several weeks in Austria and Switzerland, and even reached the Top 20 of the album charts in the USA and the UK. In the ranking of the best-selling albums in Germany in 2009, Liebe ist für alle da ranked 7th.

Some additional facts surrounding the album:

During their tour for the album, Rammstein performed Ich tu dir weh with altered lyrics.

The album was originally supposed to be called Wiener Blut – like the Rammstein song about child abductor Josef Fritzl. However, they decided against it because there was already a Falco album with the same name.

Richard about the album title: '"Liebe ist für alle da" (Love is there for everyone) is a very Christian thought. Of course, one must ask, is love really there for everyone? I would hope that it is. Can we forgive those who have misunderstood love? I often think about that, and I fail, then make some progress, only to go back again.'

The chorus of Frühling in Paris is inspired by Edith Piaf's chanson Non, je ne regrette rien.

Four years after the album's release, Führe mich was used as a soundtrack for Lars Von Trier's controversial film Nymphomaniac.

The song Haifisch is inspired by Mack the Knife from Brecht's The Threepenny Opera.

Sources: rammwiki metalhammer rammstein.de welt.de noz.de

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