âș minors should not interact with the nsfw stories and content on my blog.
âș i block all ageless and empty (bot looking) accounts that interact with my blog. if you are a person, please make sure your account looks like it is run by one!
but i keep sitting down trying to write and i just cant. i have all these ideas and i think about my wips all the time but the writerâs block is just so annoying đ„Č i think sometimes i just want to sit and brainstorm with someone đ alas iâll get chapters posted eventually
i don't usually speak about these things, but a lot of blogs (amazing writers) are leaving this platform or taking time off bc of lack of engagement which serves as a big demotivating factor. especially and specifically in this atiny fandom, some things have come to my attention and i just want all readers and writers to take a look at this post and refresh some reading and writing etiquettes, as well as revive the essence of being a part of this fandom.
feedback:
i understand that there are a lot of silent readers on here, but since tumblr is dying and our fandom is not very huge, the least you can do to show the writers some support is like the post.Â
which brings me to the point that the like function didn't even exist in the past. this site still runs on reblogs. as readers, to show your favourite writers some semblance of support, you should be reblogging with tags. a simple â#ateez x readerâ or â#ateez ficsâ is enough. it's literally not asking for muchâ reblogs are the only way writers can get reach.
if you cannot do that bc of your blog's aesthetic or whatever, side blogs exist. if you still cannot do that, a simple anon ask appreciating the writer sometimes saves them.
also, what has happened to the quality of reblogs? readers consume years of writersâ work and efforts in mere hours and donât even leave any feedback? art in general in all forms is very underappreciated and with all sorts of problems like plagiarism, ai writing and everything, true art and writing is dying and needs to be appreciated now more than ever. weâre literally the last generation witnessing ai take over in all fields of arts. appreciate content creators before itâs too late, donât be a content glutton!
updates and requests:
asking writers for updates when they specifically mention that they would prefer posting at their pace is wrong for so many reasonsâ we all have a real life. you, the reader, do too. just like you don't always have time to read, writers don't always have time to write. do you ever see the writers asking their readers 'why have you not read my latest chapter?'Â
most of the times, writers mention in their bio/faq post or elsewhere that they do mind being asked about updates. respect your writers, please, and do a little scroll before you send such demanding asks (also, sugarcoating when asking for updates does not make it any better!)
if you are only asking about updates, it demotivates a lot of writers bc these same people will disappear when it is time for feedback. writing is a form of art. we can write, artists can paint, musicians can compose music, but all of it has no meaning unless it is shared with an audience and appreciated. readers are just as important as the writers but there is no way of knowing fics are valued unless feedback is given.
the same goes for requests. you can only send a request when the requests are open, which is usually mentioned in the writerâs bio/faq post. itâs literally not that hard to check if requests are open and itâs basic decency to not send a request when the writers specifically mention that requests are closed. when sending a request, please be courteous. a âpleaseâ or âthank youâ are examples of being courteous when sending requests.
the fanfics in atinyblr:
i understand that you can read whatever you like, but why is it that in the atiny fandom, fics that do not contain smut hardly ever get attention? as a writer, i enjoy writing and reading smut, and while i am not specifically a smut blog, i have noticed how fics containing smut get far more reach than fics that do not contain smutâ not just in my case, but other amazing writers as well.Â
there are such amazing fictions in this fandom. all fics are crafted with dedication and care, yet stories without smut often get sidelined. writers are not able to express themselves in their writing freely anymore and they simply conform to a genre they know readers will consume, as they are forced to consider adding smut to their stories so they can get more reach in this fandom. i have heard accounts from a lot of writers who were inclined to add smut to an otherwise smut-free fic just for reach.
this is by no means hate to the smut writers. i am also not placing blame on them. smut drabbles have always been in this fandom, and there are amazing smut writers out there, doing their thing. it is the readers here who are failing the writers. readers are quick to talk about the lack of âgood ficsâ or âplotâ yet will not even bother searching for these works. there used to be a good balance and appreciation for all genres alike.
i know that smut is what's hot and trendy these days, and drabbles in general, no matter the genre, are easier to read when you want to take a short break. but there is such a lack of longfics in this fandom, especially as of lately, and as someone who has personally witnessed the ratio of longfics decrease exponentially, i felt the need to point this out. appreciate all writers! appreciate all genres! longfic writers need as much validation and encouragement as drabble writers, and vice versa! don't be too harsh on longfic writers for not pumping out fics at the same speed as shortfic writers.
and on that note, smut drabble writers experience a lack of quality feedback despite the high engagement, so readers, please don't hesitate to point out exactly what you liked about a fic, even if it's a short drabble! be kind to those writers, give them time to write and be kind when sending requests! they may post more often but they, too, have a life.
tags:
this is specifically for the people who will post a very normal picture of a member, no caption, but tag it something like #ateez smut, #ateez hard hours, #ateez x reader. and for the people who tag their asks with irrelevant tagsâ literally learn to tag your post properly, and stop crowding the wrong tags. you're just proving the point that if you don't tag a post with the smut tag or something similar, it won't get reach. if you've posted with a caption, that makes sense (though it still doesn't warrant some of the tags being used there).
as for writers, also learn to use your tags appropriately. fics that do not contain smut should not be tagged with smut related tags. believe in yourself. i get that there is the problem of reach but do not overcrowd tags with irrelevant material.
disclaimer:
this is by no means about me. if i cared about the notes, or lack thereof, i would have stopped writing a while ago. while it is challenging to be a writer here, especially as of lately, i still enjoy posting whatever i write no matter the genre or the word count. but it's a bit disappointing that my planned out fics get much less attention than a simple smut headcanons post that i wrote in the heat of the moment with my friend in literally a few hours as a joke (which has reached almost 10k notes btw in a span of 2 years). sure, it has exposed my blog to new readers but that's about it.
this post is for all the amazing writers who have left, are thinking of leaving, or are struggling to voice these problems because they are afraid of being marked as 'problematic' or a 'hater' or something worse. i am not afraid to voice my opinion on here, and if you think that i am wrong, feel free to interact with this post and correct me because i am not claiming that i am right about this.
these are just the observations i have made as someone who has been actively writing on this platform for about 4 years now, and since i have a decent number of followers, i hope this post gets more reach. do not be afraid to reblog this if you agree, and even if you do not, reblog this so someone else gets educated. i may have missed some points so feel free to add if you want too.
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ header is made by @potatomountain / @potatographics
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ summary â after a nasty divorce that leaves you a single mom with full custody of your two twin daughters: lila and aurora, you swore that youâd never let a man get close enough to be able to hurt you or your daughters again. terrified of being in the same vicinity as your ex-husband, you decide to up and move you and your daughters across the world to seoul, south korea. your traumas lead you to focus solely on your daughters and your students â your small teaching paycheck never seeing anything meant for you unless it was a necessity. although you swore you would never let yourself fall in love again, a tall banking executive keeps finding his way into your little world. even though you made a promise to yourself, you decide that maybe, just maybe, the man you keep running into is deserving of a chance at your love â and your daughtersâ love.
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ genre â strangers to friends to lovers, single (poor) mom au, angst, fluff, eventual smut. 18+ ONLY !!!!
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ pairing â bank executive!yunho x single (f) teacher/mom reader
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ warnings â cursing, trauma mentions, panic attacks, self-sabotage, mentions of pregnancy, protected sex, unprotected sex, mentions of domestic violence, trauma responses, mentions of pcos, threats, etc. more warnings will be put in each chapter!
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ header is made by @potatomountain / @potatographics
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ summary â after a nasty divorce that leaves you a single mom with full custody of your two twin daughters: lila and aurora, you swore that youâd never let a man get close enough to be able to hurt you or your daughters again. terrified of being in the same vicinity as your ex-husband, you decide to up and move you and your daughters across the world to seoul, south korea. your traumas lead you to focus solely on your daughters and your students â your small teaching paycheck never seeing anything meant for you unless it was a necessity. although you swore you would never let yourself fall in love again, a tall banking executive keeps finding his way into your little world. even though you made a promise to yourself, you decide that maybe, just maybe, the man you keep running into is deserving of a chance at your love â and your daughtersâ love.
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ genre â strangers to friends to lovers, single (poor) mom au, angst, fluff, eventual smut. 18+ ONLY !!!!
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ pairing â bank executive!yunho x single (f) teacher/mom reader
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ warnings â cursing, trauma mentions, panic attacks, self-sabotage, mentions of pregnancy, protected sex, unprotected sex, mentions of domestic violence, trauma responses, mentions of pcos, threats, etc. more warnings will be put in each chapter!
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ header is made by @potatomountain / @potatographics
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ summary â after a nasty divorce that leaves you a single mom with full custody of your two twin daughters: lila and aurora, you swore that youâd never let a man get close enough to be able to hurt you or your daughters again. terrified of being in the same vicinity as your ex-husband, you decide to up and move you and your daughters across the world to seoul, south korea. your traumas lead you to focus solely on your daughters and your students â your small teaching paycheck never seeing anything meant for you unless it was a necessity. although you swore you would never let yourself fall in love again, a tall banking executive keeps finding his way into your little world. even though you made a promise to yourself, you decide that maybe, just maybe, the man you keep running into is deserving of a chance at your love â and your daughtersâ love.
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ genre â strangers to friends to lovers, single (poor) mom au, angst, fluff, eventual smut. 18+ ONLY !!!!
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ pairing â bank executive!yunho x single (f) teacher/mom reader
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ warnings â cursing, trauma mentions, panic attacks, self-sabotage, mentions of pregnancy, protected sex, unprotected sex, mentions of domestic violence, trauma responses, mentions of pcos, threats, etc. more warnings will be put in each chapter!
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ header is made by @potatomountain / @potatographics
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ summary â after a nasty divorce that leaves you a single mom with full custody of your two twin daughters: lila and aurora, you swore that youâd never let a man get close enough to be able to hurt you or your daughters again. terrified of being in the same vicinity as your ex-husband, you decide to up and move you and your daughters across the world to seoul, south korea. your traumas lead you to focus solely on your daughters and your students â your small teaching paycheck never seeing anything meant for you unless it was a necessity. although you swore you would never let yourself fall in love again, a tall lawyer keeps finding his way into your little world. even though you made a promise to yourself, you decide that maybe, just maybe, the man you keep running into is deserving of a chance at your love â and your daughtersâ love.
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ genre â strangers to friends to lovers, single (poor) mom au, angst, fluff, eventual smut. 18+ ONLY !!!!
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ pairing â lawyer!yunho x single (f) teacher/mom reader
ïœĄïœ„ïŸïŸïœ„ warnings â cursing, trauma mentions, panic attacks, self-sabotage, mentions of pregnancy, protected sex, unprotected sex, mentions of domestic violence, trauma responses, mentions of pcos, threats, etc. more warnings will be put in each chapter!
A writer friend told me something that broke my heart a little bit today; they're going to quit publishing their fanfic.
My instant thought was that they had been trolled or attacked or that something terrible had happened in their life because this person is so passionate about their writing. It wasn't any of that. Engagement with their works has been going down, as it has for many of us. Comments are like gold dust a lot of the time, and just looking through the historical comment counts on old fics on ao3 demonstrates this trend very clearly. It was not simply the comments dropping off which caused them to decide to stop posting, however.
My friend came across a discord server for their fandom (I should point out here that their fandom interest and mine diverged a couple of years ago, we stay in touch but don't currently read each other's posts because I'm not into their fandom and they would rather gouge their eyes out with a wooden spoon than read anything Star Wars) and specifically to share fic in that fandom. They joined, because we all love a good fic rec, only to discover that their latest multichapter fic, which has almost no comments and very few kudos, is being hotly discussed in this server as one of the best stories ever. Not one of these people has bothered to say this to them on the fic. When they asked, none of participants could see the point in telling the author of the fic they apparently loved so much that they love it.
This discovery has absolutely destroyed my friend's love of sharing fic. They share because they love seeing other people's enjoyment, and fic writers do that through comments and kudos/reblogs/likes because we don't get paid. There is no literary critic writing a blog post/article about how amazing the story is for us to copy and keep/frame. There is no money from royalties. All we have are the words of the people reading our works.
Those people on that server could have taken five minutes of the time they spent gushing about how amazing my friend's story was to other people and used it to tell the one person guaranteed to want to hear that praise how much they loved it. They could have taken a moment to express their opinion to the person who spent hours upon hours plotting, writing, editing, and posting those chapters. Instead, they deprived my friend of thing that keeps them sharing their writing, and in the process have killed their love of it. My friend now feels used and unmotivated.
I won't be sharing a link to their fic, they said I could share their experience but not their identity. I know they plan to post one final chapter. I know they intend to express their hurt at being excluded from the praise for the thing they created, and I know they intend to announce that as a consequence they will not be posting for a long while, if at all.
So please, I beg you, don't hide your love of a story from the writer. It's just about the only thing we have.
Ok, unless something's going on I'm not aware of (extremely likely), I gotta point out the term "Pet Play" is significantly older than Tik Tok, or most of its userbase for that matter.
Yeah, I'm not mad about using the term "pet play". That's a perfectly fine term. I'm mad because they didn't use that term: they used "pet p!ay", a censored version
To anybody who is new to posting on ao3, if youâre using a tag you have to use the correct spelling of that tag. People arenât going to type in every version of a censored word to hide or look for your content ïżŒ
1) New tumblr users. People who've been on tumblr for a while know that reblogging a post is the best way to interact with posts. Newer users assume tumblr has the same algorithm as other social media platforms, so liking the post is all it needs when that actually hurts the poster even more.
2) Just people not understanding fanfiction etiquette at all. As part of the fanfic community for a very long time, it's very much common sense that interacting with a fic is the best way to appreciate the writer. But nowadays, just consuming content has become such a norm that interaction ratios like that are a norm across all platforms. With tumblr, there are more likes than reblogs. On twitter, people will bookmark before rt or liking. On fanfic sites, people just save fics without interacting at all.
This whole thing is honestly a disease and pandemic in the fanfic community. People don't appreciate writers and their work and only see that work as something to consume. Thus, what is supposed to be transactional (Writer writes and reader reads and appreciates so that writer is motivated to write more) becomes very one-sided (Writer writes and reader consumes and reader demands more whilst writer becomes burnt out whilst trying to churn out fics to feed readers consumption - also, very much aligns with most society's capitalistic views)
Anyways, always reblog and comment on fanfics!! Regardless of whatever site you're on, always interact with writers and their work!!
You donât own fanfics. Theyâre inherently public domain because they arenât your IP. Agree or disagree with AI, there are no grounds for âprotectionâ from AI because it isnât your IP to begin with. Thatâs what you chose when you chose this medium
Oh dear.
Okay, you get an answer, because at least you took the effort to write your ask out properly, even if you are hiding behind the grey, sunglassed circle.
Do I, or any fanfic author for that matter, have any legal claims to our work? No, not really, no. (Although if someone took a fic, filed off the serial number--deleted the fandom specific elements--, and then had it published for financial gain, yeah, that would be a case.)
BUT
Fandoms are built on a social contract that says we respect each others work, the effort people put into their art. We don't steal or disrespect the work of our peers. By feeding people's fanworks to AI you both steal and disprect it, and we need to make people realize that before it's too late--before fandom falls apart, because there will be no more real, actual fanworks.
Also this is not true. You do in fact have the copyright to the specific writing you did in a fic, because that's not how copyright law works. Like this is not a grey area.
People who write IP content for corporations give up their copyright on a contractual basis--the company wants writing they can sell about characters/settings they own without getting entangled in royalty obligations etc, so they hire people. Who sign contracts saying they don't own what they write as part of that job.
That's why you don't own Star Wars stuff you wrote for Disney; you specifically agreed not to own it.
Writing for IP you don't own leaves you in a position where you can't legally monetize it (without taking out the Owned parts ad rebranding), but it absolutely does not automatically cede or void copyright. That is super not a thing.
SUPER not a thing, I cannot say this enough.
I can't sell my Batman fic, but neither can DC Comics without my duly authorized consent. Because they own Batman, but not the prose I composed about him.
Do not perform that kind of massive corporate overreach for them. Holy shit. Do they not own enough.
Itâs fascinating that this misconception of copyright still exists. Havenât we all seen the posts on here where authors beg fans to please not send them fanfic of their works? Theyâre not doing that because they feel like it, they do that because fans legally own their words and ideas, and an author who takes them even unintentionally can in fact end up in real legal trouble for taking something thatâs not theirs. It doesnât matter whether they own the canon.
i will fix all the links tomorrow.. not sure why tumblr wont let me on my phone but đ because i want to update the links for holy fool idk why tumblr is giving me sm trouble
âDonât let the Demon become any of the wiser,â a mantra that you have been telling yourself, a chant that has consumed your mind in the hours since you talked to Angel Zen. It was an easy task for an Angel to take on. Donât let the Demon know you wonât come back. It wasnât like he wouldnât come to look for you, he didnât all those years ago.
As the time on the clock ticks, the more anxious you become. If the rawness on the inside of your mouth is any indication of how nervous you are feeling then you wish the impending assignment would never come. You know he will be there, tapping on the window and begging you to let him in. In retrospect, you are unsure as to why you did. Why were you not scared of him? It isnât a question you dwell on too long, the prayer time now approaching.
The one time you wished that the prayer would last an eternity, it went quickly. You sigh to yourself, looking around for Poppy. She isnât there which isnât much of a surprise. You have to go down for your assignment but the impending doom is a feeling you canât shake off of yourself.
âOne last night,â is the new saying that consumes your brain as you transport yourself down to your assignment. One last time and then you are free.
â
You transport yourself into a different place than usual, opting for the bathroom in the apartment instead of the living area or the kidâs rooms. The bathroom offers a protection from the demon. No windows for him to knock on, no windows for him to wait for you at here. You know heâs there waiting, you can feel him. You wonder if he can feel your heart race. He knows that you didnât end on a good note, but there is no way that he knows that you arenât coming back down to Earth after tonight.
You slowly make your way to the kidâs rooms. As you enter, your suspicions are proven true as the man â or Demon of the hour is at the window. His features arenât as alive as they used to be. The whites of his eyes red from crying accompanied by dark eye bags. The most telling was the smile he always wore had not been plastered on his face. You think back for a split second of all the times he had not been smiling, and you could count them on your hand.
âCherry,â he sniffled. His voice was small compared to how he normally sounded. Hearing â and seeing him like this broke your heart. It shouldnât, considering heâs a King of Hell. You choke it up to being a good Angel, but you donât want to analyze it any deeper.
Walking over to the babyâs crib, you ignore the man outside the window. Your own tears threaten to fall but you donât let them. âYouâre such a pretty little baby, Ariel. I know youâll do great things one day,â you say softly. Youâre acting like he is not there but all you want to do is see him. Talk to him. You arenât supposed to feel this way. It isnât right.
âCherry, please let me in, let me explain. Please,â He pleaded with you. You chose to ignore him, instead placing yourself inside the babyâs crib. He doesnât try to talk to you any more after that, and before you know it you are drifting off to sleep.
The rustling of the toddler wakes you, making you fly up from your laying position. You rush over to him, entering his dreams. The culprit of the nightmare is none other than his father, a scarier version of the human one he has to encounter every day. You shoo him away and calm down the boy. Once you leave the boyâs nightmare, the sky has lightened. You donât see the demon anymore, but you feel him. Youâre almost done.
The man shows himself and it causes you to fall back a bit. âCherry,â his voice strained.
âIâm sorry, please donât get attached to me,â you reply
âWhy?â
âBecause,â
âBecause what,â
âYou wonât see me any more after this,â
âWhat do you mean?,â his voice shivers
âIâm not going to be put on any more Earth assignments,â
âWhat?,â
âThis is my last one,â
âNo,â
â
The Demon appears in the room in an instant, an angry look on his face.
âHow are you in here? I didnât allow you,â you scream at him.
âMy Cherry Blossom, one thing you will come to learn is that Kings can do anything when theyâre angry. Or whenever, but thatâs besides the point.â
âGet out.â you say in the most demanding voice you can muster.
âNo,â
âYes,â
Wooyoung moves to the end of the bunk beds and looks to you and moves his sight to Ariel, who is still sleeping soundly in her crib.
âLeave her alone,â you snap
âYou or the baby,â
âWhat!? You canât make me choose. Neither,â
âIncorrect answer,â Wooyoung smirks and starts walking towards the crib. You make a run for it, expecting to hit the crib. But you never do, instead you hit cold marble floors. Not the carpet that lays on the floor of the kidâs room. You hear several pairs of footsteps, and the scents that follow them are overwhelming. You hear one last pair walk behind you. You know who that is. Wooyoung.
You try your best to compose your emotions. To not be sad, angry, anxious but youâre finding it very hard to not yell at the man behind you. But what you want and what your body is compelled to do are two totally separate things.
âCherry, why donât you look up and meet the other Kings,â
The other Kings. Youâre fucked.
âWooyoung, why donât you take me back to where I was?â you replied, speaking calmly as you could.
âThatâs King to you,â you hear from the front of you. You look up and towards the direction of where the voice came from, and you see a slender, but muscular man.
âIf you think I will refer to him â or any of you as King then you are sincerely out of your mind.â you bite back. Dissatisfied groans emerge from the seven of them, you hear Wooyoungâs footsteps emerge behind you.
âI didnât tell them to call me King, I donât mind them not referring to me as one,â Wooyoung responded to the seven of them.
âAnd why is that?,â the smallest of the seven questions.
âTheyâre the one, from the prophecy.â
âNO IâM NOT,â you scream as loud as you can. The situation is all too overwhelming for you. You pass out after your outburst, hoping that they wonât care enough to touch you.
â
You arenât sure how long you have been passed out and when you wake up the first thing you do is bring your hair in front of your eyes. Still golden. Youâre still an Angel.
âNone of us touched you,â a deep voice emerged from behind you. Your head snaps back to look at the demon behind you, the demon with you is not Wooyoung. You passed out before introductions were in order so you never learned their names. The manâs scent was very clear though â tobacco.
You donât know what to say to the man and you donât look at him for long before you turn back around and look at your hands. Your lips quiver as your first instinct is to cry in your situation but you donât want to look weak in their eyes. But you already passed out in their presence so how strong were you really?
âYou will need to find a way to make yourself comfortable here, because you arenât going anywhere,â the man says gruffly.
âWhy canât one of you just take me back? An Angel doesnât belong here,â you say trying to reason with the man.
The man gets up and stalks towards you sitting down before crouching down to your level before sticking his hand out right above where your hand lays on your knee. âTouch my hand here and you will belong here just fine then," the man urges while smiling cynically.
You move back further from him, being careful to not touch the man. You are very angry at the whole situation but you call the only familiarity that you have in the Hell which you have been brought. âWooyoung, Wooyoung, Wooyoung,â you try to yell, but it comes out more as a shaky plea. Wooyoung shows up instantly, teleporting to your side.
âYes my sweet Cherry,â he answered as he crouched down to your level. You look between him and the taller male, unable to really gather your words at that moment. Wooyoung watches as you look at the other demon and back at him before speaking again. âDid Seonghwa scare you?â he asked honestly.
âI-I- I donât know who he is. But I donât like him,â the man scoffs as you answer Wooyoung, which causes you both to look towards him.
âHe didnât introduce himself to you?â Wooyoung asked and you shook your head no which causes Wooyoung to sigh as he shakes his head. âCherry thatâs Seonghwa. Heâs the eldest,â he explains before standing up to look at the other man. âAnd you are not supposed to be scaring them,â Wooyoung remarked to Seonghwa.
âI didnât ask to be put on babysitting duty,â Seonghwa grunted back to Wooyoung.
âI donât need to be babysat,â you exclaimed to both the men who seemed to pay no attention to you.
âWell then take it up with Hongjoong," The elder one hissed.
"He also told you to not scare them,â Wooyoung responds to Seonghwa before turning back to you. âNow you come with me,â Wooyoung orders. You get up, following Wooyoung quietly. You look directly at his back not knowing what you may see if your eyes grew curious.
He brings you to a lavish room. It was adorned with forest green and black with anything you could ever dream of having in a bedroom. âDo you like it?â Wooyoung asks.
You definitely wouldnât have picked the exact decor theme but you are not telling him that. âI am grateful,â you answer to him. âAm I staying here until one of you take me back to Earth?â You question.
Wooyoung chuckles at your words. âAngels donât know how to lie, so stick to being truthful. Also, you arenât leaving here. Get comfortable,â Wooyoung smirked before dissappearing. For the first time since you were kidnapped, you are alone. You get into the bed. You decide to sit in the middle of the bed with your back against the headboard as you take in the whole room. You have a dresser, a walk in closet, a bathroom, a vanity, and a desk that has a computer on it? You donât even know what to think of all this.
Soon, the weight of the situation dawns on you and you break down. You begin to sob and call for Poppy through your bond. You know it will go unanswered, but you have to try. Your pleas for God go unanswered in that moment and you even call for Angel Zen. His name falling from your lips is a true testimony to how desperate and sad you are in that moment.
As you are breaking down, you hear a subtle lock on your door. You get as quiet as you can, hoping that whoever is at the door will realize that they are at the wrong one. When you donât answer after a couple more knocks, the door opens a crack.
âIâm coming in,â a man with a deep voice says before entering. As he walks in, the room fills with the smell of leather. He has a glass of ice water in hand that he sits down on the bedside table next to you. He brings the chair from your vanity to sit next to the bed.
He is a little bit taller than Wooyoung and a little shorter than Seonghwa. Heâs muscular with long black hair and a pastel yellow outfit. He looks at you before speaking again, âDrink the water,â he asks more than demands while gesturing to the water with his head.
âI donât need to drink water to survive,â you quip back, trying to set yourself assertively.
âBut you were just crying so you will feel better if you do,â he responds calmly.
âI guess,â you say as you pick up the water before taking a sip. The iced water feels soothing on your throat as you drink it. âThank you,â you mumbled before setting the glass down on the bedside table.
âLet me introduce myself,â he says before getting up to walk around the room. âIâm Yeosang,â he told you with a calm voice. The name made you instantly recall the memory you had with your best friend at the bakery.
âW-what sin d-do you rule over?â You ask hoping that his answer wonât be what you think it is.
He seems a bit shocked by your question, like he wasnât expecting it. âGluttony, why?â he questions. His answer hit you like a ton of bricks, and you cry. âWhy are you crying?â he questions while walking closer to your bed.
âWhy are you in here? Canât I be alone?,â you ask him with pleading eyes.
âNo. One of us will be with you at all times,â he answers quickly before sitting back on the chair.
âYou hate me though,â you respond
âWhy would you think that?â He questions honestly
âYou got mad at me earlier,â you answer and confusion stains his features as he thinks to the events from earlier.
âI was just confused that Wooyoung didnât mind you not using.. his title for him. Thatâs all. I was protecting him more than anything. Donât worry,â he says hoping to ease your thoughts. âBesides, Iâm the nicest one out of all of them. Besides Yunho and Mingi but theyâre huge so we decided itâd be best for me to come in as to not scare you as much,â he adds.
âI just want to go to sleep,â you say tearfully. Your emotions are getting too much for you to handle again and all you want to do is cry.
Yeosang nods at your words before going to turn off the light and close the curtains in your room, making the room significantly more dark than it was before.
âIs it okay with you if I cry?â You ask quietly. You arenât sure why you feel inclined to make him comfortable when he refuses to help you out of an uncomfortable situation, but nevertheless you ask him.
âCry all you need,â he answers honestly before sitting down at the computer desk and turning it on. âI hope you donât mind if I play while you sleep. I wonât be loud,â he adds.
You nod, letting him know that itâs okay for him to play games. âWill you be here when I wake up?â you question as you try and get more comfortable in the bed. âI donât think I-I can handle so many new scents and demons at once,â you say honestly.
âYes, donât worry. Iâll be here when you wake up,â he responds calmly before giving you a small smile and then turning around to focus on the technology in front of him.
You move the pillows around you mimicking a sort of nest and then laying the accent blanket over your form. For a moment, you feel content. Except for the faint clicks on the keyboard and the smell of leather that engulfs the room, that you notice easily overpowers our cherry blossom scent. Otherwise, there is no indication that you werenât alone.
Yeosang seemed to be a quiet individual, someone who didnât like much attention. You sit and think to yourself for a bit, about what is going to happen to you. If youâll ever be able to get out of the place that Wooyoung selfishly brought you to. The thoughts plague your mind, but your exhaustion is greater. You eventually let your mind rest so that you can fall asleep in the makeshift nest that youâve made for yourself.
â
A while later, you wake up but you donât open your eyes. The smell of leather is still very strong around you which means that Yeosang is still there but the faint smell of coffee also lingers in the room.
âYouâre awake,â Yeosang doesnât question but states. You open your eyes before sitting up straight and stretching, making sure to not look towards where Yeosang is. Once youâre done, you look towards Yeosang and his surroundings. Youâre trying to find where the smell of coffee is coming from but you cannot see anything coffee scented around which confuses you. âWhatâs on your mind?â Yeosang asks calmly.
âI smell coffee but I donât see any,â you respond quickly and quietly, wondering to yourself if you were going crazy.
âMingi was in here earlier,â Yeosang replies before bringing the chair next to your bed before sitting again. You give him a confused look, opting to not verbally answer him. âHe was supposed to watch you next, but I told him you wanted me to stay with you until you woke up,â Yeosang adds after seeing your confused expression.
âThank you for staying,â you respond before taking a deep breath, âI probably would have passed out again if someone besides you or Wooyoung was in here,â you answer honestly.
âI know, donât worry. Mingi was only a little hurt,â Yeosang giggles before leaning towards the bed, âAlso, Hongjoong wants all nine of us to meet later in our meeting area. I can show you where the clothes are and everything you need to shower should be in your bathroom,â he says, looking at you to gauge your response.
âDo I have to?â You ask pitifully, knowing that the answer Yeosang is going to give you will not be what you want to hear coming out of his mouth. He nods, which makes your heart drop.
âHe wants to meet today but it doesnât have to be a set time, so take all the time you need getting ready,â he responds hoping to ease your fears.
âWhere are the clothes?â you question. Yeosang moves the chair back to where it belongs before waiting for you to get out of your bed. He takes you to the walk in closet where there is an assorted amount of clothes and shoes. There are nine different colors for the wardrobe with the shoes being black, a color that would easily go with each color of clothing. âDo I wear a certain color on each day of the week?â you ask before walking into the closet and taking everything in.
Yeosang giggles which causes you to look at him with confusion. âNo, basically there is a color that each one of us Kings is associated with. You see my yellow shirt? Thatâs my color. Hongjoongâs is red, Seonghwaâs is pink, Yunhoâs is baby blue, Sanâs is purple, Mingiâs is orange, Wooyoung is dark orange as you probably remember from the times heâs visited you, and Jonghoâs is brown,â Yeosang answers swiftly.
You donât answer but rather you walk up to the black clothes and pick up the material showing it to the King with a âthen who owns this colorâ kind of look. He smiles shyly before answering, âBlack is no oneâs. So youâll probably end up wearing it today. If you wear one of our colors it kind of symbolizes how you feel.. about a certain one of us you know?â
After hearing his response you quickly pull a black outfit off the racks before walking into the bathroom. You look at the assortment of shampoos, conditioners, and body washes and notice that they are all scented with various things.
âYeosang, is there anything unscented?â you question.
âUhm, I donât think so. Why?
âBecause I will mask my scent if I use this,â your response earns you a laugh from the man, which causes you to scowl. You quickly remove the look from your face because you remember that you are in fact an Angel.
âYour scent doesnât matter down here. It is not as profound as it would be on Earth. Also, youâre in the Kingâs palace so all of our scents easily overpower your scent anyways. So just use what is there,â he responds before teleporting back to the other side of the room.
You close the door before sitting on the stool in the bathroom and sighing. You havenât used scents to wash yourself since you were a human. You also havenât seen any of them teleport since getting here. You knew that there is multiple things that they can do and that scares you quite a bit. You donât really know the extent of their powers which is scary.
You turn the shower on and get under the hot water, which does a lot to ease the anxiety that has been residing in your body. You wash and condition you hair before washing your body. You wrap yourself in the towel before exiting the shower and you dry off thoroughly before putting on the black clothes that you took from the closet earlier. You brush your teeth and rinse your mouth before taking a few deep breaths. You know once you open the door it is only a matter of time before you have to face all eight of them. The last time you were in the presence of all eight, you passed out. You can only imagine how angry they are with you right now.
You open the door and walk out to see that Yeosang has set black socks on the bed and put inside shoes by the door for you to use. âCan you just tell them that Iâm being difficult and canât meet today,â you ask lightheartedly.
âIâm afraid not. All seven of them would come in here. Iâm sure youâd rather be in a big room rather than a smaller one like this, no?â He answers.
âI guess,â you answer while putting your socks on.
âYou ready?â Yeosang questions as he moves to stand in front of you.
âI donât think I ever will be, but I donât have a choice,â you reply.
âThey arenât as bad as they seem, come on,â Yeosang says before walking to the door and waiting for you. You follow him anxiously and after you put your shoes on, you find yourself out in the hallway of the palace on your way to meet the seven other kings.
â
Yeosang leads you to this hallway and at the end of it there is a singular door which you know leads to the grand room. The closer that you get to the door the stronger the scents are. Your walking falters a bit as your breathing becomes more staggered. If Yeosang noticed, he gave you the pleasure of not acknowledging it.
Yeosang opens the door and holds it open for you, but the moment you see the seven other men sitting at the table, you freeze. You donât even search for the comfort of Wooyoungâs familiar face, nor do you have the ability to look back at Yeosang. Your frozen where youâre standing, and you think you may pass out at any time.
âCome. Sit on the opposite of me,â the man at the head of the table says. His tone is firm but gentle. You assume he is the leader of everyone, but his command does nothing to ease your nerves.
âCherry,â Wooyoung speaks before getting out of his chair which is seated next to where the other male told you to sit. You look at him when he speaks to you, a sigh of relief escaping your lips as you take in the familiar man. âYouâre sitting in between me and Yeosang, we wonât let any of the others hurt you,â Wooyoung whispers.
âI might pass out,â you whisper back to Wooyoung. âIt feels so intense in here,â You muster, your breathing becoming rapid.
âEight kings will be intense but I know you can do it,â Wooyoung tries to reassure you.
âTheyâre going to yell at me,â you say to Wooyoung so quietly that you donât even know if he can hear.
âNo, they wonât. I promise,â Wooyoung responds. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor and footsteps causes you and Wooyoung to look over.
The man that spoke to you when you first entered the room is now walking towards you. You canât help but feel a sense of impending doom. He holds a stern look on his face as he walks towards you.
âI can assure you, none of us are going to yell at you. If they do, Iâll deal with them. And I promise, even if they were mad at you,â he pauses before continuing âthey are way more afraid of me than they would be mad at you,â the man says with a gruff but soft and sincere tone.
You take a deep breath before walking towards the seat that you were told to sit in, not wanting to press your luck with any of the kings in front of you. Wooyoung and Yeosang take their respective seats next to you. You find yourself fidgeting with your fingers under the table, trying to keep your nervousness at bay. You arenât sure if they are expecting you to speak first, but you wonât.
âThank you for agreeing to meet with us all today,â The man sitting the direct opposite of you begins, âWill you tell us your name?â
âBlossom,â you answer more weakly than you intended to.
âIâm Hongjoong,â he responds before setting fully back into the chair, âIâm the King of all these Kings if you couldnât tell,â he responds before staying quiet for a few moments to see if you had the desire to answer him. You donât. You wonât speak more than you have to.
âHow many of us do you know?â Hongjoong questions.
âI know the two sitting next to me, thatâs about it,â you answer, not wanting to think about the encounter you had with the other on the day you were kidnapped.
âYou sure?â Hongjoong responds, likely knowing that you didnât tell the full truth.
âI tried to forget about him the moment he left my sight,â you say honestly and as nicely as you can. But you know that your words are as mean no matter what tone you use.
Hongjoong chuckles before responding, âAt least youâre honest,â
âWooyoung told me I wasnât a good liar, so might as well not try,â you remark back. Wooyoung smiles at your comment before speaking himself.
âI know Cherry quite well,â Wooyoung says to the table.
âYou do not,â You respond before thinking. Your comment earns a chuckle from Hongjoong and the one wearing purple, which you know is San.
âI know more about you than you think, I just choose to let you keep up the little facade you have going on,â he remarks back playfully. His comment makes your heart drop, because there is a lot more to you than what meets the eye.
âOkay,â you answer, choosing not to protest. You are severely outnumbered in Hell and you definitely donât want anything bad to happen to you. You want to return to your home, Heaven.
âWell, everyone needs to introduce themselves. It is only fair,â Hongjoong says before looking at the man to his right. They all introduce themselves quickly, but the man on the left of Hongjoong looks more agitated than the rest.
âIâm Seonghwaâ ow, fuck give me a damn minute,â the man winces as he looks at Hongjoong, âIâm sorry for upsetting you the other day,â he says apologetically.
âItâs fine,â you say as monotonous as you can. You honestly really dislike him and you canât really see his apology as sincere.
âDo you have any questions for us?â Hongjoong asks sincerely
âYes, just one. Why does one of you have to be with me at all times?â you question. You couldnât leave even if you tried. Poppy wonât come for you and you arenât even sure if your bond is viable anymore since youâre in Hell. It isnât like you havenât tried, but there is still no response from her.
âWell, since you are in Hell and you are not being.. held accountable for the sins you have committed or a demon helping with that.. You are quite..â Hongjoong ponders before responding âA rarity. You arenât safe by yourself. Even if I said that you arenât to be hurt, demons are conniving. They might would do it anyway, they have a lack of self control. But I trust my brothers, the seven other kings. They wonât hurt you and theyâll protect you from anyone who would try to do you wrong in our kingdom,â Hongjoong answers.
âThis could all be avoided if I could get back to where I belong,â you respond back, âYou wouldnât have to do all of this extra stuff,â you try to reason, hoping that maybe he would hear you out.
âYou belong here,â he responds back quickly.
âI do not,â you remark
âYou are ours now, you wonât leave,â
â
You donât know where your confidence came from but as soon as the words left Hongjoongâs mouth, you had teleported back to the room youâve been given. You know you have likely pissed off all of them heavily â or Hongjoong at the very least. But you didnât really care who you pissed off at this point. Youâre fuming. They kidnap you from where you belong and suddenly think youâre a piece of a prophecy that includes you being romantically involved with eight of them? Absolutely crazy.
Your angered thoughts distract you for a while that you didnât even realize someone else was in the room with you until you heard a stomp on the hardwood floor a few feet behind you. The scent that fills the room is not one that you recognize so you know that it isnât Wooyoung, Yeosang, or Mingi. The scent of pine fills up the room and you have no clue who it belongs to. You can infer that it isnât Hongjoong because he definitely wouldâve opened his mouth by now if it was.
âAre you going to turn around and look at me or are you just going to keep staring at the wall in front of you?â The man questions, a deep voice filling your ears.
âThe wall seems nice,â you retort, your anger still prevalent in your voice.
âLook at me when you speak to me,â the man orders.
You simply donât respond once he tells you that. A conversation with him is not one that you want to have, so you donât answer and you donât look back at him either. In retrospect, you probably shouldnât be petty with someone who could ruin your existence and turn you into a fallen angel with the smallest touch. But in the moment, you could care less about how he thought he deserved to be treated.
âItâs me or Hongjoong, take your pick,â the man gives an ultimatum. You despise these kinds of things, because you never win. Regardless, you just did something that likely no one has had the courage to do to the king of all kings of Hell. So you will take your chances with the man who looms behind you.
When you turn around, you see the man who dresses in the light baby blue color. You try to remember who exactly wears baby blue, but your mind keeps drawing blanks. Heâs a tall man, composed of mostly leg with black hair and red highlights.
âIâm sorry I donât remember your name right now,â you say before looking down at the floor in front of you.
âYou have a lot more to be sorry for than forgetting my name, Honey,â he responds back
âI donât exactly feel sorry for leaving a situation that couldâve been worse had I opened my mouth,â you answer honestly
âYouâre an Angel, your first instinct is kindness,â the man says as a matter of fact.
âThat is true. Thatâs why I removed myself from the situation,â you say
âTouche. Iâm Yunho, by the way. Come sit,â Yunho says as he gestures to the bed, sitting on one end of it. You sit on the other end, keeping your distance from the man. âNo one has ever done that to him,â Yunho says.
âI figured as much. Once I actually thought about what I did and who I did it to. Iâm sorry for angering yâall,â you say apologetically.
âI think Hongjoong and Seonghwa were the only angry ones. The rest of us were mostly just surprised,â Yunho answers honestly.
âI donât know what Hongjoong or Wooyoung are talking about whenever they say that,â you begin to rant, âYou bring an Angel to Hell and then say that they are to the one true love to EIGHT men who happen to be the Kings of Hell? Thatâs absolutely crazy. And that isnât being mean either thatâs just being honest,â you respond, your anger beginning to boil again.
âYes, I understand. I would also be wary if I was in your position. Mingi is really smart and knows most about the prophecy. Youâd do well to speak with him, he may be able to help you understand it better,â Yunho says, trying to offer a solution to the cause of your anger.
âLearning about that stupid prophecy is the last thing I want to do. I just want to go home,â you retort back at Yunho
âWhere is home for you?â Yunho questions
âHonestly, my assignment. The kids,â you answer honestly.
Heaven should be your first thought, your first answer, probably should be your only thought or only answer. But it isnât. You didnât feel at home in Heaven, especially since you and Poppy are no longer on good terms. She made Heaven breathable and without her, Heaven has become suffocating for you. Your only time with fresh air being when you went to assignment on earth.
Yet, you were willing to sacrifice it all just so you would never have to see Wooyoung again. You look down at your hands again and tears begin to form in your eyes. Ever since you were born, including your human birth and your rebirth as an Angel, you had always gave. Not once did you ever get something you wanted. You didnât think that was a greedy thing. Not when you have been so selfless.
You think back to that conversation with Angel Zen and you laugh at yourself. He told you to not tell Wooyoung anything. To not let the Demon become any of the wiser and a task as simple is that, you failed. You had one job and that was to not talk to him anymore. You were almost there but you failed at the very last moments. All because you were selfless. You hated being the cause of Wooyoungâs pain. Maybe he wasnât even upset. Maybe it was all manipulation and he was planning on kidnapping you all along. You donât even want to know at this point. All you know now is that you are in a palace with the Eight Kings of Hell who think youâre destined to be their lover.
âWhatâs on your mind?â Yunho asks, breaking your trance.
âYou canât hear my thoughts?â you ask genuinely. You had just assumed that they could since theyâre powerful, but maybe you wrongfully assumed.
âNot necessarily. I could if I truly wanted to and tried but you deserve to keep your autonomy,â Yunho answers truthfully.
âI hope everyone thinks the same as you,â you say.
âThey should. It is really draining to do that, so it is only done if it absolutely needs to be,â Yunho answers, shifting his body towards your direction to look at you better, âI know the situation isnât ideal for you, especially right now. But all I ask is that you give us a chance. Even if it is one by one,â Yunho tries to reason.
âTwo out of the eight of you I wish to never see again,â you answer truthfully.
âBetter than eight out of eight. Give them their chances last. Theyâll warm up with time,â Yunho says.
âWhat makes you think you arenât one of the two?â you quip lightheartedly
âYou got jokes,â Yunho laughs âIâm just taking a wild guess that Iâm in fact not on your bad list,â Yunho says while having his hands in a jazz hand position with an inquiring face.
You giggle at the manâs antics. Youâve enjoyed Yunhoâs presence so far, considering that at the beginning his presence was extremely domineering. He made you laugh for the first time since coming here, a small piece of happiness in a depressing situation for you.
â
You arenât sure when you ended up falling asleep but you woke up to Yunho playing games on the computer in your room. Whenever you wake up you find yourself looking at your hair to make sure it still has its signature golden glow, afraid that the one thing thatâs keeping you together will be taken away from you.
âYunho?â you whisper, even though no one else is in the room with you.
âYes, honey?â he responds back. The nicknames youâve been given feels weird for you. It took you a while to transition from y/n to Blossom. Then being called Cherry and the occasional Cherry Blossom.
Throughout your time since becoming an Angel, you reminisce on being called your name and the nicknames associated with that. But no one would ever call you them again. âHell to Blossom,â Yunho quips, now having turned around in the chair to face your bed.
âYou have jokes,â you say lightheartedly as you roll your eyes at his comment
âIâm fucking hilarious,â Yunho states as a matter of fact.
âAlright..â
âNow what were you going to say?â Yunho questions.
âHow long will I have to be on watch for?â
âIâm not sure.. I donât think too much longer,â Yunho says truthfully
âDoes this mean Iâm going home,â
Yunho gives you a look that screams âreallyâ and to that you sigh and fall back into the bed. You donât even know why you continue to ask.
A hard knock on the door vibrates your room, making you flinch. You sit up and look at Yunho, who looks at the door then back at you.
âHongjoong,â he says to you curtly before walking to the door to open it.
