#(he's in the bit literally after this but alas. bridging)

[ace-malarky]

For your weekend wip game with the lore thing: which character(s) is most likely to be awake in the middles of the night with the painsomnias ?

(Also 3×3 whatever wip it is. You're making progress today. Sunglasses emoji)

I was gonna automatically answer for a group that wasn't on the list oops ^^; of this set - Nuvian would be awake with the painsomnias, I think

At present in the WIP he's largely nocturnal anyway for ease of his business (genteel boss of the night market) but even outside of that he doesn't sleep that much when he's suppose to, and Rosie (his li'l soul mage healer) can't do all that much for him

and a 3x3 for Soul of the Party! Slightly more than 3 bc the only thing slower than this computer is the work lmao

~~~

She spotted Elise with Llinos and Abigail and Everly, but didn’t join them. She wasn’t going to be much use at conversation, and besides. Harder to single her out if she was in a group. 

Stars above, but she needed some air. All this waiting – maybe she and Llinos should have simply startled them in the warehouse. 

“Selene?” Carlin caught her arm as she bumped into them. 

“Sorry, Carlin.” Selene shook her head, refocusing away from her spiral. “Were you saying something?” 

They frowned. “Are you quite alright? Saro hasn’t said much, but...” 

“Ah.” Selene smiled and lifted her arm free of them. “Yes, I’m doing fine.” 

“Are you sure? You seem-” they searched for the word- “distracted. Caught up in something.” 

“Distracted is right,” she replied. “I’m just trying to find someone, that’s all.” 

“Ah.” Carlin smiled almost sadly. “Jasper sa Adrassa? I’ve never seen him outside of the park.” 

“Even for the end of the tournament?” Selene took the out they gave her, even if it twisted something inside. “That seems unsportsmanlike.” 

“Well, he’s only barely a man,” Carlin said lightly. “And he was disqualified. I would hope he isn’t plotting anything.” 

“He’s not like that.” Selene frowned. “But - my apologies, Carlin, please excuse me. I need some air.” 

“Of course.” They stepped back. “And - please, Selene? Don’t... get into too much trouble?” 

“I’ll do my best.” She smiled and made for the great sash windows that led onto the balcony. 

[i-know-you-know-we-know-lee-know]

Skz hyung line react to being called good boy

Guess what?

Im not dead

ʸⁱᵖᵖᵉᵉ

Sorry i dropped off the face of the earth for like three weeks

I dont really have an excuse for it lmao

But hey! My ult groups both had comebacks so that's a plus ig

Also i kinda changed my organization style a bit bc it fit better with what i was writing

Warnings: slightly suggestive(?) fluff, read at your own risk ig, mild cursing, Minho is probably the most suggestive so you can skip if it makes you uncompfy, readers gender is not specified but they do wear more "feminine" clothes in Minho's, mentions of food

Maknae Line

Chan

Shook

Is the only way i can describe it

Literally whips his head around with he most bewildered expression on his face

Ya know?

Kinda like that

Anyways

Scenario~

You had been feeling a bit ✨mischievous✨ lately and decided to prank Chan. Luckily he was a very compatible victim and had not a single clue what you were doing.

"Channie can you get that box from up there"

You say, looking to him for help with the box you had definitely not put up on the top shelf earlier needed to get down

Chan, being the chivalrous bf he is, plucks the box down from the top shelf and hands it to you.

"good boy" you say, standing on your tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek and walking away nonchalantly.

"your welco- wait what" Chan says, looking at you flabbergasted as you walked away from him.

But soon he grins and sets off after you down the hall

"good boy huh? I could get used to that"

UHM

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN GOOD SIR?

...

*realises i just wrote that*

I-

What?

Anyways moving on

Minho

Ok so there's two options

1. 😏

2. 😐

Or both

But most likely 1

" min can you come in here?"

You call out to your boyfriend, awkwardly holding the top of your dress up while the back hangs open.

"hmm? Yeah what do you need love- oh"

He stops behind you and you can see his eyes in the mirror traveling from your reflected face to the front of your dress to thr back and down lower-

"will you quit staring at my ass and help me with my dress"

You say, meeting his eyes in the mirror as he grins

"how can i help it when you look like this?"

He says, causing heat to rise on your cheeks as you feel his hands warm on your back

He laces up the back of your corset top dress and ties it at the end, stepping back to admire his work

You turn around to see what he's done and find it acceptable

"good boy" you say, turning back around to smooth out the front of your dress

Minho freezes, blinks a few times, then smirks and leans down over your shoulder

"good boy?" he says with a raised eyebrow "are you trying to make us late to the party?" he murmurs in your ear, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you closer to him

You were in fact late to the party and although you told everyone you simply lost track of time (which was technically true) your lipstick peeking out from Minho's collar which he "forgot to rub off" told a different story

No thoughts

Head empty

(except Minho, he's always in there)

⸜( •⌄• )⸝

Changbin

He is also shook

But in a more innocent way?

Kinda?

Like he doesn't know how to react but he thinks he likes it

He definitely likes it

The two of you were going on a nice walk out in the park and were having a lovely time.

You decided to stop on a bridge to look over the edge and take a break from walking for a bit.

Changbin was telling you about his past week and how busy it had been when he noticed your shoe was untied.

"we've been practicing almost every day for such a long time now im glad i get a break today- hey your shoes untied"

He stoops down, still talking and ties your shoe for you while you watch him.

You've tried telling him you can tie your shoes on your own but alas, he doesn't listen so you've gotten used to it.

But this time you decided to pull a little prank on him.

"good boy" you say to him as he stands back up to your level.

"and on tuesd- what" he stops mid sentence, looking at you confused. "what did you just say?"

You frown, faking confusion

"what? I didn't say anything"

"yes you did i heard you"

You laugh, linking your arm with his and pulling him along the walking trail.

"you shouldn't say things like that in public baby it sounds wierd"

You glance up at your boyfriend, who's face now has a red tinge and laugh again

Who knew you could get him so worked up with just two words?

*sighs*

God i love him so much

🥰

Hyunjin

Boi likes it

But doesn't show it

Because he's too shy to admit he wants you to say it again

But he might ask

Might...

Hyunjin had been watching movies with you for the past few hours and had just gotten up to make yet another bowl of popcorn for the two of you.

He came back with a heaping bowl for both of you to share and held it just out of arms length from you.

"isn't there something you'd like to say to me?" he asks, looking down at your small form curled up on the couch.

"please?"

"close, but not quite"

Hyunjin grins, still holding the bowl just out of your reach.

"im looking for two wor-"

"good boy"

He freezes, and you take advantage of his confused state to lunge and grab the bowl.

He takes a few seconds to fully process what you just said and flops down on the couch next to you.

"why'd you say that?" he mumbles, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth.

You laugh "to see your reaction"

Hyunjin sits in silence for a few moments, contemplating life and processing the last few seconds

"say it again"

"say what again?"

"...you know"

You laugh

"good boy, Hyunjin"

Don't you just love it when Hyunjin system malfunctions? 🥰

hehehe

I enjoyed writing this

[pink-november]

Heya!!!

4. (Explore) If you have a least favorite Vessel, then what do you think would make you like her?

14. (Explore) What's your favorite ship/s?

24. (Explore) What’s a moment in the game that disturbed/ freaked you out the most?

4. (Explore) If you have a least favorite Vessel, then what do you think would make you like her?

Hmmmm. If I have to choose my least favorite Vessel, then it would have to be— ack!

Alas, the spirit of Smitten hath possessed me and hath made me blind to any flaws the Princess may have. So I'm afraid I have to turn this question down. Our beloved is simply perfection itself!

14. (Explore) What's your favorite ship/s?

Oh, I'm a big fan of Burned Bridges (Cold/Smitten)! I had probably annoyed many people at our server about my love for this ship and lemme tell you I am very ill regarding their dynamic. Especially after the pristine cut update, the potential of this ship's dynamic skyrocketed for me. They are your typical enemies to lovers but for a long time, it was very fanfiction and headcanon territory as to how they can develop as lovers but now Pristine Cut had opened my eyes.

So remember how Cold absolutely hates The Good Ending and Smitten basically did an equivalent of that during Happily Ever After? How much of Smitten's attempt had inevitably hurt the one he loves by forcing that unto her? Now remember how Cold treated Fury, someone who was filled with so much rage and hurt, who lashed out at us in an attempt to find the thing she had lost in her life and who felt empty after all that torture and pain she put us through? So, um, hey, doesn't that sound similar to Burned Grey Smitten, who had lost someone he loves and had resorted to threats and violence in an attempt to find vengeance and solace through it? I imagine that if these two meet again after their experience with their Princesses that they had gained a better understanding with each other, even if only a little bit, and perhaps with some time and bonding, they can learn to help each other heal and mend that which had broke and hurt them together.

Then again, I may be looking too much into this, but anything to help these two heal and be better is a win-win situation for me.

24. (Explore) What’s a moment in the game that disturbed/ freaked you out the most?

Oh man. Happily Ever After definitely takes the cake. For a long time after playing it, I literally felt unwell. It's a heavy chapter that tackles rather heavy topics that I don't like thinking about, mostly because it hits way too close to home and also because I didn't like how Smitten was seemingly denied a chance for closure after everything. It didn't necessarily freaked me out, I don't think anything from the game did so, but it definitely disturbed me.

I guess if we are to come back to our first question, HEA is somehow my least favorite Vessel in the game and it isn't because it isn't good or something like that, but it simply was not for me. If I were to improve on it, I just want Smitten to atleast have the chance to say sorry, to either us or to the Princess before he fades away into the ether, never to be seen again.

Maybe the heartache of it all is too recent for me and that is why HEA isn't on the top of my list. Give it time and maybe in the next few months, I would appreciate the story it was trying to tell and I would learn to accept it, just as I would learn to accept that sometimes love do fade away, sparks die out, and people who you once cared and loved for will grow tired and bored of you, even after you gave it your all. There are many life lessons to be seen here and I hope in time I would be able to learn and heal too.

[ink4blotches]

Pavitr x reader angst please 🙏🙏

Everyone Loves Heroes(Pavitr Prabhakar x Reader)

I gotchu anon ;))

Got a little confused halfway with this one, so it's a bit confusing to read but bear with me because it's 1am and I'm running on Coca Cola and sour straws :D

Synopsis/Feels: Basically Y/N is this worlds Gwen Stacey, famous for a bit at the end because idk, imagine that press scene from ITSV when MJ was talking to the city after Blond Peter died, reader dies(obv), angst y ag but that's what they wanted, reader is a girl, yeah yeah you get it.

Word Ct.: 885

••••••••••

It was just a normal day. Fighting thugs, feeding stray dogs, eating vada pav, hanging out with the rare, the elusive, the literally famous, singer Y/N Singh, yknow. The norm for Spider-Man: India.

Everything was going normally. A little boring, but normally. Nobody was in a huge amount of danger, and Y/N had worn a lovely outfit, which showed she was in a good mood.

He wanted to spend the entire day with her, to not leave her side. But alas, his duties as Spider-Man prevented him from doing so.

He should've been more careful. He should've stopped and wondered why his Spidey-Sense had been going crazy all day.

But no, he made what seemed to be a tiny mistake leaving her alone.

5 hours later, he's saving a bus from falling off the bridge connecting two cities, after it unfortunately collapsed. Struggling and he can only balance one thing, since even Spider-Man can't balance a bus with one hand.

He thought everyone had gotten away. That everyone on the bridge was safe.

"Hey, look out!"

That's when his heart absolutely shattered. He'd recognize that voice from a billion miles away. It was Y/N Singh. HIS Y/N Singh.

And she was there.

He could barely keep the bus up as he tried desperately to get a look at where his love was.

"It's okay...here, I'll carry you." He watched helplessly, his arms aching from holding a bus up alone, and his eyes stinging from the wind blowing through his cracked lens.

As Y/N grabbed the kid's hand, she seemed to notice the same thing Pav did.

She didn't have enough time to carry that kid away.

So she turned, giving Pavitr a quick glance. And despite not knowing the Spider hero, she put her faith in him to save the kid.

And so, a split second before the bridge collapsed, Y/N Singh tossed the kid, then falling the the streets below.

And Pav was helpless to do anything.

•

•

•

•

Pavitr tapped one of the microphones once, then a second time, causing the feedback to ring throughout the ginormous speakers set up around town hall.

"Sorry- I've never done anything like this before. And I don't have anything prepared to say..." Pav trails off, glancing at all of the cameras and eyes on him.

Mumbattan had just lost it's most beloved singer, who was well known to be dating Pavitr Prabhakar. It was an absolute bomb dropped on the poor city.

So right now, they needed someone to tell them it was gonna be okay. That, with time, everything would go back to normal. And they would rely on her boyfriend to tell them that.

But alas, Pavitr had also lost a piece of himself. He wanted to go home and cry, maybe even beat himself up for failing to save her.

The only reason he's here is because Gayatri and Inspector Singh expressly asked him to be. So he took a big breath before just...speaking his mind.

"I'll be honest. Y/N and I have been dating for 4 years, as most of you know. And in those 4 years, I found myself more than I had in my entire life before I knew her. I was lucky to know her on such a personal level, and it's...hard. Knowing she's gone. At times she would go on tour for months, but I knew she'd be back. Now...she's gone. Forever." Pavitr paused, sniffing in to stop his nose from running.

"Y/N was an amazing person. She was an inspiration to many, a light in the darkness to some, a friend to all, as well as a daughter to Mr.Singh, and sister to Gayatri Singh. And, at the end of her life, she was a hero.."

Pav thought for a moment. He shouldn't say the next part, he really shouldn't.

But he did.

"But she was also my girlfriend. And I hate that the world took her away from me so soon. As much as it pains me to say it, I can't lie. I hate that she had to be the hero that saved that boy. We all love heroes, and we're all sad when they pass away. And that sadness passes in a few weeks for most. But to me, Gayatri, and Inspector Singh, we can't just turn off the channel and pretend it didn't happen."

Pav knew he should've just stopped there, and everyone else did too.

But in a way he was talking to Y/N as well, hoping that his message would get to her no matter where she was.

"In the end, everyone loves heroes. Until they're the people close to them. Then it's a completely different story."

Pav knew he was condescending himself. He knew he wasn't making any sense. He saw poor Gayatri burst into tears less than 10 feet away from him.

But he had to keep going.

"I just wish Y/N could've been selfish for once in her life. Prioritized herself over a kid she didn't even know so she could stay with me. But she couldn't. It wasn't like her."

Pav took a deep breath, leaning closer into the microphone for his final word.

"And that's what I loved about her."

[windsfavored]

@marchingasone &&. said... there's not a single word as the 11th harbinger drapes himself over a comfortable chair, reclining sideways as if it's the most comfortable bed. downtime is rare, but even childe will take a break when needed. it doesn't matter if it's scaramouche's office, nor does it matter if scaramouche is already in said chair. childe is comfortable. "you're too busy," childe utters quietly. "it's no fun when i'm constantly having to chase after you."

the  scratch  of  a  pen;  the  steady  ticking  of  a  clock.  all  sounds  the  balladeer  equates  with  productivity.  though  it's  true  the  position  he  occupies  is  oft  equated  with  being  a  terrifying  force  on  the  battlefield,  the  existence  of  a  harbinger  just  as  often  dabbles  in  matters  of  POLITICS  and  its  associated  pitfalls.  most  prominently,  paperwork  —  of  which  kunikuzushi  frequently  spends  the  time  an  ordinary  person  would  WASTE  on  sleep  tearing  through  with  mechanical  efficiency.  sign  this,  read  this,  reject  this.  it's  tedious  work;  by  this  time  of  the  night,  his  chair  begins  to  feel  more  like  a  PRISON  —  though  he  rejects  the  urge  in  favor  of  pushing  himself  even  harder.  the  balladeer  isn't  a  person,  after  all;  he's  closer  to  an  object,  a  tool,  a  weapon  to  be  wielded.  his  body  experiences  no  fatigue  —  it's  only  his  mind  that  festers  with  weakness.

but  alas,  the  words  are  blurring  together  now.  kunikuzushi  puts  his  pen  down  and  pinches  the  bridge  of  his  nose,  groaning  softly.  just  a  minute,  he  thinks.  unfortunately,  just  a  minute  is  all  FATE  needs  to  drop  a  massive  distraction  in  his  lap  —  quite  literally.

❝  ...  and  you're  irritating. ❞   are  the  first  words  out  of  his  mouth  —  evidently  the  sixth's  equivalent  of  a  GREETING.  he  drags  his  hand  slowly  down  his  face.  it's  a  bit  awkward  sharing  the  chair  like  this;  childe  appears  sprawled  out  like  a  gangly,  orange  cat.  talk  about  undignified.  (  frustratingly,  there's  a  part  of  kunikuzushi  that  isn't  exactly  UNHAPPY  to  see  him.  )  ❝  perhaps  you  haven't  realized  it  yet,  but  i'm  not  here  to  entertain  you.  ❞  he  wrinkles  his  nose;  a  look  of  disdain  that  would  appear  far  more  intimidating  on  less  GENTLER  features  —  though  the  balladeer  does  try  his  very  best  with  the  face  his  creator  burdened  him  with.  even  so,  even  despite  the  (  surface  level  )  frosty  reception,  it's  quite  telling  that  he  doesn't  shove  him  away  immediately.  ❝  don't  you  have  your  own  obligations  to  worry  about? ❞   tragically  it  seems  as  long  as  the  eleventh  feels  inclined  to  BOTHER  HIM,  kunikuzushi  simply  cannot  tend  to  his  own.

...  well,  he  could  try.  but  truth  be  told,  he's  feeling  awfully  BORED  himself  —  and  childe  gives  him  an  excuse  to  blame  someone  else  for  his  lack  of  productivity.

deciding  he  may  as  well  see  where  this  takes  him,  the  balladeer  asks,   ❝  you  found  me  —  so  what  do  you  ACTUALLY  want? ❞  hopefully  something  the  slightest  bit  interesting.

[fatale-distraction]

How about #4 "How can you not understand how much I love you?"

More Barcus because he’s my little king. I also went into the character creator and made Lithe! Wish there were more long braid options, but alas I am on PS5, not PC, so no mods.

Also sorry the line is a little different from the prompt. I wrote this from memory during a slow point at work today, so I didn’t remember it exactly right. 🤣

"How could you ever doubt that I love you?" Lithe demanded.

Barcus gave a wry snort. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"Do I look like I'm fucking laughing?" She crossed her arms over her chest and fixed the gnome with a look that had frequently sent even Astarion looking for somewhere else to cause trouble. Barcus however, held his ground admirably.

"Well, let's just see, shall we?" he tilted his chin up in defiance. "You're a beautiful elven woman who murders evil-doers for fun, and I'm, what? A useless little gnome who can't take two steps without being kidnapped and isn't even worth enough to his own oldest friend to keep around."

"Wulbren. Is. A. Cunt." Lithe punctuated each word by tapping the knife-edge of one hand into the palm of the other. "Elistraee's divine merciful tits, you're so caught up with him you can't even see your own worth!"

"Maybe he's right!" Barcus cried, throwing his hands up.

"Maybe doves will fly out of my ass," came the sarcastic retort, at which Barcus scoffed. "I mean it, you're wonderful! You're clever and funny and brave--"

"Ha!" the smaller man puffed himself up. "Brave! You're the one chasing down mad cultists and stabbing at giant monsters, or whatever it is you do. I just..." he gestured helplessly toward the little workbench he’d set up on the corner of the inn. "Sit here and…tinker."

Lithe sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She could argue with him until the sun went down and came back up again, but he was as stubborn as she was. The elf took a deep breath and slung her bow off her shoulder, knocking an arrow in almost the same motion. The gnome's eyes widened a bit and he took a step back.

"See that spider on the wall over there?" she pointed.

Barcus squinted. There was a tiny dark blob on a plank across the room, just above Rolan’s head. "Sort of."

Without taking her eyes off of him, Lithe pulled and shot her arrow. Barcus followed the arrow's flight and watched it sink deep into the wall with a dull thunk. The dark blob was now a little blobbier. Several people screamed, including Rolan, between whose horns the arrow had arced perfectly. Jaheira rose from where she’d hit the deck and shouted “Stop shooting arrows in my inn!”

Lithe ignored her. “Dead center. You can check if you’d like.”

"I wouldn't like," the gnome shook his head and began to wonder if picking a fight with such a terrifying woman had been such a clever idea.

"Barcus," she said evenly as she holstered her bow again, the inn’s occupants glaring at her and muttering. "I was born and raised to fight the worst this world has to offer and then some. I've trained for this kind of thing for a hundred years. Literally one hundred. Going after monsters is what I DO. That's not bravery, that's a Wednesday."

"I don't think you're making the point you think you're making."

Lithe held deceptively small hands out imploringly. "You're an artificer. Your area of expertise is libraries and workshops, not beasties and wilderness. But you took off into the unknown anyway, for the sake of your friend. You survived goblins and ghouls and slave labor at the hands of duergar and drow and crossed through the Shadowlands, all because you love someone so much you can't bear the thought of them facing such dangers alone. Barcus, that is so very brave I can't even stand it. Very brave, and very stupid, but it's an admirable kind of stupid."

Barcus crossed his arms over his chest and leveled an exasperated look at her. "Have you often been told you're terrible at declarations of love?"

"Quite often."

He sighed. He rubbed a hand down his face and sighed again. Lithe waited patiently.

“I absolutely hate it when you do this, but..." With world-weary reluctance, he lifted his arms. Lithe squealed and snatched him up into a bone-breaking hug, snuggling into the crook of his neck. Barcus tried not to squirm too much and let himself enjoy the way her breasts smushed against his torso. "You're a good girl," he muttered fondly, stroking her soft, herbal-scented hair. He very much enjoyed the little laugh and slight shiver that coursed through her, and tucked that interesting bit of information away for later.

"I'm not a girl, I'm a lady," she insisted playfully as she set him back down.

"A woman maybe, but certainly not a lady," Barcus grumbled, making a great show of straightening his clothes out. She may have been a proper adult at 110, but he was a good thirty years her senior. Not an unreasonable difference when one lived to be four hundred or more, but at least enough to tease someone about.

"I can punt you just as easily as I did Wulbren," she reminded him with a sweet smile as she turned to wander back out into the common area of the inn. Several nosy heads disappeared from around the corners and one person had the audacity to actually whistle innocently. Apparently her show with the arrow had drawn the patrons’ attention to their little drama. Barcus shook his head.

"Lithe, wait..." he called before he could think better of it. She paused and turned with a mild look of surprise and curiousity. "I...I care about you, too. Really, I do,” he promised earnestly. “I just need a little time, I think."

Lithe smiled sadly at him and continued on her way. Too late Barcus realized time was one thing she definitely didn’t have.

[silksosoft]

Reading - KinnPorsche#2

A different game by CorvusCloudburst (4.2k) https://archiveofourown.org/works/40148862 A post episode 13 storyline. Kim goes violent because he is too worried for Chay, literally kidnapping him.

A Guide to Living, Laughing, and Loving for the Corporeally Challenged by bisexualbard (14.3k) https://archiveofourown.org/works/50550718 Kim disappears and comes as a ghost to haunt Chay, who doesn't like the way Kim is. Little bit of mystery

Checkmate (series) by majestictortoise (105k in total) https://archiveofourown.org/series/3041331 It's a series of 7 stories in total, each concentrating on one of the characters, yet the rest are also always there. Though the series makes up a cross-cutting, yet - alas! - unfinished plot, every story is finished in itself. Loved every one of them, as all the characters are well thought-out and the relationships are as healthy as they could be with all the mafia-thing involved. The setting is after the end of the original show. I'd say it's a kind of a fix-it in the sense that the author tries to bridge the gap between the story we had in the original show and the story it could have been if the creators had been more logical and hadn't left so many question unanswered. One more thing that I like is that all characters don't exist in the story as if there's nobody around - they keep their ties, (mock)hate those they (mock)hate, and love those who they fall for, and brothers are bothers not just because we are told so.

Machine Gun Kick - mainly Porsche's pov. He learns about the video of the fight at the Yok's bar, tries to talk to Chay and from this point the story rolls on. It's all confusing shades of grey, as Porsche puts it. He is reasonable and caring, I have to admit - it's the version of Porsche I do like most.

Counterpunch - While Vegas is recovering at hospital, Pete is getting adjusted to his new role in the family, still cared for by Khun, relied on by Macao and Korn becoming an issue and a threat. So it's time for everyone to choose their side.

Kotov Syndrome - In a nutshell, the summary tells it all - Kim ruins some of his father's plans, talks about his feelings, totally doesn't cry, and finally gets to kiss a cute boy.

Trigger Creep - Now it's Kinn's turn to keep the story going. Kim finally tells his brothers about his investigation, and from that point it's getting more and more intense - involving trust issues, kidnapping, and old sins coming for the revenge

S.I.N.G. - It's Chay's turn to be kidnapped, right from the compound. The opponents make themselves clear about their actions and reasons - nothing nice and nothing new - so teamwork is what they need for survival.

Middlegame - Macao spends time under Khun's protection while Chay is kidnapped. They bicker, share some dirty family secrets and eat ice-cream

Enhanced Interrogation - Vegas doesn't know what to do with his life, has some regrets, questions and doubts and puts into action some plans that he believes he may not survive

[mybiasisexo]

Entangled - Part 7 Snippet

I feel soooo bad for the delayed update 😭. I want the next chapter out as much as y’all do, but this chapter is hard bro 😭. I’ve literally rewritten it like 6 times and even still I’m not satisfied with it 😪. So, here is a little treat!! Will this be in the final cut?? Shoot, idk tbh 🤷🏾‍♀️. But alas, for your patience ✊🏾😔. Appreciate y’all real bad!!! 💕💕💕

“Are you just going to stand there?” He asks. It takes you out of your hyperfocused stare and you blink up at him, catching the way he grins. He must know what he’s doing.

You clear your throat and start taking off your heels before walking over to him. He remains standing stalk still, his breaths controlled as you slowly prowl over to him.

You watch the way his irises blow out, darkening in a way you haven’t seen in years, but know all too well. When you’re about a foot away, you abruptly turn and sit on the edge of his bed.

He takes a deep grounding breath, running a hand over his face as he lets out a tortured groan before falling onto the chair holding his jacket.

A silence falls over you, but it’s not awkward like it had been in the elevator. If anything, it’s heavy with the weight of your attraction you both have for each other. That attraction is somber though, with the pain you both carry as well. With him so near after so long, the pain in your chest feels ten times heavier. You aren’t sure if you’re going to burst into tears, or maul him–you’re sure either option would lead you to regret. So instead, you stare at your lap, where your hands knot almost painfully into each other. He’s not making matters worse. If anything, you’re getting more self conscious with the way you can feel his heavy gaze. You find it a bit exasperating.

“Can you stop that?”

“Stop what?” He asks in confusion. The way his voice has deepened doesn’t pass you.

“Staring,” you clarify, lifting your gaze up to him. Once your eyes lock, he turns away shyly.

“I can’t help it,” he reveals quietly. “I just… can’t believe you’re really here. That….” He pulls gently on his earlobe, face turning pink. “That you’re in my hotel room. I feel like I’ll blink and you’ll be gone.”

He sounds so sweet, so sincere, so…heartbroken. That constant push and pull you’ve been feeling towards him this past few days hit you simultaneously. Part of you wants to dismiss him and try to deflect, but another part–that’s a lot bigger than you’d be honest about–wants to fall into his arms. You’re reminded again of last night, of how close you were to giving into him completely. If it hadn’t been for Yerim….

No, no. You can’t go there right now, not with you alone with him in such small quarters.

Time to change the subject.

“Why did you invite me here?” You ask.

“I wanted to apologize,” he reveals.

“For what?”

“There’s a lot to apologize for, I’m sure,” he begins, sinking more into his chair and leaning his head back so that he can stare up at the ceiling. “But I think the biggest thing right now is for last night.”

“You remember?” You ask skeptically. He was really drunk and, well, a lot happened in a short amount of time. A lot that you both need to unpack to be able to do…whatever it is you’re trying to do. You aren’t really sure. Closure, definitely. But what after that? You guess you’d just cross that bridge when you got to it.

“Trust me, the boys refused to let me forget,” he grumbles. That brings out your first grin since the wedding. They really are Team You, and are incredibly insufferable with it. You can only imagine the things Sehun said to him. Damn, maybe you should apologize as well.

“I don’t remember everything,” he says. “But they let me know how I made a complete fool of myself. That I…that I kissed you?”

The tips of his yoda ears turn an endearing shade of red, letting you know that he does indeed feel embarrassed over what the others told him he did. You wonder if he knows what he said to you. How he was practically begging you to take him back.

“You did,” you confirm.

[tea-earl-grey]

just finished Disco s4 and thought i'd do a little review thing:

overall i really enjoyed it, especially the concept/running plot which felt genuinely new and exciting. normally i resent when an entire season of a franchise show like Star Trek is about Saving the Galaxy or whatever because it's horribly overdone at this point but i really didn't mind this season because the plot was so rooted in communication and character rather than pew pew space battles (which i'm resigned to the fact that modern scifi is always going to have far too many space battles for my liking. sigh.)

i loved the general theme of connection and communication (and solving problems through talking/therapy!!) but there were definitely a few moments that were a bit heavyhanded for my tastes.

i do really love the general Burn era worldbuilding. i have some things i would probably do differently if i was the writer but rebuilding a broken Federation is just such a good setting for a show like Discovery. i like it

minor and maybe controversial opinion but i vastly prefer the s4 uniforms to the s1-3 uniforms. i get that the blue jumpsuits are more similar to what actual astronauts/military wear but alas i love colorcoding characters by department and the bright colors add a pop to a lot of the shots that was missing before.

seeing Michael as Captain gave me so much joy and she! has! earned! it! i love seeing her emotional growth from s1 to here and her being able to lead and express herself and..... gah i love her!

Zora!!!!!!!! i love her. i can't believe it took Star Trek this long to give us sentient spaceships.

i'm glad Tilly was out finding herself and discovering her own path but :( i miss her. the scenes she got with Michael this season were a delight though.

i literally don't care how cliched the queer found family is with Stamets & Culber & Adira & Gray, i love them dearly and specifically mentioning their queerness just. makes me really happy.

the Saru/T'Rina relationship was an absolute highlight. i'm not huge into shipping but all of disco's relationships are so nice and casual and laidback that it feels like such a breath of fresh air and all of the Saru/T'Rina scenes had me uwuing.

and all of the Michael & Saru scenes also had me uwuing... i just adore how their friendship has evolved since s1 and they're such a good team. even if it doesn't really make sense with ranks, i dearly hope Saru keeps being Michael's XO in s5 because they just make so much sense together

on the subject of relationships – i really like how conflict was introduced in Michael and Book's relationship and how that conflict was the driving force of the season without it ever feeling petty or like either one of them are toxic. Book is clearly making Bad Decisions but those decisions are entirely informed by trauma and experience and he never has a moment where he's entirely a villain, he's just trying to protect people in a misguided way after being manipulated by Tarka (who. also

.... i will admit even though i adore Michael and Book together, there a few moments where Michael and Rillak were talking that made me think 'huh what if?'. sorry not sorry. i just have a thing for political enemies becoming temporary allies becoming friends. lol maybe i'm more of a shipper than i thought. either way, i definitely loved the political aspects of Michael's role this season and i thought President Rillak was a good addition to the season.

as for some of the negatives....

i do like all of the main and recurring characters and i also like Discovery's experiments with having the main characters not be the bridge crew but also i'm just not convinced it works and i think for a hyper-serialized show, Discovery just has too many characters. i would love for the recurring characters like Detmer and Owo and Bryce, etc, etc, to get more of a character and the writers are obviously trying but because of the format it just feels like character traits are randomly peppered in rather than organically built into the story which a) led to some weird moments and dialogue and b) resulted in some of the main characters (like Stamets and Adira) being a bit underused this season.

very related to ^ that. because of the amount of characters on the bridge, there ended up being a ton of really awkward reaction shots where something dramatic happens and we slow down to get a close up of like. ten different characters. like i am glad these actors are getting fair coverage and all of that but at some point the way it was shot just felt a little ridiculous and overdramatic.

this is also very much out of the show's control but i feel like you could really feel the ways covid limited the show (so much greenscreen, limited background performers, characters conveniently standing 6 feet apart for whole scenes). i think they recovered decently and it doesn't affect my enjoyment that much but it definitely stands out.

and finally, i won't go on about this too much because people have unfairly criticized Disco to hell and back for this, but there was just a bit too much Therapy Talk for my liking. and to be clear, i don't mean too much Actual Therapy. i really respect the show for portraying therapy and trauma recovery in depth and just having cool main characters go to therapy because it's good and healthy is Very Cool. but i do think there are definitely scenes (particularly in the beginning of the show) that has dialogue fall into Therapy Talk where all the characters go around in a circle and coherently state their thoughts and emotions and then resolve their conflict. it just gave the impression that the scripts were rushed and the writers didn't have time to add nuance into the dialogue (very possibly related to pandemic stresses and the bad writing room practices that are hopefully being faded out after the WGA strike). it would have been fine in a scene or two but nearly every episode had one scene or line that made me want to rewrite it. it wasn't enough that it ruined the season for me at all (it's probably my second favorite Disco season after s3) but imo it made the season just good and not great.

i rated all the episodes (because i love nothing if not spreadsheets to track my fandom thoughts) and overall the season had an average rating of 8.17 out of 10. in comparison – s1 was 8.06, s2 was 7.92, and s3 was an 8.26. my favorite episode was Kobayashi Maru (9.4) and my least favorite was All is Possible (6.9).

anyways, i'm very excited for s5!!!

[xiv-wolfram]

Blame - Comic Script

Patch 2.55

Wolfram has a moment for reflection after the Bloody Banquet.

Catch up on my WoL Comics (Chronological List)

This is the script for a future comic. Posting for those who don’t want to wait to get the story. Numbers indicate frame number. Numbers indicate frame number. A or B followed by ) is for a split frame.

TW: alcoholism, depression

They're back in Dragonhead. Wolf passed out on a bed. Alphi leaning against the wall looking miserable. Thought - "It's all my fault…how could I have been so naïve."

Wolf wakes with a start and yells angrily - "LEAVE HIM ALONE ILBERD!" 

A) Wolf looking around B) annoyed, covers eyes with hand - "Godsdamnit". 

Alphi shocked - "... W-Welcome back. How are you feeling? You took quite a blow to the head."

Wolf confused "I did? …I remember Rau's son finding us. The rest is a blur."

Alphi looks uncomfortable - "Well you um… you refused to leave. You bade me continue on. Then you drew your weapon and started back towards Ul'dah, ranting about how you were going to start an arms collection…were you referring to weaponry?"

Wolf furrows brow - "I was likely being literal. How did I come to be here? What news of the other Scions."

Alphi looks away, turning red - "We still have no word on our friends. As for you - Flame Marshall Tarupin leapt up and knocked you out with his sword hilt then drug you into the carriage. He said to calm you down once you woke and that he would find out where General Raubahn is being held. Then we met Cid, who delivered us here."

Wolf turning red and looking away, embarrassed - "Seven hells…" Thought - 'I finally meet the lad and end up making a fool of myself. Impressive feat though.'

Alphi confused "Pardon me?!" Thought - 'He doesn't seem quite himself…'

Wolf embarrassed, holding his hand to his head - "I had just pictured meeting Pipin under different circumstances is all." Dark Thought - 'It doesn't matter what he thinks of you. You're just a friend of his father's and lower rank officer in the Flames. What matters is massacring Ilberd, the Crystal Braves, the Brass Blades, and the Monetarists. In fact - do away with all of that wretched city. I'd be happy to help. Perhaps then he'll forgive you for failing him like that? Before I take his other arm, that is!'

Wolf hangs his head and pinches the bridge of his nose, looking worried - "Alphinaud, I need a stiff drink. I've heard the Ishgardians like their brandy - would you see if Haurchefant has a bottle and bring it here?" Dark Thought - 'Aw, you've tired of me so soon?'

Alphi concerned - "Is that wise right now." Thought - 'He's only just regained consciousness after several hours.'

Wolf grins bitterly - "It matters not, we have you if 'wisdom' is required, don't we?" Dark Thought - 'How cruel! You can't wound Ilberd so you sting this poor lad with your words!'

A) Alphinaud looks shocked and wounded. B) Alphi looks away sadly - "I suppose I deserved that."

Alphi leaving room.

Wolf leans back against the headboard, looking sad. Thought - 'That was indeed unkind. I don't know what came over me.' Dark Thought - 'I do. That was typical Wolfram - you cause a big mess and want to blame everyone but yourself for it. Almost twenty years later and you haven’t changed a bit.'

Wolf stares at the ceiling looking miserable eyes tearing - "It is my fault isn't it?" Dark thought - "After all, whose advice did Raubahn ask for? Who was it that brought Ilberd back into his life?"

Wolf covering mouth, looking at wall, eyes wide, a few tears fall. Dark Thought - 'Who sensed something was off about him yet said nothing? You knew how angry he was. You brushed it off as wanting vengeance for Ala Mhigo. You squandered your empathic gift when it would have saved them. Instead of focusing on how Ilberd's emotions changed near Raubahn to determine the cause, you were panicking when you sensed how Raubahn felt about him. Letting your mind run like a jealous fool.' ' Wolf - "I did this… I did this…"

Tears fall down Wolf's face. Dark Thought - 'You had so many opportunities to stop it all. The Scions value your opinion for some reason. You could have voiced your concerns. Instead you wanted to encourage Alphinaud. Why? Because he reminds you of your poor dead brother? Pathetic.'

Wolf brings his knees up to his chest and covers his face with a hand. Dark Thought - 'You ignored the warnings. You were too slow to save the Sultana. You abandoned Raubahn to fight off Ilberd alone. You let all your friends sacrifice themselves just to get you out. What are the chances they survived? Lolorito would have taken your beloved General alive to keep the Flames in line, but clearly he wants the Scions out of the picture.'

Wolf leans forward, burying his head in his arms crossed resting on his knees. Dark Thought - 'You reunited with the love of your life, gained his friendship, then got him horribly maimed. He'll never forgive you for this. If the Scions live they'll blame you as well. If they keep you around it will be simply as their weapon. Still more than you deserve. You found a new family and got them killed just like the first one.' Wolf - "Please just stop…please…" Sobbing noises.

Wolf sobbing noises. Alphi returns with a bottle. Concerned -  "W-Wolfram? Are you alright? Does your head hurt that badly?"

Wolf looks at Alphi, tears falling down his face, smiling sadly - "Aye, the bloody thing is killing me. This should help though." Dark Thought - 'Farewell for now. I'll see you in your dreams.'

*Glug noises* Focus on Alphi, worried face - "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I'm terribly worried about everyone as well."

Wolf wipes his mouth while looking at Alphi apologetically - "No lad, it wasn't your fault. *hic* I shouldn't have spoken to you that way. The blame is now back where it belongs."

Alphi confused - "Well, we can discuss blame later I suppose... For now Ser Haurchefant would like a word with us. Are you feeling up to meeting with him?" Wolf grins - "Aye, my head is much better. Perhaps he'll have a lead on the location of our friends. *hic*"

Catch up on my WoL Comics (Chronological List)

[wench-and-jezebel]

Dark Angel Reaction: Rising

Jezebel (@typicalopposite) reacts [with occasional asides by Wench (@scripted-downfall)]

[Oh, shit, is it this one?  I think it might be.  Ack]

🤔🤔🤔 Phantom sensation???  But he got it right!?  Each time!?  

Bitch you almost transfused all o’ it!  You went and fell asleep

☠️☠️☠️☠️ Ack.  Ackkk!

[Y'all, why have you not learned proper transfusion protocolsssss; y'all need other witnessessss!  To make sure you don’t pass out!  She legit took field med courses at Manticore.  I know this because Alec mentions it later.  How does she not know proper triage?!!??!]

These.  Bastards.  Do NOT.  HAVE A CANDLE.  LIKE IT’S A DINNER DATE.  [Yes they do]

“I’M READY”  tf?

Ack

WHAT TF  [I think this is the same group of people from the Bruno episode]  ack

Hunters funeral minus the death FIRST!  ACK!  BRUTAL  [They don't feel it tho]  ANDDDDDDD???  [True]

[Apparently the weird monologues are contagious]  They areeee tho

But alas, she will

[NOO HIS ACCENT]  I knowwww!  Herbal. Your woman’s an idiot

[That poor dude!  I loved that episode, but he didn't deserve it lakdsjf]  I KNOWWWWW

WHY HE REACH FOR SKETCH’S… pencil… LIKE THAT???

[DUDE I WANNA KNOW HOW TO WHISTLE LIKE THAT]

Don’t do it man!  They gon burn you at the stake!

Ack still tho!  [The table did not deserve that]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️

[Gotta love random suspicious white dudes with buzz cuts and black trenchcoats; y'all ain't conspicuous at all]

OHHHH NOOOO

WELL DAMN!  THAT WAS QUITE RUDE!  [THEY KILL A DUDE… AND YOU TAKE ISSUE WITH THEM BEING.  RUDE.]  ☠️☠️☠️  I was calling them rude for killing him  [I KNOW! YOU PROVE THE POINT!]

Sweeet lord  [Apparently this whole episode is about people losing the stuff that makes them unique; Herbal lost his accent, and OC took a job that is literally so formulaic they're making her memorize a script.]  Oooof 😦

Ye she’s gonna be done with this place soon

He gonna have a spinning fetus in his cornea now  [Noooo]

Ouch  [tbf, buddy did kinda bite off more than he could chew with that... It's like in *The Princess Bride*, when Westley jiggles his head and is like "yeah, that ain't gonna do us much good", except it's backwards, and Logan was like "ah, yes, let me stand upright on legs that haven't been used in months after having twitched an inch" ]  Exactly

…  Welp.  

Ew.  Ewwww!  Why Kendra??? Whyyyyy????

[Max is a bit slow; the dude *is* Mr. Multiples]  KENDRA WHYYYYY??? BLECh

Not a disfiguring accide- BOTH LEGS AND BOTH ARMS? WHAT IS THIS???

☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️

Gon back and apologize to Normal ma’am  [She kinda needed to not burn that bridge.  It always annoys me when characters do that]  Right?!  [George did that in Dead Like Me; changed jobs, pissed off her boss in the process, and then hated the new job and had to go back.  I get they don't like Normal, but he's also very lax about a lot of stuff]

Oh noo!  Rainy window scene

☠️☠️☠️☠️

I love herrrrr

“I want his ass to stay crippled so he needs me”  [This is healthy, Max.  Bravo.]  And normal.

That’s commission jobs for you  [Once again, btw: Normal's employment situation is wayyy better.  Like, it might not be great, but at least it's better]  Yeasss

[Also, at least Cindy didn't get attacked because they were looking for Max adlkfj]

Runnnnnnn Max Runnnnnnnnnnnn

Blech  [REBAR]  BLECHHHHHHHHHHH

SHES LIKE WTF

[This is proof: Dean could've made it off- I mean what]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️  [This Red dude had a full-fledged pipe about four centimeters across through him; the rebar was only one centimeter at most]

☠️☠️☠️☠️  Blech!  Ew!  

Squeak

Ack

[Didn't-  didn't they tell her this already?  I swear they told her that outright in the Bruno ep]  

Logan is like nooooo she my blood bank now  [Nah, he's not that bad]

If they don’t get tf out of his neck imma pass out  [You: Get tf out of his neck… Them: Oh, show you the neck?  Okay!]

BLECHHH

[Maybe don't piss off your supersoldiers, dude]  RIGHT?!?  [They're way stronger than you]

Who is he?? The actor I mean?  [Idk.  I know him --- both of them --- but haven't looked him up.]  CRIMINAL MINDS!  That was it!

– – –

Jezebel: Aight sooo… so far we have learned that a.) post apocalyptic drs are as dumb as doctors in the real world… “oh you say you can feel this. You can move your toe. But that shouldn’t be possible so nah you’re wrong I'm right… 10000$ pls”

Wench: I don’t think he did actually move while there, but the point still stands

Jezebel: Two: Herbal without the accent makes me so sad! His girlfriend doesn’t deserve him!

Wench: I KNOWWWW. This is trueeee!

Jezebel: And tres: this has been the gahdamn bloodiest episode thus far and I do not appreciate it…  🤢🤢🤢🤢

– – – 

I love OC so muchhhh [Me tooo]

Runnnnn boo!!!  [I take back what I said about OC not getting attacked for Max's shite]  🥺🥺🥺🥺 ma’am better take out her own insurance

[I love he- OH SHIT IT'S *THIS* ONE]  Aaaaaaahck!  Neck shit

Blech

[tbf, she pulls off the bleeding eyes.  Though the physical acting in this scene leaves much to be desired]

Welp now OC is gonna know  [Yup]  Tbf if I was max I’d be like look here woman!! I told you this already

“Do you see blood?”  ye lots of it

[So much for Max's "too bad he's getting the use of his legs back"; his mobility is saving her life]

Blechhhhh

Aaachhkkkkkk

I’m over here dying; my husband’s laughing… Blech  [Ma'am, it's stage blood and rubber skin]  

Seizure stopped

I feel ya OC I FEEL YA

Blechhhh

["The truth" Ma'am, you tried that once already]  ☠️☠️☠️  I think she’ll believe her this time tho  ☠️☠️☠️

["I thought about telling you a million times" BRO SHE DID TELL YOU]  And then she goes you ain’t gotta lie max.

Ooooop new ship unlocked 🤣🤣🤣  [I mean- OC does have a high degree of Respect for Max]  Y’all just kiss and make up… sheeesh  [OC is one of the first to act like Max is the leader despite her having 0 deserving traits]  Awwwww… Think maybe this is why tho?  [Yeah, I'm thinking… It's been something I wondered for a while]

Y'all, this scene is.  SiStErLy fRiEnDsHiP

[Okay but can we talk about Normal following up his rant about her slacking off with "get some eye drops"??? That's vaguely sweet]  This is very true

Oh, Normal, the smugness… I love it  [ONCE AGAIN.  Don't burn bridges until you're sure about stuff.]

[tbf, I think OC is a goddess, actually]  SHE ISSS 😭😭

I LOVE THEMMMMM  [HERBAL IS BACK!  The real Herbal!  The one who’s not pretending to be someone else!]

He’s gonna tickle her with his new moving toes

[Okay, that was a really weird shot, just saying]  ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️  [I swear, all of these episodes end with Max/Logan scenes…]  Hmmm maybe… Just maybe… Cause they are the main characters ☠️🤣🤣🤣  [ Waits not so patiently for s2]  

And now it works soo- 

Oh ☠️☠️☠️☠️

Circlesssssssss

– – – 

Jezebel: And another one bites the dust!  One step closer to Bennnnnn!

Wench: :))) FINALLY!  I have been waiting!  

Jezebel: That’s gonna be quite the unhinged episode review…

Wench: IT WILL!  *acts like a reporter and shoves a microphone at you*  Got any thoughts before we get there?

Jezebel: 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I’m nervous!  Mainly because I know how it ends

Wench: Oh nooo

Jezebel: And ya girls not readyyyy!  Imma be over here crying; my husband will be laughing (again) and you’ll be trying to remind me Alec is only a few eps away… It’s gonna be a mess

Wench: It's the best ep of s1!  Take the best episode you've seen and make it wayyy better!

Jezebel: 🙂  And for that I’m excited.  Soooo like Nervocited?  Pretty sure that’s on MLP ☠️☠️☠️

Wench: We still have so many episodessss (but I think the episode with Ishim is coming up too, and I remember liking that one.  It was my favorite of the pre-Jackles eps)

Jezebel: Oooo 🙂

Wench: Okay, BUT.  That's for the future, so… Endpoint thoughts?

Jezebel: I’m glad OC is in the loop now! Even though technicallyyyyy she always has been… she just didn’t know it 🤣  Wish the writers would have thought of that. It would have been cute banter… But alas they are stoopid 🤣 kidding… kinda

Wench: This is true!

Jezebel: The scene with Logan standing did in fact look weird.. would have been better to have him stand off screen and take a step into view

Wench: THANK YOU

Jezebel: I like Logan’s friend, but, as always my faves are still Jam Pony!

Wench: See, going back to the thing earlier… That's what kinda causes me a bit of issue with the OC/Max bit.  Like, do I think it's a possibility?  Definitely.  But I'm not sure I want it to be?  Max is a highly questionable character now, and she gets worse in s2, and I love OC, so I really want her to have a decent ending

Jezebel: Is there any OC/Max stuff out there? There has to be lol!  And this is very trueee!

Wench: idk, you know me and my mostly-not-reading-fic.  I read some of @witchy-writer-lady’s works, but that was basically the extent of my Dark Angel fandom involvement.  (It was before I got access to the show and was curious about the plot with no other way of figuring out what was going on, so I peeked at the non-smut Alec fics on AO3)

Jezebel: But like maybe OC  can change herrrr 👀☠️☠️

Wench: alsadflkjsf THIS IS TRUE!  And also, I do sometimes do the thing where I'm like "Well, I don't like them, but if they make Favored Person happy, I guess it's okay..."

Jezebel: Fairrr… And!  BLECCHHHHH! the blooooodddddygorrinesssssss!! I’m not ok!  Neither are the dudes, tbf, but me most

Wench: This is fair… I think it's the goriest we get

Jezebel: I was like oh surely it won’t be— oh. It is— OH ITS BAD!  ACK!

Wench: Deepest apologies!  It was not the episode I thought it was, and I'd forgotten it existed!  I couldn't have warned you if I wanted to :]  There's an episode with Big Drama about the wheelchair thing

Jezebel: 🥺🥺🥺

Wench: That’s the episode I thought it was, and it was not!  But anyway, that’s upcoming.

Jezebel: 😤😤😤 With that I think my last thought is… ACK

[ladyswillmart]

“I’m sorry,” he then spouted, pausing abruptly at the foot of the bridge. “I am not very good company tonight, am I.”

Hivallion looked down at the hobbit—in a purely literal sense—upon hearing such a needless apology.

Actually. He wanted to walk that one back a bit; what was the best way for an elf to address a hobbit? Would it be more polite to kneel to his address or would it come off as condescending? Thus far he could only consider his own dealings with a student of his, a native of the Shire village of Stock, and Arlen Askew didn’t seem to mind whether Hivallion stood or knelt or even passed out beneath a shrub after having a single pull of cider from the Bent Elbow in Tighfield.

Actually. The less said about that particular episode, the better.

However, this Baggins character seemed entirely unlike the hobbit Hivallion knew best. For one thing, unlike Arlen’s insouciant (if utterly gormless) approach to the grand carnival of life, Frodo handled his affairs with a great deal of introspection—alas, to such a degree of anxiety that the likes of Gandalf the Grey himself asked Hivallion to take a stroll with the fellow through the fresh and hopefully ameliorative air of Rivendell.

Perhaps the opportunity to speak frankly with a relative stranger—yet one known to myself and others—might go a long way towards easing a troubled heart, the hoary old wizard ventured. Besides, no doubt our mutual friend Elrond has already made him aware that he has something in common with you...

But when Hivallion asked Gandalf what that something might be, he chose not to disclose the specifics, only that it would come as a surprise, should he ever find out.

“That’s alright,” he said, electing to remain upright; this weather was already making his knees ache. “Honestly, I am not usually very good company myself.”

“Oh? But you’ve listened to everything I’ve said so far, I can tell, and I would ask nothing more of a stranger,” Frodo returned with a shrug. “And should I have anything else to say on our walk, I am sure you’ll listen to that too.”

“Rather trusting sort, are you?”

“Elrond himself recommended you to me! He said you were an elf to ride the river with, right as a trivet. That’s a turn of phrase straight out of Tookland, and it sure sounded funny coming from his mouth, but there you have it. He seemed awful proud to know you.”

Hivallion lowered his head, feeling his face burn about the cheeks. In absence of a fierce breeze, he could only attribute the sensation to his own overactive bashfulness.

“Besides, I already know that Gandalf asked you to take this walk with me,” Frodo went on. “It was kind of you to humor us, especially on a cold winter night!”

“The air does have a strange sort of bite to it lately, does it not?” Hivallion noticed, carefully.

“It is December,” Frodo reminded him.

“Indeed, but Rivendell doesn’t bite. Not normally. I wonder if—”

“—well, Master Elrond did tell me that a Morgul-wound might make you feel that way for a long time after receiving it. As if sometimes you simply cannot warm up, even when you’re sitting right in front of the fire. Even after the wound heals, the chill can sort of linger within you like a ghost haunting your very bones.”

“Master Elrond told you all that, did he...?”

“He did. And he told me that you were so badly wounded by a Black Rider’s blade that you slept for years and years! Right there in his house, in the Hall of Rest!”

“Mm.” Hivallion nodded, grimly; he did so wish Elrond would stop telling tourists about this, though he had to concede that it was as much Elrond’s story as it was his own. “‘twas during the Battle of Dagorlad, at the end of the previous age, if you recall your history. I was wounded by the Witch-King of Angmar himself, and yes, I really did spend the subsequent millennia convalescing in Tham Send. But there is no need to trouble your own imagination with such nasty things! That war happened a very, very long time ago,” Hivallion stated, adding sheepishly, “and I am a very, very old elf.”

“Older than Elrond?”

Hivallion nodded again.

“Older than Glorfindel?”

Hivallion tipped his head. Perhaps?

“Older than Gandalf?”

“Well! Not that old.” Hivallion didn’t think so, anyway. “But Elrond spoke true, and in such matters he is an expert: Morgul-steel can do many dreadful things to a person, though I suppose whatever becomes of the victim ultimately will depend on the intent of whoever is wielding the blade.”

“But what did the Witch-King intend to do with you?” Frodo asked. “What happened? And why did it happen?”

And how many times had he been questioned so? Hivallion wondered this as he chafed his bare hands and watched his breath coalesce, delicately frosted plumes visible against twilight and tree-silhouettes. Though far-removed in time and space, the mere reminder of that day only served to amplify the hollow sting of a lonely winter night.

What happened? His friends and allies had been asking him that question ever since the what happened happened, but never Why. To ask Why of a Nazgûl usually felt about as productive as asking Why of a marmot obliterating one’s garden peonies.

But Frodo Baggins obviously possessed good hobbit-sense, and coming from his mouth the question sounded strangely sensible, and produced the notion that perhaps one really should ask Why of such things more often.

“As I remember it, or at least as Elrond and several other friends of mine have helpfully remembered for me, I was scouting an enemy encampment while trying to investigate what became of an ally of ours named Thelaron,” Hivallion told him. “I cannot tell you what I was expecting to find at that overlook, but I can say for certain that I did not expect to meet the Witch-King of Angmar himself, face-to-face—well, face-to-whatever passes for a face to a Nazgûl.”

“Did you exchange words?”

“Oh yes, I should think so. He had a few words for me, at least.”

“Did you exchange blows?”

Hivallion shook his head. “Did we do battle, you mean? Oh no!” He laughed. “Imagine the likes of this old Falathrim trying to defeat a Nazgûl in single combat! No, I am no warrior, Mister Baggins. A-and anyway, I was so petrified—”

“—but then he stabbed you anyway, just like that...?”

Hivallion held his arms together, close and tight against the encroaching cold; their walking pace had slowed to a near stand-still and it would not do for much longer. “Forgive me. The encounter challenges my memory now as much as it challenged my senses back then. But yes, he stabbed me, just like that. I do know that his blade pierced my armor, very close to my heart, and yet I do not think he intended to kill me, not outright...”

But you, Hivallion Pellithorn! You shall be changed, and you will return to Gil-galad as his greatest foe!

Those last words he recalled hearing from the Witch-King, stuffed like an unwanted Mathom into a shadowy, abandoned cobweb-corner of his memories. Probing deeper, Hivallion felt a curious thickening deep within his ears and throat, muddling his balance and producing a vague queasiness and the sensation that he was falling into darkness like a loosened star...

Fortunately his lapse into such disquiet was briefer in reality than it felt to him; Hivallion returned his attention to the hobbit, asking brightly, “This is by the by, but know you the story of the Witch-King, Lord of Angmar? I mean, the man himself, the Númenórean, not the Nazgûl he eventually became.”

“I—”

“—wait! So long as we are posing the Why of things, why would anyone, much less Elrond, ever see cause to dredge up such appalling subjects with you in the first place? Cursed Morgul-steel and ghastly wounds and Black Riders!” Hivallion groaned and apologized. “Oh dear, oh dear! And I was supposed to be helping you clear your mind, not stuff it to bursting with even more horrible things!”

“But you did help, Mister Pellithorn!” Frodo insisted. “There I was, maundering on about my own troubles when there are so many things about my life that I should treasure! My health, my friends! True, I have been given a most frightful task, but at least I am still walking amidst the warmth and wonder of Middle-Earth! When I could have been laid up in a bed for the next three-thousand years...! Imagine that!”

Hivallion, of course, did not need to imagine such a thing. “Well! I am full glad that some measure of good came from my misfortune,” he jested, “that I was able to provide some small comfort for whatever was plaguing you. Just as well, as I believe our little talk is over.”

“Oh?”

The overly conspicuous rustling from a nearby abelia shrub eventually revealed the tumbling form of another hobbit, whom Hivallion did not recognize outright.

“Sam?” Frodo guessed, squinting through the gloom.

“There you are, Mister Frodo!” huffed the eavesdropper—(Sam, yes Samwise Gamgee is this one’s name, Hivallion strained to recall)—as he brushed the twigs and dried leaves from his hair. “You really shouldn't go off by yourself, you know!”

Even in the darkness, Hivallion could feel the bore of Samwise’s keen eyes, aware that he was now being evaluated from top to bottom, and that whatever the hobbit observed did not impress.

“N-now, I'm sure you're a perfectly respectable elf, but I'd just as soon you left Mister Frodo alone,” Sam reported.

“Of course,” said Hivallion, dipping into a stunted half-bow. “But there is no need for alarm. I accompanied him at Gandalf’s request.”

“That may be so, and I don't mean no offense, but Mister Frodo's gotten himself into trouble with strange folk before, if you take my meaning.”

“Oh honestly!” Frodo protested. “Mister Pellithorn is hardly strange! He is Elrond’s friend! And he is familiar with the you-know-whats. A you-know-what did a you-know-what to him, with a you-know-what.”

“Do I know-what?”

“Yes! The things, Sam. The things that are doing the thing because they seek the thing that Gandalf told us not to talk about here.”

“That covers an awful lot of things, Mister Frodo.”

Hivallion excused himself with a pointed cough. “Ahem! Then I do hope you will forgive my intrusion into the business of you and your friend, Mister Gamgee. I had no idea things were evidently so, uh, thing-ish,” he tried. “In fact, perhaps I should be on my way now; I am supposed to be meeting an old friend of mine in town for supper, and no doubt she is now peering into her drink and wondering where I've gone. But never mind that, you two will surely catch your death of a cold out here! Then old Gandalf might never forgive me for that, hm?”

With that, Hivallion and the two hobbits exchanged their good nights and good lucks, with the former graciously leaving the latter with their privacy intact. He did not need any more detail than what Frodo had provided: A you-know-what did a you-know-what to him, with a you-know-what. And that was that. And now the hobbits’ assemblage was about to undergo what he suspected was some Incredibly Important Endeavor, with which he absolutely did not, under any circumstances, want to involve himself.

However, as he continued down the path, veering west towards the markets, his long ears helplessly caught Frodo’s parting shot by the tail end:

“Three-thousand years—! That could’ve been me, Sam!”

“Mister Frodo, what are you talking about...?”

[anna-neko]

seriously.... havin to keep tabs with a buddy is really helping with the reading! Also specifically because have stopping points, am not inhaling the book inna day (have finally settled in with the damn new vocab, my brain replaces couple choice words on autopilot)...so guess what! Can really digest it and ooooh boy does it make certain weaknesses and strengths pop

soooo @misterdadguy, is it just me or did the book literally just bork up why Kal is "stormblessed" ...'cause ...uhhh... his prev army days had him called that, but the 'event' as it were didn't happen until current bridge-runs?!?! Unless in his army tour some more shit went down!??!?! Or or or is this another shout-out to the whole 'prophesy' business that very much is frowned upon anyway

*violently shaking book* what happened to Tien dammit!! break my heart already, it ain't gonna get moar ready then now

Listen, clearly some e~p~i~c shit gone down, because he's important valuable enuff to get away with certain things, but also not so important that his removal would be an issue

do feel bad for Laral. Poor girl def did not sign up to get this groomed and wedded off to some old fuck after her *gestures at everything*

alas poor Shallan.... here Kabsal's attentions did seem legit, and it was very cute

yeah hi, pedantic idiot again - why would giving Jasnah the obviously 'drained' [not glowing] garnet be useful. Wasn't the whole point of *checks notes* soulcasting is that the precious stones in question be infused with the SHINY (forget it, im calling it Mana now. years of RPGs cannot be shaken this easily) [in b4 panic at nearly dying]

wait hold up... so he didn't just walk away from a fancy mythical sword, but matching armor too?? daaaaaayum kid, u the poster child for teenage idiocy (affectionate) The sword business makes perf sense but armor! Yeah yeah yeah, why in the fuck would someone that well kitted-up would even be out here in some petty borders skirmish

Hnestly, if didn't know better would swear he was writing these as a monthly magazine novel! Each chapter cutting off on a nice cliffhanger. Certain things hinted at early on more or less dropped (because maybe the audience wasn't keen on it) Some bits kinda hang there, and like Scheherazade tease of an even better tale..... but then.... it doesn't always give a satisfying conclusion (swear to fuck, am not looking for negative on purpose!! It just catches like a hangnail while reading, and still bothers & nags pages and pages later)

Nope, Prelude still useless, Cenn chapter coulda been an email

Here's an idle thought: it must suuuuck if you're born a woman who HATES sweets in that society. Or have bad cavities

adjacent: our new overused word is "parade rest" ... because we've run out of things to cringe at

couple Interludes to go, but otherwise ... Park Three is done!

[starrgaziinggg]

get to know me

Thankyou so much to @cursed-mars-bars for tagging me in this!! I adore you and you have the best commentary analysis of friends with benefits ever!! I loved reading yours and I hope you like mine too 🫶🏻

Favourite colour (s):

my all time favourite colour is blue, but I like pink and green a lot too. blue takes the cake though, specifically this sunset blue colour

Currently reading:

basically i was reading books off that illegal website before it got shut down cause im super poor and now that its shut down i am gutted but i was reading The Divinci Code and a poem book called Mouthful of Forevers. the last fanfiction I read was @cb97percent ‘s Maniac’s collection, specifically Chan and Minho’s and oh my god they’re amazing, highly recommend.

my favourite series would have to be the bridge kingdom (totally underrated, if you like acotar/shatter me/cruel Prince you’ll love this)

Last Song:

My fave album rn is Searow’s new album and its absolutely beautiful i really recomend if you like tranquil music to give it a listen, my last kpop song i listened to was probably impurities by le sserafim because that song is a masterpiece and the best song to drive to

Here’s a link to my Spotify incase any of you want to see what I listen to hehe -> MY SPOTIFY ACCOUNT

Last Series:

im currently watching f4 thialand (it may or may not be because dew is in it and he is probably the finest man alive, but also win is an absolute gem) and im enjoying it so much. i watched meteor garden (the chinese version) years ago and i remembered loving it so i thought id give f4 thialand a try and its so good so far. its literally had me lolling so much i cba. the last series i finished watching was the new series of fate the winx saga (i grew up watching winx so it has a special place in my heart dont judge) BUT ITS BEEN FUCKING CANCELLED IM NOT OKAY i left a series of furious comments on the netflix page but alas no bueno. I also started watching extracurricular (kdrama) but I haven’t had time to finish it yet, as well as your name

Last Movie:

I WATCHED ‘BETTER DAYS (2019)’ LAST NIGHT I AM AN EMOTIONAL MESS I AM IN BITS WHAT THE FUCK WHY WAS IT THE BEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER WATCHED it has become my favourite for life and i dont even want to go to uni tpday so i can watch it again if anyone has watched it pls talk to me about it because i cant handle myself. Update: I’m currently watching spirited away while I write my uni assignment because it’s my comfort movie also I didn’t go to uni because I couldn’t be arsed 🫶🏻

Currently working on:

god so much ahhaha obviously begin again and friends with benefits are in the works, begin again is so close to being finished !! and friends with benefits is coming along nicely i love writing that story. i also started doing the fake texts and i (and you guys) love them sm so ill try and get all the members done this week but bear with me because i have an assignment due. i also have started two felix fics hhehrheheh but i sat down last night to write my ideas for the members down and i came up with some good ideas for seungmin and jeongin (i hardly see anyone write about them so i want to focus on making proper fics for them) so give me your thoughts as to what youd want to see after fwb and begin again are finished!!! 

Here’s some potential titles hehe no promises tho !!

-> Hit me with your best shot - Seungmin (college baseball seungmin x studious reader, frenemies to lovers)

-> From someone you know - Felix (good boy turned bad Felix x best friend reader)

-> Summer loving - Felix (childhood best friends to lovers, takes place over the course of one week - readers dad’s wedding)

-> Wherefore art thou Romeo? - Jeongin (theatre/music students Jeongin x theatre student reader, friends to lovers)

Im so ambitious hahahaha I just love coming up with ideas lol so let me know if any of these tickle your fancy

Thanks for reading!! Hope this helped you get to know me better

I’d like to tag @sstarryreads @gibbysupremeacyisreal @mal-lunar-28 and honestly anyone else who’d like to do this!! Don’t feel pressured to answer the tag, this is all just for fun 🫶🏻

[davidmann95]

here we go here we go here we go

* I want you all to know I had the Square Enix Youtube page loaded up and I went to that first thing in the morning, and then physically blocked the screen with my hands and slowly uncovered it one calculated sliver at a time until I saw a runtime on a video that seemed right and looked to see it was indeed 'Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Announcement Trailer' without seeing any potential individual trailers, so I got to go into this totally cold. Even up until the last second I didn't know if it was gonna pull a fast one and technically be some kind of interquel.

* Damn this is crisp, especially since it's running on Unreal Engine 4 when the finished product will be 5.

* "Your options are endless" suggests this could go well beyond Quadratum, but I hope they commit (at least on Sora's end) to this being a full-fledged open world game.

* That does indeed look like a Star Wars AT-AT foot! That'd make that gorgeous landscape Endor, and I do like to think of Sora escaping Quadratum, thinking "oh thank god it's funny animals and generic bad guys, the world makes sense again", and then a dad is trying to murder his son with a sword while a spooky old freak cackles in the background and Sora just breaks down. With the franchise's degree of influence on Nomura I'd be fascinated to see how this plays out, and also being extremely real Kingdom Hearts > Star Wars so I'd be happy to see the material elevated.

* I thought using The Caribbean's style engine in the Yozora fight was a very deliberate choice, and following that up here by giving Sora a relatively realistic 'do rather than his classic Goku hair is tripling down on that.

* I bet I would be extremely excited about Strelitzia if I had played the mobile games.

* Someone immediately doxxed Sora and apparently the flat he's in is $1.2 million in the real world, our boy's living in style. If he has a permanent living space in this game, might there be a day-night cycle ala Final Fantasy XV? Jesus, would rather than camping out like Noctis' crew the lost boy in the city with no way home literally have to sleep under bridges or on benches if he can't make it back to the apartment safe haven?

* THE REAL WORLD IS KINGDOM HEARTS HELL

* This thing seems to have as much in common with the Invisibles or to my eye even the Dark Inferno as much as the old Darksides.

* The little shot of the guy falling out of his car is the bit that truly brings it home for me as 'holy crap, this is basically the real world'; I had wondered why they put Big Hero 6 in the game before this when it'd potentially undercut the impact, but the contrast is a stark one.

* Getting a full look at it in motion, while it can't beat the iconic power of II, this might be my favorite look for Sora after that - that was the peak of what it was doing, this is the next step in an entirely new direction that III only started on the road towards. Pour one out though, I now assume Sora injured his feet as a kid and slowly gained courage throughout his adventures to tone down the padding:

* I don't read many Kingdom Hearts fanfic these days, but I'm still following @kitsoa's IV[or]y Wall, and the beginning of the trailer so closely mirrored the opening of that that I legitimately wondered for a second if Sora wouldn't be able to summon his Keyblade.

* I only recently started paying attention to Yoko Taro's work - one of the mandatory multiple playthroughs of Nier Automata, and watching one of the Drakengard endings - but that's enough to see he's had influence on Nomura, especially with Quadratum. In that regard, the fight on the freeway and especially this Heartless seemingly draining most color from its surroundings (pay attention to the cars it's hefting) definitely gave me Copied City vibes.

* Crushed that the move to a new saga isn't met with the restoration of the Command Deck, but apparently the last COMMAND option below items is now 'Build'?

* A lot of Sora's moves here are clearly previz fakery in the same way as the reveal trailer for III, but that this is even suggestive of what they have in mind is pretty stunning.

* I know it's a drill which I understand has some Gureren Lagann vibes (another show I want to watch someday), but let it not be overlooked that before it forms Sora fully does a Kamehameha.

* Even just that pan up the building emphasizes how different the visual storytelling is here than anything we've seen in Kingdom Hearts before.

* New logo slick, and the triumphant horns accompanying it? Magnifique.

* Glad to see the boys and glad to hear the sound effect to emphasize that there's at least a slice of this that still plays by the old rules; their destination makes sense but boy, they really gonna bring James Woods back again?

* If Kairi is not journeying with Donald and Goofy I will be incensed.

* I have spent 13 years (13, damn you Nomura) obsessed with the vibe of this old fanmade Kingdom Hearts IV boxart, and it is shockingly close to the vibe here.

* There have been different translations/interpretations regarding a key comment: one that Nomura chose between making Kingdom Hearts IV or a Verum Rex game first and chose IV because folks were worried about Sora, the other which I find more plausible is that the debate was which of those two to name this game and he chose IV out of concern that players wouldn't associate it as a mainline Sora game otherwise (and presumably because Disney wouldn't be having any of that) - I've seen other comments supposedly from him elaborating on both, one saying he didn't want to develop two games at once, the other that they still call this Verum Rex around the office, but barring a crash course in Japanese I'm pretty sure which take I believe for now. In any case, that they considered naming this after their Final Fantasy self-parody if not in fact literally making that is beautiful to me.

* I assume I will be in my 30s by the time this comes out but that it won't be a 6 year wait like last time.

* I was worried that the success of III would lead to Disney clamping down on Nomura, but instead they seem to have really decided to let the mad freak to whatever he wants, and I couldn't be happier.

[atsukashii]

Hi is it ok if I request y/n x kuroo & she/her & ☀️ & pink please?

smooth like butter, like a criminal undercover gon' pop like trouble breaking into your heart like that

✘ hey google: how do you tell if a guy is flirting with you?

✘ GENRE: fluff

✘ WARNINGS: aged up characters, bookshop au

✘ WORD COUNT: 1.9k

“I’d like to take you to the movies, but they don’t let you bring in your own snacks.”

Closing your work locker, you raise an eyebrow at the familiar six foot, raven haired guy, who smirks down at you as if he just won first prize. In cringe worthy pick up lines? Yeah he can take that medal.

“Are you calling me a snack?” You ask, adjusting the strap of your bag.

“Will you go out with me if I say yes?” Kuroo asks again, wagging his eyebrows at you teasingly, and you immediately know he’s messing with you.

“Not a chance.” Offering him a scathing glare, you spin on your heels and slip out the front door of the shop. When you’d first gotten the job at the small bookshop near your house, you'd have been ecstatic. Although you’d been less ecstatic about your new colleague who you’d never met before in your life, but had been slipping you cheesy and corny pick up lines every day for months.

You didn’t even know that there were that many ways to flirt with someone, but alas, Kuroo proved you wrong every shift. At first, you’d been a flustered bumbling mess trying to come up with a response, but as you caught on to how his hazel eyes glinted with untamed mischief, you’d decided that Kuroo wasn’t your favourite person.

That wasn’t to say that you by any means hated the guy, there was no way you could when he was literally one of the nicest people you’d ever come across in your life. He held doors open for you, and would volunteer to carry the new boxes of stock out back because they were heavy - although you had an inkling that was partly to show off. In the end, Kuroo is sweet, kind, and hilarious. But he thinks that hitting on you every day, and asking you out as a joke is also hilarious.

And it’s hilariously pissing you off.

Because somewhere down along the way, between the angel references and calling you a ‘cute-cumber’ you’d found yourself smiling at the lines. You found yourself anticipating getting to work shifts with him, just to see him and for the chance to witness the familiar rogue smile and the pure giddiness that emits from his very being.

But to him, it was a joke. And that left more than a bad taste in your mouth.

Adjusting your bag once more, you try to slide the store door closed behind you to keep the aircon inside - a stark contrast to the summer heat bearing down on you. Before it can close completely, a hand rolls the glass door to a stop and you find yourself once again looking up into hazel eyes.

“Not finished?” You snipe back, having reached your quota of fake flirting for the day. Kuroo doesn’t flinch at your tone, or maybe he just chooses not to notice judging by the smile that graces his face. Maybe, just maybe you could eventually get over him. It’s not going to go anywhere, if it was going to, he wouldn’t have waited literal months to make a move. So maybe, you can let him go.

“Oh I have plenty more for you princess, but I just thought you might want this first.” In his hand is a copy of the book you’d been reading behind the counter of your shifts. Blinking twice, you realise it’s got similar dog eared pages and a crinkled spine from continuous use - that's your book. Instinctively you peer into your bag on your shoulder, and alas, it's empty. With an empty mind, you take the item from Kuroo’s outstretched hand, and offer him a quick thanks as you try to swallow the emotion in your throat.

“You’re most welcome. Walk home safe, I'll see you tomorrow princess.” Kuroo responds with a rogue wink that has you flushing from head to toe. His knowing grin proves that was the response he was looking for, so you quickly shove the book in your back and practically run from your work - swearing that you can feel his gaze on you the whole way home.

Yeah, there’s no chance you’re going to get over him.

This is cemented on your next night shift. You stand behind the counter, your eyes glancing up from the book you’re reading to the group of teenage girls giggling amongst the young adult isle. Really, it should be an actual law for people to be as quiet in bookstores as they are in libraries.

The door opens once more, and you begin to groan internally at the thought of even more rowdy teenagers coming in, but instead Kuroo slinks through the door in all his six foot two glory. Dressed in his work shirt, some black jeans and his usual sneakers, he looks good and the bastard knows it from the raised eyebrows he shoots you when he catches you looking. You don’t reply, but instead turn back to your book, ignoring him and the gaggling teenagers who suddenly shut up as he walks past them to go to the back room. You can’t blame them as their eyes stay glued to his every movement. Kuroo walks like he was meant to carry the world on his shoulders, but instead spins it like a basketball on one finger. As if the most difficult things for him are effortless. Like a god amongst men. Okay, let's not go that far. If he ever heard that, his ego would asphyxiate everyone from here to the south pole.

“Do you like my shirt?” Kuroo’s question has you turning around before you can stop yourself, but you’re all levels of confused as he holds the hem of his shirt in pinched fingers away from his body. His shirt? It’s his work shirt…

“Uh it’s your work shirt…” You manage to mumble out, brows still furrowed, completely baffled.

“Yeah but its made of a different material.” He points out, moving closer to you, only looking up from his shirt and to you when he’s standing only a few feet away. “Boyfriend material.” His grin is actually blinding, so you’re not sure if you’re squinting from that, or from the way you scrunch up your nose in distaste at his line.

“I hate you.” You grumble, turning away and looking down at your book once more, letting your hair fall over your cheeks to hide the flush splashed brightly across them.

“Hate me? Why must you hurt me so princess?” Kuroo jokes, and you find yourself getting more and more disappointed as he grows quiet and begins to start on his own work for the shift. It’s not until you both notice the gaggling girls practically drooling on the floor at him that you decide you need to take your break.

Closing your book loud enough to startle the group of girls and the guy flicking aimlessly through a volleyball magazine at your side. “I’m going for my ten.” You offer in explanation as you try to move out back. You don’t get to even make it past the counter before there's a warm hand wrapping around your own. Kuroo’s hand completely engulfs yours in the best ways and you can’t help but gape at it as it pulls your walk to a stop.

“Are you alright?” He asks, drawing your eyes reluctantly from your entwined hands to his face, and once you spot genuine concern there, you hesitate with your response. How do you say that no, you’re not okay because would you be if the person that you liked jokingly asked you out on a daily basis for months on repeat? But never meant it?

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Kuroo doesn’t let go just yet, but instead scratches the back of his neck with his other hand nervously.

“You know, if I'm honestly bothering you, please tell me. I don’t ever want to make you uncomfortable y/n,” He offers, shame and hurt flashing brightly in his eyes - and it shocks you stupid for a few seconds. It takes you an added moment that he’s talking about his teasing. Wait, he thinks he’s bothering me? Is he?

“Kuroo, if it was bothering me I would have told you alright?” You say softly, your gaze drifting back to your hand. “I mean sure sometimes it can be a bit much but that's mainly because I'm an idiot.” Not expecting those words, Kuroo’s nerves bleed into a confused frown that has you wanting to reach up and thumb away the line between his pinched brows.

“An idiot? Princess, if what I'm saying is bothering you-”

“It’s not what you’re saying that’s bothering me, it’s the joking.” The second the words leave your mouth, you wish you could reach out, grab them, and shove them back down your throat, because the way Kuroo drops your hand as if it burnt him hurts more than you thought it would.

“Joking?” His tone is utterly perplexed, and this time, you’re the one looking back at him with confusion. A loud laugh barks from his chest and you immediately feel embarrassed for absolutely nothing. Kuroo is laughing so hard and obnoxiously that tears actually crest the corner of his eyes, and at this rate you’re ready to just walk out the door if it means you don’t have to deal with this embarrassment for another second.

“You mean to tell me, that all this time you thought I was joking?” Kuroo gets out between laughs, and you feel your stomach drop at his words. What does he mean did you think he was joking? Was he not?

Your silence is answer enough because he runs a hand through his thick dark hair and leans back on the counter behind him.

“Jesus Christ Y/n!”

“You would laugh at me after you said them!” You defend, pointing an accusing finger in his way. How could you not think he was joking when he’d laugh at you, his whole being the very embodiment of mischief when he would say his lines.

“Because your face would go red and you’d tell me I was an idiot under your breath, because it was cute!” Kuroo rebuts right back, trying once more not to laugh, and you can’t help but groan. You cannot believe that this entire time, he was actually trying to ask you out on a date. Well, you can’t fault his perseverance and tenacity.

“Kuroo,” you grumble, bridging your fingers and pressing them to your forehead in thought, just trying to calm your raging heart at the fact that this is happening.

“Y/n,” he grins right back, and you can feel him closing in on your position before you can even see him. But once you open your eyes again, letting your hands fall from your face, Kuroo’s stunning features are right up close and more beautiful than you’d thought.

“Does this mean that you’ll go out with me when I ask this time?” You really do try for your pride's sake to not flush at his words, but heat still crawls up your neck and Kuroo’s growing smile tells you that your mental attempt to stop it isn’t working.

“Yes, I will.” You say, letting the smile tug at the corners of your mouth.

“Good, I'll remember that for my new line tomorrow.”

✘ A/N: more fluffy kurro for ya day, y'all i am l i v i n g for this man rn

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