#At least I can make sure it'll look like the first movie one which I like a lot

[larytello]

The funniest part of black friday for me is to look up toys and steam games I won't buy anyway :')

[natsboygirlfriend]

୨ৎ CHRISTMAS TREE FARM — 🌲

summary : christmas for your girlfriend is uneventful and frankly boring, so you invite her to come with you to your grandparents' christmas tree farm for the holidays

pairing : natalie scatorccio × fem!reader

not proofread and uhhh 1.6k words jesus christ

a/n : uh uh uh this is my first fic so don't make fun of me... this is like a montage thing because i got bored when the scene was too long. ALSO tell me if nat is ooc pls. like I TRIEDDDD but idk. this is absolutely a taylor swift reference, but it's very loosely based on the song itself but I tried

you tap on nat's shoulder before the beginning of class, her head whipping back as if she didn't notice you beforehand.

"what are you doing for christmas?" you asked curiously, leaning over the desk with your knees on the edge of the seat.

"nothing much..." she shrugged.

"really?" your eyebrows quirked up, not really believing her. there's no way she was doing nothing at all for christmas.

"really." she nodded. "we didn't even put a tree this year."

your face contorted into one of surprise, not even a tree? "seriously?" you questioned again, to which she just nodded.

you felt bad for nat. she seemed so okay with doing nothing to celebrate, like it was normal.

she noticed the sympathetic look on your face, sighing as if she were used to it. "it's fine. I don't like christmas that much anyway." she assured, shrugging again.

you scoffed, immediately jumping to offer her a better christmas. "how about you come with me for christmas?"

"every winter break, my dad ships me off to my grandparents in pennsylvania. it's fun." you smiled, hoping she'd say yes.

"I don't know..." she repiled, trying to let you down gently before you cut her off quickly.

"come on, pleaseeeee!!! it'll be so much fun with you there!" you plead, leaving no room for interruption as you continued. "there's so much festivals and parties, and I never have anyone my age to be with pleasepleasepleaseplease—"

as you berated nat with pleases, the bell rung signaling class has now started, the class silencing, you now getting stares for your loud voice.

you found yourself blushing with embarrassment, sitting back correctly in your seat before the teacher started talking, nat stifling a giggle as she looked back to the front of the class.

after class and not very much convincing she agreed to go, and a week later, you two were in pennsylvania.

"so, what are we doing today again?" she asked, stuffing her hands in her jackets pockets, watching you tie your shoes.

"uhh well, first we gonna go eat and then go run errands for the party." you explained, standing up, meeting her at eye level.

she nodded with a grimace at the mention of 'party'. "do we really have to be at the party? can't we just stay in your room? we can watch that one movie with the turbo dude." she asked with a chuckle.

"what's with the push back on the party? you like parties." you smiled back, walking to open the door, letting her walk through first.

"christmas parties are completely different. It's just fruitcake and awkward questions about school." she scoffed, walking past you.

"it's not that bad." you followed behind her, closing the door and walking beside her. the cold biting at your faces and snow crunching under your feet.

you two made a b-line for the car, rushing in and turning the heater on.

"can we at least leave if it's as bad i know it will be?" she asked sarcastically with a shiver in her voice as the warmth hit her, her back hitting the passenger seat.

"fine. but you will enjoy it." you answered, relaxing in the car before you started driving. "sure i will." she scoffed as she smiled.

all you could hear was christmas songs on various speakers, adults chatting, and kids screaming and running like animals.

some were in the barn where it was warmer and smelt like food and pine, others we dancing under the pretty warm string lights hung on the trees and pillers.

nat clung to your side, only talking when it was to you or when your family members pestered about who she was in your life.

"y'know, I'm not sure how I feel about you call me just a friend." nat taunted, sipping on her apple cider that was still warm.

you scoffed and rolled your eyes at the tease. "shuddup." you push her with no real force.

"so you like it?" you asked, changing the subject. she tilted her head slightly in response. "the party." you clarified, making her click her tongue and nodded as she understood.

"its pretty, I guess." she shrugged nonchalantly. you looked at her with unimpressed expression. "nat."

"it's cute! not as annoying as I expected." she answered. "so you like it?" you raised your eyebrows with expectatance, and she sighed. "just a little." she smiled, looking around before quickly kissing your cheek.

after a week filled with christmas movies, parties, and festivals, it was finally christmas morning, and you were awoken by nats body warmth contrasting the cold of your room.

you sat up with a yawn, rubbing your eyes as the holiday spirit waited to invade your brain. you turn your head to look at nat sleeping comfortably on her side, and you had half a mind to just cuddle back to her and rest for longer, but you know your grandparents were early birds and would come to wake up any moment.

"nat." you croak out, your voice soft from just waking up, shoving her lightly in a half assed attempt to wake her.

"nattttt." you continue, shaking her shoulder before she started whining, waking, curling more into the blanket to where her fried blonde hair only peaked out.

"come on. it's christmas." you stated, shoving her again. you moved your body so you were sitting on your legs, facing her. "come onnnnnnn." you murmur, laying your body weight on top of her, hearing a muffled groan from the covers.

she poked her eyes out of the blanket, looking at you with a sleepy look on her face. "fine. get off." she mumbled, pushing you off of her with a smile, sitting up.

"I don't even see the point of me going down. you're the one opening the gifts." she argued, stretching her back.

"I got you plenty of gifts. obivously." you scoffed, acting offended at the notion of you leaving her giftless on christmas.

"okay, my bad then." she grumbles with a smile, giving you a quick peck on the lips.

the whole scene was pretty domestic. waking up on christmas together, getting her loads with gifts? adorable, right?

you sat back up with her, getting out of bed, urging her to do the same. she followed suit, the cold hitting both of you.

you both made your way downstairs, the warmth of the fireplace growing as you stepped closer to the living room.

getting gifts for nat wasn't that hard, not when all she talked about was rare cds and merch from artists that she couldn't afford to get herself.

"holy sh— moly..." she stuttered, whipping her head behind at your grandparents watching you two open gifts and the game simultaneously.

she looked back at the signed cd copy of 'bleach' from nirvana. "how did you get this?" she asked with wide, grateful eyes. "I dunno ask santa." you shrug with a proud grin.

she rolled her eyes, setting the cd next to her like it was made of glass. "well, thank you, santa." she played along.

you and nat glanced at the tree, and the torn wrapping paper and gift bags around you. "I think that's it?" you guessed with a shrug. your girlfriend copied you before gasping, scrambling to her feet. "wha—"

"just wait a sec!" she yelped, running back up the stairs.

"she's odd." your grandpa mumbled once she was out of ear shot. your eyebrows furrowed at the criticism. "don't be rude." your grandma scolded, hitting his shoulder lightly.

nat came rushing back, sitting back in her former spot in a huff. holding out a tiny gift bag. "it's just a little thing." she shrugged off before you got the chance to say anything.

the edges of your lips quirked up at the bag now in hand. "thank you, nat." you smiled. you took away the tissue paper, digging your hand in the bag and pulling out some of your favorite candy.

"that's not it." nat pointed before you could react. you continued digging in the bag, finding various trinkets and small toys that reminded nat of you. honestly the bag was pretty stuffed with things.

but the main thing that caught your eye was the cd that had a printed picture of you and nat, posing while you were mostly likely tipsy or high. or both.

nat watched silently as you looked and smiled at the gifts, trying to act calm, yet she looked at you with approval seeking eyes.

"I know it's kinda dumb bu—" she admitted before you cut her off. "no no no! it's great, nat. I love it." you assured with a chuckle, opening up the cd to see a handwritten track list of sings from various artists.

the gift was obviously very heartfelt, and you found your checking warming at the songs she chose.

she sighed and nodded in relief at your approval.

-

you sat on the couch, as nat laid her head on your lap, both of you bundled in blankets infront of the fire as you watched home alone.

"hey nat?" you murmur, breaking the comfortable silence.

nat picked her head up, looking at you. "hm?" she hummed.

"did I give you a good christmas?" you asked softly, your hand continuing to play with her hair.

a smile appeared on her face before nodding. "yes. you gave me a pretty good christmas." she admitted.

"do you still not like christmas?" you questioned more with a slight smile.

she grin grew as she nodded again. "I like it a little more now." she she sighed. you couldnt help hut feel a little proud that you were the reason she liked christmas more.

"I love you." she blurted causally, and you couldn't help but laugh a little at the sudden declaration.

"I love you too, nat." you smiled back, running a hand through her hair. she hmed and grinned before moving to lay back on her lap, content with your response.

you furrowed your eyebrows in amusement before sighing and going back to the movie.

-

okay boom done go away. I didn't even mean to post it rn my app just glitched whatever I'm gonna kms bye

@pinkcatsthatfly wanted to be tagged

[cipheramnesia]

This is the process my brain goes through every time I see anything about Netflix Avatar The Last Airbender.

My first reaction is always: Why? The original, although not without flaws, doesn't leave a lot of room to improve. A good remake or adaptation usually involves an updated context or change in perspective that adds to the original work and gives it new meaning. It's a risky undertaking because it usually involves wanting to take on something established as iconic and make it your own. But Netflix is a corporation and seems very risk averse for the most part. Its only investment is in the name recognition of AtLA. It's hard to visualize Netflix deliberately taking a big risk on an expensive show.

My second reaction is: How? The original series is about 1400 minutes over 61 episodes, and it still had to rush the ending. We're looking at 8 episodes of roughly 45-60 minutes per episode for season 1, which would require Netflix to let it run more than 3 seasons, if the series has similar pacing. Historically however Netflix shows have glacial pacing, and rarely make three seasons. Not really sure how they plan to tell the story if the series is anything like the average Netflix series, meaning it either needs to undercut the story or let the series breathe for at least five seasons. But nothing Netflix has done makes me want to watch anything they make as an ongoing series? Why bother, they cancel everything I enjoy. So I wonder how. What's the hook to say "this will be able to provide something new and interesting compared to the original, and will be allowed to tell the complete story."

Which leads me to think, but you can't judge if something is good without seeing it. Except none of this is about whether it's good, I just find myself wondering what are the odds it's worth the effort? They're low, and it has nothing to do with whether or not it's even any good on its own merits.

Following this, I ask myself, what would a good version of this be. Imagine you are making a live action series with eight hour long episodes per season based on a children's cartoon with 20 thirty minute episodes per season. You are trying to encompass a story which was presented over three seasons as a cartoon, and you do not know if you will have more than those eight episodes. It's made for Netflix which, in terms of a company which will protect the hard earned fruits of your artistic labor, is the fox guarding the henhouse. What do you do?

If you are looking to make something good, that respects your audience investment and your own work, you make radical changes to the story. You change the pacing, the character arcs, the plot arcs. You make sure you deliver a complete story in those episodes with as much respect for the original work and as many new ideas as you can.

Except, at that point, what is even the point of a remake. The only way to work with it is either to trust Netflix allowing you to finish the story (which you'd need to be incredibly naive to do), or tell a story so different it may as well be wholly original. And that's where I always end up. Like, it'll probably be fine, but what's the point of it all? Another vanishing digital property to get canceled because of some undefinable failure to return on investment.

I think about it a lot because the two ends of the spectrum seem to be "dunk on every new piece of information" or "wait and see" but the only conclusion I can ever reach is "why even care?" That's been the lesson to take home from digital streaming in general when it comes to series, but Netflix in particular, and honestly for movie series too. If it can't be self contained, the companies who produce and release these kinds of series just cannot be trusted with it, and there are too many good original stories being put out to care anymore about big budget promises that one day they will definitely for sure deliver a finished story, this time for real.

I care enough to think about why I don't feel anything at all about Netflix Avatar. It'll be fine, whatever else. Just fine.

[s1m0nth3swag]

Hello, Simon! I enjoyed reading some of your recent works for Francis Mosses 🥺 is it okay to request for period comfort? keep it SFW please! I'm just in a emotional rollercoaster right now because of it and I don't see much sfw works of Francis here on Tumblr. Thank you so much in advance! 🤎

Tysm for the ask anon, so sorry it took this long!

I've been working on some personal projects recently and have had less time to write (especially since I now have to actually take care of some of my grades because some aren't looking too good.... whatever, though I'm balling through, it'll be fine)

Also, I'm so so sorry this is short because, uhm, how do I write about period comfort when all I usually do is ball through and act like the tough man I totally am (not)

WARNINGS/ CONTENT INFO; GN!Reader but mentioned to be afab due to having Periods, established relationship but not having been together for that long, Francis is a little silly and unsure at first because that man wouldn't know what to do and I stand by that statement.

When you had woken up this morning, you had immediately known. Just that feeling of being uncomfortable, as if your body needed to make extra sure to signal you that you weren't pregnant. You groaned in annoyance, wanting to sleep for a little longer, but if you did that, you'd probably end up having to change your bedsheets, and that's the last thing you wanted to do right now. So, instead, you trotted to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, your boyfriend Francis was absolutely confused. You weren't the type to get up early, especially not when he was staying over. Usually, you'd snuggle up to him, wrap your arms around his waist to keep him in bed with you. He figured you maybe just needed to go to the toilet, though something seemed a little off. He didn't pay it much mind, though, simply drifting off into a state of being half asleep again. At least until you practically fell into bed, making the mattress creak. "Francis." You grumbled, moving to press your face against his neck like you'd always do when he stayed over and was still with you in the morning. "Mm?" He hummed, his hand coming up to carefully run through your hair. "Got my period." You huff, your face scrunching in annoyance. Francis is caught off guard for a moment. "At least you aren't pregnant?" He mutters, trying to lighten your mood, though that only results in having you hit his chest softly. He really doesn't know what to do. He never had to deal with this before. "What usually.. I don't know.. helps? Makes it better?" He asks. Francis has heard of buying chocolate or making a hot water bottle, though he really wants to make sure not to just assume what might be good for you. "Just stay for now, okay?" You ask, snuggling further against him.

The two of you stay cuddled up in bed for a while, with you getting into some, for Francis, very weird positions just to relieve some of the pain. He starts massaging your lower belly at some point, which makes you comfortably rest against him so he can keep going. He figures that this helped your cramps, though you aren't really a big talker right now. He's just glad you aren't getting sappy on him or worse. Francis reminds himself to stop thinking in stereotypes. You fall asleep at some point, and he has half a mind to get a blanket over the two of you while he tries not to fall asleep as well - he feels like he should be awake once you wake up. He wouldn't want to have you have to do something alone when he could be helping you.

The next few hours are mostly you being asleep and Francis drifting off just to jolt awake again. Once you wake up, Francis gets you water and, because you now specifically asked for it, made you a hot water bottle to help the cramps. You put on a movie while he was gone, some romantic one that he knew you had watched at least twice before already. Not like he minded, though. Wasn't his place to judge. He settled beside you again, making sure to carefully place the bottle on you, letting you adjust it yourself. "You alright?" He hums, resting his head against yours. "Obviously not. I'm actively bleeding, Francis." You huff, rolling your eyes playfully as you shift closer to him. "Honestly, though, as good as I could be right now." You then answer, sighing as you close your eyes to bask in your boyfriends presence.

You stay cuddled up like that, watching the movie together. Francis gets up at some point to make both of you a tea, making sure yours is a Green tea after searching for what tea helps with cramps. He's generally just very mindful of you, even offering to run to the store to get you anything you want - which in all honesty almost makes you tear up because he's just too sweet - but you just want him with you, and that's all that counts.

[cupcakeslushie]

i love that you said each of the bois have unspoken themes to them, that makes characters so much more deeper and interesting.

if you wouldn’t mind can you say what unspoken themes Leo, Mikey, and Raph have?

some are more obvious than others, and while i have a decent idea of what they are, i want to hear them coming from you ✨

adore your work btw, your storytelling and style enraptures me

This might be a big post just so I have everyone all in one place im going to reiterate what I said for Donnie

@aduckmurder

Donnie: Identity/Depersonalization

When Donnie's first introduced Draxum doesn't even consider him a person, and hadn't even given him a name. And then, later Donnie's got too many names to choose from. That alone would cause someone to have an identity crisis. Personality wise, he enjoys making tech, but aside from that, Donnie is never sure of which emotions he should be feeling, or what his likes and dislikes are. A lot of the time he's mirroring how his brothers are emoting, or he's just smiling to cover up the fact that he doesn't know or trust his own feelings. Future Donnie will have a horrible time with depersonalization after merging with the Technodrome and the Kraang, which will cycle around to impact present timeline Donnie during the movie.

Mikey: Worth

While Donnie was treated like nothing, Mikey was treated like an object/accessory by Big Mama. When she threw him into the Nexus, Mikey imagined it was something he did or didn't do well enough to meet her high standards. After he's reunited with Splinter and Raph, Mikey finds the little roles that neither of them have filled very well, such as cooking, and cleaning, and makes sure he excels at them almost obsessively out of this fear that if he's not useful, then he will be discarded. Future Mikey works tirelessly as the only brother with his mystic powers still intact, to the point that his body is so overworked by the time of the movie, he looks like he's moments from shattering apart, only held together through his own force of will.

Leo: Doubt

Leo has lived his life being ordered around and having his memories and personality altered. Even once he is free, his emotions are almost as erratic without Kitsune's influence, than they were while he was under her control (at least until his own cleansing ritual). His instinctual gut reaction to use most violent tactic first, clearly makes his family uneasy. So when Raph tries to get Leo to act as co-leader, Leo is very hesitant. He doesn't think he should be trusted with such a responsibility, but learns he can trust if he goes too far, his brothers will stop him. Future Leo has a really hard time with raising Casey. After Raph's gone, Leo doesn't trust any of the decisions he's now having to make solo, and he certainly doesn't think he can be a guiding force for good for a young child. Casey needs a teacher who will shape him into a strong warrior. Leo learns as Casey grows, that being the boy's Sensei is not the same as being his Master.

Raph: Regret/Guilt

Raph blames himself for almost every horrible thing his brothers and father have gone through. He's recounted the night that Leo and Mikey were taken, and gone over it a thousand times in his head, trying to work out how it could've gone differently. All the amazing things he's done by bringing his family together--being the stable bedrock that they can grow into a true family under--none of that feels like it'll ever make up for the times in the past where he failed to protect them. Raph takes on the job of shield because he wants to make sure nothing else ever hurts his brothers again, and doesn't care if hurts him instead. Future Raph is constantly putting his brothers' lives before his own. Unfortunately, doing it one too many times results in a devastating loss for the Resistance, when their Leader sacrifices himself, and the chain of command practically falls apart for months before it can recover.

[starrymused]

@lannamused

They'd tried everything "by the book" as they possibly could but nothing was happening. Even Makoto's sister said that Haru's situation was difficult because of the legal processes behind it. Takakura had assured Haru that they were working on ending the engagement but it would take time. Time, time, time. Just wait and it'll all get better in time. Why did they always have to hear that? Time didn't solve everything, which was why Ren was making the decision to go ahead with the only plan left to them.

"Haru." He approached her as she worked in her usual spot on the school's rooftop. The plants she so lovingly cared for were in full bloom, the water droplets from her Junes exclusive watering can shining in the late afternoon sun. It only felt right to compliment her on them rather than directly launching right into what he was here for. Ren cared so very deeply for his friends, wanted them to flourish just like these flowers had, and find happiness that they'd been neglected of for too long.

"They look good. Like the sort of flowers you see in Ghibli movies." He'd never seen leaves that green outside of actual florists. If Yusuke was here he'd probably compare them to some artistic shade that he used in his paintings. Ren grabbed the broom that was leaning against the fence and got to work sweeping up some spilled compost.

"Not a lot of progress is being made with this contract you're under. I'm not saying Takakura isn't working hard, I'm sure he is, but there still isn't enough being done." His broom paused as a tiny bug tried to wiggle its way onto the brushes. Leaning down, Ren let it crawl onto his finger so that he could relocate it to one of the flower pots.

"Makoto's sister says there isn't a lot that can be done, at least not for a while." Especially if it involved a political connection. "So, I think the best way to deal with this is have it come from his end." He, of course, was referring to Sugimura. Ren looked up, taking a moment to lean on the broom.

"Futaba searched on the Meta-Nav and found he has a palace. I think we should infiltrate and change his heart. It's the only way I see this ending rather than waiting for something that might happen." And by that time, the opposing lawyers might try to cut deals so that Haru would end up worse off in the end.

"I haven't brought this up to the others yet because you should be the first to know. You don't have to go if you don't want to but I'd like to hear your thoughts." Ren didn't like seeing her so down and unable to achieve her full potential just because of this annoying little leech of a man that thought himself far more important than he was. He had vowed to help each of them as well as those outside their group that needed it, so he found it near enough impossible to wait around any longer.

[igglemouse]

I did such an amazing job on my commercial that I've already secured the role for the next one. Yeah, it's not exactly much to brag about, I don't want to just be a commercial girl for the rest of my career but right now it's something to put on my resume. That, for now, is what matters most.

One day, I'll probably start off my mornings with gourmet breakfasts, but for today it'll be mac and cheese. A quick whatever kind of meal, not even a breakfast-y kind of dish, but it'll get me to lunch, I hope!

I also make sure that I'm practicing my acting because if you want to be the best you have to put in the work for it. Actually, you have to work more than the best to be the best and better than the rest!

With nothing else to do I head to the park. Just a little ways from it I spot Derreck, standing there on Starlight Boulevard and staring at one of the tiles before him. A blank and empty spot, waiting to be filled. I can imagine what is going on through his mind because it is going on through mines as well. He sees his name on one of those tiles and one day, for sure, mines will be on one too.

I've had a few good conversations with him before so approaching him feels natural. The warm smile on his face as I get near tells me he's also happy to see me.

"So, you've never told me your stage name," casually I ask. Every musical artist has one, right? I feel at least ninety percent.

"I sort of thought my name was good enough, am I wrong?"

"Hmmm," I hum and think that it might be, but it is a little plain? "Don't you want something memorable? Catchy? Something people hear once and can't forget?"

"I'm sort of hoping my music is memorable enough."

"Yeah, that's fair," can't argue with that, at the end of the day the quality of the art does matter, most times at least. I start to say something else but I realize he's looking at me or rather his eyes are really taking me in. "What?"

"What's your dream role?"

"Oh!" I've thought about that a lot but the more I think about it the more complicated the answer. "Like you, I want something memorable. I want to deliver a line that people will remember forever, play a character that survives the test of time. It's impossible to see what that is right now."

"How about the love interest of a struggling musician?" He says with a cheeky smile. He's teasing, of course, but I can't help but wonder if there is a suggestion hidden beneath the humor.

"They do say art imitates life," I add.

"They also say life imitates art, either way..."

"Well Derreck," I hold his gaze and pull out my phone. "Let's see if either of those becomes true," and so we exchange numbers and I do feel like there is a little spark of excitement as we do. Who knows where this might lead but I admit he's made a really good first impression.

Yeah, this thing will say Teresa Tejedor some day....

I make it back home early enough in the day to hopefully enjoy the rest of it. That means watching a movie and diving into a book. Honestly, I just don't have much going on today.

Night comes with not much change which means a little cleaning and a little chore work. Although, my day wouldn't end without one surprise...

And that was a call from my agency about a new opportunity! It's about Raul, a comedian who has a new sitcom and they think maybe I'd fit the role? Ok, it's not specific to me, it would be an open audition but an opportunity is an opportunity.

Like I've been saying, it's only a matter of time...

Teresa Tejedor - Next Episode 1.5

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FROM SINGIN' IN THE RAIN *  assorted dialogue from the 1952 film, adjust as necessary

hey! do something! call me a cab!

i said some awful things that night, didn't i?

tell them to go home.

everybody go until further notice!

wait a minute! i am just about to be brilliant.

keep your eyes riveted on me.

we've talked the whole night through.

are you sure it's all right? being seen with me?

don't you touch me!

are you doing anything tonight?

what do you think of it?

remind me to give you a raise.

from where i stand, the sun is shining all over the place.

did somebody get paid for writing that dialogue?

the show must go on! come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet, the show must go on!

you've never looked lovelier.

i buy four or five a month.

i'd rather kiss a tarantula.

i just had to tell you how good you were.

what a glorious feeling.

i'm an actress.

no no, don't go.

nobody's got that much money.

here's one thing i learned from the movies!

you're a beautiful woman.

you got that poor kid fired!

i'd like to see you act. what are you in right now?

you're nothing but a shadow.

don't tell me, it's a flat tire.

you've got to show a movie at a party. it's hollywood law.

that's ridiculous. everybody knows you're in love with me.

we're missing every other word! you've got to talk into the mic!

at last i can start suffering.

tell me the truth. am i a good actor?

what's the first thing an actor learns?

hey, what'd you say that for?

i'd like to break every bone in your body.

thanks a lot!

what do you have to be so conceited about?

what's wrong with the way i talk?

she can't act, she can't sing, she can't dance. a triple threat.

you couldn't kiss me like that and not mean it just a teensy weensy bit.

you're not through!

you've seen one, you've seen them all.

i never heard of anything so low. why did you do it?

i can't make love to a bush!

laugh all you want, but at least the stage is a dignified profession.

it'll be a sensation!

i happen to be in love with her!

why bother to shoot this film?

meet the greatest actor in the world.

look at me. i've got no fame, i've got no glory, i've got no big mansions, i've got no money.

you'll have to wear a beard for that one, of course.

you don't mean that.

i can't get her out of my mind.

that means i'm out of a job.

i'm no actor. never was.

at least you'e taking it lying down.

you saw one once?

try to get this straight: there is nothing between us. there has never been anything between us. just air.

what's the big idea? am i dumb or something?

you're going to new york and then some day we'll all hear of you, won't we?

everybody used to wear them.

believe me, i don't like her half as much as i hate you.

i'm glad you turned up!

you keep away from me!

sticks and stones may break my bones...

oh, you don't mean that.

people just don't do things like that.

you... you were kissing him!

i'm not in a play right now, but i will be.

i've had one motto which i've always lived by: dignity. always dignity.

what do they think i am? dumb or something?

let me hear you read your line.

i don't go to the movies much.

movies are entertaining enough for the masses, but the personalities on the screen don't impress me.

[do-you-know-this-adhd-character]

Characters Marked Anything Other Than "Accepted And Ready To Post" or "Already Posted"

someone said they thought this would be useful, so I'm making it. I have nothing against any of the submitters for these characters, to be clear, and for anything not in the "Dark Red: Inherently Unpostable" category you can submit more evidence to make them more postable!

Dark Red: Inherently Unpostable

You, from Real Life: Real person.

Oli Theorionsound, from Empires SMP: Too close to a real person for me to be comfortable posting them.

Red: Not Enough Evidence

Todd Chavez, from Bojack Horseman: Only evidence provided was vibes.

Estinien Varlineau, from FFXIV: Evidence provided was for neurodivergence, but not for ADHD specifically.

Siyun Baek, from Dreaming Freedom: Only evidence provided was fidgeting, which is not enough to say ADHD instead of other neurodivergence.

Kris, from Deltarune: Evidence is vibes only.

Richard Lipschitz, from Nerdy Prudes Must Die: Evidence is vibes only.

The Collector, from The Owl House: Only evidence provided is energetic personality, which isn't inherently ADHD.

Orange: Unsure If Enough Evidence. Would Prefer More. Please Submit More

Max Good, from A Goofy Movie: This one teeters on the edge for me; it has some evidence, but doesn't feel super compelling. Will probably end up deciding whether to post on the day it comes up, honestly. Please submit more if you see him as ADHD!

Tom Paris, from Star Trek: Voyager: Feels like it's on the edge between proof of ADHD and just proof of neurodivergence or personality traits. Would like more ADHD-specific evidence. I have watched Voyager but it was too long ago for me to provide my own evidence

Mammon, from Obey Me: Only evidence provided is impulsivity. Unsure if that's enough or not. Because at least part of my criteria is does it Feel Compelling To Me I vary day by day on if that's enough. So more evidence would be great.

Rand Ridley, from Inside Job: Feels kind of vague, I probably could judge this one if I actually knew the character, but I don't. Might do a wiki dive and see if that helps. More evidence would be great.

Dewey Finn, from School of Rock: Evidence is a combo of factual and vibes-based, and the factual evidence is a little weak (not getting things done on time and irresponsibility are common in ADHD people, but I'm not sure if it's enough or not.) More evidence please!

Yellow: Postable, But I Need To Look Into Something First

Mac McDonald, from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: Apparently someone makes a comment about him being ADHD in the show. Someone was kind enough to find where this happens for me, but I need to get around to watching it for myself and evaluate if it counts as canon ADHD. I'd usually say any assertion of ADHD in canon is a confirmation, but this is a sitcom and ADHD is unfortunately often used as a punchline. Been debating whether to just post him as "semi-canon".

Kaveh, from Genshin Impact: Submitter thought it might be canon. Need to check. Even if not, evidence was sufficient, so it'll be posted once I check (honestly should have been posted ages ago if I'd gotten around to checking.)

Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh: I've seen some cool analyses on how different Pooh characters represent different neurodivergencies and Tigger represents ADHD. Would like to dig one up to include in the post.

Flywhisker, from Warrior Cats: Author said she "wouldn't be surprised if Flywhisker was on the ADHD spectrum". Need to look up context because I think that's a canon confirmation, but she was submitted as noncanon.

Heinz Doofenshmirtz, from Phineas and Ferb: Submitter talks about how the writer based doofenshmirtz on himself and was later diagnosed with ADHD. Need to look into if said writer ever connected those two things. Evidence looks sufficient even if noncanon, though.

Amy Rose, from Sonic: Submitter's evidence was a video and I just haven't gotten around to watching it yet lol. Sounds postable from the text, I just need to watch the vid to make sure.

If your submission is not listed here, it has been deemed acceptable. If you see a character listed here as ADHD, this does not mean they will never be posted no matter what (except the dark red)! Feel free to make a submission with additional info.

[agirlandherquill]

Written In Smoke - The Letter Stained In Ink

this week's letter comes to you fresh off the high of finishing reading a book, which i'll be sure to ramble about a little later on so bear with me, a few things have happened this week so here goes!

A Glimpse Through Time - little bits about me and what I’ve been up to this week

the past few days at least have been a lot, a good lot don't get me wrong, but a lot, now here's what I've been up to

A great chunk of my Saturday afternoon comprised of watching F1 (slipping in another fact about me, i'm a big fan), watching the practice, then an F2 sprint and then the F1 Qualifying for the big race - and i'm so freaking happy because my two favourite drivers are in the top 3 positions for tomorrow (you can tell this is written mere minutes after watching the madness) - it's also pretty cool because the track for the UK's race isn't all that far from me, and I'm hoping to grab tickets for next season

While I was watching the incredible chaos of F1, I was also reading, bit more on that below, but the universe must love me because the race finished the same moment that I read the final sentence of my book - talk about timing

I BOOKED MY TRIP TO BATH - I'm so so excited to go and see the Jane Austen Centre and Mary Shelley's House of Frankenstein, issue is I have just over a week to read 4 more Jane Austen books (I've only read persuasion and pride and prejudice, both twice) and Frankenstein (this is my motivation to finally read it haha), but it'll be doable for sure

This absolute genius was 3 hours late (cough, attempting to renew at 2am, cough) returning library books, but the people at the library were so sweet and got rid of the 15p charge and renewed them for me instead - first, and hopefully only time I'm late with library books fingers crossed

Books - This week's been a bit more productive writing-wise, so I only had time to read one book this week, and I finished it today (saturday, incase I take too long to write the rest of this week's entry and send it off tomorrow instead, and let's be honest, it's likely) - You, by Caroline Kepnes, and I've seen the show many, many times, and the book was just as addictive, I'm thinking of reading the rest but that might be a plan for the future since my bookshelves and kindle library are begging me to read the books i own and have yet to read rather than buying more - I did however grab a copy of P.S I Love You in a charity shop and I can't believe it, it literally looks NEW, so I'm going to look forward to reading and watching the movie at some point - I'm also halfway through Love, Theoretically and I am OBSESSED, that and Love Hypothesis were the only books I was planning on reading by the author but now I'm not so sure, they're so GOOD

Shows/Movies - My. Lady. Jane. SPEECHLESS (as of writing this I'm only on episode 5, but I'm hoping to finish it this weekend) and I can't wait to devour the book when the tie-in edition comes out (this is one I NEED in paperback, sorry bookshelves), I also watched Empire Strikes Back this week and can I just say I'm more of a Leia and Han fan than I expected to be - they're so good

Music - us. by Gracie Abrams (this is one of very few of her songs that I know but it is so good to write with, on loop, or it was for the scene I was writing, but that's just what it's like being a writer I suppose, music changes with each scene and some songs fit better than most), Chlorine by TOP - my friends introduced me to them and this is probably my favourite song of theirs, and that's it for this little segment they're the two main songs I can think of

oh and I can include a slightly major adulting achievement - I voted for the first time this week, it was a strange, strange feeling but it happened - I'm not big on politics, not at all, so I won't say too much about it but the thought of crossing a box to decide a country's future is really funny to me, I could not tell you why, but it makes me laugh

Spills From The Ink-Pot - writing, writing, and more writing

this is England, it may be July but the skies sure do know how to pour - which means more time indoors for me writing (I do love writing outside, when it's not too cold, but the rain's brought a little bit of an anti-summer chill, shocker, so this week's been more of an indoors-y one for me)

The current draft of Ruin's Reprisal took a bit of a hammering, as did my keyboard - in the last 3 days alone I've written 6,000 (ish) words, which is a lot for me recently, and it's only going to be more still throughout the rest of this weekend - people ask me why I have a keyboard cover on my laptop, this is why, I hate the thought of wearing down the keys and leaving fingerprints on my screen when I shut my laptop- and with a keyboard cover none of that happens, and my keyboard survives just a little longer (pray for the poor thing, I know I am) - at the time of almost publishing this letter I'm now sitting at 12,000 words written by the end of the weekend (whoops)

Current Word Count is sitting at 212,525, but that's with me having edited up to halfway through Part Two, it's by no means a set number given the amount of chapters I still have to go through, but it's progress (and i love progress)

I'm thinking of making a checklist in these letters to encourage myself to do more writing things in the next week, so here's next week's goals:

Come up with Part Titles - I have Chapter ones, why not for Parts too?

I want to finish Part Two by next week - that's 5 chapters away, possibly doable?

Slightly bigger goal than just next week - I want to write a short story, or a story, maybe not so short, but I want to write start to finish over the summer (maybe it'll be a novella?), it's a challenge I'm setting for myself alongside writing Ruin's Reprisal, and it starts with the little snippet I released earlier this week - writing on a clueless whim becomes an actual, surprisingly good thing, who knew?

I have plenty to show you this time around dear reader, so here's a few snippets for you to sink your teeth into:

She grabbed his hand and pressed it over her bleeding thigh. “Do it. Heal me.” Fenley frowned. “Edeva-” “There’s no time. They’ll find us. I need you to do it.” His brows furrowed, he watched her carefully. “You’ll reject it, won’t you?” He’s figured it out, or he thinks he has. Either way, it doesn’t matter. “This Exilza will survive.” Fenley’s jaw tightened. “I’ll hurt you.” His eyes swept up from her leg to her face. She caught his stare, and she held it. “Then hurt me. I know you’ll make it right.” “…But I can’t.” She watched his throat bob up and down. He’s not willing to hurt me more before he heals me. Her fingers twitched by her sides. It’s going to take drastic measures to make him do it.  She reached up and slung her arm over his shoulders, drawing him in close, Fenley grunted in shock, she used his distraction to grab one of the knives from his coat, he jerked back, his mouth hanging open as she buried the blade in her thigh, close to her wound, and buried her face in his chest to muffle a cry of pain. She breathed deeply and braced herself to rip out his knife. She pressed it into his hands.  “Until I bleed out, my life is yours. Decide.”

This was not hunting, this was not defence, this was murder through and through.  Edeva had taken a life, and now the epithet hanging over her name was true. I am a murderer. Vanquisher. Slaughterer. Monster. She sank to her knees, clutching her head, as the names began to swirl, over and over until they blurred, becoming a perpetual scream in her mind, she could think, still she could not breathe, she could not move. The ground shook, the Oksa were coming for her. She did not look, she did not lift her chin from her chest, she remained still on her knees, succumbing to her fate, her punishment for what she had done. I deserve it. I took a life of theirs and they’ll take this life of mine. The darkness crept in, it took over her, numbing the world until all she could see was the dark, shrouding her like a cloak. Her heart stuttered in her chest. This was not death, this was Shael. “Edeva.” Fenley’s whisper forced her to lift her head. He was on his knees too, one hand on her shoulder. “What are you doing?” “Accepting.” She hadn’t the strength to say more, or the strength to look him in the eye, but he stopped her, he made her, his fingers grasped the hair at the nape of her neck and pulled back sharply enough to force her to meet his gaze. “There is nothing to accept and I will not see you give up, I will not see you submit, not to them. I will not stand around watch your neck break - I won’t,” His jaw clenched. “I won’t, and you won’t either.” The hand on her shoulder pushed roughly and she fell, she fell from the ethereal cloak of Shael and back to the world, back to the fighting. Where Oksa had been there were now smoking remains, such smoke wasn’t normal, and she realised it wasn’t. It was shadow. Whatever Fenley had done she was glad she hadn’t seen it, but he had done it to help her, to save her, to help her save herself - for just a little longer.  Something glinted to her right, it was her sword, sticking out of the dirt. Fenley. He wants me to fight. He wanted her to do the impossible. “I can’t.” She closed her eyes, her fingers curling in on themselves as her hand hung limply by her side. Vitaires do not fall. We stand. We stay standing.  Her Mama’s words had never been so loud in her mind. They were true, they were everything she needed, much like Fenley’s push. I am Edeva Vitarie and I will stand. She took her first breath, then another, I. Will. Stand.

and this next snippet comes from the short story i'm writing (alas yet to be given a title): “It isn’t very often someone gets away with saying no to me.” She startled at his voice. She turned to see him squatting atop a large bin, crammed against a wall, overflowing with rubbish, none of it seemed to bother him as he prowled over its lid and crept down to her level. Her fingers stilled against her laces. “Have I?” “Not quite.” “I should warn you I’m expected somewhere.” “This won’t take long, I came only to give you this.” She flinched at an envelope hitting her lap, she hadn’t felt him move, let alone seen it.  “If I open it, will it kill me?” “That envelope contains ink and paper, nothing more.” “Nothing less, either.” She mused, slipping the envelope into her coat. “Your stationery is what most would die for.” “Really? I thought I was using the cheaper stuff.” “Rich, are we?”  His laugh almost tempted one of hers. “Not quite. Save your questions for another night, I trust we’ll have one.” He sounds more self assured than the corporate suits that rule the city, is such a thing possible? She stood, laces tied, envelope secure, and hugged herself. The chill of the night had never been so clear to her as it was now.  “If I tell you no, again, will you seek me out?” “You sought me first, I only thought to return the favour.” Is that… A touch of defence? How interesting.  “Very well, I-” “I thought I’d lost you for a minute there, everything all right?” The Assistant’s voice cut through the alley, she turned around, putting on a reassuring smile. “I needed to tie my laces that’s all.” She took a few steps toward him, only glancing back as they went to turn back onto the street. The alley was empty, he was gone.  His letter seemed to weigh more in her pocket before, she placed a hand over it to steady it, and herself. My refusal paid off, he’s more interested than ever before. The more interest, the more willing he is to tell his story. He wanted another night, she sought out plenty more - and she would have them. She had him hooked, and she knew it. 

good grief this week's one is LATE (apologies dear reader, these past few days have been busy ones) but here you go! this week's letter is all typed up, compiled and heading your way!

~ A Girl and Her Quill

Tag List! (if you want to be notified when a WIS post comes out, interact with this post :) )

@lead-to-code @catwingsathena @nothoughtsjustmhaandotherthings @thestorywitch @lunaeuphternal

@theaistired @frostedlemonwriter

[neyswxrld]

fulfilling clichés

Echo x reader (gn)

summary: Date night with Echo!

warnings: some kisses at the end, fluff

word count: ~700

advent calendar masterlist

a/n: this is the eighteenth fic for my advent calendar for my special boy echo!

Echo and you walk through the streets, laughing and smiling. He had his cybernetic arm around your shoulder, pulling you close to his side and spending you some of his warmth.

You decided to make another date evening today.

First, you had dinner in a fancy but luckily relative cheap restaurant, and now you're making your way to the local movie theater. They have a special offer today. It's close to Christmas, so they're showing some fitting movies.

"We haven't decided yet, which one we want to see," Echo says after some time, looking over at you.

"Hmmm, I read that there are a few good ones on today. Have you seen some of them?" you ask and start to list the ones you remember.

Echo just shakes his head, already knowing there wasn't any Christmas film he'd ever seen. "It's actually the first time for me to celebrate Christmas at all."

Immediately, a sour feeling spreads in your gut. You already knew that. A few weeks ago, Echo was a little bit confused about all the new sweet things in the store. When he asked you about it, you realized that he didn't even know what Christmas really was at this point.

You tried to explain it, and even though he was confused about all of it at first, too, he happily decided to (quote:) "try the Christmas" this year.

So you've decided that it'll be the best Christmas ever. For him, and for you. You started to show him everything. Christmas cookies, markets, trees, decorations and a bunch of other stuff. Today was the turn for the movies. Or, at least one movie.

"Oh? I've seen some. If you want, I can sum up some of the plot," you suggest and as he nods with a sweet smile on his face, you start to explain the different movies to him, without spoiling too much.

Echo nods along. Sometimes, he crinkles his eyebrows in a cute way, unsure of what you're telling him isn't rather a fever dream than an actual movie, but in the end, he all in all looks very neutral.

"So?" you ask, "If you didn't like one of those, we also can look at the descriptions of the other movies I don't know."

"Hm... Well, I sure wanna know what the others are about, but there are some you already watched that sound good, too," he says, and you agree.

You do as you said and in the end, you decide to watch a film you already know, and you're more than satisfied with that.

You buy the tickets and stop at the small snack counter. Today is also a snack-spacial. Next to the usual stuff, you can also buy hot chocolate, punch and cookies.

For a short moment, you think you're in heaven.

Both of you decide on the punch and the cookies, relatively fast.

Together, you make your way to the small movie hall, looking for your row and sitting down together on your pair seat.

Fulfilling the cliché, Echo lays an arm around you. You lean onto him and place your hand on his stomach. The cookies stand on a small table that was attached to the seat in front of you, and you reach for them now and then.

When the advertisements start, you two are making fun of them and laugh quietly. As soon as the movie starts, you try to be quiet and watch it.

Occasionally, Echo asks some small questions about it, or you two comment some of the things in a whispering tone. You don't want to disturb anyone of the others.

Sometimes, you also share some small kisses or light touches, like your thumb drawing circles on his tummy or his hand slightly moving up and down your shoulder. Everything is sweet and cozy and with every minute you are close to Echo, the evening is getting better and better.

You don't mind if you're the cringy couple, as long as you feel so loved and warm with him and as long as your heart beats in your chest and the butterflies fly in your stomach in that special way.

TAGLIST:

@isthereanechoinhere96 @trixie2023 @freesia-writes

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #269

I was going to try some Dead Cells today, but something unexpected happened and I didn't have an opportunity to devote a long time to focus on it. So I ended up doing other things, and that was good, too.

Once more, I did a lot of leisure writing today. It was... cathartic. Necessary. But time-consuming. It takes up a lot of my time and focus when I do it. And... given that it's just a pale imitation of what I am searching for, I'm not really sure if its time and focus cost is... prudent. Hm.

...There's so much I wish I could tell you. But I can't write it here and still have what I'm trying to do for you be taken seriously. I have to try to seem normal, at least for now.

...

It's not all I did today, though. At some point, J and I wandered around to get some errands done. He needed some things from the hardware store, I needed to get those meds prescribed by the sports medicine place, and we also needed toilet paper. So that's what we set out to do.

The medicine I got from the sports medicine place is called "celecoxib". I guess it's a kind of anti-inflammatory that works a little differently than ibuprofen, which is what I've been using on the really bad days. I'm supposed to take it twice a day for like a week, and then on an as-needed basis after that. I wonder if it'll help with the rib injury at all. Maybe it will. Or maybe nothing will happen. Or maybe something weird will happen. I don't know. But I took the first dose just now, so I guess we're gonna find out.

I saw a lot of birds-of-prey while we were out, so I took pictures of them for you:

...I think, so far, this is the best one I've ever gotten, though:

...It almost kinda looks like you, doesn't it...? Maybe a little...?

...

...Well... I'm reminded of you when I see great big flying birds in the sky, anyway. I'm not really sure why that's the case, but... it is what it is. I can be grateful for anything that prompts me to think about you.

Later, M, J, and I went out to see a movie called DanDaDan. J wanted to see it, so we went. I took some pictures of the sky on the way:

...The sky in general reminds me of you, especially during the parts of the day when it's blazing with kaleidoscopic hues.

...It was a very fun movie. Silly as heck, but also a lot of fun! I can't say for certain whether or not you'd like it. But... as part of seeing this movie, there were previews for other movies. And one of those movies was called The Wild Robot.

...It looked very promising. Next time someone calls you a "cyborg", now you have one more wholesome robot to point to, besides Zeta from The Zeta Project. We're gonna go see it! You can bet that when I do, I'm gonna tell you all about it, and probably encourage you to see it, too!

It doesn't come out until sometime towards the end of September, though. So if you wanna hear about it, you're gonna hafta hold on and stay safe at least until then, okay?

...Apparently, though, this was a book trilogy before it was a movie. So maybe I'll get the books after I see the movie. I wonder if our local libraries have a copy... hmm...

...It's about 9:30pm now. J is trying to make that garlic pudding. The whole kitchen smells amazing to me as a result. I'm going to have to go to bed relatively soonish, though; I go to my bakery job tomorrow! I'll try to get some yummy pictures for you, okay? So please just hang tight out there, okay...?

...

...I'm worried about you and stuff. I know how things ended for you the first time around and I... don't want to see you get broken, bloodied, beaten, and slashed up like that again. So please... please make sure that it doesn't happen to you again, okay? If you try to break things again, then that's how it's going to happen for you again, and I... don't want to spend a number of weeks crying again. So please... make good choices, okay? Make kind, good, loving, brave, and gentle choices out there. But also... please make sure you don't get killed, all right?

Oh!!! Before I forget. Over the last several days, J and I got even more pictures for you. Suppose now is as good a time as any to send them along... J's cellphone camera takes really good photos of the moon, unlike mine. I wonder if you'll be able to tell which ones are his and which ones are mine...

...In that set, the only pictures that were mine were the ones of the moon, haha... The rest were all J.

...J keeps making the garlic pudding as I'm writing this, and it smells and tastes absolutely phenomenal. It's still warming, though, and it won't be set until tomorrow. Look forward to pictures of it at some point after my shift at work is all done, okay?

I'm gonna get ready for bed now.

I love you. Please keep yourself safe out there. Please make it through to the end of all this alive and well. I'm counting on you coming back home.

I'll write again soon.

Your friend, Lumine

[skzhua]

i'll show you ('your eyes' series)

♡ "I need to see it to believe it."

pairing: seo changbin x reader.

genre: fluff, slight angst.

word count: 8,589

warnings: swearing, suggestive, reader is lowkey mean in the beginning.

summary: hearing changbin telling your friend, hwayoung, that he is convinced he can organize a better date than the guy who ruined hers, you can only laugh at him. persuaded he can prove you otherwise, he bets he can make you fall for him by going out with him on a date. the competitive in you accepts.

a/n: i'm so sorry this took this long for me to post!! inspiration was kind of dead these days and i've had a rough pass but i'm back!! enjoy this one, i think it might be a close favourite to minho's scenario~

SERIES MASTERLIST

Class was dismissed, which meant it was finally time for you to drag Changbin to the small ramen place you discovered the previous week. He was as much a foodie as you were, which justified perfectly why the both of you got along so well. Apart from your usual mean (but friendly) comments, you would rarely have arguments with the man.

Arriving to your locker, your roommate, Hwayoung, was crying her eyes out. Well, more like her eyes were puffy red and she sniffled loudly. Anyway, she was crying. This only meant one thing : another failed attempt at dating. She had always had the need of being in a relationship, so she tried every dating app that could exist. Her poor best friend, Jisung, had to watch all of this while crushing massively on the girl. You felt bad for the both of them. Meanwhile, Changbin pointed out her sadness with a joke.

"Your eyes are red, did you get high or something?" he laughed which earned him a small punch in his stomach from you.

Hwayoung's eyes got filled with more tears as Jisung rubbed her back in comfort. "I know I don't have much success with dating, but did this jerk have to tell me in my face that I'm an annoying piece of shit?"

Jisung winced at the sight and brought her into his arms. The first time you met the pair, you were convinced they were romantically involved since they would always be touching each other in some way. Plus, it was almost as it they never left the other's side. To say the least, you were practically shocked to learn they were only friends.

Changbin scoffed cockily from the words Hwayoung spilled. "There are plenty of other guys in this school. Even myself could take you on a proper date and treat you with actual respect."

Jisung sent a glare to his older friend, unsure on why he would be suggesting such a thing while being well aware of his feelings for the girl. "Right." he muttered under his breath.

You felt bad for the guy and, most importantly, wanted to beat Changbin's ass for making such an inappropriate comment. "As if you could date." you laughed.

"Might I remind you that I used to be very popular in high school." he said proudly.

"Used to be." you pointed out. "I haven't seen you go out even once with someone since I met you."

"I swear I'm a gentleman."

"Dude, you insult people 90% of the time."

"It's different, I don't intend on dating y'all."

Somehow, this grandly affected you. "I'm as much dateable as you are. Probably more."

Jisung let out a groan, unimpressed by your useless argument. "Guys, we have more important issues, here." he cocked his head towards the girl in his arms.

"Right." you coughed. "Sorry, Hwayoung."

"Not, it's fine. You two are much more dateable than I am, that's for sure." she whimpered.

Not knowing what to do, you threw a panicked glance at Jisung. "What do we do?" you mouthed.

"I got this." he mouthed back as he rolled his eyes. "Hey." he made the girl look at him. "How about we have a movie night together? It'll help you, I think."

Hwayoung hesitated as her eyes shifted towards you. "I don't know. Y/N and I had plans."

You shook your head vigorously. "Go with Jisung. We'll do our girls night another time."

She thanked you, grateful, and headed out, still in Jisung's arms. The boy mouthed a "thanks" as he lead his friend outside the school.

"So? That ramen place?" Changbin breathed out, turning to face you.

With a grin, you closed your locker and dragged him to the small store near campus. You had gone once with Hwayoung and you were dying to bring someone else to eat there with you, only to give yourself an excuse to spend on unhealthy food.

When reading the menu, Changbin frowned as he checked the ingredients. "Do you want me to ruin my efforts with my work out?" he pointed to the amount of calories.

"Stop being a baby." you rolled your eyes. "It has more protein than grease, I swear."

Still unconvinced, he ended up ordering the beef ramen anyway, while you ordered the spicy chicken. Waiting patiently for the food to come, you showed Changbin some pictures you had taken that week of your mutual friends. Felix was looking oddly disturbed in one, so you turned it into a meme and Changbin was living for it.

The food eventually arrived and you wasted no time to dig in, slurping loudly as you ate the noodles. Changbin was pleasantly surprised at the taste and complimented your choice of restaurant. You both had never eaten that fast and it took you no time to finish your meals. You insisted on paying since you were the one to invite him, but he was not going to let you get away that easy.

"What kind of gentleman am I if I don't pay?" he scoffed, pulling out his wallet.

"Ah, right. Because you are a total gentleman." you rolled your eyes. "You're the damsel here, let me pay."

He glared at you but you happily went to the counter and paid. You headed out to go back home with a pissed Changbin who was pouting like a child.

"Quit being a baby." you nudged his arm and he only sent you another glare in return. "Fine, you'll pay next time then?"

"No, it's not about that." he mumbled.

"What is it then? Is it because I called you a lady?" you laughed.

"It's because you really don't believe me when I say I can be a perfect gentleman. I swear I was such a catch in high school." he whined.

"Yeah, it's because you whine like this all the time that I don't believe you." you chuckled, gesturing to his childish behaviour.

"I swear I am."

"Uh, uh."

"I'm not bullshitting, Y/N."

"I need to see it to believe it."

"Then let me show you!" he exclaimed in frustration and you stopped walking to stare at him.

You perked an eyebrow, confused on whether you had heard him right or not. "Repeat, please?"

"Let me show you I can be a perfect date. I bet you could fall in love with me right after that."

You huffed in pure disbelief, but the look on his face remained serious. "Dude, you're not being serious."

"Never been more serious."

"Is this about your pride or something?"

He smirked. "Totally is about my pride."

You laughed as he kept a straight face. "I'm so ready to not give you that satisfaction. Alright, deal. Take me on a date and we'll see if you're really all that great."

Changbin grinned wickedly. Little did the both of you know this was probably the worst idea ever, but neither was ready to lose in front of the other.

A month or so had passed and neither of you brought the subject up again. It was like it never happened, and you were more than pleased to ignore it. Frankly, you didn't want to go on a date with Changbin. He was handsome, you would never deny that. However, you could not see him romantically ever. Thus, you doubted he would even succeed in making you like him.

Coming into the local store, you waved at Eunhee, the worker who was doing nothing other than watching a movie on her phone instead of working.

"You're alone today?" you asked while you searched for your favourite candies.

"Jeongin's on his break, he's in the backstore."

"I see." you nodded your head slowly before walking up to the beverages. "Did you guys receive any new drinks?"

Eunhee checked her inventory list real quick before shaking her head. "We have those nasty ass juices, though." she pointed at the bottles to your left.

"Ew, no thanks."

You picked your usual drinks and came to the cash to pay. "Are you almost done with your shift?" you asked while she typed something on the computer next to her.

"I finish in an hour." she groaned.

"Stop complaining, I do the night shift today." Jeongin said as he came from the back. "Hey, Y/N." he waved at you.

"Night shift? Rough." you commented. "We're having a little get-together just now."

"The beers are for the boys?"

"Yeah." you shrugged. "But mostly Changbin."

You finished paying and left the two workers to head back to Changbin's flat. He welcomed you with a big hug before helping you with your bags. Analyzing your surroundings, it felt nice to know the boys did clean once in a while. For the first time, you could actually see the colour of the floor.

"Did Chan force you to clean up?" you joked, putting the drinks in the fridge.

"No, I simply thought it wouldn't hurt to put our dirty clothes away." he shrugged. He opened one of the beer pack, and held one out to you. "Want one?"

"You're already drinking?"

"It's literally the first time I get to relax since the week started, let me live!"

Chan came out of his room and waved briefly at you as he still had his phone against his ear. He hurried the caller to hang up. Changbin snorted as he took a sip of his beer. He dropped on the couch, patting the spot next to him to invite you to join him, but you shook your head as a refusal.

"You're going to stand there all night?" he lifted an eyebrow at you.

"I'll take a seat eventually, jeez." you breathed out.

Chan finally ended the call, and sighed in relief. He took a beer for himself and sat next to Changbin, throwing his head back in exhaustion.

"You good, there?" you asked him.

"School things, nothing much." he said, drinking his beverage.

"Men." you snorted upon watching the pair drinking lazily, even though it was barely 6pm. "Are Ji and Hwa coming tonight?"

"Jisung confirmed, but I believe Hwayoung is going out with Junsoo." Chan answered.

The name sounded familiar. You searched through your mind where you had heard it before. Unsure, you opened your social medias to look the name up. The moment you clicked on a profile, your eyes grew bigger.

"This jerk?" you exclaimed, shoving the screen to their faces.

Changbin frowned. "Isn't this the guy who tried to get you in his pants at the party last year?"

"I'm amazed you even remember, Bin. You passed out on that night." you clapped your hands slowly, earning a glare.

"She's going out with this guy?" Chan huffed. "Should we tell Jisung?"

"He'll go crazy if we do so." you dismissed his suggestion. "I just hope she'll be fine by the end of her date."

Jisung and Minho were the next ones to arrive, followed by Sora not too long after. For the night, you settled on simply hanging out in the living room, put some music, and drink while chatting. Sora, getting more intoxicated as time passed, fell asleep on Chan's shoulder.

"Someone needs to watch her alcohol consumption." you laughed out as you took another sip of your own drink.

You repositioned yourself on your seat and stumbled by yourself, almost falling on Changbin. "Look who's speaking." he laughed as he caught you in time. "Should I get you back home? I know you work tomorrow morning." he asked softly, stroking the locks of your hair.

"You're no fun." you pouted and he raised an eyebrow at you. "Fine, I suppose you are right."

Your things were near where Jisung was sitting. He had not included himself much during the night, as he had his eyes fixated on his phone. As you approached him, you noticed he was in call as he said Hwayoung's name with a frown on his face.

"Hwayoung, baby, where are you? What did he do?" he stood up so suddenly.

You and Changbin stepped aside as he started to grab his belongings in a hurry. He then suddenly stopped what he was doing.

"Of course, we don't mind. Come right up and I'll make you some tea. Does it sound okay for you?" he asked, and you assumed Hwayoung answered on the other side of the line. "Come up quickly."

Changbin sent him a look, as the rest of you were doing. Jisung looked uncomfortable as he was now the center of attention.

"You can go in my room, if you want." Chan offered. "I'll sleep at Minho's instead."

"When did I agree with this?" Minho argued, until Chan glared at him.

"Thank you. Can I use your boiler to make her some tea?" Jisung replied, earning an approval from the older man.

As he was preparing the things for the girl, she knocked at the door and Jisung almost drowned her in a hug. You and Changbin took this opportunity to leave the place quietly, waving briefly at the others.

The weather was nice. There was a cool breeze, but not too cold for you to be freezing. Anyway, you were already hot as it is, still having alcohol in your system. Nonetheless, Changbin still brought you closer to him.

"I swear to God, Hwayoung needs to stop going out." you whined. "Why is she doing this to herself? To be fair, the boys here all suck." You turned to look at Changbin, not even a bit stunned by how close your face was to his. "Why do you suck?"

His gaze went down on your lips for a brief moment, but he shook it off with a cough. "I told you I'm a good candidate for dating."

You scoffed, sending the smell of liquor to his face. "You're still onto that date thing?"

"I was being serious. I'm convinced you'll see how I actually am a great guy."

"Bin, you're a good friend, but you're a man. And men are assholes."

He couldn't deny there was a lot of truth in what you were saying. He, himself, had seen his older sister struggle with that aspect and, frankly, he couldn't believe how they could be such jerks.

"I'm not like that."

You whistled in a teasing way. "Binnie having his quirky moment."

He deadpanned at you. "Shut up, you know what I meant."

"Fine." you finally agreed. "This time, for real, we're going on a date."

"Good with me." Changbin affirmed. "When do you want to do this?"

"Tomorrow?"

You surprised yourself with your boldness and he was even more shocked. You had already got to your dorm, so you waved him carelessly goodbye before heading inside, leaving him no time to argue. Your cheeks were flushed and you weren't so sure if it was because of the alcohol anymore. You still went ahead and took a long shower to freshen up.

When it was time to go to bed, you heard a notification sound coming from your phone multiple times. You didn't bother checking who was being so insistant, being too tired from your evening. Before you knew it, you were sound asleep.

Regret. You would say you never regretted anything in your life. You genuinely thought you could only learn from bad experiences and embrace them as part of your life. But now, you could only feel regret.

And that, ever since that morning, when you saw the messages Changbin had sent you. The same ones you had decided to ignore the previous night.

Changbin: Tomorrow? You do realize this gives me so little time to prepare an actual good date?

Changbin: Y/N, answer me!

Changbin: Did you fall asleep yet?

Changbin: Alright, tomorrow it is, then. I think I can manage to organize something.

Changbin: Do you like something simple or extravagant?

Changbin: Don't answer that.

Changbin: Well, I guess you are sleeping... I'll call you tomorrow, okay?

You were in panic, to say the least. You would been just fine if you two hadn't brought up the topic of the date again. But here you were. Why were you even being nervous about it? You should be feeling okay with it, you're the one who said he wouldn't be able to woo you, so you didn't understand why he was already having this effect on you without even doing anything yet.

"Stop biting your nails!" Hwayoung slapped your hand away from your face. "You keep getting distracted, are you okay?"

You deadpanned at her, not believing she was the one asking you if you were okay while she was crying her eyes out the previous night. "Am I okay? Hwa, you were literally crying a river yesterday, but you agreed to go on a date the next day. Are you good?"

"Minyoung seems nice." she shrugged.

"That's what you said for all the other guys, but sure." you mumbled under your breath. "Anyway, help me pick an outfit." She started to laugh uncontrollably, leaving you confused. "What did I say?"

"You want me to help you dress? We dress nothing alike, Y/N." she kept on giggling. "And might I remind you this is a date with Seo Changbin."

"It's still a date."

"Fine." she snorted. "What are you two going to do?"

"I don't know, I ignored his calls and left him on read since this morning."

She froze from your words. Out of all her friends, you were one to never be good with romance or anything of that sort. If anything, she considered you as a lost cause. This only confirmed her thoughts.

"You're so dumb, I swear." she sighed desperately before stealing your phone.

"Hwayoung!" you yelled out, trying to get your phone back.

She opened it easily since she knew your password and went ahead to look at your messages. "It's in an hour and forty five minutes at his parents' place." She frowned before looking up at you. "You've been to his house before?"

"Yeah, like once, but it was only because he had to get his mom's soup and I happened to be hanging out with him when she called."

"Uh." she nodded her head, deep in thoughts. "Alright, then I suggest you wear one of my skirts with that pretty shirt of yours that you wore last time we went to the bar together."

Before you could say anything, she threw your phone back at you and went to her closet, searching for a certain piece of clothing. She then shot at you her red plaid skirt, which earned a glare from you.

"What?" she exclaimed, defensive. "It's cute, and it matches with your top."

You grunted, throwing your head back. "Okay, I'll wear this. But I hate you."

"Stop lying, I'm literally saving your life right now."

You stuck out your tongue at her before leaving the room to get dressed. When you came back, Hwayoung squealed at the sight of you. She insisted on doing your makeup and hair, and you obliged. She wasn't giving you much of a choice anyway. Once satisfied with her work, she hurried you out of the dorm, almost like a mother who had prepped her daughter for her first day of school.

"Don't be home too late, or at least text me if you sleep over at his place." You glared at her for the hundredth time of the day. "And use protection!" she added.

"You're insufferable, even more than Bin."

"Have fun!" she ignored your comment before she closed the door.

Left alone in the hallway, you took a deep breath. You had no choice but to go now. You left the building as you checked the buses near you so you could get to Changbin's house as soon as possible.

While you were on the bus, he had called you again. You felt bad, but you really didn't want to talk to him just yet. Plus, it might ruin the element of surprise if you talked to him beforehand.

You got there sooner than you had anticipated. There was no car in the parking lot, meaning his parents must have left to leave the house available. You took all of your courage and walked to the door. After knocking, you waited for an answer. However, there was none. You tried again, but were left outside as it seemed there was nobody in the house. You took a chance by walking around and dared to go in their backyard. The moment you took a sniff of some food getting cooked, you didn't hesitate to open the gate.

There he was, Seo Changbin, in all of his glory. He dressed nicely with a white buttoned shirt and with his hair styled. Still, you couldn't help but laugh as you saw him with an apron on. This caused the man to shoot his head up, finally seeing you.

"Hey, Y/N! I didn't expect you to actually come." he chuckled.

You stopped laughing as you gave him a small smile as a sorry. "I had some stuff to do, I didn't get the time to reply."

"Glad you could make it." he said as he approached you. "You look beautiful, by the way. Skirts suit you."

You wanted to curse at him for saying something like this, but you couldn't. Changbin had come close enough to kiss your cheek and place his hand on your back, leading you to the table. You felt your heart stop for a bit, until it started to beat again when you saw the setup he made. He had laid out the utensils and plates beautifully on the table and he had arranged the place with some lights to give a romantic ambiance. He had already started to cook the steaks, and the smell was undeniably delicious.

"I am actually impressed." you said after he pushed your chair to sit comfortably at the table. "Are you always like this to girls?" you snickered.

"I am, I told you." he smiled as he went back to cooking the meat. "And I told you already, this is a proper date. Forget that we are friends for tonight."

This stuck in your mind. Forgetting that you are friends implied that he was going to treat you differently. Proof was how he had welcomed you, which had made your stomach flip around. You came here to prove something but you were already failing. You just couldn't lose in front of him. So you were going to act as well.

"Alright, handsome." you winked at him, which had seemingly worked to take him aback.

"R-Right." he stammered before letting out a small cough.

You could see from afar his Adam's apple move as he gulped, probably out of shyness. He proceeded to put some music on to fill the silence in the meantime that the food gets grilled.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"It was fine. I worked on some homework and cleaned up my dorm for once. I also hung out with Hwayoung a bit before coming here. The usual..."

"That's nice. Was Hwayoung feeling better?"

"She was. She actually got herself another date so, it's going for her..." you trailed off. "What about your day?"

He shrugged while starting to put away the meat on a plate. "It was fine, other than I was a bit stressed with setting up all of this." he admitted while gesturing the whole backyard. "I asked my mom and my sister for some help. I hope it's to your liking."

You were not used to him speaking to you like this. And it didn't help that he looked so fucking good while cooking and casually taking some sips of his water. When did he get this handsome?

"I love it, thank you." you smiled at him warmly.

He brought the food on the table and proceeded to present each dish, not forgetting to mention on why he chose each of them as they reminded him of you. If this is not peak domestic life material, you don't know what it is. But you liked it. A lot.

"The dessert is a surprise."

You frowned as you started to serve yourself. "Can't you tell me right away?"

He shook his head. "Enjoy your food for now."

"Alright. Thank you, Binnie." you chuckled.

You took a piece of the steak and ate it with some edamame he had prepared earlier. As soon as it touched your tasting buds, you couldn't believe how tender and yet buttery it was. You took another piece, just to be sure you were tasting it properly, and your eyes widened at the flavour. Changbin was looking at you expectedly, unsure if your reaction was a result of disgust or satisfaction.

"And?" he asked, biting his lip in nervousness.

"Where the fuck did you learn how to cook?"

He blinked a few times, processing your question. "I just followed my mom's recipes, to be honest."

"Well, tell your mom she makes great food. But since you were to one to cook tonight, I'd like to send my compliments to the chef."

He grinned at your words. "I'll let him know, thank you."

He then suddenly got up and told you to wait for a minute before he went inside the house. You were going to deduce a few points for leaving his date outside alone. Still, the food in front of you was enough for you to not complain. As he came back, he was holding a bottle of wine with two glasses.

"Trying to make me drunk on the first date?" you joked.

"Y/N, we aren't friends right now." he gave you a serious look. "Act as if I'm an actual guy who asked you out, please."

"Sorry..." you mumbled. "What kind is it?"

He let out a small laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know, actually. It was in the fridge and my mom told me I could take it for tonight. Do you want a glass?"

"For sure."

Like a professional, he served you a glass, before serving himself, and he brought it up in the air. "Thank you for agreeing on going out with me."

You copied his action. "And thank you for planning out all of this. I'd have to say, not a lot of guys would go all the way from making the food to even do the decorations. It's very sweet."

You clang your glasses together before taking a sip each. The taste wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good either. You never were one for the wines, anyway. You were still in your Smirnoff sugary drinks era.

"What is your ideal type?"

This was a surprise. You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. The question was too bold to your liking.

"What's yours?" you managed to say.

He smirked at you, and you just knew then that you shouldn't have said that. "You, of course."

"I'm flattered." you played along, ignoring the beating of your heart getting faster. "But I'm genuinely curious."

He thought for a moment. "I'd say someone simple who doesn't take life too seriously. Kind of like how I am, actually. I do like physical contact, so someone who's comfortable with that. And I like when someone is being themselves, it's the most attractive thing in my opinion."

You debated internally whether he was describing you intentionally for the whole purpose of the date, or if he was being sincere. You decided to opt for the second option, trying to make yourself believe there was a possibility he liked you. But you didn't like him, no. You only wanted to think that for your pride.

"For me, I'd say something similar to yours. But I want someone I know I can trust. Though you can never be sure on who to count on, I think your lover is supposed to be the first person you think of when wanting to talk about, I don't know, a stressful day or situation."

"That makes sense, yeah." You chuckled at his words, and he frowned. "What is it?"

"I don't know, you seem to be agreeing easily."

"I'm only being honest." he shrugged. "And now, I'm hungry." he breathed out as he stood up.

You hadn't even noticed you were done with eating by then. "You want more food?"

"The dessert." he simply said before walking to the grill again.

He searched in the box next to it and pulled out long metal sticks. Searching again, he then pulled a bag before showing it to you.

"This reminds me of when we all went camping last summer. I don't know why, but that night, when we decided to make marshmallows, I just thought you were breathtaking with the fire as the only source of light for me to see you. And then, you shared yours with me because I burnt mine... I think this was the rise of our friendship."

There was so much sincerity in his voice, you wanted to cry. You still refrained yourself from doing so since Hwayoung had put mascara on your lashes, but it was hard not to.

"I remember it too. We drank a lot." you laughed. "I slept in your tent that night."

He let out a nostalgic laugh, before taking the marshmallows out of the bag to put them on the sticks. "Yeah, you did. You fell asleep right away. I just knew then that I'd want you around for as long as possible."

The unexpected shift from a simple dinner to this deep conversation was too much for you. Changbin had won your stupid little deal. Everything he said brought you back to memories with him that you had never shared with anyone else. Even with Hwayoung, who you'd consider your best friend at that point. He was a constant in your life, and you'd be absolutely torn apart if he ever disappeared from it.

"Me too. We just got so much closer from then on, it felt right." you said, and he smiled at you.

"I'm glad we did. Now, do you want to help me with this? Because I might start a fire." he laughed out.

"You must have improved since last summer. Go ahead. You're the gentleman, after all?"

"Are you the bossy one when in a relationship?" he lifted an eyebrow at you.

"You could say that." you smirked.

And as predicted, he did burn the marshmallows. It was hilarious and added some fun to the evening, easing the mood after the deep conversation you shared. The night went on smoothly. Some jokes here, a few flirts there... You hated to admit it, but it was the best date you had gone on. Even considering the ones with your exes.

"I hate to break the mood, but I'm kind of cold."

"Oh." Changbin let out. "I know this is the first date only, but do you want to go inside? It might warm you up a bit."

You nodded your head, and he immediately led you inside. You had gone inside his house before, so it wasn't so weird. You opted to sit on the couch comfortably to continue your chatting.

"Damn, this couch is comfortable as hell." you exclaimed, feeling yourself melt into the cushions.

"I know, right?" he laughed.

You repositioned yourself a little, and then realized you were slowly getting closer to Changbin. He didn't seem to mind. Having mentioned he liked physical affection, it didn't surprise you much. But you wanted to test the waters. So you got even closer.

"Bin?" you said, tone soft.

"Yeah?"

"You said to forget we are friends tonight, right?"

"Yes." he responded, though he was not exactly sure on why you were asking this while getting dangerously close to him.

"So, we can agree tonight is kind of a free pass? Like, we won't talk about it other than if you did a good job or not at taking me on a date?"

He frowned as he bit down his lip. "I mean, if that's what you want, yes."

"So then, is it okay if I-" you stopped yourself for speaking any further.

You didn't need to anyway. You were too far close to his mouth that he understood what you meant. He gave you a small nod and you attached your lips to his in a matter of milliseconds. He tasted sweet because of your shared marshmallows mixed with a bit of wine. Though the combo sounds horrid, it was an addictive taste and you just could not get enough of it. Soon, you found yourself on his lap, hands playing with his hair as his were squeezing your figure. He made his way to leave a trail of kisses on your jawline before attacking your neck. You could tell he had experience since he found your sweet spot almost immediately. Startled, you unintentionally let out a soft moan.

"Fuck, Y/N, are you that sensitive?" he growled, and then proceeded to suck on your skin again.

"Fuck you."

"If that's what you want." he joked. "That skirt really does something to me."

He went back to kissing your lips, hungry for your taste. He was needy, but remained gentle.

"Thank Hwayoung for that." you said in-between the kisses, breathing heavily.

"I'd have to apologize for ripping it apart too, yeah."

He had walked you back home safely that night. You would have stayed at his place, but that if the situation was different. This wasn't genuine. You had slept together only as a result of a fake date. Was it good? Damn yes it was. Did you wish you would be waking up to his naked figure as the sun hit his perfect face? Yes, you did. But there was an agreement. Only for that night.

So that's what happened, nothing more. The next day, by some magic, you got the courage to reach out to him and exchange in a call.

"How was it?" he asked.

"The date or the sex?" you pondered and he chuckled.

"Both."

"Both were good, but both were missing something." you lied. "I'm sorry, Seo, but you lost. No feelings there."

He laughed. "I saw it coming. Alright, but you have to admit that I am a good first date."

"I'll give you that at least, yeah."

"See you at school?"

"Yeah, see you."

Things went back as normal quickly. You had silently agreed to not tell the others. You were more than okay with this, not wanting to face the teasing from your friends. Although things were okay, they were not at the same time. There was visibly an unspoken tension between the two of you, but you acted as if it didn't exist.

A week had passed when he called you to tell you he and Chan were hosting, yet, another of their hangouts. After confirming you would be present, you rushed to the convenience store to get the drinks, as you would always do.

"What are these?" you hummed at Eunhee, holding a bottle containing a dark purple liquid.

She lifted her head up from her book and shrugged. "I think it's some sort of fruit punch juice with alcohol."

You read the label and frowned. "It can't be so bad, I suppose."

You paid quickly for your things and, soon, you found yourself in Changbin's apartment with him hugging you tightly as you had just stepped foot inside.

"Hey, Bin." you whispered in his ear.

You let go of him as you made yourself at home. You started to unpack your groceries and you noticed Sora hanging out on the sofa.

"Hey, Sora!" you waved at her.

"Hi." she waved back. "What did you get for us?"

"Beers for the guys, and I found this fruit punch thing. I thought we could try it out." you shrugged while showing her the weird liquor. "And I got this for our Jisungie." you said while holding up the Fanta he would always ask for.

Changbin shook his head. "About that, he won't come tonight. He said something along the lines that Hwayoung was out with some guy and that he didn't want what happened last time to repeat itself."

You and Sora exchanged knowing looks before she got up from the couch. "Oh well, I'll have the Fanta, then." she sighed before snatching it out of your hand.

It didn't long for Chan and Minho to join the lot with food. You went to help them out and then sat next to Changbin. Minho asked about Jisung's absence, and you went on to discussing about the poor man's love life.

"Alright, I'm blue this time!" Changbin exclaimed as you decided to start playing the board game he had prepared.

"I wanted blue." you mumbled, looking at him taking the pawn.

He flickered his eyes from you to the piece of plastic in his hand. Why had you this much effect on him?

"I'll be green, then." he sighed.

Your eyes glowed, taking the pawn from him to place it on the board. The game went along, simarly to the previous week. Some chitchatting, a couple of laughs... It was pleasant, until Chan and Sora started to discuss. You could feel her tense while he kept on bragging about Eunhee, his new friend.

She nodded her head along what he was saying, visibly uneasy. "Right. Sorry, I have a headache. Minho, do you mind helping me get some medicine?"

"No, of course." Minho immediately answered as he sat up.

Chan frowned. "Are you alright? I can help if you want and-"

"No." she exclaimed, cutting him off. "I'm okay, really. Thanks."

Her and Minho left the room while you and Changbin looked at each other. Chan went on his phone, and since Sora was up next to play the game, the two of you moved from sitting on the floor to the loveseat behind you.

"So? How was work today?" Changbin breathed out as he stretched his arm behind you.

"It was fine. I just couldn't wait to come here, though." you chuckled.

As you took a sip of your bizarre drink, he shifted his position to get a better look at you. "Ah yeah? You wanted to see me that bad?"

"Not everything is about you." you laughed out. "But essentially, yes." you admitted.

He froze. Gulping his saliva, he felt his heart clenching.

"Give me this." he shook his head, taking the bottle from you.

While you were fighting him to get it back, he searched for the percentage of alcohol on the label. Understandably enough, it had more than 10%, and you drank more than needed.

"Y/N, jeez. I thought you hated alcohol."

You shrugged, taking it back. "It tastes like grape juice. Plus, it's only my third one. I'm fine, I swear." you snorted.

"Sure you are, babe." he joked, but you blushed.

"This fake date got into your head too much." you said in a quieter tone.

"You're right, it didn't leave my mind once."

By then, Sora and Minho had come back and were seemingly about to leave. Chan argued with her a little, until he gave her a hug as they opened the door.

"Always. Good night Chan. Bye, guys!" she waved at the two of you.

You helped the boys to clean around and do the dishes since you were pretty much done with the night.

"Do you mind if she stays the night?" Changbin eventually asked Chan, as if you were not in the same room as them.

"No, it's alright." he nodded before leaving the room.

You huffed, making the man turn to you. "I would have gone back home, you know?"

"Come on, it's not the first time you sleep in a bed with me." he winked, but you slapped his chest.

"Chan could hear you." you shushed him. "And it wasn't the same kind of sleeping. I'll be fine in the living room."

You were about to get some blankets, but he took your wrist to stop you. Perplexed, you frowned at him as he stepped closer to you.

"It could be a different kind of sleeping." He lifted his free hand close to your cheek, and gently tucked your hair behind your ear. "You should know I give great cuddles, too."

You hummed, not being able to think about anything to respond. He was way too close for you to be able to compute anything in your brain.

"Come with me, okay?"

You nodded, and he led you to his room. He didn't bother getting ready for bed. He simply pulled you into his arms and brought the covers to engulf the both of you. He was warm and soft, which was something you hadn't expected. Being the buff man he is, you would have thought it'd be feeling like laying on a rock. But no. This was the most comfortable you had felt in a long time. Before you knew it, you were already dozing off to sleep.

You would be lying if you said Changbin hadn't become a constant in your trail of thoughts as time went by. Everywhere you went, you'd spot something that reminded you of him. It was crazy how he made you feel like this in such a short amount of time.

"And hear this: he didn't even text me afterwards. Can you believe it?" Hwayoung complained to you while you watched Changbin get your orders at the counter.

"He'll do it eventually, don't worry." you tried to reassure her.

Changbin arrived with your latte and served Hwayoung her muffin she had asked for. She unwrapped it eagerly before shoving it whole into her mouth. You looked at her in disbelief.

"I would have never guessed that Jisung was the one who put you in this state." you huffed.

"Not my fault he ghosted me after he kissed me." she spat out, her mouth still full. "You should talk with someone when something like this happens instead of ignoring the issue. For real, it's like you fucked a close friend and then never establish what happens next. And sex is a big deal, as much as kissing is."

You felt Changbin glancing at you, but you remained unfazed. In a reassuring manner, you rubbed Hwayoung's back while she kept on cursing Jisung out.

"He might come to the party tonight. Take it as your chance to talk with him." you suggested.

However, she shook her head violently. "Forget about him. I'll just have fun tonight."

"This will go well..." you heard Changbin mutter sarcastically under his breath, making you laugh.

Afterwards, while Hwayoung wanted to go back to your dorm to get ready, you didn't feel the need to freshen up. You friend was stubborn, though, and wanted for you to look at your very best that night. She did the same as when you had your date with Changbin and she lent you one of her dresses. Good enough for you, it wasn't as short as what she, herself, wore on a daily basis. Still, it remained a dress nonetheless.

"I hate it." you said in a bored tone as you looked at yourself in the mirror. "Why do my boobs look like this? And why do you look gorgeous and I'm like a potato?"

She laughed at your words, visibly amused by your pain. "You look stunning. Changbin won't be able to look at anyone but you."

You turned slowly and sent her a questioning look. "What did you say?"

"Oh come on, Y/N, we're not blind. We all know the two of you fucked on your 'platonic' date. It was obvious."

You scoffed. "As if we didn't know for years you had a crush on Jisung." you spat out back.

"I said we forget about him." she rolled her eyes. "Now, are you going to tell him?"

"Tell him what?"

"That you love him?"

"Are you?"

She whined, getting frustrated with you. "I don't love Jisung. Just answer my questions."

"Fine." you huffed. "I do love him. I'm just scared I guess... I don't want to ruin what we have. I can't do that to us."

"I suggest you talk to him tonight."

"I'll do it, if you promise me you will with Jisung."

She groaned. "I'll see? I don't know."

Sora was the one to greet the two of you when you arrived. With no Changbin in sight, you stuck closely to Hwayoung. The latter was already taking a few shots and she headed towards where people were dancing. You watched her, totally in disapproval. She eventually came to fetch you, leaving you no choice but to participate in her sensual dancing. When you felt a hand place itself on your hip, you didn't think twice before hitting the person in the balls, not in the mood of having hands all over your body. Hearing a loud familiar groan, you shot your head towards the man, only to realize you had just punched Changbin.

"Fuck, Bin, give me a warning, will you?" you said frantically as you helped him walk away from the dance area. "Your room?"

He nodded quickly and he leaned on you as you led the way. He plopped himself on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position. You would have loved to help him soothe the pain that you caused, but it wasn't necessarily the best placement.

"I'm sorry." was the only thing you thought of saying.

"It's okay." he chuckled. "I suppose I could have said hi beforehand."

"Yes, please." you laughed with him.

You took the time to check him out subtly. He had a buttoned shirt again, but this time, he left more skin to be visible with three buttons undone. His hair was a messy fluffy and he had put on a few rings and chains. You assumed he took them from Chan since he wasn't so much into jewelry.

"You look good." he said, seemingly checking you out just as much. "Is this Hwayoung's dress?"

You nodded. "You look great, too. I love the shirt."

He hummed a small thanks and then invited you to sit with him. You did so and he took your hand in his. You felt intimidated, to say the least.

"Are you going back to your parents' place this summer?" he asked.

"Most likely, why?" you tilted your head to the side.

"They still live far, right?"

"Like two hours from here." you shrugged. "It'll be nice, I mean, I haven't seen them that much in the last year."

"I see." he breathed out heavily, which made you frown.

"And you?"

"They leave close by, it's not much of a difference." he laughed and then paused for a moment, deep in thoughts. "Are we still going to see each other?"

You rolled your eyes dramatically. "You act as if I'll move away for eternity. I did the same last summer, remember?"

"It's not the same."

You scoffed. "How so?"

"I didn't like you back then."

And here it was again. The fast beating of your heart, the weird sensation in your belly, and the lust in his eyes. You were convinced he was messing with you, so you only laughed it out. His stare, however, was still serious.

"I didn't expect you to feel the same." he managed a little laugh. "You know? Because you said you didn't fall for me... I know it's stupid, but I think..."

He stopped himself again. He wanted to be careful with his words. This might be had been the only chance he got to tell you this if he wasn't going to see you for months.

"I lied." you said in a small voice.

His eyes went big as he leaned closer to you, searching for any signs of uncertainty. "Did you?"

You nodded your head embarrassingly. "After that night, I don't know... It felt so natural when it happened and I couldn't understand how you were so gentle and attentive." You let out a chuckle. "I think I was scared to lose you if I told you the truth."

He huffed. "Or were you just scared of admitting you lost?"

"That too." you smiled. "I like you too, Binnie. I'm sorry for not being honest from the start."

"So am I."

He got the hint as you shifted closer to him to kiss you and he did in a hurry. Unlike the last time you were being this intimate, it felt like he was hungrier, more needy. You moved up on his lap, and he winced in pain.

"Sorry." you laughed.

"It's not that..."

Looking down, you understood easily what he meant by that. Smirking at him, you kissed him again as he grabbed you by the ass. Slowly, he made his way to kiss your neck, and then your collarbone. He sucked on the skin only to make you let out a gasp.

"This dress is no better than the skirt from the other day." he said, voice raspy. "But I rather see it on the floor."

You were damned. He had no right to have this much effect on you. Lost in the moment, you didn't respond before he started to tug the top of the dress down, the intention of making his way to your breast.

"Changbin?" you heard someone knocking at the door, a voice similar to Jeongin.

You grumbled curses as you got off of Changbin so he could get to the door. "What is it?" he asked once he opened the door.

"Party's gone wild a bit, and Chan and Sora are fighting in the kitchen."

"What?" you exclaimed, standing up. "They never fight."

Jeongin shrugged his shoulders. "You should really go take a look. And sorry, I didn't want to interrupt..." he trailed off.

"It's fine."

The three of you walked back to the living room and, indeed, people were going wild. You spotted Hwayoung who was grinding on a man while Jisung watched from afar, jaw clenched. You made your way to him while Changbin attempted to diffuse the tension Chan and Sora were building.

"Are you alright?" you asked the man as soon as you stood next to him.

"I literally came here to tell her about, well, I assume you know?" You nodded before encouraging him to continue. "I don't get her." he sighed before drinking from the bottle in his hand.

"Hwayoung truly loves you. Honestly, I think she's scared of things changing between you two. And tonight means nothing to her, I can tell you that."

He scoffed. "I guess I understand, but I can't always be that guy. The one who's around whenever she needs it."

"I get that."

Changbin soon joined you and he quickly placed a peck on your lips. Jisung watched the two of you before scoffing again.

"Alright, lovebirds. Rub it in my face."

Changbin chuckled. "We've only just confessed."

"Yeah, well, at least your girl isn't being a total idiot..." he muttered before walking away.

Changbin brought you closer by the waist, a grin displayed on his face. "My girl, uh?" he smirked.

"You like it a bit too much I think." you laughed.

He shook his head. "I'll worry about that later. I'd like to continue where we left off if you'd like it too."

He came close to kiss you again, this time deeper and in a more sensual way as he pulled away with biting your lower lip. "Fuck you, Seo."

"Say please?"

taglist: @lenilla15 | @muddy-waters | @nanaspalette | @nattisbored | @popcatx0 | @vanblack95 | @aestheticsluut | @thanxxskz | @minhoino | @fairywriter-oracle | @xhazmania | @taetertotsv | @luvscrazy

Copyright © 2023 skzhua. All rights reserved.

[dreamerdoesthewritething]

[Part 8 of AFAB Bestie x Leon fic series, because I'll only stop when I run outta steam, and then I probably won't touch this for months lmao.]

[Post with links to previous parts]

Leon leaves your home for about an hour before he returns with a bag of his stuff. His gross tactical belongings were taken home and exchanged with this, apparently. He doesn't ask if he can stay with you. He just does. And you don't mind. He can stay with you as long as he wants, as long as he doesn't bother you when you have to study for your classes. It'll be the most time he's spent with you in years.

You remember your mother asking you why Leon doesn't just move in with you. With how often he comes over, he might as well live at your place. Of course, she made this observation a few years ago, when Leon was still in training and not gone as much. He'd save on rent and the two of you paying the bills at one location would help from a financial standpoint as well. It wouldn't be the first time you've lived in the same house, either. Still...

At the time, your answer to your mother was that you thought Leon enjoyed having his own place and the two of you needed to be able to put space between you every once in a while. What you didn't say was you thought it would jeopardize your friendship with him due to temptation. Because constantly sharing the same space would cause you to have to repress your feelings, which would eventually come to a head and you'd end up doing or saying something stupid that would ultimately destroy everything. Your unorthodox friendship is too good, too comfortable to risk losing.

Little did you know Leon's waiting for you to ask him at least one question. He would ask you himself, but he doesn't want to seem pushy. He'd rather you take the initiative, considering it'll affect your life much more than his. If he asked, you'd feel obligated to agree. So you need to be the one, because then he'll know for sure it's what you want, not something you're agreeing to for his sake.

He figures he'll be waiting a while, watching you struggle to put the fitted sheet onto the mattress of the guest bedroom. You're not one to pursue these things, even if you know he knows you have feelings for him.

Or had. He's unsure if you still do.

There's no doubt you care about him, but do you love him the same way you used to, the way he does you?

"Whoever invented this shit got it all wrong," you grumble, throwing your hands up in defeat when the corner of the fitted sheet once again escapes the mattress.

Leon chuckles. "You, uh, need help over there?"

"No, I got it, I got it," you say, trying once again to get the sheet to hug all four corners. Hair falls into your face. You blow hot air in an attempt to get it out of the way, but your forehead's gotten sweaty from this mild excursion and refuses to let the hair go. Your cheeks puff out as you pout, brow furrowed.

"Yeah, I can see that," he teases. "Look, it'll be easier with two people. I'll take this side, you take that one. Then we only have to fight two corners each."

"And each other, Mr. Incredible," you say, but you agree nonetheless to his proposition.

"If I'm Mr. Incredible, does that make you Elastigirl?" he asks.

"Uh, we're not married, so I'm gonna have to say no."

"We could be," he wants to say. Instead, he says nothing.

"I'm surprised you've seen that movie. It's only been out in theaters for like a week," you continue, not noticing how Leon's looking at you.

"I'm not always on duty or training. I do have free time every now and then, you know."

"We could've gone together."

Your voice became so quiet and small when you said that. Leon freezes as you raise your gaze to meet his. It's brief, but you lose your smile for a fraction of a second before looking away. He really hadn't thought about that, he realizes. Why didn't he think of asking you to go to the movies with him?

"It was a midnight viewing. You had work the next day and you have your studies," he says.

"I would've put it all on hold for you." You've done it before, which you don't say but your tone is enough to tell him that. You sigh. "You know I can do things other than give you a place to sleep and give you comfort during the tough times. I am your friend, aren't I?"

Oh no. The road this conversation is taking makes Leon's stomach churn as his heart begins to hurt. Your smile is gone, replaced with a resigned expression. The light in your beautiful eyes, artificial before, is now gone completely.

Then you shake your head, a clear sign. You're not actually going to have the conversation. You won't risk upsetting Leon. You don't think your thoughts are worth hearing. He can read it in every motion of your body. He's always been able to read you like this.

Normally, he lets you get away with dropping subjects for his sake, but not this time.

This time, it will be different.

He drops the side of the mattress and fitted sheet he was working on and gently grabs your face, turning it towards him. You tense up, releasing your own side as you're taken by surprise by his sudden action. He takes a seat on the unmade bed, pulling you down with him onto his lap. You turn red and try to turn away, but he won't let you.

"Sweetheart, talk to me," he pleads.

You bite your bottom lip, shaking your head again. It's nothing. It's not worth bringing up...

He knows your weakness, though, and says your name in that voice he uses, the one that gets you to cuddle up to him at night when he needs someone to lean on. Despite your best efforts, you give in as tears sting your eyes. No, you won't cry. You won't let it get to that point, you think.

"Why do you only come to me when you need comfort? Why do you only seem to come for me when you're suffering? Why don't we do things normal friends do?" you ask in the smallest voice.

Part of you hopes he didn't actually hear any of it, but you know he hangs onto every word you say.

"Are we...Are we even friends anymore? Or am I just, like...I don't know...your fucking security blanket?"

There's venom in that last bit of your question. It curdles Leon's blood, threatening to kill him. Is that really all you think you are to him? Has he been that callous towards you? The very thought makes him sick.

"I'll never turn you away. You know this too well," you continue, trying to keep the harsher emotions out of your words. "But dammit, Leon, I just...I want to be able to do things with you that aren't just in this damn house or that involve a bed or a fucking bottle. I want to go to the movies or go shopping or to the arcade or just a goddamn walk once in a while. Is that so much to ask?"

He opens his mouth, but you're not done.

"We don't even talk that much. I know nothing about your life anymore except that you work for the damn government. You hardly ask about mine. Our phone conversations are lucky to get past the minute mark. You never tell me when you're coming. You just show up looking like shit in the middle of the night and expect me to..."

You take a haggard breath. "God, I'm so tired. So, so fucking tired, Leon. I care about you, and I know to some degree you care about me, too. And I get that you can't be too open with me about certain things because of your shitty-ass job. I get it, I do. But I just..."

Trailing off, you shake your head again before hiding your face in your hands. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Forget it, can we just go back to--?"

Leon cuts you off by pulling you into a bone-crushing hug, putting the hand that once cupped your face onto the back of your head to guide it to rest on his shoulder. "Oh, sweetheart, no. No apologies. I told you to talk to me and you did. Thank you."

"For what?" you ask. He winces from how small your voice still is.

"For being honest with me. I know how hard it can be for you," he replies. "I am so sorry I made you feel this way. I really don't deserve you. Thank you for keeping me, even though I've done this. I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you, and I'll do whatever it takes to be a better friend. You deserve the world. All I can offer you is mine."

You're speechless and unable to hold back the tears. All you can say is his name as you wrap your arms around him, relaxing in his grasp. The two of you just hold each other for a while, minds going blank as you simply enjoy being together again. He hopes you feel better now that you have that weight off your chest. You shouldn't feel guilty for speaking your mind. Everything you said he needed to hear, needed to know, needed to consider.

He never thought he would be the friend who was all take and no give, and yet, he became that person without even realizing it.

And if you were dating, like he wishes you could, that would make him such a shit boyfriend, too.

"What do you want to do right now, sweetheart?" he asks in a whisper.

"You."

He nearly falls off the bed when you say that. His reaction causes you to burst into a fit of giggles.

"I'm kidding, Leon," you assure him, gently patting his cheek as he stares at you with wide eyes and a slack jaw. "My virgin ass ain't ready for that kind of thing, and besides, we don't have that type of friendship, now do we?"

"We...We could, though."

His arms around you is the only thing that keeps you from falling off of his lap and the bed. You blink several times, unsure if you heard him correctly or if you just imagined it. The reddish pink creeping into his cheeks tells you that yes, Leon S. Kennedy did in fact actually suggest your friendship could become the "with benefits" type. Your expression becomes a mirror image of his.

"Okay, let's, uh...Let's put a pin in this conversation for now, yeah?" Leon suggests, tearing his gaze away from yours. "How 'bout we, uh, finish making this bed...and then think about dinner. Sound good?"

All you can do is nod.

He carefully lifts you from his lap and places you onto the bed beside him before standing up, taking a deep breath to compose himself. What was he supposed to think now? Does your reaction mean you still loved him after all these years? Or are you simply sexually attracted to him now, like many people? Does it matter to you what the distinction is? Does it matter to him?

No, no it doesn't.

Never before has he wanted you as badly as he does after hearing your silly little joke. Who'd have thought a simple exchange of "what do you wanna do?" "you" could lead to him imagining all the lewd things he'd do with you? He's got some experience from short-term relationships that crashed and burned between the police academy and now. You, however...You've never even been on a date, let alone kissed someone, let alone had...

Get your head outta the gutter, Leon thinks. He shoves those lovely, nasty thoughts aside by thinking of the least attractive person he can--your great-aunt Henrietta. Yeah, that's a real boner killer right there. How she ever managed to get five men to agree to marry her is anyone's guess, what with that hideous personality.

But hey, if that bitch could get dates, so could you.

So why haven't you ever done that?

Have you really been waiting for Leon all this time?

[14muffinz]

Asking some writers/artists I follow:

Is there anything in your fic/comic that you as the author know about, but won't end up in the actual story?

oh for sure

i'll start with the TMNT stuff first because of your PFP, but we gonna be here a while.

[lab rats stuff at the bottom]

warning: fic spoilers galore

In WIBE, one of the characters we meet is Yuichi Usagi, who works at the human ROTM. He also works in the original ROTM. He was robbed while on a trip to the Hidden City, and is originally from a different city entirely. Hueso is doing his best to help him out, but it'll likely be a long time before Yuichi gets to go home.

Some other WIBE background characters in WIBE include: MM!Kendra, MM!Robyn O'Neil, MM!Irma, & MM!Casey Jones. I don't have a lot to say abt Kendra and Irma, since it's been a long time since I wrote any of it down, but I can give it my best shot with Robyn and Casey.

Robyn has been diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety disorder for a few years pre-fic. She's in her first year of college which is out-of-state, and does her best to check up on her family via phone call at least every other week. She's also sort of invested in all of April's new drama, but she won't admit it.

Casey's been playing hockey for as long as he can remember, and intends to keep at it for as long as he's physically able. He's also got a knack for engineering, and I'd gamble that sometime not long after the ending of WIBE, he'd start up the Casey Jones vigilante batshittery. His parents are divorced, but he spends most of his time with his Jewish mother, and while he's never been actually taught much about his religion he accepts it as a part of his identity, and if people don't like that then they shouldn't be around him in the first place. He finds the existence of the turtles to be one of the coolest things ever, but after actually getting to know Raph and the others, it doesn't impress him as much as it used to. (If I had time, I'd add in a tiny crush on Raph, but I'm an aro with WAY too many ideas for this tiny fic)

Then there's experienced fighters, where the main thing is me ALWAYS knowing what song is playing in the background. I really love how much music is in MM, and I love being able to say hey! here's the musical vibes of the environment!

sort of on that topic, i've got a hc that any song with even small references to space are songs that rise, 2k12, and MM leo are more likely to enjoy. they don't realize these patterns, but they sure are there.

and to end off the music rant, one of these days i'm gonna make a playlist of songs that I think the rise crew all collectively agree are good enough (this is what space feels like, goodie bag, punk tactics, etc. etc.)

there's also two in one, which is based off an au by @blackfire-fanfiction. I have to be real cautious abt what I put in there, because a lot of people are looking at it instead of the extended context of the real thing, not to mention how many Thoughts that aren't really canon I have about it. For instance: today I had a good 30 minute daydreaming session abt the concept of rise!Donnie reading leonardo's notebook while he's comatose post-rise movie and finding out about the switching

in dimension desync, I poke a bit at my head canons about peni parker's movie universe and her mental health at home, and have expanded on this even further in an abandoned draft. this is going to be LONG, so here we go: Gwen Stacy and Richard Parker were around in Peni's universe before she herself was, each piloting a mech of their own [Ven#m and Sp//DR]. A few months after Peni's mother is pregnant with her, Richard dies in action, and a few months later, Ven#m sort of devours Gwen (go read the comics because it's really fucked up but idk how to describe it) So then the role of SP//DR is forcefully thrust upon Peni at the age of eleven, and her connection with SP//DR isn't exactly... perfect.

in my team blue universe, I'm fleshing the hell out of Sam-13 and Shadowcat (both from earth 65). Sam was created by corrupt parts of SHIELD (that have yet to have been identified as corrupt) but now is just a regular agent. Cap returned to their dimension when he was 14 and has been in charge of training him ever since. Cap is stubborn to a fault and is def being manipulated by the corrupt agents, but none of the kids have gotten close to that bigger picture yet. Meanwhile, Kitty was inducted into the weapon x program (or 65's equivalent of it, I don't remember much of the wolverine origin story) at the age of 8, and despite odds survived. Wolverine took her in, and she's been helping him bounty hunt since about 13, even though he's trying to stop her.

team blue is also starting to extend to universes that the spider-verse movies don't really deal with through plants that have yet to be explained. but miguel's spite at e-199999 has definitely transferred, which means that, if they were ever to interact, not many of the main team would like the mcu-vengers

in my very obscure mech-x4 series, Olivia (who is only referenced by name once in the show) is veracity's little sister, who is 7 years old. This series is more of a set of vaguely connected oneshots, but still.

i could go ON AND ON about Oliver in all of my mighty med/lab rats fics, but in short: arcturion made his hair start growing in blonde, which he hates. Horace is his adopted dad and so it sucks ass when he dies. Oliver also comes with built in hypothermia! This is also definitely a headcanon, but I think that in EF once the rats have the upgraded chips, Chase's laser bō is green instead of blue, and his super senses are togglerable (to a degree) I also like to imagine Kaz's lil bro Kyle is his number one fan and nobody in his family listens to him when he claims that Kaz is one of the bionic guys on the news.

... yeah I think that's enough for now

[ram-de]

[watch] the astronaut lovers

MARCO BERGER'S NEW FILM!!!!!!! and this one is cuter than the others

starting off my 2025 tumblr blog with a gay movie thoughts vomit. yes. this is going so well. (spoilers if anybody reads this, imaginary audience...)

Okay. Okay, first of all, the name Marco Berger has been instilled in my mind as that one director that make slow, minimal dialogue, scenic films. Some have more gaze-y stuff than others, but I think what he excels the most is making the tension so delicate. So believable. TENSION!!!! Some people may find it a bore to watch because it's so slow!! and it seems like there's not much going on (tbf, me too at first but I ended up watching Taekwondo (2016) three times, so yea)

This movie is just almost 2 hours long, and since I'm familiar with Marco Berger's works I already expected it. Right into the gate, we're thrown into our protagonist Pedro having a vacation where he met an old-time crush from his past Maxi. I've seen this premise a lot of times but I ate it up everytime.

First, I love just watching at some random frame during the movie because the composition are so just so cute. Granted I know nothing about movie behind the scenes and all the intricate stuff. There's a lot of scene where you can just feel the tension from Maxi and Pedro just being so close, the centerpiece of the screen even though they're just talking about mundane stuff.

There's much more dialogues. It's so... How do I say it, so common yet also intimate in a way. I feel like intruding them at times!! Most of the times they talked casually, but at times went super direct. I think the Eng sub has a lot of mistakes, but I got the gist of it. I coudln't understand the jokes though, but seeing them chuckle and have this wrinkle around their eyes!!! IT'S SO PURE!!!!!! IM LIVING THROUGH THEM

Other thing I love is how they look like the regular blokes, dressed like someone you'd expect to see on the street... They're not like, all perfectly muscular. They have body hairs here and there. Maxi's posture looks bad at times (like mine LOL) BUT THATS WHAT I LOVEEE its like seeing oh, regular people looks like this when they're falling in love. ;)))

MAXI!! is a flirt. and he's shameless about it. they're always teetering between the lines but frankly Maxi has crossed that line lots of times. I found the cheek-kisses more tender and gentle than the actual kiss on the lips by the end. And how Pedro just plays it off. I was afraid it'll end tragically like most of queer movies (which is a downer) when Pedro told the secret to his cousin that they're pretending. By that point, I think Pedro doesn't put a lot of hope. He knows it's just a summer fling. Maxi could just decided he didn't want to pursue whatever relationship they had. but then he's just lying to himself. pedro is the astronaut, free and roaming over the space. it's just, will maxi want to explore the space as well? i feel like i missed a lot of cheeky astronaut references and metaphors which means i need to watch this again. but by the end??? the reassuring kisses from maxi to pedro's forehead, neck, cheek, AUGH!!!!! WHY DO I EXIST!!!!

one thing i had a bit of a complaint was there's a bit of jokes about poop, why😭 it's inline with their dynamic but i was taken back a bit for that bath scene lol

Thanks for making this a not sad ending :) I wished we could have more clarity for the future of their relationship, since it's just a summer vacation for Pedro, surely. Would they commit over the long distance? What happens?! AHH!!!! The ending is better than Taekwondo, at least. That one ends so... QUICKLY!!!! we went through 2 hours of tension and the payoff is NOT ENOUGH!!! still love you though taekwondo i will watch it later this year

AHH!!!!! i want to kiss someone too WAIT WHO SAID THAT

ok im getting distracted. this movie. 10/10 enjoyment (biased). cute. cute. would watch more of marco berger's movies. this is like a story that works as a movie due to how pretty it was directed. slow but the tension kept rising. believeable actors that looks like your regular people. roam over the space, astronaut lovers!!!:) <3

Ps. PLEASEEE RELEASE THE OST PEDRO IRUSTA IM BEGGINGGG (i looked for the credits for song credits but there's no details about the song name or what only his name, he also did The Blonde One's ost!!)