#But it’s only season 3 with just the brothers

[gothicfied]

https://www.tumblr.com/gothicfied/784292304227827712/the-devil-in-your-eyes-wont-deny-the-lies

of course we want a part two omg

I DON'T WANNA GET UNDRESSED FOR A NEW PERSON ALL OVER AGAIN

(read part 1 here)

Pairing: Jude Bellingham x fem!reader

Summary: After the awful summer you had because of a certain Jude Bellingham, you were more than hesitant to accept the invite to go to the first El Clasico of the season. You were seeing someone and you honestly didn't have the time to spare for Jude, but you felt like you had to go anyways to get things straight.

Word Count: ~4.9k

Reading Time: ~20 Minutes

Warnings: Slight swearing, Reader is still struggling with her feelings most of the time, Jude is thankfully not an asshole anymore, probably an unsatisfying ending, still hopeful ending, much more fluff than angst, not proof read (english isn't my first language)

Tag(s): @jsprien213

A/N: I'm really having fun with this little series and I'm planning on resolving everything in a third part, don't worry. I wrote this in like a day, so don't mind any spelling mistakes and sorry if something doesn't make sense. I'm personally sorry to Jude for writing him this way lolololol Inspiration was this song👇

Love is an intense feeling of deep affection. It is what builds up the world, creates new life and makes life worth living. Or, in your case, it'll completely destroy your emotions and friendships you didn't think you could lose.

That night where Jude absolutely did not want to leave your side and actually did wait for you outside the guest room until almost 3:00 in the morning was when you were sure you'd never want to see that man ever again. Eventually, though, you did open the door for him, because... well, you felt bad. Jude wasn't even asleep or on his phone and it was clear that he had shed a tear or two. He wasn't an overly emotional man and wouldn't let himself cry, even if it meant it would save his life.

You were kind of ready to talk or at least give him the time to explain himself. But, it all got out of hand really fast: You couldn't controll your emotions either and just started screaming at him about nothing and everything all at once. Jude felt overwhelmed with the amount of information leaving your mouth and wasn't able to process everything to give you a good answer. Everything he said sounded wrong to your ears, which just made you more agitated. It was late, you had been crying and you had gotten no sleep the days before, ergo: You were tired. Tired and not in the right headspace.

Jude wouldn't ever yell at you. He did raise his voice a couple of times, but never got closer to you than three or four meters. His head was pounding and frankly, he did not have a good reason why he'd rather go for someone like Amy and not you, who he treated like his girlfriend basically all his life. Since he'd known you.

You threw him out of the room. And that was that. In the morning, you didn't go downstairs for a while, fearing you'd meet Jude there. The next day you left Spain anyway. He helped you get your luggage downstairs, but wouldn't look you in the eyes. Jude wasn't mad, he was more so disappointed in himself and very ashamed of what he did to you or made you feel.

He didn't go to the airport with you.

He didn't say a proper goodbye.

He didn't call you to check up on you after you landed back in England.

And you wouldn't either.

...

Sunmer's almost over and you felt like you've wasted all your time. Back home, you didn't have the energy to get out of the bed most days. It's not like your parents or your sister cared anyway and your brother wouldn't really understand what was going on. He was only six and to him Jude Bellingham was the best football player on earth. He adored him and was always so excited to see his big sister with his idol, hand in hand and what not. Poor kid, you'd have to tell him some time that things aren't like they were before.

Thankfully, your friends were there to occasionally drag you out of bed. Your best friend Alicia was definitely ready to swing at him if he ever dared to enter the UK again. You thought it was funny how protective she was and she was just glad she got you to smile for the first time in days. At home, you didn't quite know what to do with your time. You opted for finally taking school a bit more seriously and the whole preparing for the new semester did help you clear your head from all that's happened back in Spain.

Jude still wouldn't call you. You wouldn't text him or try to say sorry, because you thought you didn't have anything to be sorry for. Sure, you kind of felt bad for yelling at him and not giving him the chance to speak, but he was still the one who messed up and should contact you to straighten it out. You banished all his football jerseys he gave you to the back of your closet. At first, you just wanted to light them on fire and throw all the gifts he gave you right into it, but Alicia thankfully made you overthink your decision.

"I hate him! Who does he think he is, huh? What the fuck—" This went on and on for a few minutes while you paced around your room. This was just two days after you came back from Jude's and your best friend, who sat on your bed, didn't know how to console you in this situation. She watched in disbelief while you picked out every single on of his shirts, didn't matter if it was a Dortmund or England or Real Madrid kit, and threw it on the ground, swearing up and down you'd tear them into shreds and burn them until they were unrecognizable. "Okay, look," Alicia stopped you, "I get what you're going through. Really. He's an asshole and I know how much it must've hurt but... come on, burning this shit won't solve the problem." You stopped dead in your tracks and slowly turned around to her, looking like you're about to cry again. "What do you mean?" Alicia sighed, "Maybe you guys make up. What then? Do you really wanna explain what happened to all of those." She pointed at the pile of shirts on your floor, to which you sighed this time. "I don't know, girl. Maybe you're right."

Your life felt weird without the most important person in it. Jude was out of the picture and that allowed you to finally peruse other people for once. While the first two weeks felt like torture, where summer dragged itself out without reason and you just wanted to go back to your normal life style again, September felt like a fresh new start.

Alicia had made it her objective to set you up with as many people as possible. Drunken nights out have gotten you nowhere the past few years, because you always wanted to stay loyal to the man who has your heart. Well, who gives a shit now? Definitely not Jude.

And, you thought you were over with that chapter for now, until your phone rang: "Hey, can we talk?" You picked up without looking at the phone screen, so hearing a voice so similar to Jude's made you jump. It was Jobe. "Oh my god, hey! Yes of course we can, how are you?" Jobe was always like a little brother to you and truth be told, you had missed him greatly. "Yeah.. yeah no, I'm doing fine. Are you, though?"

"Uhhh..." You paused for a moment, "Yeah. Yes I'm good. School's been okay, not too many assignments yet. Haven't thought about dropping out yet, I think that's the important part." Jobe chuckled at the other end of line. "You know that's not what I'm really asking you, right?" Oh great. Of course he'd tell his brother. Jude and Jobe were each others best friends and their brotherly bond allowed them to to talk about everything, even the most private stuff. "Ugh, okay. What did he tell you?"

"Not much until now. Just that you two had this huge fight. I knew he was an idiot, but I would've never thought he'd throw you away like that."

"He didn't... throw me away, Jobe. Now that I'm thinking about it, he can't control who he likes. If it's not me then.. well, you know."

"Don't lie to me like that. I can hear you lying."

It sometimes bothered you a lot how Jobe was able to read you like a book. You sighed and nodded, even though he wasn't able to see it. For a few minutes, you told Jude's brother what really bothered you and what actually happened. By the sound of his voice, he would've flown down there and strangled his brother, if he had the chance.

"Mom's been asking for you. But Jude kinda told her all that and she's too afraid she'll step over any boundaries if she called you." You sighed again. It was like family drama back home.. back with your family.

"I'll talk to her, I promise." You knew Denise would want things to be straightened out between Jude and you, but you didn't know if you could ever do that. At least not in the next few months.

"Okay. Thanks. I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you too." And Jobe hung up

Now you were able to sit with your thoughts for a moment. After a few minutes, you decided against calling Denise right away and just focused on getting ready for another night out with Alicia and your uni friends.

...

It's October. The end of October and it was the most perfect time of the year. Halloween was in sight and attending a University in England seemed to be the most aesthetic thing one could do. A few days ago, Denise had called you a second time after Jobe had told you about her conflict.

The topic was — sadly for you — the first El Clasico of the season that was right around the corner. You hadn't been into football these past couple of weeks, but you did notice that Real Madrid had an unusually weak start. Gossip pages on both TikTok and Instagram had already touched on the story around Jude: He wasn't meeting with Amy anymore and you were also not seen in a while. Intern sources claim there was a fight and now you wonder which one of those new friends you made in Madrid gave the intel. You weren't mad.

What gossip pages also talked about was you. You, without being linked to a footballer. For a month or so, you've been hanging out with a new guy — Joseph — a lot. He was nice, caring, fit and you did like him a lot. On the Internet, it's already being speculated if he's your new boyfriend.. as if Jude was your last. Amy, of course, also couldn't keep her dirty little fingers out of the situation and had to post 'cryptic' insta stories seemingly making fun of you. You chose your peace and ignored them. She was pathetic, you knew that now and you wouldn't let yourself be bothered by someone like her.

"I just want you to think about it, sweetheart. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, okay?" Denise voice rang out of your phone while you were slumped over a few books for your mandatory statistics course. She asked you to come down to Spain and be there for the match and well... Jude. More so for her, if she was being really honest, because she had missed you. "I don't know if that's such a good idea." You couldn't just outright say to her that you currently hated her son, right? "I don't know if I wanna see him— Or if he even wants to see me." Denise huffed, but showed herself to be understanding. "Believe me, Jude wants to see you. He doesn't say it directly, but I can tell. A mother can always tell. He's been upset lately because of your new.. who is he?" You froze. "What? You mean Joseph? Oh, he's not my boyfriend if that's what you're asking." Later Denise told you that Jude had no right to be mad at you or Joseph, because of everything he had done with Amy and such. You were grateful that she understood that completely right. Thinking about Jude so often wasn't something you had planned, but emotions kept bubbling up. You missed him. Terribly and you didn't want to admit it. "You know what? Yes, fine, I'll be there."

"Ohhhh my god, why did I agree to this? What is wrong with me?" You were talking to yourself while you packed a small suitcase for the few days you'd be staying in Madrid. Maybe you thought this was an opportunity to patch things up.. but things needed a lot of patching. Were you ready to forgive him yet? No. No, most definitely not.

Alicia also told you it was a bad idea, but you did want to see Denise again, so whatever. If not for her son, then for her. The whole flight over you painted out different scenarios on how this thing would go. Would Jude be happy to see you? Glad even? Or brush it off and still be mad at whatever he thought he had a right to be mad at? How were you supposed to act? Congratulate him if he won? Comfort him if he lost? Celebrate if he scored a goal? Talk to him at all or just be there?

Denise had offered you to stay at their place, but you had politely declined. Not even the devil could make you go back there after the wound was still so fresh. Or maybe you're just exaggerating a lot. You couldn't really tell if you were too paranoid or if you should actually be feeling like this. At least some people were on your side.

"Look, you don't have to worry, you can go." Joseph said in his deep voice, turning the steering wheel left in the direction google maps was telling him to. "Yeah, I just. Man, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I really like you and.. I wanna keep seeing you." He could tell your indecisiveness in your voice. Joseph was, of course, also a huge fan of Jude, if he was being honest. He didn't start going out with you just because you were associated with him, but he didn't mind hearing all the drama first hand. Ultimately, he understood he took on some kind of 'rebound' character, even though he also understood that Jude and you had never been in a relationship. "I like you too," Your date laughed, "But I think, like personally, you should go. Carrying all that weight of unresolved feelings and stuff won't be good for you." He was very mature and you definitely needed someone like that right now. You can't believe you were on your way to a very nice restaurant — a date — and you were still talking about Jude. "I'm sorry that I'm bothering you with all of this." You said after a few minutes of silence. "You're not bothering. I think it's nice that you trust me enough to tell me all of this."

On the other side, Jude, the man himself, was slightly mad at his mom that she even thought about inviting you. And he was mad that you accepted. Truthfully, he wished for nothing more than to see you again, since his feelings for you grew over the months. He kept cursing himself for realizing all of that now and not the years before. At the start of the season, he missed you being there for his first game. He missed seeing you in the crowd, he missed seeing you with his mother, he missed seeing you happy and celebrating when Real won. He missed seeing your absolutely beautiful face. He missed your hugs, your warmth, the smell of your favorite perfume. He missed your voice and talking to you the most.

He realized he wasn't playing his best, regardless of giving his everything on the pitch. It was emotional distress and he brushed it off to his friends and team mates as 'having too much stress'. Jude still woke up everyday excited to play football, but it was still a lot more fun when he knew you were watching — Doesn't matter if that was from home or right there in the stadium.

The feeling he felt deep in his bones had something to do with jealousy, longing and sadness. A mix between every negative thing in his life and he couldn't seem to get rid of it. Jude thought that maybe, if you were there after the El Clasico, it would resolve itself. All he needed is you and for you to forgive him. He also knew that he had to prove himself for it to work.

He hated that he had to prove himself against Barcelona and have you watch him. Judge him. Hate him. At least Jude thought you hated him — Why you accepted to come to his game was a mystery.

While he was busy sorting out his thoughts during the last hour before the game, you've been picked up by Denise, per her request. She gave you a little side hug in the car: "Aww, good to see you, sweetheart!" She exclaimed full with excitement. You actually were excited as well, to see her and be able to watch the game. It's not like you always only attended because of Jude. No, you've become good friends, or at least acquaintances, with most players and slash or their partners. "Good to see you, too. It's been a while, I've missed you."

You gapped about everything in your life, mostly about school and your family. Honestly, you haven't really talked to them in a hot minute since you immediately moved out when you graduated. Mark and Denise were a big help, because your parents wouldn't step up. Sometimes they'd try to call you and most of the times you wouldn't pick up. They had ignored you most of your life, what makes this specific day so special that they'd call? You didn't owe them anything. But, during these times, you wished you had a mom you could actually call and talk about it.

"Look. Jude's been.. down lately. And I know what he did and all that jazz. I just want you to know I'm on your side." Denise whispered to you while you took your seat once you were in the breathtaking stadium the Santiago Bernabéu is. On the big screen you, suprisingly, sae your face. You, who looked up and smiled slightly when noticing the camera on you. You kind of forgot this feeling, but you didn't really miss it.

"I appreciate that." You whispered back to Jude's mom, who started to laugh next to you. "I know what an idiot he can be. Oh, you have no idea how hard his early teenage years were with him."

"I do. I was there." Denise chuckled and nodded. She'd always call you soulmates, two people who couldn't be torn apart. You knew Jude better than anyone, since he'd always run to you with his problems rather than his mom or his dad. Later, Denise would bribe you with sweets or your favorite snack to go tattle on him to her. Of course, you'd never tell her Jude's big secrets or one's that could literally get him grounded for the next ten years, but it was entertaining to watch him get in trouble for small things like a failed test or for missing curfew.

"Different jersey?" You turned your head over your shoulder to check the back, as if you didn't know what kind of jersey you wore. It was blank, didn't have a name on it. "Sorry," You sighed when thinking back at the hassle that was picking out the right one, "didn't think.. I just thought this one was more appropriate."

You knew if fans photgraphed you with this one on, rumors would arise in literal seconds.

"Oh my god! She isn't wearing Jude's jersey!"

"Look, it doesn't say 'Bellingham' on it.."

"They really had a fight!"

Trying to clear your thoughts was hard here, under the eyes of everyone, so you excused yourself to the bathroom for a minute.

...

Well, this really didn't seem like the greatest season for Real Madrid. The game started off okay, with many offside goals and groaning from your side of the stadium. You tried your best not to have your eyes glued to Jude, but rather watch Vini, Kylian, Fede... anyone!

You'd tune out all the cheering and clapping once Barca had scored their third goal of the game. Jude didn't play his best, absolutely not. You wondered why that was, why this specific game? He probably knew you were coming, maybe he was under pressure because of you. Maybe he was scared to mess up in front of you. Maybe—

Wait.

This isn't about you. Is it?

You tried avoiding sounding so selfish and narcissistic in your own head, even though you didn't have to prove it to anyone. No one was there to read your thoughts, why were you so self critical? It probably was because of you. No. Or.. maybe? You definitely wished you were messing with his head right now, as somw kind of revenge. You didn't like losing though... he could've done more!

During Half Time a little before, you had spoken to Joseph over the phone:

"Dude, this is going terribly for you guys." The man quipped on the other end of the line, apparently not all that mad about it. "Ugh, tell me about it." Joseph had told you he wasn't the biggest fan of Real and you accepted that, but these kind of talks were getting really annoying. "I'm hiding in the bathroom. Like.. I don't even want to continue. He probably doesn't even want to talk to me after if they keep going like this." Joseph audibly laughed, not trying to hide his amusement. "Noooo.. come on. You have to try! Even if things don't work out.. I'm right here, baby." Hearing a term of endearment out if anyone's mouth but Jude's was cringe. "Haha.. yeah. I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." After you hung up, you stormed out of the bathroom stall, coming to a straight halt when seeing a woman at the sink fixing her makeup. Oh no, she heard all of that? How embarrassing.

To say your mood was ruined is an understatement. This sucks, the game, the opposing team, Jude Bellingham who's still not giving his all... You slumped back in your seat, hearing Denise sigh. Yeah, this was going to be a looooong evening.

...

There were no smiles, no laughing, no nothing. Losing 4-0 against your biggest rivals was also a thing of its own. You were standing at the end of the tunnel with Denise and basically everyone else who was here to see one of the players. You heart was racing, your palms were sweaty — You had sworn to yourself that you wouldn't get so worked up about this but you still did.

When Jude's eyes met you, it was like everything around him froze. He was happy to see you, happy to have you in his arms just a second and—

His last name wasn't on the back of your shirt. So it's true? The guy everyone's been seeing you with is your boyfriend? To be fair, Jude thought, he brought it upon himself. When you finally did lock eyes, you couldn't look away. He looked so sad and disappointed, in the loss of course. The tiny twinkle in his eyes told you that he was actually glad to see you.

It's like you two were connected even in a time like this. Just like you, he couldn't look away. Just like you, he wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt. Just like you, his heart was pounding. Jude was confused on what to do and just greeted his mom first, while you stood next to them, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

You had awkward eye contact with some other people around you, who apparently knew what was going on and just gave you a look of pity. Wow, why is everyone here so invested in your private life? It's not even that exciting, everyone has drama once in a whi—

"Hey," Jude greeted you rather breathlessly and stared down at you. "Hey." You couldn't do it. You couldn't look his way. That was quickly resolved anyway when he took the liberty and hugged you. Jude wrapped his arms around your torso, tightly, like you'd disappear if he let go. Because of muscle memory, you rested your head against his chest, not knowing how to reciprocate this act of affection. "I'm.. I'm," He whispered, "I'm glad you're here."

It sounded like he really needed you. Out of courtesy, and not because you wanted to, you hugged him back. After it lastet a moment to long, you tried to pry yourself from his grip, to which Jude immediately let go. Shit, he obviously overstepped a line.

Jude's eyes lingered on you, on your clothes, your hair, your slightly trembling hands. It was like the world around you two didn't exist anymore, but rather only this moment you two shared. You couldn't wait to get away from here. "Okay, let's drive you back, honey." Denise said after a few moments of pure silence.

...

The car ride back to your hotel was excruciatingly long. You kept biting your nails while Jude was busy, or at least pretending to be busy, with his phone. You saw him swipe around the weather app multiple times. Denise didn't even try to make small talk, mostly because she couldn't even really talk about the match without annoying her son with the outcome.

"We're here," She eventually said, and you thanked god for that. "It was really great seeing you again, Denise!" The woman turned around to see your face one last time and lightly pinch your cheek, before turning to Jude and trying silently urge him to say something.

"I'll take you to your room—"

"Oh! Oh no, that's really not necessary, Jude, I can—"

"Come on." The footballer stepped out of the car.

Denise mouthed a quick and honest "I'm so sorry" after you sighed. Why would he want to prolong this absolutely awkward meeting again. Oh god, if he wants to 'talk it out' you're done with him.

Silently, you followed the young man through the lobby and past the reception, where he pressed the button for the elevator. It's glass doors mirrored the two of you and how you were standing nect to each other quite uncomfortably. Jude had his hands stowed away in his pockets and you were clutching your bag to you as if he'd snatch it any minute. Thankfully, it was really late and there weren't any other guests going in or out of the hotel. The stupid hotel lobby music was the only thing that filled the silence between you two and it was starting to get on your nerves.

Finally, the elevator arrived with a little 'Ding!'. "Ladies first." Jude muttered and let you go in before him. You didn't say thank you.

"So," Oh no, what an uncomfortable start already. "You and.. that guy, huh?" Jude asked while the elevator was going up. "What guy?" You asked back, just as dryly. "You know who I mean." This made you think back to the call you had with Joseph during the game and it made you cringe all over again. "Uh.. no. No, nothing's going on between me and.. that guy."

Jude sniffled. He turned his head to you and mustered you for a good minute, before the elevator doors opened and he let you step outside first. "Are you sure?" Were you? That was a good question. But being in Jude's vicinity made you sure again. "Yes I'm sure."

"You're not.. That's.. The jersey's blank."

"Yes, I know."

"I thought, maybe it was because you're with that guy now."

"No. I just didn't feel like it. You understand, right?"

After a quick stroll through the hallway, you came to a halt at your room's door. Jude sighed, since there were obviously still things he wanted to talk about.

"Why did you come? I thought you.. you wouldn't want to see me for a while?"

"I don't know myself, okay? Jesus, I don't know anything right now! I wish people would just leave me alone with all of this bullshit, okay? It has consumed my whole life for the last weeks. I just need some peace and quiet."

"Was the hug too much?"

You paused, leaning your hand on the door handle. "No, it wasn't." In reality, you had wished Jude would've just swept you up your feet, hugged you, said a proper sorry and kissed you. A kiss would make you fold, that's for sure. You both were so sickly in love and it wss obvious.

"I really want to fix this."

"Oh yeah? And you're doing that by how? By ignoring me? By not texting or calling me?"

"You didn't call either."

"You know damn well why I didn't reach out first, Jude! You fucking hurt my feelings! You made me cry! You said you'd never..."

Jude held his breath at your words, suddenly feeling like an alien standing in front of you. "I'm sorry. I'm a coward. Please let me fix this." He begged one more time and just watched you dig around your bag for the card key to your room.

"I think you should go, Jude Bellingham."

"I don't want to go! Please just, talk to me! Communicate! We can make this work, I'll be better. I promise."

"I'm really sorry for your 4-0 loss today."

Before you were able to completely go through the door, Jude grabbed you by your arm and slightly dragged you back to make you look at him.

"I'm being serious. Because I have serious feelings for you."

"I was serious, too."

"I'll prove myself. I promise."

You removed your arm from his grip, glaring at him through your eyelashes. "You better not fucking break it."

And you were gone. In your room. And he was left all alone again in front of it.

[lil-the-notverywise]

Once stranger things has finished I need a documentary about the behind the scenes and the storyline of it to shut up all the homophobic fans who think Mike would never like will or that he's "definitely straight". I need them to prove they've been planning byler for years now.

I fear media literacy is dead because I can tell Mike wheeler is very queer coded, but it's like unless Mike states outright he's gay, it means he's straight and wills just gonna end up heartbroken.

Which is another thing! Why would a TV show about the freaks of society being normal and allowed to be happy exploring and sharing who they are, allow will to have such a sucky ass ending. Wills literally the main character and ur telling me the duffers would happily leave him to have no relationship with the boy he's been in love with whilst said boy goes on to create the typical white American family with el?? NO, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! and even if they did add a new character for Will to be in a relationship with (e.g. chance) it would still not make sense!! Even Robin got last season to build up a relationship for her but for will he just gets thrown with a random guy and gets over Mike within a season? No!!!!

El also doesn't deserve that ending. Her whole life, she was brought up in a lab with the only "love" being given was from brenner to his favourite weapon. Then she meets Mike and the gang (who btw, gets asked if he's going to be her brother, very weird way to start off a relationship that's supposedly endgame) in which we find she doesn't even know what a friend is! She gets thrown into a relationship that she doesn't understand because she's never experienced love, let alone anything romantically and doesn't even know what being in a relationship means because Mike never treats it like a proper relationship! All they do it kiss in hoppers cabin, never going on dates, as far as were aware but if they were gonna be endgame you'd think we'd see thay part/them being happy doing something other than kissing. And then we finally see El living her best life when she becomes friends with Max and dumps Mike because she is finally free to do what she wants. Mike is a horrible boyfriend to el in both season 3 and 4, so I don't get why milevens want their relationship so bad. I genuinely can't think of any moment where I was rooting for them because they're so toxic for each other. A relationship in which el feels the need to lie about basically everything happening in california (to do with her) to Mike is not healthy in any shape of form.

This turned into a longer rant than I was expecting but I kept writing lmao. I'm also on summer break from uni so I have a lot of time to put my thoughts together and stranger things and byler.

[puckslut4thehabs]

I Know Love | Quinn Hughes AU

5+1 five times jack tried to set quinn and sabrina up, and the one time he didn't have to

1.november 19, 2015

jack hughes had only been living in plymouth, michigan for about three months.

on day one, he met sabrina tate, the school's resident music artist.

literally. she had an album out already.

they connected right away, and the first thing he noticed was of course how beautiful she was, but he couldn't picture them ever being together.

however, he thought she'd be a perfect fit for his older brother, quinn.

"hey, do you want a boyfriend?" jack asked her during math when they were supposed to be working on algebraic equations.

"woah, jack. i don't like you like that." she said. "besides, i have more important things to focus on."

"not me. you know what? nevermind." jack said.

he'd try again eventually.

2.september 6, 2017

jack had been accepted into the usntdp for the 2017-2018 season, just like quinn had before him.

he was walking through the door of school with his new teammates; trevor zegras, cole caufield, and alex turcotte by his side.

he was telling them all about his best friend. yes, the famous singer one. he couldn't wait for them to meet her.

and when he finally introduced them, trevor said those words "is she single?"

"no!" jack yelled, and she even stared at him. "i mean, yes. but not for you. someone else." he tried to cover it up.

she was gonna kill him. quinn was gonna kill him.

he should probably tell quinn about his plan.

3.june 24, 2018

"so, quinn, still no girlfriend?" jack asked quinn after quinn had just been drafted to the vancouver canucks in the 2018 draft.

"no... why?" quinn asked, skeptical.

"i don't know. i just think you and sabrina could maybe be good together." jack said.

"like your best friend sabrina?" quinn asked. but jack noticed the slight blush on his older brother's face.

"just think about it." jack said.

maybe it was working.

4.may 15, 2019

"dude, just tell us the truth. you're in love with sabrina." cole said to jack only a few weeks before high school graduation.

"ew, no. sabrina's like my sister." jack said, cringing.

"you're a terrible liar." alex said, shaking his head.

"no, i'm serious. i don't like sabrina. i've been trying to set her up with quinn for years." jack admitted.

"oh my god. why would that actually work?" cole said.

well, at least someone else saw what he's been seeing, what's been under everyone's noses for so long.

"alright, operation get quinn and sabrina together is a go." trevor said.

"trust me. i've been trying for years." jack deadpanned.

5.december 12, 2023.

jack had given up a few years ago on trying.

especially after she moved to new jersey with him.

he figured if it was meant to happen, it would on its own, and not because he wanted it to.

but he'd also stopped because of the whole media thing.

she was on top of the world with her career, and so was he, which meant the public thought that maybe they were a thing.

he was getting tired of having to say they're just friends.

but maybe, he could try to set her up with quinn one more time.

she was currently at prudential center doing some hockey themed promo shoots for her upcoming album, 'think later'.

"sab, when was the last time you actually went on a date?" jack asked.

in all the years in the public eye, she'd never had a boyfriend.

"uh..." she trailed off. she actually didn't know. she focused on her career more than anything.

"i guess i just haven't found the right person yet." she said when she saw jack's knowing look.

"i mean, i have someone in mind for you. you'd be perfect together." jack said.

she shook her head. "no, thanks, rowdy."

he sighed. guess the universe really was against him and his hopes for his older brother and best friend.

1.january 4, 2024

sabrina was walking down the streets of vancouver.

she was taking some down time after the release of 'think later'.

she had her hood up and her sunglasses on, even though it wasn't necessary for the weather, but because she didn't want anyone to recognize her.

and then she felt someone step into pace beside her.

"i should've known it was you." the familiar voice of quinn hughes said.

she looked over at him. "i've known you for years, brina, you can't hide from me." he said.

"what are you doing here?" he asked.

"i just wanted some time away. some time to myself." she said. "and i don't know, i just found myself here."

"but i have no idea what to do or where i'm going." she admitted after a beat.

quinn smiled, like actually smiled.

"well, lucky for you, your best friend's older brother is not just the captain of the canucks, but an excellent tour guide." he said.

"well, lead the way." she said, laughing a bit.

he hesitated for a second before holding out his hand.

she stopped for a second but then took it, intertwining their fingers as they went on their way.

and it felt right.

maybe jack didn't need to interfere at all.

[secretlycursedd]

I watched Supernatural for the first time in my life, and here are my possibly unpopular opinions (p.s. I ship Wincest and I didn't buy into the D*stiel propaganda that my friend tried to sell me. So I kindly request that if you are a fan of D*stiel or Castiel, you better not read this). Also English is not my native language, so sorry for any mistakes:

1. Kripke era >>> other seasons, but I absolutely don't like season 4;

2. Season 8 is my top 1 for Wincest (literally from the very beginning we get jealousy, a love triangle or more like love square, a scene in the church, everything was just perfect);

3. Benny = Amelia (Sam and Dean were jealous in a completely non-platonic way);

4. Roadkill is in the top 5 of my favorite episodes of the entire series;

5. Blonde Ruby>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Brunette Ruby. This has nothing to do with the actresses, but blonde Ruby was perfect, while brunette Ruby was one of the reasons I didn't like season 4 (and no, it's not because she's bad or more evil, she just felt a little emotionless and didn't have the charisma and fire that blonde Ruby had);

6. Season 10 was almost as bad as season 7 (according to my friend, many people said that season 10 was one of the best, and I was very surprised to learn this information);

7. Those who ship D*stiel or spread their propaganda are people who just need to see two men kiss on screen, because in the entire series, D*stiel didn't have anything that interested me in their relationship (to quote Mr. Ackles, D*stiel doesn't exist);

8. Sam and Castiel had more interesting moments than Dean and Castiel;

9. Overall Castiel was one of the most boring characters for me, and the highlight of the whole series was his death;

10. Jack is one of the best characters in the whole series, who got the most unfair ending of all (he deserved a family, not the work of God);

11. Balthazar and Gabriel were the most interesting archangels and deserved much more screen time and storylines (especially Balthazar, he was killed too early);

12. The storyline with the fall of angels and their problems was one of the most boring;

13. I don't think the ending of the series was bad. After reading all the reviews on the internet about how it was terrible, I expected to see something completely disgusting and illogical, but I was satisfied and gave it a 7/10. I can't imagine any other ending that would be better than the canon one;

14. I'm pretty sure that many people who ship D*stiel are actually latent Wincest fans, who are afraid to admit it to themselves (if Sam and Dean weren't brothers, but acted the same way, then everyone would ship them, not D*stiel);

15. You can dislike and not understand incest, but it's stupid to deny that Sam and Dean are written like more than brothers, this is not a fan fiction, it is literally canon;

16. The only thing I didn't like about the finale was the idea that Sam had a son whom he named Dean, personally I was not a fan of this storyline at all;

17. Eileen was the wost love interest for Sam, Jessica and Sarah were the best;

18. The final season would have been more interesting if Jessica came back to life, not Eileen;

19. Benny was more interesting to ship with Dean than Castiel;

20. Mary's return felt unnecessary and empty, and in some ways it ruined her character in my eyes (not because she was an independent woman who didn't want to coddle her adult sons, but because of many other factors in her character that only ruined her more each time).

These are the thoughts I can remember now (I finished watching the entire series on May 26 and am now actively reading fan fiction, but I plan to start rewatching the whole series soon), but nevertheless, if anyone wants to share their opinions, I will be interested in reading them)

[monsivaisstuff]

Rounders and The bear

The other day I came across a post by @ago0112 where they compiled posters and their connections to The Bear universe. I had that in mind while watching episode 1 of season 2 — this is when the poster for Rounders appears, a 1998 film considered by many online to be one of the best of its genre. I rented it and watched it.

The original post already gives us some insight into how the movie ties into The Bear, but this one is meant to be a companion piece a few more details that stood out to me:

To contextualize a little, the plot focuses on Michael and his friend Worm, who go through various conflicts to pay a debt.

1. Michael is a driver

In the first few minutes of the film, we see him lose his entire tuition to a Russian mobster known as KGB. After that, he has to take a job driving a delivery truck to pay for school. This immediately reminded me of Syd and her job at UPS.

2. The magic theme

Michael shows up to a poker game where some of his professors are playing. He manages to read their hands, impressing them enough to land a possible internship. Later, at a bar, one of the professors invites him for a drink. Their conversation centers around the “magic”, Michael’s teacher questions him about how he knew everyone’s cards. The teacher asks if it’s some kind of magic. Michael denies that it is magic, he says: “I look at the cards, but I also watch the players' reactions...”

“Their faces tell you everything.”

The professor responds: “You look at the man. I never realized how much calculation was involved.”

This scene instantly reminded me of season 3 — the "magic montage", the card tricks, the idea that what’s hidden is in plain sight for those who know how to read the signs.

3. Inherited debt

Worm, Michael’s childhood friend (almost like a brother), gets out of prison but still owes money to KGB. Michael helps buy him time, but the only way to do that is by backing him. When they fail to pay the debt, Worm suggests running. Michael refuses.Worm disappears, and the debt automatically transfers to Michael — it’s the last we see of Worm.

4. Color palette

Rounders uses a strong red–blue tonal harmony, just like The Bear. You’ll also catch hints of purple, green, and yellow.Even the wardrobe has similar energy: sportswear, leather jackets, and printed shirts that reminded me of what Sweeps and Ebra wear.

5. The Bear

There’s a scene where Michael and Worm are at a poker game with a group of cops. Michael joins first, then Worm shows up. When Worm enters, one of the characters introduces him — and they call him "Bear." (The character says: "hey fellas," to which they respond, "hey Bear.")

Even more interesting: one of the cops at the table is played by the same actor who plays Tina’s husband.

6-“Baby, I'm a big star now” — as the movie ends and the credits begin to roll, “Baby, I’m a Big Star Now” by Counting Crows plays in the background. The same song is featured in The Bear 2x02 Pasta.

[bitchinbarzal]

Hi! Could you do something with the killers on the off season or the break? Maybe in a day that Clay has no practice and has a full dad duty. Could be like a small getaway or whatever you would like :)

Clayton woke up to sunlight filtering through the blinds and one undeniable fact:

Kaia was not in bed.

Instead, there was a sticky note on her pillow.

I love you. I’m going to the spa. Good luck.

– K

Panic set in fast.

A second later, Elodie burst into the room in a tutu and swim goggles. “Daddy. There’s syrup in the Lego bin and Weston’s feeding waffles to the Roomba.”

It took forty-five minutes to get everyone dressed.

Not well dressed just clothed.

Clayton stood in the entryway with Miles strapped to his chest, Weston wearing a backwards shirt and one sock, and Elodie fully prepared for a princess-themed survival mission.

“Where are we even going?” she asked, arms crossed.

“We’re doing a fun day,” Clayton announced. “Daddy’s in charge.”

Stop 1: The Petting Zoo

It smelled terrible, Elodie tried to smuggle out a baby goat, and Weston got licked by a llama and told it they were now brothers.

Miles pooped twice.

Clayton earned a medal just for surviving.

Stop 2: The Ice Cream Shop

Elodie ordered cotton candy bubblegum marshmallow disaster flavour. Weston got chocolate and wore 98% of it.

A lady in line asked, “Are you babysitting?” and Clayton, without hesitation, said, “Nope. I made these.”

He didn’t even realise how proud he felt until Elodie leaned against his leg and whispered, “You’re actually doing good, Daddy.”

Stop 3: Mini Golf

Clayton thought this would be a chill end-of-day activity.

Weston took off with his club like a sword and challenged two elderly women to battle. Elodie gave herself two holes-in-one he knew didn’t happen. Miles fell asleep upright in the stroller and stayed that way.

Clayton only cheated once, and he was pretty sure that still counted as a parenting win.

By the time they got home, all three kids were snoring in the backseat. The car looked like it had been attacked by a snack tornado. Clayton didn’t even try to move them right away. He just sat there, sun dipping behind the mountains, windows cracked, music low.

Kaia came out a few minutes later, fresh from her spa day, hair wrapped in a towel and a soft smile on her face.

She peeked in the back window. “You did it.”

Clayton grinned. “I did it.”

“You took three children out into the world and brought them all back.”

“With minimal injury.”

Kaia leaned down and kissed his cheek. “How was it?”

He looked over at his chaos crew covered in dirt, one with gum in her hair, one with a binky still in his mouth.

“Best day I’ve had all summer.”

[speeedyquick1245]

I’ve started watching supernatural with my mom and I think it’s starting to already take over my life… My mom is getting into it really hard too. We are only on season 3 and my mom is calling Sam and Dean “our Sam and Dean” and “we got to see what happens to Sammy and Dean today.”

[plasmara]

can’t get over the pure fucking hope in her face oh my godddd. THATS HER HUSBAND!!!! give her her husband back u monsters. Omg

[gayofthefae]

There is something in a story structure called a cave. It is when all hope is lost, the lowest point for a character; they hit rock bottom. It happens right before the climax to force them to make an important decision, force them into a dilemma.

Every scene has one, every episode has one, every season has one to varying degrees. But Stranger Things as a whole is also a single story. A 5-season single story.

It's why season 4 is the only time they lose the battle. It is at the perfect point of the cave in the story - 4 of 5. "All hope is lost". It is the cave of the story as a whole.

So, though it may be played as his season climax, Mike Wheeler's story cave is this:

"Forced to make a decision between bad and worse" in my screenwriting teacher's words, he chooses that she live and he lie irrevocably over that he be honest and risk her dying. I once said he spent the season wondering whether he would have lied if he'd known it'd keep her safe; now he knows. A dilemma.

And I must say, it is genius to place it right here. Exactly here. The perfect way to convince you. It is his season climax: everything he's wanted achieved...But it is his story cave: rock bottom.

Yes, he achieved what he originally wanted - to love her. But he has reached the point in the story where he realizes what he wants and needs are not only different but at odds. He always wanted to love her. He always wanted to love a girl. He always wanted to avoid this fate

But unfortunately, he really did end up loving El, not just in concept or cover, so when what he needed was to be true to himself against their relationship, he acted in favor of his previous wants - and of her, not his needs.

Mike's story is confirmed to be incomplete. This is why.

Additional support to this analysis if you have doubts:

Will's decision would much more obviously be considered an all time low in this same structure. He had a dilemma Mike and El continuing to be sad or himself being sad and chose to sacrifice himself.

This clearly supports that the structure is being applied. Narrative structures aren't just applied once. That would make an incoherent mess in an ensemble cast. Mike and all characters follow the same structure we can prove is present with Will.

Will built up to giving Mike the painting, what he wanted to do all season, but sacrificed what he needed, to share his feelings. Mike is the same. Mike cannot be different. That's just not how writing works.

[al-luviec]

compiled whatever this is (and I run out of tag space)

meh HoT gifs (3/?)

[lordandladywhistledown]

I love how Colin is surprised and taken aback when Marina says Penelope cares for him...

He's like: "Penelope?!??!?!! No way that she cares for me.... it's not like I send her more letters than anyone and she actually replies to them unlike my own family and it's not like she always smiles when she sees me and it's not like she tried to warn me not to marry a woman I barely knew and that she's the only one who seems to be interested in what I have to say about things. But Penelope???? No way she even thinks about me when I'm not there 😝😊🤪"

I feel like he doesn't understand that Penelope likes him until the very end of S2 and even then, he doesn't completely understand how deep her feelings are and that's then why he also doesn't understand that he has feelings for her, too. He's just stuck there thinking that's what normal friendships are like... he's so sweet and so so innocent

[shepscapades]

shep I was talking to my brother about dbhc xisuma as one does and mentioned that ask about not being able to puzzle xisuma's face together mentally and my brother joked that the reason you put the spoiler bars and such on his face is cause you cant draw his whole face yet 😂

anyway I might have talked his ear off about dbhc idk tho lmao

LMAOO NOOOO!!! MY SECRET FINALLY IS OUT!!! /silly

[kaythefloppa]

If Season 7 is going to have it be a recurring theme of character-focused/emotionally driven stories then uhm, when is an episode centering around a certain redeemed villain as well as covering the Rex-shaped hole in said villain's redemption arc going to happen?

I'm waiting.

[rotteneldritchhorror]

Will forever love the detail of Argyle saying the chaos of the Bingham household is “his kinda party”, implying that his family life is also this big and chaotic and he loves it lol

[joeylivesinspace]

duffers apologize to jonathan byers RIGHT NOW

[markantonys]

readers were upset about the prime x-ray spoiling show-onlys by naming rand's mom tigraine in s1, but counterpoint: the show actually should explain rand's full heritage as quickly as possible because i cannot have show-onlys refusing to get invested in randlayne because they think a secret-sibling shoe is going to drop