#I'm more concerned about how a lot shows would look like after the writers' strike

[metabolizemotions]

The wilderness wasn't just the harsh elements and circumstances out there. It also was and still is the darkness in them, their shadow selves. They reshaped their little society and created a new religion. They desperately needed a semblance of order, meaning and something greater than themselves to carry on.

With every decision, they lost a part of their humanity to keep their animal bodies alive. With every made-up ritual, they tethered themselves to the greater unknown entity - which they unloaded their primal instincts onto to remind themselves that they were still humans. W/o compartmentalizing, they would not have been able to keep themselves somewhat sane and survived. It even allowed them to have a bit of lightness and humor occasionally.

Civilization is another wilderness altogether. Societal pressure, the whispers and gossips... Their inability to reconcile what happened, what could have been and what is. They seem "normal" on the outside but are repressing their trauma and dissociating to various degrees. They have their basic needs more than met. They can survive but don't know how to live. They yearn for meaning to fill the void. Also something to feed the darkness within them that has been awakened.

(Except maybe Misty. She's always been like that. She wanted friends so bad she made more people become like her so that she's no longer alone. Nat was the other exception cos she was so tethered to reality that she had to escape with drugs.)

Jackie couldn't survive the wilderness out there for lack of trying. Nat couldn't survive the wilderness back here despite trying damn f*cking hard.

The ending is upsetting for a number of reasons. It shouldn't be Nat. It shouldn't be now. It shouldn't happen like that. She was plagued with guilt, self-loathing and addiction. She was the only one trying to deal with her repressed trauma properly. (Lottie tried, albeit by using her belief in the supernatural.) That's the tragedy of it.

But that is also why it happened like that... Cos that is the premise of the show. The plane shouldn't have crashed in the wilderness. People shouldn't have become cannibals. Life should have returned to "normal" when they came back to civilisation... Except that they didn't cos nothing would ever be "normal" again after what they've been thru.

Things are taking yet another darker turn. Nat, the moral compass of the group and their tether to reality is dead. Good cop Kevyn is dead. Those who they brought into the fold are complicit in their (sometimes unwitting) crimes as they try and fail to fit in.

"Does a hunt that has no violence feed anyone?"

The mass psychosis as they watched Shauna brutally beat up Lottie then. And as they followed thru with the ritual to hunt Shauna. To feed that darkness. They couldn't help themselves and they couldn't look away.

Ben, who thought himself morally above the rest, probably set fire to their shelter, with them in it. It would be even more challenging to survive and that would drive them further towards more conflict and violence...

(Callie looking intrigued and Shauna worried. This almost seemed like an initiation for Callie...? )

[ladyc0312]

A Jikook Guide to RunBTS: 112-121

Yes, I'm still doing these! It's just happening more slowly than I'd like because writing for work + writing fic + trying to go to bed before midnight + so much amazing content being released that clearly must be poured over and dissected = less time to make guides. For anyone still with me, he's the next section!

Ep 112 “Dalbang School Part 1” (Ep: 5 / KM: 4)

The ones with BTS in a classroom driving Teacher Jin insane

5:58 - JM declares that he and Taehyung will pair up (by being the first to hug each other in a game), but then when Hobi blows the whistle at 6:38, JK runs over to hug JM before Tae can get to him.

6:58 - Jin asks why JM said he wanted Tae and then hugged JK. JM explains that he didn't hug him, he just found himself in JK's hug as JK cackles in the background.

7:24 - When Jin blows his whistle at the class, JK and JM mirror each other in putting a finger in one of their ears.

7:35 - Teammates JK and JM are immediately on the same page about wanting their team name to be Kim Seokjin. When they have to change it, JM quickly picks up JK's suggestion that they call their team Bang Sihyuk. These don't sound like particularly unique moments, but when you watch it, it just really strikes you how in sync the two of them are in terms of physicality, ideas, and sense of humor.

9:52 - After Jin comments that he heard JM did very well in school, JK adds that JM was the top student. When someone else asks if JM was the best or second-best, JK forcefully reiterates that he was the best student.

12:45 - When they get a question right, JK and JM clasp hands and bump their shoulders together.

13:10 - JM and JK both goof around, speaking in satoori and challenging JHope to a fight of sorts.

13:27 - When Jin repeats that they got the question right, JK and JM do exactly the same as 12:45, but seated this time.

14:22, 14:36, 15:13 - In all three of these moments, JM nearly falls over laughing at something JK did that no one else found anywhere near as funny.

23:36 - When JK says he's good at this game, JM laughs and pokes JK in the chest with a marker.

BEHIND 2:30 - JM takes a selfie of him and JK with his personal phone while they're supposed to be paying attention to Jin.

6:35 - JK cheers on JM and calls him Jimin-ssi when JM announces he's doing well on this spot-the-difference round. When Jimin modifies the brag to say he only found four, JK says "that's still quite impressive."

Ep 113 “Dalbang School Part 2” (Ep: 5 / KM: 4)

4:50 - We all know how JK is when he gets into his "focus" zone, especially in a competitive environment. But here, when JM rather rudely interrupts JK's melodica practice, JK just starts playing around with him and giggles.

7:41 - As RM & JH take their turn, jikook are whispering to each other in the back row.

11:42 - After quickly agreeing on a lunch option, jikook do a high five / handshake thing and then JM says "we think alike" and "we get along pretty well." JK responds "that's exactly it" and the on-screen captions tells us they are a "good match."

22:20 - This is where JK and JM start switching back and forth carrying each other on their backs to get under a limbo stick.

They go again at 23:35, 26:11, and 28:13.

And again at 30:22 and 32:16 and 34:30 because, even though they lost, they want to try to do it again to show that they can as a "matter of pride."

25:00 - JK points something out to JM and then pats his butt.

33:33 - JM announces they lost, and then jikook do another handshake / high five thing.

34:33 - JM does an... interesting pose for the camera where he puts his hand on a bent-over JK's back and smirks.

34:56 - Yet another handshake and JM pats JK on the back when they finally pass the limbo challenge.

BEHIND 5:55 - While examining the limbo setup, JM comments that JK is good at this. JK comes over to give a demonstration and JM watches him be silly with it and says "he's a strange kid" fondly.

6:21 - Another jikook limbo attempt - this one was cut because they did it too easily.

Ep 114 ��League of Number One Part 1” (Ep: 3 / KM: 1)

The ones where BTS play games with League of Legends world champions

3:55 - After Jimin protests that he shouldn't be out, JK tells his hyung to turn around and face the back.

14:40 - JK fake-boxes JM after losing the hammer game.

18:18 - JK mimics Jimin's BWL intro.

Ep 115 “League of Number One Part 2” (Ep: 2 / KM: .5)

BEHIND

7:05 - JK comes over to check on Jimin's phone to make sure he's actually visible in the selfie the teams take.

Ep 116 “Team-Building Special Part 1” (Ep: 4 / KM: 1)

The ones with random games in that rec room-looking place that are a lot more fun than they sound

22:14 - JM and JK play around with the jump rope during breaktime.

22:26 - JM and JK play around like they're boxing with each other.

BEHIND 5:15 - JK appears to take an interest in watching JM's... back as he moves around acting out potential poses.

Ep 117 “Team-Building Special Part 1” (Ep: 4 / KM: 2)

5:30 - Despite showing pretty much everyone else touching everyone else in the pose guessing game, we don't get a single shot here or in the behind of JK feeling up Jimin. The above photo proves that it happened, though, so definitely side-eyeing the editors, here.

BEHIND 5:35 - JK keeps throwing water bottles when they're supposed to be taking a group photo. Jimin pulls him back next to him and puts an arm around his neck. JK puts an arm around Jimin's shoulders in return.

7:51 - After it's explained that JK is staying late to watch Jin do his penalty, a packed-up Jimin comes over and stands next to JK, waiting until they're done to leave.

Ep 118 “Photo Story Part 1” (Ep: 3 / KM: 3)

The ones where BTS play a Samsung-sponsored game involving getting specific pictures while a spy tries to ruin the fun

4:22 - JM appears to direct JK to go punish Tae and pats JK's back when he starts to obey. Something happens that we don't see when the angle changes - next thing we see, JM seems to be pushing JK? JM then giggles at JK pretending to beat up Tae. (After this, JK spins around like a ballerina. Not jikook-related, just adorable.)

29:51 - JK calls Jimin twice without adding "hyung."

32:28 - JM pulls JK along by the wrist. Meanwhile, J-Hope once again mixes up their names.

32:44 - Though there is now a group walking slowly together and he doesn't need to pull him along anymore, Jimin takes JK's hand again.

37:02 - There are a bunch of seats open in the room, but Jimin walks over to sit right next to JK.

BEHIND 5:40 - When JM tries to steal a post-it from JK, JK scolds him in satoori banmal. JM calls him out for not calling him with hyung and JK quickly apologizes (in a way some k-army jikookers have said is like how a married person would respond to their nagging spouse!).

6:09 - JK and JM meet up and JK tells JM he's exhausted. There's a kind of weird moment that I fully admit I may be reading too much into where JK seems to be walking right towards JM, then abruptly stops and turns, looking at the camera, before walking with Jimin in a different direction than he had been heading. Then, JM says he thinks their matching shirts are hilarious and that it's funny they're wearing them for the show.

Ep 119 “Photo Story Part 2” (Ep: 4 / KM: 3)

8:21 - "You are me, I am you" moment: Jimin does a ballet spin the same way JK did in part one.

11:18 - JK is the only one to vote for JM to be able to keep a picture in other than Jin (who has nefarious reasons for doing so).

29:40 - JM goes over to help JK see how many of his photos the spy ruined and almost falls over laughing when it becomes clear it's nearly all of them.

34:21 - JM puts his hand on JK's shaking leg to help calm him (see above photo), but JK is so irritated that it doesn't work like it usually does. Poor bunny!

35:17 - JM pulls at JK's shirt and hand, then folds over his back while trying to get him to confess that he actually lost.

38:24 - JM has a comforting hand on JK's neck when he's acting upset about losing.

38:32 - When it seems like JK is struggling to come up with an ending statement, JM helps prompt him.

BEHIND

0:55 - JK talks about how amazing it is that Jimin found so many cards.

3:51 - When JK is playing with the sequin art on the front of his shirt, JM leans over and starts rubbing on them, too.

5:11 - Jimin tells JK that, if he wins, he's going to make the loser hike Mt. Achasan. JK asks why he's looking at him when he says that and they both laugh. Jimin pats JK's chest and they laugh even harder. Jin and Tae both have "omg, these two" looks on their faces.

Ep 120 “Reply BTS Village Part 1” (Ep: 3 / KM: 2)

The ones with a real-life Mafia game inexplicably set in a 1970s village. It's... fairly difficult to follow, but the guys are into it and the outfits are great!

24:40 - Jimin breaks character and laughs when asking JK if he's the culprit.

29:40 - Caption: "The air is undeniably tense between Gamer Jeon and Chief Park." Not explicitly jikook, I just find it funny that the writers seem to be playing with some real life relationships, making sope best friends and jikook have tension that leads to banter...

BEHIND

5:34 - When Jimin is playing with the yo-yo, JK expresses concern that he's going to hurt his fingers (caption: Kook is just worrying for his hyung). Then, JK asks poutily and in banmal if he can play with the yo-yo multiple times and Jimins says no. Like, JK straight-up gives his hyung a command ("let me try that") using informal speech and no one bats an eye!

5:58 - Jimin starts singing a song about an ants. JK watches him. JK initially says to Hobi "look, he's a fool/dummy!" (in banmal again), then starts singing along. He jokes that JM doesn't know all the lyrics and Jimin says back "quiet, you."

Ep 121 “Reply BTS Village Part 2” (Ep: 3 / KM: 2)

38:48 - After having asked for it a bunch in the Behind of the previous episode, JK now has Jimin's yoyo.

non-jikook note: At the end of this one, they "time travel" to solve a mystery in Joseon-era Korea and I can't express how badly I want to see that. Please come back to that, Run!

BEHIND 0:58 - Jimin and JK play around accusing each other with exaggerated accents and formality. Jimin comes up behind JK and reaches out to touch his shoulder, but stops when Tae joins them and accuses them of plotting together.

9:05 - When JK says everyone else is so good at acting, Jimin compliments him that he was very funny towards the end.

[amenomiko]

Aaaaaa Thank You so much for the looooooooooooong wait! I was too occupied and writer's block makes me tired more than ever 😭. Thank you so much for the request @ashavazesa ❤❤❤❤❤

A/N: I don't really take ALL Southeast Asia countries in this as I'm not really familiar with it. If you have questions regarding the culture, you may PM me or comment here ❤. Or you may google it, especially Butod 😏.

Lords x Southeast Asia Culture

Nobunaga - Hungry Ghost Festival (Malaysia / Singapore)

-It is a festival to honor the dead and so the gate from hell is opened.

-Mitsuhide: Most probably when the gate from hell is open, there will be Hideyoshi, practically running here and there upon his arrival ( ͡^ ͜ʖ ͡^).

-Masamune: Exactly. With the red carpet and rose petals. Heh.

-Hideyoshi: ಠ_ಠ.... Still- Nobunaga-sama's presence itself is majestic, so I have to agree with both of you *cough*

-Mitsunari: But I don't understand.. Hideyoshi-sama is kind, why would he be in hell (´；д；`)?

-Hideyoshi: Now, now, Mitsunari. Not everyone will go to heaven easily.

-Mitsuhide: Indeed. One of the main reasons why he goes to hell is because he sister-zoned every maiden in the world.

-Hideyoshi: H E Y (　☉д⊙)!

-Back to Nobunaga: I demand my offering to be a pack of armies, thousands of konpeitos, and MC's candid pictures 😏😏😏😏.

-Shingen: How indecent. To hell with you 😒.

-Kennyo: Go somewhere else, don't take my place 😒.

-Nobunaga: Excuse me? Hell would not be yours as I am the Demon King

-Kennyo: Excuse you 😒. My sin is bigger than yours.

-MC: Is it me or is this a White Girls Sengoku Version ಠ_ಠ?

-Ieyasu: ...Why would anyone want to fight over hell in the first place =_=?

Hideyoshi - Everyone is Addressed as Boss / Uncle / Aunty (Malaysia)

-So he went to a restaurant..

-"Boss. What do you want to order?"

-He look left. And right.

-"Eh Boss. You want to order or not?"

-"Huh? M-me??"

-Then he went to a public place, and his wallet fell from his pocket,

-"Uncle. Excuse me."

-Uncle-- WHAT- He is not THAT OLD-- "Wh- Wha??"

-"Aiya Uncle. Your wallet. Later people take your money how?"

-"Uh--" What kind of language is that anyway??

-Sasuke: If you are wondering what kind of language they speak, it is called as 'Manglish', Hideyoshi-san.

-Hideyoshi: Ma- Ma what?

-Sasuke: Manglish. Malaysian + English casual ways of talking to someone.

-Random person: Eh Boss, excuse me. Do you want to enter or not? If not please move lah! You are blocking the door!

-Hideyoshi: ........*Stressed 101*

Masamune - Butod (Sago Grub) (Malaysia - Sabah)

-Le butod: *Wiggle wiggle wiggle* OwO

-And MC: *FAINTS*

-"So this is a.. Grub from sago tree, you say? And it is recommended to be eaten raw."

-"It looks like MC when she was struggling to get away from my grip when I try to kiss her."

-MC, who has fainted, woke up "Excuse me?? Are you saying that I am-"

-Butod: *Wiggle Wiggle on Masamune's Palm* OwO

-MC: *gasssppp* 😱😱😱😱 YOU..! DON'T TOUCH ME WITH THAT HAND TONIGHT ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥A˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚!

-Masamune: Eeeeh but why? *Pulls its head and eat it raw* Hmm.. Taste like chicken.

-MC: .....*Takes a bottle of sake and shove it into his mouth* Wash it down with this! WASH IT WITH T H I S!

-Masamune: MMMMF 😵😵😵😵!!

Mitsuhide - Chinese New Year Celebrations (Malaysia / Singapore)

-He was offered with lots of CNY treats and of course, he ate it without refusing it.

-Only to get the bewildered reactions from the people around him when he mixed the rice + fish + dumplings + sweet rice balls + spring rolls + glutinous rice cake in one bowl and eat it like nobody's business.

-Hideyoshi: Even if you can't taste it, don't eat it in that way (　☉д⊙)!!

-"Why Hideyoshi? This foods represents luck, you see. I need this luck so I can always escape from your endless 'love' ( ͡^ ͜ʖ ͡^)."

-Learned about Ang Pow.

-"So you will give away money if you are married, and will receive it if you are not married. I see..."

-MC: What's wrong, Mitsuhide?

-"Hmm? Oh, I was just concerned about Hideyoshi. Because he will give away Ang Pows throughout his life." *Shakes his head* "That's what he gets when he sister-zoned everyone."

-Hideyoshi: ʕʘ̅͜ʘ̅ʔ.....

Ieyasu - Sambal (Hot Relish made with veggies / fruits and spices) (Indonesia)

-At first he was skeptical.

-Until he put some in his dish.

-Cues Ieyasu hugging the Sambal Jar.

-Growls when Masamune said "Can I have a look what they put inside-- Hey, hey, I said I want to have a look, not that I will eat it, lad. Calm down."

-Nobunaga, the usual demon on your shoulder: It's that precious, hmm? So you'd rather choose that than MC?

-MC: Please don't make me an option between food, Nobunaga ಠ_ಠ.

-Mitsuhide: Or maybe.. You can eat her by pouring all over her ( ͡^ ͜ʖ ͡^)?

-MC: I will become a living swollen red bell pepper, no thanks (눈‸눈).

Mitsunari - Vietnam and the amount of motorcyclists on the road (Vietnam)

-The gangs be all flustered with their surroundings, especially Hideyoshi.

-"Stay close, all of you! It's dangerous!"

-Masamune & Mitsuhide: Yes mom ( ͡^ ͜ʖ ͡^)~

-Hideyoshi: Who is your MOM (　☉д⊙)??

-Sasuke: It's alright, they say you can cross it casually as they will automatically avoid you.

-Hideyoshi: Impossible, isn't it dangerous? Besides, it's too close one after another!

-Sasuke: Here, let me give you an example. *Gives Mitsunari a book and whispered "You may cross now."*

-Our pure angel be like "O3O ooooh~~" And there he goes, walking straight ahead, with head buried in a book.

-Meanwhile, Hideyoshi: *Were pulled by both Masa and Mitsuhide* GAHH LET GO OF ME! MITSUNARIIIII \(Q A Q)/!!!! *GASP* NOOO NOBUNAGA-SAMA DON'T CROSS THE ROAD WHILE EATING YOUR KONPEITOOO!!!

-And Ieyasu, who has been watching Mitsunari who crossed the road safely to the other side: TCH. There's no one that hit him (•ˋ _ ˊ•).

Kenshin: 5 People on one Motorcycle (Indonesia)

-The first thing that he ask Sasuke was...

-"What is that?"

-Sasuke: Oh, as you can see, Kenshin-sama. Some people from a poor family will ride their motorcycle altogether as one. And so,.. Kenshin-sama?

-"Bringing the motorcycle back to the past would cause unnecessary scene, but an idea of 5 people in one ride is not bad. Hm."

-"Imagine, when you go to the battlefield, with 5 people in one horse, you can kill 5 people at one time."

-"Also, if they bring sake supplies, and 1 person hold one sake each, and there's 10 horses, I would've get 500 bottles in an hour."

-Them: ........

-Sasuke: Can't do, Kenshin-sama. Please pity our horse and if you work here, in this era, please don't be a math teacher. You will give a bad example in your class.

-Kenshin: Don't stop what I want to do, Sasuke (눈‸눈). Fine. Let's change that 5 person into me, and the killed people to Shingen instead. So it will be 5 of me, killing Shingen in one strike.

-Shingen: Psssh. If I were you, there will be 5 of me on one horse, so all of us can kiss MC in one go 😏✨✨✨.

-Yukimura: PLEASE STOP GAH MY BRAIN @A@

Shingen - Thailands... and their Kathoey (Thailand)

-Welp. His eyebrows wouldn't stop wiggling here and there to every pretty woman that he spotted.

-'Woman'. Heh.

-Sasuke about to warn him but Kenshin hold him back.

-"Let's teach him a lesson." He said. "It will be interesting." He said.

-And so they go to one place for dinner, when they were surrounded by a bunch of pretty women.

-"Hey handsome~~ wanna have fun with us?"

-Yukimura: Eh- uh- eh- I- I- o//////o

-"Oh come on~~~ *grope*"

-Yukimura: *Genuine Girlish Voice* KYAAAAAAAAA!!! *Fainted with foams*

-Shingen: Now, now, you girls are pretty attempting, but we need to fill our empty stomachs first, you see?

-He was occupied in talking to the girls when Sasuke whispered something to one of them without him realizing it. Then the girl went to Shingen's side, hugging his arm, "Please~ have fun with us~~ I will give you a reward if you say 'Yes'~"

-Shingen, playing along: Oooh? What would that be?

-Le girl, changing her voice into a manly one, "A lick of my lollipop, bro."

-And he fainted next to Yukimura. With foams in his mouth too.

Yukimura - Bali and their.... 'Souvenirs' (Indonesia)

-The first thing that came out from his mouth when he arrived at Bali is "Wh- wh- wh- r-romantic island?? Wh- who would show their intimacy in public--"

-*Shriek to a statue with a peculiar s*x position*

-*Shriek to almost everything*

-*Got stuck in one place until Sasuke had to pulled him out from the shop*

-Sasuke: Forgive me, bro. It's Shingen-sama's idea to enter this shop. It's normal for you to be culture shocked as one of their famous souvenirs is wee wee keychains (´・д・｀).

-"Don't say that casually OAO!"

-MC, takes one wee wee display and called out for him, "Yukimura~ come here for a sec. Look! Your wee wee (✿❛◡❛)!"

-"MMMMMCCCCCC ୧( ಠ////Д////ಠ )୨!!!!"

-Also Yukimura: *Gasp* This shop sells your kind! *Points at the restaurant that displays Rolling Pig*

-Scene of Yukimura got slapped by MC unfolds.

Sasuke - Sarawak's Blowpipe (Malaysia - Sarawak)

-Tour guide: One of the ethnicities in Sarawak is Iban people. They are known to hunt their prey with a blowpipe, which contained with a poison-coated needle.

-Sasuke: Oooh. *looks at the blowpipe* It's like detective conan but a poisoned needle ones (´・д・｀)✨✨✨

-Tour guide:

-Others:

-Tour guide: Would you like to give a try?

-Sasuke: Yes please (´・д・｀)✨✨✨ which target should I shoot it with?

-Tour guide: The balloon, next to the pole in front of you ☺.

-Sasuke: Okay. *Takes a deep breath*

-Kenshin:.......*monotonous voice* Ah, a mosquito. *Kicks Shingen to make him land in front of Sasuke*

-Shingen: H-Hey-- OAO

-Sasuke: Mmf- *Instantly pushed the pipe to shoot something else*

-*Stab*

-Mitsunari who happens to pass by: Hmm? Oh my, I don't remember this book has a needle attached to it (ㆁᴗㆁ✿).

-Other tour members: EEEEEKKKK 😱😱😱

-Ieyasu who also happens to be not to far from the group: Tch. Books from the future must not to be underestimated ಠ_ಠ. It's too thick.

[whattodowithace]

Drinking With Cupid Part II (Chan)

Title: Drinking With Cupid Part II

Pairing: Chan x Reader

Genre: Angst; Fluff

Word Count: 5,159 Words (all parts)

Writer: Whattodowithkpop [Lio]

A/N: I think I have seen a movie or tv show with a similar concept to this, but if I have, I don't remember for certain. I was also inspired by the song 'Drinking With Cupid' by VOILÀ. This is for the@acewriters writing event. *****

The day had finally arrived, their first anniversary, the anniversary of the day they met at Cupid's party in the hallway of a venue neither one expected to find each other at. A lot had progressed for the couple, having become official shortly after their first date, meeting friends and parents and being adored by everyone involved. However, there was still the matter of Chan being Cupid that hadn't been discussed. He had put it off time and time again as all his fear of past relationships resurfaced and made him too self conscious to admit.

After the wonderful year had passed for Chan, he was left with that constant worry that this was going to be another devastating heartbreak, one that was destined for failure from the start. He couldn't shake that feeling, the fear plaguing his heart as he fell for her more and more. He had one thing he had to do, one thing he always promised himself he wouldn't do. Run his own numbers with hers.

She too had her fear, the memory of her past fiancé haunted her, however she loved Chan, and she was confident he was different, confident he wouldn't do that to her. He had told her his stories of his past relationships and how they scarred him and she knew he knew how it felt to love someone for so long and for it to end in despair. Her purpose changed in the year she met Chan, her plan to take down Cupid was on the back burner as she was too consumed in her own happiness to care what happened to the algorithm. She still disagreed with its philosophy, however she had something else to occupy her time with, something she could pour her love and energy into. Chan.

However, little did she know, that her fight with Cupid's algorithm wasn't over and that she was about to face it head on.

~

Chan arrived to the restaurant first, taking his seat at the reserved table as he awaited her arrival. He was there early, so he didn't mind the wait, however his impatience to tell her his findings on the secret numbers he ran lessened his focus.

He was thankful he didn't have to wait long as he saw her enter into the dark atmosphere of the restaurant, the darkness complimenting her dress as it flowed to the floor, covering up the heels she wore, the heels that held a familiar sound to them as she crossed the foyer to their table. Chan felt underdressed as he inspected her outfit, even though he was in a crisp black suit with a white button up, his black tie being a gift from an investor who was quite wealthy. Next to her he felt that no one could be on par with her beauty or grace. He greeted her with a kiss, his lips lingering on hers as he was captivated by her beauty, forgetting everything else in the world. She's the one that pulls away with a giggle, her arms on his shoulders as she stares into his eyes.

"There is plenty time for that later, Yuchan." She whispers, kissing his cheek before taking her seat, leaving a stunned Chan to recollect his thoughts before sitting across from her.

The waiter that assisted her to their table asked if they wanted wine, to which they agreed and Chan picked out. It was a big night for both of them, however they had different reasons as to why.

"I have something I need to tell you." Chan speaks up, his heart in his ears as he feels as if a rock was sitting in his stomach, making him feel sick.

"I do too." Her smile was a sharp contrast to his nervous facial expression.

Chan takes in a shaky breath as he looks down to his hands, making her worry for him, her smile dropping.

"Chan, are you okay?"

He keeps his head down, tears sitting on the brims of his eyes as his lip begins to quiver. In a shaky voice he responds. "Our numbers aren't compatible."

The soft music that was playing in the restaurant seemed to deafen against her ears as his words bounced in her head. Her heart clenched in pain, her hand pressing against her chest as pain shoots through it.

"I'm Cupid." Chan continues, his eyes still downcast, oblivious to the physical pain he was putting her through. "I ran our numbers because I thought they'd be high, I was so sure we were perfect together and it had a low compatibility rating."

When Chan looks up his eyes widen in concern, standing from the table he runs to her side, crouching next to her as he grasps her free hand in his to try and comfort her in some way. Steady tears streamed down her face as her inhales and exhales were shallow and shaky.

"This whole thing is about Cupid's algorithm?" She choked out, her broken voice making Chan's heart break as he began to regret what he had done.

"My numbers are only in Cupid because I got matched three years ago to the man I got engaged to that later cheated on me before our wedding." Her tears heavier as her words began to sound more like sobs. "He laid there in bed with someone else and said your exact same words. **Our numbers aren't compatible.** And here you are saying the same?"

Chan felt more pain strike his heart as she cried, her sobs quiet, but loud enough to catch the attention of some of the patrons in the establishment.

"I'm so sorry."

With those words he left, fear and guilt plaguing him and causing his chest to swell and his heart to palpitate. The walls felt as if they were closing in on him and he needed to escape, so he ran, leaving her crying with money for the check on the table.

~

Byeongkwan watches his friend cry, the scene familiar to him as he hears her soft sobs even with her face stuffed in his couch cushion. His heart ached for her, however his anger blazed against the one that caused it. He was so happy for her, her goals in life changing as she got to know Chan more, her desire for revenge dwindling until it was non-existent, his heart swelling as she moved on. And here it was, all crashing down around her, harder than even her first heartbreak with her fiancé. Byeongkwan stood helplessly by as he did his best to care for her as she tried to nurse her broken heart.

Byeongkwan wasn't surprised when he got a call from Chan, especially seeing her phone was off there was no way he could reach her. However, he was expecting his words to be for her to come get her things from his apartment and that he wanted all remnants of her gone from his life.

"How is she?"

Those were his first words, no hello, no acknowledgement toward Byeongkwan at all. He wanted to be happy about this, that Chan seemed to still care for her, however, one man's care wasn't going to be enough to heal her.

"How do you think she is?"

Byeongkwan's words were like venom, his tolerance for Chan at a zero as her sobs traveled through the phone line, loud and clear for Chan to hear, his heart breaking at the sound.

"I was an idiot, I didn't think things through, I got caught up in myself and my own fee-"

Byeongkwan cuts him off, not wanting being the in-between for the two.

"I'm not the one you should be telling that to."

With that, Byeongkwan ended the call, not wanting to hear another word from the boy as he went back to his friend, who had fallen asleep, much to Byeongkwan's relief. He loves her, but anyone would get tired of hearing the deep sobs of a heartbroken girl for hours on end. He covered her the rest of the way, fixing her hair so it would pull away from tear stained cheeks and give her some air. He sighs, leaving for his room to get some sleep himself, sleep overtaking him as soon as his head hits the pillow.

~

"You're an idiot." Donghun states with bluntness with a deadpan expression.

"I know!" Chan cries, his head falling into his hands.

"I told you you needed to tell her."

"I know, Donghun. I messed up."

"And how are you going to fix it?"

Chan looked up to his friend, his mouth hung open in shock as Donghun's face stays stoic, waiting for an answer.

"This isn't something you fix. I took the most beautiful thing I had and crushed it."

"A year ago, the most beautiful thing in your life was Cupid. You would spend your days and nights pouring your energy into this project and you receive no benefit for it, except a pile of riches that does you no good."

Chan looks up to Donghun, his eyes filled with tears as he hears his friend's words.

"You spent your days and nights pouring your love for her out and receiving the same, if not more, love from her and here you sit feeling sorry for yourself instead of fixing the one good thing you had."

Chan felt guilt rush through him as the images of her crying in the restaurant reenter his mind, his heart aching at the memory of hearing her cry over Byeongkwan's phone.

"I don't know how to fix it."

"Then you need to spend the time and energy to think of way to fix it. It's what you did before and this means a lot more."

Chan knew Donghun was referencing Cupid. When Chan looked at his failed relationships, his way of coping with it was Cupid. She brought him out of the rut he had put himself in with spending all his days on Cupid. He knew Donghun was right, he had to fix it. Chan came to, opening his mouth to thank Donghun before realizing he was already gone, leaving Chan to think for himself. It didn't take a genius to know what had to happen, however, it would be one of the hardest things Chan would have to do.

~

A week passed and she was still on Byeongkwan's couch, feeling the pain just as strong as she felt it at the restaurant. She thought she knew true heartbreak, but nothing prepared her for the pain she felt now. She avoided all of Chan's calls, even asking Byeongkwan to avoid them also, not wanting any connections left leading her to Chan. She was looking through her phone, the pictures of her and him haunting her as she tired to will herself to delete them, however her heart couldn't bring her to do it, thus resulting in more tears. She sniffles as she hears her name from Byeongkwan's room before hearing a commotion as he reveals himself in the doorway.

"You need to turn on the tv." He says, grabbing the remote to flip on the tv, a news story playing. She feels sadness as she reads the headline, 'Cupid's CEO calls for press conference.'

"Byeongkwan, I don't want to see anything about Cupid or anything associated with Chan." She chokes out, bringing the blanket over her head to block out the screen.

"I would never make you watch something that would hurt you more."

She waits a few moments before dropping the blanket, her tears already streaming as Chan comes to the podium. Cameras flash as they take his pictures while reporters begin asking questions, all of them asking if he was the CEO.

"My name is Kang Yuchan and I am the creator of Cupid." Chan states waiting as the reporters murmur and more cameras flash. "I created Cupid three years ago when I experienced heartbreak after heartbreak. I felt there should have been a way to predict how compatible you were with someone, a way to confirm you were dating the right person. This algorithm has worked for so many people and has helped thousands of couples find their other half. I was so thrilled to see so many people finding love all thanks to Cupid's algorithm. I thought that numbers and percentages were the only way for someone to find true love."

Chan looks down at the podium he stood upon, composing himself before looking back up to address the camera and reporters again.

"A year ago I met someone. Someone who made me unafraid to love that made me forget my philosophy based on numbers. I fell in love by meeting her and then going on dates with her and meeting her family, friends and hearing her embarrassing stories."

She let out a crying laugh, remembering all the stories they both heard about each other.

"I forgot all about percentages, until the night before our anniversary. I got caught up in numbers and compatibility, I got consumed with the facts and figures and I got so scared of giving my heart to her completely even when I knew all she would do was keep it safe."

She looks to Byeongkwan, sobs racking her body as she begs him to turn it off as she feels her heart break more. Byeongkwan looked sorrowful at her and asked her to keep watching for a few more moments.

"I messed up and ended up breaking her heart. All because I had to run our stupid numbers to see if they were compatible. Love isn't determined by numbers or figures, it's found by realizing the best friend you grew up with has always been there for you or the barista at your local coffee shop makes you nervous because she's so cute or... it's found escorting a beautiful woman to a boring corporate party."

The silence that befalls the room was deafening, everyone waiting with bated breath for his next words.

"That is why, I am closing down Cupid."

The reporters scramble to their feet, asking questions as Chan leaves the podium, smiling to the cameras as he makes his exit off the stage.

~

A knock sounds through Byeongkwan’s apartment, the people inside knowing who was on the other side of the door. Byeongkwan stands to answer the door, giving her an encouraging look as he goes to let Chan in.

Before Chan steps fully inside, Byeongkwan grabs his arm, giving him a side glance as he warns him in a low voice.

“If you break her heart more, I’ll break you.”

Chan nods in understanding as he gulps in nervousness, having seen Byeongkwan’s arms he doesn’t want to face them.

Chan enters the living room as Byeongkwan walks to his room, giving the two space. Chan’s heart speeds up when he sees her, having not seen her for a week made his heart long for her. He still thought she was stunning, even with her tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes. Her hair was a little messy and her clothes were oversized, a passing thought of them being Byeongkwan’s made him upset, however he shook the thought, knowing he wasn’t in the position to feel that way right now.

“Hey.” He greets in a quiet voice, standing in an awkward stance in the middle of the living room.

When he entered she was staring at the tv with a blank expression and even at his words she didn't move to look at him. Chan felt helpless as he looked at her, desperation filling him as he wanted her to pay attention to him, even if it wasn't the same as before.

"I..." Chan fumbles around his words, unsure what he came to say, only knowing he wanted to see her. "I shut down Cupid."

"Did you think that would earn you forgiveness?" Her words were monotone, but it chilled Chan to the core, his voice catching in his throat.

"I didn't" He whispers under his breath, his head hanging low. "It's only the start."

She jerks her head to him, seeing his eyes trained on the floor as he nibbles his bottom lip.

"But for me to prove myself to you beyond this I have to have your second chance."

His eyes met hers, filled with hope and longing that made her chest tighten. She had missed him and she wanted to forgive him. She got off the couch, running to him to wrap her arms around his neck, her head resting on his shoulder as she felt tears soak his shirt. He held her tight, his nose on her neck, getting traces of her perfume that he loved so much.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you." He whispers. "I never want to see you hurt again."

His arms tightened around her at those words, his smile wide at her being in his arms again.

Previous Part ~

A.C.E MASTERLIST

[wakaoujisenhime]

OMG! Now you are the best writer in my heart! I'm crying because your writing is so wonderful! Headcanons about Kise and Aomine are so soft! I in love with them! May I ask scenario about Kise female best friend who helps Kaijo boys (if you read Replace novel, you know their problems) with group date preparation.

A/N: I remember that being one of my favorite chapters, so thank you for the cute request! I’ve also decided to change the scenario up a little and have Kise’s best friend help them out after seeing them fail the first time & I tried something ‘special’ featuring Kise, so I hope you like it! ( ᵘ ꒳ ᵘ )

Tags: Kaijo x reader ✅  SFW ✅  friendship ✅  fluff ✅

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

Summer school festival - Kaijo x reader

You were just about to leave school, take the bus back home, and end this tiring schoolday as your phone suddenly began vibrating. One look at the screen was enough to cheer you up.

“Kise, what’s up? It’s quite rare of you to call me...something wrong?”

“(Y/N)-cchi, I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I’ll need your help with something.“

——

“Damn it Kise what are we waiting for now?!“

The five stars of the Kaijo basketball club had all gathered at the main entrance of their school, planning on going to pick up girls. The idea originated from Moriyama, who had proudly stated that summer supposedly was the best time for festivities and ideally those activities are meant for pairs. So today’s mission was to look for a crowded place and try to get to know as many girls as possible...and that’s where you come in.

Your friend already had some suspicions considering his teammates, since they didn’t have that many skills in such flirty situations. He knew that some of them - Kasamatsu and Hatakawa - had no experience whatsoever with girls while others - Moriyama and Kobori - were just having some light problems they needed help with.

The others were slowly getting impatient and intended on leaving for the station and just as they had set foot past the main gates, the basketball club ran into you.

“(Y/N)-cchi, there you are!”, shouted the yellow-haired man as a bright grin adorned his features. He ran up to you and wrapped his arms around your body, signalizing just how happy he was to see you.

Wordlessly you returned his hug and patted his back, your eyes though were fixated on the men behind him.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?”, asked Moriyama gently.

As gentle as you could, you escaped your best friend’s arms and bowed to the other four.

“My name is (Y/N) (L/N). It’s a pleasure to finally be able to meet the rumored Kaijo basketball club personally.”

Only the tall man who had asked for an introduction answered, while all the others just nodded or didn’t say anything at all.

Hm...were they always so cold? They appear so talkative on the court, but in person, they seem quite distant...

“So uhm...Miss (L/N)...what are you here for exactly, if I may ask.”

The young man who uttered that question was quite tall and slim, had spiky brown hair but nonetheless appeared to be a nice person deep down. You actually appreciated what he’d asked since you had been wondering the exact same thing all the way to this school, but before you could even answer the man next to you took the initiative.

“I invited her to come with us!”

“You did what?!”

——

On your way to the station, Kise had explained the entire situation to you and his teammates.

In summary, this man truly believed that you would prove to be the best teacher and helper for them to overcome their inexperience and fear of women, and in order for you to get a good picture of their current standpoint, you had to watch them try and pick up girls.

Honestly speaking, it wasn’t the best idea, but it was so ‘Kise-like’ that even if you wanted to, you couldn’t refuse. His nice personality that made sure to always help people out is one of the many qualities that made you so fond of him.

So here you were, looking at five determined young men, raring to go out there and find their potential counterpart.

That was the plan at least...

Half an hour had passed during which three of them had taken turns in trying to talk to some random girls, one of them even tried speaking to the same woman who had dumped his teammate some minutes ago. Now just the captain and Kise were the only ones missing, but if there was one thing you knew and expected then it was for your best friend to actually steal the entire show and win over five or more girls at the same time, so before that happened you wanted to at least see just what kind of problem the man, who proudly wore the number 4 on his back, was trying to resolve. So instead of standing there and wondering on your own, you decided to just straight out ask him, but the moment he saw you approaching, he froze up.

After such a crushing defeat, the blond took it upon himself to initiate a second try and managed to invite five girls to join him and his teammates for a cup of tea. During their time at the coffee shop, you had taken a seat on a table for two which was close enough to theirs, listening and as subtly as possible observing the team’s behavior...

“You guys are hopeless as of right now”, you stated after everyone had gathered close to the fountain once again, “...but if the four of you are willing to overcome your current issues, I might have some tips ready.”

“(Y/N)-cchi, it’s so unfair that you only want to help them! What about me?”, complained Kise with his typical pouting grimace. It took you quite some time to get used to it and become immune, but at times like this, it really did pay off. Convincing this man was another problem you had to fully master, so you chose your words as carefully as you could, explaining that he didn’t need that much advice as the others.

On your way back home, you recalled today’s events with a small smile on your face.

Alright, if I remember correctly there was one very handsome and tall guy, who failed because he instantly started talking about how meeting that young girl was his destiny.

Then we had the other one who straight out asked one of them if they wanted some tea...great pickup line, huh?

There was also a loud but cute one who aske-...screamed at the same girl that rejected the spiky-haired one...

The captain, Kasamatsu I believe was so embarrassed and impressed with the chest size of that one girl at the cafe that he straight out said ‘oppai’ instead of ‘kanpai’...

After giggling to yourself you began thinking of possible ways to actually help them out, but you were quick to notice that this might become a greater challenge than expected. There were countless possibilities for dates or places where they could meet girls, but you didn’t know what the perfect scenario might be.

Suddenly your phone vibrated in your pocket and as you looked at the message you had just received, an idea you urgently needed to share with your best friend struck you almost immediately.

——

The rest of the week passed by in a flash and before any of you knew it, the day of your school’s festival had finally arrived.

“Miss (Y/N) hello.“, greeted Moriyama as soon as the five of them had met up with you at the promised spot. As soon as you saw that all of them had dressed up, you immediately began smiling to yourself, hoping that they wouldn’t notice the faint blush that adorned your cheeks.

“Good evening everyone, I’m glad to see that you guys found the way without any problems!“

It didn’t take Kise too long to run up to you and start complaining about how you’ve left him in the dark and ignored all his messages and questions concerning today’s plans. All you could do was pat his head and apologize for it.

“I know I shouldn’t have kept it hidden from you, but I figured it would be best if I told you guys about my plan today, so I could spare you from overthinking it too much.“

“That’s so nice of you, thank you very much!! We’ll be in your care tonight!!“, yelled the young man whom you remembered as Hayakawa and bowed to you multiple times, the action earning him a lot of curious glances from your classmates who passed by. It did take you some time to actually get him to stop his formal apology and you even got help from someone quite unexpected, namely Kasamtasu.

So he can do it if he wants to...

“Alright then, let me tell you guys what I came up with“, you began and lowered your voice, “some of my classmates are actually quite interested in basketball and as they heard that I know Kise they immediately started asking me if I could introduce them to him, but that wish extended the moment he joined Kaijo...and soon they wanted me to introduce you to them as well.“

The more you elaborated the more they understood in which direction this talk was headed, as for their thoughts...they varied, but out of respect to you they remained silent and kept on listening.

“So the moment my classmate reminded of today, I figured: why not invite you guys and finally introduce you to them.”

Kobori nodded slowly and placed a finger on his chin: ”That might actually work out...”

You smiled confidently and put your hands on your hips, striking a slight victory pose. “Oh, it will, since your interest and knowledge in basketball will be of great aid and advantage, since a lot of girls these days are really fond of you basketball players. And besides...have you actually noticed something peculiar?”

“Something peculiar you say..?”, repeated Moriyama who looked around, wondering just what you could possibly mean with that.

“Well compared to the girls at the station, you can actually talk pretty normal to me, right?“

The moment realization hit them several loud and surprised ‘oh’s escaped their mouths.

“Fact is that the four of you have no real problem talking with girls...your approaches are the main reason for concern.”

You turned to Hayakawa and began listing the results of your observations as well as giving them individual advice for the planned ‘group date’ that was about to follow.

Hayakawa, an ambitious young man who didn’t know how to tame his loud personality as well as his obvious love for the ball sport. That eagerness and dedication is actually quite the positive character trait a lot of women look for in a man, so his only obstacle would be to slowly drift off from basketball as a topic and strive for one which was more centered on the romantic life. So the advice you gave him was that he should begin imagining the date as some sort of basketball game. He - the player - had to somehow maneuver his way to the hoop which was the successful date or conversation, the girl would be the ball, and the enemies that try to block his way his passion for basketball.

Kobori, a really respectful and innocent young man who has no experience whatsoever and knows almost nothing about girls or pickup lines. Someone like that is quite rare to find and even if he may see it as some kind of disadvantage, you first and foremost reassured him that his ‘pureness’ is quite beneficial for girls who were in the same situation as him. It’s better to be unexperienced together and advance as a pair than solo. Your advice? ‘Be yourself and don’t be embarrassed to state that you’ve got no experience at all since that alone is commendable enough considering your age, looks, and club affinity.’    

Moriyama, the ‘pitiful handsome guy’ who believed that every encounter with the female gender was fated and destined for greatness. His nickname already gave anyone who witnessed his way of flirting a sufficient idea of what the problem with this man might be. He had the looks and gentleness for it, but the moment he opened his mouth it all went downhill for him, his conversation partner, and the success of the dialog. It was hard to give him advice since the idea of fateful meetings was deeply rooted in his head, so all you told him was that he should bring that topic up more subtly and maybe combine fate with some pickup lines since you had no doubt that if someone could pull off such cheesy sayings then that would be him.

Last but not least Kasamatsu the captain who barely managed a single word when women were around. For some unknown reason, he seemed afraid of the female kind, but he at least knew what he wanted, and back at the cafe he also proved to be somewhat capable of expressing that. So your advice to him was to actually let his actions speak for himself. Like that he’d get somewhat accustomed to the girl’s presence and that would make it easier for him to start a conversation, additionally, the fact that your classmates were also interested in basketball would help the captain out the most.  

As for Kise, well...he was your best friend, and during all these shared years of friendship you’ve pretty much told him everything concerning ‘problems’ he might have during such group dates. He was a desired and flashy young man who had a very unique sense of humor that was well received amongst his peers - female as well as male. The only problem was that he rarely managed to concentrate on one person and that, of course, hurt his conversation partner. Your advice to him was simple: turn your back to the crowd and face her and her alone.

After you had finally finished sharing your thoughts they all looked at you with wide, impressed, and somewhat loving eyes.

Sadly the group of girls came earlier than expected so the boys couldn’t manage to thank you properly, but you didn’t mind that and just sent them off with a smile on your face, hoping they’d have a good time and finally succeed in picking up girls. You couldn’t deny the fact that you felt lonely after literally sending off five people on a date with some other female students, but that loneliness soon perished as some moments later you heard a familiar voice calling out your name...  

[lizzybeth1986]

What are your overall thoughts on Madeleine as a character including what transpired between her and Hana? I've felt iffy about her, but I'm not sure how to phrase that. I think you can better articulate and explain than I could 😅

Not to boast…but you’ve come to the right person (besides @callmetippytumbles who has made excellent points time and again about how the writing centers Madeleine in ways that they should have been centering Hana). I have written A LOT about that issue especially. Here are some of my meta on that if you’re interested:

Brushed Under the Carpet: Madeleine as an Alternate LI (this was written after TRR Book 3 Chapter 9, where they were subtly hinting at making them a ship).

QT on Book 3 Chapter 16 (Tbh thankfully the bit I was predicting here - Madeleine getting the coming out story that should have been Hana’s - wound up not happening, though part of it could have been from them having to scrap the entire idea after the backlash).

How Do You Fix Hana’s Characterization in TRR? (this essay listed a whole set of changes both to help strengthen Hana’s storyline and to give her the attention and validation she deserved but didn’t get in the actual story)

This replay to an ask posted after 3 of the 4 writers on the team claimed Hana was the kind of person they would marry.

A lot of this illustrates my problems with Madeleine on a level of characterization (and Tippy covers the aspects that deal not with Hana, but with Madeleine's half-baked redemption arc and how the narrative tries really hard to convince us that she does her job well, even when she isn’t doing it properly).

With regards to Madeleine herself, I feel like they started out fully intending that the reader hate her and view her as a rival, before turning the tables and establishing her as “innocent” of the conspiracy (though still extremely unlikeable). In narrative structure, the bachelorette chapter had a lot of striking similarities to the Lythikos chapter where you found out about Olivia’s painful childhood before she mocked Drake about his missing sister. I feel like the aim was to make us see Madeleine in a different light, while still remembering why we dislike her.

Somewhere along the line (with Hana’s chocolate scene) they went too far, and Madeleine went from unlikeable to completely repulsive. After that, the team attempted to completely backtrack, by cramming in a sympathy arc for her and after the “hazing process” excuse, what she did to Hana especially was never addressed again. Suddenly she was the patriot who would sacrifice her life and happiness for Cordonia, a figure to be admired and pitied. A woman who was immensely talented and did her job well [even when she actually didn’t]). Most of her characterization, really, consists of retconning.

But I have no interest in Madeleine, or her characterization. I just don’t. No, what I’m going to touch upon today is narrative treatment.

–

Rival figures are important in a story. They’re a foil to the main character: sometimes they exist simply to make the MC look better (ew), sometimes they’re there to show the MC what the larger society in their world is like, and what challenges they may face, and sometimes they’re an unexpected ally after the MC figures out the problem goes way deeper than the rivalry with them. So if you have a rival who behaves badly, treats the people around her badly? That in itself is not really a bad thing.

It makes me hurt for the characters at the receiving end, but as long as long as the narrative validates their experience on its own initiative, and allows them space, I will be fine. If I’m shown bullying and abuse in a narrative towards a character, I’m going to want to see the person hurting from this:

1. have support. Immense support

2. have a friend circle that will protect them and put them first

3. have opportunities to talk about what this is doing to them

4. have opportunities to push back against the bully

Personally the bully’s journey or whatever is of no importance to me. I simply don’t care. As much as possible I would not care about what grand monumental realizations they get behind the scenes, or what their rotten-egg-smelling guilt looks like. What matters to me is the person bullied. I need to see them win. I need to see them thrive. I need to see them receive support and validation.

One example I can give in terms of that being done well, is Penelope. Penelope is treated like a servant by Madeleine, called names, forever reminded she is good-for-nothing and useless and can’t do anything right. The bullying is constant and puts an already anxiety-ridden Penelope under additional pressure, to the point that when we meet her at Portavira in Book 3 she is VERY reluctant to return to court, and panics when certain things remind her of Madeleine’s behaviour. You have to coddle and cajole her with promises that Madeleine would never be able to do anything to her, and that she can bring her Emotional Support Animals with her to court. If we choose not to address her concerns, our friends will do it on our behalf. Drake Trauma-Minimizing Walker himself, is shown reassuring her the moment they meet in Portavira:

So it is very possible, even if the rival/bitchy character is expected to not feel remorse, and still retains a huge portion of her bitchiness, that we can still get a satisfying arc where the person in pain has support and care, and can thrive.

In Penelope’s case, perhaps the only downside may be that, while the narrative is clear about Madeleine’s bullying and its impact on Penelope, it still keeps Madeleine comfortably away from this narrative so she doesn’t even have to engage with it. She herself doesn’t exactly face consequences. The truth doesn’t even touch her.

But we don’t feel the pinch of this, so much with Penelope… precisely because PENELOPE is validated, given support and is given the space to completely refuse to even go with them if the MC doesn’t make great efforts to support and be nice to her (this, even though she has herself harmed us). She is allowed to get upset if we even question her on not following the dress code of our bachelorette, because it reminds her of Madeleine’s. She is even “rewarded” with a guy, no matter which playthrough.

And not every character is going to be a Penelope who will require that level of coddling from other people. So it’s not always about the MC and others needing to constantly protect and reassure such people. Sometimes it’s just simply about whether said character is allowed to push back against the bully. Hana gets a small measure of this when she’s allowed (but only on one occasion, that too a 30 diamond scene that wasn’t even coded properly later) to tell Olivia exactly what she thinks of her (and Olivia is allowed to say shit about her even after that, without Hana ever being allowed the same space again).

Now the thing with Hana (with regards to Madeleine) is…that they could have easily given her space to push back. Easily given the MC opportunities to protect her. Easily ensured that Hana didn’t have to engage with Madeleine if she didn’t want to. Have her whack friends fucking remember what she was put through at least!!!

Let’s go through how that could have been done one by one:

Pushing Back: One of the most bizarre choices the TRR team made was the give the scene about Liam telling Hana he would get her back to court (ergo, that Hana returned through Liam’s help, not Madeleine as the latter kept claiming) to Drake! He gets to narrate this story to the MC, but Hana herself is never allowed to acknowledge the fact or even talk about it. If she were, she would have at least (at the very least!!!) been given chances to hint at Madeleine twisting the truth, implied as much to Madeleine or to the MC, pushed back in her own unique way. The narrative not only pushes the truth of her return in DRAKE’S scene…it also never gives HER the opportunity to do anything actively against Madeleine’s very obvious twisting of the truth. Just so that Madeleine would continue to have way more power over Hana throughout. The bullying occurs much before the incident in Italy, but Hana herself is expected to stay silent.

Support: Now it’s not as if Penelope gets to push back on her own to Madeleine during this time either (except for a few comments here and there). But Penelope does get plenty of support and eventually protection. Does this apply to Hana as well?

Technically, you could view the fondue party scene that took place after the “chocolate allergy” incident as “support” - but at best it’s very weak “support”, and at its worst it really just a scene revolves around all the other characters (especially around gaining Olivia’s friendship), with a hurt, frightened Hana hovering in the background of the scene.

The MC has the option (option!!) to “call Madeleine out” on the events of the previous night when they’re in Paris, but it mostly results in Madeleine pretending it was a test of some sort (which the MC never bothers to contradict even though she knows better). The best case scenario is, well, that…and the worst case scenario is that Hana never really finds out even that, up until the end.

Speaking Out and Validation: Not only does the narrative not address the bullying after it has happened (until the very end of the series), it uses Hana - the woman who was harmed - to minimize its impact as well. On the one occasion you actually do get to talk to her about the night of Madeleine’s bachelorette party, they make Hana say (if you state that you don’t remember anything from that night), that "the tequila brought out Kiara's mean side, and Madeleine's fun side". Madeleine’s “fun side”, presumably, involves her laughing over targeting, torturing and breaking the vulnerable women in her court I suppose. (also, way to do Kiara dirty while forgetting what Madeleine did, PB!)

Further ahead, the MC and her friends promptly forget about this - Hana is expected to help the MC extract important information from her without even bothering to find out if she is comfortable or not, for instance. The forgetfulness gets to the point where, in the epilogue, (when Madeleine repeats to Hana what she’d told the MC back then) the MC acts like it is the first time she is hearing about Madeleine’s intentions to break Hana.

So forget about getting validation, for a large chunk of the narrative Hana wasn’t even allowed to view her own experience with bullying as painful. And if anything, her friend circle didn’t mind putting her needs and comfort last when it suited them.

The biggest problem about the storyline that involves Hana and Madeleine is the question of who should be getting more space and development, and who actually does. The time and energy spent on Hana navigating a court like this which such threats over her head…is spent instead on literally everything else. The time that could have been spent working on Hana’s background and childhood history…was spent to build Madeleine’s redemption arc instead (ironically, Adelaide starts feeding us with that sympathy arc in Shanghai, Hana’s home).

Effort was spent on extolling Madeleine efficiency and great work, even though there was very little of it to be seen. Effort was spent on making Madeleine look patriotic and not power-hungry, in making it clear to us that her father’s rejections left an impact on her. Even the story involving her attraction to Hana revolved more around HER, not around the woman she hurt. Was the same effort put into exploring Hana’s own struggle in court? In how she feels when people hurt her? In whether she is comfortable doing certain things? I think we all know the answer to that.

The key to why I hate Madeleine’s story so much isn’t that she’s a horrible person. You can be a horrible person and still have a compelling story. You can be a horrible person, and unapologetic about it, but still have the narrative validate what the people you had harmed went through.

It’s that the narrative and team knows and acknowledges her toxic behaviour, but only for a character that they like. They conveniently decided to cherry pick who would be comforted and given reassurance, and who would be forced to praise her bully for her ‘patriotism’. I should have been spending way less time on Madeleine’s redemption and coddling Penelope, and more time on making Hana feel safe in a largely alien place where she has no one but us - and where she is staying only for our protection. My problem is that they didn’t consider Hana’s pain important enough to even address, much less validate.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

I too am in a TWW rewatch, because well I enjoy torturing myself by watching competent articulate political types. (That and the great tv) I'm really struggling with Will. He seems like such an creep the further it goes on yet all the female characters seem to like him. I feel like I'm missing something. Do you have any views on him?

I have views on everything!! :D Seriously though, nobody’s ever asked me about Will so what a great chance for an essay. (This got REALLY long, fair warning.)

First, a disclaimer. I’ve never been very active on Twitter, but when I started using it, I mostly followed TWW actors. I occasionally tweeted at them, and I never expected responses, because they were amazing actors from this show I revered, and I was a random fangirl on social media. But two of them did, and were SO nice, and it shocked me so much back in the day to realize how kind and down-to-earth TWW cast is, when I had just seen the series and hadn’t yet found tumblr or watched interviews. It really made an impression on me. Richard Schiff called me ‘very sweet’ and won my heart forever, and Joshua Malina was also totally friendly and nice, so much so that I felt bad for never really liking his character much.

That’s right, I too used to think Will was obnoxious. But once I realized the actor was kinda awesome, I reconsidered his character and gave him a chance. So I’m glad you asked me, as I’ve been on both sides with Will and really love him now.

IMO, Will Bailey came in not just as a replacement for Sam, but also as a character with very different values, who was meant to contrast with our heroes at a crucial time.

Mid-S4, when Will is first introduced, we meet him as a skilled, idealistic writer who’s also got strong organizational and leadership skills. That’s different from any of our faves, since both Sam and Toby are talented wordsmiths, and both are idealistic in their own ways, but they’re also both oriented towards behind-the-scenes work. Toby is very team-focused and loyal but he would like it if everyone would leave him alone and let him do what he’s good at–messaging and writing and trying to nudge the people around him onto the path he thinks is best. When CJ is promoted above him to become COS, he cares even less about the professional snub than Josh does, because it’s not something he wanted.

And while Sam has political aspirations, he never really shows leadership qualities. He’s an excellent second to Toby and even for Josh when needed, but he’s also shown to be the least canny and experienced of them all, and you could argue that being in front of the camera as a candidate for office doesn’t always equal being a leader, if your staff is really running the show for you, which is what Sam’s campaign looks like. Everyone around him coordinates the details and runs things to leave him space to just be The Guy. But Will Bailey is both the guy running the show behind the scenes AND the guy who can get on camera and speak about the politics and ideals of his campaign because his family and professional background made him much more well-rounded. Heck, he’s even in the armed forces on top of all that! He’s portrayed as good at all the things he does.

Now, what’s interesting to me is that Will, as he’s first introduced, is much more confident and idealistic than he is later on. Early Will goes through a serious transformation, from Toby’s new second to an independent operator who lacks the loyalty the others have to a man more than to a party. To some extent, Will’s rebellious, ‘you need me more than I need you’ attitude was there from the moment Sam showed up to his winning campaign, but I think that who Aaron Sorkin (who had worked with the actor a lot before) conceived him as changed after Sorkin left. The showrunners for S5-7 saw an opportunity in his character’s feisty campaign background and turned him into someone with even less personal loyalty and more detached pragmatism.

The fact is, that’s not what Sorkin-era TWW is about. One of the reasons the later seasons are so different is their clear-eyed look at campaign chaos and shifting loyalties and all the small on-the-ground work that we didn’t see with President Bartlet. The earlier seasons are very much about our found family of staffers and the First Family and watching them fight the status quo that constrains them because they won. They always want to do better, and be better, and as much as they acknowledge the reality that you have to win in order to change the world, the show still promises us that it’s the change that actually matters, and it isn’t worth winning if you have to sell your soul to do it.

So if there’s a spectrum along which everyone falls, based on how much they’re willing to ‘go along to get along’ versus making trouble for the sake of their beliefs, Will Bailey is on the exact opposite end from say, Amy Gardner, with our core characters in the middle. I’ve rambled about Amy before, about how her values and priorities are so different from our heroes that she’s an antagonist even as she works with them a lot of the time. Will has the same complicated relationship with the people we’ve been rooting for for years, but for drastically different reasons. Amy is at odds with the West Wing because she’ll do whatever it takes to win the argument and get what she wants, pulling the Democrats to the left whenever possible.

Will, though–especially in S5 and beyond–is at odds with the West Wing even when he’s in the West Wing, because for all his ideals, he has no problem with compromise. He sees nothing wrong with moving to the middle if it helps you win, if it gets you more power. He’s willing to look like an idiot for the White House, he’s willing to go in front of the press core and be beaten up for days if it will help the cause, he doesn’t hesitate to jump to a new campaign that he thinks could win, because winning is how you get the things you want. Probably, being a diplomat’s son has something to do with how accommodating he is, and how able Will is to justify any position, any choice. We’re told he’s very good with words, but he was probably also good at Debate in school, because he can clearly turn any situation around as needed.

Which means that while Will’s instinct is to adjust and Amy’s is to dig her heels in, they share the one quality that makes any TWW character harder to like: they answer only to themselves. Above all else, their ‘constituency of one’ is themselves rather than a specific politician or even the party. Will is a Democrat, but he’ll happily buck the party wisdom in favor of what he thinks will win. And that puts him up against Toby, the President, Josh, etc, at different times because he bases his choices on his own ideals and they’re just different from those of the Bartlet Administration, which spends 8 years fighting to stay progressive and deciding it’s better to go down fighting than do or say things they don’t believe in.

Will is also an interesting foil for Donna after she leaves the White House, and not just because they become coworkers and good friends. Along with the fact that she left Josh and struck out on her own, most of her post-Sorkin conflict with Josh is actually based on WHO she went to work for and how differently she and Josh see that decision/what it says about her and her time working under Josh. By going to work for Russell, Donna shows that she’s less concerned with finding the perfect underdog candidate and more interested in a future that keeps up Democratic progress after President Bartlet leaves office. She is never dedicated to Russell as a man, and over time becomes visibly concerned with his flaws as a man and a candidate. But tellingly, Will isn’t any more personally loyal to Russell than Donna is–and he’s the one running the man’s whole campaign!

It says a lot about Will that for all the moments when Russell shows himself to be less than honorable, Will clearly disagrees with his actions…but he stays. Because Russell was never why he left the Bartlet Administration, or why he took on the new campaign. He took it on because he’s good at winning campaigns, and in Russell he saw someone who could win, and he may have even admired the antagonistic streak that came out once Russell became VP. Russell also had no interest in the ‘cult of Bartlet’ and quickly proved that he wouldn’t even have the level of respect that Hoynes had for Josiah Bartlet as a man. Most of the characters on TWW consider that strike one against Russell and a major character flaw, but Will doesn’t. He respects the President and the office but he didn’t know Jed before the MS reveal, he sees him from more of a removed distance, and his White House job is a JOB to him more than a calling.

Again, some of this was less true during the Sorkin era. The Will Bailey who lost the ability to speak when he was officially offered Sam’s position is much more in awe of the gravity of it all, and it’s hard to see that guy jumping ship to support a moderate candidate that nobody in the White House even likes. But the hints of who he ends up as were there from the beginning, the way he tells off Sam and Toby even before he works with them–he’s always an outsider.

So the outsider factor, that makes it harder to like Will or any TWW character that doesn’t automatically get along with the others. Ainsley Hayes may be ‘the enemy’ as a Republican, but she is amiable and smoothly tries to change minds–and when she isn’t able to, she opts to live and let live. Will is harsher, more combative at times, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but that makes me feel defensive and protective towards the staffers he’s arguing with. After all, I adore them and I barely know him, how dare he?

But of course, his actions and his beliefs make perfect sense from HIS perspective. He’s had a successful career, and being a part of the Administration was never a goal of his, so he doesn’t need to go out of his way to defer to their judgement or stay quiet in the face of their superior wisdom. He was raised to know how to work people and get his way, but he was also raised with incredible privilege and confidence and if he was banished from TWW inner circle it wouldn’t be much of a loss for him. Being an outsider isn’t a problem for him, he spent his life that way as a diplomat’s son, so he never feels the need to conform the way he would have to in order to really become a part of the gang.

Honestly, the only reason he ever gels as a part of the group is because Josh leaves and Toby is fired and they need Will to speak for the White House–finally he’s the ultimate insider, he’s the Bartlet mouthpiece, and the only original senior staffer left is CJ, so once Will and Kate bond they’re the center of the staff that’s left, and he has somebody on his side. (And once he’s off the campaign trail, the show goes back to highlighting his neurotic and geeky side, because he can’t be the ‘win at all costs’ guy anymore and needed a new focus.)

So here’s why I think it can be hard to like Will: he often seems like an entitled, immune-to-criticism, antagonistic opportunist. At his worst he seems to think the means justify the ends, despite his progressive beliefs in general, and that means he’s the guy who could get almost anybody elected–which is great when it’s S3 and Bruno Gianelli is on Bartlet’s side, but less so when Russell seems like not much of an improvement on Hoynes in terms of decency and intelligence and Will has the skills to actually make that guy President.

BUT, (and I can’t guarantee this will help you but I think it’s important because Will does exist as a complex, multidimensional character, and that’s a good thing even though it means he has flaws) at his best he is an adorable dork who wants to make the world better, will take jobs because he believes they need doing even if they’re not his own personal dream, is willing to put himself in danger to save and protect others, and is not just talented but also very knowledgeable about the same kind of geeky Constitutional and political history that Jed Bartlet is.

What I’m trying to say is that Will, as much as anyone on TWW, is the product of his good and bad qualities, and both sides of that equation come from his core traits. His ability to ignore others’ criticism because he’s secure in who he is can be annoying when it’s Toby or Josh trying to talk sense into him, but it also means he survives hazing with friendly ease and stands up for the White House’s positions like a pro. He cares more about winning than fighting the narrowest version of the good fight, but he’s not wrong that winning is better for progressive goals than losing for the sake of ideological purity (hi 2016, I have not missed you). He isn’t loyal to the Bartlet Adminstration above all else–but if everyone were, then the President would be a dictator. Intra-party fighting can weaken a party but it also allows for diversity rather than a cult mentality.

So, here’s what it comes down to. Will isn’t Sam, and that means Toby could never really like or trust him, even if he had become more loyal. Will is a political relativist, which means Josh was never going to agree with his choices, as Josh has always put people first and hates having to compromise. Will is a privileged white guy (played by a Jewish actor, but never canonically established as Jewish) so CJ tolerates him but doesn’t genuinely like him for some time, because that’s just how she rolls. Leo leaves Will under Toby’s purview, and Jed has even less direct interaction with him. He spends a lot of his time battling a group of young female interns we never see again (tbh I can’t stand those scenes and if that’s where you get your creep factor, I get it). Given how disconnected he often is from the central cast, is it any wonder he’s mostly underappreciated and ignored by fans as well?

As for why the female characters on the show don’t seem bothered by him, even when you are, I think there’s a couple of possible explanations. First of all, TWW is a show that doesn’t show us that much–we have to assume that all of these characters, who practically live at work, spend a TON of time together offscreen, just by the nature of their jobs. If most of that time is similar to Will’s comedic scenes, where he’s a giant nerd with bikes in his office whose response to stress is the fetal position, then presumably his coworkers see his flawed human side, in an endearing rather than annoying way.

And secondly, we as viewers don’t have that perspective. We don’t even have the benefit of being these characters living in the early ‘00s, when it was a given that the government would be full of overconfident oblivious men and that’s just what women were expected to handle with poise and sweetness. Clearly things haven’t changed much over the years when it comes to White House staff and a backdrop of misogyny at work, but for a lot of us as viewers the world has progressed.

So Donna gets along with Will as her boss who can be kind of dense or morally ambivalent sometimes, but she’s also spent almost a decade dealing with the most powerful men in America. As an assistant, for most of that time. To her, even Will’s worst moments are barely a blip in the grand scheme of things. And CJ is totally unimpressed by Will’s smarts and talent because she works with the smartest and most talented men she’s ever known, but he serves a purpose and doesn’t get in her way, so she has no problem with him. Kate rose to power through the ranks of military men and has definitely seen, and probably injured, worse guys than Will Bailey. All the women of TWW have spent their careers dealing with men of varying character. I mean, even compared to some of Sam’s comments, Will must seem downright harmless.

TL;DR Can Will Bailey be a patronizing know-it-all who puts his own interests before party and found family? Absolutely. Is he a bad guy? Not at all. He’s just a different kind of good guy than those The West Wing conditioned us to admire and root for.

[nighttimelights-prompted]

Hello! I would just like to say I really like your style of writing. This blog has quickly become one of the ones I check regularly, if only to re-read posts. Oh, and I especially like your interpretations of UT!Papyrus and US!Sans, since I usually see them written in a way that does not fully capture what made Papyrus my absolute favorite character in the first place. So, ramble ramble, I'm a fan. ovo

this seriously made my night.

and i’m especially happy to hear that you like the way i do UT Pap and US Sans - i try to do right by the original Papyrus (which is how i translate it to US Sans, of course), and i’m always excited when i hear that someone else likes my interpretation. i definitely understand what you mean about wanting to read more of that kind of Papyrus, the kind that at least comes mildly close to the one in Undertale that stole our hearts.

so… here’s just a silly little drabble for you in thanks, with a little UT Pap x Reader silliness. :)

You knew you had the music turned up a little too loud, but with it being the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday you felt you could let yourself get away with it. It wasn’t anything disruptive, in any case - after all, you worked in a small boutique tea shop. The atmosphere wasn’t what one would immediately describe as ‘lively’.

But hey - it paid pretty well, the owner was sweet, and you got to be around the wonderful smell of a staggering variety of teas.

So you hummed along to the relaxing song that you had going currently, reaching up on tip toe on your stepladder to dust the higher shelves. With everything stocked, reorganized, deep-cleaned, and more, there wasn’t much else to do, provided you didn’t accidentally make a mess yourself.

“HELLO, HUMAN!”

You screamed as you startled, instinctively twisting to look towards the booming voice - which you immediately realizedwas a terrible decision, resulting in your weight shifting so that you were pulled off balance, causing the stepladder to tip over and send you falling towards the floor. You clenched your eyes shut as you prepared for the painful impact-

“OOP-!”

You were caught in an unyielding and suprisingly gentle pair of arms, which were attached to an equally unyielding body, that had just huffed out with relatively anticlimactic effort as you made impact.

You opened your eyes as you caught up to the fact that no further impact was coming.

“Oh god, thank you, I- skeLETON THAT’S - YOU’RE A- errrr I mean hellllllo, sir-!”

Your recovery was about as smooth as it could be, clearly.

You stared upwards at the face of both your downfall and savior - an incredibly bright, cheerful skeleton. Your face flushed, from both embarrassment and a flurry of not-quite-formed thoughts as you registered how effortlessly this skeleton was holding you, at the placement of his hands near your shoulder and behind your knees as he held you close in an absurdly perfect bridal style.

“HELLO IN RETURN, HUMAN! AGAIN! FOR THE SECOND TIME! YOU ARE DEFINITELY OBSERVANT, I MUST GIVE YOU THAT - I’VE HAD A FEW OTHER HUMANS IMMEDIATELY NOTE MY APPEARANCE IN SUCH A WAY, BUT YOU’VE DONE IT WITH THE COURTESY OF EVEN THANKING ME FOR BEING A SKELETON FIRST!”

Your flush deepened.

“I mean - I’m sorry, I wasn’t - um. I didn’t mean to scream,” you managed to say, giving up on correcting him and instead half-remembering that you’re supposed to be an employee. And speaking of which - “Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry, you can - you can let me down now, I should be fine to stand!”

The skeleton’s brow drew downward for the first time, his expression creasing slightly in concern. “ARE YOU QUITE CERTAIN? YOU ARE DEFINITELY A PARAGON OF HUMANITY AND… STANDING-UP-NESS - ER, THAT IS TO SAY, I TRUST THAT YOU CAN STAND ON YOUR FEET, I THINK, BUT. WELL. YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT ACTIONS VERSUS WORDS AND ALL THAT. AND I’LL ADMIT, FROM WHAT I’VE SEEN, I HAVE SOME RESERVATIONS ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GRAVITY. PARTICULARLY THE NOT SUCCUMBING TO IT PART. IMMEDIATELY. IN A… HORIZONTAL FASHION.”

Your hands were nearly covering your face, and your palms were close to combusting with the heat coming from your cheeks. Not only could you clearly not be trusted by this sweet, cute skeleton to stand, you - wait, nope, what were those adjectives, stop that right there.

“NoreallyI’mgoodIpromisepleasejustletmestandbeforeIdiethanks!”

… You had to give him credit, he picked out your words at the lightning speed they flew out of you and immediately righted you and had you standing. You didn’t pull your hands from your face. You weren’t quite sure you ever would, really.

“OKAY, OKAY, YES THERE- I - HUMANS CAN DIE FROM NOT STANDING?? DOES THAT APPLY TO MONSTERS TOO? I MEAN, I MAKE A POINT TO STAND A LOT, I’M QUITE THE EXPERT, BUT I’LL REALLY HAVE TO PASS THAT INFORMATION ON TO SANS, MAYBE THAT’LL GET HIM MOVING A LITTLE FASTER IN THE MORNINGS - OR AFTERNOONS, OR, YOU KNOW, EVER,” the skeleton said. He too was rambling, and to your confusion his cheekbones were glowing a faint orange as he quickly pulled his gloved hands away from you in anxious worry, before reaching out again, pausing, patting the air barely an inch above your shoulder, then fluttering them sort of uselessly.

He inhaled, somehow, then looked away as if catching onto himself. He cleared his throat then, again somehow, and looked to you with a somewhat sheepish tilt to his bright smile.

“IN… ANY CASE! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

You nodded quickly - you absolutely were. Too okay, in fact. Despite your inclination to continue protecting the surrounding air from your blush, you lifted your own hands and waved them in front of you insistently.

“Yes, yes, of course! Thank you so much for catching me, I would’ve been having a really hard time otherwise,” you said, laughter bubbling out of you in polite amiability and ongoing embarassment. “I didn’t mean to trouble you like that - please, how can I help you today?”

He brightened at that, the strange glow still glimmering beneath his eyesockets as he straightened a little. “YES, OF COURSE! YOU ARE VERY KIND, HUMAN - I AM IN FACT NEED OF YOUR HELP, YOUR TEA-ORIENTED MASTERY IS IN FACT WHAT I MOST DESIRE! YOU SEE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS-” He struck a pose at that, a cheesy and yet dashing pose that you could imagine any knight-in-shining-armor ready to strike when ready to charge into danger. You pressed a hand to your mouth, covering a smile that was widening in a very, very genuine way. “-I HAVE BEEN HIRED TO BE A PERSONAL GUARD TO A DEAR FRIEND OF MINE, HIRED BY THEIR FATHER IN FACT, WHO IS SOMEONE WHO MAY OR MAY NOT LIKE TEA. A LOT. TO AN OBSESSIVE LEVEL, REALLY. YOU KNOW, AS HAPPENS. IN ANY CASE, I WANT TO BE A GOOD INFLUENCE AS WELL AS A GOOD GUARD, AND SHOW THAT I REALLY KNOW WHAT IS UP! AND WHAT IS EVEN HIGHER, IF POSSIBLE!”

“Wow, I… really admire that dedication, that’s - you’re amazing, Papyrus,” you said, returning his bright smile. Something about even just his presence was making you happy - but maybe that was his attitude… and confidence. And incredible posing skills.

The glow on his cheeks brightened at your words. He laughed, a sound that filled you further with warmth even as it stuttered as he glanced from side to side. “O-OH, OF COURSE, HUMAN! I AM GREAT, AFTER ALL, AND AMAZING FALLS UNDER THAT SORT OF… GREAT… UMBRELLA! YES.”

His gloved hand went to rub at his vertebrae, and you decided to be merciful. “So! You’d like to learn more about tea, then? And perhaps we could set you up with a few options to bring with you your first day, really show them that you know what’s up with tea?” You offered with a smile, sweeping a hand towards the beautifully full shelves of your store, teeming with variety and potential combinations.

“WOWIE, WOULD I! I KNEW THIS WAS THE RIGHT PLACE TO GO - IT WAS DEFINITELY MY SOUL THAT LED ME HERE! AND MY PHONE. BUT MY SOUL HAPPENED TO DEFINITELY CONFIRM THE VERY HANDY HINTS PROVIDED BY MY PHONE!” He nodded sagely as his gaze went to the shelves. He then turned his attention back to you, his expression lighting up once more, tinged with a mischievous excitement. The next moment he was bowing ostentatiously, and he looked up from it to wink at you… audibly. “LEAD THE WAY, TEAMASTER! I AWAIT YOUR LEAFY-WATER WISDOM!”

You couldn’t help the return of your blush as you slapped a hand over your mouth to keep from laughing. He rose with a cheeky tilt to his smile, a twinkle in his eye telling you that he wasn’t entirely unaware of what he was doing.

Your mind made up, you reached out and slipped your hand into his and tugged him further along the closest wall. “Alright then, Great Papyrus,” you said, looking back at his orange-dusted beaming face with a mischievous smile of your own. “Let’s see if you’re ready for the great secrets of tea.”

[amorremanet]

omg Kassie i'm bad at these au meme things and i feel like asking for, like, theatre kids au headcanons is disingenuous because can you have a headcanon for your own world? that would just be canon, no? so gimme 5 headcanons for a a hedric college modern au?

the “send me an au and i’ll write 5+ headcanons about it” game

I actually have done that for this game before, though it was a little less, “headcanons about a universe that is already headcanon” and more, “a glorified excuse to talk a lot about the headcanon universe” — but anyway

So, at Hogwarts University, we have Cedric Diggory, one of the History department’s postgrad students, and Harry Potter, one of the undergrads in the Social Policy and Social Work program.

They first met each other during one of the unofficial, only barely organized, by the students and for the students games of football, when they got put on the same team and butted heads about strategy, with a lot of openly sarcastic snark from Harry, and a lot of passive-aggressive dry snark from Cedric, and a lot of eye-rolling from their teammates because there is a time and a place for ineptly flirting at each other without entirely realizing that you’re doing it, and neither of them is, “during a game, what the Hell, guys”

Everyone else on that team, from Ginny (Harry’s ex and his best friend’s sister) to Viktor (who’s a big deal footballer but he really doesn’t like being reminded of it, or how it’s impeded all of his academics, and anyway, he’s Cedric’s roommate and they used to be boyfriends) had a Super Awkward time of it because eventually, it became obvious that Harry and Cedric were not listening to them, were totally off in their own world during all attempted discussions of strategy, and were probably going to be super into each other

The snarkfest finally ended when Harry sort of accidentally tackled Cedric while trying not to faceplant after hitting a slick patch of mud too quickly and sliding, after which: 1. Ginny took over as captain, and dragged Viktor into being her co-captain, because she decided that if Cedric and Harry couldn’t share the co-captain spot without flirting and being ridiculous at each other, then screw them, they don’t get to be co-captains anymore;

and 2. even if she hadn’t, they would’ve calmed down anyway, because abruptly ending up sprawled out with Harry on top of Cedric made both of them have an, “oh shit, he’s hot” moment, which really knocked the wind out of their unintentional snarky argue-flirting and made both of them much more cooperative

For her part, Cho is really glad that she was on the other team for all of this (though, at the time, she was really not into this arrangement because she got stuck with Draco, Zacharias, Pansy, Oliver, and Roger Davies as some of her teammates, and Cho mostly likes Oliver and Roger, but all five of these people kinda suck to be on a team with for various reasons).

But she’s grateful now because on one hand, she and Cedric dated before they were in undergrad, and he’s one of her best friends. On the other hand, she and Harry briefly dated, and it ended amicably.

And on the tentacle, she’s currently in a Something with Ginny that isn’t yet officially anything because neither of them is sure what she wants but they keep flirting with each other but in not very direct ways, and okay really, it would’ve been Awkward And Messy for Cho to be on a team with Ginny while two of her exes were being even more inept at flirting than Cho and Ginny have been

Cedric has this problem where he doesn’t know how to ask for help when he needs it, because:

1. he’s legitimately gifted (which has given him kind of a Thing about working hard enough to prove that he isn’t just coasting by on his natural talents and aptitude, which usually means that he will work himself almost to the point of a complete breakdown, succeed, and then learn almost nothing from this since he didn’t actually have said breakdown so it’s probably okay to keep doing this — and he still feels like it’s not enough and maybe he’s not actually good at anything)

2. a lot of people whom he cares about rely on and look up to him (which kicks him in the responsibility and makes him feel like he has to always be there for them, and he gets that he is allowed to ask people to be there for him in turn, but he only actually lives that idea in certain specific ways that usually do not involve any of his actual problems)

and 3. he kinda has a chip on his shoulder about whether or not he can actually handle anything on his own, and about doing all of the work to prove that he can, because he was sort of an awkward and sickly kid, and between his Mum verging on being overprotective and Amos over-hyping Cedric for every. single. accomplishment. he ever had, in ways that Cedric finds over-the-top and unnecessary, Cedric got stuck worrying about whether or not he could handle anything

This is all getting particularly problematic because Cedric has pretty much no idea what he’s going to do after finishing his postgraduate work (which he started because he had no idea what he was going to do after finishing his undergrad) and he feels like he can’t ask anyone for help without letting everyone down and somehow hurting them horribly.

Someone, please. Help this boy.

Harry really values his ability to keep a low profile. Unfortunately for him, this ability is borderline non-existent because:

1. He’s the son of that famous footballer whose father invented Toaster Strudels or something (it was actually the Sleekeazy line of hair products but almost nobody remembers that, since Harry never talks about it, and his hair never behaves and he has no idea what hair products do what, so no one thinks to associate him with Sleekeazy), and that one big deal activist who made her name vehemently, openly opposing that one disgraced former Tory MP who was in good with Thatcher back in the day but these days, he’s gone even further to the political right and he’s trying (once again) to make a comeback by capitalizing on increasing Islamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments to make people vote for him.

2. The Potters died in really shady circumstances when Harry was very young, which sorta led that guy’s big fall from grace, and a huge custody nightmare because Harry was supposed to go live with his godfather and his father’s BFF, that wayward disowned, gay, bipolar son of that one noble family who are some of said ex-Tory MP’s biggest supporters, who’s managed to establish himself as a writer, but Lily’s parents initially started voicing Concern about Harry living with him, because at the time, he was:

a. undiagnosed, so a lot of his symptoms were seen as Just Sirius Being Sirius and, “just Sirius being Sirius” was periodically dangerous (mostly to Sirius himself but… still in ways that concerned Harry’s Evans grandparents);

b. nominally single, officially “straight,” and sharing a place with Professor Lupin from the History department (who was a postgrad, then), but that was all a façade, hiding their on-off Thing, where they were kinda together, but sometime not, and sometimes, “together but allowed to see other people as long as they talk about it if it ever gets serious (which it never really did but still)” — and oh boy, there was a Mess when that all came out during the custody nightmare (not least because Petunia and Vernon entered the discussion by being homophobic all over it, and making matters way, WAY worse when some trashy tabloid journalist outed Remus’s HIV status);

and c. a person of interest in the investigation of James and Lily’s deaths (which never amounted to charges and was eventually dropped, but not for lack of trying to pin it all on Sirius, on the parts of a few choice assholes).

3. Harry is a pretty gifted footballer himself, and a pretty good student, and friends with that loudmouth activisty girl who took advantage of an obscure and underutilized academic option to design her own program (combining history, law, political science, and social policy), and the youngest son of that family of impoverished minor nobles who act like they’re all about family values but are secretly an abusive shit-show, oh and he’s not actually a student here anymore, he left school to go into some nebulous but profitable startup with his twin brothers, but Harry and Hermione are still here, so he hangs around so often that most people don’t remember that he doesn’t even go here

(overall, Ron and Hermione are equally notable but in very different ways and for very different reasons)

and 4. Harry also spent his entire adolescence accidentally foiling that dickbag ex-Tory MP’s plans to try and make his comeback, and aside from all of the shit that he was embroiled in as a toddler, his godfather being kind of a Big Deal in several ways, and his “uncle” being a member of the university’s faculty, Harry just keeps drawing attention to himself without meaning to.

Someone please help him, he just wants to not have to deal with all of this attention, it is so frustrating

ngl, one of his favorite things about Cedric is that Cedric does not treat him as Famous Harry Potter, and manages to strike a rare balance between acknowledging the effects of this shit on Harry’s life and treating Harry as a real person without giving him any special treatment for better or for worse because of who his parents were, or his accidental teenage activism, or his talent at football, or any of that

(—like, seriously. Ron, Hermione, Luna, Cho, Remus, and Sirius are the only other people Harry would list as having done the thing consistently. This isn’t really fair to some others in his life, but he’s also pretty sensitive about all of this, so unfair as it is to some people in his life, it’s understandable that his list is so short)

Their first date happened kind of by accident.

See, it started when Sirius got asked to come have a reading and talk on campus, and of course Harry was going to go because it’s Sirius and his new book is really good and even if Harry didn’t like it, he’d still go because it’s Sirius.

Cedric showed up with the intent to just enjoy it and hopefully ask some questions during the Q&A (like, this boy showed up with an entire page of possible questions in his notebook, and that had already been whittled down quite a lot, and even as he went into the auditorium, he was still debating which one he wanted to ask most)

This particular event had open seating, rather than assigned seating, and Harry…… was sort of not sure where to sit, when he showed up. Like, he picked out Ron in the crowd first… but then noticed that Ron was sitting with Viktor, and looking kinda bored while Viktor looked eager, and yeah, there was a brief feeling of, “What the Hell, I should go over there and ask why Ron didn’t tell me he had a date with Viktor, who cares if I ruin their moment, what the Hell Ron” — but Harry decided against it because Ron hadn’t had a date in a while, and ruining it for him would’ve been a dick move

Then, he spotted Hermione… right as Luna sat down with her and they picked up where they’d apparently left off in some debate or other that Harry couldn’t hear so he just imagined that it was another round of Hermione reading Sirius’s poetry as sociopolitical commentaries first and foremost, while Luna primarily reads them as poems, looking at how the language and choice of images create certain emotions and stories and word-pictures, rather than what those things mean in a broader sociopolitical context, and probably arguing about the place of the author in interpreting literature

(He wasn’t that far off. Add in some stuff like, “Luna ffs why did you bring gummy bears to a poetry reading” and, “Did you do something special with your hair? …Oh, wait, you’re just not wearing any Sleekeazy’s in it, are you? …It looks really pretty and I’m sorry your internship’s been pressuring you into wearing it for the sake of looking quote-unquote professional” — and then you’d basically have what they were on about)

This process repeated itself with Cho and Ginny, then with Dean and Seamus, then with Lavender and Parvati, then with Angelina and Katie, then with Fleur and Tonks — it was only different when Harry noticed Draco, then Zacharias, because ugh, fuck shit dammit NO, there is not enough money in the world to pay Harry to sit next to either of them — and finally, he noticed Cedric sitting on his own

Faced with the choices of, “go ask Cedric if he can sit next to him and risk rejection” or, “sit alone and feel lonely, and risk Remus coming to sit with him and feeling like a loser because ugggh, one of his godfathers actually came to sit with him so he wouldn’t feel lonely which was well-intentioned but just kind of reaffirmed Harry’s feelings of loneliness and loserdom, and ugggh, he loves you, Uncle Moony, but why this”

……yeah, Harry went and asked if he could join Cedric

Cedric was really confused about why Harry seemed so hugely relieved to have been told, “Oh, sure, please — God, it’s kinda lonely with all the couples in here, right?” because?? Like???? Cedric goes out of his way to try and be kind and welcoming to everyone (even when they’ve shared incidents like the football game arguing and accidental tackling), and he got worried that he’d done something to make Harry feel like he didn’t like him or didn’t want him around

But there wasn’t really a lot of time to worry about it before the presentation started

So, instead, Cedric just waited until it was done and then asked if Harry wanted to go get dinner or something, because it was Very Important to Cedric to make sure that Harry knew that he was genuinely welcome

And well, first, they had to duck over to see Sirius before he got to signing books for people, because Sirius doesn’t always read his texts before just going, “shit, where is my godson” (or whatever) and getting really caught up in things, and Remus regularly forgets to charge his phone, lets it die, and doesn’t notice until someone (usually Sirius, Harry, Minerva, Marlene McKinnon, Mary MacDonald, or Tonks) goes, “what the fuck, why does your phone keep going straight to voicemail”

Like, you just can’t go, “okay, text Remus and he’ll go tell Sirius because he’s more responsible” because neither one of them is actually that responsible about this particular point — so Harry wanted to just congratulate Sirius, let him know that Harry would be staying at his and Remus’s place that night instead of at his, Ron, and Hermione’s place, and go, “oh btw, I’d stay here longer but I think the hot guy I accidentally tackled a few weeks ago just asked me out so I’m sorry for blowing you off but I’m gonna go out with him now”

(Sirius is always touched when he’s reminded that Harry loves him that much, but he’s also confused about why Harry felt a need to apologize for that because his opinion on all of this is, “why didn’t you just text me then, shut up at talking to me and go get some with Hot Football Boy”)

(Harry’s not even going to try to go, “I can’t text you bc I never know if you’re going to read them before you call up Ron, Hermione, Professor McGonagall, and the campus safety people to try and find me despite how I texted you that I was going to bed early or something.” He’s done that too many times to think that the message ever sticks with Sirius for long.)

Either way, Harry burned up a lot of his, “communicating with other people in an effective way” points because he didn’t ask Cedric if he’d meant this as a date date until two-thirds of the way through dinner, and his reaction to Cedric’s, “……I hadn’t thought about that one way or the other? But I’d like it if it were, if you did” was, “???? so is it a date date or not what??”

Working that out took them a good five minutes of vague as fuck, noncommittal back and forth

They eventually decided on it being a date date, but still

Five

Solid

Minutes

Shitty last headcanon is shitty because it’s 1 AM and I lost control of my life and this post and I’m tired but: so, Cedric and Viktor have a dog. She’s a mutt who Cedric found at a shelter a few years ago and fell in love with because she just looked like she needed a home so much. Her name is Lady and she’s very friendly. Before Harry met her the first time, Cedric did tell him that Lady is very friendly, but he didn’t really specify how friendly she can be when she decides that she likes someone.

She decided that she liked Harry immediately after meeting him

So, while he was waiting for Cedric to finish getting ready, she came over and put her head on Harry’s leg… then brought over a toy and made the, “play with me please please please” face at him and he indulged her because awwww cute……

And then Harry isn’t really sure what happened, but he wound up on the floor by Cedric and Viktor’s coffee table (which is perpetually buried under a stack of books), with a large dog sprawled on top of him and alternately nuzzling and licking him

Viktor had to come save him because Harry didn’t know what to do and felt bad about trying to tell Lady to get off because anytime he does that with Sirius and Remus’s dogs, the dogs get sad and Harry feels like he just seriously hurt their feelings and he doesn’t know what to do

As opposed to Crookshanks, who Harry can be blunt and cranky with, because Crookshanks is only marginally nicer to Harry than he is to Ron, and fine, cat, if you’re going to be an arse, Harry’s going to just pick you up and relocate you when you sit on his things or try to commandeer his lap when he’s trying to work

Hermione and Sirius both wish that there weren’t so much slightly vague enmity between Harry and Crookshanks, and Ron and Crookshanks, but Hermione and Sirius are both biased as fuck because Crookshanks is always nice and well-behaved for both of them

Viktor still took pics first, because it was cute and he figured that Cedric would want to see it

He was right, and Harry, personally, is just thankful that nobody put the pics on social media