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ghostgirl101 · 2 years ago

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Hiiiii can u do green haired BEN relationship headcanons? Tyty 🫶

Dating BEN Would Be Like This:

A/N: I certainly can, I've been thinking about this green-haired hive-minded being, so I'll give it my best shot 🙃 There's quite a lot I wrote here, so enjoy. For those who don't know, these headcanons are based around BEN, not Ben Lawman. The difference is that Ben is one person, a Moon Child trapped in Majora's Mask, who seemed a threat but was actually trying to warn Jadusable, and "BEN is an evil entity made up of several Moon Children, with the Majora Moon Child serving as the main leader." I'll try making this as accurate as possible but I won't go into confusing specifics 😅

🎮• Well, I'll start by saying that BEN here is the most annoying, unpredictable, crazed, dark sons of biatches you will ever have the pleasure of putting up with for... basically, eternity.

🎮• I've seen that basically everyone who's written for these guys thinks that it'd be a through-and-through toxic relationship, with no care for feelings, little to no romance or intimacy and you being toyed with like all their other victims. And, to an extent, I agree with your end relationship with BEN not being what you'd call a typical healthy relationship, which applies to pretty much all the slashers and creepypastas... but come on. If you're in a romantic relationship with BEN, I think there's gotta be something.

🎮• And I say there is. 😀

🎮• Don't get me wrong, though. They're not nice guys to anyone, they're devious, malevolent little brats who like getting into unsuspecting players' heads and twisting their world until they snap. You're one of the beginning targets who obliviously starts playing the warped copy of Majora's Mask, or a later victim once they've escaped to the internet. Either or, there's not much difference in the way they are. It's not like, you're unusually pretty and interesting to a few of them for whatever reason, so they'll take it easy on you. If anything, they'll make their methods worse.

🎮• Let's say you're a later victim, in which case, there are glitchy jumpscares out of nowhere while you're on your laptop doing work. YouTube videos crashing and pages redirecting to horrific ones with no URL. The screen flashing green when you're not using it from the corner of your eye, and weird, hard buzzing noises that wake you up from your already restless sleep. Then your phone starts playing up. Even your TV glitches and waves with bright colours every so often, all except the times when you have company or witnesses to prove you're not going mad.

🎮• It's when you're at your lowest mentally and really think you're losing your mind that they'll start making their proper appearances. First, it's through Cleverbot, or any documents and templates you'll be typing on. Then, one day, you'll go into your room and see a terrifyingly unnatural grinning face on your screen, before it disappears within the second you've seen it, leaving you reeling.

🎮• They can be very unpredictable in the ways they act and speak to you, because they're more than one person, and you never really know who you're interacting with. At this point, when you're having longer conversations on Cleverbot with different Moon Children from BEN, you're probably going to have to write out the differences based on what they say and how. But write it with pen and paper, because anything you type up can get mucked up by them, and it probably will.

🎮• When they're speaking collectively, you can tell, because the sentences are usually repeated loads of times, or their answers are shorter. It'll go from one of the telling you their real name and how strange you are to be talking so curiously with a hive-minded terroriser, to 'WE SEE YOU WE SEE YOU WE SEE YOU-'

🎮• That's the only way you really interact with BEN at first. Through them rifling through your computer programs and documents, redirecting you to pages when they feel like talking. Sometimes you have to wait days for them to feel like chatting, and other times they can't stop interacting with you. Depending on who it is that's driving them to talk, it could either be a fairly normal conversation, or just freaking crazy and disturbing. And the main person in control of the hive-minded being that makes up BEN is the Majora Moon Child.

🎮• Now, he's a real bitch.

🎮• I'm going to headcanon that all of Link going up in flames and the creepy messages through the game and the main ideas behind all of that was Majora. That's what you've grown to call him. He's the leader of BEN and makes the most appearances. He's the one that talks the most, that has the strongest personality, and is probably the most sadistic one of them all. He will absolutely get on your nerves and be the one you'll be dealing with him. So that's fun.

🎮• BEN collectively decides not to kill or hurt you after you've been associating with them for a month or so, since you're not trying to escape from them or screw up their plans anymore. It's a big debate; five of them don't understand why they feel like they should protect you from the world that turned them into monstrosities, three of them don't realise that what they're feeling might be love and are going mad with it, two of them have already decided that's its fate you and them met and they should start a more 'official' relationship with you. Four of them are annoyed by the fact that you're somehow different and pretty and nice and innocent, two others don't mind either way and see you more as a friend, while Majora decided days ago that you're theirs now.

🎮• So after that whole deliberation, you're woken up in the middle of the night to your computer buzzing and beeping, the screen going green, and red, pixelated text reading:

'YOU'RE OURS NOW YOU'RE OURS NOW YOU'RE OURS NOW' 'YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEEN' 'YOU ALWAYS WILL BE' 'OURS OURS OURS' 'OK??'

🎮• I beg of you to just say okay to them, otherwise they're gonna keep asking and asking and asking at the worst times and proving themselves to you in very drastic measures until you've got to accept them to make the madness stop.

🎮• Congratulations, you've got brats. For life. If things where chaotic before, get ready.

🎮• Now you're dating or whatever romantic relationship you're somehow in with BEN has started, you realise pretty early on that they are full-on yanderes. A few of them don't have much interest in romance and are more like weird friends or siblings to you, a few of them are surprisingly soft and quiet, but still just as brutal as the rest, and then there are the maniac lovers that are 100% possessive, protective, obsessive and clingy.

🎮• Sometimes they can act in contrasting ways because different people are taking control, and attitudes vary, but you can keep up with the shifting of personalities after a while. There are subtle hints, like the way their faces change slightly depending on who's appearing, and what and how they say things. Most of the time, though, you'll be faced with Majora. He's the fully green-haired grinning psycho boy who leads BEN, and being around him is... well, intense.

🎮• You'll know when you're chatting to him on Cleverbot or Word or whatever he's on, because he's a confident, arrogant jerk, and it shows. He's the one who likes making you jump by randomly appearing on your screen, toying with electricity and other things when he's not toying with unsuspecting peoples' minds. Sometimes you get BEN's face and a glitch, broken computerised voice - again, whose tone varies ever so slightly depending on who's talking - but most times, it's just typing.

🎮• If BEN are talking or arguing with each other, it's not really aloud, its in their shared mind, and I wanted to add the funny thought of you doing something random or asking a deep question, and how BEN's face goes completely blank and unblinking with that god-forsaken smile while they all fight in their head about how to react. So it's just him frozen for a solid ten minutes like 😀 on standby and you finding it funny until one of them snaps back to life - usually Majora - and jumpscares you by changing his face into something disturbing and blueish.

🎮• Yeah, he finds everyone's pain funny, but your screaming and cursing at him is even better. Then he and the others start thinking about trying to become more materialized to grab out at you and stuff, which leads to another debate. Seven of them are terrified at the concept of being vulnerable and weakened in a physical form, five of them don't care and want to be closer to you, four of them are trying to plan how it could best work, and Majora shuts them down with demanding they're doing it somehow, and takes the argument to you. Lucky you.

🎮• It turns out that the best way for them to appear in a glitchy, disturbing physical form is for the most amount of electricity and energy to be running in the house. You're going to need some stronger fuses, that's for sure. And your electricity bills are going to skyrocket. But, again, they can find a way to alter the prices in the system so it's not too much of a problem.

🎮• Of course, you're probably apprehensive by the idea of them being able to get to you physically now as well as through your devices and mentally, so ground rules have got to be set. You need to get them all listening and quiet, which could take ages if Majora's teasing you, or moments if he tells them all to shut up. Then you need to confirm that they won't hurt you, or anyone else, and understand that they can't leave the house and anything else that you want to avoid. If they don't follow the rules, you'll pull the plug.

🎮• 'PULL THE PLUG PULL THE PLUG PULL THE PLUG??' 'YOU WOULDN'T DARE' 'NO NO NO DON'T PULL THE PLUG'

🎮• And you're like "I will and I can if you don't do as I say 🙄"

🎮• Majora agrees to the terms in the end, and so they wait for you to plug and switch everything on, connect your computer to the TV, and let the horror of them climbing out of the screen unfurl as the glitchy green mass of a boy is standing in your home, grinning but blank, trying to adjust to their surroundings. Half of them are panicking, and half of them are just happy that they've found a way to be closer to you. And they can get pretty close.

🎮• If you leave everything electrical on all day, and especially when you're about to sleep, you're probably going to get intruded on by Majora, who almost gives you a heart attack when you wake up in the middle of the night to his glitchy figure and grin literally centimetres away from your face. He's impossible.

🎮• Right, now comes the physically affectionate side of things 😵‍💫

🎮• If it's anyone but Majora, you probably won't be too overwhelmed by it, since some of them or more twisted-friendly than they are romantic. But where it's the other way around with the group of Moon Children who are just as obsessive as Majora is, then that all goes out of the window. Any one of them can come out at any time, and once they're used to the natural world and the sensation of touch and basic senses they've been deprived of, you're gonna get ambushed.

🎮• He, along with the others, finds being materialised and almost a part of the real, outside world, fascinating and new in a way, so if they're out of the screen, they're probably touching all your stuff, looking through and studying everything like they're aliens. Some more carefully than others. Majora will knock some stuff over just to annoy you. He's a pain in the ass.

🎮• But since Majora is probably the one you'll be seeing the most out of BEN, you'll get used to him. He and the others like him are really grabby, since they're getting more comfortable in a material form and place, and they also find it funny when you get frustrated and push their glitchy, electric self off you so you can focus on your work. They're the type of guy that's always lingering curiously over your shoulder, playing with and examining your hair. Everything about you is fascinating to them, so you're gonna have to learn to get used to having this inhumane being hover over your shoulder with an absentminded grin while you watch Netflix or something.

🎮• When it comes to affection, they are very new to the concept of it. BEN are used to ruining people's lives, driving them so insane that they'll chuck themselves out of windows, do whatever they tell them to, just for the fun of it. So when they're introduced to coupley things like hugging and kissing and intimate conversations, you're going to have to explain and show them very slowly. Majora feels stupid doing it and has to get used to it, but he will get used to it. He just makes it a whole lot more intense.

🎮• Intense being realllly tight hugs where you're like "Majora, get off me, I actually can't feel a thing," because he's electrically charged and unstable and way too full-on. And he's all innocently grinning and cocking his head to the side with a "Why?"

🎮• "Because I can't breathe and you need to calm down." "Why?" "Because-" "Why?"

🎮• That's Majora ��

🎮• Also, when you're hugging one of them, you're hugging all seventeen of them, so they're all going to feel it. Some of them get annoyed by that because they're possessive crazy people, and start arguing about who it was meant for and petty stuff like that, until Majora tells them to shut up.

🎮• They don't mind you touching them either, again, when they're used to it all. They trust you enough for it, but you might get shocked every so often, which is most of the time an accident, but if Majora's around, it most likely isn't. There'll be a sweet moment with you hanging around a shyer member of BEN and playing with their eye-watering green hair, and then Majora jumps in and says how annoying it is and tries untying yours or something stupid. It's safe to say that playfighting and winding you up is Majora's main love language and way of getting attention from you, even if it is enough to make a saint swear.

🎮• So when Majora's being surprisingly nice-ish and easier on you to the point where you'll let him kiss you...

🎮• BEN is going to short-circuit the first time, because holy hell, this is new, and they don't mind itttt-

🎮• It's literally the cliche of electric, because that's what BEN's running on, but all of them are different in their own ways. Some of them are a little gentler, some are surprisingly bashful, but once Majora's kissed you once and had his five minutes to pull himself together to make one of his proud remarks, he'll be a lot more confident in the future. He likes leaving you rolling your eyes in annoyance or completely spellbound, so it'll end in one way or the other. With a bit more time though, you will see that underneath all the dark humour and psycho-ness, he's the Moon Child that's been trapped in BEN the longest, and takes the longest to open up and let himself be vulnerable and surprisingly thoughtful and sweet. When he lets himself.

🎮• With some more time, more of them will tell you about who they were before BEN, though the details are a little fuzzy and painful to remember. That's pretty much the ultimate sign of trust, because there's no going back on what you've learnt, and what they learn about you. They remember every single thing you tell them, which is sweet sometimes, because they can order you stuff you said you want online for no cost on hacked accounts... or they can kill your enemies.

🎮• They can and they will. Even if it's a friend who you had a little disagreement with, BEN are going to take it personally. Basically, all of them think you can do no wrong and anyone that wrongs you is their new game. They won't leave that person alone, doxxing them, filming them and sending you clips of them terrified as a way to make you proud. And whether you choose to be proud, roll your eyes at the typical behaviour, or be completely unnerved by it is up to you, though it won't stop them. It's one way they show their love, and they will show it.

🎮• Majora, again, is a massive yandere, trying to watch you at all times, getting some of the others in BEN to lead with manipulation and terror in the screens while he obsesses over you with another few Moon Children. If you ever need one of them while they're busy on their latest 'game,' they've given you some intricate coding or website link to enter into your phone, and at least three of them, including Majora, are there and searching for the problem you need help with.

🎮• But even though, to the world and people they torture, BEN seems like an unfeeling, sadistic monster, you, one person out of all the others, somehow, are the only one who knows what they're really like.

🎮• Just don't tell anyone 🙃

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sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee · 1 year ago

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General HCs on what is like to be Black Mask's parnter? And the man himself too? Thanks <3

Black Mask Romance and General HCs

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS. Time to brush your man up and out of the dumpster, friend!

TW: Unhealthy/controlling romance dynamics, BDSM, violence, smut

Trust Issues. Roman had a lot of things happen as a kid due to parental neglect and was constantly made to "toughen up" via double crossing or outright emotional abuse by his family. Then his previous partner abandoned him after he went to the criminal life. He has SO MANY trust issues that you'll either double cross him, poison him, something or other-

It feeds into a controlling nature he has concerning everything: Business, the underworld and now you! He wants to know where you are at all times, about your friends, your family. He's not such an asshole that he would tell you who to see and not see, but he has ways of making you unavailable if he decides he doesn't like someone...

Other people NEED to know that you are his. I briefly touched on this in the general kink post, but he would do the 24/7 BDSM aligned Master/sub dynamic with you in a collar if you were down. Public sex and fondling where his goons or underworld powers could see. If there's no collars, he's definitely marking you up. If you let his ego get away with cockwarming during a meeting, he'll do it. Honestly, if you don't set hard boundaries, he can and will get degrading during sex. Depends on if that does it for you!

If you DO set boundaries, though, he will respect them. Might take you telling him you're serious, but he will. Especially once he's fond of you and it's not just about sex. You potentially getting done with his shit and leaving is a threat he doesn't take lightly.

If there is any aftercare that needs to be done, he'll take you somewhere privately and make sure you're taken care of. It's probably one of the few instances you'll see a truly softer side where he's genuine, sincere and gentle. He knows the importance of fixing his things after breaking them down.

On more of a relationship standpoint, you'll be well taken care of with him. Nice clothes, fancy shit, but a strict budget on what you can ask for. And don't expect him to slip just for a pretty face. He used to work in cosmetics, he's seen beauty- it's fucking worthless and can disappear in an instant.

Be ready to be cool and collected when he loses his temper, something that happens more often than not. He'll throw things, knock goons on their ass, pull out a gun and threaten people- not you, doll, these FUCKING knuckleheads- he might fire a shot for proof into the ceiling. Hope you aren't prone to anxiety or anything!

That anger and rage does sometimes translate into the bedroom which can lead to some pretty passionate rough sex. You'll be sore after but by god, he'll make sure you're satisfied.

If anyone ever tries to fuck with you, they'll end up a bloody puddle. He'll make them suffer and let you watch and participate if you really want. If not, he's more than happy to have his fun on his own.

There's only a few things that are soft spots in terms of his life: His father, his mistake at Janus Cosmetics that caused hundreds of women to be disfigured and the failure of said company after, and his face under the mask. Don't ask about his face under the mask. As far as he's concerned, the ebony wood-metal combo skull mask that covers his whole head IS his face. You can see the outline of his burned lips just under the "teeth" of the death's head skull. He carved it from his father's casket and it became fused to his flesh after a fire during his first true criminal outing against Bruce Wayne/Batman. Sore subject.

You'll likely get caught up in his criminal business one way or another. Either to earn his trust in some way or by accident because uh hey babe, I don't mean to bug you but I'm kind of prison again-

Overall, it's never a boring time dating Black Mask.

#black mask #black mask x reader #foxwriting #smut #I went more romance/relationship in this vs background but i tried to sprinkle stuff in there #certain things i didn't stray too far from comics such as the carved mask because lets be real that's metal as fuck #we're not giving this man rabies though #roman sionis

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stayarmytinyzenmoa-l · 1 year ago

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NCT Spooky Season [Day 6]

Spectral Lover

TW: Ghosts, Mentions of a Murder (via Shotgun) Genre: Romance Pairing: Lee Taeyong x Reader YN Pronouns: Not specified Word Count: 0.8K Prompt: They had an unjust death, and now they haunt the house their reincarnated lover lives in

Notes: Spooky season is officially here! And since I skipped 20 days of NCT for Christmas last year, what the hell, why not do spooky season instead? Disclaimer: Please remember that this is an AU and a work of fiction, obviously the idols mentioned/written about in this story would never partake in these actions. The idols mentioned in this work are meant to be seen more as face claims rather than the actual idols themselves.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!! Thank you for reading!

Things have been so... boring.

Taeyong laid down in the middle of the bedroom floor, the room was devoid of anything, really, just some old floorboards and peeling wallpaper, but nothing of note. His belongings from decades ago were long moved out and sold, leaving behind this empty shell of a room. His soul was bound to this house, cursed to never move on with the nature of his death, and blessed to never bother anyone because of it.

Until today, that is. He heard the front door open, what with its creaky hinges and its partially falling-off knocker. This new owner would be like the last one, probably. He'd move a few things around, get them spooked out, and watch them move away. He didn't want trouble, he just wanted peace. He could hear the movers bringing things in and placing them on the floors, he could hear people moving up and down the old stairs and through the hallways.

Boring. Taeyong would go scare them off later, but for now he'll stay here. Then he saw the bedroom door open.

"Alright, this is the main bedroom," the mover walks in first and the new owner after. And, as soon as he saw who it was, he sat up.

"Oh, it's a lovely room," you pushed back the peeling wallpaper as if smoothening it out would set it in place. "Definitely a fixer-upper, though," you looked around, and Taeyong felt his heart stop.

Look at you, living, breathing, and reincarnated. Due to the suddenness of his death and the unfairness of it all, his soul was held back here and tied to this location forever, and the worst part of it all was seeing how you grieved, how you lived in this house alone for such a long time that he prayed that someone would come along and give you the strength to heal and that they did.

And here you were again, decades later, young and bright-eyed just how he remembered you.

"We'll go ahead and bring in your bedroom items, (Y/N), let us know if you need anything else," the mover signals his employees to come in and they start setting up your bed and dressers.

"You know, (Y/N)," one of the employers chimed, "no one stays past a year in this house," he says.

"Is that so?"

"Place is haunted, you see?"

"Really now? That's exciting," you look around again.

"Yeah, poor bloke got shot point blank here," the mover points at the wall. "Murdered cold and by his own shotgun, crazy," the mover shakes his head.

"Oh, that poor man," you frowned. "And he haunts this place?"

"Allegedly," the other mover huffs after placing the nightstand down. He brushes his hands together. "I think that's the last of it, boss."

"Did you need any assistance with anything else, (Y/N)? The boss asks. You shake your head and pat one of the boxes.

"I think I've got it from here, thank you!" You walked the movers out and, after a few minutes, you returned to the room. "Alright... I'll just unpack the bedsheets for now, and a few things so I can shower," you spoke to yourself and pulled the necessary items out. Meanwhile, Taeyong watched your movements. You placed the boxes in a way that they were in the vicinity of where its contents would be stored or displayed and you moved around in a way that just seemed so free. And slowly he felt himself falling in love again. That bitterness he felt for what he thought was eternity was slowly melting away with each tune you sang.

Then, after all was said and done, you tucked yourself into bed, and Taeyong waited until you were truly asleep before he opened the first box.

When you woke up the next morning you were almost scared. All of your boxes had been folded up neatly in a corner of the room and all of your items unpacked and placed into their intended areas, you were more impressed than you were scared.

In fact, Taeyong was putting the last touches on the kitchen when he heard you running down, and he was quick to drop the kettle on the floor so as to stay hidden, but when you walked into the kitchen you seemed to be looking right at him.

"A ghost... huh?" You asked absently. "Well... I suppose I don't mind a roommate," you grinned. "Thank you, Mr. Ghost, and I look forward to getting to know you a little more."

And, slowly, Taeyong felt his chest grow lighter, as if you were now helping him lift that weight. Then, you rubbed your eyes and walked toward him.

"Strange... maybe I need to sleep more, I thought I saw a shadow," you wondered aloud. Then, you walked away and back upstairs.

Did you see him? That would be the first time ever that any of the owners even saw a glimpse but that should be impossible with this curse. He can interact with things around him but no one would be ever to see him and yet, somehow, you did, even if it was just a shadow, you saw him.

Maybe you were the key to helping him move on?

General Tag List: @stopeatread @bat-shark-repellant @raeincitizen @umbralhelwolf @yangsrose @kazooms @sadcoffeecritic

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If you want to be added to either tag list or removed just send me a reply to this post, and ask, or a DM and I’ll add you as soon as possible!

#nct #nct x reader #nct x you #nct x yn #nct u #nct u x reader #nct u x you #nct u x yn #nct 127 #nct 127 x reader #nct 127 x you #nct 127 x yn #taeyong x reader #taeyong x you #taeyong x yn #my writings #nct spooky season

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robynrocksforbrains · 1 year ago

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I saw this post from @thestrangestthing89 and I was gonna reblog and add my thoughts but then I kinda got carried away and it felt like too much idk so I'm just doing this

A little ramble about when I think byler will get together

Realistically I see them getting together around mid-season. Like Mike and El are essentially done. I think an official breakup scene is very important for both of them, and I think it'll happen pretty early in the season. The love triangle aspect of it all is essentially over. That's what the last shot of the season showed us. El walks past Mike, stepping out of the triangle formation, and she stands alone. Mike chooses to stay with Will. Mike has made his decision. El has made her decision. And we all know where Will's heart is.

It wouldn't make sense to draw the love triangle out any longer than it already has been. El and Mike aren't gonna have time to pretend to love each other. When it comes to interpersonal relationships, El's #1 priority is gonna be Max, and Mike's #1 priority is gonna be Will.

So with the love triangle aspect resolved, there is literally nothing standing between Mike and Will but themselves. And they've been dancing around each other for way too long now. It would not make any sense to keep that going until the end.

They've already agreed to be a team, and they reaffirmed that in the last episode, and "team" is basically stranger things code word for "couple". They crossed the line between friendship and romance a long time ago. I don't think they're gonna ignore it for much longer.

Even though they're not officially together, I can guarantee the boyfriendism is gonna be off the charts from start to finish.

Just like Lucas and Max in s4. They were officially broken up, but I honestly forgot while watching the season because they weren't acting like they were broken up. The love was so present and clear. It didn't matter that they technicaly weren't a couple. That's something I've noticed with ST couples. Relationship status doesn't really mean anything. It's really about the feeling you get from each pairing.

Steve and Nancy were officially a couple, they did not feel like a couple

Mike and El are officially a couple (not for long), they do not feel like a couple (never have felt like one)

Joyce and Bob were officially a couple, but something about it just didn't feel right

Joyce arnd Hopper are only recently an official couple, yet they've felt like a couple since s2, and even at some points in s1.

Jonathan and Nancy weren't a couple until s2e6, but they started to feel like a couple after Nancy went to the UD for like five minutes in s1. (I don't remember what episode that was)

With Lucas and Max, it's what I said earlier. They were officially broken up in s4, yet they still felt like a couple to the audience.

And finally, our beloveds, Mike and Will. Yeah, they aren't officially a couple, but they basically renewed their vows in Dear Billy and they had some of the most beautiful romantic moments in the entire show. So they feel like a couple even though they technicaly aren't one. And that's not gonna change in s5, it's only going to be more obvious until they can't ignore it anymore. And I think they're gonna reach that point pretty quickly, because they're basically already there.

I do think a lot of people choose to believe they won't be official until the end because they don't wanna be disappointed. And that's totally valid. Anyone can temper their expectations however much they deem necessary. But I really do think that everything is pointing to them getting together mid-season but acting like a couple even before that. It's something we've seen before.

This has just been a ramble. I just have a lot of thoughts about it.

In conclusion, I think that the prediction of them getting together at the end is very pessimistic, but I also completely understand that pessimism. I choose to be a bit more optimistic about it, but I also think that the progression of this storyline so far supports my optimism. But who knows? Maybe I'm setting myself up for disappointment. We'll just have to wait and see.

#byler #byler endgame #anti mileven

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psychewritesbs · 10 months ago

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What do you think that made Jujutsu Kaisen different from any other shounen? Also, why do you think that most people said it's overated? I don't mean anything negative, just want to know your opinions on this. Thanks to you I started JJK manga and anime, and I love it (sorry as a new fan, at first I hesitate because of the negative stigmas that I found on fandom about this series).....

Also, why do you think that Gojo is a popular character?

First of all... I'm SORRY! I've literally been writing an answer to you for like for ever and ever 😭

It's just that I've been thinking long and hard about your ask because how do I objectively gush about what makes jjk amazing, when all sense of objectivity and normalcy walked out the door in 2020?

So I'll start by saying FUCKYES I don't know what fandom you found me through, but I LOVE hearing that you decided to give jjk a shot despite what other people might say about it. Most especially if you found that you love it.

I think that, for all of its flaws, jjk is still a wonderful story exploring deep truths about the human condition.

So I'm going to glaze on jjk like there's no tomorrow under the cut'o!

Glaaaaaaaaze....

Regarding the idea that most people think it's overrated: It's really simple... jjk is a very multilayered niche story.

By multilayered I mean that everything from a meathead battle shonen fan, to a brainiac "intellectual" who doesn't care for the battles that much, and everyone in between, will find something that they can enjoy in jjk.

✅ Canon/headcanon romance ✅ Battles ✅ Existentialism ✅ Amazing characters ✅ Spirituality and esoteric concepts ✅ Power scaling

The problem is that jjk is so mainstream because of this mass appeal, that it could never live up to everyone's expectations, nor it should. That is not to mention that the more popular it becomes, the more people who are simply not going to like jjk it will reach.

In the end, jjk is at its core a niche story published in a shonen magazine, catering to a very specific audience.

To me, for every person saying jjk is overrated, there's 9 people who love it. And maybe I can't back up my totally made up statistic with facts, but jjk wouldn't have 90 million copies in circulation if most people thought it is overrated--they just happen to be the loudest and I can't wait for them to stfu lol.

🤪...

So that's really it. jjk is so popular that it has gotten the attention of people who aren't going to like it for whatever reason they might have. Sometimes it's simply personal taste, and sometimes it's them missing the point. These are the people calling jjk overrated.

How do I know? Because when I heard all of the hype surrounding csm and how it was the second coming of manga Christ, I decided to read it and found it to be incredibly overrated. That doesn't make csm objectively bad, btw, it just mean I personally don't care for Fujimoto's writing or art.

What makes jjk different from other shonen?

What I want to say is that I'm wondering if there is an objective measure for what makes jjk different. I think the obvious answer is that jjk has successfully subverted tropes time and time again. But I think it actually goes much deeper than that.

I am not sure that I speak for everyone. But... like would I be me if I didn't turn this answer into an exploration of depth? It's just that for those of us who feel jjk in our bones and don't see it as yet another basic shonen story... I feel like jjk speaks deeply to our humanity.

Whether we are conscious of it or not, stories are carriers of subjective truth and experience. And jjk is moving and shaking the collective psyche because of what it's saying about our shared humanity.

The basic shonen recipe

(source)

The thing is that I started watching Jujutsu Kaisen because I had an expectation that a shonen story had a good chance of catching my attention.

I've seen a lot of anime, and a lot shonen anime to be more specific. So I went in assuming jjk would follow a specific recipe.

Light haired, yang/Sun archetype, happy go lucky with a single-minded determination to achieve something shonen mc who goes on a hero's journey, learns about himself, and powers up as a result of his journey...

Bonus points if he has a demon inside of him and joins a tight knit 3-man squad made up by dynamic personalities that is mentored by the strongest teacher.

That said, it is the way Gege has explored every single one of these tropes that has made jjk unique in my eyes. I particularly love that there is a certain intentionality to how jjk's characters express typical shonen character traits outside of the way the recipe is usually followed...

The result is the same... but the means and the journey in jjk are explored through an existential and psychological lens that is very grounded in our humanity (aka relatable).

I think more than being a battle shonen, jjk is an exploration of the sense of self first and foremost.

In that sense, jjk is an exploration on how the sense of self is shaped. Like the panel above setting the stage for one of the main themes in jjk: how facing the existential fear of death shapes the sense of self.

So to me jjk is intentional about asking deep questions about life, and telling stories about characters who ask the same questions and how they go about finding answers.

As such, jjk asks that we question the very foundation of our identity as we come face to face with how our expectations haven't matched up to the reality of the world around us...

Similarly, jjk asks that we consider the difference between choosing a life worth living true to what truly matters to us...

...and realizing a little bit too late that what we thought mattered was not as important...

jjk is saying there are consequences to your actions and face them you must even if it all feels bleak...

And to me, that's because Gege understands people on a very deep level. To the point that if you're a jjk fan and you feel moved by any of its characters, they move you deeply.

A lot of this is in the subtext, of course, so not everyone can understand these themes on an intellectual level, nor do they care for. And it doesn't matter if they do or not because jjk still shakes and moves so many people to the point that you have people who make a sport out of hating on it and spend hours complaining about it... like who has that much energy to focus on something they don't like 😭?

Anyway... if I had to say one thing that makes jjk unique, it is how it story tells--which is ironically the main complaint people have about it. Again... it's a niche story that has mass appeal.

I love Gege's writing because to me it isn't about his technical skill, but his vision and the topics he explores. As someone who's been consuming animanga for 25+ years, an author with a unique writing style and an interesting premise doesn't come often. Gege is that author for me.

Anyways... Gege probably didn't even think of any of that...

jjk is just another battle shonen.

About why people love Gojo

Honestly? I'm the wrong person to ask 😂. I haven't a clue. Maybe because he's a cute bishoen? And also the strongest?

No clue lol. Anyone want to chime in with why they love Gojo?

But I fully agree with this and saved it just for you lol 👇🏼

(source)

Thanks for dropping by anon! :)

#ask the mental gymnastics anime girl #god i love jujutsu kaisen

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angelinthefire · 4 months ago

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As someone who's been around the fandom longer than i, what do you think of the claim that destiel shippers were the reason female characters got killed or kicked off the show? This seems to be a really common narrative in gen fandom spaces like r/supernatural but there's never any mention of wincest shippers and idk I find it kind of dubious. I mean obviously when it's applied to characters like bela or ruby it makes no sense but what about others? Like the claim usually goes oh they could never keep around a love interest for either of them because the hellers would throw a fit but did that happen? Usually it's brought up with Jo, Lisa, Meg, and Hannah. I know that is not actually why Meg left the show, but what about the others? I also know Alona and Cindy Sampson in particular are cited as receiving harassment for their roles but did this actually have anything to do with destiel seeing as it wasn't that popular of a ship back then? I only started watching in 2014 when destiel was the biggest ship and it never seemed to me like they were trying to set up romances that were shot down by the fans. I mean did anyone actually expect hannah to be an endgame love interest? And no one really makes this claim about Amara either. And it also wouldn't apply to characters like Charlie or Missouri either who both still got killed off. Idk I've just been seeing a lot of narrative recently about fans being primarily responsible for the killing off of female characters but I feel like it's shifting blame a bit, even more so to apply it solely to destiel fans (I mean did destiel get Sarah Blake killed??)

Yeah blaming destiel shippers is ridiculous. Destiel shippers didn't even reach preponderance in the fandom until s8. The worst of the misogyny of the fandom was solidly concentrated in the first half of the shows life. Attitudes changed as societal attitudes changed, and as the show itself finally broke down and developed more of an ensemble cast.

The wincesties/bronlies were always far more venomous when it came to characters who threatened to get between the bros. No matter the gender. As can be seen from the segment that tried to keep Misha from coming back. Were there destiel shippers who hated on Meg or Anna or others? Yes, but to a degree that is pretty typical across fandoms, especially in the 2000s. Not to the degree that they actually tried to launch a campaign to get any actors fired. Which, again, is what bronlies did to Misha.

In general I think it's incorrect to blame the fans for female characters being killed off. If the writers are committed to a character and a vision and it's working for them they can make it work for the audience too. The thing with Jo and Bela is that, to my understanding, their existence is the result of network notes to try to include more female characters, so Kripke was never super committed to them in the first place.

You point out why Hannah and Meg don't make sense as examples. Alona's role was in s2, and in s5 she was basically brought back in order to be killed off. Same thing with Sarah Blake, which is a useful counter example. She was also brought back to die. Since neither of them had a recurring role when they were killed off, it doesn’t make sense to blame shippers. Again, it's the writers deciding that the most useful thing a female character can do is die to further the main characters' motivation.

Few people liked Lisa at the time s6 aired, she was seen as boring and as detracting attention from the brothers.

I think there's a relationship between the sexism of the writers and the fans. When the writers don't care about characters and see them as fridging material, fans can pick up on it. And then fan hatred of the character is cited as an excuse to write them off. This is a simplification, I do think there are parts of spn fandom that are particularly toxic, but I also think it's true that fan opinion is never the only reason why writing choices are made.

#ask #spn #wankity wank #rocking chair post

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mikka-minns · 3 months ago

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Vietnamese mythology is diverse and has many gods, some belong to religions too but here are the Mainstream ones that are told in Myths and ones I know a lot about as a Kid:

_The 2 Creation Gods, the Sea Dragon God and Mountain Fairy, who had 100 children who became the Vietnamese people and technically that's how Vietnam was founded, basically they gave birth to this country mythologically

_The Mountain God who fought with the Water God over a Human Princess for becoming her husband, he's a Himbo, the Hero of the story, well that's it, there isn't much on him I can cover but I'm really cool with him, oh yeah he also owns a huge Mountain Range here, which is called the Ancestor of all Mountains in Vietnam

_The mentioned Water God, a really cool villain, I like him, he's the OG Romance Sad Boy cause he didn't win in that Bride dispute hence he still loves the Human Princess, VERY petty ass bitch if you ask me, well he did almost drown this whole country in the Sea back in the Bride dispute so yeah, who says you can't be both sad and also a bitch? Well I mean I like him but I can't forget this Guy can drown the country cause he didn't get the Girl, still love him though, he's so Babygirl, reminds me of me

_Super cool Heavenly King God of War, he's a National Idol no joke, he's literally the Youth Spirit Symbol here, the Youth sport festivals have his name in it too, he also represents the National Spirit of Protection against Invaders because he's very well known for appearing at the time the Country was ravaged by wars and invaders, got a sick ass Iron Horse that can breath Fire, he uses bamboos as his weapon which is a huge cultural symbol here. He's a Youth Spirit cuz his human age is 3 years old, he's similar to Nezha in a way, they have vastly different tales and personalities ofc. He's also known for being a giant so I think he's physically bigger than the last two gods I mentioned, oh yeah he's WAY MORE OF A BIG SHOT THAN THE LAST TWO, cuz we have statues of him all over the country, I have one at my place too, as well as streets named after him, I mean he and the Mountain God belong to the 4 Immortals, 4 major gods in Vietnamese religions, ofc that Mountain God also has his own temples too (Well I have never seen the Mountain God statue before but considering how ancient he is and how he's very important in the Vietnamese religion, I think he's just as well loved)

_The Marriage God, who's also one of the 4 Immortals and he's Himbo no.2, he and the Mountain God actually married human princesses of the same family so yeah THAT'S SOMETHING HERE, apparently Humans and Gods can just get married and everyone is super cool with it in Vietnam as opposed to how it's mainly forbidden in Chinese myths. Where's my God husband?!!! Maybe it's because I'm just a normal gal, not a Princess so yeah ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ, even though I don't think ranks matter that much, Gods can love anyone they want. Btw he's actually interesting in that he's a Male God and the God of Marriage, I usually think that normally Goddesses are responsible for Marriage but who say a God can't be a God of Marriage

Oh yeah the 4 Immortals are also embodiments of the conceptual values of Vietnamese culture.

The last of the 4 Immortals I didn't talk much of is a Heavenly Princess or a Mother Goddess, she's the only Goddess of the 4 Immortals, she was more recently considered a member of the 4 Immortals as the other three male gods have been there since Ancient times and she was also said to be an actual historical figure too, I'm not very familiar with her since I only talked about Mythical Gods I've been familiar with since I was a kid

These realy are intresting!

And i can see some similarities with mythologies from others countries and cultures(tho mostly all of them do overlap at some point. Seems even myths have cliches)

Im genuenly suprised no one has done anything with it, there's a lot of material

Sidenote: i do think gods not being allowed to marry outside of thier kind is mainly a Chinese thing because in all the other myths that i know gods make kids to animals even😭

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londonalozzy · 4 years ago

Text

Stop Pretending (TFATWS)

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Genre: Romance, Angst

Summary: The reader thinks she's doing a stellar job of keeping her feelings for a certain soldier buried deep inside. Turns out, all it takes is an observant new friend to begin the unraveling of her most precious secret (Spoilers for TFATWS)

Masterlist

Word: Pretence

Definition: A way of acting that is intended to deceive people.

Example: Saying that he's just a friend when he's really the love of your life.

Your POV

Being caught in the midst of war is something that I, (Y/N) (Y/L/N) know all too well. As a war vet, former shield agent, and now Avenger I'm used to being centered amongst conflict. When the fight begins within me though, a battle between what I want and what I think is right, how will I react? Will I listen to my heart, my head, or will the winner be chosen for me?

Delacroix, Louisiana.....

I love my sleep, always have, always will. It's not necessarily the comfort of the bed, the quiet or even the rest. It's the fact that I'm at peace when I sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, so anything that will put that off for as long as possible I savor.

I wish it were the same for a certain super soldier in my life. I look forward to going to bed, everything calms down then, and for most people it's the same. For Bucky however, it's when everything starts, the nightmares, the terrors, the seemingly unending darkness. If only I could take his pain away like he has with mine.

For the last few weeks, my life had, for want of a better word, been hectic. Hectic to say the least.

After the eventual defeat of Thanos and the loses we endured as a result, I thought naively that life might calm down a bit, that I'd have time to breathe, to live. How wrong I was.

It all began with John Walker being announced to the world as the new Captain America.

I was baking cookies with Morgan in the Stark family kitchen when it came over the radio. As that latest turn of events sunk in, my first thoughts were of Bucky, what that would do to him. Not even an hour later I had said my goodbyes and was on my way to help him get the shield back.

Since then even more had happened. We'd regrouped with Sam, busted Zemo out of prison which in turn ruffled the feathers of Ayo and the Dora Milaje. We came face to face with Morgenthou and the Flag Smashers, and finally witnessed the man who thought he could even compete with Steve, make himself judge, jury and most significantly executioner.

After that went around the world we knew we had to end it sooner rather than later. It couldn't get much worse than Captain America becoming a murderer. We got the shield back, which was a fight all in itself. Handed Zemo over to Ayo, to try and recompense for the distrust we'd instilled in the people who'd helped us so much. Then we travelled to stay with Sam and his family in Louisiana whilst we waited for Karli's next move.

This is where we found ourselves now, in the eye of it, the calm before the storm.

Waking up in the Wilson households guest room, I was greeted to the golden hue of the rising sun penetrating through the single glaze windows, and the melodic sounds of gulls on the hunt for their morning meal down by the docks.

Actually, no that's not right. What I could hear was most certainly not birds, and it was definitely not melodic. What were those boys doing?

Quickly and quietly I threw on the first clothes I could get my hands on and made my way downstairs towards the noise. What caught my attention when I discovered the source, was not the two youngest Wilson boys playing with our newly reacquired shield in the living room, but the super solider who was blissfully ignorant to it all, sleeping peacefully on the couch in front of them. I don't think I'd ever been so happy.

"Right you two, if you're determined to play Avengers all morning then I suggest you re-assemble in the back yard. You're gonna wake Bucky up," I whispered out in one breath, stepping between the boys, then placing my hands on their backs and tip toeing them towards the door.

"So what if we wake him up? It's gone 10am," Cass questioned in protest, pulling on his sneakers and jacket.

"Exactly! Which is why if you do as I say, I will make you the biggest plate of waffles for breakfast that you've ever seen."

The boys eyes lit up. "Can we have ice cream with it? Mum never lets us have ice cream for breakfast, and I'm sure there's a tub of Stark raving hazelnuts in the freezer," AJ clapped in muted excitement. "Oh, for God's sake.....Yes. You can have whatever you want if you get out of this house now and keep the noise down."

Once the boys were outside, I made my way over to the kitchen, stopping on the way to lean over my favourite senior citizen and make sure that he was still peaceful in his slumber. He'd never looked so relaxed, so at ease. It was a brand new Bucky I'd never seen before, a Bucky that had my heart pounding for him even more than it normally did. Not that he knew any of that.

Half an hour later and up to my elbows in waffle mix, I failed to notice my new friend and host Sarah making her way to my side at the counter, the huge smile on my face not going unnoticed. "What's got you grinning like the Cheshire cat, like I need to ask?"

"Bucky's sleeping. Isn't it amazing?" I spoke softly, bouncing up and down on my feet as I did so.

"And why is that?" She couldn't looked more confused if she tried.

"In all the years I've known him, I don't think I've ever woken up before he has. If his nightmares don't keep him awake all night, they normally have him up before the crack of dawn. I don't think I've ever seen him so still."

"Good answer," Sarah nodded in a hush, understanding why this meant so much to me, but not done yet with her morning interrogations, "Now on to my next question......"

"I'm already not liking the sound of this."

"Sleeping Beauty over there follows you around like a little puppy dog. He hangs on your every word, looks at you like you hung the stars or something. It's pretty obvious how crazy he is about you, so when are you gonna stop pretending that you're not head over heels in love with him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Wilson," I smiled forcefully, making out like the waffle maker deserved my attention way more than the conversation I was being made to have.

This was all Sam's doing, without a shadow of a doubt. He'd tried to have this conversation with me on multiple occasions and I shut him down every time. He obviously hadn't given up like I thought he did, and decided to draft in his sister. He is seriously gonna regret it when I find him.

"Sure you know what I'm talking about. Sam sees it, I don't even know you that well and I see it. The only reason Bucky doesn't, is because he doesn't believe he could ever be that lucky. You're a smitten kitten." These Wilson's are all as annoying as each other.

Knowing I wasn't getting out of this one, I grabbed Sarah by the arm and pulled her right into the corner of the room, trying my best to keep this convo as private as possible. "Look, I'm not pretending.....I'm ignoring. There's a difference."

"Care to explain what that difference is?" Sarah spoke softly, but with a sarcastic air.

Turning to look over my shoulder at the subject of our conversation, making sure he was still safely in the land of nod, I decided to just be honest. Sarah was much like her brother. Once she wanted to get to the bottom of something she wasn't about to give up.

"I love Bucky, more than I've ever loved anyone...and that terrifies me," the rawness of finally being honest making my voice shake, and tears come to my eyes. "Nat was like my sister, and she's dead. Tony was the closest I've ever gotten to having a Dad...and he's dead too. Then there's Steve, Vision, God knows where Wanda is....Everyone I love, either leaves or dies. If I admit my feelings for Buck then I face the risk of losing him too."

"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now? He's not going to die because you love him (Y/N)."

Silent tears were falling now. I was revealing my deepest fears to a woman I'd only known a few days, and I'm not underplaying it when I say it was like a colossal weight off my chest, a release I didn't know I needed. "Believe me...I know, but I can't take that risk. I can't lose anyone else, especially not him."

"Let's just say for a second that you're right, that there is some higher power somewhere, set on destroying everyone you love. Do you really think ignoring your feelings is going to make them disappear?" I didn't know what to say to that. "Natasha and Stark died so that everyone could continue living, and (Y/N) you're not living as long as you keep this to yourself. They wouldn't want that for you."

"But what if I lose him?" I whispered with a choked sigh.

"Then at least he'll die knowing how you felt about him. After everything he's been through don't you think he deserves to know there's someone out there who loves him like you do?"

"Of course..."

Sarah's lips pulled upwards in a satisfied smirk, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze, "then you owe it to yourself, and to him, to tell him the truth."

"Why do all you Wilson's have to be so clever?" I voiced in mock irritation, pushing her away from me and acting like I was annoyed she had gotten one up on me.

"I don't know," she thought aloud and with a cheeky grin, grabbing a plate to start piling on the long forgotten waffles, "I think it might be the sea air or something."

"Nah, it's in the genes," I chuckled quietly, grabbing my jacket and deciding it was time to get this conversation wrapped up. "I'll go find Sam and the boys for breakfast. Clear my head a little bit."

"You promise you're gonna tell him?" Sarah stopped me as I went to push the door open.

"I'll think about it."

3rd person POV

Once (Y/N) was out of ear shot, Sarah couldn't help but start jumping up and down in excitement, clapping her hands loudly as she did so. That went even better than she thought it would, and she was so proud of herself. Sarah Wilson could now add matchmaker to her resume.

"Coast is clear Barnes. You can open your eyes now."

(Y/N) had no idea what she had metaphorically walked into just minutes earlier, entering that very revealing conversation with her overly inquisitive host.

What drew Sarah to come down that morning was the sounds of both the front porch door opening and the smell of homemade waffles wafting up the stairs. As she entered the kitchen she was met with two sights. One being (Y/N), facing the counter and looking very smiley, the other being a wide awake super soldier who was just laying on the couch and staring at her, the sole object of his affection. Sarah could work with this.

Every time (Y/N) turned back in his direction, Bucky would close his eyes and pretend to be asleep again. He had never slept so soundly, so peacefully, thoughts of (Y/N) and his new friends filling his nightmare free dreams.

He'd initially woken to (Y/N) ushering the boys outside because she was afraid they would wake him up. He didn't want to disappoint her by proving her right. Besides, he liked just watching her move around the kitchen, completely unaware he was observing her the whole time. He had no idea about the conversation that was just about to happen.

After (Y/N) had left and Sarah had confirmed so, Bucky sat himself up, his body shaking with adrenaline and a look of complete shock fixed on his face. Had he definitely woken up, or had the whole thing been a part of his dream? Did (Y/N) seriously just admit that she was in love with him?

Bucky didn't know how to react, didn't know what to say as he looked up at a smug Sarah from his spot. All he'd ever wanted was for (Y/N) to feel the same way about him as he did about her. Now he knew that she did.

"You're welcome by the way."

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rahleeyah · 3 years ago

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After the Lewis ask and your answer (and additional post) this just struck me and I had to get it out. Are we looking for an unrealistic level of personal narrative on a show that is still ultimately a standard police procedural? Like, I just, IDK, there is so much that happened in the time EO were apart that we want to see them talk about, but ultimately the show still has to serve the case of the week and it would take some very specific cases to tie in with *waves at just all the shit Liv went through, good and bad, over the years* that stuff. I'm not saying I don't think some of it could happen but are we setting ourselves up to be ultimately disappointed? I mean, OC would make more sense as a place for this to happen, but considering all the BTS on that set, seems hard to coordinate between the two shows.

i'm really glad you sent this, and i've been thinking over my answer since i saw it last night.

perspective is so, so important.

i talk a lot about things i would like to see, and sometimes i talk about things i think eo should do as if they are characters i have some control over, but i wanna point out something that i think i haven't really touched on that much:

i do not, for one second, expect that we will actually get the things i am talking about.

the lewis conversation, the tucker conversation, a bottle episode where they just sit and talk, the rest of the squads reacting to their relationship, these are beats i would put in there if i was writing the story, but unless and until those things actually happen, i don't expect the show to do them.

part of what left me so disheartened after the crossover last week was that i did something that i never do, and i got on twitter the day of the episodes. this was a mistake, bc i got sucked into the hype. i got sucked into the expectation. i had no expectations of my own, but after reading and getting excited about everyone else's expectations, i was in a headspace where i imagined all sorts of big things that had not been promised or even hinted at, and so was underwhelmed by the final result.

this was not a failure on the part of the show, bc what they did on the crossover was good, and important for the characters' journey. this was not me being baited, bc literally no one with any say in the show had given me reason to expect anything other than what we got. i built up expectations that were unfounded. i played myself.

i think the show could do these things. we've seen it; s15 gave us an olivia romance, gave us olivia at home, gave us lots of insight into where her head was at, gave us her emotional growth. they did something happened, which was a bottle episode that centered on olivia's conflicted feelings towards her own father. they are capable of going to these places while preserving their case of the week format.

but it is important to maintain perspective. it is important to remember that we cannot expect something that has been promised. we can want it, and we can talk about how cool it would be if it happened, and we can talk about how we would like to see it go down if it did happen, but we gotta take what comes in stride. the show can only follow one course. it cannot give us every single emotional beat we want; even if it was a straight up soap, it still wouldn't hit every suggestion fandom has made. and that's not us being offered a carrot and being bashed with a stick; they only get one shot at it.

fandom gets unlimited shots! we can do whatever we want! we can create every single possibility we would like to see. so often when i talk about things i would like to see in the future, i am approaching them from the fannish perspective; that is, if this story was mine, this is what i would do. not "this is absolutely what the story must do, and if it doesn't we have been robbed."

we are not entitled to storylines that no one ever told us they would write. that is an unpleasant feeling to sit with, sometimes, bc the story means so much to so many people, and we all want, desperately, to see some follow through on these things. but to use an analogy i wrote in a post that was never published, imagine if you will that svu is a hot dog cart. they make good hot dogs, that's their thing. but it turns out they make good baked beans, too. and people go crazy for the baked beans. they can't make enough baked beans to meet the unexpected demand, bc the baked beans were only ever supposed to be a side dish. they're happy people like the baked beans, but a little flummoxed, too. what about the hot dogs? they opened this cart to sell hot dogs. sometimes it kinda sucks that all these people are asking for beans, and ignoring the hot dogs. sure, maybe they could stop selling hot dogs and just sell the beans, but there's not quite enough demand for beans to keep them solvent, and they don't wanna make baked beans all day. they're a hot dog cart.

we fucking love the baked beans! but that's not what the cart is there for, and when it runs out of beans, we can't be shocked. they only wanted to sell hot dogs.

i will say, however, that i would not place the blame for the difficulty coordinating on oc. not while the only person saying it was difficult to coordinate is the one who spent the last DECADE bashing elliot, shading chris, and acting like a petulant baby when he was asked to share his toys. if svu had a showrunner without a massive chip on his shoulder for the last two years, i imagine the landscape would look vastly different.

#anonymous #e.o asks #s.vu

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shadowsinger11 · 4 years ago

Text

John Wayne

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader

Summary: Christmas lights and stunning dresses are enough to spark a desire for a winter romance. But could you have possibly gotten the wrong idea?

Word Count: 2.5k

Genre: fluff, angst

A/N: I might've listened too much to Cigarettes After Sex while writing and this is totally not a song inspired fic, born purely as a result of my procrastination with other projects

Tag list: @susceptible-but-siriusexual @hufflexpuff @neovannii @jenniweasley @theweasleysredhair @harrysweasleys @loony-loopy-lupinn @whiz-bangs78 @slytherinsunrise @starlightweasley @ickle-ronniekins @gcdric @vivianweasley @aprilsrant @idont-knowrn @thisismynerdyself @wonderful-writer @feetoffthetablee @minty-malfoy @vogueweasley @elf-punk @oh-for-merlins-sake @heart-of-tempered-steel @spilled-prose @itseatyourdamnapples @aaannabbanana @l0ttadreamz @potter-redheads @pastanest | message me to be added/removed! (if you're in bold, I couldn't tag you)

You were staring at the crowded dance floor.

Beautiful ladies were being spun around by their partners, gorgeous gowns twirling and swooshing with their every elegant move. Everything was perfect about them; from their smile which lit up the Great hall more than the sparkling white Christmas trees, to the way their wrist gracefully twisted around their lover's neck, eyes piercing into theirs. The music was playing, slow and melancholic, exactly as it had been playing for the last few hours, luring lovers and encouraging them to bare their souls in front of each other.

And so they danced, connected by fearful desire, united by hope and bonded by love.

It was a kind of magic no one could truly understand, mysterious and private as though you weren't meant to witness it that night. So when among the sea of couples lips met in a silent oath, your heart began to ache, pleading you to leave.

It should have been you. It should have been you the receiver of those loving glances, of those kisses which made your head dizzy and caused your knees to buckle, but it would've been no problem as you would've had the arms of your lover to keep you secure. Then, as you'd dare to look up through your lashes, gorgeous eyes would be already on you, their obscure flame consoling you and pulling you in. And you'd simply fall, letting the warm, velvety darkness envelope you.

You flinched from the slight chill, rethinking your choice of a sleeveless dress. The enthusiasm with which you had picked it months ago now seemed utterly ridiculous and foolish as you were sitting a good distance away from where you believed you'd have been dancing your heart out. But, as you took one last look at your surroundings, only to spot your lovestruck friends indulging in the presence of their partners, the comfort of your pajamas seemed far more tempting than the unreasonably expensive piece of fabric which didn't even matter to you anymore.

It was pitifully funny how things could change in the blink of an eye, in a single breath; how fast you had gone from blooming with excitement to wondering how you were foolish enough to contribute to your own heartbreak.

"How come I'm just finding out about this?" Fred exclaimed, chasing after you down the stairs of the Astronomy tower. "I bet I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for those Ravenclaws chatting back in class."

"You were gonna know eventually, what's the deal?"

"My point is, why didn't you tell me and I had to hear from someone else?"

A group Hufflepuffs gave you questioning looks as you practically ran past them, nearly tripping over your own feet in the process, "You're making a fuss about nothing, stop acting entitled to every piece of information in my life!"

"McLaggen? That git?" Fred yelled in frustration and disbelief; he didn't at all acknowledge the small crowd which had gathered to observe the scene, nor did he care in the first place. He stopped in his tracks, gripping the wooden railing tight, knuckles turning white and jaw tense. "You cannot be serious."

Shocked faces now turned to you, and you desperately wished you could use reducio on yourself. Instead, opposite to what your consciousness was screaming at you, you dug your feet into the floor and shot Fred a stern look over your shoulder, "We're not discussing this right now. Besides, what's in it for you anyway? You're going with Angelina."

Had you kept walking, you would have missed the way Fred's chest was heaving with shallow, rapid breaths, and his face was more maroon than you had ever seen. And you? You couldn't quite breathe yourself.

A week ago your untamed happiness brightened every room and hallway; classes seemed to fly by, exams were over and the Yule ball was right around the corner. Your heart was ringing with joy as you were so looking forward to forgetting your troubles for just one night.

In the midst of shining Christmas decorations and beautiful dresses a dreamy, yet pretty bold idea had begun to form in your head, an idea which Ginny and Hermione encouraged with their support and affirmations. Deep down you had started to believe Fred Weasley took an interest in you, harboured feelings for you even, and your ever-present goofy banter which contained far more flirting than what would be acceptable between two best friends, only fed your imagination and raised your hopes up.

You were aware you were the only one on the receiving end of Fred's teasing jokes, cheesy pickup lines and lingering stares which had you staying up an extra hour in your bed at night. Even his siblings shared the same opinion - there was no way on Godric's sword that a person who clearly wanted to be around you as often as possible and got his hands on you every chance he could, wouldn't be at least a little bit interested in you.

That's why you nearly broke down when exactly a week ago in the hallway Ron casually mentioned his older brother had just asked out Angelina.

The ground was pulled beneath your feet, vanishing along with your oblivious hopes. The news stung sharply, leaving a sour taste in your mouth; never had you believed you’d spend the few days before the ball stitching up your heart, and you were willing to do just about anything to forget about your humiliation. So when McLaggen invited you with an obnoxiously flirty note in Charms class, you didn’t hesitate much.

You could feel a wave of tears burning your eyes as you looked up to where Fred was standing. His face and ears were still as red as they could get, and his chest was vibrating with every shaky breath he took. Fury had disappeared from his eyes long ago, replaced with concern, regret and hurt which you couldn't quite place.

He climbed down the few remaining stairs.

"He's obnoxious! And beyond what's good for you!" Fred stated, though his voice now lacked power and slightly trembled, loud enough just for you to hear. "You're setting yourself up for a pretty bad night."

You swallowed down the dry lump in your throat and finally turned around to fully face him, looking him up and down.

"Seems like I have a terrible taste in men then."

A second glass of firewhiskey did nothing to burn down the growing turmoil in your stomach. You tapped the edge of the empty glass with your fingers and smiled at your friends who were visibly exhausted from dancing to upbeat songs for quite awhile now, but enjoying their time far too much to take a break. You admired their spirit - just because you weren't feeling your best, it didn't mean your friends didn't have the right to have fun.

However, the inevitable sense of regret lingered in your bones, and you found it hard to not focus on how the ball had gone wrong for you, in more ways than you had originally thought.

Even without Fred as your date, there was still a chance you'd have a good time. McLaggen could undoubtedly make it awkward to be around, and with the fact that your heart had recently been sliced open, you weren't sure how much of his ridiculous antics you could take. But at least he was trying; if you put aside his overbearing ego, you could see genuine effort into creating something romantic for both of you. It was going to be okay. Not necessarily what you desired, but somehow okay.

And that last bit of hope vanished the second you caught your former date snogging your crush's date in an empty classroom merely an hour ago.

You didn't know whether to cry or laugh at the universe's bitter joke, but the tears on your face as you ran down the hallway in your beautiful dress were eloquent.

A bitter, bitter joke.

You couldn't take it anymore. The charming smiles, sultry glances and stolen kisses you had been observing for the past hour were too much. And when another slow song made an appearance, you rose to your feet and headed towards the tall doors of the exit. Perhaps sleep would be a decent ending to your horrendous night.

You had barely made it out of the Great hall when loud footsteps echoed on your right.

"Bloody hell, I've been looking for you!" Fred said through heavy breaths, having run all the way to you as it seemed. His ginger hair had escaped its slicked look long ago, now too messy to fix despite his numerous attempts to smooth it back. His suit was no better, slightly wrinkled and shirt open to the third button.

"Why have you?" you asked and folded your arms, feeling a bit chilly in the hallway.

"McLaggen. About him," Fred sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry for having to say it, but I just saw him-"

"I know."

Fred frowned in confusion.

"You do?"

It was your turn to let out an exasperated sigh as you looked down at your feet, "Yes. A while ago."

Fred's features softened.

"I'm sorry."

You barely found it in you to respond with a weak smile, "It's alright. I guess I was right. I do have a terrible taste in men." Then you gave Fred a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry for Angelina too, it's horrible she did this to you."

Your friend allowed the ghost of a smirk to appear on his lips and he shoved hands into his pockets, "I'm not really affected by it in all honesty," he shrugged. "I'm rather angry about the fact that the prat thought he could pull off something like this and get away with it."

Fred's heart ached at the sight of your slumped figure and glossy eyes; he hated himself for having contributed to the failure of the event you were expecting with so much hope. He tilted his head to the side, attempting to meet your gaze.

"I'd gladly prank the crap outta the git until he doesn't even dare to show up to classes… But for now is there a way for me to make your night any less terrible, love?"

You couldn't help but giggle at the thought of McLaggen skipping classes out of sheer fear of Fred. But then your thoughts wandered to the way Angelina was practically straddling his lap, and you wondered if Fred had been doing the same all this time unbeknownst to you; if right after a flirty joke sent your way he'd go to an empty classroom and kiss Angelina with the passion you had just witnessed.

The image of Angelina's lips on Fred's caused you to become nauseous and you attempted to swallow down that lump again.

"No," you replied. "But please, tell me one thing. What was that entire tantrum for?"

Fred didn't really seem taken aback by your question, realizing you'd eventually bring it up. He furrowed a brow, carefully thinking of an answer, and wettened his lips.

“Perhaps it would be inappropriate of me to say it- selfish even, but the mere thought of you being in the embrace of someone, especially with that someone being a foul git, caused me to get unreasonably angry.” Guilt was seeping into his every word and he bitterly chuckled to himself. “Ironic, isn’t it? Attempting to spare you heartbreak by being the reason for it.”

He gently took your hand and looked into your eyes, remorse swimming in his own, "I had no right to treat you the way I did. I'm terribly sorry for being controlling and you absolutely do not have to forgive me. Just know that I truly regret my actions; I never intended to hurt you."

His words were a feather-light caress to your wounded heart and you shuddered. You couldn't stay mad at him. Reciprocated feelings or not, he was still your best friend and you wouldn't let that go.

"Apology accepted," you gave his hand a light squeeze and Fred beamed, the entire hallway lighting up with him. Dread released your chest of its merciless grasp and you could finally breathe. However, one question never ceased to haunt you. "But I just need to know…” you began, absentmindedly playing with his fingers, “...why were you so upset to begin with?"

Fred's shoulders immediately stiffened and he averted his gaze from you in an attempt to come up with a reasonable reply. His jaw was clenched, and his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. "I didn't want you to go with him." He stated simply. "Not when you could've easily gone with me instead."

You froze.

"What do you mean?” you asked timidly, shifting your weight from foot to foot. “What about Angelina?"

Fred only shook his head, fighting back a grin.

"Darling, Angelina was never the catch."

The air was knocked out of your lungs.

You could only stare at Fred wide-eyed, and though his expression was unreadable, maroon had begun to crawl its way up to his ears and cheeks again.

"I'm sorry for putting you through all this," Fred spoke softly as he pressed a kiss to your knuckles, a kiss that awakened the butterflies within you. "I was really too much of a wuss to confess to you and settled for this instead."

"I guess that makes us two," you smiled sincerely, perhaps for the first time that night. Fred returned your smile with a grin, and asked.

"How can I make up to you for this oh-so-awful mess?"

"Dance with me," you said without skipping a beat. "That's what you owe me at least. Let's finally do what we both wanted."

Fred's expression became serious as he intertwined his fingers with yours, and led you into the direction of the Great hall, from which music could still faintly be heard.

"With the greatest of pleasure, my love."

Most people had already gone to bed, leaving just a few couples and you to drench in enchanted serenity. Fred's arms around you felt like home as you both swayed to the soft rhythm of the song, one of the many to follow, but his racing heartbeat under your palm caused your own pulse to speed up as well.

You looked up at your lover through your lashes, gorgeous eyes already on you, their obscure flame consoling you and pulling you in. There was an odd, enigmatic allure that Fred possessed, and even after years of knowing this man, it only caused you to fall further into the velvety hell you didn't wish to escape from.

And when his lips collided with yours, they tasted sweeter than the forbidden fruit.

Reblogs and feedback are greatly appreciated!

#fred weasley x reader #fred weasley x reader fluff #fred weasley x reader angst #fred weasley fic #fred weasley fanfiction #fred weasley imagines #fred weasley x y/n #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter imagines #james phelps #fred and george weasley

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stayarmytinyzenmoa-l · 2 years ago

Text

Prominence [WCh. 2.80]

Social Media AU ; Idol AU ; Added Unit AU CW/TW: Language, Sasaeng/Stalker Activity Genre: Comedy, Romance Pairing: NCT x Idol!Reader, Seonghwa x Reader Y/N Pronouns: Female (She/Her) Word Count: 7.2K

(80/80) [First] | [Previous] [NCT Masterlist] | [Other Groups Masterlist] | [Prominence S1 Masterlist] | [Prominence S2 Masterlist]

Notes: See you in the next one bitchesssss (affectionate) Disclaimer: Please remember that this is an AU and a work of fiction, obviously the idols mentioned/written about in this story would never partake in these actions. The idols mentioned in this work are meant to be seen more as face claims rather than the actual idols themselves

Feedback is greatly appreciated!! Thank you for reading!

21 March 2022

Hamin's coming to South Korea? It's not that you didn't want to see your brothers, but at the same time you didn't think it was necessary for them to inconvenience themselves like this. It's not like it was that big a deal anyway, if anything, this visit would stress you out more than anything else. However you couldn't deny that it had been some time since all three of you were together, and part of you did want to spend time with them, but the other part of you knew that this couldn't have been more inconvenient for you.

You closed your messages app and walked back out to the main room. Haechan was passed out on the couch next to Taeyong, Hendery had been sent off to bed before he could hurt himself, Jaemin dragged Jeno back into the Dream dorms, Mark and Yangyang ran off before you could delegate cleaning duties to them, and that left you and Jihyun to pick up after them.

"Typical," you mumbled while collecting as many glass bottles as you could and tossed them into the recycling bin. "Those two are so going to hear it from me when I head over there," you muttered while wiping down the counters.

"Aw, I know you, honey, you're just mad that you didn't scram before they did," Jihyun laughs. She looks over at the couch. "Taeyong's going to freak out when he realizes he laid down on that thing."

"Oh I know," you snickered. "We need to replace that thing," you grimaced.

"(Y/N)!" Yangyang's hurried whisper somehow reached you from across the room.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to come help," you glared at him.

"No. Come to my room," he gestures for you to follow him.

"Go ahead, I've got it here," Jihyun nudges her head toward the door and you nodded.

Walking into the WayV dorm was almost jarring to see. Boxes and luggage had been strewn across as far as you can see and still, somehow, it felt so empty. You turned to Yangyang's room and pulled it open.

"What's all this?" You looked around, the room had been largely cleaned out to its bare bones now. It was almost saddening, actually, you'd had many memories in here and now it was just... empty. But, in the middle of the room, was a small table set up with a small cake and bottles of soju.

"We're having Yang's going away party!" Mark grins.

"Yup! Like hell I'd be leaving without having one last celebration with you guys," Yangyang hands you a bottle and your shoulders sank.

"Aw, geez, how is it that I'm the one being surprised here?" You sat down and Mark passed out the shot glasses.

"We kinda decided to do this last minute," Mark shrugs. "It's multipurpose too, Yangyang's going away, Kyungjae going to jail, your relationship's back, and things are just starting to look up in general, so… why not?” He pours soju into the shot glasses and picks his up. “So… uh… to us?”

“To us!” You and Yangyang repeated. The glasses clinked together and you took the shot.

"You know what, we should plan like... a day," you hummed. Tired and confused glances were what you received. "Let me finish, we should plan a day where we all call each other, you know? Like, we're all going to get really busy, so might as well reserve a day already," you shrugged.

"Yeah, let's do it," Mark opens up his calendar and visibly gulps. "Uh... I'm not too packed on Thursdays..."

"Every Thursday then?" You ask.

"Every Thursday is a bit hard," Yangyang looks up from his phone. "How about every other Thursday?"

"Every other works," Mark shrugs.

"Yeah," you agreed right as the door opened and Suho walks in. "Hey! The gang's all here!"

"I'm only here because Yangyang left this in the van," he places the duffle bag on the floor. "What are ou three up to?" He asks.

"Oh, just a mini celebration since Yangyang's getting exiled," you grinned.

"NCThree is never going to have another comeback." Yangyang cries into his hand.

"Huh? Exiled? Never having a comeback? What are you two talking about?" Suho's head tilts. "Yangyang's coming back."

"Yeah! For the year-end promotions!" Now you felt like crying. "My best friend is going to be an ocean away for a year," you took the soju bottle and just drank straight from it.

"No, (Y/N), uh..." Suho stutters while Mark comforts you.

"You will be missed, Yangyang, but your position is up for grabs," Mark jokes. Yangyang's face grows dead serious.

"If someone wants to take my best friend spot they're going to have to kill me first," he says.

"NCThree!" Suho speaks up and all attention lands on him. "Yangyang is coming back next month! They all are!" Suho clarifies. You and Mark turned to Yangyang now, disappointed but not surprised.

"Oh," you stood up and dusted your pants off. "Wow, worried us for nothing, huh?" You playfully pushed Yangyang's head and he nearly falls off the chair.

"I'm only leaving for a month?!"

"You're only leaving for a month! You're just going there to film some content then you're coming right back! Who the hell told you you'd be staying in China?" Suho asks. Again, stares land on Yangyang.

"In my defense, I've never been the brightest in this group."

"Fucking hell, I'm going to bed," you stacked the cups and grouped the bottles together.

"Dang... so (Y/N) and I were getting all sad for no reason? That's cold, Yangyang," Mark shakes his head.

"Hey, I actually thought-"

"You're lucky though, Yangyang, you're going to miss my brothers," you yawned on your way out of the room. Yangyang blinks slowly before tumbling out into the hallway.

"You have brothers?!"

22 March 2022

"Ugh... it's too early for this," Yunho mutters, his eyes tired and his voice dragging.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have stayed up watching video games," their manager taunts. Collective groans filled the air, but one of the members was particularly in a good mood. Seonghwa couldn't keep still, he was practically rocking back and forth in his spot. There had been this looming presence over you and him since the whole fiasco months ago and now, finally, a chance for closure and a chance for new beginnings.

Plus, he was always excited to see you.

"Alright, I'm glad I have you all here!" Their CEO, as bright as ever, marches into the room. He stands before the group, who are all seated around the meeting table. "Now, I've gathered you all here today for a very important announcement. Following recent events, I've become very concerned with your security. From various people overstepping our boundaries, to people targeting those we love, I've decided to take action." Somehow, Seonghwa felt like he was being put on the spot here.

"You hired more security?" Hongjoong asks. Whatever exhaustion he had was easily hidden by his professionalism.

"Something like that," their CEO hums. "Please come in, sir, and introduce yourself to my boys," their CEO steps aside as another person enters the room.

And then Seonghwa felt his jaw drop.

Dressed in a suit and with a badge hanging around his neck, Seonghwa almost didn't recognize him. Actually, he didn't recognize him at all until he swept his hair out of the way and the scar across his cheek became apparent. He almost felt like he was overreacting, there should be no way that the stranger would recognize him, but, to Seonghwa's comfort, it seemed Hongjoong had been taken aback by the man's gruff appearance as much as he was.

"Hello, I'm Jung Kanghoon, I will be in charge of your personal security from now on," the man bows for a moment before straightening. "I hope we can get along well."

"There you have it then," their CEO beams. "Kanghoon here will be in charge of all eight of you, I've already provided your work phone numbers to him, and I'll be sending you his number sometime later today. If you have any questions or concerns, take it up with him," their CEO juts a thumb toward Kanghoon. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just leave you all with him to get to know each other better, you'll be seeing him much more often from now on," their CEO gestures for their manager to follow him out. Kanghoon takes a seat at the head of the table. The room was silent for a few moments.

"I have a question," Wooyoung speaks up. Kanghoon looks at him. "Have you ever killed anyone?"

"Wooyoung!" Hongjoong gasps.

"You can't just ask people if they've ever killed someone!" Mingi shouts.

"What?! I'm curious! Just look at the guy!" Wooyoung gestures to Kanghoon with both hands. "Look at the scars on his hands, those are awesome!" He compliments him.

"... Do you really want to know the answer to that?" Kanghoon asks with a small smirk. Wooyoung matches his energy.

"Yeah, I do, actually."

"Not purposely, no," Kanghoon answers vaguely.

"I knew it," Wooyoung congratulates himself.

"How'd you get that scar?" Yeosang asks next. Kanghoon stares at him and Yeosang points to his cheek.

"How do you think?"

"Secret mission along the border, you tried to get out unscathed but you ran into someone you had tricked into being your brother in arms and, in his betrayed rage, he attacked," Yeosang answers.

"Interesting story, but no, I got it from my younger sister," Kanghoon answers. "She was playing with scissors."

"Oh..." Yeosang sinks into his chair.

"Aside from questions of my past, do any of you have any other more relevant questions?" Kanghoon's gaze lands on Seonghwa, who tries to avoid his look. "If not then, I'll give you my number. I'm officially starting next month," Kanghoon says.

"Here, give it to me, I'll send it to the others," Hongjoong approaches him first.

"Sure, whatever is easier," Kanghoon replied as Hongjoong handed him his phone. Kanghoon handed it back to him and stood up. "I look forward to working with you all." He leaves the room.

"Whoa, hyung, you're like, white as a sheet, are you okay?" Yunho waves his hand in front of Seonghwa's face.

"Uh... yeah, I'm fine," Seonghwa tugs at his collar. It's whatever, totally, it was just a coincidence if anything. Besides, he had a much more important event to look forward to tonight anyway, he'd deal with this when it came back later.

It was clear that you had a pep in your step all day today, and every member of NCT knew it. Especially when the ones who were hungover were the first ones to notice your behavior.

This morning, for example, you said good morning to Doyoung. Everyone knows that the two of you just don't click and still you acknowledged his presence? Who even are you? And even when Doyoung responded similarly, that didn't stop Johnny and Jungwoo from making immediate eye contact with each other.

Then, then, just a few moments later, you actually helped Chenle open a jam jar, and when he tried to crack a joke about your strength you just smiled and said that it was something you'd always had with you. What? No matter how much Chenle tried to tease you, you easily deflected it back on him.

Now, and it was an honest mistake, Jeno got a little carried away laughing and accidentally launched your phone across the room. The already shattered screen had shattered some more, it was a miracle that it still worked at this point. But, did you get mad? No.

"Don't worry, Jen, things happen," you grinned. You glanced at the clock. 5:00 pm. You picked your phone up from the ground and disappeared into the ANiMA dorms.

"Isn't she supposed to be sad right now?" Jeno asks.

"Nah, she found out Yangyang's only going to be gone a month," Hendery replies.

"Oh, shit, okay, but like... I'm glad she's happy and all after everything but like..."

"Yeah, I get it," Hendery shrugs. "You know, Jiaying said earlier that she was singing in the shower, she never does that."

"Really?" Jungwoo sits up. "You know what? I saw Jaemin accidentally spill coffee on her and she told him not to worry about it too," he says.

"It is kind of suspicious," Haechan says from behind the counter. "Last time I saw (Y/N) this happy was before she went on her first date with Seonghwa," he says with a knowing tone. Everyone turns to him and he continues to put the dishes away behind him. "I don't know, just a thought," he says. Before any more conversation to continue, you walked back out into the main room and across. You knocked on the WayV side of the dorms and Kun opened it.

"(Y/N), we've been over this, you can just enter, you don't need to knock," he says.

"Can you ask Ten to give me my steamer back?"

"Yeah, hold on," Kun looks over his shoulder, "Ten, give (Y/N) her steamer back." You hear a muffled response. "He says he still needs it."

"Tell him I need it now."

"She needs it now," he shouts over his shoulder. Another muffled response. "He's asking why."

"I have a date tonight."

"She has a- you have a date tonight?!" Kun does a quick double-take back to you and you nod. You hear doors opening in succession mixed with shuffles and things breaking behind you.

"You're going on a date?! With who?!" Jungwoo shouts while he practically hops on his feet. "When? Where? Do you need help? Please speak clearly into my left shoulder." You scrunched your eyebrows and blinked slowly.

"Yes, Seonghwa, tonight, I'm not sure yet, and no."

"You and Seonghwa were still talking?! I thought his psycho stalker like... ruined you two," Jeno chimes.

"That's what I'm saying! And his psycho friend almost ruined them again!" Yangyang follows Mark out.

"What were you two doing without me?" You eyed them suspiciously.

"Guy stuff," they answered vaguely.

"Huh, okay, well, yes, I'm going on a date tonight, and we're just going to talk about things, okay?" You explained just as Ten emerged with your steamer. "It's not a big deal, okay?" You took the steamer.

"Kun, tell the managers we will not be leaving tonight," Ten says with a straight expression. "I need to be here and present to see the outcome of this."

"I'm sure the grapevine will find a way to get to us," Kun tiredly looks back at all the luggages behind him. The WayV dorm had turned into a lawless land. "Dear god... this will be the longest six hours of my life," he mutters.

"Are you sure you'll be safe?" Johnny walks out now with a towel still wrapped around his head.

"Yes? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Like we need to answer that," Jaemin, rising from his nap on the couch, adds. "But, do whatever you want to do," he waves his hand.

"Thank you, Jaemin, at least one person knows how to mind his own business," you shut the door behind you, leaving the muffled discussion behind you. You looked down at your phone, which was still open to the chat from your brothers. You sighed and slumped your shoulders, talk about a pain, you had enough to worry about already and now you had to worry about your brothers too.

"Oop, sorry, kiddo," Saeron nearly bumps into you but as soon as she sees your expression, she places the two suitcases in her hands down. "Is everything alright, (Y/N)?"

"Uh..." you glanced at your phone again, "well, to be honest, I'm a little stressed out," you said quietly. Saeron's expression softens and she leads you to the counter.

"Well, let's talk a little about it then, (Y/N), what's going on? Can unnie help in any way?" She asks. You flipped your phone face down on the counter.

"Just... well, everything. The whole Kyungjae situation finally processed in my head, then everything with Hwa is kind of unstable, my best friend is going back to China for who knows how long, my brothers are really worried about me, and... just, too much." Now that you had listed everything out, you felt a heavy weight being pushed down on you. With all these priorities and responsibilities on your plate you just didn't know what to do next.

"Hmm, well," Saeron takes a moment to gather her thoughts, "everything with Kyungjae has been handled, for the most part. At least he won't be near you anymore, that's what matters. And as for you and Seonghwa, well, I can't speak for his end, but you very clearly want to make that work, so have faith in that," she starts, she looks over toward the door for a moment, "to be honest, (Y/N), I don't think I can say much on you and Yangyang, but I don't think the distance will change anything especially if you value your friendship, so have faith in that as well. Your brothers, on the other hand, I'm sorry that I can't say much on that either, you know them better than I do, but I'm sure they do it from a place of love, just as I'm talking with you now," she says. She pats the suitcases lightly. "You know, when I get upset, I like to do my favorite hobby, and in this case it's organizing! Why don't you do something too?" She asks.

"I think I will, unnie! But, can I ask what exactly you're organizing?"

"The WayV dorm!" She smiles. "Those boys need a woman's touch, you know," she giggles. Jihyun, however, watches with wide eyes.

"Those poor boys," she mutters.

"What was that, dear?" Searon doesn't even turn her head.

"Nothing, my love," Jihyun turns a page in her book. "But... (Y/N), why don't you come with me to my room? I think I know exactly how you can relax before your date," Jihyun gestured for you to follow her and you did just that.

As soon as you walked in, Yeseul's eyes shone.

"Jie! You're a genius!" Yeseul's hands clasp over yours. "(Y/N), you're a lifesaver!"

"Hmm?" You look around and spot the music program open on Jihyun's desktop.

"(Y/N), please, please, please collaborate with me!" Yeseul begs. Before you could answer, Jihyun presses play and the backtrack fills the room.

"Oh?" You sit down on the bed and listen to the beat. "Oh."

"Yes! Jihyun and I have been wrapping our heads around what the song was missing and now I've got it! I should sing it with someone else!"

"Oh, unnie, you know I'm not the strongest-"

"Don't be ridiculous, you're plenty strong! In all aspects! Please say yes," she plead. Well, you couldn't deny that you liked the track a lot, and you'd known for a while now that Jihyun and Yeseul were working on the next NCTLab, but you didn't think they'd want you to be involved this much. "Come on, (Y/N)! Saeron is even writing the lyrics! Let's make it a family project!" She continues.

"... I'm in," you nodded your head curtly, "but I have to get ready for my date so let's just read through it once!"

Seonghwa looked at his watch while he waited at the bottom floor of the dorms. The bouquet of roses in his hands slowly grew heavier as the minute hand ticked on. He took a deep breath, the jitters in his chest becoming more and more apparent. It's not like this was your first date, he didn't understand why he was this nervous. Then, he heard the doors slide open, and you bounded out.

And just like that his heart stopped.

"Wow," he mumbles.

"Sorry, I got so caught up with the girls," you fixed your earrings just as you stood in front of him, "did I make you wait long?"

"For you, I'd wait however long I need to," he replies. A small smile rose on your face. "And these are for you," he hands you the bouquet and you accepted it carefully.

"They're beautiful, thank you," you played with the red ribbon that tied them together. "Ten! Bring these upstairs for me, please!" You called. Ten emerged from his hiding spot.

"You're good," his eyes narrow.

"And tell the others that there's nothing to worry about," you handed him the roses. Ten glared at Seonghwa, gesturing that he, and likely every member of NCT, was watching him carefully.

"Call off the operatives," Ten mutters under his breath.

"What was that?" You asked him.

"Nothing, (Y/N), just have fun! But not too much fun," he glares at Seonghwa.

"I'll have her home by 11," Seonghwa just smiles. Ten disappears into the dorm, never once breaking eye contact.

"You'll have to excuse them," you chuckled.

"I don't blame them," Seonghwa digresses. He offers you his arm. "Shall we, then?" You looped your arm around his.

"We shall, take me away, love!"

The walk, surprisingly, wasn't as far as you thought it was. Sure, there was the occasional passerby who snapped a picture of the both of you, but for whatever reason you didn't seem to care. Even at the restaurant, when you felt every set of eyes land on you, you didn't care. No, instead you found comfort in yours and his hands which had so naturally found themselves together. You just looked forward to the wonderful night you had in store. Sure, you had to get the grueling details out of the way first, but what's a relationship without its hurdles?

"Table for two, correct?" The hostess asks. Seonghwa nods. "Let's see, Park Seonghwa... Park Seonghwa... Ah, here you are, reserved balcony seating, with Dinner Plan A please follow me," she sets off and the two of you are quick to follow.

The balcony was romantic, to say the least. It was a private area with the table in the middle, atop it was a charming candelabra and the dining set atop it was eye-catching. Even the decor that surrounded you seemed to set the mood so perfectly.

"You really planned it out, huh?" Seonghwa pulled the chair out for you and pushed it back in once you were settled. He swung his suit jacket over the back of the chair before taking his own seat.

"Too much?" He asks.

"Never," you replied. The waiter placed your appetizers in the middle of the table before pouring champagne into both of your glasses. Once he was gone, you folded your arms over the table. "So... Kyungjae."

"Right, the elephant in the room," Seonghwa leans on his chair. "It's true, we went to grade school together, but that was the extent of it. Even now, when I ran into him again, I didn't consider us friends at all. The fact that he did those horrible things to you, though, I will admit is my fault."

"Your fault? Hwa, you couldn't have known he was strange like that," you tipped the champagne glass to give it a taste. "But you going to his apartment, that was dangerous. You know as well as I do that as idols we can't do reckless things like that."

"I know, there's no excuse for our recklessness-"

"Our?!"

"... we may or may not have all been in on it."

"Oh god, Hwa, imagine the..." your voice trailed off and you took a calming bite of the tart in front of you. "Thank you. Even though it was reckless, who knows what Kyungjae would have done to me," you were genuine when you said it. "Not many people would've done that for me."

"Probably Yangyang."

"Probably Yangyang," you laughed, "but then we'd probably never see him again," you reasoned. The waiter returned and took the now empty plates and replaced them with the main entreé. As soon as he was out of earshot, you continued. "I still can't believe San didn't blab it all to me somehow," you hummed.

"Me too, and to be honest, there was another factor too," Seonghwa's eyes glanced up in thought. "Okay, first, let me say that it won't sound believable at all, but I promise it's true," he says cautiously. You lean in with your curiosity piqued. "There was someone who texted all of us and said we'd have insurance, and I think he was there at the apartment that day too," he said quietly. You blinked once.

"There are two things wrong with what you just told me, baby."

"I know," Seonghwa nods curtly. "We're going to deal with the whole phone thing tomorrow, but there was this oddly timed event when Kyungjae received a package right before I got caught, it couldn't have been a coincidence," Seonghwa continues.

"Huh, that is interesting," you mumbled. "Talk about luck."

"I know," Seonghwa whistles.

"Hey, um... since the mood is like this we'd might as well get it out of the way," you spoke up again, "was there anything else we should get out of the way?"

"Well," Seonghwa moved his food around with his fork. "Yes, actually. I think I owe you the full truth."

"You do."

"That day-"

"Excuse me!" You turned your head toward the man that had approached your table. "I'm sorry, I'm such a huge fan I had to ask for your autograph, but all I have is your photocard here," he opens his phone case.

"Oh, sure, do you have a," he cut you off by handing you a sharpie. "Sorry," you apologized to Seonghwa and scribbled your signature over your face and handed the card back to him.

"Thank you so much! Fighting! I can't wait to see your next project!" The fan bows his head and runs off.

"Anyway," you turned back to Seonghwa just in time to notice him writing his signature in a woman's notebook. He handed it back to her with a smile and she ran off. "So-"

"Would the two of you like to take a look at our wine menu?" The waiter seemingly appears next to your table and you cut into your meal a little too hard, the knife clanging against the plate harshly. You released the breath you'd been holding.

"No thank you, but could you make sure no one else walks out here?" Seonghwa answers for you.

"Of course, sir," the waiter dismisses himself and leaves the two of you alone.

"Sometimes I forget we're popular," you drank more of your champagne. "Anyway, please continue. What do you mean by full truth?"

"I think I should tell you what exactly Juliet had on both of us. For you, it was what happened between you and Yangyang that night. For me-" the loud camera shutter startled both of you.

"Seriously? Have they no shame?" You pressed your lips together but kept your expression straight. You knew well enough that if you showed that you were annoyed you'd get an earful so, instead, you continued to eat.

"I'll wait until they're gone before I say, I don't want it getting misconstrued," Seonghwa cuts into his dinner while side-eyeing the paparazzi. He clears his throat. "Until then, though, how has your day been?"

"Hectic," your shoulders slumped. "First I found out my brothers are coming to visit, then I found out that Yangyang's not actually leaving for a whole ass year instead he'll be gone a month, and now I think I'm collaborating with Yeseul for an NCT Lab," you counted the events on your hand. Click, shutter, flash.

"Brothers? I thought you only had the one," Seonghwa asks.

"Oh, I have two, I'm the middle child. I'm a little excited though, I've been wanting to introduce you to them both!" You grinned. "But I said my bit, so how about you?"

"Hm, I had rehearsal earlier and... wait, actually, did you know San and Saeron were related?"

"Huh? Yeah, of course I did, you guys didn't?" Click, shutter, flash.

"He never mentioned it!"

"In his defense, they're not actually related, they're pretty distant if anything. They really only saw each other at, like, holiday parties and birthdays," you laughed and all Seonghwa could do was smile. And, you had to admit, you missed the warm feeling you always had when you saw it. The way it spread across your chest and to your face, it was such a comforting feeling. "What are you looking at?" Your hands rose to your face and you made sure there weren't any crumbs on it or anything. Click, shutter, flash.

"Just you, who else?" He chuckles. "You're radiant tonight," he says. Talk about a finishing move. No matter where you looked, nothing could hide the bashful expression you had. Click, shutter, flash.

"I missed this." Ah, who were you kidding? "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Seonghwa replied quietly, enough for you to hear and you alone. Click, shutter, flash.

"They're tenacious," you rolled your eyes with a smile.

"I wonder what the pictures will look like."

"Oh god, I hope they're getting my good side," your expression settles on your idol smile. Click, shutter, flash.

"Mine too," Seonghwa straightens his posture. Click, shutter, flash. "It's a shame though," he opens the camera app on his phone, "your good side is the one facing me," he snaps a quick candid picture of you and flips it so you could see.

"Wow, you always manage to get the best pictures of me!" You immediately thought of the album you had of the both of you. You were more of a candid picture and video kind of person, a lot of what you had on the two of you were pictures taken in the moment or some taken without him knowing.

"I mean..." Seonghwa slid his phone to you and you scrolled through the album. Click, shutter, flash.

"Oh god, if any of these got out I could kiss my image goodbye," you covered your mouth to hide your laugh. You stopped on one of the images. It was taken right at the perfect moment, you think. It was your last evening in Rome and the two of you had decided to spend it in the hotel room. Seated on the balcony with the sunset in front of you, the picture really only showed your silhouette and... "a ring?" You looked at him with wide eyes now. "I don't think..." you looked around, cameras were still pointed at you. Seonghwa glanced too and slid you a velvet box, and he did so behind the wine bottle such that the paparazzi couldn't intrude. Your hand rested on top of it now, your fingertips just barely brushing over his.

"I... uh..." Seonghwa swallows harshly. "I'm not asking you to marry me, not yet, there's still so much I want for us to do together before we can take that step together. But, after everything that's happened and after everything we've been through, I really thought about it." You opened the box. It was a silver ring with a ruby in the center. "(Y/N), I've had this ring since our first anniversary, I just didn't know how to give it to you, and I didn't know what to say. But I do now."

"Seonghwa, I..." you couldn't form words, or at least, you couldn't put them in order.

"I can't promise that we won't go through tough times and I can't promise that it will get any easier, but I can promise that I will stay with you throughout it all, no matter what, I promise that I will always choose you," he confesses. "If you'll have me, that is, you don't need to give me a response now, I know there are cameras on us and-" you stood up almost abruptly. "Wait, wait, what's wrong? I'm sorry, I know I should have timed it better!" He stood up too, ready to follow you out if anything, but his words fell on deaf ears, you just needed something to hold, anything.

"Ugh, this will do," you grabbed one of the empty plates and held it up to cover your face. "Hold this, please. I'm going to kiss you right now."

"What? I... okay," his glance slid to the plate and he grabbed the other end right as you let go of it to hold his face instead.

The kiss was like magic. The flashes of cameras were hidden behind that plate, and it truly felt like it was just you and him in that moment. Then, you heard him place the plate down, but neither of you pulled away, neither of you wanted to. His hand wrapped around yours and he pulled it down in front of his and your chests.

"Jung (Y/N), I love you," he slid the ring onto your finger.

"Park Seonghwa, I love you too, and I promise to stay by your side too," you swore this on everything you were just as he did.

What happened next was like an omen. The romantic moment was perturbed by both of your phones going off at the same time. Both of your gazes fell on your respective devices before settling on each other.

"Oh... that can't be good," you swallowed harshly, especially when you both turned your phones over and saw that your respective managers were calling you. It was now when you both became hyperaware of the whispers around you. You both sat back down to answer your blaring phones.

"(Y/N). Come back as soon as you can. There is an urgent meeting with the PR team right away."

"Right away? What's wrong? What happened?" You and Seonghwa looked at each other again across the table and you felt your heart drop. The expression on his face was one you'd never seen on him before. It was complete and utter distraught. You pulled your phone away to see the second call that was coming in. "I'll be in as soon as I can, I'm sorry, Suho, Yangyang's calling me."

"As long as you're in tonight," was the last thing Suho said before you switched to Yangyang.

"(Y/N), I know you do whatever the hell you want, but if you listen to me once then don't do anything, don't look at anything, hell, don't even say anything."

"What's going on?"

"Look, (Y/N), we're giving Seonghwa the benefit of the doubt, but holy fucking shit what he said was horrible. Look... just trust me, okay? I don't want you to be alone."

"Oh... okay," you looked at Seonghwa again and he just shook his head. Yangyang hung up the phone and you saw the flurry of texts on your phone. all of them checking in on you and all of them worried about you. You opened one of the messages from an unknown number, all it had was a link to a Twitter thread, and the link matched many others on your phone. One link that stood out was from your manager, it was attached to a short message that said 'I was instructed not to show you this until the meeting but... it's better you prepared yourself.' You opened the link and it opened to a series of videos from a user by the @/julesCT. The thumbnail was grainy, but it was clear that it was taken in one of the Music Bank waiting rooms. You played the video.

“Look, I don’t know about this.” It was clearly Seonghwa's voice. “Dating? Now? ATEEZ is going so well and ANiMA? Sheesh, I don’t even know where to start with that group…” You felt a pang in your chest from the tone in his voice. The two people in the video, although hard to make out, their hair colors stood out easily. If it really was Seonghwa talking, you could assume the video was from two years ago now based on their hair.

“I mean, do you want to date her?” Hongjoong, you knew his voice as well as Seonghwa's.

“I just don’t want any unnecessary drama. Can you imagine the scandal from this? Either way I look at it, it’s going to be worse. She’s a nice girl but the scandals following her? Even if most of them aren’t even her fault, it’s hard to not associate those with her.” There were parts of the audio that were garbled, but some of the messages were clear.

“I understand, why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“I heard that she's a really pretentious person. Maybe conceited? What if the rumors are true that she just plays around with different guys? I don’t want to be part of that.” You couldn't control your expression, and such must have been clear to your date in front of you.

"(Y/N), let me explain," Seonghwa says, you held your hand up.

“I just don’t want to be another name in her so-called "playbook,” you know? I hear people talk about it all the time." Seonghwa's voice concludes. You heard more muffled audio, probably a response from Hongjoong, but you couldn't tell. You were too hung up on that word, playbook. What the hell? Aside from Seonghwa you'd only dated one other person. Sure, you were talking to a couple of people before debut too, but never anything concrete. What the hell kind of playbook was going around?

There was a second video under it. You played it, whether out of curiosity or out of spite you didn't know.

“Whoa! Hyung! Got the NCT girl?” San too?

“We’re just trying things out, the first date went… rough.” Seonghwa's voice. Sure, your first date wasn't stellar, but to talk about it with that tone? Was it that bad?

“Dang, you’re about to make other idols pretty mad,” San laughed. “You know, a bunch of other guys have their eyes on her. Rumor has it she was a total catch back in university, guys were flocking over to her daily. I hear she slept around a lot too.” You almost gasped. Was that really how they thought of you at first? You were certain that they didn't think of you that way now, but just what kind of rumors went around about you? What did you do for them to start anyway?

"(Y/N), please," Seonghwa, the real one now, tried to cut into your thoughts. His voice was quiet, but you could clearly hear him over the video and over the whispers. You didn't stop the video, however.

“Oh, come on, those are just rumors. You have the same ones.”

“Aren’t you curious though?” San seemingly asked with a teasing tone. You could barely make out the two figures in the video, but one of them seemed to shake their head. “You’re lying~” The video cut off. You turned your phone off and placed it face down on the table. You couldn't bring yourself to look up.

"(Y/N)," Seongwha's voice was quiet in front of you.

"They're... they're not real, are they?" You asked. The restaurant had fallen into a tense silence. Everyone was listening in on your conversation. Out of consideration, the waiters closed the door to the balcony, giving the two of you the privacy you should've already had.

"Not... not entirely," Seonghwa answers.

"But they're real?" You asked. You, of all people, knew how easy it was to modify evidence and to pick videos apart to make someone seem worse than they really were. You, of all people, knew how ruthless netizens could be. But even with context, you struggled to understand how it could mediate the situation. This whole time, you still couldn't bring yourself to raise your head. You saw Seonghwa's hands fold on top of each other, and you saw the way they trembled.

"Yes, they're actually conversations I've had," he confirms, you covered your mouth now, holding back a sob. The cold metal of the ring rested against your lip, and it just made the whole thing harder. "But... they're not the full conversations, there are parts of them edited out," he says. You figured as much, there were parts of the audio that had awkward cuts, and then there were the muffled responses despite the other ones having been heard clearly before. "I... I was going to tell you right before our managers called." You couldn't blame him for that, at every opportunity he had, it became too clear that someone unwanted was listening.

"I see," you replied. You looked up now and you felt your heart twist. The last time you saw him like this, looking like someone who had realized he fucked up, was just a few months ago. And now, again, your relationship, and your patience, are being tested. Tears pricked at the side of your eyes. "Edited or not, Seonghwa, the fact that you said those things about me is something I can't overlook. I know, I know you said these before we got to know each other better, but... I'm sorry, some of those things you and the others said... those are hard to forgive," your voice grew weaker with every word. Seonghwa said nothing throughout this. Instead, his head hung low. He couldn't deny the facts, he couldn't deny that it really was him in both of those videos. You started to play with the ring on your finger now, and Seonghwa's breath hitched.

"I am so sorry, (Y/N)," he apologizes. "You're right. I said those things before I knew you, and so did San, and so did Hongjoong. But none of us were in any place to make assumptions like that. If I could show you the unedited videos, I would, believe me. But I can't, so please, just take my word for it. I don't believe any of those things we said now, and I know better." You looked away from him.

"I know that," you nodded your head. "It's just... sorry, I know, I really do believe you, Hwa, but fuck how could anyone say anything like that? That's not fair," you shook your head slowly. You grabbed your things. "I... I'm going home, I have a meeting about this. Thank you for telling me, I'll relay it to the PR team and... we'll," you looked into the restaurant and saw all the prying eyes turn their heads quickly, "we'll talk about this later, okay? I'm not mad, I'm just... really disappointed that I had to find out this way," you explained. You looked into the restaurant again, the way to the exit suddenly seeming much longer than before. Again, you played with the ring on your finger. You turned back around to Seonghwa, who was still looking at you. His hand was on the back of his chair and he looked as if he was about to get up and follow you.

"(Y/N), I'm sorry, I really did try to tell you," he says.

"I know," you nodded curtly. "And you also promised... that we'd deal with our troubles together," you said. "And I'm planning on keeping my promises, I always do, so..." you took a deep breath. "Let's face this together then, this is just another hurdle we have to go through together," you held your hand out to him. Seonghwa took a steadying breath now, and he accepted your hand.

"Together, then," he says. He pulls his coat from the back of his chair and wraps it around your shoulders. You opened the balcony doors and, right as questions started flying and cameras started recording, you and Seonghwa pushed through the crowd silently, finding security only in your hands that held onto each other so tightly.

Prominence will return for its third and final season soon.

General Tag List: @stopeatread @bat-shark-repellant @raeincitizen @umbralhelwolf @yangsrose @kazooms @sadcoffeecritic

NCT Tag List: @cherrylovr @minjiville @resonantcherry

Prominence: @leesalts @jcngh0-hq @kpopslittles1ut @marsophilia @zwiehe @uzumakioden @mythicalamphitrite @w4yh0me @dear-dreamie @samsemsame @lune1897 @billboard-singer @cookiechristie

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valberryy · 4 years ago

Text

oh, eurydice (it's an awful sound). — venti

de l'autre côté de l'eau, comme un écho. / tu dis que c'est la fin du monde, c'est ton silence mon eau profonde.

um,, idk what to say cause i dont want this to b my venti summoning post but. anyways. also tagging @starfell-traveler look i finished it!!!! b proud of me /hj

pairing: venti x gn!reader

content warnings: mentions/descriptions of alcohol & blood/injuries, major character death, it's just heavy angst i'm sorry

one.

Venti still remembers the first time he heard you laugh, warm and clear and bright, like the chiming of cathedral-bells.

In those golden days when he was getting used to his new face, he often found himself wandering—much to the chagrin of his friends. If he wasn't in one of the many taverns of the newly-built Mondstadt, he was wandering these new, free lands.

And that was how he met you, the spritely scion of house Gunnhildr, who had strayed away from your envoy with a bottle of wine and leaves in your hair. He noted the mischief dancing in your eyes, the sunlight dappling on your skin, the way your mouth formed a small "o" when you saw you were not alone.

Your eyes had lit up when you caught sight of him. "Oh, my lord!" you called, "Fancy a cup and a chat, perhaps?"

Venti stood still for a moment to ponder your request, but at the sound of you popping the cork off the bottle and pouring it into a cup you had brought, he found his resolve weakening. He took a seat next to you as you pulled a stray leaf from your hair, taking a sip from your cup before passing it to him.

How brazen of you, he mused.

While cherry wine, in his opinion, could never hold a candle to the dandelion wine he had grown fond of, it tasted all the sweeter coming from you.

You had laughed at this sentiment of his, clear as the water from the lake nearby. "Is that so?" you asked. "Perhaps I'll bring some more of this kind especially for you, dearest bard."

Venti responded with a playful pluck at his lyre-strings. "I'd prefer if you called me by my name, young master Gunnhildr."

"And what would that be?"

Just as he was about to respond, the two of you caught wind of voices yelling out your name, and you flinched. "That must be for me," you said. "I shouldn't have expected to be able to hide forever."

He helped you stand, stretching out his arm to pull you up—your hand was soft and warm against his own, and the "thank you," that rolled from your lips made his heart flutter in a way he wasn't used to.

"I'd love to see you again," you said, and he smiled.

"You talk as if this is goodbye forever!" Venti joked. "We can meet here again, if you so wish."

"Then it is done," you said, and squeezed his hand as if in confirmation of your new arrangement.

And with the lightest press of your wine-stained lips to his cheek, you had run off without another word—only the sound of your distant laughter and, "Sorry, sorry! I'm back now, mother!" left in your wake.

two.

That promise had soon become habit, and habit a new way of life—one wherein you would sneak away from the rest of your family to rendezvous with Venti in the forest, to share wine and song and sweet, honeyed words alike.

(And as time wore on, you pressed your wine-stained lips to more places than just his cheek, and the cheeky bastard would have you do it again, and again, and again.)

"What d'you reckon your family would say if they figured out you were sneaking away for this?" Venti mused, "Like a hero in a romance novel."

With a laugh, you lay your head over his lap and smiled when his hand came to rest in your hair, his fingers gently playing with the strands. "Scold me, I suppose," you said. "There are worse fates than not being allowed outside for a month, my love."

You plucked a stray dandelion out of his hair, blowing the seeds to the wind.

"Hmm? And what would those be, I wonder?"

"...You're so infuriating, Venti," you grumbled, and he simply laughed and took another sip of wine—elderflower this time, tasting like spring upon his tongue. "I can't even dare imply that I want to be with you forever without you teasing me for it—what kind of lover are you? Hmph."

He paused, a teasing grin growing on his lips despite your previous words. "Are you asking me to marry you?"

An odd noise left your throat. "I mean," you said, "unless you want me to take your surname instead? ...Now that I think about it, Venti Gunnhildr doesn't quite sound the best."

A laugh, first from him, soon followed by one of your own. "Your family won't allow it, would they? But if the fates allow…there's nothing I'd love more than to be with you," he said. Gently he untangled his fingers from your hair, weaving his fingers between your own instead. "That is, if you want it too?"

A world of just you and him, a life where he would never have to stray far from your side—perhaps this was what Amos so desperately craved for, in those days. Venti watched as you removed the signet ring from your pointer finger and fit it snugly on his own, admiring your handiwork and smiling up at him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

three.

Somehow it felt odd to see you in clothes other than the casual attire he had always seen you in. When you were seated upon your horse like this, dressed in richly-dyed leathers and embroidered silks with your family crest hanging proudly from your breast pocket, you seemed much less like the cheeky [Name] that would pluck his lyre from his hands to play your own tune, and more like the young scion of house Gunnhildr that the rest of the world saw you as.

"I'm sorry, dearest," you said, your voice thick with regret. "They only told me about this last night, so I've had no time to tell you… And father wouldn't let me refuse, so—"

Venti laughed, "When did you become such a worrywart? It's only one round of hunting, right? I'll be waiting for you back here."

You huffed, leaning down to press a kiss to the corner of his lips. "Then I'll be sure to hurry on back to you."

He pulled you back down for another kiss, square on the lips this time, before letting you go. "Don't miss!" he said, calling after your horse, to which you turned and yelled back at him,

"If I do, it's your fault!"

He laughed, settling down beneath a tree and closing his eyes. You'd be there to wake him when you returned.

When Venti awoke, it was not to your hand shaking his shoulder but to a thud and the worried whinnying of a horse. His eyes snapped open as you groaned, one hand clutching your stomach and the other propping you up. When you caught his gaze you smiled weakly, too much blood in your teeth and not enough light in your eyes.

"I'm back, dearest," you said, and he had stumbled over to catch you before your arm gave out.

He pressed down on your torso, where three large gashes ran down from your chest down to your stomach, large and jagged as if from the claws of a bear. You groaned in pain and he pressed a kiss to your hand in apology, your skin pale and clammy in a way that reminded him too much of harsh, cold winds and a boy with his lyre.

"You should've seen me, Venti," you breathed, "I shot it right in the throat…are you proud of me?"

"Very," he said. "I'll always be proud of you."

You laughed, broken and pained and sad. "Good," you said, "good." Then you looked up at him, the tears welling in his eyes, the reality of his fate—your fate—finally looming upon him. "Don't look at me like that, love," you cooed. "Please, smile for me, okay? Sing for me…can you spare me at least that much?"

His grip on your hand tightened. "All of that and so much more, dandelion," he said. "Please…"

"So much more, huh…" you mused. "Then, how about one last kiss before I go?"

"...You talk as if this is goodbye," he says, but doesn't protest when you pull him down by the collar, your red-stained lips pressing weakly against his—

—But instead of the sweetness of wine, there was only the sharp bitterness of your blood in his mouth.

four.

"How far would you go for me?" was something Venti had thrown around a lot, never expecting you to give him a straight answer—not with how you shoved his shoulder and said, "Just because there wasn't a ceremony doesn't mean I'm not your spouse, Venti. Wouldn't the answer be obvious?"

But he still recalled the first time he had asked you and the first time you answered, your fingers tangled with his and your head buried in the crook of his neck. Your voice had been softer, gentler, lacking the playful edge but just as genuine as always, "From the deepest depths of the ocean to the highest to the highest peaks in the sky," you said, "Until my hands wither away into dust."

"Maybe you're the bard instead of me, love," he had said, then.

In this new world without you he found himself clinging to whatever remnants of you he could—the dappled sunlight in the forest, the slightest sting of alcohol going down, the glint of your family crest on the ring that adorned his finger.

One of his many laments was how he could never mourn you in the way he felt you deserved—he had not the power to turn back time, lacked the dominion over anything static and permanent to immortalise you with. He only had his lyre and his voice and his winds, and all he could do was paint the skies grey in his grief, have the gales sing requiems that you would never hear.

From the deepest depths of the ocean to the highest peaks in the sky he would go for you and back—and if the darkest depths of this world contained the secret to getting you back, perhaps even a mere spirit on the wind could bear the trek through the dark.

(After all, Venti knew in his heart of hearts that you would have done the same for him.)

The heart of the Abyss wasn't a land of mindless bloodshed and fire—it was cold and calculating, like a predator lying in wait. It was this place, in the depths of Teyvat and in the winding depths of their palace, that he knew could somehow bring you back to him.

"Are you the one for whom the skies wept, bard?"

Venti swallowed down the lump in his throat. "I am," he said. "I want a deal."

The person before him raised an eyebrow, canting their head to the side.

"One life," they said, "and no second chances."

Cold, and calculating, and inevitable—but still he would try. Venti owed you at least that much, no?

five.

He squeezed your hand as you trailed behind him, muttering to himself: don't look back, don't look back, don't look back. No matter how much he longed to hold you, to see your face and feel your skin beneath his, he kept his gaze to his feet as you both moved onwards into the dark.

(When he saw you again, just as beautiful as the day he lost you, he dropped his lyre to run into your arms, burying his face in the crook of your neck and surrounding himself with only you, you, you.

"Venti," you said, and he nearly wept at the way his name rolled from your tongue. "Let's go home.")

You squeezed his hand back, so gently that he almost couldn't believe you were really there. "Why don't you sing me a song, dearest?" you quipped. "Anything you like."

In spite of himself, in spite of the cold around him and behind him and in his own hand, he smiled. "Have I ever sung you the one with the mist flower and the sparrow?"

He heard you huff behind him. "That one again? You know how bad I am at hitting the notes in that!"

"Hmm, sure, sounds like an excuse to me…"

"Venti!"

He laughed and squeezed your hand again, as if to remind himself—you were here, and he was taking you home, and you would be able to feel the sun on your skin and taste wine from his cup in the way you had always loved. He would be able to write you songs and guide your hands across his lyre, and he need never stray far from your side.

You need never go somewhere where he couldn't follow.

"We're almost there," he said, resisting the urge to turn around to smile at you. "There's a bottle of wine waiting for us. It wouldn't do us any good to leave it for too long, you know?"

He squeezed your hand again, but you didn't respond.

He swallowed down the lump in his throat. His footsteps hastened, quicker and quicker until he was near-running towards where he knew the surface lay. Had he been tricked? Were you never there all along? Had you gotten lost, or fallen, or left, and left some other person in your stead?

Anxiety clutched at his heart like brambles, and Venti found his mind wandering back to those days with the wintery winds and the friends he had lost to the storms. Not again, he prayed, please, never again.

He ran until his legs ached, ran until the first drop of sunlight finally kissed his skin, and he let go of your hand to turn around—

—to see your face still shrouded in darkness, your eyes wide, your hand still reaching out for him.

"What?" he breathed, "No, please, I can't lose you again—"

You smiled, and though your teeth weren't coated in blood and your body was free from any wounds, Venti's heart had sunk even further than when he had caught you that day.

"No, love, please, I'm sorry—"

"Venti," you said, "I'll see you again soon, okay?"

"Please—"

"I love you."

With whatever time you had left, you reached out further to brush the tips of your fingers against his cheek. "Smile for me, okay? Sing me one last song…"

And before he could reach out to you again, you had once again gone somewhere he couldn't reach.

(Yours was a song he sang without end, even when all of Mondstadt had forgotten your name—and even when he felt like he didn't deserve to bear your memory.

On days when he uncorked a bottle of cherry wine or caught the Acting Grandmaster's eye, Venti found himself staring down at the ring you had placed on his finger in those golden days—and if he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to it the way you had done to him, he swears he can still hear your laugh, warm and clear and bright.)

#pls ignore how messy it gets towards the end im sorry i couldnt brain n e more #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact scenarios #genshin impact x reader #venti x reader #bee writes

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mgsapphire · 3 years ago

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Ethics and morality... and how they're not the same...

Weird title, and I don't even know if I'll properly approach this one with all the topics I wish to this discuss in today's The Devil Judge essay, because a lot of things peaked my interest, I was debating on doing a separate post for each subject, but I'll do them all in here:

Starting simple

I know we're only 4 episodes in, but I want to break down the things that I often look for in a new show:

Cinematography

Soundtrack

Character building

Plot devices

Social commentary (sometimes)

Of course, these are things most people would consider basics, but I find that a lot of TV shows don't have enough balance in them. Also, cinematography and soundtrack are pretty up there for me because when a plot gets slow, or something like that, I stay for those two (biggest example: King Eternal Monarch).

The soundtrack in The Devil Judge is amazing and the cinematography can be a character of its own. They really get me hooked and are used as tools to properly tell a story. And I'll get into that further down this post.

The onlooker will never understand the actor

Experience is your best friend not only applies to job hunting, but it's true in the real world too. You can't truly weigh in on something unless you've experienced it yourself, you can give it your judgment and everything, but when bad things happen to someone, you'll never truly understand their pain. Am I bringing up because of the difference of mind in Judge Kang and Judge Kim's opinions? On how the public treated the minister's son? No. I'm talking about a very specific scene, where the cinematography told me to think that way and not the dialogue (it's that easy for my mind to be swayed). In episode 3, when the rich are about to dine right after the foundation's commercial for a better future, we see this aerial shot:

What's interesting about this? The seclusion and the enclosed feeling it conveys as a counterpart to the poverty shots we were just shown. Yet, these are the people making ads for a better future, what do they know?

They live comfortably behind concrete walls with no windows to see what goes on apart from the bubble they live in. This idea is further enforced at the party in episode 4, where they're not even a part of the donations, and watch and mock from afar as spectators. Yet, these people call the shots. They even call it commenting, as if they were watching the pain of others on TV.

The intriguing personality and the duality it encites

Now, this was a costume and wardrobe decision, but it was also very well thought of:

Judge Kim wears white and Judge Kang wears black. One is morally perceived by viewers of the show as morally good and the other is perceived as morally dubious at best. However, besides the costume and wardrobe thought put into this, we also have to think about the delivery of this scene and how it may further affect my detailing of this section. Judge Kang brings down the coats, and hangs over the coat to Judge Kim, he's the one who is making that annotation: You're pure, I'm tainted. This can have one of two interpretations:

Either Judge Kang believes Judge Kim to be pure and innocent due to his status as a rookie in the field

Or he believes Judge Kim to be morally white and himself morally black as he's looking at his brother's face and not at Judge Kim's heart.

Because most of the back story we're unveiling is through Judge Kim's perception, there's also an inherit bias we're having as well, because in Judge Kim narrative, he believes he's doing what's right and believes Judge Kang to be evil. In being served information about Judge Kang through Judge Kim's eyes, our bias is inherently skewed.

Another thing is that, when they put on the coat, they're standing in front of the other, as if the producers of this series are telling us they're two sides of the same coin.

The duality is made in more deceitful ways, which include:

A difference of classes that implies one has suffered while the other has not.

A difference of experience that implies one is more tainted while the other is pure.

A difference of age that implies one is a sly fox while the other one is is bunny about to be eaten.

A difference of temper that makes one erratic and the other logical.

Power dynamics

This one, in this one I could make a whole thesis based on just a couple of scenes in the drama. And you know I have to mention it: director Jung being the puppeteer.

It may not be as unexpected at first, nevertheless it brings forward a lot of things I've wished to touch upon for quite some time now. A woman being a puppeteer of an old man in the portrayed dystopia that The Devil Judge is painting makes much more sense than more common demonstrations of these dynamics where it's either a:

A man of power being controlled by a bigger man of power.

A man of power being controlled by a seemingly man of a lower status.

A woman being controlled by a man of power.

Although, there's nothing wrong with those power dynamics, and if they were to be used, a message could also be conveyed, this one in particular works as a megaphone.

A subversion of power in such a way can be interpreted as a true indication of the weak overcoming the powerful. Why? It is not that woman are naturally weaker than men, but that in society, patriarchy has been a big factor in taking voice away from women in order to give it to men.

In order for Director Jung to achieve her purposes, it's smarter for her to do it under the pretense that an old rich man in power is the one calling the shots.

This is better exemplified by her stance when the old man tries to excuse his behavior, and what her moral compass is. I'm not saying I agree with her unethical conduct, but that her morality is directly impacted by the perception of the public of her as a weak woman:

Just because a dog bites a human does the person get dirty?

This is telling on how she perceives the actions of the old man in gropping the waitress. She didn't do anything wrong, even if you touched her, you are the dirty one.

While she's evil, it's a refreshing and deep evil.

The public's opinion and how there's actually logic in the show's portrayal

The public opinion can make or break a person, even if it's not on a public trial like this. While "cancel culture" barely works in today's society, a person's reputation is forever tainted. The show does tell that, but it also exhibits the scary downside of it, by showing how easily it was to make people accept flaggelation as a fitting punishment.

There are many experiments that have tried to test the effect of societal pressure on an individual's decision and the effect of the authority's enforcement of power in the outcome of these decisions. Furthermore, theories based on analysis of human behavior not necessarily relying on experiments can also help break this down. What do I mean? Here's a small attempt at explaining:

Milgram Experiment on Authority: which measured the individual willingness to carry out actions that go against their conscience due to an authority's approval.

Argument from Authority; The idea that people are more likely to use an authority's opinion on something as an argument for their reason. This is often seen in science, where trusted authorities have done the research and offer it to the public. In here, authority bias also plays a role, as we often believe, at first, that an authority must be right.

Moral disengagement: basically speaking, because this is evil or bad, I'm not part of it and I most probably am not actively participating in it. One may disengage by moral justification, which means that before engaging in something that has been previously perceived as immoral, I'm changing my stance on it based on what I tell myself to be logical arguments. This particular form of moral disengagement is very effective in changing the public opinion. I'll be touching on another form further down this post.

Other factors played a part, but these ones in particular came to mind when public flagelation as a form of corporeal punishment was wildly accepted. First, an authority is the one telling them it's correct, to go ahead. Secondly, another authority (the minister) had previously shown approval to such unusual punishment. Thirdly, they are not the ones to be engaging directly in the act, and even if they were, it would be acceptable because an authority has told them so. They may even believe the punishment to be a necessary evil for the greater good.

In fact, the minister's son was actually correct when pleading his case, they were accepting it because it wouldn't affect them directly.

Regarding the cinematographic descent of the public opinion regarding the situation can better be exemplified by the old man we've seen through the episodes.

Does suffering justify misdeeds?

Today I came along the difference between excuse and reason. You may give a reason for your behavior, but it doesn't excuse it.

Not because I've suffered through shit, means I have to make you suffer too.

I may explain myself, but it's on the other side to excuse me.

Why I hate the unreliable narrator and why I love it so much

This story has been told mostly through the eyes of Judge Kim and what he hears and sees regarding Judge Kang, if anything, the narrative is very close to that of the narrative we've seen in The Great Gatsby. An enigmatic man is being narrated to us from the eye of a man who hasn't known him for a long time.

How is that an unreliable narrator? The narrator has their own set of bias and moral standards which function as lenses through which they see the world.

Another way of putting it would be the way teenage romances are often written in a first person narrative where either of the two teenagers is the narrator, so the author can sell to us something as simple as offering a pack of gum as the most romantic act on earth. We're perceiving interactions through rose tainted glasses.

In this case, we're seeing the interactions through Judge Kim's eyes who doesn't trust Judge Kang from the get go due to his own preset bias.

The narrative becomes even more unreliable as we're not exactly sure if what Judge Kang disclosed himself is a fact.

The reason why I love this narrative is because it leaves a lot of space to make simple plot twists to a narrative and make them seem grand, and can elongate a story without making it obvious.

The reason why I hate it is because sometimes, in tv shows mostly, we as viewers can see the other side of the story and grow increasingly frustrated with the main character's prejudice and misunderstandings (I'm looking at you my beloved Beyond Evil).

Also, because I have to wait for a long time before I actually have a clear picture of it.

#kdrama #kdramas #kdrama recommendations #analysis #rant #the devil judge #got7 #park jinyoung #ji sung #kdrama meta #kdrama quotes #kdrama analysis #meta #the great gatsby #kim min jung #please dont let this flop

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