#In this playlist we will explain you all the features that you should know while using whatsapp like how to create whatsapp group WhatsApp w

[veryberryjelly]

coping mechanisms

spencer reid x fem!reader ( platonic or romantic x )

prompt : one leaning their head onto the other's shoulder suddenly and they just freeze

𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

i made a playlist specifically for this concept which you should definitely check out -> here <-

the jet was quiet aside from the peaceful rumbling of the plane's engine lulling everyone to sleep.

emily and derek were both fast asleep propped up in the chairs in the centre of the plane.

jj was sat next to the brunette skimming over case files while hotch and rossi were having a quiet discussion at the other end of the plane.

which left you and spencer sat next to eachother, with an earphone in each of your ears while some music played through them.

after cases the plane tended to get quiet and you could never stand it, so very early on in your bau career, you had made a playlist specifically for the plane ride back to virginia.

nothing too loud or happy as you weren't always in the best mood, everything soft and calming and just comforting.

after a particularly rough case a few years ago, everyone on the jet had been on edge and just quite melancholy since you left the police station.

and sat across from you, spencer looked the most out of it.

he's features looked sunken from the days without sleep poured over this case, yet his eyes were wide open. unable to fall asleep.

while he usually read on the plane, his book was discarded next to him on the couch.

you couldnt look at it anymore.

so you pushed yourself up from your place on the opposite couch and sat yourself next to him.

you offered him an earbud silently, not wanting to disturb anyone else on the plane.

when he hesitated, you explained.

" sitting here reliving it isn't going to help anything. it helps stop my mind wandering if i'm listening to something. " you said quietly, your other earbud still in your hand for him to take.

" thanks " was the soft response from him as he took it and settled it in his ear.

I can't forget that night, You said I looked like Suzi Quatro

In the morning light, faded to oblivion.

And I said, "That's alright, at least we feel alive"

At least we feel alive

There's nothing you can do

I know that I want this

No one likes to lose

Know that I got this.

the sultry tones of suki waterhouse banished almost all the thoughts of the last few days from his mind and instead he was focused on the sounds flowing through your earbud.

since then, it had become almost a tradition on the jet home.

one earbud each and a couch shared between you.

sometimes the two of you would talk while it played, other times you'd both be reading or even filling out paperwork.

but always on the plane home, you would listen to music together.

to the point where you would always just gravitate towards eachother on the jet as everyone made their way in. and everyone knew, not to block any way for the two of you to sit together.

everyone had their coping mechanisms for after cases, and they couldnt deny either of you yours.

especially considering it was such a healthy one.

this case had been a rough one though. you hadn't been able to save the unsub or his last victim and being right infront of him when he died just made it a lot more real.

his blood stained your shirt, and your skin.

it was spencer who helped you wash it off when you were a bit too dazed to move.

you sat closer than usual on the jet, the outside of your legs pressed against each others as the jet flew over a state you couldn't pinpoint.

after not sleeping for three days, you couldn't physically keep your eyes open. your eyes fell shut as the sound of the cranberries flooded your ear.

your head dropped onto the nearest surface, which happened to be spencer's shoulder to your left.

while you could feel your mind slipping off into unconsciousness, you felt the surface you had rested your head on almost flinch.

you lifted your head up, prying your eyes open as you realised what you had done.

" sorry, i haven't slept the last couple days. didn't mean to use you as a pillow " you apologised, lifting your hand to wipe under your eyes, attempting to wake yourself up a bit so it didn't happen again.

" no no, it's okay. just startled me " he replied. while his tone was still quiet, his voice was quiet.

" you're not usually so jumpy " you observed.

" didnt sleep too well either. " he admitted

" why don't you get some sleep ? it's gonna be a while until we get back to quantico "

he pondered it for a few minutes before ultimately shaking his head and muttering a quiet ' i'm good '

you knew why he didnt want to sleep. it was the same reason you didnt sleep after a particularly tough case for spencer.

to make sure he was okay. protect him.

" you can sleep, spence. i'm fine " you punctuated your point by dropping your hand down onto his thigh in a light pat.

" i will if you will "

with that promise, you settled your head down against his shoulder again, his head taking moments to rest ontop of yours.

the comforting words of delores o'riordan comforting the two of you as you drifted off into a comfortable and safe slumber.

You know I'm such a fool for you

You got me wrapped around your finger

Do you have to let it linger?

[xtreklx]

Bumpin' ~ Raphael x reader

One-shot: bayverse Raphael x reader

Word count: 1k

Warnings: SFW, fluff, slightly mature themes (rated 17+, see my masterlist for disclaimer)

A/N: a self-indulging one-shot I thought up for Raphie boy. thanks for reading!

__________

"Y/N, I'm boooooooored."

Michelangelo let out a long, drawn-out sigh and turned to look at you. You were both strewn about the living room of the lair, him on the floor and you on the couch. This time was normally used for your weekly Mortal Kombat sesh, but Donatello had shut off the lair's power to make a repair, so the two of you were forced to find an alternative activity. Which sounded like a simple task, but had since proven the opposite.

You mimicked your friend's long-drawn out sigh with a smirk on your face. "Yeah, I bet Don decided on purpose to do this right now," you replied. "Not that I blame him, we do get pretty loud when we game." You were laying on the couch as you spoke, scrolling absentmindedly through your phone's home screen and hoping that an app or notification would give you some sort of inspiration.

You thought for a moment as Mikey continued his mock sighs, which were rising in both volume and drama, before turning to him with an idea. "Hey Mikey, do you use Spotify to listen to music?" He looked to you again before pulling out his phone. "Yeah, team Spotify all the way! Why?"

You sat up with a new invigoration. "We should create a blended playlist!" You exclaimed, opening the app on your phone. "We can compare our music tastes and see what we have in common, it'll be fun!" Mikey sat up from his spot on the floor and handed you his phone with the Spotify app open. "Hell yeah, girl! I'm always in the mood to bump some tunes! Lemme go get my speaker." And with that, he took off to his room.

You got to work with both of your phones in your hand. When he returned, you hit shuffle on your blended playlist and the music started flowing from the speaker. You moved to sit next to him on the floor.

"When I look at the playlist story, it says we have a 56% music match." "Okaaaaaaay, that's not too bad," Mikey replied. "Where do we match up, dudette?" You tapped the screen again, showing him. "Our number one match is Tyler the Creator. That makes sense, I listen to him a lot!" "No way, me too!" Mikey exclaimed. "He's definitely one of my fave artists."

The two of you began chatting away and singing along to songs as they came up, while unknowingly summoning a third party.

"Poor Don'll never get the quiet time he wants," Raphael spoke, shaking his head as he walked into the living room from the dojo. His gruff voice startled you from behind and your heart rate increased, as it often did around the short-tempered brother. You had had a crush on him for a few months now, but were far too intimidated and nervous to make a move, so it went unaddressed. The turtle in question strolled over and plopped down on the couch, looking down at you both on the floor. "What're you two idiots doing, anyway?"

"We're just bumpin' some tunes, bro!" Mikey called, shaking his head to the beat of the song playing. "We're comparing our music tastes!" You excitedly said. "And actually, we're using a very technical algorithm, so this is in the name of science! Donnie couldn't argue with that," you grinned up to the turtle in red. Raph rolled his eyes but let a small smirk grace his features in return. Dork.

"Alright dollface. Since it's so impressive, show me how it works."

You explained the process to him as Mikey continued to jam to the music playing from his speaker. Raph listened and examined the blended playlist you had created. "Hmm... Y/N, see what ours would look like," he pondered, reaching for his phone. Again, your heart sped up, but you breathed out an "O-okay" and took his phone from him. As you tapped the screen, you ignored Mikey wiggling his brows at you in your peripheral vision, knowing about your feelings toward his brother.

When you finished, you gasped slightly, and turned the screen to Raph. "We're at 84%!!!" you squealed, showing him where your favorite artists intertwined. You scrolled through the playlist to see a mix of heavy metal, grunge, classic rock, R&B and rap. Tyler the Creator was also listed as one of your top matching artists.

"No way," the brute scoffed, leaning towards you so that he could look over your shoulder at your blended playlist. You both pointed out which songs were your favorite and why, and also chatted about the favorite artists you had in common. Your nerves eased as you connected with him, your heart thrumming at the realization that he was being... kind of vulnerable with you. You were getting to see a part of Raph that he had never shown you before.

All of the sudden, the song changed to 'Dogtooth' by Tyler the Creator, and Mikey jumped up, hollering. You gasped with joy, and you both looked to each other with excitement. "I love this song!!!" You both yelled, and then: "JINX!" You laughed hard as Mikey ran from the living room, yelling the lyrics at the top of his lungs, 100% looking to annoy his other older brothers.

As your laughing ceased and you turned back to Raph, you took in a quick breath as you realized how close you two were leaning in before the outburst. You were still on the floor, but had scooted towards his spot on the couch until you were practically leaning on his lap. You could feel his warm breath brush your face, and he got an amused look on his face as he gazed at you.

Your eyes widened naturally with the proximity, and after a moment of silence and staring at each other, you opened your mouth you speak. But before you could, Raph began rapping along to the song playing from Mikey's speaker, a growing smirk on his face and a unique glint in his hazel eyes as he watched you.

"She could ride my face, I don't want nothin' in return. Except for some her time and all her love, that's my concern. I'm tryna buy my neighbor's house..."

The eye contact he was giving you in this moment could only be described one way: heavy. And your face turned beet red. The closeness, his gaze, his smirk, the words- it was all too much for your poor heart to take.

"R-raph, w-what are you doing?"

"I'm just bumpin' some tunes, dollface."

[binniesbobastay]

Stray Kids: Fluffy (& Smutty) Christmas Headcanons

A/n: Merry Christmas if you celebrate it everyone! :)

This work contains mature content and is 18+ only, minors do not interact.

Bang Chan

wants you to help him decorate the outside of the house

like he's really excited to do it with you :(

but then he gets all worried when you wanna get up on the ladder and string the lights across the roof.

"it's covered in ice, you'll slip!!! >:("

bans you from ladder duty and assigns you to be in charge of decorating the porch instead lol.

when it gets dark, he'll let you do the honors of plugging up the lights (does the drumroll thing like clark griswold lmaooo)

is so happy and kisses you on the cheek and tells you this is the best Christmas ever while his eyes sparkle in the light :(

later that night, he snuggles up with you on the couch as the two of you watch the snow outside from the window.

kisses you to the soft, jazzy christmas playlist he puts on earlier.

can't help but become needy, so he disappears under the large blanket you're both wrapped in to go down on you.

watching his chest rise and fall with each pant and hearing his whines is a real treat if you decide to return the favor.

makes love to you while holding you close and kissing every inch of available skin.

"Merry Christmas, my love..." he whispers in your ear.

forgot about the open window... oops!

Lee Know

would want to accompany you while you do your Christmas shopping.

then he finds cute little Christmas outfits for the cats and he's so happy.

helps you check off your list and tries to give you ideas if you ever get stuck on what you should get a certain friend.

after you come home he immediately goes to dress the cats up in their new outfits.

takes several thousand photos, a lot of them featuring you!

tells you all how cute you look.

then he's disappearing into the kitchen to make little dishes for the christmas party you guys are going to tomorrow while you wrap gifts.

makes you dinner and you guys eat together in comfortable silence.

puts the cats to bed in their new christmas pajamas... he claims they came with the outfits.

might put on a christmas movie and plug in the tree while you rest your head on his lap and he plays with your hair.

when you shift to sit in his lap and start kissing up his neck, he gets the hint and carries you to the bedroom.

lights up a Christmas themed candle before laying you down on the bed and proceeding to make you cum at least twice before he fucks you.

tells you that you feel so nice and that he's so lucky to have you and spend this time of year with, this is one of the rare times he's just complete mush in your arms while he rocks into you :(.

when you're done, he runs you a bath and cleans you up. he might join you if you ask nicely ;)

makes sure you're asleep in his arms before drifting off with you under the soft blanket.

changbin

Christmas movie marathons

literally all day

everyday

he's got free form on the tv 24/7

laughs so hard at the comedies (his favorite is elf)

might cry during polar express but deny it if you say anything

loooooves the cold weather because it gives him an excuse to spend hours on end cuddling you

"we have to stay warm!" he explains for the nth time.

"changbin... we literally have a fireplace" "... i like this way better"

would love to help you decorate the tree if you asked him to.

would also really like to go shopping for new ornaments if you're down.

would also buy lots of mistletoe to put all over the house while ur out too

lifts you up on his shoulders so you can put the star on top :) he's a strong boy.

makes a big thing of hot chocolate for you, tons of marshmallows and everything.

"merry christmas, my sweetie..." he tells you, kissing your temple while you're cuddling on the floor by the fireplace.

eventually takes yours and his mugs and sets them to the side so he can pull you into his lap for a make out session.

The taste of chocolate on each others lips makes you both dizzy as you start to grind against him.

leads to him laying back on the floor with you riding him, making you moan his name as he rubs your nipples thanks to your unbuttoned pajama fleece...

Hyunjin

wants to paint a portrait of you by the tree :(

makes you pose and everything.

gives you little breaks to give you kisses in between as a reward for staying still.

loves how your eyes light up when he shows you the final product.

"it's beautiful, hyun! you're so talented!" "Mm-mm, I owe it all to my pretty little muse..."

gift wrapping king

is very picky about how gifts should be wrapped and will criticize you if he sees you messing up.

he'll sit you in his lap and guide your hands with his big ones over them, showing you how to properly wrap it oh geez this is already getting hot

i think he really likes vintage christmas movies and he'll love you forever if you watch white christmas with him he can quote it

gets really turned on by whatever you're wearing for your christmas eve party and thinks you look incredible.

will probably bend you over the counter of the kitchen when you get home or when your guests leave and just rail you until your legs are jelly...

but he'll help dress you in ur christmas pj's and cuddle you to sleep after.

definitely will have some softer, christmas morning sex with lots of praises, and i love yous, and gently messaging the bruises he left on your hips last night.

then he's bringing you a cup of peppermint tea and your presents from him so he can watch you open them :(

Han

mf ACTUALLY puts mistletoe all over the ceiling

giggles when you scold him

"Jisung, this is gonna take forever to take down.." "well good thing christmas isn't over yet!"

loves taking walks with you around the neighborhood to look at lights while he holds your hand :(

takes a dozen pictures of you by them

might wanna go caroling and yes he will be dragging you with him.

will also take you to see Santa, yes he will sit on his lap and everything

when he asks him what he wants for christmas, he just looks over at you and says he's already got everything he wants :(

"shut up, jisung. you insisted we see the man, tell him what you really want..." you said while blushing

"eh, okay, i guess a puppy wouldn't hurt..."

will ask you to dance with him to some classic christmas records! his favorite is feliz navidad! feliiiiiiiiiiiiiz navidaaaaaaaaaaaad

also has his own personal mistletoe he keeps in his pockets so he can sneak up on you and hold it over your head whenever he wants to.

definitely goes down on you under the mistletoe.

really passionate sex by the tree, loves how gorgeous you look with your body bathed in the lights.

really whiny, telling you he loves you over and over while he touches you everywhere unable to get enough of you.

"you're the best gift..."

Felix

ugh so so so sweet! definitely one of the best to spend the holidays with.

spends 90% of it in the kitchen though lol.

he can't help it, he saw so many christmas treat recipes on pinterest that he wants to try.

would love to ice and decorate christmas cookies with you.

if you decide to help him bake, he's gonna assign you to stir the batter just so he can give you back hugs while you do it :(

hums christmas songs in your ear with that beautiful, deep voice of his omg i actually need this

holds a spoon to your mouth so you can taste test the icing.

dabs some of it onto your nose and cheeks so he can kiss it off i am so soft for this man

the type to gift you something that's 100% thoughtful, probably custom made or something like that.

talks about taking you to australia and wanting to spend christmas with you and his family one year im crying i love him so much

buys you both cute little antlers or some type of christmas headwear and takes a bunch selfies in them with you.

turns the heat up so that you won't get cold while he completely ravages you in the night...

might have made an extra batch of icing so he can lick it off of your body.

especially your nipples because hes absolutely in love with how you get goosebumps from it...

please lick it off of him too omg. he's so sensitive and the noises he will make are *chef's kiss*

and the way you can taste it on his lips when he kisses you while rocking into you... oof

you almost sleep through all of christmas day because you guys went until the sun came up.

he just loves you more than anything :( and he wants to always take care of you and he's so happy he gets to spend this time of year with you.

Seungmin

You're gonna have to drag him inside at some point because he won't come in himself.

lives in the snow.

that's all he wants to do all day.

wakes you up early singing do you wanna build a snowman from frozen smh.

annoying but so cute, how could you say no?

snowball fights, snowman building, snow angel making, you guys are gonna do it all.

makes sure you have plenty of layers on and doesn't want you getting sick.

kisses you under the icicles dripping off the roof :)

will love you forever if you make him hot chocolate.

is really excited but nervous to see if you like his gift that he got you, you assure him that you'll love anything he gets you just because you appreciate it and him so much.

when you say this his face goes r e d

cuddles you on the couch and feeds you a candy cane but the situation becomes too erotic pretty quick because the sight of you suckling on the peppermint makes him crazy.

gets down on his knees and with your permission... he'll rub the spit-coated candy around your nipples and your sensitive parts before licking it up.

it's sticky and messy but it's so hot and his tongue feels so good that you have no complaints.

let's you ride him for a while before he can't take it anymore and flips you over to pound into you.

cleans you up before showering you in little kisses and going back to cuddling you after.

Jeongin

he is over the MOON that he gets to have this type of downtime.

the holidays are his favorite time of year and he's excited to have a more lowkey one with just you since he has a bigger family.

gets you matching ugly christmas sweaters!!!

takes a bunch of picture of you and you take a lot of him so he can post them on instagram.

sets up the timer on his phone so you both can get a picture by the tree.

wraps his arm around you so he can pull you close and flash that big grin of his :(

happy to help you make cookies :)

by help i mean mostly watch and eat half of the dough before you can get it in the oven.

cant wait to open gifts so you both decide to open one.

literally screams when he sees that you got him the favorite video game he wanted.

"thank you thank you thank you, you're the beeeeest!!!" he says while tackling you with kisses.

immediately starts playing it.

sits you between his legs and teaches you how to play.

is so proud because you actually get pretty good at it.

... but then he catches a glimpse of your chest down your pajama shirt and now he's horny lol

"J, what are you..." you question him when he turns off the game.

"shush, pretty..." he cuts you off with a kiss.

he spends hours working you with his hands and overstimulating you because he thinks you're so cute squirming in his lap.

but then he'll carry you to the bedroom for some soft, slow sex where he kisses you a lot and whispers to you how you've made this the best christmas ever for him :(

[accio-victuuri]

WYB IN HENGDIAN 🤡🤡🤡

i knew my initial post about it wouldn’t be the last, i just didn’t expect what would happen after. lol. to think that, this should just be some chill clowning on our part and no one really knows for certain how the location thing works on douyin.

it’s now on entertainment hs. and while i do think this tag could be popular because people are curious, is he filming there? he is notoriously secretive about his projects lately so any crumb of where he is and possible hints at his work will get people’s attention.

as i mentioned, that 7km may not be the most accurate. @rainbowsky even said, some are saying it may be the closest baseus store to the user. the same is being explained in the screenshot below, it says the OP’s location will not have anything to do with it.

there is a mechanism, since it’s an ad, that will connect you ( the one who is watching ) to an offline store of that brand. the screenshot discusses how a blogger from Zhejiang posted about KFC, and then someone in Nanchang watching it found that same proximity thing and it’s saying how far they are from the KFC Nanchang store. but i cannot shut down people who say it works when you are in the same city, you will find how far someone is from you. it’s not exactly a unique feature, dating apps even have that.

I personally believe that they spent some time together in HD during the holidays. as with this fandom, we will get the clues at one point or another. that’s just how it is. ����🏻‍♀️

this is also gaining some traction because of how similar it is to the ximalaya clowning…

as soon as the hs went up of him being in Hengdian, at 12:00, he posted an Ad for Baseus. The same one shared in Douyin and his IP shows that he is in Beijing. We can gather a few things from this move.

1. This has nothing to do with the HS. It happens all the time. Ads like this are posted in multiple platforms so maybe the douyin one is first and then Weibo the next. They are not doing damage control or washing. It’s an obligation to the brand.

2. The IP of Beijing. This could easily be someone else posting for him. The speculation among BXGs is that, he had to do this to cover up for the fact that he is in Hengdian. P2 is saying he used the Brand’s video, not even uploaded it himself. So it seems like he is in a rush to publish it. In the same way his “playlist” in ximalaya was closed when people noticed something was off.

( xz holding a banner that says run away quickly as soon as wyb comes back to their HD hideout. lol )

It is said that the Baseus weibo post may be damage control because he also shared an ad for YAYA on his douyin but didn’t xpost to Weibo. We are familiar with how greedy Weibo is with ads posted on celebrity accounts so it is really better to keep things on Douyin. So they are saying WYB pushing for the Weibo post says he is doing this to cover up. The IP on there isn’t even the most reliable, I remember that weibo tv awards event where artists are posting supposedly in the venue but their IPs are different.

It also doesn’t help that we had that rumor of them spending CNY in HD.

It you think about it, in a way, this seems like a parallel of sorts to him posting a photo of him in Inner Mongolia while XZ’s production was filming there. but that was voluntary on his part.

3. He is shutting down the rumors. I believe this is a favorite among so/os because it implies that wyb hates the cpf narrative so he is shutting us up by posting that weibo ad with an IP. However, him, “shutting” us up in this case is totally fine. 😅😅😅

We’re sorry for exposing you. 🙇🙇🙇

That’s why i felt off when i saw that candy cause it’s invasive. It could easily be used for the wrong reasons and we know how big wyb is with his privacy. There is nothing wrong when we piece things together based on photos they share ( or lrlg posts ) like with GG’s birthday etc but this one may put WYB in trouble. I love it when they get to spend their free time together or with friends & family and i would hate for them to feel like we are making a joke out of their security. That is not the case here. They always come first and whatever will make them safe.

At this time, the point isn’t even what the 7km means and who is right or wrong. I personally think this is a lesson of how what we talk about in the small circle of cpfs may be used to negatively talk about WYB. Tho this HS is not negative or scandalous at all — but it’s only a matter of time. XZ & WYB are such big names and there are a lot of people who are just waiting for the right piece of news. Years ago, our CPNs can be kept locked away and no one cares, but in recent years, that is not the case anymore. We should be more careful. ☺️

AGAIN, if it’s true, it will come back to us in bits and pieces till the picture is complete. 💟 Let’s be patient. Bjyxszd indeed.

[bookish-monster]

RECOMMENDATION

Rhage

by R. K. Pierce - find her on TikTok and Instagram as well!

Storygraph Link contains info such as publication date, number of pages, community-created content warnings, and more.

Our story starts off with Niki Porter (cis woman, she/her) becoming obsessed with a metal band known as Rhage, whose members are demons in hiding who feed on the energy of the crowds they entertain at their concerts. Niki has no idea of the band members’ true identities, but she is utterly enthralled by the lead singer (known as Sebastian) and enters a mask-making contest to win a backstage pass to see him. With the help of her friend, Josie, Niki makes a fairly decent mask… but doesn’t win the contest.

Still, the stars eventually align, and Niki and Sebastian find themselves in a complicated relationship where neither quite knows who the other is and how trustworthy they are. Sebastian is irresistibly drawn to Niki’s energy, but is terrified of her realizing the truth about his demonic nature. However, he’s head over heels in lust with her and finding it impossible to stay away. Niki is elated that her idol is giving her one-on-one attention, but is starting to notice some very odd things about Rhage’s lead singer…

First of all, let me say that Pierce writes a very good sex scene. This novella definitely cranks up the steaminess meter towards the end, and we get an interesting bit of nonhuman genitalia from Sebastian–nothing too outlandish, but Niki definitely has a fun time with it. Pierce writes with straightforward, approachable prose that is neither flowery nor dry and maintains a good command of tension throughout the story. While Niki is the primary POV character, we got a fair few sections from Sebastian’s POV as well, which really helps explain the situation happening “backstage” with the demons. 

This book doesn’t feature a lot of characterization or character development, unfortunately. By the end of Rhage, I still knew nothing about Niki’s hobbies, family, job, or interests outside of music, and Josie served no purpose to the narrative besides being the occasional voice of protective reason and (I suspect) a strong tie-in hint that she will be the protagonist of Riot, the next installment in the Monsters of Metal duology. This is definitely the kind of book for someone whose primary interest is the smut itself rather than any deeper plot or character-work; Sebastian is undeniably attractive and very sexy and masculine, and Niki serves as a good character for a cis female reader to project onto. 

Sebastian himself wasn’t the right kind of love interest for me. I didn’t like how possessive he was and how he talked about owning Niki’s pussy during sex and stating that she belonged to him when he barely even knew her. However, that’s just me. If you enjoy a possessive demonic male lead, then Sebastian should be right up your alley! 

Even though this book ultimately wasn’t a good romance for me personally, I really appreciated that Pierce added a playlist to her book that one can listen to while reading, as well as content warnings. Those were very thoughtful touches. If you enjoy high-heat romances with “alpha male” protagonists who are on the more domineering side, then Rhage should be a very good book for you!

Happy reading!

buy the book on Amazon Kindle (US)

[youtubegrowth]

Why You’re Not Getting More Views on YouTube (and How to Fix It)

Are you struggling to get more views on your YouTube videos? You’re not alone. Many people have difficulty getting their videos seen on the platform, despite putting in a lot of hard work to create content. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to ensure your videos get the attention they deserve. In this blog post, we will discuss why you may not be getting more views on YouTube, and how you can start making improvements today.

Create engaging thumbnails

Using an eye-catching thumbnail image is one of the best ways to get more views on YouTube. Thumbnails are the first impression viewers have of your video, and a great thumbnail can help draw in viewers and encourage them to click on your video. When creating thumbnails, it’s important to make sure they’re high quality and visually appealing. You can use a photo editor such as Adobe Photoshop to edit images or create unique designs. Additionally, you should include relevant text on the image that clearly explains what the video is about.

Optimize your keywords

Using the right keywords is one of the most important steps to getting more views and subscribers on YouTube. Knowing what keywords to use can be a challenge, so it’s worth investing in a tool like vidIQ to get recommendations. vidIQ helps you save hours of research, giving you personalized prompts for your next hit video. It also provides title and description recommendations to help maximize visibility and reach. Plus, its view prediction feature forecasts how your video will perform with each idea so that you can optimize accordingly. vidIQ is a must for any creator looking to get more views and grow their channel. One user said: “My favorite feature is vidIQ Boost — it helps with keywords and understanding other creators’ perspectives on the topic I am working on.” Another user described their experience using vidIQ: “I use vidIQ every single day to help my YouTube channel grow. My favorite feature is the trending videos in the sidebar.” At the core of vidIQ is the power of AI that unites human creativity with analytical intelligence, designed for creators. This powerful combination can be the key to helping you get more views and subscribers.

vidIQ:- YouTube tool to boost your subscribers and view count.

Make sure your videos are mobile friendly

If you’re looking to get more views on YouTube, then you need to make sure your videos are mobile friendly. Mobile devices account for a huge portion of all web traffic, so if your videos aren’t optimized for mobile, you could be losing out on a lot of potential viewers. When it comes to making sure your videos are mobile friendly, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, you want to make sure that the video format you’re using is compatible with all mobile devices. MP4s and MOVs tend to be the most widely compatible. You should also make sure that the video size is optimized for mobile devices. Videos that are too large can take forever to buffer and cause frustration for viewers. Finally, when uploading videos, you should always include a text description as well. This will help your videos show up in the search results on mobile devices and give viewers more information about what the video is about.

Use annotations and end screens

Annotations and end screens are a great way to maximize the views your Youtube videos receive. Annotations are small pop-up boxes or text that appear in the corner of your video, while end screens appear at the end of a video and link to other related content. When used correctly, annotations and end screens can increase the amount of engagement your videos receive. Annotations can be used to encourage viewers to watch other videos on your channel, subscribe to your channel, or comment on the video. End screens can be used to display information about yourself or the video, link to playlists and other videos, and invite viewers to subscribe to your channel.

vidIQ:- YouTube tool to boost your subscribers and view count.

Take advantage of social media

Social media is a powerful tool for increasing your reach and growing your YouTube channel. If you are serious about getting more views on YouTube, you should be leveraging social media as much as possible. First, make sure that you have an established presence on the major social media platforms: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and so on. If you’re not already active on these channels, start building your following today. Once you have an audience, post regular updates about your YouTube content, and make sure to include a link to the video in the post. You should also actively engage with other users on the platform and join relevant conversations to help get your name out there.

Use calls to action

Calls to action are an important way to help boost your views on YouTube. A call to action (CTA) is a statement that encourages viewers to take a specific action, such as subscribing to your channel or commenting on the video. When creating calls to action for YouTube, you want to keep them short and simple. Try to make them actionable, so viewers know what exactly they should do. Include CTAs in the description of your videos, at the beginning and end of each video, and in other related videos. Be sure to customize your CTAs based on the context of the video, so they make sense and don’t seem too generic.

Provide value

The key to getting more views on YouTube is to provide value to your viewers. Quality content that offers useful information and entertainment is essential for success. You need to focus on creating videos that are educational, entertaining, and inspiring. You should take the time to research what kind of videos your audience wants and then deliver it in an engaging way. Make sure you cover topics that your viewers can relate to and find interesting. This will help them remember you and keep coming back for more.

vidIQ:- YouTube tool to boost your subscribers and view count.

[hawkesque]

god. ok. in chronological order and with explanations under the cut: 

personally, i feel like bj and hawkeye’s relationship gets more interesting the later in the show it is, because they get more independently and mutually destructive, and i love toxicity (lol). i also should preface this with the fact that i loooove reading too far into things, so there’s a balance of analysis and outright chemistry here. more heavy on analysis, actually. whoops. i also tried to pick ones i hadn’t yet seen mentioned, but there are episodes you just cannot in good conscience leave out of a Top Ten Beejhawks list

- 5x24 Margaret’s Marriage -- peak shenanigans, plus them leaning heavily into each other constantly. i’ll be honest i don’t remember much of this episode besides bj and hawkeye being way too close together and me shouting “GIRL GET OUT OF THERE” at margaret through my screen, so grain of salt etc

- 7x2 Peace On Us -- an overall good hawkeye episode, and a good margaret episode, but the beejhawk peak of it all is bj taking a one off line from hawkeye -- “i’d like to see some other color, red for instance” -- and taking that as inspiration to throw an elaborate party for him, basically just to cheer him up. imo the first of multiple Grand Romantic Gestures the two of them manage to do for each other despite circumstances

- 7x22 Preventative Medicine -- bj and hawkeye have a fundamental difference in opinion and a huge, blow up argument in this episode, but they still stick by each other’s side. i really like how this one adds depth to their relationship--i love that they are not perfect; flaws add intrigue to pairings for me. my beejhawk playlist cover is the ending shot of this episode.

- 7x24 Aint Love Grand -- bj and hawkeye are directly compared against 2 other (heterosexual) pairings, and end up being the only ones that are still together by the end of the episode. they fight like an old married couple because they kind of are one. features the scene where they hug like 15 times in a row

- 8x23 War Correspondent -- (guy who is crazy voice) ok hear me out. hear me OUT. this episode may literally be about bj falling for a woman but it’s extremely easy to extrapolate beejhawk emotions onto it. for one thing the woman he falls for is just Girl Hawkeye. for another it explains a lot of bj’s feelings re: his family, his circumstances in the war, and (therefore) how he relates to hawkeye. (also “i can’t go from ‘how do you do’ to ‘i love you’ because of the damn war” -- but then he does, with hawkeye. oops!)

- 9x6 A War For All Seasons -- a year’s worth of hawkeye and bj being domestic, and leaving a party together at the end. they’re just cute this ep, what else can i say? i’m also biased because i just adore this episode overall. grain of salt 2.0

- 9x10 Operation Friendship -- this is bj and hawkeye at peak mutual insanity. they band together via their dislike of another visiting surgeon, all because he...insists he can help bj’s wrist injury better than hawkeye can (he is literally a wrist injury specialist)? also features a lot of good content re: bj repressing his emotions and problems, which adds well onto my personal reading of his character and arc throughout the show. plus The Hand Cradling. yeah.

- 9x14 Oh How We Danced -- “it’s not much but you have me” “you’ll have to shave” + hawkeye doing everything in his power to give bj a good gift (hi, grand romantic gestures) + looking so so so sad when bj’s dancing with margaret at the end. insert “normal friend vs in love with you friend” post

- 10x16 Where There’s A Will There’s A War -- THE beejhawk ep for me, outside GFA. features: bj worrying extremely hard about hawkeye while he’s gone,  recognizing his suturing by sight, hawkeye struggling to put what bj means to him into material terms, and “when i wake up remind me to give you a kiss”. i read a lot into hawkeye’s reaction to said comment at the end, and how that explains the way he acts with bj--he knows how much his family means to him, and won’t let himself get in the way of that.

- 11x4 The Joker Is Wild -- this one is a controversial one--a lot of people think bj is just too mean to hawkeye in this ep (and...he kinda is). a lot of good stuff re: bj’s extreme jealousy over hawkeye’s past relationships (this is THE trapper complex episode--bj must mention him by name like 5 times). also very homoerotic--it ends with bj getting hawkeye to strip and sing “if baby i’m the bottom, you’re the top”.

+ bonus: of course, 4x1 Welcome to Korea and 11x16 Goodbye, Farewell and Amen. heavy on GFA. i could write essays. there are also a lot of great moments scattered around in various episodes (“you still love me for all my faults?”, “i'll come on a conjugal visit”, “are you two married?” “no, but we’ve been through so much together it looks that way”, etc, etc, etc, i could go on forever).

Okay. BJ/Hawkeye fans only. This is a very serious research question which I will very much need an answer to fairly soon.

Ten best Hawkeye/BJ episodes. Give reasons for your choice. ("Welcome to Korea" does not count, I've watched that a lot and it's mostly BJ following Hawkeye around like a little lost duck.)

Seriously. Discounting the first and the last, "Welcome to Korea" and "Goodbye Farewell Amen", supposing you wanted to convince someone who wasn't a BJ/Hawkeye shipper that this is the ship, which 10 episodes would you want them to watch?

[sunilunknown-blog]

WhatsAapp Tutorials and Tips and Tricks #createwhatsappgroup #whatsappwe...

In this playlist we will explain you all the features that you should know while using whatsapp like how to create whatsapp group, WhatsApp web,  whatsapp in desktop or pc, end to end encryption, whatsapp group features, WhatsApp blocking etc etc.

whatsapp end to end encryption block number on whatsapp how to use whatsapp disappearing message whatsapp payment feature setup whatsapp pay whatsapp dark mode enable free storage in whatsapp whatsapp new features How to stop whatsapp from automatically downloading media files on android

#whatsapp #whatsappfeatures #whatsappgroup #whatsappweb #encryption #whatsappencryption #blocknumber #disappearingmessage #whatsapppayment #whatsappdarkmode #darkmode #whatsappstorage #socialmedia #online #chat #smartphone #digital #tech

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP8MtbY8Spq_dPCTJ9bDmKFp7ZGRUn1VI

[actualbird]

rosa | main character: a playlist with a character analysis rationale on why i chose each song

because i saw a post that was like "spotify should have a feature that allows you to add a full essay explaining why that song is in the playlist" and im not waiting for spotify to integrate that in, imma do it myself, HAHA

obligatory disclaimer that these r just my own thoughts and interpretations. spoilers for up to main story 6.2 and other stories here and there

wc: 1.7k (2k if u add all the lyrics i quote lmao)

here is the link to the playlist. now let me walk u through my choices.

-

part 1: the pre-story arc of oh, im nothing special

we dont get to see much of mc before the story's game officially Starts, but what we do get to see is through flashbacks in retrospect, and a lot of the time, mc does mention or express this sentiment of like

ah well. im not really anything special at all.

this sentiment comes in in a bunch of cards/stories with the boys (usually vyn or artem) when she sees their achievements and compares herself to them. but even sans the comparison, pre-story, i can see her under the assumption that shes completely run of the mill and nothing of note.

6/10 by dodie illustrates the "not very much" aspect of this

I feel like a six out of ten I've gotta get up early tomorrow again What goes on behind the words? Is there pity for the plain girl?

and Waiting in the Wings from Tangled Adventure is the reaction to this sentiment, in a sense. mc doesnt feel like shes much, but she does still believe in making a change, but god

when will her time come?

When you have the passion and the drive You expect your moment center stage to arrive I show up with heart a blazing Ready to achieve amazing things But I'm left waiting in the wings

this song in particular is fun, meta-narratively. it's the song of somebody wanting to the main character, and i think pre-story mc wishes for this moment, unaware that she indeed is the Main Character. like girl, sit tight, ur gonna be the protag.

pre-story mc doesnt think much of herself and is awaiting the moment she can have her chance. and when she does, thats when the story starts.

-

part 2: he butterflies and frustrations of falling in love

this portion of the playlist is wholly mc just going "aaAAAAA FEELINGS IM HAVING FEELINGS (?)" and the experience is a Lot.

it's novel and sweet and exciting (The Show by Lenka). but it also can make her feel off kilter, unsure, and helpless (Helpless by Rico Blanco). it's a nice experience, but it's also frustrating because she's constantly second guessing her own feelings and the feelings of the other (I Go Crazy by Orla Gartland) aaaaaand eventually once mc finally finally realizes her feelings, i just see it as character for her to be have this....not really impatience, but a certain restlessness on how exactly to get the show on the road, get the relationship moving forward (Make A Move by Lawrence)

-

part 3: Enneagram Type 1. "I believe that we can fix this over time."

swerve. from the cute delights and frustrations of love, i now wanna talk about what i interpret to be among mc's really important character beliefs: hope

and im also gonna assign her an enneagram type as well: Type 1

Type 1s are titled as The Reformer. this is somebody who is idealistic, believes in integrity, and desires the improvement of the world around them and their own self as well.

the song One by Sleeping At Last illustrates the gist of a Type 1 immensely well (while also making me cry)

Hold on for a minute 'Cause I believe that we can fix this over time That every imperfection is a lie Or at least an interruption Now hold on, let me finish No, I'm not saying perfect exists in this life But we'll only know for certain if we try

this is something apparent in the broad strokes choices of what mc does. in main story 5.3, the last trial, she thinks the line "Justice may not come as swiftly as we'd like, but evil shall never go unpunished. This is why I became an attorney. My conviction will not waver."

mc knows the world is flawed, she knows people do bad things and other people get hurt. perfection is not possible, but she is going to roll up her sleeves and work on it anyway.

this is what matters to her: trying to make things better

this isnt just in her career as a lawyer, it's also in her role as a character in the nxx boys' stories. for each and every one of them, being with her and experiencing events with her and building their relationship with her, all of that causes a shift in their beliefs/tendencies. on a narrative level, she is quite literally pushing the character development of the others

and on a "her as a person interacting with other people" level, she is a catalyst for change.

not just for them, but for her herself. as she pushes towards change, she grows and learns and the insecurity from pre-story slowly changes as well

another lyric in One is

The price of this so called perfection is everything I've spent my whole life searching desperately To find out that grace requires nothing of me

perfection isnt possible in real life and it isnt possible in herself as well. but thats alright. because who she is evidently enough to make things better and thats what she wants

however

this doesnt mean she is immune to doubt

-

part 4: what am i doing, who am i becoming, what can i do?

this portion of the playlist is part of mc's journey SPECIFICALLY in the aftermath of main story 6.2

once artem and mc are in the hospital, artem goes on his nice speech about justice which is great and did help mc feel a bit better. however, there mc's thought process still betrayed a newfound doubt.

in my main story 6.2 reaction post, i mention this but i'll summarize it: this is the first case thus far in global that doesnt end with a court trial. it's the first case where honestly, justice arguably wasnt served. desperation, cruelty, and anguish led to ava and jerry dead. the cruelty that ava had perpetuated ran so damn deep into so many people, spread to countless lives, and was just so bad that the only way it couldve ended was the cruelty collapsing in on itself. it's over.

but not over in the way mc sees as right or just. thus, she is now doubting certain beliefs and convictions she has, like her belief in justice and good and if that can make a difference

the sheer magnitude of this case...well, since we're not getting main story 7 for a bunch more months (hyv pls feel free to prove me wrong here lol, i'd happily accept THIS schedule deviation), i can only speculate that this doubt is something thatll weigh on her mind.

and with doubt, comes questions

Where Am I Now? from Lysistrata Jones is a great song that illustrates the doubt after a failure. all that effort gone to nothing, the first questions are going to be along the lines of where do we go from here?

Maybe just some more time, just a little more fight, Like they say, no guts, no glory. All and all I did fine or maybe I'm like a hundred miles off course, Well, maybe that was too much, maybe not enough. Maybe I should just turn back now. Cuz' how do I go on When everything's so wrong. Where am I now? How am I here? Which way do I turn When it's all so unclear? I'm standing alone With nothing but fear.

Flesh & Bone by Sammy Rae is a song that continues the questions that sprout from doubt. moving on from questioning the situation, mc now begins questioning herself, how shes changed

But I need to know I don’t need to be shown I've gotta see it for myself I've gotta learn it on my own I need to know if I am flesh & bone And am I still growing or full grown?

Green & Gold by Lianne La Havas is similar to the previous song but, since im a hopeful bastard at heart, the tone starts changing. still questioning but the answer is going to lie in the fact that mc is not going at all of this alone. shes got the rest of the nxx with her, supporting her and each other. this is the way out from doubt: looking through other people's eyes

Six years old Staring at my nose in the mirror Trying to get my toes in the mirror Thinking 'Who's that girl?' And 'Does the mirror world go on forever?' Carve me a road Sharpening the knives in the attic Trying to watch cartoons through the static Thinking where am I gonna be If I'm ever twenty three? I'm looking at a life unfold Dreaming of the green and gold Just like the ancient stone Every sun rise I know Those eyes you gave to me That let me see Where I come from

Last Hope by Paramore is the acceptance that things are going to be rocky, it's not always going to be clear cut, but damn it, if she's gotta believe in something anyway

It's just a spark but it's enough to keep me going And when it's dark out and no one's around it keeps glowing

and City Lights by December Avenue represents the convergence of the questions and the conviction to keep on going anyway. the pre-chorus includes the lyrics:

Where am I going now? I need a light to shine on me

while the chorus answers it

City lights they're all with me They fill me with serenity They're coming one by one Until I separate my mind into the light And I've got my chance to look

-

part 5: what love really means, how love can really help

if part 2 was about the surface level beginnings of love, this section is absolutely about the deeper benefits of love

Lost Stars from Begin Again is love still tinged with doubt, but an acceptance of that doubt. mc is never going to have a completely sure life, what with NXX stuff and also just the usual imperfections of how people work (gonna be true for all love interest routes, our boys are wonderfully flawed as hell, each w their own baggage and issues), but thats okay

because What You Mean To Me from Finding Neverland represents the uncertainty of love and how a leap of faith is what can get people through.

I won't lie I'm a little bit frightend Of my imagination Swear I'll try I'm feeling enlightened You're my inspiration We can fly if we want to I promise that faith will give you wings

and Look Up by Stars is a song that i put here not to represent a romantic love between mc and anybody

this song is a love towards herself

the chorus goes:

You're cold, maybe you just missed the sun You fall, feeling like its just begun So far, keeping it together's been enough Look up, rain is falling, looks like love

and the bridge goes:

(And still in toil, it takes heart to love the rose And still in toil, it takes heart to love the rose)

back when i was making the boys' playlists, i wanted to add this song in like. every single one of them JHAVKJHFAJKSFHA, cuz it fits all of them. they all have their moments of hopelessness or fear and they have to make the conscious choice to see better is out there, and a part of that better is our beloved rose-coded main character. back then, i took the bridge to be representing that it takes hard work (toil) and vulnerability (heart) to love her (rose)

but now i see it's a perfect song for mc herself. after all her doubts, every time shes fallen, every time it wasnt enough (toil), she gets back up. the heart she needs to love the rose, herself, is akin to her conviction in goodness. she has to believe in it (heart).

she has to believe in herself, the rose.

-

part 6: this story is going to be a good one, i will work to make make it a good one

all of these songs now are on the same general theme of Making Things Better, the joy of a brighter day ahead, and hope. but the one i do wanna focus on is Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

aside from being an absolute banger and also being in line with this part's theme, it's also a song that fits mc meta-narratively

she is Literally the main character. as the catalyst for the story's beginning and the other characters' development, she is the driving force pushing the story forward. to loop this back to the beginning, mc had seen herself as nothing special or of note. yet there are many many things that does set her out as a good person, and one of which the keeps the story going is the fact that she does not give up.

so while she'll have her low points, she gets back on track cuz and Keeps Going because this is something she believes in. through this, the story continues and she's definitely got opinions on what kind of story she wants to be making. the rest is unwritten, and shes determined to make this a good story for the herself and the people she cares about

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

Yeah, I'm obviously gonna. This is super embarrassing, so if you have a crush on me, please scroll past now and preserve what we had.

So this was in January, and I was finishing a rewatch I did for Reasons, only I did the rewatch in a weird order (for Reasons), and the episode I ended on was 4x13. And honestly I haven't rewatched that one a whole lot, or at least not all the way through, and I found myself crying at the end, which just infuriated me, since I think everything about the death scene is the definition of cheap manipulative filmmaking, relying on the acting and slow-mo and a good soundtrack and the kind of good production values this show could only afford once per season to paper over the fact that it's an underwritten mess. But, you know, they put that stuff in because it works and it was working on me and I really, really super resented it.

So the episode ends and I have a bunch of dumb fucking feelings, including the fact that I'd been working on this project for a few months and this phase of it was over, and like -- I love this show, it means so much to me, and I just kind of never know what to do with those feelings, given the state of everything.

In that particular moment, I decided what I needed to do with my Big Feelings was just let myself be in them for a minute, so I opened Spotify, which is the app that allows me to feel feelings, and I found someone who had assembled a master playlist of all the music featured in the series (if that was you -- thanks), laid down on the couch, and hit shuffle.

Guys, it was an eight-hour playlist. There's a million songs. Anything could have come up, that's the point of shuffle! What actually did come up, though? Yeah, it was "Evolve."

Okay, so now I'm crying crying, and I'm not even completely sure why. I was starting to feel like something was happening to me, like every part of my body felt more real or more activated, like I'm conscious of the literal blood in my veins. I should explain -- not only do I have generic 3x05 Feelings, my key tattoo has two words worked into it, Beauty and Evolve. I see this word every day of my life, and it's a reference to the song and the Mosaic, but it's also a message to myself to remember that it's the quest that makes the quester, never the reverse. It's like a whole thing for me. (I kind of snuck my Beauty/Evolve philosophy into chapter 2 of All the Comforts of Home; it's been a thing for me for a while now.)

The story takes a slight twist here, because really abruptly I started having this -- memory, but this intensely physical, visceral memory, of writing the first section of Iron It Out So Nice. I mean, it was almost an out-of-body experience, I could feel so clearly the exact place I was sitting and the specific quality of the lamplight and my present-moment body was picturing sitting there and picturing these specific images of the boat and the beach that I was holding in my head as I wrote about them.

And it struck me as such a weird thing to latch onto -- just writing what I would say is a fairly random fic -- I mean, I like the story a lot! But I wouldn't have called it my most life-changing or whatever, and yet it really, really felt like I was having my attention placed right there, like this sense of something saying to me look at this, look here.

So I went ahead and pulled myself together, and then I was like, I guess I should read that story, right? I didn't know what I was supposed to know or see or remember about it, but it felt like I needed to figure it out. And I did reread it, and -- it's good! I enjoyed reading it, and I remember pretty much enjoying writing it, but I was still kind of blank until I happened to notice, right at the end, the author's note I'd skipped past. Here's what it says:

Also, I promise that I'm taking a break after this from Eliot the Gay Misery Pony stories. I feel like I have mined this theme *extensively* in the past year, and I'm ready to get back to writing things that aren't Eliot Waugh and the Unutterable Immensity of Mortality -- just this one more for the road

As soon as I read that, I heard what was almost but not quite a literal voice in my head -- like, it was my thought, but it also sort of wasn't, iykyk I guess. And this Big Thought was You weren't done. You were just scared.

Which is -- true, actually. Everything I've written since then, I've had a foot on the brakes, trying not to be quite so intense, so heavy, so sad about everything. And some of it was good! But all of it has been hard, and tiring, laborious in a way that writing didn't use to be for me. I think it's been hard because it's an energy drain, trying to avoid -- I don't know, the stories I'm being given? That I'm supposed to be writing? The hard, sad, scary ones that just come out of me the way All the Comforts and Iron It Out and Kintsugi and Survivor and PGY did.

So that's why I've been giving myself a lot of time and grace around writing right now. I think something kind of unlocked for me (key joke!) and I want to figure out what it was. I plan to finish Starcrossed, because I dunno, I got this far. But after that, I want what I do next to be something that matters enough to be scared of, whatever that is.

And that's the story of how I met God during the soundtrack to my favorite episode of The Magicians, and she told me to write better.

Am I going to tell the internet my story about how I had a weird religious experience a couple of months ago based on The Magicians 3x05, or am I going to keep pretending to be normal?

[chloelucia13]

Nothing Personal: Prologue

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female!reader

Prompt: Bucky’s public appearance was lacking in the... well, everything department. And now, with him fully being in the public eye as the new Captain America’s right hand man, that needed to be fixed. That brought you into the equation, someone who seemed to be the direct opposite of the White Wolf. Bubbly, friendly, the perfect PR girlfriend for the grumpy man. Whether he liked it or not.

Series warnings: angst, fluff, a tiny bit of smut, language, violence, descriptions of gore, cheating

Chapter warnings: just some fluff and language, pretty tame

Word Count: 971 (the actual chapters will be much longer!)

A/N: Okay I’m super excited to get this series started! I’m already working on a playlist and chapter headings for this so I hope you all will enjoy it! My messages, inbox, and taglists are always open!

Tags: @girlfriday007

“You’ve got to be fucking joking.”

Sam let out a huff, the corners of his lips twitching as he tried to suppress a grin. “I told you,” Sam stated pointedly. “He’s not gonna do it.”

“It doesn’t matter if you want to do it or not, we have to work on your public image,” Jess, the head of public relations for SHIELD, explained with a look of disdain on her features. 

Next to her sat Maria Hill, her arms crossed over her chest and a similar look of annoyance on her face. Clearly, she had better things to do than argue with a grown man about PR. “We’ve already found a girl, and she’s willing to deal with you. You should be thankful,” she grumbled, clearly wanting to end the conversation there.

“I should be thankful? For you controlling my life?” Bucky scoffed, leaning back in his chair with an all-too-familiar scowl on his face.

“Come on, Buck. I thought you were a ladies man. Now you’ve got a girl and you didn’t even have to try!” Sam attempted to sway Bucky’s seemingly rigid stance on the matter.

“Yeah, 80 goddamn years ago. I’ve got other shit to deal with instead of a girlfriend that I don’t even know. Are we done here?”

“James, just give it a try. Please.” Jess was never one to beg, but the pleading look in her eyes conveyed her desperation well enough.

Bucky’s jaw tightened as he rose from his chair, glancing over at Sam one final time before giving a nod and exiting the conference room.

***

Your lip was caught between your teeth when Jess stepped out of her office. “Y/N, hi! So sorry to keep you waiting!” she greeted with a bright smile.

“Oh, it’s no problem!” you reassured her, pulling her into a brief hug while mirroring her bright smile. 

“Are you ready? How are you feeling?”

You shrugged, pulling away from her hug to glance around. “I mean, I’m definitely nervous. I just... I just hope that he doesn't hate me for this, y’know?”

Her smile faltered for a second before she regained control over her expression. “You’ll be fine, Y/N. Everything will be just fine.”

You ignored the obvious hesitance in her voice, instead just giving a nod in response. Silently, she led you over to the conference room. After rapping her knuckles on the wooden door twice, she opened the door and stepped aside to let you in.

You kept your gaze on the floor as you walked in, standing there awkwardly until Jess spoke once more. “James, this is Y/N Y/L/N. Y/N, this is James ‘Bucky’ Barnes.”

Your gaze shot up to the man across from you. 

Geez, you thought his death glare was bad in photos. 

You gulped down the nerves and held out your hand with a bright smile, allowing your eyes to flicker over his features for a brief moment. “It’s nice to meet you.”

He just let out a huff, taking your hand in his rough grip and shaking it once before dropping his hand back to his side. 

An embarrassed blush creeped onto your cheeks and a heavy pang of something you couldn’t place, something harsh and unpleasant hit you right in the chest.

“Right,” Jess muttered, sensing the tension that settled in the room. “Uh, obviously you know Sam.”

You turned to the man who was tucked away in the corner of the room, a wince still on his face from the previous exchange. “Of course,” you hummed, walking over to him and pulling him into a tight hug. He hugged you back tightly, and you were grateful that the whole day wouldn’t be filled with awkwardness. Just most of it. 

“How’s my best girl been?” he hummed. “it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Far too long, Sam. But I’ve been good. And I’ve seen that you’ve been good, too, Mr. Captain America.” You beamed up at him, playfully shoving his shoulder.

“Sam,” Bucky spoke up, cutting your moment with Sam short. “Can we have a little chat?”

Sam gave you a look before slipping away from you and following Bucky out into the hallway. Jess gave you a shy smile as the two boys immediately began to bicker just outside the door. Clearly, she was trying to think of something to say to draw your attention from their words, but both of you were too curious about what the men were saying that you both stayed silent.

“You know her, Sam?” Bucky hissed, trying to keep his voice down to no avail.

“What, do you think I’d let them just throw you into a relationship with some random woman?” Sam scoffed. “We grew up together. She’s a super sweet girl, someone who’d be good for you.”

“I don’t need someone to decide who is good for me. Especially is the person who is good for me is some obnoxious ray of sunshine.”

“Dude, you haven't even talked to her!”

“I’m good at reading people, Sam.”

“Clearly not good enough.”

You shifted from foot to foot, keeping your gaze on the floor as the men continued to bicker. “So I’m assuming he wasn’t as on board with it as you told me he was,” you voiced, letting out a sigh.

“Trust me, Y/N, he’ll come around. It’s just a weird situation, and you both are adjusting to it in different ways.”

“This is adjusting?” You nodded to the door, where the men (boys) were now full blown arguing.

Just as she was about to speak, the conversation outside fell silent, and both men walked into just moments later. Sam gave you a sorrowful glance while Bucky kept his gaze averted from you.

She glanced at the two men before looking back to you. “See? Adjusting.”

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Mr. Gallagher and Me

Jim x Reader

Playlist Chapter 11 Masterlists

Chapter 12

On Christmas Day, tensions rise and a secret is accidentally spilled.Warnings-mentions of pregnancy symptoms , angst

Christmas Day “Merry Christmas!” Elaine squealed excitedly as the video call connected. She was already decked in full Christmas garb, which was slightly alarming considering it couldn't have been later than five am back in San Francisco. When she caught Y/n staring at her sweater though,she quickly explained, “I was at pediatrics last night, we had an ugly sweater party for the kids.”

“Aww,” Y/n cooed, feeling her heart melt a little, “That is so sweet,” already her eyes were brimming with tears, and silent, she cursed the hormones while blinking them away.

“Yeah, it was,” Elaine smiled softly, tire evident on her features, “Ugh, you should have seen their little faces. I mean, its obviously so sad that they have to spend Christmas at the hospital, but they were so happy to have some fun, it was amazing,” she determined, and after a moment, her face lit up, chasing the tire and sad. sympathetic smile away, “Speaking of little faces,” Elaine beamed and Y/n knew exactly where she was taking the conversation, “How’s the jelly bean?” 

Laughing, Y/n’s hand fell to her stomach, the slightest curve there, which looked more like the beginnings of a carb bloat than a baby bump, shrouded by her thick, gray cable knit sweater, “They’re great, I think. The size of a passion fruit this week,” according to a book she and Jim picked up while gift shopping a week earlier, “And really loving the peppermint tea that aunty Lainey recommended,” Y/n quickly removed her hand from her abdomen to show Elaine the steaming mug. 

“Oh that's great! Is it helping, or are you still all pukey and gross?” She pouted, sticking out her lower lip exaggeratedly. 

Cringing at her wording, Y/n shook her head, “Sometimes, but this definitely helps.” 

“Awesome,” Elaine beamed, and Y/n saw her shift on the sofa of what appeared to be the nurses’ lounge, where she was probably planning to try to get a few hours of sleep before heading straight to her own father’s to spend the holiday. “Now, I think you know what I’m gonna ask for next.”

Y/n exhaled loudly in feigned annoyance,”Ugh, Elaine…” She bemoaned.

“Please,” she pouted again, that time cutely, “Aunty Lainey just wants to say hi to little Jelly Bean.”

Rolling her eyes playfully, Y/n relented, “Fine, you have two minutes with ‘em,” she scolded lightly as she stood from her seat at the dining table near the window, raising her sweater slightly so part of her stomach was on display. 

As Y/n lowered the phone, Elaine gasped dramatically, “You have a tiny bump! Is that you Jelly Bean?”

“That is not a bump,” Y/n admonished, “I look fat.”

“You look fine,” Elaine grumbled before returning to her other conversation, “Hey Jelly Bean, its your favorite aunty here, from all the way in San Francisco. I just wanted to say hi, and Merry Christmas, and let you know that I can’t wait for next Christmas so I can hold you and buy you a whole bunch of cool stuff,” as Elaine cooed in a hushed tone to her very absent bump, Y/n grinned- at least if her parents weren’t happy, Elaine would be the family they had on her side. “I love you little one,” she doted before saying a quick, cute goodbye so Y/n could raise the phone up again and return to the comfort of her seat. 

Just as she sat, the soft sound of things shifting around in the kitchen behind her signaled that Jim was just getting his mug out from the cupboard to pour himself some coffee. “Hi baby daddy!” Elaine explained suddenly. 

Setting the mug down near the machine, Jim gravitated nearer to the edge of the counter, leaning over just as Y/n tilted to the side so he and Elaine could see each other, “Hey Elaine,” he waved with a chuckle, “Merry Christmas.”

“God, your accent is so hot,” she praised before returning, “Merry Christmas. You better be treating my babies right,” she warned, “Because you know I have access to a bone saw.”

“No you do not,” Y/n laughed, shaking her head.

“Okay, maybe I don’t. But I do have access to an arsenal of scalpels and those can hurt too,” Elaine teased, just as Jim stepped away from the kitchen and came to stand behind Y/n. his large palms falling to her shoulders.

As he absently massaged her shoulders, Y/n leaned into his touch and Jim quipped confidently, “I promise, I'm taking good care of our babies.”

Humming, Y/n glanced up at Jim, pursing her lips for a quick kiss which he readily planted on her lips, “He’s taking really good care of us.”

“Aww, you two are so cute its gross,” Elaine teased, and after a moment, when the mood quieted and Jim returned to his coffee, she sighed, “Well I’m tired, and I’m guessing you guys have Christmas dinner to start preparing, and parents to entertain, so I should let you go.”

At the thought of her parents, and then, by extension, what she’d overheard at the airport, Y/n huffed, “Yeah, you’re right. And you should get some rest too. But say hi to your dad for me.”

“Will do,” Elaine promised, “And you let me know how it goes when you tell your folks.”

“I will.” When they hung up, Y/n set her phone down on the glass dining table, collecting her Christmas mug by the handle as she stood, “I guess I should go pick them up,” she sighed, drawing in a sip from her tea and moving to lean on the counter, 

“Sure you don’t want me to go?” Jim set down the French press before pouring any coffee into his cup, instead closing the space between them so he could lay his hands on her hips, “I don’t mind.”

Y/n hummed, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips, “But they will,” she smiled sadly, “And I will never hear the end of it. Besides, you’re about to make this entire area smell like coffee, so at least if I go, you have time to deal with that,” she giggled teasingly. 

“Alright, well, its snowing pretty heavily,” he glanced outside, where pretty white flakes were drifting towards the ground and railing of the balcony. “Be careful.”

“I will,” they reluctantly pulled apart and Y/n quickly collected her phone and purse, “I should be back in about half an hour,” she said casually, as stuffed her sock clad feet into a pair of brown, stylish snow boots, crouching briefly to tie the laces. 

“Okay,” Jim went over to the coat rack near the door, collecting her thick, green winter coat and holding it open for her, “Love you,” again, they kissed quickly after she’d gotten her coat on.

“Love you too,” she smiled, then giggling softly when Jim got low so his face would be close to her stomach. 

“And love you, Jelly Bean,” as he held her hips and kissed her sweater clad stomach, Y/n giggled and ran her fingers through his hair. 

“We’ll be back in a bit,” Y/n said when he finally stood, and after a quick goodbye she left.

Later that day “Would you stop with the cookies?” Natalie scolded as she swiftly tapped Y/n on the back of her hand as she reached for the cookie jar. She, Jim and her parents were in the kitchen at his apartment, just getting into the thick of making Christmas dinner. His kids were there too, but they were  in the living room, tinkering  with the presents their mother and her husband had gotten them. 

“What?” Y/n scoffed, taking one anyway. Usually, she hated sugar cookies, they were way too sweet and the frosting always seemed like too much, but the day before, when she and Jim had gone to the supermarket to do a bit of last minute grocery shopping, she’d seen them in a bakery window and just had to have them. Jim had affectionately dubbed them her very first craving and joked that it might have been that it was because he loved sugar cookies, though, Y/n had teased that his science on the matter might have been iffy. “There are a lot of them,” she defended, nibbling on one edge of the prettily decorated cookie. 

“And you’re eating a lot of them,” her mother admonished, “You’re gonna make yourself sick and ruin your appetite,” she carried on as she chopped vegetables for a butternut squash casserole. “You don’t even like sugar cookies,’” she mumbled softly, “What has gotten into you?”

Rolling her eyes, Y/n shook her head, and as he passed by carrying a bowl with salad, Jim affectionately touched her back, flashing her a sympathetic smile when she glanced at him. “I’ll be fine mom,” she grumbled, returning to her former task of crushing potatoes for mashed potatoes. 

“Yeah, well dinner’s almost ready so that better be your last one,” she snapped. Shaking her head, Y/n bit her tongue; her mother had been like that all day, scolding her for the most trivial things and Y/n had gathered the sense that her latest bout of irritation had been less about cookies and more about the fact that they were in a different country for Christmas and her obvious dislike for Jim. She’d never been the type to mask her emotions, and unlike her father, who’d been going along with everything for the sake of keeping the peace, Y/n’s mother had been very passive aggressive in her displays of dissatisfaction. 

When both women said nothing more to each other, both harboring their own quiet annoyances, Jack seemed to sense the tension and sought to cut it by suddenly asking Jim; “Don’t Irish people make eggnog for Christmas?”

Shocked by the question, Jim lifted his head as he closed the oven after getting the lasagna out and setting it on the table. “Uh…we do, sir,” he cleared his throat, “I just haven’t made any this year.”

“What?” Jack scoffed, “This one,” he gently elbowed Y/n in the rib, “Loves eggnog. Gets it from me,” he chuckled proudly. 

Not knowing how to say that they hadn’t made any, in part, out of solidarity for Y/n’s current inability to have alcohol, Jim shook his shoulders, “I guess we didn’t have time this year,” he shrugged.

After quickly checking his watch, Jack firmly determined, “Well we’ve got about twenty minutes before that turkey’s done, so lets make some now. You get the eggs and the milk,” he directed Jim with lighthearted sternness, “And tell me where you keep the booze.”

“Jack!” Natalie admonished, but he completely ignored her, and as Jim stole a moment to meet Y/n’s eyes as he opened the refrigerator, she flashed him a grin and two thumbs up- at least they were getting along, or trying to. 

Everyone had slipped into silence once more, albeit Jim and Jack’s friendliness had made it that much more bearable. For what  felt like the first time since her parent’s had gotten to Jim’s apartment, things seemed to be going well, mostly;  Jim and her father were bonding over their preference of booze in eggnog- they both preferred using bourbon to white rum and were both a little too generous with the brandy- while Y/n and her mother had managed to find common ground while setting the table. 

“His kids seem nice,” she quipped, after sparing a backwards glance at the living area, where Ben and Alannah  when Y/n was setting plates out and she did the same with wine glasses.

“They are,” Y/n agreed, proceeding to gush about his children; telling her mother about how Ben was captain of the soccer team and how Alannah wanted to go to school in England after she graduated. They lapsed into quiet conversation about her relationship with Jim, and while her mother had obvious reservations about their relationship, she did seem like she was, at the very least, becoming acquainted with the idea. Things were going really well, and Y/n was even starting to hope that they’d have a nice Christmas dinner. 

Until the smell of raw eggs turned her stomach- and there was the second reason why they hadn’t made eggnog. 

“You okay?” Natalie touched Y/n’s sleeve upon noting her sudden silence. 

“Yeah,” Y/n swallowed thickly, trying to shake off the wave of nausea, “I’m fine,” she clenched her jaw and took a slow breath and when that didn’t help, she tried to excuse herself from the conversation, “I’m just gonna go to the bedroom for a minute.”

“Its all those cookies,” her mother warned lightly, “They were so sweet, why don’t you go sit down and have some water,” she suggested sweetly as Y/n headed towards the hallway.

“You okay?” Jim intercepted, just as she reached the mouth of the hall, “Its the eggs, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah, but its fine,” she touched the back of his hand, clasping her elbow, “I’ll be fine,” she promised, and not quite satisfied but also not wanting to rouse suspicion, Jim let her go. 

In the bedroom, Y/n sat on her side of the made bed, taking slow, deep breaths until the feeling passed, and then when it did, she flopped down onto her back. She never been the type to hide big changes in her life from her parents, and concealing what was probably the most life altering event she’d ever experience was starting to  wear her down; she didn’t think she could keep making excuses for simple things, like why she didn’t want coffee, or why Jim had been so adamant about her not carrying anything heavier than a few pounds and probably why she wasn’t going to be having wine with dinner. 

Maybe she should just tell them and deal with the fallout later.

“Ugh,” with a groan, she put her palms over her face, wishing the gesture would just make her disappear for a while, just long enough for her to figure things out. When she heard someone knocking on the bedroom door though, Y/n realized that if ten minutes alone was hard to come by, then disappearing was completely off the table. “Yeah?”

“Its me,” her mother inched the door open and poked her head in, “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Y/n sat up, brushing a few stray strands away from her face before adjusting her oversized sweater, “What’s up?”

“Its nothing,” she waved dismissively, “Your father is so silly, he knicked himself while cracking an egg, you can tell he’s hardly ever in the kitchen,” Natalie chuckled lightly, “Jim said there should be bandaids in here?” 

“Uh, yeah,” opening and then retying her ponytail, “They should be in the medicine cabinet, in the bathroom,” she nodded towards the door to the master bath, “You can just go in,” Y/n permitted, not thinking much of it as she reached for her phone on the nightstand.

As her mother went into the bathroom, Y/n stood from the bed, about to head out of the room when Natalie stopped her right before she could take the door knob in her hand, “Honey, can we talk?”

Taken aback by her tone, uneasy and soft, Y/n turned curiously, eyes going wide when she realized what her mother was holding. She’d completely forgotten that she left those in there! “Oh my God, mom-”

“Is there something about Jim that you wanna tell me?” Natalie looked at the bottle of prenatal vitamin gummies she'd gotten from Dr. Shaw's office.

Sucking in a shuddering breath, her eyes went wide, “Like?”

“Like is he married or have another girlfriend or something?” Then, misinterpreting her shock, Natalie frowned, “Didn't you know?”

Paralyzed, Y/n stuttered- she didn’t want to admit it, not yet, but she couldn’t exactly deny it either, it wasn’t as bad as her mother potentially blowing up on Jim for something he wasn’t guilty of. “Mom,” she breathed heavily, holding her breath for her mother’s reaction, “Those are mine.” 

*****

Tagging: @pearlstiare

[ladygenius]

Better than any candy

Hope you're still somewhat feeling the spooky season but I mean, mgg would approve.. right?🎃 (and Spencer probably too) also: this gif💘 Don't we just love him?

description: sadly, your BAU Halloween party is cancelled.. you have an idea to save the genius's favorite day though

pairing: Spencer Reid x (gn) baureader (except for the costume of a female movie character)

content: fluffety fluff

warnings: mentions of food, insecurities, the occasional swear word

wordcount: 1.7k ish

>> if ya like ma' work, rebloggin' don't hurt <<

"What do you mean, the party's blown?!" The doctor shouted in high-pitched disbelief. 

"I know sugarpie, I am so sorry.. I know how much you were looking forward to it. But it's just.. Kevin surprised me with this romantic trip totally out of the blue and, I just couldn't say no." Penelope tried to explain herself, guilt clearly visible in her features.

"You're not mad though, are you?" her Bambi eyes working at full force to relieve herself of the weight on her conscience.

"No, of course not.. it's just.. I've already gotten a costume and we all could have spent some time together" the caramel-haired genius lamented as his eyes landed on another one of his co-workers.

"But maybe we could just meet at Rossi's place then?" eyes growing all hopeful.

"Oh, nu-uh my young friend. I truly am sorry to disappoint you but a night full of tasteless gory costumes and annoying kids begging for candy at my doorstep? No, thanks. I'll be out of town visiting an old friend at a jazz bar." 

With a declining gesture, David made his way back into his office leaving Reid sitting all pouting in the bullpen. An adorable frown resting on his forehead.

You observed all of this closely from afar while pretending to read through a file. Well, if you're favorite genius is feeling so bummed out about his precious Halloween night being taken away from him.. you guess you'll know exactly what to do about this. A cheeky smile crept onto your lips.

// later that day //

"Hey Spence.. got any Plan B going on for the night of all nights tomorrow?" you chimed, clearly with some mischief traceable in your tone.

“N-no, not really, actually.. I really was looking forward to spending it at Garcia’s. What about you, y/n?” 

“Hm, no, me neither” your gaze wandered through the room as if looking for something as you continued to reveal your ‘spontaneous’ plan.

“But you know what? Why don’t we just hang out together? Grab some food, watch a scary horror movie.. after all, we can’t just cancel Halloween altogether, right?”

You had to bite your cheeks at the adorable way the genius’s face lit up in excitement, stopping yourself from grinning like a total dork. 

“Yeah, that, um.. that sounds like an amazing plan B, actually” Spencer nodded in agreement as his gaze dropped down to his own desk again, seemingly concentrating on his work. 

Well then, let’s bring this on.

// the next evening //

You went through all the bullet points of your huge checklist (once again). Pumpkins, gourds, jack-o-lanterns, spiderwebs, bats, red fairy lights, ghosts - check. 

Pumpkin spice muffins, black fruit punch, snacks - check. Spooky Halloween playlist, DVDs - check. 

And last but not least, you eyed your outfit in the mirror once again. Your hair styled in a mid-part, eyes all dolly and adorned by spider lashes, bluish-toned makeup, and stitches painted all over your face and arms to enhance the fact that you’re sewn together. 

This should do it, you smiled. Still not able to shake off the nervousness in your whole body when thinking about your plans for tonight. 

Once more you looked at your phone rereading Spencer’s adorably confused text he last sent you:

“I’m on my way. I just don’t get why you told me to wear my costume.. Aren't we staying at your place?” 

You were eager to reply of course.. yet, you didn’t want to spoil the surprise either. You just hoped he actually did what you had told him.. otherwise, this would be kind of weird. 

A knocking at your door brought you back from your thoughts. 

Heart beating loud in your chest, you went to open it, only to find a (thank god) costumed Spencer Reid at the other side of the threshold, greeting you with an insecure smile. The latter grew wide in pleasant surprise as soon as he noticed your own masquerade. 

"Wow y/n.. your costume, I mean - you look awesome. Sally.. what a great idea!"

"Thanks, Spence" you giggled shyly, "You don't look too bad yourself, Doctor" trying to wink at him somewhat flirtily considering the wordplay since he was dressed up as the doctor from doctor who - obviously.

As you further opened the door to let the doc get a good glimpse at your apartment you could basically hear his jaw drop.

His eyes slowly took in all you had prepared for tonight - from the blinking fairy lights all the way to the carved pumpkins and the decorations.

"Um, is anyone else coming as well, or..?"

"Nope. Just you & I" your stomach bubbly at your choice of words, "I know it's a little too much but-"

"What?! It's amazing! Seriously, y/n.. this is without exaggeration the coolest thing anyone's ever done" Spencer reassured you enthusiastically.

"Well, I'm glad you like it, Spence." 

"Wait. So.. you did all of this just for me, though? But y/n.. why?"

Oh boy. 

"Why wouldn't I? I mean.. we've all been looking forward to the party at Garcia's and I-I just couldn't stand seeing you so bummed out about it."

The stone in your stomach grew bigger as you felt yourself getting timid but you weren't gonna let that happen again, not tonight.  

"And also.. because you deserve it, Spence. All of this. Besides,.. there's nothing quite as adorable as seeing your face light up when you're talking about Halloween." You felt the blood rushing to your cheeks, only the bluish-toned makeup keeping your feelings from being fully exposed.

This time he was the one looking down shyly, a cute chuckle escaping his throat. 

"Well, then I don't know how to thank you. This is easily the nicest thing anyone will probably ever do for me, y/n." 

If you didn't know any better you'd suspect the gleam in his hazel eyes to be forming tears but you shook off the idea and blamed it on the fairy lights instead. 

"Oh, don’t be silly, doc, it wasn’t that big of a deal” - you clearly handle emotional moments well. “Better go crazy on the buffet before we're running out of black cat cookies." Your hand playfully punched his chest as you grabbed one of the treats and delightfully bit of its head.  

"Alright, alright.." he couldn't help but laugh at your dramatic gesture. "Whatever the Queen of Halloween demands."

"Should we then maybe compare how much you actually nailed your outfit?" Spencer questioned, as he picked out Nightmare Before Christmas from the stack of DVDs on the living room table, his gorgeous grin warming your whole body from the inside out. 

"I'd love to, Spence."

Thank God, no scary movie. I'm freaked out enough, already.

As you were sitting next to each other on the couch, a good while into the movie, you occasionally exchanged shy glances and soft smiles, your bodies close to each other yet never allowing to touch. The lack of it almost driving you insane.

This got even worse when the actual Sally started singing about her insecurity regarding Jack's feelings towards her. 

God, y/n, get it together. This is a children's movie, for fuck’s sake.  

But somehow, this was just the last push you needed. Suddenly, you felt your body scooting just a little closer to Spencer, placing your head on his shoulder as casual as possible.

"Is this okay?" 

"Uh-yeah.. sure" his raspy voice gave slightly irritated consent. You observed his hand fidgeting on his lap a couple of times before he moved to put his arm around you. This unfamiliar contact between the two of you made the thoughts spin in your head.

"You know what, Spence?" you looked up at him from the side, gaining his full attention, "I kinda was relieved when I heard that Garcia had to cancel", - earning a confused frown at this point - "because the only one I really wanted to spend this night with is sitting right next to me." 

The confusion on his features was replaced by eyes wide in astonishment and his cheeks blushing in a beautiful pink hue. 

His eyes this time, however, didn't leave your own anymore - and neither did yours. 

You knew that he knew now. The twinkle in his eyes let you know.

"Y/n.." he carefully took your hand into his like it might break otherwise and intertwined your fingers, still looking for words. You squeezed his hand gently for reassurance, thumb stroking its back. 

"Spencer Reid”, a slight tremor rushing over his whole figure at the sound of his name - “I think I'm in love with you."

You weren't even sure you heard the words coming out of your own mouth, your voice just above a whisper. But not even your makeup could cover up the truth any longer, it was all out in the open now. 

Mere inches away from each other's faces, you tried to search his expression for some kind of signal. But before you could start to regret your previous move Spencer was already the one to take the leap and latch his lips onto yours ever so gently.

Nothing could have prepared you for how soft his lips felt against your own - not even the countless scenarios in which you've imagined just that. 

He let go of you for a moment, leaving you all dizzy with his taste on your lips. The soft and loving gaze you were met with not helping to come back to reality either. 

"Well, as for me, I know for a fact I'm utterly in love with you too, y/n" his shy confession almost made you tear up, never had you actually believed you'd hear him say these words. 

So you did the only thing keeping you from crying - you tangled your hands inside his hair and pulled him in to put your endorphins to good use. 

This mission, however, was put to an abrupt end as the doorbell brought you back to the world around you - trick or treaters.

"Oh shit, I totally forgot about this part of the tradition for some reason.. at least I'd say we're well prepared. That's of course, only if you're fine with giving away some of our limited treats" your gaze wandered over to the still pretty stacked table. 

He laughed heartily at your question. "Y/n, I still stand by how I appreciate all your efforts for tonight but don't worry. What I got today, was much better than any candy." He sealed this line by a courtly kiss of your hand, the look in his eyes the most heart melting sight you've ever laid eyes on.  

"I couldn't agree more, doc." 

A silly beam adorned your features as you both got up to collect the candy you were giving the kids.

This all truly just happened. Damnit. It hit you that you really gotta remember to thank Garcia about a thousand times when she gets back from her trip.

You gave Spencer a quick peck on the cheek just when you realized his amused grin.

"What?"

"Oh, um, nothing.. but I guess we should rewind the movie a little afterwards.. for some reason we're already into the credits. I guess we missed some of it."

Oh well, you were more than pleased with the fact that fake Sally managed to capture his attention tonight better than the real one.

[svchengss]

king of hearts | d.sc

PAIRING. dong sicheng x reader

GENRE. high school!au, fluff, slight angst, kind of e2l

WARNINGS. none (lmk if i missed any!)

WORD COUNT. 6.7k

SUMMARY. sicheng’s subtle flirts are not working effectively but it only motivates him to try and woo you more. the devil sure works hard but dong sicheng works harder.

PLAYLIST. king of hearts

TAGLIST. @floraljae @clovdless @mashiihearts @ndr1271 @kunrengui (shoutout to mashi for being a major help in the process of writing this <3)

// just to let you guys know, reblogs and feedbacks are appreciated !! thank you for reading :D

music was blaring through the multiple loudspeakers scattered around the school grounds, booths of various interests that were set-up by the clubs being swarmed by visitors and ecstatic oohs and aahs from the ones playing games can be heard intermittently. the annual school festival of redlands high, an event that is looked forward to by every single student there. or maybe not, you’re quite unsure of the self-made data.

you immediately made a beeline to the dance club booth which is managed by yangyang, the president also holding the title of your best friend. a cartoonish grin crept up on his face when he spots you walking towards him.

“so, what do you think? looks legit, huh?” he crossed his arms together, observing the design of the booth with a proud smile. the set-up is definitely eye-catching, not much decorations going on, adding to the simplicity of the white theme with gold touch-ups. you browsed through the plastered posters on the board, inviting people to sign up for their upcoming audition. looking up to the signboard hanging outside, you showed a thumbs up towards him, muttering a quick ‘perfect’.

“so what exactly is your booth doing? there’s not much… activity going on?” you scratched the non-existent itch on your left eyebrow. the boy in front of you gave you an eye roll before explaining that there will be mini dance games - or just dance as he worded. an amused sound left your lips as you bent down, dropping your signature in the guestbook on the wooden table.

“are you coming to the stage shows tonight? i heard there’s a new band performing,” your ears perked up instinctively upon hearing the words. after your sister graduated high school, nobody paid any attention to keep the band going. the zikas, a trio that made the music club strive back then. either the newer batches were too lazy to make an effort or too scared if they weren’t up to the already high standards of the school.

“i’m going if you’re going,” you simply stated, which made yangyang flash you the same grin from before. you said your simple goodbyes when people started lining up to try the just dance game at his booth. after he reminded you to wait for him by the statue, you went off to check out the food sales, eager to fill your growling stomach since this morning.

you can do this, sicheng. you can do this.

he made sure to double check the tuning of his guitar for one last time before joining the rest of his bandmates on the stage. his tall and slim physique surely left an impact, seeing that some of the audience suddenly became more invested in the performance compared to the others. he’s wearing some band’s shirt - probably green day since it’s quite similar to your sister’s posters in her room, black leather jacket and his black hair middle parted. not to miss the silver pendant necklace on his neck, sparkling under the spotlight.

the moment he struck the pick through the strings of his electric guitar, the drummer and bassist followed after, producing a melody that is pleasing to your ears. he held the microphone closer to his mouth, singing the lyrics as you bobbed your head up and down to the covers they sang - american idiot and helena are the ones you recognized since you’ve heard the songs so often. yangyang on the other hand kept on sipping the chocolate milkshake in his hand, vibing with the music as well.

the next song was a sentimental one which you assumed is a self-composed one, since you’ve never heard this song before. before you know it, the performance is over and the audience have started packing up their belongings to hang out somewhere else or go home.

“good job everyone, we did well,” yuta, who played the bass earlier, high-fived the rest of the band with a sly grin on his face. guanheng chugged the mineral water down his throat before stashing his drumsticks into the bag while sicheng was lost in his thoughts. he doesn’t know why but you stood out from the crowd, only able to see you just now. he wouldn’t say it’s a crush, not knowing anything about you but it definitely made him feel something. a trigger in his heart, not knowing where it leads to. but what he does know is that you caught his attention.

“and you know what he said? i’ll come back crawling to him just like his other exes. what the heck is even that?” you took out the binders from your locker while listening to ningning rant about her love life. since you haven’t had any relationships before, you’re not really a professional in this aspect of life so you just kept your mouth shut to avoid giving useless advice.

“that sounds so rude, he’s such a jerk,” you commented, taking the first bite of your sandwich afterwards. the tea-spilling session eventually came to an end when she reached her class first and you kept walking to mrs. walker’s, english being your first period. nothing exciting really happened in that class except someone got their phone confiscated for texting in class - just the usual things. classes later, it’s finally recess when you met up with ningning and yangyang in the cafeteria.

“first of all, cut him off. block him. everywhere,” yangyang emphasized the last word, knowing how much of an idiot the guy can be. you just scrolled through your socials, double tapping on certain posts that caught your eye. owning a cat looks fun, you made a mental note to bring the idea to your parents later. the bell rang which signals that classes are starting back soon and the same cycle of events continues before it’s time to go home.

you observed yangyang’s sharp moves, following to the beat of the song echoing in the dance room. it’s currently half past seven and he’s still here, beads of sweat running through his hair. and why would he stay in school so late, you may ask? obviously, he’s here for a reason and it being an upcoming dance tournament is the most accurate one. while you’re here, sitting on the floor, back against the mirror and legs straightened out with your phone in your hand. it amazes you how the goofy boy transforms 360°, being all serious when he’s in his element.

“let’s go home, i’m tired already,” he panted out breathlessly, using a cloth nearby to wipe his sweaty forehead. you wait for him by the glass door as he packs up his things when the lights in the music studio also switched off. you wondered it must be the band guys so you paid no attention whatsoever. of course, your predictions were right when you saw two lads stepping out.

since yangyang is taking too much time tidying up the dance studio and the music studio seems unoccupied, you decided to check it out for a bit. it’s been a long time since you last entered the room, always accompanying your sister for her extra practice when you were younger. not much has changed, except some additions of instruments can be seen. not seeing anything in the dark condition as the room is only illuminated by the faint lights from the hallway, you pushed the switches down only to be met by a gasp.

“what are you doing here?” the tall boy approached you, a stern look visible on his fine features. your eyes scrambled around the room in an attempt to find any logical excuses for your ‘break-in’ but to no avail. your tongue was dry, not a sound escaping your throat when you heard yangyang’s voice, signalling your cue to exit the room and escape from the tension building between you and the boy. he just shook his head, the black hair bouncing left to right as he finally caught on.

it’s you, you’re the girl from the crowd. and your name is y/n.

the walk home was filled with one-sided conversations where yangyang kept on babbling about how he should improve the choreography he created earlier while you only added small comments. your mind is filled with embarrassment, too much that you feel slightly mad at yourself. why didn’t you say anything earlier? now, you look like a complete idiot with communication issues in front of that boy.

“yeah, and remember that pasta? we should definitely try it again, it’s like, so good,” yangyang said, earning a nod from you when you saw the boy from last night’s music studio tragedy approaching your table. you tried to look away but it was too late.

“dude, just wanna let you know that mr. park is seeing us after school,” your grip on your fork loosens up when you realized he wasn’t talking to you. maybe he forgot about the incident? you really hope so.

“yeah, totally. thanks sicheng,” yangyang playfully winked at the latter, earning a disgusted look from him who started walking away. he glanced back at you with a smug smile on his plump lips, making you freeze up again.

he didn’t.

“are you okay, y/n? feeling sick?” ningning furrowed her eyebrows upon seeing your sudden change of demeanor. you shrugged her off and continued to consume the macaroni placed on the tray in front of you, mentally cursing at yourself for the poor life choice you’d made. well, at least you know that his name is sicheng, right?

oh boy, you’re in for a long ride.

you can’t wait to go home and snuggle under the covers, today has been a long and tiring one for you. you had three pop quizzes as if all the three teachers intended so, your class had to run multiple laps during p.e. and so on. you’re already planning your routine in your head, trudging your way to the lockers when you saw him leaning against yours, scrolling down his phone.

“crap,” you muttered under your breath.

there it is, the smirk on his face returns when he spots your figure approaching. oh, how you wish you could wipe it off his face. he moved a couple steps backwards to give you some space to arrange your things before locking it, turning your head towards him.

“i’m sorry, why are you here again? and if it’s because of last night, then i’m sorry if it bothered you or anything,” you huffed out.

“what? i didn’t really care, it’s not like you were stealing anything, right?” he squinted his eyes, eyeing you up and down suspiciously, laughing shortly after seeing you get riled up.

“damn, you really need to learn how to take a joke. y/n, right? i’m sicheng, nice to meet you.”

“why exactly are we having this meet-and-greet or whatever this introduction is?” you crossed your arms, waiting for his response. but he didn’t, immediately turning on his heels and making his way towards the stairs, probably going to the studio.

“jerk,” you cursed under your breath, walking out the school building.

“what? you got accepted? seriously?” ningning’s voice echoed against the cafeteria walls, earning surprised and annoyed glances from other students who were either satisfying their grumbling stomach or simply having conversations. yangyang softly nudged her elbows using his, asking her to lower her voice down before telling you to go on. you were quite surprised as well, the acceptance email was not what you expected to receive. when you filled in the application form, it was just a mere shoot-your-shot agenda to see if you’d make the cut. although this is just a camp, you’re still unsure of what lies ahead.

“yeah, it starts next week. but i’m so nervous though,” you sipped the iced coffee in your hands. you’ve only watched videos of people producing their own music from scratch which you start to take an interest in. however, you’ve never done it hands-on before, only having basic music theory knowledge thanks to the piano lessons your parents signed you up for when you were young.

“you’ll do awesome, i promise,” yangyang gave you a reassuring smile, making you release some tension from the overthinking you’ve had since you received the email last night.

“thanks yang.”

now, here you are on the first day of attending the internship camp. you stood in front of the tall mirror hanging on the wall, straightening your cardigan and applying some makeup onto your face as touch-ups. it’s currently 7:40 in the morning, the earliest time you’ve ever woken up on a saturday. your siblings are still swallowed in their states of sleep. you double-checked the contents in your tote bag, making sure that no important things are left behind. you totally don’t intend on leaving a bad first impression on your first day.

after bidding a swift goodbye to your parents who just woke up, you drove your mother’s old honda to the completely new destination - mbyte studios. the tall building with light grey and blue painted walls definitely made it stand out, a futuristic look catching the eyes of the passersby. taking a deep breath, you entered the main lobby before being escorted to a room on the second floor. you assume it’s a waiting room for all participants of the camp, scanning that majority of the occupiers might be college students. you thanked god that the camp takes place on weekends so your high school senior life won’t be interrupted that much.

DAY 1

your eyes widened when you spot sicheng with the same white and blue tag you’re wearing, seated on the sofa. what the hell is he doing here? you avoided acknowledging his presence, trying to make yourself as unnoticed as possible heading over to occupy the seat farthest from his. after quite some time staring at the paintings hanging on the wall, a middle-aged lady with a petite figure entered the room, making you sit up straight.

“welcome to mbyte studios! i’m the assistant director, mrs. hwang. first and foremost, congratulations on being accepted. it’ a pleasure to witness the start of your musical journey embarking here. i believe that we should know each other first?” she gestured for any volunteers. sicheng stood up from his seat, charisma evident in his stance which left quite an impression on the others. the strong confidence in the way he speaks made the woman smile amusingly.

some names later, it was your turn to introduce yourself. the moment you stood up, he immediately recognized you and you were sure you caught him making some faces. the ice-breaking session went well thankfully, mrs. hwang elaborating on the social rules and the itinerary throughout the whole six days. one that caught your attention was assisting the producers on making a track from scratch, just like you had dreamed of.

when it was finally time for lunch break, you shot up from your seat to get away from sicheng as fast as possible but to your dismay, he beat you to it, jogging up towards your standing position.

“i didn’t know you were into music, what’s the sudden occasion?”

“it’s none of your business actually,” you sneered back, obviously not favouring his attention.

“woah, relax. you’ve got quite a temper, don’t you? by the way, we’re having lunch together,” he placed his phone onto a nearby table, pulling a chair for you.

“just eat on your own, i don’t have the appetite,” you flash a sarcastic grin before disappearing into the women’s restroom. he just laughed bitterly at your response before walking towards the food counter, joining his newly made friend, jaehyun. being the same age, they’re easy to click.

DAY 2

“today, we’ll be focusing on the recording process. you’ll be assigned into groups that will have a tour of the whole department. our staff will facilitate each group,” the manager said loud and clear. you remembered his name was johnny. the tattoo on his shoulder really stands out, considering the fact that he’s always wearing a sleeveless shirt.

but what are the odds when your groupmate is none other than the guy himself, sicheng. it’s like the universe truly resented you for having to be associated with him at any event. your group was escorted to the farthest recording studio on the floor. to say that this was a great experience is truly an understatement, making you observe the gears used in astonishment. you hate to admit it but sicheng has a handful of knowledge on this particular topic, always correctly answering the questions directed by the staff. maybe it wasn’t quite surprising upon knowing that his career choice is a singer, not that you care anyways.

again, nothing out of the ordinary happened today, except that you and sicheng had lunch on the same table. of course, it’s not that you accepted his offer but he welcomed himself to the spot. being the quickly favoured participant among the rest, obviously they welcomed him with open hands. he placed himself among the two guys sitting at the right corner, eyeing you whose eyes are still not leaving the article you were skimming through. with the last spoon of food shoved into your mouth, you quietly excused yourself from the group. sicheng just watched your movements in subtle signs of annoyance.

with the final task of doing microphone check-ups, day two of the camp ended with a breeze. you can’t wait to go home, get into a warm bath and spend the night watching netflix. it was a tiring one indeed but you’re not one to complain. pushing the car keys into the ignition slot, the sound of the engine starting is still nowhere to be heard even after a couple of retries. you rested your forehead onto the steering wheel, cursing silently in your head, having to get a taxi and call your mother about this incident. you’re sure to be receiving a handful from her, not to mention her soft but stingful remarks.

“hey, are you okay?” a deep voice interrupts your stressful state of mind. looking up, it’s sicheng with a concerned look on display. you hesitantly shared your problem, making him press his lips together probably thinking of a solution.

“you know, i don’t really know how to fix your broken engine or whatever but i know someone who can. let me just ring him for a sec. and you’re coming home with me.”

and that’s how you ended up in the front passenger seat, sicheng steering with one hand and the other rested on the windowsill. the faint music from the radio can be heard, probably a song by jon vinyl. you’d steal quick glances to see his other hand dancing in the air, enjoying the rhythm of the song playing. besides that, it was silent as both of you are preoccupied with your own things - sicheng on the road while you on your phone. he tried to make small talk but you would say it’s unrequited, only replying with short sentences. after a good ten minutes drive, the sight of your brown painted gate becomes a sign for him to stop the moving car.

“your car is safe with my friend so you shouldn’t worry about it or anything. also, what’s your number? it’ll be easier for, you know the car business of course,” he reached over to unbuckle your seatbelt, handing over his phone to you after. the close proximity made your breath hitch, the dewy scent of his perfume diffusing into your nose. not too strong, he has a good taste.

“thanks and um, i’ll buy you a drink later. just for today.”

“are you asking me on a date?” there it is, the significant tug on the side of his lips making its presence once again.

“stop being so narcissistic and move along please,” you rolled your eyes before giving him a small wave, stepping into your property. sicheng stared at the numerals on his phone screen, a small, proud grin etched on before driving off the lane.

“how was the camp? met any cute boys?” the first thing you hear in the hue of the blue monday morning is ningning’s chirpy voice. sometimes you wonder how she gets all boosted up at this hour of the day. yangyang is the polar opposite, his appearance as if he just got out of bed, the hood of his denim jacket resting on top of his auburn hair.

“it was good and no, no cute boys. but sicheng was there,” you replied nonchalantly, a mischievous grin crept onto her lips. you can almost predict the words that are going to spill out of her mouth.

“what’s up with her?” yangyang yawned, his eyes lazily gaze at you. you just lifted your shoulders, having no idea whatsoever. a ping sound was heard from your phone, notifying that a new message is received.

unknown: hey sicheng here

unknown: ur car may be ready tmr. want me to drive u there?

listening to your heart, you were about to type ‘no’ but remembering the fact that your parents will be busy the whole day tomorrow and yangyang is coming home late once again, you have no choice but to accept the lad’s help.

now you’re back in his vehicle, the same spot as before. you’ve only noticed now that a musical note charm is hung on the rearview mirror, a semiquaver to be exact. you’d say that it looks authentic, gold specks shining when sun rays hit the surface. observing the interior of his car, there are quite a number of small decorations.

“can we get coffee first? my treat for the car and the ride,” you suggested, looking at him whose eyes are focused onto the road. the traffic is quite pleasing today, nobody honking mindlessly at the other drivers and flipping each other off with the famous middle finger gesture. his side profile does look charming, some type of earrings dangling from his ears. if you’re going to be honest, his appearance does seem to be your type. you’re not one to say about his persona though, always managing to bother you at any time of the day.

“sure, wanna go to the new cafe? i heard it’s good,”. you just nodded while he skillfully steered the steering wheel, moving the car to the new destination. you turned your eyes to look outside from the car window, seeing the one hundred and one manners of the citizens. a mother struggling to take her child who’s having a tantrum out of the toy shop, a young couple having their romantic meal in the french cafe. the motion of the car stopping awakened you who was being distracted by your clouded mind.

from the moment you stepped into the place, the interior caught your attention. the light brown painted walls with black furniture complementing each other perfectly, making a retro-like appearance. the funky song playing faintly in the background surely is a mood-setter, just how you like it. even the barista serving you is being friendly, making a couple of small talk in the midst of operating the machines.

you would say that it was a pleasureful day for you. the exquisite taste of latte washing down your dry throat, getting your car back without too much babbling from your dear mother and the gap between you and sicheng closing in for a little.

the last sentence baffled you for a second.

DAY 3

sicheng’s eyes shot open from the short slumber he was trying to get - failing miserably even, upon spotting you enter through the door. he pulled the chair beside him in hopes for you to get his message and take the seat. a frown made its way onto his face when you just waved at him, making your way to another spot a few chairs to the front. he scoffed, head tilting slightly before approaching you instead. you shot him a puzzled look, roughly translating to ask him what he’s doing here.

“i just want to be close to you. now focus,” he redirected his eyes onto the muscular man who just entered the room. he’s a songwriter - the best one in this company to be exact. you were focused on each point he explained, making small notes on your laptop. it’s not always that you’ll get a chance to be guided by a four-time award winning songwriter, might as well gain some benefits from it.

“another tip i have is to use all types of chords. remember, do not stick to the same ones, you’ll lack creativity. for instance, use major, minor, dominant, diminished, and augmented. i promise you, more ideas will be flowing and better quality songs will be produced. you got me?” the questioned, earning buzzing sounds of positive responses from the hall.

DAY 4

another day of group work, you’re given the task to create a melody according to the themes given - for your group, it’s love. looking at sicheng, he’s already on his electric guitar, strumming mindlessly to find the perfect note to start on. the rest of you are now juicing out some thoughts on this particular sense of human nature.

“love gives us thrill, the feeling of excitement, the feeling when you’re uncertain about something but when you have that special someone with you, you’re sure to wing it all,” jaehyun suggests, earning nods of approval from the rest of your groupmates.

“you’re a pro at this, mr. romantic,” you teased him, earning a soft chuckle. a dimpled smile is etched onto his features, rosy cheeks and his eye smile making you fawn. prince-like visual and a sense of humour? a two in one package, totally.

“not really. i guess i’m a sucker for romance movies,” he rubbed the back of his neck. your small conversation came to a halt when you heard a crooked, loud sound coming from the rough strum on the guitar strings. you turned around to see sicheng gazing directly towards the both of you, a sharp one even. jaehyun just blinked his eyes before catching onto the situation unfolding in front of him while you’re still being completely oblivious. you tilted your head in confusion, unsure of what’s gotten into him.

it’s the day that yangyang has been looking forward to since the past few weeks, his dance tournament. you’re seated with ningning on the bleachers, music from the loudspeakers echoing through the walls. with the cheers of the bewatchers whenever someone captivated them with a trick or dance move, usually the risky ones, it truly is a loud atmosphere.

“now, welcoming contestant number 43 to take the stage,” the host announced, you and ningning clapped with all your might, shouting words of encouragement as well. yangyang took a deep breath before lifting his right hand up, cueing for the music to start playing. just then, there’s the sound of someone plopping down on the hard surface next to you - sicheng. he’s looking casual today, a light yellow hoodie replacing his usual dark clothings.

“what are you doing here?” you shout whispered while ningning raised her eyebrows at you.

“didn’t yangyang tell you? i’m here to watch him dance,” he countered your question before darting his eyes back to the boy who’s busy popping on the dance floor, tinashe’s song playing in the background. he ended his routine with a moonwalk, making his way to the end of the stage. you’re confident that he’s going to win the competition, looking at how precise and clean his moves were. all the late night practices he had eventually paid off when he’s announced as the second placer. nonetheless, he’s still proud of himself, not to mention you and ningning who have been with him throughout his whole journey.

“you did well,” sicheng welcomed him with a fist bump which he reciprocated back. you didn’t know that they were this good of friends.

“i’m starving,” he rubbed his hand onto his stomach, making you remember that your stomach has been rumbling since you only ate a cereal bar that morning. you were about to catch up to yangyang and ningning who were walking fast ahead when you felt a tug on your shirt, looking down to see sicheng crouching down to tie your loose shoelaces.

“you might fall,” he placed his hands into the pockets of his hoodies, waiting for you to come along.

“um, thanks,” you muttered out before catching the glances given by your friends, later teasing you about the scene.

roars of students can be heard coherently, filling the basketball court. the basketball captain, a tall one with black charcoal hair is shooting a three-pointer. the players are then called over to their respective sides for whatever strategy their coaches will be implementing in the third-quarter. the home team is currently leading by five points, knowing that the players wearing the significant red and black jersey have been training their asses off for a while now.

but why exactly did you come to the game tonight? besides from the main event happening in the moment, the other reason is now standing in his position, strumming his electric guitar producing a funky sound that vibrates through the walls - a cue for the start of another buzzing stage. sicheng has been bugging you about watching him perform tonight and after quite some time evaluating, why not? when he finally caught you among the crowd, he flashed you a flirtatious wink. right before the band bowed as gratitude to the audience, he gave you a gesture to wait for him at the back of the gym.

“you came! but seriously, thank you,” he rested the sparkly white guitar against the wall, enveloping you into a hug. this is new, you tried to hide the flustered state of yours as you reciprocated his movement. from the corner of your eyes, you can see a black-haired guy approaching the two of you, followed by one with long, white hair and a bandana nicely keeping the fluffy strands in tact.

“ooh, who’s this?” the first one wiggled his eyebrows, later introducing himself as guanheng, the latter named yuta. to your surprise, the bond between you and them are quick to form with guanheng piloting the conversation. not to mention his subtle jokes making you giggle at times.

“well y/n, your little boyfriend here is getting jealous so we’ll excuse ourselves for now. see you whenever,” guanheng banging his drumsticks into the air while yuta gave you a quick wave before disappearing into the store room of the gymnasium. the nickname they gave sicheng surely made you a bit shy.

boyfriend?

DAY 5

you’re seated in front of the computer screen, your chin resting on the palm of your hands and the tabs of different colours left untouched. you redirected your gaze onto the projector screen, the words ‘arrange, mix, edit and master like a pro’ on it. a long sigh leaving your lips, you try to remember what the producer said earlier.

don’t make the song sound too repetitive

a good buildup promises a good melody

you can have a certain instrument playing only on one part for cinematic impact

DAY 6

“i’m hyo and you’re,” she moved the wheels of her chair to the back a bit to take another look at the clipboard resting on the desk, “sicheng, y/n and jaehyun, right?” the three of you nodded in harmony, anticipating for the next order that will be given.

“okay cool, we’ll be brainstorming first,” and she proceeded to explain what the requirements for this project are. you mouthed out the important points she gave, soft rock, heartbreak and drums. you’re on a roll today, contributing your countless ideas during the first few minutes of the discussion. sicheng just looked at you discussing with hyo, your lips pursed slightly. his gaze seems full of adoration, even jaehyun said so.

“any objections?” hyo looked over to the rest.

“i think she made some great ones. i’m sure this project will come out fresh,” jaehyun voiced out his opinions, sicheng nodding after. he went straight to handling the instruments , you and jaehyun collaborating for the mixing process. hyo eventually chimed in on some times, giving small advice whenever you seem stuck in the brain. with the hours ticking by, you’re feeling more satisfied than ever with your earphones in, listening to the final product created.

all of the participants are then assembled in the hall again, waiting for a final speech by the director which formalizes the end of the camp. sure, you’ve earned worthy knowledge throughout the six days. but if you’re being brutally true to the sound of your heart, it would be how you came to learn sicheng’s true antics. he might be the cocky guy who thinks they have the power to do anything but in truth, he’s just some guy with an honest heart, honest intentions to know you better.

summer break, your most anticipated event for the past few weeks. the moment the last bell rang, that scene in high school musical 2 kept replaying in the back of your head, the students doing a parade in front of the lockers picturing how your little heart is doing backflips in your chest right now. all the beach trips ningning planned is making you feel dizzy. you turned around to a voice calling out your name from the end of the hallway, your eyes catching the sight of sicheng jogging towards your spot. he stopped in front of you, hands on his knees catching his breath.

“are you free tomorrow night? there’s a party at guanheng’s and you know, it would be really cool if you join,” his fingers tracing onto each other, waiting patiently for your response.

you didn’t even have the time to process his invitation when ningning crashed her body against yours, yangyang following suit.

“a party? y/n would totally love to come, right?” ningning nudged your arms softly while yangyang tried to stifle a giggle. you were about to mouth out a ‘what?’ before sicheng cut you off.

“cool, you guys should come too. tomorrow at 10,” he and yangyang exchanged finger guns gestures before leaving the three of you. you just stood there in disbelief, eyeing them up and down before ningning dragged you to the parking lot. a stringful of grumbles escaped your lips, making the guy laugh obnoxiously.

“i can’t believe you guys did that,” you extended the seat belt, buckling it to the slot beside you.

“please. but you do want it, right?” you can’t deny, what she said was true. plus, you should have some fun and distress before having to go back to the usual dull routine of yours.

“how do i look?” you turn around, revealing the baby pink crop top and flare pants on your legs. it’s not your best outfit but giving the cliche excuse - you have nothing to wear, the two articles totally complements each other

“you look hot, that’s all i gotta say. right, yang?” ningning lifted her head from the headboard, glancing over at yangyang who’s going over his messages.

“yeah totally,” he lifted his hands, giving you a thumbs up. you threw a jacket onto your shoulders and grabbed the black purse on your dresser, glancing at the wall mirror one last time.

from the moment you stepped into the venue - guanheng’s place, smells of alcohol lingered around your nose, a group of people cheering ever so loudly over a game of beer pong, some already passed out on the couch. not to mention a brownish stain on the carpet - probably from someone throwing up. the mess would take a whole day to get rid off, you note to yourself. your friends are no longer to be found, both of them getting affiliated with god knows what. your eyes scanned the living room for sicheng but his presence is still nowhere to be found.

you decided to step towards the kitchen bar, pouring a drink for yourself. the mixed sweet and sour taste of it remained on your tongue for a couple of seconds. looking over at the snacks served, you grabbed a strawberry flavoured lollipop from the clear bowl. the crowd is cheering loudly for some type of incident happening at the back of the room, the music has been turned up to be a little louder than the volume before and you’re suddenly getting a little bit overwhelmed. you grabbed your purse and stepped out, inhaling some fresh air and looking up to the starry night sky.

“y/n? where have you been?” sicheng approached you from behind, making you a bit startled.

“sorry, hanging out outside can calm me. where did you go?” you popped the lollipop into your mouth.

“some jerk decided to throw up in front of me,” you pinched your nose with a disgusted expression, making him roll his eyes.

“do you want me to accompany you out here?” he offered. you just nod your head, placing yourself on the patio with him following suit. the sweetening flavour empowering your senses. it’s definitely much more calm out here, allowing you to clear up your mind. it’s not that you hate the atmosphere in the house right now, you’re just not in the mood.

“you know, you look pretty,” you turned around to meet his face. his brown eyes brimming with unconfessed love.

“shut up, stop with the jokes,” you lightly land a smack on his arms.

“what if i say i’m not joking?” he looked straight into your eyes, trying to find any emotion inside you. the sudden seriousness is making you feel much more awkward so you forced out a laugh, turning your attention right back upwards. the stars are shining brightly tonight, you can almost spot a constellation.

“i know what you’re doing, dong sicheng. just stop it already, it’s not working on me.” denial, that’s what you’re experiencing in the hot minute.

a gentle tug can be felt on your wrist, his eyes still not leaving yours.

“didn’t anyone tell you before? you’re really pretty. like, i can’t even describe it to you. you’re just,” he leaned over to caress your cheeks, “pretty,”.

what jaehyun said on the other day is true, after all.

love gives us thrill, the feeling of excitement, the feeling when you’re uncertain about something but when you have that special someone with you, you’re sure to wing it all.

your heart is beating so fast, it could fall out of your chest at any moment now. even the faint music blasting through the speakers inside the house can’t flush down the sound of your heartbeat. you’re not used to this, the sudden need of the significant skin to skin contact that symbolizes love between two individuals.

“can i?” his face in a very near proximity from yours, whispering into your right ear with his honey-like voice. you pulled the candy away from your mouth and nod, giving him the approval he needed before he dived in. heat rose from your stomach to your chest. you could only focus on how soft his crimson lips felt on yours, invading your privacy by all senses. you felt the kiss expand beyond your bodies, whirling you round, swirling you into the stars. he pulled away with a soft smile, you thought you could melt right then and there.

“wow,” that was the only word escaping your throat. your jumping heart still hasn’t settled down yet, your very first kiss still feeling surreal. you could see that sicheng is very much mirroring your emotions, his slender fingers grazing over his lips - the one that has come in contact with yours.

“the strawberry lollipop is sweet,” he commented, making the both of you laugh.

a ping from your phone awakened you from the gushy eye contact with him, unlocking it only to find yangyang’s text message. the second part of it made you fluster.

yang: yo r u coming in or what? and congrats for the kiss, we thought we’d have to wait longer for this

[violettelueur]

— ITADORI YUJI + FUSHIGURO MEGUMI + GOJO SATORU + RYOMEN SUKUNA || S/O THAT IS AN ANIME/MANGA LOVER

↳ featuring : itadori yuji + fushiguro megumi + gojo satoru + ryomen sukuna from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : grammar issues

↳ form : headcanons

↳ published : 17 april

↳ pronouns : non specified in headcanon

↳ request : Hi!! I would like to order a large headcanon "Itadori, Fushiguro, Gojo, and Sukuna with a s/o who loves watching anime and reading mangas" please. Thank you! Also, I love your writing and omg your playlist!!! *chef's kiss* Period.

↳ barista’s notes : i’m glad that you really love my playlist ╲ʕ·ᴥ·　╲ʔ also right now, i am planning the death painting arc and trying to add in my idea that i have hinted in an ask! so i can’t wait for you guys to read it when i get the chance to write it ʕ •ᴥ•ʔゝ☆ other than that, i hope you enjoy your cup of classic black coffee and please come again soon!

When Itadori finds out that you are an anime and manga lover, I feel like he would love you even more because you both have a common interest with each other now - like something he can talk about and share with you.

You and Itadori love suggesting manga to each other and sometimes you would suggest Josei manga to him (like Wotakoi) and in the beginning, he would be like “that isn’t really my type” but with a little persuasion and some pushing, he will take the time to read it.

Later on, he will become really invested in the characters’ relationship and will rant to you how the female is taking too long to confess or how cute the relationship is - basically, he has become more invested than you are.

Sometimes he will ask if you both could re-enact a romance scene together, it’s quite funny for him to ask because it’s just a normal kiss scene...but who is saying no?

He would also suggest manga series to you and of course, how could you even deny him when he is showing you an adorable face in a way to convince you to read it with him.

Instead of movie nights, there will be times where you guys would binge-watch a whole season one anime series and complain how there isn’t a season two at all - Fushiguro will complain about how loud you both are.

When you both go on date, you and Itadori will always end the day by going into a bookstore and pick out manga for each other because it’s interesting to see what you guys choose for each other - you will also buy some for yourselves but it’s fun!

There will be days (like your off day) where you and Itadori would just sit on his bed and read manga silently because it’s nice to feel each other’s presence.

Itadori will sometimes just say “amazing!” and show you what is happening which causes you to add that manga he is reading onto the list.

If you and Itadori are sorcerers, he will compare his powers to other characters from any manga he has read or anime he has watched - it’s like an amazing comparison to him.

Overall, anime and manga is another way to show your love to each other since you both can share everything with each other, but the time you both spend together is more appreciated as you and him are just living in the moment, away from the sorcery world.

Fushiguro seems like the type of person to ask why you are into this stuff - something like “isn’t this for kids?”

When you hit him for what he just said, he will now shut his mouth about his comment and just leave you to your little obsession.

However, over time when you are reading manga, he will peek over your shoulder to see what you are reading and is somewhat interested in the drawings and art that are on the pages.

He will question how much time it takes to draw one panel and how a story can be told with such little worlds and a few pictures.

Later one, he will ask for some suggestions from you and if you start with shounen manga to him, he will be amazed at how much detail is drawn into a fight scene - he will ask from time to time what is going on and please explain it to him.

When he goes to the bookstore to grab something to read since he has finished all of his, he will look at the manga section to pick up the next volume you need as well as the first volume of the manga you had recommended to him.

Like Itadori, he really likes it when you both cuddle and just read together in his dorm room - it’s just nice to feel each other’s presence.

When it comes to anime, he has learned from his past actions to not comment about “is this kid’s stuff” and will watch it with you to see what it is and to make you happy.

Later one, he will never admit it, but he really does get invested in the shows and will sometimes watch a few episodes ahead of you because he couldn’t wait until your next anime night.

Fushiguro also seems like the type to question some decisions the anime characters make because some of them are dumb - he’s also the type to ask why Asta from Black Clover is so loud.

Overall, Fushiguro slowly gets into your little hobby of anime and manga, but he isn’t too in love like you are. However, he does appreciate how you both spend time together with these things since he got to learn about you more.

When Gojo finds your stash of manga books in your room, he is the type that will tease you for it and comment on how much money you have spent since your shelf is full of manga books.

Of course, you would tease him back for spending so much money on sweets and he will pout at you while saying that he ‘can’t help it’.

Gojo is also the type of person that will flick through the manga book and will bend the spine of them causing you to beat him up because….just no.

He will buy you another copy because he now realises how precious your manga books are to you - he will complain that he is more precious than them.

Every time he makes a teasing comment about you reading manga, you will always hit him back with the whole ‘at least the boys are better boyfriends than you’ comment - he will pout at you before clinging on to you, telling you to take that back.

Gojo does like to snatch your manga book out of your hands when he feels like you are not paying him enough attention than he likes - he would say ‘I deserve more attention than this’.

Now when it comes to anime, Gojo will compare himself to all of the characters when it comes to fighting scenes.

Like “I can beat him”  or “She will lose to me instantly” - okay Gojo, we get it, you are the strongest sorcerer in all of Japan...shut up.

He is also the type to pause in the middle of the episode to kiss you because you are too concentrated on the episode and he wants one - he will compare his relationship with you to the anime couple by saying you are the better couple.

There will be times where he finds anime memes and will send them to you from time to time because he thinks they are funny to add to replicate his reaction.

Overall, Gojo just loves annoying you about your addiction to anime and manga since it just adds to the list of things he can make fun of you for when in reality he is also somewhat invested since he loves to comment during your episode from time to time.

Sukuna is the type to be so confused about why you love anime and manga, you should love him and him only…..selfish boy.

So when you are reading a manga book, he will stand in front of you with an annoyed look on his face because you should be paying attention to him and him only.

He is more confused about the number of manga books you have because he wonders how much money do you even have to maintain this obsession of yours.

He wouldn’t read with you, but there are times when he would hold you from behind and rest his chin on your shoulder to peer at what you are looking at.

If it’s a fight scene, he will comment on how much stronger he is and how he would beat them up in an instant.

If it’s a romantic scene, he will tease you by biting your neck before telling you that you both do more stuff than what the couple are doing right now.

Now when it comes to anime, Sukuna wouldn’t stop with the whole “I am the stronger one” comment as he would say that in every fight scene that you watch with him.

To be completely honest with you, I don’t think you are able to finish even one episode with him because he will distract you with every opportunity he gets.

Anime and chill…

However, if you are able to finish one episode with him by your side (I’m impressed with that...like wow) he will just be silent since I don’t think he had actually paid attention at all and just fell asleep during the middle of it.

Overall, Sukuna doesn’t take the time to understand or know why you love anime and manga, he is the type to let you do what you want to do with the case that you give him the attention he believes he deserves.

© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost

[strangerthings4theories]

Billy Is A Christ Figure, a.k.a. He Will Die And RISE AGAIN

This isn’t a radical statement. Literature and film teem with “Christ figures” who symbolically (or literally) die and rise again. Billy is just one of the Duffers’ additions to a long, venerated tradition.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

>>Billy’s story lines up with the Christ figure concept.

I really like how Christopher Lansdown explains it:

Christ figures in literature are - when done well - characters who relate to the rest of the story as Christ related to the world. [Salient features include...]

1. Saves the world from the effects of the misuse of free will. 2. Has a dual-nature where one of these natures is what allows #1. 3. Bridges the gap, in his person, between the two natures. 4. Sacrifices himself willingly for the sake of the world. 5. In sacrificing himself, takes the problems of the world into him and conquers them, thus saving the world from them. 6. Comes back from the sacrifice because of his other nature.

Billy’s storyline hits several of these notes already. First, he saves the world by sacrificing himself willingly. Second, he’s presented as having two natures: his corrupted monster-self (the bully in S2; the puppet of the Mind Flayer in S3) vs. his innocent child-self. (You could describe him as being human and divine too. I’ll get to that in another post.)

When he stands up to the Mind Flayer at Starcourt, he begins the process of integrating his two natures. That’s why he looks so childlike here: his innocent child-self is coming out for the first time in years.

All that’s left is for him to “come back from his sacrifice.”

>>The Duffers infuse Billy with Christ symbolism.

The most obvious example, imo, is the special necklace they gave him. The genius @aeon-of-neon​ figured out that his necklace is a Lady of the Pillar medallion - i.e., a depiction of Mother Mary with baby Jesus. 

On its own, the necklace tells an incredible story. It suggests Billy is symbolically the Christ child, and at some point his mother - symbolically the Virgin Mary - had the medallion blessed to protect her son. (I think we all recognize Neil wouldn’t give a shit about protecting Billy.)

The show reinforces that reading in subtle yet mind-blowing ways. In his last shot in S2, Billy is pictured in front of a Christmas tree. This associates him with the meaning of Christmas, which is the birth of a child who will save the world.

In the sauna in S3, Billy passes in front of a poster for the Hawkins Fourth of July parade. A lot of people have latched onto the “American” symbolism here (as they should - I’ll address that in another post). I’ve even seen people talk about the stars on the poster giving him a crown of thorns or saintly halo. But I haven’t seen anyone mention that the poster gives him a crown of stars like Mary, Queen of Heaven. 

"A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads." (Revelation 12:1-3)

Combined with the necklace, this small detail suggests his mother, aka the Virgin Mary, is watching over him as he battles the Mind Flayer, aka the Dragon.

Now look at this screenshot again--

See how prominent his necklace is in the frame? That’s not an accident. The Duffers had to direct and light this shot just right to achieve the desired effect. If you look closely, Dacre is standing in an awkward, unnatural position. I can practically hear the Duffers saying, “Shoulders forward, Dacre... a little more... now tuck in your abdomen and push your chest out... that’s it!” All while they’re trying to avoid getting too much light on the necklace. It needs to be well-lit but not washed out.

All that work was for a good cause. The shot suggests Billy’s mother is with him in his moment of sacrifice. He’s just reclaimed her memory, and now he’s honoring it as he lays down his life for the world.

Yeah, it hurts :)))) but there’s more to cover...

...such as Billy’s crucifixion poses.

The crucifixion pose is common enough in film that it gets its own entry on TVTropes. The first sentence of the entry? “It’s very common for a character who just performed a Heroic Sacrifice to be lying with their arms outstretched like the crucified Jesus.” 

We see that with Billy multiple times.

In the sauna, El lifts Billy in the air right before she deals the “death blow.” He hangs there for a moment, arms outstretched. My inner Christian teenager thinks of John 3:14-15: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man [Jesus] be lifted up [on the cross], so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

To really drive the point home, the Duffers put Billy in the crucifixion pose AGAIN, at the moment of his actual death, while he shouts at the Devil. (The Mind Flayer is symbolically the Devil/Satan. Stick a pin in that, we’ll come back to it at another time.)

The Mind Flayer then kills Billy by impaling him (Christ being impaled by the spear, anyone?), and Billy falls to the ground, arms outstretched yet again.

Guess who else dies sacrificially... and gets Christ symbolism at his moment of death?

It’s less obvious with Hopper; he isn’t shown with his arms outstretched. Instead, the Duffers give the crucifixion pose to Joyce right before she deals the “death blow.” She is in the pose on Hopper’s behalf.

Take a screenshot at the right instant, and the beams of electricity shooting out of the “key” machine even form a cross behind her. 

(This scratches the surface of another subject: the STRONG PARALLELS between Hopper and Billy. Stick a pin in that, too... *sigh*)

Well, guess what. We already know Hopper’s coming back. David Harbour even compared his return to the resurrection of Gandalf, the Christ figure of the Lord of the Rings:

"Gandalf the Grey who fights the Balrog and then becomes Gandalf the White. It’s the idea of the resurrection of the character. And mythologically, Hopper, in a sense, had to change. I mean, you couldn’t go on the way he was going on. He has to resurrect in some way. So it was a great opportunity to do that. So we’ll see a very different guy going forwards. The same guy but in a different vein.”

"[He] had to change... [he] couldn’t go on the way he was going on...” Doesn’t that describe Billy exactly?

»»————-　✼　————-««

Ugh, there’s a lot here, guys. I haven’t even touched on all of Billy’s Christ symbolism yet. I’ll have to save the rest for another time.

Until then, I’ll leave you with this very interesting song from Billy’s official Spotify playlist...

Muthafucka I’m back From the dead I’m about To raise hell Out of my coma I’m ready to show ya That season of my life is done...

»»————-　✼　————-««

P.S., all of this explains why Dacre proposed the idea that Billy’s mom was literally a virgin. It’s batshit crazy and makes NO sense... unless he and the Duffers were discussing Christ imagery for Billy.

»»————-　✼　————-««

The “Billy Is Alive” Meta Series

For updates, follow the hashtag #billy is alive meta