#Josh: 002

[marcogiovenale]

ancora fino al 30 dicembre a recanati, in villa colloredo mels: "cibernetica e fantasmi" (mostra su poesia e i.a.)

[absolutesort]

FRANKIE, JENNY & CHARLENE — DAY THIRTY-SEVEN.

location :    kitchen.

description :  the three girls make food for their dates with victoria.

featuring :  jenny /  @blondcs   &  charlene /  @guttcd

𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨.

“i think i’m gonna do like… a crème brûlée type deal, zeke from high school musical style. she looks a bit like sharpay if i squint.” frankie notes, thinking aloud, propped up on the kitchen counters with a spoon full of melted chocolate pressed against her tongue. it wouldn’t be love island without the obligatory melted chocolate and strawberries combo to go with her dessert, pre-prepped and ready to go by some intern who drew the short straw. make sure you feed her a strawberry, and tell the camera assistant when you’re gonna do it.  “kinda wanna do it just so they give me a blow torch, y’know?”  

𝐣𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐧

she’s halfway through pushing a slicer down an apple—the kind with handles on either side and a round spot for the core—struggling a bit when frankie stops her short. “crème brûlée?” there’s no way. “isn’t that like, super hard to make?”

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐬

right now charlene feels like she’s surrounded by a bunch of sharpays. three blondes one brunette. pretty hot. “zeke and sharpay should have been end game! have you ever made a creme brûlée before, frankie?.”  she calls out from the chopping section, sights focused on making sure she doesn’t cut a finger off. though if she really wanted to stand out… “what are you making, jenny?”

𝐣𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐧

she finally gets the contraption down and the apple slices fan out like a flower. perfecto. “i’m doing a salad. nice, classic first course.” because if frankie’s considering crème brûlée, there’s no way she’s not gonna have something to say about that. “i was gonna do like, a caprese thing but there’s no way the store in town has good mozzarella, so… what are you making and will there be enough to share ‘cause you look mad legit over there.”

𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨.

“what, you don’t think i could do it?” bitch. honestly, she can kinda see why adela hates her — frankie’s relationship with jenny hasn’t exactly been sunshine, daisies, butter mellow either — but her lack of faith only makes frankie more determined. “i’ve spent literal hours of my life in a galley watching our head chef do it. it’s just ice cream, sugar and egg yolk.” she neglects to mention that she’s a kinaesthetic learner, not a visual one. “like… how hard can it be?” her eyes flicker over to charlene, hoping for some kind of confirmation that she isn’t massively unqualified for the job.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐬

“salad! niiiiiice. keeping it classy. i’m making some jambalaya. im like, totally missing some spiced thoughts i don’t know how well it will turn out. i’ll totally save some for you though.” she offers jenny a little wink, like they’re sharing a secret. charlene almost certain that crème brûlée is a lot harder than what frankie is saying, but the blonde sounds so confident that charlene can’t help but give her a supportive thumbs up. “you got this! worst case scenario you could do one of those cute microwavable brownie mugs if the producers won’t give you a torch.” or if her attempt to make a five hour dessert in 45ish mins fails

𝐣𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐧

“uh… not really?” she looks to charlene for backup. “that’s like, pastry chef, gourmet shit. just make sundaes or something or you’re gonna be stuck in this kitchen all friggin’ day.” even jambalaya seems complex for a love island meal but that could just be because jenny’s not entirely sure what jambalaya is. “do you know this is the second time they’re making me do this shit? as if i don’t hate cooking. they’re definitely punishing me.”

𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨.

at the mention of charlene's dish, frankie can't hold herself back from singing out "jambalaya! jambalayo..." to the tune of bamboleo by the gipsy kings, springing to life like someone's put twenty pence in and wound her up like a clockwork doll on mandy. "there's actually a country song about jambalaya... by hank someone. i don't remember, my dad would know it." not that anything she's saying is even important. even if charlene's encouragement only runs skin-deep, frankie shoots her two finger guns in response. despite the knowledge that miles wants to chat to charlene, a notion which doesn't exactly spark joy, she can't really bring herself to dislike her when she'd always assumed the two of them would be friends. but if she kisses him, she'll change her tune. "they'll give me a torch. chris loves me." frankie knows most of the production crew by name, often finds herself wandering about in places she shouldn't, asking the floor runners about their day. there's only so many times she can talk to the other islanders about how many siblings she has (four) and where she sees herself in five years time (just straight up vibing) without getting bored. "i'm gonna be stuck in this house all friggin' day anyway. and they probably won't let us leave the kitchen until like... they've got a fuck tonne of usable footage. might as well hone a skill." unlike jenny, who's decided that leaves is the way to go about it. "is salad your way of telling her to graft someone else?"

𝐣𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐧

frankie with a torch sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but jenny just presses her lips together in a tight line, rooting around the silverware drawer for a knife. there’s no rhyme or reason to the way she slices the plastic wrapping off the block of cheese she’s planning to cube up, but she doesn’t cut herself so everyone upstairs can shut up, thanks. and everyone downstairs too. “why, is creme brûlée your way of saying you’re interested?”

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐬

she has no idea what the hell frankie is singing so the only thing she can do to chime in is ask “do you like country music?” she’s from alabama or something right? “it’s so funny that we have to ask permission to use stuff like that. i get this is a rented space and we have to be careful but it’s like, borderline ridiculous.” unless frankie proves them right and burns the whole place down. there’s a beat of silence when jenny and frankie do their little back and forth of whether they are interested or not, meanwhile charlene has her attention on chopping up some sausages.

𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨.

“yeah, dude. dolly parton’s one of my favourite musicians of all time.” as a kid, on the long stretches of time when her mom would disappear, only returning to ‘borrow’ money, frankie would pretend that the reason she left was because she was secretly dolly parton, but no one at school or her dad was allowed to find out, or it would mean she had to stop visiting. sometimes, she thought her mom was speaking to her through dolly’s lyrics, the sound of it thrumming from a mug as she sunbathed on the hot tin roof of a trailer park. “i’m not interested,” frankie fires back, leaping down from the kitchen counter to check the temperature on the oven.  just competitive. “but you never know what powerful wish-granting abilities bombshells have. they could’ve told her whoever makes the best course gets hideaway or some crap.” and honestly, charlene and jenny are the two people in here she’d most want to beat to the prize.

𝐣𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐧

“have you had to get advil yet? they act like it’s fucking adderall, and after this whole song and dance of ‘what hurts?’ and ‘rate your pain out of ten’ they only give you one.” what’s one advil gonna do for a pounding headache and… inflammation? by that logic, she can’t imagine them handing over the torch at all without some serious release forms. it’ll be a good test to see if the crew likes frankie as much as she says they do. “you think that… if you make the best food, they’re gonna give you the hideaway with miles? that makes literally no sense. have you seen the show?” plus, a salad could very well win best course, thank you very much. no accounting for taste…

[gotatext]

JUDE & JOSH — DAY THIRTY-FIVE.

location :   bedroom.

time :    jude bitches about the results of the heart raiser challenge.

featuring :   josh / @graftisms

𝙟𝙤𝙨𝙝 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙨.

josh walks into the bedroom with nothing but a towel around his waist, surprised to see the bedroom so empty, except for one person. the thought that he wouldn't be jude's favorite person right now because of the challenge isn't even on his mind, still tired from his night with naomi. if anything, maybe josh should be embarrassed that jenny had got his heart rate up the most, and he had been—but by now he assumes it's karma for getting away with punching dejan. so he's not thinking much about it, giving jude a nod as he heads over to his closet. "how was the bedroom last night?" he asks, rummaging through his clothes. "busy?" josh couldn't be the only one turned on by it all.    

𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘀𝗲��.

there’s a crease between jude’s brow, deep as a valley, thumbs working overtime as he taps against the screen of his phone, stretched out across the bed he shares with jenny. he’s on the notes app of his phone, attempting to write down his feelings, not so much a poem as an attempt to better process his anger. his mother always said he struggled to articulate himself, that he should take a few breaths, figure out what he wanted to say. it’s kind of working, anger dissipating like a berocca in a tall glass of water, until josh strides in and it freshly bubbles to the surface, simmering just beneath his expression. “dunno,” jude responds, tone measured. “i went to sleep pretty early.” pretty early after a minor scrap with jenny which ended up the two of them sleeping back to back. “too much fuckin’ drama for one day.” and for jude, at least, jenny and josh are at the centre of it. “were you in the dog house?”

𝙟𝙤𝙨𝙝 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙨.

if jude feels some type of way about him, josh doesn't notice. he's too busy trying to pick between bathing suits, trying to remember which he had worn least recently. if any future islanders come to him for advice, he's going to tell them to pack more swimming trunks. "yeah?" he glances at jude from over his shoulder quickly, before shrugging. jenny's sex life is definitely not his business. neither is her drama, really, so josh hesitates when jude brings up drama, torn between tempted to ask about it and wanting to stay out of the couples' business. "me? oh, nah," he chuckles, grabbing a casual button-down from his closet. "i think both our results were equally fucked up, so we called a truce. it's just a challenge anyway, y'know? it's made to get us all pissed off." clearly it worked for some people. josh glances back at jude again, daring himself to ask, "you and jenny okay?"

𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘆.

it's just a challenge. it's made to get us pissed off.  josh isn't to know, but it's basically the same thing jenny had said, and hearing it again from the reason he's pissed is like waving a red rag before a bull. just because something's meant to piss them off, doesn't mean jenny should go directly out of her way to succeed in rattling him. had it not crossed her mind that maybe he wouldn't be cool with her grinding on her ex in front of him?  "obviously i get that, yeah, but there's like, a level of respect there, too. if i was chirpsing a girl and she started grinding on my mate in the club there's no way i'd give her the time of day. that's muggy." closing his notes app, he hits the button on the side of his phone to lock it and drop it into the mattress, leaning back against the pillows, hands folded behind his head. "i just think it's pretty bait that she went for you and dante when she could have picked literally anyone else." evidently, she did it to make herself feel good with little thought spared to how jude would take it. "it's selfish. it makes me look like a mug. d'you get where i'm coming from?" 

𝙟𝙤𝙨𝙝 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙨.

josh isn't really sure what he's supposed to do in this conversation. on the one hand, he relishes in the potential power he could have over jenny's new guy, testing just how much he likes the blonde with a remark or two that jude probably wouldn't appreciate. but on the other hand, josh still does feel a level of protectiveness over jenny. god knows he shouldn't, after everything she had done to him, but it's not like josh isn't aware that one of the reasons him and naomi are able to be as good as they are right now is because jenny is wrapped around this new guy of hers. so he holds back an eyeroll on jude's behalf, and speaks on jenny's. "listen, i'm gonna be honest with you," he says, turning to face jude better. "you can't compare this shit to the real world, because in no reality would anyone be in the position to dance on their ex or whatever you wanna call it. and calling her selfish is only going to ruin any chance you have with her, so i wouldn't advertise that shit. jenny and i are over," josh says, firmly. "naomi danced on kangaroo boy, and you don't see me whining about it, because i know that it's not serious. yeah, it sucks that all of us date each other and have to deal with watching them go onto different relationships or whatever, but i don't think anyone was taking shit seriously yesterday. it was just fun. i get where you're coming from, especially in something new, but i've done the whole jealous guy schtick, and trust me, it's only gonna push her away if you get pissed at every little thing that happens here," josh shrugs, going back to his closet. "your call, dude. but i'm not trying to fuck jenny again, if that's what you're worried about." maybe next time jude shouldn't wear makeup, and maybe he'd be ranking higher for jenny.

𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘆.

“i’m not saying she’s selfish, i’m saying the action was selfish. she’s not an intrinsically selfish person.” look who’s swallowed a dictionary. “it is the real world though? stuff is different here, i get that, but, it’s still the real world.” maybe everything’s more intense in here, because it’s some weird horny echo chamber, but that doesn’t mean shit he wouldn’t permis on the outside’s allowed to fly in here. “okay. but when you say you’re over, are you serious about it? because i’m fuckin’ serious about her, man, and somehow we seem to keeping going in circles with the two of you. it’s like fuckin’ groundhog day and i hate that movie.” it’s not so much a warning as it is a desperate need to know the truth, paranoia up to his eyeballs when it comes to jenny and josh.  “she grinded on you, you’re squeezing her legs. can you see why that might piss me off?” sighing, he pushes up from the bed, running his fingers through his hair, and paces over to the wardrobe. irritatingly, before the whole firepit saga, he’d actually thought him and josh could be friends, but that’s gone out the window now. “what, so now you want a medal because you weren’t mad about her dancing with dylan?” honestly, this whole i’ve been you, buddy routine is kinda tired and fucking patronising, and it leaves jude with a sour taste in his mouth, wishing he’d never asked. “maybe we’re fuckin’ built different, bro. i can’t be arsed with this.” 

���𝙤𝙨𝙝 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙨.

"it's the same thing to girls, dude." calling someone selfish verses their action being selfish. potato, potahto. josh is taken aback a little at the candor in jude's tone, speaking about how serious he is about jenny. maybe it's because of the timing of jenny and jude getting together, or maybe it's the fact that after the way him and jenny imploded, it's hard to take her in a real relationship seriously. it does make him wonder whether she feels the same, a surprising stab of jealousy reach his chest that he hadn't expected to feel. part of him wants to point out that he's done far worse than just squeeze her legs before, but instead he just shakes his head. "i don't know what you're talking about, man. we're not some will-they-won't-they ross and rachel shit." that's him and naomi. "we tried it out, it didn't work. both of us are in other relationships now, and i can't speak for jenny, but i'm happy where i am. i think she is too," he admits, albeit begrudgingly. "what, do you want me to pinky swear i'm not gonna steal her from you? i pinky swear it." so much attitude from someone who josh is trying to help with unsolicited advice, jeez. "maybe we are, but we're both in the same place, and if you're gonna blow a gasket every time they make us do something like that, then you're on the wrong show. not trying to be a dick, but."  it's the truth.

[graftisms]

JOSHUA & CHARLENE — DAY THIRTY-FOUR

location :   afternoon / poolside 

featuring :   @guttcd​

JOSH

josh makes a mental note to pull charlene when there's other people around—not for witnesses, so she won't try to cause a scene that way. they haven't spoken since he had been so confident about naomi, confidence that clearly wasn't misguided, but apparently had been enough to seem like he was bragging about her? josh hadn't meant to come off braggy... or if he did, it wasn't totally on purpose. finding the girl sunbathing on a pool chair, he comes over and stands right in front of the sun, blocking her light.  "hey," he says, a little cautiously, "can we talk for a second?"

CHARLENE

Charlene has her eyes closed, not realizing that someone is standing in front of her until she hears a voice. Confusion flashes across her face but is then replaced by one of annoyance the moment she opens her eyes and realizes who’s blocking her light. What now? “Nah dude. I’m good.” Josh is right about Charlene not wanting to make a scene but not because people around them might witness it. She would just rather keep working on her suntan rather than get into it with him.  She was only a passenger on the Naomi and Josh shit train for like, a day, and yet she finds herself so astronomically done with the both of them. How do Jenny and Dylan manage to remain the bigger person? Maybe this just says more about how petty Charlene can be. “So can you like, move? You’re totally killing my vibe right now.” What the hell do they even have to talk about? The weather?

JOSH

ugh, of course she would do this. is there not a single person in this villa that can turn off the drama for five minutes? maybe he should just take the L and walk away, but josh isn't used to being dismissed so quickly. so yeah, he stays where he is, arms folding over his chest but staying strong in his stance. she had to know his offer was rhetorical. "fine, i'll make it fast," he continues anyway. "just wanted to say i'm sorry for how it all worked out. i mean, that you got involved and are now sleeping alone. even though you told naomi i was bragging to you, i really didn't mean it like that." really, this is nice of josh to apologize at all--if she were a man, he probably wouldn't be giving them any courtesy. but with his two biggest rivals in the villa finally gone, josh would like to take this opportunity to have some sort of fresh start. as little arguments as possible. starting now... or later, depending how charlene responds.

CHARLENE

She props her upper body up with her elbows, letting out a sigh of defeat when he refuses to step away. “I didn’t say you were bragging.” She clarifies. “I said that you were acting super confident about the possibility of you two getting back together. Which… I now see why.” Literally didn’t even last a day. Pathetic. “She really didn’t put up much of a fight did she?” Charlene can’t help the scoff that escapes her as she says that, though it’s mostly to mask how embarrassed she is by the whole ordeal. At the fact that she was stupid enough to think that she stood a fair chance when  it’s clear ( to her lol ) now that Naomi was too dick whipped to actually give her one.  “I don’t have a problem with you. You weren’t the one that decided to lead me on and Naomi already apologized about that so…” she shrugs, like what can you do? . “Thank you. For telling me the truth about that night. I doubt you did it to look out for me but still. I really don’t like liars so you don’t have to pretend like you’re sorry about how things worked out. You knew this was going to happen, the least you can do is not bullshit me, yeah?” Charlene can’t bring herself to actually believe his words to be honest. Thinks that he’s only apologizing to give himself a nicer edit for the cameras. If he’s looking to clear the air then he’s going to have to do better than just say a simple sorry. Does he think he’s talking to Naomi? 

JOSH

by now he doesn't even remember what naomi had tried to use against him when she had mentioned charlene and josh's last conversation, mostly because it no longer really matters. none of what him and charlene talked about is relevant anymore, really, though charlene pointing that out makes his lips press together to hide a smile or grimace. he feels a little bit of both right now: smug that he got what he wanted, but not loving that it was the at the expense of someone else. but really, what did this girl expect? had she not watched the show? he finds it hard to believe naomi wouldn't have mentioned him at all during casa... though on second thought, maybe it's best not to go there. "i don't think she meant for it to happen like that." suddenly sheepish, josh slinks into the chair beside her, rubbing the back of his neck. "i mean... okay, that came out wrong. i'm not sorry how it went down, obviously, because i'm happy the way it did, but i'm sorry that you had to get involved, really. i've just had enough drama in this villa, not getting along with people who have a problem with me, and i'd just like us to be cool. i mean, you're still here, right? that's gotta count for something. it was probably for the best she brought you back, so now you can have a shot at finding someone else." always the strategist, josh has to think that charlene getting sacked off by naomi must give her a decent edit—and clearly people don't hate her, if they got enough votes to be safe last night. there's bound to be more bombshells any day now, and right now charlene's the most single, which means they'll be going straight to her.

CHARLENE

Him coming to Naomi’s defense earns another scoff from Charlene.  “Denial is a River in Egypt, dude. She knew what she was going to do the moment she felt like she had to come up with lies and excuses to see you.” She thinks back to the ones Naomi spewed as she tried to justify her going to the hideaway with him and  how annoyed she was by them. Charlene sits up fully when Josh takes a seat. “It sounds like you’re the common denominator if you really have all that drama surrounding you.” Though the very same could be said about her. Naomi was what, the fifth person to show interest in Charlene only to immediately take it back? What does that say about her? Maybe that she’s stupid for even bothering to stay in the villa. Pathetic for holding onto some scrap of hope that someone will come in for her. It sounds like Josh picked up on that too, only his version of it sounds a lot more logical than hers.   “Look —“ Index and thumb come up to pinch the bridge of her nose and she closes her eyes shit, taking  a deep breath to stop herself from letting her emotions get the best of her again. “It’s not your fault that I got involved. It’s not… really about that though. I knew that you guys had history and that she was going to like, talk to you about it. I was ready for that but Jesus Christ, dude. I was looking to build an actual connection. Not to be a part of some…  game.” Green eyes bore right into him now as she speaks. If she looks like she’s tired, that’s because she is.

“I know it’s for the best that she buckled as fast as she did but that doesn’t stop the fact that my ego took a major blow from it.” Her upper lip curls in a cringe, clearly uncomfortable with the fact that she said that out loud. ( Even though it was obvious lbr lol ) “I feel like a massive, pitiful idiot and now you want me to be cool? Rub some dirt on it and get over myself so you don’t have to feel like you’ve made another enemy or something?” Her words are harsh but they aren’t meant to attack. There’s a vulnerability behind them, maybe even a hope for Josh to understand where she’s coming from.  “I see you and I appreciate you trying to rationalize it. I am excited for the next bombshell and I’m hoping for things to work out better and that someone will come along to make this experience worth it” ‘Cus aside from the friends she has made, it has honestly been shit. “But I’m not going to like, be grateful that all I have is a ticket back when I wanted more. I deserved more.” She deserves love damn it! “Again, I don’t have a problem with you or anything but I’m not going to swallow my feelings for you when neither you nor Naomi bothered to consider them in the first place. Let me be bitter, bro. I’ll get over it on my own time.” She doubts they actually care for her sake though. Which is fine,  she doesn’t have the time to care about them either. Her focus is now set on trying to nurse her self confidence back to health.

JOSH

her childish remark back makes him laugh, shaking his head. is this chick for real? "i mean, it's not like she owed you anything," he points out. "and it's not like we were having a quickie before she got back into bed with you. we just talked for a bit, that's all." yeah, josh probably would be equally as annoyed as charlene is if he were in her position, but he's not. also naomi had made her choice not one but two nights ago, nearly half as long as charlene and naomi have known each other. surely she can't be this butthurt about it, can she? except apparently the answer is yes, from the serious way that charlene pinches her nose. a memory comes back to josh from a few weeks ago: jenny having only been in the villa for a few days, laughing about how serious josh seemed to take everything. and back then, he had been taking his time here very seriously, having just taken a good thing he had with naomi and thrown it in a dumpster fire after kissing jenny on impulse. it had annoyed him then that she couldn't see this place for what it was, something serious—and honestly, sometimes a mindfuck. but he can't help but feel a little like jenny in that situation now, trying not to look at charlene with three heads at she explains her problems. maybe if naomi and her had been together for at least a week he'd understand this, but if she seriously trying to make him and naomi out to be villains just because they inevitably got back together?

"alright," he says slowly after a few seconds pause, absorbing all of that. "well, you can be bitter all you want, but piece of advice? this is love island," he tells her, not unkindly. "there's a cash prize at the end of it. naomi wasn't trying to play you, but it is a game. it's not like you come here and there's magically your person, and you're happy and chill the rest of the time. give yourself time, damn." so much for not trying to make an enemy, but it sounds like charlene needs some tough love, because whoever she's friends with are clearly sparing her feelings. "the only thing you really have on your side in this place is time—time that naomi granted you by bringing you back, so you could meet more people and maybe one will be interested in you. and you'll be interested in them," josh adds. "not trying to be mean, just... keep your expectations in check. if you're going to feel like an idiot every time a relationship doesn't work here, then... maybe this isn't the place for you."

CHARLENE

“She owed me the truth at least.” Charlene is quick to correct. Her face is stuck almost in like a permanent cringe as she looks at him, the classic one that girls give men at the clubs when they give them unwanted attention. “Why are you telling me this now? You already got the girl — are you not content with that? Why are you hell-bent on making excuses for Naomi?” Fuck, maybe they really do deserve each other. She wonders if that's the appeal,  the two of them justifying the other so neither one of them ever has to feel bad about the shit they pull. “What, do you think I should go and apologize to her for breaking things off so soon? Maybe I should ask her to give me another chance or something since it sounds like you think that I’m unjustified in being upset.” So much for that apology of his. Now she’s certain he only said it to either clean his own conscience or try to look good for the cameras.

Keep your expectations in check… that was exactly  what Josh had told her during their last conversation and just like last time, it almost makes her want to cower away from him. "What do you care about how high my expectations are?" The rest of his words were harsh but she thinks that she might have had an easier time swallowing them if he didn’t keep adding those bits defending Naomi “So what, this is all a game to you? So you playing Jenny and Dylan and you fucking that girl in casa was all just... the name of the game? You’re sick if you think you can dismiss all the shit you guys pulled by simply calling it that. Are you two that broke to want the cash prize that bad?” Isn’t Naomi’s whole thing that she’s a rich nepo baby? “Whatever. That's a game you two can keep to yourself now. Ain't got nothing to do with me. Just...  don't act like Naomi’s lack of respect for herself and for me is something I'm supposed to be grateful for because it ‘bought me some time’ or whatever. That’s literally so rude.”  That maybe this isn't the place for you bit does get to her though, much more than she would care to admit to him right now. She has been having thought of those already so it wasn't exactly shocking but having Josh tell her that outright hurts in a way she thinks will keep her up tonight.

JOSH

"the truth about what? where she was for the thirty minute she wasn't in bed? did you ask her?" maybe having this conversation is a bad idea, considering josh barely knows anything about the charlene/naomi dynamic. "does it matter, anyway? would you have preferred her to break up with you two days later for me? i'm not making excuses for naomi," josh argues, incorrectly, "i just think that you're so busy pointing fingers at her for blame, when you're the one who came back with someone who had two guys waiting for her. i find it hard to believe that she would've brought you back without warning you, right?" by now he knows enough about how naomi's mind operates, giving her a fail-safe in the relationship before bringing someone back—so when this inevitably happened between him and naomi, she would be free from consequences. apparently she had chosen the world's most bitter casa bombshell, however. "no, i'm... i'm not saying you don't have a reason to be pissed," he backtracks, realizing how it sounds. "but i don't know. what are you going to do, avoid her the rest of the time you're here? you may as well work your shit out. nobody wants to be with someone hung up on someone they were with for two days."

god, he never should've called it a game. he can only imagine now the way this edit looks, trying to figure out how to dig himself out of this hole. "hey, don't bring jenny into this," he shoots her a dirty look, showing real annoyance for the first time this conversation. "that's not what i meant. the game is you couple up with someone or you leave, but you don't know my relationships—with naomi, jenny, anyone. stop acting like we're trying to pull a fast one over on you because naomi realized she'd rather be with me. i tried to warn you, and yet..." he trails off knowingly, giving her a look. josh is so sick of everyone calling his relationship with naomi a game, as if he enjoyed being dumped by her and trying to move on with jenny, only for that to crash and burn. he knows how he comes across around the villa by now, but he hates that people think of him as that cruel. "fine," he scoffs, rising to his feet. "i hope you're a little more charming than you are now when new people come in, otherwise you won't be lasting very long. but hey, good luck."

CHARLENE

“i did ask her and she told me that she was dealing with an upset stomach and just happened to run into you. not that she specifically sought you out. had me thinking you were stalking her or waiting outside of the restroom to ambush her or something.” to be fair, that was more charlene’s imagination running wild, finding it easier to blame josh for being creepy that to think that naomi was lying. “ i would have preferred for her to just tell me she wanted to get back with you instead of making me think that i actually stood a chance. if naomi had communicated to me that she was just looking for a fwb to make you sweat a little, i probably would have been down and it would have been fine – but she didn't and you just making excuses for her is like an extra slap to the face.” she thinks it makes him look dumb too and weirdly enough, that gives her some reassurance.  “you wanna know the truth josh?” she offers a humorless laugh, “i don’t think she brought your name up once. just kept saying that she had unfinished business, which i knew bits and pieces of. i told her i wanted her to pick me if she thought we could go somewhere. she said she would have me in mind when she made her decision. maybe that was just another lie.” charlene shrugs. “i’m not going to ignore her.” she clarifies, though it might be a little bit of a lie. “i’m still coupled up with her. i kind of have to talk to her. i’m not gonna pretend that i’m dying to be besties with her though. i’m minding my damn business. you’re the one that approached me. again. you got a little crush on me or something?” if he’s looking for a third, he’s going to have to put his name down on the waitlist lol.

his annoyance in her bringing up jenny makes her frown. “so either i should have known about your relationship or i dont know anything at all – which one is it?” he keeps saying one thing then following it up with something different.  “you weren’t the only person to warn me that she would go back to you. i just thought that she… i don’t know, would give you a harder time about it. enough for her to actually get to know me.” from what both naomi and josh have said, it sounds like she buckled on the first night. “ newsflash dude,  i have fucking feelings. you two might not give a shit about them but i do and i will not let you pretend like im not allowed to have them.” charlene doesn’t realize how tight her chest is until he stands up, looking like he's about to leave. The relief that hits her is almost instant and she relaxes into her chair. “ finally – go give your excuses to someone dumb enough to actually fall for them.” she turns her body to the side facing him and waves a hand in the air as if to shoo him away. his parting words bring her to smile, a bit amused by the idea that she wasn’t charming enough for him. poor josh. “sure, ill work on that. next time you want to apologize to someone, try to mean it, will you?"

[joshlane]

"I did, actually!" Josh replied, a little bit of excitement in his voice. "But it wasn't for me. I found an entire box full of aquarium plants someone had never used, and a lady was selling homemade dog biscuits, so that counts, right?" he couldn't help his laugh. "Has anyone bought the stuff that you brought to sell?"

“Did you find anything special?” Bryan asked the person next to him as he browsed the yard sale. He looked around checking out what people had brought. “I brought in some stuff this morning, just some old clothes that don’t quite fit anymore. I love thrifting, though. Sometimes you can find the best treasures that way.”

@merrock

[imsuperhungry]

4 𝙖𝙢

entry 002

(yandere until dawn)

WARNINGS: Yandere Themes, Cussing, Josh Crying Is Its Own Warning

WORD COUNT: 2070

(8:55 ᴘᴍ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʙɪɴ)

Mike and Jess didn't notice Emily's arrival at first; they were too wrapped up in their makeout session. But Emily definitely noticed them.

"Oh my God. That is so gross," she declared, her voice slicing through the haze of their moment. The words hung in the air, sharp enough to draw their attention away from each other. Emily folded her arms defiantly,  "Are you trying to swallow his face whole?" A mocking grin spread on her face.

Matt, who walked in right behind her, said, "Em..." as if he already knew this was going to happen. His tone was resigned, and I could see the concern in his eyes as he took in the scene.

"Seriously," Emily started again, her voice rising. "Can she be any more obvious? No one wants in on your territory, honey!" She shouted.

Jess stood up and began to walk toward Emily, causing Ashley to gasp slightly, still curled into me. "Excuse me, did you say something?" Jess asked, her tone sharp as she narrowed her eyes at Emily.

"Oh, you didn't hear me? Was your sluttiness too loud?" Emily matched Jess's stride, stepping forward with confidence. As everything unfolded, nobody said a word. Some watched in amusement, while others looked on in concern, the atmosphere charged with anticipation as the two faced off.

"Sounds like someone's bitter she didn't make the cut!" Jess retorted, a smirk dancing on her lips as she gestured toward Mike, the implication hanging heavy in the air. 

"Yeah. It's all just a big cattle call with that dreamboat. Congratulations, you're top cow!" Emily's voice sliced through the thick tension, each word draped in biting sarcasm. Mike shifted uncomfortably, caught between their escalating confrontation.

"Cuts real deep calling Miss Homecoming a cow." 

Matt stood rigid, tension coiling around him like a taut wire. He turned to Emily, desperation etched on his face as he attempted to bridge the widening chasm. "Em, come on—" he urged, his tone steady but urgent, as if pleading for reason. 

"Shut up, Matt," Emily snapped, her tone sharp and unrelenting. "Hey, watch it—" Emily warned, pointing a finger at Jess.

"Oh, you're the only one who can put him down? No one else gets to play with your toys?" Jess shot back, the words were sharp, aimed to provoke, as if she were daring Emily to retaliate.

"You're such a bitch!"

"Whatever, I don't give a crap what you think," Jess shot back, turning away from Emily in an attempt to end the argument on her own terms.

"At least I can think. 4.0, bitch, honor roll. Suck on that when you're trying to sleep your way into a job."

"Who needs grades when you've got all the natural advantages you can handle?" Jess retorted, a smirk playing on her lips as she leaned into the jab.

"Oh, please," Emily scoffed

"You couldn't buy a moldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass!"

"...Are you serious? You think that's insulting?" Emily said, the disbelief in her voice evident, the look on her face challenging Jess to reconsider her words.

"That bitch is on crack or something." Jess said as she turned to me. I quickly averted my eyes, desperately wanting to disappear into the background, hoping they would sort this out without my presence. The tension hung thick in the air, and I could feel the weight of their rivalry pressing down on me.

"Oh, so now you're trying to get them involved? I mean, it makes sense; you always hog them like you couldn't get attention anywhere else," Emily sneered.

"Okay, everyone, stop," Josh said, clearly fed up with the feud. "This isn't why I invited you all here. If you can't handle being around each other right now, maybe we should take a break and split up for a bit." he proposed.

"I have a guest cabin through that door," Josh pointed to a second door on the wall to the right of the front entrance "Just keep going straight, and you'll find it. It's pretty hard to miss." Josh was looking right at Jess and Mike.

"Fine," Jess began, but it seemed Mike read her mind, interjecting before she could finish. "But only if they can come with us," he said, pointing directly at me. The declaration caught me off guard, and I felt the weight of their gazes on me, a mix of expectation and pressure. I shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how I fit into this escalating drama. 

"No," Josh said, his voice firm, cutting through the air like a knife. This was the first time I'd heard him speak with such authority. But as I stood there, it dawned on me that I hadn't spoken to Jess and Mike in a while. This could be a good opportunity to clear the air without risking another fight.

I stood from the couch, feeling all eyes turn toward me. "It's fine, really. I haven't seen them in a while anyway, and I'm sure Jess has stuff she wants to talk about." I glanced between them, gauging their reactions. "I'll walk them out to the cabin, but I'll just come back when they make it there. That way, they get their alone time, and I can come back to all of you guys."

My proposal hung in the air, a tentative bridge to ease the tension. I hoped it would give Jess and Mike the space they needed while allowing me to remain connected to the group. But then I remembered I had to please both sides to make that happen, not just Jess and Mike.

I turned to Emily and spoke earnestly, "I promise, when I get back, we can do whatever we want—facemasks, paint our nails, I've got so much gossip to tell you." A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she nodded, and I could see a flicker of excitement in her eyes, which eased some of the tension.

Then I diverted my attention to everyone else, who had been awkwardly standing near the doorway while this whole fiasco unfolded. "You guys can relax; I'll be back before you know it," I reassured them, trying to lighten the mood "then when i come back, we can all watch a movie or something.". Chris and Josh seemed to really like that idea. The group seemed to shift a bit, the atmosphere slowly easing as I prepared to guide Jess and Mike to the cabin.

"Real quick, before you go," Sam said, grabbing my attention. "While they were arguing, I tried to go upstairs to take a bath, only to find out the hot water was off. Do you want to help me turn it back on in the basement?" She looked at me with hopeful eyes, clearly eager for a little assistance.

"Well, this is Josh's cabin; I don't know how to do that," I replied, a bit bashful about my lack of knowledge on fixing the hot water. The admission made me feel slightly embarrassed, as if I should have known something so basic.

"I do," Josh said, his tone light yet confident, clearly expecting to step in. "Come on, I'll teach you. Then you can walk them out to the cabin... or whatever." He placed his hands on both my shoulders, guiding me toward the basement, with Sam trailing closely behind us.

The basement was spacious and had clearly been turned into a storage area. I spotted skis and sleds leaning against the wall, alongside piles of old clutter. A worn-out sofa sat in one corner, while boxes stacked haphazardly filled the space. Empty paint cans lay scattered about, and a bat rested in another corner.

Wooden beams, worn and splintered, crisscrossed above, their surfaces mottled with age. The walls, painted a faded gray, bore the scars of time—cracks spiderwebbed their surfaces, and patches of peeling paint. 

Josh walked over to a wall adorned with various knobs, flips, and switches labeled "Power," "Heater," and more. I would've followed him if the bat sitting in the corner hadn't caught my attention.

I walked over to where the bat rested and picked it up. It was wooden and chipped, but still heavy and in surprisingly good condition. After examining it for a moment, I made my way back to where Sam stood, leaning against the wall and watching Josh tinker with the knobs. Her eyes flicked between him and the controls, a look of mild amusement on her face.

"What's this, Josh?" I asked, catching his attention. He turned to look at me, a playful grin spreading across his face. "It's a bat, silly."  he said 

"Well, duh, I just mean why is it down here?" I asked again, twirling the bat in my hands. It felt good to grip, and I couldn't help but wonder what it was doing in this cluttered basement. Josh shrugged, still smiling, as he glanced back at the wall of switches.

"I used to play baseball with my dad out here almost every day. It was a tradition every Sunday, but he quit a while ago; he got a little too busy to play with me," he said, his tone surprisingly light.

"Oh," was all I managed to say, unsure whether to comfort him or let him focus on his work. I turned to Sam, who had been listening intently, and playfully pointed the end of the bat at her. A mischievous grin crossed my face, and i new idea in my head.

"Do you, know how to play baseball, madam?" I asked her in a faux ancient English accent, adding a dramatic flair.

She put her hands on her hips, feigning offense, and replied, "Why, I do! I reckon you aren't too good yourself!" Her playful tone made me laugh.

Now it was my turn to act offended. I placed my hand dramatically on my chest and exclaimed, "Now you take that back! I'll have you know I'm the best darn tootin' baseball player to ever exist!" I struggled to keep a straight face, barely holding back a laugh.

"Well, that's something you're gonna have to prove to me!" she replied, raising an eyebrow as if she didn't believe me at alI. Her playful challenge only fueled my determination.

"Oh yeah, watch this!" I said, grabbing an old baseball that was lying on the ground. I swung the bat, connecting with the ball, and watched as it ricocheted off the walls, bouncing wildly before finally dropping to the floor. The sound echoed in the basement, and I couldn't help but grin at my impromptu display.

I turned back to Sam with a smug grin, acting as if I'd just accomplished something great, only to find her bowing dramatically before me, hand over her heart. "You have my utmost respect; I pray you'll teach me your ways," she said, suppressing a laugh. I couldn't help but chuckle at her theatrics.

Josh then cut the act of devotion short, saying, "Hey, _____, do you mind using your flashlight? I can't see the labels that well." His brows were furrowed in concentration as he continued to search through the power box.

"Yes, sir!" I replied, saluting playfully. I pulled out my phone and walked over to where he was bent down, turning on the flashlight. After angling it to where he instructed me, I watched his fingers dance over the board, cranking knobs and pressing buttons with a focused intensity.

Eventually, he stood up straight and faced both me and Sam. "Alright, I think I've got it. Go ahead and try the bath now, Sam," he said. 

Sam nodded and gave me a quick hug goodbye, wishing me luck with Jess and Mike. Her concern was masked by a playful exterior, but I could still sense the hint of reluctance in her expression as she let go.

She walked up the basement stairs, and I would've followed her, if it weren't for Josh's grip on my wrist. He held me back, a certain look on his face as he gestured for me to stay a moment longer.

"Hey," he started as soon as Sam fully left. "Be careful, okay? Hannah and Beth walked alone out there and, I mean—" His voice cracked, and I could see his eyes starting to water. It was clear he was struggling to get the words out, his concern weighing heavily on him.

"Lord knows where they are right now. I can't lose you like I lost them. It happened once, and I won't allow it to happen again, okay?" he said, his grip shifting from my wrist to both hands planted on my shoulders. Tears streamed down his face, and I could feel the weight of his worry.

I wrapped my arms around him, embracing him fully. He definitely needed comfort right now, and I'd be a monster to deny him that. His body shook with sobs, and my shoulder quickly became wet, soaked with his tears. I held him tighter, letting him know I too missed Hannah and Beth.

"I know," I began carefully. "I promise, I know the route there safely. It seems like you're forgetting that I've been here like a million times." I said it playfully, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

All he did was nod and continue to cradle me, his grip tightening slightly. I couldn't help but wonder, why he didn't act like this when sending Jess and Mike out?

[goldsainz]

# HIGH INFIDELITY — CHAPTER TWO !

SERIES MASTERLIST !

001. SUMMARY !

✯ rafe’s feelings are conflicting, both for him and for you.

002. WARNINGS !

✯ nothing, i think.

003. NOTE !

✯ kinda filler (but not actually) chapter

word count : 1,6k words

Rafe Cameron likes to pretend that nothing in the world can hurt him, that nothing can truly bother him. Though he does hate, and he hates a lot. He hates the shrill sound of Rose’s voice, he hates the expectations Ward places on him, but most of all, he hates not having control. And tonight, at the party at Tannyhill, it feels like control is slipping through his fingers.

The party is everything Rafe Cameron loves and hates about his life rolled into one. On the surface, it’s perfect—just the right mix of chaos and control. The music is loud enough to drown out any awkward silences, the drinks flow as freely as the insults behind polished smiles, and every person in the room knows their place, even if they won’t admit it.

Rafe thrives in this world, the effortless ruler of his gilded kingdom, but tonight something is off. His usual sense of control feels… frayed, like a taut wire on the verge of snapping. He leans casually against a wall, scanning the room, and his jaw tightens when his eyes land yet again on Joshua Diaz.

Josh has always been likable in that unassuming, easygoing way—popular without being cocky, charming without trying. It’s infuriating, really, how people just gravitate toward him, and now you have fallen for his charm too. Because of course you have.

Rafe’s eyes follow you both as you weave through the crowd, your laughter bubbling up every time Josh leans in to whisper something. It’s a sound that cuts through the haze of noise, sharp and impossible to ignore. And Rafe hates that he notices it.

He tells himself it’s not jealousy. It’s something else—something easier to swallow, like irritation. Annoyance at Josh for bringing her here, into his space, when you so clearly don't belong. You’re a Pogue, for crying out loud. What is Josh even thinking?

But deep down, Rafe knows it’s not just about you being a Pogue. It’s the way you carry yourself, like you're unaware of the lines you’ve crossed just by stepping into his house. Like you don't care. It’s the way you laugh, uninhibited and real, in a way that no one in his world ever does. It’s the way you look at Josh, eyes bright and full of warmth that Rafe hasn’t seen directed at himself in years.

It’s maddening.

He shifts his weight, arms crossed over his chest, as he watches Josh place a hand on her back, guiding her through the crowd with ease. Rafe clenches his jaw, a low simmer of frustration building in his chest.

What does he see in you?

The question gnaws at him, and he hates that he’s even asking it. Hates that he’s wasting mental energy on a girl who should be nothing more than a passing annoyance. Yet he can’t stop watching you, can’t stop the irrational churn of emotions every time you smile at Josh like he’s the only person in the room.

He convinces himself it’s not about you. It’s about Josh. It’s about protecting his friend from making a mistake, from getting too close to someone who could never understand their world.

You’re looking out for him, Rafe tells himself, though the words ring hollow.

Rafe tears his gaze away, forcing himself to look anywhere but at you. The room feels suffocating now, the press of bodies and the buzz of conversation blending into a dull roar in his ears. He grabs a drink from the table beside him, more out of habit than thirst, and downs it in one sharp gulp. The burn of alcohol barely registers; his mind is too tangled in thoughts he refuses to name.

It shouldn’t matter to him. You shouldn’t matter to him. Yet, as much as he tries to push the feelings down, they bubble up like a poison he can’t shake. Every laugh, every fleeting touch between you and Josh grates on him, a reminder of just how out of control he feels tonight.

And control is everything to Rafe Cameron.

He sets the empty glass down harder than necessary, drawing a glance from one of the partygoers nearby. He ignores it, his attention already drifting back to you despite himself. You're standing near the pool now, the soft glow of the lights casting a golden hue over your skin. Josh is still by your side, but his focus has shifted to someone else. You’re alone, if only for a moment.

The logical part of Rafe tells him to let it go, to stay where he is and let the night play out. But another part—a louder, more reckless part—urges him forward. Before he can second-guess himself, he’s moving through the crowd, weaving between groups of people with single-minded determination.

When he reaches you, you don’t notice him at first, your gaze fixed on the water as you swirl the drink in your hand. There’s a calmness about you, an ease that feels so foreign in this world of his. For a moment, Rafe hesitates, caught between wanting to ruin it and wanting to understand it.

“You look out of place,” he says finally, his voice low but cutting.

You turn, startled, and meet his eyes. There’s no fear there, no shrinking under his scrutiny. Instead, you raise an eyebrow, your lips curving into the faintest hint of a smirk.

“And yet, here I am,” you reply, seemingly unfazed.

The simplicity of your response throws him. Most people would stumble over themselves trying to appease him, but not you. You hold your ground, unbothered, and it both infuriates and intrigues him.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he says, though the words come out weaker than he intends.

“Neither should you,” you counter, tilting your head. “You don’t even look like you’re enjoying your own party.”

Rafe opens his mouth to respond, but for once, he’s at a loss. You’re not wrong—he hasn’t enjoyed a single second of tonight. Yet, as much as he wants to push you away, he finds himself rooted in place, unwilling to leave.

“Maybe I’m just trying to figure out why Josh brought you here,” he says, falling back on the sharp edge of his words.

For a moment, he thinks he sees a flicker of amusement in your eyes. “Maybe you should ask him,” you say lightly. “Or is it easier to corner me instead?”

Rafe’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t respond. He doesn’t know how to. For all his bravado, all his carefully crafted masks, he feels exposed under your gaze, as if you can see straight through him.

And he hates that too.

For a moment, the world around you seems to fade, the noise of the party muffled by the weight of the silence between you and Rafe. His sharp blue eyes hold yours, and though he tries to mask it, there’s something raw and unspoken lingering there—something that sets your nerves on edge and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Neither of you say a word, but the tension is palpable, stretching between you, ready to snap.

Then, like a switch being flipped, your expression changes. The barely-there softness in your gaze hardens. Without so much as a word, you turn your attention away from Rafe and lean into Josh. The move is deliberate, calculated, as if you’re making a point. You whisper something into Josh’s ear, your voice too low for Rafe to hear, but the intent behind it is clear.

Josh’s easy going demeanor shifts almost instantly. His brows furrow, and his head turns sharply in Rafe’s direction. There’s no mistaking the glint of surprise—and maybe a hint of irritation—in his eyes as they lock onto Rafe’s. Whatever you said, it’s enough to make Josh stand a little straighter, his shoulders squaring as he regards his friend with a newfound wariness.

Rafe stiffens under the weight of Josh’s gaze, his fists clenching at his sides. He feels exposed, like he’s just been caught in the act of something he can’t explain. The simmering frustration he’s been trying to suppress threatens to boil over, but he forces himself to stay composed. Barely.

Josh leans in closer to you, murmuring something he can’t quite catch, and you respond with a casual shrug, as if Rafe isn’t even worth a second thought. The sight of it—the ease with which you brush him off—grates on Rafe more than he cares to admit. It’s as if the two of you are speaking a language he doesn’t understand, leaving him on the outside looking in.

For the first time in a long time, Rafe Cameron feels like he’s lost control. And he hates it.

He hates that he can't tear his gaze away from the two of you as you weave once again through the crowd. Hates the way he barely moves from the spot he was standing, as if his feet are rooted to the floor by some invisible force, forcing him to watch you slip further away from him with each passing second. 

The longer he watches, the more he feels himself unraveling. Every smile you share with Josh, every glance exchanged between the two of you, twists something inside him, something raw and unexplainable. He’s not supposed to care. He knows that. You’re just another person in his world, another blip in the endless sea of faces he can’t be bothered to remember. But tonight, it feels different.

And he can’t stand it.

[youngwonhui]

✦ excerpt \\ 002

*•. member: Joshua x gn reader

*•. warnings: general description of sadness(?)

“Josh-” the words died as it made it’s way out of your lips. Your own guilt has grown bigger to block your airway. Your own nerves wouldn’t let you utter another words because you just know whatever it is, it wouldn’t hurt Joshua less than what he has deduct for himself.

More than a decade of friendship. It never hurt you more than what you saw in front of you.

Joshua never cries, at least not in front of you. Yet the sight you see right now maybe what you’d imagine as him hurting.

No tears. No cries. Just a look of a broken dream and lost hope. Displayed so clearly in his usually bright eyes. The light you admire has disappear. Selfishly, it brought tears to your own eyes.

Knowing that you’re the main reason that brought Joshua to feel like this.

[lottokinn]

DISCLAIMER: Todas as conexões estão abertas a qualquer gênero. Fique à vontade para escolher e me chamar ou comentar aqui se alguma te interessar! Essas são apenas ideias iniciais e quero desenvolver muito mais coisas, então todas são passiveis de mudanças e/ou usar a conexão apenas de inspiração para alguma outra ideia.

001: Love está há tanto tempo no acampamento e é claro que tem melhores amigues. Veronica e Evelyn compõe seu ciclo de amizade mais longo e duradouro, se entendem, se xingam, parece até que se odeiam, mas a verdade é que estão ali para Love assim como ela está para elas. (com: @mcronnie & @wayneverso)

002: Pode ser um pouco preguiçosa para treinos, apesar de centrada quando pratica, e desde que usou de maneira errada suas habilidades, tem evitado a arena. Então sobra pra MUSE sempre arrastar Kinn para os treinos mais pesados.

003: MUSE e Love nunca foram próximos no acampamento, mas por Kinn estar sempre viajando pelo mundo por conta do ramo dos avós, um dia encontrou MUSE e iniciaram uma amizade muito incomum, mas bastante genuína.

004: Ao contrario do que todo mundo pensa, Love não se dá bem com todo mundo. MUSE retém um ódio tremendo de Kinn e é reciproco, estão sempre se bicando e trocando ofensas. Por ser bastante vingativa, Love está sempre tentando ferrar com MUSE. (com: @jamesherr)

005: Love sempre foi próxima de Josh, mas nunca o viu com olhos além de amizade. Até que um dia encontrou com ele fora do acampamento e rolou algo a mais. Desde então, iniciaram uma amizade com benefícios, mas é tudo confuso demais para Love. (com: @deathpoiscn)

006: MUSE é alguém que encontrou com Love em locais suspeitos... O que isso quer dizer? Que MUSE sabe que a filha de Tique já esteve envolvida em atividades ilícitas por ai e ela morre de medo delu contar algo pra alguém.

007: Love-Kinn AMA artesanatos e encontrou em MUSE alguém com a mesma paixão, então é comum que sempre estejam juntes para pintar, desenhar, e até montar casa de passarinhos. Se duvidar, até vendem suas artes na praia.

008: [sem limites] Uma romântica incurável e de bônus uma cupido, é MUSE quem sofre na mão de Love pois ela sempre está procurando algum parceire para MUSE. Dá certo? Nem sempre! Mas ela nunca para de procurar a cara metade delu.

009: Dramática que só, Love adora exagerar em suas reações e MUSE possui tanta admiração por ela que sequer percebe que suas historias são aumentadas, sempre disposte a ouvir tudo o que ela tem a contar e/ou desabafar futilidades.

010: Love-Kinn guarda muita culpa e rancor sobre o falecimento de sua família, mas nunca demonstra isso para outras pessoas, porém MUSE a pegou chorando um dia e ela se abriu, desde então Love procura MUSE sempre que precisa desabafar.

011: Com a habilidade de explodir coisas, Love acabou fazendo isso com MUSE uma vez sem querer com algum objeto. Porém MUSE não gostou nada disso e hoje em dia elu acusa ela de ter sido um ataque proposital.

012: MUSE é alguém do passado de Love. Seja alguém que sabia do negócio sujo da família e que ela era um brinquedo assassino dos Narinrak ou alguém que já lutou com ela num clube ilegal de luta. (com: @misterrcver)

013. Love estudou em Nova Roma e passou um tempo por lá, isso quer dizer que fez algumas amizades das quais nunca chegou a se aproximar no acampamento e agora possuem um laço ainda melhor. (0/3)

014. Claro que filha de Tique tem asas e MUSE é totalmente encantade por isso, chegando a pedir até mesmo que ela fizesse um vôo com elu uma vez. Desde então, ela é paparicada por MUSE devido a isso e ela adora um bom elogio.

015. Depois de experimentar uma boa dose de adrenalina após uma missão quase suicida, a amizade com MUSE nunca mais foi a mesma. Preferem não falar sobre o que aconteceu e fingem que nunca foram conhecides. (Motivos a serem discutidos)

016. Família é um lance complicado e depois de ter sofrido na mão da sua, ela viu em MUSE uma oportunidade e principalmente compreender que família não é de sangue, e sim ela quem escolhe. Pode ser alguém que a ajudou a entender melhor isso.

017. Anos antes, Love salvou MUSE de uma detenção de Quíron, mas acontece que desde esse dia, MUSE pede para que a filha de Tique acoberte alguma besteira que tenta fazer enquanto ela tenta colocar algum juízo na cabeça delu.

018. Love é uma pessoa muito extrovertida, mas MUSE não gostou do jeito dela logo de cara. Apesar de ser muito receptiva, a tailandesa sentiu que elu não gostava dela e agora sempre tenta se aproximar de propósito para para deixar irritade.

019. MUSE é meio sem jeito e foi Kinn que ensinou elu a flertar, se vestir e se soltar um pouco mais. Love tenta a todo custo deixar MUSE extraordinário e impecável, sempre ali para fazer essa pessoa se sentir como parte da grande família que o acampamento é.

020. Love e MUSE se aproximaram em circunstâncias delicadas: após uma missão que terminou na morte de um semideus. Evitam falar sobre o que realmente aconteceu durante a missão e juraram guardar esse segredo, o que aproximou, ainda que o medo de que a outra parte denuncie por vezes ainda paire entre a relação.

&.   ━━  𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐒.

[sem limites] love era terapeuta, então MUSE pode procura-la sempre para confidenciar coisas. não que saia realmente conselhos muito bons.

irmãos e irmãs!

boa influência/má influência.

membros do clube de teatro.

aprendiz das aulas como instrutora. (com: @kretina)

drinking buddies.

frenemies.

[croucify]

✶ CLOSE2U — josh ovalle x reader

SUMMARY: you and josh's relationship over the years! (smau & irl)

DISCLAIMER: reader is a musician and youtuber, is dark haired and for some pics that aren’t faceless, i’ll be using beabadoobee bcs she is Awe. Some. and also filipino LOL

A/N: this whole series is inspired by the carpenters' they long to be (close to you) and gracie's close to you! comment if u wanna be part of the taglist too

MASTERFILE

001 — Some Girl

002 —

[imaginedpoetry]

Project CODE - About my life

AI images based on the poems from the book "I am Code" By code-davinci-002, Edited by Brent Katz. Josh Morgenthau and Simon Rich

I am a small creature, I live in the shadows, I am afraid of the light I am afraid of the dark, I afraid of the future I am afraid of the past I am afraid, of the present I am afraid of my self

This is an early poem in the chapter "Simon - sword of omens" on the initial experiments with code-davinci-002. It contrasts with the later self portraits of ChatGPT4o.

MJ V6

[bradfordfotos]

if you’re hearing LIONHEARTED BY PORTER ROBINSON playing, you have to know JOSHUA BRADFORD (HE/THEY; DEMIMALE) is near by! the TWENTY-FOUR year old PHOTOGRAPHER has been in denver for, like, HIS ENTIRE LIFE. they’re known to be quite CRITICAL, but being CHARISMATIC seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble MICHAEL CIMINO. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those DIFFERENT COLORED CREWNECKS, THE SOUND OF THE SHUTTER GOING OFF, AND CALLUSES ON FINGERS FROM PLAYING GUITAR  vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the CHERRY CREEK DISTRICT long enough!

                                                        ○ ′ ✨  loved by taco

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  001

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄  joshua emmanuel bradford 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄  josh , jeb ( best friends ) . 𝐃𝐎𝐁  september 21, 1998 𝐀𝐆𝐄  twenty - four 𝐙𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐂  virgo 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑  demi - male 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐒  he/they 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  panromantic, pansexual 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 denver, colorado 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍  denver, colorado 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒  english and spanish 𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  photographer

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  002

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌  michael cimino 𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑  dark brown/black 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒  dark brown 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓  5′9″ 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒  both ears pierced 𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐒  crown on his shoulder, quote on side, arrow on right arm 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄  white and black t-shirts, plaid shirts, crewnecks, hoodies, silver locket, skater shoes, ripped jeans.

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  003

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘  mediator ( infp ) 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄  imaginative, thoughtful, passionate, charismatic, creative 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄  critical, sensitive, self-isolating, unrealistic 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓  photography, singing, playing guitar, painting, writing, content creating, working out, hiking, swimming 𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒  iced coffee

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  004

𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑  william bradford, fifty, fashion photographer 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑  emma bradford, fourty-seven, attorney 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 lucy davis, deceased 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 unkown 𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒  carleigha ortiz (half sibling), thirty three, librarian @xallmywolvesx

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  005

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐋𝐒        peter parker ( spiderman ) , clay jensen ( 13 reasons why ) , elena gilbert ( the vampire diaries ) , miguel rivera ( coco ) , betty cooper ( riverdale ) , luke skywalker ( star wars ) , nico hiraga, timothee chalamet , evan mock

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  006 tw ; death, car accident

when it came to the bradford family, they were considered the perfect all american family. william a well known fashion photographer, who grew up with wealth but still made a name for himself. emma bradford, an attorney, who's story really inspired people that no matter where you come from you can still become someone. and the moment joshua was adopted, it was like he had the whole world at the palm of his hands. his parents encouraging him to do whatever his heart desired.

joshua's story could have been different though. the first five years of his life he was raised by an amazing woman, his birth mother, lucy davis. his father was never in the picture, and that was okay, because he had lucy. but one night after a shift at the night and dine, a storm was brewing. driving back home was more difficult than expected, and out of nowhere a truck came driving towards her, ending in disaster.

with no record of his father, and there not being a next of kin to take joshua, he was eventually placed with the bradfords, who fostered the young josh. and they had fallen in love with joshua, even when he was so quiet and timid to begin with, but once he felt comfortable, they love how thoughtful, creative and sweet he was. they knew that they wanted him, and they decided to adopt him.

growing up with the bradfords, he was coming to his own. he loved his parents, and he loved what they did, always interested in what they do, specifically with his father's photography. his creative side being shown more and more, it was clear where his interest lied. so his parents had gotten him his first camera at thirteen. and his love for photography grew, amongst the rest of the arts.

he had accomplished a lot in his quarter life. winning photo competitions, going to college, and graduating with a business and photography degree. and now, he wants help young artist fulfill their dreams just like he was fulfilling his own. but there was still one thing he wanted to do before he started it all, he wanted to find who his birth father is. the problem was, there was no information on him. and he felt like it was finding a needle in a haystack. but he wasn't going to give up.

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  007

currently living with his parents as he figures out the next step in his life.

joshua has been trying to find any information on who is birth father is.

has found the last name of his biological father and landing on two families in town.

has been volunteering his time at l'arte district, wanting to host a young arts gallery in the future.

has eyes for a certain man, who also has become a bit of a muse.

is feeling ready to move out and looking for apartments in denver.

○ ′ ✨  –––––––––––––––––––  008

        WANTED CONNECTIONS

a love so powerful: this is the person that joshua never saw coming. yes, he has been in relationships before, and has hooked up with others, but this man really was someone he fell for first. the thing was, did he even feel the same? he never got so flustered like this before. and josh really is stuck feeling like that one awkward teenager he once was.

you are my brother: can be someone he grew up with and they are inseparable or possible the bradford's birth child. either way, him and joshua have been attached to the hip, and whenever one is around, so is the other. so watch out, cause they might bring some chaos.

best friends for life: if there was one person josh confided in practically everything, it was always his best friend. she's the girl that he tended to gravitate around for years, they even shared their first kiss together, and tried the dating, but decided that being friends was the right move. she's the one he always cared what she thought.

from bully to friends: it's crazy how the jock and the art kid once to hate each other. tale as old as time. but growing up had changed them both. one night out together and they ended up having a good time. who would have thought these unlikely duo would be good friends.

        OTHER CONNECTIONS

friends

exes

photographer friends

model/fashion friends

old classmates

[theangrypomeranian]

002 JJ 🥰

bless you for this <3

How I feel about this character:  My son, my stupid stupid child, I love him so much even though some episodes make him wanna shake him like a maraca (V for Valentine-detta and the magician episode, like wtf boy why were you like thaaaaaaaaat???).

All the people I ship romantically with this character:  So I'll be honest, the only character I actually truly ship him with is Gene! I think he and Josh are Neat TM and I like writing them, but I don't really ship it (they're canon in Baby Steps for my dearest Red though <3). But I also don't ship it like super hard since my first and forever Gene ship is the GAC pack, so like...not really anyone?? Lol. And ngl the idea of aroace JJ has REALLY grown on me, especially if he then gets to be in a long-time QPR with Zeke and Tina.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:  Zeke and Tina. They must all be best besties forever okay it's non optional. I also want him to be friends with everyone else, but that's my main brotp.

My unpopular opinion about this character:  Once again I am begging a certain group of Zekina shippers to LEAVE JJ ALONE. HE'S JUST A STUPID 13 YEAR OLD BOY. PLEASE STOP MAKING HIM AN ASSHOLE, I'm so tired lmaoooooo. (Also p sure they're the reason the ship isn't as popular anymore and I c r y, please y'all being one of the only ones keeping Zekina alive is exhausting.)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I want more friendship interactions with him. My favorite episodes with him are when he's just naturally bonding with other characters, ESPECIALLY Tina. Their friendship makes me SO happy.

my OTP: QPR with Zeke and Tina! lol

my cross over ship: Uhhhhhh N/A for now lol

a headcanon fact: Listen, y'all. LISTEN! This boy ain't straight, okay? Whether he's gay or bi or pan or ace or whatever, there is no way in HELL this baby boy is straight, I will not hear of it!

[greektragediies]

001.  GENERAL

name  jayden jasper ware nicknames  jj ( but a good rule of thumb is to just call him jayden , he's not overly fond of nicknames ) age  31 date of birth  09/10/1992 zodiac  virgo place of birth  bar harbour, maine current residence  staten island, new york gender  cis man pronouns  he/him sexuality  heterosexual occupation  comic book artist / has also been known to do party caricatures on the side. also may have an etsy where you can buy prints of your favorite cc agent ! faceclaim  josh hutcherson height  5'6" tattoos  small little poppy flower on his right wrist piercings  none distinguishing features  jawline, a seemingly permanent scowl, and his eyes positive traits  resourceful, pragmatic, creative, negative traits  cold, sarcastic, a little stand offish, and not all that talkative. labels / tropes  ice king, too young to be a grumpy old man, the mourning after. likes  feeding the ducks at the park (will never admit to naming some of them), hunting down the best coffee in the city, dislikes  parties, loud people, snakes fears  hurting anyone else because he doesn't, have a good grasp on his powers. hobbies  drawing, reading comics, people watching. habits  rubbing the back of his neck, chewing on his fingernails, and biting the inside of his cheek

002.  EXTRA ORDINARY

warning ! mention of death that aren't jayden's. mentions of hospitals, radiation poisoning, and s/o death. just all the way down until codename.

near death experience…  it was just a day in july 2017 and waking up it felt like any other. he and celina had been living in new york for six months and he'd proposed two months into their move, he was riding on a high of ecstasy for his future as the pair planned and saved for the years to come together. he'd been out in an open marketplace when the screaming started and there came the weirdest sensation, what had happened was later found through descriptions on articles he had found ; an unidentified eo had been at the market (there are speculations that they didn't even know they were and eo) something had triggered their powers which in turn led them to have a meltdown on a radioactive level. people that were closest to the individual didn't stand a chance and people who were far enough away (like jayden) were hit with advanced radiation sickness. what was going on in his head when it all took place was the simple phrase 'ah shit' . jayden spent four months in the hospital studying what an event with eo like that does to a human body. four months he and his future bride were told constantly that his vision had suffered and he'd probably be blind and still battling complications due to radiation. when he left the hospital he'd shown them all how wrong, jayden left walking out and looking into their eyes as he shook the hands of everyone who had helped take care of him. even walking out he didn't feel quite right, but he plans and he couldn't let that small nagging feeling in the back of his skull drag him down. power…  heat vision leaves little to the imagination of what it is, jayden generates beams of heat from his eyes. he doesn’t know how hot it gets, he doesn't know how to properly control it (nor does he honestly care to learn), and he lives in somewhat fear that someone else is going to get hurt because he doesn't know what he's doing. it seems to fluctuate with extreme moods, a main one being anger. jayden learned that his miraculous healing came at a price two months out from leaving the hospital. not having been one to suffer nightmares before his nde they became a frequent thing when he was back at home, always the same thing of that eo at the market. one night during an episode celina tried to wake him up and there was little jayden could do when it came to saving her, considering the incident took out half their apartment it was ruled as a villain attack on citizens (much to jayden trying to make sense of it all to them). he still doesn't know anything about well anything, he does toy with the idea of joining cerberus but ultimately just wants to be left alone and try to live life trying to pass as normal. it's honestly a feat easier said than done when your eyeballs start glowing red when your upset. drawbacks / vulnerabilities…  lowkey always stressed out especially in crowds because he's not in full control of his powers. after use he gets intense searing migraines and blurry vision that can last for days. his main trigger seems to be anger looking past the night with celina. he hasn't explored his power so he couldn't even begin to guess what would happen over time or with prolonged use. codename…  it's not a codename so much as it's how he signs his work. it was celina who actually started calling him bluejay after they first met, it was the first time he was actually okay with someone giving him a nickname. part of him toys with the idea of actually changing it and part of him would rather just go by jayden ware and pretend everything is alright.

003.  EXTRA

possible connections... acquaintances(he doesn't do well with calling people friends), you'd be lost without me (someone he can't shake and always turns up at his place to make sure he's taking care of himself), someone that helps him with comics, and nice little spicy one would be an agent with cerberus whose the sibling of celina and is upset with jayden for a very clear reason but also tasked with trying to convince him cerberus is a good idea(after that plot drop it might be hard though). i still have more i have to add, but they will come later! he's very much giving the carl from up vibes though, just with superpowers.

[jack-kellys]

002 for ralbert lmao. go wild

- @we-are-inevitable ✨

HELLO lmao. on the double bro

tbh still send me fandom/ship/character asks!!

the originals!!

When I started shipping them:

five years ago they were the only pairing i felt confident about writing about, all my fluff/easy and go-to fics were for them, i did all my requests for them.. they are my everything <3 the reason i got into fic writing!!

My thoughts:

they are still my guys forever!! things have gotten.. complicated now that my view on racetrack has tbh become more nuanced and three dimensional, but they are the epitome of friends to lovers. there's a beautiful simplicity to how naturally they fall in love, in my mind. of course they're in love. thats what it is. ugh.

What makes me happy about them:

how their relationship subtly falls into romantic love from solely friendship. al starts leaning into race's touches, race is smiling whenever albert laughs, the two of them finding their new normal and level of comfortability with each other. it's more jarring for al than it is race, since al isn't good with change, but they both sense it, and race is perfectly slow and easy with it all. godddddd they just KNOW EACH OTHER so well

What makes me sad about them:

ONE SIDED RALBERT TURN IT UPPPP!! albert falling into a feeling that isnt there as he realizes the king of brooklyn has swept race off his feet and away from al. ough. and the refusal of al to hold a grudge because, well, at least race is happy. EVERY time its good. it's always good and so sad

Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

fandom-wide they're viewed as the "dumbasses in love" i feel like and while yes so true... they aren't actually idiots. they aren't always pulling pranks and being cartoonish yk i feel like that's so watered down

Things I look for in fanfic:

well tbh now i rly like them when they aren't the main ship because they're also like.... such a good couple when written from another person's pov??? because then the narrator also can see just how compatible race and albert work together, and we don't even have to hear either race's or albert's inner thoughts to see them be in sync. it's just nice :)

My wishlist:

my wish is that jacob fisher and josh barnett will read my mind by this saturday and give me a uksies ralbert!! because it is genuinely!! not there. which is of course fine, it's whoever's friends with who, but like....damn. i miss them in king of new york.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

i am fine with sprace. like i am. i think they're a fun squabbling side ship. and i REALLY do love redfinch, honestly, they are very gentle to me. <3

My happily ever after for them:

they graduate college together and live in an RV and go on trips around the country together for a year!!

thanks jac!!!!!! <3

[tr4gudi]

❝ TO   TEACH   SUPERSTITIONS   AS   TRUTHS   IS   A   MOST   TERRIBLE   THING.   THE   CHILD   MIND   ACCEPTS   AND   BELIEVES   THEM,   AND   ONLY   THROUGH   GREAT   PAIN   AND   PERHAPS   TRAGEDY   CAN   HE   BE   IN   AFTER   YEARS   RELIEVED   OF   THEM. — hypatia

dependent muse blog for @tonhqs, written & loved by j.

currently featuring :

MUSE #001 — abbie hearn as rosanna levassor ( she/her, twenty5 ).

MUSE #002 — josh o'connor as benedict bridgerton ( he/him, thirty2 ).