#TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE HITS EVERY TIME! EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!

[sayaberry]

undead unluck has to have the most slept on romance of the past season, this is one of the most romantic scenes i've ever seen

[norrisainz33]

European getaway || cs55

��� summary: y/n goes on a vacation to spain and ends up meeting carlos sainz by chance. tho she has no idea her european fling is actually a very successful f1 driver

☆ pairing: carlos sainz x nonfamous!reader

☆ fc & warnings: none

☆ requested: yes! thank you sm for this wonderful request

ﾟ. ✿ ୨❤︎୧⠀✿ . ﾟ

ynuser has made a post 🔒

liked by yourbff, yoursibling, friend2, friend 3 and 101 others

ynuser: i could get used to this! me encanta espana

view all 8 comments

yourbff: petition for us to stay in spain forever

ynuser: time to find our spanish husbands so we never have to leave!

yoursibling: europe looks good on u

ynuser: thanks b 💅🏻

friend3: always serving fits girl

ynuser: half of my clothes are stolen from you

friend2: obsessed with you

ynuser: obsessed with you bb

ynuser has added to their story 🔒

[1. girls night out ahead. 2. guys i met a hot man at this club. 3. hehe he’s taking me home. we stayed out so late it’s almost light again]

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yourbff: we look cute

yourbff: wait he’s hotter than i originally thought hold up 🤤🤤

yourbff: did you even get his name???? how am i supposed to make sure ur safe if i don’t know his name

ynuser: dude he’s so hot it’s insane and his name is carlos

ynuser: i’m with him at his hotel rn and this man has to be loaded this is the nicest hotel i’ve ever stepped foot in.

yourbff: hot AND rich AND sweet AND a gentleman???????? what is in the water here in spain

ynuser: i just googled his watch that he’s wearing and it’s $300k

yourbff: ok tea……y/n/n i’m so serious you are living every girls dream rn including mine

ynuser: i think i love him

yourbff: ok , maybe it’s time for you to come back to the hotel and get some sleep

ynuser: ugh you’re so right.

ynuser: he called me a driver , i’ll be back soon

yourbff: PLEASE TELL ME TOU GOT HIS NUMBER

ynuser: more than that 🤭 him and his friend are going to take us out for dinner tomorrow and show us around town 😫😍🫶🏻

yourbff: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

yoursibling: girl you wildin and i love it. stay safe pls

ynuser: yes of course bb

friend3: why that man kinda look familiar

ynuser: if u figure it out lmk

ynuser has added to their story 🔒

[1. sightseeing courtesy of our new friend carlos. 3. looks like we found ourselves some dates 😉]

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friend2: y/n are you sharing churros con chocolate with a MAN

ynuser: YES

ynuser: i’ve been caught

friend2: you sneak.. i need every single detail

yourbff: i feel like we are in a movie for real

ynuser: i think we might be

yoursibling: how is it that you and y/bff/n always end up in these sorts of romance novel type situations

ynuser: it’s bc we are the it girls 💅🏻

carlossainz55 had added to his story

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user1: what are you doing in madrid carlos

user2: OMG WHO IS THAT IN THE SECOND SLIDE CARLOSSSSS

landonorris: and what do we have here 👀

carlossainz55: just some travels in spain!

landonorris: with a girl??

carlossainz55: good catch 😉

landonorris: DETAILS?!

carlossainz55: if you must know and you promise to keep it secret

landonorris: of course mate

carlossainz55: i met this gorgeous girl in a club in barcelona and we hit it off. she doesn’t know im a driver she just thinks im a guy on holiday and its been rather refreshing so now im showing her around spain

landonorris: i support you in this brother but you know you’re gonna have to explain the whole famous thing at some point

carlossainz55: i know i know

user3: just fell to my knees is this a soft launch

charlesleclerc: enjoying break i see 😏

carlossainz55: yes i am 😏

user4: everyone stay calm!!!! stay CALM

user5: so little info here how am i supposed to find this girl by her shoes 🫣

user6: can’t wait till f1gossip sees this

ynuser has added to their story 🔒

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yoursibling: hold up did HE COME WITJ YOU GUYS

ynuser: yes 🤭

ynuser: when i tell you i think i met the love of my life

yoursibling: ugh i’m so jealous but also so happy for you!! you deserve this

friend2: bruh he’s fine as heck what is going on here

ynuser: no i know

yourbff: wait send me the pic of carlos and teto carrying our luggage pls im begging

ynuser: done and done

friend3: y/n y/m/n y/l/n have you ever seen a formula 1 race before

ynuser: you mean like the race cars?

friend3: yes the race cars!!!! i’m 99.9% sure that man in your photos drives for the FERRARI F1 TEAM. THAT IS THE CARLOS SAINZ

ynuser: oh my god… you’re right …….. he’s a FAMOUS FERRARI DRIVER?!

ynuser: oh my god he has 10 million followers

friend3: how did you NOT know this!!!!!!!!

ynuser: idk!!! i don’t follow f1!!!

friend3: well now you legally have to

ynuser: clearly omg

friend3: YOURE THE GIRL IN HIS STORY OFNEKGN

ynuser: OMG I AM

f1gossip has made a post

liked by user1, user2, user3, user4, user5, user6, and 4,255 others

f1gossip: carlos sainz has been spotted getting cozy with a mystery girl in madrid! we think this has got to be the girl who was in the story carlos posted a few days ago. they’ve also been spotted out at dinner with another woman and who we believe to be teto!! no information on who they are just yet but seem by all accounts to not be anyone we know

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user1: when will it be my turn!!!!

user2: that should be me 😭😭😭 happy for her i guess 😭😭😫😫

user3: so he was soft launching someone

user4: happy for him ig

friend3: ynuser girl

ynuser: oh my god

friend2: girl oh my god

yourbff: omg stop ???? is this movie about us???

user6: do you all know something we don’t

user3: no bc your profile pics kinda be similar to the girl in the pics f1 gossip posted 👀

user6: carlos doesn’t follow them yet but maybe that’ll change

user3: WAIT IT SAYS HES FOLLOWING YNUSER NOW

user5: i am so envious

ynuser has added to their story 🔒

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friend3: ok so the fan girls have found us it seems

ynuser: they really have… i have 2,694 follower requests right now

yourbff: the f1gossip account is trying to contact me,, they’re literally in my dms rn…. you look hot tho 😘😍😫

ynuser: they’re also trying to message me too. never thought our trip to spain would end up like this (i’m not complaining this is just a little overwhelming)

yourbff: me neither but if it had to happen i’m glad you met carlos!! you two seem like genuinely really well matched. i know it’s only been like…. 3 weeks but im stanning and shipping y/ncarlos so hard

ynuser: 😮‍💨😭 y/ncarlos omg stop hahaha

ynuser: i’m planning to put him in my pocket and take him back to the states with us

carlossainz55: ay dios mío hermosa chica 😍😍

ynuser: 🤭 you’re making me blush

carlossainz55: good, it’s cute when you blush

ynuser: you really have 10 million followers and drive for the scuderia ferrari huh

carlossainz55: yes mi amor. im sorry for not telling you sooner… i just really was enjoying getting to know you as just carlos and not as the ferrari driver

ynuser: and that makes sense i just … this is all just a bit intimidating

carlossainz55: no reason to be intimidated, i’m still just carlos 🥺

ynuser: if you say so

carlossainz55: i do say so hermosa🤍

carlossainz55: now that the cat is out of the bag…. do you want to come watch me race?

ynuser: you want me to come to one of your races?

carlossainz55: only if you want to! no pressure at all tho y/n/n

ynuser: i’d love to 😫

carlossainz55: i was hoping you’d say that. i’ll make arrangements for you to come to monza 😉

ynuser: italy?! omg i’ve never been to italy!!!!

carlossainz55: never?! oh boy then i have quite the time planned for us

landonorris: i feel like an elite member of a very exclusive club for being able to follow

ynuser: you are!! only 231 other people have the privilege

friend2: please send lando norris my number i see he’s following you now

ynuser: HAHAHAAH i respect the hustle. i tell him about you when i meet him in person in 2 weeks

friend2: IN PWROSN Y/N WHAT

yoursibling: bestie why are race car fan accounts trying to contact me all the sudden

ynuser: so you know that man i’ve been seeing while in spain with y/bff/n? turns out he’s a very famous formula 1 driver

yoursibling: you’ve got to be kidding me

ynuser: i am being very for real

ynuser has made a post 🔒

liked by carlossainz55, yourbff, yoursibling, friend2, landonorris, friend3, and 102 others

ynuser: thank you to spain for literally changing my life

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friend2: omg that’s where my sunglasses went 🙄

ynuser: idk what you’re talking abt 🤭

yourbff: thanks for going on the trip of a lifetime with me y/n/n

ynuser: i love you bestie 🫶🏻

carlossainz55: and thank you to the universe for crossing our paths 🥹

ynuser: thank you universe, i am forever grateful 😫

landonorris: ok cool girl alert

ynuser: you know it

friend3: i’m not sure how to act normal in these comments y/n

ynuser: me neither

yoursibling: you’re never coming home after italy in a few weeks are you

ynuser: nope!

carlossainz55 has made a post

liked by user1, charlesleclerc, scuderiaferrari, ynuser, yourbff, landonorris, yoursibling, and 783,102 others

carlossainz55: happy for the team, charles and the tifosi. it’s a shame i missed the podium but at least i got to spend my birthday with my favorite girl. until next time monza!

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user2: ohhhhhh a hard launch

user3: i wish he got a podium in his last monza in a ferrari

charlesleclerc: ❤️ thank you chili

alexandrasaintmleux: cuties 🤍

user4: this hard launch is distracting me from the immense sadness, thanks carlos

user55: she’s living my dream your honor

ynuser: feliz cumpleaños mi amor

carlossainz55: gracias princessa

ynuser: gracias por una semana perfecta [thank you for a perfect week]

carlossainz55: de nada 🤍

user10: you did all you could carlos

scuderiaferrari: we are proud of you chili

user16: you and your big brain still did amazing

yourbff: you did great carlos!

ﾟ. ✿ ୨❤︎୧⠀✿ . ﾟ

a/n: likes and reblogs appreciated!! i quite liked this one and hope you did too

ﾟ. ✿ ୨❤︎୧⠀✿ . ﾟ

disclaimer: pictures are not mine and everything i write is fiction

© norrisainz33 || please do not rewrite, translate, or copy any of my works posted here on to any other platform

[linddzz]

Does mage Viktor's reality-hopping and 'only you can show me this' line imply that dozens if not hundreds of other Jayces have done what our Jayce did and end up there on that slope hearing the same thing from him? Did the Viktor that succeeded and lost everything, lost his own Jayce, keep getting to meet new Jayces one by one, allowing himself a small modicum of wistful joy in getting to see Jayce living and breathing again if only for a short time before he sends them back? talk to me here

Not only is it implied, we for sure see at least 8 (if my count is right) times Viktor has saved Jayce as a child, including the current one. You see them flash through and each time, he gave Jayce a different runestone

(gifs by @hextecht)

Since his phrasing was "all timelines, in all possibilities" it's pretty safe speculation that Viktor has been at this for way more than 8 rounds. We don't know if he's tried messing with other points of the timeline or if any other Jayces got as far as the our Jayce did when he reached the center of Wizard Viktor's hellscape (and I made such a distressed noise when the clouds parted and I realized the only beautiful place left, the center of the storm, the oasis, is where Jayce got assimilated).

The general consensus is that this is most likely the first time it worked, because Ekko used the rune Jayce had been given (the "acceleration rune" as Ekko calls it in S2E7) to make the time travel Z-drive that he cranks up to "break reality" levels before chucking it at Viktor's head and knocking that dork off enough for Jayce's "power of love" gamble to actually get through to him.

(I also have the opinion that Wizard Viktor is not going to stop here. He's got nothing but fields of dreamless solitude for him, this IS his project and he's probably going to keep trying to refine the process across timelines until some kinda multiverse cops show up like "dude. Fucking quit it!")

And OH BOY can I sure as hell talk about the way Viktor looks at Jayce over the top of the Jayce he destroyed!!!!

(gif by @glassrunner)

Look at him. LOOK AT HIM. His expression is already wistful and pained as he turns, but you can see him exhale with the breath knocked out of him. his eyelids actually flutter. He softens, he's struck. He looks like he's barely able to keep himself from crying in that moment where he not only looks at Jayce, but lets himself be seen by Jayce in return.

And which is more heartbreaking? That this is the first time Jayce got this far, the first time Viktor had to finally properly look at him after so many tries?

Or has this played out over and over for him? Has he looked over like this time and time again, and every time it takes his breath away? Subjecting himself to this repeatedly, and every. single. time. he's hit with the most classic doomed romance line

(Im holding myself BACK from rambling yet again about how Actually Deranged it is for Wizard Viktor to be doing this but @avelera and I talk about him being a fucked up little guy so much that I need to consider just having a wizard Viktor tag lmaooo but for more Wizard Viktor rambling enjoy

Wizard Viktor doesn't care about saving the world, he's just making sure Jayce and himself are intertwined

How many times has Wizard Viktor had to watch this himbo yeet himself into Pretty Hippy Viktor's cult?

Me giggling and kicking my feet in the air over Wizard Viktor being a control freak egomaniac about Jayce )

[ganggangscenarios]

Unspoken Truths

Namjoon x Reader

Genre: Fluff, angst, romance

You kicked off your shoes, leaving them haphazardly by the door, far from the neat row of others. The sound of Namjoon calling your name drifted past you, ignored. Your feet carried you straight to the bedroom, purpose sharpening your every movement.

Behind you, Namjoon fumbled. His shoes hit the floor with a dull thud as he rushed after you, sliding awkwardly across the polished wood. When he finally caught up, he was met with a fleeting glimpse of your hair whipping behind you—and the resounding slam of the bathroom door in his face.

“Seriously?” he muttered under his breath, rubbing his temple before letting out a long sigh. He sank onto the edge of the bed, the mattress creaking softly beneath him.

Inside the bathroom, your hands moved with practiced frustration. The cabinet door rattled open, and you yanked out the makeup wipes. A small, bitter part of you noted how thoughtful it was of Namjoon to keep your essentials stocked in his apartment. It was his way of asking you to stay over without actually asking you to move in. A silent compromise, just like so many others.

The cabinet slammed shut with a force that startled even you. You glared at your reflection, the harsh bathroom light exposing every smudge, every flaw. All the effort you’d put into getting ready for tonight—the hours spent perfecting your makeup, curling your hair, choosing a dress that made you feel beautiful—it all felt like a colossal waste.

The evening played on repeat in your mind, each scene tightening the knot in your chest. Namjoon had spent the whole night working the room, charming everyone in sight. You usually loved that about him—his ability to light up a space with his smile, his laugh. But tonight, his warmth had felt like a dagger.

And then there was her. That idol, with her flawless skin and designer dress, gliding into your space like she owned it. She’d greeted you politely enough, but her attention snapped back to Namjoon almost immediately. Her request seemed innocent—just a quick reminder for him to check the audio file she’d sent earlier. But when he pulled out his phone to scroll through their messages, you saw more than you were prepared for.

Endless texts. Voice notes. Shared pictures. The kind of interaction that used to define your own relationship before his schedule consumed him. But now? You were lucky if he sent you a single goodnight message, let alone an ongoing conversation.

You’d told yourself time and time again to be understanding. That dating someone like Namjoon meant accepting his chaotic life: the constant travel, the late-night calls, the endless demands of his career. And you had. But the realization that he could find the time for her—while leaving your texts unread for days—cut deeper than you’d expected.

Your hand trembled as you wiped your face, smearing mascara onto the cotton pad. Tears blurred your vision, but you refused to let them fall. Not yet. You scrubbed harder, as if erasing the makeup could somehow erase the weight in your chest.

In the bedroom, Namjoon sat quietly, his mind spinning. He prided himself on his emotional intelligence, his ability to read the people he cared about. But tonight, watching you grow quieter with each passing moment, he realized he’d missed something important. The warmth he’d always relied on in your eyes had vanished, replaced by a steely distance he didn’t know how to bridge.

“Y/N,” he called softly, his voice barely carrying through the door.

You didn’t answer. Instead, you stared at your reflection. Your hair clung to your damp face, your cheeks streaked with tear tracks you hadn’t noticed forming. You looked nothing like the woman who’d walked into the restaurant hours earlier. And as much as you hated to admit it, you couldn’t help comparing yourself to her—her poise, her polished beauty. No wonder Namjoon had time for her.

For the first time, you allowed the thought to creep in: Was I ever enough for him?

You felt amazing getting ready. Every swipe of lipstick, every curl in your hair, every detail of your outfit made you feel radiant, untouchable. When you saw Namjoon at the start of the evening, his eyes lighting up as he pulled you into a hug, you felt like the most beautiful woman in the world.

But now? That confidence was gone, stripped away and replaced with an ache so raw it made your chest feel hollow. Your dress, which had once hugged you like a second skin, now felt suffocating. Your hair, carefully styled hours ago, seemed lifeless, greasy even. Tears spilled freely, sobs escaping your throat in uneven bursts.

Your cries carried through the bathroom door, and Namjoon was on his feet in an instant. He pressed himself against the door, desperation in his voice.

“Y/N, please. Please talk to me,” he begged. His tone was soft but urgent, the kind of voice that usually melted your defenses. “I’m sorry if I upset you. Whatever I did, just... let me make it right.”

The sound of his voice only made you cry harder. Why did he have to be so tender, so him? Other men might have dismissed you, waved you off, or left you to your anger. Not Namjoon. He was always there, trying to fix things. But this time, his care felt like a cruel irony.

“Open the door,” he said again, quieter this time, almost pleading. “I don’t want to be the reason you’re crying. Not ever.”

You clung to the sink, fingers curling against the edge so tightly your knuckles ached. For a fleeting moment, you thought about telling him to leave. To let you sort through your emotions alone. But as much as his presence hurt, it was also the only thing grounding you.

“The door is open,” you croaked, voice barely audible over your sobs.

Namjoon didn’t hesitate. The door swung open, and he crossed the small space in seconds, wrapping you in his arms. His shirt soaked up your tears, but he didn’t seem to care. He held you firmly, swaying slightly as if to rock your pain away.

He pulled back just enough to cup your face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears streaming down your cheeks. His eyes met yours, full of concern, love, and something that almost looked like fear.

“Don’t cry, my love,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “You’re too precious to cry like this.”

For a moment, you let yourself sink into him. His warmth, his familiar scent, the way his arms made you feel like the world couldn’t touch you—it was everything you needed. But then the doubts came flooding back, drowning the comfort in their wake. Did he hold her like this? Did he whisper those words to her, too?

The thought made your stomach churn. You pushed him away, ignoring the look of confusion that flashed across his face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice tinged with panic as you stormed out of the bathroom.

You didn’t answer. Your eyes darted around the bedroom, searching. The bed? Nothing. The armchair? Empty. You moved to the closet, rifling through his belongings with frantic energy. Namjoon followed, hovering by the door.

“What are you looking for?” he asked, running a hand over his cropped hair.

You brushed past him without a word, heading straight for the living room. His jacket lay on the couch, and you grabbed it, your hand diving into the pocket. Your fingers wrapped around his phone, and you pulled it out, holding it up like it was evidence in a trial.

“Y/N, what are you—”

You unlocked the device and opened the messaging app. A lock screen greeted you. Your heart pounded as you entered the first passcode. Incorrect. You tried another. Incorrect again.

One more attempt.

You turned the phone toward him, your hand shaking. “Unlock it.”

Namjoon’s eyes flickered with something you couldn’t place—guilt, panic, hesitation. His hand rose to scratch the back of his neck, and you noticed the slight flush creeping up his ears.

“Namjoon,” you said, your voice low and trembling with barely restrained fury. “If you don’t unlock this phone right now, we are done. Do you hear me? Done.”

His lips parted, but no words came. He didn’t reach for the phone. He didn’t even move.

You felt like the ground was shifting beneath you. The weight of his silence crushed you, and your voice broke as you whispered, “You’re cheating on me.”

Namjoon’s head snapped up, his eyes wide. “No,” he said, shaking his head so hard you thought he might get dizzy. “No, no, no. Y/N, I would never—”

The phone buzzed in your hand, cutting him off. Your gaze dropped to the screen.

카리나 Did you do it yet?

Your blood ran cold. Karina. The idol you’d seen him talking to tonight. The one who’d been the subject of dating rumors. You’d dismissed them before because you trusted him—because you were his girlfriend. But now? Now she was messaging him, asking if he’d “done it yet.”

“What is this?” you demanded, your voice trembling with a mix of anger and heartbreak. “Are you waiting for me to leave so you can be with her? Is that it?”

Namjoon’s jaw dropped, but he didn’t answer immediately. He looked torn, like he was trying to find the right words but couldn’t. Finally, he sighed and held out his hand.

“Y/N, please. Just let me explain. Give me the phone.”

Your grip tightened. “Why? So you can delete the evidence?”

“No! Just—please.” His voice cracked, and for the first time, you saw the same desperation you felt mirrored in his eyes. “I swear, it’s not what you think.”

Reluctantly, you handed the phone over. He unlocked it in one swift motion, opened the chat, and passed it back to you.

The messages on the screen made your breath catch.

Your heart drops. That’s it. Karina. The idol he’s been linked to in those persistent dating rumors. You used to brush it off—because you were his girlfriend. The one he held, kissed, and whispered sweet nothings to. The one he promised his love. But now, she was messaging him. Asking if he’d "done it yet." Broken up with you, maybe? So they could finally be together? The perfect idol couple. No more hiding.

The realization ignites a fire in your chest. “Oh my God,” you hiss, voice trembling with rage. “Just do it already. End it with me. Your girlfriend is wondering if you’ve done it.” You shove the phone back into his hand, your glare sharp enough to cut through glass.

Namjoon is usually so composed, quick with his words, a master of explanation and persuasion. But now? He’s floundering. His mouth opens, then closes, his hands fidgeting nervously. Finally, he exhales sharply, running a hand over his cropped hair.

“I’m not breaking up with you,” he says firmly, locking eyes with you. “I’m definitely not cheating on you. It’s... the opposite.”

Your brows knit together in disbelief. “What the hell does that even mean?”

“Please,” he says, holding out his hand. “Can I have the phone?”

Your hesitation lasts a moment too long, your fingers clutching the device like it’s a shield. But his expression—soft, earnest, desperate—crumbles your resolve. You slam the phone into his palm, arms folding defensively across your chest.

Namjoon quickly unlocks it, his thumbs flying over the screen as he opens the chat. He taps on the most recent messages, then shifts closer to you. The phone trembles slightly as he hands it back, his eyes silently pleading with you to look.

You glance down at the screen, your breath catching as you read:

Namjoon: Do you think she’ll like it? The jeweler said he’s never made a ring like this before.

카리나: She’ll love it. Don’t worry. Have you called her? When are you gonna do it?

Namjoon: I’ve been avoiding her. I feel like as soon as I see her, I’ll propose on the spot. I want everything to be perfect. I haven’t even finished the song. 😦

카리나: That’s so sweet. She’ll love it no matter what. She loves you. You could propose with a literal Post-it note, and I’m sure she’d say yes.

Namjoon: Looool. Nothing but the best for my future wife. But the song is how I’m gonna tell the fans. I want her to feel like I’m all in.

카리나: Audio file

Namjoon: 👍

카리나: Did you do it yet?

The phone nearly slips from your hand. Your vision blurs as you re-read the messages, each word piercing through your assumptions, unraveling your anger. You glance at Namjoon, who’s standing now, pacing toward his jacket on the couch.

“If you looked in the other pocket,” he says softly, pulling out a small black velvet box, “you would’ve found this.”

Your breath catches as he walks back and lowers himself to the floor in front of you.

“I’ve been carrying this around for weeks,” he admits, opening the box to reveal the most exquisite ring you’ve ever seen. The pictures couldn’t have prepared you for the real thing—the intricate design, the way it seemed to glimmer like it held its own light.

Namjoon’s voice wavers, but his gaze is steady. “I wanted everything to be perfect. But you already are.”

The phone slips from your hand, clattering onto the couch as you press trembling fingers to your lips.

“I couldn’t imagine my life without you,” he continues, his voice thick with emotion. “When you’re not with me, I want to be with you. When you are with me, I dread the moments we’ll have to part. You’re my heart, Y/N. Before I met you, I didn’t think love like this was real. I thought it was for movies, books, songs... But those stories? They had to come from somewhere, right?”

He adjusts his position, lowering onto one knee.

When the box opens fully, the air is knocked out of your lungs. The ring is a masterpiece, but the weight of his words is what truly leaves you stunned.

“You are the only one for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” Namjoon says, his voice trembling but resolute. “I promise to never do anything as idiotic as asking another woman for advice or avoiding you to keep a surprise. I never want to be the reason you cry tears of sadness. Only tears of joy. I just want to make you as happy as you make me. And you make me so, so fucking happy.”

Your eyes brim with tears, your chest tightening with an overwhelming mix of love, relief, and disbelief.

[thelastofhyde]

prologue. rome.

pairing. tourguide!joel miller x fem!reader. series synopsis. on the brink of undergoing a life-altering change, you runaway from your problems in the only way any sane person can: embarking on a mediterranean cruise. there you meet joel miller, a grumpy, private tour-guide, who just so happens to be tasked with touring you through each stop on your cruise. from greek goddesses to roman ruins, you have ten days to avoid your fate. maybe a frowning, southern, sex-on-legs of a man is just what the doctor ordered. chapter summary. like all epic love stories, this one starts with a meet-(un)cute. series warnings. no use of y/n, set in 2015, cruise!au, rom-com, enemies-ish to lovers, sunshine!reader, tour-guide!joel, age gap, depictions/discussions of grief, angst, fluff, a whole load of smut, a lot of cheesy stereotypical romance tropes bc i just wanna see joel not suffer ( too much ) <3 chapter warnings. i’m pretty sure there’s no warnings this chapter. word count. 845. hyde’s input. & so it begins! my goal is to try post a chapter every other friday, but it may be weekly if i write + edit on time. likes and reblogs are appreciated <3 next chapter - series masterlist

Under the buzz of a dying light, you assess the damage.

Tousled hair, smudged mascara, bags under your eyes. Chapped lips, wrinkled clothing, a missing earring. Nail indentations, dry hands, a bruise on your knee.

You'd call yourself a mess, had you not been travelling at full-speed in the air, trapped inside an overgrown Pringles can that grew wings, for the past who-knows-how-many hours.

With a snoring seat-neighbour, a kid kicking at the back of you and the embarrassing sting of tears in your eyes, you'd not known peace until the plane had landed on solid ground. And, even then, the nightmare had picked right back up where it had left off, shapeshifting into a mile long customs queue and the overwhelming dread of watching the conveyor belt spin round and round with not a single sign of your suitcase.

It took a whole hour and speaking to an airport staff member later for them to find your case, right down the other end of the arrivals hall, sitting amongst luggage from a destination you'd certainly not arrived from.

But none of that matters, not now. At least you tell yourself that as you splash some cold water on your face. Looking back in the mirror, you try out a smile. It doesn't look genuine, but it's been a little harder to do recently, and so you give yourself credit for managing to at least have it meet your eyes.

There's a series of disgruntled, irritated faces that greet you as you exit the bathroom. You walk past them, head down, trying to count the beat in your footsteps and feel the roll of your suitcase's wheels.

Finding the signs that point to the arrival gate, you keep a low profile, as if anyone would know you here. Why would anybody know you here? Still, the need to stay hidden, out of sight, it intensifies, even as you take in the welcoming sign above sliding doors.

Buongiorno, benvenuto in Italia!

An overwhelming wave of loneliness hits you as you take your first step past the sliding doors, the usual hustle and bustle of an arrival's lounge greeting you. Couples embracing in reunion, families excitedly catching up on all that they've missed, strangers meeting for the first time, men in suits holding up signs with names and-

A different kind of wave hits you, physically, and suddenly you're on all fours, the sound of your knees smacking harshly into the marble floor taunting you with yet another bruise that'll be making a cameo in every picture you’ll take.

The world continues to pass you by, even as you juggle turmoil and pain. It’s a feat you’re trying to grow used to, but, for now, all you can manage is to not feel your stomach knot. You straighten your back, hands off the floor and your weight resting back against your knees. Pull a deep breath in, ignoring the tremble in your lower lip. In a moment of pure desperation, you wonder what more awaits you on this holiday from hell.

An awful flight, a lost-luggage scare, several bruises and now a public humiliation. What’s next?

You’re plucked up from where you sit, strong hands taking a gentle grip of your forearm. A simple tug and you obey the stranger’s signal, shifting to stand up straight. Turning on your heel to face your rescuer, you’re met with the back of a head, dark locks adorning it as the man reaches back down to grasp at your suitcase’s handle.

The man’s face is revealed slowly, undeliberately, as he rises to level once more, steadying your case back onto its wheels. Handsome, you notice the etching of laugh lines around his eyes and the peppering of patchy, yet fitting, facial hair along his jaw. A pair of headphones, big and chunky and sporting a wire, rest on the back of his neck and the strap of a backpack rests over his right shoulder.

You notice you’re staring a little too late, when there’s already a frown line splitting the skin of his forehead. Clear your throat, take back control of your suitcase and your senses.

Raised with manners, you rather clumsily thrust out your hand for the man to shake. “Thank you for your help, I appreciate it. So much. I'm-"

"You're in the way."

There’s no time to respond, not properly, as the man side-steps you with a grunt, his shoulder catching yours as he passes by. He doesn’t stop to apologise, simply readjusting the sliding strap of his bag and continuing his stride out into the sea of awaiting people.

Involuntarily, frozen where you stand, your eyes follow him as he comes to a stop in front of a uniformed man, a printed sign in his hand.

Signore Miller.

As you scan the crowd for your own name, spotting a casually dressed older gentleman carrying it upon scribbled cardboard, you repeat that name, over and over.

Miller, Miller, Miller.

Whoever the rude man may be, you pray for all those who cross his path on his trip.

[deputyrook]

Impressions- 6/?

PART 1. PART 2. PART 3. PART 4. PART 5.

You're a psychic. He's a detective. And a serial killer.

(Enter: FBI)

Mark Hoffman x psychic!Reader (trouble in paradise?), with a teensy tinge of Strahm x reader. Sue me.

Word count: 5002

WARNINGS: Corruption, abusive dynamics, general Saw-levels of horror & violence. Mentions of child abuse. Not much romance in this chapter, sorry! Reader is still drinking the Jigsaw Kool-Aid.

---

How many derelict warehouses can one single man own?

The meat processing plant that you're making your way through isn't exactly easy to navigate. Much to your chagrin, Mark has left you to make your way through it yourself, apparently having "work" to do. You're not sure whether he means detective work or Jigsaw work, but you don't ask for details.

The place smells like metal and blood, two scents which are becoming more and more familiar to you with each passing day. You tap your cane along as you go, the vibrations travelling up your arm. It's taking time, but you're slowly getting used to the tool.

The responding echoes of the different sounds reveal to you the type of surface you're stepping on- concrete floors, metal grating, scattered pieces of glass. This abandoned plant is cool and quiet, your footsteps by-far the loudest sound you can hear.

The cane also keeps you from running into walls. Still, it's slow going. Not having any idea where John Kramer is doesn't help. If the echoes are anything to go by, this place is huge.

Strangely, you suddenly wish that Kerry could help you out with this sort of thing- not that this was the universe she belonged in, or the side she fought on, but you could almost hear the dry, sardonic comment she would make about the state of this place.

After fifteen minutes of wandering in mounting annoyance, you think to yourself- could this be another test? Marco-polo? With John, everything had the potential to be one.

You do have another tool that you can use to get information about your surroundings. With a sigh, you flex your fingers on the cane and reach out with your awareness instead, scanning.

There. High above you, forward and slightly to the right. No one else flutters against your awareness, confirming for you that it's just you and Kramer, alone in the plant.

Now where the fuck are the stairs...?

Slowly making your way around the warehouse, you go from room to room, feeling your way around. Every so often, you'll hit the edges of some strange, metal contraption that's impossible for you to get a clear mental picture of. You just feel jutting edges, sharp points, and thick bolts, and back away.

Eventually, you find a railing, which lets you know you've hit the bottom of a set of stairs. Climbing very carefully, you keep your senses trained on John Kramer's signature like a hunting dog on a scent.

It leads you to a closed metal door. You rap on it with your knuckles, waiting. When you don't receive an answer, you shove it open anyway.

"I know you're in here," You say as you enter, "You couldn't have met me on the ground level?"

You freeze in place, though, when you hear a shuddering breath and the hiss of an oxygen tank.

The cancer has spread like a rot, making even simple tasks difficult for him. It wrings the time from him like blood from a soaked cloth. He has a hard time even holding a pencil, anymore. It used to be his sword.

He would have met you on the ground level if he could. But he can't.

"I had faith you'd find your way," John says, after taking a deep breath.

"And so I did. You can't say I'm not resourceful," You lean your cane against the wall and walk over slowly, feeling your way over to the area where John is seated. You hit the back of an armchair, and ghosting your fingers over it, manoeuvre yourself to sit down across from him.

"And gifted," John adds. He seems to have caught his breath now, as his voice, though shaky, grows stronger, "You've experienced firsthand the kind of growth that being tested allows. What do you think of it, now?"

He's already gearing up to his thesis point, the reason why he asked that you come here today. He doesn't have the time to waste on small talk. You entertain his question.

"There's no doubt it's changed my life," you say magnanimously, "Being in a traumatic, life or death situation has a way of isolating what's important to you. Of cutting the fat from the bone."

Back when you could see, you never would have thought that one of the hardest things about losing your sight would be the social aspect of it. Not being able to gauge how people are reacting to your words- without delving into the nebulous depths of their souls, anyway- was socially stifling.

Particularly when the reaction you're trying to gauge is that of a hair-trigger serial killer. Ah, if Kerry could see you now- trading philosophical quips with Jigsaw himself.

"Detective Hoffman doesn't see the purpose of all of this, not the way he should. He's sharp, but shortsighted," John says, sounding almost wistful about it. "You've taken a liking to him, and he, you. That much is obvious. Overall, I've come to believe it's for the best. He'll need you, if he wants to continue my work... uninterrupted."

You can feel John's concern. The way he dwells on the future, knowing he won't be here to see it. Will the embers of his creation smoulder and burn out into ash after he's gone? Will it have all been for nothing?

"Amanda... she understands the lessons she's supposed to teach, but she's too emotional- unstable, at times. She will need to be tested again. Should she pass, she'll need an anchor. Someone to keep her... grounded."

Yeah, okay. That seems like a stretch. Amanda hadn't seemed to like you all that much the one time that you met her, but you don't bring that up. Instead, you ask, "So what, you want me to keep the peace between them? Make sure they play nice? Bit hard for me to keep my eyes on them now, don't you think?"

There's a pause, and you hear John move in his seat, before he takes a deep, rattling breath with the oxygen mask. Then, he continues.

"The ability to accurately predict human behaviour is my greatest asset in my work. It is an ability that, of my apprentices, you singularly possess. The others may be able to create the instruments, but only you can design the tests. Only you can choose who needs to be tested, and predict the outcomes, in the same way that I can."

You hum to yourself, mentally noting that he just referred to you as one of his apprentices. He has a point, though. Similar to the one that Mark had been impressing on you. There's a feeling of doom that lingers on the periphery of John's empire. Without you there to notice it, to be the stalwart defence and augur of his work, it would swallow everything he held dearly whole.

Gripping the arm of your chair, the words come before you know what you're saying.

"It's kind of a funny coincidence. My mom tried to drown me as a kid, you know," You're not sure why you tell John this. Surely it's a mistake to be so open with him. "She said the world was too sick. That it was easier to die."

"I know. It was in the paper. They printed your name, and everything," John replies, and it's a bit of a slap in the face. You wonder if he learned about it before or after he strung you up in the acid trap. You wonder if Mark knows about it, too. He's a detective, so it isn't too much of a leap to think he'd searched for information on you. It feels like a betrayal, just a little. "What did that teach you?"

You purse your lips, and choose not to answer his question directly. It seems the two of you keep doing that- replying to questions that the other hadn't asked. Maybe you're more like him than you thought.

"Mark thinks that your actions are justified, and that you're doing the world a service. I'm not sure how Amanda justifies it- maybe she just wants to be close to you, I don't know." You pause, considering.

"To be honest, I think what you do is monstrous," You confess, "It's brutal. Absolutely inhumane," You can't see John's reaction, and you get absolutely no read on him. He's silent, before you continue.

"But. I think this world needs monsters, sometimes. And that I'm one of them. That's what my mom taught me. That's what you and Mark taught me, too." You smile to yourself. "Probably not the answer you were looking for, right?"

Would Kerry think you were a monster for this? Maybe not initially, but after hearing what you'd been up to the last few months, you had to think that she probably would agree with you. That she'd be disgusted-

You freeze. Why do I keep thinking of Kerry like this? Out of the blue?

"Kerry. What're you doing with Kerry?" You ask John quietly. He takes another slow, shallow breath, before he responds.

"I was wondering if you would notice," He murmurs in reply, and you think you detect a note of amusement in his tone. "Like you, she is being tested. Right now."

"She has the will to live. Stronger than anyone I've met," You say steadfast. But there's a creeping feeling, hiding somewhere behind your lungs, that says wrong, wrong, something is wrong.

"We'll see, won't we? Like so many of her colleagues, she neglects life to focus on death. You know better than anyone." Despite how shaky he sounds, John somehow manages to sound smug.

Suddenly, it all seems like bullshit to you. Or at the very least, a resource issue.

"There are a lot of people out there who overwork themselves," You snipe, "But it's the lead detective on the Jigsaw case you happen to grab. Funny. You know, there are other ways to get good people off of your case."

"You're angry with me," John remarks, "Our work needs to continue. If she survives..."

Something occurs to you, then. John keeps talking, but his words are drown out by a whooshing in your ears- the thundering sound of blood coursing. You can't hear what he's saying, but one thought dominates your mind.

You could kill him. Right now.

You wonder how he'd do in one of his own games. One he couldn't anticipate or control. To be thrust into a situation where fear overtakes him, where his brain needs to desperately try to find a way out of the situation. If you had the time, you'd be interested to see how his philosophy fared under a bit of pressure.

But you don't have that kind of time. Instead, you could lean across the gap between you, wrap your hands around his throat, and squeeze the rest of the life out of him. You were blind, yes, but he was already dying, halfway to the grave. You would win a physical struggle.

Even if you weren't able to watch him die, you'd know- he would die afraid, angry that this wasn't like he planned. Terrified that it was all for nothing.

His reign needs to end. More... capable hands need to take over.

The only thing that stops you is a consideration of the consequences. If you were able to confirm that you could fully trust Mark... maybe you'd be able to make it out alive. But Amanda was out there, and she would want your blood for it. The accomplice, Dr. Gordon, was a wildcard. You had no idea how he'd react.

Patience. Be patient.

Your fingers twitch on the armrest. Abruptly, you stand.

"Goodbye, John. I don't think I'll see you again," You tell him, voice cold.

"You will. In one way, or another," He answers cryptically. Unlike your own, his voice almost seems to have a warmth to it now, "And you'll understand me, in time," He pauses, before he finally claims the last word- the last thing you ever hear him say.

"Goodbye, Oracle. I'm glad we met."

--

Kerry is dead.

Kerry is dead, and you don't know how, or why. And nothing makes sense.

You need answers. You need to speak to Mark- you'll find the answers in his soul and yank them out, if you have to.

Kerry didn't need to die like that. She shouldn't have died like that. You should have seen it coming, you should have warned her, you should have-

The door to the interview room opens. A man strides in, a presence you've felt before, though distantly. A woman trails into the room behind him, quiet as though deliberately trying not to make a sound. You sit in an uncomfortable plastic chair, your hands on the table in front of you.

"Comfortable?" The FBI agent asks, "I've got a few questions for you. Hope you don't mind."

The man's tone of voice conveys that he really doesn't care if you mind or not. It's immediately obvious that this is the man that Kerry was in contact with- he's brash, demanding, and you catch a hint of something a little feral, just beneath the surface.

"Of course. Happy to help, if I can," You pause. "You're FBI, right?"

You hear a shuffling of clothing, and deduce that he's pulled out his badge. As if realizing you can't see it, the man quickly adds, "That's right. Special Agent Peter Strahm"

Strahm. The one who knows the water as well as you do. He pulls out the chair from across from you, and sits. The woman's presence remains hovering like a spectre toward the back of the room.

"I'd say it's nice to meet you, but..." you grimace, "Allison was my oldest friend. It's only been a few hours since I heard that they'd... found her. Sorry if I'm not all together."

"You didn't hear it from Detective Hoffman first?" Strahm asks. Every word he speaks seems tinged with irritation, as though everything is moving too slowly for him and he's waiting for it to catch up wit where he's at. Ah, so he knows.

"No. I expect he was busy with the fallout from the discovery. She was his friend, too," Forcing the words through your teeth is a bit harder than expected, "The station radioed me and asked me to come in. They told me... the basics."

"How much did they tell you? What do you know, exactly?" Strahm's words are like daggers, pointed and direct. The man is quick, and gives no quarter in his pursuit. Clearly, he'll be a dangerous adversary for you and Mark.

But maybe it's the water thing- you find that you kind of like him, right off the bat. Short-temper and barely-concealed-rage and all.

"Just that she was found... uhm, in a Jigsaw trap. I didn't even know... she was missing. We haven't spoken in a few days, but she was pretty busy, so it wasn't that uncommon. And then suddenly I get a call-"

You'd met with John several days prior, and when you'd gone home, you'd tried to reassure yourself- Kerry is a survivor. She would be fine. You'd texted Mark, anxiously looking to talk. He hadn't replied.

Days had turned into nights with no news. Your dread had grown, until you got the call.

Guilt is choking you. If you'd just done something... been a good friend, a good person. Maybe all of this had been a mistake. It's too hard to think logically, rationally.

Kerry is dead.

"Sorry," You mumble, wiping the tears from under your sunglasses, "it's been a lot to take in."

"Take your time," Strahm says, the subtext in his tone demanding that you don't. Then, after barely a moment has passed, he moves on and adds, "Open the door and you will find me."

"Excuse me?" The phrase is so strange it snaps you out of your misery spiral.

"Mean anything to you? Did Kerry ever say anything like that?"

"No?" For once, you're drawing up a complete blank at the phrase. It means absolutely nothing to you. "Was it... was that something she told you guys?"

There is a long, pregnant pause. The air in the room, already stuffy, grows thicker.

"What did you just say? Can you repeat that?" Strahm asks, an edge to his voice that is equally quiet and dangerous. You wonder if you've slipped up somehow, in a way you haven't caught yet.

"Did she tell you that?" You repeat, still confused.

"Who were you referring to when you said 'you guys?'" Strahm asks. Your sightless gaze slides over to where you know the woman is standing, and you realize your mistake.

Clever. You'll have to watch yourself around this one.

"You and your partner" You say, gesturing her way. No point in pretending you don't know she's there, "Who I guess you haven't introduced yet."

"What I'm wondering," Strahm says as he stands and walks over to your side of the table, "Is how you knew she was here, if I didn't introduce her. It was Jigsaw who abducted you and blinded you, isn't that right?" He leans down, bracketing his arms on either side of you.

A man used to using his physicality to intimidate. He reminds you of Mark.

You smile up at him. Gloves off.

"I guess I've always been perceptive, Agent Strahm. It doesn't mean I'm not really blind," you reply.

You're not sure what you're expecting him to do, but it comes as a surprise when he grabs your sunglasses and takes them off of your face. He's close enough to you that you can hear his sharp intake of breath when he sees your eyes- or what remains of them.

"Sorry to disappoint. I assure you, the police department here isn't that incompetent. You can check the hospital records too, if you want. They ran a bunch of tests which boiled down to acid will do that." You look up at him, still smiling a little sheepishly, in a way you really hope creeps him the fuck out.

"That won't be necessary," He hisses out, pissed. It's hard to tell if he's angry with himself, you, or the world at large.

You pluck your sunglasses from his outstretched hand, without bothering to pretend that you don't know where he's holding them, and slide them back onto your face.

"Special Agent Lindsey Perez. Good afternoon," The woman finally introduces herself, and you nod in her direction, "As I understand it, you're dating the lead detective on the Jigsaw case- Mark Hoffman. How did you meet?"

Strahm leans away from you, retreating from your side of the table. You get the distinct impression he wants to flip it.

"Well, I knew him a little through Allison," You say, "But then when I was kidnapped- he was the one to find me. I got to know him better, after that."

"How charming," Strahm sneers, "How well do you know Detective Rigg?"

"Uh, not particularly well?" The questions are coming quickly, non-sequitur. Probably to keep you on your toes, "Don't tell me something's happened to him too?"

"No, don't worry. We just want to get a sense of how involved you are in all of this. Jigsaw frequently targets the police, and those associated with them," Perez makes a good good-cop to Strahm's bad-cop. Her voice is soothing, a stark contrast with Strahm's demeanour. You can see why they were partnered.

"And you're right in the heart of this. Tested yourself, and you lived to tell the tale. Your best friend is murdered. And your boyfriend's the lead investigator," Strahm makes no effort to hide his suspicion, "I'm going to take a wild leap here and say you know more about this case than the average civilian."

"That's true," And because you can't help it, you add, "Allison did tell me the FBI agent she was in touch with was a real pain in the ass to deal with."

Perez coughs, in a noise that sounds suspiciously like a laugh. Strahm doesn't. He slams his palms down on the table, in a move that makes you jump.

"And now she's dead," he nearly shouts, killing the levity as he moves back over to tower over you, "And you've got nothing to add whatsoever. You didn't see anything when you were taken, you don't know anything now, is that right?"

"It is," You answer evenly, "But I can tell you this. She never gave up on Matthews. She was sure he was alive out there. And... you're right, about me being tangled up in this. It's obvious Jigsaw goes after people who are getting close to him. I've been tortured already, so I'd turn my gaze toward the other people at the forefront, if you're worried about finding his next target."

"So how were you?" Strahm all but murmurs in your ear, hovering close to your face once again, "Getting close?"

Shit. You really have to mind your words. He's good. A truth here was better than another lie.

"I take it Allison didn't tell you she brought me in as an advisor to the case, at one point? Before I was tested." You reply quietly, "I didn't want to say- to make her look bad. We were all a bit embarrassed by it. Me, her, Rigg, Mark-"

"Why the fuck has no one told me this before now?" You hear Strahm ask in annoyance, his head turning toward Perez, "Kerry brought a civilian into the investigation, and the whole goddamn precinct knew? And no one mentioned it?"

"Because I was brought in as psychic," You reply, still unable to keep yourself from cringing.

There is another long pause of silence.

"Run that by me again," Strahm says, voice tight.

"I told you I'm perceptive. Allison believed-"

"No, no, no-" You feel like you can hear Strahm pushing his palms into his eyes, "You've got to be kidding. Is everyone at this division a complete moron?"

"This is why no one told you. It didn't go anywhere, we didn't get any leads from it. It was a last ditch attempt. But maybe Jigsaw is superstitious. He must have found out somehow. I don't know." Skirting around the truth seemed to be working better than evading his questions outright.

As Kerry had often said, you weren't a good liar. But maybe you were improving.

"Is that how you could tell I was here?" Perez asks, sounding genuinely curious. Strahm lets out a noise of complaint and protest at her question. You nod in response.

"Yeah. I guess," You shrug.

"Great, great. A complete circus, all of this. Christ. I think we're done here." Strahm walks back around to the entrance of the room, his steps tinged with a frustration that echoes off of him in waves. Before he leaves, he turns to you.

"Oh, any predictions you want to tell me before I leave? Like who the killer is?" He asks, like he still can't believe what he's heard.

You say the first thing that comes to your mind.

"Just one bit of advice. Keep a ballpoint pen on you," You say. With another scoff, he leaves, slamming the door to the room behind him with so much force that the room shakes.

---

[4:53PM - Outgoing] We need to talk.

[5:12PM - Incoming] little busy right now

[5:13PM - Outgoing] I spoke to the FBI today. I swear to God, Mark. If you don't talk to me I'll ask for a follow-up interview.

[5:17PM - Incoming] you do that you burn yourself

[5:19PM - Outgoing] My best friend is dead. Fucking try me.

---

Mark calls you. He can't even spare a visit.

"Do I need to be actually worried? Or are you just blowing off steam?" Is the first thing that he says to you when you answer your phone. You immediately get the impression that he's not concerned in the slightest that you might actually report him.

"Did you rig Kerry's test to fail?" You demand to know.

"Answer my question first. Did you mean it when you threatened me?" Mark huffs out a laugh, "Because if you're going to threaten me, you should mean it."

Just like that, all of the fight in you, the anger and the fury and the guilt, is snuffed from you like a candle light. God, you're tired. You've missed his voice.

"What am I supposed to do, Mark? How else can I get your attention?" You hate how much it sounds like you're pleading with him. "You haven't spoken to me in days. You leave me in the dark. My best friend turns up dead. What am I supposed to do?"

He sighs. "I wanted to keep you out of it. Knew you wouldn't like Kerry being tested, and I didn't want you more involved-"

You laugh, strained and almost delirious as you cut him off. "Involved? Mark, up until now you have gleefully drawn me further and further into this chasm. Don't tell me you regret it now."

"Things... are going to get bad over the next few days," He tells you, voice low, "I needed you separate, so that if things go south-"

"Did you rig Kerry's test to fail?" You repeat, voice like stone, "No more secrets, Mark. You want us to be partners. I need to be able to trust you. So this is it. Tell me the truth."

"No," He answers, and you can tell he's holding something back. At your silence, he relents and continues, "But I suspected Amanda would. She's been killing all of her targets."

You let out a shaky exhale. You don't feel angry. You feel empty. Mark continues.

"Kerry was getting closer to the truth. And with those FBI Agents on our trail too... listen. John's going to be dead by the end of the week. Amanda too. I figured these FBI Agents, they'd be able to pin it all on her. Then after she's dead, it's a nice and neat end to the story," You can hear him frown. He sounds tired by it all, too, "But they know about me. They know there's an accomplice. They realized Amanda and John couldn't have strung Kerry up like that alone. I'll need to kill them both, too."

John Kramer had certainly been right about one thing. Without your influence, his empire would crumble under Mark's leadership alone.

In your mind's eye, you see a pile of limbs. Bodies piled high, twisted and broken, jagged pieces of metal jutting from their sides. The pile seems to move, breathing like a beating heart. An amalgam lump of desperate moves. One of the corpses looks at you with empty eyes. It looks like Mark.

"You can't kill every single person that catches your scent, Mark," You tell him incredulously, "You think this will end well for you if you just murder anyone who gets in your way?" You feel exasperated, but its mixed with a kind of relief: that you're talking again, that he's being honest with you. That maybe, you can move forward and get through this. That you can help.

"I can until they stop coming," Mark mutters darkly. A chill runs through you as you realize he's not kidding. He really would kill his way through hoards of people, until the walls closed in around him. Corpse pile, indeed.

"And then what? Mark, come on, think about this. You can't slaughter the entire FBI," He growls in frustration, and you continue, "Run me through the current plan. Let's talk. Two heads are better than one."

And he does. Mark tells you everything about his plan for the next game- John Kramer's final one, it seems. The testing of Jeff Denlon, his wife Lynn, and Rigg, with the two games played simultaneously. Jigsaw's magnum opus, with the dramatic return of Eric Matthews. Mark would be indisposed, cast as an apparent victim through the trial. To swoop in at the last moment, a hero.

"And if Amanda doesn't fail- well, I'll make sure she does. Amanda and John will die. You leave that to me," Mark tells you. You nod, working through the plan again in your mind.

"Okay. Listen, I really think you should hold off on trying to kill the FBI agents. They are not going to die easy, Mark. Fuck, if we just had more time, we could stage this better, to really get them off your trail..."

"You think I can't handle a couple of FBI agents?" He remarks, and you can feel the excitement at the challenge of a rivalry in his tone. You can't exactly fault him for that. Part of you had been a little thrilled during the interrogation earlier, too.

"Fine, give it a shot, then. Have it your way. Don't say I didn't warn you," You sulk. What is the point of being psychic if no one listens to you?

Mark's problem, you think to yourself, is that he doesn't realize how close this all is to the precipice of complete ruin. That he is proud enough to believe he would be able to take up the mantle of Jigsaw alone, once this last game with John Kramer and Amanda is through.

You wonder if he sees you truly as a partner, or as one of his accomplices. Despite his honesty with you, you file that thought away for later- what is it? Just paranoia? Or a problem that will need to be dealt with?

Speaking of problems: Strahm and Perez know that there's an accomplice. Likely a male accomplice, one who could do the heavy lifting.

Until they find one, they won't give up- not the agents, nor the FBI itself, which would undoubtedly send more agents in their stead to pick up where they left off.

Hm. An accomplice of Jigsaw's. You smile to yourself.

Good thing you know about a spare one of those. Who needs to sacrifice a rook, when you could play a knight?

---

A/N- Sorry this took (checks clock) four months to write. I figured it would be better to just stop agonizing about the writing/rewriting and put it out there. Do you guys mind that we're drawing away from the romance, and more toward the MC's journey? Is anyone still reading this? If not, then I'll just do what I want, anyway 😌

TAG LIST: @icarusinstatic @honimello @haven-is-happy @karmaswitch @the-jester-calamity @teamhawkeye @thebrideofcaliban @mjrkime @kaelyn-lobrutto24 @mrs-hotforhoffman @aliengutzstuff @lostbetweenvampiresandmusic

[mx-loar-tev]

So, about that fic idea of time traveller/serial killer JJ...

I'm toying with plot ideas.

1. Who would end up on her kill list?

Hastings, Askari and Doyle are the one that would take priority in S6. There are also the ones that JJ would feel the most justified to kill.

Izzy, the bank robbers and the other guy (forgot his name) in Hit/Run would definitely anger her so much that she could decide to preemptively get rid of them before they attack the bank in Washington. Not only she almost lost Will (the guy got shot and almost blown up twice), her son was taken hostage and she had to violently fight in front of him in their home. Her maternal instincts might push her to kill Izzy at the very least. Especially if she had already murdered three people in cold blood before that.

I'd need to rewatch the show, especially seasons 6 to 8 to see who could be on her kill list, but there's another name that come to mind: Diane Turner, the woman that stalked and killed Maeve. JJ had seen how devastated Spence had been after Meave's death, so of course she would do everything to save her and give them the opportunity to date.

The replicator is also someone that could be on the list. After all he tried to kill them all and succeeded with Strauss. I don't think JJ liked Strauss that much, even after she got sober, but the section chief is still "one of them". She also saw what Strauss' death did on Rossi, and for that only the replicator deserves to be on the list. He might not be her easiest target though.

2. About the cases:

With the amount of cases she worked on for over a decade, I think it would be hard for her to remember and keep track of it all. I'm sure she'd try to use the Intel she remembers to help with the case and save more victims, but the load of work that would come from trying to PREVENT all these crimes from happening is way to much for a single person.

Maybe there's some cases that sticked to her though, maybe she could focus on these ones if she wants to prevent them. But she can't save everyone and I'm sure it'd impact her mood severely to realise that.

I think she has a notebook written in code where she put every nugget of informations she can remember, along with ideas of how to approach each situation.

3. The butterfly effect.

Each time she changes something, kills someone that would have lived in the original time line, it has unpredictable repercussions. After a while, it would be hard to predict for JJ what would happen then. And sure, saving people's life is good. But there's no way to predict if someone else isn't going to hurt the person JJ just saved. Or just create an chain of events that would ends in tears and pain. It think at some point JJ would be overwhelmed by it all.

4. Lying to the team.

We know JJ is a great liar. Probably the best liar in the team. Her teammates failed countless times to see through her lies. But no one is perfect, especially with the amount of lies JJ would need to keep track of. I'm not sure yet how she would react from the worried and/or suspicious stares from her teammates. She'd be in a lot of pressure, that's for sure, so maybe she might slip at some point. And when you're surrounded by profiler, that can be a fatal mistake.

5. Her pregnancy.

If she killed Askari and Hastings before her humvee was blown and she miscarried, she probably would have given birth to that child. Her pregnancy and taking care of a newborn would impact the story and her ability to keep going with her mission.

6. Romance.

Sorry, I needed to put that here.

I'm quite flexible on who I ship JJ with. I'm a die-hard jemily shipper, I'll admit, but I think Will is okay even if he's not perfect.

I don't like writing Will as a bad guy, but that doesn't mean I can't write them breaking up for some reasons (JJ's odd behaviour since she arrived in the past and went on a killing spree might damage her marriage.) So that's a possibility, I guess.

But I also love the idea of polyamory. Though I'm already going that route in the fic I'm currently writing so I might want to try something else.

I could just not focus on a ship. Not every fic needs to be shippy. After all, the main interest of this fic is JJ, her psychology, the way she interacts with everyone in her life. There'd also be a huge chunk focusing on motherhood since she'd be pregnant.

Thinking about it, JJ being aromantic is something I haven't explored yet. That could be fun to write.

I haven't decided what I gonna do in that department yet.

7. How it'll end.

Or more exactly, what tone do I want to give to that story?

I mean, it'll probably be dark. But do I want a happy ending for JJ?

Even if she feels justified, what she does is morally blackish grey. That plus the weight of the lies and the amount of work that double life would require would be enough to burn her out. Once she stepped into the darkness it would be a downward spiral.

On the other hand, I like the idea of girlboss JJ being a successful charitable hitman/vigilante. I want her to have a little Deadpool vibe (sans sexual jokes and 4th wall breaking). I want her to find a confortable place where she's okay with what she's doing, even if it requires unsavoury methods.

Regardless of her state of mind, should the story end badly for her? Would her teammates find out about her? Would they arrest her? Would she escape? Would she be killed?

Or would she thrive in her new side work and remain undetected by her fellow profilers?

Would she stay at the BAU, considering she had become an unsub herself?

Do I want a happy ending? A sad one? A bittersweet one?

Thanks for reading through my musings.

If you have ideas or want to discuss that story, feel free to leave a comment/reblog and comment/send me an ask.

[mjj-nostalgia]

"This Song's For You" || Michael Jackson One-Shot

Imagine you are also a famous singer. You and Michael tried to be together but it didn't work out. One night at an award show, you sing a ballad that is about him. Michael looks on at you with regret.

Back at it again with another one-shot! lol Again, I did not to use gender/appearance defining characteristics but I did write this with a fem!reader in mind. However, as always, (Y/N) can be just about anyone ;)

Also the song (Y/N) sings is In Case by Demi Lovato - I'm not a songwriter so I couldn't think of any lyrics on the spot lol. This is also one of my favorite ballads. I recommend it!

It was 1980. You and Michael were both at your own levels of fame - him perhaps a bit more than you. You were up and coming and quite popular as you had an amazing voice for any ballad. Michael, of course, was a force all his own. He was not quite at his peak yet, but the fans were already chasing him and watching his every move. The two of you had had a budding winter romance toward the end of 1978 into 1979. Everyone thought that perhaps you were finally the one Michael was going to settle down with. All of his older siblings had pretty much all already married and had at least one child so far. Michael was getting old in terms of husband material - except he really wasn’t. Truthfully, both of you being 20 at the time of your relationship was young in the grand scheme of life. The both of you were also young and dumb for different reasons. Michael wasn’t taking your relationship as seriously as you thought he should. And you were a bit bratty and emotional sometimes still, which made the both of you clash. Not to mention the traveling - at this point in history there still wasn’t a great way to contact someone except for a phone call. Even then, you were at the mercy of them being home or near the phone to answer it. All this to say, things simply got to be too much and you broke up with each other. It was a bit of a dramatic spat that ended with you storming out and Michael trying to call you several times over the course of the next couple of weeks. Because of this, Michael recorded ‘She’s Out Of My Life’ for his album Off The Wall, which was released in August 1979. You also released an album near the end of that year, with your own heartbreak anthem on it.

The stage was set. January 1980 at the American Music Awards. You were both nominated and you were also going to be performing your hit song. You sat backstage as you waited for you to be introduced. You were never so nervous. This was the biggest event for you yet and your ex-boyfriend, in which the song you were about to sing was written about, was in the crowd. Talk about pressure! You walked over to the backside of the curtains. The makeup artist touched up your powder and made sure your hair was perfectly quaffed. You thanked them. Then suddenly:

“It’s my pleasure to introduce to the stage - (Y/N)!” The announcer said, pointing his hand toward you enthusiastically. He left the stage.

The lights dimmed. A single spotlight hit the stage where a single microphone stood. Your piano player began playing the ballad. You stepped out of the curtains as they opened and walked into the spotlight. You were wearing a tight black floor length dress adorned with shiny sequins and black gloves. Your jewelry was silver and bulky on your neck and wrists. The spotlight reflected these items and caught everyone’s attention, especially Michael’s. 

“Pictures in my pocket, 

All faded from the washer,

I can barely just make out your face,..” You began to sing. You tried not to scan the crowd for him. But it was no use. Your eyes locked with his as you got to the beginning of the course.

“I know, one day, eventually, 

Yeah, I know,

One day I’ll have to let it all go,...” You sang toward him before you looked away.

Michael looked down. He couldn’t bear to look at you and couldn’t bear to hear the words coming out of your mouth. He tried not to get emotional in front of the entire crowd but it was also no use. 

Then you belted out the next part of the song, using your beautiful and powerful voice to wow the crowd.

“In case, you don’t find what you’re looking for,

In case, you’re missing what you had before,

In case you change your mind, 

I’ll be waiting here in case, you just want to come home…,

In case…,” You sang.

The crowd was in awe. 

Michael looked back up, noticing you were no longer looking at him. He looked incredibly sad and was full of regret. But, the words offered him some sort of hope for reconciliation. 

As you got to the end of the song, you belted out the lyrics with your powerful voice once more.

“In case, you’re looking in that mirror one day,

And miss my arms, how they wrapped around your waist,

I say, you can love me again,

Even if it isn’t the case,” You sang, tears coming to your eyes.

As you finished the song, the crowd erupted with applause and cheers. You walked back from the microphone for a moment before you smiled politely to the room. You put your hands behind your back and bowed. When you stood back up, your eyes met with Michael’s again. He was clapping and smiling softly at you. He was proud of you. You gave him a bit of a nod.

A little while later, you were backstage, drinking some much needed water and chatting with some other younger famous adult women. The award show had ended and Michael was going home with three wins, while you were going home with one. You were having a great time until the ladies you were talking to got quiet and gave each other, and you, a mischievous look.

“What?” You asked. Your back was facing toward the room.

“I think someone’s here to see you,” One of the them said. 

You blinked and turned around. 

Michael was standing shyly with his hands in his pockets. He smiled softly.

“Hey,” He said.

“Hey, you,” You said in return.

The ladies you were chatting with quickly walked away to give the two of you some space. You crossed your arms and smiled softly at him.

“You did amazing out there, you know. You have so much talent, (Y/N). I’m tellin’ ya!” Michael said sincerely, taking a hand out of his pocket and putting it by his side. 

You smiled with a blush and shuffled your feet a bit.

“Thank you, I appreciate that a lot. Congratulations on your wins tonight, too. You deserve them - more than anyone,” You said to him.

Michael blushed.

“Thank you, (Y/N). That means a lot to me, too. Don’t forget you won, too! Congratulations are in order for you, as well,” Michael smiled with a blush.

You chuckled and crossed your arms, giving him a pleasant smile. 

The two of you then gave each other a look of sadness mixed with some sort of hope. Michael looked at the floor for a moment before he bit his lip and looked back up at you.

“Are you going to the after party?” He asked. 

You shook your head with a chuckle.

“Probably not. Those party scenes aren’t really for me…you know that,” You said in a slightly playfully flirty tone. 

Michael nodded with a bigger smile before he nervously scratched the top of his head for a moment.

“I do know that,” He chuckled.

“Would you like to come back to my apartment? Not like that…Just so we can celebrate in a…quieter space,” Michael said almost sheepishly. 

You raised an eyebrow.

“Is anyone else going to be there?” You asked softly.

“...Not if you don’t want there to be,” He replied.

You laughed softly and thought for a moment, pulling your hands in front of your body and holding them together.

“Sure. That sounds really great,” You said, giving him a bit of a playful look.

Michael kept the smile on his face as he raised his hand to gestured toward the exit.

“After you,” He said with a playful look on his face as well.

You and Michael walked out of the venue together and got into his car. The driver drove you back to his place and you stayed nearly the whole night. But, you didn’t want to rush back into anything if there wasn’t actually a chance. You went home but not before telling Michael to call you.

“Don’t be a stranger,” You said, pulling at his collar on his suit jacket.

“I won’t be if you don’t want me to be,” He said sadly.

You looked up at him with wide eyes that were getting wet.

“What if I told you I didn’t want you to be?” You asked softly, peering up at him.

“Then I’ll call you,” Michael smiled longingly. 

You nodded and leaned up, kissing his cheek. He kissed yours back. You gave each other one last look before you walked out of the door. A couple days later, Michael did call you again. And, the rest is history.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Lovely Runner (2024)

Lovely Runner it's undoubtedly one of the best dramas of 2024.

It has all the elements that make a drama a mega hit: comedy, romance, time travel, well written characters (both leads and supporting ones) and an engaging plot line that never bores you. Starring Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok, adapted from the web novel The Best of Tomorrow by screenwriter Lee Shi Eun and directed by Yoon Jong Ho and Kim Tae Yub, the Lovely Runner team achieved a perfect execution in front and behind the camera.

I think the true star of this drama it's the writing and on this I can't commend Lee Si Eun enough. I had already seen her potential in dramas like True Beauty but here she really manages to shine through a well crafted, smart and cohesive story with no loose ends. I'm incredibly impressed by her talent.

The writing was perfectly complemented by the directors's outstanding work in leading a film crew that was on every detail of each part of the story, in each timeline, never missing a beat. Always delivering their A+++ game. But there was also great work done from the directors part in helping the actors get the comedic timing exactly right, the more emotional scenes to deliver and the team work among cast and crew to be flawless.

Lovely Runner might be a big hit now, but it's actually a sleeper hit. The lack of promotion this drama had was embarrassing and if it wasn't for the devoted fans, studio executives would have never realized they had a gem in their hands. So, it's not only a great drama with a super fandom that really fought for this story, it's also becoming yet another prime example in the list of films and tv that achieved all of it by themselves because artists delivered nothing short of excellence.

On this point I can't ignore the incredible performances given by the entire cast. Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok are definitely the standouts, they stole the show, this is their story and the actors chemistry it's electrifying. But the way supportive actors would show up in a scene and push the story forward in a coherent way and even make it better, it's wild to me. The chemistry this cast had it's a rare feat for an ensamble cast and how they managed to transition seamlessly through different phases of their characters's lives and relationships when events, in each timeline, were changing because of the things our leads did they still remain truthful. So, not only the leads are well developed in this drama but also every single character that shows up, no matter how small the role is.

The best example of this it's actor Heo Hyeong-Gyu who has been working for sixteen years, playing very minor characters, finally having a breakthrough in the industry because of his role in this drama. And while his presence was prominent and important to the story, he barely had lines. So his entire performance is mainly based on micro-expressions or physical stunts.

I also fully expect the actors like Song Geon-Hee, Lee Seung-Hyub, Song Ji-Ho or Seo Hye-won to receive a lot of what korean entertainment industry calls "love calls" aka commercials, dramas and films, among other things.

Experiencing watching Lovely Runner alongside the fandom, waiting every week for a new episode, it's a big part of what made this drama so good. Healthy and good loving fun people, clowning, poking fun at our faves and crying at heartbreak. It's been a long time since I have been able to engage in this way with other fans and I am thankful for them, the cast and crew for all these amazing weeks of fun.

Rating: 10/10

[respectthepetty]

I know you've been getting a bunch of asks about your favourite qls, but I'm specifically curious about what your favourite *chaotic* qls are.

Off the top of my head, some chaotic qls I enjoyed were Chains of Heart (THE GLOVE DISCOURSE, THE SUBTITLES, etc) and Big Dragon (asshole4asshole? no. clown4clown), while also enjoying the way that the shows were shot.

@kayatoasted, I'm re-reading this ask to make sure I don't answer it with my favorite *trashy* qls, like Hit Bite Love and Together With Me.

You want *chaotic* and they had to be beautifully shot, so although I love the chaos known as Love Mechanics and Dangerous Romance, both had beautiful shots but weren't consistently beautifully shot.

And I had to have enjoyed not only how it was shot but the show itself, so shows like Vice Versa and Only Friends are out.

No, you want my favorite beautifully shot *chaotic* qls that stayed chaotic which significantly reduces the list, but I can give it to you!

My Favorite Beautifully Shot Chaotic BLs

given in no particular order, and much like this subject, this list is chaos

Dee Hup House - Yes, the entire house

I'm not coming for Director Tee or Cinematography Jim. Their shows are beautiful and more adult. I have loved every single one of them. But the endings . . . ? The endings wobble in Step by Step, Something in My Room, Hidden Agenda, and I Feel You Linger in the Air. Yes, I'm including the last one because Tee & Co seem to pick long ass novels that should be multiple seasons, yet a lot of nothing gets shoved into each over-an-hour-long episode, which causes chaos. Even Lovely Writer, which I love the ending, had a moment with the dad's reveal that didn't have time to get fleshed out. Look at Step by Step. We had an entire baby happen in three episodes when the side couple fizzled. I will watch every show from this company and gush about it, but I know it's going to be beautiful chaos.

Big Dragon - Duh!

I'm not going to defend this show. Y'all already know I love this show. It was beautiful. It was chaotic. It was the moment. Period.

Chains of Heart - It's a given

You mentioned it in your ask with reasons why: It was beauty. It was grace. Then, it kicked us in the face. The plot itself was hard to grasp, but the subs only made it worse! Who was who? Why were there so many Men in Black? How did they all fit into the plot? Why would Din volunteer for an entire face transplant only to reappear, never tell Ken it was actually him, then disappear again?! And yet the cinematography was selling this wonderful vision to me each and every episode. I hated it there, and I need more of it immediately. WHERE IS MY SPECIAL EPISODE?!

Not Me - Think about it

We all need to be very honest with ourselves, and really reflect on the premise of this show. Todd put Black in the hospital, proceeds to call his twin, White, to act as him. White says yes even though he has absolutely no idea about Black's life, but he gets a big ass tattoo and his ass kicked multiple times by Sean (because he can't fight). While that is happening, we have Yok chasing around a rouge artist who is actually a cop named Dan who killed [spoilers] dad and Gram is apparently straight the entire time. Then, Papang is in it. Oh, and let's not forget being held hostage in a black van that protestors beat on until the kidnappers, just, let, them, go. Sure, Jan. And I didn't even mention Sean's leap across buildings! It was a good show. It's in my tops. I love it. The rainbow flag scene is embedded in my heart with the other beautifully shot protest scenes. But it was chaos! Let's hold space for that truth.

609 Bedtime Story - Messed up TWICE!

I enjoyed this show until I didn't, and that was when we got TWO endings, yet neither made sense. The colors in the show were immaculate. The plot though? Chaos. One character was traveling back in time and the other was traveling forward, but they weren't even in the same dimension. Then, the sister could not take a fucking hint and ruined the central love story by being a dramatic heterosexual. The point of the time travel was useless because one of the characters still died, but it didn't matter since that character was still alive in the other dimension and . . . MAKE IT MAKE SENSE, MARY!

Cupid's Last Wish - It was the mom for me!

EarthMix have gotten Director Aof twice, so maybe this is why this series, which isn't Aof, feels like chaos. It has such amazingly gorgeous outdoor shots, that I wonder if Thailand's Ministry of Tourism sponsored some part of this show. The series is a great advertisement for Thailand's beautiful landscape and cuisine, but then we have that plot. Body-swapping isn't the issue, at least not for me. The issue is the timeline. For a man who wanted to get out of his sister's body as quickly as possible, Win was doing the most to hold up the process. Oh, AND THE DAMN MOTHER! She was the true villain of the show, which got glossed over in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. I'll never get over that reveal even though the show wanted me to by the next scene. She really did that shit and kept it a whole ass secret until the very last damn moment. *looks into the distance at a baby cow* AHHHHHHH!

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner - In short

I'm going to quit picking on Thailand for two seconds to pick on Korea instead. Like all the others on this list, I like this show, and I've actually rewatched it a few times because I think it's pretty and it's so short. But there lies the problem - It's too short. The math was not mathing and the plot was not plotting. It skipped over information that was pivotal to the story. I still have no idea what that idol business was really about. From what the kind folks of Tumblr gathered, the idol was apparently supposed to get the guy in their past lives, but the other guy stole him and that's why he was crazy. How hard would that have been to explain to the audience? I did it in less than a sentence, but apparently the show spent its budget on lighting and not screenwriting or editing.

#1 - Mood Indigo - A masterpiece!

I wrote that these weren't ranked, yet here is number one in "My Favorite Beautifully Shot Chaotic BLs" list. The other shows on this list are child's play in comparison to the second installment that serves as the prequel in The Pornographer/The Novelist series. Regardless if it's a BL or not, leave it to Japan to offer me this deliciously beautiful chaos. Unlike all the other shows, the plot of this show is not what makes it chaotic, but . . . it is. It's not chaotic in the sense that it's disorganized or doesn't make sense. It makes perfect sense, and that's why it is chaos. It's supposed to be.

One character is depressed and has no fucks to give, so if something stirs an emotion in him, he does it without question (including giving the other character a bj in front of the older man who demanded it for another novel). Then, we have the other character who should be the more logical of the two, but somehow he is worse. I. Love. It. Everything that happens in this series makes everything we saw in the first season click into place including why these two toxic assholes are 1) toxic, 2) assholes, and 3) STILL FRIENDS!

God, they're awful.

I love them.

[quokkaholic]

Playlist🖤 h.j

Hi all! This is my first time posting a fanfic, so if you read this please give me some grace :) I am definitely open to suggestions especially when it comes to the title

Warnings: Cussing, drinking (I’ll update the warning list as I go, please let me know if I missed anything or)

Synopsis: This is a Han Jisung fic. It will be about a fmc who is in graduate school for library science and is working at her local library. It will probably be y/n bc, let’s be real, we all self insert no matter what the character is named. That being said, I will be writing her as a 23-24 (haven’t decided a birthday but she was born in 2000) y/o , midsize, slightly alternative looking (short hair, piercings, tattoos), well traveled, woman who lives in the southern United States. She meets Han (idol) at a bar on her biennial solo vacation. They hit it off massively (of course) and primarily bond over their shared interest in each other’s culture and love for music. There will be mature/sexual content eventually. I do plan to add Lee know to the relationship later on so it’s kinda a throuple situation with very light mm. Also, side note, I’m aware that Han is not fluent in English. In a perfect world I’d be able to write a language barrier romance without it being offensive, but I am not confident in my ability to do that. So this is an au where Han is knows English fluently. I might incorporate him not knowing more obscure words that’s aren’t necessary for effective communication but idk.

Chapter 1

Busan Blonde

———————-

The Busan sun is beating down on your sandy blanket making you especially grateful for the umbrella you begrudgingly decided to rent. You're dedicated not to wasting a single moment of your two weeks here in South Korea after saving up for it for the past two years, but, on vacation, lounging on the beach is no waste of time. Even after saving for the past two years, you still have to eat at convenient stores and stay at hostels more than you'd like; part-time work at the library doesn’t pay much, but you knew that and still decided to go back to school to study library science. Despite those skimpy funds, you have found a way to vacation out of the country every other year since you turned 18, and this year South Korea was your destination.

You're already on  your fifth day here. The first day was just shopping, shoving your face with authentic food, and trying to adjust to the 15 hour time change. The last four days were a whirlwind in Busan, where you landed.  you have been a constant speed run of temples, Culture villages, and museums. Luckily yesterday on your fourth evening in Busan, a friendly group of Spanish travelers came to the hostel and invited you to Haeundae beach with them for some actual relaxation. You have really enjoyed spending time with other travelers and hearing about their home countries and other vacations as well as sharing  your own. They are a few years younger than you, but you have experienced first hand that age shouldn’t come between friendships. You have met many retirees traveling the world, and some  you even still keep contact with today. That being said, the more time you spend with them the more apparent it becomes that while age shouldn’t be an issue, maturity can be. You debate on declining their offer retroactively, but fuck wouldn’t that just make it awkward as hell. The beach will be nice no matter what, beaches are always nice! You all meet up for a surprisingly docile breakfast, but as soon as you all arrive at the water, your gut feelings prove to be correct. Unfortunately their niceness cannot overcome the maturity gap between you. As friendly as they are, the group has become a bit too… rowdy. Kicking sand, shooting water guns,  you had to draw the line when a pair of them started crossing the boundary between second and third base just right there next to you. The lady sitting next to you who you  learned last night is named Gloria gave you an apologetic look when you whispered to her that you were going to have to go ahead and move somewhere else, but you got her socials before finding a more peaceful spot out of earshot. While you were right about the group’s lack of tact, you were also right about beaches always being great. The rest of the afternoon was spent alternating between reading in the sand and wading in the waves, after a short rest, you headed back to the hostel to wash up and grab  your bag and head to the train station to head to Seoul.

The train ride was pleasant with stunning views as the sun set. It was only two hours and some change; you only brought two books with you to save valuable carry on space, so in order to have something to read on the flight home you decided to listen to music instead. You’ve already started working on your Korean memories playlist: a playlist of songs you have been listening to while here, songs you have heard here, and songs that just remind you of your time here for one reason or another. It'll take a while until it’s fine tuned; You’ll be listening, adding, removing, and listening again for at least a few weeks.

Upon arriving in Seoul, you’re goddamned starving. You stop at a small shop with a picture of rabboki in the window. That was enough to draw you in. There’s a few customers in here as well despite it being past ten at night. You embarrassingly stumble your way through ordering. Even though you are not anywhere near proficient in even the most basic Korean, you always attempt to speak the native language of the countries you visit out of respect. The food was exactly what you needed: warm, comforting, and the extra cheese you were recommended was definitely the right decision you thought at least until your almost inevitable tummy ache later.

Arriving at your hostel, you can't help but be slightly disappointed in the quality. To be fair, you thought you had hit the jackpot with these accommodations, but unfortunately the pictures online don’t really line up with what you are seeing. You find your bank and quickly prepare for sleep in the shared bathroom then lay in bed.  You tell yourself it’s okay, this hostel is just a place to sleep and bathe. Just when you are about to drift off to sleep, You’re yanked back to consciousness by the grating sound of your bunkmate snoring

————————————————————

A.n lol we’ll meet Han next chapter I promise 💕

-mo

Next

[spiderboi-parker]

hey im officially working on a 'family tree' of sorts for every blog involved in this rp group so would you mind telling me who your characters are connected to and where theyre living with tags so I can keep everything organized? Connection list is: Parent/child Grandparent/grandchild Great grandparent/great grandchild Siblings Dating Married/engaged pibling/nibling (gender neutral terms for aunt/uncle and niece/nephew)

(repeating this for all the blogs you run would be appreciated)

if you have any questions just ask!

(apologies if this has been sent multiple times. if youve already answered i likely lost the information due to disorganization that i'm currently dealing with)

@thedcrpfamilytree

[OOC: Lol it's fine, this gives me a chance to say LOREEEEEEE]

[OOC edit: Okay so I wasn't very clear, I'm friends/found family with all the rp blogs I'm involved with! Also sorry I didn't tag you- @thedcrpfamilytree ]

[Other OOC edit: Forgot to mention, these brackets mean me, the author/account runner, is speaking. I can be interacted with like the fourth wall!]

This is Peter Benjamin Parker. I'm the one and only Spider-Man. Well, of my universes.

I originate from Earth-616, the "Sacred Timeline". This is where all other universes in my multiverse stem from. I'm the kid of the Avengers, 14 years old (28, depending on the blog I'm talking to! Interactions with adult romance interests mean I'm 28!), and I travel the multiverse! I'm Tony Stark's son figure and protégé, but I work with the Batfamily as well. Here's where things get tricky. I don't have a Batfamily in my universe- I go to other universes. Depending on the universe, my relationship with any Batfamily member will be different. [OOC: The Avengers are like his family, Tony being the dad, Natasha being the mom, and the rest being aunts and uncles. Yes, that includes Wanda.]

I have a lot of adventures, and a lot of different friends and family! Giving the phone to older me lol

Hi, this is Peter. Blah blah blah, yeah I'm Spider-Man, hi. There's a lot of different versions of me that are 28, like myself, that have different universes. There's only one small us. Be nice to him. I'm Earth-616 Peter, I'm single and work full time as an Avenger.

I'm Peter, also from Earth-616, but another timeline. I'm dating Wade Wilson (DEADPOOL) and work full-time as Spider-Man. Repeating what the Peter above me said, be nice to little us!

Hey, another Peter, another Earth-616 timeline. I'm Spider-Man and dating Johnny Storm. Be nice to little us. [BRO FORGOT TO SAY HE'S NOT A FANTASTIC FOUR MEMBER💀]

Hey! I'm Peter, don't know my Earth number, but I live in Gotham and work with the Batfamily! I'm not dating anyone. (Peter dating Wade here, he forgot to mention he's Spider-Man. Lol)

Another Peter in Gotham, also Spider-Man, I'm a part of the Batfamily, and Tim and Duke are my best friends! (Adult Peter who's not dating anyone, he forgot to say that he's 16. He originated in Earth-616, but he's in the Dark Matter timeline. [OOC: Minus the murder.]) (Shut up, [REDACTED]) [OOC: Nuh uh. Also I don't role-play as him yet, if you want to hit me up!] (Stop advertising your blog) [No I want friends]

I'm Peter Benjamin Parker, aka Spider-Man. I live in Metropolis and I'm friends with Clark Kent and the Batfamily. Hey guys! [OOC: Also another yet to be role-played character. He's 28, very polite, and always lived in Metropolis. He's single. I forgot to mention, please interact with my main Peter {14, Earth-616} the most! And clarify what Peter you're role-playing with OOC before you make your post so I know what to use! Always willing to make a new AU! NO STARKER, EVER. I'VE BLOCKED ALL ACCOUNTS OF IT IVE SEEN ON MY FYP. DNI IF YOU SHIP THAT, YOU DISGUST ME. *Throat clearing* Alright, now that that's done, bye guys! Say bye Peters!]

Bye guys!

Bye!

Bye everyone!

See ya!

See you later!

See you all soon!

Goodbye everyone! Have a good day!

[seventeenplug]

Christmas Party (Joshua X Reader)

Pairing: non idol Joshua X AFAB reader (reader has breasts and a vagina)

Genre: fluff and a little perverted in the middle

Warning: a few curse words, mentions of Alcohol and crowds.

Summary: Every year, there was a competition at Joshua's work company. Whoever brings a girlfriend and is the best couple of the night earns a fully paid for trip to their dream destination. Joshua has been wanting to get the prize for over 5 years now. And tonight, he'll try again. With his secret weapon. You.

Word Count: 4.4K

The genre of the party was  always romance. Every year there was a competition about the best couple in the party. This year was no different from the others.The competition began around 5 years ago when the company's CEO, Choi Seungcheol decided to bring his girlfriend as his plus one, the same day the vice president, Lee Jihoon also brought his and as a joke Yoon Jeonghan, Seungcheol's best friend and the business manager suggested to make it a competition worth of a trip to anywhere in the world as vacation.

You weren't all too excited, but you had to admit that your immediate superior, Hong Joshua was. He kept talking about ways to win the prize, despite the fact that for the last 5 years he'd been single each time the competition occured.

"With no offense, Mr.Hong-"

"Joshua" he interrupts you, you roll your eyes with a sigh.

"We're at work, I'm not calling you that. Anyway, Mr.Hong" you make sure to stop at his name to annoy him further.

"You've been saying that for a few years now, and yet you never have a girlfriend, so how do you plan on winning the competition?" You ask confused, he looks at you, a hand rubbing his chin as he thinks.

"Do you have anything planned that day?" he questions, to which you shake your head, a sly smirk makes his way to his face and you eye him as if he was a mad man, a sudden flood of worry hitting you like rocks.

"NO!" You immediately speaks, his smile drops and he sits straight into his chair.

"But I haven't even said anything!" He argues, you uncross your arms, pointing a finger in his direction, which he takes to full ofense, mouth opening in a gasp.

"Don't even think about it" You repeat, making your way out of his office, ignoring his calls for you and making your way to the rest area.

"I can't believe you actually convinced me to attend that stupid party" you grumble, bags of clothes in your arms as you walk besides Joshua who had a heap of bags in his own arms aswell.

The party was happening in less than a week, and it took him buying you food for the whole time and the promise to travel where you wanted to go, a promise to buy everything you wanted to eat there as well for you to agree.

And now, you're both out shopping, compensation for agreeing to it all.

You had gotten a few outfits for the possible vacation and then also a red gown to wear to the party, Joshua telling you all about the other's preferences and how red would be the color that would stand out the most and look best on you, so you followed his advice.

He did drop you off, soft music playing on the background as he drove, the conversation was short, you were mostly still confused on why you had agreed to fake date him, especially after all the heartache you had to go through whenever he told you about his crushes, or dates when the only one you had ever crushed on was him...

"It's in 4 days, so when friday comes, I'll pick you up at 5pm so that we can get there  on time, alright?" you nod as a reply, a tight lipped smile on your face. He nods back, a smile of his own to you. You exit the car and he like always, waits for you to unlock your front door before waving and driving off, leaving you to your own thoughts until friday came.

And it came rather fast.

"Shua, can you help me with the dress?" you laughed, hands stretched behind your back as you tried to make sense of how you were supposed to tie the fabric around your back.

It was finally the day of the dinner and you were now struggling with the strings of the dress that the two of you had decided on.

You could hear his laugh all the way from downstairs, making you huff, eyes on the mirror that reflected your bedroom door, Joshua walking into the frame just a few seconds after with a smile.

"You called?" He spoke, lips tucked inside his mouth as he tried his best not to laugh at your hands that fondled with the dress.

"Yes, can you try and tie this like it's supposed to? I can't do it" you huff once more, turning around, eyes settling on Joshua who leaned his side to the door frame, arms crossed over his chest with a raised eyebrow.

"Pretty please?" you ask, extending your arms that held the pieces of the dress out to him, with his signature smile, he strode to you, arms open and grabbing at the pieces by your sides, hands dragging by your waist line, his sweet fragrance overpowering your senses as he tied the strings behind your hand, hands releasing the fabric in between your fingers, his hand slightly grabbing at your waist, your eyes meeting eachother's in the mirror.

His tall frame behind you."Are you nervous about today?" he wonders, pulling slight away to look at you.

"A little... It's not everyday that you fake date your best friend for a trip" you let out a soft laugh, him nodding understandingly.

"It'll be fine. They've all said that they loved hanging out with you. You've hung out with them hundreds of times over the past 5 years, I promise it'll be okay" he assured you.

"I know that, but I've never had to lie to them and tell them that we're dating. They were always aware that we were just friends" you sigh, face turning slightly to the side, a chance for Joshua to nestle his face deeper into your neck, a blush surfacing from your neck to your face.

"About that, we'll actually be telling them that we are engaged" he monotonously spoke, unconsciously you nod, words seeping in until you pull away from his grasp, and turned around to look at him, shocked was an emotion too small to what you actually felt, eyes widening as you looked at him looking back at you confused.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"What do you mean, what's wrong?! You just said we had to be engaged!" You almost screech pushing at his shoulder.

"Y/N, calm down. It'll be fine!" His hands rest on your shoulders as he reassures you, but you're not taking it well.

This could be the dream for many, but not you. This was your workplace. You worked there. Those were your superiors and bosses. Although they were friends of Joshua's, they were not yours, despite the multiple interactions and gatherings you had attended. The last thing you wanted to do was play with fire and lose your job.

"Shua, this is not -"

"What we planned, I know. But we really have to win the prize." he interjected, eyebrows knit together as he looked at you for approval, to know you agreed to it. But you were still on edge.

"Why do you even care so much about the price?" you ask, arms slapping on your legs as you lowered them.

"There's someone I want to take there" he admits, eyes never leaving yours. But blame it on yourself, because you end up taking a step back from him, arms falling from your shoulders as he looks at you at loss.

A troubled look in his eyes as he stares at yours that stare back at him in hurt.

You were both mistaken.

Joshua swallows the dryness in his throat, nodding, mostly to himself as he steps back towards the door.

"I'll let you finish getting ready. I'll be downstairs waiting" he mumbles a little disorientated, taking long strides to exit the room.

You fan your face, tears threatening to spill and ruin your makeup. Your turn back to the mirror, your eyes shined with tears, nose turning redder than the blush you had on.

"breathe..." you remind yourself, gulping the tears back and touching back your makeup and grabbing your jacket, finally making your way down where Joshua awaited you.

His back to the stairs as his eyes overlooked the sun shining the city in various tones of pink and orange.

"Josh..." you called out, voice shaking slightly.

He turns to you, a small smile in his face as he looked at you, although it didn't reach his eyes.

"Let's go" he says, cutting the awkward silence that settled into your living room.

Despite the awkwardness, he made sure to still open the car door for you, a hand at the top in case you bumped into it. Getting into his own side and waiting for you to settle in and buckle your seat belt before starting the car and driving you to the dinner place.

"What should we say when they ask about when we started dating?" you ask, voice raising slightly from when you stood in the living room.

"Let's just say we started dating after Vernon's birthday party" he shrugged, eyes still on the road ahead.

"Why his birthday?" you scrunch your face confused.

"Because... he flirted with you that day" he almost whispered, the tip of ears blush and he relieves it by looking out the window as if looking through the side mirror, as if he weren't driving in an empty road.

You blush, looking at your own hands laying in your lap.

"And engaged?" you continue.

"Your birthday" he replies, a shy smile tugging at his lips.

"Ri... Oh my god! Joshua!" You yell, grabbing at his shoulder in a panic.

"What?! What's wrong?!" the car comes to a full stop at the side of the road and he immediately looks at you in panic.

"What is it?" He asks again, grabbing the hand you placed on his shoulder.

"Ring... We don't have rings" you said, lifting your left hand. He exhales, a soft laugh leaving his parted lips as he looks at the glove compartiment.

"I wanted to do it in a more sweet way, but since you're so eager" he begins to explain, chest out in pride as he opens the glove compartment and takes out a squared box.

As if deja Vu, your eyes follow the movement of this man's hands as he opens the box, a pair of rings shining brightly inside.

"Your hand, darling" he joked, the sad mood quickly replaced by the playfull one, his palm extended and you laughed, placing your hand on top of his.

And in a split second he lifted your hand, placing the ring with the small diamond on your finger before he lifted his own hand in front of your face.

You get his own ring, a smile plastered on your face as you put it on his own finger.

"What a beauty ring, Sir. Who gave it to you?" you play around.

"The woman I'm planning on marrying soon. A beautiful and smart woman" he says, eyes shining brightly, not once leaving your own.

How could you not know what he meant...

"Well, ready to departure? We're going to be late now" he joked.

"Fashionably late" you hit his shoulder playfully.

The two of you did get there with a little tardiness, but nothing too big, getting out the car he helps you with the walk over the stones until you're both on the platform to the party building, surrounded by a pound and grass.

The sunset falling as the moon rose high up in the sky.

Music heard even from the outside, although not crazy loud.

Joshua laced your hand around his arm a gentle smile shining on his features as he leaned over your ear.

"Just act as usual and we'll be fine" he assured, a small hit of his nose on your jaw.

Entering the party, a few eyes went to you, but the funny thing was how they would look, turn away and then turn back to look at you in shock. The relationship was in fact something that no one had seen coming, especially after the fact that the two of you had been friends for close to a decade.

Joshua and you walked to, of course, the only reason of your attendance. The food court.

Ordering a few snacks before the dinner, Joshua kept you company, rarely even edulging in the chats about the latest horror movies or the latest book of his favorite author, author his ears were open whenever he heard of those topics.

You were truly okay with being left alone, especially since you could see Yurim, your friend, coworker and the girlfriend of Seokmin glaring at you, likely because you hadn't told her a single thing about you and Joshua despite your close friendship.

"Hey, Josh" you call out to the male besides you, he looks at you in a split second, tongue lapping his lips as he drank the champagne.

"Go be with your friends, I have to see Yurim anyway, look at her. She looks ready to kill me" you laugh, his eyes lock onto your friends at the end of the dinning area, a laugh as he turns to you, eyes closing into small moons, removing his arm from behind your back and nodding for you to go ahead.

As soon as Joshua leaves to go to his own friends who, just like yours were shooting daggers at him, you headed to Yurim who pulled you faster to her by the arm.

"Easy you little beast" you laughed, but her mood stayed the same.

"When did that happen?!" she asked you, eyebrows furrowing as she looked at Joshua who was across the room.

"After Vernon's birthday party" you answered like planned, you smile looking down. But your head quickly lifts once you listen to her dramatic gasp.

"And you never told me?!" She almost screams.

"Rim!" You try to shush her with a hand on her mouth, attention all on you, and although it was almost dispersed it was even more drawn in to you when she yelled in shock.

"What is that ring!!" she lifts your hand to her face, eyeing at the diamond in the middle.

By now, even if you wanted to not follow the storyline that the two of you had made in the car, you just had no other choice as everyone was now gossiping about the ring.

"I-... you know" you replied shyly taking your hand from her grip.

"Y/N!" She smiles, jumping around as she pulls your hand once more to her face.

You feel a hand circle around your waist, immediately turning to the side, thankful to see Joshua's soft comforting smile.

"Just follow me" he whispers in your ear, heat once more flushing to your face.

Joshua lifts his champagne cup to everyone, all eyes on him awaiting whatever he was going to say.

"Ladies and gentleman. Thank you very much for attending the party, I can say that this year is a very special one because after many years wanting nothing more than to have this beautiful and wonderful woman by my side. I am blessed to announce to everyone that we are not only a couple. But that we are getting married" he reveals.

His hand grabs yours, fingers interwining as he lifts them up for everyone to see.

You once more look down, maybe in your head he actually means you.

In his heart though, it had always been you. Through everything.

There is a wave of applause and congratulations which seems to lift your mood slightly, especially when Joshua's hand returns to your waist, finger lifting your chin as he watches your every emotion nodding at you comfortingly.

"It's out" he smiles.

"It's out" you repeat, releasing a breath you didn't know that you had been holding in.

The night carries on, a lot of investors approach the two of you, congratulating you two and wishing you happiness. His own friends question the whole situation, most of them already with smirks as they were sure that it would happen one day or another. During the dinner, Joshua had sat besides you, on your right, and although nobody could see it, his hand was under the table and laced with yours.

His thumb making random patterns on your hand as the two of your ate, that is, until Joshua decided to adventure out, hand slipping out of yours and resting on your leg, you almost chocked when it happened, but nonetheless, you liked it.

His hand was right under the slit of your red dress and resting directly on your leg. You turned to look at him, he was calmly talking to Jeonghan, and although you liked his touch, you couldn't help but feel the heat in his hand seep into your leg as he continued to grip your leg at times before smoothing in out with his continuous rubbing.

"Shua" you called him just above a whisper, his head turning to look at you curious.

"Is something wrong? Do you not like the food?" he asks you, eyes assessing your plate that had barely been touched.

"No, your hand is just distracting me" you whisper, biting your lip.

His eyes snap down to your lips, hand tightening once more against your leg, your mouth forming an 'o' causing him to smirk at you.

"Keep that up and I might just have to excuse us earlier" he whispered into your ear, lips puckering to once again kiss your jaw, returning to his conversation with Jeonghan as if nothing had happened, leaving you dumbfounded staring at the back of his neck.

You were the dumb one not understanding when he kept insinuating that you were the woman he wanted to take on the trip.

You ate rather quickly after that, your hands lowering down to your lap to play with his fingers, but mostly the ring that you had earlier slipped into his ring finger.

The flustered one was now Joshua, that often looked at you and then to your lap, a smile playing at his lips as he watched you continue with your own conversations as you played with his ring.

Right after dinner ended, everyone dispersed once again to the dance floor, the songs changed, most of them being slow ones and you stayed behind with Joshua overwatching the amount of couples present in this year's event.

"There's a lot of competition this year" you point out, he hums agreeing, eyes not staying away from you for long.

"I still feel like we will win, though" he smiles, you look up at him awaiting his answer.

"Not a single couple here is engaged, like we are" he smirks, you laugh along.

On the other side of the dance floor, you watched as Seungcheol called over Joshua, a smile on his face and with a quick excuse, Joshua left your side promising to come back once he was done chatting.

You watched the friends talk, a smile on your own face, completely unaware that behind you was the man that supposedly made Joshua porpose. Vernon.

Sneaking a hand along your waist and whispering the word "Boo" in your ear, which, although you hated to admit it. Did scare you.

"You scared me, dickhead" you laughed, Vernon following along as he placed himself in front of you covering Joshua's frame.

"You get scared super easy, Y/n, it's not my fault" he laughed as he spoke.

"I heard the news, you're welcome" he smiles, rolling his shoulders proudly.

"What for?" you ask, crossing your arms over your chest.

"He said he asked you out after my birthday. I played a part" he puckered his lips to which you laugh.

"You're right then. Thank you" you pat his shoulder.

Unknown to you was the sudden mood change in Joshua as he glared at his younger friends back whom you patted.

"Ya... You'll drill a hole through his back, relax" Hoshi tried to calm the older, something that did not work as Joshua began to make his way to the two of you, a scowl on his face.

"Joshua's coming. He doesn't look happy" Yurim tapped you on the shoulder, both you and Hansol turn, just as Joshua near the two of you, his hand grabbing yours and pulling you to his side.

"Jealous much?" Vernon teased the older male, earning a glare as a response.

"Shua, we're friends" you tried to call him but he simply kept the scowl ushering Vernon to go check on Chan who was at the side by the drinks.

With a chuckle and wink, just to piss him off even further Vernon bids his goodbye's and Yurim follows suit to go find Seokmin again leaving you and Joshua alone once more.

"Why are you so jealous?" you ask with a small smile, he turns to you, a small pout evident in his features as he looks down at you.

"I just don't like how he always flirts with you" he replied. You pat his shoulder like you had done to Vernon just a few minutes ago, his shoulders lowering back into a calm state as he settles in your side.

The two of you simply listened in, until your personal favorite song "fast pace" came on, and as if already written in a book, Joshua extends his hand, already knowing that this was that one song you could never skip dancing and so the two of you made your way to the dance floor.

Both quietly singing the song to each other as you danced with one another, your hands around his neck as he had his arm around your waist, the other carrying your glass of champagne, making him just a thousand times hotter.

He twirls you before the bridge of the song, your favorite part, bringing you closer to his chest as he mutters the words in your ear "24/7", the heat rose between the two of you.

You weren't even sure if he meant it or if it was all for that trip but you didn't care at this point, and if anything were to happen you could just blame it on the champagne.

The two swayed, bodies stuck one each other until the song ended and when it did the music just stopped overall as the ceremony began.

Seungcheol stepped up with Lee Jihoon and Kwon Soonyoung, the leaders of the different sectors of the company, although Jihoon and Soonyoung were simply the presidents whilst Seungcheol was the owner of it all.

"I'm not going to give a huge speech, because just like everyone else in the room, I'm more interested in who is winning the trip. So, without further ado. Jihoon please announce our candidats for this year's competition" he quickly steps back as Jihoon hops to the front, the drink already beginning to have its effect on the light drinker.

"You're all so pretty. So good together. I love you. Here are the 4 nominees" he announces pulling a card from the back pocket of his dress pants.

"Seokmin from accountability and Yurim from the legal team. Yunho from the business board and Na Ri leader of the Communications and PR team. Joshua from the Global embassy unit and Y/n his assistant and also in charge of communication. And finally, Daniel from Marketing with Yuna from the Creative team" he calls to everyone who steps forward, closer to the stage.

"I'm so sad that only 1 couple can win" he began to sniffle, everyone in the room started to laugh as Mingyu stood onto the stage bringing the man down as he began to choke on his own tears, Jeonghan stepping up to replace him.

"Moving on" he began.

"The winner is!" he drums on the podium.

Joshua's hand engulfs your smaller one, his left arm around your waist as the two of you wait for the announcement.

"Joshua and Y/n!" He calls onto the microphone.

The two of you are in a state of shock as a wave of congratulations form once again, this time, congratulating you on the free trip.

As if finally aware that the two of you had won, as he wanted to, you turn to eachother with smiles on your faces, he lifts you up, lowering you down and kissing you on the lips which leaves you in shock.

Eyes open for a few seconds before they close and you kiss him back, breaking back after a few seconds.

And although both of you smiled, you knew this was just something else that the two of you had to talk about.

After accepting the prize and thanking everyone you two stepped outside, stopping near the pond and sitting on a bench watching over the fish, the light from the moon reflecting the water.

"We should probably, talk about it, right?" he laughs nervously, you turn to him.

Watching as he tries to avoid your eyes, although he too turns to look at you.

"I like you" you finally admit.

"Why are you saying it first?" He stood up, eyebrows furrowing as he looked at you, meanwhile you just stared back like you had seen a ghost.

"What?" You asked, not fully trusting your ears just yet.

"I wanted to confess to you tonight if we won. I was gonna say it first" he whined throwing his head back.

"I thought you liked someone else" you pointed out, also standing up and standing in front of him, his eyes searching yours.

"Who else would I like?" He sarcastically said.

"I confessed first because I thought you did" you shrug.

"Well, I liked you first. So it doesn't matter" he shrugs back with a proud look in his face.

"No you didn't"

"I so did" he fought back.

"I've liked you for 5 years now" you stuck your tongue.

"I liked you after one week" he smiles, pecking your lips, leaving you once more in shock. Hand reaching up to your lips.

"You can't keep kissing me! This is inappropriate Mr.Hong" you tease, but he kisses you once more.

"Joshua" he mutters taking your lips in his once more.

His face turning slightly to the side so that he could deepen the kiss, the two of you laughing in between.

It was not perfect, but nor did it need to be.

You were both happy and finally together, although it took a silly competition to make it official.

And now, you have a fully paid trip to the place you wanted to go to the most.

Joshua's hometown.

˜˜˜ The end :)

Posted the 29th January 2023

[callmewrinkles3]

Would you write "Will you dream of me?" but like an early stage of their relationship? 🥺

Em had no idea that it was possible to miss someone like this. Especially after spending only three hours together three months ago. But she really missed Dan.

She probably wouldn’t have missed him this way if they’d just seen each other then and kept going with their lives, but they were in constant communication. Texting and calling every day, even FaceTiming each other at least FaceTiming once a week. It was killing her slowly. She knew there was no chance of anything happening, that he travelled too much. Em should probably stay away from him before she got hurt but she couldn’t help it.

Waking up with a text from Dimples had her smiling the whole day, the same way she adored going to bed with his goodnight text. He was the first person she communicated with in the morning and the last person at night.

The main problem was the timezone differences. She was still in England and he was in Perth, the eight hour difference sucked. Her late nights were his early mornings and they couldn’t talk as much as they wanted to. There were texts whenever they could, random calls when they had time. There was a weird FaceTime every two weeks or so. It was enough to make her miss him even more.

It didn’t help when Dan joked around with her, saying it wasn’t fair that they’d spent so much more time looking at each other through screens than in person. He was right and she hated it. She hated the crush that was growing stronger every time she talked to him even more than she hated that they wouldn’t see him for weeks until he was back in town. If they even could make time to see each other again.

Dan promised they’d see each other in person again soon, but Em didn’t want to raise her hopes any higher. She knew better than to get into another relationship or get involved in anything to do with romance. It never worked for her. She didn’t want to date anyone, too used to her little bubble where she worked and stayed home and nobody could make her feel anything.

But she still wanted to see Dan’s big brown eyes and bright smile one more time. Just once more in person before he was like everyone else and walked out of her life. Somehow she just knew that this time it would hurt a lot more than when she walked in on Greg and Millie on the couch.

As she was curling up in bed to try fall asleep, an episode of Criminal Minds on her tablet to try stop her thinking about the gorgeous Australian taking up her brain, her phone buzzed. It was another text from Dimples, probably the response to her Goodnight/Good morning text. She always sent it as she got into bed around half ten, knowing at half six Dan would be getting up soon in the morning. The last thing she expected to see was something as sweet as the text he sent.

"If I send you a photo will you dream of me?"

She started grinning like a teenage girl whose crush had paid attention to her. She wanted to say yes and admit that she’d had more than one dream about him. She wanted to say no and stop replying to him while trying to forget about how cute he was. She wanted to hit the FaceTime button and start rambling about why everything was a really bad idea.

But instead she decided to send a single word to see if it would make Dan smile as much as she did.

"Maybe"

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE. You can friend me on Goodreads here.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

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345. XOXO by Axie Oh--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some of my friends had read XOXO a few years ago and had really enjoyed it, so I was both excited and wary when I started this one. I went in completely blind and I was pleasantly surprised by all of the tropes--moving to a wholly new place for school? Meeting a Kpop Idol that is otherwise unavailable, but somehow still falls for the MC? Befriending the unfriendly girl who is secretly a cinnamon roll?

Yes, please, and thank you!

And not only did those tropes exist, but of course our MC meets the guy who ghosted her in this random arts school. It was just so much fun seeing these two fall for each other, while also navigating the difficult world of Kpop idols and romance. It genuinely felt like a K-Drama in a book and gave me those same fun butterflies I get when I know I'm going to enjoy whatever I'm about to watch/read.

I was heavily reminded of how much I am NOT a young adult anymore by some of the choices the MC makes as the book progresses--like prioritizing the boy over her own needs, which I know is a good lesson for teens nowadays to not do this, but as an adult with hindsight, I can see how easy it can be to fall into a relationship and situation like this.

But this book was more than its romance. XOXO had some great friendships and explored a very complicated generational relationship in the MC's family. Her mom was a single mother who is a workaholic trying to give her daughter everything she needs, but is also a woman trying to escape the grief that plagues her. And even though she has her reasons for staying away, the MC's mom returns to South Korea to take care of her estranged mother (and I LOVED seeing that relationship between the grandmother and the MC). The relationship between the two was an interesting parallel to that of the MC and her mother because they also have a relationship heavy with miscommunication and distance.

There is also a highlighting of identity and what it means to belong to two different worlds, but still identify with both--even if you're still learning about one half of you.

XOXO was a fun read for its romance and friends and travel and tropes, but it held its depth in the relationships explored and the examination of complicated familial relationships and, ultimately, the power of grief--both in the actual loss of a loved one, and the aftermath of that emotional storm.

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346. Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Once upon a time, a book like SANCTUARY would be one of those dystopian stories that would have sat well with all of the other big names that came out in the early 2010s. But now reading SANCTUARY feels like one of those stories that is a little too close to reality.

And I'll be honest, sometimes those dystopian novels that are one or two decisions away from becoming a reality are the ones that really keep me up at night.

Incredible, jarring, emotional, and traumatizing, Mendoza and Sher have created a book that I think should be read by everyone. We all watched the news as families were torn apart in the States by drones in suits that loved to exert power. This is the perfect story to remind readers that this horror has happened and has truly hurt many, many, many people. It was incredibly powerful and heartbreaking--especially as we watch the teen MC trying to keep her brother safe in her ever-worsening world.

This isn't the first book I've read like this and it definitely won't be my last. I think these stories are important and must be added to every TBR to help with empathy regarding the topic of immigration and those fleeing from a place that threatens to steal their rights.

SANCTUARY has many layers, but one of the ones that hit me the most were the people the MC and her brother met and lost. Their lives were transient for the majority of the book, but these people they come across each pack a punch. If these characters were real, I know they would be haunted by the memories of the people they met along the way.

Again, this book is NOT an easy read. It is gritty, real, and heavy--that's why it's so important. But sometimes the hardest books are the most impactful, poignant, and timely books.

I'd recommend this one, along with SOLITO, WE ARE NOT FROM HERE, and OUR MISSING HEARTS.

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347. Sandcastle Beach by Jenny Holiday--⭐️⭐️⭐️

In my opinion, SANDCASTLE BEACH is the weakest book in this series--which is sad because it had the potential to be the best one of the whole series, especially because of how much build-up and hinting there was in the other two books.

As a result, this was just okay.

I almost DNF'ed this addition to the series a few times, but I continued because I truly did want to know how this couple got together and overcame their differences. And though it wasn't a favourite, I'm glad I did continue because I ended up actually enjoying the second half of the book. This was truly a slow burn romance and though I normally adore these, this one lacked that cute spark the other two books had. I didn't feel that urgency to read their story, or those butterflies in my stomach I sometimes get when I know a story is going to be great for me. My main issue was probably this lack of spark because it held me back from getting invested in the story and that's probably where that urge to DNF came from.

But despite the lack of a spark, I did like how these two characters ended up coming around to liking each other. Every bitter word, petty argument, and moments filled with sexual tension led up to some pretty fun scenes. This is one of those couples that takes a bit of work to fall for and whether the story pacing and mood was meant to mirror that or not, it inadvertently made me feel the way I did. It was like I had to actively work through my disinterest to finally see the potential for these two characters.

I did like the communication and how quickly things would be resolved, and the romantic moments were sweet. Like I said, once I got over the midway hump, I was finally all in with this couple.

I'm sad to see this Canadian series end, but I am also very happy to finally be able to take them off my to-read shelves!

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348. The Pretender by Katherine Applegate--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think that this one might have been one of the most in-depth books in the series so far, especially when it comes to the exploration of the emotional health of one of the more affected characters. Also, that twist...WHAT. Probably one of the bigger and more emotional ones of the series, too.

But while I liked how we got so into the mindset of one of these characters (maybe even to the point where I find it hard to have thought that this series didn't grow up alongside the readers back when they were first releasing), there were definitely still parts that made this feel like a filler book. Although I'm sure many of the reveals in this one will lead into bigger topics later in the series.

Also, this was, of course, another great example of how anti-war the author is and how timely it really, really is in today's current political and social climate. I think one or two or a few world leaders would benefit from reading this series.

Will of course be picking up the next book!

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349. The Dangerous Convenience Store Vol. 4 by 945--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE DANGEROUS CONVENIENCE STORE is probably one of my favourite on-going series right now. These two have so much dang chemistry and I am always hoping that they can get over all of the hurdles they face so they can have their own version of happy ever after.

This series is usually super spicy--sometimes a little too much of the spice, tbh LOL--but this volume didn't have as much as usual because it focused so heavily on the complicated emotions between the two and the very dark past of the older MC.

I really, really liked this volume. It taught me so much more about the brooding MC who always keeps his secrets so close to his chest. It helped me understand him so much more and how much he truly cares for the other MC. We also see that sometimes love might overcome the morally grey situations in a darker life.

And that cliffhanger? Excuse me? Well, good thing I have volume 5 preordered.

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350. The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THE PASSING PLAYBOOK was a bit of a refreshing read because a lot of the LGBTQ+ books I read in YA featuring Trans characters are usually really traumatic. I liked that this book featured a character who had a supportive family (even if it was to a fault) and that he was a younger teen (a lot of the others I've read feature older teens). This book was one of the first that I've read in a while that actually felt like it was really for younger teens. I find that a lot of YA books are geared towards mid-to-older teens. That awkward stage between 13-15 is sometimes bypassed in favour of what the 16+ teens might want to read. That representation matters.

This isn't to say that there weren't some tougher scenes to read--especially as the MC navigates his new world with new people, and consequently, the lives of those new people he meets (and falls for). I think it was especially poignant to show the contrasts between the MC's family and his love interest's family and how complicated it can be for a teen stuck between the family and religion he is a part of and the very problematic and dangerous beliefs they harbour.

I liked that the MC had so much support, but that he also had to find himself and his voice in his journey. And because he is so young, he has so much more to discover about both himself and the world that awaits him.

I loved the characters and the roles they played in the MC's life and how even the most supportive people (his parents, for example) can be wrong. We are all flawed and all have the opportunity to grow, but this book shows that it isn't a smooth process--it's a journey full of mistakes, understanding, and learning opportunities.

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351. Carnal Urges by J.T. Geissinger--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I liked CARNAL URGES more than book one, simply because it was easier for me to believe that this FMC would fall for this killer. Also, I liked their dynamic a lot more. They worked off each other a lot better than book one. And it didn't feel so insta-love.

Also, the MMC? Sounded really attractive. LOL. Not even going to lie. I liked that there were quite a few layers to him that he hid really well from everyone (including the readers) until it was time to reveal them.

The FMC was so entertaining and I loved her outspoken personality. She was one of my favourite characters from book one, so when I learned this book would be her love story (after she confessed she didn't believe in falling in love), I was doubly excited. She didn't disappoint! But I especially liked that alongside her sassy and no-shits-given personality, she was also kind and intelligent.

I was thoroughly entertained by this one. There were some pretty great surprises I didn't see coming, but I liked how this couple worked through it all. There was a level of understanding and communication between them that immediately further endeared me to them.

The spice was SPICY, phew. But it also wasn't everything. There was actually substance in this one, which I love in my romance books. It was very much a reminder that this is the kind of dark romance I like. The chemistry between these two? Yes, please. AND there's an age gap? Yes, thanks, papi.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this very much. I laughed, had to fan myself, and had small moments of anxiety as shit hit the fan. Read this series if you want a dark romance that isn't super dark, but still has bad boys, mafia, and mob love interests.

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352. Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls by R.L. Stine--⭐️⭐️

I don't even know.

The concept was interesting, but it just...didn't really strike a note with me. I think it would have been more interesting to me if of the decisions made weren't so questionable, or if the beginning part wasn't so rushed.

Also, the adults were annoying again. I don't know why it's always so popular to make these parents so unwilling to listen to their kids in middle grade books. I think that part was the main thing that I disliked about this book.

I can, however, see how this would be a creepy read for a lot of people--especially younger readers. I definitely would have been scared of this one if I had read this as a kid, but as an adult, I REALLY had to suspend my disbelief LOL.

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Happy reading!

[acepalindrome]

I’m desperately trying to keep out of the Dragon Age tags to avoid spoilers, so here’s my Rook!

Name: Ruby Laidir

Race: Dwarf (surface)

Pronouns: she/her

Orientation: bisexual

Faction: The Lords of Fortune

Class: Warrior (probably Reaper subclass)

Background: Ruby is an archaeologist who joined the Lords of Fortune in her quest to explore ancient ruins and forgotten corners of the world. She is very invested in preserving the past and uncovering history that had been lost to time. It hurts her soul to think about how much knowledge was lost to the Blights. If she lived in our world, she’s the kind of person who would cry if she thinks about the Library of Alexandria too much.

Despite being named for a gemstone, she has very little interest in treasure. She’ll be infinitely more excited about a single copper coin that dates to the Second Blight than a whole chest full of gold.

She doesn’t have red hair either, to explain her name. She and all of her siblings were named after gemstones. Her surface dwarf parents liked the idea of giving their kids names that connected them to earth and stones, even though they lost all stone sense generations ago.

She wields a heavy two handed weapon and is physically hardy, but when dealing with ancient artifacts she becomes incredibly gentle. Think of an elephant’s trunk that can break tree trunks but also pluck a single blade of grass. She’ll bash an enemy’s skull in, and then spend hours meticulously unearthing an ancient Tevinter goblet with the most delicate touch.

Most of her traveling pack is devoted to her various archaeology tools, and what some would call an impractical number of notebooks. She will argue that she needs every one of them. Her notes are perfectly organized, and what if she stumbles upon the discovery of the century and doesn’t have enough paper to record her findings!!

She doesn’t need to carry that many rations anyway, she’s quite skilled at finding edible plants in the wild and is a surprisingly good cook. Her favorite food is deep mushrooms, which is about as risky as eating fugu pufferfish since the mushrooms can carry the taint. She’s got the method of preparing them safely down-pat, but she still can’t convince too many people to partake with her.

Friends: She immediately hits it off with Bellara and Emmrich. She can sense fellow nerds. She thinks Davrin is cool too, and wants to pet Assan.

Rivals: She’s distrustful of Lucanis. She thinks assassins have no moral backbone. Solas is also on very thin ice with her, though she also wants to study him like a bug.

Romance: She’s attracted to Emmrich, but she’s a little insecure about pursuing him. He’s so tidy and polished and his mustache is perfectly groomed and he wears nice cologne and he has so many fancy little buttons on his shirt! Meanwhile you can tell where Ruby has been by the type of dirt under her fingernails. Sandy loam? She’s been to the Storm Coast. She’s calloused and rough. A fieldwork academic versus an ivory tower academic. Sigh. (Then she finds out he has an autopsy table in his study. He doesn’t mind dirt and mess in the name of research. Maybe she has a chance after all.)