#Thinking about them figuring out how to be tender with each other makes me *insane*

[finchmarie]

These two are my roman empire tbh. 🖤

[kingofpopmj]

Just Promise Baby, You'll Love Me Forevermore

Summary: Michael and Y/N take part in an interview together.

Pairing: Michael Jackson x Actress!Reader

Warnings: fluff, Fluff and more FLUFF Requested: Yes

"Hello everyone, we're having some last minute lighting issues. We should be good to go in a few minutes. Please stand by." A tall man with long brown hair and a headset announced to the room.

The interviewer stood alone tapping her foot, a young twenty-something brunette woman. She had become a household name overnight because of this very interview, her first high level project. She wore a figure hugging navy blue pantsuit with light makeup. She was nervously checking her clipboard every few seconds, scribbling down last minute notes.

"Hi, I'm Y/N, it's very nice to meet you. Thank you so much for being here." Y/N's sweet voice filled the air, introducing herself as if everyone didn't already know her name, but it said a lot about her character. She gracefully made her way around the room kindly making conversation with each person present. Her undivided attention was given to each individual, nothing less, she hung on their every word, asking thoughtful questions in return and in those few moments they were putty in her hands.

"Hello, how are you? I'm Michael. Thank you for taking part in this project with us." Michael Jackson—THE Michael Jackson followed a few paces behind Y/N, his version of walking appeared more like gliding. Eventually, he caught up with Y/N, securing a firm arm around her, his thumb rubbing circles in her hip. They continued greeting everyone and they swept them off their feet as a team. A beautiful, kind-hearted team. It was truly indescribable— like watching two mythical creatures prove their existence right before our eyes.

It was overwhelming— in the most amazing way possible. The star power aside, they seemed very normal. The two of them genuinely enjoyed meeting everyone, didn't leave anyone out and remembered every name. Michael stole glances, numerous lingering stares at his beloved. The way he looked at her, you could feel his emotions, he didn't just think she was beautiful— she was his everything. He didn't laugh or smile until he saw that she was doing the same. The protectiveness was evident. He wasn't jealous or threatened. He was cautious and confident. The way he watched over her wasn't possessive, it was sweet, like she was as vital to him as his own beating heart.

"Let's get our stars set with microphones." A short woman shuffled over to Michael and Y/N, guiding them over to their seats. They were going through the process of being wired up and I couldn't help but to admire their carefree nature.

They stood in front of one another, pulling silly faces at each other, giggling and enjoying themselves. They somehow managed to make this room feel like a home and everyone in it extended family.

"That works. Daryl, thank you." Y/N smiled, placing her hand on the assistants shoulder, the redness taking over his face and growing deeper by the second as he scurried off.

The couple shared a moment, whispering to one another with coquettish smiles. Michael moved to stand in front of her as she took her seat. He removed his coat without a second thought, Y/N waving her hands in the air as if to reject the gesture, but he paid no mind. He carefully placed the coat across her thighs, protecting her from wandering eyes and cameras. A tender kiss to her lips before he walked off for a moment.

"Hello, I'm Leslie, I'll be conducting the interview today. I can't believe you're here! This is insane! This is so cool!" She became very giddy, barely catching herself from continuing, Y/N sweetly matched her enthusiasm. "I mean, it's such an honor to meet you. I'm a huge fan. You're so talented." She spoke quickly, her eyes shining brightly with excitement. "You're even more beautiful in person. Thank you for agreeing to this and selecting me to be your interviewer. I know this interview is the first of its kind. I'm incredibly grateful to be part of it."

Y/N listened closely, nodding her head, following along, silently studying the woman before her, then standing up and leaning in for a sweet embrace. Leslie was visibly losing her mind, Y/N shared words of encouragement as she held her. She's sweet, astonishingly delightful and humble.

“Thank you so much. Leslie, you’re very kind. I appreciate you taking us up on the offer. We took time to watch your interviews and were blown away by your style. We knew immediately you were the one we wanted to create this with. We're really excited."

"I still can't believe you two know who I am. I'm so nervous. I apologize in advance if I become even more of a blubbering mess when Mr. Jackson joins us. I know he's your—"

"Oh, please call me Michael. It's lovely to finally meet you." A delicate voice sounded from behind Leslie. Y/N watched as he made his way to the seat next to her, a smile on her face and a light blush across her cheeks. Michael held his hand out to greet Leslie, but she was frozen.

"I'm— Wow— Okay." She stuttered. "This is real. This is happening. Michael, it's great to meet you. I'm a huge fan of you. Both of you. I'm actively struggling to process all of this." She giggled as she gestured toward the two celebrities in front of her. "I— wow. This is mind boggling."

"Thank you. We feel the exact same way. We admire your work as well." Michael said with soft laughter, as Leslie appeared to forget how to breathe. He then directed his attention to Y/N.

"You grow more beautiful by the second. My love, how do you feel, are you comfortable?" He kissed her cheek, gently resting his hand on top of hers. Michael made a habit of asking her that question throughout their relationship. If for any reason she didn't feel safe in a space, no explanation was needed, just a yes or a no and Michael would whisk her away. He knew firsthand how this industry operated and he intended to protect her at all costs.

"You're such a flirt. I’m doing just fine. Thank you honey." She giggled, hiding behind her long hair.

"The two minutes we had to part in the hallway were dreadful.” Michael pouted clutching his chest for dramatic effect.

"Those two minutes were nearly unsurvivable." Y/ N sweetly agreed while caressing his cheek.

It was beautiful to watch them interact in a somewhat private setting. The way they love one another was so authentic, so intimate, but not far enough to be uncomfortable for those in their company. It was real. They're just two people, with unfathomable talent, insane lifestyles but deeply in love and undeniably their true selves.

"We're ready to go!" A man's voice echoed through the studio.

Leslie nodded, taking a few deep breaths and glancing over her notes one last time.

"Three, Two, One." The cameraman spoke, pointing over to Leslie, signaling her to begin her introduction.

"Good evening, I'm Leslie Johnson, thank you for joining us tonight. Tonight is vastly different from our usual programming because tonight you are witnessing history in the making. Our first ever live interview with undoubtedly the two greatest stars this generation has ever seen. They are gifted with talent you only see once in a lifetime. These two phenomenons aren't only loved and respected for their craft, but also the positive impact they make to protect the earth and all of humanity. They have gracefully taken over the business and they are just getting started. Please help me in welcoming our guests for tonight, as if further introduction is needed, the people's sweetheart, Miss Y/N Y/L/N and the one and only, Mister Michael Jackson." She held her smile as the camera fanned out, Y/N and Michael now on screen.

"Thank you for having us Leslie." Michael spoke up for the both of them.

"Thank you both for making this production what it is. I must add that 100% of the proceeds for tonights event are being graciously donated to the charities of our guests choosing." The entire crew behind the cameras began cheering. Michael smiled, covering his face slightly at the scene in front of him. Y/N, reached over holding his hand, smiling ear to ear as she admired him. She helped calm his nerves and soon enough he wasn’t shielding his smile.

"Let's get started!" Leslie clapped. "I'll start with a question for Michael, you've been in this industry since you were five years old, there is so much pressure in your chosen profession, with the mass hysteria that follows, how do you preserve who you are and remain so humble?"

"That's a great question." He spoke softly, shifting in his seat, then continuing. "My upbringing plays an important role in that, my values and morals were something instilled in me at a very young age. As I’ve grown up in this industry, as you pointed out, I witnessed many great artists and their careers. I knew early on what I wanted to do and how I wanted to accomplish it, so watching those that came before me helped to navigate through tough times. It's a difficult lifestyle, but I remind myself daily how thankful I am for the gifts god has blessed me with and the opportunities he's allowed me to experience. Also, it helps to surround yourself with beautiful people who you admire and who help you grow in ways that you never imagined possible. I'm very blessed." A visible warmth took over his cheeks as he very bluntly referred to his girlfriend sitting next to him.

"Lovely, it's amazing to see how you handle everything thrown at you. It's clear that you have a beautiful heart and being in your presence it's overwhelming because of how genuine you are. It's difficult to wrap our minds around it, because you don't let the fame get to your head. It's admirable. I would like to know, Y/N, how you feel, is there anything you would like to add?"

"Michael is one of a kind. All his talent aside, Michael the person is so incredibly caring, hysterical, gentle and thoughtful. I feel that's why people fall in love with him. They hear his music, they see him perform and it's so magical that you want to know how it came to be, you want to understand the real person on a deeper level. When you dig deeper you find this soft-spoken, intelligent, compassionate and crazy handsome man. To fall in love with him is inevitable." As Y/N spoke, Michael watched her intently. He worshipped her, the love struck look on his face and you just knew, you could feel him falling more in love with her with each passing second.

"That sounds like you're speaking from experience." Leslie joked. "Y/N, you made your acting debut as a toddler, though you didn't have many speaking lines in your first film, you managed to capture the hearts of people all around the world. My question is, how have you managed to gracefully grow into the young woman before us today and still have a firm hold on our hearts?"

"My guess is as good as yours." She giggled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "l'd say, I did my best with every opportunity I was blessed with. Although it was difficult at times, I focused on protecting who I was and who I wanted to be away from the spotlight. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by a team that protected my privacy to the best of their abilities. This helped me to have the most normal of a childhood I could, but unfortunately, I still missed out on a lot. I shared most of my life, whether I wanted to or was forced to, the media can be very invasive at times. However, I've tried to make the best out of every situation, so I think that's something that people related to and also, many people feel as though they've grown up with me."

“Yes, I can't imagine how difficult it must’ve been to deal with grown men chasing you around with cameras at such a young age." Leslie responded with a hint of a frown as she processed Y/N’s explanation.

"Now, it's just me she has to deal with." Michael surprisingly perked up, making camera noises with his mouth and holding an imaginary camera. Y/N laughed uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking as she held her stomach. Michael sat up straighter than before with a triumphant grin on his face, proud of himself for making her laugh.

"She has the best laugh, doesn’t she?" Michael gushed, watching adoringly as Y/N tried to compose herself.

"That she does." Leslie smirked, enjoying watching Michael become more comfortable. "This next question is for both of you. You're two of the most recognizable faces in the world, everyone is curious, how you manage to go out and have a peaceful day or night out on the town?"

"It's definitely a challenge. There is definitely intense planning that goes into anything we do. Thankfully, we both have incredible security teams, so they join forces for us when we want to get out and explore together." Y/N responded quickly.

"We've accepted that if were out in public we will never truly be alone. Privacy is out of the question, which we've made our peace with. We don't mind meeting fans, conversing with locals, that’s not a problem. They are always very kind and respectful. Paparazzi on the other hand are a different story. They add a layer of uncertainty in the air and they can be very aggressive. If they just calmed down and gave us a bit of personal space we could all coexist peacefully." Michael added.

"I'm glad you brought that up Michael, you gave me the perfect segue to my next question. It's well known that photographers and paparazzi can become very intense when trying to capture a shot. Y/N, there was an incident last month when you attended the Grammy Awards with Michael. There was a massive commotion that took place on the red carpet. Many theories have been circulating the media, which purposely paint the two of you in a negative light. I feel that due to the nature of the issue you two should get the opportunity to tell your side of the story. The truth. Would one or both of you like to answer this and set the record straight?"

Y/N appeared to grow more nervous as the question left Leslie’s mouth. She tucked her hair behind her ear and shifted her gaze over to Michael, who was already looking back at her.

"Leslie, there are people that push boundaries that simply shouldn’t be pushed." Michael began, shaking his head softly, enveloping Y/N's hand in both of his. "That night, there were a few photographers that were screaming louder than the others, really nasty things, specifically towards my lady. We did our best to drown that out until it became physical. Y/N endured bruises down her arm and back from being aggressively grabbed at, so I had no choice but to step in. On top of that, they attempted to photograph up her dress, which is just despicable. I did what needed to be done to keep her safe. I will not apologize for that."

"It was a terrifying experience, the backlash that followed was so unexpected and hurtful." Y/N's demeanor growing more guarded as she thought of how to answer. "I never thought something like that could happen. Michael did get into a bit of a physical altercation, which has been completely taken out of context as well. Although he was very upset he still attempted to diffuse the situation using his words, but he wasn’t given much of a choice. In the end, he protected me and I'm lucky he was there." Michael followed every motion of her lips intently with a small smirk on his lips.

“Michael, I have to say what we’re all thinking, who knew you had such a mean right hook.” Leslie chuckled. "Thank you for such honest words. I empathize deeply with what you were subjected to. I’m glad you have such an amazing partner. You two complement each other beautifully. I just have to ask, everyone is curious, since Michael is in the music industry and Y/N is in the film industry, how did the two of you meet?"

“Well, this man is sneaky let me tell you.” The smile on Y/N’s face, squeezing her eyes nearly shut. “So, Michael had his people contact mine to plan a meeting of some sort. He insisted he wanted me in a music video—”

“Babe, you’re forgetting a very important detail. We had met at the Oscars the night before and she basically asked me on a date—”

“Oh, you are exaggerating!”

“You said, and I quote, ‘I can’t wait to see you again.’ with a very flirtatious wink.” Michael reasoned, shifting in his seat to face her.

“You showered me with compliments Mr. Jackson. Within five minutes of meeting one another he told me it wasn’t until he met me that he believed in love.”

“And I was telling the truth.”

“And I was flirting.” She winked at him, causing his face to turn a bright shade of red.

“I guess it’s safe to say there was a mutual interest between the two of you. Will we ever see Y/N star in one of your music videos?”

“You know it’s something I’d love to create. I mean she has inspired a lot of my writing process these days. It seems fitting that my muse be in a video or two or three..” Michael’s voice becoming more playful as he tried to conceal his smirk.

“Y/N, how do you feel hearing you’re his muse? Would you be interested in starring alongside Michael in a film?” Leslie questioned, keeping the conversation moving.

“I’m flattered. It’s very flattering.” Y/N’s hand pressed against her cheek as she tried not to giggle uncontrollably. Michael licked his lips as he watched the effect his words had on her. “He’s so sweet. I’m a fan of everything Michael creates. Honestly, his voice is hands down my favorite sound. You know, to make a film together would be awesome. I would love that! I think Michael would do a phenomenal job.”

“You’ve been together for quite some time. I’m sure you’ve had some lovely adventures with one another. Are there any special memories you’re comfortable sharing with us? And, is there anything you look forward to experiencing together that you haven’t yet?”

“First vacation together?” Michael raised his eyebrow at Y/N.

“Michael invited me to accompany him in Italy.” Y/N had this sparkle in her as she looked back at Michael. It was like they were the only two people in the room.

“Italy? Wow. Michael, you brought out the big guns.” Leslie laughed.

“Oh yes. I was on tour at the time and thankfully I had scheduled days off in between each concert, so it worked out perfectly.”

“That was the first time I saw him on stage.” Y/N gushed.

“How was it to see Michael in action? What is the most memorable thing?”

“He’s magic. There’s no other way to describe it. I always tease him about it because he makes it seem like he’s just going for a walk. Performing comes so natural to him. He said, ‘I have to go do something.’ Kissed me on the cheek then went on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people. He was so nonchalant about it. It’s a sweet unpretentious kind of confidence.” Y/N giggled, reaching over to tuck Michael’s curl behind his ear, which he playfully rolled his eyes at.

“I was trying to impress her. When she arrived at the stadium, I was reminded just how out of my league this woman is—”

“Oh stop!” Y/N poked his side, causing him to let out a deep laugh. “You were very intimidating to meet Mr. Jackson.”

“So were you dear.” He brought her hand to meet his lips. “So were you.”

“Bubbles watched me like a hawk! That boy would squeeze in between us if we sat next to one another. He was difficult to win over.”

“He loves you now.”

“Yes. At the end of our first date, Michael walked me back to my room and as we were about to kiss goodnight, I was launched into the pool. Bubbles’ and I have been inseparable since.”

“That was just his way of welcoming you to the family.” Michael shrugged, biting his lip hard to keep from hollering. “It’s like an initiation.”

“Initiation?” Y/N’s tone was enough to make Michael lose it. His signature fedora nearly fell off his head as his laughter filled the air.

“You are his favorite now. Y/N comes over and he’s glued to her hip. He pushes me away now.”

“He threw an entire cake at Michael the other day.” She buried her face in her hands as her shoulders began bouncing rhythmically.

“Yes! The candles were lit too.”

“What happened? Why did he throw the cake at you?” Leslie asked between laughs.

“It was Y/N’s birthday. We had finished singing to her and I leaned in for a kiss which he absolutely lost his mind over.” Michael explained, “Fortunately, most of the candles blew out as the cake flew through the air, but one did burn a hole in my coat.”

“I didn’t know Bubbles had such great aim.” Leslie spoke in shock.

“Bubbles’ is very passionate.” Michael’s face was serious “He’ll yell at me if I’m stealing too much of Y/N’s attention.”

“Aw, he’s not that bad.” Y/N tried to reason.

“He’s not bad. He just bullies me sometimes.” Michael fake pouted and crossed his arms. His beloved leaned her head on his shoulder, trying to comfort him although she couldn’t help giggling just a little bit.

“Oh no!” Leslie exclaimed. “It sounds like you’ve got competition. Speaking of kisses, Michael, every picture I see of the two of you, you’ve got your lips on Y/N. You are usually very reserved, what is it about Y/N that brings out that side of you?”

“I’m comfortable when I’m with her. I’m able to be myself. Also, nothing will stop me from showing my lady some love.” Michael pulled Y/N closer, gently placing his finger on her chin turning her head to face him.

The kiss was short and sweet.

Michael was very deliberate when it involved Y/N. He never wanted her to doubt his love for her. He knew how he wanted to make her feel. Then, did whatever it took to accomplish just that. The look in Y/N eyes said it all, Michael never missed.

“I have to ask, as we begin to wrap things up. Michael, Y/N, where do you see yourselves in five years? Are there any goals you have as a couple or as individuals you’d like to share?” The brunette spoke, flipping her page over quietly.

“Together? We will definitely be married and have at least a dozen little ones running around Neverland.” Michael answered quickly, his tone very matter of fact as if we should’ve known that already.

“Bubbles’ does need siblings.” Y/N added with a smile.

“How would you two juggle family responsibilities and your careers?” Leslie asked carefully.

“Well, I think we’d figure it out along the way. The most important thing to us would be raising our babies. We didn’t have much of a childhood ourselves, so we’d be very hands on in order to give them everything we didn’t have. When it comes to our careers, if Michael is touring we’d join him on the road, if I’m filming on location they’d come along. It just depends. Maybe one of or both of us would want to be stay at home parents. At the end of the day, what’s best for our children is the number one priority.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself lovely.” Michael complimented her, practically gawking at her, clearly loving that they were on the same page about their shared future.

The interview came to a close shortly after. Michael and Y/N went around the studio the same way they did when they first arrived. They had intended to say their goodbyes, but enjoyed everyone’s company too much to leave just yet. They posed for photographs and signed every item sent their way with a smile on their face. What should’ve been just a few hours turned into a daylong event. The couple stayed for a little celebration party and treated the crew to a lovely dinner.

Three months later, Michael and Y/N were the headlines of every publication. Their faces were on every television channel. The media was in a state of hysteria that has never been seen before. It turns out that the couple was husband and wife. They had gotten married and managed to keep it secret for a whole year, but that wasn’t the only surprise.

The Jackson’s were expecting their first child together.

Y/N was about five months along.

The pair was thrilled about starting their family.

The craziest part of the whole story was a detail that the media would never know. Three months earlier, Michael and Y/N shared their news with everyone present in the studio that day. They felt comfortable enough to trust us with such a precious moment in their lives. Since then, the couple enjoyed a somewhat quiet three months without anyone spoiling their announcement or betraying their trust.

We didn’t just make history that night we formed a bond, an incredible friendship that would last a lifetime.

[ravenkinnie]

Bruce's relationship with Cass in Batgirl (2000) really is fascinating, and it's kind of the perfect antidote to the nauseating "cuddly Bat-dad" Wayne Family Adventures shit. He really does try with Cass — he's patient and even tender with her in a way he's just not with the others — but he's not only repeating this weird PG-13 version of her biodad's turbo-mega-abuse, he's also reinforcing the most unhealthy part of that cycle, which is the idea that in some twisted way Cain did all that shit to her out of love. Bruce recognizes what Cain did and how it impacts Cass, but he keeps doing the same shit while thinking he's having all these breakthroughs — he really believes it when he tells Barbara it's working, which is possibly the craziest thing he's ever said.

It's one of the few modern Batbook runs I can recall that acknowledges that Bruce's tendency to gruffly push people away is not his only problem. Even when he's acting out of compassion, he just does not have any reference points for what normal relationships ought to look like, which makes him an *incredibly* bad parent. It's kind of amazing.

I also loved the scene where Babs says everyone hates their parents when they're 18 and Bruce pouts so hard about it that she has to apologize.

I'm so serious it's my fave batfam relationship, it's just so batshit. I fucking hate fluffy fanon Bruce and in cass' case especially its just so insulting to them both to completely remove WHY they connect, fanon just makes it that she's simply the purest soul to ever exist and THATS NOT THE CASE THEY WORK BECAUSE THEY ARE BOTH MENTALLY ILL IN THE SAME WAY

he does care and as the story goes on you see it more and more but there's also this whole layer where he just understands her because he projects himself on her so much - and that does both harm and good because cass isn't him and he shouldn't expect her to respond to everything like he would

but she is A LOT like him and its part of why she admires him so much but.also I thimk its part of why he's able to connect to her the way babs might struggle - they are both someone cass needs, the person who will push for her to have it better and do better and also someone who gets where she is at now and who she is

it's v cool - and I wish we got more of it - that a lot of cass - bruce dynamics in her solo and in the issues before her solo like gotham knights #2 is about them figuring each other out. like his crazy ways don't work to make her better but they do work in a sense that she needs to know someone in her life is as crazy as she is and to have that person be a figure she can admire

but the fact that Bruce is so lacking in normal thoughts and expressions makes such a good dynamic with babs because she is the other figure cass needs but she doesn't necessarily get her all the time because she has no frame of reference for that insanity

and his face fucking kills me here

also not sorry to all the robins but cass and bruce just serve the most cunt together

[louissatturi]

So this fanfic idea is consuming me so I will probably Write it

So it's a fic where cumplane reincarnate as qijiu kids and whare Born during the time yqy (how did he birthed this kids as a teenager? Is he a omega? Trans? Affected with a weird fuck or die plant? Idk bro i also didn’t figured this out) in the lingxi caves, they ware Sadly Born prematurely but that didn’t affect them too much since they are transmigrators and stuff

So the premise is basicly twin cumplane being raised by a teen version of Yue qingyuan and trying to Change his fate of being killed in the end by luo binghe (since it's their dad lol)

Their plane consistes in Airplane becoming the next sect leader and shen yuan becoming his bff so the sect isn’t all ruined yk? (Yeah in this fic Airplane is not a an ding peak disciple but he gets the same amount of overwork don't worry)

Shen QingQiu is going insane and foaming at the mouth because there is 2 little clones of him and qi-ge as kids in the kids have some of the others features, his relationship with the kids is interesting (especially because he dosen't know that they are his kids) shen yuan looks almost identical to him if not for the color of the eyes and his nose that are 2 things that he was obssessed in his qi-ge, shen qingqiu just dosen't kill him on sight because that is the sect leader kid so that would be VERY stupid so they just torture each other in psycological warfear because sy hates his guts, his relationship with Airplane is interesting because he kinda indulges in his wish of being kind and tender with qi-ge thru him since he looks like his dad (Airplane is VERY scared and weirdout by it but since he wrote it he kinda just allows it to heppen)

Bingqiu and Moshang Would also heppen in this fic by the simple hilarity of Yue Qingyuan just looks at his kids boyfriends being literal demons and just giving a disapointing sigh but just aproving it because his baby's are happy

The other thing about this au is that the names of cumplane are not "shen yuan" and "shang qinghua" for abvious reasons and I gave them new names!

A little disclamer, i am HORRENDOUS with names like worst then Airplane and my mandarin knowledge is basicly a big and round 0 so please if you think the names are very ugly use your suspension of disbelif because the dad was like 17 give him a break! (But the names are passible to Change, don't worry to much)

I will start with Airplane, his name is Yue Cangshu (岳仓鼠), yes it's because of hamsters and I just think is really cute yqy taking a good look at him and going "omg he is so small and round... just like a rat... his name is rat now"

Shen yuan names Change was harder for me because before hand I was just going to call him "Yue Yuan' but since his twin got a longer name I decide to make one for him as well, his name is Yue YuanChun (岳垣春), his name is like these because of shen Qingqiu, since the qiu(秋) character means autmmun I was like "huuum yuan means wall... his name being "spring wall" would be really cute" so this is why he is called "YuanChun" now lol

I am obssessed with this au

[aurora-daily]

AURORA: "People Deserve Complicated Music"

AURORA's interview for Junkee by Ky Stewart (September 11th, 2024)

AURORA is a once-in-a-generation artist. Unrestrained by genre, her music always feels just outside our grasp. So, as might expect, our conversation was insightful, inquisitive, and filled with childlike wonder and joy.

I was scrolling through Tumblr the first time I heard an AURORA song. It was 2015, a year after she’d released her first album All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend. The post was a clip from her music video for ‘Murder Song (5,4,3,2,1)’. It was dark and tender. I was captivated by how expressive she was. Just 18 years old, she already knew just the right spot to jab you and reach your soul.

So I jumped down the AURORA rabbit hole. I quickly fell in love with that album, discovering fan favourites like ‘Running With The Wolves’ and ‘Runaway’. She was truly a Tumblr darling and, as it turns out, had absolutely no idea that so many of us were posting her lyrics on random edgy backgrounds. “Oh my god, that's so sweet,” AURORA tells me. “I didn't know that. That's insane. I had no idea. That's really sweet, because I feel like the Tumblr community were always my kind of people. That's really nice. I'm gonna try to find some of those posts now.” (Unfortunately, most of Tumblr has been killed off but there’s still some dedicated AURORA fan pages kicking around on there. I hope she found them.)

A lot of us from Tumblr grew up with AURORA’s music. Her albums have been part of how I made sense of the world around me at various stages of my life. Her newest album What Happened To The Heart? is no different. At a time of incredible turbulence, I often find myself asking where our collective empathy has gone. Or if we ever had it in the first place. How can we watch other people suffering and do nothing about it? These questions are AURORA’s inspiration. “There's always quite a lot behind my albums and I think a lot about the world when I write,” AURORA says. “I try to think about what I feel is the purpose of my music, and what I feel the world deserves to hear. I felt it was time for a question, especially the question, what happened to the heart? I was thinking about it a lot, and I realised that I found this question to be very interesting and very important. I think I found the answer.” 

For AURORA, the answer lies in how society has been stripped of compassion. “I'm nervous about a lot of the problems in the world today [and] the general unfairness in how our resources are divided upon the people,” she says. “The general unfairness that some people are given a chance in this life and some people aren't, and how the world just lets that happen. We haven't figured out a way to lift each other up more because people like to be comfortable, which I understand. It's hard to give away our comfort. To try to lift up someone we haven't even met yet is a hard thing for humans to do.” 

She adds, “I think we can actually feel that something is a bit off with life on Earth. Because we are very disconnected and we have closed up on that spiritual side of being human. And it kind of worries me that I feel something is a bit hollow inside of us, and that's why I answer the question, what happened to the heart? Because something is a bit messed up with how we live now.”

What I’ve always appreciated about AURORA, beyond her ability to make ethereal music, is how politically vocal she is. AURORA’s music has always been rooted in people, in their stories, and in how they feel. She cares deeply about people’s pain and uses her music to fight back — or at the very least, help people feel heard. Recently, she dedicated her protest song ‘The Seed’ from her 2019 album A Different Kind Of Human (Step II) to “all the children of Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Yemen, and Syria”.

“There are so many people in the world now that listen more to people they look up to, rather than experts on the matters of the world,” AURORA says. “A lot of [these] people are idiots and they say so many strange things and lead people the wrong way, like Trump… It’s chaotic when famous people have opinions that people follow so blindly without taking the time to actually measure your words or find out where they come from. It really scares me. [But] if people look up to me, I'm going to do as much as I can to say things they deserve. I think music really helps me do that, because I don't have to be too blunt, I don't have to be too harsh, I don't have to speak about things in the world in the same way most people do. We like to gather people around a common enemy, or to divide people with fear and then rile them up. I think it's so cool to rile people up with something that is, in its roots, fuelled by love.”

In preparation for the interview, I watched AURORA’s old music videos — the ones she made before the world fell in love with her. The bio said “Aurora Aksnes is a 18-year-old girl from Bergen, Norway. She strives to write music that can inspire people, through idiosyncratic tales of struggle, love, and all that lies in between.” Ten years later and she’s still doing exactly that. To AURORA, music is a language we all speak so why wouldn’t you use it to try to help others? “I wanted [the album] to be a mirror,” she says. “To do a soft beginning, because the first song is very spiritual, and numb [where] you ignore the thing screaming inside of you to be seen. Then the album goes quite dark because we ignore our roots. It's in our nature to be caring and kind. We do so much for the people we love and it's so pure. So we know that we're capable of it. But when we ignore this nature, we grow bitter and sour and broken.”

What Happened To The Heart? is as enigmatic as AURORA is. The album opens with the delicate ‘Echo Of My Shadow’, then we slam into dance-pop songs like ‘Your Blood’ and ‘Do You Feel’ or the techno club offering ‘Starvation’. Songs to get your body moving and your heart pumping. But there’s also folk and soft-rock. No matter the genre, her voice pierces through you. This concoction of sounds makes perfect sense to AURORA. For her, the sound of a song is less important than its essence. “I don't really think much when I produce,” she says. “I just feel and I just do, because I don't really have any rules when I make the skin around the soul of my songs, as long as the soul of the song feels right, it can wear whatever clothes it wants. It will still be okay, which is a comforting thing, because it helps you to not be a perfectionist. That steals the joy of creating from yourself, which is easy to do in this world.”

AURORA’s eclectic sound makes sense when you consider her influences. “I grew up with a lot of Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan,” she says. “Also grew up with Enya. She was my biggest inspiration when I started making music. I just realised the healing power of voices and how much I can do. ‘Runaway’, which is one of my biggest songs now, is just the voice. The whole song is just accompanied by my own voice, trying to become choirs around my leading vocals, so that's been a very important part of my production journey. I'm very into Cohen, his way of telling stories in music, which I've obviously been very inspired by, especially in the beginning with songs like ‘Little Boy In The Grass’ and ‘Murder Song’, which are very [big] storytelling songs. And Bob Dylan taught me that I could be political and say things about the world in a nice way or in a funny way or in a hard way, depending on what you want. So these people all taught me very important messages. [When] I grew up, I learned about heavy metal and the Chemical Brothers. I think my idea of a perfect song is a mix with the Chemical Brothers, weird sounds like Enya and a bit of metal and folk. That's kind of the essence of what I find beautiful.”

AURORA is deeply connected to the environment. She’s been a strong advocate for environmental rights in Norway and trying to help the global fight to stop the ever increasing impacts of climate change. All of this is evident when I ask if she’s excited to return to Australia for an upcoming tour. “Oh, honestly, I'm so excited,” she says. “I think Australia is one of my favourite places to tour. It's so beautiful. It has the adventurous, grandness, and largeness that I feel when I'm in America, but you're not like America at all. So it's large and adventurous, which is exciting when you're from Norway. But it's still so friendly, and I'm so in tune with a lot of the politics. I'm not so familiar with the current situation, but I like what you did with the gun laws and to prevent massive shootings. And the Indigenous peoples, I feel a lot of admiration for, and there’s a certain charge in the land in Australia that I cannot explain. It feels very spiritual there, and the nature feels like home. I know it's so different from home, that I feel so curious and excited, but it's still so like home that I feel safe and I understand what's going on. I don't know, I love Australia. I love being there. [The] people are so pretty as well. And the bugs. I love bugs. You have all the scary ones there, and it's so fun. I really am excited to be back. I hate that it's only like every second year. I wish I could come every year.”

It’s such a joy to experience an artist like AURORA. Her music is charged with so much life and energy. You find something new every time you listen to her songs. Something she’s tucked away in the corner for you to find. She makes music that forces you to stop and think about what’s being offered to you. And that’s exactly how she wants it. 

“I like making complicated albums because I have listeners who deserve complicated music,” AURORA says. “We're being served a lot of uncomplicated stuff, which can also be good, but if that's the only thing we get, I don't think it's good for our brains. People are very clever, and I think it's important to not underestimate them.” 

[dedeinthewild]

paul aron x reader, friends to lovers

~ "you've got an insanely beautiful smile"

"stop simping over me you creep"

A few timid lights illuminated the frescoed ceilings of a small chapel just outside Tallinn, while in the background, a pair of oversized glasses was strumming a song on the guitar, and she was walking down the aisle. The small blue flowers embroidered on her long, white dress resembled the bows that tickled the arms of the guests, who were rising from the dark wooden pews to watch her. And at the end of the walk, with an almost triumphant smile that hid the emotion making him tremble, the love of her life was waiting for her.

At the back of the church, in the last row, Paul and his companion were trying to stifle their laughter. He kept his chin up and his lips pressed tight, his gaze fixed on a cherub whose halo had been drawn crooked, while next to him, she was staring at her hands, trying to stop giggling.

“Kallis, stop,” his mother touched his shoulder, where a new black suit hugged the body of the driver.

The more they tried to steer their minds away from the image of the bride tripping on the marble floor, or the pastor spilling the wax from those beautiful, fragrant candles on his freshly polished loafers, the more they laughed.

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault,” she said, pinching the boy’s arm and flashing a sweet smile at the woman sitting at the end of the row.

“It’s never your fault, darling.”

Paul bit his lower lip, still focused on the idea that the crooked halo could keep him from bursting into laughter while the whole church was silent. As the priest officiated the ceremony and the guests watched the couple from the pews, the two of them managed to compose themselves and enjoy the tender looks of the engaged couple.

“See? When you want to be serious, you’re flawless,” she joked, whispering.

The driver turned, locking eyes with the honey-colored ones in front of him, and gave an arrogant little smirk that made her shake her head. He raised both his index fingers, turning his hands toward her, and she looked at him as if to ask if he was really doing it, then gave in and mimicked him. It was an old childhood game she had taught him while they waited for their order at a fast food restaurant in London, and ever since, he loved challenging her, always losing.

“That’s not fair.”

“Everything’s fair,” she laughed. Every time, she came up with some new rule, and Paul would pout, thinking about the next move as if it were a life-or-death matter.

“Little kids,” Margit shrugged, smiling as she watched them having fun, resigned to the fact that those two wouldn’t stop talking all day.

The church then burst into music, accompanied by the guitar, and the newlyweds walked out hand in hand toward the beautiful courtyard, where the cars awaited to take them to the reception. Paul and she were among the last to leave, still arguing about the just-finished round of their little game.

“See how he smiles?” Anna Aron was talking to her older brother, also a pilot, in a shaded corner of the courtyard.

“They match each other,” he shrugged slightly, watching how Paul stood behind her, hands in his pockets, as if always wanting her by his side.

She still hadn’t quite figured out how she’d ended up at an Estonian wedding, the daughter of an old family friend of the Arons, but something about that fresh, sunny day made her feel light. Maybe it was the white blouse Margit had gifted her, or having that blond guy next to her, who was the true embodiment of the saying “every curl, a whim.” But she was happy. Amid the tufts of little blue flowers, a ribbon tied around her wrist that Paul had taken from one of the pews, and her hair falling softly over her shoulders.

Everyone was congratulating the couple, talking about how beautiful the bride’s dress was and how lucky they were to have such a lovely day for their wedding, while others were already looking forward to the buffet awaiting them.

“Who’s with me?” Ralf asked, spinning his car keys in his hand, while the older brother would be with his family.

“Anna wants to go with Mom and Dad,” Paul said, taking off his jacket, folding it neatly, and draping it over his arm.

“So I’m stuck with you, good,” the older one smiled. “She takes the passenger seat.”

“And I stay in the back like a child?”

Ralf turned, raising his eyebrows as they walked down the tree-lined avenue.

“Exactly.”

The three of them got into the car, following everyone else who was heading to the venue for the evening. She leaned back in the seat, looking out the window as she played with the ribbon the pilot had tied around her wrist.

“Mom’s done with you two.”

“She’s not,” the younger one promptly replied, leaving his jacket on the seat next to him.

Ralf playfully glanced at his brother’s friend, accelerating to overtake the car in front and follow the family caravan.

She found it amusing to see them together, given that the few times she and Paul had met had been at Grand Prix events, and Ralf was often busy in his category on the other side of the world. Among the red flowers peeking through the grass blades and the songs on the radio, while the two brothers chatted and she laughed, the three of them arrived at the reception and joined the Aron family.

“Eat as much as you can, the bill’s on the lovebirds,” Paul whispered in her ear.

While waiting to be assigned a table, the driver took her hair in his hands, pulling it into a ponytail without realizing it, exposing her neck and shoulders. Then they were guided to their table, where they sat to listen to speeches from all the bridesmaids and a short guitar song before starting to eat. She had only been to one Italian wedding, but even just during dinner, she noticed how Estonians were much more elegant and composed than her relatives, who by now would have been dancing on tables. As they ate, the background music kept that light atmosphere that had followed them since the church, and the chatter was soft, making it a really pleasant time to spend in good company.

A little while later, Paul got up, while Anna and Ralf were already busy playing with their older brother’s children, and he approached her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Wanna dance?”

“Do you even know me?” she didn’t even look at him, knowing he had a smirk on his face and one of his blonde curls was falling over his blue eyes.

“Come on, when will we ever attend a wedding together again?”

He rested his chin on her shoulder, watching his mom talking with a friend.

“I hate that I can’t say no to you.”

Margit smiled, resting her head on her husband’s hand, while by now everyone was dancing, and no one remembered the dinner anymore.

Paul took her hand, leading her to the open space they had created outside the glass conservatory where the tables were, with a light breeze caressing their skin. There too, a few small lights were illuminating the colorful outfits of the guests and a few crystal glasses left with a pair of high heels.

He wasn’t much of a dancer, and like her, he preferred to sit and chat, watching others dance. But when she was around him, he felt as if he were a completely different person, and knowing that one day she might leave as unexpectedly as she had arrived, he wanted to enjoy every moment.

“How do you do this?” she smiled.

“I’ve only seen it in films,” Paul replied, chuckling softly.

The pilot took one of her hands and placed it just where her ribs ended, knowing the height difference was too much for her to wrap her arms around his neck, then grabbed her by the hips, starting to improvise some random steps.

“You’re so bad,” she was laughing, her eyes crinkling as she looked at him, and he felt so good that if he could, he would have taken that light she had inside her and replaced the chandeliers with it.

“Thank you, you’re really good too,” he teased.

There was something in the way they never explicitly said they were friends that preserved that bond, keeping them close. From the outside, it might have seemed a little childish, perhaps strange to those who didn’t live it. But to them, it was refreshing.

“You’ve got an insanely beautiful smile,” he sighed, while all around them, people were dancing, talking, and enjoying the music.

Paul had unbuttoned a few buttons on the white shirt he was wearing, and the hair he had carefully styled in front of the mirror was now free and soft.

“Stop simping over me, you creep,” she smiled, watching him laugh as he looked at the other couples dancing.

In her eyes, there was that blue ribbon, those little flowers the bride had in her bouquet and embroidered on her dress. In Paul’s eyes, there was everything that made her love that day and that would bring back all the light she was seeking in herself.

please do not steal or claim my work as yours, it's my first time publishing here so be kind and enjoy :)

~ not proofread and english's not my first language so there might be a few errors

[inchidentally]

ok so I need to vent and you'll be my victim… I read your every reply about landoscar like it's the morning newspaper, you have such a healthy and cute view of their dynamic, it always makes me all warm (or giggly, when something slighty unhinged comes up)

recently I discovered Arlo Parks (amazing artist, definitely recommend) and there's this song called Pegasus that reminds me so much of them and also how you talk about their friendship, how they're so tentative, figuring each other out at their own pace without feeling the need to play it up for the cameras, how oscar orbits lando (shy but attentive, never blinking) and how lando is a little shit, poking at oscar's poorly built walls until he finds a soft spot only to get flustered or awed afterwards (like he didn't expect oscar to like him this much) but never invading oscar's personal space

this song sets an atmosphere so tender and hesitant to me, kinda like when you're going through your first crush or starting to fall for someone (and we have enough evidence lando was oscar's first "driver crush", so to speak)

the chorus instantly took me back to the famous silverstone side hug (huge landoscar milestone, can't believe it actually happened) and I just needed to scream about it cause it's so unbearably sweet:

"Loose cherries, hard breath I'm overwhelmed

I spun 'round and screamed, "I feel elated when you hold me" And you got shy and beamed, "I think it's special that you told me" I think you're special 'cause you told me"

oscar making the first move, holding lando by the waist? lando with the biggest smile after realising that, bringing him closer, inclining his head and then stubbornely putting his arm around oscar's shoulder even though he is taller? I love that moment an insane amount

to me, silverstone was a defining point in their relationship, it seems like they became much more comfortable and happy after that, maybe helped by the fact the team was actually doing well, so a burden was lifted from their shoulders, but not only that, they also managed to do well together, lando really really wanted oscar on the podium with him and there's a bunch of cute moments from that weekend

people on twitter are negative all the time, but personally, I'm excited to watch how their friendship will evolve next season, oscar talked so many times about feeling welcome and wanted at mclaren, thanking the whole team (and lando!) for creating a great space for him in his rookie year and I can't wait to see more of them (and of you), and hopefully we'll get a proper hug from them this time around

anon ;_______: this is such a beautiful ask I don't even know what to do??? I barely want to add to it bc it's so perfect <3

I had to make you a video bc I love that song and I love this moment so much and goddd you're right - this was the moment they and we knew Oscar was something special for Lando and Lando realized oh wow maybe his quiet shy new teammate might be something special that he's never had before

[nanatsuyu]

do you have any recommendations of fics that are about kandrews relationship/friendship?? (either way its fine)

their dinamic is just so interesting to me, i think we need more fics that explore it

also i love their friendship in blueberry pancakes

oh man oh man i always have so many scenes bopping in my head from fics about them ;; but heres some from my top bookmarks that i could think of offhand!

-- an abridged family medical guide, 6th edition - 30degreesandsnowing

my intro into kandreil and it's a sickfic from their own povs each chapter and the kandrew in this makes me insane because they're SO soft on each other and i reread it like once a month+ for serotonin

sick days by sweetlikesugar

kevin is sick and tries to push himself anyways and andrew lets him know hes an idiot (affectionate) [emetophobia warning!] i love sickfics more than breathing so this was just hhhHHHHH

the gentle violence of loving you - sweetlikesugar

one of my favourite takes on how kandrew were pre-canon. delves a bit more into kevins poor mental state when showing up on the fox doorstep. it really grabs me in the "andrew was looking out for kevin before he knew it" feelings

make me believe that you need me most - sambutwithbooks

sam is like,,,,,,,a true gift to kandrew enjoyers when it comes to smut and also how they navigate each other in canon and how kevin carries a chip on his shoulder and andrew is Always Watching

this is how we try - justadreamfox

another kandreil i'm super fond of with ace kevin and andrew having always been in love with him and the three navigating their sex life featuring some real cute pining and fretting andrew

die hard valentines - dayurno

*chef kiss* absolutely stunning kandreil ive read 100000 times. focuses on kevin and andrew and their love for neil and just has these tender moments between them that gave me cavities im unable to fill UGH

sucker - mostly_maudlin

kevin is a vampire and drinks neils blood from andrews mouth. like that should sell it easily but its also REALLY soft with kisses. 3 part series with so much sexual tension its a physical entity that haunts me like the hat man after 10 benadryl

plugs my own fics cus im shy about it but i really love them a lot and my kandrew is some of my most self indulgent,,,

even if it takes __ years

canon divergent ending where neil was not present in the series and kandrew figure themselves out given all their issues

missed sleep

a lil au i have of them as an old married couple where kevin has ghosts from his past creep up but its mostly soft stuff in this snippet

taptaptap

kandreil post choking scene thats SUPER tender because im a soft baby. just got a podfic too! <3

--

not a complete list but these live rent free in my brain and are incredibly inspirational to me and a couple were VERY founding to my kandrew obsession!!

also thank you ;; you can see where it bleeds a bit into blueberry pancakes cus them being best friends is very important to me in every au always ;;

[carnivorous-horses-lover]

For the ship bingo! (Sorry, I was in a hurry this morning and forgot 🤦‍♀️) Quincey Morris/Jack Seward, Beatrice Baudelaire/Bertrand Baudelaire/Lemony Snicket, and, since I remember you reblogged W.I.T.C.H. fanart recently and I'm reading the comics now, Irma Lair/Cornelia Hale?

Thank youuu ;))))) Apologies if the pictures are are a bit sloppy, I was editing them on my phone. This turned out longer than I expected, so I put them all under read more!

Quincey Morris/Jack Seward

I like them! I really do. Though, I will admit that I'm more insane interested with every side of suitor's trio that has Arthur in it - mostly because I feel like he's a bit underappreciated!

All three suitors are so tender with each other, and the way Jack immediately brightens when he sees Quincey while having the worst day of a no good very bad pretty terrible week is saying so much! Another thing about them: I feel like from outside perspective it might be surprising that this is not a friend of a friend situation? An amieble aristocrat being friends with wealthy American and a pretty well-off doctor is not too surprising, but two people with (seemingly) completely different interests and personalities!.. Except they like each other! A lot! They think the other one is delightful all around! And have common hobbies of being adventurous and ride-or-die for people they care about. Them being paired together for the last roadtrip is even more sad - they might've met on the roadtrip too!

It was probably comforting, to have the person you trust and love travelling with you again, especially because of how high the stakes were this time! But with your dear friend you both settle into familiar routine, and it makes you breathe easier.

And then it ends.

The another guy (s) is the rest of their friend group, including Lucy and the unnamed post-canon wives. Except Van Helsing, the proud father figure!

Lemonberry Ice~

OT3!! Throuples of any kind and formation are my weakness, my Achilles heel. So is angst. And Lemonberry ice caught me, hook, line and sinker! I love, love when a person who seems to be only in love with one of the couple has actually fallen for both! I love when the couple is also smitten with said person. I love when said person has to fake their death/pretend to be dead. I love it when it happens so many times they no longer have any hope of knowing whether it was truth this time. I love when they get married, all three of them, with the small group of trusted friends as guests, only for one to go on the lam. When they have never been together, but cannot help but wish, wish, wish. When B. and B. share their wedding night with a person they cannot keep for more than that.

When L. tries to look after their children, is always few steps behind or ahead, but never in time. When their children do not know what 'Lemony' means. When they might've been told, but the distressed chronically late narrator has no way of knowing and even less desire to think of this possibility and what it could mean.

When L. and B. had the same chaperone. When B. and L. have the same flair for dramatics. When B.'s eldest daughter might have the eyes of a family that shares a taxi, and not his own. When their youngest once thought about pushing one wicked man in the right direction. When their middle child loves knowing the right word definitions.

Also movie!L having big awkwardly cut photograph of B. and B.

Do you ever think if Baudelaire household had too many teacups? Had an odd number of silverware? If Beatrice and Bertrand were strangely attached to certain little things that neither of them really used? If their children never put too much thought into it, but also started treating these things with more care than others?

Would B. and B. keep L.'s favourite mug? His old shoe that somehow found its way in the attic? Was there a third chair near the too-big a fireplace where usually there are two?

And of course. How did Lemony learn of the fire? Was this day no different from all other days, until he picked up a newspaper to read? How was it - to learn such devastating personal news through a newspaper? To feel how the world starts to rearrange itself into something more bleak and sinister, with the desperate hope for this to turn out to be another scheme still dwindling down.

They make me a little cray-cray =))

Irma Lair/Cornelia Hale

I see your vision! To tell the truth, this ask made me reread the beginning of the comics - I forgot how good they were! It also made me realise that both Irma and Cornelia realised what they could do first - and that Cornelia was the most skeptical and suspicious about their newfound powers (very Susan Pevensie of her! She might've survived in Madoka Magica!). And how their reactions to suddenly having magical powers were something like this:

Irma: Oh this is so nice! ☺️ I can have a little fun in the bathroom with water! (And maybe cheat on the tests too?)

Cornelia: No one knows how good I already am with my power! Just one wish was enough for my room to be clean again!! I can't wait to see what else can I do!!

This made me think that Cornelia could make a wonderful mad scientist!

I like their banter, the way Irma is more easygoing and more likely to crack a joke and Cornelia more witty and strategic, but also very caring.

The other guy is mostly there because I remember enjoying the dynamics between Cornelia and at least one of her boyfriends from later chapters, so!

Also the way these two often share a smirk is adorable! I like that they don't often see eye to eye too - it makes them all the more interesting!

[adzeisval]

A Curse is a Curse

Chapter One: The Cursed Bangles. Also on AO3.

Ed stumbles upon some cursed bangles that are supposed to give you want you deserve. They don't seem to work. Meanwhile Stede and Izzy find one of said bangles and start having nightmares. Can they figure it all out in time to save Ed?

Ed noticed two of the merchant ship crew running down into the hold with looks of determination, not terror, on their faces. Intriguing. There was something good down in the hold then and Ed gave chase to find out what it was before the merchants could destroy or hide whatever it was. 

The two merchants were in a small room in the hold whispering furiously about some sort of box. Ed let them dig about the room; he wanted to know what they were looking for. 

“What have you got there?” he asked when they finally found what they were looking for. They jumped and cursed and almost dropped the small box. 

“B…Blackbeard…” one of them managed. 

“Yep, that’s me. So what is that and why are you so desperate to get it? Valuable?” 

“Cursed,” Both men said. 

Ed scoffed, “Sure…” 

“No, truly. We were going to drop them into the ocean they…they’re supposed to give you what you deserve but all it seems to do is drive those around you mad.” 

“Fascinating. I’ll be taking those,” Ed said. He didn’t really believe in curses or magic or any of that but it was an interesting thought. The two merchants looked at each other and neither made the move to give the box to Ed. He pulled out his pistol, “Hand them over.” 

“You’re going to kill us anyway,” one man said. 

“If you give me the box, I’ll make it quick,” Ed said. One of the men handed the box over. 

Later, when the raid was done and they were back on the Revenge, Ed went to the Captain’s Cabin with the box to see the cursed item. He opened the box and found three no wait there were only two bangles inside. Odd. Ed could have sworn there were three when he first looked in the box. 

They didn’t look like much, maybe silver but not good quality with no markings on them. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to get any sort of good coin for them and they were too ugly to wear. 

“Cursed my ass,” Ed said and picked them up, “So you’re supposed to give me what I deserve are you? Well I’d appreciate it if you'd get on with it.” 

What he wanted and what he deserved were the same thing and he wanted it all to be over. He thought it might be nice to have a curse do the job for him so he didn’t have to wait for Izzy or the crew to do him in. Or wait until he broke Ned Low’s record and tempted that particular end to come for him. He’d rather have it done sooner than that. 

“You know what I deserve so give it to me,” Ed said. Nothing happened of course because curses weren’t real and Ed dumped the bangles back in the box and shoved them away. He reached for a bottle of rum and spent the next several hours getting too drunk to care about anything. 

In the morning when Izzy came to report their approach to the next target he’d all but forgotten about the bangles so he did not notice that they were gone. 

*****

Izzy woke up and groaned. A raid a day was already starting to wear on him and he didn’t know how much longer Ed was going to keep it up. To break Ned Low’s record, it wasn’t impossible but it was insane. Of course Ed would be the one able to pull it of if he set his mind to it and he seemed absolutely set on it. 

Ed seemed set on other things too. Izzy tried not to think about that or his part in the current situation, or at least tried not to dwell on it to the point it would put the crew in danger. 

Izzy didn’t really know what to do, how to fix things, but he was going to try to keep everyone alive and safe. 

Izzy stretched and dressed and only winced a little as he put his boot over the still tender stump where his pinky toe had been. When he reached for his comb his hand hit something strange and he looked down to see a silver bracelet of some sort that had not been there the night before. He looked around his room for signs that someone had been there the night before. Had Ed been in the room? Izzy didn’t think he could sleep through his door opening, not anymore, but he wasn’t certain. 

Izzy picked up the bracelet and had the sudden urge to put it on. He put it down and stared at it again. The desire to put it on continued. 

“Fuck it,” Izzy said and put the stupid thing on. Nothing happened. Nothing had happened or was going to happen. Izzy went to pull the bracelet off. It wouldn’t come off. It was almost as if had shrunk around his wrist. 

“Fuck.” 

He’d have to deal with it later, he needed to make sure everyone and everything was ready for the coming raid. He’d cut the fucking thing off later. He only wished he put it on his right wrist and not his left. He’d just yell at whoever noticed it first and hopefully that would be the end of it. 

He went to inform Ed and the man didn’t say anything about the bracelet. Maybe it hadn’t come from Ed. No one else would dare go into his room would they? No one said anything about the bracelet, no one even seemed to notice it. 

Izzy felt like he might be going a bit crazy and made several attempts to get the crew to notice and say something but nothing happened. 

Once the raid was over Izzy spent the next several hours trying to cut the bracelet off with no luck. 

“What is this fucking thing,” Izzy said. Izzy didn’t believe in magic or curses or anything like that but there was something about the bracelet that was…just not right. Well he couldn’t fucking do anything about it and it was getting late. Maybe something would come to him in a dream. 

“Fucking stupid,” Izzy mumbled. 

*****

Stede cleaned up his fifth broken bottle of the night with a sigh. And it had only gotten busy and Jackie’s for a few minutes. It was going to be one of those nights and most nights were one of those nights. 

But his crew was safe, they had a place to be, and he would get back to Ed one way or another. He could deal with a few more broken bottles. 

“Olu…” 

“You know they aren’t on the house, not last night not tonight,” Olu said. 

“Ugh I know,” Stede said. Things were…they were alright. Things would be alright and he would be able to get to Ed and he just knew it would all end up alright. 

Stede went to clean off another table and found a silver bracelet, bangle sort of thing laying on top of the table. 

“Odd.” 

No one else had picked it up, which was strange in a bar full of pirates. Stede picked it up looking around as she did. No one saw him or looked at him. Very strange. He felt like putting it on right away but slipped it in his pocket for the moment. If no one claimed it he would put it in the money jar and it could bring him one step closer to getting to Ed. 

For the rest of the night he had the urge to reach into his pocket and pull out the bangle and put it on. At the end of the night as he lay down to sleep he put it on. It was a rather ugly thing but it felt good to have it on for a moment. 

“A bit crazy,” Stede said. He went to remove the bangle and it wouldn’t come off. He tried again and again and it looked like the thing had shrunk around his wrist in the few minutes it was there. 

It didn’t make any sense at all. He spent a few more moments trying to get it off but he really needed to get to sleep. Maybe he would dream up a solution. 

[candyskiez]

3, 4, 5, and 13 for the toh ask game!

3: Oh this is HARD. I'm currently beginning a rewatch so this might change? Y'know y'know. But I think it's Eclipse Lake. It's just so....man. The nuance. The depth. Genuinely such an accurate portrayal of abuse. I've said it before but just. It's so realistic. I like that they don't make Hunter a perfect victim. He's rude, he's bratty, he's manipulative as FUCK in this episode. We see how he got so far as the Golden Guard. He's cunning. He's smart. He's just also insanely reckless with his life because he was taught it's irrelevant. He uses the same tactics on Amity that Belos used on Lilith. It's also a very raw depiction of an abused teenager that just. Doesn't pull any punches. I love that Amitys trauma doesn't go away and that it shows that trauma influences all kinds of relationships you find yourself in. I don't know what I can say about it that I haven't already said. It's just. An excellent episode about abuse that handles the subject matter properly. It's just fucking GOOD man

4. Hmmm. That's a good question. Honestly? Aladarius. They're interesting! I know it's. Nonsensical given we know scraps. But. Listen. Listen. They're FUN. They have it all. Weird sexual tension filled angsty rivalry, childhood best friends turnt awkward tension, comedic gold, divorced energy, absolutely loving and tender after canon, what more can I ask for? I just ..I love thinking about them. I love thinking about the possibility of what their dynamic with Odalia was like when the three of them were best friends. I like thinking about them both having so many regrets with how their relationship ended, but they can't say it. They can't get it out. Darius can't risk ever being hurt like that again, the idea of getting his heart broken again is too much, and the idea of having to be NEAR Odalia or having to think about the thousands of hurts near that is enough to make him sick, and hes trying to tell himself hes over it. Alador is just...resigned. He can't fix it. He feels like he can't. They both fucked up so bad and were...not very good people at some point but try SO hard to be better and they make me so emotional. God. With that being said they do not touch dating until their kids are grown up. Ty and gn. Also I love thinking about them having a conversation about Odalia and going "What happened to the friend we knew? Did she ever exist?" "I don't know." "...Would that be worse?" "I don't know." And. Eats a leg.

5. Oh man this is a HARD one. There's so many good ones! Genuinely just ...so many. So fucking many. One that has absolutely no canon backing in any way whatsoever is Darius and His mentor but. That probably doesn't count for many obvious reasons. So I'll take actual canon. Eda and Luz. I fucking love them. They love each other SO MUCH. Eda calling Luz her kid makes me want to scream and just. God. They're what the other needed. Eda needed someone who gave her a reason to get up and keep going. Someone to make her see the outside world. If King and Luz hadn't shown up, she would've rotted away in that tower forever. She needed a purpose, needed someone who made her stop and see that there were some people worth protecting. Luz made Eda see the outside world and. God. Goddd. And Eda being the accepting mentor she needed, offering her companionship when she needed it the most. Scared and sad and lonely, she needed someone to tell her nothing was wrong with her. She needed someone who could help her figure her weirdness out in a safe environment. And Eda was that. Eda helped her so much. And the owl family gets separated over an dover and over again and then Luz breaks that cylce of pain by COMING BACK and going, no, you know what? This doesn't get to end in tragedy. I love Eda. I love King. I love Hooty and Lilith and Camilia ad Hunter and Willow and Gus and Amity. You don't get to take this from me. I'm going to live on the isles and be happy. I'm going to live. I love my family. And just. Man. Man. Considering Eda and Luz both go through depressive periods in the show it's so. Man. MAN.

13. Season two! Simply because it has the most amount of favorite episodes. It's just a really good season man idk what to tell you.

It's. Late at night for me so sorry for incoherency wah

[transsexualhamlet]

gr. gurrrrn g. hrrr gurne, i ask. gurn

SCARED OF YOU SO BAD. GUREN FOR WHICH . QUESTION LUNA. THERES LITERALLY THIRTY OF THEM

since you have not specified I will answer the first ten and if you desire different ones/more go ahead and specify that lmao

character ask game

My first impression of them- I'll be honest, guren was just some guy to me when I first read vampire reign at the tender age of 13. I literally just didn't really care about him that much until one of my old friends who I dragged forcibly into ons with me started reading catastrophe and went NO REALLY THESE GUYS ARE SO GAY and I had to see the light.

When I think I truly started to like them- see above.

A song that reminds me of them- you know and have known for a very long time that I have a playlist for Guren and it's all the most 2000s emo amv music. A very selective few of them would be

-Violet Hill by Coldplay (lamenting what the world has become over the years with hints of war, catholicism, and political turmoil) plus a Hefty dose of "lover that may be dead or not dead and remains out of reach and yearned after"

-The Calendar by P!ATD . This is a real bittersweet one because said old friend was insane about it and was the first one to point to its. Gureshin-y-ness. You know who I'm talking about I don't need to fill you in on this but it is genuinely the most Gureshin song I know, especially one cognizant of catastrophe and resurrection. Interpreted figuratively it's a Guren song, interpreted literally, it's a Shinya song. It makes me fucking Ill every time I think about it. Like come on "they said if you don't let it out, you're gonna let it eat you away, I'd rather be a cannibal baby, animals like me don't talk anyway" tell me guren and shinya would not say that exact fucking sentence "put another x on the calendar, summer's on its deathbed, there is simply nothing worse than knowing how it ends" slash catastrophe slas h vampire reign slash im Ill. "I will come back to life but only for you, only for you- the world may call it another chance, but when I came back it was more of a relapse" HI SHINYA . HELLO hi sorry.

also. Fake Your Death by MCR. This is more of a me-specific one and the ending I had planned for chains of fate all those fateful years ago. But this is really how I see him it's just. God he has been through the wringer for so long and he is disillusioned and tired and ready for someone to just fucking kill him like he deserves and still he has so much love for the people he has dragged through the mud with him and just. it's never going to get back to the way it was before and it's just. god. me an mcr fan when the fandom implications of the lore around this fucking song. if you didnt know luna this was the last song mcr released before breaking up like. about them breaking up and its just for ghe love of fUcking god

How many people I ship them with- really just Shinya. Sorry I'm a purist. There's arguments for a sort of qpr polycule type situation but I'm truly a Gureshin purist

My favorite ship of them- YOU DONT NEED TO ASK THIS OBVIOUSLY

Least favorite ship of them- People who ship Guren and Yuu make me want to kill something that is his son. But aside from the obvious, I just. People who ship Guren and Kureto are just mystifying to me. Like I guess there's nothing wrong with it but they just do not like each other at all and Kureto is such a pathetic creature yknow. I simply cannot bring myself to like him I have Tried

A quote of them that you remember-

This one <3

Your favorite outfit of them- He has like. What ok. Um. Catastrophe school uniform catastrophe/resurrection military uniform vampire reign military uniform. and then there's the ubiquitous white button up and slacks. I have to say I liked the catastrophe military uniform the best.

Your least favorite outfit of them- They're all so fucking basic????? There's seriously so little difference between them all

Describe the character in one sentence- Stubborn atheist in the face of christian armageddon, self-determined martyr, failed revolutionary, washed up pretty boy, and absent adoptive father with terminally repressed homosexuality who god refuses to let die.

That's the first ten, I'm not spending my entire evening on this. hi luna

[an-indecisive-mess]

Aria x Hermes Incorrect Quotes

Hermes: *seductively takes off glasses*

Hermes: Wow...

Aria: *blushes* Haha... what?

Hermes: You’re… really blurry

Aria: I owe you one.

Hermes: That’s ok. You can just date me and we’ll call it even

(*Source: Lilo and Stitch)

Aria: I still have no idea how I’m attracted to you...

Hermes: Yeah, well, you’re stuck with me, and no take backs, honey.

Aria: Valentine’s day is just a consumerist holiday that holds no real value other than drive people insane buying heart shaped chocolates for their significant others and pos-

Hermes: I wrote you a poem.

Aria, already crying: You did?

Aria: The stars are so beautiful...

Hermes: They're just giant balls of gas.

Aria: You know what, if you're just going to ruin this, then-

Hermes: And yet none of them are as huge as my love for you.

Aria: Oh...

Hermes: I think I just figured something out. I got to go.

Aria: Aren't you forgetting something?

Hermes: Uuh...*hesitantly kisses Aria's forehead before running out.*

Aria: No, pay your bill! Geez, who raised you?

(*Source: Brooklyn 99)

Pain: You love this woman (Aira), don’t you?

Hermes: Yes..

Panic: You wanna hold her?

Hermes: Yes.

Pain: Please her?

Hermes: Yes!

Pain and Panic: 🎶Then you’ve got-ta got-ta try a little tenderness!🎶

Pain: The chicks LOVE that romantic crap!

(*Source: Shrek)

Hades: Why are Aria and Hermes sitting with their backs to each other?

Pain: They had a fight.

Hades: Then why are they holding hands?

Panic: They get sad when they fight.

Aria: Don't I get a kiss for luck? It's kind of a tradition, right?

Hermes: Come back alive, Aria. Then we'll see.

(*Source: Percy Jackson)

*Aria and Hermes are doing something absurdly dangerous*

Aria: I think Houdini did this once! Why, if I remember right, he was out of the hospital in no time!

Hermes, deadpan: Well that's encouraging.

(*Source: Brave Little Toaster)

Hermes: I'm dating your daughter.

Hades: And?

Hermes: I thought that you would be more surprised.

Hades: Oh, I'm sorry.

Hades, surprised: And?!

Aria: We have to find my darling Hermes. I’m so worried about him.

Hades: Seriously. What do you see in that guy?

Aria: He makes me laugh.

(*Source: Who Framed Roger Rabbit)

Aria, at Hermes: Would you like to stay for dinner?

Sirena, from the kitchen: Would you like to stay forever!?!

(*Source: Mulan)

Aria: You often use humor to deflect trauma.

Hermes: Thank you.

Aria: I didn't say that was a good thing.

Hermes: What I'm hearing is, you think I'm funny.

Hercules: I’ve never asked someone out. How do you even do it?

Hermes: Oh, what I do is, I look them up and down and I say: “Hey… how you doin’?”

Aria, scoffing: Oh, please.

Hermes, to Aria: Hey, how you doin’?

Aria: *giggles and blushes*

(*Source: Friends)

Aria: I truly go into housewife mode when I'm someone's soulmate- like, I'll make you pancakes and bacon every morning.

Hermes: This is a lie.

Hermes: I'm literally dating her. This is a lie.

Hermes: SHE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO COOK A PANCAKE, WHAT IS THIS?

Aria, trying to cheer the group up: Things could be worse, you know!

Hermes: How?

Aria: How what?

Hermes: How could they be worse?

Aria: They couldn’t, I lied.

Hermes: …

(*Source: Brave Little Toaster)

Panic: Ooh, somebody has a crush

Aria: Pfft, I don’t have a crush on Hermes. I just think he’s cool, it’s not like I stay up at night thinking about him.

*Later that night*

Aria, very much awake: Uh oh.

(*Source: Gravity Falls)

[satancopilotsmytardis]

7, 9, and 17!

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

I like just being able to make something entirely with words! Whole worlds, histories, feelings! Just made out of strings of letters. I have always been a person who like making things, so writing is a wonderful way of doing so for me.

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn’t about writing I just wanna know

I believe that the energy of living things must be changed in some fundamental way when it leaves the body and I believe that people may not fully understand that process. (I have no fucking clue but sometimes places do be 'spooky' in strange imperceptible ways and I'm open to the possibility that ghosts are the cause.)

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

I have. NINE current WIPS. Thankfully I can group up a good number of them.

I have a bunch of installments in the Mishap series that I'm working on which while looking like nothing more than PWPs, are actually a fun way of exploring emotional intimacy as much as physical intimacy because one of my favorite things to do is discuss the idea of BDSM as a way of exploring vulnerabilities that it might be uncomfortable or frightening to do in other settings.

There's also Bonded, which I am really struggling with. I started writing the series just because I was having fun playing with a lot of silly ideas, but Shattered is much more serious in tone and while I usually love that, and I have a full outline of Shattered as well as outlines for the next two installments as well, I just haven't found the joy in it that I did in the beginning. I really like how chapter 6 wraps up, and it's been torture trying to move on to chapter 7. I don't know when I'll get over that hump, but it's been 3 months and I still haven't managed it yet.

Tumblr prompts, going well enough. Taking this as an opportunity to just write fast(ish) snippets. I often really want to linger and show how relationships develop thoroughly because (and especially with ShigaDabiHawks) I need a believable progression to show how those character could have possibly ended up together when they're at odds with each other's goals. However, for these I'm just going ham and that's a nice little change of pace.

Stalling out on the original piece (shigadabi with the serial numbers filed off because I wanted to use an original fantasy setting I've used for other OC work). Having trouble balancing how to progress the plot without losing the spark between the two characters after a... disagreement.

The Hanahaki piece is my fucking baby right now. Feeling as good about this one as I did about Honeytrap and Grey Area. It's so achingly tender and I love it to absolute bits. I have one area that I'm still trying to make a decision on and thought that the tumblr prompts would be a good way to step back and give it some breathing room after banging out 27k for it in two days. I'm very excited about this one.

And last but not least, the Time Travel fic! I'm enjoying this one too but I'm thinking about it logistically right now and trying to decide if I'm going to make it a multi-chapter or not. I usually don't like to do that because I write very differently for a multi-chap than I do for a one-shot and I much prefer the style of writing for an insanely long one-shot than a multi-chap (yes this may be why Shattered is fucking me up so badly, also why I really hated Playing Favorites by the end), but I'm not sure if it would be too jarring to go from Hawks' POV to Dabi's after minimum of 12K in Hawks' POV, but I need some scenes to be from Dabi's so eeehhhh. I'll figure it out. I like this one, alternate timelines are always fun to play around with and the butterfly effect here is so fucking strong.

I think I'm going to be finishing the Tumblr prompts before going back to the Hanahaki fic, but we'll see! And this is all dependent on me not starting any more pieces in the meantime. Which. Oof.

Thanks for asking!

[2n2n]

do you think m1tsuk0u will ever actually work out?

I'm not sure what "work out" means .... I think they will continue to have an arc that directly involves the other, and I think that arc will ultimately have a thesis/point of resolution of some kind, pertaining to their complexes. They are involved with one another for a reason. The answer to their problems must be each other, or they wouldn't be here.

If you're asking more like, "will they reach stability/comfort with each other?" I have no idea, really! Their dynamic is very odd to me-- it's very confrontational from the get-go, and there is no aspect of the dynamic which aims to repair or work on that? I don't know if Kou is eventually meant to learn how to be tender, or express himself earnestly ... because unlike HanaNene, nobody is actively working the other down in that manner. Though moments of crushing honesty are par the course for JSHK, happened for Akane/Aoi, Sumire/Hakubo, so, surely we'll hear one or the other say something true....

The situation between them is about "trust"; Mitsuba has never really trusted anyone (he is so reluctant towards everyone and everything), and Kou is never trusted with anything (too immature, too useless). Their arc will surely eventually have them trusting each other, crucially!

If you're asking more like "will they form a traditional romantic relationship" I have honest to God no idea, I am out of touch with modern shounen or what's possible in a gfantasy story... from my own history (I am 30 now & I read a lot of shounen en mass at like, 15) I'd be like, "it's not really that kind of manga", I would not expect a shounen I'm reading to suddenly have maintext boy kissing boy relationship 100+ch in. I would expect it to stay alluded to and teased but always left up to interpretation.

For instance. I think the Yugi are entirely, a real thing, I think Amane was in love with his brother. But I THINK the extent of that 'romance' will always be under the ambiguity of familial love (I mean, I think that's WHY they're family...), and the metaphor of murder/consumption, the act of sublimation of becoming a yorishiro, and I really don't think it is a "kiss and confess" situation so to speak (and yet, it's important Amane confront his feelings towards his brother! It's important Nene-chan figure out those feelings, to understand Hanako!). There will always be metaphors and abstraction, probably, but those metaphors and abstraction Will Be Canon. I like the poetics of such things anyway, and I don't really care about conventional things ... and with Sumire/Hakubo's consumption being very vividly a symbol of indulgence/consummation/'taking', the language is already set-up for the Yugi. Eat someone, make them yours. Mitsuba and Kou have also touched on consumption, where does that climax? Kou eats Mitsuba in the Ghost Hotel AU. What does that mean? I have no idea. Lol.

I think one will have a better time thinking in terms of "the story will inevitably and absolutely always feature these two, who are important to one another's psyche" and not waiting on things as head-of-a-pin specific as like, relationships coming to pass. When I see modern fandomers gunning for canon dating or kissing, they seem constantly miserable or angry ... ? but the foreign fandoms are doing what I've always done, and, they are just hollaring about whatever insane shit is happening in canon and engaging in analyzing the meaning and symbols present in those actions. I do not see AmaTsu's hinging on "I hope they kiss", rather they memetically repeat lines in canon like "let's do it right." or obsessively discuss the details of the shinjuu, like, "Amane doesn't seem like the biting type, so do you think he licked or sucked on Tsukasa's heart after killing him?" and the satisfaction and passion in those conversations is unbearable, its like the sun burning brightly. And this to me is shipping on the level the manga wants you to, engaging with its text, what it values, what it wants you to think about.

[petrichoraline]

hii petri! for ship bingo, your favorite ship from kinnporsche and/or your favorite ship from the untamed?

mint, i know you wanted to give me choice and creative freedom and i appreciate it so much but my gOSH am i not the person to do that for 😂 not only do i rarely have favourites of anything but i have to figure out my emotions for these unnamed blorbos? this is how you end up with five answers for the price of one ✨

so, for kinnporsche i came to the conclusion i have two - one for the earlier part of the show and one for the last episodes (i think the green is..fairly obvious)

first one is the men themselves who made me feel so many things throughout the show and turnt it into the amazing experience it was for me, watching them learn how to understand each other and open up, the tender scenes, the chemistry, following the discussions on here about kinn and his trust issues (omg especially around the tawan episodes, that was crazy) - their journey was so much fun!

the second one..what can i say, vegaspete were what everyone seemed to anticipate and i was kinda neutral until their episodes actually hit, then i went insane lmao, i just love pathetic men and "only i understand him, only i can tame him" type of stuff - i got plenty of that and some top notch chemistry and they were what made the last episodes for me

onto the untamed.. i don't like thinking about it too much because one cql viewing later i'm a broken woman, i do not understand how people watch it more than once and choose to actively think about it, write analyses, delve into the lore - i'm not built like you guys and you have my respect 💕 all of that is to say i dont think bout the ships too much either, i picked these as faves because they had a certain smth

I don't think anyone could possibly guess what the three couples are they're - not the most popular 😂 except for wangxian, those are my babies:

the next one is jiang cheng with... *drums*

...wen qing 🥰 i didn't ship them as divorced until i saw the option and decided that yes, they would be so amazing as divorced parents or smth and i would read about it for sure; not the comb, not the post-war conversations - that inn scene always comes to mind, it feels like a checkpoint at which you could take a different route and change the outcome, a spot where you can stop and think "what if"... jiang cheng before the weight of zidian, the only thing of importance at the moment - his brother's safety... wen qing with only her brother to look out for, testing how far she'd go for an outsider while risking everything... or, y'know, i just find the scene fun, smart and rewatchable 🤷‍♀️ they're a very interesting ship for me cause i don't mind them not being together, either way is fine and makes sense and i never really feel this way about ships i care about, they usually HAVE to be together y'know but with these two i just have many thoughts and feelings that don't actually make me go crazy which is so refreshing

and the one ship that i'm not sure i even ship but b o y they make me feel things...

...xiao xingchen and xue yang YES I KNOW, still to this day am not sure about some story details lol that whole arc left me shaken to my core and i've worked on forgetting it so it took a while to even remember they exist .. anyways, they found home in each other and could've been happy but they are who they are and they acted how they acted and that's that :) also my feels on song lan (and him with xiao xingchen) are mixed but this might be the one triangle i can see myself enjoying as a throuple.. i avoided stuff about that whole psychological horror arc so stuff that could sway me in any particular direction haven't been encountered in a while ✨