#always brings me such joy to have such a big new cast

[westeroslive]

when the sun rises in the west,   the  gods  eyes  are  drawn.  may  the  seven  have  mercy  upon  you  as  we  welcome  you  to  court,   lady maelys, lord roman, lady   elowyn,   lady   eudora,   prince   admiral   drazenko,   lord   andar,   lord   dairo,   liege   anika,   lord   jorah,   lady   ashara,   lady   tysha,   lord   sebastian !  now  a  victim  of  the  court,  the  bards  compare your beauty  to  florence   pugh,   keith   powers,   jessica   green,   arsema   thomas,   dev   patel,   jesse   williams,   andrew   koji,   simone   ashley,   scott   eastwood,   savannah   lee   smith,   margot   robbie,   and daniel   sharman as  you  play  the  game  in  the  midst  of  seasoned  nobles.

behave  and  follow  the  queen's  word  written  in  our  checklist  and  submit  your  account  within  24 hours.  

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         florence pugh,  26,  cis woman,  she + her.    announcing  the  arrival  of  MAELYS  of  house  CELTIGAR,  the  LADY  of  CLAW ISLE.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  INGENIOUS  and  ENIGMATIC  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in the arts, sciences & swordplay if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  at  least  a dilution of ancient ichor and wyvern blood distilled - the last of old valyria runs your veins, a dash of sea salt and poison to flavor - you were raised to have claws,  intricate detail scribbled across pages in a plethora of languages - the pursuit of knowledge is your path to your power.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  THE  TARGARYENS .          (  ooc  :  eden,  29,  she/her,  est  )

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         keith  powers,  32,  cis  man,  he/him.    announcing  the  arrival  of  ROMAN  of  house  BRAX,  the  LORD  of  HORNVALE.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  STRONG  WILLED  and  OBSTINATE  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  swordsmanship.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  shining  silver  armor  now  dull  and  chipped  ,  you  are  not  a  boy  anymore  ;  a  hound's  jaws  open  wide  ,  all  gums  and  sharp  pearly  whites  ;  is  the  ideal  form  a  weapon  or  a  shield?  which  one  are  you?  ;  the  destructive  force  of  ares  versus  mars  securing  peace  ⸻  one  cannot  exist  without  the  other.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  HOUSE  BRAX.          (  ooc  :  snooki  )

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         jessica green,  29,  cis woman,  she + her.    announcing  the  arrival  of  ELOWYN  of  house  HARLAW,  the  LADY  of  TEN  TOWERS.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  ADROIT  and  UNYIELDING  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  seafaring  and  swordplay.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  eyes  of  such  blue  they  rival  the  sea  that  lives  in  ones  veins  -   the  beauty  of  the  storm  they  hold  whispered  across  the  winds  of  the  merciless  deep  ;  the  scent  of  salt  and  brine  lingering  in  wind  torn  tendrils  of  darkest  night  ;  silken  skin  of  a  thigh  imprinted  with  that  of  a  dagger  -  blade  kept  sharp  and  always  at  the  ready.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  THE  HARLAWS.          (  ooc  :  nakita,  29,  she + her,  mst  )

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         arséma thomas,  28,  cis woman,  she/her.    announcing  the  arrival  of  EUDORA  of  house  BRAX,  the  LADY  of  HORNVALE.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  PERCEPTIVE  and  HEADSTRONG  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  reading, science and herbalism.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  ink stained palms, the stifling feeling of being the only one in the room out of the loop, the overwhelming sense of enthusiasm of a theory becoming reality.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  HOUSE BRAX.          (  ooc  :  o., 29, she/they, gmt+1  )

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         dev patel,  35,  cis man,  he + him.    announcing  the  arrival  of  DRAZENKO  of  house  MORAQOS,  the  PRINCE ADMIRAL  of  MYR.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  SAVVY  and  A BRAGGART  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  the finer things in life.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  gemstones flashing as you speak with your hands more than the eclipsed words which fall from your mouth ; aromatic sandalwood and myrrh as impermeable shield surrounding your person ; dark lock of hair slanted boyish against a forehead which bears the stress and tension of a man, aware of how far a fall may await.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  HOUSE MORAQOS.          (  ooc  :  nikki  )

𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         jesse williams,  38,  cis man,  he / him.    announcing  the  arrival  of  ANDAR  of  house  ROYCE,  the  LORD  of  the GATES OF THE MOON.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  PROTECTIVE  and  ARROGANT  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  hunting and swordsmanship.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  tales of the second best attempting to prove their worth, formed bonds becoming greater than familial, anxious feeling of hurry where there is no rush.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with THE VALE.

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         andrew  koji,  thirty-three,  cis  man,  he/him.    announcing  the  arrival  of  DAIRO  of  house  ROWAN,  the  LORD  HEIR  of  GOLDENGROVE.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  INDUSTRIOUS  and  DOMINEERING  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  carpentry.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  always  striving  to  be  better  than  those  who  surround  you,  unwilling  to  be  easily  swayed;  a  splinter  digging  deeper  under  your  nail  —  a  never-ending  pressure  and  a  relentless  reminder;  watching  your  father  leave  over  and  over  until  you've  memorized  how  he  walks  away;  wooden  scenery  of  dragons  among  golden  trees  hacked  to  pieces.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  UNCERTAIN.   (  r.  )

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         simone ashley,  31,  demi woman,  she / her.    announcing  the  arrival  of  ANIKA of  house  MORAQOS,  the  LIEGE  of  MYR.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  STEADFAST  and  PUGNACIOUS  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  knives.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  sweet face disguising the snake underneath, every move for the benefit of her family above all, sugary sweetness that turns to poison on the tongue.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  ESSOS.          (  ooc  :  lex,  25,  she/her,  est  )

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         scott eastwood,  32,  cis man,  he / him.    announcing  the  arrival  of  JORAH  of  house  MALLISTER,  the  HEIR  of  SEAGARD.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  DECISIVE  and  VINDICTIVE  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  poetry.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  steel on steel hitting around the training yard, hidden beast laying in wait, boyish dimpled grins that disguise real thoughts.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  THE MALLISTERS.  (  ooc  :  lex  )

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         savannah lee smith,  27,  demi woman,  she / they.    announcing  the  arrival  of  ASHARA  of  house  DAYNE,  the  LADY  of  HIGH HERMITAGE.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  PERSISTANT  and  UNYIELDING  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  poisons.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  a way forged by your own whims and fancy, delight in the surprise of your prowess, unbent will to your own detriment.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  DORNE.  (  ooc  :  lex  ) 

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         margot robbie,  33,  cis woman,  she / her.    announcing  the  arrival  of  TYSHA  of  house  HIGHTOWER NEE LANNISTER (lannisport),  the  RULING LADY of  OLDTOWN whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  GUILELESS  and  UNCONVENTIONAL  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  gossip.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  excessive jewelry and bright expensive gowns, a duty for family now fulfilled, holding tight to nothing as with nothing you can't be hurt.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  THE  LANNISTERS.          (  ooc  :  stephy )

࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         daniel  sharman,  31,  demi  man,  he  /  they.    announcing  the  arrival  of  SEBASTIAN  of  house  GRAFTON,  the  LORD  of  GULLTOWN.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  CHARMING  and  IMPETUOUS  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  gambling  and  sword  fighting.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  a  boyish  grin  and  laughter  echoing  through  the  halls  ,  carrying  a  warmth  that  not  even  the  strongest  chill  could  diminish  ;  the  warning  of  icarus  falls  on  deaf  ears  as  wings  carrying  you  higher  and  higher  into  the  skies  -  how  glorious  it  is  to  fly  ,  to  feel  the  sun's  glory  for  as  long  as  possible  ;  more  gold  fills  your  pockets  than  before,  a  change  so  gradual  that  you  spare  not  a  single  thought  of  its  cause  ;    aspiring  to  be   like  the  heroes  from  stories  no  matter  if  you  stumble  -  maybe  one  day  songs  will  be  written  about  you.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  HOUSE  GRAFTON  /  THE  VALE.          (  ooc  :  alex  )

[pnutbutter-n-j-elyy]

Chan x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of Suicide, Death, Grief, Slight Age Gap, Life after loss, Cursing, Angst, Blood, Brother's Friend, Manic Behavior, Depression, Panic Attacks.

Word Count:

If you or someone you know is suffering from suicidal ideation or thoughts of harming themselves, please reach out for help. You never know when someone's last day will be; no one ever does. But if you can help - even just a tiny bit, sometimes a word, text, or even a call can be a catalyst for positive change.

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pt1 Part Two

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You sat alone in your dimly lit room, the silence almost palpable. Your parents were away for the night. As they had been the last few nights.

You didn't blame them at all. It was hard being in, let alone living in a house that carried so much weight now. It was only a matter of time before your parents would move away. Taking you along with them, as you were still young. Just barely 21 yourself.

The only light came from the desk lamp, casting a soft glow over the envelope in your hands. It was marked with the words "Read when you're lonely," and the familiarity of your brother's handwriting stirred up a mix of emotions. You carefully peeled open the envelope, feeling the weight of the moment.

This was the first letter you were opening. It only seemed right, since you were feeling lonely.

Extremely.

As you unfolded the letter, a rush of memories flooded your mind—the way Hajun used to write letters when he had first left home, the warmth you felt when opening them, and the excitement of the thought of another one coming soon. The endless support he gave you in those letters.

A testament to the strength your relationship. You took a deep breath, your eyes scanning the neatly written words on the page:

I'm sorry I’m no longer there to give you a hug when you need one or to share in the laughter and tears of everyday life. I wish more than anything to be there with you, to tell you that everything will be alright and to remind you that you’re never truly alone.

I know this time is incredibly hard, and I can only imagine the weight you’re carrying. It was selfish of me to inflict this on you, but I hope you understand. You've always been understanding. And I hope you can be understanding now.

But I need you to remember that even though I’m not physically with you, you still have remnants of me everywhere. Whenever you feel overwhelmed or lonely, reach out to those who care about you, even if it’s difficult. I hope they can help begin to fill that void.

There’s someone I want you to contact if you ever find yourself feeling lost or isolated. His name is Christopher. He’s one of my closest friends, and he knows what it means to be there for someone who’s hurting. It's been a while since I've talked to him, but I trust him completely, and I believe he’ll offer you the support you need.

If anything, he'll do it out of pity. But he'll be a person in times of loneliness that you can look too.

Sometimes, a change in environment can help bring a fresh perspective and new beginnings. Knowing you, you'll want a change of pace. Something to get away from me. Consider moving to Korea. It’s a big step, but it could be an opportunity for you to heal and find new joys. And there are people there that I believe can help you begin to heal. I know it’s not an easy decision, but I want you to be open to the possibility of finding happiness, even if it means making a major change.

I hope these words bring you some comfort and help you find the strength to face each day. Know that my love is always with you, even if I’m not, Gremlin.

Hajun

You sat there for a moment, letting your eyes burn slightly. You looked at you clock and saw the time.

3:07 a.m.

You wondered if Chris was busy at the moment. You found yourself opening up Instagram.

You hadn't opened it up since Hajun left.

Left. It was easier to think of it like that.

You didn't want to scroll through the countless amount of edits you knew had been made. Juju had always been the favorite of the group. Rightly so, because even though you were prejudiced it was easy to see just how amazing your brother was. And it made sense that others would see that as well.

You didn't watch through any of the edits fully. But it was the first thing that popped up on your screen. With some corny ass pop song playing in the background that made you grit your teeth.

They acted as if they knew him.

We'll miss our Junebug.

You swallowed the bike that had risen in your throat.

Our?

They didn't know him. They couldn't have been going through the pain you were going through.

The anger you felt made you want to become a key board warrior. To respond to every comment and call them out on the utter bullshit.

The comments saying that "no one understands how hurt I was when I found out" or "it hurts as his number one fan" or "no one knows pain like this".

The comments with immense parasocial vibes made you sick to your stomach, and you clutched your phone as you scrolled through countless girls and guys who commented on how heartbroken they were of their husband being gone.

You had gone through that phase, it was normal even, something common in the fandoms. But at times like this it left a sour taste in your mouth. And you couldn't sit one moment to and try to empathize with them; even if you knew that sometimes people you looked up to, admired even- felt closer than those you could reach out and touch; those whose embraces were tangible.

You felt like reporting each and everyone, screaming at them.

They never knew him.

At least not like you did, not like your mom did. Your dad. His friends.

And to those who had "stumbled" across your account after doing enough research on your brother it was nearly a full on doxxing; and then spread your information- had sent you a plethora of messages that you didn't open up. You'd let them sit in your requests until the day that you went to meet your brother once more.

You went to the search bar and typed in the reason you had come to the social site to begin with.

Christopher Bang

You clicked on a page that had the blue verification.

@gnabnahc.

You scrolled through a few of his posts, not realizing a smallest smile had molded to your face.

His way of posting was similar to your brother's. Very boyfriend coded. Something you had always teased him about in the comments of your "fan" account.

"Y/N you know you're atrocious for leaving that comment." "219k people liked so I think you're wrong." "Yeah, cause they thought it was funny that you tagged Mom and Dad." "What else was I supposed to do? Allow my brother to solicit such images? I'm tired of hearing people simp over you. You're not even that great-"

Except he really was.

Your thumb stilled over a clear image of him, his birthday post froma a few days before you first called him.

26.

Your breath caught slightly as you stared at the unfamiliar face on your screen. You had never met him - his name now only being mentioned in the wake of your brother’s death, a friend of Hajun’s you had never gotten around to knowing in his life. Yet here you were, unable to tear your eyes away from his smile.

It was strange, the way his smile seemed to reach out to you, even though he was a stranger. His lips were curved in a way that felt so effortless, as if joy came naturally to him, even in a world that had assumingly taken from him. As it tended to do for everyone.

The crinkles at the corners of his eyes hinted at a warmth that felt oddly familiar, and foreign simultaneously. You didn’t know him: you had no reason to feel anything for him- especially in the mental state you were currently residing in -but there was something about that smile that tugged at something deep inside you - a place you had been trying to keep sealed off since Hajun died.

You frowned, your thumb hovering once more as if you might scroll away, but you didn’t. Instead, you found yourself studying the details - the way his dimples deepened when he smiled, the slight tilt of his head as if he was caught in the middle of laughing at something. A laugh you could almost hear clearly. Light, and airy, carrying the essence of an eternal giggle rather than a deep bellowing guffaw.

His smile reminded you of the way Juju smiled.

Except the difference between Hajun's smile and Chris's was that the warmth in Chris's smile didn’t just comfort you, or make you feel as if you were seen- it sparked something restless and new, like the first hint of spring after a long winter, coaxing your frozen heart to thaw slightly, even when you were sure you weren't ready to feel the warmth of the sun again.

You didn’t want to feel this a draw to someone you’d never met personally, especially not now, when grief still clung to you like a second skin. But the longer you looked, the harder it was to deny the pull. It wasn’t attraction, not exactly - it was more like an inexplicable need to hold onto something, anything, that didn’t hurt.

And somehow, without knowing how or why, Chritopher's smile had become that something.

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"Hyung! Your phone is ringing!" Jeongin's voice rang across the home to the eldest member, as he stuffed chips into his mouth while lounging on his bed.

"Innie-ah, I thought I told you to stop eating on my bed. You always leave crumbs." As he walked over to his dresser where his phone laid, Jeongin made a theatrical crunch as if proving a point to his leader.

"Ah! You're calling me messy! Our dorm is the cleanest how could you say that?" He mumbled, rolling over and opening up his secret account to scroll through edits.

Chris sighed and grabbed his phone, the call missed. When he tapped the screen, your name had popped up and immediately his heart flew to his throat.

He called you back immediately, waiting impatiently for you to pick up.

"Hello? Sorry did I wake you?"

"Ah, ah, no I promise you didn't wake me. It's only early evening over here- but wouldn't that mean it is early morning for you?

"I couldn't sleep. I'm home alone and even though I want to be alone...together. I don't want to be alone...alone."

Chris nodded. "I'm sorry Y/N, I'm sure that's really hard." Jeongin's ears perked up, his body flying into a seated position as he crawled closer to his Hyung who was now seated on the edge of the mattress. "But I'm here for you, you know?"

Jeongin tried his best to listen in, even trying to disguise his nosiness as seeking for affection, but Chris shook his head and pushed him off lightly with a light noogie to his head. Jeongin pouted and opened up a pack of gummy worms, chewing slower and more deliberately to try and listen in.

"Korea?" Chan asked, his voice raising slightly in surprise. "I mean that's a huge step but..." He nodded and Jeongin sighed, throwing himself back on the bed.

"I'm sure it will be hard. But you'll have support here. But with all the visas and stuff you'll have to have a valid reason to move...yeah...hm...I mean it could take a little bit unless you found a job...yeah..." He absentmindedly drew little doodles on his knee.

Jeongin's eyebrows scrunched. Who was the girl his leader was speaking so softly to? He could hear the slightest sound of your voice and Jeongin hmphed as he moved around again. Was his hyung dating someone?

The conversation you had with Chris went on for a while, until you decided that maybe it was time you at least try to rest your eyes.

"Good. You need to get sleep. We can talk about this when you have a clearer mind. Sleep well, Y/N."

"Goodnight." You said, hanging up. You put your phone on your desk and trekked towards your bed but looked at the small notebook that laid on it. Just one of many notebooks left.

There were hundreds and hundreds of lyrics Hajun had scribbled onto the cream-colored paper. You were grateful your parents had taken the time to raise you as a polyglot rather than just Hajun.

You seamlessly switched from English to Korean to Japanese and the occasional surprise inducing Spanish lyrics Hajun had written.

Language had always been an interest to you.

The minute Hajun had shown interest in becoming an entertainer by the age of seven, your parents had enrolled him in all types of music and dance related extracurriculars, and made you tag along as well in hopes that maybe you too would want to become a part of the entertainment industry, but rather than that you had fallen in love with tagging along to Hajun's language classes.

You credited your parents to the Korean and English knowledge you had, your mom and dad speaking the two languages throughout your childhood after reading somewhere that it was easier for children to learn languages due to brain plasticity. And due to the glories of the education system, you had taken Spanish throughout your high school years and taken quite a liking to the widely spoken language, even if you only knew it intermediately.

Hajun had been the one to teach you Japanese alongside one of his band members who was a native speaker. It was an excuse for you to chat with him regularly, and you missed that excuse when you had become a better speaker than your brother himself.

You flipped through his lyrics and wished you could have heard his voice sing these words or rap them. Or have these words overlay on a soothing melody.

Your fingers glided over imaginary piano keys, and you hummed softly. Not that you knew how to play the piano; you just enjoyed clashing a few keys together in a discordant way ever so often. But you had always been a choir kid, thanks to your parents pressuring their expectations on you. Hoping that one day you might choose to be on the same path as Hajun.

How sick and twisted may irony be.

The pages in front of you felt heavy with the weight of his unspoken words, dreams that were cut short too soon. You could almost hear his voice in your mind, the cadence of his lyrics dancing between panning between your ears. But it was just that - almost. The more you read, the more you were consumed by the silence, a silence and emptiness that gnawed at you.

A sudden pang of grief shot through your chest, sharp and undeniable. How could this be all that was left of him? Words on a page, a life that had been poured into lyrics, melodies, and dreams that would never be fulfilled. As if everything he did was for nothing? The thought twisted inside you, tightening your throat, suffocating in its cruelty.

But then, something else began to simmer beneath the surface of your grief - something that made your breath catch, and not in a way you were prepared for. You shook your head, trying to dismiss it, to focus on the memories, on the reality that becoming an idol was what drove him to his demise. How could you even think -no, it was irrational, absurd even.

Yet the thought was persistent, sneaking into the corners of your mind when you least expected it. What if you…what if you became the voice that could bring his words to life? What if you took the path he couldn’t complete, not to replace him but to…honor him? Was that it? Or was it something more?

You remembered Chris’s words from before, the casual mention of visas and logistics if you ever moved to Korea. It was a passing comment, a practical consideration that seemed so far-fetched- and now...now it was like a splinter under your skin.

The idea lingered, manic and wild. It felt almost like a betrayal to consider it, as if you were trying to follow in the footsteps that had led him to the edge of a cliff. But at the same time, there was a strange, allure to the consideration; one that made you wonder if you could find him again, not in the grave where he rested, but in the songs that never got to be sung.

The conflict in your mind was almost unbearable, a cacophony of fear, grief, and a desperate yearning for something you couldn’t quite define.

Was it closure? Was it madness? Or was it simply a need to feel closer to him, to understand why the path he chose became too much to bear?

You wanted to dismiss it as a fleeting thought, a product of your grief-stricken mind, but the more you tried to push it away, the more it burrowed itself into your consciousness. Becoming an idol -how crazy was that? It was the very thing that had taken him from you. And yet, the more you thought about it, the more it made a twisted kind of sense.

You weren’t like him, and maybe that’s why you could do it. Maybe, where he fell, you could stand. Maybe you could be strong enough to carry his dreams forward, to finish the songs he started. Or maybe it was just the grief talking, leading you down a path that made no sense, but felt like the only way to hold onto him, to not let him disappear completely.

The snap, when it came, was not sudden but gradual, like a rope fraying one fiber at a time until it finally broke. It wasn’t rational, it wasn’t even something you could explain, but the thought was there now, alive and insistent. You couldn’t tell if it was the worst idea you’d ever had or the only one that made sense in the wake of his absence.

The idea of giving life to Hajun’s lyrics -of turning his words into a melody that could fill the silence he left behind- was the only thing that seemed to soothe the ache in your heart. Even just imagining his songs being sung was like a balm, easing the pain with every note that played in your mind.

Becoming an idol…The very notion was wild, crazy, even, but in the midst of your grief, it felt like the only way to hear his voice again. To be with him. To find a way back to him, to find a way forward that wasn’t just drowning in the hundred of emotions he left behind.

You could feel it building, an irrational yet unstoppable force, a need that defied logic. It wasn’t about fame, or fortune, or even following in his footsteps. It was about something deeper, something primal. It was about reclaiming a part of him, of yourself, that felt lost in the shadows of his death.

The idea grew roots, tangled and dark, winding through your thoughts until it was impossible to separate it from your grief. You imagined yourself on stage, under the harsh lights, the crowd’s roar in your ears- was it your voice they wanted to hear, or his? The lines blurred, your identity slipping between the cracks as the thought took hold.

You had the voice. You had the potential to learn to dance. Your image would almost be a given - the amount of attention a company would get for signing on the younger sister of an incredibly loved and deceased idol would have media swarming and an immense amount of free promotion. It would be a conglomerates dream. But could you do it?

Could you really step into that world, knowing what it did to him?

The grief whispered that maybe you had no choice. Maybe this was your path now, carved out by the loss that had ripped your life apart. Maybe by becoming an idol, you could bring him back in some way, keep his memory alive.

It was reckless, it was irrational, it was everything you had never been. And yet…it was the only thing that made sense.

You could almost hear him scoffing at you from above, calling you out for your foolishness, and that made you smile- just a little. If he were here, he’d tell you how ridiculous you were being, probably flick your forehead scolding you about how this was the last thing you should do. But he wasn’t here. And that was the point, wasn’t it? To be where he couldn’t be, to say what he couldn’t say, to live the life he never got to finish.

The snap was complete now, your mind fracturing into a thousand pieces, each one demanding something different. Rationality warred with logic with desperation, but in the end, only one voice remained. The one that told you to go, to become, to do the very thing that had destroyed him.

Because maybe, just maybe, in that destruction, you could find the pieces of him that were still left. Maybe those pieces could fill what he had carved out from you.

And maybe - just maybe - in the echoes of your own voice, you could finally find peace.

⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹

⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹

If you or someone you know is suffering from suicidal ideation or thoughts of harming themselves, please reach out for help. You never know when someone's last day will be; no one ever does. But if you can help - even just a tiny bit, sometimes a word, text, or even a call can be a catalyst for positive change.

988 - USA Suicide Prevention Hotline | 24 Hours 111 - Helpline UK | 24 hours 1393 - Suicide Hotline Korea | 24 hours

⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹

@abovenyx @wolfs-archive @oddracha

@iyeeeverydee @parisanmorovati @seungmincenteric

@panbish-1209 @fxiry-vtt @sseawavee

@shuporanporang @amarecerasus @softkisshyunjin

@whoa-jo @meanergreener @rikibun

@ayyonoona @shinywombatcrusade @y4yayael

@skzstan12345 @mariteez @allys-reads

@jazziwritesthings @skzstannie @yongbokkiesworld

@kkkeopi @neverendingstay @moony-9

@minsungsthirdwheel @everlastingspring143 @joyofbebbanburg

@0325tiny @resi4skz @soaplickerrr

@leezanetheofficial @stressymessyana @istglevi-gotmesimping

@hannamoon143 @kayleefriedchicken

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

06/25-26/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Vico Ortiz; Samson Kayo; Rachel House; Nathan Foad; Lindsey Cantrell; Articles; Adopt Our Crew Raffle Reminder; Fan Spotlight: Cast Cards; Never Left Podcast; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Today's Taika;

== Rhys Darby ==

Rhys is out helping to advertise Final Fantasy XIV: DawnTrail!

Source: ffxiv Instagram

== David Jenkins ==

Chaos Dad absolutely adores one of the submissions for TealOranges & Garlic Soup week! Shonyadraws made a lovely pixel animation!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by шоня | shonya (@shonyadrws)

Source: David Jenkins' Twitter

== Vico Ortiz ==

Wow Vico is SO busy. They have been doing drag shows with ThemFataleDragKings and EnbyBruje this past weekend. You can check out more reels and videos on the ThemFataleDragKings IG.

A new episode of The Stars Too Fondly is out, voiced by Vico!

Vico was also recently our at the premier of their film Spark!

Vico will be on with the 25th Anniversary Media Summit this Friday! Learn more on Nalip

Source: Vico Ortiz' Instagram

== Samson Kayo ==

Samson out at the premier of Supacell!

Source: mrmsalami's Instagram

== Nathan Foad ==

Just some lovely Nathan photos!

Source: Nathan Foad's IG

== Linds Cantrell ==

Lindsey's new movie she worked on will be airing at LA Shorts: International Film Festival on July 19th, 7:45 pm! To learn more, visit LA Shorts

Source: Linds Cantrell IG

== Rachel House ==

Rachel has also been very busy! Did you know she's a new member of the Academy?

Source: Rachel House's Instagram

Rachel was also on the For Your Reference Podcast (you'll recognise the interviewer from some of our interviews with Rhys and Taika)!

Source: For Your Reference Podcast Instagram

And finally Rachel was also on The Jess Row Big Talk Show as well! Check her out!

Source: Jess J Rowe's Instagram

== Articles ==

Rhys Darby Hosts Your New Favorite Wildlife Series in 'The Hungry Games: Alaska's Big Bear Challenge' Trailer [Exclusive] (Thank you to Our Flag Means Fanfiction for finding this and sharing it!)

Emmy Contender Music Supervisor Maggie Phillips Talks Music Choices

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Adopt Our Crew Raffle Reminder ==

Now it's technically only 2 days left to enter @adoptourcrew's Raffle! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccxjiQiKYZhk7QPeRTk2dn8XQlJ4sZursdlIkYFLXJy3vg4w/viewform

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Tumblr

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

I am quite behind on @melvisik's Cast Cards tonight so there's 3 tonight! First up is Jack Sainte-Rose, one of the associate producers! Thank you Mel as always!

The next two: Martin D, and Amanda M. were guests at the wedding that Ed and "the Kids" crashed.

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

= Never Left Podcast =

There's a new episode of Never Left out! This week is discussing physical touch! Listen to them on your favorite podcast platform here: https://linktr.ee/neverleftpodcast!

Source: Never Left Podcast Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! Thank you for your patience with me. Been a lot going on here at home, and in life. I know there's so much going on for yall as well. Over the past few days we had "EdInASkirt" which I'm so proud of all of you for defending Ed, and Stede in allowing them to wear what they like. I love to watch the electricity of this fandom flow and spark from one thing or another. The reactions of it to events that upset-- you rally together, and you spread love, and you fight back. Standing up for things we love, for the things that bring us joy, are so very important. You make the world a more beautiful place by sharing your passion with it. Thank you for sharing that passion with me, with us, with the fandom. Don't ever lose that spark <3

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

No real theme tonight lovelies just gorgeous gifs of our favorite dudes. Tonight's gifs courtesy of my dear friend @ofmd-ann!

[hand-picked-star]

The 13th Anniversary Arshi Fiesta

Moodboard : Historical AU

Whispers of the Heart | Chapter 25 ( final)

DISCLAIMER: The story is set in the early 20th century. While I have made efforts to capture the essence of the era, there may be inaccuracies as this is a work of fantasy. I do not own the characters Arnav and Khushi, and this story is purely fictional with no relation to any real individuals, living or dead. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

WARNING: 18+, MATURE CONTENT.

Final Chapter

Three years later.

It was the eve of Diwali, the festival of lights. The Rajput haveli was a vision of grandeur and festivity this evening. The entire estate was adorned with intricate decorations. Strings of twinkling fairy lights draped over every window and doorway and vibrant rangoli patterns were meticulously crafted at the entrance. Rows of gleaming diyas, their soft flickering flames casting a warm, golden glow, lined the pathways and courtyards, creating a serene and enchanting ambience. The air was filled with the scent of freshly made sweets and the sounds of laughter and celebration, as the household came alive with the spirit of joy and togetherness.

Arnav and Khushi had been celebrating their Dewalis with the Rajput family instead of their own Haveli, which they had finally managed to build according to their own taste. It was especially Khushi's touch that could be seen in every corner of the new Raizada state. Though they had a beautiful house of their own, they very much enjoyed spending their Dewalis with the Rajputs. Because, all of their near and dear ones were here and with Mahindar and Manorama's advancing age, they wanted to celebrate the festivals surrounded by all of their children.

"Oh shit."

Arnav hurriedly entered the room and locked the door behind him. Khushi was in the midst of getting ready. was adjusting a delicate gold necklace around her neck. She had styled her dark hair elegantly in loose waves that had gone perfectly with the stunning deep red sari, she had worn. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of concern as she looked up from her reflection.

"What happened?"

"The string of my trousers just snapped. Did you bring a spare?" Arnav replied, noticing how gorgeous she looked.

"Let me see."

As Khushi proceeded to see Arnav's broken trouser string, a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

"Aren't you a bit too eager to see my treasures, Mrs. Raizada?"

Rolling her eyes at his antics, she said, "Take it off."

"As you wish."

Arnav grabbed her waist, gently placing her on the desk in her room. The old desk was not that big, leaving her back pressed against the wall. He moved to stand between her legs, gently pushing them apart.

"What are you doing?" she whispered yelled as his hands slid up her thighs. He wrapped one of his hands around her waist, pulling her a little closer, while he put the other hand against the wall, above her head.

"Nothing, just testing how sturdy the desk is," he said leaning closer to her. A playful smirk curled on the corners of his lips.

"Arnav, everyone is waiting for us downstairs."

"A few more minutes won't hurt them," he said, capturing her lips in a teasing kiss while his hands gathered her saree around her waist. He touched her in between her legs, finding her already eager for him.

"Ap aise nahi kar sakte," she whispered, biting her lips.

"Kyun nahi kar sakta? Biwi ho tum meri, my legally wedded wife." A soft whimper escaped her lips, as he pushed his fingers in between her nether lips. "And look at you," he murmured, "....already so ready for me. The idea of us on this desk excites you, huh?"

Khushi swatted his shoulder lightly and smiled, her eyes full of mirth. "Shut up."

"Make me."

In the past few years, so much had changed. What hadn't was the undeniable pull between them. Despite the upheavals in many aspects of their lives, there they were, still wrapped up in their own little world.

He looked devastatingly handsome, as always-nothing special in that. But the navy blue kurta he wore today made his eyes stand out even more, and they were now focused on Khushi, brimming with mirth.

Khushi clutched his collars and pulled him close as she fused their lips together, successfully wiping off the teasing grin on his face. Meanwhile, Arnav got rid of his trousers and entered her in a swift motion. Both of them moaned softly, their pleasure barely contained. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt as she pulled him closer. Her back arched slightly while she adjusted to him. His lips travelled down her neck alternately sucking and kissing her soft supple skin. Her head fell back, eyes fluttered shut.

"Don't leave marks. It would be very awkward in front of the relatives." The desk beneath her creaked softly as he began to move.

"Shhh... I won't... at least not where everyone can see." He whispered, lightly sucking behind her ear.

Their rhythm grew frantic. They tried desperately to muffle their moans, as he pounded repeatedly into her. He then realized they were making lots of noises.

"Shit, your bangles.''

"Huh..?" When Arnav saw his wife completely blissed out and lost in the sensation. He just shrugged his shoulder and went back to his previous activities. Soon, their moans mingled in each other's necks as they finished together.

Both were breathing heavily. Khushi cradled her face against his shoulder, her fingers gently playing with his hair. While Arnav tried to catch his breath by resting his head on her neck. A sudden knock on the door startled them. Instead of pushing him away, Khushi clutched his neck even tighter, holding him close. Akash Bhai's voice came through the door.

"Khushi?"

Regaining her composure, Khushi answered in a shaky voice, "Haan, Bhai?" Her body froze in place.

"Where's Arnav? Hasn't he come yet? Bareilly wale Fufaji usko kabse dhoond rahe hain."

"Hume nahi pata, Bhai. Humne unko nahi dekha."

Khushi noticed her husband's shoulders shaking lightly. She cast a glare at his shoulders as if willing them to stop.

"Theek hain, main dekhta hoon. Tum jaldi tayaar hoke niche aao."

As Akash Bhai's footsteps faded, Arnav couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. He looked back at his wife, his amusement contagious. Khushi tried to give him a stern look but ended up laughing along with him, playfully swatting his chest. Arnav gazed at her affectionately before capturing her lips with his.

As much as he loved to kiss her whimpering lips, he loved kissing her smiling ones even more.

After freshening up, Arnav headed downstairs. As soon as he reached the bottom, two little bodies collided with him, and he effortlessly scooped them up into his arms. Three-year-old Akansha, a spitting image of Anjali as a child, brought back memories of his sister's younger days, while five-year-old Ajit, a perfect blend of Akash and Payal. They grinned up at him. Arnav settled into a nearby lounge chair, both children comfortably perched on his lap.

Little Akansha said in her baby voice, "Mamaji, thank you for the gift. Ma said me to thank you." She placed a tiny kiss on his cheek.

Not to be outdone, little Ajit mimicked her. "Ha, Mamaji, thank you."

Akansha quickly turned to him, frowning. "Arre, buddhu, wo sirf mere Mamaji hain. Tumhare nehi."

"He isn't your Mamaji either," Khushi chided little Akansha lovingly. "Remember what I told you? When you go to our house, you'll call him Mamaji. But when we come here, you have to call him Fufaji."

Arnav scrunched his nose in response, "Don't confuse the children, Khushi." Then, turning back to them, he added, "Why don't both of you just call me Uncle, okay?"

Both of them nodded and sprinted off to play in the courtyard.

Meanwhile, two pairs of brown eyes eagerly awaited their turn on his lap. As soon as it was vacant, they climbed onto each of his thighs. A sweet, confused voice asked, "Daddy, do we need to call you that too?"

"Oh, no, I've worked too hard for you to ever call me that."

"Well, your daddy was very close to being called 'Uncle' by my children once upon a time," Khushi said, lightly touching the little girl's nose.

Arnav cast her a mock glare and mouthed soundlessly, "How dare you?" In response, Khushi just laughed.

While little Ayushi snuggled against her father's neck, little Kush played with his toy, absorbed in his own world. Roma Chachi had remarked aptly that Khushi had indeed given birth to their own reflections, as the three-year-old twins were perfect mirrors of their parents.

While little Ayushi was a bit clingy and voiced her need for attention, little Kush was more reserved. Arnav saw himself in Kush more and more as the days went by. Though Kush didn't seek attention outwardly, inside he was just as eager for snuggles and cuddles as his sister. Even if he pretended otherwise, he desired the same affection. So, Arnav made sure to give both children equal attention. And in some cases, he made an extra effort to give affection to Kush while he was still open to it. Because, As Kush grew up, Arnav knew his little boy might not appreciate his father hugging him as much as his daughter might. It's just a man-code.

Arnav pulled little Ayushi closer, planting a kiss on her head, while he affectionately rubbed his son's back. Khushi watched them with a soft smile, her heart swelling with warmth and tenderness. It had been three years since their birth, and Khushi had been pestering Arnav for another child, but he kept refusing. Their birth had traumatized him enough. Arnav till date clearly remembered and almost felt the panic that he had gone through that night.

He had arranged for the best midwife in the area and had called a trained nurse from the missionary hospital for the delivery. The doctor had come as well and assured him that everything was alright and that the birth would proceed naturally. And there he was, pacing in front of the room where Khushi had been for two hours-two hours of listening to her whimpering and screaming in pain. Arnav was just minutes away from asking Hariprakash to fetch the doctor again when a deafening cry of a newborn pierced the air.

A joyous shout of Roma Chachi came from inside, "It's a boy!"

A few moments later, Roma Chachi emerged from the room with a little crying bundle and approached Arnav. But at the same time, another scream from Khushi nearly stopped his heartbeat. Roma Chachi tried to pass the baby to Arnav, but he grabbed her upper arms and asked urgently, "What's happening inside? How's Khushi?"

A hushed whisper circulated among the women in the room who had come to assist with the birth, noting Mr. Raizada's reluctance to take the baby in his arms. Roma Chachi looked around, guessing how the situation must appear, and spoke to Arnav in a hushed voice.

"Take your son, Arnav. Khushi will be alright."

Chastised by his mother-in-law, Arnav looked at the baby, who had stopped crying and was now gazing at him with wide eyes. He took the baby in his arms and sat on a sofa in the corridor. The baby's little body squirmed in the palm of his hand. Father and son stared at each other for quite some time. An overwhelming sense of protectiveness washed over him, though he couldn't exactly name the other emotions coursing through him. He just kissed the baby boy's forehead lightly and spoke softly as if the baby would clearly understand his words, "I'm not mad at you. I'm just scared."

A little while later, Anjali took the baby from Arnav while Khushi's screams continued to echo from the room, driving him to the brink of madness. He asked Hariprakash to fetch the doctor and also asked Anjali to go inside and see what was happening. Suddenly, the screaming stopped, and Arnav's heart pounded at the sudden silence. Roma Chachi emerged with another bundle, her face radiant with a brilliant smile. "There was another baby-a girl. It's a little Khushi."

Arnav placed his hand on the baby's head and asked, "How's she?"

"She will be okay, Arnav," Roma Chachi reassured him and transferred the baby to Arnav. He felt her snuggle into him as he placed a soft kiss on her crown. Since then, Little Ayushi never missed a chance to snuggle into her father's arm.

When everybody went home and the babies were settled with Anjali and Payal in the next room. Roma Chachi decided to sleep in the room, attached to where Khushi was. She was sleeping soundly after giving birth. The doctor said she had lost a lot of blood. Although the bleeding had stopped, she had become very weak. She looked pale, alarmingly pale actually and her breathing was shallow. Fear gripped Arnav's heart despite everybody's reassurance.

He spent the night holding her hand and sitting on the floor near her head, counting her breaths. He didn't know when he fell asleep, his head resting near their joined hands. But he woke up to Khushi's gentle fingers lightly gliding through his hair. When he opened his eyes, she urged him to lie down beside her on the bed. He obliged, and she didn't waste any time snuggling into his chest, her arm draped across his belly.

"Will you be angry with me for the rest of your life if I leave this world before you?"

Arnav's heart dropped at her question. "Don't ask me questions like that."

"Answer me, please."

He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I can never be angry at you."

"Good, I don't want you to be angry at me at all."

"Then don't even think of leaving."

Khushi tilted her head to look at him and smiled tiredly. Arnav placed a soft kiss on her dry lips. "I felt like I would never see you again, or our babies..... I was so scared."

Arnav gulped down the lump in his throat and didn't say anything in response, only pulled her closer to his body.

She had been quiet for a while, and Arnav thought she had fallen asleep when she spoke again."We have two babies now," she said almost disbelievingly.

"Yes, we do. We didn't even know how to raise one."

"Shhh, we'll manage," she said dreamily. "One baby is for you, one baby is for me. Did you hold them?"

"Yes, I did."

"I haven't yet. I guess I had fainted at the end," she said sadly.

"Why don't you get some sleep and gather some energy, Mommy?" he said lovingly. "If they're to be like you, we'll have a lot on our hands."

"What are you saying? I was a very quiet kid."

"Sure, you were," he whispered against her forehead.

"You were no better, mister. I know all the stories from your childhood, so you can't deny it. At least I didn't get stuck in a patila."

Laughing, Arnav gathered her in his arms even tighter, and both of them fell asleep like that.

"Bhaiya, Bhabi, come quickly! Roma Aunty is calling you," Amelia's voice called out across the courtyard to the little bubble of the family of four, who were just chatting.

Over the years, Amelia blossomed into the remarkable young lady she was destined to be. As the cloud of melancholy gradually lifted, it revealed her true essence—a kind, compassionate, and fun-loving individual, fiercely protective of those she loved.

"Let's go Mrs.Raizada."

He extended his hand toward his wife.

Khushi looked up at his extended hand, recalling a time when he had reached out in much the same way to guide a little girl out of the darkness.

Khushi scooped up Kush in her arms as Arnav held Ayushi. Hand in hand with their children nestled in their arms, they joined the rest of the family. The warmth of the burning diyas cast a golden glow over them.

In the end, as they embraced the spirit of the festival, they realized they found their perfect piece of forever in each other's arms, in each other's eyes, knowing that this was where they were always meant to be.

----------THE END----------

<previous>

@featheredclover @arshifiesta @phuljari @msbhagirathi @jalebi-weds-bluetooth @chutkiandchotte

[2tyongs]

[3:45 AM] stars . . .

bf!doyoung x gn!reader

genre: fluff, established relationship,

warnings: none other than it's not really proofread!

a.n. first post oh em gee kinda nervousss! i don't see a lot of 127 fluff on here anymore so i guess i gotta do it myself 😒/hj. requests are open and feedback is always appreciated! i hope you enjoy <3 happy halloween btw 🙏🏾

doyoung never knew what love was supposed to feel like until he met you.

you were like a breath of fresh air in his life. taking his normal, mundane tasks like going grocery shopping and transforming them into something more thrilling, or making him experience new things that he would never do on his own. you had made his daily routine into something new, something beautiful.

he will always love learning more about you no matter how long you have been together; your hobbies, your favorite places, and what your favorite shows are. everything about you intrigues him and compels him to familiarize himself more and more with everything you consider to be part of yourself — past and present.

he will always listen to what you have to say, holding onto every word. even the little things that you thought never mattered or were worth remembering yourself, he remembers. he remembers the names that you had wanted to name your pet years ago, the way you don't care for certain holidays like valentine's day (he will always still make the effort to show that he loves you on these days anyway; bringing you flowers and cooking your favorite dishes so you have something to look forward to, even on the days you typically hadn't expected to before.), and the books you said you wanted to read but never got the chance to purchase. he notices when your gaze lingers on an item for too long when you're out shopping together, making a note to himself to come back and buy it for you for a special occasion coming up.

one night while the two of you were lying on the couch, you mentioned that you had always loved going stargazing when you were younger after seeing the two main characters of the movie you're watching sitting under the stars, sharing their dreams.

doyoung had made a mental note of this former interest of yours, which led the two of you to where you are right now: sitting on a soft blanket and staring at the warm night sky. you were seated in front of him, resting your back on his chest with your head on his shoulder, enthusiastically guiding his vision to all of the constellations and stars you could remember as you pointed them out the best you could.

“...that's the big dipper, but if you look closer you'll see that it's part of a constellation called the great bear," you point to the left, tracing out the pattern with your finger. "not many people know that the big dipper isn't considered a constellation." you explain softly, never taking your eyes off of the view.

doyoung doesn't mean to get distracted from your explanation, but he can't help it when you look so excited. reliving your childhood with the stars above brings you so much joy that a smile makes its way onto your face as you share your knowledge with him. he admires your beauty as you talk about the things you're passionate about, trying to etch the sight of you into his memory forever. looking at you is something that he will never get tired of. the soft curve of your lips, the way your lashes cast shadows onto your face, the beauty marks that adorn your complexion.

you start to talk again until you feel his eyes gazing at you instead of the stars above. you turn to him, momentarily dazed by the amount of fondness that you can see in his eyes as he looks down at you. you smile softly, “what? why are you looking at me like that?”

doyoung smiles back, “no reason. i'm just happy.” he can tell you're not exactly pleased with his answer if the way that you raise your eyebrow at him is anything to go by.

"'just happy?' i need you to elaborate a little more, doyoung." you tease, nudging him, and glance back up at the sky.

he rolls his eyes with a smile still gracing his features, holding you closer, "i just really love being with you, hearing you talk about the things that you love, that's all." you turn to him again. you can hear the sincerity in his voice and see it in his eyes and it makes your heart melt. you're too flustered by the love you can almost see and feel exuding from him to say anything back, so you decide to continue looking at the view ahead of you instead, tracing patterns on the back of his hand.

there's a short silence until you finally break it, staring up at the sky, "i love you." you tell him, leaning your head onto his shoulder once again.

he knows that you love him. you show it every single day in the way that you make time for him and the way that you've let him become a part of your life in a way that no one else has, letting him see parts of yourself that no one else could.

"i love you too. so much." he replies, kissing the crown of your head and rubbing your waist with his thumbs.

he always thinks to himself that even if he were dealt a different set of cards in his life, the stars would always align to give him the grace of being here with you. and he's more than certain that no matter what those cards looked like, there's no way he could love you any more than he does now.

doyoung knows that no amount of words or physical affection could ever be enough to express the love he feels for you. but for now, you just being there with him, letting him hold you, this will suffice just fine.

[jgroffdaily]

In a break from the Regency dancefloor, Radio Times and other press caught up with Groff during filming of the new episode to find out why he chose Who as his first foray into British TV.

Were you aware of what a big deal Doctor Who was before you got the part?

"When they announced the casting of this episode, my phone was blowing up with people reaching out to me from all over the world, telling me, 'Oh my God, you’re in Doctor Who. I’m freaking out' – almost more than anything. So I am now starting to comprehend the epic-ness of the show."

Have you been told, then, that there’s a possibility that there’ll be merchandise with your face on it, and possibly an action figure of you?

"Oh, God, I haven’t been told that. Are you telling me that now? Is that going to happen?"

You’re probably going to be a doll.

"That would be so cool!"

How are you enjoying the Jane Austen trousers?

"For this particular episode, we’re in a kind of Regency period, and that’s why I’m dressed this way. I played George III in Hamilton on Broadway but had never done this sort of period-drama dress before. It feels like I’m living my Carey Mulligan fantasy right now!"

There’s a lot of dancing in this episode. How are you finding it?

"I’ve always wanted to be a dancer. When I first moved to New York, I’d go to the dance calls for musicals and get cut immediately. I’m more of a singer. But dancing brings me so much joy.

"Jack [Murphy, series choreographer] started teaching me the dance about a week ago. In our first session, I got emotional dancing, because doing this kind of period dance, is more about the interpersonal interaction than it is about executing moves. That’s the whole thing with Regency, isn’t it? It’s that repressed excitement!

"The articulation of the choreography, for me, is quite intimate, and quite confronting, because it’s not for show, it’s for communication."

And what’s it like working with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor?

"I admired him so much from Sex Education. Getting to play with him, now it’s been halfway through my second week – so I’m about halfway through shooting this episode – he’s just so present and so alive and so charismatic. I never know what to expect.

"He’s got this presence and aliveness that you can’t teach. You just have it, or you don’t. It’s amazing to act with him. He is just all heart and soul. And that vibration permeates the set on the day-to-day, and turns it into a dream experience.

"I love it here so much. It’s sci-fi, so it’s fun, and you never know what to expect. I’d come back any time they want me! Those guys create such a good vibe."

[gatheringbones]

[“The way I told my mom was less than ideal. I was home on a school break and talking to Jessie for about an hour on the telephone. My mom kept knocking on my bedroom door, telling me to get off the phone. I was totally frustrated and came storming into the living room. She said something snide like, “I don’t know who this Jessie is and why you have to be on the phone with her for so long.” “She’s my girlfriend! And I’m bisexual!” I shouted angrily. I don’t actually remember what she said after that.

Telling my gay father was a lot less dramatic. He just said some thing like, “That’s great—whatever makes you happy.” Interestingly, he wasn’t jumping for joy over me joining the team or anything.

Jessie and I didn’t last very long; we really were better off as friends. I don’t think people, including me, realized how serious I was—this wasn’t an experiment or whimsy—until I met Jen.

Jen was the Big Dyke On Campus. She was a senior, super intelligent, opinionated, really out. Everyone knew who she was because she was a big-time activist, very outspoken about things like sex, SM, and porn. She also went to class dressed in men’s shirts and ties. This was no friendly, sporty lesbian that everyone found charming. She was a butch dyke, brazen in her gender and style, and I was drawn to her. She was frantically finishing her honors thesis when we first met, and so our early encounters were at the library. I remember kissing her for the first time on the library steps and feeling such intense desire that I thought I would explode and shatter into tiny bits of flesh at her feet. She was a brilliant flirt, so self-assured, so deliberate and generous with her words, so powerful at casting a spell on me. Consumed by her, I wanted to surrender, to give her everything. She was the smartest, fiercest lesbian I knew. And then she was my girlfriend.

Jen used to read On Our Backs and Susie Bright’s Lesbian Sex World to me at bedtime every night. (She was even in charge of bringing Susie Bright to speak on campus that spring.) We were so connected, so engaged in the relationship. Every single day, there was something new to learn, share, discover. I did so many things for the first time with Jen. Jen was the first girl I ever lived with. I experienced the tremors of my first earthquake in bed with Jen and her yellow lab. I had my first taste of what now is my favorite all-time food at the hands of Jen: sushi. Jen was the first woman to fuck me with a dildo. Jen was the first woman to tie me up. The first woman to spank me. To fuck my ass. She topped me for the first time, I bottomed to her for the first time, and we switched. We watched fag porn together. She was the first girl I ever fucked with a strap-on. She was the first girl I ever stripped for. Jen was the first girl I ever bought a tie for. Jen brought me to buy my first pair of Doc Martens. She was so articulate about her desires and her politics, so sex positive, that I felt like I could tell her anything. She was my lover, my mentor, my dyke teacher, and so much of who I am today came from her.

Before her, I felt closeted not only about my desire for women, but my desire to explore the myriad possibilities of sex. Coming out finally gave me the freedom to do so. I was never tortured or miserable with all the boys I’d been with; in fact, physically, they were pretty satisfying. I couldn’t always connect with them on an intellectual or emotional level, so I always felt like something was missing. While I was sexually precocious with men, I never tried new things, experimented, voiced fantasies—being a dyke totally coincided with my overall sexual liberation, and the two awakenings became intrinsically linked.”]

tristan taormino, from this girl is different, from a woman like that: lesbian and bisexual writers tell their coming out stories, 2000

[entomolog-t]

Ento's MasterPost

Howdy Everyone! Here's my Big Post of all projects past present and future. You can find my writing (as well as smaller prompts and blurbs) under the tag EntoWrites, as well as my art under the tag EntoDraws.

Commissions are currently OPEN (See my commission post for more details)

I'm always excited to talk about my OCs and stories (as well as just interact in general) so feel free to send asks and dms at your leisure! (I will cry with joy)

Below are my individual stories. Each title will bring you to that particular story's MasterPost, associated art, and character information.

Bite Me (Ongoing)

June wakes up to find a vampire has broken into her room- while she hadn't been under the impression vampires existed in the first place, she certainly hadn't envisioned them as diminutive human-like parasites with strangely alluring voices...

Tags: BiteMe

AUs:

Paranormal!Au (coming soon)

Mer!Au (coming soon)

The Shadow We Cast (Ongoing)

Mark can't seem to catch a break in life until life forces a break on him. Having recently moved into the middle of absolutely nowhere in some obscure little Northern town he soon finds out that he's not alone in his new home after a run in with a mysterious little wildcard of a man named Sal.

The spider loving little man is strong, fearless, and full of life- everything Mark wishes he could become (though he could do without the spiders). Yet Sal has his own personal battles he's facing.

Tags: The Shadow We Cast, TSWC

AUs:

INSTAЯ (Ongoing)

Dawn Delacroix lives alone with her dog in the boonies on a large property surrounded by woods, so when she spies something walking towards her house one cold October night she immediately knows something isn't right.

There's a creature outside... and it's getting closer.

Tags: INSTAЯ

AUs:

Finding Strength (Ongoing)

Tamius has life made. The human of the house is a Borrower's dream! Forgetful, slow, and regularly out of the house. Life couldn't be any easier- that is until a series of snap decisions leaves him tagging along with her to her regular 4:00 pm outing and he has some big revelations.

Tags: Finding Strength, FS

AUs: Fantasy!Au (Coming Soon)

Men are from Mars (Coming Soon)

One Shots

In Need of Support

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Malleus's enchantment on Lilia's gag glasses definitely wouldn't work on his own grandmother, would it? XD

Maleficia "There you are, Lilia. I was only just conversing with your human child on your whereabouts. It has been long since I have last seen you, my most trusted— What... are you wearing?"

[Referencing this fic!]

If Malleus could easily wave off Vil’s magic, then Maleficia can do the same for Malleus’s magic 😂

There's a part in this interaction where Maleficia switches from using "I" to "we"--that's the English royal "we" (pluralis majestatis). Historically, it's been used to invoke the divine right of rulers to speak for their state. I wanted to use it for a brief line to emphasize her serious tone.

***Note: foreshadowing for book 7 (so there are spoilers!!)***

Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.

"So good to see you, your majesty." Lilia bowed to the woman in regal black robes. His tone was lighthearted, even as he addressed the queen of his country. "You've spoken with Silver? I do hope he was on his best behavior."

"As always." Maleficia allowed herself a smile. To most, it would make their skin crawl with discomfort. To Lilia, it was the grace of a close companion. "It has been long since I have last seen you, my most trusted—"

She slightly startled when he lifted his head. Her mouth twitching, pupils dilating, as the rest of her face remained unchanged. "What... are you wearing?"

"Oh? You're curious about these?" Lilia fiddled with his frames. He was careful to not entirely remove them from his face, lest he cast off his magical disguise. The faux hairs that made up a pair of bushy eyebrows and a mustache tickled his skin, the big rubber nose flopping about.

"Surely it's not a human fashion statement," Maleficia said with the lift of an arched brow, "though you have always been one to experiment with your appearance. Why, I still remember how you wore your hair back in the day. Long, with stripes as red as blood."

"That was quite a while ago." It was the look most iconic to his oldest friends—and his oldest enemies. Memories that tasted of both sugar and salt churned in his mind. "No, this isn't a new fashion trend, just a little something Malleus whipped up for me so that I could attend Family Day with everyone."

"Malleus did? I knew the magic felt familiar," Maleficia chuckled. Tendrils of the enchantment bounced harmlessly off her, illusive wisps flickering between her fingers. "My grandson still has much to learn in the way of spellcasting before he can pull one over my eyes. He chose such a humorous item to enchant as well."

"The choice was mine. We share the blame for the spell's design. Ah, but isn't it odd? Despite these odd circumstances, we still find ourselves making many happy memories."

"How kind of Malleus to grant you a blessing that brings such good fortune. You won't have to sit out on the festivities this year."

"He has a big heart, that boy. He didn't wish for me to be by my lonesome—and I'm eternally grateful for it. Thanks to Malleus, I can be with Silver on this momentous occasion.

"Someday soon, the day will come where I can no longer be by his side." Lilia clasped both hands over his heart. The joy in his voice was undeniably touched with sorrow. "This time we have together now, as father and son... it's something I'll always treasure."

Maleficia frowned. "Lilia, you don't mean to say..."

"You know what I speak of, yes? The time that comes for us all eventually."

She solemnly nodded. "I did not think it would be so soon. Before long, the sun will set on our time, and it will rise again at the dawn of a new era, one led by the next generation. Our legacies, paving the future of Briar Valley.

“Malleus will succeed me. Your child will age, perhaps have children of his own. Baul's grandchildren too."

Lilia laughed--soft and bittersweet. "They grow up so fast, don't they?"

"Extremely."

"Fufu, you must be so excited to see how Malleus has grown then."

"I am, however..." Maleficia's brows suddenly furrowed. "I must confess, I did not visit today only to see my grandson. I also wished to personally inquire about your health while I had the opportunity.”

The question threw Lilia off his tempo. He flinched, then hurried to find his footing again. His cheer, a mask.

"Come now, I know I may be getting up there in age, but I'm not quite senile yet—nor am I chomping at the bit for retirement. I'm as spry as I ever was." He hopped a few steps ahead, back to her. “You see? I’m…”

"Lilia," Maleficia said patiently, her words warning. "You are deliberately avoiding my question. As our vassal, we command you to answer us. How does your magic fare?”

To this, Lilia hesitated, biting his lower lip. "I don’t want to lie to you, but… I also don’t want to tell the whole truth. It is not within a warrior’s spirit to show their weaknesses, not even to friends and family.”

“You needn’t pretend with me.”

“I know. I know, and that is exactly why I can’t bring myself to face you. Not in the state I’m in.” The wind extended a cool hand to caress Lilia’s cheek. He looked into the horizon, at the outline of Night Raven’s main building reaching up high to pierce the clouds. “The last thing I wish for in this world is to be the cause of sadness for my loved ones.”

“Do they know?”

Lilia shook his head. “Not yet. I plan to when we third years meet to discuss internships. The longer I stay, the harder it will be to let go. I must cut the cord then and there. Until then…”

He turned to the side, his profile outlined by the rays of the sun. Hope seeping through the darkness that had eclipsed his face. “I’ll enjoy the life I have left here to its fullest. I ask that you recognize this as my final wish, your ma… no, Maleficia.”

“Lilia…”

“Please.”

"... By the Seven,” the queen sighed, “I shall never become accustomed to those silly spectacles on you. To wear such a dress while making a request to a higher authority… that is something only you would dare to do, Lilia.”

She folded her arms, her long sleeves falling into place with the motion. “You have loyally served your country as both a skilled general and as a wise advisor. You are a dear friend, an irreplaceable individual, yet it is also you who would be so audacious as to deny me the truth I seek.

“… So be it. By the powers vested in me as Queen of Briar Valley, it shall be done.” Maleficia lifted a hand, as if imbibing her decree with power. “You secret will be safe with me.”

He hurriedly glanced away, blinking back tears. Happiness? Sadness? He didn’t know from where they came.

“Thank you.” Lilia choked on his words. He tried again. “Thank you for understanding.”

Her reply came as dry teasing.

“No tears. If they flow, you’ll have to remove those spectacles to mop up, and your disguise will be dispelled.” Maleficia’s eyes crinkled with quiet laughter.

“Today is a celebration of family. Let us put aside our woes for the future and unusual eyewear, and relish in the present with our cherished children. That is a direct order from me to you, Lilia. I won’t have my subject’s smile wavering in my presence.”

He chortled. The small sound evolved, shaping itself into an awkward laugh. Fully formed, but still shaky at its edges.

Lilia faced the queen, dropping to a kneel. His head lowered, he played out the role of a faithful knight reporting to his sovereign.

“Yes, your majesty! As you command.”

[invisibleicewands]

Michael Sheen narrates our brand-new show for The Snowman Tour

We are thrilled to announce that Michael Sheen has recorded the narration of The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle for us, ready for its world premiere on The Snowman Tour, 2024.

“I get to tell the story of The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle! It's something that I'm really excited to be a part of; the storytelling by David Litchfield is so rich, and the music that has been composed by Daniel Whibley is incredibly beautiful. To be able to contribute to such a lovely family experience this Christmas brings me a lot of joy.” Michael Sheen

Our Managing Director, Rachel Whibley, explains, "It’s been a joy collaborating with award-winning author-illustrator David Litchfield, award-winning composer (and Carrot Productions' very own Artistic Director) Daniel Whibley, and animator Kevin Francis to bring The Bear, the Piano, the Dog, and the Fiddle to life for our audiences.”

"We are hugely honoured that Michael Sheen agreed to narrate The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle!" Rachel enthuses. "He is a phenomenal actor and an all-round lovely human being, and it has been a privilege to collaborate with him on this project."

Michael recorded the narration last week in a London studio, and we are delighted to be able to share a sneak preview of his beautiful narration alongside the animation and music.

Michael Sheen

Michael is a multi-award-winning Welsh actor and RADA graduate known for his extensive work across film, TV and stage, as well as his charity work. His vast film credits include The Damned United, David Frost in Frost/Nixon, Tony Blair in The Queen, Lucian in the Underworld series, Aro in The Twilight Saga, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, and Apostle.

Michael’s numerous TV credits include The Special Relationship, Masters of Sex, for which he was also a producer, Good Omens, Prodigal Son, Quiz, and Staged - the hit lockdown comedy co-created with David Tennant. Sheen's acclaimed stage performances include Amadeus, Caligula, and Hamlet. Recently, he made his directorial debut with The Way and played Prince Andrew in A Very Royal Scandal. He created, co-directed, and performed in the ground-breaking three-day live event The Passion in Port Talbot for National Theatre Wales.

The Bear and the Piano - the book trilogy

The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle, published in 2018, is the second book in the trilogy created by the multi-award winning illustrator and author, David Litchfield. The original book,The Bear and the Piano, took the world by storm in 2016, winning numerous awards, including Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for the Best Illustrated Book of the year. The final book, The Bear, the Piano, and Little Bear’s Concert published in 2020, sees Bear’s international concert days behind him; now a father, his musical adventures continue closer to home. 

The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle - the story

Set in New Orleans with a new cast of animal musicians, this charming sequel is a story about friendship and perseverance. Hector, a fiddle player, and his dog, Hugo, are best friends. They have made music together through good times, bad times and even some crazy times. Hugo is Hector's biggest fan, and when Hector retires, Hugo secretly learns to play the fiddle himself. But when Hugo gets the chance to play and tour with Bear’s Big Band – an opportunity that Hector had always dreamed of – Hector’s jealousy gets the better of him. Will Hector be able to overcome his own disappointment and learn to be happy for his friend?

This heartfelt tale reminds us that there are many different kinds of success. It celebrates the joy and healing powers of music and friendship, and teaches that friendship, like good music, lasts forever.

David Litchfield - the author and illustrator

David is a multi-award winning illustrator and author. David first started to draw when he was very young, creating Star Wars and Indiana Jones ‘mash up’ comics for his older brother and sister. Since then his work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, books and on T-shirts. He has also exhibited his illustrations in both solo and group shows in the U.K, Europe and America. In addition to The Bear and the Piano trilogy, David’s author/illustrator picture books include Grandad’s Secret Giant, Lights On Cotton Rock, T, and Kid Christmas: Of The Claus Brothers Toyshop. David has illustrated books for authors Ross Montgomery, Gregory Maguire, David Almond and Smriti Halls; Miss Muffet, Or What Came After for Marilyn Singer and book covers for Kate Dicamillo, Neil Patrick Harris, Chloe Daykin and many more. David lives with his family in Bedfordshire, England.

“I am so excited that Carrot Productions are adapting my book 'The Bear, the Piano, the Dog & the Fiddle' for their amazing live performance. Seeing my first book 'The Bear and the Piano' come to life on stage in Carrot's previous shows was one of the highlights of my life and I cannot wait to see what these incredible musicians and storytellers achieve with this new book.” David Litchfield

Daniel Whibley - the composer

Daniel is a composer and arranger whose music is heard live each year by thousands of people across the world, featured on TV and all BBC Radio stations. He was commissioned by Aardman to produce orchestral arrangements for all four Wallace & Gromit films and additional material for Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep in Concert. He wrote music for the 2023 CBeebies Prom and Mr Tumble’s Special Adventure with the BBC Philharmonic. His Musical Story of the Gingerbread Man has had millions of views, and his 10-part CBeebies series, Musical Storyland, was recently nominated for a Royal Television Society award.

“I’ve relished working alongside animator Kevin Francis to create a brand new score for The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle. Expect some very virtuosic violin playing at the performances!” Daniel Whibley

The Snowman Tour 2024

Carrot Productions are excited to be staging not one, but two world premieres for the 2024 The Snowman Tour. Alongside the screening of The Snowman, we will premiere two films featuring two very special dogs - Hugo the violin-playing dog, and The Snowdog himself.

We will be touring to venues across the country this November and December with two different shows. Choose between:

The Snowman™withThe Snowman and the Snowdog or The Snowman™withThe Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle

Our shows feature screenings of the films, accompanied live by full orchestra, together with some other festive musical delights, and even an appearance from the Snowman himself!

You can hear Michael Sheen's charming and evocative narration of The Bear, the Piano, the Dog and the Fiddle at venues including: Stockport, Oldham, Derby, Buxton, Guildford, Birmingham, Liverpool, York and Chester. See listings for details.

“It's been wonderful to collaborate with the creatives at Penguin and author-illustrator David Litchfield to bring these films to life for our audiences.” Rachel Whibley, Managing Director, Carrot Productions

[bird-inacage]

1 YEAR WITH PRAPAISKY / FORTPEAT

My first post about Love in the Air was published on 1 September 2022, where I started speculating on what the Prapaisky storyline may have in store. But it was really when I shared my first meta 'Love in the Air: Sky’s Desire to be Loved' that I realised just how many others were invested in the Sky/Prapai story.

LITA was the first thai BL series that was on my radar before it aired, that I avidly followed during it's weekly release, and then far beyond. In those very early days, there were probably less than a dozen of us posting about Prapaisky here. And once LITA finally did start, it quickly dawned on us that the Prapaisky episodes wouldn't begin until the second half. The sound of crickets and the occasional sighting of tumbleweed would continue before we got some substantial content to feast over. Let me tell you, the wait was trying. Fast forward to just over a year later, and it's absolutely incredible to see how much this show and pairing has blown up since then.

I'm extremely grateful for how much joy both my mutuals and followers have brought me throughout this fandom. Even if this blog does shift to other shows or pairings, this couple will always have a particularly special place in my heart.

How did I come across LITA, was it love at first sight?

I happened upon the trailer, and these two immediately caught my attention. Sky entranced me with his big doe eyes, much like how Prapai was drawn to him that fateful night at the race track. I swiftly fell in the love and the rest is history.

What do I love about Prapaisky?

There's something I find very compelling but also comforting about the Prapaisky relationship. A story is more likely to stick with me when there is really poignant character development - something that can be found in both Sky and Prapai. Their relationship is a healthy union that makes them both better people. Prapai is humbled by Sky's love, and Sky is empowered by Prapai's.

(ABOVE: My full video edit "this is how you fall in love" is on youtube HERE)

Favourite Prapaisky scene?

I think the episodes I have rewatched the most are probably Episode 10 and Episode 13. But just to mention some of the scenes which I find most memorable: Sky holding back tears after his one night stand, Prapai coaxing a feverish Sky during a nightmare, Sky falling asleep in Prapai's arms during Last Cheer, Prapai's imaginary kiss whilst Sky is sleepy, Prapai's utter devastation when Sky breaks up with him over the phone, Sky's affectionate back hug when Prapai comes to him, Prapai begging Sky to cry, Sky wiping away Prapai's tears.

What do I love about Fortpeat?

My favourite aspect of this partnership is Fort being a hugely affectionate and clingy person, whilst Peat is smothered by his love. Peat tends to be the more quiet and measured one within the LITA foursome (probably due to being the oldest) but Fort brings out his inner child. I still can't get over the fact Fort calls him 'baby' because he acts like one when he's with him. You wouldn't have known this in the early days when Peat was considerably more reserved. Fort comes across as an unfiltered, energetic, massive softie. Peat is the grounded, silent assassin of a tease who is unapologetically himself.

The future of Fortpeat?

I desperately hope these two get a new series as a couple. LITA really put them both on the map, and I'd be incredibly shocked if they don't get cast in something new, considering their enormous popularity now. But please, please give them a decent script. We know what they're capable of and I want to see their talent given the material it deserves.

[whoreforsamwilson]

Get Away

Warning: NONE

If there’s anything Thor loves more than his hammer is surfing, and if his not busy being a hero he’s tending to something in New Asgard and I felt like he needed a break from it all even if it’s for a few hours.

That’s why we’re spending a few days in Key West or at least until he’s needed on a mission or something.

We started off the morning with breakfast, we went to one of the best restaurants before heading back to our hotel to get dressed for the beach.

Once we did we headed down to the beach.

Thor had run off for a swim while I lay understand the umbrella reading. I looked up from the book to him walking up to me. Occasionally stopping to talk to some of the kids.

When he finally got to me he stood at the edge of the towel smiling big.

“You just gonna stand there looking dopey at me or what?” I asked closing my book and putting it to the side.

“I think we should go surfing?” He said sitting down beside me.

“Thor surfing?” I asked and he nodded smiling eagerly. He watched my face closely waiting for me to answer.

“Fine, but after you have to go to the spa with me.” I said standing from the beach towel and folding it.

He smiled standing up and grabbing the umbrella, “Come on over boy,”

Thor's smile grew even wider at the mention of the spa, a surprising glint of delight flickering in his eyes. It seemed that even the mightiest Asgardian found the prospect of a relaxing day appealing.

"Deal," he agreed with a hearty laugh that seemed to shake the very air around us. He grabbed the surfboard we had rented earlier — a long, sleek board adorned with designs that faintly resembled the ancient runes of his homeland.

It looked almost comically small in his large, powerful hands, but there was no doubt that he would master the waves as easily as he wielded Mjolnir.

We made our way to the water's edge, the fine white sand of Key West sticking to our feet. The sun was high in the sky, casting a brilliant sheen over the undulating blue waves.

He looked out at the sea with a kind of reverence in his eyes, a warrior paying homage to an old friend.

I watched as he paddled out, his strokes powerful and sure, and within moments, he was coasting back towards the shore on a cresting wave.

His form was perfect, his balance impeccable. He rode the wave with an infectious joy, and I couldn't help but cheer from the shore.

After a few hours of surfing, with Thor showing off more and more impressive maneuvers, we headed back to the hotel. The spa was luxurious, filled with the scent of jasmine and the sound of tranquil music.

Thor, despite his initial reservations, sank into the experience with a sigh of contentment as the masseuse worked on his broad shoulders.

It was a day of peace, a rare moment of quiet in the life of a god who was always in the thick of chaos.

As we left the spa, feeling rejuvenated, Thor wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Thank you," he said sincerely, "for this day."

I smiled up at him. "You're welcome, Thor. But remember, we still have a few more days of relaxation before you're called to save the world again."

He grinned, the setting sun casting a golden glow around his silhouette. "Then let's make the most of it." And with that, we walked back to our room, ready for whatever the next few days in Key West would bring.

[wellingtonwellsdaily]

Wakey Wakey!

Good morning, my lovely Wellingtons! Wakey wakey, rise and shine! It’s your cheerful Uncle Jack here, ready to fill your morning with all the Joy and sunshine you’ll need to start your day off right. Have you taken your Joy today? I do hope so, because it’s a beautiful day out there, and we wouldn’t want you to miss a moment of it.

As the sun peeks over the rooftops, casting a warm, golden glow across our fair town, I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement for all the wonderful possibilities that lie ahead. Have you noticed how the morning air is always just a little bit fresher? There’s something so invigorating about taking a deep breath of that crisp, clean air. It’s like a little boost of energy from nature itself, just for you!

Now, I know some of you might be tempted to hit that snooze button and curl back under the covers, but trust me, my dear friends, today is far too wonderful to waste even a minute of it in bed. So, up and at ’em! Stretch those arms, give yourself a nice big yawn, and greet the day with a smile. After all, the world is full of delightful surprises just waiting to be discovered.

Speaking of surprises, how about starting your morning with something a little different for breakfast? Why not whip up a batch of fluffy pancakes with a drizzle of syrup and a sprinkle of fresh berries? Or perhaps some buttery toast with a side of scrambled eggs and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice? Whatever you choose, make sure it’s something that brings a smile to your face – after all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

And don’t forget to take a moment for yourself before the hustle and bustle begins. A few minutes of quiet reflection, a bit of light reading, or even a quick stroll around the garden can do wonders for your mood. It’s all about setting a positive tone for the day ahead, so why not make a little time for you?

As you step out into the world today, remember to keep that Joyful spirit alive and well. Smile at your neighbors, lend a helping hand, and take a moment to appreciate the beauty all around you – whether it’s the flowers blooming in the park or the sound of children playing in the distance. These little moments of Joy are what make life truly special.

Well, I'm afraid we've come to the end of our time, my dear friends. I hope your day is filled with happiness, laughter, and all the wonderful things that make life in Wellington Wells so splendid. Remember, each new day is a gift, and it’s up to you to make the most of it.

Until next time, keep smiling, keep spreading Joy, and always remember: happiness is a choice. Choose Joy!

[terastalungrad]

BB20: Friday 13 October

Live Eviction 1: Farida V Kerry

The biggest change so far to the ITV flavour of Big Brother is that no episode so far has ended with "who goes? you decide".

The housemates nominated on Thursday 12 October, meaninging the nominations aren't shown until eviction night. This feels so strange!

The housemates facing eviction were revealed in companion show Big Brother: Late & Live. I will not be watching that show, no matter how often my mother asks me to.

Nominations are my favourite part of the show, so I'm not going to talk about who's up for eviction yet. I'm going to live in the moment, and enjoy the unfolding story.

OH! One nomination each!! That's new. It's always been two each, hasn't it?

Channelle nominates Kerry, for being blunt and rude towards Farida.

Non-alphabetical order to nominate too. I don't approve. My charts will be alphabetical for certain.

Hallie nominates Farida because she talks over people, and hasn't put in the effort to get to know others.

This really highlights the difference between what's broadcast and the vibe in the house. Footage really makes it look like Farida's bonded nicely with Hallie. But then, the main occasion where we saw Farida ask Hallie questions, it was "is it gay for men to fancy trans women" innit. Not ideal.

Henry nominates Farida because, when Zak asked Henry what boarding school was like, Farida interrupted to explain boarding schools (incorrectly, to Henry's experience).

Matty nominates Kerry because her loud voice goes through him, and also because she moaned about her meal. "It annoys me when people aren't grateful" - here, grateful to Big Brother!

Trish nominates Paul! She doesn't find him deep.

Horrifying thought - these housemates ARE in alphabetical order. Are we skipping housemates?? We've skipped Dylan, Farida, Jenkin, Jordan, Kerry, Noky, Olivia, Paul and Tom so far. Yinrun and Zak left to go too. Am I missing some Nominations Uncut show or something? Dear dear. How very disturbing.

Okay, Marcus Bentley claims only five nominations have been cast so far. Maybe it is just a weird order.

Zak nominates Henry! For not speaking to everyone in the house, and for giving up immediately in the staying-in-bed task. Teamwork, and a positive attitude to tasks, are really important to Zak.

Yinrun becomes the first housemate to nominate out of alphabetical order. This is a relief to me, since it suggests we WILL see everyone's nominations. As if Yinrun didn't already bring me enough joy.

Yinrun nominates Kerry, because she's hurt by Kerry seeming uninterested in her.

Hallie powerfully representing the trans experience of talking with great pride about the vagina and breasts she'll have in the future. I love her.

Jordan nominates Paul because of his bodily fluid-based humour.

"I know they have this phrase, Big Brother, 'gives me the ick'. And that phrase itself gives me the ick."

Dylan nominates Farida, since she still doesn't know people's names after nearly a week. She gets his, Kerry's and Chanelle's names wrong.

Paul nominates Farida for being inconsistent in her aims from the show! Does she want to spread the word of Islam, or does she want other outcomes [presumably promoting her makeup tutorial YouTube]? Paul is here to "have a good time" and "be meself", and nominates Farida for being "fake".

How consciously is Paul casting himself as foundational winner Craig from BB1 here? Ever since that first series, Big Brother has struggled to move past the idea that good winners are direct, consistent salt-of-the-earth types, and villains are inconsistent and manipulative.

This bothers me, since I don't think directness IS a fundamental moral good at all times. I think it's FINE to have a moan about someone, while still being able to be friendly to the person in question. Where is the line between being two-faced and being tactful?

Olivia nominates Farida for helping herself to Olivia's salmon.

Noky nominates Kerry for negativity, both to people's faces and behind their backs.

Tom nominates Farida for talking AT him rather than conversing WITH him. He feels spoken over because of his age.

Jordan talks to Trish about sex and emotional connection, and I WISH we had a longer, less edited version of this conversation. We've only been left with Jordan's punchlines. Which are very funny, but I'd love to know what point he was making.

Tom speaks to Chanelle and Jenkin when he returns from the diary room, claiming that the process is "'eavy".

Fariday nominates Kerry for gossiping and having tantrums.

Jenkin is wearing a shirt with a pattern of birds, because his mam likes birds.

Jenkin nominates Farida because he thinks she's only here for money and fame, and is therefore taking the place of someone who wants to enjoy themselves and learn about themselves.

Kerry nominates Farida, for being hard work, selfish, and hard to like.

Kerry goes to have a lil cry after nominating.

I suspect Farida will go tonight. Both she and Kerry have done stuff the pulblic would find annoying, but we've also seen loads of Kerry's vulnerability.

Voting is free this year. Maybe that's why ITV is less bothered about getting nominations out early. Or maybe it's so the housemates spend less time tortured by the knowledge they face eviction? Bet it's that one, actually.

Since this version of the show is a lot nicer, it's really striking how intense the lights and music are when nominations are announced. Noky shakes with adrenaline.

Jenkin expected to be nominated because of his snoring.

Farida reckons youngsters have turned turned against the older members of the house. A bit rich given she nominated Kerry herself.

Interesting seeing Farida and Kerry bond over facing eviction, given that they nominated each other.

Farida tells Olivia off for smirking. Olivia is offended, because "I wasn't laughing at YOU!" But ... yes she was. Olivia's surprised to be told off not because she wasn't smirking at Farida, but because she didn't intend for Farida to notice. She was just smirking across the room at Paul.

She complains about this later to Paul, Jordan and Henry. And she comes so close to noticing that Farida was right - but she can't move past, "I didn't deserve to be criticised".

Just noticed there's a non-binary person in the sponsorship ads. Marcus Bentley using the word "themself", woo!

Ahh, you can vote for free, but only 5 times each.

Kerry speaks to Olivia about the issue with Farida. Kerry's basically on Olivia's side here. Hallie's attention is drawn, and she comes over to agree with Olivia. They're joined by Trish and Chanelle (neither of whom actually nominated Fariday), and we have the largest-scale bitching session we've seen so far.

This isn't really about Olivia. This is an excuse to vent. Maybe the nomination results have given people permission to talk openly about being annoyed by Farida.

Yinrun teaches Hallie some Chinese. She's shocked by Hallie's excellent pronunciation.

"We've got it on our profile we've been in the Big Brother house", says Farida. This show is primarily about boosting the profiles of influencers.

Kerry tries having a bonding conversation with Farida, and it ends up being a bit of an argument. Farida says, "I'm still the same person I came in here as" - an identity statement.

But Kerry takes it as an implied criticism. That Farida's saying "I'm the same UNLIKE YOU KERRY". But Farida's doing nothing of the sort. She's just making a statement about herself.

This is a common problem in conversation. You're talking to a friend, your partner, and they say something about themselves. This causes you to say something about YOURself - and now it sounds like you're claiming they're the opposite.

"I'm terrible at making new friends at parties," they might say.

And this inspires you to reflect on your own experience in parties.

"I love parties," you say, as you think of parties you've attended. "I always go expecting to have a good time, and end up talking to random people in the kitchen."

"I'm not saying I don't expect to have a good time," they say defensively.

Because in context, it sounds like you offered your personal experience as advice. Not merely, "this is what I do, "but "this is what YOU should do."

Farida tells Zak she doesn't blame him for protecting his friends. The implication here is that Zak nominated her or Kerry because they're older. In fact, Zak nominated Henry.

In any case, Kerry disagrees with the idea that it's young vs old in the house. "Callie's my mate, and she's the youngest!"

Farida's annoyed that Kerry isn't hearing her. "You're like, 'Callies my friend, Callie's my friend'."

"Her name's Hallie, and she is my friend."

Just a bit of fun here. Farida gets people's names wrong all the time. That's a thing. But Kerry did accidentally call her Callie first. An honest mistake, of course.

Argh, Farida brings up stories from her day job, where parents just want to be their children's friends, forgetting that they're the child.

Kerry's offended here, and - well, she's right to be! I don't think Farida realises how offensive that is to say, but it's clear she DOES see 18-year-old Hallie as a child, and 40-year-old Kerry as a sad case that wants to be friends with her.

Kerry: She's just said to me that the reason you lot like me is because you think I'm your mum! I'm shaking. I'm angry.

Olivia: I don't think of you as my mum. You just tell me when I'm out of order.

Kerry: Which is often.

Kerry thinks she's fated to go because Farida has her social media followers.

"No, cause just because someone follows you on social media doesn't mean they actually like you," says Olivia. Horrifying thought.

[fallensnowfan]

Chapter 1099. The chapter was mainly dedicated to showing events we already knew happened, not a groundbreaking chapter by any means, though it does well to tie things back to the present day.

Full post below the cut.

Hi Oden, nice hairstyle! I imagine it takes a lot of maintenance, good thing the Tanuki Triad are on the job! Love seeing the Wano cast on fan requested cover pages. There's something funny about the chapter title being "Pacifist," then an image of Oden right below. A man known for his extreme love of fighting.

In the chapter proper, we see Kuma obtaining his "tyrant" title and becoming a pirate, Dowager Connie, the beginning of Kuma's cyborgification and why VP moved to a new lab, all stuff we could reasonably figure was going to be shown before this flashback's conclusion. What I'm more interested in is Bonney eating her devil fruit not being seen, her Sapphire Scale being cured, and Abdullah and Jeet appearing.

Ooh, the narrator boxes talking about the "Solo Revolution of Sorbet Kingdom," and focus on newspaper articles not being an accurate reflection of the events are a good seed for how things may play out on Egghead in present day too. I bet Morgans wrote that article.

Belo Betty appearance! Her talking about filling the position in the RA Ginny had reminds me of the second division commander spot on Whitebeard's crew remaining vacant for so long. Oden and Ace. Kuma being a figure head for King Bulldog, and Bonney imitating Connie work in some nice ideas about roles too.

Vegapunk is a miracle worker to have cured Bonney, if a bit aloof about how some of his inventions are used, and how easily he's willing to stray into less savory aspects of science. Kind of guy Iceburg would likely hate. Not going to stray off into a side tangent here though.

Bonney being cured! I am glad she isn't a clone, and just gets to be Bonney, the only Bonney. Clone stuff was starting to feel overplayed, I like her being cured much more. And her playing on Sentomaru's axe is adorable.

The technique VP applied to cure Bonney seemingly relies on lineage factor stuff, which has me thinking about the Smile fruits. Toko and the others being able to experience genuine joy by the end of the series, would just be so thematically resonate that I'd be very surprised if it didn't happen in the future. Then Bonney eating her devil fruit being an event we don't see reminds me of Kin and Raizo having done the same, and the potential that Monet's devil fruit may still be around somewhere. Abdullah and Jeet are a nice little reminder of the Grand Fleet, who I'm still calling to appear soon, which includes the Kozuki Clan now. They don't all need to arrive, though I think one or two will be here.

Let's get into what happens during every 100th chapter milestone.

100 - The East Blue crew state their dreams and head towards the Grand Line.

200 - Luffy gets some good attacks against Crocodile.

300 - Party on Skypiea after the battle has concluded.

400 - Crashing the Rocket Man into Enies Lobby.

500 - Rayleigh's introduction and the crew searching for Camie.

600 - The crew reuniting at Sabaody.

700 - Arriving in Dressrosa, beginning the plan to bring down Kaido.

800 - Formation of the Grand Fleet.

900 - Bad End Musical.

1000 - Luffy knocks down Kaido with a Red Roc.

That's a fairly wide range of events, though the crew are always involved in each 100th chapter, often working towards some goal and or being involved in something that sparks some big emotions. The groundwork is definitely there for 1100 to return the focus back to Egghead, a grand victory over Saturn and the fleet surrounding the island would fit in nicely with previous 100th chapter markers. I'm excited for 1100!

[filthy-reckless-rp]

♛ Spotted on the Upper East Side…

Name: Scottie Takeda Pronouns: He/Him Age: 25 years old Hometown: London, UK Occupation: Actor, currently starring on 'Friday Night Bites' Social Status: Insider Faceclaim: Darren Barnet

Who Is Scottie?

“You'd leave me dead if it'd set you apart, and I'm like, oh, goddamn, not another rockstar."

Will I wait for the screams of your adoring fans to quieten down before I continue? Then again, I might be waiting all day. You, Scottie Takeda, need no introduction. With parents like yours, we all should have known that you'd shine in front of the camera. You've always loved to be the center of attention, doing anything to stand under the spotlight. You've always been charming, intelligent and cut throat. You knew how to work a room before you knew how to talk. Making the right connections, dating (or at least being photographed with-) the right people and maintaining your follower count, takes up most of your time. Now that you're thriving on FNB, I hope I see more of you on the Upper East Side. XOXO ---Gossip Girl

A Little Extra

Scottie Takeda was born under a thousand flashing cameras, already a national treasure. When his parents were married, it was the biggest news story of the year (second only to their divorce). Scottie was destined for great things and boy, did he know it. With two iconic actors for parents, Scottie's career was pretty much mapped out before they were born. He took every opportunity he could, picking up small roles in his parents' movies, standing toe to with the best of them even then. Scottie loved acting first but once he found 'fame', everything changed. While Scottie had always been confident, cocky and shallow, being actively famous only nurtured the worst in him. Very few people will ever get to glimpse the good in Scottie. He doesn't want the expectations the real life 'hero' gets, you know? Of course, Scottie would never act badly in front of the camera. He'd never get caught throwing a tantrum on set. Scottie can be demanding, dramatic and kind of an asshole but never unprofessional. It's just important to Scottie that people know he's the star! Scottie is very good with his fans, making public appearances, interviews and getting photographed in all the right places. He's usually the one starting rumours about himself. Scottie stays on top of everything about his public image. After all, he learned from the best. After a three episode arc on 'Doctor Who' filmed back in the UK and a one season fantasy TV show 'flop' on Netflix, Scottie was cast on "Friday Night Bites". Since joining the cast, Scottie's career has taken off further. He knows his name is bringing a lot of attention. It's a good cast though, Scottie just needs to make sure that in a room of big egos, his is the biggest.

What Does Gossip Girl Have On Them?

People don't get to know things about Scottie that Scottie doesn't want them to know. Gossip Girl is just more press, right?

Connections

Laurel Xu - Laurel is Scottie's best, most beautiful, friend. No one gets Scottie like Laurel, and vice versa. Scottie's always dragging Laurel along to events, parties and most other places outside their comfort zone but they're always happy to do it, for Scottie.

Frankie Vives - co-star on 'Friday Night Bites' and biggest pain in Scottie's ass. Their vampire characters play opposite each other, tangled in all sorts of love triangles and tense situations. Scottie plays the 'hero' to Frankie's 'villain/anti-hero'.

Joy Greenaway - co-star on 'Friday Night Bites' and someone Scottie loves to work with. They even did a couple of gigs together when they were kids.

Gracie Watts, Ryan Star and Sienna Haven - co-stars on 'Friday Night Bites'. Gracie and Ryan are the younger cast members so Scottie tries to set a good(ish) example. Sienna is the 'new girl' that Scottie knows will bring them a lot of publicity if they cozy up to her.

Johnny Akana - Scottie's #1 idol when it comes to actors (don't tell their parents). Johnny was an absolute badass back in the day and Scottie can't wait to work with them this new season on FNB.