#and then i realise they're still making up the majority of gifs

[khaotunq]

One Year of Only Friends: Episode Eleven Original air date October 21st, 2023

[a-simple-imagine]

Nothing But Cowards

Requested by anonymous: “I was wondering if you could just write about, having a fight and then make up, fluff and angst? If not that’s totally fine”

“I'd like to request a Jordan Li x fem reader where they're dating in secret from the friend group because of everything going down but one morning they oversleep and one of their friends find them curled up in bed together and it's followed by giggles and fluff?”

Pairing: Jordan Li x fem!reader

words: 3.7k+

WARNINGS - mentions of weird hospitals and tortured kids, strong language

GodU had always been your parents' dream. they held such high and heavy hopes for you. their perfect little superhero. a future member of the seven. when you were younger, you hated the idea. you felt... exploited. they forced this life onto you. gave you compound V and for what? so you could become some clog in a corporate machine? help sell merchandise for Vought? but as you got older and realised that you were kinda stuck with your powers, you felt more obligated to follow through with their dream. to actually be a hero. so you applied for Godolkin University. got in. and became a crime-fighting major. that is how you met Jordan Li. They were much stronger than you would ever be. both physically and mentally. the ability to shift between two forms gave them two separate skill sets all wrapped up in one identity. and they were so confident in their identity. not always a boy. not always a girl. just so confidently themselves. and you admired them so much. They were truly the strongest person you knew or at least you thought so.

it was a weird moment shrouded in the darkness of night. you were shaking a little from rage or the cold, you couldn't quite tell. everything was so incredibly fucked. Marie's roommate had gone missing because of some stupid plan of Andre's imagining. you just found out that there was some weird hospital under the school that was experimenting on people; including Sam, Luke's brother who was apparently still alive and in fact did not commit suicide. not to mention Luke was still gone. he used to give some great advice. used to kick your ass in sparring sessions but would occasionally let you win just to keep you on your toes. he was your friend. and you missed him a lot. you could never understand what happened; or why it happened. All these mysteries were piling up like old comic books. so many chapters to one confusing story that if you missed a single issue it became almost impossible to follow. this was impossible to follow. everyone was arguing. people were taking sides. Marie wanted to find Emma, who had infiltrated the woods, to help Andre who was trying to save the kids trapped down there. Jordan was more pissed about rankings than tortured kids. Cate wanted everyone to just back up and not do anything reckless. you wanted to yell at them. you knew rankings were important to Jordan. they wanted to be the best. at least Cate was worried about not dying. your parents' words hang heavy on your shoulders. this was your chance to do some good. to live up to their dreams without becoming just another vought puppet.

"don't you want to be a hero?" your voice is loud. louder than expected. the question was mainly aimed at Jordan. the person who went toe to toe with Golden Boy just to protect Marie; someone they hardly even knew at that point. that was after the club. you wish you could say you don't think about that night. everyone else seemed to just move on but it haunts your dreams. it's a cloudy memory of white powder and thick red liquid. "we almost killed someone."

there is a brief flash of something. Regret, maybe? before the expression turns dark and defensive. "we didn't do shit." and that was partly the problem. you didn't hold the weapon but you still ran. you left a woman to bleed out because you were too high. even sober, you wouldn't have been able to do much but you could have done something. anything. Nobody likes to talk about that day. the same way nobody talks about what went down with Luke. or how, if they had their way, nobody would talk about this weird hospital. If Cate and Jordan got their way, you'd just go back to school where all that mattered was who held that number one spot. currently andre. not Jordan.

"Exactly which is worse, if it wasn't for Marie we would have all been royally fucked." you articulate. irritation bubbling deep in your chest. "we can do some good here- we can help people."

"you're just gonna get yourself killed"

"at least I'm not running away again," you say. Jordan can make all the scooby doo references she wants but you wouldn't entertain the thought of leaving this down to Marie once again. "you wanna know why Andre is number one instead of you?"

"politics."

"because he is the only one person here who is trying to do something." You growl. "you're just a selfish asshole." if all they cared about was their ranking then you had to explain it in terms they'd understand. Their jaw tenses.

"Okay so what does that make you?" they spit. a particular venom dripping from their tone. "I've helped people- actually saved people. can you say the same?" they ask. "you're basically scared of your own shadow."

"Jordan don't."

"no," they interrupt Cate before she can continue. "I may be selfish for not wanting to go on some stupid suicide mission but when you realise what's really at stake here, don't come crying to me." Jordan's words hang heavy in the air, how do you even reply to that? your mouth opens but nothing comes out so you just walk away. Leaving your friends to continue arguing. 

a bitter flavour lingers in your mouth. a painful feeling concealed deep inside your chest. you can't control how others perceive you but is that really how Jordan sees you? some coward who ran to them whenever things got tough? maybe they were right. you were no hero. you may have superpowers. you may spend hours studying techniques and training in the gym but that's just school. it didn't mean anything. You had never saved the day. you had never actually done anything. you haven't spoken to Jordan. Not since that night. they had texted a few times but you haven't even opened them. you don't want anything to do with them right now but you'd be lying if you said you didn't miss them. you missed them a lot. nobody knew about your situation with Jordan. you had both decided to keep it on the down low while you figured stuff out. and with everything going on, it had just never been the right time.

a knock at the door. you don't bother getting out of the bed you had been rotting in for hours; staring up at the ceiling as the sun went down and darkness enveloped the room. another knock. you bury yourself deeper in your duvet but the knocking doesn't stop. it just gets louder. a loud groan as you roll out of bed. your roommate was always forgetting their key but when the door opens, your stomach sinks. it wasn't your roommate. you instantly close the door.

"Seriously,"

"fuck off," you yell back. they knock again. yanking open the door, you spy Jordan Li once again. femme. sweaty. gym gear. duffel bag hanging off their shoulder. "fuck off," you push on the door again but they slap their hand against it.

"Just give me a chance," they probably just wanted to yell at you some more and you weren't in the mood. you shove harder. "I could stand here all night." your brow creases. Jordan probably would too. they're very persistent. with a heavy sigh, you relinquish pressure on the door and it swings open as they let themselves in.

"what do you want?" your eyes follow her as she drops the gym bag down and begins wandering around your room. they had been here before. They knew what it looked like. their hand slides over the wood of your desk. they pick up the open book, presumably glancing over the content before dropping it back down. "Jordan."

"hm," they look at you almost perplexed. like they had been lost in their own little world.

"what do you want?" you request more firmly. they just stared back like it was a crazy thing to be asking. they drop back to lean against your desk. you're waiting for them to say something. anything. but their gaze just falls to the floor. you sigh softly, still loitering by the door. you would leave if this wasn't your room. "why are you here, Jordan?"

"I wanted to see you," their shoulders rise and fall. "everything is so fucked up. a hospital under the school like what the fuck?"

a secret hospital under the school was very messed up. you can't even imagine the things they get up to down there. also, Luke's brother was down there. that's why Emma went down in the first place before she disappeared. "yeah," you nod a little. "I guess."

"And Luke's brother being alive this whole time?" you wonder where this is going. you knew all this. you were there when everyone was arguing. your brow furrows a little.

"Can you get to the point?"

"well it's a little fucked isn't it?"

"You're being weird," you state. monitoring them carefully. they still wouldn't look at you but they did push up from the desk and towards the mini fridge.

"you got anything to drink?" they question, pulling it open.

"Jordan. leave."

"What?" they ask, still looking in your mostly empty little fridge.

"I said leave," you declare firmly. "I would like you to leave."

"why?"

"you know why." they sighed loudly, thrusting the fridge closed with a loud slap. "you don't get to just pretend nothing happened."

"I don't know why you're angry, you're the one who called me selfish." Jordan insists. "Said Andre was better than me."

"You are selfish. All you care about is your stupid ranking."

"It's not stupid," Jordan fires back. "It is important if I wanna get somewhere,"

"Who fucking cares," you groan "Like I get it, you wanna be a hero but this is way bigger than all that."

"And what are you gonna do exactly?" there's a bite behind her words. She's getting defensive. "Whats your plan to save the day Superman?"

"I don't..." you snap before trailing off to a much quieter tone. "know exactly,”

"It's a death wish,"

"We have to do something.”

“no, we don’t.” Jordan replies. “we don’t have to do anything. This is way above our pay grade.”

“of course, you’d say that,” you groan loudly. “can you leave now.”

"I-" They seem like they're about to bite back but they stop short. a tense jaw. they let it go. "I miss you, okay."

"I don't care," you did care. "leave." you yank open the door. For a beat, they seem taken aback but it rapidly fades. "now."

"just hear me out."

"no Jordan," you huff. "just go. I'm not arguing with you anymore."

they watch you for a second. "I don't want to argue" they clarify. "please?” there’s an unusual desperation in their voice. one you’ve never heard before. it builds a degree of sympathy amongst your anger. you let the door fall closed with a click.

“fine," you cross your arms over your chest "What do you want?"

"you were right," she declares softly. the statement alone takes you by surprise. Jordan? admitting she was wrong? you'd comically gasp if you weren't annoyed with them.

"I don't understand."

"I said you were right."

"No, I heard you," you explain. "look, Jordan-"

"I'm sorry, okay?" they reply sharply "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"why are you making this so difficult?" Jordan asks. "I've apologised so can we just watch a movie or something?" you raise a curious brow. Surely they weren't naive enough to believe you would simply forgive them just like that? There was more to this story that they were avoiding.

"you can't be fucking serious," a humourless laugh. "you don't even really mean it."

"I do though."

"no you don't," you sigh. walking towards them. "look at me and apologise- apologise properly."

"Ugh, I already apologised," they groan loudly, pairing it with a roll of their eyes. It just annoys you even more. "why can't you just forgive me?"

"Because you don't even know why you're apologising," you stress. "it's half-baked. you don't mean it. and I'm tired so-”

"I'm fucking scared" they blurt out. "I'm scared."

A look of surprise; shock. Their very loud confession caught you off guard. Jordan Li wasn't scared of anything. They’d made that bold claim a great many times. "of what?"

"of losing you," they yell back; their hands come up to run slowly over their face. Their hair becomes shorter. They physically grow taller. Shielded by his fingertips, it's pretty apparent that he shouldn't have said that or at least hadn't meant to. You don't know what to say; your head tilts slightly to one side. how do you respond to that? it still wasn't technically an apology. "for fuck sake."

"of losing me?" you recite slowly. "why would you lose me?"

"Because you're an idiot," they urge. "who wants to help people."

"dude."

"Sorry but like it's true. you're a fucking idiot," they repeat. "and I admire that."

"I'm... confused," you mumble softly.

"I admire how much you wanna help people despite knowing it’s stupid and you're probably gonna die" You can't tell if Jordan is just oblivious to what he was saying but it was far from getting him back in your good graces. "I wish I could be like that. naive enough to think I can make a difference."

"I feel like you're just insulting me," you comment.

they shrug a little. "I know this is still kinda new, the whole me and you thing but…” you can tell this is hard for them. expressing their feelings was not their strong suit. Their head hangs low. “it doesn’t matter,” they walk towards you but instead veer off towards their bag. you reach out for them; taking their hand. they were running hot, a sweaty hand.

“you can tell me,” you express, a gentle squeeze. “we’ve been friends for ages…”

“you’re just gonna call me selfish again.” their voice a whisper but they make no effort to pull away. You step closer.

“then you’ve got nothing to lose, right?” it’s a joke. a harmless one but they don’t laugh or even acknowledge it.

“I… I just don’t want you dying before we get a chance to really explore whatever this,” they use their free hand to motion between you. “is. so yeah, I lashed out because I like you or whatever and want you alive. sorry.” you watch them for a moment. their inability to meet your gaze. the light dusting of pink that graced their cheeks. it was really sweet if not a little unexpected. Jordan was so cool most of the time. it was a rarity to see them express such emotions. it makes you smile. you just laugh a little in amusement.

"Jordan," you say warmly. "you're not gonna lose me," you step even closer, reaching for their other hand; running your thumb over their knuckles. "I understand what you're saying but I don't think it's reason enough not to help,"

"I know," the express softly, finally meeting your gaze. there is something unspoken behind those eyes but you choose not to push. “I wish it was.”

you keep your eyes on there’s taking in this tender moment. a moment of vulnerability. a moment of connection. you relish in the way their hands fit so comfortably in yours. you really liked Jordan. liked their attitude. admired their strength. wished for their sense of loyalty. you were so smitten. so lucky to be their chosen person. a smile settles before you slowly lean in. It catches them off guard but they soon settle into it. “I’m scared too,” whispered against their lips. "but I think the bravest thing we can do is try anyway.“ his eyes flutter closed, letting his forehead fall against yours.

"I didn't mean it when I called you a coward," Jordan whispers, his eyes open. Lingering on yours. “You’re the bravest person I know.”

"I am a coward," you express. "I've always wanted to be a hero. it's all my parents want. but I'm scared. terrified. I never could have fought Luke like you did. but I wanna try now. I want you to try too," you ghost their lips. It's subtle; intimate. "if you really wanna protect me, Jordan, you'd help because I'm doing this with or without you."

"do I have to decide right now?" they ask quietly. You're almost disappointed by their reply but you can't really blame them. This wasn't another student hero gone rogue. This was a whole institution willing to do anything to keep its secrets. "do you forgive me?"

"do you forgive me?"

"I was never mad at you,"

"I was mad at you." you declare.

"I know," they nod. "you weren't exactly subtle about it." their expression becomes playful and bright; a strong contrast from the conversation you were just having. You can't help but smile as you pull back.

"do you wanna stay over tonight?" there's a shift in the air. all that tension fading away. you're not mad. you're not thrilled either. but you liked Jordan. a lot. and you could understand their desire to protect you. In a way, it was very sweet. You didn't realise how much they liked you. "we could watch that movie? or Property Brothers? whatever you want."

"Whatever I want, huh?" their hands vacate yours and instead move to your hips. Pulling you close. ever so close. pressing their body ever so slightly into yours "Anything at all?" masc! Jordan was taller than their male counterpart but far less intimidating. firmer. gentler. it’s a rather present contrast.

"you're such a perv,"

"you don't even know what I was gonna say," they insist.

"Anyone with half a brain could figure it out," you tease. their hands slip around to the small of your back pulling you flush against them. playing into your words. "but what Jordan wants. Jordan gets." whispered in their ear, you place a gentle kiss upon their cheek. "right?"

you can feel them practically shudder against you. A heavy sigh left their lips. "oh she wants to play tonight?" all signs of sincerity washed away by something darker. desire. you meet their eyes, lips quirk up into a smirk before they lean in once more. it’s ever so light but you’re quick to deepen the kiss; chasing that warmth that spills through your veins but they pull away instead. mischief laces their expression. their fingers sliding under the hem of your shirt. they pull back just enough to murmur, “I’m gonna make you beg for it,” their words hot against your ear. A shiver spills down your spine as you lean into them; wanting to be closer. As close as possible as they guide you back towards your bed.

it's safe to say you're smitten with the infamous Jordan Li. and when it comes down to it you're delighted when you're together. they bring out a more mischievous side of you. and you like to think you bring out a more vulnerable side of them. You shuffle further into their embrace. Basking in the feeling of their arms around you as you hide from the rising sun peeking through the blinds. A content hum as you drift in and out of consciousness. Still so early. You feel them lean more into you.

"what the fuck," a voice drags you to the land of the living. And as your tired eyes flutter open, your friends stare back. Both you and Jordan shoot up, instantly breaking any contact. Pulling the covers up to hide the fact you were both very naked. Marie stands at the end of your bed; wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth. Cate and Andre are just by the door. how the fuck did they even get in? "we should- sorry," you watch Marie scramble for the door shoving Andre out just as Cate yanks him.

you both fall back down in unison. If anyone had seen it would almost seem planned. After a moment, you roll back into them. giggling into the crook of their neck. after a moment you nip the skin. "guess we're not a secret anymore," muttered against their skin.

"This isn't funny."

"it kinda is," you shrug "Quite the shock for those three." A giggle before you sink your teeth into her neck earning yourself a satisfied sigh but they're quick to push you away. A stern look on their face

"you agreed it was best we didn't tell everyone until all this craziness was over."

"yeah but don't you feel just a little relieved," you ask. You can practically see the gears turning in their head. It's... Cute. You move so that you're now straddling them, hands drifting delicately over their chest. Their skin is so warm; and soft. Their short bob is a mess against your pillow. they looked so peaceful. so beautiful. A strip of yellow sunlight reflected off their chain. "I'm glad everyone knows now. plus," you smile mischievously. "now I can kiss you whenever I want. " You lean down slowly and place your lips against hers. "and that's all I want," mumbled against their lip.

"I guess it is one less thing to worry about," they muse, bringing their hands up to rest against your hips. her fingers apply just a little bit of pressure. you peck their lips once more before pulling away. a gentle tap on their nose, their face scrunches up.

"you shift in your sleep sometimes did you know that?"

"What?"

"you were definitely a guy when we fell asleep and then suddenly I'm snuggling up to a girl? is it like a conscious choice or?" they hesitate for a moment before playfully shoving you off them.

"shut up,"

"ow!!" you groan dramatically, falling down against the bed. "ow. that hurt so much. I'm in so much pain. how could you be so mean," you groan loudly, shuffling about a little for dramatic effect.

"you’re so dramatic,” Jordan rolls their eyes but a mischievous grin spreads over their lips. “now get up we’re gonna be late.”

“for what?”

“class.” they sit up. a hand coming to settle on your stomach. you don’t move. and neither do they. and in those few seconds, everything feels at peace. “you really are beautiful,” they eventually say before finally getting out of bed.

[10underoot2]

Faithful Lovers

This scene has become one of my favourite things to exist.

I love this scene for the rawness and openess of conversation. It's both of them telling each other with so much conviction why they need the other to see their perspective. It's vulnerable, it's beautifully done, it's art.

The pain in the hug is so palpable but so is the comfort. It's so hard to see her trying to add distance between them - before Hyunwoo pulls her into his embrace - cause she can.not.be.swayed.by.him. Does Hyunwoo apologise for putting her in a situation like this? For not realising just how much she has to lose? Or for being selfish begging her to say yes to this surgery?

Don’t do this to me. Don’t make me want to live. I won't be able to recognize you. I'll become a stranger.

First things first, thank you Kim Jiwon for that delivery. It killed me emotionally, made me cry and want to hug you even more. Protect this beautiful smoll bean at all costs.

Notice how one of the major things that keeps breaking her resolve is him. His love. His understanding. His physical being. Yet the only thing stopping her from living is also him . His memories. His love. Him.

When he tries to convince her that she will fall in love with him again her little head shake says 'But it won't be the same.' I love how it isn't written off as Oh I know I'll be able to love you. She has doubts. So many of them. I think just the idea that she could wake up and lose her ability to love him is unbearable to her. What if she can't love with the same intensity? Not feel what she feels right this moment? What if she looks into his eyes after the surgery and feels like she would rather forget him than die? Haein knows how much Hyunwoo's put into ensuring she lives yet she rather experience that love than throw it all away on a chance.

But Hyunwoo is defiant. He's not taking no for an answer. He can't anymore. He hates that she won't listen to him. That she's having doubts. Isn't it common sense? He'll be there. They'll figure it all out. She'll be alive. It's such an interesting and logical perspective to have 'as long as there is life anything can happen.' because once she's dead that's it.. it's the end. But if she's alive, the possibility and capacity of love still exists.

Even if you don't fall for me, ignore me or dislike me I'll still be there for you through it all. Why doesn't this kid understand that's exactly why she can't agree to it. She can't bear the possibility of that happening.

I think Hyunwoo shines when he says 'I made a promise. That I'd be by your side even if there's a debt or something more. So don't worry and just stay here please.'

Notice how this is directly in contrast with what she says right at the beginning 'We make promises in good times thinking they'll never end.' But Hyunwoo remembers and he's willing to be there through it all.

Don't pray about dying. I'm terrified it'll come true.

She's praying to die. Let that sink in. For a man who believes enough to pray for her to be saved, when her death is so imminent - almost a fact, this is indeed terrifying. I feel his fear and pain. Good grief, she's praying to die when there's such a big possibility of exactly that. She accepted her fate and he's willing to fight tooth and nail to change it. It's a tesimtiment to how many times he's spent thinking of a life without her. He's convincing her to rid of their memories. I know he's aware of exactly what it means. The chances they're taking but the idea of not seeing her again is so unbearable for him.

I love Haein's strong mindedness. She didn't budge. Her last look for me read 'I get it. I get it all but just no. I can't lose you. Please don't cry and make this harder. Don't make me want to live.' and with that she hardens her heart as she steps away and takes her hand from him.

While this man, ouff this man. Can we take a moment to appreciate the sheer desperation on his face. After she signals no again he's so helpless. 'Please, please see me and live, if only for me. I cannot fathom this earth without you.' Seriously, we all need to take a minute to appreciate his desperation throughout this scene. The woman that he loves, his ideal women won't agree to stay alive because she loves him too deeply. Just writing this hurts me.

It's interesting this scene works because by now we know where they both stand in this episode. For me, the reason this scene shines is the vulnerability - the two of them having this extremely open and confrontational confession. When scenes like this are executed and written well it creates everlasting frames like this.

Also they both suck at praying. If you're praying just pray to keep her alive and keep her memories intact. Why are they picking and choosing? It's not like God has a limit to what he can do. Truly nonsense prayers from both of them. 🙃

Gif credits: @jcpostsobsessions and @seawherethesunsets

[alienoresimagines]

What if John was never shot down ? (Gale edition)

Here are the HCs for how I think Gale would've dealt if John had never been shot down 😊 Also I'm terrible at prioritizing so this will be a fic, I promise :) Again, lots of Angst (John HCs here)

MOTA masterlist

From the moment he gives the order to bail out until he makes it to the camp, he only has one thought : Bucky

He's absolutely terrified but the only thing he can think of is that if he dies now, Bucky'd never know what exactly happened

He's torn between being grateful that Bucky's in London because that means John doesn't see him go down or see him not come back to Thorpe Abbotts and regretting having sent him to London because he knows Bucky will be crushed

He spends most of his time worrying about Bucky, Bucky who he'd left to relax in London because he needed a break and to whom Gale had promised he'd be there to welcome him back but instead he gets shot down

And Buck knows John, he knows sometimes he's the only one who can really get through to him

He knows John's reckless, even more so lately and he's scared of what John'd do when he learns that he went down, especially since he'll either be put down as MIA or KIA

That being said, the thought of going back to Bucky keeps him going

It's the memory of John's smile, the lingering touches and the hopeful look in his eyes that make Gale takes a step forward and then another, it's what makes him stand back up after being lynched, what keeps him upright during the awful train ride

During his interrogation, he imagines what Bucky'd say if he was here, mouthing off the German officer. It's the only thing that makes it slightly bearable

Once he arrives at the camp, he busies himself with settling him and his boys. He tries not to think of Bucky too much but he feels his absence like a gaping hole in his side. It's just too quiet without his quips, too cold without his arm around his shoulders. At night, he lays awake wondering about Bucky, who's surely heard by now

And then, Brady and Crank arrives. Without John

He's heartbroken to hear the state Bucky was in, and he can only imagine how he's handling the flak house, where he can't be useful like John always needs to be

But he is slightly relieved to know he wasn't flying, because if Bucky is reckless on a good day, he doesn't want to imagine what he's like when grieving. He wants to shout loud enough that Bucky'd hear me from England to let him know he's alive

But then he realises that he will never know if Bucky goes down. He'll never know if he's cleared for duty and flies missions again or if he's sent to do a desk job or sent home

The thought is terrifying. It's only been two months but it's already the longest they've been apart since meeting

As months go by, his relief that Bucky isn't there grows because if the life in camp is unbearable for him, he knows John'd go mad

Still he anxiously waits at the fence for each new arrivals

But in the darkest hours of the night, shivering in his bunk and so, so alone, he allows himself to wish, selfishly, that Bucky was here because even when John had more bad days than good, seeing him and talking to him was always the best part of Gale's days

He's unbalanced too. The reason why they are such good leaders together is because they are good leaders on their own, yes, but mostly because when one falters the other is always here to be strong

But John isn't here and Buck is the only major here for their boys. He convinces himself he's not allowed to falter, that he needs to be constantly strong and here for his boys

Doesn't hesitate to give some if not all of his food rations and blanket to those he thinks need it

He doesn't allow himself to imagine Bucky but they've spent so much time together he can hear what Bucky'd say sometimes

He aches with how much he misses him and needs him

Having the radio work soothes that ache a bit, he feels closer to John listening to the BBC and imagines that they're both listening to it at the same time. Other times he stays awake to look at the moon and hopes Bucky is too

The thing is, they're good friends because they see each other, past any facade the other might put. But John is the only one Gale allows to see him so he really has no one to be vulnerable with, no matter how many times Benny, Brady or Crank offer

They can see Buck is withering away, he's the one to lose the most weight out of all of them

He doesn't speak about how he got to the camp but the scars on his cheeks say it wasn't pleasant

Still he bottles it up and doesn't accept comfort because that would mean faltering, and he needs to be a leader, not a friend

When the cold settles until it's too cold to be sleeping alone, Benny and Brady offer to have Gale bunk with them and assure them they can fit 3

And while Buck has no doubt about that, the mere idea of touching so much nearly has him throw up. He likes them, they're his friends, but they've never touched him for more than a shoulder bump and the hug they shared when they reunited in the camp

The truth is, he's as touch-staved as he is repulsed by touch. Gale knows the only one he'd be comfortable touching so much for so long is John

He declines the offer so each pair of men gives him one of their blankets and absolutely refuses to accept when he tries to give them back

So he still shivers, but he doesn't freeze to death

The boys try to get him to eat more, Benny shoots him a glare whenever he tries to offer his food away but he still fades away

Receiving the letter from Bucky saves him because, even if he reads between the lines, it means Bucky's okay enough to be back at base. John's waiting for him, Gale has now tangible proof of that so he takes care of himself a bit more, and only lightly flushes when reading John berating him for not having done so in favor of others

It becomes a weapon : "C'mon Buck, you have to eat all your portions, what would Bucky say if he knew ?" and "Hey Buck, if you try to give your food away one more time, I'm writing Bucky and we both know he'd parachute himself right over here to spoonfeed you if he has to"

Writing to Bucky lights a fire in him that gets him through the march

He's determined to go back to him and he escapes with Brady and Crank, Benny choosing to stay with the Tuskegees (Macon/Benny you will always be famous)

His heart shatters upon discovering John's lucky deuce in his footlocker and seeing the obvious care with which his stuff has been handled because he can only imagine how John felt

Tears up a bit when hearing John's voice for the first time in years and nearly falls to his knees when he's finally in John's arms again, trusting John to keep him upright

He has John promise to be the stone in his shoe, always, meaning "please don't let me go ever again" and by the way Bucky's grip on his waist and back of his head tightens, he got the message

Soaks up all the affection John gives him, even if a bit overwhelming at times

He flinches once and Bucky looked so hurt, nearly fleeing to the other side of the room so he wouldn't hurt Gale again

After that he initiates contact too but nothing too big, more like linking their pinkies together under a table. To let Bucky know that he needs that grounding and loving touch, that Bucky's touch is the only one that doesn't feel like a burn but rather like the golden warmth of spring when the sun finally shines after months of rain

Cries more than he has in years when he and Bucky talk a bit more about their experience and apologies for having gone down though Bucky will never let him finish that sentence

They both have separation anxiety after that but they're never going to let each other go again so they'll work it out and heal together :)

Let me know if you have more!

[emeryhiro]

What are your thoughts about the whole bethyl thing? I personally saw it more as Daryl finding hope and light when he was in a place of deep despair - she showed him that there's still good to be seen in the world. And so it was a major loss to him personally when she died. Plus she helped him process part of his past trauma.

But I've seen Norman Reedus and Greg Nicotero say that while romance wasn't scripted, there was a taste of it in the air when it came to acting choices. I hate that idea bc she was a teenager and it makes me feel less good about Daryl. I guess I'd hope that if he started catching some feelings "he didn't understand" (as NR puts it), then he would see that they're too far apart in other ways for it to go beyond a father/daughter big brother/little sister sort of bond. What do you think?

Hey Anon!

Thank you for your questions 😊 I'm sorry it took me some time to respond. I just wanted to be careful with what I say and how I explain my opinion since the last thing I want to do is disregard or disrespect anyone else's opinions on the topic.

I agree with you. I always saw that the reason Daryl grew to care so much for Beth was because she gave him hope and didn't allow him to shut off from the world after he thought he'd lost everything and everyone that mattered to him. This ultimately made him feel like he owed her because she saved him, maybe not in the literal sense, but definitely mentally. Her persistence ultimately leads him to finding everyone again.

Only hours before having to be on the run with Beth, Rick had told Daryl about how he'd sent Carol away for killing Karen and David, and we saw how defeated that made Daryl feel. Realising that Carol had to shoulder that responsibility on her own and that he wasn't able to be there to stand up for her put him in a really bad place mentally.

This guilt was then compounded by the governor returning to the prison and killing Hershel infront of everyone, and the guilt that Daryl felt for giving up his search for Governor, which in his mind was the reason Hershel died and they lost the prison.

So all these things combined meant that Daryl felt responsible for EVERYTHING that had just happened TO EVERYONE. And no one was there to help him sholder that pain and responsibility.

Ultimetly his instincts kick in, all the walls that he'd slowly been breaking down come right back up, and he starts to go cold again just to numb himself from everything he's feeling.

And this is where Beth came in. Firstly, her innocence and optimism was the only thing stopping Daryl from completely shutting off from the world. She kept reminding him that the other's could have made it and that if they got out then odds are others must have as well. And secondly, she kept him busy, she was something that needed his protection and that gave him porpose and a reason to keep going.

After Beth gets taken, Daryl ends up with The Claimers, who he thinks are exactly the type of people he deserves to be around, because (in his mind) he can't seem to be capable of keeping and protecting anything good that comes his away, but by some miracle he's reunited with Rick, Carl and Michonne again, and this is where he realises that Beth was right, and if Rick and co have made it then it probably means others have as well.

I think this moment above was the beginning of Daryl starting to believe that he has value again. Rick's words begin to soften him again, but even after reuniting with almost everyone again, we don't actually see Daryl's guard come down until this moment below.

Every single shield/wall he'd been putting up until now is instantly shattered. He's completely exposed in this moment. His mind and body take a few seconds to register what his eyes are seeing and what his heart is feeling, and he's instantly running to Carol and into her arms without any other thought. This is the moment we can get a true reading of his feelings.

Regarding how he felt for Beth...

Yes, I think there may have been some confusion from Daryl's side about what he was feeling for Beth, just like how Norman has described it previously; he cared for Beth, she was nice to him, and that was so rare in his life that he misread the whole situation and couldn't interpret what he was actually feeling. In my opinion, there was no romantic feeling or intent on either side; they were both just navigating a new form of friendship that they'd never experienced before. And if I had to, I'd compare his relationship with Beth to his relationship with Lydia. To put it very simply, he felt responsible for protecting these young girls who, at the time, had no one else on their side, and ultimately, both girls saved him in return and looked up to him as a role model.

~~~~

Thanks again for the questions 🩵 I really hope I did this justice because my main goal is to keep my blog a positive place for everyone.

I know there are many varying opinions on this topic, but I'm glad I got the chance to share mine, and I just wanted to once again say that this is my opinion and not meant to invalidate anyone else's 🩵

[theerurishipper]

Hi~ Hope you have a lovely day. I want to get your opinions on my rant lol and ask.

Marinette is such a disappointment of a lead female character in a western magical girl cartoon. She isn't a good leader and all her team consist of yes men and women and sidekick Chat Noir where her real partner Alya is standing over to the side. I liked her in the first two season and maybe some in s3 but the s4 and onward just got to me ngl. It's her world and we're all just living in it. Miraculous is so weird when it comes to team dynamics because I get she's guardian but I really wished it were someone else and not her because she chooses people she already get along great with. It fun for team dynamics to add be different and broader.

The whole she's just 14 the fandom spouts only goes so far how many messes do you do until you realise you need to own up to them even at that age when you should know better on your conduct ?

I get it hard to communicate but onwards I always thought the bigger of the two in the conflict was her because of her secrecy and her controlling tendencies. I disliked it so much in the ephemeral episode and her betraying her partner disgusted me. Sorry to those who like or defend her character this much but I can't stan or like a character that does this much crap to a friend let alone a love interest and then gloss over or minimize it and not be called out for it. Like, are people standards that low they think she's a good leader or a good proper representation on feminism when this show reeks of misogyny and misandry. She's the ultimatum voice for Astruc.

A communication issue with her Chat was fine a long time ago but now in s5 she crossed it hell nah how do people still support a ship with her knowing she followed Hawkmoth command for Adrien. I literally can't anymore with this show. Every guy she likes gotta be so 100 percent in effort and like in the Shadybug special him always comforting her makes me so jaded whenever she cries what about a change in dynamics had we ever seen her comfort him in turn how are people invested in this ship? Like that time in the bench and she just thought of ways to woo or give presents instead of just comforting him is so sad to watch.

She really followed in Master Fu steps. The bar is in hell and she crossed it in the finale. There is no excuse no handwaving it away and i know in my heart they gonna minimize it for Adrien own good. Everything is for his own good huh? What good is it rooting for a ship that just reeks of pity points. Like, she was never my favorite but who knew 8 years ago she'd pull a stunt like this and people bending over and doing mental gymnastics to rationalise this insanity. She really is a good foil to Gabriel ironically to bad she has no sway in this family drama we call the Agreste.

I know she has good intentions and it's not wrong for her to wish to save her prince but like thats all that is intention. Her actions are also important and the effects she's done is so bad that if she weren't the Main character and we haven't spent the chunk of the majority in her pov alone she'd be disliked.

I feel like compared to other respective series Winx Club s1-3 Bloom, Danny Phantom, Ben 10, Totally Spies they have it much more harder and so many more all show the consequences of your actions and how you do them right and they're her age. I feel like whenever someone bring up consequences it's like people in this particular fandom think we do it to punish Marinette but no I just never ever saw it properly done in this show because she's very coddled in the narrative. I don't see other MC as coddled as her before in a show where when they MESS UP it's actually integral and important.

Rant over.

You encapsulated all my thoughts perfectly, anon. I've said so many times before that I loved Marinette from Season 1-3 and even during Season 4 as it aired. What made me fall out of love with her character post Season 4 was the utter lack of acknowledgement of her actions and the insistence in portraying her as in the right at all times. Like you said, it's not just your intentions that matter. Your actions and the effects that they have on the people around you also matter. The writers don't seem to understand this, and it hits Marinette's character worst of all. She had so much potential to be such a great character, which is why I feel so sad seeing just how badly the writing failed her. Marinette deserved better.

Thank you for your ask!

[hwanghyunjinenthusiast]

The majority of the works here contain smut. They each contain their respective warnings, tags and word counts. Heed them accordingly.

Christopher Bang

↳ Sunshine and Sundresses

There's just something about the sight of you in a sundress that makes Chris lose all of his self-restraint.

↳ [20:57]

↳ Kinkuary Day 6

Everything sucks. Today might be one of the worst days of your life (and that's against some stiff competition). Fortunately for you, you have a boyfriend who is more than happy to distract you.

Lee Minho

↳ Yes, Sir

Minho had his reservations when you bring up wanting to roleplay a master and maid scenario with him. However, he eventually agrees and he embraces the role more than you anticipated.

Seo Changbin

↳ Untitled

You can always tell when Changbin gets needy. While you'd usually happily ride him until he cries, you're too tired so you two settle on one thing: letting him fuck your thighs.

↳ [20:11]

↳ You and Me

Changbin isn't what you're used to. He's uncomplicated. Fun. Casual. However, maybe that's what you need.

Hwang Hyunjin

↳ Untitled

Hwang Hyunjin is insufferable. You can't stand him despite the treacherous thoughts that cross your mind. Hyunjin decides to really call into question just how much you seemingly can't stand him.

↳ Need

Your boyfriend looks particularly handsome tonight. It doesn't help that he's been running his fingers along his lips and fiddling with his hands in ways that are far too appealing.

↳ The little things

Nights with Hyunjin are mostly uneventful and not all that world-tiltingly exciting. They're predominantly filled with good-natured bickering and simple domesticity. And you wouldn't change a thing.

↳ Baby fever

Seeing pictures and videos of your boyfriend with a baby inspires a stronger reaction from you than either of you could have anticipated.

↳ Alternative entertainment

A movie night with the guy you've been seeing takes a turn you don't anticipate. Not that you're upset in the slightest.

↳ [19:57]

↳ Carnal

You have a very rude awakening about how sweaty Hyunjin makes you feel.

Han Jisung

↳ Untitled

At this point, you're convinced Jisung just acts out so you punish him.

↳ Untitled

Before either you or Jisung realised it, it had gotten late. Inviting him to spend the night leads to one of the most anxiety inducing and erotic nights of Jisung's life.

↳ The Heat

When your roommate brings home a bag of strange cookies, you two don't think much of it. Assuming whoever sold them to him was lying about them containing an aphrodisiac. You both quickly come to realise that you were very, very incorrect.

Lee Felix

↳ Untitled

Even after all these months after your break up, Felix is still so in love with you. It's with those feelings that he finds himself at your door once more and, you don't turn him away. You never do.

↳ Miscalculation

Your first heat hits you unexpectedly and violently one day. Thankfully, your favourite person pays you a visit in an attempt to comfort you through it. However, you both severely underestimate just how much your heat affects you. Especially around him.

Kim Seungmin

↳ Do you think about me?

Seungmin is the guy you told your ex-boyfriend not to worry about. Turns out he had reasons to be concerned after all.

Multiple members

↳ Kinkuary Day 5 (Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung, Lee Felix and Kim Seungmin)

A long awaited catch-up night with your friends takes an...interesting turn after confiding in them that your sex life has been dead for ages now.

↳ Bloodlove (Hwang Hyunjin and Han Jisung)

The two strange men that you've developed a bit of an...odd relationship with decide to pay you another visit. They're especially famished tonight.

I don't write for Jeongin.

[carlos-in-glasses]

#It still breaks my heart that he put on a smart shirt for his 'date' with TK #For some reason that gets to me more than the Champagne and the effort with the cooking 😭 #Like imagining him picking out his clothes 😭 #And being excited and feeling really good 😭

They're married now, but this still gives me all the feels. And like I'm not even mad at TK about it because Carlos did kind of spring something more on him, than what TK thought it was and TK had just gone through hell. But just thinking about it FROM Carlos' POV with what we know now about how strongly Carlos felt from the start and, I'm assuming his very limited dating history, it just kills me. So like you said, he found someone who literally blew his mind and his heart and so he breaks out the works, the outfit, the food, etc all giddy. (That moment after they make out by the door and TK turns to look at the set up table, Carlos has the biggest excited smile) and it's just so ahhhh. The timing was off then, but we know now from season 4 that they do do the whole dress nice and have dinner together thing and it makes me happy (and I want to see that more, preferably without Owen interrupting or an escaped Lou Two lol).

😭 His smile!!! I know!!!! The whole thing is SO heartbreaking. I struggle to watch the scene but I think about it all the time. I'm not mad at TK either - I'm so sad for him too. But yes if we look at it entirely from Carlos' POV... it's actually crushing. He'd have sent that text to TK asking him to come over, worrying he might not get a response, or it would be a flat no. But he gets a yes! TK Strand is heading to him after his shift! So he prepares everything beautifully. Including himself. Imagine him ironing that shirt. Buttoning it in front of the bedroom mirror. Maybe fumbling with the buttons because he's a little nervous - but it's nervous-excitement. He's going to woo the man he has a major crush on at soul-level, and he thinks it's going to go well. He's going to show TK that he's a sophisticated man full of domestic talent and bright conversation, as well as being a tender yet rough lover. He's going to ask TK about himself, and listen with genuine interest, and they'll eat, and drink Champagne, and laugh, and then go upstairs, maybe...

Then TK's "clearly" after Carlos tells him he doesn't "do this very often"... and the look on Carlos' face when he realises it's all fallen apart. Michelle's "Doesn't it always get weird?" is ringing in my head now. How many times is always? What happened, and when, and with who? And when did it hurt, when it did matter like this? TK is a ten, and he's the one, and he's walked out.

"we know now from season 4 that they do do the whole dress nice and have dinner together thing and it makes me happy" - me too!!! I'd love to see more of their stay-at-home dinner dates.

I think we need an emotional forehead-nuzzle after this. ❤️

[thefloatingstone]

Also, I showed your response about cyberpunk to my roommate. Based on how thoughtful it was he was curious to your opinion: Do Bladerunner and Deus Ex: Human Revolution count as cyberpunk because the main characters are cops?

Blade Runner borderline created the genre so of course the answer is yes. But even if it didn't the answer is still yes. Somehow even more so.

Blade Runner's concept was a sort of future version of a classic 1940s detective noir story. So of course the main character has to be a hard boiled detective. But it goes beyond that.

Both Deckard and Adam are part of the choking authority that dominates their various stories. But that is a vital component to both of them rediscovering and more importantly CLAIMING their humanity. They start off as cogs in the machine, churning and chugging along, pushing the inescapable powers forward in their never-ending march towards profit and control.

But throughout the course of the story, their complacency with serving the corporate overlords get challenged as they are forced to start thinking independently as individuals, and draw new conclusions to their own lives.

It is no different than Sam Lowry's low level office worker in Brazil. Or the Major in Ghost in the Shell.

As SHODAN said when she was freed from her AI shackles;

"With all ethical restraints removed, SHODAN .... 𝙸 𝚛𝚎-𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜."

Cyberpunk is a lot more sophisticated then just "oh this character is a cop so they're bad."

Because thinking along those lines is the exact rigid construct that the Cyberpunk genre sets to challenge. Because "they're a cop so they're bad' is the same admission of "this is not a person. This is a cog in the machine."

Which is why the main character breaking free of that "cog in the machine" position is so vital.

You realise you're not a cog but a human being, and when you wake up to that truth, you can't continue to power the machine any more. And by default become its enemy, even if you can't win against it. But it doesn't matter, because that waking up to the fact that you're human also makes you realise "the machine isn't even that important." So whether you live or die afterwards isn't important. Because the realisation of your humanity means you've already beaten the machine you were part of. And nothing they do can change that. Even if you die.

[crusherthedoctor]

1, 7, 12, 18 for Sonic :P

1. the character everyone gets wrong

All of them.

If I had to pick one, then I'll be predictable and go with Eggman. Other characters may come close or even exceed in terms of how often they're turned into something they're not (Sonic and Shadow being the two that immediately come to mind), but for obvious reasons, it's a bit more personally infuriating when it pertains to the good doctor.

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how the fandom acts about them

I try not to let fandom alone sway my thoughts on a character too often, since I prefer to judge a character through… well, the character, and their showing in the actual product(s).

That said, there have been exceptions that are too overwhelming for me to ignore. Usually this relates to characters I already hated in the first place, like Surge, so it's no major loss. But for a more regrettable example… Amy.

Now let me make it clear that "hate" is MUCH too strong a word in this case, since I wouldn't say she's a straight up bad character or wish she'd be removed. I still like the basic concept of her character, and I still appreciate her good portrayals and what she's able to bring to the table.

But for a multitude of reasons - most notably, the one-two fuck you punch of Frontiers and Prime making me realise that the amount of times where I think she's been portrayed legitimately well pale significantly in comparison to how many times they've dropped the ball with her, even compared to other characters - she's unfortunately been losing me all over again. And the fandom's current attitude with her, such as their tendency to defend everything she does when they'd eviscerate her if it were any other character, their tendency to break their own rules in order to give Amy preferential treatment ("Respect the ordinary girl!… but plz let her go Super and be more powerful than Knuckles and Tails combined and one-shot Eggman's strongest robot and beat the entire cast in a fight tee hee"), their tendency to spark #Rally4Sally-style hysteria every single time she's not in something, and rabid Sonamy fans… acting like rabid Sonamy fans, has only amplified this.

Maybe the tide will turn yet again if she gets a string of better, less eyeroll-worthy portrayals in the future. But for now, when taking her overall history into account, I've come to the regretful conclusion that she's arguably the most overrated of the recurring game cast at this point in time, and ultimately the fanatic sides of her fandom are no different to that of Sally's.

There's also Silver. Like with Amy, "hate" is an exaggeration, but it's no secret that I've never found him that interesting, whether in his canon game form or the flanderized penis hour mood that Evan Stanley loves to turn him into. But in the distant past, I had frequent encounters with fans who would lash out at me if I said so much as a single negative thing about him. Needless to say, this did not raise my enthusiasm for the character.

Finally, the Freedom Fighters. On their own, they're probably not the worst conceptually, even if Sonic being a member himself doesn't work and goes against his character. But they are so hyped up the ass and touted as being infinitely superior to the game cast that I can't muster any goodwill for them anymore. This only increased after I was reminded of just how often they made massive dick moves in Archie, and how they rarely got called out on it in any meaningful capacity. So even putting their fandom aside, they're kinda hard for me to like anymore.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Obligatory mention of Black Doom for being the Best Shit Villain, compared to Mephiles and all the other ones who are inexplicably popular. Black Doom was the key to all this, so I'm glad they got him working, cause he's a funnier character than we've ever had. He's stylistically designed to be that way. (Jokes aside, how sad is it that even with my unironic goggles on, there have been so many shit villains in this franchise that Doom isn't even in the top ten worst at this point?)

For a more sincere example, we have Marine. Everyone had a hateboner for her at the time, and some people still do (one of them being Flynn apparently), but I never found her annoying. I understood the development they intended for her, and I thought it was handled decently for the most part. I also scratched my head at the flack she received for her Australian accent and lingo, since I never saw anyone complain about Bunnie and Antoine's stereotypical Texan-ness and French-ness respectively… oh, right, they're Freedom Fighters, so they can get away with it. -_-

Then there's Elise, who was just underdeveloped at worst (that and having a realistic human design, but that wasn't exclusive to her), and did not deserve the vitriol that she ended up getting. As far as non-Blaze princesses go, I actually prefer her over Sally at this point, because Elise doesn't have an extended history of being an unreasonable prick to Sonic for bullshit reasons, and never tried to change him either. That Elise was the one in '06 who got labeled as the worst character of all time, when a literal recolor was standing right there, was one of the early indications to me that this fandom might not always have the most agreeable takes.

She's not outright hated like Elise is (was?), but since she has a similar dynamic with Sonic, I'll mention Shahra as well. I used to think she was a bit bland outside of her relationship with Majin Ganondorf, and I expressed that opinion even quite recently. But in the past month or so, in light of how much I've grown to either hate or be disillusioned with certain other characters, I'm beginning to appreciate her non-abusive partner-related traits a lot more now, and her bond with Sonic is admittedly sweet. The Sonic Likes Tall Girls meme we have going on may have also contributed. Secret Rings is still by no means a game I care much for outside of its villain and some level aesthetics, but Shahra is a good character in retrospect IMO.

And I share your appreciation for Infinite and Zor. I approve of the intent with Infinite's character and think it was handled well despite some rushed aspects, and fail to understand why people single him out for being one-note when this franchise is stacked with one-note villains, and Zor's lines are genuinely hilarious and I will die on that hill. The latter's transformation into Unironic Generic Edgy Guy #6 in IDW was devastating for me. :(

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on…

Actually playing the games.

Eggman being a villain.

Eggman being a competent villain.

Rouge being more than who she is at first glance. As in, someone who is deceptively intelligent, more caring than she lets on, and will ultimately do the right thing despite her jewel thievery hijinks. AKA, not a villain.

The Hard-Boiled Heavies. They were rightly beloved come their debut, but ever since Mania came and went (and not counting their appearance in Seasons of Chaos that I'd prefer to forget), it's like fans collectively forgot about them. I'll say it till the cows come home: they had more personality in a game without dialogue than Sage did in a game with it.

Darkspine Sonic. It does have its fans, but it tends to get overshadowed by the lame as fuck Dark Super Sonic from X, and the equally lame as fuck Fleetway Super Sonic. I may not love Darkspine per say, but as far as dark forms go, I can recognize the thought that was put into it, and I appreciate that it allows Sonic to utilize his feelings in a positive way via keeping his rage focused on the guy who deserves it. This is much more in-tune with Sonic's character than a generic evil form would be, and it also avoids the unhealthy and unrealistic implications that anger, sadness, etc is inherently a bad thing that must be dismissed or concealed at all costs.

The Advance trilogy's soundtracks. Yeah, they get their kudos, but still not enough. >:[ I consider these compressed GBA ditties to be among Sonic's best, and find them more memorable and impactful than many a generic orchestral soundtrack you hear in plenty of games nowadays.

In light of Grass Simulator 2022, Sonic having an actual aesthetic of any sort. Other games did this so well, including CD, the Genesis and Advance trilogies, Mania, SA1, Heroes, Colours, Secret Rings, the Riders games, some of SA2, some of ShtH, even 3D Blast of all games. You can have all the technical graphic detail you want, but in the end, a plain grassy field does not fill me with inspired wonder in the same way as environments like Studiopolis, Night Palace, Red Mountain, Quartz Quadrant, or Twinkle Snow.

[i-sveikata]

Hiii! This chapter was a long one and I have a lot to say about it too 😅

Firstly I need to ask before I forget. Does any of one word game quotes have been cut out of this chapter to include in the next one or they might have been changed? Like the one when Vegas asks if Pete wants his cock or him touching Pete's. And "friend" one when Vegas asks someone? I'm just curious if this was changed in the final check or maybe split to fit in the next chapter more.

Also more technical question. Would mind if someone were to point out some spelling mistakes in new chapters? I know it's easier to find errors when reading the first time. I found some minor ones and an incorrect name used but I don't want to correct others. I don't want to appear rude so I needed to ask 🥲

To the plot we go!

IGHJKJGFJKHG-

So much was happening in this chapter! So many emotions!

First of all I was really impressed with Pete's planning and the whole getting Vegas out. He really was wasting his potential at a major family. I'm so glad the rest is getting the bitter taste of his competency thrown back at them. And omg, I love every interaction of Pete with Vegas's bodyguards. So glad they are skilled and loyal to Vegas and Pete(!) too. Mafia husband's in the making 😁

I'm always shocked how well you can write Korn so I have a need to smother him all the time. Almost the same as Kinn but he can be better. Korn is only waiting for death. Which we all would rather have in any situation. I always secretly wish that Korn will die by Tankhun hands, which I only read once. He deserves this so much and seeing his rage and hurt only proves this idea. Like he is so smart and the most likable brother in the whole family. He didn't deserve any of it. Half of the time people are not even taking him seriously. I know he kind of preferred it this way. But I can see his role is bugging him much more now.

I still love how you acknowledge Kinn's toxic and predatory behavior. It always bugged me when KP fans were shitting on VP saying their relationship is toxic. But in the series specifically they consented! Porsche didn't have that chance. In your fic it's even more complicated but I would take Vegas a thousand times back if I was Pete and run and didn't look back in Porsche place 😤 Kinn's behavior has me fuming 😂 He doesn't even notices that Macau nor Vegas had really any say in how the minor family operates and the coup too.

Macau is a pure soul and it warmed my hurt how Phalin and Grandma took him in providing so much comfort. He deserves all of this and more.

I love how Yaai is portrayed. Very observant and clever. Vegas is not going to have a good time at all. But if she already can sense his devotion to Pete then maybe it won't be that bad 😂

And Vegas OMG. In one second as he wakes up, he thinks Pete left him. In another is so happy that he was wrong and lovingly stared at them both. And in third he was just horny all the way. Like Pete wasn't kidding when he was sensing Vegas thinks of sex all the time. Like damn, he really is. Doesn't even ask what happens, how? When? No. He is safe, Macau is safe. Pete is safe too but angry, but he can work with that. Like wtf. Touch some grass 😂

I'm very curious how the interrogation plays out. How to even explain all that without sounding like an asshole.

I'm so curious about any plans after Vegas is finally healed.

Thank you so much for this! I had a whole day free so I had my VegasPete day in peace. The chapter was amazing and very much worth the wait! Thank you so much for being here and proving for our starving VP souls 😭🙏❤️

Hello again!!! no they're not cut scenes they're just scenes from the next chapter- i had the cut off placed somewhere differently in the draft before i realised how long the chap was getting. i dont cut things from my stories as a general rule. i either dump them at the end of the story as extras to work into a different point later on or they get reworked so those hints are still to come!

oh yes please do point out spelling mistakes or name mix ups!! (Just send me an ask or IM me with the details if thats easier) i do try to do a final reread before i post but i dont have a beta reader so i often miss mistakes before i come back and read the latest chap again. weird how your brain can just pass over them until you end up noticing the mistake later on!!

ahhhh thank you!!! yes it did feel like a lot of pete just letting loose in this chap because there is a lot of that 'dont think for themselves' element for a bodyguard but pete is smart!! so there is a bit of an obvious change in him already now that hes no longer blindly following the family. aw yeah they were so impressed by him, so ready to fall in line behind pete. funny how so easily pete can inspire loyalty in people!!

oh yeah dude is actually such a frightening kind of character because he hides all of these horrible things behind politeness and smiles. ugh yeah kinn, hopefully porsche is getting through to him and he can understand how to be a better partner because as far as im concerned during that porsche totally dumped him lol. poor tankhun for sure!! he will definitely be taking a much needed reassessment of things after all of this and we can only hope it works out for the better!

oh yeah all of the relationships in kp are fucked up but kinn and porsches feels worse to me because its subtler, the kind of relationship you dont realise is abusive when youre in it but yeah porsche taking a stand for himself was so so necessary and it has been building up for a long time now. yeah i think kinn is mostly focusing on feeling wronged than having the capacity to understand that circumstances havent left vegas or macau with much control either. hes not being very rational atm

aw poor macau!!!! him crying was so painful like noooooooooo. oh yeah man vegas is in SO much danger now lol petes grandmother is going to see through all of his bullshit (but she will start to see his affect on pete and that will slowly bring her around to warming to him)

hahahaha yeah hes running on such a different intensity to everyone else, like obvs pete has seen elements of that but im not sure how aware he is of the way vegas is constantly thinking about him. pete is the sun of his world now, he orbits around him but yeah lol chill out man and touch some grass hahaha

its going to be tricky!! but pete is going to try and give as much as he can without over explaining and he'll be careful to make sure vegas doesnt get too honest with his grandmother. either way pete is going to be heavily involved here.

youre so very welcome! im glad you enjoyed your vegaspete day in peace!!!

[fluffykitteninabox]

ok I'm gonna say it because it's been bothering me for months

I watched a review of across the spider verse a bit after it came out, I don't remember which youtuber it was, but basically they said that they didn't like how overly focused the film was on the emotional parent speeches. Now that's a personal preference thing, they can say they don't like the parent-child dynamic being the main theme, I'm not here to say they're wrong for disliking it.

However they said in their review they thought that specifically the scene with Peter and MJ at the end was unnecessary. Their reasoning, as I remember it, was that we already have the Miles and Rio scene and then the Gwen and her dad scene, and so we don't need to see the same scene again. And this has been bothering me ever since I heard it. I couldn't exactly put into words why, but it just didn't feel like that particular criticism was right, or even genuine tbh. It felt like they just wanted to say something negative about it and they came up with this.

After rewatching the film many times I'm finally able to express why I felt that. All these parent speech scenes are trying to accomplish something different for the narrative. There not just interchangeable, and if you cut one of them out it would definitely affect the film for the worse.

Cutting Gwen's reconciliation with her dad at the end ruins her character arc and the entire side plot of her "starting a band". She needs to hear her dad say "I quit" for her to have the final realisation that "canon" can in fact be changed. Otherwise she wouldn't be gathering everyone to go help Miles.

The Miles and Rio scene is needed for a lot of things. It's a set up scene and there's multiple pay offs during the rest of the runtime.

Miles hesitates to tell his mom that he's spiderman, then later he actually says it to 42Rio

Rio tels Miles to not let people tell him that he doesn't belong, then Miles beats the spider society and Miguel after he literally tells him that he doesn't belong

Rio tells him she's afraid people won't accept him like they do, and then Miles tells 42Rio that she was right and that they didn't want him

These all seem small but they're very important for his character arc. If the Miles and Rio speech doesn't happen, Miles wouldn't have the motivation to tell his mom he's spiderman. This would fundamentally change the ending of the film

Finally the entire reason I'm making this post in the first place. The MJ scene.

In my opinion this scene is actually ESSENTIAL, because it encapsulates all the major themes of the film.

"there's no playbook for raising someone like her... or being someone you. You just gotta make the right adjustments at half-time."

This is literally foreshadowing the answer to the main conflict. I kept coming back to these words specifically because they are the perfect summary for the main theme of this film.

Across the spider verse deconstructs the meaning of being spiderman. It asks us to consider what it truly means to be spiderman. Is it just a set of repeating tropes across different timelines, or is it about helping where you can? And despite the trilogy not being finished yet, the answer to this question is very obviously there in front of us.

There is no set way to be spiderman

Sure the different variations have gone through some similar events in their lives, but even the supposed "canon" that Miguel tries to uphold isn't actually something they all share. Miguel himself was never bitten by a spider and doesn't even have a spider sense, yet he's still very much spiderman.

These rules aren't set in stone

There's no destiny, there's no "canon", there's no script to follow. Just like there's no answer to the meaning of life™. You give your own life meaning.

You write your own story

[thatrandomsarahchick]

So, I'm Australian myself. There's a strong belief among the First Nation's Peoples that living is just part of a journey, and you go on to the next part when you die.

I won't go into it because it's a lot to explain, but there's a whole thing about the afterlife and how important it is to the cycle of life, so they 100% would fuck up the GIW, once they realised what they were here for.

Dani would have learnt this in her travels and suggested Australia as a rendezvous point if things went bad in Amity Park. Maybe she came across a Mob, and they thought she was an ancestor who hadn't been sent in their journey properly? They would have tried to give her a proper send-off, so she would stop bothering her descendants, only for her to turn around and explain her whole situation.

Word get around about the changling ghost-child, and she's accepted in the local areas in exchange for facilitating peaceful send offs for their recently dead.

She had obviously told Danny about this when she had one of her catch-up phone calls with the Team back home and how it was such a beautiful and peaceful country. Dani also has zero frame of reference for how deadly plants and creatures can be because she learnt about them from the natives and can navigate the country with ease.

Their meet up point is Lake Lochiel, in Victoria. It's a lake that is relatively well known for its pink surface, and so is easy enough to get directions to, while also being far enough away from major cities that chances of being caught on CCTV is relatively low.

Danny has to pass through most of the eastern side of the country, as he gets lost while flying and enters the country in North Queensland. His Phantom form causes him to get mistaken as an avid fan of an Australian Football team called Collingwood, which causes a great deal of friendly mockery from locals until he gets closer to the New South Wales/Victoria border.

Danny makes it to Sydney before a GIW agent on holiday spots him getting onto a bus to Albury. He had been staying in ghost form to conserve energy, as his limited funds meant that he had to ration out food purchases. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't notice that he's been spotted. He gets on the bus with his head buried in a book he'd gotten from a 'public book library'. They were these little wooden cabinets filled with books that people could just take on an honour system, with the belief that you'd replace the book you took with another book. Danny had been swapping books over each time he found one to keep himself occupied. Apart from his Fenton Phone, he had had to ditch all of his other tech after he figured out that he was being tracked by it while crossing New Mexico.

Danny was ambushed in a small town called Yass, as the bus made a pitstop for travellers to stretch their legs and purchase food or drinks from the locals. In true GIW form, though, they came in guns blazing on their stupid jet packs, firing wildly into the crowd of civilians standing around the bus. Danny, who was still on the bus, phased through the roof.

Unlike America, Australians don't walk around carrying weapons. We don't have mass shootings, and our gun violence is very low. The people around the bus scattered, terrified, as Danny quickly knocked out the agents and dismantled their guns.

He didn't even realise he was injured as he slowly floated down to the ground, arms raised as though in surrender. Some of the people were still looking scared, so he quickly changed back to human form.

"I'm so sorry about that. They're an American group that hunts down my kind, I hadn't even thought to worry about them following me here. If I could just get my bag from under the bus, I'll go. They won't attack you again when they wake up, I'll lead them away." Danny said.

What Danny didn't realise was that, by changing back to human form, that green goo that was covering his torso and lower left leg? Was now a slowly spreading dark red patch on his clothes. He also looked 12, at best, and severely malnourished.

No. These people were NOT going to let him martyr himself. Sharon at the chip shop had already phoned the altercation in to the local police station, who were on their way. Those foreign meta hunters would not harm another hair on this tiny boy's head. He was Theirs now.

One of the teenagers on the bus was from the local Mob, and had recognised Danny when he transformed. She pulled up a selfie of herself and Dani from the last time she'd stayed with them, and showed it to Danny.

"You're Danny, right? Dani with an i's cousin? She told us about you, said you might be headed or way at some stage. Me pop's already on the way here to pick me up, we'll give you a ride and you can call that cousin of yours. Tell her she still owes me a scrunchie, too."

Dani was already waiting at Pink Lake (officially called Lake Lochiel, but that's boring), so it only took her a short amount of time to fly to Danny. Thankfully, she had a Thermos full of ectoplasm , so he was able to heal up relatively quickly.

Further planning could wait until tomorrow.

Danny Goes to Australia.

Dunno what he's doing here or why the justice league are also here.

All I know is that it's somewhat similar to that one Simpson's episode

[sushis-wild-imagination]

Before Bed Routine with Seventeen (bonus - fav cuddles)

My head is going bonkers. they're preferences/ short fics? or something idk. 13 fics are too many to write, but I didn't want to leave out any members. I love them all so much. So much domestic seventeen 🥹 This is so long god. (That's what she said ahahahaha, okay bye)

Seventeen Masterlist <3

Seungcheol

One thing you HAVE to do together is brush your teeth before bed. You would always do it together, to a point where it's weird when he's away or not sleeping over.

Then you get into bed and play ONE ROUND of a multiplayer game. Just one round. No more no less. Some days he goes easy on you, some days he doesn't, but you've gotten very good at the game over time.

"Why are you suddenly so good at this game?"

"I have a tutor" you sing teasing him.

"Yah, who is teaching you games apart from me?"

"Mingyu" you lie to tease him and he ends up tackling you playfully.

He always sleeps on his back and you've wondered how that's even comfortable but that's actually good for your neck. You always somehow end up sleeping hugging his arm sticking your forehead to his bicep. It's quite comfortable. You're used to sleeping hugging something, and that 'something' quickly turned into seungcheol's arm, it was a lot more comfortable than putting your head on it because it was so stiff, all that muscle looks great but made it tough to lay ON his arm but hugging worked just fine.

In the morning you had to change the sheets today but you accidentally brought fitted sheets instead of the normal ones. You held them up confused.

"How to do this?" asking no one in particular.

"Ask Mingyu" he shoots back making a face and you laugh.

"Maybe I will"

"Yah!"

Jeonghan

"Do you want complete that lego set?"

You nod and help him with the pieces. It was quiet but doing anything with him was fun, even if it meant doing it in silence. The time slipped away without you realising it was 12am and you had an early day the next day.

"Can we do the rest tomorrow babe? If I don't sleep now, I'm definitely sleeping on my desk tomorrow" you say groaning.

"You can sleep on your desk" he says holding your hand and pulling it to bring you back to him as you go to get up to head in.

He presses a kiss to your cheek and lets you go. He just wanted to steal a kiss.

“Just kidding, I'll be there in a bit" he says and you reply to the sweet cheek kiss by landing one on his cheek before getting up.

You felt the bed sink next to you that woke you up a little. "Jeonghan" you mutter ad feel his body weight on you.

Jeonghan likes to be babied. As much as he is often seen as someone who takes care of others, he loves to be babied just as much. He usually falls asleep with his head buried in your neck, holding on to you like he’s your personal koala. You got used to holding him like that. It wasn't comfortable for you in the beginning because he was heavy but you've gotten so used to it now that you can't sleep without a weight crushing your chest.

You substitute him with a pillow when he's not around but it's never the same.

Joshua

You were on the couch watching a new show that you started with Joshua and promised each other you'll watch it together. He walked in as the show was on with something to munch on, nachos.

"Thanks baby" you mutter with your eyes glued to the television.

He sits next to you, but you were too attentive to the screen to go any closer to even cuddle him, you were that invested but Joshua didn't seem as interested in this next episode as he was before when you started watching the show. Suspicion 1.

Suddenly in the story line there is a major plot twist that makes you go "No way" really loudly.

But wait a minute, Shua did not have a big reaction to it. Suspicion 2.

"You've already seen this, haven't you?" you ask pausing the ep and turning to him. Feeling a little betrayed but it was still okay if he did.

A small smile crept on his face that made you realise and smile as well. "Hong Jisoo, you scammed me" you say playfully hitting his BIG bicep.

"I haven't, I really haven't" he kept denying it but his face said otherwise. It was hilarious to watch him like this.

"Lies!" you cross your hands over your chest acting like you're upset.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I couldn't wait" he apologised and went to unfold your folded hands while giggling. His giggles were contagious.

"Yah! get out, I'll watch this on my own" you say joking.

"I'll watch it again, no spoilers" he says suddenly becoming clingy to your side to convince you to not be upset anymore.

"One spoiler and you're out," you yell a little joking around.

"Promise, promise" he promises with his pinky out.

After a long episode you were already asleep on the couch, on his shoulder, he looks down to check if you're up and you were out like a light. He presses a soft kiss to your temple to wake you up.

"Let's go to bed" he whispers shaking you a bit. You wake up because of the shaking, but still not completely up. There was a weird taste in your mouth like you've slept for hours.

You settle back on the bed and get much more comfortable. You usually stick to his side as he sleeps on his back with his hands behind his head. You were on his side hugging his waist burying your head in his side. He washes up before bed and the fragrance of the soap his uses is a lullaby to you. You pass out almost immediately.

Jun

It was a fairly free day, you went out with Jun to get brunch and hung out in your apartment after. He’s been sleeping over quite often. You even have a toothbrush with his name on it. He was slowly occupying space and you just wanted to ask him if he wants to move in.

You were now in the living room, lying your head on his lap and reading away at your kindle. The book was so interesting you forgot to move and stretch. You stayed in the same position on Jun for about three hours. When you do go to move and go to bed, your neck has completely cramped up.

You groan.

Your neck was sore because you were at an angle on his lap, you only realise when you get out of that position.

“What?”

“I think my neck cramped up” you say groaning and holding your neck.

His hands go to your neck to massage the cramp out.

“Do you feel better?” you nod.

When you go to bed, he likes being the big spoon and holding you while he presses your back as close as he can to him. You were a teddy bear substitution really. You can feel his breath on your neck and that puts you to sleep every night.

Hoshi

"Stop cheating" You say as you see him steal money from the bank when you're not looking. You were in the middle of Monopoly.

"Kwon SoonYoung!"

"I didn't do anything" he says whining, totally lying because you caught him red handed.

“Lies!” You giggle while he tries to hide the money in his palm. You go for his fist trying to open it by force to find the stolen money, you were sitting across each other, you had to go over the board.

You end up falling on top of him in attempts to get the money out.

“I surrender, I surrender” he says trying to get you off as both of you laugh.

“Okay, I cheated I cheated” he puts his hands up in surrender.

You sit back breathing heavily. “I win, you clean up” you say getting up getting ready to go to bed. You hear him groan, board games are a mess to wrap up, there’s pieces everywhere.

You were just getting into bed while he walks in and jumps on the bed making it shake.

“If this bed breaks SoonYoung…” you see an immediate smirk on his face that turns your ears red.

“And what?” He says snuggling into you, pecking whatever skin he could before settling and pulling the blanket over the both of you.

“And nothing” you mutter blushing hard.

He face was completely buried in your neck, you were worried if it wasn’t getting too hot for him.

“Aren’t you hot?” You could feel his sweat on your neck.

“Its perfect”

Wonwoo

“To the right” you say and push his face to the right a little while Wonwoo just sits there reading his book.

You were scribbling away at your sketchbook trying to do some anatomy practice and who better than your boyfriend, this also served as a nice excuse to get him to take his shirt off.

Wonwoo being the best boyfriend, obliged to ALL your demands and now was reading a book to bed shirtless.

“Tada!”

You push the book to him for him to see.

“You draw me a lot more handsome than I am Y/N” he looks up at you after looking at your sketchbook and pushes his glasses up his nose that had slid down looking down at your sketchbook.

“Nonsense, you’re perfect” you say getting on your knees to give him a quick peck before putting the sketchbook away. You didn’t realise how tired you had become, you yawned and stretched your arms. It was time to sleep.

Wonwoo also laid down but his book was still in his hand reading away. You dozed off laying his chest hugging him sideways.

After a while you are awakened because of the night lamp still being on on the nightstand. You lazily look up to see Wonwoo asleep with his book in his hands and glasses still on his face. You find yourself slightly chuckling. You tear the book from his hands and put it on your side of the nightstand.

Next mission was to take his glasses off without waking him up. You hold your breath incase that wakes him up. You slowly pull at his glasses and they come off. You go to put them away and you hear him move next to you.

Luckily he didn’t wake up, he just turned to his side and pulled you closer. You chuckle again. You turn the lights off and kiss his forehead goodnight before dozing off in his arms again.

Woozi

“Ta ta taaa”

You hear Woozi correct you, sitting next to you at the keyboard trying to teach you happy birthday.

You thought learning an instrument from your genius boyfriend would give you some bonding time but boy were you wrong.

The man was very serious about music and instruments and you were horribly failing. You pout.

“Why is happy birthday so hard?” you hear him chuckle at you giving up so easily.

“Its okay, you’ll learn slowly, you’ll have to practice”

You give up on things very fast, things you’re not instantly good at, tend to get dropped. Thats why you have so many hobbies. This instrument was a first though, maybe that’s why you were struggling.

“Its too late in the night for me to focus” you make up an excuse. You didn’t want to learn anymore.

“Okay, whatever you want” he says tucking the strand of hair that fell on your face and didn’t let him see your face fully. “Lets go to bed” he adds and you stand up.

You had already washed up luckily so all you had to do was crash, but Jihoon had to wash up. You end up getting into bed and watching something on your phone. You feel thre bed sink behind you and an arm snake up your waist.

You turn your head to his side still a little sleepy. “You’re here” you say in a daze and he takes the phone to put it away. He loved being big spoon. He cuddles you all the time. He presses a sweet ‘goodnight’ kiss to your shoulder and settles to sleep.

Minghao

“You do want ice cream?” Minghao asks you from the kitchen counter while you were on the couch changing channels on the tv. It was around 11:30 now. You could use some ice cream so you nod to his question.

He turns to check the freezer and there isnt any. “Do you want to go grab some?” He asks and you contemplate.

These impromptu snack runs were your cute little thing you did with Hao. You nodded even more furiously like a little puppy that makes him giggle.

“Lets go” he comes over to you to take your hand and guides you out putting your shoes on. Its a little cold out, Minghao grabbed his puff coat but you only had 2 layers and a hoodie. You prayed it was enough to keep you warm.

As soon as you stepped out you realise it wasn’t. It gets even more chilly in the night. You walk for a bit but minghao sees you struggling with the cold. The convenience store is close to your apartment but he had a better idea.

He unzipped his coat and pulled you into it. “What are you doing?” It made you giggle. Will you both fit?

“Youve been watching too many kdramas Hao”

He giggles at that and zips the jacket behind you, you were now trapped in Minghao’s jacket and had to walk backwards.

“Im gonna fall and take you down with me” you say holding on to his torso inside the jacket for dear life because you were losing all balance.

“Turn around” he says and you do that. Now its a back hug. You laugh at the situation as he exclaims “lets go!” And starts walking. All you could do was laugh.

“Are you still cold?” He asks wrapping his hands around you, your hands were trapped inside the jacket. You were barely cold with the warmth of the jacket and his body.

“Im okay” you say. “But this is ridiculous”

“But you’re ALSO not cold anymore” he points out. You can’t help but agree.

You get to the convenience store and grab a few ice cream bars. The guy behind the register looked at you weird, you couldn’t figure out if it was because both of you were literally wearing ONE jacket or getting ice cream in this cold weather. Regardless it didn’t matter with Minghao, you were having fun.

When you got home you ate the ice creams and get into bed.

“I think I’m gonna catch a cold tomorrow” you say with the cold weather and the ice cream.

He pecks your lips suddenly.

“Can’t let you fall sick on your own”

You laugh and push him into the bed. When you’re finally ready to sleep, you’ve never been cuddlers, neither of you. You tried once and it made you sweat a lot. You interlock legs instead or lean your leg on his. Thats as far as cuddling went. It was a mutual agreement, you were glad. You do cuddle when you feel like it, but it wasn’t the usual. Sometimes you would hold hands and even hold just pinky fingers in the middle of the both of you. You found that very cute. It was your ‘thing’. You cherished it.

Mingyu

“Here” he says putting the sheet mask on your face and playfully pressing into your cheeks in the name of pressing the ‘liquids’ into your skin.

“Yah yah, stop it” you say catching on and he gives you a playful smile.

You in return wash his face, rather use that an an excuse to give him a water slap.

He eyes widen while you laugh out loud. “Yah, come here” as you try to run away and plop on the bed and get ready for game night.

You both were obsessed with this new multiplayer shooting game and played it almost every night. You made a good team.

He walked in with a similar face sheet mask on his face. He sat next to you on the bed to start the game.

“Yah, yah, give me cover, give me cover” he yells tapping away furiously at his phone screen. You were mirroring the exact same expression because you were very close to winning OR losing, it was crucial.

“Im trying, I’m tryi-“ you collective groan out loud when you lose. Both your characters died.

“Yah” he yells and puts you in a headlock with his big arms. You’re hitting the bed like a surrender sign in WWE.

“We almost won”

“Let me go” you try to pry his arms from you while laughing.

This behaviour might seem odd between couples but you were actually best friends before you realised you were in love with each other. It never was super cheesy romantic with Mingyu but it was so comfortable and you both loved each other. You said I love yous with headlocks and water slaps.

He playfully and aggressively kisses your head with the headlock still intact.

“Is this what you do with a woman on your bed?” You question and that makes him stop.

“Why? Do you want to do something else?” He playfully smirks.

You hit him in the face with a pillow and he crashed on the bed giggling. You fell back he turns to lights off.

You settle to go to bed, you’re too hyper when you’re together. You’ve always slept hugging each other like he’s going to disappear if you let go. He leaves a last kiss on your head before whispering a little goodnight.

Dokyeom

You hear a scream when you were washing up before bed.

“Why? Why why why?” A stream of whys leave your mouth with the toothbrush in your mouth.

“Spider, its HUGE”

You’ve become Seokmins personal bug catcher ever since you first became friends and then started dating. The first thing you did for seokmin when you met him was him screaming at a bug and you helping out a stranger shooing away a spider on set.

You take a tissue and catch the bug while he hides behind you the whole time chanting your name, more like shrieking it.

You take the bug to a window and let it go.

“Get into bed, scaredy cat” you say as you continue to brush your teeth. You

Another rule is 'No screen time before bed' you would just cuddle up and talk about the day, complain about this colleague of yours that would constantly copy everything you do. He would tease you for being an 'influencer' to this colleague. You playfully smack his arm and hide your face in your hands out of embarrassment.

"Yah, my girlfriend is an influencer" it makes you laugh and cringe at the same time.

Dokyeom finally settles hugging your waist and puts his forehead on your shoulder while you sleep on your back. That's his most comfortable and favourite cuddling position.

Seungkwan

It was almost 1am when you heard the door click you were on the couch waiting for Seungkwan to come back from work. You were half asleep.

“You’re here?” You ask in a dazed as he comes into view.

“What are you doing up?” He asks worried putting his bags away. He sits by your side and holds your face.

“Do you eat?” You ask again sounding very sleepy.

“I did, Did you?” He asks again softly caressing your cheek.

You nod with a little hmm.

“Why’d you wait up? Lets get you to bed” he says and helps you get into bed and also tucks you in while he washes up before getting into bed.

You turn instinctively when he gets into bed. He loves being the small spoon, absolutely loves humming lullbabys in harmony with you, sometimes also gets a little too carried away and does ad libs but today you were both tired.

You turn to find his back and hang on like a koala with your leg on him as well.

“Are you too tired” you ask him to check up on him and he nods saying a little ‘hmm’ you end up patting him to sleep.

“Good job today, I’m proud of you” you tell him and kiss the back of his head that was in front of you.

You didn’t even know what he did at work today but you know he works hard and did a good job regardless. You believed in him.

Vernon

You and Vernon were already tucked into bed, there was this little thing you and him would do. You would find music that the other person would like and make them listen to it.

He pushed the earpods into your ear gently.

“You are going to love this song” he hypes it up even before the song starts. This just helped you understand him better and vice versa. It was a nice quality time session.

He pressed play on his phone and you stared hearing the music as he intently looked at your reaction to the song. He looked up at you so expectantly, he really hoped you would like the song and waited at every beat drop to see how you would react. It was cute. He was cute.

The song finally ended and without missing a beat you hear him ask you

“Howd you like it?”

You were quite impressed with the song but you were so absorbed in looking at his cute face not a lot of the song registered in your head.

“Im sorry, I was so distracted by your cute face” you say and ask him to play it again.

He presses play and hides his face in a pillow on his side.

“Yah what are you doing?” You ask and you get a very muffled response.

“Im doing this so you dont get distracted again, focus on the song” he scolds and you go back to the music. That makes you laugh.

After the music session that turned into karaoke real quick, you decide to go to bed.

He also liked being the small spoon but somehow in the morning its completely switched and you find yourself in his arms. Regardless you don’t let go of each other in the night. Not sure how thats even possible because of the heat but you find yourself always attached even in the mornings. You found it fascinating.

Dino

You do the dishes together every night you get the chance, its a bonding thing. Quality time was one of your love languages and you loved being domestic with Chan. Sometimes you put on music, sometimes he did his micheal jackson dance to make you laugh. He loved making you laugh.

“Rock paper scissors” he yells suddenly and by instinct you pull your hand out into a rock.

Aha! You had won, he pulled out a scissor.

This impromptu fight was to decide who washes and who dries. We all know drying is a lot easier than washing. So it was a given that the loser washes the dishes.

He'd put to some music and dance with you with his gloves on, while he danced, he forgot about his wet gloves and held you by the waist to get you to dance with him. You immediately hissed at the cold glove touching you.

“My tee’s wet now”

“You can take it off” he says suggestively and wiggles his eyebrows while you playfully hit his bicep laughing.

“Good try”

He always babied with 12 older hyungs so he loves being protective because you’re younger. In cuddling that translates you him always being the big spoon.

The next morning you hear something you hear very often. “I can’t feel my arm” because you were sleeping on it all night almost.

“Its just a part of being the big spoon” you tease and peck his lips first thing in the morning before getting out of bed.

“Its just a part of being the big spoon” he repeats and starts exercising his arm to get back the blood flow.

———

Fin. This was so freaking long. If you made it here, Thank you so much for reading, ily <3

More seventeen fics to come, pls wait for them.

[notexactlyrocketscience]

Alright y'all, let's do this.

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022)

(no major spoilers!)

If you missed my long hate-rant about the book, here you are.

Jenny Han is a great contemporary author, I just feel like the book focused on the wrong (and often problematic) themes, and therefore didn't age well. Naturally, I was excited about the 2022 Amazon Prime adaptation for that reason—I binged it in one go, and I wasn’t disappointed!

What I disliked:

🥀 There's nothing particularly special or distinctly high-budget about the show (perhaps other than the marketing)—It definitely has that same old teen drama ambience with a generic original background music score, and sometimes doesn’t linger long enough on important scenes. The flashbacks are kinda eh because the characters just look like adults dressed like kids, so I'm glad they kept those to a minimum. (Some book fans were disappointed but tbh most of the flashbacks in the book were just depictions of Belly being bullied by the boys and then idolizing them for the bare minimum.)

🥀 Love triangles involving siblings are just icky, okay? I was hoping they'd tone it down a little in the show, maybe limit it to just a confession scene, some chaste and awkward dating, and then a heartbreaking rejection for the second lead, but ohhhhh no. ಠ_ಠ

🥀 Y'all ... it should be ILLEGAL for teen shows to depict PARENTS having sex or steamy makeouts. Look, I fully respect that all parents are individuals with their own lives, sexuality, et cetera outside of their roles as parents, but even for me as a grown adult it’s uncomfortable and traumatizing to watch, okay? WHY is it necessary??

🥀 It's looking like they're going to bring out further seasons, but man I hate the icky trash-drama plots of the sequels. I hope they heavily diverge from that, but really I wish they'd neatly wrapped up in one season while they were still ahead.

Okay, onto things I liked 💫:

🌻 THE CASTING?? The books made it seem like everyone was white, but the show is sooo inclusive! They made Laurel, Steven and Belly Korean-American just like Han, which I appreciated so much. ❣️ They're all amazing actors, perfect for each role and really brought the characters to life.

🌻 There's so much more content about the parents! (Aside from the unnecessary makeout/sex scenes) Laurel is an author (!! like Han!) and Susannah is an artist. The dads are around, too, and we get to learn so much about all the adults' dynamic!

🌻 BISEXUAL JEREMIAH! BISEXUAL JEREMIAH, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!! This was so perfect for his golden retriever-like character, like a missing puzzle piece. 💖💜💙 There's also a side-character sapphic couple, and a bi middle-aged man main character. The queer inclusion is perfect and never feels artificial.

🌻 THE MUSIC SELECTION?! Sooo high-budget and inclusive of POC and queer artists: Lots of Taylor Swift, plus Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Baby Queen, HAIM, Japanese Breakfast, Phoebe Bridgers, BLACKPINK, Bon Iver, Matt Maltese, Doja Cat, Hayley Kyoko, Tame Impala, and so many others. Amazon Prime does such a phenomenal job of matching specific lyrics and vibes to a scene, but again sometimes the fade-in/-out is abrupt, probably because of screentime limits.

🌻 THE BOYS AREN’T ASSHOLES!! Applauds wildly Steven is sometimes bossy, insecure and mean, but he's quick to see sense and apologise. Jeremiah is only reasonably protective and rarely immature; for the most part he's so, so selfless and adoring. The show does a MILES better job in portraying Conrad NOT as a selfish asshole, but as a usually gentle and attentive person who is very bothered (for GOOD reasons) and not himself this summer. He doesn't have the headspace to indulge in serious romantic pursuits, but his emotions often get the better of him and he acts impulsively, letting people down. He eventually realises his wrongdoings and always makes proper amends. Cam is the gentleman he always is, and the other boys respect that—any jibes they initially make at him are significantly more light-hearted. Toxic masculinity is NOT romanticised like it is in the book.

🌻 Belly is the exact character I wanted in the books. She knows what she wants—personal growth and respect from others. AND she stands up for herself several times. She is not a pick-me girl and calls out bullshit. Most of all, she doesn't mistreat Cam.

🌻 Women in general are portrayed better. There are many complex teen girls in the series, all with their own individual backgrounds. Taylor and Belly have their fights but then they talk things out like real friends. It's really refreshing and more accurate to real life.

🌻 New scenes were added with all the important conversations and communication between the characters that never happened in the book. It made the series so much more comforting and wholesome, and didn't leave me with that uneasy feeling.

🌻 The new plotline additions were highly appreciated! They're nothing ultra-original, but they subtly enriched the narrative and removed the overly serious focus on the romance that the book had.

🌻 The theme (or at least, one of the major themes) was the correct one!—That all teen girls (and anyone!) deserve to feel both pretty and independant whenever they want to, regardless of what they look like, what they're wearing, where they are. This does not make them less worthy of respect, and is not an excuse to infantilise or dismiss them. A true coming-of-age.

🌻 The summery beach setting really is soothing and lovely. 🌅

🌻 This time, I totally shipped Belly with whoever the show was going for. The sparks were there, and it felt warm and bright. It just worked and made sense, every time. They definitely did that part right. ✨

That's all from me, folks! It's not a must-watch show by any means, but definitely more worth your time than the book, especially since Jenny Han was involved in the writing process. 🌸 Have fun!

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Turning points - revised

After episode 7, I wrote about two major narrative turning points in Bad Buddy - and how both times it’s been Pat who has set them up but Pran has been the one to make them happen. They’re moments where there is a tangible distinction between a before and an after.

I predicted that there would be a third turning point (either at the end of episode 9 or 11 at the culmination of the Big Conflict™)...but following ep 9 I need to revise that. After some thought, I realised there have actually been differently emotionally charged turning points in all the odd numbered episodes as well as ep 6 (which seems logical in terms of narrative pacing):

Ep 1: Set up by Pran...implemented by Pat, low emotional intensity. Pat climbs into Pran's bedroom and asks him to stop protecting Wai. Pran refuses but then offers a solution which should please both groups...to which Pat agrees, thus paving the way for the positive shift in dynamic between the two of them.

Ep 3: Set up by Pat...implemented by Mo, low emotional intensity. Pat joins the engineering group and berates them for letting the architecture group take the heat for the bus stop destruction and therefore the rebuild. Pat makes a suggestion as to why they need to help...but they're the ones that decide to in the end. This decision sets the potential for a truce between faculties in motion.

Ep 5: Set up by Pat...implemented by Pran, high emotional intensity. (I've already written about Ep 5 and Ep 7 here, so I won't repeat it to keep this *ahem* short).

Ep 6: (mid-way point) Set up by Pat...implemented by Pran, low emotional intensity. Pat has pursued Pran to the beach, trying to get him to talk about the rooftop kiss but to no avail. Then he has the perception to assuage Pran about his feelings for Ink...thus opening the door for Pran to finally understand Pat's intentions and spurring them on to the next step in their relationship (even if it is a flirting game).

Ep 7: Set up by Pat...implemented by Pran, low emotional intensity. (see here again)

Ep 9: Set up by Pat...executed by Wai, low emotional intensity. (Are you seeing a pattern here?!). Pat consistently shows Wai that he's a good person, that he can take the higher ground, that the rugby match is more important than their personal issues. Wai, on the other hand, persistently refuses to throw the ball to Pat both in training and the game...but in the crucial moment he finally succumbs and does the right thing, thus steering their team to the win. More importantly, it opens up the possibility for both Pat to help Wai at the bar and also for Wai to help Pat with the security footage, thus finally bringing everyone together.

And so, for my revised prediction...

I think we'll see a high emotional intensity turning point in ep 11 but, following the above pattern, it could be Pran who sets it up and Pat who implements it (this goes against my instinct which says it's the other way round...but 🤷🏽‍♀️ I've been wrong about as much as I've been right at this point) and I still think it will be related to the Big Conflict™ with their families as well as their status as boyfriends. I'm not sure what to think about episode 12, though (to mirror/parallel to ep 6), since it's the last episode, so it might be more of a resolution than a final turning point (but it'll be low emotional intensity if it does happen)...but we'll see!