#anyway all of these shows hit me in my emotional sweet spot

[moonsun2010]

I'm mad Tumblr ate my anon asks (it's not appearing in my Drafts????) but luckily I have a copy saved to my email so:

HEY YOUR DRACULA ANIMATIC IS SO SO GOOD I can't comment on youtube (bc I have no account) but I've watched it like 10 times now, the song fits so well and the art is incredible, I love all your character designs and the way you portray all the scenes is so spot on!

I just finished re: dracula and idk how you managed to tell the whole story so well in under 4 minutes but it was amazing I love the way you use color in the animatic, the use of mostly black/white/grey is so good for evoking the specific type of horror story this is, and it makes the red in the blood and in dracula's eyes stick out in a way that is absolutely brilliant and that last shot with the sunset is GORGEOUS and then the epilogue!!! I love that you did the epilogue to and having the gentle piano music and doing it in full color gives it such a peaceful and comforting feeling, the drawing of quincey and lucy in it in the afterlife together is so sweet <3 the detail that went into this is amazing, like the captain of the demeter having the rosary even though we only see it for a second, I keep wanting to pause on every single frame so I can properly admire all the cool art lol, also the things like jonathan's beard growing out after dracula breaks the mirror, and the rosary hanging above his bed, and dracula still having the scar from the shovel in the final showdown

AND THE PART WHERE DRACULA CATCHES THE LETTER... literally the way you tell the whole story with (almost) NO WORDS in not even 4 minutes and the whole thing flows so smoothly is incredible I love the way you do like the zoom out thing on some places, it adds a whole new dimension to it visually also the way you draw mina and jonathan after the october 3rd bit is lovely, your jonathan looks so cool with the white hair and i love how you did mina's scar, and the part where her scar disappears at the end was such a cool way to depict that and the difference between human lucy and vampire lucy is done so well, like it's so clearly the same character but you can really see how she's not herself anymore, and the way you used that when they kill vampire lucy and show arthur's resolve to use the stake bc he's now seeing her as a monster who replaced and essentially killed the woman he loved and he wants revenge, literally I will never be over how much story and emotion you managed to fit into a single music video and the way you did quincey's death? crying at that part tbh.

AND THE FRAME OF DRACULA GETTING BEHEADED WITH THE RED BACKGROUND.... IS JUST *chef's kiss* I was going to say I have no words for how much I love this but clearly I have quite a lot of words lol, thank you tumblr for not having a character limit anyway have a good day/night :)

Anon I'm so sorry for this delayed reply,,, I kept rereading this in awe and didn't want to release it into the wild (and it still got eaten anyways-)

I'm so glad you enjoyed the character design!! It's not my strong suit at all so that's reassuring. The colour scheme lowkey started out as a timesaving measure, but it also allowed for me to render scenes with detail that I otherwise couldn't've with the tight time frame I had, since at the time I was also juggling university assignments. I'm glad the sunset scene hit as hard as it did, since I had also just discovered Disco Elys/ium, so it was an attempt to emulate Rostov's illustration of Harry on Filippe III's statue). It worked out in the end anyways, since the grayscale + red accent combined with a colourful epilogue gave a "the horror is now in the past, and we are in a (literally visually) livelier future)" <3

I've seen so many people say they want to pause on each frame to examine it in detail, and guess what, you can get a zip file of them all as watermarkless pngs in my kofi! For free! It's pay-what-you-want since I just really wanted to get as many eyes on this as possible, but any tips would definitely still be appreciated.

It was fun mapping out the match cuts and transitions e.g Dracula catching the letter, Mina and Dracula with Lucy in the churchyard, since the previous semester I'd taken a storyboarding class that taught that, so I HAD to include it. Zoom outs helped add visual interest to otherwise still shots, so I'm glad they didn't come off as overdone haha.

It was tough mapping out what storybeats to include, but I'm super happy that the angst for all the key moments in the video hit right :D Was worried about losing momentum after leaving the Jonathan in Dracula's castle bit, and so I really wanted the ending of each verse(?) to correspond with a red screen injury— notice that "you'd better let yourself off and, while you still have strength in your legs, escape from this horrible hell/你最好放过自己 趁双脚还有力气, 快逃出这可怕地狱" always ends with some character harming another, and when the verse repeats again but with the ending lyrics changed "you’d better let yourself off, rather than crying out to another, “Save me!”... Save me!/你最好放过自己 胜过跟谁叫救命... 救命!", it still ends with Van Helsing staking the 3 vampire women. And of course, the ending "escape from this horrible hell/快逃出这可怕地狱" ends with the sunset, its red now replacing that of the blood the characters had to spill previously, signalling an end to their necessary monstrosity (and also a literal monster with Dracula dying).

Like with the frame of Dracula getting beheaded, the timesaving measures, limited skills (plus lack of any sort of storyboarding software, I was just ""animating"" the movements with Shotcut) forced me to find creative workarounds. I could fill at least 3 pages with writing dissecting all my choices lol but idt therell be much interest in me analysing my own art. Thank you so much for watching my animatic :)

[90stvqueen]

Broadway productions I want to experience live again:

- 2013 Pippin revival with Patina Miller as the Lead Player (and half the cast were Cirque de Soleil veterans)

- Deaf West Spring Awakening (!!!!!!!!!!!)

- Angels in America with Andrew Garfield and Lee Pace

[arolesbianism]

I'm having another Kanade Moment™ and it'll never cease to make me explode whenever I think abt her family. It's rly hard to word all my thoughts abt them but like Man. Man.

[riseatlantisss]

The end we start from

Pairing : Astarion x female!reader/Tav Around 1,8 words Takes place after the events in Cazador's palace in act 3 (non-ascended Astarion, established relationship) Angst with a happy ending (and loooots of sex) <3

Astarion doesn’t feel good enough. you show him he’s everything.

TW : 18+ MDNI, unprotected sex, very angry/angsty/rough sex, fingering, mature language, mentions of death and depression, mentions of blood

A/N : when i don’t work, i do two things: i take care of my dog and i play BG3. i don’t eat. i don’t sleep. i don’t socialize. i just play BG3. and I write stuff about *him*.

Astarion is many things. Quiet is not one of them. But lately, that’s all he’s been, and you’ve been worrying about him night and day. Tonight is no exception. You wake up in the middle of the night and realize two things : not only is Astarion’s side of the bed empty but the sheets and pillows are untouched, uncrumpled. His side hasn’t been slept in. This isn’t right. Of course, he doesn’t really need to sleep but he always, always lays next to you at night, spooning you, playing with your hair and whispering sweet I love yous in your ear until you fall asleep. His absence means something’s off. Unable to shake off the anxiety, you get up in one swift motion, determined to find him. No chance you’re falling back asleep now anyway.

Your bare feet hit the cold marble floor and you shiver as you make your way accros the bedroom in a hurry. You think of searching outside in case he went for a hunt, but it turns out you don’t have to look too far. There he is, silently leaning against the wall by the window, gazing into the pitch-black night of the Underdark. The light in the room is so dim that you couldn’t even spot him from your bed. You approach him and your heart breaks a little when you notice the lingering sadness in his crimson eyes, enhanced by the faint light of the burning candles next to him.

You want to ask him if he’s ok but it’s obvious he’s not so instead, you remain silent and close the space between the two of you, wrapping your arms around him and gently resting your head on his shoulder.

“What are you thinking about?” You ask softly after a while, your voice barely above a whisper.

Astarion averts his gaze and gives you a faint smile, nothing but a twist of lips.

“Nothing,” he replies. “I’m just being selfish, as usual. Forgive me, y/n.”

You frown and stare at him incredulously. “You’re not selfish,” you say, surprised at how intensely he means it. “Why would you even say that?”

“I –” He pauses, rethinks his words. This does nothing to make you less worried. “I caused you great pain,” he finally says. “I put you in danger. Repeatedly, ever since we met. You could have died a hundred times and it would have been my own, entire fault.”

You look up to him and feel a lump form in your throat. You have never seen him look like this – grief in his eyes and etched into the lines of his face.

“I’m not dead, Astarion. I’m right here with you.” You say as you wrap your arms around his neck. He makes a sound somewhere near a sob and your arms tighten.

“But I did put you in danger and now you’re stuck with me for eternity, in the middle of nowhere, and you—" Again, he stops. He’s bad at this, at talking about emotions. But he fights through it because it’s you. And nothing can be left unsaid between the two of you. Not after everything that’s happened. “You deserve so much better. You deserve the world, and I can’t give it to you.” You’re not sure where this conversation is going but you don't want to find out. His lower lip quiver but he goes on, words spilling out of him like blood from a wound. “I can’t give it to you, and I’ll never be able to forgive myself for it. It’s killing me all over again.” You crumble under each one of his words. His lips are trembling now and you can’t stand it. You can’t but you can’t do him the dishonor of looking away either.

“Astarion, I chose this life.” Your hands flutter to his face, each one cupping a cold cheek, forcing him to look at you. Your heart is pounding, and you know he can feel it. “I had a choice; I could stay, or I could run, and I chose you. I’m not stuck here. I’m home.”

Astarion heaves a faltering breath in an attempt at composure. “Sometimes I think you would be happier without me. Better off.” He barely mouths the words, but you hear them all distinctively, nonetheless. “You should go and leave me here. Walk in the sun. Be happy and live your life.” You draw your hands away from his face and he steps back, speaking louder now.

“It won’t get any better in here,” he continues, gesturing urgently around the room. “It’ll always be cold and dark, I’ll always be a blood-thirsty monster. I belong to the shadows, and I’ll never be able to make you happy, so you might as well just leave.”

His words knock the air out of your lungs and, for a moment, you cannot breathe. You feel your pulse pounding in your veins and blood thrumming under your skin as your heartbreak turns into anger. That fucking idiot, you think, looking up at him through eyes blurred with tears.

“You don’t know what makes me happy. You don’t,” you shout, surprised by the vehemence in your voice. "And you certainly don't get to speak for me." Astarion looks at you in such confusion that you almost feel bad for a moment, but you continue.

“You – you make me happy, Astarion, gods you do. I would rather live an eternity in the Underdark with you than one more day in the fucking sun.” Your heart is clenching in your chest, and you can feel the heat pooling in your cheeks. “By no means would I be better off, let alone happier, without you. I can’t believe that you could even think –” You trail off and sigh in frustration. You can’t bring yourself to scream at him any longer because that’s all he’s ever known before you, screams and shouts and abuse, and you can’t do this to him. But that doesn’t leave you with many options to get through to him. Astarion opens his mouth to say something, but you don’t let him.

Without warning you grab his shirt to pull him close and your lips crash into his, knocking the breath out of both of you with the force that you collide with. It only fuels your rage because the moment his lips are on yours, you can’t help thinking that you almost lost this once and you can’t actually lose it. You won’t let that happen. So you kiss him harder. It’s rough and desperate and sloppy. It's harsh breath and biting teeth.

He turns you around and backs you against the wall. You take it rather hard, but you welcome the sting. Anything to shut him up about not being good enough for you. He crowds in closer, presses you even harder against the wall, shoving his knee between your thighs. His cold lips connect to your throat, making you eagerly tilt your head to give him access to your thrumming pulse dancing at your neck. You have absolutely no qualms about it. If he wants it, it’s his.

But he doesn’t take it. Instead, his mouth sucks and licks, making you squirm and rock your hips against him. You cling to him, grabbing his shoulders and sliding your hands down his shirt and to his back. He hoists you up like you weighed nothing and you wrap both legs around his waist. You tangle your hands in his curly silver hair and pull him forward to feel that mouth on yours again. His tongue running over your lip makes you grind faster, searching for more, more, more. You moan when his hand reaches beneath your gown and through your damp underwear.

Firm, icy fingers are stroking you into madness. You make a sound that’s close to a whimper, but more like a groan, because damn it, you are so impatient now. You are clenching – aching to have him inside.

He is gasping at the feeling of your fluttering around him, and you must be gasping too, but you’re not sure; your head falls back and it feels like you’re breathing, but you could just as well be drowning.

You dig your nails hard into his back - you need to channel the anger into something. Maybe you’ll be the one drawing blood this time. You lean forward to rest your dizzy head on his shoulder and groan in anticipation. Not wasting anymore time, he pushes his hard, large cock into you, going steadily until he’s all the way in.

“Harder. Fuck me harder.” You plead and he obeys.

He sets a pace that graces all the right spots, spurred on the increasingly desperate noises escaping your mouth. This is no effort at all for him, holding you up easily and fucking you hard with determination. But you can see it when you rest your forehead against his – the sheer weakness you feel is reflected right back at you and you know he needs this just as much as you do.

You are so close. You need to concentrate on breathing, just so you simply don’t die. Your lower back thuds against the wardrobe with your oh gods and fucks singing in tandem. The vampire trails open-mouthed kisses and little bites down your neck while maintaining the almost vicious pace in and out of you. Every stroke curls and loves and breaks you into submission. You forget to be angry because your release is in his hands and your body is desperately handing itself over to him.

Your thighs start to quiver around him, the sounds of wetness and the feeling of his own explosion of pleasure deep inside you taking you so high that eventually, you shatter into him. You’re so grateful for the strength holding you up, so you can fall apart.

Your repeatedly moan his name on your way back to consciousness, lips brushing softly against his pale skin.

Before you know what is happening, you break into a sob.

“Please…. Please don’t ever tell me to leave, ever again.” You try to articulate, your voice shaking uncontrollably.

He sinks down onto his knees, holding you in his lap and whispering, “Shh,” into your ear.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, his voice is low and full of gravel. He never sounded so sweet. “I love you, always have and always will. And you’re not going anywhere.”

[sminiac]

⋆ Kim Jongseob + Reader

💌 — Guess who still hasn’t slept, and who is also thinking about how sweet Bf!Jongseob would be because I am SICK. ILL. from the lack of Jseob content.

Bf!Jongseob who never fails to capture the most precious moments with his camera: where you had your first kiss, first date, first sleepover, first meal together, everything. He’d make a scrapbook for said photos, even sneaking in receipts from the places you two have visited, he’d write the cutest little notes beside the tangible memories that made it all the more visceral for him, and he’d only address them to himself so he wouldn’t hold back on his thoughts about how cute you are, how nice you smelled that day, how pretty your outfit was, if he noticed other guys looking at you, a funny joke you told, ugh he’s so🫠 he’d tell you that the added depth to the seemingly uninteresting pictures was what made it worthy of owning a spot in the book, and although you can’t quite seem to grasp the emotional connection he has to a picture of Soul captured jumping mid air, you agree anyways.

Bf!Jongseob who is absolutely the type to have you posted on every social media account he owns, and it’s not just one or two you make an appearance in, no. It’s pretty much every post, profile picture, anything, because he’s also so mygirlfriendmygirlfriend!! Since we’re on the topic of social media let me just say he’d always come in clutch for your birthday, like he’s pulling out the cutest most flattering pictures to ever exist of you:,) the sweetest paragraph written too. He’s so adorable my chest is going to collapse.

Bf!Jongseob who often looks to you if he’s worried his stage makeup is smudged or if his hair is out of place, he’d be so still while asking you to fix something, his hands steady at your hips, letting you do your thing, he’d also keep your brain busy with his opinions about their setlist, or a place he wants to check out before the two of you return to the hotel for the night, or a snack he’s seen that recently became popular online that he’s been wanting to try, his hand placement is just so boyfriend😞 he’s so boyfriend, speaks so calmly to you despite you trying to work with him as quick as possible so that he can return to the stage, although most of the time it’s just an excuse to see you, to get a quick kiss and to hear the comforting sound of your voice 🫠🫠

Bf!Jongseob who never forgets your good luck handshake before he’s being sent out to perform, “But just one more,” he’d rush, trying to steal another kiss before you have the chance to refuse, which is exactly why you didn’t want to have a kiss seal off the pre-show ritual, because it’s never just ‘one more’ which results in him being unprepared and rushing off at the last second. “Seob anymore and I’ll mess up your face.” “Good. Just one. Please! And I’ll go.” “This is your job??? you have to go anyway.”

Bf!Jongseob who often has you sat comfortably between his legs, back against his chest as he plays whatever video game he’s been fixated on recently, sooooo boyfriend I’m telling you!!!! If you aren’t familiar with the game he’s offering to show you the basics, if you end up getting frustrated he’ll laugh, of course, but he’ll always kiss the side of your head as his hands slip over yours to guide you through the process, “Yeah, like that, see you’re getting it, don’t be so hard on yourself, dummy.”

Bf!Jongseob who personally had a photocard of you made just so he can hang the small picture of you off of his bag beside his own!

Bf!Jongseob who swears you’ve had him retell every detail possible about ‘Harry Potter’ more than enough times, yet whenever he’s in another country you’re always: “Seob, what happens next?” over the phone and he can’t stand how cutely you ask, so his sworn resolve to not staying up all night diving deep into canon events quickly crumbles like compact sand hitting water, it slips through his fingers as if it never existed, but Jiung’s starting to get a little tired of it, especially being Seob’s roommate for this stop.

RRRRRRR bf!Jseob bf!Jseob bf!Jseob thank yew🙏❕❕❕

[ewyaschild]

Hmm for Lo’ak how about..

Him feeling extremely insecure due to him having some “sky people” traits such as 5 fingers, eyebrows, etc and people constantly telling him he has “demon blood”

We obviously come to the rescue though with kisses, and he’s all soft and subby laying with his back on the ground and we’re just kissing all his “insecurities” away.

Feel free to add in anything else you think would be a good idea 😉

i hope u don't mind that i turned this into headcanons! 💌

insecure lo'ak headcanons ⚘

sfw :

he obvi has his own features he's not so fond

you often find him comparing himself to neteyam

he'll say stuff like :

"why can't i look like him? why can't i look normal?"

he barley shows this with deep emotion because he doesn't want to be a burden but will talk if you ask

he adores you so much that he's slowly being convinced out of his insecurities due to your kind words.

he loves it when you kiss his hands, face, or any part of his body he doesn't like

lo'ak feels so at peace with you because you make him feel so welcomed, so normal

often he will come into your marui unannounced when he's feeling really down

crawls over to you like a dog LMAO and just plops himself on top of you,

he wants u to hold him like he's ur baby and that's what you'll do!!!

he kisses spots on your face (brow bone, eyes, lips) when he's feeling insecure about his

NOBODY can cheer him up like you do.

every time you give him a sweet pep talk, he always gets so mushy and soft

he shows his appreciation and thanks by physical affection

kiri will tease him a lot about certain features because she also shares them, but doesn't know how personal lo'ak takes it ☠️ so he goes to you to complain

"she called me unibrow today! my eyebrows are thinner than hers!"

he is never shy or hides his hands or face cause he likes the way you praise and support his avatar/human-like features :)

nsfw:

lo'ak looooovessss it when you give his hands attention!!! lo'ak with a hand kink!!! i said it!!!

anything that ranges from a hand massage to sucking on his fingers, he'll whine and beg you to do it

"please... it feels good when you use your mouth..."

after training or hunting he'll come to your marui (or shared one)

and will touch your body all over until you grab his hands and kneed them into yours, it drives him NUTS

after a while he'll start whining and moaning because it feels so good.

you'll say something like "show me what those hands do."

you say it as a joke and internally cringe but it genuinely turns him on ☠️

he loves it when you use your hands too

his favorite position is when you're on top of him, kissing his face and rubbing his arms / hands

usually it's soft and wholesome but then soon enough a boner is rubbing against your thigh because he's enjoying it way too much

if you continue this without paying attention to his "problem" he'll end up cumming in his loincloth untouched anyways

with that being said, when you're sucking on his fingers during any type of sexual activity he cums immediately

he loves watching you enjoy the parts of himself he doesn't, it gets him off

there will definitely be times when you're in public and you subconsciously give him a hand massage since it's such a regular routine

you snap out of it when you hear heavy breathing and almost unnoticeable whines coming from your boyfriend

"baby- please not right now?"

he'll plead you to stop because it's embarrassing how much he enjoys it

but you'll tease him and say something like

"but i thought you love this lo'?"

it feels so amazing he doesn't want to stop you so he ends up excusing you both and going somewhere private

he doesn't like telling you exactly what he wants verbally because it's sooo humiliating for him. what if someone hears?

but you love to pry it out of him

he'll be tapping your thighs and rubbing your back or waist more than usual

you'll hit him with the "what do you want?" cus you know he wants something

"what? i cant touch my (partner) anymore?"

cause he's embarrassed

"tell me what you want, baby."

he'll start to get frustrated at this point

"you know what i want..."

this goes on until he's honestly begging you to touch him because lo'ak is stubborn and won't listen for shit unless it's 100% in his favor!

a/n: i love making headcanons omg?? if u see this and like it send requestsssss lolz

[myers-meadow]

An orange and a knife (Halsin x Tav)

Title: An orange and a knife

Pairing: Halsin x (named) Tav

Summary: You share an orange together. Twice. Or: Your adoration of Halsin grows by the day, but acceptance of those feelings is a whole different beast entirely. One night, they burst to the surface, and you can hide them no longer. Maybe you won't have to.

Warnings: none, all ages; pining, yearning, complicated feelings, happy end. First person pov. An exploration of emotions and how I wouldn't be able to take living close to Halsin as I'd just implode from adoration.

Wordcount: 1459

Please reblog or comment if you enjoyed! Have fun reading! <3 Dividers by@saradika-graphics.

I sank down on the log by the fire, plate and knife in one hand, a big orange in the other. Gale had it left over from somewhere and I gladly took it off his hands. Most of the companions had already retired to their tents, to read, to meditate, to sort out food for the next morning and the journey ahead. Karlach and Halsin were left, wrapped in conversation and I sat my ass down next to Halsin, who immediately scooted over once he spotted me coming. 

"Ay girl, did you borrow that dagger from Astarion?" Karlach joked, pointing to the overly large knife in my hand. They all knew I wasn't a fighter, and I didn't tend to carry weapons, so her guess wasn't a bad one.

"No, actually," I said, going along with the joke. "Wyll lent it to me."

She and Halsin laughed. I laid the plate down on my lap, holding the orange as i sliced off the ends. Halsin leaned back, turning towards me, to allow me to join conversation. Before I came, they'd been discussing Karlach's new ability to touch people, and from the looks of things, they got along swimmingly. My heart swelled at Karlach's joy as Dammon installed the new part earlier that day. Absentmindedly, I cut the orange in thick slices, then cut them in the lenght to eat from the rind.

"You want some?" I held out the plate to them both, leaning against Halsin's arm to reach Karlach, fingers dripping with juice.

"Thanks, soldier!"

Halsin laughed, in that way he sometimes did, somewhat quietly, when he had a joke to himself, or was just too polite to say what was on his mind, but he took a piece anyway. I didn't comment on it, too busy with my first piece, having looked forward to the orange as dessert ever since Gale mentioned the fruit in the morning, hoping no one else got their hands on it before me, fingers sticky, teeth digging in the soft, stringy flesh, sweetness filling my mouth. Moments like these were what kept me sane throughout all this. I realised I was sucking away on my third slice, before coming to my senses and passing the plate along again.

"Have more, please." My cheeks grew hot, hoping I hadn't ruined the romantic tension between them. "Please don't mind me."

Halsin sucked off his fingers and I tried not to look at it for too long, afraid my hunger would show - just as these two were getting along so well. "We were talking about what Karlach wants to do now that she can touch others again."

"And all thanks to you!" she beamed, reaching over for another slice.

"Dammon is a treasure," I said and handed the last piece to Halsin, moving to stand again to clean the plate and knife. "It's getting late, I'll leave you two to it, goodnight, loves! Have fun!"

The next night, Halsin tended to my wounds before I could seek out Shadowheart. Gale was cooking something delicious-smelling back at the heart of camp, and most retreated to do their own thing before dinner. We sat at Halsin's tent at the edge of the light. It was a relief to be back around him, surrounded by his warmth, his smell, the herbs he dries in his tent, the small pots of salves and potions he keeps on hand.

"Let me come with you, tomorrow," he said, voice soft, the healing spell sizzling out, the last of the blue glow fading. "You've been taking hits like you're Karlach, but you're a spellcaster. You should stay back more, like Astarion."

"I try, I just always happen to be-" a gasp left my lips as Halsin rubbed the bruise on my leg with a warm hand, to see if he was done yet, "right there in the middle of it."

He slid my skirt up to see how bad it was, his fingertips leaving goosebumps in their wake, but not from cold. He dipped his fingers in one of his healing salves. "The cultists really don't like you much."

I covered his hand with mine. "I'd be glad to have you by my side tomorrow."

After a particularly rough day of adventuring later that week, my dear companions elected to have me stay at camp. Karlach was overjoyed to join Wyll, Shadowheart and Astarion anyway, so it was a win-win for many. Camp was rather quiet. The hours passed agonisingly slowly, especially as most companions seemed to have their own routines, and no need for company. Sometime before midday I found myself by Halsin's tent. He went out the day before to forage for herbs, and was hanging it all to dry, tying them into bundles with lenghts of string. Movements practiced, it was hypnotising to watch him. Large hands that still had such nimble fingers.

"Did you come here just to stare at me?" His voice startled me. From the way he eyed me, it felt like he was aware of my amorous intentions.

I hummed. "I've never spent the entire day at camp before."

"That doesn't answer my question." His tone was light.

"I'd like to stare, if you'll allow me," I said, eventually. He smiled. His hazel eyes glowed. 

"You're welcome to stay, as long as you have desire for my company."

So I stayed, enjoying the easy conversation, the sun on my face, and fell deeper and deeper in love with him.

No matter how much I tried resisting my feelings, every time I caught a glance of Halsin across camp, a terrible wave of adoration washed over me. The amount of times that Gale got upset when my attention slipped was more than I'd like to admit. With the adoration, came the jealousy. It was foreign to me before, but when Karlach would nestle close to Halsin, the pangs of it were heavy in my stomach.

One night, Halsin sank down next to me, orange and knife in hand, my heart leapt at the sight of him.

"Here, you like oranges, right?"

"You remembered."

"And I remember how terribly awkward you cut it. Here, let me show you an easier way." Halsin angled towards me so much that our knees were touching, and I could see only him, the rest of camp reduced to vague shapes in the dark, the fire behind him illuminating his hair, laying harsh shadows on his face. Beauty. He laughed softly in much the same way as back then, when we shared the orange for the first time. "It'd help if you'd actually pay attention to what I'm doing."

I hummed, but did as he said. Instead of cutting slices, he divided the whole orange into parts, to eat from the rind in a much more effective manner. The knife dripped with juice when he wasn't even halfway done. I ate as he cut, as he didn't bring a plate to put them on. With sweetened lips, I thanked him. "You're right, this makes a lot of sense. Thank you."

He smiled warmly and I almost had to avoid his eyes with the overwhelm of emotion. "Gladly. Frankly, I've never seen anyone cut fruit that clumsily."

I laughed. "Well, I just love to surprise people."

We shared the rest of the orange, in this comfortable bubble of this shared experience. As I was done with my pieces, and Halsin took his last bite before discarding the peel, the juice glistening in the firelight - in an impulse I reached up and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. Immediately, regret drowned out all other thoughts.

"Fuck, Halsin, I'm sorry-"

Seeing my panicked expression, and not caring for how sticky his hands were, he cupped my cheek and kissed me fervently. The sweet citrus mixed with the tobacco he smoked earlier that evening, warm, heady, delicious. Tingles set me alight as though hit by a lightning arrow. In the distance, somewhere, Karlach cheered, and the others didn't remain silent either. It didn't really process - there was only the sensation of his lips against mine, lingering even after he pulled back. Halsin rested his forehead against mine. Somehow my fist was balled into his shirt, and I let go slowly, smoothing out the fabric.

"You've no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he breathed, his voice quiet and heavy with emotion.

"Since the moment-" I swallowed thickly, refusing to look at him still, "we met, amidst the goblin guts."

A laugh rumbled from his chest. He pulled me into him for the best hug of my life and happily I sank into him, heart fluttering lighter than ever before. "Then we have a lot to catch up on."

[ddejavvu]

Hi Mei!

Let me just say you’ve probably seen me liking literally every piece of fluff you’ve ever posted with this man’s name on it in the last few days and I’m obsessed

I might have already missed mvm but otherwise could I ask to see dbf!hotch showing up for you when the actual family in question doesn’t? Like reader is really really excited for an event/milestone and only hotchy knows how much you care and shows up?

Definitely not filling a sick little void in my own life? no?! I would never…. 🙇🏼

ohhhh to be supported by soft dbf!hotch <3

--

The laces of your shoes are twisted, and you're on minute three of trying to straighten them out. They're flat ones, thin, so they flip around and fold themselves this way and that when you loosen them. They look messy when tightened, and you've got nowhere to be anyways, so you sit on the back steps of your dance studio's steps and untwist them.

Your fingernails are already marred from the zipper on the back of your costume dress. Paying hundreds of dollars for an ugly outfit you only wore once on stage for an hour was not worth it, and your nails are starting to break even more against the tightly bound shoes on your feet.

You hear chatter all around, parents congratulating their kids, friends laughing with each other, but your world is silent. It's just the scrape of your fingernails against your laces, and your near-silent breathing.

You hear the scrape of rubber against rock, then a pair of black dress shoes steps into your field of vision.

You look up at whoever's standing by the stairs, ready to dart out of their way, but it's-

"Aaron!" You gush, rocketing to your feet to ram into him in a hug that nearly topples him over, "You're here!"

"I'm here," He laughs, loud and long and deep from his chest, warmth gushing out of the sound and into your chest as he squeezes you tight, "You were amazing!"

"I don't understand," You breathe, pulling back to look at him dazedly, "I didn't invite you. I mean-!" You struggle to right yourself, and his face flushes red as he tries holding in a laugh, eyes scrunched at the edges, "I mean, like, I never gave you a ticket, I- I didn't think you'd want to come. So how did you get in?"

"This is really helpful," He flashes a corner of the black leather case that you know his FBI badge is in, and your heart soars.

"Thank you for coming," You go in for another hug, spotting a group of people behind him, lingering with smiles on their faces and flowers in their hands, "Uh...?"

"My team," He keeps a hand on the small of your back as he leads you to them, where you're bombarded with bouquets, and a hug from a rather bubbly blonde, "I treated everyone to a night off tonight so that we could come and see you perform."

You're hit with a wave of emotion you're not sure you'll ever be able to properly express, probably not without getting a little too in-depth about feelings you'd rather not bring up. You choose instead to revel in the giddiness that comes from Aaron's presence, his team's sweet smiles, and his hand on your back, leading you to a black SUV where you're treated to the passenger's seat.

It means that three grown men have to sit in the middle row, broad shoulders squished against neutral, then skinny ones.

"I used to dance, too," A voice pipes up from the third row, a dark-haired woman in pretty nude lipstick, "But I got in trouble for kicking a kid in the shins, and they threw me out."

You giggle at the image, and the smile she shoots you through the rear-view mirror only makes you more giddy.

"I don't find that too hard to believe," Aaron glances back at her, a similar smile on his face that his team seems just as enamored by as you are, "Why did you kick him?"

"He made fun of my friend," She shrugs, "'Said she looked like a baby deer."

"Because of her legs?" The broad-shouldered man peers back at her, and at her nod of approval, scrunches his face into a grimace, "Man, that's harsh."

"I mean, she did look like a baby deer." The woman confirms, and a slim blonde next to her snorts, "But no one's allowed to say it, you know?"

"Don't kick anyone in the shins," Aaron's hand shoots out to brace on your knee, squeezing softly as he uses a red light to glance over at you warningly, "At your age I think it would be considered assault, and while I would rescue you from prison, I'd prefer not to."

"Don't listen to him, Y/N. Kick mean boys in the shins," The woman pipes up from the back, pretty dark eyes focused on you, "I'll come bail you out, and we can go out for ice cream on the way home from jail."

[allmoshnobrain]

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

part 31 of 35 | masterpost

word count: 3165 | ao3 link | fic's playlist

What was the point of resisting, anyway? I wanted nothing more than to embrace the tension that had been building up inside of me for months. Ever since he’d kissed me at Leanne's party, his lips had been nothing short of sweet. If Dave was like the moon, dark, deep, and captivating, James was like the sun; warm, calm, and comforting. I needed that sweetness. I needed that warmth.

✦ on this chapter: NSFW!!!, dave mustaine x female!oc, james hetfield x female! oc, oc is cliff's cousin, +18, language, slice of life, angst, mxf sex, unprotected sex

✧ bring back to you a piece of my broken heart, i'm ready to surrender ✧

The next day was a total whirlwind for the boys, just like the one before. Getting ready for the night's gig kicked off early; they had to settle into the hotel, run through the setlist, do the soundcheck, help setting up the stage and handling all the tech stuff. Luckily, I got the easiest part; while the guys tackled all the heavy lifting, Leanne, Pat, and I decided to wander around the city, soaking in the sights of Milan. I'd been to Italy a few times with my parents, but exploring the tourist spots without them was a whole new experience, fun in its own way.

And, you know, I was kinda relieved not to be hanging with James during the day. Thinking back to the heartfelt words and secret kisses we'd shared the day before threw me for a loop of emotions I wasn't totally ready to ride. I had no regrets, but I felt a certain guilt creep in - guilt for letting myself fall for him while my heart was still on the mend from my last breakup, guilt for giving in to my attraction while he was still tangled up with someone else. So, my plan? I thought I'd let him figure things out with Pat first, and then we'd see how the chips fell. Things had to get simpler one way or another, right?

As the sun dipped low, the three of us bounced back to the hotel to switch up and hit the concert scene. When we rolled in, spotting the guys was like searching for a needle in a haystack - backstage was a total madhouse, gearing up for the show kick-off. The gig itself was killer, as per usual. Post-show, we all huddled up in the dressing room, laughs and drinks flowing like it was nothing. I kicked back, grinning a bit, soaking in the scene. Seeing my friends so pumped was a blast, and being on this tour, witnessing the band's growth, was seriously mind-blowing.

I shifted my eyes away when a hand grabbed mine, and there I was, face to face with James, his hair all wet from just stepping out of the shower, wearing a mischievous grin on his lips.

“C'mon,” He gently tugged at me, and I blinked, a bit confused, but went along with it.

“James,” I chuckled, trying to figure out what was going on, as he started pulling me through the backstage maze. “Where are we headed?”

“Just roll with it for a bit, okay?” he said, his voice giving away the smile on his face as he quickened his pace. I chuckled softly, not sure how to react, but I stuck with him, his firm grip holding onto my hand. We strolled a bit more until we hit a pair of doors, which I knew would lead us outside.

“Okay, what’s your plan?” I giggled, slowing down as we stepped outside, the cool night air making my skin tingle. He stopped, turning to face me with a grin, resting his hands on my shoulders and giving them a gentle caress.

“I don't know,” he chuckled, his cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling as he looked at me. “I just wanted to be with you. Just you.”

I gazed at him, feeling my face heat up as my heart raced. He slowly caressed my arms, his hands sliding down until they found mine, his fingers weaving through mine as he drew closer. I sighed, my eyes fixed on his lips, savoring the smile that kept showing up on them.

Oh man, I really wanted to kiss him.

I sighed, looking up and locking eyes with his blue gaze, sparkling playfully like he could read my mind. My whole body warmed, a thousand butterflies in my belly when I realized he wanted some alone time, just us, away from all the noise and prying eyes.

"I know a spot," I whispered.

We strolled for a few minutes until we hit a bustling commercial street, packed with street food stalls, small bars, cafes, and clubs that pumped out various types of music. I'd wandered through there earlier with Leanne and Pat, picturing how lively it would get at night. I was spot on; even though it was a bit late, the street was buzzing with tourists and locals soaking in the scene.

“Didn't know you knew your way around the city,” James mentioned as we casually wandered down the street, blending in with the crowd, the tempting smells from food joints and stalls making my stomach growl a bit.

“I don't,” I chuckled. “I've only been to Milan with my parents once. I took a stroll with the girls around the city today, too. Figured you might have wanted to check out a bit of it.”

“You didn’t get lost, not even once. I didn't think you had it in you,” he mentioned, and I burst out laughing.

“I guess I picked up navigating on my own after living solo in LA,” I said, a wistful smile tugging at my lips. My stomach rumbled softly again, diverting my attention from my thoughts for a moment. “Hey, wanna grab something to eat?”

We hit up a few stalls, snagging more food than I thought I could handle, but, unlike me, James had a killer appetite. I grinned watching how pumped he was to dive into all those new foods; we sampled arancini, panzerotti, and capped it off with gelato, all while chatting softly about anything and everything. James's presence made it easy to shove aside, even if just for a minute, the waves of sadness that had been my company for the past weeks. It felt good being with him; in those moments, it almost seemed like nothing in our friendship had changed.

After we were done eating, we figured a leisurely walk along the street would be the move, soaking up the glow of the streetlights dancing on the canals as boats filled with tourists coasted by. Eventually, we hit up one of the boarding points and spotted a short line forming for one of the last boat rides of the night.

“Hey, wanna hop on one of these?” James asked, clutching my hand, eyes gleaming with excitement. I chuckled.

“Sure, why not? Let's give it a shot.”

We hopped in line and snagged a spot on one of the boats, big enough for around 20 people. Despite its size, maybe due to the time, only a handful of folks hopped on for the tour. We snagged seats at the back, soaking in the city views cruising by at an easy pace. I let out a sigh, feeling my cheeks warm when I noticed the heat of James's hand in mine, our fingers intertwined. I glanced up, my heart doing a marathon as I locked eyes with his gaze full of pure adoration; if this was the way we looked at each other, it's no wonder everyone noticed how much he was into me, how much I was into him.

We strolled back to the hotel after our quick tour, talking and sharing soft laughs. James slung his arm around my waist, pulling me close, but I was cool with it. I was happy — happy and at peace. So happy that I pretty much forgot about Pat's existence until we rolled into the hotel lobby and bumped right into her. Her eyebrows shot up in shock and confusion when she saw us coming in together.

She must’ve been up waiting for us — waiting for him . We didn't get a chance to compose ourselves, to hide the way our eyes lit up when we looked at each other, the smiles full of pure adoration plastered on our faces, our fingers tangled in a way meant only for lovers. We could only freeze, too perplexed, too intoxicated by each other's presence to do anything. I could see her eyes flitting from me to James, slowly catching on to the implications of what she was witnessing, before she hightailed it out the hotel door without saying a word.

“Shit... Pat, wait!” James let go of my hand, taking two strides toward her, but she didn't halt. He glanced back at me, concern written all over his face, and said, “I'll just make sure she doesn't get hurt. I'll be back soon. I promise.”

“Okay, just go!” I blurted out, my stomach churning, not out of jealousy or envy, but pure regret. I shouldn't have tagged along with James, shouldn't have tangled myself up in his relationship. I should've held back, but in those few hours, I was so damn happy for the first time in months that I completely forgot about anything else. A wave of guilt crashed over me, discomfort creeping up in my throat and stomach. Good Lord, what a shitty person I was. No wonder Dave had fucking left me.

I headed up to my room, hopping into the shower for a hot bath to ease, at least a bit, the whirlwind of regret swirling around me. Once I was done, I swapped clothes and flopped onto the bed, craving some solace in the cozy blankets. Nestling in a bed after a night on a rocking bus made me realize how damn tired I was; I dozed off soon after, slipping into a dreamless, deep sleep that at least offered a brief escape from my thoughts.

I jolted awake with the sound of insistent knocks on the door. I practically hurled myself from the bed to the floor with a grunt, my eyes still weighed down by sleep. As I staggered up, I checked the clock on the bedside table – 3:15 in the morning. It took me three tries to slot the key into the lock, but I eventually cracked the door open, a yawn stubbornly trying to break free.

“Hi,” James greeted me. He looked more wiped out than I did, dark circles under his eyes shouting that he probably hadn't caught a wink of sleep. “Hey, what's wrong with you?” he asked as I propped myself against the doorframe, appearing on the verge of collapsing.

“I’m sleepy,” I grumbled. “You woke me up.”

“Shit, sorry. Can I come in?”

I nodded, stepping back to let him into the room and closing the door shortly after. I went to the bathroom, turning on the tap to wash my face and brush my teeth, which helped shake off some of my sleepiness. When I returned to the room, I popped open the minifridge and snagged some water before joining James, who had settled on the edge of my bed.

“Are you okay? You look tired,” I murmured, my voice still raspy from sleep.

He nodded, seeming a bit out of it, running a hand across his face with a sigh.

“I broke up with Pat,” he mumbled, furrowing his brow and glancing up at me. “Just got back from the airport; she wanted to go back home. Lars is gonna murder me when he figures I blew part of our fee on her ticket,” he tried to make it sound like a joke, but I could tell he wasn't very thrilled about it either.

“Are you sad?” I asked, and he shook his head with a bitter grin, eyes dodging mine.

“If I admit I'm relieved, will you think I'm a scumbag?” he asked. I stared at him for a moment, my face warming when his hand sought mine, holding it gently.

“Then we're both scumbags,” I replied in a hushed tone, and he swiftly raised his gaze to meet mine, confusion tinting his blue eyes. I furrowed my brow, feeling a discomforting burn in my eyes as tears started to well up. “It’s just… I just screw everything up, don't I? First, my relationship, and now yours…”

“Don't say that,” he whispered, bringing one of his hands to my cheek, caressing the soft skin slowly before pulling me closer, his lips meeting mine in a kiss. I sighed, a mix of anguish and desire swirling within me as he pressed his body against mine. “Please, don't say that.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting out a small gasp of surprise when he held me tightly, laying me on the bed, his body over mine. I sighed, my heart racing as he kissed me, his fingers entwined with mine while he pressed my hand into the mattress.

“James…” I murmured, letting out a small moan. “James, I can't... I can't do this. If we go through with it, there's no turning back…”

“You think there's still turning back for me?” he whispered, hoarse, his lips moving to my neck, leaving small bites that made my body shiver. “I want you too much. I can't go back to what it was before,” I sighed as his kisses slowly traveled up my neck until he nibbled my earlobe lightly, whispering in my ear, “And I don't want to.”

I sighed as I felt his lips travel from my ear to my cheek, and then to my mouth. What was the point of resisting, anyway? I wanted nothing more than to embrace the tension that had been building up inside of me for months. Ever since he’d kissed me at Leanne's party, his lips had been nothing short of sweet. If Dave was like the moon, dark, deep, and captivating, James was like the sun; warm, calm, and comforting.

I needed that sweetness.

I needed that warmth.

I buried my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer as I kissed him back. He groaned, satisfied as I welcomed him, and let his tongue explore my mouth, his hands wandering under my shirt. I could barely think, just feel the weight of his body on top of mine. God, I wanted him so much. How long had that desire been growing inside me? I had wanted that, deep down, for longer than I would ever have allowed myself to think.

He broke the kiss, sitting back with his knees around my waist and taking off his shirt. I shivered, anticipation coursing through my veins, my whole body burning as we looked deeply into each other's eyes, both the same shade of blue. His blond hair fell over his shoulders as he placed his hands on the mattress, one on each side of my head. I traced my fingers over his chest slowly as he lay back on top of me, his lips crashing against mine as if he couldn't stand to be away from my kiss. He pulled down my pants, his hardness pressed against my thigh, a low moan escaping my lips.

No turning back, I thought. But I don't want there to be.

I unbuttoned his pants, quickly pulling them down. He helped me, pulling away from our kiss again as he removed them, and then his underwear; I blushed, a small sigh escaping my lips when I saw him naked for the first time, his slender body rising again over mine. He ran his thumb over my lip, slowly, and then moved his hand to my T-shirt. I lifted my torso so he could take it off. He caressed my collarbone as he looked into my eyes, my lips slightly parted as I felt my face heat up.

There was something strangely vulnerable about being naked in front of him; about letting him see me whole, about seeing and feeling his body for the first time. He looked at me, hesitant, as if asking for permission. I placed my hand on his shoulder, then brought it to his neck and pulled him closer. He kissed me again as he slid into me, slowly. I moaned into his mouth, feeling my whole body heat up.

He held onto my hair as he deepened the kiss, his tongue moving against mine as he moved inside me, at first in an agonizingly slow pace, but then faster and faster until he reached a steady rhythm. His kiss, so firm, became erratic as low, hoarse moans escaped from his lips. I breathed quickly as I felt pleasure fill my entire body, embracing him tightly, his large frame pressed against mine.

I wanted to melt under his touch, to become a part of him forever. I loved him so much right then that I could have died right there — and I would have died happily.

I moaned his name as I arched my back, pleasure and devotion filling my entire body. He pulled away from our kiss, panting as he gripped my waist hard enough to bruise my skin, pulling me closer so he could reach deeper inside me. It hurt a bit, but it was also so good that I couldn't even care. I felt the tension build in my womb, moaning loudly as he started moving even faster.

“James... I'm so, so close…” I half-moaned, half-sobbed, my legs trembling as I held onto his arms tightly, “James, oh shit, please, harder… ”

James closed his eyes, low moans escaping his lips as he lifted my legs, wrapping them around his hips, pushing into me forcefully. He buried his face in my neck as I dug my nails into his back, my whole body shaking as he moaned my name in my ear.

I couldn't hold back any longer; the knot in my belly unraveled in deep contractions that pulled him further inside me, devouring him completely. He shuddered, moaning loudly as he climaxed inside me, filling me up until there was nothing left, only our exhausted bodies, wrapped around each other as the waves of pleasure overcame us.

I let out a low sigh as he pulled out, lying on his back beside me, running a hand through his hair. I turned, lying on my side, watching his face as he looked back at me, his eyes out of focus as he tried to steady his breath.

“Can I crash here tonight?” he asked, breathlessly. The question caught me off guard, and I burst into a surprised laugh. I nodded, and he stretched with a grunt. “Oh, thank goodness. I'm so beat. C’mere.”

I chuckled softly as he pulled me closer, giving my cheek a light peck before pulling the covers over us. I sighed, realizing that I, too, was tired. I knew that soon I'd have to let myself process everything that had happened that night. That after feeling James's touch, after surrendering myself fully to him, the mourning for my relationship with Dave was about to get even more complicated.

Maybe I should've waited. Maybe I shouldn't have even hopped on this tour. But none of that mattered now, did it? I could figure out these feelings in the morning. Right now, all that mattered was the boy beside me, softly snoring as he held me close, the memory of his touch still vivid — and my heart, feeling more alive after being with him than it had in months.

✧ if you'd like to be tagged on the next parts, let me know and I'll add you to the tag list! ❤ ✧

tag list: @killazilla777 @whatsupvic @70srogah @genswine9

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Ep. 14 "Flash Strike" Review

Wow this is way late. First off, I loved the animation and it looked genuinely real at times. TBB is to date the best looking animated show (not counting the "Tales" shorts). Those jungle shots were stunning. And the music! The music in the beginning was epic and it got my heart racing.

Spoilers below just in case

Rampart is just the gift that keeps on giving. Seriously, what was that scream? I was dying laughing 😂. He once again provides the comedy in these dire hours. However, his conversation with Crosshair was intense. I've already covered it, but basically: Rampart doesn't understand how some people can change. And ofc he was the one to mess everything up. Classic Rampart. Also, please Cross, you don't have to prove anything to Rampart. I get you're concerned that the man vanished, but the loser can take care of himself.

I did love watching the brothers fight side by side as usual. When Wrecker got thrown by the dryax, my heart melted when Cross and Hunter immediately went over to help him up. Also, y'all notice that the slice went all the way to Wrecker's skin? That was chilling. I hope Wrecker will be ok. I did love Crosshair's convo with Wrecker. Yes, he's scared and internally having several mental breakdowns, but he's doing it for Omega. He loves her more than anything. When he says he "owes her," it's his way of telling Wrecker that. Cross has never been one to be openly emotional about things. His actions show where his heart truly lies.

Omega was incredible this episode. Her "they found me... my brothers" just hit the spot. She knows that they will always come for her and will fight through hell and back for her. That's the level of love and trust she has with them. Also shoutout for her leadership skills and sneaking skills. Omega has grown so much and the impact of her brothers on her is so noticeable. You know the moment she sees the Zillo, she's got a plan cooking.

Hemlock isn't an idiot? Villain being competent? Well, that's both satisfying and scary.

ECHO!!!! Sweet Echo back at it, serving us with peak Arc Trooper content. Seriously, I love him so much! I also love how he now looks like Fives and the rest of his OG squad. The last Domino is carrying the banner with pride (he's fine relax 🙃). His convo with Emerie was golden. He's come so far since reciting the reg handbook back to his brothers word-by-word. There is so much meaning behind Echo telling Emerie that following orders blindly isn't the right thing to do. It might be Emerie's job, but it's putting the lives of others at stake. It's wrong. And having it be Echo who tells her that is so important. Crosshair fits better as Rampart's narrative foil due to the imperial past and prison sessions. But Echo being Emerie's narrative foil is incredible. Echo is such a beautiful person inside and out. He better make it out alive.

Anyways, I can't wait to cry with y'all on Wednesday. See you then!

[kyeop-tato]

A Knock on My Heart — 김선우

summary : one of your bestfriend, yeri, just got dumped by her boyfriend so in order to cheer her up, you and your friends decides to go on girls trip together during your school term break, promising to forget any boys that come between you and your friends. however, certain someone (or might i say a few) came into your life and the promise yall vow to not break, might actually crumble any moment. would you go back home solo or would sunwoo managed to steal your heart?

☆— taglists : @urlocalbeaner5 ♡ —☆

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CHAPTER 25 : Love is always all you

When you'd planned for a night alone—just you, your thoughts, and perhaps a quiet storm of emotions—you hadn’t expected your solitude to be interrupted. You might have imagined yourself brooding in your room, maybe even shedding a tear or two before falling into a restless sleep. But it seemed the devil had other plans, because when they couldn’t reach you themselves, they sent Sunwoo's friends instead.

“I’m so sorry, I tried to stop him, I swear!” Juyeon whispered urgently as he hovered near, his girlfriend, Doyeon, standing beside him and pinching his arm in gentle admonition. He rubbed the spot where she pinched, wincing a little, and you chuckled, watching their sweet dynamic.

“It’s alright!” you reassured them. Then, with a sly smile, you leaned in closer to Juyeon and Doyeon, your voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Honestly, it was about to get a little awkward anyway before you all showed up.”

When you joined the others at the table, Kevin greeted you with a slightly sheepish smile. “Sorry we came unannounced” he said as Sangyeon jumped in.

“Yeah, Eric here thought we should spend our last few nights as seniors together” Sangyeon explained, shooting a look at Eric. “So… here we are. I’m really sorry if we interrupted anything between you and Sunwoo.”

You waved him off, genuinely touched by his sincerity. “Please, the more the merrier, right?”

And soon, the previously quiet tension in your house transformed into a lively, chaotic warmth. Laughter filled the air, playful teasing and shared jokes broke down any remaining awkwardness. Even Sunwoo, who had seemed tense at first, softened as his friends’ easy humor worked its magic. You found yourself thoroughly entertained and comforted, grateful to be surrounded by this crowd—these friends of Sunwoo who’d become an unexpected part of your night.

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"Admit it, you're glad I crashed the place, aren’t you?" Eric's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper as he grinned, nudging Sunwoo’s shoulder with a playful bump. Sunwoo shot him an annoyed look, but despite himself, a smile cracked at the corners of his lips. "I still hate you for it! I didn’t even get to talk to her about anything serious" Sunwoo muttered, shaking his head in mock frustration.

"Seriously, bro? Man, you’re hopeless." Eric’s casual jab hit its mark, and Sunwoo, in a fit of playful exasperation, lunged, wrapping his arm around Eric’s neck. They wrestled briefly as Changmin, watching from the sidelines, just laughed, shaking his head at their antics.

Later, as the group settled in, Natty leaned in, a sly grin curling her lips. "So… how’d it go with you and Sunwoo? Are you guys official yet?" she teased, winking.

"Don’t give me that flirty face, Natty, or I might just fall for you instead" you shot back, laughing. "Anyway, we talked... but nothing that serious. I mean, maybe if you all hadn’t barged in, we could’ve gotten somewhere."

"Aww, we’re sorry!" Yeri piped up, her tone dripping with mock guilt. "But, you know, stopping those guys is like trying to stop a hurricane."

"Yeah, besides" she added with a grin, "you couldn’t hang out with them much the first time you met. This is like, the perfect chance."

You snickered, glancing over at the rowdy group. "I guess when you put it that way. They are… quite a handful" you admitted, your gaze lingering on Sunwoo, who was in the middle of laughing as Sangyeon tried to quiet Eric by slapping his mouth. Just then, you caught Sunwoo stealing a glance your way, and the moment your eyes met, you quickly looked away, your pulse quickening.

Doyeon, who hadn’t missed the exchange, sidled up beside you, draping an arm around your neck before tousling your hair into a mess. "Hey! What was that for?" you squealed, swatting at her hands while she giggled, proud of getting a rise out of you.

Time seemed to slip away as everyone got comfortable in the living room, the glow of the TV casting flickering shadows while a horror movie played on in the background.

Sunwoo and you weren't back at your house but are on your way to the convenience store. The cold night air slowly seeps into your skin despite you wearing a hoodie to keep warm. How you two got here is another story to tell—you found yourself on the losing end of yet another game, the empty bottle spinning slowly to a stop, its tip pointing straight at you.

"Alright, time for a punishment!" Hyunjae called, rubbing his hands together like a villain in a cheesy movie. "You have to go to the convenience store and grab snacks for everyone."

"What? Are you crazy?" Chanhee exclaimed. "She’s not going alone."

"Fine, fine" Kevin chimed in, "we’ll spin again. Whoever it lands on has to go with her."

The bottle spun once more, and though fate had chosen Jacob, the moment he realized, he quickly nudged it over to point at Sunwoo. "But that’s cheati—" Changmin began, only for Haknyeon to quickly shush him.

"Well, looks like it’s you two" Haknyeon said, a little too eagerly. "What a coincidence, huh?"

You exchanged a knowing glance with Sunwoo, the two of you well aware of the set-up. But you didn’t mind. After all, maybe this was the opportunity you’d been waiting for.

----------------------------------------------------------

As always, you weren't the type to strike up conversations and this time was no exception. But as Sunwoo rattled off the snacks on his phone, you found yourself tentatively asking if you’d picked up the right one. He’d glance over, showing you which was correct with the smallest smirk, and soon enough, you were swapping small jabs and comments, bickering in that easy way you did. When the roles reversed, and he grabbed the snacks as you listed them out, the lightness between you grew, filling the quiet convenience store with something warm.

After paying—on Sunwoo’s card, of course—he paused, glancing at the receipt. "Wait, this total seems too low" he muttered, eyebrows knitting together. He approached the cashier. "Um, I think you might have undercharged us?"

The young cashier only smiled and shrugged. "Don’t worry about it. I’m quitting soon, anyway. Plus, you two are such a cute couple, I couldn’t resist giving you the staff discount!"

A flush crept up Sunwoo’s cheeks, while you opened your mouth to set the record straight. But before you could say a word, he pulled you along by the wrist, thanking the cashier with a quick nod.

Outside, he looked over at you, his face still red. "Is it that awful, the idea of being my girlfriend?"

You blinked in surprise at his unexpected question. "I mean, I’m not against a discount or anything, but lying just feels... wrong. Like we took advantage of her kindness."

Sunwoo raised an eyebrow, his next words tumbling out in a barely audible rush. "It wouldn’t be a lie if you actually agreed to be my girlfriend."

You stared at him, unsure you’d heard correctly, until a loud ping sounded from his phone. Almost reflexively, he checked it, revealing a photo of his little sister with the same girl you’d noticed outside his house before.

Startled, you rested your hand on his wrist, prompting him to hold the phone closer. He didn’t pull away; instead, he looked at you, almost as if he were trying to memorize the moment.

"Wait, do you know her?" you asked, pointing to the girl in the picture.

"Of course, that’s my little sister" he answered with a soft chuckle.

"Y-your sister?" you stammered, the realization dawning on you. "This is crazy! She seemed so familiar, but I never made the connection. I even met her at one of your games once, and she mentioned cheering on her brother. Guess she meant you after all"

"What a small world, right?" Sunwoo said with a smile. "But wait—you were at my game? Why didn’t you approach me after?"

Flustered, you dropped his wrist and changed the subject. "We should probably head back. The others must be wondering where we are."

He quickly matched your stride, walking backward so he could look at you. "Hey, don’t dodge the question. I know you’re hiding something. And you said you weren't mad at me..."

You sighed, stopping abruptly enough that he almost tripped. "Sunwoo, I wasn’t mad at you. Why would I be?" you replied, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Is it because of… that night?" He raised an eyebrow knowingly.

At his question, you finally looked at him, trying to keep your voice steady. "What do you mean by that?"

"Younghoon told me you showed up at my house," he said, lowering himself to your eye level. "And I’m guessing you saw me with her, didn’t you?" A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he noticed your eyes widen in guilt.

Your shoulders slumped, and you gave him the smallest nod.

"Wow, I didn’t think you’d get jealous" he teased, a playful grin spreading across his face.

"I wasn’t jealous!" you protested, cheeks heating. "Just... surprised, I guess. She was hugging you, and your parents were talking so seriously with hers. It almost looked like one of those engagement scenes in a K-drama."

Sunwoo’s laughter rang out, clear and warm, and you couldn’t help but smile, even though you felt thoroughly embarrassed. "So, you were jealous!" he managed between laughs. "And you have quite the imagination! What made you think I was engaged to her?"

"You’re... not?" you asked tentatively.

He shook his head. "She’s just someone I used to be close to. Our parents thought of matching us up once, but I never saw her that way. Her family moved to the States ages ago, and the hug—well, it was more out of nostalgia than anything. I couldn’t exactly shove her away, not in front of our parents, right?"

You fell silent, processing his words. All this time, you’d been carrying this quiet hurt, overthinking, imagining the worst. The thought of losing Sunwoo—really losing him—had felt all too real. But now, standing beside him, feeling the warmth in his gaze, you realized that maybe, just maybe, it had all been in your head.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Maybe I should do this more often, just to get you all jealous" Sunwoo teased, his grin wide as he dodged your playful jab to his chest. He let out an exaggerated, wounded whine, clutching his chest dramatically, but you only rolled your eyes and walked ahead, ignoring him. He quickly fell into step beside you, though, and for a few minutes, he just walked in silence, seeming to savor the comfortable closeness between you.

Finally, he broke the quiet. "But seriously… what were you doing outside my house so late that night?"

You hesitated, debating whether to tell him the truth. After a moment, you looked away, feeling the weight of the words as they formed. "Can you blame me? You once said you'd do anything to make me feel loved… but lately, it felt like you just gave up. So I thought… maybe I should go see you, just because."

When you dared to glance back at him, Sunwoo was watching you, a soft smile of admiration playing at his lips. "So, in other words, you missed me, huh?" he said, his voice teasing yet warm.

You scoffed, trying to ignore the way your cheeks burned. "No, I didn’t miss you" you replied, crossing your arms, though everything in your expression betrayed you.

Sunwoo chuckled, shaking his head. "You can deny it all you want, but I can tell. Haknyeon’s plan might not have been so bad after all."

You raised an eyebrow, feeling a pang of suspicion. "What plan?"

"Well" he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "Haknyeon suggested that if i, you know, stayed out of your sight for a little while, maybe you’d realize that… my absence makes the heart grow fonder. Guess he wasn’t wrong."

You stopped in your tracks, your eyes widening in shock. "Hold on—so you’re telling me that ignoring me for weeks was on purpose?"

Sunwoo winced at the accusation in your voice, already backing up with his hands raised. "Hey, hey! If you’re going to be mad, take it out on Haknyeon! It was his idea!"

Before he could finish, you lunged after him, and with a laugh, he turned and bolted. You raced down the sidewalk, your laughter filling the quiet night as you chased him. Just as you caught up, you stumbled, tripping forward, and with a soft oof, you fell against Sunwoo, sending both of you toppling to the ground.

For a second, everything stilled as you found yourself lying atop him, the world around you fading until there was only the warmth of his gaze meeting yours, both of you breathless.

----------------------------------------------------------

Panic seeped into you, sharp and unbidden. You lifted your head to look at Sunwoo, concern flaring in your eyes. "Hey, are you okay? What about your head?"

Sunwoo winced from the impact of his earlier fall. "It's fine, I guess. Just a mild concussion."

“That’s what you get for trying to run away from me” you teased, smirking. "Serves you right." He let out a soft laugh, wincing again as he did.

It took you a moment to register the position you were in—your body sprawled atop his, arms braced on either side of him. For a heartbeat, you locked eyes, and your face flushed as you noticed he had been staring at you, quietly, intently, ever since the fall. Heat crept up your cheeks, and you mumbled, “Sorry” as you attempted to push yourself up.

But Sunwoo had other plans. Just as quickly as you tried to move away, his hand shot out, pulling you back down, closer this time. Your eyes widened as you found yourself face-to-face with him, breaths mingling. You felt a rush of embarrassment that spread like wildfire, but your body betrayed you, frozen by the proximity.

“S-Sunwoo, what are you doing? L-let me go. What if someone sees us?” you stammered, struggling to ignore the rapid beat of your heart.

Sunwoo smirked, clearly reveling in your reaction. He leaned in, voice dropping to a teasing whisper. “Admit you missed me, and I’ll let you go.”

You glared at him, searching his eyes to see if he was just playing with you, but he was unyieldingly serious. "Yah! Are you out of your mind? Why should I listen to you?” You tried to pull away again, but his grip on your wrists only tightened.

“Well” he said, eyes gleaming with mischief, “if you don’t mind everyone seeing us like this, by all means, keep resisting.”

You could feel your pulse quickening. “Fine! I-I missed you” you muttered, the words barely more than a whisper. “Can you let me go now?”

He tilted his head, feigning a puzzled look. “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Care to repeat it?” His smirk grew as he added, “Oh, and did you just call me ‘yah’? Do I look like a ‘yah’ to you?”

Suppressing your exasperation, you took a steadying breath, meeting his gaze with newfound determination. “Alright, I missed you. Too much, apparently, though I didn’t realize it until now.”

His eyes softened, admiration surfacing in their depths. The confession seemed to hit him like a slow-burning flame, and for a moment, he looked as if he were caught in a dream he never wanted to end. Before he could process, you leaned in, pressed a bold, feather-light kiss to his lips, and scrambled to your feet as his grip on your wrists loosened.

You bent down, grabbing the snack bags that had spilled onto the ground, and with a quick, nervous laugh, sprinted toward your house. It took Sunwoo a moment to recover. Then, shaking himself back to reality, he lunged forward, grabbing your wrist and spinning you to face him.

“D-did you really just… do that?” he asked, trying hard to keep his voice steady, though the disbelief was written all over his face.

Feigning innocence, you shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe I did, or maybe you’re just being delusional.”

Sunwoo laughed, clearly entertained by your feigned innocence. With a smirk, he stepped closer and cupping your face gently, tilting your chin to meet his gaze. His touch sent a shiver down your spine, and anticipation built as his thumb brushed over your cheek. He studied your face, his eyes drifting to your lips. “May I kiss you?” he asked softly, his gaze flicking back to meet yours, seeking silent permission.

Almost too eagerly, you nodded. Sunwoo chuckled, his voice low. “You know… you’ll be the death of me.”

And with that, he closed the distance, his lips meeting yours in a kiss that felt straight out of a fairytale. It was as if every romantic moment you’d ever dreamt of was suddenly, impossibly real. Your hands slipped around his neck, pulling him closer, craving more of that sweet, almost dizzying warmth. He leaned back briefly, both of you catching your breath, and ran his thumb over your lips with a quiet chuckle. Your gaze locked onto his, the world as if narrowing to just the two of you.

“Sunwoo…” you whispered, barely aware of your own voice. He raised his head, his eyes still bright and intent. “Will you... be my girlfriend? Tell me you’ll say yes this time” he murmured, a gentle desperation in his tone.

You smiled, rolling your eyes playfully. “Idiot, would I have let you kiss me if I didn’t want this? I don’t just do that with anyone.”

Sunwoo laughed, relief flooding his expression. “So I’m the special one, huh?”

“More than that” you said, your voice soft but full of conviction. “In fact, one in a million.” His face lit up, and he wrapped you in a tight, comforting embrace, which you returned wholeheartedly. The world seemed to slow around you, the moment stretching as if only the two of you existed.

When you pulled back, his hands still lingering at your waist, you looked into his eyes. “Thank you… thank you for showing me what love means. For standing by me, even when I didn’t deserve it.”

He smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair from your face. “Hey, there’s no need to thank me. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat, and I’d never regret it.”

A mischievous thought struck, and you reached up, squishing his cheeks with both hands. Sunwoo gasped, feigning outrage. “Hey! You're making me look ridiculous right now.”

“No, you don’t” you laughed, beaming at his exaggerated pout. “You look adorable. And even if you did look ridiculous, I’d still love you.”

“W-wait, did I hear that right?” Sunwoo stammered, blinking as if trying to process. “Did you just say you… love me?”

You tilted your head, teasing. “What, you don’t want me to? Fine, I’ll just take it ba—”

Before you could finish, he pulled you into a back hug, his arms wrapping snugly around you. You felt the weight of his head rest against your shoulder, his breath warm against your neck, and you melted into the closeness, barely able to hold back a smile.

“Don’t even think about taking it back!” he whispered, his voice full of a warmth that left you breathless. “Thank you for giving me this chance… to prove myself to you. I love you too.” He pressed you closer, and you leaned into his embrace, letting your hands drift over his, relishing the moment.

Then, as if on cue, Eric and Juyeon’s voices echoed from the stairwell. “Alright, lovebirds! Enough with the toe-curling lovey scenes! We’re starving! Hand over the snacks!”

Both you and Sunwoo froze, cheeks flooding with color, caught red-handed. Embarrassed but grinning, he intertwined his fingers with yours. “Guess we’d better feed the babies” he murmured, giving your hand a squeeze. "Hey! I heard you, Kim Sunwoo! Who says i'm a baby?"shouted Eric yet Juyeon shushed him in an instant, to not disturb the neighbours peace with his noise pollution. You laughed, and together you made your way toward the elevator, knowing this was a night you’d treasure forever—one you’d look back on with Sunwoo by your side, laughing at every wonderful, embarrassing detail.

“You know…” Sunwoo’s voice softened, trailing off as he followed you into the elevator. You only hummed in response, pressing the button to your floor, your fingers lingering on the cold metal.

He broke the silence, his words gentle yet contemplative. “Don’t you think what happened today feels like a déjà vu?”

You tilted your head, studying him with a questioning look.

“Remember that time you lost the game on our trip, and had to go buy snacks at the karaoke place?” He chuckled, a fondness in his eyes.

It took a moment, but then the memory dawned on you, clear as day. "Oh, right." You laughed, brushing a hand through your hair. “I guess I really am that bad at games, huh?”

He smirked, nudging your shoulder playfully. “Well, I can’t deny that.” His voice softened then, a touch of warmth and something deeper slipping in. “But just like today, I’m glad I was always the one with you.”

You smiled, gently running your thumb across his knuckles, his hand firmly entwined with yours, “Fate really does work in mysterious ways, doesn’t it?”

He leaned in, a delicate kiss lingering between you, his gaze soft and steady as he pulled back. “Yeah, it does” he whispered. “I’m grateful it led me to you. I love you y/n… so much.”

A wave of emotion tightened in your throat, a warmth pooling behind your eyes as you met his gaze. “I love you too, Kim Sunwoo.” You squeezed his hand gently, your voice soft with a quiet gratitude. “Thank you for loving me.”

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a/n : omg yall icb i finally finished this !! tysm to each and everyone of you that gave me the motivation to keep going with this fic, love you all so much 💕 also, don't forget to stream trigger! - admin ruby signing out for now

[lookismaddict]

Lookism Chapter 441 Memes/Thoughts I Have:

(SPOILERS !!! I don’t own any of the Lookism panels and the translations. Only the memes that I made. The sole purpose of this is to provide summaries/reviews for each chapter so if you don’t want to see the rest of it, then just keep scrolling. It’s your choice.)

I really said that I was going to work on this chapter review but I didn't do it until a few days after the chapter has been posted online... Woops, my bad. (My posts will be queued for now, so I didn't post this CURRENTLY. Sorry in advance if I randomly post at around 4 in the morning or something.) Most of you guys probably already saw this, but you know what? Time to bring dinner onto the table! 🍲

H U H ? 👁👁

UMMMM… HELLO??? I stg, if he's referring to Goo... 😭 But oh man, if he were to replace Goo, I wonder how Gun is going to react. And I already heard ab the rumors going around, regarding to what PTJ mentioned before. Even the thing about someone's death, and whatnot. Yes, I know man. 💀 But in all honesty, this Charles Choi arc though... I like it so far. Minus... the death and Charles Choi himself because it's a catalyst for an event that'll happen in the future. Also, yes Charles, you piece of shit. Jichang won't ever think of joining you lol. Even if he agreed, what is there to benefit if he were to side with you? 😀

I don't think anyone has commented on what Charles Choi said about Jichang being a strategist, and he's right about that. Unlike many fighters, I noticed how Jichang is very meticulous when it comes to fighting. He assesses his opponents, like where to properly attack and he notes their weak points and people's most vulnerable spots to aim at, which makes his Battle I.Q. much bigger in comparison to the other First Generation Kings, who just fight with a passionate drive with fists during their fights. (Reminds me of current Daniel.) He's very clever too, and that's one of the reasons why I like Jichang's character.

O K A Y. OLD MAN. SHOWING OFF YOUR NONEXISTENT LEFT ARM, I SEE.

GODDDDD JICHANG, GET UPPPPP MAAAAAANNNNNNNNN. AAAAAAGGHHHH 😫😫😫😫

BRUHHHHHHHHHHH COME ONNNNNNNNNNN!!! I STG, IF PTJ DOESN'T LET THIS MAN WIN- <- My OG reaction 😀

YOU TELL HIMMMMMM JICHANG!!! 😩😩👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

YES JICHANG PULLED OUT THE SHTICK AND LET IT ROLLLLLLL!!! Oh fuck. Wait, WHAT??? W H A T ????????

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?! HOW TF DID THAT HAPPEN BRUHHHHHHHH??? I THOUGHT YOU GOT THIS IN THE BAG, JICHANG!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I'M GONNA GO AND FLIP A BUNCH OF TABLES BC WTFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!

Ok, for starters... Don't they have those DNA test thingies where they investigate thoroughly in crime scenes? Bruh, Charles Choi was HOLDING the gun. CAN'T THEY NOT IDENTIFY HIS OWN FINGERPRINTS??? Also, it's understandable that he might have tipped the police too since he got power. UGGGGHHHHHH PTJ, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS LET THE VILLAINS GET AWAY WITH THEIR CRIMES??? LIKE VIVI GETTING THAT HAPPY ENDING WITH XIAOLONG EVEN THOUGH SHE DOESN'T DESERVE IT. I SWEAR, JICHANG'S BROTHERS ARE GOING TO SIDE WITH DANIEL AND GET REVENGE ON CHARLES CHOI. *s i g h s* Well, anyways... It's time to send them off...

WHY IS THIS MAKING ME SOB BRUHHHHH. 😭😭😭😭😭 UGGHHHHH, WHEN THEY BOTH DIED I REALLY CRIED FOR THEM BECAUSE I ALREADY GOT AN EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO THE TWO OF THEM. 💔

Nah, because this mf will surely get hit with MASSIVE karma. I'm just waiting for that sweeeeeeeet sweet day. (Sorry Crystal, but your dad's a dick. 🤷🏽‍♀️)

PLEASE DANIEL, AVENGE THEM!!! UGGHHHH IM STILL DEVASTATED OVER THEM. 😭😭😭

I do admit, Jinyoung DOES look good leaning on a motorcycle while smoking on a cig. Also, IDK WHY, but Daniel looks so cute carrying all of those boxes behind him. Honestly, this interaction between Jichang and Daniel looks like Jichang is sending Daniel off to night school or something LMFAO. The boxes looks like a big ass backpack, ngl. ALSO, YES JICHANG, DON'T WORRY ABOUT DANIEL. LEAVE IT ALL TO HIM TO FIND JINYOUNG PARK AND TO BEAT CHARLES CHOI TO A PULP! 😎👍🏽

WAIT... HOLD ON NOW. SO YOU'RE TELLING ME, THE "GRIMM PLASTIC SURGERY CENTER" IS IN GANGNAM-GU ??? Hold up... Tell me, this isn't where Mangi from Viral Hit went for his plastic surgery on his nose...

Tbh I'm not caught up to the recent chapter of Viral Hit, but this was in Viral Hit's Ep. 74 on Webtoon. So... could it be, that he... went there to get plastic surgery...? 😀 (I must be trippin. If I'm incorrect, then I apologize. That part caught my eye while I was reading and I had to tie it back to the First Affiliate because... I FOUND THAT COINCIDENTAL. LEAVE ME ALONE-)

Yup, sounds about right. 💀

Omg? THE HOT DOCTOR IS BACK!!! I KNEW IT, HE'S TOO GOOD-LOOKING TO BE FORGOTTEN AS A MINOR CHARACTER!!! 😳😳😳

To be honest, he looks like he could pass as Eugene and Yoosung's older brother or something. BUT, HELLO??? 1ST AFFILIATE PRESIDENT?????? AEEEUUUUGGGHHHH THIS HOTTIE IS THE 1ST AFFILIATE PRESIDENT??? I'M- 😩😩😩😩

You see... he is one MIGHTY FINE, DOCTOR. 🥴 I wanna see if Doc got some fighting moves or not. 👀 If he does, then he got me S O L D. 🔥

Ok, but this chapter's focus really was on Charles Choi and whatever he did. I'm so eager to see him get beat up by everybody. Oh, but hold on now... If Tom Lee found out what REALLY happened, then that would be a problem too. Hehehehe 😈

Time to wait for the next chapter! ✌🏽

[dorizardthewizard]

Galactik Football season 3 rewatch, eps 10 - 12

Episode 10:

So we open up with Yuki getting mad at Micro-Ice and thinking Zoleen is his girlfriend, and Mice is dumb enough to not reject that claim when she asks him directly if they're going out. He also barely acknowledges Yuki's birthday despite previously rehearsing this dramatic confession of love to her. Thran and Ahito are literally, and I mean literally the only Snow Kids that don't have any love drama going on (I know Mark's got something coming) and every single one has revolved around love triangles, whether misunderstood or not. I can't take this anymore, I'm at my limit.

Anyway, *hits play again*

Since when did this Cyclops dude have a wholeass funded show, when he wasn't even a proper journalist before?

WOOWAMBOO RETIREMENT RUMOUR?! SAY IT AIN'T SO!

Oh christ this is the start of the Sinedd parents arc isn't it. Holy shit they try to stuff so much into this season. But happy we finally got the backstory on Sinedd with him not being born on Akillian!

I can barely watch this segment holy shit it's just so awful (in universe, I mean, not the writing). Not just because I know they're con artists but it's so sudden, Hush Sharky making a whole spectacle of this on live TV in front of an audience and Sinedd had NO IDEA that he was going to meet his freaking PARENTS. WHO HE THOUGHT WERE DEAD ALL HIS LIFE. This emotional and insanely personal moment being used for entertainment fits with the corporate hellscape that the show takes place in, but what the hell. He has the full right to be pissed at Sharky.

Not the con artist parents running off immediately when the ground starts shaking 😭 Parents my ass

lol of course Micro-Ice has to fall in the cake. I think they use him for slapstick too much in this season

Tbf I quite like the villains in this season, it's an interesting dynamic with Lord Phoenix having his own motives but losing control of Vega

Sinedd's reunion with his parents is a pretty sweet moment if it weren't for the fact that IT'S A LIEEEE ToT.

Aarch yelling at Artegor about Adim... all this drama...

THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTIINNNNGGNGNGG and it's so silly

This is how I picture it

Is that the fucking Netherball music

The little TV spots with Yuki and Mei talking about each other before the match are cute! Makes the world feel more lived in and gives us some more interactions between the girls, even if not directly face to face here

I like Mei berating Sinedd for taunting Yuki when she's injured but... girl. He was always like this. You knew this. Why are you surprised?? They never actually showed him becoming a better person, just that he suddenly liked Mei and convinced her to join the Shadows. And Mei does not strike me as a poor judge of character so why would she date him....?

Wow Elektras not letting Mei through to help her friend? Why? They were literally celebrating her birthday together tf??

Poor Yuki, what a shitshow of a match for her although she did score a goal (I'm guessing the Breath is more powerful than the Elektra's flux since she's running in to attack). Loved her lil' chat with Mei though, I will say this season gave us more of the girls in the team being friends which I really do appreciate.

Here for the other Shadows players cooing and awing at Sinedd with his parents, I want to see more of what the team dynamic is like since they seemed to welcome him quickly back in season 1

Thran coming through with his tech knowledge!

Episode 11:

Does Bennett just carry a harmonica on him all the time haha

Harvey fought in the flux war?? ok cool lore I guess?????

Corso wondering whether to trust Sonny just because he didn't bring up Magnus straight away is a bit weird? I just feel that with all they've been through, it would take more for Corso to start questioning his faith in Sonny. This is also like, a 5 minute plot point that goes nowhere so why???

Tia talking with her parents about her concerns is an improvement from what their relationship used to be like in season 1, it's good to see!

Oh so Mei is a striker now. Is this implying that Mei's decision was influenced by her mother? Weren't we over that?? Still kind of sad to see her mum dismiss the SK and seem like she's still the same. Mei probably feels she'll never be good enough for her.

Not Sinedd complimenting D'jok just to be polite to Maya 😂 But what do you mean they haven't met yet? It's literally this season (I think?) that shows Sinedd was friends with D'jok when they were young kids! Maya hangs out with Mama Ice at the cafeteria as well, there's no way they've never interacted before!

Yeah Tia, it WAS stupid of you to be jealous of Lun-Zia. Weird though bc the show previously implied Lun-Zia liked Rocket but turns out she had a boyfriend all along?

Aarch: Artegor? Aarch: I'm sorry we started a bit earlier today, I forgot to mention it

Aarch you're such a petty bitch 😭

Oooo Micro-Ice is up for kick-off. Seeing them antagonistic towards each other is so sad :( Although season 1 Micro-Ice would have found a way to roast D'jok lol

I just realised team Paradisia and the Elektras probably have visors so they can have more diverse character designs in the 2D animation, while still copy-pasting models in the 3D scenes lol

Go Mark! Why did the goalkeeper run out from the goal I don't know anything about football

Nice to see Mark and Micro-Ice working together and having fun

D'jok's plan being to pass to Nikki-4 because the SK will think he's too selfish to let someone else score is so fucking funny

Oooo you don't get penalty shootouts that often in GF

I do love and miss sassy D'jok

Nikki-4: I guess you'll always be a Snow Kid at heart D'jok: At least I've got one

Bold claim with the way you've been acting, D'jok

Niki-4 threatening physical violence on D'jok lmaoo I guess she is a cyborg but it's weird D'jok actually held out until now with the way he's been acting towards the SK. Why does he suddenly now have a moral dilemma?

Episode 12:

Now to rant about the Ahito betrayal plot <3

Ok this how to beat Ahito thing is dumb from the get go. It's treated like some big secret and it would be a big betrayal to reveal it, but that's not how sports work. They could easily have figured out his weak points by just watching a load of videos of his saves, in fact they SHOULD have been doing this anyway – the best teams don't win just by playing their best, but by knowing their opponent's strengths and weaknesses and being able to exploit that! It's not dishonest it's just... how it works! Rocket was doing this back in season 1 when he was suggesting tactics!

So to treat it like a big betrayal to reveal something that's easily obtainable public knowledge is dumb. And also, they're treating this as if knowing a player's weakness is some magic key that means they can definitely beat him if they exploit it, which is... also not how sports work!! It's not like he'll definitely fail to save your shot if you hit in a certain way, and it's not like he can't adjust his play after you score a goal. It just.... it makes no sense!!

It was also kind of weird to hear D'jok talk about wanting to win honestly when he was fouling Warren last match and got scolded for disrespecting the game, they made it look like D'jok fully only cared about winning now, whatever the cost, but now suddenly he's having second thoughts and doesn't want to betray a team he's been shit-talking all this time?

I also don't like that what made him cave in the end was mind control, it takes away a lot of accountability. It also would have fit more for D'jok to continue doing anything it takes to win, so he can realise he's wrong later and that he's just been using that to run away from his feelings. As stupid as this “betrayal” is, it should have been his low point showing how far gone he is, his big mistake, that he can then work up from.

Rant over <3

Nork, commenting on a player's health problems is just rude

Of course Rocket starts feeling ill the second he has to go up

THRAN SCORES!!! Nice to see him do some shots

Goooo Lun-Zia! She's been a good addition

Last season I got sad that Micro-Ice was the first to flunk his shot, please don't let me down this time

YESSSSS

D'jok: Ahito always jumps in place, a little more to the side he's gonna leap to. He can't control it, it's stronger than he is!

And THAT's the way to beat him? Totally foolproof? Bruh. If all the SK knew this and it's sooooo easy to score against him once you figure it out, surely Aarch should have.... I don't know, helped him train so that he doesn't reveal which way he's jumping as easily?? THIS IS EASILY DISCOVERABLE INFORMATION GUYS THE POINT OF TRAINING IS TO IMPROVE ON YOUR WEAKNESSES

NOOOOO TIA OF ALL PEOPLE???!!! I HAD TO TRADE A MICRO-ICE GOAL WITH THIS? 😭😭😭 It happens though. Also weird she's the first to use her flux so far for this like, it's penalties. You don't have to conserve your energy, just use the goddamn Breath!

TT^TT Nooooo they look so devastated :( On the other hand, kind of crazy it took three seasons for them to actually lose an important match lol it's been win win win the whole time so far, so kind of refreshing.

I want to cheer on Mei for putting Sinedd in his place after shit-talking the Snow Kids but like, girl, HOW IS THIS SURPRISING?! HE'S BEEN LIKE THIS IN EVERY MATCH YOU'VE PLAYED AGAINST EACH OTHER, YOUR LAST INTERACTION BEFORE SEASON 3 WAS HIM PUSHING YOU TO THE GROUND AND THREATENING YOU!!!

She thought he only hated D'jok and now she's realising he's just nasty to everyone? Girl where were you when he was bullying Micro-Ice on your team lol. I mean she didn't care back then but she does now! Mei is not dumb, writers

That was a pretty good pick me up speech, Aarch

The animation makes this kind of funny out of context but, Artegor hesitantly reaching out to Aarch but then thinking better of it... aarrrrgh </3

Quick shoutout to the background designs in this show, they look really cool and I love how it's futuristic while still being colourful and bright. There's some beautiful art of the natural scenery too

What's up with reporters immediately wondering if a team is done for, or the coach might be resigning, after ONE loss? They're still GF champions, losing once doesn't mean it's all downhill from there

Adim standing up for her man <3

In this dub he calls her Mum-Ice lmao. So I guess it is just Mama-Ice? I do prefer the novelisation with her actual name, she's not mum to everyone, although I wouldn't mind having -Ice at the end of a name being some family tradition or cultural thing. Also love seeing her hanging out with Maya!

Poor Kernor just can't eat her ice cream in peace huh 😭

Aww Mama-Ice's speech is so sweet

Aarch needs a new start now more than ever? Why exactly?

Norata dancing in the back <3

Holy shit, Brim Simbra actually intervening?

Oooooo secret supplier guy was Harris all along, who would have guessed?

Huh looking at the ending screen of this youtube upload, I didn't know Robotboy was Gaumont animation too! Well probably Alphanim back then

[lilyvandersteen]

Critically Yours

This story was written as part of the Klaine Secret Santa Gift Exchange 2022, and is gifted to @honeysucklepink. Merry Christmas, sweetie, and I hope this hits the spot for you!

The prompt can be found in the end notes.

Many thanks to my beta @hkvoyage, who was lightning-quick to review this for me so that it would still be in time for Christmas.

Critically Yours by @lilyvandersteen​

Kurt let out a big yawn as he walked into the kitchen. The party after the premiere had been fun, but he’d had too short a night’s sleep because of it.

He was on his second mug of coffee when Rachel called him.

“Kurt, you were amazing yesterday, as I knew you would be!”

Kurt grinned and thanked her.

“And I know you always tell me not to read the reviews, but… There’s this one you really need to read. You’ll love it. I’m sending you the link.”

“Rach, I don’t think…”

“Read it. This guy is so sweet, aww. Well, at least I think it’s a guy. He’s using a nickname. But the way he writes feels like a guy. Am I making sense? Maybe I’m still a bit drunk. One thing’s for sure, though, you have to read it. You just have to. I wish he’d say things like that about me. Anyway, got to go. Yoga tonight?”

“It’s a date!” Kurt promised her, and when she’d hung up, he clicked on the link.

It wasn’t a fan site that popped up. It was the New York Times website. The comments section, to be precise.

The commenter’s name was IconicWarbler, and unlike the other one-sentence commenters, he’d gone for the novel-like approach.

“I went to see Cabaret last night, and found myself totally enamoured of the MC, played by newcomer Kurt Hummel. I’ve never seen this actor on stage before, but I can assure you I will attend every play he’s in from now on. That’s how much he enchanted me. Such clear, strong vocals. Such a master at conveying emotions. And what a compelling personality! He draws you in, even pulling focus when he’s in the background. I could not keep my eyes off him. I urge you all to go see Cabaret and discover this promising fresh face.

Mr. Hummel, I’m calling it now: you will get a Tony nomination for this role. You are just THAT good.

Critically yours,

IconicWarbler”

Kurt covered his hand with his mouth and let out a happy squeak, smiling ear to ear.

Rachel was right, that was exactly the pick-up he’d needed this morning.

Thank you, IconicWarbler!

 K&B

Blaine fist-pumped happily when he read the announcement that Kurt Hummel would have the title role in the Jesus Christ Superstar revival.

The actor had gotten a Tony nomination for his role in Cabaret, as Blaine had predicted, and though he hadn’t won the award, it had opened new doors for him.

By now, Kurt Hummel had played in Dear Evan Hansen, causing Blaine to rave over how high his vocal range was, and opposite Rachel Berry in West Side Story, after which performance Blaine had waxed lyrical over how convincing they had been as star-crossed lovers, defending Kurt in replies to other commenters who seemed to think he was too gay to pull off the role of Tony.

Blaine had gone to see both shows as many times as his budget would allow, and had waited at the stage door to get his playbill signed every single time, even when it was pouring rain or freezing.

Kurt was always courteous and kind to every fan, taking his time to greet and thank them.

Every encounter with Kurt had Blaine walking on sunshine for days, especially when Blaine’s praise coaxed a rare smile out of the handsome man.

But after West Side Story, Kurt had disappeared from Broadway, not even starring in smaller roles. He was just… gone.

It had made Blaine worry and wonder what had happened.

But now, a year later, Kurt was back, and Blaine was relieved and excited to see his favourite actor in a new role.

The anticipation that had been building inside of him rose to a fever point when the radio station he listened to every morning announced a contest.

“Good morning everyone! I have some exciting news to share with you! You’ve probably already heard it: Jesus Christ Superstar is coming back to Broadway. And with it crowd favourite Kurt Hummel, who’s going to play the title role, and who is with us right now to have a little chat.”

“Hello, everyone!”

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you to see Kurt take on this role? Let us know through our app!”

Blaine grinned and opened the app, sending a quick message.

“Oh, lots of enthusiasm so early in the morning. Let’s see: Ruth says she’s missed you the past year and that she’s stoked you’re back, Blaine says you’re sure to be stellar in your new role, and David says he can’t wait to see you in the play, Kurt!”

“I hope I’ll do you guys proud,” Kurt said.

The ensuing interview cleared up why Kurt had been away for so long. Apparently, his father had fallen ill, and he’d moved back home to be with his family.

“But now he’s better, and he told me to stop fussing over him and get back to work. So here I am!”

Blaine chuckled and crossed his fingers that the radio presenters would coax Kurt into singing a fragment from his new show.

What he got was even better.

“When our family celebrated Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, it got me thinking about what I was most thankful for. Dad getting better, obviously, that’s a big one. He’s my rock, and I’m so grateful I get to keep him, hopefully for decades more. But apart from that, I’m so thankful for all my fans. You are the ones who brought me here. Who believed in me when I had doubts I could do this. Who have stood by me from the very beginning. Who have defended me when people tried to tear me down. And I don’t have enough words to tell you how much that has meant to me. So I’m going to show you instead.”

At this point, the radio presenter took over.

“Prick up your ears now, all you Broadway lovers out there! This is a contest you won’t want to miss! Kurt is offering not just tickets to Jesus Christ Superstar, but an extra special main prize. The overall winner will get a ticket to the premiere, a meet-and-greet with Kurt and the rest of the cast, and will get to attend the party with the cast and crew afterwards. Isn’t that something?”

Blaine’s heart started pumping double speed.

Oh wow.

“Yes, you heard that right! Ever dream of getting the chance to chat with your fave actor over a glass or two? Well, for one lucky guy or girl, this dream will come true! And what do you have to do to win this, you ask?”

“Tell me, tell me,” Blaine muttered.

“Well, from now until the day of the premiere, we’ll be having a little quiz every morning, about Broadway topics. If you want to take part in it, sign up for the quiz in our app, and each morning, we’ll pick two listeners to compete against each other. The goal is to be the first to answer five questions correctly. The winner will go through to the next round, and then on the last day before the premiere, we’ll find out who wins the main prize.”

Blaine opened the app again and looked for the sign-up form.

There wasn’t much chance he’d be chosen, but it couldn’t hurt to try, right?

One day after another passed, and it seemed luck was not on his side. He listened to the morning show even more attentively than he otherwise did, and he made sure he always had his phone on hand, but the show host always picked other listeners to play the quiz.

Sometimes, they were so abysmal at answering the questions that Blaine rolled his eyes. Did they really know so little about Broadway shows, or was it nerves blocking their brain?

Two days before the premiere, just as he’d all but given up hope, his phone rang as he was eating a bowl of cereal, and his heart slammed into his throat.

Was it really…?

And yes, it was. He’d been selected to play the quiz!

Hearing the presenter’s voice both over the radio and on the phone was distracting, so he switched off the radio so as to be able to focus better.

“And today, we’ll be playing the Broadway quiz with Blaine and Tiffany!”

Wow, my hands are clammy. And why is my throat so dry all of a sudden?

The first question was about West Side Story. The presenter wanted them to name the two street gangs.

“The Jets and the Sharks,” Blaine yelled.

The other contestant groaned.

“Second question: you’re going to hear a snippet from a Broadway song. Tell me what show it is from!”

The song was “All That Jazz”. As soon as Blaine recognised it, he yelled, “Chicago!”

He heard a muffled curse, and knew he’d beaten his opponent again.

“Number 3: where does “Hairspray” take place?”

Blaine chuckled and sang a few lines of “Good morning Baltimore”.

“Wow, nice! You’re a fine singer yourself!” the presenter praised him.

“Thank you. I was in show choir for years. The Dalton Warblers.”

“Wonderful. And you’re firmly in the lead, with three right answers to nil. Tiffany, what’s happening?”

“He’s just too fast,” Tiffany whined, and both Blaine and the presenter chuckled.

“Okay, next question: complete this Hamilton lyric: I’m just like my country, I’m young…”

“Scrappy and hungry, and I’m not throwing away my shot!” Blaine rattled off glibly.

The presenter whistled low. “You didn’t even have to think about it, did you? How many times have you seen Hamilton?”

“Uhm, I’ve never really counted the times,” Blaine confessed, and the presenter laughed.

“Okay, if you keep this up, Blaine, you’ll only have to answer one more question. Here it is: name all seven children of the von Trapp family.”

“Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl,” said Blaine, counting them on his fingers to make sure he left no-one out.

“Yes, you did it!” the presenter enthused, and he played the jingle that pronounced Blaine the winner.

Blaine sat back and mechanically put a spoonful of cereal with milk in his mouth.

Wow, I’m through to the next round. Now what?

Now, as it transpired, all the winners would be competing against each other the following morning, and the first two to get five questions right would then play a sudden death round.

Blaine spent the rest of the day frantically reading up on all things Broadway, and also did his research on Kurt Hummel. In the process, he may have gotten a bit side-tracked when he found YouTube recordings of Kurt performing as a cheerleader, a clip of him singing “Le Jazz Hot” and then his audition for NYADA, “Not the Boy Next Door”. Those gold pants. And his moves. Unf.

When the next morning rolled around, Blaine may have been just a little sleep-deprived from watching certain Kurt Hummel videos on repeat. But he regretted nothing.

Despite his sleepiness, Blaine had no trouble answering questions, and became the first finalist. He ended up playing the sudden death round against a guy called Chandler, who was just as knowledgeable as Blaine was.

After they’d each answered another ten questions correctly, the presenter sighed. “Okay, this is not going to work. You guys know EVERYTHING! So what do you say to a practical challenge as a tie-breaker?”

“Okay,” said Blaine.

“I guess,” said Chandler.

“You each get to sing a song from Jesus Christ Superstar, and then the other listeners will vote in the app and decide who becomes the overall winner!”

Blaine grinned. “That sounds good.”

Chandler said nothing.

“So who wants to go first?” the presenter asked.

“Let’s get it over with,” Chandler groused.

“Okay, Chandler, what are you going to sing?”

“I don’t know how to love him.”

“Great choice! Let me put the music on for you.”

Chandler started to sing, and Blaine winced and wanted to clap his hands over his ears.

He didn’t, because it would be his turn in a short while, but aah, Chandler’s singing was worse than nails on a chalkboard!

He let out a sigh of relief when the song came to an end, and announced to the presenter that he’d be singing “Heaven on their minds”.

He threw his everything into the performance and found himself panting rather heavily when he was done.

Applause startled him. The presenter whooped and hollered and then said, “Wow, that was quite something. Are you sure you’re not a Broadway actor in disguise?”

Blaine laughed. “I wish!”

“And it looks like the listeners agree with me. Look at that, what an overwhelming victory for BLAINE!”

“Yay!” Blaine yelled. He’d given it his all, and he’d actually won!

K&B

Though he was an old hand at giving interviews by now, Kurt found himself fidgeting with his shirt cuffs this time.

It wasn’t the interview itself he was nervous about, but the contest he’d be announcing.

As he talked about celebrating Thanksgiving with his family, and being so grateful for his fans that he wanted to thank them, he felt a bit deceitful. Yes, he truly was thankful for his fans and their support, but his real goal with this contest was something else altogether.

The idea had come to him one night when he’d had a sleepover with Rachel, Quinn, Brittany and Santana, and Santana had wanted to know if Kurt had ever slept with a fan of his.

“I’m sure there’s tons of them that slip you their phone number and that are itching to discover what’s under those tight pants of yours.”

“Nah,” Kurt had said. “Well, I’ve gotten some phone numbers, yes, but I didn’t fancy the guys in question. Too pushy. The worst one’s called Chandler. He comes to my show every night, and he always waits at the stage door, and he’s forever running his hands over me and gushing and professing himself in love with me. Ugh.”

“Well, aren’t there more respectful fans that you’d like to get to know better?”

Kurt had taken another sip of his drink and thought it over.

The first fan that had sprung to mind was IconicWarbler, with his wonderful reviews. Wouldn’t it be great to get to thank him in person for what his words had meant to Kurt? But the chances of ever finding this anonymous reviewer were slim to nil.

Then, Kurt had thought of a fan that hadn’t been such a fixture at the stage door as Chandler, but who had shown up regularly nonetheless. This guy was always dressed dapperly, with gelled hair and a profile that were reminiscent of a 1950s movie star, and with impeccable manners. He clearly loved getting to talk to Kurt, but he never got handsy and never tried to monopolise him.

Yes, that was someone he’d like to get to know better. But how would he manage that?

That’s how he’d come up with the contest plan. It was a wild shot in the dark, and chances were he’d end up meeting and greeting another person entirely, but he wanted to try this.

So he tuned in to that radio station every morning to find out who’d win the quiz that day. He grimaced when he saw the name Chandler pop up, and hoped that would not be the winner of the meet-and-greet package.

The second to last day of the contest, he got a pleasant surprise. One of the contestants, a guy called Blaine, had a voice he recognised – velvety smooth and soothing. Was it… could it be the Mr. Dapper he’d seen so often at the stage door?

Then Blaine started to sing, as an answer to a quiz question, and Kurt was blown away. Wow!

And what did he just say? He’d been in a show choir called the Dalton Warblers?

It might be just a coincidence, of course, but maybe Kurt had found his IconicWarbler…

The next day was the finals, and Kurt cursed loudly and at length when Chandler made it through and was still in the running for the top prize.

Please no!

Thankfully, Blaine made it through as well.

On an impulse, Kurt sent the radio show host a text that said, “Make them sing.”

At first, the two finalists got questions again, but when neither Chandler nor Blaine cracked under the pressure and they just kept giving right answers, the show host decided to make the both of them sing instead.

Yes!

Chandler was as bad a singer as Kurt had hoped, and Blaine was even better than in Kurt’s wildest dreams. He sang better than the actual actor playing in the show with Kurt!

Kurt grinned ear to ear when Blaine was pronounced the winner, and hoped so much that it was the fan he remembered.

The day of the premiere, he felt more than just the usual pre-show jitters. He also felt butterflies in his stomach, as if he was about to go on a first date.

Before the show started, he peeked through the curtain to check the place, front and centre in the Orchestra section, he’d reserved for the main winner of the contest.

He saw a neatly gelled head and fist-pumped. Yes! He’d guessed right! Blaine was Mr. Dapper all right!

Blaine certainly lived up to Kurt’s nickname, as he was dressed to the nines in a tuxedo.

The tuxedo jacket was made of burgundy velvet with black lapels, and Kurt was itching to find out if it was as soft as it looked.

He checked out the other reserved places, and saw Chandler, looking like thunder and throwing poisonous looks in Blaine’s direction. His plus-one seat was the only one left unoccupied.

Kurt drew back from the curtain, and went to have a chat with the security guard, warning him about Chandler, just in case the guy tried to get backstage or to make trouble for Blaine.

And then it was showtime, and Kurt threw himself into the performance with double the energy he’d shown during the dress rehearsal.

Afterwards, while bowing to the audience with the rest of the cast, his eyes strayed to Blaine again, who was clapping and cheering.

See you soon!

Back in his dressing room, he got out of his costume, freshened up and put his regular clothes on in record time, because he wanted to be the first of the actors to welcome Blaine backstage.

When he left his dressing room, he found Blaine attentively listening to John, one of the stage hands, who was explaining how all the equipment worked.

“Hello Blaine!” Kurt said, and Blaine’s attention shifted to him at once.

John chuckled. “I guess that’s my cue to disappear. Once the big star comes out, nobody’s interested in the technical stuff anymore.”

Blaine looked stricken, and started to babble apologies.

John clapped him on the shoulder. “Nah, don’t worry about it. You came here for Kurt and the others, I get it. See you both at the party!”

John left, and Blaine looked after him, biting his lip.

“Don’t worry,” Kurt said. “John’s not offended at all.”

Blaine’s eyes flitted to Kurt, and he flushed and nodded.

“I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?” Kurt asked. “At the stage door?”

“Yes.” It sounded timid and uncertain.

“But this is your first time backstage?”

“Yes.”

Kurt winked at Blaine. “A lot less glamourous than you’d think, right?”

Blaine grinned. “Yep. Smaller, too. But I’m still stoked to get to see it. And it’s so interesting, how it all works…”

“I know, right? I remember when I started working on Broadway that I was fascinated with the technical side of things.”

They stood there, smiling at each other for a moment, and then Kurt said, “Oh, right, I should give you a tour, until my colleagues get here, too. Come with me.”

He let Blaine peek into his dressing room and then took him to see the costumes and the orchestra pit, introducing him to everyone they passed on the way.

By the time Blaine had seen every nook and cranny of the backstage area, the other actors were there to greet him and talk to him.

Blaine was a lot less shy around them than he was around Kurt, and when they all left the theatre to go to the party venue, it felt already as if Blaine was part of the group.

At the party, Kurt introduced Blaine to Rachel as well, and smothered a giggle behind his hand when Blaine treated her as if she were royalty (“It’s such an honour to meet the great Rachel Berry – you are a legend!”) and Rachel lapped it all up.

Rachel and Blaine got on like a house on fire, and Kurt left them to it to go procure some drinks.

When he came back from the bar, Rachel had drifted away to go talk to her off-and-on lover Jesse, and Blaine was talking to one of the musicians about his violin, which was apparently an antique.

“You play the violin?” he asked.

“Well, I haven’t in a while, as I told Ashley, because I need to get round to restringing my violin first, but yes, I do. The piano as well, and drums and guitar.”

“Wow. And you sing so well, too! You should have heard him, Ashley, he sang “Heaven on their Minds” on the radio, and he sounded better than Jesse!”

“Don’t let Jesse hear you say that,” Ashley laughed. “He wouldn’t take it well!”

Kurt handed Blaine a glass of champagne, and offered Ashley the one he’d brought for Rachel. “Cheers!”

A few hours later, he and Blaine were still nursing the same drink and talking their heads off about anything and everything when Rachel turned up again, phone in hand.

“I was just looking on the New York Times website, and it’s weird. Usually around this time, there’s a review already. But this time, not a word from IconicWarbler.”

Blaine’s head shot up, but Rachel didn’t notice, she was too busy scrolling.

“Do you think he didn’t come?” Rachel asked Kurt.

“Oh, he came all right,” Blaine said softly. “He’s just been too… busy to write a review just yet.”

Kurt, who’d had a hunch that Blaine might be IconicWarbler, beamed in satisfaction, and Rachel gasped, “It’s you?”

“It’s me.”

“I love your reviews,” Kurt told Blaine. “They’re always so kind and so supportive. I reread them when I’m having a bad day to get the strength to carry on, and on good days they make me want to strive to become even better. It means the world to me to have you in my corner.”

Blaine took his hand and squeezed it softly. “Always.”

After that, Kurt didn’t stay at the party much longer, and when he left, he took Blaine home with him.

As he explained to Blaine, “I don’t do this, usually. Or ever. But with you, it feels different.”

Blaine nodded. “I know. I feel the same. May I kiss you?”

Kurt threw his arms around Blaine’s neck and pulled him closer until their lips met.

A long moment later, Blaine’s eyes fluttered open and found his, and he whispered, “Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you forever.”

THE END

This is the prompt the story is based on:

Blaine always reviews Kurt's performances in the NYT comments section but uses a nom-de-plume. (Blaine is not a critic--Blaine is in love!) Kurt doesn't know who, but he is also kind of falling for the person giving him such glowing reviews.

[skinnyscottishbloke]

Top 10 Heartstopper Moments (including books, if you've read them)

Oh lorddddddd you’re really out here asking the hard questions huh. Ok. I’m gonna go from the show because while I have read the books it was only once last fall and at this point the show is ingrained in my brain so it’s easier to reference. Also these aren’t really in order of importance because I love all of them. A lot.

1. The first kiss scene!! Omg the tension, the stares, the pinky touches, the toe scooch, Charlie being SO BRAVE, jesus every single thing was so top tier and SO. WELL. ACTED. Insane. It’s insane!! I literally can’t sit still while watching it. Even the music placement was perfect. And the animations of course.

2. The kiss/convo/hug in Charlie’s bedroom This was one of the scenes that won Kit his Emmy I s2g. The actual kiss (hands!! tippytoes!!), the confusion after, Charlie’s reassuring look and comforting hug, all of it was, again, so well acted and emotional and uhhhhh I can’t with these two!!!

3. Nick’s speech to Charlie in the hallway Quite possibly the most perfect romantic declaration of feelings speech in any show or movie maybe ever??? And I love the parallel from earlier; instead of Nick making a move to stop the nervous stream of consciousness chatter from Charlie, it’s Charlie reassuring Nick and kissing him to stop Nick’s nervous babbling. Just shows how perfect these two are for each other 🥰

4. The photobooth scene They’re just soooo cuuutteeee and the pictures are ADORABLE; Charlie finally getting the date he’s always wanted is so important and honestly the whole beach day is precious.

5. Tara and Darcy’s kiss (and Nick’s reaction) This one hits me right in the feels. There’s so much joy and love and happiness in this, with the perfect beat drop and the rainbow animation. And Nick’s face!!! He wants what they have!! He knows he can get it with Charlie!! It’s a fantastic moment for Tara and Darcy and a wonderful motivator for Nick in terms of plot progression.

6. The bowling alley/arcade party This one might be cheating cause it has 4 of my fav moments but we’ll lump them all together anyway. First, the shot of Nick smiling at Charlie during bowling. Boy is literally the definition of heart eyes. Then, the hug. Charlie’s face goes from sad to happy so perfectly and the animations are lovely. Then there’s the gift giving and “that was just one of my favorite days ever” 😭😭 Finally there’s the kiss. So soft and sweet and fluffy. THEY MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS.

7. Charlie running after Nick/the kiss in the rain Charlie literally being like “hi, *cheesy line*, *kiss*, okay bye!!! 😄” and running off. I love him so much!! It’s a perfect capture of butterflies and being impulsively in love, and I have been OBSESSED with What’s It Gonna Be since I first watched it. Actually I’ve been obsessed with the whole soundtrack lbr haha.

8. Nick’s talk with Imogene in the park Another Emmy winning moment. Kit played it SO. WELL. It’s not really a coming out, per say, but to have him phrase how he’s been feeling in a way that Imogene can also identify with in terms of not really fitting in with their group of friends anymore is GENIUS. Alice you amazing writer you.

9. Nick’s coming out scene We knew this one was gonna be on here. God it makes me cry every time. IMPECCABLE acting from both Kit and Olivia and so so important to a lot of people out there, including my bisexual self.

10. The first hug The “you look so cuddly like that” and subsequent hug at Charlie’s house KILLLLL MEEEEEEE. I’m a sucker for hugs anyway so to have it be so soft and slightly awkward followed by Tori’s “I don’t think he’s straight” is PERFECTION. Sheer and utter perfection.

Bonus 11. Handholding/movie theater moments Yes Ep 7 was ROUGH but the “Char” moment, Nick’s face (again!) as he stares at Charlie with heart eyes, and all the pinky and hand holding during the movie was a nice bright spot. My husband Nick (yes Nick, I know lol) and I call each other dork all the time so Charlie leaning up and whispering “you’re a dork” with a giant grin on his face was extra special for me. Also the gay nerd and rugby lad teasing. They’re such good friends and that’s another reason I love them as a couple. They genuinely like each other and find comfort in each other’s company.

Oh jesus I didn’t mention the snow day, or the rugby training montage (Charlie’s little giggle and Nick’s flushed cheeks get me every time), Charlie’s little dance after getting asked on a date, the milkshake cafe, Nick and Tara’s friendship, Tori hugging Charlie, Tori just in general with her older sister magic and snarky comments, running up the stairs at the party, Nick punching Harry, Nick telling Charlie he told Tara and Darcy about them and Charlie’s utter joy at hearing that, the wanting to hold hands on the couch, Nick’s “what? what’s up?”, or about a bajillon other things that make this show my favorite of all time. Seriously how can I pick 10 (or 11 lol) moments??!!!! Everything about this show - writing, acting, music, cinematography, the animations, guh everything is just toooo perfect.

Ask me my Top 5/Top 10 of anything!!!

[vynegar]

anniv3 card liveblog dump. updated as i go. spoiler warning!

luke

i’m gone TT (it’s actually all still pretty fluffy and sweet. barely a hint of angst)

YEAHHHHHHHHHH HIGH SCHOOL!ROSA MY BELOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ah i forgot to show you guys her new outfit in this card, she’s v cute, i’ll screenshot after this flashback scene)

agh. this expression. always so cute TT rosa it is an honor to be able to play as you 🫡

a;dlfjadkl okay i know the card wasn’t hitting (yet) but like. now with the new bgm i’m really feeling something :’) perhaps we will be budgeting for anniv3 after all

HADFJA;LDKJF;LAKJERLAJLEKRJAKLE

omg poetry reference. truly the bread and butter of this blog’s analyses

ok the interactions: i mean, they’re nice. the animation is very fluid and there’s definitely more motion and more variety than in normal card art animations (though those have been advancing over the years too!) lol i think the knowledge of how purely-fanservicey this is kinda limits how excited i get over this part

overall: i mean it’s a good card but doesn’t make me lose my mind over it like luke’s previous anniversary cards; like this is closer to the caliber of a birthday or top-up card. nothing necessarily bad about it but... i think the most emotion i felt was because the combination of a new bgm (or at least new to me) + high school era lukerosa which i have a soft spot for. 

anyway. off to watch vyn’s, which is my last hope for this anniversary really delivering on the card stories :’) also based on my quick glance at his interaction video they might have fixed the piano keys...?? BIG if true

ahhh almost forgot the keepsake!!

BIGHEAD ROSA!!! ahh i was wanting to draw her but mhy beat me to it lol

vyn

omg already >100 comments on his video. yes. my brethren. we are all broke and watching the video instead of getting the card 🤝

55 other people are watching the video literally right now. hell yeah

omg. they really did fix the piano keys XDDDDDDD

me trying to zoom in on the sheet music. LET ME PLAY IT

wow. reference to a very famous and iconic vyn card moment in this story. hint it has to do with water

what the fuck dude extreme weather even showing up in the tot cards TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

whoaaaa okay worldbuilding: svart has its own language i guess? there are labels written in it, and the narrative calls it svart language and not like english or french or whatever

i think a fun thing about backgrounds being reused is that everyone probably has different scenes that they most strongly associate each background with. for me, this is the winery from food for thought. vyn infodumping about how to cultivate wine grapes. mixing wine with sprite. that’s MY reference to a previous vyn card for this story

VYN HAD HIS MOTHER SEND OVER THE PIANO FROM HIS CONFESSION AS THEIR MOVING IN GIFT????????????

VYN WROTE THE SHEET MUSIC!! NEON MELODY CALLBACK????? (HUGE WIN FOR ME PERSONALLY)

ok only halfway through the card rn but i Need to sleep. back tmrw to finish this and to watch marius’s (even though i’ve barely seen any of this recent cards... whoops)

WAAAAAAAAIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT HOLY SHIT THIS FUCKS SO HARD ACTUALLY??? THIS REFERENCE THEY’RE DOING?? WITHOUT STATING IT OPENLY AAAAAAHHHH THIS IS SO POWERFUL TTT

ok here’s vyn’s illustration. wet rain-soaked little meow meow

rosa forgetting about the instant noodles she’s cooking. just like me fr

hmmmm kinda criminal that they’re supposed to be playing piano here and the bgm is one of the ones that DOESN’T have piano

ok yeah they definitely fixed the piano keys. just compare this to the original anniversary PV you’ll see. NOW FIX THE SSS CARD SYSTEM NEXT

one comment saying the sheet music is liebestraum which i was kinda also suspecting since structure is very similar but some of the measures don’t match up exactly (at least not against the copy of sheet music i have). however, the section behind vyn’s right shoulder is pretty much measure 25 and the part behind his left shoulder is close to m35-36. (which... is not a song that vyn wrote xDDD we’ll say he’s alluding to or remixing it for their purposes)

you’re telling me his hand accidentally hits the piano and there’s a “pleasing sound”??? he’s falling backwards onto it and playing chords???

ok back to checking the sheet music (my priorities are exactly where they should be)

i think the two sheets here (behind his left shoulder and under his left hand) are the same page (which we said before was m35-36). it’s the only place in the song where the key signature change looks like that (in the upper right; it’s definitely the sharps pattern and not the flats) and the following sections match as well. so i think that pages goes like this:

line 1: m34-36 (and key change where five sharps are made natural)

line 2: m37-m39

line 3: m40-m42

line 4: m43-44 (not sure if that last note should have a slur tho)

it was kind of throwing me off earlier since some of the chords that would be octaves didn’t seem far apart enough on the card art, but maybe it’s a combo of perspective + shrunk down + artistic license

ok i can’t rly find a keepsake investigation video yet and i’m still just watching the interaction in the bg but this card is fine. i know i got really excited at one point but it’s because i’m especially interested in the plant motif (still have not fully stated what the exact reference was bc i’m sure i’ll point it out later). so far the cards feel like nice top-up cards (since those always make sure to have spicy/fanservice-y parts) that are trying hard to reference previous events. i checked the comments of BOTH vyn and marius videos and there was someone (different people!) asking which of the cards had a better story (because what they’d seen so far was disappointing).... does NOT bode well ufnfortunately

edit: i will say that these even feel a bit worse than top-up cards since those usually try to grapple with substantive potential issues in the relationship, while these anniv3 cards don’t. also still haven’t watched marius’s yet but yamashina jin just translated artem’s card and even she’s disappointed by the writing quality so like... widespread disappointment i suppose 😔

marius

ok yeah this is a very good continuation/evolution of the idea from tideborne romance. unfortunately i was also meh on that card

omg... marius is gonna make himself the present isn’t he....

OKAY THERE’S AT LEAST ONE (1) THING I LOVE ABOUT THIS CARD 🥺🥺 (doesn’t even get a mention in the story it’s just a visual easter egg in the bg)

artem

halfway through pt 2 and i’ve figured out how to describe how i’m feeling. you remember marius’s 1st birthday card when they were just kinda doing random things to fill up time in the plot? it’s kinda like that. (though it doesn’t have the weird ooc-ness of that card and it’s not as long)

the bear from his bday event and the eyemask from wandering heart!! actually maybe my favorite part of these cards will just be the little easter eggs in them

ok so after the “reveal” of what artem is Actually up to, i do like the card more. i really like what his true plan, i just kind of dislike how MC is kept in the dark again. it’s not even bad this time around, like it’s very much a cute surprise between lovers, but i think that stuff in his engagement left a bad taste in my mouth about it and i didn’t want to see it again lol. also, i feel like it would have been cute if mc was the one to propose moving in together (just a random thought since for all the these, it was p much the LI bringing it up)

ok this is one of the better illustrations for anniv3 cards tho.

alright. finished the card. umm nothing more to say xDDD

on the keepsakes tho; these genuinely fuck so hard. also artem's a protective charm from cloudbreak temple and red beans and he recites The Lines again.... literally why can’t we have this kind of energy in the actual card story TTTTT