#because later in the same series he looks about 35

[baronessvonglitter]

Cherry, Cherry 🍒 Chapter 4 🍒

"Ride Along"

pre-outbreak! AU!Joel Miller x f!Reader

Word count: 2.610

Summary: during your ride along, you and Joel become a bit closer.

WARNINGS: 18+ Only! Mature and Explicit, sexual innuendo, flirting, Joel openly gawking at you, you gawking at Joel's delicious biceps, mutual pining (though you're both too nervous to make the first move), you now have a song 🥰, age gap (reader is 18, Joel is 35), reader's race not mentioned, no use of y/n

Author's Note: this was one of the more fun chapters to write! It also brings us the song which (in part) gave me the idea for this story. Give it a listen and tell me you can't see yourself in Joel's truck on a sunny day, windows down, music blasting ☺️

Series Masterlist

The rest of the weekend you spend in daydreams, imagining scenarios that are unlikely to happen, if only to prepare yourself for what may actually happen. Joel is not likely to sneak into your room through your window, nor to approach you in a dimly lit corner at your job. But you like to think you'd have a handle on what would happen next. You like to think he'd be impressed by your maturity, that you're not like other girls your age.

But you have to admit that at the same time you realize you have no idea of the bounds you're crossing, of what lies beyond those daydreams that play out quite safely in your head. You cannot control Joel but it's very likely he can control you, and you're not sure whether that thought excites you or scares you.

Trevor is out of sight, out of mind. He hasn't even bothered to give you a call. Whatever he sensed between you and Joel at the party that night has obviously hurt him, and he's run back to Houston to lick his wounds. You are surprised that you don't think anything about him except mild annoyance.

Should it scare you that an older man is attracted to you? You could easily shut him out, cut it off before whatever this is branches into something uncontrollable. Right now you're safe.

But what if you're tired of safety?

You're living in your cousin's house, per your mother's permission, driving a car that was handed down to you, attending a school that everyone thought was best for you.

So what's wrong with taking a little something for yourself? Figuring something out on your own, even if you might get hurt in the process? Even if you might get rejected?

Curiosity killed the cat, so the saying goes.. But is there any quote about luck? Because it's purely luck that carries you as you catch up with Joel just before he leaves for work one sunny day. Dressed in a white tee with the sleeves rolled up, high-waisted shorts and your favorite Converse high tops, you catch up with him at his passenger window. "I'm coming with you today," you say with more confidence than you feel, now that you're actually face to face with Joel again. You're taking the initiative because he hasn't reached out. Too late you realize you may be an inconvenience.

Joel looks like a deer in headlights, and for a moment you find it so cute. "Oh.. really? I, uh.. sure, that works." He pops the automatic locks on his door and waits until you step in to turn the engine on.

You smile brightly, heart hammering in your chest. "Good, because I'm buying lunch for us later." You put on your seat belt. "Where are we going first?"

He eyes you as you make yourself comfortable in his truck, and it doesn't escape you that his gaze travels up your legs and to your thighs. You wonder if he's remembering how they feel around him. Then he clears his throat and begins to back out of the driveway. "Well, we got two more new jobs that need to be done, so we'll head to those first." His arm reaches across the back of your headrest as he maneuvers the truck onto the street.

"What kinds of sites are they? Residential? Commercial?"

Joel glances at you and a smirk crosses his lips. "You've done your homework on the contracting business, haven't ya?"

You blush with pride. "There's this beautiful thing called the internet," you remind him.

"Ah, that's a foreign concept to a dinosaur like myself," his deep, warm voice sounds serious but there's a twinkle in his eyes. "Actually, they're both residential jobs. New roofing on one, and the other..." he trails off and you realize he's lost in thought, looking down, obviously distracted by the point where the hem of your jean shorts meets the flesh of your thigh. "The, uh, other job.. is rebuilding a garage." You smile as he forces his eyes back to the road, your heart skips several beats.

"Maybe it's time for some music?" you suggest, as the tension is palpable, and you know he can feel it.

"Yeah, sounds good to me." He reaches over and turns on the radio. The end of an oldies song blasts from the speakers, and is followed by another, and you immediately recognize the bright guitar melody, it's the opening of "Cherry, Cherry". With a grin you start swaying along to the music.

"I love this song," Joel says, his expression one of wonderment. "What's a kid like you know about Neil Diamond?"

"Just that this is one of my favorite songs," you reply with a cheeky grin. "And now it'll remind me of this moment."

Baby loves me, yes, yes she does Ah, the girl's outta sight, yeah Says she loves me, yes, yes she does Mmm, gonna show me tonight, yeah

When he smiles at you there's a warmth in his eyes. "It'll remind me of this moment, too."

"Then I guess this is our song," you say with certitude, leaning back against the seat, the wind ruffling your hair. "Joel, can I ask you something.. kinda personal?"

It looks like he's mentally and physically preparing himself for what your question could be. "Sure. What's up?"

You pause, second-guessing yourself. "So, why don't you have a girlfriend? I mean, I assume you're single." Your voice shakes a little as you ask, and you wonder if he can hear it.

Joel reddens slightly. "Well.. I've just been really busy with work and raisin' Sarah. Never really had time to invest in a relationship before."

You want to ask about Sarah's mom. It's been a burning question ever since you've known him, and you haven't been able to get any information from Sarah herself, whose face clouded at any mention of a lack of female presence in her life. For now it doesn't feel right to ask, and you don't want to put a dent in the fledgling friendship between you and Joel. That's a question you tuck away into your pocket for a later time. Your expression turns playful. "I guess it must be harder as you get older."

He gives a little chuckle. "Yeah, as you get older it gets harder. Women start to want kids.. want to get married."

"Are you against getting married?" you ask, genuinely curious.

There's a long silence from him and you worry whether you've crossed a boundary, brought up a sore subject. "I don't know," he answers with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I get it. Honestly the odds are against married couples. Over fifty percent of marriages end in divorce."

"Yeah. I know a lot of guy who've been burned in marriage."

You wonder if he's including himself in that number and your eyes soften. You feel it's callous to prod him and give pointless statistics. "One of my best friends back home is getting married soon. Her boyfriend proposed on graduation day. He's going into the Marines.. I can't imagine getting married at eighteen."

"Well, I can't say I'd be totally against marriage, if it was with the right person." Joel's smile is nervous, and he focuses on driving.

You could ask him what the qualifications are, and measure yourself against them, but you highly doubt 'teenaged college freshman' is one of the distinguishing characteristics he'll mention wanting in a wife. So you gracefully change the subject as you see the job site up ahead. "I'm excited to see you in action," you grin at him.

"You're excited to see me in action?" he repeats. "Well get ready. 'Cause I'll show you how I do it."

Your heart skips a beat and your blush at his innuendo. Is it innuendo?

It has to be, because he continues. "If you want, you can be my assistant. I can tell you exactly how I want things done." He gives you a side-eye and smirks. He drives up to the site and parks.

You bite your lip, taking the bait. "I'm a fast learner." You're flirting, yes, flirting back.

"I'll show you everything you need to know.."

You wet your lips with your tongue, your face still red. "I'll bet there's a lot you could teach me.."

"There is," his voice is husky, almost strained. "I'd enjoy teachin' you."

There's a tingling in your body as the flirtation seems to have taken a serious turn. Your brain locks up, taking the safest route back. "You're funny, Joel." Your smile is forced.

There's a moment of quiet, a silence that is rife with tension. "I'm not tryin' to be."

You look at him. A new tension fills the air, something exciting and new. You swallow hard. "Think we should get out?"

His countenance changes abruptly, back to factory settings. "If you want. They're almost done here, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Trying to get rid of me that quickly?"

He smirks again and hands you a bright yellow hard hat. "Come on, it's hard hat time. Can't have you gettin' hurt while you're my assistant, now can I?"

You put the hat on and it's a little bigger than you need. Seeing that smirk on his face has brought out something within you, and the words bubble up in your throat. "Can't do it without protection," you smirk back.

"Very true," he says, and you admire him with that yellow piece of plastic on his head. "But there are certain times for exceptions."

"Really? When are those times?" You watch him blush. "Come on, you're the expert. You tell me."

Now out of the truck he eyes you again, and this time you let yourself bask in how it feels. "Am I dressed okay?"

He swallows hard and gives a curt nod. "You won't see me complainin'." Just then a hopeful look crosses his face, as if he's remembered something. "You doin' anything tonight?"

Your heart leaps and you shut your mouth tight in fear it may just jump right out and land at Joel's feet. "Um, I don't think so. Why?"

He rubs the back of his neck and you watch, enrapt, as his bicep flexes. "Well me, Tommy, and some of the guys are gettin' together for a beer after work and Sarah's gonna be all by herself. I'm not sayin' she needs a babysitter, but I know she'd rather spend time with you than alone. Would you be okay comin' over, or her comin' to you?"

Your smile is wide so as to cover the hurt you feel that he didn't ask you out, and then you feel foolish for having thought it would happen at all. "Of course, Joel." Though Sarah probably would have come over even without her dad suggesting it.

"Yeah.. thanks. It's just gonna be.. y'know.. catchin' up with some friends who are in town."

You raise your brow, silently wondering if those friends include women, older women who have more confidence and experience than you. "You gonna wear something other than this?" You playfully tug at his gray t-shirt.

His grin is infectious. He obviously likes your teasing. "You don't think it looks good on me?"

"You look good all the time," you reply, walking ahead, smiling, blushing.

You watch as Joel checks out the site, giving instructions to different workers. It's a side of him you've never seen before. You watch him when you know he's not looking, taking in the way his clothes hug him in all the right places, especially his biceps: round, thick and smooth, half-hidden under his t-shirt sleeves.

When you stop for lunch at a sandwich place, you both sit in the bed of the truck, enjoying your meal. "So tonight.." you wash down your food with some water. "Should I have Sarah at my place in case you bring someone home?" It hurts to ask, as if by simply suggesting that such a thing would happen, that it already has.

Joel only shakes his head, a little amused by your question. "I don't think there's much of a chance of that happenin', sweetheart."

He calls you 'sweetheart' and it's like a caress on your skin. You have to remember to breathe. "You never know. You're hot, you have to know that." At this Joel nearly chokes on his food and you chuckle, patting his back until he's okay again. "There are some women out there who prefer a no-strings attached kind of thing."

"No-strings-attached isn't my thing," he says solidly. "I'm gettin' too old for that kinda bullshit. I want strings attached."

His gaze upon you is piercing, liable to steal your breath away. "I guess that's how it should be. Just two people for each other."

"Yeah.. two people for each other." He finishes his lunch and so do you. "We should be headin' to the next site."

He has to be teasing me. It's just meaningless chatter to someone young and inexperienced. He's having fun at my expense because I'm allowing it.

On the drive to the next, you keep quiet, thinking deeply. Oldies play on the radio but you block out the details of who and what is playing.

"Looks like you'll finally be rid of me after this," you tell him once you're parked at the second site. You get out together.

He chuckles. "Yeah, finally. Some peace and quiet."

You smile back. "Aw, you'll miss me."

"Oh, I don't think I'll miss you for one second." Joel puts his hands on his hips, a silly, defiant stance.

You poke his chest. "If you say so."

He pokes you right back. "Yeah, I say so."

"Come on, don't you have a job to do?"

"Yeah, come on, sweetheart. Let's get to work." This plays out the same as at the first site. Your eyes don't even take in the architecture of what these men are doing. You just see Joel.

"I thought I might get to see you in action," you say once you're away from the builders. "I thought I'd get to see you hammering or sawing.."

"You want to see me use my muscles or somethin', sweetheart?" He steps close to you. "I don't think you can handle it."

"You don't know what I can handle," you tell him with a little attitude, your hand on your hip.

"Sweetheart, you're about half my size. I don't think you could handle what I'm packing." He wears a smug smirk. "But I'd love to show you."

Not for the first time you feel a rush of heat to your core. "I'd love to see it.."

He's even closer to you now. Your entire body sizzles. "Maybe it's time I show you exactly what you'd be working with, sweetheart."

Joel's phone chirps and he frowns as he picks it up. The mood, while not shattered, has changed and you're both back on Planet Earth. You can't help but feel a little bummed.

"I have an emergency I need to tend to. Is it okay if I drop you off real quick?"

"Sure," you smile. On the ride home Joel is on his phone, talking to one of the men on his crew, discussing the problem in question. Your thighs stick to the leather seats. Once you're home he gives a quick smile and wave before driving off.

As you walk through the door you get a text from Hailey, a friend from the cafe. party tonight! finally 21! come thru

You said you'd keep Sarah company while Joel is out, but maybe there's a way you can do both..

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divider by @saradika-graphics 👑

[thatchickwithtoomanyhobbies]

Because the story I was writing was deleted courtesy of my parrot (apparently bird tongues work on tablet screens), I leave you with whatever this is:

I can’t be the only one who thinks Rafe Adler from Uncharted 4 looks extremely similar to Zussman from COD WW2. This means it’s conspiracy theory time!

Zussman is between 21-23 during the events of COD WW2, so still very young. Rafe Adler is somewhere in his 30’s during the events of Uncharted 4, which is set in 2016. For the sake of this theory, we’ll go with about 35.

Let’s say Zuss got married at 25 in 1947, and had a daughter (let’s call her Lisa) in 1950. If Rafe is 35 in the events of Uncharted, that would place his birthday sometime in 1981. The same year Lisa would 31.

It’s canon that Zussman’s family owned a store of some kind his entire life. It’s also canon in the uncharted series that Rafe inherited his family’s business- a chain of big box retailers.

What if Zussman took over the family business and managed to grow it enough to be able to open more locations across America? He’d probably pass it down to his daughter, Lisa, who would take over running it probably sometime in the 70’s.

Let’s say Lisa meets a guy (let’s call him Richard Adler) at age 27, dates him for a couple years, then marries him in 1980 at the age of 30. A year later they have their first child, Rafe Adler, Zussman’s grandson that eventually takes over the business.

“But, Bird! Rafe has contact with mercenaries! How does that work?” I hear you.

What if Aiello’s family has ties to the Italian mafia? What if Aiello looped Zussman in and they used the original store as a front for shady business dealings? What if Zuss used his cut to grow the store? What if the girl Zussman married is Aiello’s own sister? The two families are now tied together.

Rafe needs a mercenary for finding Avery’s treasure? Why not call one of Aiello’s grandchildren (his cousins) whom he grew up with, and happens to know a certain Nadine Ross?

Anyway that’s just a fun theory and probably not canon whatsoever. But it sure is fun to think about. And you can’t deny that Rafe looks like Aiello and Zussman put together. 😉

I hope your enjoying this gamer girl’s takes while the fanfiction section of my brain isn’t operating. Let me know if you want more of these.

[mimisempai]

It's the biter bit

Summary

Aziraphale is looking for a book he promised to lend Muriel and when Crowley finds it, he thanks him in a rather pleasant way, but could there be more behind a story about a misplaced book?

Notes

50 Types of Kisses - Writing Prompts

Kiss #35: Playing a trick on the other to get a kiss

Thank you @rins-love-wins for the idea

On Ao3

Rating G -  538 words

"Where did I put that book?"

From the sofa, Crowley watched as Aziraphale paced back and forth, checking all the shelves. Every so often, the angel would stop, take a closer look, shake his head, and resume his search.

The demon couldn't help but tease his lover and said cheekily, "Angel, I find it rather amusing that you talk about putting things away where your books are concerned."

Aziraphale glared darkly before retorting, "I won't stoop to answering that. Besides, instead of watching me and making fun of me, you could help me find it. Didn't you boast that you knew the contents of the bookshop better than I did?"

The angel raised an eyebrow and stared at him challengingly.

Crowley chuckled softly before standing up and asking, "What book are you looking for?"

Aziraphale sighed, "You know, the book I promised Muriel, the one we talked about yesterday, Watership Down."

"Oh yes, the story of the rabbit family?"

"Yes!"

Crowley walked along one of the shelves and a few seconds later exclaimed, "Angel, I think I've found it. Is this the one?"

Aziraphale joined him and, seeing the book in his hands, exclaimed, "Yes, it is! Amazing!"

He added, "I don't know what I'd do without you. You really do know the inside of my bookshop better than I do. How can I ever thank you?"

Though the question was rhetorical, the demon seized the opportunity and, leaning toward the angel, replied with a mischievous gleam in his eye, "I may have an idea.

Aziraphale immediately saw where Crowley was going with this, took the book from his hands, and placed it on a shelf. Then he wrapped his arms around the demon's neck, brought his face close to his and replied in the same tone, "Then let me thank you.

He rose to his tiptoes and pressed his lips to the demon's, capturing them in a kiss that expressed his gratitude far better than words. 

When they parted a little later, the demon who had wrapped his arms around the angel's waist said softly, "You're welcome, Angel. However..."

He suddenly looked embarrassed and continued, "I have to admit, if you didn't find the book easily, it's because I hid it last night."

"Crowley! Why would you do such a thing?!"

The demon raised his hand and, caressing the angel's lips with his thumb, replied, "To be thanked exactly as you just thanked me."

Aziraphale chuckled and then, kissing the demon's thumb still on his lips, replied, "You know, you don't have to use such devious means to be kissed."

"But that was fun, wasn't it?"

The angel nodded, then said mischievously, "It's actually kind of fun, especially considering..."

He paused, nibbling playfully at the demon's thumb before continuing, "...that I knew you'd hidden it there."

"What?!"

"Isn't that a perfect example of the human saying it's the biter bit?"

Crowley removed his finger from Aziraphale's lips and, cupping the angel's face between his hands, said in a falsely threatening tone, "You'll see who's going to bite who!"

Then he captured the angel's lips and worked to wipe away his lover's cheeky smile with his own lips in a kiss that was nothing biting and everything sweet.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable kisses series : here

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here

Ineffable Growing Love - Series post S2

Part 1 Story 1-99

Part 2 Story 100-?

[anderperrylover]

THOUGHTS? DEAD POET'S SOCIETY EDITION

Just thoughts I wanted to get out there

So Dead Poet's Society? Right? Now that I think of it was a film that came out when my dad was in his like late teens (technically he was around the same age as some of the cast). And somehow this film - made and released during their time has been one that resonated with the next generation? I am looking at the film and thinking, and I couldn't help but wonder.

I am not talking specifically about the aesthetic or anything but namely how this one film was definitely not made for my demographic. However - 35 or so years later I read a post here or come across a playlist or an edit or a series of head canons - I see how much this single film has impacted generations who came after.

I relate to this film on a very personal level (put the shipping factors aside). I remember watching scenes with Neil and I could almost recall having similar conversations in life and I had to take a step back and think as to why I wanted to block this film out for a while. I resonated with Todd as a writer but also as someone who had a very similar experience (shy - lack of confidence - but one who found their people). Other than that there were relationships within the story that made me look back at the ones I have and had and all that I am grateful for.

Also as a coming of age film I feel like it is one of the most realistic ones out there. The themes and the extremely bittersweet ending are raw and it hit me like a pile of bricks. The fact that they fell apart because of the things they loved - the heart of the group not being there made things drift apart - and those dreamers and poets who speak out are the ones to leave behind a deeply flawed system (and the cause and reason and leaving is depicted in extremely sad ways - they might give up on everything - or be kicked out for what they believed in - or carry extreme guilt for the rest of their lives) - There are those who fall in love and the ones that betray you and all of that can happen in just a few month. Things that took years to build like friendships and fellowships can crumble because of something external and all you believed in might not fix that.

(Also something weird just jog my memory if I am wrong but throughout the film these three use O Captain, My Captain - and its all in important moments - The last one to use it is Todd - Which I just think just captures his growth - he's taken up the confidence brought by two of his closest friends and a teacher who changed his life for at least a small fraction in time)

I had a few teachers in my life like Keating. They are the reason I never gave up on writing or doing things I love. They gave me reason to believe that I had something small I could put to use - I had a teacher who taught me at 14 who told me to never give up writing and another teacher who told me to continue writing poetry - another who showed to me that I should continue to fall in love with reading - another who showed me that the world was beyond the academics (as I studied classics - it was far more than that cookie cutter stereotype) - Also Keating as a teacher who actually listens - who is there to guide and help the boxes that literally hold students in uniformity

I don't know why - and how a film from the past can have such an impact on me in the 21st century - Very few films have impacted me in this manner and most of the films that have impacted me in that way were released in my lifetime. That being said I think myself lucky to have this to go back to. The film is a cathartic ritual of living, laughing in the moment and weeping and crying afterwards.

[anthropologist-on-the-loose]

discworld looks like such a fun book series!!! but the large amount of novels and of different suggested reading orders have put me off actually starting the series. do you have any suggestions?

Yes!!!

Here's a little secret for you: most of the Discworld novels are actually fairly short, especially the early ones. I first read almost all of the Discworld books in one summer between 8th and 9th grade (there was roughly about 35 of them published at that time). So while the number of books can look intimidating, most of them are a much quicker read than the doorstoppers people tend to imagine when thinking about classic long-running fantasy series.

Regarding the reading order: yeah, there's a ton of different suggested reading orders out there. This is for two reasons. The first reason is that quite simply, the earliest books in the series... don't measure up to the standards of his later works. They're not bad, per se. But when compared to his later books, they're not as polished and the pacing isn't great. Early Discworld books also don't have nearly as much pointed social commentary; they're largely parodies of the standard sword-and-sorcery fantasy tropes that were popular in 80s pulp fiction. They're still decently funny if you're familiar with fantasy genre cliches from 40 years ago, but even then they may not be compelling enough to make you want to read thirty more of them. That's why most Discworld fans try to get people to start by reading later works.

Which brings us to our second reason for all the different reading orders: unlike many series where reading the books out of order wouldn't make any sense from a plot or character development perspective, each novel in the Discworld series could technically be a stand-alone book. While most of the books do follow each other chronologically in the same order they were published, they don't need to be read in that order to be understood. My personal reading order for Discworld was literally "whichever book is currently available at the library within biking distance" and I still was able to enjoy all of them.

Within the broader series, there are a few "sub-series" - series which follow the same character and/or set of characters over time. These sub-series are usually the easiest way to get people into Discworld, because once they become invested in a particular character they're likely to want to keep reading about that character.

The main sub-series people tend to recommend is the City Watch sub-series (starting with "Guards! Guards!"). This is for a number of undeniably valid reasons. The main character is very flawed but very likable, the books usually have a whodunnit plot that can attract people who might not normally read fantasy genre, and they're pretty influential in regards to the overall development of the Discworld's world building.

The second favorites for recommended sub-series are usually either the Death books (starting with "Mort", follows the actual physical Grim Reaper and his mostly human family either having or solving various existential crises) or the Moist von Lipwig books (starting with "Going Postal", a later but important entry in the series following conman Moist von Lipwig as he establishes various governmental institutions such as the post office or the mint (this series literally helped me better understand our real-life contemporary fiscal system)).

But what might draw you in to Discworld in general really can depend on what kind of interests you have. For example, if you're a big fan of Shakespeare and are really familiar with his works, Wyrd Sisters will probably draw you in with all the Shakespeare references. But if you're not as familiar with Shakespeare, then that particular book may not be the most interesting starting point.

My first Discworld novel was "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" (my friend at the time wanted me to read it because she had pet rats and was scouring the library for books where rats were heroes instead of villains). It's technically a young adult novel, but the storytelling and writing style was intriguing enough to get me looking for more.

I think my single favorite Discworld novel is "Small Gods", which is a standalone novel (not part of any sub-series) about what religion means. Part of it is that I happened to read it at just the right time in my life, but also it's just a great book that discusses some truly meaningful issues around belief and religion and it influenced how I see the world. Plus, on a conceptional level? The plot is hilarious. "All powerful god of a monotheistic religion accidentally gets stuck in the form of a tortoise and only one single person can speak with him so now they have to work together to prove to everyone in their pseudo-Catholic community that God is currently a literal tortoise."

I guess. If you've managed to read this far. If you have any further questions. Feel free to ask as you can probably see that I'd be more than happy to answer them.

P.S. This is one of the better "get started reading Discworld" guides I've seen

[bangtansmauyeondan]

THIRTY-FIVE | S04 E02 — The Night is Still Young

Pairing: In-Studio Director!Jungkook x Stage Director!Fem Reader

Genre: rivals au, social media au, frenemies to lovers, slow burn, fluff, smut, angst, crack.

Rating: 18+

Warnings: explicit language, mentions of abandonment, alcohol consumption, harmless scheming, dare, bet, smut

Summary: It has always been the battle of the best between you and your college rival, Jungkook. What happens when years later, you cross paths again working for the same network broadcasting company, and the competitive flame is rekindled? Well, a whole new drunken bet that determines your futures wasn’t in your line of vision but here you are… and you have until 35.

SERIES TAGLIST: @fragmentof-indifference @babyboo22 @dionysusenthusiast @luaspersona @timelessruins @royallyjjk @sandraviolante-blog @quarter-life-crisis2 @jub-jub @pb-n-juju @jeonxgoogiee @sugaluvmyg @lookformyvoice @fairy-jaykay @juju-227592 @such-a-wh0re @hoseoksluv89 @exhibitachol @kleirielk @era-genius @hyuneyeon @jjkw-7 @ktownshizzle @parkinglot-nights

PERMANENT TAGLIST: @snoozeagustd @persphonesorchid @thatbangtanjagiya @taestefully-in-luv @pamzn @wrmnssoul @ygbubs @halesandy @jayhope88 @bnagtanx1306 @pinkseokchim @busanbby-jjk @babycandy111

•••

—

“Don’t worry about your car, I’ll drive it back to yours tomorrow,” DK gave you a quick hug before you hopped up on Jungkook’s car.

“Okay…”

Your boyfriend made sure you’re safely inside before shutting the door, turning to DK and Mingyu before giving them a manly pat on the shoulder each. “See you later.”

“Drive safe, bro.” Mingyu waved him off and stood on the sidewalk with DK until they saw him drive off.

The four of you agreed to meet up at DK’s place for some barbecue but ended up sharing a feast at a newly opened restaurant a few blocks away. Dinner was filled with laughter, banter, and lots of stories from your college days. You and Jungkook were still laughing about them in the car as you drove off.

“... and then Soonyoung kept on insisting the word was ‘EPIK HIGH,’” you were almost crying from laughter on the passenger seat.

“What was he trying to guess again?” Jungkook couldn’t help but chuckle, because your laughter was contagious.

“Jeonghan said ‘apple mango,’ but Mingyu misread his lips as ‘apple pie.’”

“Ohh… apple pie - Epik High…” Jungkook burst into laughter imagining the whisper challenge game that their friends did at their graduation party. He knew he had fun that night but his memory was clouded by the kiss you shared underneath the lamppost outside, when he attempted to walk you home.

“I can’t believe you don’t remember any of it!”

“I do remember that I kissed you outside that night though…” he glanced at you with a small smile that got you flustered. Jungkook noticed the tinge of red that graced the apple of your cheeks, “What? Did I make your heart flutter?” He smirked.

“Stop!” You avoided his gaze and distracted yourself with the strap of your purse. “Focus on driving, bun.”

“Yes, ma’am…” He replied in a sing-song voice, internally smiling at the term of endearment you used on him.

“Wait… I just remembered–”

“Oh yeah, I have–”

Both of you started at the same time.

“Ladies first… what did you remember, hun?”

“Okay…” You adjusted yourself in the seat to get a good look at the backseat of Jungkook’s car. “Did you bring your gear with you?”

“Yeah, they’re mostly in the trunk. Why?” Jungkook curiously eyed you while tonguing his lip ring. “Do you need anything?”

“Mingyu said when you tried to ask me out all those years ago, but accidentally insulted me instead, you had a great big plan in mind.” You started. “He said you wanted to go on a photowalk and take my photos.”

Jungkook pursed his lips and nodded, “Yeah, I think the photos would turn out better because you’re the prettiest muse.” He shook his head in disbelief, remembering the day and his words clear as day. “Ugh, I can’t believe I worded that incorrectly back then! So stupid, Jeon Jungkook!”

You were momentarily entranced as you took a good look at the man sitting next to you. The streetlights reflected in his eyes, making them a bit more sparkly, like they hold the entire galaxy in them. The soft yellow glow illuminating his face highlighted his beautiful features, too.

“The night is still young, bun…” You smiled up at him before reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. You’re loving this slightly longer hair on him. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

As if on cue, the traffic lights turned red, giving Jungkook the perfect opportunity to cup your face between his palms and leaned in for a soft kiss. “Yes, let’s do it!”

—

“I had so much fun, bun.” You and Jungkook walked hand in hand as you made your way to your front door. “We’re always so busy with work, that we sometimes forget how good it feels just to walk around and take the outdoors in.”

“Hmm…” Jungkook hummed in agreement. “I’m a bit sad though.”

You let out a small gasp, stopping in your tracks. “Why?”

“You didn’t even let me get a decent photo of you,” he pouted.

“Why do you need a photo of me?” You teased, momentarily letting go of his hand to key in your door code.

Jungkook rested his hand on the small of your back as he guided both of you inside. “Why would I not want a photo of you?” He replied softly, a tinge of hurt still apparent in his voice.

“Hey…” You turned around to face him before wrapping your arms around his neck. Like clockwork, Jungkook automatically wrapped his arms around your waist and leaned in to rest his forehead against yours. “Are you seriously sad that I didn’t let you take my photos?”

“Hmn…” He closed his eyes and heaved in a deep breath. “I just want to freeze these moments with you, you know? I want to see you, all sides of you, from all angles.”

Jungkook’s words would have reduced you into a mushy puddle if they could. The sincerity in his voice, coupled with his warm breath tickling your cheeks, were enough to set your heart ablaze. His close proximity made you hyper sensitive too, especially when his fingers grazed the exposed skin near the waistband of your jeans.

You ran your fingers through your boyfriend’s hair from the back of his head, putting just a little pressure on his scalp, causing a small groan to escape from his lips. Without missing a beat, you gently pulled him down towards your face for a sweet kiss.

Jungkook kissed you back, one hand sneaking underneath your shirt, splaying across the small of your back. The other, resting on your jaw, angling your face as he deepened the kiss.

“Jungkook,” you whispered breathlessly between kisses.

“Yes…?” Jungkook continued kissing you, planting soft pecks on the corner of your lips, your jaw, and the sweet spot beneath your ear.

“You can see all of me now…”

Jungkook stopped to catch his breath, eyes roaming across your face as if seeing you for the first time again. His mind began getting hazy as he got all worked up, not sure if he’s reading too much into things, or if you’re really saying what he thinks you’re saying. “Baby…” He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, before tilting your chin up to look straight into your eyes. “Please tell me you want this as much as I do.”

“I want this,” you reached out to touch his face, his eyes closing at the contact. “You can see all of me now…” you smiled up at him.

Jungkook pulled you closer to him, feeling your heartbeats against each other. “All of you?”

“All sides of me…” you kissed his nose. “From all angles.”

Finally, you captured his lips again.

•••

A/N - Idk let me know if you want to see more of this couple as the night deepens, and I could probably let you in on the fun next update! ;) PS - I’ve missed you! Come talk to me!

[yliaster]

dgm 252 (spoilers obviously) (extremely disjointed thoughts)

ok so i understand that it seems the "role" of recording the holy war has the name "lavi", which is why the past bookman junior and now the present junior have the same name.

but seeing as how past!allen was de-aged by apocryphos' attack, then lavi hugged/shielded him during that blow, I guess they were both de-aged and lost their memories???? ok at the beginning of the chapter, allen looks to be the same age-ish as the current one so like 15-18 idk how old he is rn. and then later he's noticeably older, so sure let's say 40. then allen deaged to maybe idk 5 y/o. and then the series starts and he's 15 again.... that makes 35 years i guess. or what if they blimped out of time for a bit and then the spiral spit them back out??? the noahs already have some kind of parallel universe? time travel? I really dont remember? whatever thing going on

past!lavi has droopy eyes...... I feel like this is a very noticeable trait that present!lavi has. and like. with past!allen you can very clearly tell it's allen, only with his original hair colour. his face is very allen, ignoring his hair. I feel like past!lavi and present!lavi are the same person????????/

past!junior disappeared, so I think this is why there is no body??????

though ngl he really looks like cross in the last panel. idk.

.......wait who has a picture of present allen and lavi standing next to each other. i feel like the height difference between allen and cross is bigger. i really dont think the past!lavi is cross, in my heart. if im wrong, im wrong.

---

...also it's hilarious that allen and neah only spoke once. wtf?

past!lavi offered to be neah's host but at that time it was already "too late"... but neah really looked like he was hurting a lot at that time so like what? is it because of his "contract" with past!allen that even if he died at that point, he was transferred to allen's body no matter how far they were. not that it really matters that much i guess...?

lavi considers neah his friend, but doesn't call him that because probably neah would tease him for it... i think? on the other hand, neah considers allen his friend but they only talked once? allen knows nothing about neah? what was allen's wish? to live? to end war?

---

......i still don't understand why apocryphos is personally obsessed with allen. he targets past!allen because he's the 14th's host, tries to kill him, notably fails. and now (present day) he's raving on about him being an angel. is it because the innocence that he tried to use to kill him actually accepted him instead?????

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 35 - The Gobbal Set

Finally, a non-heavy, light little episode. Thank god.

Their conversation is cute, their closed sign is cute, even they're both cute.

Never ask a woman her age, a man his salary, and Kerubim Crepin to tell a single story where he went to Brakmar, despite that seemingly happening many times, between, and those are just the ones I can remember at the moment, his and Lou's "slaughter safaris in Sidimote Moors" or having a rare sword from there.

He's trying to "disappear" all the occasions that may or may not involve Atcham out of his life, as if it's 1984.

He is so normal.

Kerubim would love NFTs.

I love you, Kerubim's Unspecified Adult Responsibilities.

Joris is so special for this.

I like to imagine, that as an adult, he publishes sad """romance""" novels under thirty pen names (lest anyone in his real life learns he has emotions)

They are, in part, musings on why one must imagine someone spending thousands of years of immortality happily, — the same way Sisyphus must be happy, haha.

If Kerubim and Atcham learn about this, he will explode.

He truly is god's strongest Kerubim apologism warrior.

I just wanted to include this because gay people.

He is so bad at this. It's very cute. I love him.

Let the traumatic flashbacks to Kerubim actually almost drowning commence:

I'm insane about researching Joris's psyche.

Is there anything you'd like to tell us, Joris? Does this make you scared frequently, haha? Do you think about this a lot?

A friend had recently convinced me of the headcanon that Joris has OCD (not that I needed much convincing. If you've read my fics, I uh... accidentally gave Joris OCD in one of them. Whoopsie.), and while it's mostly about his adult self, I can see him having inclinations/some form of that even as a child.

Mostly due to the "persistent scary thoughts of someone he loves dying," "being so upset by the concept of changing bedtimes, that is a Nightmare to him," "needing reassurance that his thoughts of Kerubim dying are Not going to happen for real," things, — which look similar to the way intrusive thoughts and thought spirals work, — as well as the "having so much anxiety compared to an average seven-year-old (due to Kerubim and the general home situation), that he sometimes still sucks his thumb while sleeping" thing.

He looks so peaceful here. Cute.

It is interesting that he values something that was quiet and quaint so much. I guess both excitement and the calm, are equally important to him. It makes sense, considering he keeps pivoting between returning to adventure, and then going on breaks again, during his long, immortal life after the series.

(From this show's quietude, to moving between cities, to settling down in Bonta for a little bit. Then, two-hundred-something years later, yet again, more adventures, and yet again, settling down in Astrub. Then in Wakfu, moving to Bonta again, going on missions with Joris, and complaining that he needs his retirement, while getting beat up heavily due to lack of regular training. His switching between these two things is so interesting.)

He's so funny for this.

[pedges]

to polish up a diamond - chapter i [4.3k]

joel miller x afab!reader

summary: “We can get an annulment,” Joel says, cutting you off. It’s almost as if he couldn’t wait to say it, and you’re not sure why that stings so much.

“Yeah—yes,” you mutter, swallowing the softball lodged in your throat. You clear it in hopes of sounding more compelling when you speak again. “Of course. Duh.” 

or, the one where you wake up married to Joel Miller.

series notes: this is set in 2013, no virus; joel is 35, reader is 30. i wanted to make this as gender neutral as possible, but it will eventually become pertinent that reader is afab, and their gender expressions lean towards a more feminine side. if i eventually end up using pronouns, this note will be updated! also - this fic is being written with reader being a BIPOC in mind, in small ways, but it will be there in later chapters. (also joel is latino so, yeah.)

content for the series: 18+ themes (allusions to, and eventual smut, alcohol, swearing, etc), friends to lovers, accidental marriage, mutual pining

chapter warnings: allusions to drunken sex

chapter ii

a/n: this is unbeta'd (hoping to find one soon!), and i am terrified of posting this for some reason. just wanted to write a silly good time, and i hope i deliver! enjoy, my friends

You read about Paris syndrome in an article once, and laughed about it.

You laughed, because it seems a little silly to you to get your hopes up so high, that you go insane when reality doesn’t even graze the expectations. Paris exists on the same little drab Earth that you do. It’s just a place with buildings, and people, and croissants, and the Eiffel Tower. 

Not the only one either, because you’re standing at the base of it, head cocked to the side, face scrunched up, staring hard—as if you can get it to turn into something it’s not. Like, the real Eiffel Tower, for starters. Or maybe even the one in Paris, Texas, with the little cowboy hat on it. That’s when you get it, you think, because if it’s anything like this, you’d end up out of your goddamn mind by the end of any trip to Paris. Then again, it’s not really fair, is it? Paris is Paris—and you talk a big game now, but you know that if you were really there, you’d buckle at the knees. But right now, you’re standing here with an oversized frozen drink from Fat Tuesday’s, one where the sugar can’t drown out the taste of the tequila, someone is pissing in a bush nearby, and you can’t feel your teeth—so you’ve got only a modicum of room to talk. 

“Do—do you think the real thing is like this?” you ask into the night air, and even though you’re being quite harsh, you can’t deny how dazzling the lights are. Turning your head, you look at Joel, who’s standing there looking at you looking at the fake Eiffel Tower. His eyes are glazed over, yours probably are too, and he hiccups once. 

“Wouldn’t know,” he says, and then, “You’re awfully pretty right now.” 

Something flutters in your stomach. It’s not quite as graceful as butterflies—it leans towards something more violent, like bees. You think briefly of how bees are a little beautiful too, though. Either way, something ripples through you that you take a moment to relish in. 

Instead of replying, you extend your drink to Joel. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap his lips around the plastic straw and sip until there’s nothing but a slurping sound resounding in the cup. You let out a giggle, and he emits something akin to one of his own. You can’t help but feel something blossom in your chest at how relaxed he looks. His eyes glisten with something that isn’t worry—worry about work, or getting Sarah to soccer practice tomorrow morning, or bailing Tommy out of jail. The Joel you know isn’t here, the one that carries the weight of the world on his shoulders—and to be honest, the jury is still out on the one that is. But as you smile at your friend, tingles coursing through your body, the last thing you truly remember is thinking about how he looks awfully pretty right now too.

—

Of all the things that could have woken you, it’s a knock on the door, and your first thought is why you didn’t have the foresight to put the Do Not Disturb hanger on the doorknob last night. Your second thought is about how fucking warm and cozy you are right now. Your third thought is your last, because it’s the only capacity your raging headache will allow. It’s about why you’re so warm and cozy, and that’s when you realize your cheek is pressed up against bare skin. In fact, you’re absolutely tangled with someone else—your leg hooked over theirs, their calloused hand on your naked torso, and you’re all but laying on top of them, clinging like your life depends on it.

In a way, it sort of does, because the more awareness that seeps into your brain, the more your head aches. The warmth radiating from the body that is rumbling with snores is the only thing that is making the act of waking up tolerable. At least for a moment. 

There’s another knock on the door, and when a meek voice says something about coming back later for housekeeping from the other side, you finally remember exactly where you are. 

You’re in Las Vegas. You’re sleeping in a hotel room. Joel is in the next room over. You saw Shania Twain’s residency last night, and the first half was fucking stellar. Calling everything after that a blur is an understatement, though. If you ended up bringing back some guy for a romp, you wouldn’t exactly blame yourself, but you wouldn’t be happy about it either. A Vegas one night stand where the guy is still in your bed the next morning would not be in your Top 100 Proudest Moments. 

It’s just that, as the conscious mechanisms in your brain slowly flicker to life more and more, you take more of it in. Suddenly, you recognize the smell—besides the left over stench of alcohol and scent of hotel linens—as a familiar one. A good one, one you catch yourself soaking in too often. Like cedar, and lemongrass, and what you imagine the burn of whiskey in your throat would smell like. It’s then and only then do you lift your head up slowly, despite the disorientation it drags upon you, to see exactly whose hand is now searing your side, awfully close to your naked breast. 

Pushing him out of the bed when you find out is merely an accident. A gut reflex, if you will. 

Your heart is beating fast and loud, doing nothing good for your headache, but it’s the only logical reaction to finding yourself naked in bed with an equally naked Joel Miller. He lands on the floor with a harsh thud, and the poor thing looks like he doesn’t know where he is. You’d probably feel bad for him if your mind wasn’t reeling with a thousand questions. 

“Jesus Christ, what the hell?” Joel is saying, groggy and tired, voice hoarse. Maybe pushing him out of bed was a bad idea, because now he’s on full display, so you pull the sheet over your head with a noise that’s somewhere between a gasp and a squeal. 

“What are you doing here?” you ask urgently. 

“What am I—this is my room,“ Joel says then. You lower the sheet just enough to see that yeah, his suitcase is here, his things are strewn around the room, and you’re the intruder in a foreign land. It doesn’t begin to explain things though—in fact, it just makes you feel sicker. “Wait—“ 

Joel says your name, strained and confused. You finally look at him. His eyes are squinted, brow furrowed intensely, but he’s looking right back at you with the realization you had just thirty seconds ago. 

“Oh god,” he mutters with that thick drawl of his, and yeah. You’re right there with him. “Don’t tell me—“ 

“I’m not,” you say quickly, “because we didn’t. Right?” 

You’d have to be one gigantic, calamitous fool to believe that. Not only because with enough inspection, you can see a litany of marks on Joel’s neck and chest, like his assailant went a little wild, and there’s a dull, pleasant ache between your thighs—but because the harder your brain works, the more first flashes of last night come at you full force. You and Joel, hands on each other, Joel between your legs, your hand on his— 

“Oh, god, we did.” 

You groan, burying your face in your hands as you suddenly go through the full range of human emotions in less than ten seconds. 

It’s not that it’s the worst thing that could’ve happened, it’s just—Joel is Joel, and you of all people know better. You do this thing, sometimes, when you meet someone new and you briefly imagine your life together, in all the possible iterations of it. You met Joel, and saw him there forever, like he’d seared himself into your life before you even learned his name. You’d rather die than risk anything else—regardless of whether or not you’ve wondered what it would be like to hold his hand, or kiss him, or fall asleep beside him. 

“Hey, hey—”  Suddenly, Joel is rising from the floor, a pillow that tumbled down with him pressed into his lap. You’re still not looking—in fact, you look like you’re about to die, which is why he is frantically searching for his briefs, or pajama bottoms, or whatever the hell he can put on. When he finds them, he does so quickly, and brings over the next best thing for you too. It ends up being his shirt, and neither one of you has the mind to think of how tender that is as you put it on. He kneels in front of you on the bed, like he’s about to put a bandaid on your wounds, which is so Joel of him. “It’s alright—it’s okay, shit happens, right?” 

Yeah, you think, holding back a bitter tasting laugh, catastrophic shit like this always happens.  

But you realize what he’s doing right away. Joel is watching you self-destruct, so he’s doing everything in his power to keep that from happening, even if he’s imploding himself. It somehow makes this a thousand times worse. Still, you finally look up to meet his eye. He looks tired, hungover, and a little confused. You’re one hundred percent sure you look exactly the same. 

You truly do want to argue. You want to tell him No, this isn’t just a shit happens moment. Deep down, you know you’ve just altered your entire friendship forever, and no matter how bad you want to keep from imagining the downfall of You and Joel, you just can’t help it. But then he’s grabbing one of your hands, like he can see the cogs in your brain start to grind and smoke, and it douses whatever shitstorm is going on in there. You think you’ll save your catastrophizing for another day, at least until— 

You look down at both your guys’ hands, just as your heart has begun to settle, before it shifts into high gear. 

“Joel,” you say, small and quiet. Your eyes have gone wide and your left hand is frozen in his. 

“What—“ Joel is saying as his gaze follows yours, and he sees exactly what you do. 

On his left ring finger is a silver band. On yours is one to match, a diamond glistening in the light pouring into the hotel room, and suddenly a drunken, lust filled night between you two was the best case scenario. 

Joel sighs. “You gotta be kiddin’ me.” 

—

You might’ve blacked out again. No alcohol needed this time—all you know is one moment you were sitting there, staring at the very obvious wedding rings on both yours and Joel’s fingers, and the next, you were in your actual hotel room alone. You probably asked for a moment, and he gave you ten. 

You at least had the mind to put some pants on, but when you finally return and knock on Joel’s hotel room door, you’re still wearing his shirt—and the ring. 

“You might wanna look at this,” he says when he opens the door, not even missing a beat, and lets you step inside. Your head is still pounding, and your stomach is still churning, but you’re at least wide awake now. You’d spent the time in your room convincing yourself that none of this was real, actually. You guys were wasted, probably found some pawn shop, got the rings as a joke. But then Joel is handing you a Polaroid photo and now you’ve got to shirk any notion that this isn’t real. “Found it on the nightstand—then called the chapel, and—yep.” 

If you weren’t in such a state of shock, you might cry. The photo is you, and Joel, obviously. Except it’s not just you and Joel, it's youandJoel—standing outside of a chapel called, well, Little White Chapel. He’s got his familiar hands on your face, and his lips on yours; you’re gripping his lapel so hard your hands might’ve been cramping, and you’re both fucking grinning into this sweet, tender, heart wrenching kiss. You can see the ring on his finger, clear as day. It’s a little sickening, how happy you both look, and even more so, how you two slot together perfectly. By the time you finish gawking at the photo, it becomes an indisputable fact. You got married—to Joel Miller of all people. 

You wonder why he decided to show you the photo when it would have been just as easy to tear it to shreds and throw it away. You kind of wish he did, but part of you understands why, even if you can’t explain it to yourself right away. Still, you set it down and sit on the edge of the bed as you try not to think about what happened there just the night before. 

“I can’t believe this,” you finally say, because you can’t. You truly believe you’re going to wake up any moment now, but the way your brain is threatening to crack your skull right now tells you that’s not going to happen. 

“Guess you’re not the worst person this coulda happened with.” Leave it to Joel to joke at a time like this—and leave it to you to fall for it. You have to laugh, because the only other alternative is crying, so you do. It’s small, and weak, but it’s a laugh nonetheless; it’s enough to make Joel smile, like he’s a little proud it worked. 

“Does this make the Vegas trip worse or better?” you attempt to joke back, though the ring on your finger is scorching your skin. 

“Hm,” Joel hums. “Jury’s still out, I think.” 

Another laugh escapes you, and tapers off into the air. Joel sits next to you on the bed. You can’t help but look down at the ring that adorns your finger. There’s a small, tiny, microscopic part of you that thinks it looks like it was meant to be there. You kill it immediately. 

“So I guess—” 

“We can get an annulment,” Joel says, cutting you off. It’s almost as if he couldn’t wait to say it, and you’re not sure why that stings so much. Still, you have to agree, because you’d be insane not to. You’re not the first people to get drunk and marry someone in Vegas, you’re certain, and you absolutely will not be the last. Though you’ve got a knack for feeling like you’re the only person in the world to feel a certain way at a certain time, you know at least this time that isn’t true. Because Joel is sitting right next to you, stewing in this all the same—it makes you feel less alone. 

“Yeah—yes,” you mutter, swallowing the softball lodged in your throat. You clear it in hopes of sounding more compelling when you speak again. “Of course. Duh.” 

“Truly don’t think this is as big of a deal as we think it is,” Joel says then. You wonder if he’s trying to convince you, or convince himself. You settle on both, just because it makes you feel better. But the thing is, it is kind of a big deal, at least to you. 

Legally, an annulment would make it seem like this truly never happened. On paper, you and Joel would never have gotten married, and your lives would be as normal as they were yesterday. But the law has never mixed well with emotions, you think. Or the fact that you’re slowly regaining glimpses of the night before, and maybe remembering the way his lips felt on your lips, his hands on your body. Annulment of the heart sounds like a stupid phrase, but you’ve never wanted something so bad in your life. 

“I suppose not,” you tell Joel, but you don’t sound so convincing. You’re not sure if he can tell, but if he can, he doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, he reaches over for your hand and gives it the most reassuring squeeze he can muster. You wish his touch burned you, so you had a reason to pull away. It doesn’t, so you don’t. 

“Lighten up, darlin’,” he says. “What’s that they say about what happens in Vegas?” 

You roll your eyes—and though it’s a struggle, you smile anyway. 

—

As it turns out, the plane home could crash, and it would still be less eventful than the rest of your trip—in fact, it might make things a lot easier. But the whole flight is turbulence free, and the wheels of the plane touch down in Austin like a butterfly landing on a flower. It seems a little cruel. 

And as much as you and Joel want to pretend like this whole ordeal is so easily fixed, like you can make it disappear by filing some paperwork, there is something so obviously lingering in the air. It’s a funk, and it’s thick, and uncomfortable, and mean. You wish you could say you perfected the art of small talk with him on the way home. You wish you could say that as time trekked on, he got less and less terse with you. But Joel went from cracking jokes about it, to being the least interesting man on Earth, and you’re starting to think neither of you are really believing the whole it’ll be okay thing. 

“Y’all actually came back in one piece!” 

Tommy is picking you up from the airport. He’s standing at his truck, parked in an area that clearly says No Parking, but Tommy Miller has never been one to care, and you really want to go home. He grins at you guys, takes your bags from you as soon as you approach him with them, but neither you nor Joel really laugh at his jokes. 

Joel grumbles something like a greeting, and you offer a quick hello, but you climb into the backseat as fast as you can. 

“Well, fuck me, I guess,” Tommy says sarcastically with a click of his tongue, rounding the truck to get back into the driver’s seat because a security guard has finally spotted him.

“Sorry, Tommy,” you tell him. Guilt seeps into you—just because your life imploded in Vegas, doesn’t mean you have to take it out on someone who is kind enough to pick you up from the airport, which is arguably the most generous thing a human being can do. The least you can do is apologize, and lie, so you do, with a quick, “Just tired. Flight was awful.” 

“Where’s Sarah?” Joel genuinely speaks, not in the muttery, mumbly way he’d been for the past twenty four hours. You try to think back to when his mood shifted, and place it somewhere between you giving him your ring (when you both found out they were bought with his credit card), or giving back his shirt. It makes something scratch at your brain in the most unpleasant way. 

“Adlers,” Tommy informs him. “She’s makin’ y’all cookies. Told her you guys were only gone for four days, but she insisted. But—” Tommy says your name, “—she’s makin’ your favorite. Sorry, brother.” 

A genuine, though small, smile twitches upon your lips. Of course Sarah is being such a doll—you know exactly where she gets it from. The thought brings a bit of an ache to your chest. 

“That’s sweet of her,” you say, still wearing that meek voice. 

A few beats of silence fill the car when Joel doesn’t make any comment, just lets out a small grunt. 

“Sooo,” Tommy trails off when it becomes obvious he can’t stand it. “What did y’all get up to—how was the show? Still think I deserved to see Shania more, but whatever, I guess. Get into trouble? Feel like y’all the type to get married by Elvis or somethin’.” 

You nearly choke. Tommy is laughing a little wildly, because he obviously doesn’t know, and to him, making a joke about two good friends getting shacked up is the funniest thing in the world. Mostly because he expects you both to be snarky about it, like you’ll go Eww, and Joel would say something like, In your dreams, darlin’. But instead, you feel like all the color is draining from your face and you can see Joel’s hand fist until his knuckles turn white. 

“Concert was good,” you say quickly. There’s no levity in your voice, no insinuation that you found his joke funny. You couldn’t force it even if you tried. 

Tommy doesn’t catch on though, at least you think he doesn’t. He just huffs, and pouts. “Tough crowd, gotdamn.”

Thankfully, Tommy quits while he’s ahead. He turns up the radio and accepts that you and Joel might be truly tired. In a way, you are, just not physically—though the weight of your emotions might be starting to get to you. As you lean your head on the window and watch your city fly by on the way home, you start to think about how you’re going to get home, Google How to annul a Vegas wedding, and pray for some sense of normalcy to return. Or at least that Joel will look you in the eye again. 

The truck rolls up outside your house just as the sun has begun to set. You get out, fully prepared to do so alone, but as you’re grabbing your bags from the truck bed, you hear the passenger door slam shut. A moment later, Joel is taking one of your bags from your hands. 

“Be right back, Tommy,” he calls to his brother, and gets two honks in response. He looks at you then, for the first time in what feels like eons, and nods his head towards your house before taking the trek up your walkway. 

Tremors fill your chest, and that softball has made its way back to your throat. You feel like you’ve swallowed wasps, and that they’re going to come out in the form of word vomit if you don’t reign in the trillions of thoughts in your head right now. You step up to your front door, keys in your trembling hand, and let the two of you inside. 

“Joel, I—“

“Listen—“ 

You both start and stop speaking at the same time. You bite at your chance to let him do the talking, gesturing for him to continue. He takes a deep breath before he does. 

“Listen—I started thinkin’—” 

“Uh oh.” 

Your joke doesn’t quite land how you want it to, like it normally would, but you can see the tension in his shoulders deflate a little at the hint of mirth in your voice. You look down at the ground, kicking at it like a child getting in trouble and allow him to go on. 

“I was thinkin’, and I just wanted to say sorry,” Joel finally says. “I’ve been actin’…weird. Didn’t mean to start icin’ you out, I just—I know I said this whole thing wasn’t a big deal, but I think we both know—”  

“But it’s not,” you interrupt without really even thinking about it. Deep down, you know you don’t believe yourself. “I know it probably is. For other people, I mean. But what did you say? Guess you’re not the worst person, or whatever.” Your attempt at mocking his deep, gruff voice slices through the tension, at least a little, and you’re grateful for that. And even though he lets out a breathy laugh, Joel looks a little taken aback, like he didn’t entirely expect this reaction from you—and to be quite fucking honest, neither did you. Turns out those wasps you swallowed were reasonable ones. 

“Right,” Joel says, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. He rocks on his heels once. “Right. I just thought maybe—because you seemed a little torn up at first—I mean—damn, I’m really not good at this.”

You can’t help but giggle, because he’s not, but you can’t fault him. You truly can’t believe the one eighty you’ve both made, but you’re still not entirely sure the way you’re handling this now is true to how you actually feel. Regardless, something compels you to step forward, and lean up to press the most tender kiss to Joel’s cheek.

“I’m just glad you don’t hate me,” you say gently when you pull back. There’s something swimming in Joel’s eyes as you meet them—you can’t quite make it out. You stop trying when he offers you a quiet smile. 

“Hate you? Could never hate you—you do too much for me. It’d be bad for business.” He’s teasing, you know he is, and you might actually start weeping because this is such a far cry from the Joel that you sat next to on a plane for three hours. Instead of weeping though, you laugh once more.

The truth is, you decide, that this entire situation is still gnawing at your bones, replacing the marrow with fear and uncertainty. But, though you’ve had to remind yourself a thousand times over, you’re not alone in this. It literally takes two people to get married, even if it was a black out drunk, late night, alcohol fueled Vegas wedding. The people in that photo, the photo you have in your suitcase right now, made that decision together despite whatever inhibiting factors—they both woke up the next morning confused, and unsure of the future. And even though Joel’s initial reaction was to comfort and soothe you, you knew sooner or later he’d start to rip at the seams. Sooner just came quicker than you thought. 

With your own deep breath, you reach out your left hand to Joel. A silent offer that if he’s willing to work this out, you are too. 

“It’s going to be okay,” you say. “Friends?” 

Joel looks like he hesitates—for the briefest moment—if you had blinked, you would have missed it. You try not to take it to heart. But he finally puts his left hand in yours, and gives it a firm shake. 

“Friends,” he replies. “Always.”

-

-

-

-

-

[cosmicjoke]

I found another analysis, which, I think, is even better, they all come to same conclusion though:

Eren & Armin are the same age and Mikasa is a year older than them. Levi is around 15 years older than Eren. So, At the start of the series when Wall Maria was breached, Eren and Armin were 10 years while Mikasa was 11. Levi was probably around 25 at this time… 2 years later, they started their training, so Eren and Armin were 12 years old while Mikasa was 13. In that way, Levi was 27 at this point. As soldiers, Eren and Armin were 15 years old and Mikasa was 16… This is when Levi meets them and he's 30 at this point … At the end of S3 when they discover the open sea beyond the walls, Eren and Armin are 16 and Mikasa is 17 which makes Levi 31… In Season 4, the story continues 3 years later, so Eren and Armin are 19 years old with Mikasa being 20 and Levi 34 years respectively…

Also, friendly reminder that the whole chaos from Season 1 to 3 actually happened in just 4 months — people (not you) tend to forget this.

One other thing I just noticed: that person on Twitter (from screenshots) said that Isayama said Levi is probably 30. That’s not true. In that interview he said that he’s in his late 30s, which was later admitted to be a mistake and was corrected, but I already mentioned this in my previous ask so no need to repeat all that lol. Anyway, I’ve read many analyses and they all come to the same conclusion, which is 35 years in s4.

beside the point: I read those two post you linked in my previous ask and your theory actually made me cry; I never looked at Kuchel & Levi’s, or Kenny & Levi’s relationship for that matter with rose tinted glasses, but once you take all this into consideration it gets even more heartbreaking. And that despite all of that Levi turned out to be the way he is is just admiring.

Yeah, that sounds about right, haha. I always put Levi at about 34 or 35 after the time skip. Which means at the very, very end of the manga, when we see him with Gabi, Falco and Onyankopon, he'd be about 38 or 39. He's YOUNG, lol. But people always talk about him like he's this ancient geezer. I guess because Levi is such a serious man. There's nothing childish about him. He's very mature and reliable and staunch. But he's not old.

And thank you so much for your kind words regarding my analysis posts. Indeed, Levi's life has been truly heartbreaking and tragic, especially when you stop to really think about it, what he went through, the things that shaped him, etc... I don't think people ever give enough consideration to just how awful his life has been. I always say it's really a miracle that Levi turned out the way he did. He ended up being the kindest, most compassionate person in the whole series, not because of his upbringing, but in SPITE of it. If that doesn't show Levi's courage and heroism, I don't know what does. Everything in his life should have twisted him into the kind of monster we see Zeke is, or Eren is, or Kenny is, but instead, he ended up being the most humane and empathetic person of all. It's pretty amazing. Levi's amazing. He deserves more credit for beating the odds and being a good person.

[summerfevers]

if you’re up to it i would very much like to know your white collar neal timeline🎤🎤

this turned out to have many asides and be very long so the tl;dr is: peter have you considered that he's just a twenty-something teenage girl :( ?

timeline:

neal born 1984 ish. he's an aries and a millennial

neal, ellen, and neal's mom go into witsec 1987, neal age 3

2003 adler scandal i fucking guess. neal age 19

neal arrested probably mid 2005, 21

neal goes to jail for the first time, i want to say early 2006, age almost 22

pilot is set late summer 2009, age 25

same-sex marriage legalized in new york june 24th 2011, they talk about this in season 3 episode 14 which is soon after. neal's 27

more or less a year later–let's go with less–neal tells sam that he has spent the last decade running from the truth he learned at 18. taking him literally that it was 10 years ago he is now 28 it is the end of season 4 and 2012

the end of season 4 to the series finale is less than a year. he is 29 its 2013.

when we see him in paris he might be 30 but that doesn't count To Me

i present my evidence:

i don't know where we got "neal is 35" from i cant make it work. neal and co. went into witsec (which i have actually since learned is not available to people living in dc, they have their own version but it is not overseen by the federal marshalls, i don't think they can give you as many legal documents like a ssn, and they don't help you set up your new life as much? something about neal's life that would be interesting to explore.) when he was three and ellen says in season 4 that she's been in witsec for Nearly three decades. confirmed 33 or under in season 4

he also says to "sam" more than once that he's spent the last decade running from the truth he learned at 18–he very well could be rounding down here and mean like 12-13 years but i am Choosing to Believe he meant that literally. we are now at youngest 28, it is the last episode of season 4.

now due to the way the show is structured and the fact that it is never really winter. ok maybe winter 1 time because i can see in my mind neal in his little wool coat and earmuffs but largely it is summer and we never have a christmas episode. anyway due to All That our only real anchor in the timeline is that the episode where diana is Grappling with her engagement to Christie happens immediately following june 24th 2011, when same-sex marriage was legalized in new york. and also that later that season in the commutation hearing they say that neal has served 2 years of his sentence. so the pilot was set in 2009 when it aired we are at one year/season. but as the series goes on the episodes and even seasons have increasingly shorter gaps between them, and by season 6 we haven't even finished our four years. by the end of season 4 i want to say we are three years into his sentence and he's 28. between the end of season 4 and when neal dies in season 6 there has got to be less than a year that passes. actually deadass why was neal so obsessed with the pink panther case ending his sentence early we are like months out king. i get the injustice the system is broken they'd keep him forever but to people outside his circle he must have looked sooo silly for that. but whatever. he is 29 when he dies and 30 when we see him again in paris, his roaring 20s of crime and incarceration over.

Anyway where the "neal is 35 or at least claims to be much older than this timeline would say he is" probably came from in-universe is that the adler scandal takes place SEVEN years before s2 when peter confronts neal about it. 2003?????? guys the thing we have to understand, to embrace, about neal's personal timeline is that i do not think anyone in that writers room was really grasping how much they had neal do in so short a time. 2003 he is like 19 guys. maybe by the time peter says it was 7 years ago it was 2011 ? and the adler thing was 2004? but no that couldn't work because it's mid 2011 like a year later in s3. so basically neal walks out of st louis and has a magical girl transformation through which he immediately becomes a great conman and criminal. and he meets mozzie basically straight away. he should still be in like calculus and ap lit at this juncture. and then they go right into the adler con ??? and neal is obviously lying through his teeth to everyone saying he is at least 21 but probably more along the lines of 23. and while most of his aliases are eventually found out by peter if no one else, no one ever goes "wait IS HE a teenager?" no one is guessing this.

so we spend a couple months fucking around and fucking UP with adler, kate probably doesn't know how old we actually are, this relationship cannot actually last very long at all because we are truly on a time crunch right now. we have less than three years for neals entire criminal career before he goes to jail. i know i said on the bullet list he went to jail early 2006 he has got to have been arrested like summer 2005 at the latest to be tried and sentenced by then and i feel like even that might be tight because he was suspected of so many other things they wanted to get evidence for. but how is neal teaching kate to be a criminal less than a year into his own career. i think neal must have been a hardcore improv kid for this to work honestly. i bet he competed. so our golden days of mozzie neal and kate against the world lasts maybe a year at best before neal and kate fight and she leaves and he spends months trying to get her back and get her attention and commits a truly breathtaking amount of crimes in this time.

also i'm skipping through forging bonds right now trying to flesh out this timeline and it was incredibly shady of peter and co to see that kate is doing so much to stay hidden from her ex boyfriend and then to reveal her to neal in order to catch him. like that was fucked up they didn't know neal yet he hadn't been suspected of violent crimes but they didn't know why kate was working so hard to escape him. like it worked out ok (arguably, but that could be a different post) but they had no reason to trust neal not to hurt her like this. she could have been running from an abusive situation he's known to be a talented criminal with no fears about escalating his crimes he could have killed her. one thing about the fbi is that they never once care about kate's safety and it does indeed get her killed one day.

in conclusion neal is known as one of the best forgers in the world when he is arrested in 2005 at age 21 maybe 2 years into his criminal career. here i am 21 what have i accomplished

[miriam-heddy]

The Daily Fail recently had an “UNRECOGNIZABLE” photo spread on Dwight Schultz. It’s pretty hilarious. I share because I care. I’m not including the photos, bc I don’t think actors should have to dress up in public, nor should they need a portrait on the attic. But check out the photo caption at the end. “Ladies man persona”? That’s Face, darling.

By RAVEN SAUNT, 18 May 2023 , Daily Mail

EXCLUSIVE: It's 'A' mystery! Actor who starred in beloved 1980s adventure series looks unrecognizable as he steps out 40 years later (despite still wearing his trademark black cap)... so do YOU know who he is?

This beloved actor looked completely unrecognizable as he stepped out 40 years after the iconic show premiered. The now 75-year-old was spotted picking up an array of cookery books in Los Angeles, California, last week. He kept it lowkey in a blue t-shirt and black jeans, finishing the ensemble with a jacket and baseball cap.

But can you guess who it is?

Schultz, who played Captain H.M. 'Howling Mad' Murdock, was spotted heading to his local Barnes and Noble to pick up a selection of recipe books. He spent around 35 minutes choosing his preferred titles before walking out with a bundle tucked under his arm. Schultz's collection included 'Carbohydrate and Fiber Counter' by Corinne T. Netzer, ‘Whole 30 Slow Cooker' by Melissa Hartwig Urban and 'Tasting History' by Max Miller- which accompanies the popular YouTube channel. He then hopped in his car and presumably headed home to wife Wendy Fulton.

His character had been quite the ladies man on the show - which was seemingly a far cry from Schultz's own life having married Wendy in 1983 - the same year that The A-Team first aired.

The popular action series, which ran for four years, followed a group of Vietnam veterans that had been framed for a crime they did not commit. They set out to clear their names by uncovering the black-ops conspiracy that set them up - while helping other innocents get justice along the way.

Schultz was one of the four former commandos-turned-mercenaries. His character, who was the team's aircraft pilot, was aided by John 'Hannibal' Smith (played by Peppard), Templeton 'Faceman' Peck (played by Benedict) and strongman, B.A. (Bad Attitude) Baracus (played by Mr. T).

After the series came to an end, Shultz also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation in the 1990s as engineer Reginald BarclayBut he soon set about forging a new path in the world of voice acting. He has since featured in a whole host of projects including video games, animated series and cartoon films - including 2020's Iron Man VR and 2017's edition of Crash Bandicoot.

Photo Caption:

Schultz, whose wedding ring glinted in the sunlight, has been married for 40 years - a far cry from his on screen ladies man persona

[kingbryancroidragon]

Darkness Rising Part 2 Commentary

Well, it is Sunday, so why not do the commentary for part two of this five-part pilot?

I honestly find it a bit weird that given Starscream's ambition Megatron left him in charge, but as it turns out in later episodes, Starscream becomes completely loyal to Megatron, so no doubt Megatron saw some in Starscream beyond his ambition. I also mentioned my own story that I would have sent to Hasbro in the previous commentary (doomed from the start because why would they ever accept it) and have it that Megatron himself had usurped the leadership of the Decepticons and had been the second-in-command himself so he wouldn't think anything about his own second-in-command trying to usurp him, it would just be the vicious cycle that was the position of Decepticon leadership.

"Three years in space", I really have to wonder what that is even like for a Cybertronian. In the Marvel comics, it was established that a million years was like a decade for a Cybertronian, if it is the same here, then how does that translate into a human lifetime?

I like the dark energon, it gives a different side to Megatron, suggesting he is actually interested in what is considered the occult on Cybertron and unlike the animated G1 continuity, he has knowledge of Unicron before that fateful meeting, though as the franchise was in its infancy, Unicron was not essentially the Devil, but he could have been interpreted as a devil, so there is a lot of difference from where we started and where we are now with some characters.

"Botswana", I feel like that pun is low-hanging fruit considering that the country already has "Bot" in its name.

Has any previous work ever brought this up? The possibility of a Cybertronian accidentally stepping on a human?

And so we are introduced to Agent William Fowler voiced by Ernie Hudson. I have the head canon, that Fowler has seen the Turkish remake of ET and he liked it.

And the beginning of the running gag of something Ratchet needs being broken is born. Wonderful!

And it is at this point that "Transformers Prime" dipped into the horror genre, a bit earlier than some works in the franchise.

I have the head canon that Miko started brainstorming a bunch of ideas for using the Ground Bridge, most of the being to see her favourite bands in concert, another being to have a beach day on Easter Island and a third being to TP the car of a teacher back home.

Our first large-scale battle and it is intense.

Raf establishing himself as the computer wiz to Ratchet is such a great scene.

I personally find that jump scare with undead Cliffjumper a bit predictable.

Something I find interesting and that I recently looked up, is that Starscream's various altmodes, excluding Armada and Cybertron, seem to have been predominantly all from the F series (F-15 Eagle, 5-22 Raptor, F-16 Fighting Eagle.) I don't know why, its just a nice touch and might be why I don't particularly care for his Armada alt mode in that while Cybertronian, it resembles a Sukhoi Su-35 and doesn't quite fit the F series that Starscream is commonly associated with, at least to me. It is nice that in this series he is an F-16 keeping with the F series.

I just love the observation of the kids, it is where it truly hits them that these are people, not just machines,

Optimus' question of "Have you broken the law?" is great. It is like he is still getting used to human figures of speech and in all honesty, he probably is.

Imagine if Optimus had been able to speak before Ratchet said he was busy, then he'd be the one Jack bonded with.

Enter June Darby. A few head canons about her: she privately believes in reincarnation, during her college years she posed for a calendar and her favourite movie is "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea." I also mentioned my Transformers story that I would have submitted to Hasbro and it would have featured re-imaginings of various past human characters. June would have been a former classmate of Spike Witwicky and the goddaughter of Isaac Sumdac.

I wonder what Arcee was thinking when Jack called her "abused."

A wake-up call from Arcee, who needs an alarm clock?

I take offense to that. I was watching cartoons when I was sixteen. I still watch cartoons, might be because with my original writing I imagine my characters as animated rather than live-action.

"Millennia worth of battles", does that still translate to "Decades worth of battles?" I really want to know, what are Optimus and Megatron's ages translated to human years?

Even Starscream is uncertain with this stuff and for good reason.

And how is that for a cliffhanger?

And that was the second part of the five part pilot. Thanks for reading.

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Ch 35: This World Is

We're taking books as hostages now.

As long as the Union has Apocalypse, the Round Table is useless to Under. But Apocalypse won't be taken so easily! It fights back against Fuuko! Is the book resisting because it wants to go with Billy or just because it's pissed at being treated this way?

In an attempt to make Fuuko go insane, Apocalypse shows her a series of frightening images/memories.

We see:

Juiz, Void, Victor, and Gina taking on phase 2 Spoil in Longing

Gina has a walking stick and a long skirt.

Void has one normal arm instead of two mechanical arms like we saw in Ch 2. His whole suit is different- his face is also visible.

Juiz's sword doesn't have Burn.

Victor is wearing a Union uniform.

Victor having some kind of showdown with a bright light

It looks like the scene of the end of the world that Fuuko saw when she held the revolver. Everything around him looks melty.

Victor has a Union uniform.

Young!Victor and probably Young!Juiz in a hallway

They're in a hallway at Union HQ that looks like the hallway from the Clothy intro from chapter 10.

Victor is slender and not as muscled. He has a Union uniform.

Juiz(?) has short hair. They are wearing the uniform with the epaulets Juiz wears in the current story. It looks like they are in pain.

Victor seems like he's side-eyeing them and isn't tending to them.

Young!Victor and probably Young!Juiz at the Round Table

They're sitting among destroyed pillars that have the same decorations as the walls in the hallway at the Union. How was the Union HQ destroyed?

There are only 2 seats at the Round Table. Juiz is #1.

Juiz is quite small, likely a young child. They are wearing a tank top and don't appear to have a sword. They have a large bag at their side.

It looks like Juiz is explaining something to Victor, who is listening with his elbows on the table.

Juiz, and Gina crying over a dying(?) Nico

Are they in Longing?

Nico is lying on the ground with two big chunks of his torso gone. Could it have been Spoil's beam or something else?

Tears are streaming down Juiz's face. Gina is praying.

Two pairs of legs are standing guard over the other three. The legs might belong to Victor and Void, since they match the other memory.

If Apocalypse is the oldest artifact, then that means he knows everything that's happened! He's like a log of all the versions of the story.

We finally get to learn about Phil and his Unfeel! His ability makes him immune to the psychological effects of touching artifacts. I love Phil so much. Much more about him later.

But wait a minute, Shen shows up with Kinto Un?!? When did he get that? (It was already on the Ch 30 cover, but still). Did he grab it when Juiz gave him permission to take anything he needed from the storeroom during Billy's uprising?

It would be interesting to see what kind of visions Shen's artifacts give. Rip said that not all artifacts cause visions as dramatic as the revolver, so maybe Shen's are easier to handle, or he just got used to whatever it is they show him.

And the lore keeps coming!

Ark? Like a boat? Or like the Ark of the Covenant? Or like an arc in a story?

Juiz has a lot to explain. Andy, Shen, and Nico all mention they've noticed some strange things about the decisions Juiz has made along the way. She takes of her helmet and tells them:

A loop! So Juiz created the Union! I'm dying to know how Juiz and Victor found each other.

Over the centuries, Juiz has been trying to collect a team of Negators who were strong enough to defeat God in order to end the loops.

But what does killing God mean? And what would ending the loops mean?

(Also, we can finally see Isshin's eyes!)

I think the past loops are the author's old versions of the story.

The author's goal is to write a successful, satisfying story. To do so, they want to push each character to their maximum potential, to squeeze out every drop of worthwhile storytelling and plot relevance for each character. So they try different versions of the story and switch around the cast to see which one gives the most satisfaction to their readers.

As far as Ark, we don't have a lot of information about it at this point in the story, but with how many writing-related terms are in this story, it must be a reference to story arcs. The arcs we've had in UU have been short compared to the many lifetimes Juiz has spent looping. Maybe that was Juiz's arc, and now Billy is trying to have his own arc. I'll have more to add to this later!

Masterpost

[bangtansmauyeondan]

THIRTY-FIVE | S03 E03 — Can You Keep a Secret?

Pairing: In-Studio Director!Jungkook x Stage Director!Fem Reader

Genre: rivals au, social media au, frenemies to lovers, slow burn, fluff, smut, angst, crack.

Rating: 18+

Warnings: explicit language, mentions of abandonment, alcohol consumption, harmless scheming, dare, bet, smut

Summary: It has always been the battle of the best between you and your college rival, Jungkook. What happens when years later, you cross paths again working for the same network broadcasting company, and the competitive flame is rekindled? Well, a whole new drunken bet that determines your futures wasn’t in your line of vision but here you are… and you have until 35.

SERIES TAGLIST: @fragmentof-indifference @babyboo22 @dionysusenthusiast @luaspersona @timelessruins @royallyjjk @sandraviolante-blog @quarter-life-crisis2 @jub-jub @pb-n-juju @jeonxgoogiee @sugaluvmyg @lookformyvoice @fairy-jaykay @juju-227592 @such-a-wh0re @hoseoksluv89 @exhibitachol

PERMANENT TAGLIST: @jinsquishes @persphonesorchid @thatbangtanjagiya @taestefully-in-luv @pamzn @wrmnssoul @ygbubs @halesandy @jayhope88 @bnagtanx1306 @pinkseokchim @busanbby-jjk @babycandy111

•••

Taehyung hung up the receiver on the security phone and heaved out a heavy sigh. His head throbbed and he winced at the pain everytime he shut his eyes. This is probably the worst hangover he’s had so far and he couldn’t even bring himself to get out of the couch all day. It’s a good thing he had no schedule for the rest of the week because of the grave weather at the shooting location.

His own security team that closely works with his apartment building’s security just informed him that you’re there to see him and they asked him to give it clearance before sending you on your way up to his penthouse. He made a mental note to give you your own elevator keycard, so that you wouldn’t have to go through his security for a visitor’s card every time you visit him.

He looked up when he heard the elevator ping, signaling that you’ve reached the penthouse, so he sauntered over to the hall to greet you. The disappointment written all over your face could not be hidden even through his drunk bleary eyes. “Hey, beautiful…” He leaned in for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, but you were quick to step away.

“Are you okay to talk, or still too drunk to process everything around you?” You snapped at him. Irritated is not even the correct word to describe how you feel towards Taehyung at the moment. Were you annoyed? Angry? Mad? Pissed? Taehyung seemed to sense your emotions and stepped closer to you, taking your hands. “Tae…” you pulled your hands back and walked over past him, to the couch. “Can we please sit down and talk for a bit?”

“Okay, what is it you wanna talk about?” Tahyung sat opposite you on one of the loveseats.

“You didn’t have to go to my work place, you know? My boss had to summon me in his office this morning because you barged in there drunk. How did you even get past the security?”

Taehyung sighed, not expecting that to be the first thing that you wanted to talk about. He was hoping you’re gonna wanna talk about where you stand in your relationship, because he’s dying to make it official. “I had my security deal with them and only left the car when they gave me the clearance. Why weren’t you there? Did you have a fun sleepover with Jungkook and your bestfriend?” Taehyung’s words were laced with sarcasm.

“Stop. Don’t do this right now, Tae.”

“You’re the one who wanted to talk though,” he hunched over and pouted like a teenager.

“Okay, I’m gonna talk, and you will listen.” You’re never really the one to not stand your ground. You tend not to care about who you’re talking to as long as you know you’re not in the wrong. “I'm just gonna jump in and lay the cards on the table… If you’re looking for someone who will jump into a relationship with you right now, I’m not that person, Taehyung.” You sighed. “I’ve been really enjoying your company and really taking the time to get to know you better, but I don’t think we already know each other well enough to jump into a serious relationship.”

“Why?” Taehyung straightened up on his seat, eyes widening like saucers, staring at you. “You wanna get to know me better? Then stay, don’t leave my side.”

“That’s exactly why; I’m a grown-up, I have work to do and people to talk to. You don’t expect me to babysit you,” you said calmly. “I can’t just stay at your beck and call, and you can’t follow me around.”

Taehyung stood up and sat beside you on the couch, capturing your hand between his. “It’s not like that and you know it,” desperation noted in his voice. “I just want you close, especially since you were mobbed by the fansites.”

“I wasn’t mobbed. It wasn’t like that,” you pulled your hand away.

“Yn, you are really hurting my feelings right now,” Taehyung said, almost whispering, and something tugged on your heartstrings. Was it guilt? Were you too harsh on him?

“Look, I’m sorry. I just don’t want people to get the wrong idea,” you bit your lip guiltily. “Let’s be friends for now, shall we? Let’s just have fun and take our time to get to know each other better.”

“Is that really what you want?” Taehyung looked at you with puppy eyes.

“Yes. I don’t wanna get mad at you for the stunt you pulled at my workplace; but also don’t want any pressure to come between us. Let’s just enjoy each other’s company and see how it goes. We don’t have to force anything right now.”

“Okay,” the corners of Taehyung’s lips lifted in a timid smile. “I’m okay with that, as long as that’s what you want.” He conceded.

“Okay… now, I’m a bit parched and hungry, do you want to order some greasy food to get rid of that bad hangover?” You smiled up at him and his heart instantly melted.

He’ll let you have your way this time, so he just flashed his charismatic boxy smile at you and pulled out his phone to order your late dinner.

***

You’re no stranger to stadiums and arenas, with the amount of concerts and live shows that you have worked on and directed. But attending a concert, particularly seated at the VIP suite is new to you. You’re usually either in the control booth or on the side of the stage, conducting the whole thing. It was a perfect evening for you too considering Byul has joined your team that week so pretty much just like Jungkook and Mingyu, you now have someone to share the workload with when it comes to the morning show and you’re no longer that exhausted by the time the sun sets. Champagne and hors d'oeuvres kept pouring in and the energy in the arena was electric. It was also the first time that you went out with your college friends in such a long time, so you’re feeling a little young, refreshed, and energetic.

Joshua, Jeonghan and Jungkook were engrossed in a conversation behind you, while DK and Mingyu were screaming their lungs out, cheering on the band, of which one member also happens to be one of your friends from college, Yeonjun. The ladies, Rain, Sohyun, and Mingyu’s wife Yuri, sat with you by the glass balcony sipping champagne and basking in the atmosphere, taking it all in.

There was a momentary kerfuffle by the door when a group of men came in, some dressed casually and some in suits like they’re part of the secret service. You knew it was Taehyung and his team, because your eyes met the moment he stepped into the area. His gaze pierced right through you, and it doesn’t take a genius to tell that he’s already had too much to drink before arriving late at the concert.

Just then, you felt a tap on your shoulder and found Jungkook leaning in, lips inches away from your ear. The action made your breath hitch for some reason. “Did you know he would be here?”

“Huh?’ You heard him loud and clear, but your hazy brain refused to acknowledge what he said after it was overwhelmed by the light scent of his cologne mixed with the smell of beer he had been nursing.

“Taehyung… he’s here. Are you aware?” He repeated after clearing his throat. You found DK looking back at you the exact moment too, clearly asking you the same thing, communicating through his eyes.

“Yes, I know. I’m aware. He told me the other day.” You didn’t miss the way that Jungkook and DK gave each other a knowing look. “It’s okay, guys, the band’s manager invited him. He’s not stalking me,” you chuckled making light of the situation.

It has been a few days since you swung by Taehyung’s penthouse to give him a piece of your mind. It’s also been a few days since you started backtracking and assessing yourself with the way you communicate with people. You’ve been accepting all his invitations to go out, and have been welcoming him everytime he would drop by your place. You allowed him to hug you and you even allowed him to kiss you on the cheek. You grew up around boys, and your friends consisted mostly of male, so a hug or a kiss, especially in greeting, were considered normal and casual enough for you. But, is it the same with Taehyung? Did he get the wrong idea?

That night when you went to his penthouse, you laid down all the cards and drew the line on where you stand. You’re not his girlfriend. He’s not your boyfriend. He can’t keep on following you around and taking control of your life, questioning you every time you go out with your other friends and coworkers. You both agreed, problem solved. So how come when you excused yourself to go to the washroom, he took it as a cue to follow you out of the VIP suite and down the hall, demanding to know who those people you’re sitting with are?

“They’re my friends, Tae,” you answered nonchalantly as you continued to trudge down the long hall towards the washroom.

“Mostly men? How come I don’t know them?” His bloodshot eyes staring you down as he kept up with your pace. “I could only spot a few familiar faces.”

“What’s the issue if they’re mostly men?” You’re growing irritated, not just by Taehyung’s incessant questioning, but the way he’s walking too close to you, making the distance between you and the wall smaller by the second.

“Is one of them your boyfriend? Do you sleep around, Yn?”

“Excuse me?” You glared at him, making him scoff. You didn’t like his accusatory tone nor what he had just insinuated, but you’re also 100% aware that he’s drunk and arguing with him is a game you didn’t want to play. “You know what, just go back to the suite, Taehyung. I’m done talking with you.”

“Well, I’m not done with you.” You gasped loudly when Taehyung grabbed you by the arms and slammed you against the wall, the back of your head slightly bouncing against it at the impact. “Why do you keep on rejecting me, huh?”

His fingers dug into your flesh as he pressed his body against you. “Taehyung, let go of me, what the hell?!” He buried his face on the crook of your neck, breathing heavily as your name slipped out of his lips. “Taehyung, stop.” You tried to wiggle out of his grip and push him away, but he’s too strong and your choice of footwear did not give you the necessary leverage.

“No,” Taehyung sneered. “Who do you think you are, Yn? Walking into my house, ordering me to just listen while you talk?” Taehyung said through gritted teeth. “Who do you think you are huh? Anyone would be begging to be with me, and yet you keep on rejecting me?”

“Maybe because–” Your words got caught between your lips when Taehyung’s body suddenly skidded across the floor. “Oh my god!” Your hand flew to your chest, breathing heavily, as you reached for the wall with the other to steady yourself.

Before Taehyung’s brain was able to register what was going on, Jungkook had already taken him by the collar with both hands and effortlessly slammed him against the wall, “Kim Taehyung, you son of a bitch.” You’ve never seen Jungkook this angry before. His gaze was sharp and menacing, and every word he uttered sounded venomous.

“MY FRIEND!” Taehyung laughed at Jungkook’s face despite the situation he found himself in. “Go on, hurt me!” He challenged smugly. “I have an agreement with your company, and you’re gonna find yourself declaring bankruptcy if you ever touch me with your fingertips.”

“You idiot,” Jungkook spat back. “You have an agreement with my company, you don’t have an agreement with me.” Taehyung flinched when Jungkook fisted the wall beside his face. “We’re not within company premises.” Taehyung’s expression changed ever so slightly, realizing what Jungkook just said. “Get out of this place and do not ever come near Yn again. If you do, I’m gonna tip off every media outlet with the CCTV footage–” he grabbed taehyung’s hair and turned his head to the direction of the security camera, “and I’m gonna end your career until YOU end up declaring bankruptcy.” He shoved Taehyung down so hard that the latter found himself stumbling to keep himself from falling on the floor face down.

Taehyung collected himself and threw you a glance one more time before walking away, grumbling to himself.

You were still rooted to your place in shock at what just happened in front of you.

“Are you okay?” Jungkook’s gentle voice pulled you out of your thoughts. You didn’t realize you were shaking until Jungkook took off his jacket and draped it over your shoulders. “Yn, did he hurt you?”

“N-no, no… I’m fine,” you let out a sigh of relief before you reached out and touched Jungkook’s arm. “Th-thank you, Jungkook.”

Jungkook squeezed your hand, letting you know it’s okay.

“Can I ask you for a favor though?” You asked almost hesitantly.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Can you keep it a secret for now?” You looked down on the floor. “It’s just that everyone is having fun at the concert, and I don’t want to ruin the–”

“Okay,” Jungkook nodded with a smile, understanding what you meant instantly. His heart clenched yet again in admiration of your thoughtful personality. Here you were, almost getting assaulted, yet you didn’t want others to know and possibly ruin their evening. “I got it, Yn,” he smiled warmly at you. “Do you wanna slip to the washroom quickly before we go back inside? I’ll wait for you right here.”

You nodded and smiled back at him, before making a beeline to the washroom. He waited for you to slip inside before leaning back on the wall, staring up at the ceiling, and letting out a heavy sigh. He couldn’t imagine what would have happened had he not acted on instinct when he saw Taehyung following you outside of the suite. One thing’s for sure though, he will never let Taehyung come near you ever again.

•••

A/N — I was in the VIP Suite during Seventeen’s concert in Manila, and it has a different entrance from the regular sections, but the lack of security in the area boggled my mind. So what transpired between Taehyung and YN in the hall could happen without any security personnel around to stop it. *cringe* Anyway… I hope you liked this update! Any thoughts? :)

[vsnotresponding]

🖊️+ Lyric (it’s been a while 🥺)

Absolutely will not be normal about this. I refuse.

🖊️+ Karma (workaholic train wreck I <3 you)

🖊️+ Sher (dunno if u can tell but I’m a sucker for manipulative characters. I’m just mmm the tension. Explain to me why you being so problematic plz and thank u)

🖊️+ Ira (my queen. Protect ur people girlie)

🖊️+ garavan (did I spell that right??? I wanna know more)

thanks for the ask <3 also long ass post 1k worth of stuff + art

at least i had the decency of sending multiple asks so tumblr wouldn't break with your answers /j

LYRIC

you are right it's been so long, but because i'm actively working on púlsar i don't talk much about UP even tho i do draw them

okay so, for lyric im sharing his literal origin story, as well as some facts about the man and some drawings i like of him.

first some facts:

he's pan and a flirt

in the college au he needs glasses to read

his flower is lycoris radiata (got it from this video, minute 3:35)

origin story:

so i had been toying with the concept of a character named lyric which lived through multiple déjà vus. and he died too. one day (on a plane to ireland with school) i drew this guy:

[who are you? I like you btw 25.02.19] [molt decent 25.04.19]

and i went "oh he's cool i like him". then, like two months later i was drawing ely and i got a revelation:

"lyric & ely belong 2 the same story. ely is the one thing that's different at his new life" which is INSANE of my brain to think about because ely is a character from 2017 i drew ONCE. and now here we are

and then i drew him for the first time, and then in a scene with ely <;3 (and then killing a monster but im not showing it because i didn't know how to draw profiles and it shows)

*trying very hard not to cringe at old art*

and here's some lyrics that i like:

redraw of the og lyric and ely scene // redraw of the redraw // lyric screaming at ely// I like his hair here // redraw of the og lyric fighting lost souls

college au lyric dabbing wearing a behold a pan shirt // first page of a sketchbook// tiny lyric from the afterlife comic look at him so tiny // lyric from a series of drawings I made with my OCs and their flags

where is your rider scene (inspired by the song by the oh hellos)

tiny lyric and akira from the comic based on the song Elsa's song from the amazing devil

and also the most gorgeous man i'll ever draw (from a piece called bring him back) for you to be very normal about (im very normal about this drawing of lyric sooooo normal):

KARMA

i find it hard to say things about karma because with his pov we learn most of the relevant stuff. so you are getting fun facts and a sad fact

first the fun:

in the modern aus he's legally blind. round golden rimmed glasses.

his plushy (you'll meet him in today's chapter i believe) is called jhai

his name comes from me hearing someone call their dog karma and going "oh that can be a name cool im using it" (the other dog was called kraken)

he's the character that has gone through the most extreme character design change of the bunch (mainly because everyone else didn't exist). but he was more of a black sheep of the family cool dude that could use guns (yes there were guns in púlsar early stages idk either). his hair was also auburn. and then idk what happened but i changed it to the mess he's now. very glad i did i love him

and now the sad. check tags for tw because oof:

so, my man is very depressed. his mom's death hit him hard and it was all in general a terrible time for him (also it was around his bday. this was totally unintentional i swear)

on the early days and in spite of the promise he made, he climbed onto his windowsill and thought about jumping. everything was just too much. fortunately, someone knocked on his door and scared him, he slipped backwards and fell to the floor. he hasn't told this to anyone and doesn't intend to, but even if that's two months before púlsar, that's basically the mental state he starts with

and stealing your phrase, spoiler for flavor: he doesn't end púlsar much better

SHER

i can't tell you much. but what i CAN do is show you some baby sher and karma being cute together so you are extra sad about today's púlsar chapter:

"baaaa" "will you stop pulling my hair?" // "mom look he's walking" (chasing a bird) & it's cut but it says "he's so tiny" // sher teaching karma how to read

sher being told he has to leave his mom's home "do i really need to leave?" and it's cut but it says "you need to learn to be a prince with your dad" // sher at the palace // sher and karma's plushy lions

also as a fun(?) fact, he was very close to his uncle (his mother's younger brother). he was a big support for him when he moved to the palace away from his mom, and acted as a shield (or as much as he could) between him and his father. the uncle's name is Ádil.

he was married to Orga (one of the members of the council, arranged marriage), and died shortly after karma moved to the palace (sher was around 16 by then, and for reference, he's 23 now). sher suspects that his uncle's death wasn't fully natural, but he still has to be nice to orga because she's powerful.

ádil was one of the few people in the council that openly opposed the shahin. go figures i wonder what happened there.

IRA

so i already answered an ask for her here, basically a love letter to her character i love her so much.

so you get old ira sketches being happy and free (and chaotic):

GARAVAN GARVAN

you did in fact not write that properly, but that's actually great because it gives a segue into a fun fact about him!

i affectionately call him gman and mostly all my notes refer to him as that. also, once my phone autocorrected his name to garbanzo (chick pea). bean (a nickname for a character from púlsar gen 2) calls him that (ira did totally not correct her when she started doing it because she thought it was 1. funny and 2. that it would annoy garvan). also! karma sometimes calls him G

as a not so fun fact: he often needs to be the balancing component in the friend group, being silly and making jokes. he doesn't look like it, but he's very caring and does worry a lot about karma (not that karma notices lol).

his mom died in childbirth so it was emhi's mom that took care of him (until she too died shortly after). we don't talk about their father.

he was close with sher when they were younger (sher used to beat him at sparring), bonding over being clear aldamu and what it meant for them (sher taught him things about khithi culture that his mom taught him).

(i have so Many Thought about emhi garvan and sher as young teens in the palace, you have no idea, there's some clues sprinkled around púlsar about it but that's all you are officially getting)

man that was long