#but if you have any suggestions for the other colors

[summertimesadnessirl]

I did get my shit together. Like 4 times.

Every time I get my shit together someone else comes along and fucks up my shit.

I'm not going to get my shit together again unless I get to

1. Find everyone who ever did that to me and charge them $500,000 over a period of 4 years in evenly distributed chunks which pay out on the first of each month via direct deposit.

2. Recieve a public apology from Chappell Roan which mentions me by name and explains what she did and who put her up to it, full legal rights to all her songs and merch and all profit from them, and a legally binding contract from her that she will dye her hair a color other than red and never be photographed in public with red hair or brown lipstick ever again. I will them use the money to contract deleteme.com to scrub all reference to her from the entire internet forever.

3. My mother, Gale Tousignant, is placed on house arrest on an ankle bracelet and is not allowed to be around children in the future.

4. The government creates a committee for the investigation of munchausen by proxy of psychiatrist that investigates the psychiatric community.

5. Churches are required to pay taxes on tithes and on any income from owning businesses and real estate.

6. The US government decriminalizes and supports the sale of drug safety tests for drug users.

7. All laws against pornography are repealed.

8. All citizens over the age of 18 are entitled to any form of birth control including condoms and abortion for free.

9. All minor children are given a ubi

10. Men who pay child support have their payment amount automatically adjusted based on their withholding amount.

11. People under the age of 26 automatically qualify for food stamps

12. University education is free for everyone

13. 25 dollar an hour minimum wage

14. Strict labor laws are made on the entire usa to prevent abusive scheduling practices at hourly wage jobs.

15. The labor board does an investigation into coercion to quit or incitement to make mistakes with the intention of creating a fake paper trail to fire people in jobs as a form of discrimination or retaliation

16. Unemployment is the same rate as whatever someone was paid at and it lasts 99 weeks for any adult after a layoff

17. The government regulates the job application process to prevent ghost jobs, require a set salary or hourly wage be written in the add and not a range, and make job interviews illegal (literally illegal, if someone's skills and references check out you don't need to subject them to a test based on subconscious biases and privilege.)

18. Capital gains tax

19. The government will limit the number of rental properties someone can own to 3, and the number of single family homes someone can own to 3.

20. Immediate dissolution of laws that prevent people with yards from using them to grow vegetables or farm chickens

21. Government program that reimburses the full cost of putting solar panels on any building.

22. Government program that requires any business which owns more than 4 locations with a flat roof or makes more than 1 billion annually to put solar panels on the roofs of all their buildings.

23. Government buyback program of power people don't use from their solar panels.

24. No fault divorce is not to be touched.

26. An organization designs an app that allows any citizen to make a living will, a will, prenuptial agreement, model release for use on social media, or a contract to be used which which is designed to be something like a prenuptial agreement for roommates to protect them with splitting bills and lease and so on, with common situations to create boilerplate style more or less correct documents that can be witnessed by an attorney or verified by a notary public and signed. A good faith effort is used to allow the app to make suggestions and help with common disputes and legal situations people have in these cases in the way that a real attorney would, so that even though the contracts can still be challenged and can't demand either party to break the law, the average person can create documents that help them with these situations effectively.

27. When a generic product is produced in the same factory as a more expensive name brand product using the same ingredient, a law requires a specific label on the front which makes it easy for consumers to identify in grocery stores.

28. A team of forensic accountants is hired to testify before congress every year on live TV explaining how tax planning works to take advantage of loopholes.

30. An awareness campaign about sexual abuse from women against women, including "enforced modesty" as abuse and grooming

31. The tax on inheritance is immediately tripled.

32. A bot net is created to link statistics about nepotism and inherited wealth and class mobility on any hint of meritocracy propaganda online.

33. EL James is sued for damages and loses all profits from the sale of her work for grooming and entrapment of women in financially abusive relationships.

Idk. I still think I just wanna die.

[nabipumpum]

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕, 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒆?ᵍⁱˢᵉˡˡᵉˣʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

At any (party) place, your eyes always look for a person: Aeri. She always notices, you know she loves to have all your attention on her.

Pairing - Aeri Uchinaga X fem!Reader

Genre - fluff?, a slight suggestive

Warnings! non idol au!, kisses, mention of drink, swearing, english is not my first language, sorry for any mistakes. W.C.: 1.222

æspa masterlist

The music thumped loudly inside your chest, the bass vibrating on the floor as the colorful lights illuminated sweaty faces and full glasses. You didn’t know whose house it was — maybe a friend of a friend, or someone who simply decided to open the doors and let the night happen. But that didn’t matter. Not when your eyes were fixed on her.

Aeri.

She was on the other side of the room, leaning against the kitchen counter with a red glass in her hand, an easy smile playing on her lips as she spoke to Jimin. Her dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her leather jacket half-fallen, revealing the thin strap of her blouse.

You looked away too quickly when her eyes met yours.

Shit.

“You’re terrible at this.” Minjeong’s voice came from beside you, full of amusement. “If you’re going to stare, at least be more discreet.”

You snorted, bringing the glass to your mouth, even though you didn’t really want to drink.

“I’m not staring.”

“No?” Yunjin laughed, throwing her arm around Ryujin, who just raised an eyebrow, already used to the group’s teasing. “Then why does it feel like it’ll evaporate if she looks again?”

You rolled your eyes, but felt the heat rise up your neck. Of course they had noticed.

The problem was that Aeri seemed to have noticed too.

Because, in the next instant, she left Jimin talking to herself and started crossing the room.

Towards you.

You froze.

“Oh, shit…” Minjeong whispered, clearly enjoying your desperation. “This is it.”

Aeri stopped in front of you, still holding the glass, the corner of her lips curled in an almost provocative way.

“What you looking at, babe?”

Her smile was pure defiance.

Your heart skipped a beat.

You could say you weren’t looking. You could lie, pretend indifference. But with Aeri, that kind of thing never worked.

So instead, you held her gaze and smirked.

“You already know.”

Her eyes sparkled, and for the first time that night, she was the one who looked away.

The smile on Aeri’s lips grew slower, almost lazy, as if she was savoring the moment. You felt the weight of her attention on you, and it made your throat dry a little.

Beside you, Minjeong held back a laugh. Yunjin and Ryujin just watched with amused expressions, already waiting to comment on every detail later.

Aeri tilted her head slightly, as if she was evaluating you.

“I already know, huh?” Her voice was soft, but full of mischief. “So tell me… what exactly do you see?”

She was testing you. Playing with you.

And the worst part? You liked it.

The alcohol in your bloodstream made your tongue looser than it should have been. Instead of hesitating, you just smiled and took a step closer, closing the space between you.

“I see someone who likes attention.” Your voice came out firmer than you expected. “And who would love for me to tell you how much I’m staring.”

For a moment, Aeri blinked in surprise. But then her lips curved into a half smile.

“Interesting…” She leaned forward a little, close enough for you to smell her perfume—a mix of vanilla and something woody. “So tell me… are you going to keep just staring or are you going to do something about it?”

Your heart skipped a beat.

Behind her, Jimin watched the scene with a satisfied smile, as if he had already expected this to happen. Minjeong almost choked on his own drink.

Aeri never played to lose.

And, in that moment, you realized there was no way out.

Holding her gaze, you tilted your head slightly, letting the tension in the air stretch for a second longer.

“That depends…” you murmured, your voice a little lower. “Do you want me to do something about it?”

Aeri bit her lip, her eyes shining with defiance.

“Why don’t you try and find out?”

And that was when the party around you disappeared.

You didn’t know if it was the booze, the loud music, or just the effect Aeri had always had on you. But before you could think too much, your hand was already in hers, gently pulling her away from the noisy crowd.

Behind you, Minjeong let out a “Holy shit,” and Yunjin let out an incredulous laugh.

But you didn’t hear anything else.

Because when Aeri laced her fingers through yours and followed you without hesitation, all that mattered was what was coming next.

The cool early morning air made your skin crawl as you stepped out of the house. The music was still thrumming inside, muffled by the closed door, but out here, in the dark, damp garden of the night air, everything seemed quieter.

Aeri stopped in front of you, the dim streetlights reflecting in her eyes. Her smile was teasing, but there was something else there — something thick, charged with the electricity that had been hovering between you all night.

“So…” She teased, her fingers still intertwined with yours. “What did you bring me here for?”

You didn’t answer right away. You just slowly let go of her hand, sliding your fingers through hers to your wrist, feeling the cold skin beneath your touch.

Your gaze dropped to her mouth.

“You know what for.”

Aeri’s eyes flashed with something undefined, and then she took a step forward, closing the distance between you. Her scent, warm and slightly sweet, made your breath hitch for a moment.

She didn’t hesitate.

Grabbing your jacket, Aeri pulled you firmly, and your lips met urgently. The first touch was like an electric snap, hot and intense, as if you had both been waiting for this for too long.

Aeri sighed against your mouth as you slid your hands to her waist, pulling her closer. The kiss deepened in an intense rhythm, her lips moving against yours in a perfect mix of teasing and desire.

Her fingers moved up your neck, tangling in your hair before tugging lightly, sending a shiver down your spine. You moaned against her mouth, feeling her smile in response before nibbling on your bottom lip.

The air grew heavy around you.

Aeri pulled away just enough to look into your eyes, her thumb tracing the line of your jaw before pulling your face back to hers. The next kiss was even deeper, hungrier, as if she wanted to feel every part of you.

You let yourself go.

The world around you disappeared—the distant noise of the party, the cold wind, even the notion of time. All that existed was the way your bodies fit together, the way her fingers tightened on the back of your neck, the way the heat between you contrasted with the cold breeze of the early morning.

When you finally pulled away, your lips red and your breathing quickened, Aeri smiled against your mouth, her eyes shining.

“So that’s why you always stare at me?”

You laughed, still tasting her on your mouth.

“It was worth the wait.”

She bit her lip, pretending to think, before tugging on his jacket once more.

“Let me make it really worth your while.”

Oh my, this was going to be an interesting night.

[angelfic]

OMG STOP THAT LAST TIM DRABBLE FOR THE VALENTINES THING REKINDLED THIS IDEA THATS BEEN LINGERING IN THE BACK OF MY MIND

Also I’ve been seeing this idea everywhere so I think it’s a sign

So could I get a Tim fic where the reader (gn if that’s okay!) gets this new lipstick and tests how pigmented it is on Tim, like how many kiss marks they can leave before the colors gone and they have to reapply it

Sry if that didn’t make any sense and ty in advance if u choose to write this 🙏🙏

tim drake x reader

warnings — kissing :) suggestive themes ig, established relationship

a/n; writing for tim lately has been so fun it gives me a better high than any class a drugs could. so serious abt that btw. I loved writing this so much anon like I wanna kiss you on the mouth just for requesting it

Tim is very much used to you trying things out on him by now. Your new perfumes, to make him walk past you so you can imagine what people smell when you’re around. Face masks so you’re not doing it alone. Different shades of your nail polishes painted on his fingernails because, well, that one’s mostly just for fun.

Even that one time when you wanted to try out a new heatless overnight curl method and had him sat on the couch for hours with his head full of tightly wound velcro rollers before you realised you’d done it wrong.

So when you plop down beside him on the couch with a freshly delivered package, he doesn’t even bat an eye.

“What’s that?” he asks politely, only sparing you a quick glance up from his laptop.

“New lipsticks,” you say, spilling them out onto your lap and picking one from the bunch to twist it up and reveal the velvety pigment. “I wanna test out the longevity.”

He hums, long fingers typing away. “Sounds fun.”

You grin. “Glad to hear you say that, because you’re helping.”

He pauses, slowly turning his head towards you and considering the lipstick in your hand. Then, he sighs. “Fine,” he relents, going back to his laptop, but not before pouting his lips out for you.

“Not like that,” you snort, gently shoving his face away. He glances up again, a confused crease etched between his brows.

“Then….?” he trails off, quirking a brow. “How am I helping?”

In response, you uncap the top of the lipstick and carefully apply it, using your phone reflection to stay within the lines. You press your lips together, before flashing him a smile. He parts his lips, no doubt to compliment you like he always does when you ask him about any new product. Before he can say anything, you lean in and press a quick kiss to his cheek, leaving behind a mark in the shape of your lips.

Tim blinks, touching his cheek where the red imprint of your lips remains and rubs the pigment thoughtfully between his fingers. “Ahhh. I see.”

“You’re my test subject,” you confirm, shifting closer. “My own little lab rat. Let’s see how many kisses it takes before the colour is gone.”

His ears flush, a muted version of your lipstick, but he doesn’t pull away, instead angling himself towards you and shifting his laptop out of the way. “Well,” he murmurs, a small smirk playing on his lips. “For science.”

You laugh, leaning in once again. This time, your lips land on his jaw. Then his temple. The high of his cheekbone. His neck.

By the tenth kiss, Tim is practically radiating heat, fingers curled slightly into the couch cushions, staying obediently still. By the fifteenth, he’s closed his laptop entirely, shoving it to the other end of the couch.

At twenty, he becomes visibly antsy. “Still pigmented?” he asks, voice slightly hoarse.

You lean back to inspect your handiwork, taking in the array of kiss marks scattered across his face and neck. “A little faded,” you say thoughtfully, tilting your head. “Might need to reapply this one.”

Tim huffs a laugh, shaking his head at you. “Of course you do.”

When you reach for the lipstick, which had ended up in his lap somewhere around the twelfth kiss, he catches your wrist and tugs you close enough to brush his lips against your own in a barely-there kiss. “Think I prefer it like that,” he murmurs.

Your stomach flips at the sight of your lipstick faintly colouring his lips. Then you grin, eyes sparkling.

“Well, that’s too bad. We have a test to finish and about… four more lipstick shades to go.”

Tim sighs dramatically, but the corners of his lips twitch upwards. “Fine. But only because I’m committed to the cause,” he says, face as serious as he can muster with it covered in kiss marks.

And with that, you reapply the lipstick in pink this time, ready to start the experiment all over again.

[harmony867]

Not many people discuss Harry character development when it comes to his and Hermione relationship. What I mean is how he treats her when Ron and Hermione are arguing.

In the third book, there is the infamous firebolt incident. This is where people claim that ‘Harry ignored Hermione for months.’ The scene in question.

“There’s nothing wrong with it!” said Harry, his voice shaking slightly. “Honestly, Professor —”

“You can’t know that, Potter,” said Professor McGonagall, quite kindly, “not until you’ve flown it, at any rate, and I’m afraid that is out of the question until we are certain that it has not been tampered with. I shall keep you informed.”

Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and carried the Firebolt out of the portrait hole, which closed behind her. Harry stood staring after her, the tin of High-Finish Polish still clutched in his hands. Ron, however, rounded on Hermione.

“What did you go running to McGonagall for?”

Hermione threw her book aside. She was still pink in the face, but stood up and faced Ron defiantly.

Ron's reaction was a lot stronger than Harry's and obviously colored the whole thing. Harry would probably be angry without Ron there but there’s a contrast between their reactions.

(PoA12): Harry knew that Hermione had meant well, but that didn’t stop him from being angry with her. He had been the owner of the best broom in the world for a few short hours, and now, because of her interference, he didn’t know whether he would ever see it again. [...] Ron was furious with Hermione too. As far as he was concerned, the stripping-down of a brand-new Firebolt was nothing less than criminal damage.

This reaction is literally the first thing we’re told about Harry’s feelings regarding the incident. Harry is obviously disappointed and annoyed by Hermione’s “interference,” but also immediately acknowledges Hermione “meant well.” (I think we have to pause and realize that this is a rather measured reaction from a 13-year-old boy who had just received the most amazing gift and had it taken away from him.) In contrast, Ron was "furious" and viewed Hermione’s intervention as tantamount to encouraging a criminal act.

And at least at the beginning, it is Hermione who places distance between her and the boys:

‘Hermione, who remained convinced that she had acted for the best, started avoiding the common room. Harry and Ron supposed she had taken refuge in the library and didn’t try to persuade her to come back.’

This is what they “supposed.” They didn’t even know where she went. So, initially, we can at best fault Harry for not deliberately seeking out a girl who was actively avoiding them. (Though, the phrasing "taken refuge" suggests that had she stayed, something bad would have occurred. As the only person we see attacking her during this entire time is Ron—never Harry—we have to assume that's what she's avoiding.)

Meanwhile, we see Ron and Hermione get into arguments when they do encounter each other (e.g., over Lupin). And we see Hermione clearly feeling uncomfortable and “rushing past with her face averted” when Harry tries to bring up the broom with McGonagall. Again, we never see Harry show anger or annoyance toward Hermione. We never have Harry actively feeling like he should avoid her or ignore her or show her the silent treatment or ANYTHING. It's never stated, unlike many other times in the books when it's explicitly stated that Harry avoids someone.

And Harry becomes exceptionally busy at this time. Quidditch practice now happens five days per week, and he has anti-dementor classes with Lupin, so Harry notes that during this period he had ‘only one night per week’ to do his homework. It's not like it seems he had a lot of time to even casually encounter Hermione, who was also so wrapped up in her own schedule of taking a ridiculous number of classes.

(Note that the only scene where we see Harry having a reaction about Hermione during this time is when he's distracted writing an essay on his one night he has to do homework and can't really focus on why Hermione's schedule might be weird when Ron mentions it. He doesn't express anger or annoyance at talking about her or tell Ron, he doesn't care; he just is distracted by other things and is unable to think further about her schedule at that moment.)

After the Firebolt was returned on February 3rd, Harry immediately tells Ron that they should go make up with Hermione. It's almost like he had been feeling bad about it, but wasn't going to go against Ron (who, as we saw, was much less understanding about it). Look at literally the first thing out of Harry’s mouth:

[Ron said,] “She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?”

“Yeah... anything... ,” said Harry, his heart lighter than it had been in a month. “You know what—we should make up with Hermione… She was only trying to help...”

Harry just got his prized possession back, and Ron's reaction is about whether he can ride it. But Harry doesn't seem to care about that now: note the ellipses, as if he's distracted and not really thinking about what Ron's saying. Instead, we know his "heart" has become "lighter than it had been in a month." Why his heart? Because he's been estranged from Hermione, and the very first thing he wants to do is make up with her.

He appears to miss her, and there's no hint that he's still angry with her. That contrasts with other places in the books where we know Harry holds a grudge for some time and will have little bursts of anger periodically well up inside him, as when he's estranged from Ron in GoF (he literally wanted Ron to throw a punch so he could fight him) and again in DH; none of that is described here toward Hermione after the initial reaction when McGonagall confiscates the Firebolt.

And Harry's immediately noticing how tired she looks, suggesting that she might ease up on her workload a bit. Overall, his attitude is far from someone who wants to “ignore” her—he seems legitimately concerned about her:

“How are you getting through all this stuff?” Harry asked her.

“Oh, well — you know — working hard,” said Hermione. Close-up, Harry saw that she looked almost as tired as Lupin.

“Why don’t you just drop a couple of subjects?” Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary.

“I couldn’t do that!” said Hermione, looking scandalized.

During the period of their estrangement, on that one night when Ron brings up Hermione's schedule, we also see noted in the passage that Hermione's been stressed out and isolating herself surrounded by books. Although the text doesn't explicitly say that Harry noticed this, it's explicitly framed around him: he's struggling to complete his homework in one night per week, but "Even so, he wasn't showing the strain nearly as much as Hermione." The circumstantial evidence thus suggests he was noticing and at least somewhat worrying about her (or at least thinking about her), which gets confirmed in the way he approaches her here and offers some advice.

Unfortunately, as Harry and Hermione are just beginning to have a nice conversation about Hermione’s interest in Arithmancy, Ron bursts in and claims Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers. Ron then goes into full-blown ostracization mode with Hermione again, but Harry keeps trying to keep the communication going with her (PoA13):

Personally, Harry was sure that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, and when he tried to point out to Hermione that the evidence all pointed that way, she lost her temper with Harry too.

“Okay, side with Ron, I knew you would!” she said shrilly. “First the Firebolt, now Scabbers, everything’s my fault, isn’t it! Just leave me alone, Harry, I’ve got a lot of work to do!”

Harry’s clearly trying. He repeatedly approaches her and keeps attempting to bring her back into his circle. After the next Quidditch match, he breaks away in the middle of his own celebration party to check in with her:

“Did you even come to the match?” he asked her.

“Of course I did,” said Hermione in a strangely high-pitched voice, not looking up. “And I’m very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday.”

“Come on, Hermione, come and have some food,” Harry said, looking over at Ron and wondering whether he was in a good enough mood to bury the hatchet.

“I can’t, Harry. I’ve still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!” said Hermione, now sounding slightly hysterical. “Anyway...” She glanced over at Ron too. “He doesn’t want me to join in.”

Hermione would never miss one of Harry’s Quidditch matches, of course. But she’s feeling uncomfortable and continuing to distance herself, even though she knows this is about Ron now, not Harry. But Harry takes the initiative and tries to break down the barriers, yet again.

And when Ron repeatedly upsets her, Harry clearly wants to do something to help her, but isn't quite sure what—and also doesn't want to cross Ron. But Ron can't stand to see Harry and Hermione be friendly: he chooses this moment to speak up about Scabbers again, resulting in Hermione fleeing.

Hermione burst into tears. Before Harry could say or do anything, she tucked the enormous book under her arm, and, still sobbing, ran toward the staircase to the girls’ dormitories and out of sight.

“Can’t you give her a break?” Harry asked Ron quietly.

Ron keeps this up apparently for a couple months after the Firebolt is returned. We see Harry repeatedly approaching her with olive branches, but she's upset with Ron, and Harry seems kind of stuck. At this sort of age, it's natural to continue to segregate friendships by sex, so even though he wants to make up with Hermione, while Ron is ostracizing her, Harry doesn't do more. They both finally realize how poorly they’ve acted when Hagrid has a conversation with him, and ultimately they make up around Easter (which fell on April 3rd, so after about two months).

And when Hagrid does bring it up—well, let’s look at the contrasting reactions between the two boys (PoA14):

“She’s in a righ’ state, that’s what. She’s bin comin’ down ter visit me a lot since Chris’mas. Bin feelin’ lonely. Firs’ yeh weren’ talking to her because o’ the Firebolt, now yer not talkin’ to her because her cat —”

“— ate Scabbers!” Ron interjected angrily.

“Because her cat acted like all cats do,” Hagrid continued doggedly. “She’s cried a fair few times, yeh know. Goin’ through a rough time at the moment. Bitten off more’n she can chew, if yeh ask me, all the work she’s tryin’ ter do. Still found time ter help me with Buckbeak’s case, mind. . . . She’s found some really good stuff fer me . . . reckon he’ll stand a good chance now. . . .”

“Hagrid, we should’ve helped as well — sorry —” Harry began awkwardly.

“I’m not blamin’ yeh!” said Hagrid, waving Harry’s apology aside. “Gawd knows yeh’ve had enough ter be gettin’ on with. I’ve seen yeh practicin’ Quidditch ev’ry hour o’ the day an’ night — but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two’d value yer friend more’n broomsticks or rats. Tha’s all.”

Harry and Ron exchanged uncomfortable looks.

“Really upset, she was, when Black nearly stabbed yeh, Ron. She’s got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an’ you two not talkin’ to her —”

“If she’d just get rid of that cat, I’d speak to her again!” Ron said angrily. “But she’s still sticking up for it! It’s a maniac, and she won’t hear a word against it!”

Look closely at what’s going on here. Hagrid’s framing this as how both boys supposedly aren’t talking to her, but it’s clear that only one of them (Ron) is angry, while the other (Harry) is apologetic. And when Harry does try to apologize, Hagrid waves it away, excusing Harry with his Quidditch practices. I think Hagrid’s probably also sensitive to what’s really going on here: it’s not Harry who is ostracizing Hermione—it’s Ron, specifically. Hagrid may even have seen Harry trying to be conciliatory with Hermione, or perhaps she even told him. Regardless, Hagrid’s focus here is clear, and it’s not about Harry. While Harry could have done more, Hagrid’s trying to mend stuff with Ron and Hermione, as he likely sees that both of them are distancing from each other (and Hermione’s driving Harry out in the middle).

Note that the real cause of this all is established yet again when they do make up. Ron offers to help with Buckbeak’s appeal, Hermione apologizes about Scabbers, and then all is well again. If any of this were about Harry’s anger anymore, there would need to be a reconciliation with Hermione too, but this was clearly never much about Harry. They had made up months before, even if Hermione kept pushing him away (out of her anger with Ron and her anger at Harry for “siding” with him).

The distance appears mostly created by her and Ron. So we might (and should) fault Harry for not being more proactive in making up with her earlier, but there’s not really any evidence Harry is “ignoring” or actively shunning her, even in PoA. He and Hermione are both incredibly busy during this time too, and the moment the Firebolt is returned, he immediately queries Ron about making up with her.

Given gender dynamics in friendships at this age, it’s very understandable for a temporary break like this to happen, particularly given Hermione and Ron’s strong personalities.

We can compare this to Harry reacts when he’s older after the events of GoF and OOTP and has clearly matured more. When Ron and Hermione start fighting against in HBP. To jog your memory, Ron finds out that two years ago that Hermione allegedly kissed viktor krum from Ginny and starts giving Hermione the silent treatment. He starts dating lavender in retaliation for Hermione kissing a boy that asked her out two years ago while she was single.

HBP14: Harry catches a glimpse of Hermione (as Ron is snogging Lavender for the first time) and immediately goes after her to check on her abandoning quidditch celebrations.

Harry turned away from Ron, who did not look like surfacing soon, just in time to see the portrait hole closing. With a sinking feeling he thought he saw a mane of bushy brown hair whipping out of sight.

He darted forwards, sidestepped Romilda Vane again, and pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady. The corridor outside seemed to be deserted.

‘Hermione?’

He found her in the first unlocked classroom he tried. She was sitting on the teacher’s desk, alone except for a small ring of twittering yellow birds circling her head, which she had clearly just conjured out of midair. Harry could not help admiring her spellwork at a time like this.

HBP15: Unlike in PoA when Ron and Hermione are fighting, in HBP Harry gets away from Ron while Ron is “busy” to regularly spend time with Hermione. (Also it shows that the people who say that Harry doesn’t like spending time with Hermione is false, he chooses to spend time with her as he does multiple times across the books)

Hermione’s timetable was so full that Harry could only talk to her properly in the evenings, when Ron was in any case so tightly wrapped around Lavender that he did not notice what Harry was doing. Hermione refused to sit in the common room while Ron was there, so Harry generally joined her in the library, which meant that their conversations were held in whispers.

HBP15: Harry runs after Hermione and tries to help when she’s crying after Ron does a cruel impression of her in class

Hermione laughed unkindly at Ron’s disastrous first attempt, during which he somehow managed to give himself a spectacular handlebar moustache; Ron retaliated by doing a cruel but accurate impression of Hermione jumping up and down in her seat every time Professor McGonagall asked a question, which Lavender and Parvati found deeply amusing and which reduced Hermione to the verge of tears again. She raced out of the classroom on the bell, leaving half her things behind; Harry, deciding that her need was greater than Ron’s , scooped up her remaining possessions and followed her.

We see here that Harry prioritises Hermione, deciding that ‘her needs were greater than Ron.’ He spends time with her and comforts her.

Harry, again more assertively than in PoA, actively calls out Ron for being unkind to Hermione and immediately goes to comfort her.

A long way along the table, Hermione was sitting alone, playing with her stew. Harry noticed Ron looking at her furtively.

‘You could say sorry,’ suggested Harry bluntly.

‘What, and get attacked by another flock of canaries?’ muttered Ron.

‘What did you have to imitate her for?’

‘She laughed at my moustache!’

‘So did I, it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.’

We see that now Harry is way more defensive in defiending Hermione, providing way more support while in PoA he was more passive, being apologetic and reprimanding Ron but not as aggressively while now he defends Hermione for laughing ‘unkindly’ at Ron’s stupid moustache. This shows his character development, from passively defending Hermione to actively defending her, growing past the maturity he had as a thirteen year old boy.

[telluriannovice]

Day 2: Hand Kiss

Danny glared at Vlad like he was trying to see through his skin. He'd been acting weird all day. First, Vlad took the day off work, which is fine, he's an adult and everyone needs time off. Then, he offered to take Danny to the park, the one with a playground, a skate park, and an open field. And then Vlad just so happened to have brought a picnic basket that had Danny's favorite sandwich (a BLT without the T) and Danny's favorite cookies. Then he just decided to "swing by" the arcade, that somehow didn't have any people in it, and the two of them got to play whatever they wanted for as long as they wanted. And now, Vlad was leading them towards the Pier Carnival, and Danny had a feeling he was going to suggest they "swing by" that too.

"What's wrong, Danny? Something not to your liking?" Vlad asked and seemed actually worried.

"No, it's literally perfect." Danny said, glaring at him more.

"Then why the death stare?"

"Well, the last time you were this nice to me, my emotions were tied to the weather."

"So what? I can't take you on a nice date without it being suspect." He didn't actually sound convincing.

"I mean, yeah," Danny admitted. "This feels like one of your old schemes."

Vlad made a disgruntled sound then quickened his pace. "I thought something that felt more go with the flow would suit you better, but if not, then come on. We're going to go have a good time and things will continue to be perfect."

Vlad did lead them to the carnival and they did have a good time. Well, Danny did. His main problem with the supposed perfect date was... well, they didn't do anything Vlad liked. Vlad dates were fancy dinners and museums. He'd spend hours dressing Danny up like a doll to make sure his outfit was perfect, and then they'd go somewhere that would kick you out for wearing shorts or burping too loud. The best date Danny can remember them going on was right in the middle - a fancy fundraiser dinner at the observatory. Vlad got to talk snob with the other rich guests and Danny got to see the new museum wing before the rest of the public. Sure, it wasn't the fanciest of dinners and Danny had to wear an uncomfy suit, but they both got to have their fun and spend time with each other.

Danny was still trying to figure out what Vlad's game was, when he realized they were alone. It was past closing time, but not past the time a security person would have asked them to leave. Vlad took Danny out onto the pier, where they could see the sun setting in brilliant color.

"Perfect." Vlad hummed in satisfaction and quickly took Danny's hands in his. "Danny, my beloved little badger. I have loved you from the moment we met, and through every fight we had, and I will continue to love you till the end of time. So I ask..." He pulled a small box out of his jacket and fell to one knee. "Will you marry me?"

Danny blinked at him, his brain still trying to process what Vlad just said. He just, proposed? After an entire day of doing stuff Danny liked, and on a pier at sunset. Danny was taking too long to answer, he could feel it. The ring box in Vlad's hands started to shake and Danny knows Vlad doesn't do well on his knees.

He needed to say something. He needed to say anything. He needed to tell Vlad how much he appreciated their date and how much effort Vlad put into their relationship. "Yeah, sure."

No! Come on! "No, wait, sorry. I mean yes."

Vlad sighed in relief and stood back up, taking the ring from its box and putting it on Danny's hand. Vlad kissed over it gently, then down Danny's hand and threatened to kiss all the way up his arm. But Danny was able to divert his attention, cupping Vlad's cheek and pulling him into a proper kiss. And you know what? Fuck it! He pulled Vlad into a playful dip kiss, like they were ballroom dancing.

Eventually, they stopped kissing. Danny gave Vlad a scheming look. "Alright, when's your next day off?"

"We can't get married that quickly, little badger. Weddings take-"

"Not for the wedding!" Danny interrupted. "For my proposal!"

"You don't need to-"

"Mines going to be way better than yours."

"It's not a competition."

"Sounds like you're scared you'll lose." Danny joined when Vlad laughed, but it wasn't a joke. His proposal was going to be way better than Vlad's!

[howlsofbloodhounds]

How do u think the chromatic crew's handwriting would be like?

I think Color’s handwriting would be really really bad, particularly in the very beginning—when he’s not only adjusting to using pens and pencils again, but adjusting to only have one eye and adjusting to seeing in different types of lighting after having gotten used to the conditions of the Void—but im also considering the possibility that, when in Color is filled with Perseverance, there’s noticeable change in his handwriting.

This is the same when he’s filled with the other soul traits of course, such as become more like a young child’s handwriting when filled with Kindness, but I bring up Perse specifically because my thoughts keep circling back to an ask I got about if Color would be effected by or have any disorders or conditions that any of the souls might’ve had when they were alive.

And while I was copying the Wikipedia pages for every canon thing we know about the six souls, their items and everything, down into a little journal notes app thingy for later use; I came across the fact that the notebook’s handwriting is stated to contain “illegible scrawls” when checked. Meaning the handwriting is very hard to read.

This could be for many reasons, of course. The passage of time and a natural wear and tear of exposure to the elements, of course. The fact that the child with the Perseverance soul was a child. They could’ve been writing very quickly; out of fear, frustration, in a hurry, maybe quickly wanting to write everything down before forgotten or as they happened.

But there’s also the fact that another item associated with this soul are the cloudy glasses, said to be marred with wear. The fact they needed glasses suggests problems with eyesight, and if the glasses were marred by the time they were writing in the notebook, would explain bad handwriting as well.

So problems with eyesight whenever Color is filled with Perseverance is one thing he could struggle with that makes his handwriting decrease, even as his own handwriting abilities—which were effected by his lack of much need for such skills, lack of access to the tools needed for writing (besides maybe Patience’s spinning knives?) as well as his physical disability—increased and approved with time and practice.

Another thing I considered awhile back when discussing the idea of Abyss!Sans being dyslexic with a friend on Discord is: what if, not only did Perse have problems with eye sight when they were alive, but what if they had dysgraphia?

Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder that impacts a person's ability to write and produce written language.

It's also known as a specific learning disorder in written expression. Dysgraphia can affect handwriting, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and the organization of written work. It can also impact the ability to recognize and decipher written words, and the relationship between letter forms and sounds.

One of the many signs and symptoms of dysgraphia is even stated to be poor or illegible handwriting.

So i think Color’s handwriting can noticeably get worse when he is filled with Perseverance, because of Perse’s poor eyesight and possible dysgraphia, but also when influenced by younger souls like Ness and Pat.

I think Delta’s handwriting can noticeably change as well, due to Beta, but I do think his handwriting is actually rather easy to read when you read notes about his work related stuff—equations, math, things like that. It’s when he’s writing things about like, grocery lists, that it’s less written with care and he’s just writing however he pleases.

I feel like Killer’s handwriting has potential to also be affected by his eyesight, or lack thereof—as well as tremors or cramps in his hands. He and Color very likely can and do write in Arabic—and this is possibly how they’re used to writing if this was how they were taught.

They are likely more used to writing right to left, and that is likely to show itself even when they’re both writing in English and trying to write left to right. His and Color’s handwritings may seem more fluid and connected, or semi cursive.

Color and Killer, when writing in English, may also struggle with things like capitals, uppercase and lowercase letters because (according to Google at least) Arabic script does not typically require lowercase or uppercase letters. There are also things like pressure, stroke styles, different punctuation rules, etc.

I’m not sure why exactly, but I feel like Epic is pretty good at reading and writing in cursive. I haven’t completely finished reading everything on his and Cross’ canon materials just yet, but Epic’s handwritings is likely influenced by his scientific background; Cross’ royal guard background may also play a factor for him as well.

[urspiritualnurse]

•Pick a card. (left to right).

What roof over your head is blocking the sky?

Pile 1.

The term "I" begins to flourish and build a meaning when a child is given the space to do so.

In this pile, I see a budding you, very new to the world and your own reflection, being taught by someone whether consciously or unconsciously that their heart is your heart, their mind is your mind, their stomach is your stomach.

And since the teaching taught you that someone else is your identity and very being, I see you giving your all to that person in innocent hopes that by doing so, you are fulfilling your own needs.

Your stomach would rumble and naively you would run and feed the other person, believing their intake is what fills your belly.

When a being merges identities with another, catastrophe is bound to occur.

Doesn't matter if it's the very person who birthed you, bathed you, fed you, educated you.

You will forever remain yours.

And they will remain theirs.

And this pattern of your distorted sense of self who perceives another's anatomy, emotional need, mental pursuits, existential crisis with it all of its burden as yours.

Comes from a place of unaware hurt.

The sensation of belonging feels soothing doesn't it?

And all the crowd suggests one must belong to their own selves but what happens when you have no self that you know of?

You cling to the people you believe have a self.

You are hungry, yet the unawareness and disconnection to your own stomach leaves you in a state of repeating distress, for you can sense only your hunger but not your belly. And you repeat the sad cycle where you work hard, cook meals and varieties, run towards a person who you believe is you, or has a self that you do not, and feed them.......hoping....pleading to a power so high that the food....miraculously rests on your lost stomach instead of the ones whose mouth that you just fed.

You are thirsty, you are hungry, you are unsatisfied, you are sad, you are in need of help and support, you are in distress.......yet....all you witness is yourself repeat the miserable cycle where all that you need you find yourself giving to another......

For where is the location of your mind? For you to ever deliver a suggestion of relief.

For where is the direction of your mood, heart, spirit, and soul? For you to ever lend a hand to your own aimless self.

To feed, one must first know where the mouth lies.

You know what and where everyone else's entirety lives.

But not yours.

Until you discover your own, and connect with it.

Your hands will forever feed the mouth of another, every time the sensation of hunger rumbles in your lost stomach.

You are kind, not everyone in your place would have been so willing to give.

But your nature that was born a giver has become even more grand, so much so your aware hands cannot guide it well.

And any waters no matter how kind and quenching, if has no deep land guiding it to a direction of clarity, the waters are bound to drown what wishes to live.

Your kind heart doesn't need a dam, just a little awareness and willingness to swiftly change and alter the pace and the direction of flow.

When people say, "the world doesn't revolve around you. Or not everything is about you."

Mind you, it is.

It always has been.

It always will.

So take care of the first person you see, touch, hear, feel, connect to.

This person is the one who is bound to you by fate, tied to your flesh and bones, and is made to accompany you from birth to your death.

So yes, it is all about you.

My dear reader, everything is indeed about you.

Pile 2.

The innate creativity we all are born with, needs an environment that makes creating something fun.

But in this pile I see someone who came before you, buying a land, building a house, choosing every colors on the wall and even hand picking art to hang on those walls.

And they hold in their hands some nails, they appear rusted and unreliable and there I see you, being called by them and asked to hammer those rusty nails.

And obediently you do so, but such domineering hands and will the person holds, they stop you midway, not trusting the placement you chose, and picked apart a spot and even decided the nails placement, and then struck in the first strike by themselves.

As they urge you to continue after what they have left for you to work with.

But the nails are rusty and placed in such ways that it is bound to twist in directions that are hard for a frame to hang.

I see you doing what you've been asked to do, with diligence and intention simply to contribute and help.

But as the inevitable failure occurs, by their own misplacement and choices.

I see them blaming all of it on you, on your craftsman ship, your hands and your strength, deeming it being too much or too less, too out of control and in need of taming.

There, in you I see a withering spirit, a flower of creativity losing its colors.

As your eyes grow dull from exhaustion, and your hands tremble with anger and fear.

Your mouth itches to speak what your intelligence could gather, but....you do not.

For reasons dear to you.

And I see you never again, trying to dive in your creativity.

Sometimes creation doesn't always mean art and crafts.

It also means relationship, creating something in between two detached individuals, that brings them together.

But you do not.

The sheer idea of building something terrifies you, exhausts you.

"What is the point?" You say,

For in each released creation, there will be millions who will point out the flaws in your choices and placements.

And ones choices are a part of them.

Nobody likes hearing another reject the choices they have made.

There are million things of us that are out in the open, that we cannot hide or unrelease, such as our face, limbs, height and body structures, voice, hair, etc.

And even that we work so hard to trim and keep in check.

Because that is something already out in the open, that you cannot inhale back in, within your discreet existential pockets.

But choices and creativity, ideas, thoughts, feelings are.

They are unreleased, hidden and needs your definite yes or no, for it to ever be seen or heard by another.

So you hide.

"Being picked apart and criticized for what is seen of me is enough.

I don't want any more of me to be known."

And thus,

You live in confinement, alone even amidst a crowd.

Silent even amidst a lively parade.

But you see,

All that is in you needs a place of release.

All alone you are, and there is loneliness even worse than being someone with nobody.

The loneliness that pushes away not just the world, family, friends, lovers, but also your ownself is far worse.

For you, truly will not have anyone.

To stand infront of the mirror and find none of you reflecting back is scary isn't it?

The fear of criticism has reasonably scarred you so.

It is understandable why the thought of opening up and creating feels so jarring.

I could say to you, "leave all of those people behind who have nothing but criticism to spare." But I know it isn't that easy, for sometimes those people with poisoned tongue are often the most dearest to our heart and soul.

The thought of forsaking them or being forsaken by them, is terrifying indeed.

In such case, what else can you do?

If not, start with cleansing your own way of self speech.

I know for sure, you talk to you more than any of them ever will.

And as it is said, children pick up language, dialect and even tones from their surroundings.

And you have picked all of those, with it also their venomous way of speaking.

Clean your speech, first.

That is where you shall start.

Show and let yourself hear, what a speech delivered by kindness feels like.

Because nobody's hearing ears are a disposable empty bucket for another's vile talk to fall in.

Be generous with compliments and appreciative endearments to yourself.

You deserve it.

Pile 3.

If your world was burning, in fire ferocious and mean.

In such heated tragedy, from the smoke filled air, if emerged out a glowing hope of brush.

In sync, if the sky echoed to you,

"Whatever you shall paint, will be the fate's verdict."

What will you paint?

Anything and everything with blue I suppose, a tide, a blizzard, enormous town engulfing sea, hungry floods, rivers, ponds, rains, hailstorm.......

But I see you, dipping the brush in the color red, painting embers, erupting and angry volcano, forest fire, destructive flames......

Again and again......

As though you were once said to believe that you are a specific species, a flower so rare and in the verge of extinction, and can only survive in a weather or a land, burning with destruction.

And you live, as all should, trying to survive....and not die....not meet an early end.

So you do everything in your power, to create all of your previous environment because someone or something said, you can survive only on those conditions.

I picture a little round penguin, realizing the necessity of the cold for its kind and living from then, simply eradicating any warmth out of these lands.

Working hard to ensure, he survives wherever he goes.

Bringing in frost, in all the world's.

Regardless of the weather and breeze the specific land holds, forcing into it soul freezing blizzards so it could live, thrive, survive.....anywhere........not just live in one place and die in one.

Realizing that it wants to travel, move, see and explore, yet realizing it's own survival limitations.....

But you are not such species.

Neither are you such endangered flower.

You are a child of man, born with adaptable flesh and spirit.

No storm, no weather, no lands control you and your living.

You can thrive and survive anywhere.

But you believe you can only live in environments where you once started from.

Fire, burning world, heated violence, agitation and discomfort, struggles and teary eyes.

All of it, you think you belong there.

And you make it time and again your current reality.

For we all are indeed gifted with that said brush, whether we believe it or not.

The skies might not have declared a prophecy to us about what the brush and our hands could create and do.

But we have them in us.

So it is up to you, what do you wish to create?

You do not have to continuously live on fire.

Let the weather change, let the circumstances change, doesn't matter if for better or for worse.

Someone turning 7 if was proclaimed to bring forth disaster, should we simply stop the child from growing and changing?

Such disasters that threaten you into stopping a free spirited change are illusions meant to bring stagnancy.

No change is bad enough to be ever, locked up and avoided.

It's alright.

To try for once the color blue, paint waters that shimmers like crystals.

You are meant for more, more than what you had, more than what you have gotten used to, and more only comes when you move around, explore, for no matter how many coals you collect, 10 or thousands, if it's not something new.... a brand new discovered rock, colored pebbles, or gems even, you cannot consider the addition of the same old coal as something more.

For that is simply a cycle of repetitions.

Pile 4.

A child of man is the most moldable form of universal clay there is.

You can make anything of him.

Leave a child in the coops. He will walk out a chicken.

Whatever he is surrounded by or is told he is, he becomes.

Even if for the visible intelligence, it seems absurd to even believe.

But he indeed becomes what he is told.

Adaptability becomes curse to mankind when the one who is given the right to mold, are unreliable and distorted source themselves.

God lands a soft clay on the doors of a newfound home.

And watches from above as the owner of the place, molds the given piece into what he must, or into what believes he must.

Projecting all of who he is, the molder himself carves an image untrue to the clay.

I see in this pile, a child of man, molded as a worm with no limbs.

And he lives crawling, wiggling on the ground.

When all of his fellow kin, moves with pride, making use of their limbs and mobility.

He simply watches with yearning as the one who lives as the man they are.

Accumulates abundance, satisfaction, sovereignty, fulfilments and secure riches.

But he who thinks is a limbless worm, grows sullen with tireless, sad, envy.

What do you do when although inspiration strucks your reigning horses, but nomatter how much motivation rushes through the breed, it's worn out, immobilized legs cannot endure a mile.

Such is the case,

We think when inspiration hits we can do anything.

But for a man to write, he must have his hands in place, if not so, all the running inspiration are bound to grow tired.

Something needs to be there, a way through, like the tip of a pen, or a open end of a water pipe.

For anything to release itself, one must have a way through.

For inspiration comes to no use if you have no means for it to release itself into the open air.

And I see this pile, believing they are somehow different, taking pride in it yet at the same time grimly despising it.

Such are the sides, you believe you either are capable or incapable.

You believe you are either superior or inferior.

Sometimes we dance between both, like a fickle wind blowing left from right.

I cannot guarantee the worthlessness of standards, hierarchies.

For God, mortal, demons, spirits, also have hierarchies of their own, even planets itself loom over another with pride and the ones behind rotate with a sense of loss.

In this world, noone has to agree to what you think of yourself or what place you belong or are capable of reaching.

It is alright.

To be angry at the world for looking at you and measuring your height and reach and declaring your worth, is exhausting.

It is pointless to fight a battle you cannot win.

For your feet that walked to the place where your mind knows is a space where all gets evaluated and labeled, must be the one that is stopped and checked.

You cannot burn in rage and despair, that is the good part about being born in this labeled society, everywhere there is a written statement of what that place is.

So, when you walk towards such places that declares your worth, when it is clearly stated that very place, evaluates an individuals worth.

Who can you get mad at?

When you walk into a room where a major is inspecting potential platoons, and he says to you, "you are not suitable for war." You cannot get angry at the man who is simply declaring the specific needs that place holds.

You simply walk out such spaces.

You decide what your worth is.

And from there, don't you ever look back, or around, or up, or down.

Do not seek a direction where you can meet the gaze of someone who disagrees to what you have decided.

This fight is not worth fighting.

And dear reader, when you are inspecting your ownself, and evaluating your worth, all the anger, sadness, disappointment you have towards the world's standards and hostility towards those who can not meet it, let it guide you to become what you wished they were.

Be generous, be empathetic, be fair and have the core bones in you that stands on the belief that "all men are created equal, that such question about one's worth is in itself meaningless, that need not be asked."

Go get that bag! Go get that dream!

You child of man pretending and deluding themselves to be anything less than that.

You can and you will!

You too can hold and acquire what you see another receive and get.

For you too are a child of man.

Capable of giving and receiving.

[charon-cries]

you’ve probably gotten this a hundred times (and I’m sorry if you have ^^’) but I wanted to ask about your brushes/resources! I’ve been astounded with your textures for a while and you’ve inspired me to texture up my art! agrghh your colour choices, your halftone use, your anatomy stylization and your rendering have me rolling over in my grave whenever I see your art. I’ll actually never get past the way you use texture! I’d be grateful for any resources you could throw out here, if you wanna - no pressure obviously, I’d be more than content just continuing to consume your art whenever it drops :> I’m curious about what brush/s that you use for lining and rendering, assuming you use csp. agrhgedsjk sorry for the ramble and request!

hello! sorry for the late reply, i've been incredibly busy with con prep as of late, but yes, i do use CSP! here's a little brush update.

for sketching, i primarily use this modified version of the default charcoal brush and i very often use it to color as well. this is typically the brush i use for flat colors and for textured paintovers. i used it to sketch the malevolent fanart above, as well as color most of the elements (except for the dark wash behind john) including john's face. i also drew this chibi solely using that charcoal brush:

i recently also found this set (ID: 2147968) of two textured brushes, one for color, and the other for blending. you can see them in the dark gray wash behind john in the drawing at the top!

as for my halftones, they come from my blending brushes! you can find those (as well as my tma inspired gradient map set) here, and i plan to update that page if i ever upload more.

i also used to use paper texture #5 from this texture kit. it's been a long while since i've used it on anything, but it can look really nice.

i would use it on procreate by merging the entire drawing to one layer, putting the paper on a layer below it, and setting the drawing to color burn(? it's been a while) and then messing with the darkness on that layer until the colors look how i intended them.

i suggest messing with paper, canvas, and paint textures with layer modes in general! pixelbuddha is a great place to find free textures that work really well for things like this.

[queer-ragnelle]

hello! hope you're having a good day :)

I'm slowly introducing my girlfriend to arthurian legend and I was wondering what films you would recommend for a complete beginner (her). I will be next to her explaining things but I also wanted to start off with something more digestible. We've already watched the green knight (2021) (I know) and excalibur (1981) together. thank you for all you do!

Hello, I am and I hope you are too!

Oh yayyy this is so awesome. I'm going to suggest things that I personally feel really give a newbie a grasp of the characters in such a way that if they were to watch something else afterward, it would actually aid them in understanding. There are some films that are so experimental they're unrecognizable (like Knightriders (1981) or Shadow of the Raven (1988)). Those are amazing, visionary films. But they're entrenched in their respective cultures (American and Icelandic respectively) so they don't really help someone new grasp the foundational lore like the things I'll be suggesting will. This list offers self-contained stories with solid writing, great acting, and entertainment enough to keep one engaged, without any requirement for prior knowledge to appreciate.

Here are the beginner friendly options listed in order of release:

Knights of the Round Table (1953)

Details the rise & fall of Camelot from Arthur pulling the sword from the stone to his & Mordred's deaths. It has everything, the A/G/L of all time, adorable Percival & Elaine as siblings, Orkney bros Gawain, Agravaine, Gareth, & Mordred (who is not a product of incest), sassy clever Morgan beefing with fatherly sweet Merlin, gorgeous costuming, moving script.

BBC The Legend of King Arthur (1979)

This is technically a show but hear me out. It's only 8 episodes, half hour each, & covers the full Arthurian story from Uther's battle with Gorlois to take Igraine all the way to Arthur's passing. Morgan is a central character & fascinating. Arthur raised by Ector alongside Kay. Goes to battle against Lot & Accolon & the other rebellious lords. Great Lancelot & Bors. Guinevere is strong & interesting & sympathetic. Orkney bros Gawain, Agravain, Gareth, & Mordred (who is not a product of incest). Elaine of Corbenic & Elaine of Astolat both present as separate women. Grail quest led by Galahad (no Percival unfortunately). Mador’s brother Guido poisoned “by Guinevere” like in Le Morte d’Arthur & a trial by combat ensues. It’s a really compelling version of events that can give a beginner a great overview of the legends.

Sword of Lancelot (1963)

Opens with an older Arthur looking to marry. Lancelot is his bestie & champion. Other knights include Gawain, Mordred (who is not a product of incest), Bedivere, Dagonet the jester, Lamorak, Kay the seneschal, & eventually Tor. Lancelot/Guinevere have great chemistry they were married irl.

Gawain and the Green Knight (1991)

Faithful adaptation of SGATGK complete with three days of kissing! Unique by having Gawain recount the reason for his journey as he’s already on it. Flashbacks show Gawain at the high table with Arthur & Guinevere, sitting next to his brother Agravaine, when the Green Knight comes in, & is beheaded. The events at Bertilak’s castle play out just like the poem with the lady coming to tempt Gawain & then he forwards those kisses to Bertilak in exchange for the animal of the hunt. Colorful & fun!

Tristan & Isolde (2006)

One of my favorites. I think the leads have great chemistry & gives a decent overview of the Medieval story without too much access. Mark here is morally way better than in Medlit but it does make the live triangle more juicy. Brangain is really funny here too. There is no magic in this version, so no love potion. Just pure unaided adultery.

Sir Lanval (2011)

Short & sweet indie movie adapting Marie of France’s lay of the same name. Great casting, beautiful costuming, pretty sets. Lanval’s rags to riches story thanks to his fairy lady Tryamour. Sport but well-meaning Arthur not doing his marital duties gives Guinevere sufficient motivation to try & seduce Lanval. Kay is here as Arthur’s foster brother & seneschal but sort of acts like an attorney? Lol? Great movie.

Sire Gauvain et le Chevalier Vert (2014)

Another SGATGK poem adaptation, this time in French (with English subtitles) & condensed to a mere 28 minutes run time. Visually stunning & beautifully acted. A little more mature than the 1991 version, bc of course the French have to get freaky with it sexual style (this is a good thing). Another awesome adaptation worth checking out.

Okay I think those are all my suggestions! Hope that gives you and your girlfriend a solid watch list and you both enjoy them. Take care!

[lemotmo]

I have never sent you one of these before so I hope I did it correctly. I found this very helpful because I also don't always understand the nuance or subtlety of a scene. Glad to know it's not just me.

Q. I'm not sure if you can even do this but I have autism and I struggle immensely with understanding subtext, framing, sarcasm and anything else really that I'm supposed to be able to pick up on in media. The direct dialogue or action in a scene tends to be what I take as fact. I understand that's not the case and things are always there that aren't being spoken or directly stated. Can you try to explain the Buddie stuff that points to them going canon? I want it but I don't know how to spot those clues. Does this even make sense? Please feel free to ignore this if it's not something that's explainable.

A. Hi, anon. Your question makes perfect sense and I am more than willing to try and see if I can explain or offer some context into some of the scenes. I have a friend who has Asperger's and he struggles with all these things as well so we try to explain things to him as often as he needs. For the sake of length, and not wanting to make this thread too long to keep up with, I will relegate my examples to a few things from seasons 7 and 8 only. Otherwise we would be here all day. I will start with episode 7x4 because that's the episode that is most widely misinterpreted.

As everyone now knows the episode ended with Tommy kissing Buck, keep in mind that we had spent the entirety of the episode up to that point watching Buck apparently being jealous because Eddie was spending time with another guy. The direct dialogue of the scene leading up to the kiss, when Buck tells Tommy that trying to get his attention had been exhausting, is the argument people use to show that the episode was really about Tommy. But Tommy himself doesn't believe that. The audience sees Tommy surprised by that statement, because he was also aware Buck was bothered by Eddie spending time with him, but he clearly thought Buck was bothered for the same reason the audience thought Buck was bothered, because he wasn't the one Eddie was spending time with. That's why Tommy responds with a confused/surprised "Me"? The episode played very much like Buck was jealous of Tommy NOT Eddie. The most obvious example of this was the scene in the firehouse when Eddie is on the phone in the locker room and Buck is trying to get his attention while working out. The show never tells us who Eddie is actually talking too. We don't know who's on the other end of the conversation, neither does Buck. The only thing Buck sees is Eddie laughing and having a good time while ignoring him. Tommy wasn't at the firehouse so he was never going to see Buck trying to show off around the weight room and Amazon priming a basketball to himself so he could pretend he was interested in something he knew Eddie was interested in. The other interesting thing about that episode was the way Eddie was framed, in other words shot and filmed, throughout. He was consistently lit in golden/sunlight, colors associated with warmth and happiness/joy. Tim made a point of telling everyone that the episode was from Buck's perspective which means that's how Buck sees Eddie. Buck associates Eddie with happiness and warmth and joy. The joy theme is important to remember because it comes back into play during season 8. I'm not in any way suggesting that once Buck became aware of his male attraction that he didn't find Tommy attractive, he clearly did in some capacity. But it is not out of character for Buck to over correct himself in the wrong direction. Both times he asked his partners to move in with him were direct results of his belief that he needed to make up for some wrong he had done to them. He asked Taylor to move in with him after he kissed Lucy and he asked Tommy to move in with him after his reaction to the Abby news, and Josh's speech about what they owed the older queer community. Josh said many things in that speech, a speech I did not love, but he said many things and it was telling that the only part of that speech that seemed to register with Buck where Tommy was concerned was the part about what they owed to the community that came before them. It was wrong to ask on both occasions. Taylor said yes. Tommy said no. We will get back to the Tommy one shortly but those are perfect examples of Buck over correcting himself in the wrong direction in order to avoid dealing with the actual issues.

When we arrive at season 8 we get the scene of Buck hearing all the different noise and static in his head when he's trying to calm himself down while Gerard is yelling. The only voice that is clear and audible for the audience is Eddie's voice. Eddie's voice is the one used to calm and recenter Buck. It was an intentional choice to make it Eddie's voice. not his boyfriends voice but Eddie's voice. Episode 8x6 was the biggie though. The episode is titled Confessions. It was the only episode of the season so far where Buck and Eddie didn't say a single word to one another, but I'll come back to that. Eddie was the focus of that episode, it is important to note that episodes 7x4 and 8x6 were directed by the same man. It was intentional on the show's part for these two episodes to sync in some capacity. They have kept the Buck storyline and the Eddie storyline linked since the beginning of season 7. Their storylines are connected. We see Eddie at the juice bar pick up a bottle of juice and hand it to the cashier. He changes his mind though and swaps it out for a bottle of water (a good note to have here is that in the first episode when the crew is running the stairs Buck is holding a bottle of juice, not water, once they make it to the roof). Father Brian watches this interaction and decides he wants to talk to Eddie. We then see Eddie sitting outside at a table, with plenty of empty tables around him, but Father Brian asked if he could join him anyway. Father Brian attempts small talk, and Eddie, unprompted, tells him, 'sorry, I'm straight'. This is not something television has straight characters do. It's not necessary to declare your heterosexuality. In fact it is far more common for television to use dialogue like that to foreshadow a sexuality realization for that character. It is a very common beginning to a sexuality arc. Father Brian then wants to know why Eddie swapped his juice for the water. Eddie tells him he felt like water instead and Father Brian then equates Eddie denying himself the juice as a way of denying himself joy. He tells Eddie that he's punishing himself. Then they talk about why Eddie has the mustache. Eddie tells him he wanted a full beard but the LAFD doesn't allow full beards. A very interesting conversation indeed for a character who has just explicitly stated that he's straight. We all know the term 'beard' and its history within the queer community. Father Brian then tells Eddie to do one thing that brings him joy. That entire scene was written like foreshadowing. I will skip ahead now to Buck and Tommy's break up. Tommy explains to Buck that at some point he is going to figure out what it is that he really wants and even though he won't mean to, he will hurt Tommy once he figures that out. Tommy has known since 7x4 that something is there for Buck where Eddie is concerned. But he also knows Buck is not ready for that realization yet. He makes a point of telling Buck that he's his first not his last. They also made a point of having Buck say sometimes those can be the same, meaning your first can be your last. Tommy says sometimes that can be true but not most of the time. Meaning there is an exception to that rule. The right person can be your first and your last. Tommy was not the right person. Fast forward to Eddie shaving off his mustache and doing his risky business dance.

Buck goes to Eddie following the breakup. Eddie answers the door in his underwear and he and Buck do not speak. Buck holds up a beer bottle and walks in. They don't talk. They sit on the couch in silence drinking their beers. That is the final shot of the episode. An episode entitled Confessions, and the only episode of the season where Buck and Eddie don't say a single word to one another. Again the framing of that scene is also important because of what surrounds them in the scene. Buck and Eddie are on the couch. It's right it's where they belong but the timing is not right. The blurry picture of Christopher between them on the table behind them is intentional. Christopher is missing from their little unit. Then there's the picture of Texas on the wall behind Eddie. Texas, and everything it represents for Eddie, looms over them. Those are the obstacles that have to be dealt with first. They existed in that shot because Buck, and especially Eddie, cannot escape them. They have to be dealt with and fixed first. They didn't talk because they have things they need to do first.

The last shot of the mid season finale being Buck sitting alone on the Diaz couch was also foreshadowing. Eddie is going to Texas. Yes, that scene also indicated that Buck is finally at a place where he won't be able to ignore or misinterpret his feelings for Eddie any longer. Eddie isn't there yet. Texas has to be dealt with first. Therefore Eddie couldn't be physically on the couch with him in that scene because Eddie has to leave first. Eddie has to be the one person who leaves Buck and chooses to come back to Buck.

I hope this made sense, anon. It was still longer than I anticipated. Please feel free to ask me anything at any time. I am more than happy to try and explain something as best as I can, if I can. I have no idea if this was helpful but I hope you were able to get something out of it. 🩷

Thank you Nonny! This is lovely!

Such a great breakdown of the overarching Buddie storyline for Buck and Eddie. Such a great resource for people who have trouble recognising subtext and nuance in a storyline.

I am going to add my own breakdown of the entire last Buddie scene of episode 8x08. Right after it aired someone with autism contacted me with the question if I could break that specific scene down for them.

You can find it here: breakdown of 8x08 final Buddie scene

If anyone ever needs more help in this department, feel free to send an ask. Just like Ali, I'd be happy to try and explain what the viewer is meant to take away from a scene.

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[jazziejax]

𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧’

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - Kelvin Harrison Jr. x Black!OC & Damson Idris x Black!OC

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - In which past lovers turned fling and a set best friends, that connection seems deeper than platonic, have to sit through a Prada fashion show and it’s after party all while keeping face in front of the waiting cameras, when all they can contemplate is how they’ll spend the rest of their time in Milan.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - flirting, suggestive conversation, roleplay(?), ex’s to flings, some descriptions, jealousy, best friends that lowkey want each other.

𝐉𝐚𝐳𝐳𝐢𝐞’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 - UNEDITED, sorry for any spelling errors and grammar mistakes. I did this because I’m in a Damson Idris type of mindset and there’s literally nothing for him, he’s nonexistent here. Then I remembered when I saw Kelvin at the Prada show, I was like “Both my men in one room and they didn’t even interact.” So I made this. This could’ve went the throuple route, and I still might do that, but this was my first reaction.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 - 5,218+

The energy in the air was palpable and electric, a mix of flashing cameras as high-profile guests arrived, fans screams along with photographers demands filled the air, and the ever-present hum of fashion’s elite mingling before the show began.

Evette, dressed in mix of a Prada items, her clam look exuded confidence, but beneath the surface, she was still adjusting to this new chapter of her life. She exhaled slowly, grounding herself as she stepped onto the carpet.

The attention was still something she was adjusting to—Mufasa: The Lion King had catapulted her career into a different stratosphere and put her further into the public eye, and while she had always been comfortable in front of an audience the constant scrutiny was something she was still learning to navigate.

She posed with effortless grace, her outfit casual but cute nonetheless. She turned slightly, letting the cameras catch her best angles. Questions flew at her—about the film, future roles, even whispers of her personal life—but she handled them with the same cool demeanor that had gotten her this far.

Once inside, the energy shifted, less chaotic but still intense. She let out another sigh, releasing her anxious tension before looking down at the encouraging and hilarious messages from Nala.

I need more known so I can become a Brand Ambassador. This struggling actor shit is played out 🙄

She chuckled, shaking her head softly at the girl. She texted her a quick response before pocketing her phone and looking up. She began walking again as she glanced around, seeing the familiar faces of people she’d seen on telephone or tv screen, and others she hadn’t a clue of.

And then, right before she could make it to her seat, she saw him.

Kelvin Harrison Jr.

He looked good—annoyingly so. Dressed in a sleek Prada ensemble, the bright green color of his collar making his skin pop. He exuded the kind of ease that only came with confidence. Evette tensed, but only slightly. It’s not like it’s been long since she’d last seen him, and they were…friends now? If you could call what they had going in as friends. . They had long since moved past the initial post-breakup unease, settling into something familiar, easy. But what was it exactly? They weren’t just exes. They weren’t just co-stars. And after everything that had happened between them in the quiet, stolen moments off-camera… fling didn’t feel quite right either. She couldn’t help the feeling that wrapped around her beating heart at the sight of him. Admiring him from afar as he eased his way through the crowds of other celebrities.

Kelvin must have sensed her watching because he glanced up, locking eyes with her. A slow smile spread across his face—one of those knowing ones that made her stomach flip, even after all this time.

“Evette.” Kelvin greeted smoothly, his eyes flickering with something unreadable. His grinned, his dimples poking through his cheeks.

“Kelvin.” She returned softly, smiling at him.

“You look good,” he said, eyes flickering over her outfit, appreciation evident.

She smirked. “You clean up nice yourself. I didn’t know you’d be here.” She said coyly. Kelvin’s brows twitched in confusion, slightly squinting at her. “What? Yes you did.” He said, letting out a small laugh with the twinkle still in his eye.

Evette’s smile dropped as she smacked her lips. “I was trying to do a bit.” She grumbled softly, her bright demeanor dropping. Kelvin just let out a small laugh at her as she stepped closer. He then quirked a brow, looking down at her. “A bit? You mean like role play?” He quipped, his tone lower than before with a smirk showing his pearly whites. Evette scoffed although she couldn’t help the smile that was making its way onto her face. She reached up to give his shoulder a small push. “Really?" She squinted at him. "In public? At a fashion show?" She hissed through clenched teeth, tilting her head close so that there was no chance that their conversation could be heard, even over the chaos of the venue.

Kelvin’s smirk widened, clearly enjoying the playful banter. He leaned in a little closer, his voice dropping even lower. “You know I like to keep things interesting, Evette.” He said in a sultry tone, his eyes giving her a quick once over, subconsciously licking his plump lips before his eyes made their way back to hers. "Plus, what's wrong with a little roleplay?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you Kelvin. Not here." She said, trying to sound firm, but her grin was undeniable. She stepped around him, her coconut scent wafting in her wake. He was quick to turn and follow behind her, catching sight of her pearly smirk as she threw him a quick look over her shoulder. He grinned as he followed after her, his eye trained on the back of her curly pixie cut.

She ended up stopping behind one of the many busy crowds that flooded the place, all of the celebrity guests trying to either find their seats or speak with their industry friends. Giving the perfect opportunity for Kelvin to come up behind her, almost pressing against her back. "I like your hair." He purred. Evette hummed, not turning to look at him. "Thank you." She replied. They stood close, too close, the charged air between them impossible to ignore. It had been like this for months—lingering stares, unsaid words, touches that lasted longer than they should. They had danced around whatever this was for too long. And now, they had to keep everything in check, with no Aaron Pierre or Nala around to distract from the weight of their history.

It was silent between them then, the pair moving with the slow-paced crowd that was dispersing throughout the large building.

"So back to this roleplay thing." He said, and Evette instantly let small laugh.

"Do you ever listen?"

"No." He grinned. "I'm just saying. I believe the most healthy of couples do it?" He quipped with a shrug.

And then he froze, his eyes widened as he registered what just slipped out of his mouth. His heart began to race quickly, his eyes jumping between the side of her face and elsewhere. Evette could feel him stiffen, behind her, and she did as well. She began to blink, wondering if she heard that word leave his lips. They both wanted nothing more than clarity, but to have a conversation on what you would call their current sexual but also a friendly relationship was not one to have at a brand event.

Unexpectedly, a grin broke out on Evette's face. It was small, but it drew Kelvin's attention as she turned her head his way. “Interesting. Is that what you’re calling it now?” She crossed her arms, standing her ground even as her pulse quickened under the heat of his gaze. Kelvin froze, his lids fluttering as he tried to come up with a response under her now sultry gaze. She quirked a brow at him, causing him to stumble over his words. "Is this a part of the whole roleplay thing?" She continued when she got no response from him. A smirk on her lips. Kelvin blinked, his eyes squinting briefly as he looked at her. He then shrugged, looking almost nonchalant as he leaned back slightly, glancing around at the chaotic scene. “Hey, it’s a fashion show. Everyone’s acting like they’re the main character. I’m just doing my part.” His eyes flicked back to hers, the playful glint not fading.

She raised an eyebrow, her lips quirking to one side. “And your part is roleplay?" She asked. "And the main character? You’re more like a supporting role at best, Kelvin.”

“Ouch, damn." He said, placing a hand over his heart in mock pain, though his grin never faltered. The crowd began to disperse, leading the pair over to the small podiums they were supposed to sit at. “First off, I have been the main character of plenty of projects." He sassed at her as their steps became quicker in the free space. "And second, if I’m a supporting character, then you’re the lead, huh?"

Evette let out a short, amused breath, turning her head to look at the sea of flashing cameras.

"Why wouldn't I be the main character? This is my roleplay scenario after all, isn't it?" She asked. And if Kelvin had a drink he would've spit it out. He couldn’t believe she was really playing along with his stupid scenario. He also didn’t know that his joking could actually lead to something she could be into. Kelvin blinked, momentarily stunned, before a slow, impressed grin spread across his face. He tilted his head, stepping a little closer as they neared their seats. "Oh, so now it’s your scenario? I thought you didn’t do roleplay, Evette?”

She shrugged, casually adjusting the straps of her outfit. "I don’t.” She said, then glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "But if I did, I’d obviously be the lead. And iI’s obviously so it with you. It’s just the natural order of things.” She stated, Kelvin’s gaze getting trapped looking at her bloody lips that excused the sultry tone she spoke in. He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "You’re unbelievable." Was all he could muster, barely a mumbled, as he began to become aroused at a public event, looking at the woman in front of him

"And you’re predictable.” She shot back, glancing down at the lower half of his body to see if he obvious attraction was alerting anyone else in the building into. When he couldn’t see anything, she looked back up at the man. "Always trying to keep up." She said as they came upon their seat, Evette looking for her name plate on one of them.

Kelvin scoffed, nit even caring to look for his seat as he followed after her. "Keep up? Please. If anything, I’m the plot twist. The unexpected character development. The fan-favorite side character that steals the show." He said, and he knew he had began rambling with just about anything to distract himself from the tent that would show up in his pants if they kept their little conversation from earlier up, and he did not want pictures of that encounter popping up on the internet.

Evette hummed, pretending to consider. "Mmm... More like comedic relief."

Kelvin clutched his chest in mock offense, his dimples deepening as he fought back a grin. "Wow. So I’m just here for laughs now?"

"Well.” She teased, dragging out the word as she found her seat, her name written in nice ink on a piece of cardstock. She grinned as she moved the paper and then took a seat. She crossing her legs and then looked up at his figure towering over her. “You are entertaining." She said with a shrug.

Kelvin narrowed his eyes, his lips twitching. "Okay.” He simply shrugged before taking the seat next to her, not even nothing to check the name, only moving the tag back a little so he didn’t smush it. As he took his seat, sitting so close, his slack covered legs brushed against bare ones, due to her denim skirt. Chills ran down her legs at the feelings, but slammed if lighted when he placed his hand on his leg, his fingers beginning to brush against her smooth skin. The touch was brief but intentional, and the heat of it lingered between them. Evette raised an eyebrow, unimpressed but clearly amused.

"That’s it?" She asked dryly. "That’s your big comeback? A caress of skin? Wow. Riveting. I’m so turned on."

Kelvin huffed a laugh, shaking his head as he sat back. "Nah, I’m just warming up. This is how it started off, two people meeting at a fashion show, but the obvious connection is there.” He said, his tone low, as well as his eyes as he glanced at her. “See, I know you. You act like you’re cool, calm, and collected, but you love when I get under your skin."

Evette scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Kelvin, please." She said before gulping. She could really only pay attention to his last statement, the explanation of the beginning of their role play infighting a fire within her stomach she didn’t know she had. And she was bit about to get fired up and he wasn’t going to commit.

"Nah, nah, nah, let’s be real.” He said, tilting his head as he studied her. "You say you don’t do roleplay, but you’re way too good at this for a beginner, unless this is the acting talking. It’s almost like you’ve been waiting for someone to match your energy."

Evette didn’t answer right away, just smiled knowingly as she adjusted her posture, her confidence radiating. "You talk a lot for someone who just got demoted to comedic relief.” She finally said, her voice dripping with amusement. “Stranger.” She shrugged, counting to add onto the bit.

Kelvin exhaled a laugh, dragging a hand over his face before shaking his head. "You got jokes tonight, huh?"

"I always have jokes.” She countered easily. "You just have to get to know me. Plus you make it too easy.”

Kelvin studied her for a moment, his expression shifting just slightly—still playful, but with an underlying curiosity. "You know, Stranger," He mused, his voice softer now, “For all the talking we’re doing, we still haven’t actually said anything."

Evette met his gaze, the energy between them shifting just slightly. She tilted her head, considering him. "Maybe some things don’t need to be said."

Kelvin held her stare for a beat longer before smirking. "Or maybe," he murmured, leaning just a fraction closer, "You’re just scared of the conversation."

Evette’s lips twitched, but before she could respond, movement from across the room caught her attention.

Their banter paused as the cameras outside the glass walls flashed wildly. A commotion. A shift in energy.

And then she saw them.

Damson Idris and Noémie Adebayo.

Evette’s eyes flickered toward Kelvin’s, seeing that he had noticed them too. Damson and Noémie were locked in a tight embrace, their reunion playing out in full view of the crowd. The cameras caught everything—the warmth, the familiarity, the unspoken history between them.

Kelvin let out a low whistle. "Well, damn."

Evette hummed in agreement, watching as Damson and Noémie exchanged words within each others embrace, their body language easy and comfortable, but tinged with something deeper.

"You think there’s something there?" Kelvin asked, not looking at her but rather at the scene unfolding in front of them.

Evette considered before shrugging. "Could be.” She said. "Some things never really go away."

Kelvin glanced at her then, something unreadable in his expression. "Yeah," He murmured. "Some things don’t."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Evette smirked. "But if they start roleplaying in public, then we’ll really have something to talk about."

Kelvin barked out a laugh, shaking his head. "You really think you’re funny, huh?"

Evette just grinned. "No, Kelvin. I know I am."

Kelvin leaned back, watching her with a look that was equal parts amused and intrigued. "Alright then, miss main character. Let’s see how this story plays out."

“Don’t flatter me.” She aid, straightening her posture. “You’re looking a little too good tonight to be calling me the star.”

His eyes lingered on her a beat too long, his gaze unreadable, but it was enough to make Evette feel a flutter of something unfamiliar in her stomach. She looked away, trying to play it cool.

“Anyway, you should get to your seat.” She said, beginning to brush imaginary dust off his attire before nodding her head to the seat across from her, which held his name. “Enjoy the show, Mr.” She grinned.

“Well don’t be such a stranger, Miss. We’re both here for the same reason, right? To have a little fun.” He grinned back at her before wining from his seat next to her and moving to the one that held his name, directly across from her.

And over in the paparazzi frenzy, were the pair that would for sure be the stars of the night.

Noémie Adebayo and Damson Idris.

Two people who didn’t need an introduction, not to anyone in the industry.

The Prada show had already been a spectacle, but for Noémie Adebayo, the real event was happening off the runway. She was stunning in her designer denim dress ensemble, held herself with effortless poise. She posed for the cameras, her relaxed manner showing her ever confidence in her appearance. It had been about two years since the last season of Snowfall aired, since then, her and her busy costars have kind of been off the grid. She’s been working on her part in the Special Opps: Lioness, where she plays a young but ruthless CIA agent with a tragic backstory. And she was also starring in the 2025 movie OPUS with a her good friend Ayo Edebiri.

So even with the show coming to an end, that doesn’t mean the work stopped. And with being so busy, she and her best friend have been separated for a long time.

Ever since the first season of Snowfall, the viewers fell in love with her and Damson’s on-screen chemistry. The connection between Franklin and Diana felt real. She hadn’t seen Damson in what felt like ages—not properly, at least. Their last season of Snowfall had wrapped with a dramatic, gut-wrenching ending, their on-screen chemistry immortalized in the eyes of fans. And the connection between Damson and Noémie felt real as well. People loved to see them together, from the pictures and videos that came from set, to the moments they’d have in red carpets, to the paparazzi photos that surfaced of them spending time in each other’s home town. Their chemistry was alive and apparent, no matter how much they denied it. But after the show ended in 2023, their public interactions had dwindled. Life had moved forward. Damson had went open—very publicly—with his relationship with a gorgeous model, while Noémie poured herself into new projects, and the occasional friendly check-ins had dwindled to near silence.

Damson had been the first to notice her, his genuine smile growing as he closed the distance between them, coming up behind her. “Well, well. Noémie Adebayo.”

“Damson!” She replied once he turned around, letting his name roll off her tongue excitedly, before ringing him into a tight embrace. “Oh, it’s been so long!” She gushed, her head placed on his shoulder as he bent to her height a bit. So close that she was breathing in nothing but his woodsy scent. He raised to his full height, lifting her up in their tight hug. She squealed briefly before her feet hit the ground again, the cameras flashing quickly to catch the moment between the two stars. The shouts of fans and press became louder to get their attention, but they were entrapped within their win moment. Damson chuckled with his wrapped his arms around her, hands low on her waist and holding her just a beat longer than necessary. “Too long, my love.” He murmured near her ear before pulling back. His hands lingered on her waist as he looked down at her, taking in her outfit. “Damn, look at you.” He grinned.

Noémie smirked, adjusting the collar of his sleek Prada coat. “Looking sharp yourself. I see the Milan air has been treating this melanin well.” She said before quirking a brow at him. “Or all of those other vacations of yours.” She smirked, alluding to his various of paparazzi photos of him and his new girlfriend in various vacation spots, soaking in the sun.

“I could say the same.” He shot back, eyes sweeping over her denim dress ensemble. “Special Ops, huh? Trading the L.A. streets for CIA territory?” He asked. “Diana would be ashamed of you.” He reached out absentmindedly to adjust the collar of her blazer, his fingers brushing against her shoulder. She stilled, her breath catching for just a second, but neither of them acknowledged the moment. Instead, they kept talking, falling into the same effortless rhythm they always had.

She laughed. “I know! But I had to switch it up. Plus, they let me do some cool shit in this.”

“Selling drugs and killing people wasn’t cool shit?” He asked, his grin widening.

“No, it was, but now I’m doing, like, next level stuff. Like, in season two, I’m jumping out of helicopters.” She grinned. Damson’s brows raised at that, looking down at her with his hands still placed on her waist. “Oh, now that, I’d pay to see. ‘Cause aren’t you scared of heights?”

“Yes!”

Before she could explain more, the cameras swarmed them. Photographers called their names, flashing bulbs illuminating their faces as they stood there, side by side. The internet was already catching fire—two years since Snowfall ended, and here they were again, looking as comfortable, as close, as right as ever. Seeing them together again, the spark was undeniable. It wasn’t just nostalgia. It was muscle memory. Six seasons of playing lovers, knowing each other’s rhythms, finishing each other’s sentences—it all lingered in the way they looked at each other, the way her lips twitched into a smirk before he even said a word.

Noémie turned her head slightly, lowering her voice. “Are you ready?” She asked

Damson raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

“For the internet to explode.” She said before letting out a long sigh, knowing that this would be a topic in her phone for at least two weeks. He let out a laugh, shaking his head. “They never let up, huh?”

“You know they don’t.” She said before beginning to pose for photos with him next to her. Damson moved his hand on her waist, her hand on top of his as they posed for the plethora of cameras. “But you should be used to it though.” She said, trying not to disrupt her smile too much as she glanced up at him. “I seen that scene of you in Swarm, Mr.Idris.” She grinned, just as they felt that those were enough pictures. Damson laughed, shaking his head and he walked in front of her, holding his hand out for her to take. She took it, it even paying attention to the cameras and press that wanted to speak as he led her since if the venue. “Oh, you saw that?” He asked rhetorically.

“Everybody and they mama saw it, Damson!” She grinned as they continued to talk, just as what they said would happen, happened. Social media was already in a frenzy, dissecting every glance, every touch, every shift in body language.

Were they just friends? Was there something more? Had there always been something more?

Damson was still looking at her when someone from the event staff came over, politely letting them know it was time to head to their seats.

“Come on.” Noémie said, nudging him playfully. “Can’t have Prada waiting.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He replied, walking beside her, still hand in hand.

As they weaved through the crowd, still hand in hand, the noise around them faded into the background. It had been two years, but being with Noémie felt like no time had passed at all. Damson glanced down at her, taking in her easy stride, the way she carried herself like she was born for this.

“So, CIA agent now, huh? What else have you been up to?” He asked, finally letting her hand go as they approached the private seating area, only for him to gently push her in don’t of him as the crowd became thick and he didn’t want to lose her or for her to get hurt.

Noémie hummed, adjusting her dress slightly. “Been working non-stop. Special Ops has me in the gym every day, training like I’m actually about to take on a mission. OPUS press hasn’t started, I don’t even think the trailers dropped yet. And then there’s Sinners with Michael.”

At the mention of Michael B. Jordan, Damson’s expression shifted. He didn’t react immediately, but she caught the slight tension in his jaw. His gaze was trained above her head, trying his dammdest to look anywhere but her eyes at the moment. “Right.” He began. “I saw those pictures.” His voice was casual—too casual.

She glanced up at him, a confused grin on her lips. “What pictures?”

Damson scoffed. “You know what pictures. You and him, all cozy, looking like a damn power couple in New York.”

Noémie blinked, thinking of why he was talking about before she laughed, shaking her head. “Oh, that was just press.” She said, a small smile on her face, not sensing the tensions Damson had in his frame. “We’re filming together, and we were just having dinner that day. The media grabbed a whole of it and took it with the wind.” She grinned, although her tone bridged in annoyance as she remembered the day those photos dropped. That lasted for months, but she was just glad that she last season had already aired or else that red carpet for the premiere would’ve been a little awkward for her. She glanced back up at him due to his silence, quirking a brow. “Don’t tell me you thought—” She trailed off, her smirk widening as she caught the way his lips pressed into a thin line. “You thought me and him were a thing?” She questioned.

He clicked his tongue, looking away. “Nah.”

She nudged his arm playfully. “Yes, you did! Damson, come on. You think I’d date Michael?”

“I mean, you were looking quite comfortable.” He said, finally glancing back down at her and connecting eyes. She blinked up at him, amusement clear on her face along with questioning. “Out all day, holding hands.” He listed.

“We were just holding hands.” She told him, giving a lousy gesture to behind them as she brought up only moments ago when they walked into the building, hand in hand.

“Yeah, but we’re best friends, I’ve known you for almost ten years. You’ve known him, what, three?” He scoffed out. Noémie looked up at him, her amusement still clear as they continued walking to their seats, the occasional camera clicking their way, caring them in action as they moved. She couldn’t help but smile at Damson’s obvious jealousy, because he was right. Such a great friendship for ten years and neither of them got a heads up on who the other one was dating. At least, not on her end. But that’s because she wasn’t dating Micheal! He probably felt that he was being relied on her life or something, she thought.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Because we’re friends, and we’re in a movie together. That’s it.” She paused, tilting her head at him. “But why do you care?” She asked, wanting to hear the words from his mouth instead of making up her own assumptions.

Damson opened his mouth, then shut it. He exhaled through his nose, running a hand over his jaw. “It’s just… weird, innit? You & Michael. He’s…” He trailed off, his voice quieter now. “Lori’s ex.”

Noémie’s teasing smile faltered slightly, not expecting that to be what he said. “And she’s your girlfriend. Is that what this is about?”

He sighed, rubbing his chin. “Me and Lori… we’re done.”

Noémie raised an eyebrow. “Done as in… on a break? Or done done?”

“Done done.” He admitted. “It’s been rocky for a while. We tried, but…” He shrugged. “It wasn’t working.”

She studied him for a moment, her teasing demeanor fading into something softer. “You okay?”

Damson shrugged again, though this time, his smile was a little more genuine. “Yeah. Just… moving on.” He shot her a look. “Which I thought you were doing with Michael.” He added, looking down at accusingly. “I was going crazy on all those trips when those photos drooped, thinking ‘How could by beating not tell me this?’ And you dating my, at the time, girlfriend’s ex boyfriend didn’t help either.”

Noémie rolled her eyes. “Michael is a friend. He’s not even my type, I think.” She shrugged.

Damson arched a brow. “Not your type? You think? Man’s a superstar, rich, got the muscles and all that.”

She smirked up at him at that. “Sounds like he’s your type.” She quipped, causing Damson to smack his lips as he nudged her forward a little. “So annoying.” He grumbled. “And you’re nosey.” She shot back playfully. “You were on vacation with you boo worried about what I had going on. You’re no better than those people on The Shaderoom.” She smirked.

Before he could retort, a staff member gently tapped his shoulder, gaining both of their attention. The polite man smiled at them before stating that he would lead them to their seat. He then signaling for them to take their seats when they arrived and Damson barely had time to process their conversation before he was led toward his assigned spot.

“See you after,” Noémie said, flashing him a knowing smile before slipping into her own seat as the man led Damson to the one across from her.

As the lights dimmed slightly and guests settled in, the two men exchanged glances, acknowledging each other with a polite nod. They weren’t close, but they were familiar enough—two industry men who had crossed paths before.

Damson settled in next to Kelvin Harrison Jr., who was already watching him with a smirk.

Kelvin leaned in slightly. “You good, bro?”

Damson exhaled, shaking his head. “Man… I don’t even know.”

Kelvin chuckled, nodding toward Noémie across the table. “Yeah. I can see that.”

Noémie found herself next to Evette, who had just finished her own set of conversations and photo ops from the press that came by to take photos of her in her seat. Across from them, directly in their line of sight, were Kelvin and Damson.

Evette barely glanced at Kelvin before shifting her attention to Noémie. “How was the reunion?” She asked, nodding her head over to the commotion they unintentionally caused at the entrance.

Noémie exhaled through a laugh. “Exactly what you’d expect.”

Evette hummed, stealing a glance at the two men across from them. “Well, you have his attention.”

Kelvin and Damson sat back, their body language relaxed but their eyes locked onto the women in front of them. Each man subtly watched the woman across from him—the way Kelvin’s gaze lingered on Evette’s animated expressions as she spoke, the way Damson’s eyes traced Noémie’s movements as she laughed.

Kelvin finally spoke, low enough for only Damson to hear. “So… that’s Noémie.”

Damson smirked, not taking his eyes off her. “That’s Noémie.”

Kelvin nodded, a knowing look passing between them. “Yeah. I get it.”

Damson finally turned to him, chuckling. “And you? You’re looking at Evette like she owes you something.”

Kelvin’s jaw tightened slightly before he masked it with a grin. “Maybe she does.”

Damson raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further. Instead, his attention drifted back to Noémie, who had caught him staring and was now arching a playful eyebrow in return.

The show hadn’t even started, and yet, all eyes were already on them.

-evette

liked by kelvharrjr, noemieadebayo, nanalicampbell, and 34,000 others

evette first fashion show, kinda nervous :/…

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nanalicampbell wow! you’re, like, famous now!

⤷ evette don’t be weird Nala

⤷ nanalicampbell what?…

kelvharrjr who’s that dapper gentleman loafer next to you? I would like for you to tell him he’s dressed rather nice.

⤷ evette they will delete my account for the words I’m about to say to you.

⤷ kelvharrjr 🫢

noemieadebayo it was so nice talking to you! we have ti catch up some time again.

⤷ evette yes, it was so nice speaking to you as well! you’re messy and I love that, we gotta link again!

randomuser97 oh so they were at the Prada show other?…which could mean nothing.

⤷ otheruser1133 mind you, they’re both brand ambassadors for Prada?

randomeuserouthere idk if I wanna be her or him…

randomuser I could be their third 🫡

anotheruser when did she cut her hair? why is no in freaking out about this?

⤷ otheruser1133 baby, her hair been cut…

- noemieadebayo

liked by, damsonidris, evette, michaelbjordan, Prada, and 85,000 others

noemieadebayo prada dem

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evette the real runway diva

⤷ noemieadebayo 🤫

damsonidris my mini me! 😘

⤷ noemieadebayo damsie!

⤷ Prada the prada family! ❤️

Prada we love you!!💕

noemieadebayo luv u Prada <3

damsonidrisfanpage is that who I think it is?….i know that ain’t my man

⤷ otheruser1133 and he’s sending kissy faces in the chat 😔 that’s her man I fear

otheruser1133 they need to date already. I’ve been here for ten years!

randomuser10 mhmm, see that’s what I’m taking about. A black king right there!

If you wanted to be added to this tag list or any others, let a sista know! Let me know if you like it, I gotta write a dissertation for university now. If this gets enough likes, I’ll do some more parts to this but be warned, after they leave that fashion show thing might get a little freaky…

@theclownmimi @vile-harlot @notapradagurl7 @nubiagurllll @saltburnsworld @imsohappyilovekbop @jazzycool30 @kaylaahisthebestest- @mccteez @officialthrad @irishmanwhore

[mhaikkun]

I'm doing that color wheel meme on twitter :3c

[iwoulddieforienzo]

They’re fucking with us

[stargazeraldroth]

This whole Natlan situation is "funny" (/sarc) in the sense that the people who defend the designs are like "Not every Latino/South American (I genuinely cannot remember where Natlan is based on guys help a girl out) is black!!!!" and it's like... okay??? They aren't all milk white either???? Like what's your argument??? Everybody did the same thing with Sumeru when it released too. Like we get it honey, you're racist, now please shut the fuck up, you're not cool or "quirky" for discriminating against people

[iclimbtreestofeelalive]

compilation of blue eyed people missing the point in the notes. op god bless youre braver than any us marine

I think it should be illegal to make a fictional character with blue eyes, choose something else.

[10-59]

every time I see someone getting internet mad at someone else for suggesting bh\/r add an accessibility mode for people who cannot play against plague I remember why I’m never touching that god forsaken game again