#correct me if I'm wrong Australians but

[carionto]

We fail alone, we excel together

Formations are a staple of effective drills, training, and practice in every military across the Galaxy. They are a showcase of unity, leadership, trust, and loyalty. And fancy outfits. Gotta go for a style victory when actual wars are quite uncommon.

Humans are pretty good at this sort of thing. Not the best, as there is always some inconsistency, somebody doing their own thing, or improvising a solution to a fumble. Honestly, theirs are one of the more interesting to watch. It takes a lot of effort for some to conform to a herd style behavior, and it shows.

One time, a soldier tripped and was about to drop their knife, but thinking quickly, they began to juggle it, along with an ammo magazine and a sidearm they quickly pulled out. Aside from surprising everyone with their juggling skills, the surrounding soldiers noticed immediately, and, without a word, began to juggle with the same items as well.

But it wasn't chaotic - first, once the first loop was done, the soldiers in front, behind and to the sides of the first one started juggling in sync, and with each completed loop it spread the same way, creating this beautiful expanding diamond effect.

Not everyone was equally skilled, of course, and some ripples started to appear. However, since they all knew how long until the current parade music ended, the soldier in the center of the formation, not the original one, stopped juggling, and with each loop the inner layers also stopped. When the final corner soldiers put all the items in their place, the song also came to an end and a new one took its place.

Afterwards, we heard the colonel of that battalion issued an official reprimand for not following the rehearsed performance. Unofficially he praised them, as he himself had been approached by a general about this "surprise addition" and admired his "unorthodox thinking" and "proactive decision making". The colonel obviously lied and gleefully (well, as gleeful as a gritty military veteran with lofty ambitions can get) accepted the praise and promised to deliver other surprises in the future when they would prove most effective.

Big nonsense exchange of words that simply meant the soldiers doing all the actual doings would now have to actually prepare some kind of new and impressive feat. If there is one thing you can rely on, is higher ups turning everything you do into more work...

[achillean-knight]

JUST watched a video about the Afton's and I really love their British accents, but I've seen people dislike it so.... I'm curious. Reblogs or comments welcomed, I really want to know people's thoughts on this!

[brionbroadway]

queen. i missed her voting confessionals. 

[costkappen]

Best boy《CLxReader》

Tags....☆smut,blow job, sub!Charles, Dom!reader, no use of y/n,fluff,charles is insecure,reassuring

Warnings....☆smut!mdni, a bit of sad!Charles but nothing too sad or angsty

Word count....☆1795

A bit of a warning, this is my first time writing so it not the best,also please correct me if you find any spelling mistakes as I didn't proof read this,anyways enjoy I hope I did good!

He looked so pretty high up on the podium, his smiling face half covered by the shining Australian sun making his pretty blue eyes shine like I've never seen before.

After the podium celebrations I went after him and pulled him in the tightest hug ever

"Congratulations Charles! P2 and double ferrari podium, I'm so proud of you" his face lit up at my praise, something I've picked up since I first met him, he gloats over the littlest praise aimed towards him, even if it wasn't said to him directly, he has a habit of kicking himself down way more that necessary when the smallest thing goes wrong, even if it wasn't his fault he always finds a way to beat himself up over it, so over the years I've made a mental note to sower him with praises as much as I can. "Thank you chéri, I'm also really happy with the team today, let's go to my drivers room I'll take a quick shower and then we'll go back to the hotel"

The drive to the hotel was fairly silent, I didn't say anything to him but I saw how his lips twitched and how his grip on the steering wheel was so tight the tips of his fingers turned white. Yes he was happy about his podium, but there was something he was not telling me so I made it my personal mission to find out what was bothering him so much on a day that was supposed to make him feel like he was on cloud 9.

Once we arrived to the hotel the first thing I did was change into something more comfortable and then I went looking for him, "Hey baby" I said as I sat down on his lap on the couch "How are you feeling? You must be so happy, we have to celebrate with Carlos and Rebecca tonight you boys did such a good job"

The praise made him smile, still he didn't look like his usual self "Yeah I'm really happy Chéri, I think the team needed this win, I can't wait to celebrate with you all" then he gives me a quick kiss on the lips and looks at me without saying anything else

" Alright then if you're so happy then why are you acting like that?" "Acting like what?" He says with a nervous giggle as to make me think I'm just over thinking it. "Like you're about to cry Charlie, don't lie to me I know you too well." He then brings his hand to gently stroke my cheek, as if I was the one that needed comforting right now, "I really can't hide anything from you Chéri?" He let's out a sigh,his whole body deflating "I'm happy for Carlos, I really am, it's just that I can't stop thinking how it should've been me on the first step, not because I don't think that Carlos deserves it but because I've got the whole ferrari team and the tifosi rooting for me, and everytime I get second place instead of winning I feel like I'm letting down everyone, especially you" well I surely wasn't expecting that, yes I knew he had some troubles in believing himself, but I didn't know just how little he thought of himself, "Charlie I can promise you're not letting anyone down,and especially not me! Do you not know how proud I am of you? The redbull is been a monster of a car and so far you've been the only one to get as close to it as second place, everyone at the motorhome can tell you that, everyone is so proud of you even when you don't win we know that you could do so much more if we had a better car and if redbull didn't have a rocketship instead of a car,no one is upset with you Charlie" his lips were quivering and his pretty blue eyes were shiny and looked like they were ready to burst with tears, but I couldn't let my pretty boy cry on a day like this, not when he was supposed to be celebrating and happy with his amazing results, "Alright Charlie how about I show you just how much i am proud of you?"

I take his hand making him stand up from the couch "Where are we going Chéri?" He asks confused as ever "to the bed baby, I'll show you what good boys like you get when they've been so good" and as I make him get on the bed I get a good look at his flushed face, cheeks red and a little shy smile,

"I'll start slow okay?" He nods eagerly his head and I chuckle at his shyness, I start by prepping kisses all over his handsome face and I stop at his lips to give him a more passionate kiss occasionally sliding my tongue on his bottom lip, stroking his arms with my hand I could feel goosebumps forming, as I made my way to his neck I made sure that my kissed lingered a bit longer as to leave pink patches all over his neck, light enough to show but not too harsh so they would be gone the next day, as much as I wanted to leave purple marks all over him I knew pr would kill him if he showed up in public covered in hickeys, so just this once I'll refrain myself.

I could feel him shiver under me as I got to unbuttoning his shirt and I kissed all over his chest "Chéri please..don't tease me like this" he pleaded looking at me with his puppy eyes "What do you want me to do Charlie? I'll do anything you want as long as you ask me nicely " I was being a bit mean to him but I knew that he loved it when I took charge and teased him, "Please just touch me..anywhere I just want to feel your touch" his words make me melt, and how could I say no to him when he was begging so prettily "What a good boy you are Charles, asking me so nicely, don't worry I'll make you feel so good" He shivers as my hand gets lower, working on his pants to get them off, I slide them down along with his underwear as he raises his hips to help me get his pant off of him, I look back up staring at his pretty leaking dick, he wasn't the biggest but he still had the prettiest dick I've ever seen, clean and neatly groomed, I started tracing the veins that run across his shaft, that pulled a whimper out of him so I started using my tongue savoring his flavor on my tastbuds as I moved to his tip, clear beads of precum already leaking out "your dick is so pretty cha, so sensitive for me.." I look up at him smiling and circling my tongue around his tip "p-pleas chérie..take me in your mouth no more teasing" his pleas and the way he looked at me while he was making me go crazy, he just looked so good, still maintaining eye contact I took him as deep down my throat as I could go, seeing his face contorted from the pleasure gave me more confidence so I relaxed my throat and stopped when my nose hit his lower stomach, he tasted heavenly and I could hear his whimpers and soft moans, I bobbed my head up and down using my hand to stoke him at his base where I could not reach with my mouth, and he looked completely gone, eyes rolling back, hands gripping the sheets so hard his knuckles turned white and he let out the prettiest moans, but his breath was staring to hiccup and he started squirming against the sheet so I knew he was getting close "what is it cha? Getting close my sweet boy?" I cooed at him getting my mouth back on him as soon as I stopped talking "mhh- Chéri please don't stop i-" He gasped and as I looked at him I saw his eyes roll back, he was completely blissed out "what is it pretty boy, Can't talk anymore? Am I making you feel so good your brain can't form words?" His breath hitched and he let out a shaky moan, this time I decided to not make him beg me to let him cut, he had been so good and he deserved it, so I started focusing on his tip, circling it with my tongue and sucking it harshly while my hand stroked him up and down as the other held him at his base,I was so focused on getting him to his sweet and deserved release I almost didn't hear him warning me that he was about to cum, "look at me Charlie,I want to see your pretty face as you cum down my throat like a good boy,just like that cha let it go for me" my words pushed him off the edge and he gripped my hair slightly pushing my head down on him, I got the hint so I took him as deep as a could and he heal me there, his loud moans filled the room, at this point I knew that whoever was staying in the room next to us hear him but I couldn't care less, I just wanted him to feel good, as i looked at his fucked out expression I felt his sweet cum filling my mouth, his mouth hanged low as he let out one final loud moan and fell back on the pillows, I slowly pulled him out of my mouth, took his face in my hands and made him look at me as I swallowed his cum, and he smashed his mouth on mine, sliding his tongue inside my mouth passionately kissing me, a quiet thank you.

"Are you feeling better now Charlie?" I looked down at him as he was laying on my chest trying to gain his breath back "yes- yes thank you chéri I'm feeling much better chéri thank you" He smiled and kissed my neck and nuzzled his face as I covered us up with the covers "well then I'm confident that you learned your lesson and will start to believe in yourself more yes?" I say as I start stroking his hair

"Well I don't know chéri, if that's what happens when I doubt myself I might just start doing it more" He laughs and hides his face in the crook of my neck, I gently smack the back of his head but I also laugh at his comment "I love you charles, you know that right?" "I know chéri, but I love you more."

[callmearcturus]

dottie lasso is the final boss of the show (and ted loses)

someone commented on my ted-is-a-feminine-junior-too post about recognizing dottie lasso and what she did, and i'm a Johnny-come-lately to this fandom so i missed all the discourse

but surely it's been discussed to death that Dottie Lasso is the Final Boss of Ted's life, right? like, she shows up on that bench and you should feel the opening of "MEGALOVANIA" in your soul because she's the villain of the story.

honestly, in Ted Lasso, the main villains are: Rupert Mannion, Twitter, Rupert Mannion again, cisnormativity/heteronormativity, and Dottie Lasso, kind of in that order IMO.

"Mom City" is kind of a genius episode with its thesis and punchline. Because Dottie shows up and derails Ted's entire life and not in a good way. She makes him palpably uncomfortable and all of his usual kindness and interest is just turned off around her.

This episode isn't shy about reminding the audience that Richmond has become Ted's home. From the most fish outta water who nearly gets killed looking the wrong way crossing the street, Ted knows his neighbors, knows the culture here, and is defensive with that knowledge because it's been hard-won over time.

No but really, look at how UNCOMFORTABLE Ted is EVERY MINUTE of this episode. It's so stark bc this charm offensive Dottie's doing on everyone at Richmond is so clearly a Lasso Thing. This is the exact tactic Ted used when he was new in town and completely at sea.

(fuck this got long, there's a lot more under the jump)

But he isn't charmed or permissive or entertained, he never once Yes, Ands what Dottie says. In fact, he corrects her all the time.

jesus fuck look at this specific moment!!!

who the fuck are you and where is ted

because Dottie being here is a nightmare. she's the person who knows the Ted Lasso Source Code and the way she maneuvers and nudges him, he seems helpless against it. So he continuously separates himself from her in what feels to me like a fearful reaction.

Like, when Dottie explains where she's staying, she does this trick

DOTTIE: An adorable little hostel. I've met so many Australians. They are backpacking through Europe. So much sex. TED: Mom. DOTTIE: Not me, the Australians. TED: No, no, I get it, okay. How about you stay here for the rest of your trip, all right? DOTTIE: Only if I'm not a hassle.

This is such a fucking move, you realize? She has been in London a fucking WEEK without telling him, then as soon as she tells him where she's staying, she, a midwestern mom to her open-minded but very romantically private son, invokes sex so he'll be uncomfortable with the situation and invite her to stay. This is a chess move they should call the Wichita Shuffle.

And Ted absolutely hates the way Dottie lies about him. The connection is pretty straightforward; Dottie deals with her trauma and pain by covering them up with pretty little lies and melting truths until they fit the shape she wants them to be in. Everything she says in this episode is bullshit.

(points up) THIS INCLUDED, BTW. This is the Ted that Dottie wants him to be, the guy who will fall on his sword at the first sign of someone else's discomfort.

But that isn't who Ted is anymore and Dottie saying this is vicious and cruel. It's disrespectful to Rebecca, to everyone at Richmond, and to the work Ted's done with Sharon.

which oooooooooh

hey, anyone else remember Ted's "I love meeting people's moms, it's like an instruction manual on why they're nuts" from S2? boy that's a brick joke

and this bit of dottie saying her anxiety re: ted's therapy out loud, that hissing sound is a fuse being lit in this moment

Ted calls her out directly. He knows how she operates because she raised him in her own image. As I noted in the other post, Leslie Higgins is not the only feminine junior at Richmond, so is Theodore Lasso, son of Dorothy Lasso.

THAT FUCKING DARK CHUCKLE, THE "YEAH OKAY" MOMENT this is the fuse finally reaching the dynamite

this is the moment, this moment of push-back, implicitly the first time Ted's ever pushed back in his life

this is the moment Dottie takes every single thing she knows about Ted, everything she put into him, and she destroys his fucking life with the exact four words it would take to make Ted give up everything he's worked for, all so he'll go back to being what she expects from him.

and hell if he doesn't know it.

everything he's done for himself, all the space he's finally allowed himself to fill, the progress and labor he's put into becoming a better person

mom shows up and tells him no, you're coming back.

(and the fact Dottie Lasso, a character who has not said five truthful things this entire episode, tells us how someone else feels should be questioned very fucking directly. i don't trust this woman to honestly report on Henry's opinion of peanut butter and jelly, let alone if he wants his father to give up his life and return to Kansas. i know every single fic has brought up the question of "hey why doesn't anyone ask Henry what he wants" but that's because SOMEONE needs to ask the question instead of taking Dorothy fucking Lasso's word for it, christ)

I don't know how tf you don't read this show as a tragedy. Dottie Lasso is incredible, she's so pitch-perfectly written and acted, and she's absolutely the final boss of the show. And Ted doesn't win that fight.

hell THE SHOW SAYS THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD, i would put the screencap here but I've run out of images, but THEY FUCK YOU UP, YOUR MUM AND DAD, THE SHOW SAYS IT this is a fantastic tragedy, i love it

[pia-nor481]

She Looks Like a Star- Chapter One

Multidriver x reader (mostly Oscar this chapter)

With the growth of her fan base she decides it’s best to join a big company, what she didn’t expect was how scary it was actually going to be.

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She was nervous walking down the hall, wearing obnoxiously loud heels and a tight skirt, not sure how to feel while wearing what was unusual attire for her. Typically she spent her time in lounge wear, lingerie or nothing so having to wear business smart clothes was a little unnerving. Every few steps she looked at the document in the open folder, trying to find the correct room for the meeting she was supposed to be sat in, in about twenty minutes.

With her head pointed down and her mind in a whole other world she walked straight into a man in the dark hallway. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?" She was momentarily stunned by the Australian accent. "Yes, I'm fine, I should have been looking where I was going." After overcoming her bashfulness she looked up, and was met with a sweet smile, only then did she acknowledge the hand on her waist, keeping her steady. "Are you sure, It seems quite hard to walk in those shoes." He said in a lower volume, looking her up and down. Only now was she able to take him in; His messy brown hair, unusually pale skin considering his accent and the tight navy blue t-shirt showing off his strong arms. She was so taken aback that her only reply to the question was a quick nod. "I'm Oscar by the way. I think we'll be working together at some point soon." She smiled finally gathering her things and straightening out her clothes. "It's nice to meet you Oscar." 

"I'm still pretty new around here, but I have a year of navigation experience on you so...Where are you trying to go?" He asked, taking the folder from her arms, trying to save her from carrying too much. "Board room two. I'm supposed to be meeting Christian to discuss my contract and well the logistics of working here." Oscar let out a quiet 'Ah', hooking his arm through hers. "It might help walking in the right direction." He gently laughed, turning around. Her face became warm as they walked. "Don't worry, my first day was a complete mess. I was locked out of the building, seriously late to my first meeting and I waited at the wrong set for about twenty-five minutes. So you're actually starting quite well." Her nerves eased slightly, she could tell Oscar wasn't a particularly chatty person but it was clear how hard her was trying to almost comfort her. "So where did you work before coming here, I'm sorry to say that I don't think I recognise you. Then again I'm not really a big viewer." He said almost shamefully, not realising before he started speaking that it could very easily be taken in an offensive way. "No, no it's okay. I didn't really work with a big company, I did more amateur and home-shot videos. I'm guessing you worked for another company before?" She was unsure as to why it was almost embarrassing that she made all her content on her own. "Yeah, I worked for a smaller company for quite a while actually. You must be pretty talented to make those videos on you're own, especially if it meant you've landed a spot here." Oscar spoke with a sense of excitement during the latter half of the sentence. She looked down as she spoke, entrusting Oscar with fully guiding her. "I now this place is one of the best, but why did you leave you're last company?" Oscar sighed just thinking about it. "I had almost no autonomy. There were certain things I wanted to do, not just because I enjoyed it, but because it makes for a good watch too. But they always shut me down with out even considering it." Oscar seemed genuinely sad about it, she quickly spoke up, questioning how awful that must have been. "Yeah, it was really annoying. But a lot of the videos were scripted like that corny rubbish with the awful acting you usually see with ads. That was the worst. Although you won't fully escape that here, that's one of Sebastian's favourites to film." He laughed at the end. 

"Oscar, stop boring the poor girl." She looked up to see Christian pen in hand standing outside of what she assumed to be bored room two. "Alright, alright I'll go." Oscar said smiling, passing her folder back. "Don't forget you have a scene wit Lando today." Christian shouted towards him. "I know, set room four." 

"Sorry about him." Christian said, guiding her into the room. "So I'm sure you've read the terms and conditions regarding pay and so on. But I do want to elaborate on what would be you're schedule with us. I'm aware and happy that you will continue to film and post you're own content in you're own hours. So here you will be filming a minimum of three videos a week, and a least one of them must be with another actor here, and a maximum of nine, Of course we do not expect or require you to reach that number. So dates, ideas, sets and time allocation need to be made at least three weeks in advance, four weeks if you require and permits or new equipment of any kind. In addition to this, you will be meeting the other actors today and you will be doing a scene with one of them next week. We will have an additional meeting regarding that and what we call a logistics meeting with the other actor to ensure everyone is on the same page." One of the main things she took away from that was how much Christian was able to talk with needing to take a breath, the other was how much work would actually go into this job. "Right, I'm happy with all of that." She spoke rather quietly. "Great. You will also be meeting a few members of the production team, mainly the camera and sound crew which Toto is in charge of." She nodded swiftly as he continued to explain how the company works and what would be happening in the future.

"So you will need to sign here...here...and here." She did so and looked back up waiting to be told what was happening next. "So you have you're own private room here, it's like an office with a bed and a wardrobe. You will be added to the schedule and as you now have your company email feel free to join in and ask questions when needed. So any last questions?" At this point she was feeling a tad overwhelmed but was happy with the outcome. "No, all is good." She spoke with a small smile, slowly standing up. "Wonderful. I'll see you on Tuesday for the next meeting." They shook hands before she left and as soon as she was out of the room and the door was close, she let out a particularly loud sign of relief. Only now did she realise how taxing this could be

She made quick work of finding her office, initially struggling with the key before placing all of her belongings on the desk. She sat down taking a deep breath deciding it would be best to log in and check what he schedule was for next week. Tuesday she had a meeting with all of the actors, directors and some members of the logistics team to discuss the increase in shooting hours for the next set of holidays and what ideas would be used for those videos. That same day she had a meeting with Christian and Charles about their scene on the 14th. She was more shocked than she should have been. Already she was supposed to be shooting, she didn't even know what he looked like and yet she needed to come up with an idea for the video, and be able to put into words what her limits actually were. Before there was no need to plan ahead so much. She could just put on a pretty outfit, turn on the camera and have fun. Now it felt all too much, as though it was more than a fun and paying pastime. She was quick to shoot up upon hearing the knock at the door. "It's just me." Oscar shouted through the door, opening it quickly before sitting down. "So, how was the meeting?" He asked, leaning in as close as possible. She didn't notice to start but Oscar was only wearing trousers and a robe, his blue shirt missing. "It was okay, pretty overwhelming, but good." She said, bringing her eyes back to the computer. 

"Since you want to know and wont ask, Lando gets pretty handsy sometimes, that's usually why I film with him last, or wait a few days to film with someone else. It not a territorial thing, he just likes to see the marks." He spoke softly as he stood up, pulling the robe off. His collar was covered in love bites and teeth marks, while his back was painted with scratches. "Oh wow." Oscar just laughed at her lack of filter. "It's not as bad as it looks, and he's not like this with everyone." He said, eyes closed as the robe began to cover his skin again. "Oh, so you get special treatment. I see how it is." She giggled, avoiding his eyes, scared he's begin to dislike her. "I wish...He doesn't really film with the guys much anymore, I am of course the exception."

He took a deep breath before making sure the door was closed. " Since we're both pretty new I'll fill you in with all the secrets. Lando gets attached very quickly, it's so easy for him to love. That makes him a great person, one of the best you'll ever be around. But that trait is bad in this industry. He joined five years ago, along with George and Alex, but they aren't important to the story. When you start, Usually you're paired with just once actor for a while. For him that was Carlos, and for a lack of a better term he pretty much fell in love with him, but not in a 'I want to date' way. It's complicated. After a few years Carlos left to go to another company for a while and Lando was completely distraught and well angry with Carlos." She was a little shocked that Oscar was so willing to tell her so much. Then again it didn't really affect him. "So Zak, the head of the logistic team, paired him up with Daniel for a while, thinking it would do him some good, they're pretty different, but in a good way." 

Oscar was hesitant to continue, checking his watch every now and then, but since he started he couldn't really stop. "Yet Lando resented him. Daniel didn't take it to heart, knowing the whole situation. He's been here for eight years longer than Lando so he's seen a lot and could tell Lando was struggling. I'll be honest Lando is a massive brat usually, so that coupled with the whole situation was a lot. It made some great content sure, but it was still difficult for every one around them. Long story short they began to get along and at some point Lando fell for Daniel, may I add, both times it wasn't completely one sided. But when things got pretty good for them, Daniel took a break from filming all together, it broke Lando all over again." She took a sharp inhale at the end, it sounded devastating just hearing about it, so she could only imagine how it felt. "So Lando decided he didn't want to film with any of the guys anymore. He started working on some more kink based content with different actors. But slowly he's been coming back. So when I joined last year he didn't want any thing to do with me. Not in a mean way, it was more like he was apprehensive. And of course Zak decided to pair us up and well, we've been filming with each other at least twice a week since." He said shrugging his shoulders, finally doing his robe up properly. "Oh wow that's a lot. Is he not worried you're going to leave him at some point? Not to be disrespectful to you, but surely that's a concern of his." She said as Oscar stood up, motioning for her to do so as well. "First, you need to get changed as Christian has instructed me to accompany you while you meet the rest of the actors, so I'm going to turn around, promise I wont peek." He laughed, checking his watch again. She was quick to start stripping of her clothes, reaching in her bag for some more comfortable attire. "Second, of course he worried, wouldn't you be? But we're adults about it so its usually okay. Now that you say that, that's probably the reason I'm covered in marks." He trailed off, shocked that he didn't think of it sooner. 

She placed her hands on his arms, turning him so they were face to face. "Is this okay?" She questioned looking down at what she was wearing. Oscars eyes followed hers, although stopped much sooner than she did, he couldn't help but stare, mainly at her tits as he could see all the way down her top. He may fuck on camera for most of the week, but he was no better than the average man. "You look perfect." He didn't know what was making him so bold, usually he's quite reserved, not particularly shy, just not talkative. He doesn't know what's gotten into him.

"Come on, it's getting late and it's kind of required that you meet everyone on your first day." They walked out the door and back into another relatively dark hallway, towards on of the many break rooms; Oscar was told to go to the second 'bed set' break room. "So, why'd you tell me all of that?" Oscar didn't expect her to ask him to explain his actions but it seems he really had no choice. "I care about him, so in a way it's just me looking out for him." She hummed with a smile. "If it wasn't me that told you, some else would have, its no real secret. Well the events were not a secret but Lando's true feelings and how bad he really was at the time is more of the secret." After Oscar's little rant she began wonder if they were actually together or if it was once again a two side love relationship without the relationship. "So who's the first one on you're calendar, and don't try to hide it. I know I'm on there but you wouldn't have been staring at that screen so intensely if I was the first." She sighed at his words, ever the observer he seemed to be. "Charles." Oscar was pleased with that, thinking there wouldn't be anyone better. "Actually that's really good for you. He's a lot more sensual and romantic so I believe that Zak thinks he's the safest option because you're content is just you getting off when ever you feel like it, not too focused on the production." He began, not realising he was rambling. "I thought you said you didn't know who I was." She huffed with a teasing tone, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well maybe I lied...Okay I looked you up when you were in that meeting." There was a long pause until they reached the door.

Chapter Two

[cheriladycl01]

2026 Rewind - Grid x AudiDriver! Reader

Plot: After some devastating deaths within the F1 industry from unmistakable names in 2025, the FIA decide to make a plan to race at all of the old tracks that are iconic but haven’t been on the grid for a while.

A/N: this is racing heavy with only drivers name dropped, but if you want cool Ted and Crofty with Y/N vibes while learning more about some of the FIA Grade 1 Tracks, have a read!

“So Ted, let’s talk about this years line up. It’s just so iconic that I can’t bear it!” David Croft says as they are in the commentator box at pre-season testing.

“Yeah Crofty, obviously it’s so unfortunate the reason behind what we are calling the 2026 rewind because of some losses we had in the industry and this was the way the FIA decided to pay tribute to those people!" Ted explains before the onscreen for the year comes up.

"So, lets go through the year together and analyze it. We're starting of the season strong in the lovely Kuwait, here at Kuwait Motor Town, this is where we are kick starting off this season. It's a high speed track here just north of where we would typically start in Bahrain. This is a track consisting of 20 turns, and is 5.609km of racing ahead. I'm very excited as no-one in F1 history has raced here in an F1 car. Who do you think's going to do well here Ted?"

"Well, there's some really nice corners, and it's a similar temp to Bahrain so i think it's difficult to tell but I can imagine the Audi with Y/N now having done her rookie season learning all those key values about the F1 car and how it works. McLaren will also be good here, really tightening up the constructors championship this year!" Ted offers looking at all the onboard footage.

"Yes I agree, I think Red Bull tend to be quiet strong a the start of the year naturally and its a game for the other teams to be playing catch up!" Crofty agrees.

"Okay, then after Kuwait, we'll be travelling to and correct me if I'm saying this wrong but the Kyalami Circuit in South Africa near the wonderful capital Johannesburg. It's in replacement of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, we haven't raced in South Africa since 1993 and what a beautiful circuit this is, its got some really high speed corners and yeah, I think the Ferrari will really be great on those long straights." Ted says analysis the data of the cars in testing.

"And now here we have with us, Y/N Y/L/N Audi F1 driver here to talk through the rest of the tracks!" David says and points to the camera for you to smile and wave before he pulls out the microphone in front of you.

"Hello!" you grin and David and Ted both burst out laughing.

"What did I miss, I'm really sorry i was late!" you smile looking between them and they both nod in understanding of how tight the weekend schedule could be, they are shocked they actually have your time right now.

"It's completely okay, we understand! We've only introduced Kuwait and South Africa, we are about to move onto the changed Australia track! Your thoughts?" he exclaims and you smile.

"Yeah, obviously it's going to be exciting with all these new tracks that none of us have driven, so of course there was a lot of testing in the sims... but yeah its great to be here in Kuwait, and I'm excited to go to South Africa as well!" you smile.

"Yes, and how do you feel about Australia being changed from Albert Park in Melbourne to the Adelaide Street Circuit?" Ted asks with a grin on his face knowing how you felt about the Australian races.

"Well, after the spider incident in 2022, I've always been so scared to drive in Australia" you giggle, before Crofty pulls up the video of you in P4 of the Australian Grand Prix in 2022.

Y/N - Theres a fucking tarantula in my car Race Engineer - Copy that Y/N - No i dont think you guys get it, its on me

"And you ended up pitting there was no time to get it out of the car because of where it was, you were crying for the rest of the race and you were going so quick so you could just finish that you actually ended up winning your first race here and overtaking Charles Leclerc in, what back then was an Alfa Romeo." Crofty smiles and you nod.

"Yeah, so where ever that race is in Australia I know ill be on edge the whole time, I'll have my crew do like 6 inspections on my car before each session to make sure. It was traumatizing i tell you!" you admit.

"So after what will hopefully be a spider free stint in Adelaide on their street circuit we move on to south east Asia where we will exchange Suzuka Japan, for the Fuji SpeedWay, a truly iconic track before going back to an old favorite of some of the older driver on the grid like Lewis and Fernando in South Korea at the Korea International Circuit!" Ted says showing the line up for the races after Australia.

"I'm really excited for these, the atmosphere of the fans is always amazing and the tracks here are great I think Audi thrive on these sort of tracks and yeah, I'm excited to see what we can do there!" you smile, looking at the spinning track layout that popped up on screen.

You move on to Miami's replacement being the iconic Californian Long Beach Street Circuit.

"And we've been tipped of, by a certain Cash App driver that he'll be taking you to DisneyLand while out there?" he asks looking at you.

"Yes, Liam has already been once and when I said about wanting to go to radiator springs he and Daniel jumped on the opportunity to go, which then Yuki and Max wanted to come so it's now turned into this whole massive group trip!" you laugh knowing that half the grid would come with you guys.

"And of course much like the UK Italy is another pinnacle of Motorsport and we've had to change out two of the iconic track Monza and Imola. So for the first change of Italy we've changed it to the iconic Mugello track which I just really love, don't you Y/N?" Ted asks looking at you.

"Yeah I think Lando and Osc will be really strong there, I'd like to think me and Carlos are as well with the Audi this year... so yeah I'm excited for Mugello! Obviously they raced here in 2020 so it's the most recent of all the races this year to make a return so its only really me, Oscar, Logan, Fred, Theo and Kimi who haven't raced there" you smile analyzing the twisty track up on the screen.

"Yes, then we'll be moving onto, what was probably one of the toughest decisions of this year which was switching out Monaco and what to switch out such an exciting race with, so they didn't its the only race on the calendar this year that has remained unchanged!" David explains making you nod.

"I think, where this year is to show the history of F1 and what it means to all of us, the teams and the fans. And by keeping Monaco on there where its such a historic track, i think that's actually staying true to a rewind year!" you smile, you'd always loved the vibes in Monaco, from the fans to the track to how your car performed there.

"Yeah i agree i think it was the right choice keeping Monaco!" Ted exclaims also loving the vibes at Monaco.

"Okay, then moving all the way to the west, we'll be in Canada moving from Montreal over to Quebec at the second oldest track, the Mont-Tremblant Circuit!" David shows the new Canadian circuit on screen.

"Then after Canada we've got a really special double header with two Spanish Grand Prix's at different locations. We have the Valencia Street Circuit and Del Jarama Circuit. Both very exciting and it will be a long weekend in Spain!"

"I'm excited to see a street circuit in Spain, obviously we had Madrid for the last two years after Barcelona, so I'm excited for both Valencia as a street circuit and Jarama which is such an iconic track because of those tights turns and yeah I'm really excited for this one!" you smile.

"Obviously next one was another tough one, Silverstone again another iconic track and the UK has so many other iconic tracks that its hard to choose, there was talks of Aintree, Watkins Glen and Donington Park but ultimately they went with Brands Hatch what do you think on this?" Ted asks looking over to you, holding up a page showing all the different UK tracks.

"Yeah, I think there's some really iconic tracks in the UK, its my home so i grew up racing on a lot of those tracks in different motorsport categories, I think there's ones that are arguably better for Formula one, which is why Silverstone is the main circuit as it gives for the most interesting race, however for me it would have been a call between Brands Hatch and Watkins Glen so I'm glad that they chose Brands Hatch, I've got some great memories there at testing and showcasing the car or working with the Top Gear team, so I'm excited to race there!" you explain, the United Kingdom is the like Monaco in being both a founder and royalty when it comes to Motorsport.

"I 100% agree with that, however I just love Aintree so much and am gutted we wont see it!" David Croft admits.

"So after Brands Hatch we move to Monsanta in Portugal which we haven't raced in Portugal since 2021 because of the COVID restrictions but that was in Algarve so it'll be interesting to see the difference!" Ted offers looking at the next circuit floating on their screen as he zoom's in on turn 4.

"Then, again there another track we hate to see go even if its for one year but Spa, its so iconic and its one of the most dangerous circuits we race now and it's being swapped out for Circuit Zolder on the other side of Belgium! Thoughts?" David asks out in the open.

"I" you start.

"Well I think" Ted also starts and you both look at each other in shock before laughing. You let Ted go first to say his piece.

"Well, I think it's no where near interesting as Spa, and especially where its the last race before a break... I think it's going to be way more uneventful than Spa!"

"Y/N?" Crofty asks looking at you.

"I actually think the opposite most of the tracks have been very high risk with lost of turns and chicanes and hairpins that really catch you out, however this reminds me of the simplicity of Monza and everyone, everyone loves Monza. So i think it will really even out the mid field cars" you says observing the track that had nice long straights and minimal turns.

"I agree with you there Y/N! Next after Zolder we head over to the heavily missed Nurburgring in Germany, the last time we saw it was 2019 so again, up until our 2019 rookies would have driven there how'd you feel about this track Y/N?" David asks.

"Well, it's such an iconic track for so many reasons I really wanted to race there after I watched Lando, George and Alex all race there in 2019, I was actually there in the paddock that year with Ferrari as a part of their driver development programme" you nod, explaining to them how excited you were for it.

"Now next in the place of Monza which we just mentioned we have a complete wild card of the Scandinavian Raceway in Sweden! Now this, this is one I'm excited for it's a beautiful track and has the coldest track temps we'll probably get all season! So it'll be a real fight to see who can protect their tyres and manage them well!" Ted explains and you nod, knowing it would be an exciting race.

"Then after that we travel to France where we haven't been for a while, however the Bugatti Au Mans Track in France is iconic, there are so many great tracks in France like Paul-Ricard or the Charade Circuit or Dijon de Prenois, all of them are great but the Bugatti hasn't been done is so long and really means a lot historically to the sport" David offers, showing you one of the only tracks you didn't feel too excited a lean towards.

"Then, we move back across to Aisa, going to an age of favorite of the age old Sepang International Circuit in Malasiya which is one fans have been wanting to see back on the race calendar for a while so i wonder if this will stay into 2027!" Ted takes over, and you nod.

"I'm also very excited for Sepang! After Malaysia we move onto the first ever FIA grade 1 race track the Chang Circuit in Thailand, how to we feel about this?" David asks directly looking at you.

"Not only is it a beautiful track, but it means that Alex now has a chance to race at his home track while racing under his home flag and I think he's really excited for it. He's in a great car, the Williams has come leaps and bounds and are top midfield contenders and definitely will be up there fighting for race wins!" you smile, knowing Alex was so happy to have this opportunity to race in his home country.

"I agree Alex Albon to win in Chang Circuit, I've put my money on it! Our next circuit it one that NASCAR share with us in F1 taking it back to the Indianapolis Speedway, on the lower F1 circuit of course rather than the Oval that the NASCAR drivers use!" Ted explains.

"Yeah, that lower track is great, you got the nice curve and we'll be able to get to those really high speeds. It's an iconic US track just like COTA!" you admit, taking a sip of the water you'd brought with you.

"After Indi, we'll make our way a little further down south to the Rio de Janiro International Track in Brazil, which is instead of Sao Paulo" David explains looking at the second F1 track in Brazil, it was a nice track but Sao Paulo had been on the roster for so long.

"Then, we are back in Las Vegas, but not on the Strp track that was created in 2023, no we are going back to the Ceaser's Palace Track and I know many people complain about these Las Vegas Grand Prix's because of the timings and the drivers not really liking driving at 12pm!"

"Yeah, i agree they are really strenuous just like Qatar for the heat but I love the vibe Las Vegas brings and I like the whole weekend with all the activities in the fan zone and yeah I'm excited they used Ceaser's Palace rather than the Pheonix Street Circuit which i know they were considering.

"I agree. Our last two races, then consist of the Buddah International Circuit in India and rounding off instead of in Yas Marina in the Dubai Autodrome, which will be a really nice round off" David exclaims.

Slowly you end the interview up, needing to go down to the track to get into the car for you leg of pre-season testing.

What a year it would be.

Taglist:

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[ocean-sunfish-hater]

A shallowish dive into some pits.

The pit organ of a viper is what is responsible for its ability to detect body heat via infrared (IR) light. Whilst IR detection has evolved multiple times in snakes, the pit organ is far and away the most sensitive and specialised of the bunch. The snake is able to detect thermal differences of just 0.003C, which is wild, because some of the best available cryogenic IR sensors that we've made are apparently sensitive to differences of around 0.01C (although I don't know much about thermal imaging so please someone correct me if I'm wrong).

The receptor that is found in the pit organ is known as TRPA1 (it stands for something technical and boring, cellular biology has never been my jam), and it's expressed in incredibly high amounts in the Trigeminal Ganglion of snakes, which is the main nerve that connects to the face.

ID: A close up image of the face of a rattlesnake. Its scales are a mixture of brown and yellow tones. It looks cool.

Some people theorise that the pit organ didn't initially evolve for hunting, but rather predator detection and thermoregulation. Studies of pit vipers and true vipers have found that pit vipers were much better at finding spots to warm up in than their non-pitty relatives. So the pit organ might have evolved for a more general use rather than the predatory one we first thought.

But you know what's interesting? In mammals, TRPA1 is actually cold receptor, as well as one that's responsible for itching. What's more, it's commonly known as the wasabi receptor, because that's what the chemicals in wasabi bind to to give us that characteristic kick. I guess its link to our trigeminal nerve is why it gets us when it's in our face but not really anywhere else, unlike the spice you find in chillis.

ID: An image of an Australian Black Rock Scorpion sat upon some light coloured wood. The scorpion is dark brown in colour with lighter coloured legs. Both its sting and claws are somewhat raised.

ALSO, I just found this out as I was doing a bit more research, but since TRPA1 is also a receptor involved in sensing pain, it's a target for a toxin called the Wasabi Toxin, produced by the Australian Black Rock Scorpion. The toxin forces the channel open, making the affected area hypersensitive to heat and touch, but doesn't make it swell up.

Anyway, this was a bit more of a ramble than my usual posts, I just thought it was interesting how this one receptor is linked to so many different things, and how it's used in such a variety of ways.

[puckpocketed]

i don't know how it took this long but i think i only JUST realized you're australian? (correct me if i'm wrong!!)

...thoughts on washington capitals legend, nathan walker? :)

i am australian !! :3

checking my notes. caps legend nate walker whom played . 10 games for the caps. yayy..... <3 all jokes aside, he embodies the aussie battler spirit and i think he should be much more famous here than he is, he should be the poster boy for growing the game and every ice hockey kid should be tormenting their parents for his jersey. i do nawt care about the bloos (yet) but IF they were on a cup run i'd be rooting for them just so he can beach himself like a whale in the festoon of sunburned tourists that is Bondi <3

whats the sitch over there anyway . why is he not playing 82 games . whats wrong with my boy? hes only 30 sign him to that 8x8 NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nishnormp]

thinking way too hard about things that probably do not need this much thought

In lieu of tfc merc brainrot, I have decided to do some historical research and character workshopping to shape out the details of everything needed in ficwriting. I have nothing else to post (my art is not going well) so I might as well scream about this

P1: TF2 alternate history bullshit

Abraham Lincoln inventing rocket jumping before the existence of stairs, the entire thing with Australium, so on. Despite TFC having modern kevlar (as opposed to looney toons weapons, but a bit about that later) and a more serious/gritty tone, the setting is still within the TF2 universe; which means having a weird fusion of irl history and vaguely reasonable fantasy absurdities.

To clarify, I am not a bona fide history nut who knows absolutely everything (ffs my own country's history doesn't even play much in western incidents). I've just been doing research thru online articles, videos, and talking to other ppl who know more than me, so my brain can lack a bit for certain things; do correct me if I get anything wrong.

By the 1850s (estimation) Australia became a tech giant due to discovering Australium, making insane progress in basically every field (and also making their population very jacked). Newfound inventions also require raw resources, and this page confirms that australians pick their leader mostly based on pure strength, which begs the question; are they still connected to Britain? Would there still be a benefit for them to be linked to Britian the way they are?

There are many cases where nations plunder other nations just for natural resources; Britian is one particularly infamous force with many colonies, which makes me wonder if Australia ever resorted to snatching them just to afford all the material components that their tech requires. Australia was part of the British Empire up until 1901 irl (not too far from 1890), but the question about resources and sovereignty(even if symbolic) still remain (Britain likely wouldn't like a territory growing at terrifying and eventually unmanageable rates, and at that rate I doubt Australia would settle for middling trade margins)

(Well, apparently Saxton owns England. But that was when he discovered the internet)

There's also the ensemble of first gen mercs. RED and BLU recruit progressively less important mercs as time goes on, starting from important historical/media figures, to modern militant professional-lookin dudes, and finally to the current crop of crackheaded TF2 mercs we know and love. The Original mercs I mostly want to focus on are Abraham Lincoln and John Henry.

I'm not exactly sure if John Henry is even a real person, but he was a symbol for labor movements and the civil rights movement; the fact that he IS a real person in TF2 lore is p vital methinks, especially since him and Lincoln seem to be on the same team. Mercs are paid a lot, even the "bottom of the barrel" tf2 ones: scout has his merch collection to show for it, medic has his exotic animal parts, heavy has his gun ammo (and also casually gave a child 7k dollars), etc; could John Henry have spearheaded civil rights movements not just in America but also other territories (like africa) with the bread and merits he got for the job? Does he have a legacy with rouge merc groups (armed unions?) that fight against imperialism? Maybe even effect/radicalize Lincoln about some things??? Unethical business practices still persist even in Saxton's era (hell, he's an example) but maybe the (hypothetical) challenges to Britain's grasp on its colonies and evolution of munitions would give the people an edge.

I have no idea how a drastically colony-less Britain would affect the timeline of WW1 (esp in less popular side-wars like in South Africa where Britain was very much involved, which may be problematic since my interp of cmedic is FROM there but anyways) (btw they only won that bc they out-attritioned Germany, but by that point maybe the dutch or the americans would take over), but surprisingly enough WW2 ends at around the same time it does irl, despite my initial thought that a roided-out Allied Australia would be more than capable of turning the Axis Powers into a skidmark. The likely explanation for that is that the finer details were just not important for the tf2 comics that took place AFTER (fair enough), but as someone planning to write the 1930s mercs . Pain . My working explanation is that seemingly unaligned private contractors can get ahold of weapons easier than Certain governments, which makes mercs more popular than national soldiers for carrying out certain missions (plausible employer deniability baybeeee).

P2: Conflicting class meta - CHeavy edition

Onto something less heavy, another part of ficwriting is figuring out how characters are...characterized. The TFC mercs dont have much canonical info (I've already turned two of them into straight up ocs because I am NOT going to write p3dos from start to finish of a longfic) so I settle for looking at other things, like gameplay and ingame roles.

The first I focused on was cheavy, the leader of the group. Grouchy, but a surprisingly tolerant team player.

This IS reused from a previous post (im lazy) but the first bullet basically says "otherwise, offensive heavies are frequently looked down on and the power of the other team's defense will have you dead in no time". Gameplay-wise, CHeavy is considered the simplest class and the easiest one to master; most tfc gamers think its a common noob pick. His total health is pretty good, he occupies a big space so he can block narrow paths, and the way he attacks is simple; but he's slow even when b-hopping (grenades cant boost him either) so he can be outrun/picked apart by other classes, which really shows in tfc's most popular game format: capture the flag.

I've seen about a handful video of tfc gameplay that WASN'T ctf (or the slightly diff gamemode with a defense system), and even if the 4th bullet point is right, those two classes are usually doing more important things during ctf. My main point is that despite being the leader, he isn't the type of class to lead the charge.

The most reasonable thing I can think of is that he's just . Really good at strategy and can keep track of his team while reliably holding down a position. That, and his superior bulk makes him shine more outside of the gravel pits. Whatever it is, it does make more sense to me now that I revisit the comic panels where he is VERY spiteful that his teammates got killed (rather than calling them weak, they fr matter to him bc otherwise, he isn't getting shit done)

(Ik the reason hes the boss is bc big scary dude and karmic ass-handing via other heavy who actually respects his doctor but shh the fic demands reasons)

P3: Conflicting class meta - Cmedic edition

The contradiction I can immediately clock is the fact that cmedic never gets mentioned despite his omnipresence in his original game. Most hc's I've seen interpret him as the exact opposite of the current medic, which is a dedicated doctor who also happens to be a sweetheart (with very rare exceptions), but may I propose the theory that all mannco medic mercs are bastards? I'm 99% sure that the original medic was sigmund freud. TF2 medic is just a menace. Post WW1 most moral and noble medics would bust their asses at hospitals rather than sign up to a contract tying them down to just healing 8 other people and killing other people over and over, but that's just my hc (we're all making shit up, might as well have fun with it).

The most common citing for cmed's hidden menace energy is his virus weaponry, but I think his ingame role also shows it pretty well. Practically taking the scout's niche and making it less punishing by having straight upgrades of his two weapons, giving healing utility AND also being able to sniff out spies like a cscout (he can't diffuse bombs or trail caltrops, but he's already powerful as is). Imagine being cscout, having to compete for flag capture points with this guy who practically has everything you have but better (instead of leaving behind super visible spikes he has a college degree). This isn't even like the modern sniper vs spy debate where it can still be debated that spy has a unique niche with his mindgames, cmedic just straight up took copied his homework, 98% percent matching on the plagiarism bot.

Cscout and cmedic beef is very likely, but if cscout is a literal god at what he does then there won't be much issue, since the best cscout is ultimately better at flagrunning than cmedic. Its likely that cscout is simply human tho, so that's some drama that can happen.

Funnily enough the tfc class that gets the most weight and hate on its shoulders is sniper. This is because servers have a limit on how many snipers can join, and if a shitty sniper took up the slots, the rest of the team would be pretty pissed. Meanwhile, a competent sniper is the bane of every player's existence; a missed shot can still slow someone down until a medic cures them.

P4: cmedic backstory building hell - barely organized nonsense

Last one I swear. My drawings of cmedic explicitly portray him as a person of color- more specifically a cape malay, from the cape territory in South Africa; he even curses in malay in one of the posts. Ig I wanted the cast to be more diverse, but it did make his backstory somewhat harder to write.

Mann co is situated in New Mexico, far from SA. How and why did he get all the way there? With the fanon worldbuilding I set, what is stopping him from simply joining a nearer merc group? Probably heard of it through the grapevine, and travelled for fat stacks; wouldn't be uncommon for doctors (or mercs) to be highly motivated due to money. I wondered of what would set him apart from all the other hypothetical medic applicants that probably graduated from upstanding colleges like harvard, then I recall all those common hcs.

1)Most applicants assumed that the job would consist of primarily healing, without considering how bloodthirsty their company would be, and/or 2)the BLU team has been getting genuine medics and chewing them up like gum (and spitting them out utterly mangled, I suppose). There's also the possibility that some margin of these medics actually had some weapon training, but at that point a lot of time has been spent (also some conflicting motives there, I can't imagine the perks that a deadly merc job has over a hospital job unless the guy got a kick out of it).

My next idea was to make him a ww1 vet on the side of the British (australian? american?) colonies of SA, having joined midway after finishing his education. However this would clock his age during the current 1970s timeline to be around 81, pretty old; most of the tfc mercs would be 70s max around that time. Cmedic is visually the youngest of the mercs too, you can compare his smooth eyes to the more sunken cspy's eyes and there is a notable difference. This is really just an issue of me being on the fence about fully oc-fying him (a friend of him suggested making him a vampire, I am almost tempted to make it so).

In the case that particular hurdle is overcome, there are more details I have to iron out. I figured that his motives either come from wanting to financially help out his family after the war's sheer devastation, or just . a general resentment for the way things unfolded, and he swapped to merc work in the states to get properly paid for his work and (attempt to) fill the void in his soul. Maybe a mix of the two. An outlier in his community for being a godless man and having very material and tangible masters (science and money), he abandons the lofty ideals of nationalism and sides himself with the highest bidder in the private market. Also developed an insane immune system (trenches and exposure are no joke).

(Certain classes have shared characteristics across gens, like the demos' deranged smiles and engies' wholesome vibes. With sigmund freud, tf2 medic as the archetypal mad doctor, and tfc medic as the archetypal capitalist doctor, there are now three gens of doctors with dubious machinations.)

He'd probably be a great medic, respecting merc code and all (funfact tf2 medic mentions tfc demo by name, implying that he knows his real name and putting a dent in my theory that being on a first-name basis is a big deal actually , my countertheory to that is that grey mann gave him the team's files and tf2 medic wants to spite them). Cmedic also reverse-engineered the medkit and made a new version for non-gravel war missions, since the usual has several hard drugs (heals to full instantly and gives adrenaline boost, sounds sus especially if you read jarate's side effects) since he ended up somewhat caring about his pack of rabid animals

[barelysleepyy]

In that case my I please request a drinking contest between Mako, Raleigh, Herc, Tendo, Newt and Hermann.

You can choose the winner :)

So sorry for the long wait! (I got carried away)

I honestly don't know where I was going with this so apologies if any of them are OOC or look weird ( I cannot draw Herc correctly ) 😭

I asked my friend who would win since I couldn't choose and she leaned in, pointed at Herc, and went " The old Aussie. " ( she's Australian ). She also suggested Hermann being second place and Raleigh getting decimated.

(Panel 10) - がんばって ! | Ganbatte! ; Do your best! / Good luck!

( To those who know Japanese, please correct me if I'm wrong with the translation! )

[peachiejeongin]

The Phantoms Part 7: Finally Free | Bang Chan

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 (You Are Here) | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

Synopsis: The phantoms are struggling with y/n leaving the band and one of them with flourishing feelings for the girl. They finally book another gig, but feelings are conflicting and the phantoms are flickering. Not to mention, y/n's grounded for skipping class.

Pairing: phantom!Bang Chan x fem!reader [Occurs in this chapter] (Minsung if you squint)

Genre: Julie and the Phantoms/3RACHA AU, Crack, Angst, Fluffy Moments

Warnings: Mentions of death

Notice: You lovelys know the drill! I have no ownership of 'Julie and the Phantoms,' nor do I believe Han is gay in real life. Enjoy the chapter, my darlings!

You dashed into dance class, the instructor chanting out steps for your peers to complete.

"Oh, y/n," she scowled. "So nice of you to join us."

"I'm sorry," you quickly apologized. "I overslept."

"Take your spot," your teacher snapped and you did as she demanded; you made your way over next to Flynn, joining in with the choreography the instructor was teaching. Flynn greeted you with a slight smile.

"And you didn't wake me up why?" you questioned, shaking your head slightly. "I missed my first three classes!"

"You said you were never going to show your face at this school ever again," Flynn shrugged, still keeping in time with the dance moves, "and I am a very literal person!"

"It's fine," you sighed deeply, waving your arms around in circles to mirror the dance moves. "It's those dumb ghosts I'm really mad at. I would kill them if they weren't already dead."

"Having a band is supposed to help your social life, not harm it," Flynn commented.

"Ex-band."

You and Flynn stopped to look at each other; for a moment, you swore there was disappointment in her eyes.

"Right. Ex-band, sorry" she corrected. You and Flynn kneeled to the ground as your instructor had commanded.

"It's all so messy," you said in disbelief. "I thought they had my back, but obviously I was wrong."

"Don't blame yourself," Flynn replied, stretching down on her legs. "You can only be so strong when three cute ghosts ask you to join a band. Speaking of cute," Flynn ended her mantra with a sing-song voice; you had hoped she would ask about Chan, anything about Chan. You had refused to talk to him since the night of the dance, and the distance was getting to you.

Granted, the distance was only for a day, but it still ached.

You wanted to talk about him, wanted to see him. You finally admitted your feelings for him to Flynn, and now you could not even stand to look at him; however, you wanted to. You wanted to talk about his idiotic revenge plan, his stupidly cute face and perfect smile, and the way he had angered you yet he had looked so handsome while doing it.

"Yeah? What about cute?" you decided to inquire instead of rambling about the Australian.

"Have you talked to Felix today?" The hopeful flicker in your eyes dimmed, and Flynn noticed. "What? You not like him anymore?" It was not that you did not like Felix; you did!...Just not as much as you liked Chan. Not to mention, you were dreading the disappointment you knew Felix was going to have when he saw you, if he even bothered to look your way now.

"What? No, no, I do! I just haven't spoken to him." You began to do a bit of thigh stretches, one in which you were semi-bent down in between your legs. "At least I know I won't see him in this class."

The next thing you knew, you stretched downwards and caught a glimpse of the blonde you were dwelling negatively upon seeing.

"Are you serious?!" you nearly screamed.

"What?"

"What are they doing here?" You quickly stood up, turning Flynn around so she could see what you were talking about. Coach Seo and the soccer team were crowding the front entrance to the gymnasium; Felix in particular was fixated on the ground.

"Right on time, Coach Seo!" your dance instructor gleefully greeted. "Students! Coach Seo and I have decided that his soccer team will be apart of our class for a few weeks. Many pro athletes have used dance in order to improve mobility and flexibility."

"This isn't about flirting with girls," Coach Seo warned his team, causing them to chuckle. "It's about making us better so we can win a game. We lost against Burbank. Burbank!" Coach Seo yelled at his team.

"Well, remember Coach," the dance teacher said softly. "Composure is a huge element of dance. Now, everyone pair up!"

You and Flynn looked at each other, concern etched upon your features; there was no doubt in your mind who was going to pick you as their partner, and your mentality was already protesting against it.

Your fears were confirmed when a young boy dragged Flynn away as she muttered a string of apologies; before you knew it, you were alone, with a deep-voiced, cinnamon roll-esque blonde standing right in front of you.

"Hey," he greeted you, quietly yet joyfully, to which you reciprocated. albeit hesitantly.

"Okay, ladies," your instructor caught your attention. "We are going to practice the routine we learned last week, and we will perform it with the boys this Friday. Coach Seo and I will demonstrate."

"No," Coach Seo instantly denied. "I don't dance."

"Well, now you do." Your instructor jerked Coach Seo by his wrist, instantly pulling him into the routine as she prepared to refresh the steps with the class.

"You ready for this?" you looked at Felix, scanning his face for any sign of hesitance.

"I guess," he shrugged. "I mean, my little sister does throw a lot of princess dance parties." The comment made you shake your head playfull as Felix giggled.

The routine began, and you worked yourself easily through the steps you had rehearsed a week prior; Felix, who you had known to be a dancer himself, quickly caught the hang of the routine.

"Not so bad, your majesty," you gave a bow as the practice ended.

"Thank you," he chuckled out before approaching you slightly. "So, about the dance?"

There it was.

There were the four words you had dreaded hearing from Felix's mouth.

"Y'know, I was hoping if I never talked about it, we could pretend it never happened," you admitted as the second round of practice picked up; you and Felix still conversed through the movements.

"You'll be alright, okay?" he assured you, slightly taking you back since you were expecting pure dejection. "You're tough, and you've been through way worse." You nodded gratefully, stepping back into position as the music began for a third time.

"I am not used to dancing like this," Felix laughed, quickly changing the subject of conversation.

"You and Carrie never dance together?" you asked him, a part of you genuine but the other being nosy.

"Nope," Felix responded, "and we never will. We broke up." Your back was to Felix at this point, and you were glad; after all, he could not see the smile you had held back at this point.

"Oh!" you exclaimed, sounding more excited than intended. "You did?"

"Yeah. I'm just done with her antics. I don't know if you've noticed, but she isn't the nicest girl," Felix jokingly remarked, spinning you around on the dance floor.

"What?" you sarcastically prolonged the question. "Never noticed." Felix gave another heart guffaw; focusing on your comment was perhaps the reason he fell as he tried to take his next step, that being a leap through the air.

"You uh," he smacked his hand against his forehead, rubbing aggressively out of embarassment. "You sure you wanna be partners?" You outstretched a hand to the poor boy, smiling genuinely.

"We'll get it eventually."

---

"Boys!" Chan called loudly as he approached Han and Changbin; the two boys were sitting at a coffee table, watching somewhat eagerly as a woman took photos of her food. "Being a ghost has its perks, let me tell you. I just wrote our names down on the playlist for tonight!"

"I'm getting worried about him," Han whispered to Changbin as if Chan was not there. "He keeps forgetting y/n quit the band."

"Oh please," Chan scoffed. "She's gonna come back as soon as we book an amazing gig, which is this very spot, my mates!" Chan sounded genuine, but his voice was faux; secretly, he was worried you were not going to rejoin the band. He had only spent one day away from you, and he felt his soul crumbling without you.

Without you, the guys had no purpose.

They did not have time to comprehend that, however, as another flicker panged throughout their bodies and engulfed them in immense pain.

"Not this again," Han exasperatedly huffed.

"It feels like that time I fixed my amp in the rain," Changbin remarked in the same tone of voice, earning concerned stares from the other two.

"You...okay, is there something wrong with us?" Han questioned in fear.

"Yes," Chan answered. "We danced the night away for hours. I'm sure this is just ghostly recooperation."

"So, did we just forget about getting back at Hyunjin?" Changbin asked, deterring the subject at hand. "I mean, the jerk stole our songs."

"And just like y/n said," Chan added on, "we have a new band, a new sound! That's what we should be focusing on. Hyunjin will just have to live with the guilt of betraying us."

"You're mentioning y/n an awful lot lately," Changbin smirked at the older boy. Chan sunk in his seat slightly, his heart beginning to race at the mention of your name.

"Well, yeah," Chan shrugged his shoulders, flicking his eyes to his hands. "I think I-"

"Is that Minho?" Han suddenly inquiered, unintentionally cutting Chan off. Chan and Changbin turned towards the window where Han was staring and caught a glimpse of the boy peeking into the coffee shop; he noticed them, however, and quickly skated away. Han immediately warped outside, attempting to catch up with Minho.

"Someone is definitely not focusing on our music," Changbin smiled knowingly, tilting his head towards the boy standing outside.

Chan smiled slightly, his thoughts quickly refocusing on you.

Turns out, there were two people not focusing on the music.

---

"Hello, Minho."

"Seungmin, hi. Um... I... I was actually just..."

"Checking on the boys for me? How is my band doing?"

"Uh... Well, they're flickering. Just like you wanted them to."

"Wonderful. Oh, and Minho, the next time you want to check on the boys for me, let me know."

---

You walked down the steps to the studio, hoping to get some alone time with your music; however, you found that the garage doors had already been opened.

"We're sorry!" Changbin sang.

"So sorry!" Han added on.

"We're super duper crazy really," Chan crescendoed.

"Sorry!" All thee boys rang out the last word of the lyric, waving their hands in a jazz like fashion and beaming.

"In case you missed it, we are super sorry," Changbin clarified.

"Yeah, message received," you bluntly informed them as you crossed your eyebrows. You thought the act was adoring, but you still held resentment towards the boys for last night.

"We've been here for like three hours," Han explained, high fiving Changbin as Chan stood up; he had been kneeling on the ground while he gave the jazz-hands.

"We almost sang to your little brother," Chan chuckled in contrast to your stoic expression. "But, y/n, we know flaking on the dance was really trashy of us. We let you down."

"And the last thing we want to do is disappoint you," Han reaffirmed. "Especially Chan. He has been talking all day about how he misses-" Chan elbowed Han in the stomach, preventing him from talking any further while giving you a faux smile.

"The point is," Chan interjected. "In hopes that you'll rejoin the band, we booked a gig." He handed you a sheet of paper; it was a poster, detailing the music gig he had signed you guys up for at the coffee shop hours prior. "Check it out; tons of managers and executives hang out here looking for new bands. If we blow them away, y/n and the Phantoms has a record deal and is living the dream!"

"So this means a lot to you, Chan?" you questioned, already having semblence of an answer. Chan's joy quickly faltered as he predicted your next question. "Kind of how playing in front of my entire school meant a lot to me?"

"Look, we know we messed up," Han tried to reason with you as your gaze bounced between all three boys.

"But we need you in the band," Chan finished, making soulful eye contact with you. He stepped towards you, making a faint reach for your hand.

"Of course you do," you snapped, causing Chan to jerk his hand away; it was not like it would have made contact anyways. "Without me, no one sees you guys playing." You directed your attention solely onto Chan, approaching him in anger.

"I thought the music we were writing, the connection we had even, was special. But I should have known that a guy way to focused on his past to look ahead of himself wouldn't care about some songs he was writing with a naive girl."

"I do care!" Chan retaliated. "And you are not some naive girl to me you're..." You waited on a response; however, Chan just sighed and dropped his hands down. "Look, the point is that this band has a chance to be something spectacular, and I am not letting that opportunity get away from us again."

"So, why did you bail on me to get back at Sam then?" you asked, crossing your arms; like prior, Chan sighed instead of giving a response.

"I'll tell you why: 'cause there's only one thing you care about and it's yourself."

You did not give Chan time to respond; you stomped out of the studio, raging storms clouding your thoughts. You may have liked Chan, but all you saw in that moment was his selfish side; you were convinced he was using you for his own gain, and it was incredibly hard to forgive that. Thus, you left him, and the other guys, alone in the garage.

Chan slowly stepped out after you, feeling the urge to chase after you, but he decided not to go any farther; he felt tears well in his eyes for the first time since death.

"She didn't mean it, Chan," Han tried to reassure his friend, but it was no use. Chan had warped away in the blink of an eye.

"Where's he going?"

"Where do you think, Binnie?"

---

You were sitting on the couch, flipping through a random magazine when Han and Changbin teleported into the living room.

"You got a moment?" Han asked you; you ignored him, opting to continue skimming the articles of the magazine.

"Oh no! She can't see us anymore!" Changbin panicked, eliciting an annoyed groan from Han; Han walked over to the couch, propping himself up on the arm and causing Changbin to gasp in realization.

You could see them; you were just ignoring them.

"Y/n, please."

"I already told you that I'm done with you guys," you barked, not looking up from the editorial.

"We know," Han nodded. "But before you decide that forever, we just wanted you to know that Chan isn't as selfish as you think he is."

"Yeah, you've got it all wrong," Changbin emphasized, causing you to scoff and roll your eyes. Changbin and Han looked at each other; Changbin nodded at Han, some sort of telepathic brainwaves floating between the two on what to do next.

"You remember the song about Emily? That you saw in Chan's notebook?" Upon your nod, Han closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Can we at least show you who that's actually about?"

---

You were standing outside of a brick house, peering around a couple of evergreen trees just on the deck. The house's backside had a sliding glass window, so you were able to analyze everything inside.

Chan was perched atop a kitchen counter, his knees pressed against his chest. Beside him, and older woman and a young girl, who was about the age that Chan would be if he was still alive, were preparing some sort of dish; you were not sure exactly what yet. An older man sat at the dining room table, his head resting on the palm of his hand.

Chan was crying, his bloodshot eyes darting between all three of the family members.

"Is Emily his sister?" you questioned, your gaze focused upon the younger of the two girls.

"No," Han denied. "His sister's name is Hannah. Emily's his mom. Chan comes here a lot."

"He thinks we don't know, but..." Changbin trailed off slightly. "We've been following him. All he does is sit like this and watch them, but they never really do anything."

You watched as the older woman, who you now knew as Emily, sat down the dish she and Hannah had prepared; it was a chocolate cake, adorned with buttercream icing.

"They're having cake," you softly noticed. "That's something."

"It's a birthday cake," Changbin informed you, his own eyes beginning to tear up. "It's for Chan."

Chan watched every action of his family, from the way Hannah sat the cake down to his parents taking each other's hands as his mom sat down at the table; you could see every time he sobbed, sniffled, or blinked a tear away. It broke your heart to see the boy you cared so much for like this.

"I never knew he was hurting this much," you whispered, your voice waivering from despair.

"He doesn't like to show it," Han explained. "It's even worse because when he died, he was no contact with his family. His parents didn't want their seventeen year old son in a rock band, so he left. Because of that, his sister felt betrayed so she never wanted to reach out. He never had the opportunity to make up to them."

Chan hopped off of the kitchen counter, making his way to sit at the fourth, empty seat at the table. He looked between his family members, smiling slightly as they reminisced on the good memories about him. He blew out the lit candle on the birthday cake, causing his family to gasp in surprise and glance around the house; they felt his presence.

"That's why Chan was angry," Changbin noted. "If Hyunjin had given Chan credit for writing all of the songs, then Chan's parents would've known his dream was worth chasing."

You closed your eyes, feeling a droplet cascade down your face.

"They would be so proud of him," you softly sobbed, your heart breaking for the crying boy at the table.

They would have been proud of him, just like you were.

This time, you watched as Chan's father relit the candle; Chan opted on blowing the candle out together with his family, his parents and sister holding hands. He had a sad smile on his face, a mixture of regret and joy present in his demeanor. You wiped the tears from your face as Han stood up.

"We know what it's like to feel betrayed, y/n," he told you. "We never meant to make you feel that way."

"We love the band," Changbin clarified. "And so does Chan....Give us another chance?" You peered at the boy in the window once again, admiring his smile in a time of despair.

You looked at Changbin, then at Han, and nodded your head.

---

Han's drumset roared with thunder, Changbin's bass with lightning, and your voice with power as you practiced the song you had set your focus on performing tonight; it was called, 'Finally Free,' and it was one that you and Chan had written together.

Speaking of the Australian leader, he had teleported suddenly into the studio, falling backwards slightly to where he was sitting on a chair.

"Y/n?" he stated like a question. "What are you guys up to?" His gaze flickered to Han and Changbin.

"Grab your guitar," you commanded. "We got work to do." Chan looked to the guys for reassurance once more, with both guys nodding their heads in reassurance; a wide smile spread across Chan's features as he grabbed his guitar. He stepped over to you, the familiar admiration in his eyes.

"What made you change your mind?" he asked, running his fingers absentmindedly along your keyboard.

"I realized that music has a special place in all of our lives," you responded, your cheeks heating up from the soft eye-contact you and Chan had. "We've lost so much already. We can't lose each other too."

"Thank you," he quietly appreciated, causing you to playfully smirk; Chan quickly licked his lips, glancing quickly to the floor then back at you. "Alright, boss lady. What's the plan?" You shook your head, laughing at his comment. You bit your lip slightly and looked up at him.

"By the way, Chan: happy birthday."

---

"Care to tell me why you missed the first three classes today?" Your dad stood in front of you, his arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. You sighed dejectedly, sitting down on the couch while holding a pillow close to your chest.

"I overslept at Flynn's house after the dance," you explained. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"Okay," your dad nodded. "But you know it's only a matter of time before-" Your dad was cut off by your aunt bursting through the doorway.

"I came as fast as I could!" she yelled, waiving her hand dramatically in the air as she approached you. She slammed her purse down on the couch beside you. "Y/n, I am NOT letting you fall into the gutters!"

"Auntie, I'm fine," you clarified. "Plus, dad and I already talked about it!"

"You are clearly not fine, deary!" she cried out melodramatically. "I called your teacher! She said you missed a math test!" You shut your eyes tightly, wincing as your aunt informed the entire neighborhood of that fact.

"Nothing going on today, huh?" your dad sarcastically repeated.

"Dad, I'm so sorry," you apologized once more, holding back a chuckle at the way he was trying to look serious when your aunt demanded him to punish you.

"Y/n, no going out on school nights for a week," he solemnly declared; your heart sank to your stomach.

"Dad! No! Tonight is-" Your aunt cleared her throat, interjecting in the sentence.

"And go to your room!" he added on. "Now!"

You scoffed at both him and your aunt, dragging your feet sluggishly up the stairs to your bedroom.

---

You laid on your bed, aimlessly staring at the ceiling. You felt horrible; after all, you had just wasted the lifetime opportunity of a huge gig. Why did you have to be so foolish? Why did your aunt have to say anything? Why did-

Your train of thought was derailed at the sound of knocking at your door; you glanced over to the door to see a leather jacketed arm passed through, knocking on the inside.

"Changbin, what are you doing?" you giggled as you asked.

"I'm being classy!" he informed you before he was quickly pulled out of the door frame by Chan; the latter passed through the doorway and made his way to sit on your bed.

"Why are you still here, Love? We're leaving in like twenty minutes, aren't we?" Your brain focused for a second on the way he had called you, 'Love,' and you felt your breath hitch in your throat as you attempted to respond. Yet, the feeling quickly morphed back into dejection.

"I lied to my dad so I'm grounded," you admitted to the boys.

"What?!" Han nearly screamed. "No, we have to go! We were just at the venue, and it's packed! There's VIPs, managers, everyone important!"

"Okay, but what about my aunt?" you inquired sternly. "She's right downstairs!" Chan started laughing, causing you to look at him confused.

"The stairs?" Chan asked you as he walked over to your window, sliding it open with ease. "You're not taking the stairs." You stared in awe at the boy, both of him and his actions; you agreed with him immediately, smiles mirroring between the two of you.

"Alright, let me get dressed and I'll meet you guys there." Han and Changbin grinned before teleporting to the venue. You glanced at Chan, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"See you there, Love," he jumped backwards, snapping before he too teleported away. There it was again: 'Love.' You did not know what spawned the nickname, but you were loving it.

You hopped off of your bed, making your way over to the chest in the corner of your room; a few days ago, you had decided to move your mom's special treasures into your room for safe keeping. You carefully opened the chest and reached inside, brushing your hand over the concert tickets and other regalia she had taped to the inside of the box. In your hands, you took hold of a bedazzled vest; it was your mom's favorite to wear during her time in a band, she had explained to you.

You held it close to you, hugging it as you thanked the Heavens for this opportunity.

---

"Am I too late?" you rushed into the venue, quickly asking Flynn the question as she sighed.

"Too early," she corrected, motioning to where Carrie and the Dirty Candy girls had taken the stage.

"How did she get on the list?" you inquired, your face scrunched in disgust.

"Daddy probably made a call or two," Flynn reminded you. Dirty Candy took the stage, performing an upbeat pop song called, 'All Eyes on Me.'

"Hey, I like the vest!" Flynn complimented, running her hands over the rhinestones.

"Thanks," you replied. "It was my mom's favorite." You smiled softly as Flynn wrapped an arm around your shoulders. The guys had approached behind you, watching the performanc in a mix of astoundment and bore.

"Y'know, she really does not have the appeal," Chan whispered into your ear. "You can win a crowd over way faster, plus you have the beauty factor." Your eyes widened at the comment, and you took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself. Chan was becoming increasingly bold, and your words got caught in your throat as he tossed more playful comments your way. You quickly clarified to Flynn that the boys were behind you, explaining your strange behavior. Chan took the opportunity to gently rub your shoulders, his hands briefly making contact before falling through, leaving you grinning at the fleeting sensation.

When you zoned back in to the performance, Han had somehow made his way on stage, performing the choreography with Dirty Candy. You started cackling uncontrollably, and Chan and Changbin did the same, once again making Flynn have to mentally remind herself that the guys were there.

Han appeared back down with you and the guys, claiming that he was 'just doing that for you guys.'

"Yeah, okay buddy, you can stop smiling now," Changbin patted him on the back.

"Not gonna lie, that was actually pretty good," you remarked about Carrie's performance.

"Yeah, I forgot why I hate her," Flynn replied.

"Hi girls! Isn't it past your bedtime?" A shrill voice sounded from behind you, making Chan wince and purse his lips, eliciting giggles from you.

"Now, I remember!" Flynn exclaimed as Carrie's harsh gazed turned to you.

"Felix didn't come, if that's what you're here for." Chan inaudibly scoffed at the girl, feeling more offended than you were, particularly at the thought that you were there for another guy besides him. He felt tempted to say something, even though he knew Carrie could not hear him, but you quickly took charge on that manner.

"Actually, that's not why I'm here." At that moment, the announcer called your band name, incorrectly saying, "Y/n and the Phat ones." You, Han, and Changbin looked intently at Chan.

"Seriously, Christopher?" Han scolded.

"Yeah, my handwriting sucks, dude."

You gave one final smirk towards Carrie before approaching the stage, sitting down at the piano and adjusting your microphone.

"It's actually y/n and the Phantoms," you corrected, earning some light laughter from the crowd before you began playing a chorus of piano notes. You beamed as you sang the first lyrics:

"Hearts on fire We're no liars So we say what we wanna say I'm awakened No more faking So we push all our fears away

Don't know if I'll make it 'cause I'm falling under Close my eyes, and feel my chest beating like thunder

I wanna fly Come alive Watch me shine"

As the pre-chorus built to a crescendo, the phantoms appeared, pouring their energy into the performance. You grabbed the tambourine that had been hanging on your microphone stand before the show and rhythmically tapped it against your thigh, adding to the intensity as the chorus echoed through the space.

"I got a spark in me Hands up if you can see And you're a part of me Hands up if you're with me Now 'til eternity Hands up if you believe Been so long, and now we're finally free!"

You could not quite pinpoint what it was, but you were not able to tear your focus away from Chan throughout the performance. His energy was infectious, radiating from him as he flashed cheeky smiles and playful winks in your direction, and you found yourself returning most of them with a grin. He only paused when he jumped onto the section of the stage where Han’s drumcase sat, joining him to jam out, the two of them feeding off each other's excitement.

"We're all bright now What a sight now Coming out like we're fireworks Marching on proud Turn it up loud 'Cause now we know what we're worth"

Chan hopped down from the upper level of the stage, perfectly joining you for the second pre-chorus, his eyes never leaving yours as he did. The smile on your face was wide and toothy, a radiant beam that sat perfectly between two rosy cheeks, your heart fluttering as the connection between you both grew stronger.

The second chorus flowed similarly to the first, with Han and Changbin complimenting the song with their backup vocals. Adrenaline and excitement flowed through the arena; you felt proud, happy, and exhilerant as you performed. You caught sight of Chan once more, turning to him as you sang the bridge.

"I got a spark in me(I got a spark in me)And you're a part of me(And you're a part of me)Now 'til eternity(Now 'til eternity)Been so long, and now we're finally free!"

The two of you alternated on the verses, Chan’s voice harmonizing perfectly with your own. As you sang, you found yourself gazing deeply into his eyes, the light in his gaze reflecting the same connection you were feeling.

In that moment, Chan finally understood what he was feeling. All these weeks, he had convinced himself that he simply cared about you as a friend, that you were special to him in a way that was different from the others. But now, as everything fell into place, he realized it was more—so much more.

He liked you. He was in love with you, even.

He took in every detail about you in that moment—your glowing gaze, the faint pink tint of your cheeks, and of course, your angelic vocals. He could not tear his eyes away from you, and it was impossible to miss the way his focus was entirely on you as you shared the mic. Changbin and Han exchanged knowing smiles, sensing the undeniable chemistry between the two of you as you stayed close, harmonizing through the final chorus.

You ended the song with a high note that transitioned into a falsetto; Chan watched you with pride swelling in his heart. In that moment, he could not help but feel as though you were his—his angelic-voiced, beautiful, talented girl that he never wanted to lose. He beamed brightly, his gaze locked on you even as the audience erupted in cheers. You glanced over at him, and a similar spark lit up your heart. Sure, Chan had frustrated you countless times over the past few weeks, but in that instant, none of that mattered.

That was a normal...whatever you guys had, right?

With one final bow, the phantoms vanished from the public's sight as the crowd burst into cheerful hoopla and gasps; the phantoms were not too far, just positioned right off the side of the stage.

"Thank you, we're y/n and the Phantoms! Tell your friends!" The way you enthusiastically ended on Changbin's catchphrase made the boy beam with pride, nodding his head in approval.

You ran over to Flynn, giggling and squealing over the performance.

"You were amazing!" she screeched as she engulfed you into a tight embrace.

"She's right!" Chan exclaimed as he, Han, and Changbin appeared behind you, sitting on a countertop. "And don't look too fast." Chan had motioned just behind you where Carrie had stopped a record executive; however, she quickly pushed passed the Dirty Candy girls and made her way over to you.

"Wait, who should do the talking?" Changbin inquired, earning glares from all three bandmates. "Oh. Right. Y/n. Duh!"

You glanced nervously at Chan, and he gave you a thumbs up in response, mouthing, "You got this!" The lady approached you, smiling warmly. She was dressed in a beige business suit; she held out her hand for you to shake, which you took gratefully.

"Hi! I'm Andi Parker of Destiny Management, and I would love to-"

"Y/n!"

A deep voice calling your name interrupted the conversation; you whipped around to see none other than...

"Dad?!"

"It's time to go home."

[bluenomad-snufkin]

More about me... be warned im a terrible human

I am 16 - Male, chronically depressed. Un-ironically a genius... and lack real connection.

I like weird music such as, Death grips, Semetery, Adam and the ants, Fried by Fluoride... I LOVE THE SMITHS BTW and nirvana.

i enjoy playing with computers and building them, have about 4 pc's now and 5 laptops, all old stuff cause i like old computers.

Linux enthusiast - I use mint :3

I own a shit CRT but its fun to use- lain core </3

Game a fair bit and enjoy games like Chiv2-Cof-Postal1/2-Tf2-project zomboid- Counter strike source and 2. silent hill series could go on and on but you get the idea

hmu if u want to game cause all my friends are ass at "these sort of games"

i enjoy some weird interests as well:

tcc, photography, design, steam power, engines in general, motorbikes, hacking, ELETRIC GUITAR, and acoustic, gambling, baking, cooking, pirating, audiophile, 3drinting, preservation of old tech, blacksmithing, reading, Gel-Blasting (for the Americans it is australian Airsoft in short), old game console modding, anime and movies.

That's probably the list ngl

I read a lot and i like to discuss deep philosophical concepts and the "psychology" of humans. (if you couldn't tell I'm a 'misanthrope')And talking about societal constructs and all that stuff... not many people like talking about that stuff.

a good way to describe me would be Lain but mentally Dr house. in the sense of dislike of just about everything and my attitude towards others and life its self.

I don't know why I am the way I am... I truly am a miserable person, i have my moments but I honestly am, and I make others very miserable just by more or less existing with them.

This blog is kind of apart of my journey to becoming something else, I think self discovery would be the wrong term but the closest set of words I can think of too how I feel.

some more personal stuff...

I am incredibly lazy, not to the point of not showering or never leaving bed but more "surrogate activates" - Ted K, or meaningless and basic tasks/activates, I don't really participate in class due to the fact i somehow know most of it (I'm ignorant too) I don't really like doing things like- actually this is hard to explain but the best way i can describe it would be doing this that have to value to me or my future.

I don't have a problem connecting with people but I find my self ALWAYS not actually caring for them or there feelings. I don't believe at this point in time I could name more than one person I really care for. I would label this a selfish but its not like to treat my self any better. maybe that is how i punish my self, any insight on this topic would be much apricated.

I seem to have sort of desire for Control - i think this because i love just watching people listening and anticipating what people will say, do, think, act, its some sort of game for me (i really don't know how to put this) and id have to say 80% of the time my guess are correct, i am a ""master"" of determining and analysing humans, its really weird and i don't understanding where or even how i developed this skill from. i often find my self using this to just piss people off and see how mad i can get someone (i mainly do this online).

A lot of human thinking and reactions piss me off, I hate how some people think and interact with this world i don't seem in some case even understand why these people are like this i s just know and know that they are. I'm not sure if i wish to be like them or for "them" to be like me.

I truly am a troubled and misunderstood person.

one may conclude that I'm autistic or have some other form of genetic/ mental illness, to that i say, are you fucking retarded... do you understand anything in this world or that of the human mind?

Maybe you do, if so please critiqueme and tell me why i am me.

I have been tested for Autism and ADHD, both Negative not sure by what margin although.

My best guess is that i am simply "hyper realised" or some other buzz words - or are a lot of people this way...???

Just been reading and editing this massive ass post, there are so many other things i could go on about, like the government, being clean, family, longing for societal escape, tictok, but you probably don't care just as i wouldn't.

Any way enjoy my weird blog i guess if you read this and where not turned away. lol

-last minute add don't know where to put this but i love tcc cause I'm "obsessed" with there minds, motives and stuff like that.

[eddiemunsonbrainrot]

Hi! You mentioned In Memoriam in your video and I finally read it last week and really enjoyed it a lot. And correct me if I'm wrong but I remember you mentioning that you had other recommendations?? So I just wanted to say that I would love to hear them if you want to share them of course. Hope you have a lovely day!

hey! I’m so glad you enjoyed in memoriam, it’s such a good book! I do have plenty of reccomendations so hopefully you will find something here you like! I’m planning on doing a video going more into depth about these and I should have more reccomendations by then, but here are some of my favourites:

If We Were Villains (book)

This one is so so good! I think it might be my favourite book of all time, but in relevance to byler it has a BUNCH of queer subtext in. The entire book has a beautiful but tragic love story about two men who are a part of a Shakespeare conservatory who are in love but can’t admit it to each other or themselves (sound familiar??)

The Newsreader (TV series)

Ok so my friend introduce this to me recently and let me tell you I am OBSESSED with it. I haven’t finished it but it’s about an Australian newsroom in the 80s and it focuses on a newsreader (Helen Norville) and a reporter who wants more than anything to be a newsreader (Dale Jennings). I watched 2 episodes of it and was then like Dale is Mike Wheeler!! Like they are the same person. It’s such a good show anyway but the way they explore bisexuality and homophobia in the 80s makes me really happy.

9-1-1 (TV series)

This is PURELY because the long shipped pair of Buck and Eddie might FINALLY be made canon and I feel like we need the satisfaction of watching a queer couple go canon whilst we wait for byler. Plus there’s a lovely bit of catholic guilt and Buck is already confirmed as bi sooooo

Dead Poets Society (film)

Yes this might be one of my most basic reccomendations BUT it’s my favourite the film of all time for good reason. Both Neil and Todd (the two main students we focus on) are queer coded SO MUCH and their dynamic is so cute. I would say it’s quite similar to byler’s, with Neil always wanting to protect Todd and constantly rowing the line between friendship and more.

I’m sure there’s many more but these are the ones I can think of at the moment :)

[kime11e]

Happy New Year to anyone who follows me on Tumblr! I'm an Australian who lives in Sydney, and LOVES all things Michael Sheen. It's 1:30am 1/1/2024, and I'm not particularly keen on crowds and loud noises so that's why you'll find me typing up this blog instead of celebrating 2024 I confess that if you follow blogs like @ingravinoveritas or @problematicwelshman, I am the Aussie Anon who happened to see Michael Sheen everyday for an entire month at my work. I would share my observations on MS while he was in Sydney to rehearse and perform Amadeus. I also have a selfie to prove it:

Yes I am under the emoji. I also saw Amadeus 3 times. My last time Anna Lundberg was sitting right behind me, where my friend was game enough to speak to her where I didn't. ANYWAY what brings me here, right now, in this instant on New Years is due to a pretty petty and possibly inane thing that Anna repeatedly did while she was in Sydney, and something she posted just now. She uses the New Zealand flag when referring to anything related to her, and her family's time in Australia. New Years last year:

Also her current Insta Story!

Look, I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of backlash for this, people saying who cares!? However Anna, as someone who is in a relationship with Michael Sheen who is a fierce and proud Welshman, and is the mother of 2 of his children. She should be delicate about using the CORRECT flag that represents a country. ESPECIALLY when in the same breath she mentions an Australian icon which is the Sydney Opera House. The SOH has been the home of Australian Art, Innovation and in a massive way Indigenous Representation (albeit the SOH was designed by a Dutch person) I don't see any excuse for using the wrong flag when referring to Australia. Especially in a world when we're learning more about expression of identity. I don't care if she has baby brain, or thought that New Zealand and Australia were one and the same because they're "Down Under". Or she thinks the flags look the same (they really don't) Or she has no time! It's no excuse to not Educate yourself! Ask questions! Yes we make mistakes but when you're representing yourself and your famous partner, you ought to take care! Yes you're human, and you have emotions, fallacies, but c'mon! You're letting yourself down!

I don't respect the Australian past of colonialism, and I wouldn't expect New Zealand to respect the same. But this flag represents us today as separate nations. Also in no way was Amadeus a duel nation production. I know the producer that's why I was able to see the show 3 times. I am losing so much respect for Anna Lundberg and I try sometimes to give her the benefit of the doubt, because let's be honest she ain't in a loving relationship save for her children, and I think Michael respects her as a friend, and mother, so it can't be easy. But it really begs me to question, how long can he tolerate the lack of self awareness? Lack of awareness in anything but beyond her bubble!? If any one responds to this please be diplomatic and tactful.

[mdhwrites]

The Lumity Kiss is Bad

Which is really weird when the actual, physical kiss is pretty much textbook perfect. However, this isn't a quick kiss or a throwaway one. It's the BIG kiss in a romantic subplot. The second half of the resolution we got in Knock Knock Knocking with the confession and the show frames it that way. As such... The kiss is more than just the kiss and it's every element around the physical action that ruins it, making even the textbook nature of it somehow flawed.

Let's start with the positive though. Now I've actually said I don't like how the kiss is animated and I do kind of stick to that. If you go to the 57 mark of this clip of the kiss, you can literally watch as Amity's face slides back to being on model.

And kind of like a lot of moments in the show with big budget animation, that's not a HUGE issue but it is deciding that frame rate and smoothness is king for good animation without considering how jarring it is to watch in the show and if it actually fits within the style of the show. I find TOH fights WAY more enjoyable to watch when isolated by themselves because of this because they aren't in an uncanny valley where they feel like a well produced fan animation than something official and I do still hold to that with the kiss itself. I just wish I could better describe why.

BUT! I said I had a positive to talk about and I do. For three seconds, the scene is just right. Luz says the date will be perfect before then Amity, looking at Luz, the person who the mere thought of was comforting her and who she's been worried about for a week, decides to go in and kiss her. Her hands are gentle as they take Luz's face and she leans in. Luz is shocked that this is happening but then quickly gives into the bliss and holds Amity's hand in her own. It is sweet, quick but incredibly impactful. It is a textbook example of how to do a kiss that one half of the pair didn't see coming and the couple are meant to be deeply in love. It's nothing new but doing the classic spot on is never a bad thing.

Those three seconds die the second Luz says, "Crikey," let alone the fact that it's in an Australian accent. And don't get me wrong: You do not have to make a kiss like this sappy. I Was A Teenage Exocolonist has a romance route with a very clinical, scientific person and when you two get together, she snarks at you if you ask what next. That I should know her well enough to know she has a logical decision deduced from what is correct for the situation.

"So are you going to kiss me or am I going to kiss you?"

Great. Amazing. Silly and not taking itself too seriously but above all else IN. CHARACTER.

I'm sorry to break it to you all but Luz is NOWHERE NEAR "Lol, random" enough for this. Hell, in both this scene and Looking Glass Ruins, the writers point out how Amity is driven to act on emotion and on what her brain pulls her towards more than Luz, especially on this topic. It's why Amity is ALWAYS the one to do the firsts in their relationship. Meanwhile, Luz's only times where she blurts out something random is "Snorses" which had a clear correlation to what was happening and "You damn rat!" which also was explicitly tied to the stimuli causing it.

What stimuli here makes her go "Crikey" and turn FUCKING AUSTRALIAN!? The only reasonable excuse I could even think of is to say she's a huge Crocodile Dundee fan but Luz was born theoretically somewhere around 2006, literally TWENTY YEARS after that movie came out and I don't feel like Camila would push something like that for her to watch or really fits in with most of what else Luz seems to enjoy.

Fucking BAZINGA would have been more in character because at least nerds still mock Big Bang Theory. Other options for a random word or reference would have been "Excelsior!" or "Wahoo!" as she jumps into the air like the hyperactive gremlin she's supposed to be.

Neither one would work though in general because the tone and framing of the scene isn't right for a joke, let alone this sort of joke. Part of what makes the kiss feel so justified in this moment is the setup... Though only on Amity's side. I'll get to the problems with Luz's setup for the kiss in a bit.

Amity has thought Luz might be dead for a week. She hasn't heard back from her, she's scared, distressed and strung out. She wants things to go back to simpler times like in Season 1 when things weren't so scary. She's emotional and is actively using the thought of Luz as a way to comfort herself. Then, out of nowhere, Luz comes in, promising romance, better times and safety, all while proving she herself is safe.

It is perfect setup in a story like this for the first kiss. Honestly, they could have gone one step farther and mentioned that they haven't even had a big kiss but they went with the missing out on the date element, which works just as well. It's nothing new but it's correct. It's good. However... It's also genuinely serious. Like this is effectively Amity laying out exactly why she likes Luz. The strength she gets from Luz. Why this relationship is important to her. It is great setup for an "I love you," or a first kiss.

It is a REALLY bad setup for a joke. However... as bad Luz's joke is... Amity's is actually worse.

"I can't believe I just did that!"

Yeah and I can't believe that in this moment that should show how far Luz and Amity have come as a couple, the strength and joy they've gained after being a couple for half a season, you're literally reacting the EXACT same way as you did when you kissed her on the cheek back in Looking Glass Ruins. It doesn't matter that you have nicknames now. That you two keep twirling each other about. Have had deep conversations about Luz's pain while Luz ignored yours. *eye twitch at Reaching Out* And it doesn't matter that in this moment, you have EVERY justification to be confident in this choice. To simply happy and overcome with emotion that your partner is simply ALIVE.

Her response should have been, "I'm so happy to see you," not literally going back an entire half a season for a cheap, repeat gag.

To be fair though, while this entire scene, from the moment it cuts to Amity talking to Emira and Edric, is obviously paying reverence to how big of a deal this is and trying to make the kiss be correct... The jokes are in keeping with how quite literally the rest of the episode treats Lumity. Remember, this episode starts with Luz claiming she'd like to pull a romantic rescue but deciding to opt out because despite having literally nothing to do with the plan, and likely being detrimental to how stealthy they need to be because fewer numbers are better here, she would rather be prepared to help Eda and King than actually break her girlfriend out from being grounded by the EC. This is despite, in Luz's own words, "You know me. I'll always choose the chaotic option." That... Isn't a good starting point.

Then the rescue is comically easy and Luz doesn't actually do any of it. It's all Gus, Willow and Hunter. Luz just gets to take the credit and get the big hero kiss, which this ABSOLUTELY IS. Amity was a damsel in distress for Luz to save, complete with a kiss for doing so. That's also without getting into how pathetically easy the save is. Like Willow doesn't even have to try to bury one dude and an abomaton ALIVE under ground. Frankly, I'm amazed that guard is still alive.

It's just a lot of stuff way too easy to be leading into what is the final payoff for your romantic subplot, let alone one that has taken up a THIRD of your story so far.

The rest of the episode isn't any better though. This should be an episode about Lumity. It starts with talking about Amity in trouble. Then it saves Amity and does the big, climactic kiss... But we haven't gotten Luz's side of the relationship yet, have we? We haven't gotten her speech like we did Amity's. We haven't gotten anything to show her deeper care for Amity and while Amity is talking about Luz's quirks and her kindness and the strength she gets from her, Knock Knock Knocking is really the closest we've gotten with "Awesome and pretty" which is vague and shallow. This is your chance to fix that.

There's even a perfect moment. Odalia threatens their relationship and says Luz isn't worthy. Have Luz agree... But then say it doesn't matter what her or Odalia think. That she is lucky to have someone as smart, dedicated, and passionate while having a sweet center that despite all her fears, anytime she's with Amity, she knows Amity is going to give her the chances she needs. Is going to understand what she's trying to say instead of looking at how weird she is and rejecting her. Take ten, twenty seconds to do that... While in the background, we can see Gus obviously thinking about something, glance at Luz, and then start working on a spell circle.

The shield comes down, get the dramatic reveal of Alador and then cut back to where Hunter is holding Amity's hand. Same effect as the show but allow Gus to make the plan of his own volition because he wants to protect his bro and this was the best he could think of. He thought Luz would be more capable of defending herself due to glyphs and that Belos was less likely to kill her than Hunter. Also, it was in a panic and the best he could think of.

INSTEAD, we get Luz ignoring Amity's problems with her parents for the THIRD FUCKING TIME and focusing on the white boy in the cast instead. In fact, I don't think Lumity talk to each other ONCE after the kiss scene. The focus is too much on the plot and Amity's angst and I could do an entire blog about how little Luz actually engages with Amity's character arc and plot elements. It makes it real rough analyzing old episodes for Amity's arc when you realize how much Amity jumps in her arc without almost any input from Luz on elements that are suddenly gone.

And this would be OKAY... But it makes the kiss feel like... Well, honestly like a gag. We're at a point in the show after all where very little of it is trying to be funny. Even Gus and King are being taken seriously now and Amity will be a joke for most of S3, especially in Thanks to Them. Even her standing up to her mother is lightly mocked by Alador sounding like he's just saying sweet lies in telling Amity that she was close to breaking the barrier. It's WEIRD the treatment of it when it has consumed so much time and the framing of the actual moment is so serious.

And I want to be clear: I am happy they kissed. I am not against this because it's two girls or anything like that. I'd criticize this no matter the gender, race, etc. of any element here because it is just flatly bad romance writing. The only parts that function are either cut off at the knees or the one part that has the characters too silent to actually harm the moment.

And I think the last thing any of us wanted for Lumity was for it to be treated like a joke.

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.