#honestly this one gonna take me a bit to get to 5 star

[yuzukult]

shooting your shot [preview] | kmg & reader

title: shooting your shot pairing: kim mingyu x fem!reader/oc - preview genre: angst, fluff, eventual smut, coffee shop owner!mingyu, assassin(?)!oc, hitwoman(?)!oc wc: ~3.8k for teaser summary: settling down, getting married, having kids, and having a 9-5 job that you go to everyday isn't really something you've ever thought about. however, kim mingyu suddenly wakes you up with a warm cup of coffee paired with that wide cheesy grin of his, and suddenly... that life doesn't sound so bad. or is it? warnings: mature themes, eventual smut, mentions & utilization of guns and other weaponry, mentions of gangs, drug dealers, etc - additional themes will be added once it is posted officially a/n: i know i have some series that are incomplete (i'm sorry) but i honestly lost a lot of inspo for writing... i want to get back into it bc it was such a fun hobby for me, so i figured i'd start over and release a preview of something new i was working on !! it's similar to the themes of i'm bad too (a doyoung fic i wrote years ago) but this is a bit more mature imo !! enjoy the teaser :)

“I like you.”

You blink blankly.

Kim Mingyu always manages to put himself in the worst situations. Last week, Hana, his employee at the cafe he owns, had asked him if he wanted to go out for dinner—being as naive as he is, he assumed a group dinner, only to find himself sitting across the table from her at some fancy three Michelin star restaurant with a small candle lit between them before she confessed her heart out to him. A month ago, he agreed to help his friend Joshua fix up his house and without asking for details is how he ended up stuck on a roof because the shingles needed to be replaced… and well, he’s afraid of heights. Then at another time, his sister asked for a ride and he quickly agreed without any questions when he clearly should have because he was sitting outside of a sketchy ass alleyway in center city. It’s where the boy he disapproved his sister of dating lived, right beside all the homeless people and junkies resided.

And now, with you laying flat on top of a building somewhere downtown, he says those words nervously over your earbuds as you watch your target through the ocular lens. Does he know what he’s getting himself into?

“What?”

Mingyu takes in a deep breath of courage to reiterate himself. “I like you. Like, a lot. I know you’re gonna say that I don’t know you well enough to like you—”

“—you don’t—”

“—but you make me feel things in my chest that I can’t control.”

“What? You’re mistaking heartburn with how you feel for me?” You spot the four blacked out Cadillacs parked outside of the building across the street with bodyguards that begin to surround the area. Mingyu better speed this up or you’ll have to hang up on him.

He sighs. “It’s not heartburn. I like you, really. I wanna give this a shot, but only if you let me.”

“Ask out Hana. She’s pretty.” 

You could hear the hint of irritation in his voice from your lack of hesitation. “It’s not just about a girl being pretty. It’s about her personality too—how she is, where she’s from, what she does for a living…” you laugh quietly and he barely catches it. “… see! You think I’m funny too. It’s a great trait in a guy. Doesn’t hurt to give me a shot, does it?”

Ironically, it does hurt when you get shot, especially with the intent you have at the moment with a rifle in hand. 

You spot one of the bodyguards pressing against the buds in his ear.

“Let me call you back.”

“Wait, what—” Click. 

Just seconds later, the middle aged man in a black suit comes out within a herd of security, all dressed in a similar fashion with dark shades and an earpiece. A warning shot, that’s all this was. It’s supposed to scare him, threaten him enough to do what your client says, because that’s what you’re always hired to do. 

Shoot the warning bullet.

All the years of training, going undercover, working for the good and the bad guys have brought you to this—a third party contract killer—wait, rephrase, not a killer, but rather just a shooter… well, not only shooting either. A threat, not a promise, and if your client prefers the commitment, you’d advise them to another person who can pull that final trigger.

A hitman? With no intent of death? Is that a better name for it?

Today, your mark is Jeon Jungsik, or better known as J.S., a drug lord in the city that’s planning to expand his market into illegal weapons. He has a wife, two daughters and three sons, all which he plans to take under his wing during this development however is slowly treading the line of your current client’s objectives. 

“I don’t kill,” you told him, the leather gloves in your hands snap with the adjustments you make. “So if you’re trying to take out the competition, I should be clear that I’m not gonna do this personally. I can refer you elsewhere, if you’d like.”

“That’s fine,” the man said, leaning back in his exorbitant chair. You could almost smell the unlawfully obtained crocodile leather material of his seat. “It’s just to scare him a little. Give him a running start to get out of the game. I wanna give people a chance to become an ally. Then maybe I’ll reach out to you for your associate’s number. I like to think of myself as a nice guy.”

It doesn’t take long, but with one press of the trigger, the man recoils and collapses on the floor with his whole team pulling out their weapons in all directions.

“Oh.”

“What? Shocked to see me?”

His face heats up but could anyone blame him? The girl he’s been crushing on is standing before him, hours after he confessed his feelings only to be hung up on. In all fairness, he thought that was a sign that you weren’t into him.

“Kinda, yeah. I thought you said you’d call me back.”

“You were on the way,” you reply, fingers skimming through the laminated menu taped to the plexiglass. “Thought I’d stop by so we could talk. If you still want to talk.”

“I—Hm,” he begins, unsure how to even talk to you at this point. “How about I make you your usual, and we can talk over a cup?”

Nodding in agreement, you shove your hands into the front pocket of your blue jeans. You’ve since switched out of your work attire, tossed and stuffed into a duffle that sits underneath the flooring of your car, along with your disassembled rifle. 

That, exactly all of that is why you could never hold a serious relationship. And that’s what you want to tell him—honestly and genuinely, it had nothing to do with him but rather everything to do with you. How could an innocent guy like him, someone who ran the neighborhood coffee shop with regulars that worked in such mundane jobs ever be with someone who was considered a hired sort-of-assassin? Marksman? Markswoman? Was there even a word for it?

Finding an empty table, you plop yourself in the seat. He’s really cute, you have to admit that, and despite keeping yourself at an arm's length with every person you meet, somehow Mingyu always oversteps those boundaries and you’ve never even thought twice in trying to stop him.

Tousled hair and apron on, he’s got some coffee stains on the sleeve of his shirt, light bags under his eyes from waking up at the crack of dawn to open up shop, he still manages to radiate that same bright energy as he always does. 

“Black coffee and one sugar,” he announces with a cheeky smile, pushing the ceramic cup to you. “Your usual. Kinda reminds me of you. Bitter, but you’re just a bit sweet.”

Gross. But why do you kind of like it?

“Why do you like me?”

His smile fades. It’s mostly out of embarrassment and nervousness, not because he lost feelings for you in that span of time, but he feels like this is grade school all over again. “I thought we went through this already.”

“I know, but…” grabbing the spoon that sits on the plate underneath, you sir the dark liquid with the steam rising. “I don’t know if I can give you what you want, Mingyu. I’m just a regular customer that helped you out once when you almost got robbed. Maybe you’re thinking that you owe me or something.”

Almost a year ago, when the shop was closing up at midnight, a man in a ski mask attempted to steal the money at the register with a loaded gun.

Truthfully, you weren’t really planning on stepping in at all. On your way home from another job, the thoughts that crossed your mind didn’t include going into that café, but after seeing that scared college girl’s face behind the counter with a gun to her head, you let out a sign before swinging the front doors open.

Needless to say, the man in the ski mask was flipped, kicked, and shoved, his gun thrown to the side as you call her to grab zip ties from the back so you could tie him up for the cops to arrest him formally.

“Here,” you handed off your own personal number to the girl, figuring she’d use it in case of another emergency, only for it to fall into the hands of Kim Mingyu, the guy who had already been ogling you everyday during your morning routes.

“OK, ok,” he says, placing his hands flat on the table. “Maybe I don’t know you, but I want to. I wanna learn about you, I wanna know what your favorite foods are and if you like Post Malone or if you prefer rock bands. Are you a morning person or a night owl, and if you’re just stuck waking up in the early hours because of your job because that’s the only time I see you here. I—I really like you, and I can’t seem to put into words why, but I want to get to know you.”

You roll your lips. It takes you a minute to respond, but the minute seems like hours to him. Bringing the drink to your lips, the warmth hits your tongue and you can feel it in your chest.

It’s dangerous, letting someone like him in your life. In the chance that someone figured out your identity and realized he was your weakness, it wouldn’t be long for him to get captured and kept as a hostage. 

“I’m not a good girlfriend,” you warn him, fiddling with the spoon.

“And where’d you hear that?”

Maybe it was the guy who you binded up with rope last weekend, delivering him to one of your clients when you recalled him saying something along the lines of, “Is this the type of shit you’re into? I bet you don’t even have a boyfriend ‘cause if you did, he’d fucking hate you.” Or a couple weeks ago, when that one dude groped you from under your skirt and you twisted his arm, wincing with, “you’re so sexy but you’d be an awful fuck anyways.”

Sure, they weren’t word-for-word “you’re not a good girlfriend,” but you’d say it was pretty fucking close.

“Men,” you retort nonchalantly, grabbing your drink again. “I don’t think I’m good at commitment, Mingyu. You seem amazing at it. Wasn’t there a girl that stopped by a while ago who was begging you to take her back?”

He grimaces, running his fingers through his disheveled hair. You wish it was your very own, threading through them with his lips pressed against yours, the taste of a vanilla latte lingering on his tongue, along with a sharp inhale of coffee beans from him carrying the bags over his shoulders all morning during inventory restock. 

But it doesn’t work like that. You and Mingyu can’t work out like that. Not while you remain in this profession.

“An ex-girlfriend. But you don’t have to worry about her.”

“Never said I was.” You were. Maybe just a little.

“Can… Can I at least try to pursue you? You’re not flat out saying you don’t like me, it just seems like something is holding you back.”

Yeah, you think to yourself, because it’s exactly that.

Your colleagues don’t settle, or at least, they don’t settle while they’re still taking jobs. There’s too much risk involved, all which include putting your loved ones in danger. 

But for some reason, a flat out rejection doesn’t come out.

“Don’t get mad if nothing comes of it.” With that, you grab your coffee and engulf it like a shot before placing it back on the table. 

“Girl, you really don’t need me to be here.”

You sigh. Arguing with Sunny on a Thursday morning isn’t really something you want to do, but Sunny loves to bicker.

She’s the opposite of her name—Grumpy is what her parents should’ve given her, instead they chose the bubbliest and warmest name for the coldest and most bitter person.

Nonetheless, you do like her.

She makes the job more enjoyable, somehow her dark casting clouds are a distraction to what this job really entails because your attention is too busy being on how she responds groggily to every little thing.

“Why do you say that?” You ask, adjusting the kevlar vest around your upper body. It’s tight around your frame, as it’s supposed to be, but you admit it’s a bit hard to shift into any position with this on. “I always need you here.”

“You really don’t,” Sunny glares at you, slipping into her jacket before she zips herself up. She’s a trained assassin—keyword: assassin. Her job is to leave the assigned Target dead, without a breath or a heartbeat left. Bringing her here only serves the purpose of her making the final shot. “You are perfectly capable of following through with this job—your aim is impeccable. Why the fuck did Summers assign me to this? Does he think I need a chaperone?” With the Boss being her brother, it’s fair that Sunny thinks that Summers did this on purpose; he’d been on her ass these past few months when she accidentally missed her marque—but it wasn’t entirely her fault, there’d been a sniper on the opposing side playing defense. 

With a laugh, you snap your precision sniper together. It reminds you of those toys you’d find in the aisles of stores growing up, the ones your parents pulled you away from because they were “made for boys.” Meanwhile, there’s two girls who stand on the roof of a building in the city, holding two real ones. “It’s more so for me than for you,” you admit, popping the ear piece in. “I don’t kill, remember? I’ll aim for the warning shot first, the Client will call the Target, and if it doesn't go well, you’ll make the final hit.” 

Groaning, she climbs onto her stomach. “I don’t get why you don’t kill—your fucking accuracy is off the charts. You know Summers framed your training targets? That’s how he gets clients—that shit is hung in his office when they come in. Raves all about you.”

You can’t hold back the flattering smile as you mimic her lying position several feet away. “He assigns other people for the job though.”

She turns to roll her eyes at you. “Yeah, because you won’t fucking kill.”

You shake your head. Now, the waiting game starts. “Well, my hits are impactful and torturous. I’d say that’s worse than killing. Plus, why kill when I can use it as an excuse to hang out with you?”

“Or—hear me out,” Sunny begins, peeking through her scope, “you could just fucking answer my texts when I hit you up to go clubbing.”

“I don’t ‘club,’ Sunny.”

“Why? Are you afraid you’re gonna upset Summers?”

You furrow your brows. What does she mean by that? “What?”

“Oh, come on,” she’s turning the rifle from side to side, skimming the area. “You’re his literal favorite. My brother practically has heart eyes whenever you’re around. Like I said, he hung your training targets in his office. Last week, he told me he thought you were pretty.”

You narrow your gaze through the scope but the scowl was for Sunny. “What did you ask him? Pick between me or the Wicked Witch of the West? Who’s prettier?”

“That’s not the point.”

“Ahhh, I see,” you snicker. “Plus, even if he was interested, I might be into someone else.”

Did you really just say that?

It flowed off your tongue a lot more smoothly than you’d prefer, catching even yourself off guard. 

Sunny’s mouth drops as she looks over at you. “You’re lying.”

“Pay attention,” you gesture ahead. “And… I’m not. Someone asked me out and I’m considering it.”

“Normie?” A voice through the earpiece says. “Or is it another hitman?”

Sunny grins when she hears her brother. “Hey, Summers. What are you doing on this line?”

You suck in your cheeks.

From what you understand, Summers doesn’t get involved in any of the on-the-ground work. He’s bound to his desk at this point—besides constantly networking, and meeting with Clients, he’s writing contracts, all while managing to assign the work to his hitmen and stuffing money into their pockets. Summers is the mastermind of this all, the head of operations, and it never minded anyone that he didn’t get into the details of everything. 

That’s why when you hear his voice over the line and not Chan who sits at his computer (with the ten monitors on display) all day, you’re suspicious.

“Just making sure you’re doing your job,” he says, clearing his throat. “You’re not giving her a hard time, are you?”

“No, but you’re giving us a hard time just from your attendance.” 

He clears his throat and diverts his attention back to you. “So…” Summers calls out your name gingerly. “Is… Is he a normie or another hitman?”

You and Sunny lock eyes for a moment; yours glaring and hers content, proud of herself for making the correct observation. 

“A normie,” you state calmly, and you can almost picture Summers doing that awkward neck rub. “Nothing serious yet, we’re just talking.”

“Ah,” he chuckles softly. “Just like your mentor, right? Seungcheol? Didn’t he quit the field so he could be with his normie wife?”

“Summers, Target acquired. Status update?” Looking through your scope, your rifle follows in suit of the direction he’s walking. “Did the Client call?”

Summers uncomfortably coughs at the situation and hands the mic over to Chan. “Sorry, uh. Chan, give direction.”

Sunny shoves Summers after tossing off her gloves. “Summers, what the fuck was that? You were distracting us from our mission. If it weren’t for our prized Hitlady here, we wouldn’t have gotten the Target. Are you crushing that bad?”

Standing outside of the van parked blocks away from the setpoint, you both switch out your gear.

Your ears heat up, and so does Summer’s. “It’s fine,” pulling out the earpiece, you toss it into the bin Chan provides. “He’s our Boss anyways. He makes the calls, so if he distracts us, that’s his decision.”

“Yeah, see? Also, can you stop treating me as just your brother? I’m running an organization here. Give me some credit.”

Chan snickers quietly from the sidelines and you grin in his direction. 

Sunny takes a deep inhale. “Look, whatever. We did the job, and it worked out. I didn’t even have to kill anyone, our 98% aimed so well, the guy was so scared that he admitted defeat. Another win in our book.”

You groan. Not the “98%” shit again—a couple years ago, there’d been an internal competition between all the assassins. It was pretty much an accuracy test; how precise were your shots, the amount of times you were able to hit that same spot, and additional factors such as weather, timing, and so on were factored in.

Needless to say, you got a 98% accuracy score.

Grabbing your coffee cup from the table, you bring the slightly cold liquid to your lips. It was hot when you picked it up this morning at Mingyu’s coffee shop; his bright smile illuminated the entire restaurant, almost (keyword, almost) causing your heart to do flips in your chest, but now it’s a bit cold since you were too busy to finish it all. 

“I’m not that good, Sunny. That’s why you’re here today—covering for me if we did have to aim to kill.”

Sunny raises a brow before twisting the cup in your hand.

“Is that… hearts around your name? Who’s Mingyu?”

You turn it to your direction and your face warms up instead of the coffee. There’s scribbles and doodles around your name, signed by Mingyu at the bottom. As corny as this is, it’s… kind of cute. “Oh. He uh…. He’s the guy I’m sorta seeing. The Normie, if you will.”

Summers looks at you with a concerned expression. “Is that what you want? To date a Normie? He doesn’t know anything about this side of you—how’s he gonna react when he finds out you hurt people?”

“I mean, we’re just talking.”

“But what if he wants more? Then what? Are you going to tell him that you’re an assassin?” His tone is stern, and you sneak a glance at Sunny who just gives you that I-told-you-so look.

“I… I’ll work on that when we get there,” you blink blankly. “Is there something wrong?”

He sneaks a glimpse at his sister and Chan who watch him attentively. “Uh, no, there isn’t. Just uh… expressing concern, is all, from a boss’ standpoint. You know. I have to make sure my people don’t have any obstacles that can affect the workplace.”

When Sunny rolls her eyes and drags Summers away to avoid another uncomfortable conversation, you sigh in relief while climbing into the back of the van and shutting the door closed. 

“Well, that was entertaining.” 

You toss the vest into the bin. “Yeah, I don’t know what to do about that,” you shrug, plopping into the seat next to Chan. “Do you think I should quit? I feel like this whole thing with Summers, the missions, and potentially settling down in the future might fuck everything up. Do I even want to settle down?”

“Are you kidding me? If I had at least a third of your skills, I’d be signing up for every mission possible. Your skills will go to waste.”

You sigh, rubbing your face with the palm of your hands. “I feel like I’m at a bit of a standstill, if I’m being quite honest.”

“About this Mingyu guy?” Chan swivels his chair back to his 10 monitors propped onto the walls of the inside of the van. His fingers dance along the clackiness of the keyboard, but his ears stay perked at your responses. “I thought you said you guys were just talking.”

“We are, I just…” shoulders slouching, you release another weighted breath from your chest. “I don’t know.”

“Well, whatever it is, you probably need to establish some boundaries with Summers,” Chan says, shutting down the system before turning back to you. “You know how he is.”

You quirk a brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’s a nice guy, but he can be a little possessive,” his eyes have hints of pity in them, like they’re directly toward you. “Even with Sunny. Like come on, when’s the last time she’s ever introduced a boyfriend to him?”

“Sunny doesn’t even really date.”

“Not since Summers punched her last boyfriend.”

Oh. Well that’s new. “I’m not his girlfriend though—and I’m definitely not his sister either.”

“You’re on his radar, that should be enough.”

thanks for reaching the end !! :) thanks for being so patient with me throughout all the years, i'm excited to start my journey all over again.. so bear with me if i suck lol pls lmk what you think !!

[ink--theory]

the trifecta is almost complete :]

[quesocheeso]

First off, love this AU so much (honestly it's just nice seeing shadowpeach be happy) thank you.

Secondly, has MK ever met and/or interacted with the rest of the brotherhood, and if so, what are his thoughts?

He’s definitely met them before, they are part of his dad’s court.

As for their relationship, I think I’m just gonna leave that to when I get to those points of the story in the comic, but I’ll give a brief summary

DBK: Loves that guy, would say one of his favorite uncles but like too many people would jump DBK to win the title. Has always been part of his life so he is very close with the guy. DBK would sometimes take Red Son and MK fishing when they have time, happens more often once MK starts living more in the mortal realm. They’re like this🤞trust

Yellow Tusk: MK has had him as a teacher for various different topics growing up, he loves that no matter what he asks Yellow Tusk always answers with the most sincerest voice and even gives logical answers to his questions even if they are supposed to be silly. Loves the guy would recommend as a teacher 10/10👍

Peng: Bird Man, bit him once did not taste like chicken😔 0/5 stars on yelp,,, he has a deep distrust with the guy because of the way he has seen him disrespect Macaque, though he learned what silent revenge was from his Mom that day, when Peng walked into the court room a few hours later with half his feathers burned to a crisp, and his mom was trying hard not to laugh and had a smug smile. Mom=1, Bird Man=0

Azure: this is one is complicated, and this is coming from me as the writer, I’m still not set with how I will write Azure in the Au, whether that is just as a side character or and antagonist of kinds. Definitely won’t be the main antagonist but I do like how his character is complex in canon, so I’m heavy debating rn. But for now assume MK’s view of him is complicated, he just can’t put his finger on it.

Anyways that’s all I can say for now😌✌️

[cloudcountry]

aaaa auburn i saw ur requests are open now!! (if theyre not just ignore this please) this is gonna be my first request for you i think ^_^

the ghouls with a culinary witchy kinda reader maybe? what i mean by this is like

the reader could throw in the most random household ingredients into a single pan or a pot and it would turn out to be a 5 star gourmet meal somehow??? some of the ingredients in there might not even sound edible but you know, magic 😈

i think this would be so hilarious with sho 🧍‍♀️ but you can write for whoever you want.

please please take care of urself!! im in the midde of my exam season rn and binging your writing has been so calming and comforting for me. thank you so much for all your work ily

SUMMARY: when their s/o is a chaotic force in the kitchen

COMMENTS: you have no idea how much that means to me actually T0T i am ALSO in exam season so good luck to you!!!! i know youre gonna do great nd im very very happy i could bring you peace during this hectic time :D

Sho is mostly impressed, I fear. I mean, he’s seen bad food from the anomalies at the Mystery Diner, and even then he’s been trying to teach them how to cook properly.

If anything, he probably politely told you that’s not how you make a salad, but when you insisted you knew what you were doing he stepped back and let you work.

He’s endlessly impressed with how you cook up some of the most complex dishes with only a few ingredients!

Guess that means you don’t need to go see anyone else for lunch then, right? You have him, anyway.

Luca is a sweetheart. As long as it looks edible and doesn’t have earthworms in it, he will eat anything you make!

His impeccable table manners will always be around, no matter how comfortable he is with you, so if he’s offering you compliments, trust that he means them even if they may seem shallow.

Also very impressed with how you cook, and may even ask to watch you work. He has stars in his eyes the whole time, he’s so cute I need to eat him—

He will ask a lot of questions too, mostly about how this magic of yours works and if it’s capable of subjugating a demon to your knowledge. Oh, suddenly you’re talking business.

Haru isn’t picky about what he eats, so he sees you throwing a bunch of stuff into a pot or pan and he’s game. He’ll eat it.

He’ll grab it and eat it so fast he’s barely chewing. PLEASE tell him to eat right, he’ll be sick later if he doesn’t properly digest his food, and then who is going to take care of the animals!

Ignore him when he says he’d love to have you be his private nurse, and that Towa and Ren will take care of everything...they will not.

Honestly, he probably forgets to eat. I feel like that's canon. Please work your magic to make him little healthy snacks that he can eat while on the move.

OH, and of course you can use your food scraps to feed the animals!

Rui was very very worried the first time he saw you cook...it’s not that he doesn’t trust you! He loves you dearly! It’s just...your methods are a bit unorthodox, are they not?

It’s alright though, once he has a taste of your food he’s begging you to work with him at his bar.

He just wants to spend more time with you! And since you’re that good of a cook, your talent should be recognized!

C’mon, it’s a win-win situation for both of you.

Yuri, despite being a doctor, is very good at neglecting his own health. It’s particularly annoying when he’s scolding you for not drinking enough water when he’s ONLY had a cup of tea that day.

I feel like he’s a picky eater...you’ll have to learn via trial and error which flavors and textures he likes, and which ones he doesn’t.

You love him, so of course you work with him. It’s the LEAST you can do for your love, the most hard working doctor in Darkwick!

He gets flustered over your food almost every time he eats it, especially if he’s particularly sleep deprived.

Just...be careful if he ever catches you cooking. He will give you a long lecture about nutritional values and how you’re not doing it properly 🙄🙄 OKAY YURI.

[reiniesainyo]

IN BETWEEN. charlie bushnell x reader – 02

02 | WELCOME TO NY previous | next | masterfile

SYNPOSIS. when a girl's co-star is good to her and now she wants it more than everything in between. (smau)

A/N. wow actual content who knew! i give some tidbits about rina and lukes dynamic as well for funsies (takes place at the start of the season premiere to probably episode 4-5 ish)

liked by iamcharliebushnell, walker.scobell, and 322,778 others thelnarchive best people to star in my first show with actually

walker.scobell pov: you at the end of this sentence 🤓👆 ↳ thelnarchive that** ↳ leahsavajeffries destroyed him with one word that's insane

user1 she's so gorgeous it's killing me

user2 her photo dumps are so cute it's so RAHHHHH ↳ user3 thank you yn for keeping us fed

iamcharliebushnell no photo creds? thats crazy...... ↳ thelnarchive 📸: charlie bushnell  ↳ iamcharliebushnell thank you 😁

user4 she's so pretty, i would go to hell and back for her. she could be sent to the underworld and i would go and traverse the entire underworld for her and bring her back, have hades let me walk out with her only if i don't turn my back and bet you baby i'm no orpheus because you're coming home ↳ user5 this is so real but also what the fuck

dior.n.goodjohn PRETTIEST IN CAMP HALFBLOOD ↳ thelnarchive NO YOU!

iamcharliebushnell for everyone's information, she yapped for like the 2 hour makeup and hair session ↳ thelnarchive you weren't interested in the cultural impact of feminist retellings of mythology? 😔 ↳ iamcharliebushnell i didn't say i didn't listen to every bit

user6 yn ln being a yapper and charlie being a listener was not in my 2024 bingo card but it is pleasantly accepted ↳ user7 the chemistry is kind of crazy

bellie 💋 @G1LLMOREGRLS theres like less than 3 minutes of luke and rina screen time but the way they look at each other is insane. ik luke visiting rina before leaving was implied and like them him contacting her even after the attempt too i still want to see some because the potential angst is so insane 🗨 19 comments 🔁 129 retweets ❤️ 707 likes

user1 "i lost luke three times in my life." if they remove this it better be for something even more heartbreaking

user2 honestly truth i'm manifesting so hard to see some of their iris messages like i can just imagine it ↳ G1LLMOREGRLS oh my fucking god that's so true, i want to see luke begging her to come with him and then her begging him to change his mind

user3 i want the new seasons to come sooner because i trust in rick's capability to give us what we want 💳💳💳 ↳ user4 i trust in the editor's to make what rick gives us even better brah ↳ user5 what if i said lascotellan to a hozier song

user6 the show ate with levitating as the replacement for poker face in e6 so i'm expecting a tragic song for their scenes too ↳ G1LLMOREGRLS dare i say we get a scene of luke regretting his actions juxtaposed with a scene of him and rina arguing with her telling him to silver springs by fleetwood mac ↳ user6 LUKE AND RINA ARGUING OVER HIS ACTIONS TO SILVER SPRINGS. YOU'RE A FUCKING GENIUS OOMF ↳ G1LLMOREGRLS luke thinking about her constantly when he thinks abt why he shouldn't have done it is so "you'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you"????

user7 YOU'RE SO CORRECT FOR THIS ‼️‼️ i'm so insane over them, tragic greek couple of the century

user8 i fear no one will ever beat rina saying she wanted to go to the underworld to get him back but deciding not to and letting him repent in elysium or try for reincarnation

liked by thelnarchives, dior.n.goodjohn, and 350,232 others iamcharliebushnell hanging out with the muse

thelnarchives you call me "the muse" so often i'm starting to think you don't know my first name anymore.... 🤨🤨🤨 ↳ iamcharliebushnell 😔 i would never do that to you muse ↳ thelnarchives i'm gonna start calling you traitor. ↳ user1 wat why would she call him traitor ↳ user2 oh you sweet summer child

user3 picture 3 is so cute i love her so much !!! and charlie's there too i guess

dior.n.goodjohn why are you hanging out with MY girlfriend ↳ iamcharliebushnell you snooze you lose :/

walker.scobell you owe me like 2 meals from our past bets and you keep saying your busy but obviously you're not??? ↳ iamcharliebushnell hanging out with the muse is a trip priority, man 🤷

user4 i'm obsessed with how charlie calls her muse they're so i want to Bite them. ↳ user5 he ate with the pet name

user6 that's actually me in the second photo guys

user7 WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT HER HAND PLACEMENT IN THE THIRD PHOTO??? ↳ user8 girlie's just scratching her own cat

[angeljeonjk97]

BodyWork || Bell #1

Jungkook x reader

friends to lovers

18+ (fluff, smut)

warnings: mentions and descriptions of violence, mentions and use of drugs and alcohol,

Jeon Jungkook is not the same 19-year-old boy you used to know. Fame has really matured him, in more ways than one.

“You already know how I like it baby”

You sit behind the desk of your dad's gym, playing a mobile game on your phone, waiting for the last person to leave before you can lock up. It was now dark outside, the entire sky was pitch black, not even a star in the sky. Your head jolts up at the sound of the male changing room door opening.

A tall, muscular man with jet-black hair and an arm covered in tattoos wearing a plain white t-shirt and black basketball shorts, emerges from the opening door.

He glances over at me behind the black-painted desk,

"Yo! Where's your dad?" he asks you, throwing a towel over his shoulder.

Jungkook is a famous boxer and has been for the past 5 years, and the gym that your dad owns just so happens to be where he trains. Your dad has owned this boxing gym for as long as you can remember and many professionals have trained here, but none for as long as Jungkook.

"Oh, he left already," You respond after realising you were probably looking at him for a bit longer than you should have, "Why?"

He casually walks over to the desk, leaning against it slightly to speak to you.

"He said he wanted to tell me something but, it obviously wasn't that important," Jungkook pauses before taking a sip from his bottle that rested in his right hand.

Your dad has always been the type to never wait around for anyone. He will do what he wants in his own time, without thinking of others most of the time. That's not to say he's selfish or anything but he can be quite... let's just say... assertive sometimes.

"How's training?" you place your phone down on the desk, placing your elbows on the platform with your chin in your left hand, looking up at Jungkook's muscular frame.

He scoffs, standing up straight to face you properly, he spans his arms out to his sides, with a cocky smirk on his face,

"I'm gonna win, so easily"

You roll my eyes and smile at his painfully obvious act. Despite his skills and how he hasn't lost a single match in the past 3 years, Jungkook is one of the humblest people you know. You both have known each other for 8 years and even though he's 26 now and is known pretty much all over the world, he hasn't changed at all.

He laughs at your response before getting closer to the desk again.

"You need help locking up again?"

"Nah, I should be fine," You reply, swivelling around in the black leather barstool, jumping down and pulling the keys from your pocket, proceeding to lock the cash register up.

"You got a lift home?" The black-haired man asks watching you as you walk from behind the desk and towards the changing room doors.

"I'm taking the bus home,"

"The bus? Why didn't you ask me to take you home?"

You turn your head to him behind you, flashing him a small smile.

"I didn't want to bother you, Kook, you've already worked hard today," you answer honestly, looking at Jungkook as you walk up the stairs. He follows behind.

"Oh come on. I've told you before to ask me if you need a lift home, buses aren't safe at night," He raises his voice a little so you can still hear him, "I'm driving you home."

You stop what your doing before looking at him with a disappointed look.

"Jungkook, I'll be fine-"

"No, I am driving you home," He cuts you off, crossing his arms across his chest. He goes silent for a bit as you don't respond to him before he breaks it again with a declaring tone, "I'm going to my car, if I don't see you in the passenger seat next to me in five minutes I'm dragging you out of here."

His voice fades as he begins making his way back down the stairs. You shake your head with a smile, knowing that you can't say no to JK.

After a few minutes, you make your way out of the gym, locking the doors behind you and pulling the shutters down afterwards. Before you turn around, you hear the sound of a car pulling up behind you. Of course, when you turn around it's a black Mercedes, that had Jungkook sitting behind the steering wheel. you open the passenger door seating yourself next to him, in which he sets off a few seconds later.

Once he parks up outside your apartment complex you turn to Jungkook,

"Thank you again, kook, but like I said, you don't have to be my taxi driver all the time. Someone might see you"

Jungkook shrugs back, his tattooed arm leaning against the steering wheel, "So what if someone sees me? It's not like you're in here giving me a blowjob or something"

You slap him on the arm with the back of your hand, giving him a disapproving look. He laughs back casually as these types of crude jokes are common coming from him.

"I'll walk you in," Jungkook says as he swings his car door open before you are doing the same.

Making your way up the stairs Jungkook remains behind you the entire time, looking up through the hole that the stacked up stairs, all leading to different floors, created.

Reaching your apartment door, you pull your keys out from your pocket, rattling them in your door, as Jungkook watches over you from behind.

"You coming in?" you ask looking up at him from behind innocently.

"Aw nah, not today y/n. It's late and I gotta be up early again tomorrow for training," He gives you a guilty look, glancing into your apartment, "I promise I'll be over soon though"

You give him a sad smile, remembering how much time he used to spend at your place with you. Because of his big fight in 2 months, he's been busy since the beginning of the year and hasn't spent as much time with you as you had liked, but you're not mad. You understand how tiring training can be, plus it's not like you two don't hang out at all anymore, you still make time for each other when it's possible.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then?" You respond, walking into your apartment and facing him again.

"Goodnight y/n"

index-next->

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors note:

hiii, I hope you all liked this chapter. I know not a lot has happened but I promise it'll get better from here. This was just a little introduction to y/n and Jungkook's relationship and lore explaining. I'm so excited for this new fic so I hope you're all just as excited as I am. Please look out for when new chapters come out!!!

[ruckooos]

What about each of the Black Dragon guys x reader during a movie marathon? What snacks do they bring, genres do they like.. do they talk during movies or get frustrated at the plot? I wanna know everything :3

RUCKOOOS' NOTES: this is the best ask I've ever gotten /lh. I'm gonna have so much fun w/ this 😭 I'm also proud of the title, plus compliment it and call me amazing.

CONTENT: Disturbed Kano, Kabal being a himbo (canon), Erron being awkward, gluttony, psychological torture, mental deterioration, maniacal actions, psychopathy, sadism. I'm kinda all over the place

WATCHLIST

All 3 black dragon men x gn!reader

__KANO

strikes me as a violence, splatterpunk enjoyer.

his favorite movie of all time is Terrifier 2 definitely. Now I say this because of a... certain scene (iykyk) which I can honestly see him taking as inspiration

But aside from Terrifier, Kano would be a Saw fanatic, with Saw VI being his favorite.

Some honorable mentions for movies he has violated your optic organs with + where you watched them:

-Hostel: he took you to Europe (or back to Australia if you alr live there) for vacation, treating you like a prince/princess/royalty the whole day. This was partly so he could drop the bomb of this movie on you at night, but obv bc Kano luvs u <3. Anyways, you two were settling down in your hotel room, when he brought up the idea of watching a movie to end the day. "Just to end it on an even betta' note" he'd say, "I promise I know a reeaally romantic one that you'll like" You trusted him, turning a blind eye to the fact that you're with a deceived conman, completely placing your eyes in the trust of a man with an affinity to violence. He puts on the movie Hostel, and for the first part you didn't really see the romantic bit, just some goons who were trying to lose their virginity. Safe to say, about an hour in, you were mentally deteriorating at the rate of a war veteran. Kano definitely had to spoil you even more the next day as an apology -Final Destination 5: This one, you knew what you were getting yourself into. Doesn't mean you fully agreed to it, though. Kano went on his knees to beg you to allow him to show you. "It's really really fantastic, I promise, doll! It ain't even that bad! Just please please let me play it." *sigh* you just had to say yes! How could you say no to his gorgeous puppy eye? (LMAOO) When the acupuncture scene started, Kano looked into your eyes excitedly, wondering how you'd react. Would you scream (lovingly)? Would you shrivel (lovingly)? Would you just die inside (lovingly)? He was dying to see your face. When the man fell on his back, stabbing his back with the acupuncture needles, Kano was in an uncontrollable fit of laughter to see you wince and hide your face in a pillow. "Come onnnnnn, sweets! It wasn't even that bad!" yes it was.

If ever he's watching a new violent film for the first time, which is quite rare tbh, I see him with his jaw dropped, lips curled in a bit of a smirk while he watches people die. He wouldn't even laugh, he'd be speechless from being impressed.

You don't see it, mainly because he hides it, but he has a notepad by his side, with contraptions and methods jotted down.

BUT BACK TO THE PROMPT: during a movie marathon, he'd watch terrifier 1 and 2, with Final Destination 5 as a "break"

yes. He honestly thinks Final Destination isn't that violent. :l

He wouldn't do very long movie marathons, 3 movies max. BUTTT he could go longer if there were more violent movies out there.

You better thank the lucky stars there aren't a lot of very gory movies that Kano hasn't watched to memorization, or else you'll be strapped down to your seat watching six hours worth of people dying.

yeah... Our fine shyt is fucked up

Regarding his manners while watching a movie, he's a clapper and a cheerer 100%. He'd laugh loudly at kill scenes, nudging your shoulder to see how you'd react.

You:

let's do something more lighthearted now! What if you were to pick a movie?

He's ok with it, wouldn't be too invested, but isn't that bummed out by it. A casual movie watcher when you pick the movies; 3 movies definitely being his maximum

but only when you're picking the movie 💀 he's kinda selfish

What snacks would he bring?

I don't think this man eats anything while watching a movie tbh, I just can't see him eating candy, popcorn or a finger food that much.

I mean, he wouldn't go out of his way to make something (unless you beg him to make you popcorn, which he'll do) to watch a movie with -but if you gave him a snack, or if there was anything lying around, Kano would snack on it.

At most, i feel like the most this man would eat are things like chips and fries. he doesn't eat them often, but when you get them for him, he's a sloppy eater; chomping on them with his mouth open while laughing at people getting stabbed

You have to vacuum, deep clean, change the sheets, UV ray the area you two watched a movie in whenever he brings a snack. My man is a SWINE, leaving crumbs everywhere.

JUST AS A BONUS: He'd be sitting on the couch, an arm around the cushions, while you lay your head on his chest.

dream man fr <3

__KABAL

he's into everything. any and all movies, he can vibe with.

Doesn't matter if it's romance, comedy, rom-com, action, thriller, as long as you're there. But he does feel more interested in action movies.

Not action as in superheroes, although ofc he loves those too, he really appreciates movies with constant motion. (I'll expound on this more in a bit)

but tbh, I don't see him as a person who would gravitate to super violent movies.

NOT TO SAY HE'S INNOCENT AND PURE, I just feel like he doesn't want to be reminded of his job while he's with you

But ofc that's not to say he'll be turned off by violence. if, for example, the movie you two were watching had a gory scene, he'd still laugh at it.

"Did he just rip his fucking head off? Babe look, the blood on this is so realistic..!" "I know, I know already!" "The muscles are pulsing..!" "STOP DESCRIBING ITTT." you proceed to throw a pillow at him.

For your movie marathon, I see him watching 1990s-2000s. a HUUUUGEEE sucker for that era of movies.

Corniest mf in town. YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME THIS MAN DOESN'T WATCH SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

he doesn't care if it was ass, it's fun to see how trash it is, and thus it still counts as a good movie to him

he loves bad movies, he doesn't know why, but watching straight garbage for an hour and a half is just so entertaining. Maybe it's because he's a bad person (jk ^_^) but he always laughs at the actors, the characters, the people involved more than he laughs at the movie itself.

"That was horrible... Did people actually put their fucking money on this?" he scoffs, chuckling a bit.

trash is entertaining, what can i say. Thus I don't think he'd every complain about the plot. He'd only ever get frustrated with the details.

"Who the fuck says that in real life?" "What was the point of that?" "She could have just left the building, why did she stay???" "Babe, it's a movie."

But he is also an appreciator of good movies, let's not perpetuate the idea that our speedy fine shyt doesn't have standards !!! (he's with you ofc he has standards)

The Matrix and Constantine will always be his favorite movies, these are the kinda movies that are his favorites to watch, I believe.

This is what I mean by action movies, there's a constant problem that has to be solved instantly. Kabal feels gravitated here, mainly because he resonates with the feeling of fighting against something or battling an adversary.

A bit dark, yah ik, but it's more subconscious than he realizes. for all he knows, he just likes them.

BUT HE ALSO LOVES COMEDY, ROMANCE, SLAPSTICK AND ALL THE LIKE.

Take movies like Not Another Teen Movie, Legally Blonde, Notebook, Norbit, Madea, for example. The tearjerker movies and movies with raunchy, stupid humor are fun watches for him

lock me up, gag me with a chain, tie me to a post, sink my jailcell IDC. YOU CAN'T TELL ME THIS MAN DOESN'T LIKE NAPOLEON DYNAMITE.

I honestly think four is his average; if he's super tired then he'll watch 2 with you and pass out, if he's sat down with a whole free day, then he can do six.

The movie you two will watch will be: Die Hard, Devil's Advocate, Legally Blonde (just as a breather), then Notebook to end the night.

IF YOU KNOW THE WAY I SEE KABAL, YOU'D SEE WHY THESE MOVIES MAKE SENSE. In my canon world, Kabal has the most secure masculinity more than anybody.

He's a whisperer when it comes to manners while watching the movie. Kabal would lean in close and just whisper things... A LOT

This man. Talks. So. damn. Much.

EVEN WHEN HE'S NOT WHISPERING IN YOUR EAR, HE MUTTERS

You might as well turn down the volume of the movie the way this man is basically the subtitles. SHUT UP KABAL (jk don't ahaha you're so sexy)

"Ahhh that's why it's called Legally Blonde. She's blonde, and she's in law." "Why the fuck is he barefoot..." "He could have just told her the truth, why the fuck did he make it harder for himself? Tsk." "Kabal shut uppppppppp"

in terms of snacks, this man is canonly the one dude who can't open a bag of chips, and it also the dude who finishes the food before the intro ends.

Imagine you're trying to get immersed when Noah and Allie make out in the rain, and you hear this man grunt and scoff, struggling to open a Ruffles bag 💀

"Kabal, just let me do it." "Shut up I can do it myself..." he says in between grunts, trying to figure out where the strip is, making crinkling noises that drown out the movie. "no you can't just give it to me." he grumbles, handing it to you.

my little himbo airhead <3 (he's a murderous merc)

don't let this man hold your popcorn box. You put it in his hand, then 1... 2... 3... it's in the trash, emptied out and completely cleaned out

I feel like you two would be lying down, with you laying your back to his chest with his arm slung under your arm.

LOVE THIS MANNNNN

__AARON BLACK

This man is the most chill of the three

istg this man is so normal

too normal...

our unbothered fine shit is not too avid on cinema, let alone movie marathons.

But it's been a while since you two had time to settle down and relax with one another, so after a couple minutes of begging, he rolls his eyes and hands you the remote.

You'd lie down on his lap, while he rested his head on his hand, his elbow on the couch's armrest, while you were flicking through the movies.

This man is classic. Talented Mr. Ripley, Truman Show, The Shining, Lost Boys, and Back to the Future are paradigms of his taste.

Like Kabal, he's ok with whatever you want to watch, but UNLIKE Kabal, he won't like it.

Not big on girly movies, gory movies, romance, comedy and all the like.

He has very robust standards, and he'll put up with whatever you want, but the afformentioned are the ones that he'll actually enjoy.

I'd think that he'd only watch two or three movies, most of the time it's just two.

IDK I don't think he's that big on movies, but he can barely say no to you.

it's mostly a time issue, but even when you two have a lot of time, he'd rather spend it on more personal and romantic things than movies. but wtv, he's here with you now :3

the movies he'd watch with you are Lost Boys, Talented Mr. Ripley, and one that you wanna watch. Since he's a sweet boy (not rlly) he'll let you watch your movie first.

I feel like he's so boring when it comes to movies 😭 like he would rewatch these movies again and again, and never gets bored.

The last time he found a movie he liked was in the 90s, PICTURE THAT.

I think this is also why he barely complains about things: He's either watched it so many times that he's desensitize to it, or he just simply does not gaf.

In terms of how he'd act while watching a movie, I see that he'd be dead silent and motionless. Occasionally he'll rub your chest or head, which you really need so that you're reminded he's there.

He is dead silent too, and I feel like this also bleeds into his real life, but he makes no sound. You can't hear his breathing or heartbeat, sometimes you have to look up at him to see if he's alive and he just looks back down at you like 🤨

awkward dead-inside fine shyt, ilysm <333

This man doesn't bring snacks btw! He brings MEALS

definitely the type to bring whole steaks, string beans, rice, carrots, sauce and BEER to a movie marathon.

I'm not kidding, he's just eating whole ass courses while watching Lost Boys, and tbh that's kinda iconic.

doesn't let you get a bite tho >:( mean

he's also so expressionless other than his rbf, so if you were playing your movie, you'd have to wait almost two hours before you can tell wether or not he hated it. MOST OF THE TIME HE DOESN'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING.

He'd just go "It was fine."

[puckpocketed]

5/08/2023 - Berkly Catton captains Team Canada to gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, leading the tournament with 8 goals and 2 assists in 10 games || 19/01/2024 Meet the Future - Berkly Catton named Team White's captain for the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game || 5/07/2024 - Berkly Catton signs his ELC with the Seattle Kraken

Introduction, quotes/transcripts/bits and pieces under the cut!

I can't even begin to describe how jazzed I am that Berkly Catton got drafted to a team I already love. I wrote in my Sharks off-season roundup that I was hoping against hope Catton would drop to 14th overall (back before we had moved up to 11th) and the Sharks would snap him up, as unlikely as it was that they'd try to gather more firepower when we sorely needed defensive prospects. I'm so glad I got my wish one way or another <3

Krakenblr you will LOVE this dude. He's such a star. Such a character. Berkly Catton is so, SO fun to watch. You have no idea!!! I followed him in the months leading up to the draft because there was buzz that he might be available lower down because of the Height Issue (he is, tragically, 5'11 <- which makes him undraftable unfortch) + concerns with how his game will translate to the NHL level. He is an electrifying playmaker. He's so creative, throws in so many fakes, WILL break ankles, very good hands... ough <3 everything I personally love to see in a forward all rolled into one neat little package !!!

There's the suggestion that he's been "over-scouted," which really just means they've all been watching him so long they're probably overthinking things and looking for stuff to critique. I'm inclined to believe this take over the other one because I'm an optimist and he was one of my little guys going into the draft! I won't include more of that here, but there's plenty of material out there if you'd like to look for it.

Below are some of my favourite bits and pieces from media he's appeared in <3

“I don’t like to give it away (pause) but I look at guys before games,” Catton revealed. “What’s weird is going from midget to junior hockey is a big jump. Last year I was learning. This year I wanted to add stuff. My pregame stuff and to look at guys doing draws and seeing what works. That’s pre-scouting on my end. If a guy has a certain move, and you can trump it early, it gets in his head a little bit. That helped quite a bit.”

“I think I sometimes have a problem with passing the puck too much. I love seeing my teammates score and setting up for an open net. It’s one of my favourite things in hockey, if not my favourite,” Catton admitted. “That’s something I can work on. When I get a chance put it home kind of thing. I got better this year at it’s still something I’d like to improve. Honestly, I’m a pass first mentality guy I would say.”

- Berkly Catton’s video scouting has improved his overall game

You know, when I first read and saved this article I was like; this prospect who reviews VIDEO is gonna haunt me. That's my weakness btw, I'm freak4freak. If you tell me a hockey player is also deeply infatuated with the game to the point of reviewing tape in their free time that's IT for me. it's JOEVER. i have a type and i know it <3 also wowie a pass-first guy who gets really really happy when his teammates score??? crying. crying. Berkly Catton . tucking uou gently away <3 forever <3

From A Day in the Life: Berkly Catton & Conner Roulette

Fave movie is The Notebook (<- unrelated there's a . really funny comment on this video from a philly fan lamenting that Catton likes the Notebook - I assume because that's some uhhh how do the kids call it,, femme soyboy shit? lmao anyway stay LOSING toxic masculinity !!!)

The boys call him 'Berk' <3

He talks about Jack Hughes being a big influence on him (in other media, he gives Hughes as a player comp!) and going to hang out and work with the Hughes family in Michigan. I sense a thread of admiration here like it's such a sweet little crush LOL <3 I hope he notices you Berkly !!

he gives the player of the match hat to a coach/trainer (one of the two) it's lovely... ouhhh... good little fella so polite and so conscious of staff being the foundation of his success... mwah!!

From Berkly Catton Talks Hockey Sense, His Start In Hockey & More | Game Tape With Tony

His father and grandfather built him a rink in his backyard, very sweet.

1OA in the WHL draft!

Anime main character levels of training-arc... my guy shot thousands of pucks over the summer in his backyard and then came back suddenly able to score goals. <- this is where the DIY goalie made of wood and blocker pads comes in. lol. lmao. are u even real.

sorry. sorry. OLEN ZELLWEGER MENTION. <- one of my personal favourite little guys (undersized puck moving defensemen my BELOVED) "Kind of a funny story [...] I pretty much had a breakaway, when he just turned backwards and played it as a 1-on-1 somehow, and I was like 'wow, this guy's the real deal', so." I really liked how Catton easily recalled a specific person/moment when asked who challenged him the most in the WHL; I think it speaks to a thoughtfulness about the game - it would've been easy to just give a vague Oh Everyone Is Good answer here and I like that he didn't!

There's a section where he talks about how he got so good at stick lifting, such an interesting perspective I never considered - he played in situations and against people where he couldn't just throw his body around to win, so he had to learn to get the puck in other ways. KEVIN KORCHINSKI MENTION <- another one of my little guys <3

mentions his dad being a big influence on his 'patience'. parents are so funny to me. ur watching your sons juniors matches? and Ohhhhh Chris Catton was a hockey player too . it all makes sense. Berkly Catton product of jockdad like so many before him <3

I do love that throughout this interview, Catton defers to his linemates a lot. Always hyping them up and talking about how he owes his success to them. it could be construed as false humility, given Catton was the highest scoring draft-eligible in the league - but he really does go out of his way to emphasise how highly he regards them and how much of their on-ice success is owed to good chemistry built up over the entire season. It strikes me as genuine!! He's a good boy <3

Revealed he can solve a rubix cube at the end... wow... he just liek me fr...

PLEASE watch this on-ice interview where he's chatting after a game and then gets ABSOLUTELY WASTED by 5 water bottles and all the boys. he is clearly so so so beloved in that locker room waaaahhh <3

Anyway this isn't an exhaustive list but it IS a lot of the reasons why I really liked him pre-draft. welcome to the deep Berkly <3

[raasturi]

You know what, the Fairly OddParents fandom has been quite tame. Let's spice things up a little bit.

Doesn't anybody else get that silly feeling when you see fanart of Peri being like a father to Dev, like... where's the rest of you 😍? Don't be shy, show us where Dale is. Or are you too scared? (I wouldn't blame you, I was too at first)

Small warning: this post includes slight swearing and many brain-numbing headcanons. I'm not responsible for any mental anguish you may experience

I would like to quickly apologize to the 6 people shipping Peri with Dale. I thought I was the only one but it seems like I've finally found my people. Anyways, back to the topic.

Now that you're here, I may as well show some more art of these two goobers +some silly headcanons. These are my AUed* versions of the two in my odd semi-realistic style that I completely ditch whenever I don't have the patience to draw faces (I often suck at drawing them. No wonder all my OCs are furries)

Note: him being slightly chubby and him having mobility issues are both headcanons I have shamelessly borrowed from others in the fandom. Also am I the only one who thinks Peri WOULDN'T be 6 ft tall? In the series he's like 5 apples tall, so wouldn't it make sense for him to be a bit short?

Note: there's like a bunch of lore explaining the reason why Dale looks so fucked up in my version. I scarred him for life, oopsie! But at least he has Peri now who "forces" him to go to therapy 😍. I may need to make a seperate post where I only talk about him and his past if I have the motivation.

I know a lot of you don't even know the pain of trying to convert a stylized character into a realistic style and still making them look good and kinda recognizable. I envy you who have less realistic art styles.

*And yes, I did say AU. More specifically I'm talking about the "Missionaries of Eden AU" (by me). I'm not gonna go into detail now, but basically it's a semi-biblical and more serious take on FOP, where the fairies are angels, anti-fairies are demons and pixies... I think they can stay as pixies, or maybe they're ghosts, bees? (There's a lot of things I still need to figure out) Their tasks are to work as missionaries on the planets of Eden (planets where life exists). There's a bunch of other lore (some of which I've explained on my casual/personal account on Instagram), but it's best I leave it for another time.

Btw: if you've seen me talk about a "Below the Stars AU", "Bible AU", "Ager DLC" or something else, it's all just the same thing. I just had a hard time coming up with a good name for it lol.

Also speaking of which, I have another post coming up (hopefully) where I explain my reasons for shipping Peri and Dale. It can honestly, out of context, seem like a toxic yaoi crack ship, but believe it or not but I managed to make it the opposite; plausible AND healthy. I want to enlighten you all plus I really want to yap about them.

It feels super funny to ship such a underrated ship. I'm used to shipping semi-popular ships, so to now be all alone feels kinda fun! They have so much potential and so few are seeing the vision?? Though to be fair I'm also glad it's not that famous lmao.

Ps. Ignore the fact I haven't posted anything here for at least half-a-year. All my mutuals are on Instagram, so I don't have a need to post here, though now I've decided to dedicate this account to hyperfixation slop so maybe you'll be hearing from me much sooner.

Ps. Ps. I currently have a 22-page-long google doc filled with lore and info about almost everything I've thought of for the AU, but it's 80% in Finnish so sharing it is useless.

Man, I love writing unnecessary long posts knowing I'm the only one reading them❤️😍 though if you HAVE gotten this far, here's a little treat:

My body refuses to draw Dale in his original outfit. I like to pretend Peri helped him change a bit (most notably taking off his goddamn shoes, though they do have some lore that I've created. GGHHRRAAA EVERYTHING HAS LORE ATTACHED TO IT GRRRR). Also Dev isn't actually grumpy, he just likes to act tough.

My art style looks probably so inconsistent❤️

[hobeemin]

stop, kiss

🛍️ genre(s): romance, angst, drama, fluff, college au, 90s au (based on Can’t Hardly Wait)

🛍️ pairing: joshua hong x poc (f) reader

🛍️ summary: joshua wasn’t what you called popular back in high school, in fact, he was practically invisible. what happens when he runs into his childhood crush in college after growing into his looks? awhole lot of shenanigans ensue.

🛍️ rating: pg15

🛍️ warning(s): swearing, frat parties, drinking, bullying, fights

🛍️ word count: 5.6k

🛍️ credits: shout out to @wooahaeproductions​ thank you maren for looking this over at the last minute! 💜💜💜

banner resources found here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

🛍️ a/n: this is for the Now thats 90s SVT collab. Huge thanks to @beomcoups and @mingiblr 

“This is it.”

Jeonghan side-eyed his friend as they walked across the grassy quad. “What are you going on about?”

Joshua swept his arms in a comprehensive motion. “This. College. It’s the start of our lives.”

“But that’s what you said when we were freshmen in high school.”

Joshua’s arms dropped as red crept up his cheeks. “Okay, but this is gonna be different. This is us being adults. Conquering obstacles–”

“Joshua–”

“–reaching goals–”

“Joshua–”

“–going the distance–”

Jeonghan closed his eyes as Joshua ran straight into a bench and flipped over, landing on his back. Instantly, the quad filled with laughter. He groaned as his vision filled with stars, trying to get his bearings. It wasn’t until a face appeared that his senses came back.

Was she an angel?

He blinked once. Then twice.

The worry on her face was replaced with relief when she noticed he was alert.

“Oh, good. You’re okay.”

“I think so,” he mumbled, trying to stand.

“Maybe we should wait for the paramedics to get here,” she mused.

Jeonghan nodded in agreement. “Someone’s calling for them right now.”

“Seriously. I’m okay!” A smile spread across his face as he began to rise. It faltered quickly as his legs wobbled.

Jeonghan grabbed his arm, guiding him to the bench.

“Sit. Now.”

“Yes, please do,” she said in agreement.

The paramedics arrived quickly, getting to work on assessing his injuries.

Honestly, he was okay. His head hurt a bit, but they were fussing over nothing. He didn’t need any more embarrassment on his first day as a college freshman. Jeonghan gave her a polite smile.

“Thanks for helping. He’s a little stubborn, but I know he appreciates it.”

“It’s alright. I’m just happy to know he’s okay,” she said with a smile.

“Y/N!”

She looked up at the sound of her name. A group of people were waving to her. She put her hand up and turned to Jeonghan.

“I have to go, but it was nice talking to you. I hope your friend feels better!”

Joshua heard the name from the stretcher, and realization crossed his face slowly. “Jeonghan!”

His friend ran over to him. “What?!”

“Was that Y/N?! As in Y/N Y/L/N?!”

“Uh, that’s a stretch. I mean, there’s a lot of Y/Ns–”

“No…I’m sure of it. That was her!”

“Joshua–”

“Humor me. What if that was her? It’s fate! We were meant to meet once more. It’s destiny–Ow!”

The stretcher dropped, making him bump his head against the bar. Jeonghan shook his head in disbelief. 

“This is gonna be a long year.”

---

With Jeonghan in tow, Joshua walked into the student center, looking around. By then, a few months had passed, and everyone had forgotten about his blunder on the first day of class. He thought it best to keep a low profile during the semester.

Joshua was always hopeful of running into Y/N on campus. Occasionally, he’d see her walking around, but every time he tried to speak up, he got tongue-tied, or a group of people would surround her. It seemed like he’d never get a chance.

One breezy fall afternoon, Joshua sat against a large oak tree, strumming his guitar. Jeonghan joined him moments later, dropping down next to him with a plastic bag. Reaching in, he took out some snacks, crunching on some chips while Joshua played. He hummed a few bars before taking out a small notebook. Jeonghan noticed a worn folded piece of paper fall out and scooped it up. 

“What’s this?”

Joshua yelped, trying to reach for it, but Jeonghan pulled it out of reach. With a grin, he opened it up and read the contents. His eyes widened as he turned to his friend.

“I can’t believe you still have that letter.”

His face warmed as he snatched it away, stuffing it into his pocket. “It’s not that serious, Jeonghan.”

“Oh, is it not? Cause keeping a letter you wrote countless times back in high school to a girl who didn’t know you existed is pretty strange.”

Joshua rolled his eyes before returning to his guitar, strumming the strings absentmindedly. Was he being delusional at this point? Should he just give up on his crush?

“Maybe I’ll give up. It’s stupid,” he mumbled.

Jeonghan frowned slightly, noting how Joshua’s mood had darkened. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to be down.

Joshua returned his guitar to its case and stood up. Jeonghan looked at him curiously. “You got class?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m done for the day. I might go back to the dorm to study. I’ll see you later.”

He waved before walking off, leaving Jeonghan alone. Leaning against the tree, he sighed heavily. He had to get Joshua out of this funk somehow. 

But what to do?

Something fluttered in the corner of his eye. It was the letter from Joshua’s pocket!

An idea began to form in his mind, making him chuckle. 

Yep, this might work after all.

---

Y/N sat there toying with the straw from her milkshake, bored and only half listening to the conversation around the table. Honestly, did they have anything worth talking about? There had to be more to life than when the next party would be or how many kegs they could drink. Still, she humored her friends, offering a laugh now and then.

“Right, Y/N?”

She blinked, looking up from her milkshake. “Huh?”

Her friend Irene rolled her eyes before sipping her diet Pepsi. “Were you even listening?”

She shook her head as a groan surrounded the table. She shrugged sheepishly. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

Irene sighed heavily. “The party—the one the Sigma Lambdas have every fall for Halloween—is happening this Friday.”

“Oh,” Y/N said, distracted once more. “Oh, yeah. I guess I’ll come.”

“We have no choice. Plus, Mingyu is gonna be there,” Irene added.

Y/N’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “And I would care because…”

“Jeez, Y/N, get with the program. Your boyfriend is gonna be there .”

“Correction, ex-boyfriend, and that makes it all the more reason not to go.”

Irene let out a noise of exasperation. “I don’t get you sometimes. If anything, this is the perfect opportunity to go and prove you don’t need him.”

“Whatever. We’ll see how I feel,” Y/N grumbled.

It wasn’t like her friends would listen anyway. She dated Mingyu all through high school. Meeting him on her first day, they became the ‘it’ couple and were at the hip. While they seemed like the quintessential high school romance, Mingyu was relatively immature in many ways. It was too much their senior year, and Y/N called it quits. He took it so well, insulting her intelligence and saying she’d regret it, but that only solidified her decision.

Of course, this was after they promised to go to the same university together, and now she was stuck with him for another four years.

Again, she ignored her friends' discussions and stared out the window, sipping her milkshake. When three fraternity brothers from Sigma Lambda Theta walked into the cafe and approached their table, Y/N and her friends looked up with interest.

“Heard you ladies were coming to our party,” one said.

Irene nodded. “Yeah, wouldn’t miss it. Heard y’all have a lot planned.”

Seungcheol eyed Y/N curiously, nudging Soonyoung. He pointed his chin towards her. “You’re Y/N?”

Her brow lifted in interest. “I am. And you’re Seungcheol?”

“Heard a lot about you.”

“Is that a fact?” she chuckled, sipping her milkshake. “Can’t always believe what you hear.”

Seungcheol smirked with a nod. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Soonyoung grinned. “Don’t forget to wear your best costume. Masks included.”

“What are you going as?” Y/N inquired.

The shorter of the three shook his head, rolling his eyes. “Please don’t get him started. He hasn’t shut up about it all month.”

“Jihoon, lighten up. You’re just jealous.”

“Sure.”

Seungcheol cleared his throat, shooting the girls a smile. “Anyway. Gonna be a great time,” he shot Y/N a look. “Save me a dance?”

Y/N shrugged with a laugh. “Maybe. I like to keep my options open.”

“Sounds good to me. See y’all later.”

As the guys walked away, a glint flashed in Irene’s eye.

“What do you think about them, Y/N?”

“Them? Them who?”

Irene frowned once more, shaking her head in disappointment. “You acting clueless? The Sigma Lambdas! Isn’t Mingyu trying to pledge? Wouldn’t showing up with the frat's president as your date be funny?”

Y/N sighed in exasperation. “I’m really not trying to date right now. I’d rather focus on my studies–”

“All I hear is blah, blah, blah.”

“What do you want me to say? It’s not the end of the world. I mean, they are cute, but–” she argued.

“Whatever Y/N. If you want to be alone, that's fine, too.”

“Life isn’t always about having a boyfriend, Irene.”

“You worry about what you do, and I’ll worry about me,” Irene retorted.

Y/N stood up from the table, nearly knocking down the drinks. “I guess friendship isn’t the biggest priority either.”

Without another word, she stormed off, leaving the rest of them alone in the cafe.

---

The next few days passed without much drama. Even though Y/N and Irene made up, there was still some tension between them, regardless of their saying everything was okay. So many things ran through her mind that her concentration was off in class. Only one day after one of her lectures, the professor called her up as the class was leaving for her to notice.

Y/N slung one strap over her shoulder, gathered her books, and approached her professor’s desk.

“Yes, Professor?”

He pulled up a file, flipping through the papers. “I normally wouldn’t say anything, but you’ve been doing so well in class, Miss Y/L/N. Is everything alright?”

Damn it. 

She nodded her head, trying to smile. “Of course. Maybe I'm just a little burnt out this semester with my credits, but I’m okay.”

He sighed, handing over a folder to her. “I’m going to give you a chance to work on this research paper again. I know you can do better than this. I’ll accept it next Friday.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

Slipping the folder into her bag, she walked out of the classroom, her thoughts swirling. It wasn't until the last minute that she bumped into Joshua coming out of the building. She jumped with a start as her books fell to the ground. Joshua blinked, staring at her before scrambling to pick the books.

“Are you okay?”

She willed herself to smile, taking the books from him. “We have to stop meeting like this. How’s that bump on your head?”

Joshua sheepishly grinned as he rubbed the spot. 

“I'm never gonna live that down, but I'm alright.”

Now that she was in front of him, he was too nervous to speak. Did she even recognize him from high school?

Clearing his throat, he tapped her shoulder politely. Y/N turned to look at him curiously. 

“Yes?”

“Your name wouldn't happen to be Y/N Y/L/N, right?”

Her brow quirked. “Um, yes. Why do you ask?”

“Well

“Y/N!!!!”

She looked past Joshua with a frown. 

Mingyu was walking towards her with Seungcheol. His smile faltered as he saw Joshua standing next to her. “No fucking way…Bambi goes here!”

Joshua’s face paled upon hearing that name. Of all the people who had shown up here at this very moment…Mingyu had managed to graduate and get into a university?! 

His knees buckled as Mingyu’s hand slammed into his back in greeting. Joshua had to hold the wall to keep from dropping to the floor. Y/N’s eyes glanced from him to Mingyu in confusion.

“Bambi?”

Mingyu rolled his eyes with a laugh, nudging Seungcheol. “Dude always looked like a deer in headlights, especially when he was our mascot and got tackled.”

Seungcheol started to chuckle as Joshua attempted to back away slowly. Mingyu grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into a headlock, giving him a noogie. Joshua grunted, trying to loosen his grip.

“So what you doin’ talking to my girlfriend, Bambi?”

Y/N scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “Ex-girlfriend, Mingyu. And let him go, please. Let’s be adults.”

A pout formed on his face as he let Joshua go reluctantly. “Seriously? Y/N–”

“Save it,” she snapped. Her expression softened as she took Joshua’s hand into hers. “Walk me back to my dorm?”

His eyes widened in surprise. “U-Um s-sure!”

“You’re sweet.”

She smiled, barely acknowledging Mingyu and Seungcheol, as she walked out of the building with Joshua in tow, still dazed by the unfolding events.

Mingyu’s eyes narrowed, watching the pair walk off.

“That geek is gonna pay,” he mumbled, storming out of the building.

---

Joshua hardly touched his drink as Y/N placed it before him. She removed the wrapper around her straw and stuck it in her milkshake. Her brow quirked in interest.

“Sooo. You went to our high school?”

Joshua finally grabbed his cup and took a generous sip. “Uh huh.”

Her lips turned downward, trying to recall his face. “I don’t know why I can’t remember you.”

He shrugged, trying to shake his disappointment. “I-It’s not like you would have noticed. We didn’t run in the same circles.”

Something about that statement made her stomach drop. Sure, she’d been what you’d consider popular, but Y/N was pleasant with everyone she came across.

“What were you into back then?”

Joshua sat back as the tension slowly drifted from his shoulders. “Band, mostly marching and pep. I was in the film club and tried out for the soccer team, but…yeah.”

Y/N nodded in understanding. “You seemed to have a lot of interests. I’m surprised we didn’t run into each other.”

“Well, Y/N, we have been in the same classes since freshmen year.”

Her cheeks felt hot, and Joshua fumbled as he tried to change the subject. “I-I’m not saying it like it’s a bad thing. It’s just how life happens. Our school was big, so it’s okay.”

The relief passed her face. The last thing she wanted was for someone to recall her being self-absorbed. 

A smile formed on her lips, which he returned wholeheartedly. “Well, it’s time for new beginnings.”

“Agreed.”

After a brief silence, she looked at him and asked, “Are you good with music theory?”

His brows lifted as he nodded. “Oh yeah! I took those in high school! Do you have any questions about it?”

“Do I?” she said with a laugh. Y/N pulled out her research paper and handed it to him. “I got an extension to write a better one.”

He flipped through the pages with a hum. “I see. Do you want help? I’d be happy to give some insight.”

Y/N beamed at him. “I’d owe you a huge one!”

Joshua smiled. “That’s not necessary. How about we meet Friday night at the library to discuss the details.”

Realization dawned on her as her smile faltered. Joshua’s brows knitted.

“Is something wrong?”

“N-No, it’s just there’s this party on Friday–”

“Oh. Well, you should go.”

She sighed, falling back against the booth cushion. “That’s the problem. I really don’t want to.”

“So don’t go,” he reasoned.

“It’s not that simple–”

“It kind of is. Don’t force yourself into things just because your friends want to,” he interrupted. His eyes widened again, and red crept onto his face.

“I-I’m sorry. That wasn’t my place to say.”

Y/N let out a genuine laugh for the first time in weeks. “Honestly, that was the most honest response I’ve gotten. People always try to hide the truth.”

“Some people suck,” he said matter-of-factly.

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Why don’t you come to the party?”

“M-Me?”

“Why not? It definitely would make my night better,” she exclaimed.

He looked at her in astonishment. Y/N sipped her milkshake, trying to cover up her bashfulness. “I mean…the more the merrier, ya know.”

“I’ll see what's going on that day,” he decided. He was not ecstatic about the invitation but didn't want to get his hopes up. Being near her was almost enough for him.

“Okay,” she said, trying to hide her disappointment.

They returned to idle chatter the rest of the time, realizing they had much more in common than each had known. He eventually said his goodbyes, promising to give her the paper back after he made any edits. Walking back to his dorm, he thought about their time together. Y/N was amazing in so many ways. Joshua would have fallen even deeper in love with her if he hadn’t already fallen madly in love.

He stopped in his tracks.

Love?

Shaking his head, he unlocked the door with a scoff. What did he know about love?

The letter.

Damn it.

That letter.

Groaning to himself, he walked inside to Jeonghan, who was reading at his desk. Jeonghan looked up from his book at his friend's expression. 

“You alright?”

Still in a daze, Joshua plopped on his bed, blinking. “Y-Yeah.”

Jeonghan hummed, going back to his book until Joshua spoke up.

“I spent time with her.”

“Her?”

“Y/N.”

Jeonghan placed his book down and faced Joshua with interest. “What? What happened?”

Joshua recalled the events the best he could, grimacing at the part when Mingyu appeared and his conflicting feelings about the party.

Jeonghan let it all sink in before talking. 

“Well, now you gotta go to the frat party.”

“Yeah, but Mingyu’s gonna be there.”

“So? Y/N personally invited you. It seems she wants you there, and that’s enough. Who cares what everyone will say? We’ll have fun, you’ll see.”

Joshua sighed heavily, looking up at the ceiling. He was taking a chance. This could be the start of something great or crash and burn in utter disaster.

Time to take a gamble.

---

When Y/N and her friends arrived, the party was in full swing. She watched as people ran around the house throwing balloons filled with water. Irene screeched, jumping in place as one splashed by her feet, nearly getting her costume wet.

“Watch it!”

Irene let out a sound of exasperation. “Do I look okay?”

Y/N fought to roll her eyes. 

“You look fine.”

Irene beamed as she twirled in the black, red, and white plaid two-piece. She adjusted the hat on her head. “We’re gonna be the popular people here. Clueless was a hit!”

Y/N adjusted the skirt on hers. She would have instead gone as Dionne, but Irene insisted she be the Cher. Arguing would have been fruitless if she wanted any attention on her, so Y/N just went with the flow. Heads indeed turned as they walked by. Seungcheol appeared out of nowhere, clearly red-faced from the alcohol. 

“You made it!”

Y/N held back the eye roll from Irene’s giggles.

Seungcheol gestured to them with the beer can in his hand. “You’ll be the girls from that movie, right?”

“Like totally!”

He grinned, setting his gaze on Y/N. “Would you like something to drink Y/N?”

Irene pushed past; a Cheshire grin spread wide. “We’d love something to drink.”

He chuckled, watching Y/N’s reaction. Y/N held back the eye roll, threatening to appear.

 “C’mon, I’ll show you where the drinks are.”

They followed Seungcheol into the kitchen. The entire counter was covered in various drinks, from malt beverages to cheap vodka, anything to get someone entirely buzzed. Mingyu stood near a silver basin, stirring the bright red liquid. He looked up, making eye contact with Y/N as he waved. Grabbing a few cups, he poured the liquid in, adding some pineapples, strawberries, and oranges. 

Y/N stared at the cup in scrutiny as Irene happily sipped on hers. 

“This is so good! What is it?”

Mingyu tapped his glass against Seungcheol’s. “We call it carat juice.”

 Y/N’s brow raised, giving him a deadpan stare. “Wow, so clever.”

“I thought so,” Mingyu answered with a smug look.

She sighed heavily, looking around for anything to get her away. 

“Just enjoy yourself tonight, Y/N. It’s the least you can do. You’re being so uptight,” Irene taunted.

What the hell was wrong with her? Irene had been doing too much lately, and Y/N was letting her ‘friend’s’ words get to her.

“Fine.”

She chugged the drink back, trying not to cough at the alcohol burning down her throat regardless of the sweetness in the cup. She wiped her mouth off and ran towards the dance floor. Maybe sweating for a few hours would help make her numb to the whole thing.

Joshua and Jeonghan walked inside, looking around at the scenery. Very few people were wearing original costumes. Most were dressed in bedsheets as ghosts or togas.

“You sure we got the right costume?”

Jeonghan shot Joshua a look. “No one else is gonna have it.”

Suddenly, someone shouted from across the room, " I'm a dude. He’s a dude. She’s a dude. So we’re all dudes!”

A snort passed Joshua’s lips, and he waved, giving a thumbs up. Jeonghan gave him a smug look. “See?”

“Fine. This was the way to go.”

He adjusted the paper hat on his head before smoothing the striped blue and white shirt. Okay. So maybe Jeonghan's idea of being a Good Burger employee wasn’t a bad idea after all. As he got more comfortable in his skin, he opened up more to talk with the people at the party.

“Oh, you play the guitar?”

Joshua nodded as he sipped his drink. The guy slapped his back, causing his knees to buckle. “We always have a jam session in the quad in the afternoon. You should join us.”

“BAMBI!”

Joshua let out an audible groan. 

Shit.

Mingyu pushed through; cheeks reddened from the alcohol. Joshua tried not to recoil from the smell of his breath. Wrapping his arm around Joshua, he waved his cup, slooshing the liquid all over the floor. 

“Didn’t think you’d show up,” he slurred.

Joshua removed his arm, sidestepping away from him. “Uh. Yeah. I was invited.”

“Who’d invite you?”

“I did.”

Both men looked up as Y/N appeared, the growing crowd parting for her to pass. Joshua felt his heart still as she smiled at him. 

“I’m happy you made it, Joshua,” she said.

“T-Thanks,” he gushed out.

Y/N gave him a nod of approval. “I like your costume.”

“I like yours too,” he said with a grin.

Feeling neglected, Mingyu glanced between the two, not liking how the conversation was going. He managed to get Seungcheol’s attention. Both men nodded, and devious grins appeared. 

Y/N smiled at Joshua, cocking her head in the direction of the kitchen. “Wanna get a drink? There’s this jungle juice–”

Red liquid splashed over Joshua, covering him from head to toe. Laughter erupted around the room. Y/N looked shocked as Mingyu and Seongcheol bent over, shaking with laughter. The empty red cups were enough evidence for her.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Mingyu snorted back a laugh, trying to look serious. “What? It was just a joke.”

Y/N shot Joshua with a sympathetic look as Jeonghan appeared, handing him a crumple of paper towels. Joshua tried to wipe off the liquid in vain, feeling the stickiness cover his skin. Trying to keep his cool, he walked up, heading up the stairs without a word. Y/N snarled as she punched Mingyu in the arm with a hiss. “You’re such an asshole, Mingyu!”

He shrugged, giving Seungcheol a fist bump. “Eh, what else is new.”

Shaking her head in disgust, she stormed off as everyone watched in awe. 

Joshua found himself in a bathroom upstairs, trying to avoid getting the stain out of his shirt. Luckily, he ran into Woozi, who you called Jihoon before. That frat member was kind enough to tell him about the bathroom away from the crowd while he got himself together.

“Remember not to close the door all the way. The knob sticks.”

He threw the towel into the sink. It was useless—both the stain and possibly talking to Y/N.

“Maybe it’s just not meant to be,” he mumbled to his reflection. He couldn’t go back out there. It didn't look like that. He sighed heavily and sat on the toilet seat, a dark cloud hovering over him.

Jeonghan found Y/N quickly. She sat outside, away from the smokers, attempting to get some fresh air. He stepped closer until she noticed him standing near her.

“Hi. You’re Y/N, right?”

She looked up, guarded at first, as her brow quirked. 

“Do I know you?”

Jeonghan stepped back, giving her some space. “I'm sorry. I’m Joshua's friend. You probably don't remember me, but we went to the same high school.”

“Oh,” she gave him a small smile. “Sorry, it’s just been kind of crazy tonight. What’s your name again?”

“Jeonghan,” he answered. “Listen, have you seen him? I’ve been looking for him for a while.”

“No, I was just about to go look myself.”

“He can’t be too far off. This house isn’t that big. Wanna help me find him?”

She nodded as he gave her room to walk. Just as Jeonghan turned, something fell from his pocket. Y/N paused, seeing the envelope with her name on it. She picked it up, twirling it between her hands. 

“Jeonghan?”

“Hmm?”

She held up the envelope before his eyes. “Why do you have something with my name on it?”

Oh shit.

Jeonghan shrugged, letting out a scoff. “I didn’t drop that.”

Y/N crossed her hands over her chest, tapping her platform boots on the deck. “Oh really? So this just magically appeared before you?”

“Yep.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep.”

Her eyes narrowed, looking it over. “Well then, it’s no big deal if I open it, right?”

“Yep–wait! No!”

Jeonghan lunged forward, tripping as he tried to grab the letter. Y/N pulled it out of reach with a smug look.

“So obviously, this means a lot to you, but it has my name on it.”

“D-Don’t read it! It’s not mine to give!”

She stared at him, waving it in front of his face. “Then who did?”

Jeonghan dropped his head in defeat. “It was Joshua,” he mumbled.

“What was that?”

“It was Joshua…he wrote it.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly, the envelope felt heavier than usual. Should she open it? Something was always there in the few times she ran into Joshua. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she felt so much at ease in the little time she spent around him. It wasn’t like with her friends. She didn’t need to put on an act.

“Should I open it?”

Jeonghan wiped off the dirt from his costume as he stood up. “Honestly, it’s up to you, but whatever you decide involves you and Josh.”

Biting her lip, she glanced from Jeonghan to the envelope before sliding her finger under the flap. The notebook paper was stained with age, and the creases were deep from constant folding. The black ink was partially smeared on the paper as the words looped along the lines.

Her eyes scanned the words, silently reading them to herself. Jeonghan watched the emotions change on her face with interest. What could she be thinking? Y/N cleared her throat as she folded the paper and placed it in her pocket.

“Excuse me.”

She ran off back inside the house. Jeonghan secretly patted himself on the back.

Joshua, you owe me.

Y/N ran up the stairs, looking for anyone familiar. Towards the end of the hall, a door was propped open. She knocked on it gently, waiting for an answer. When none came, she stepped in to see Joshua leaning against the window, eyes closed. 

“Joshua?”

His eyes fluttered open as his head turned toward his name. His jaw dropped when he saw her standing in front of him.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah. Are you okay?”

“Uh–”

Y/N started to close the door, looking at him with concern. “Are you sure? 

“Wait!”

Y/N jumped in surprise just as the door shut behind her. Joshua tried catching the knob to no avail. Groaning, he leaned against the counter.

Y/N violently shook the doorknob, but the stubborn door did not budge. She gave a few sharp knocks, pausing to listen for any voices.

Nothing.

Joshua shook his head in disappointment. “Told ya.”

“Yeah. Thanks,” she snapped, leaning on the door. 

Joshua scoffed as he stared at her in disbelief. “What’s your deal? It’s not my fault. I tried to warn you about it.” She sat against the sink with a defeated sigh, looking anywhere but at Joshua. But he didn’t warn her.

“So we’re stuck?”

“Yep. I doubt anyone will come this way. The party is loud enough they won’t hear the knocks or us.”

“Lovely,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

He glanced at her curiously. “Not to be rude, but what are you doing here?”

Y/N gave him a stern look. “Duh, looking for you.”

“Why?”

“Well–”

“Felt bad about your boyfriend spilling his drink on me?” 

She could hear the hurt in his voice. “He’s not my boyfriend, Joshua. You know that.”

“Do I? Wasn’t this some ploy to mock me?” His tone was accusatory. 

Y/N’s jaw dropped in shock. “What? No! Why on earth would you think that?”

He shrugged, fiddling with the buttons of his shirt. “I don’t know. People suck.”

“You think I’m like them?”

Joshua met her gaze, seeing the sadness in her eyes. He was projecting, and he knew it. In frustration, he ran his hands through his hair. “No. No, I never thought that. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“It’s okay. I understand. People do suck. Maybe I was like them before, but I don’t wanna be like them anymore.”

He nodded in understanding. “That’s mature of you.”

“Hardly.”

The quiet fell between them, with only the muffled sound of the music in the background. Y/N pulled the letter out of her pocket and opened it up.

“It may sound silly, but nothing else seemed to matter when you walked into my life. I spent so much time wondering how or when I’d speak to you. If I ever shared a space with you, I’d thank the stars for this opportunity.”

Joshua felt the blood drain from his face. She had his letter! How? Why?

“Y/N–”

A small smile appeared on her face as she put the letter away. “You wrote this when we were in high school?”

Instantly, the blood rushed to his face as he tried to hide his expression. “It…embarassing enough as is. I didn’t mean–”

Her lips pressed to his, stopping him midsentence. Joshua’s eyes widened in surprise, and his limbs stiffened. It took a few moments for his brain to catch up when he finally kissed her back, wrapped his hands around her waist, and pulled her close. His heart hammered loudly, and he swore he could hear hers, too. It seemed like hours passed before they broke apart. Y/N blinked a few times, trying to catch her breath.

“I never do that.” does he mean he never would have done that?

“D-Do you regret it?”

She shook her head with a laugh. “No. No, I don’t. You’re a great kisser.”

“As are you,” he answered with a smile.

“Joshua–”

The door to the bathroom crashed open, breaking them apart. Jeonghan, Seungcheol, and Mingyu stood in the doorway in shock. 

“Thank goodness Woozi said where you were.”

Mingyu stepped forward with a snarl, pointing at them.

“So what's this?”

Y/N let out an exasperated sigh. “What are you talking about, Mingyu?”

“You two together?”

“Why do you care? We’re not, so anything I do has nothing to do with you.”

His jaw clenched as he stepped towards her. Joshua pushed himself between them as Mingyu stared hard at him.

“Bambi, move.”

“Don’t call me that, Mingyu. You’re being an ass. Stop while you’re still ahead.”

Mingyu shoved Joshua, who staggered back. Y/N grabbed Mingyu’s arm. “What is wrong with you?! Have you lost your mind?”

Mingyu yanked his arm away as Y/N was pushed back. Jeonghan and Seungcheol tried to grab Mingyu when Joshua swung, his fist connecting with his cheek with a dull thud. Mingyu fell against Seungcheol with a groan. Jeonghan looked at each man in surprise. 

“Shit. Nice job, Joshua.”

He hissed, shaking his fist, and pushed past the group, walking away. Y/N placed her hand on Jeonghan’s arm. “I’ll go.”

It didn’t take long for her to catch up with him.

“Joshua,” she called.

He stopped walking and turned towards her. Looking down at the ground, he sighed. “Sorry. I just needed to get out of there. Are you okay?”

“I’m not glass. I’m pretty tough,” she answered with a smile.

He laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t doubt it.”

Y/N paused before speaking. “I like you, Joshua, before the letter. I was just too scared to say something,” she explained.

“And now?”

Y/N felt the warmth crept into her cheeks. “I think my kiss was proof enough.”

He took her hand into his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I think we deserve to get ourselves some breakfast. What do you think?”

Y/N stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. A grin appeared on her face. “Only if you’re treating.”

He chuckled, placing another soft kiss on her lips. “Deal.”

[sinclairstarz]

for the cinephile byler truthers. i made the party’s modern au letterboxd accounts

in my head mike wheeler is the film bro cinephile of the party. hes a big brad pitt fan and fincher is his favorite director if you even care.. dirty dancing would be in his top 4 if he was honest. he went to see dune cause hes a scifi nerd, ended up hating it so much and complained about it to will but still gave it 2 stars cause it was pretty. did leave a very mean review. very critical rater but mostly leaves high ratings because he just doesn’t watch things he doesnt wanna see.

alternative movies i considered putting: pulp fiction (5 stars), the killer (1 star), se7en (5 stars), across the spiderverse (5 stars), nope (5 stars) , the batman 2022 (4 stars), once upon a time in hollywood (5 stars), inglorious basterds (5 stars), the matrix (half a star)

the thing is so good and he has a poster of it on his wall in canon so it felt right. it just feels wrong not to do ghostbusters (plus its one of my favorite movies…) and yall need to hear me out on brokeback 😭😭😭 ur telling me he wouldnt bawl his eyes out??? ur wrong. will byers is a jake gyllenhaal lover. he watches dirty dancing a lot for mike, and loves ghibli movies a lot. he cried during rain man. honest rater but doesnt take it too seriously, mostly 4/5 star ratings

alternatives: saltburn (half a star), asteroid city (5 stars), blackkklansman (5 stars), the force awakens (3.5 stars), the perks of being a wallflower (4.5 stars), back to the future (5 stars)

rogue one because lucas has taste. its the best star wars movie, if u care. he would love how fun and goofy ghostbusters 2 is. in my head Wes Anderson is like the party’s claimed director and they all watch his movies together and do marathons because the weirdness, comedy, and emotional commentary is a perfect mix for them. so. bottle rocket. lucas’ favorite wes anderson is the grand budapest hotel if u wanted to know. he rates things pretty highly and isn’t super critical.

alternatives: dodgeball (5 stars), scream 5 (4 stars), the matrix (3 stars), good will hunting (5 stars), jurassic park (5 stars), die hard (5 stars),

likes making lucas watch gone girl on valentines day and telling him shes gonna do that to him next time he annoys her. v for vendetta is her favorite romance movie and shes a big marvel fan (in a cool way. kind of .) but thor ragnarok is probably one of her fav marvels, along with spiderman far from home and iron man. i just know she watches Casino Royale and decided she hated James Bond and then ended up watching all the Daniel Craig Bonds with Mike and loved Skyfall so much. the song is on her playlist and she did cry after No Time To Die.

Alternatives: Superbad (5 stars), baby driver (5 stars), bottoms (5 stars), 10 things i hate about you (3.5 stars), scream (5 stars), kill bill (5 stars), lord of the rings: the return of the king (1.5 stars)

also a bit of a film nerd. i considered giving him a star wars and i know in my heart he’d probably have empire somewhere in his top 4. but star wars is lame and i wanted to give him se7en so he fucking gets se7en. he knows john wick is objectively dumb but he doesnt care hes just here for a good time. the party probably watched saltburn together and all fucking hated it. I just know hes a kurosawa nerd and always goes when the local theatres do very rare special showings of his movies.

alternatives: baby driver (4 stars), the ewok adventure (5 stars) hot fuzz (5 stars) harry potter and the sorcerers stone (4 stars) legally blonde (5 stars) spirited away (5 stars) dazed and confused (5 stars)

she likes movies that make her feel all warm and fuzzy and hopeful. i wanted to give her breakfast club, but i think she’d honestly like sixteen candles more (even though breakfast club’s better). she cried at almost every movie in her top 4 and makes max rewatch juno with her like once a month. she gives most movies 5 stars unless she really hates them, and loves any movie thats fun to watch, even if its bad. she likes movies with pretty girls and fun colors.

alternatives: barbie (5 stars), legally blonde (5 stars), inception (2 stars), heathers (5 stars) pretty in pink (4.5 stars (she was mad andi didn’t end up with ducky)) my neighbor totoro (5 stars)

in conclusion if you haven’t seen They Cloned Tyron (2023) go watch it it deserved the oscar

[oh-no-its-bird]

5 and 28 for the ask game!

From [THIS] ask game

5. What’s something you learned while researching a fic?

I learned a bit about Japanese winter coats with my last chapter of Here Before and After Me! Specifically I learned the names for a hanten and a happi coat. It's a small thing, but I still think it's neat

28. What's the angstiest idea you've ever come up with?

oh man this is a good question actually, I have no idea how to answer it bc I've come up with a LOT of angsty ideas. Are we talking fanfiction only or including oc things?

If it's fanfiction things I will hesitantly elect uhhhhhhhhhh. Kid Kakashi losing his teeth for the first time and not knowing what's happening because he's only 6 and his father never explained this to him, so he thinks he's dying. Honestly I've probably thought of and written worse but that's just what comes to mind rn

If it's oc things, I'll say it has to be the very convoluted plot between me @gravesidepickup and @thatglassofwater that involves Albatross, the son of the sea god falling into an enchanted sleep.

An up and coming wannabe god, The Smiling Man, comes along and takes advantage of his sleep to puppet his body around with some sort of mind control spell that he can't defend against due to, yk, being asleep. Gaining himself one of the worlds scariest and strongest attack dogs <3 (and also instantly making himself an enemy of literally every single other major god, who all had some sort of relationship to Albatross)

During Albatross' tenure as The Smiling Man's attack dog, he's made to regularly fight (and kill) the children he once helped grow up as an older brother figure-- both of the kids now grown and working as semi-immortal god killers, who no longer remember Albatross and are hunting him down in their quest to kill the Smiling Man.

Ultimately though, Albatross, still completely unaware of everything happening around him, is made to kill his own best friend, Altair, the son of the star goddess. Who was on his own quest to find his missing boyfriend, Kichi (who, unknown to him, was stuck traveling in-between worlds constantly 5 feet behind him through all of his travels)

Pax, the daughter of the chaos god and also the best friends to Albatross and Altair and final member of their little demigod trio, also arrives just in time to try and beg Albatross to wake up and stop as he moves in to kill Altair.

With Altair having also been the anchor for what was keeping Kichi locked in place between worlds, as he died his boyfriend was finally released from his endless walk-- the two of them finally meeting eyes, Altair finally having found his boyfriend, only to die on his own friends blade

The end !!

I drew a comic for it and cried uncontrollably while drawing it and everything. SO many tissues were used that night. I can't listen to a specific song without getting worked up about them again

Honestly just all of that mess was fucking angst gold. If I'm here anyways then yk what, take some art from that general plotline

+ Childhood

RIP Albatross, bro is gonna have THE worst fucking time when he finally wakes up and is told of all the crimes he's apparently been committing in his sleep.

[fiona-fififi]

911 Tag Game

Tagged by @transboybuckley. Thank you for the tag! (Also, I just found this in my drafts, sorry for the delay!)

Rules: answer your opinion on these nine topics, then tag nine other people to give their opinion as well

—

Favorite Character: This changes by the minute sometimes, but I think probably Eddie. I actually think he's the character who's shown the most complexity and development. He regresses a bit sometimes, but he has shown incredible growth and put in conscious effort to better himself for Christopher. I know a lot of people feel he's going in circles, but I don't actually agree with that at all. He's not charging ahead in a perfect linear movement forward, but he has made regular progress, been knocked down, and then taken steps to get better over and over again. I am a touch frustrated with the way the current season has handled him, but the current season has been a shitshow across the board when it comes to forward movement and development of storylines and characters, so I don't think it's fair to say he hasn't put in any work (which seems to be the argument I see people making most often lately).

Character you resonate with the most: Probably Buck. A lot of similar self worth and abandonment issues over here.

Favorite Episode: This one's tough. I think it's a toss-up between "Sink or Swim"/"The Searchers" (which I'm counting as one) and "Eddie Begins." Most days, "Eddie Begins" would probably edge out the other two simply in terms of re-watchability for me, because the tsunami arc is a little more emotionally draining, but the tsunami arc really just is a thing of beauty, start to finish, for every single character.

Hottest Take: Maddie and Eddie would NOT be friends. They do not get along. He is just her annoying little brother's best friend, and if they are in the same room together, you can bet she's gonna have to scold him for some shit. That man drives her up the wall. She'd trust him with her life, but she does NOT want him in her house.

Favorite Lone Star Character: Paul

Favorite Ship: Buddie

Most Underrated Character: Linda Bates. I want Linda on my screen always.

Most Underrated Ship: Hen/Maddie. I don't think it actually exists anywhere in fandom, but I crave it, to be honest.

One thing you'd love to see: Honestly, I just want the show to find some kind of balance again. I want smaller, more intimate, more thought out storylines that thematically connect the characters and the emergencies again. I want them to stop trying to shoehorn in random characters they never properly develop, and I want them to stop creating cartoon villains for every damn thing. I'd also love to see them actually deal with sensitive topics again, instead of leaning so far into the comic relief that it takes away from any nuanced development. Really, I miss the tone of seasons 1-5, and I would really like to see the team and the storytelling fit together again.

Tagging (no pressure, of course!): @freewayshark @spotsandsocks @daffi-990 @lemmeaskthedevil @lookforanewangle @dr-shortsighted-owl @theladyyavilee @untherapized-eddie and anyone else who wants to participate

[alexandraisyes]

Rate all TSAMS characters

OH GOD YEAH SURE WHY THE FUCK NOT

Many many more under the cut - also these are just my opinions

Sun: 4 Stars - Pisses me off sometimes but one of my favorites

Moon: 2 Stars - Pisses me off a lot

Nexus: 3 Stars - I don't like what they're doing with him

Monty: 0 Stars - Can die in a trash fire

OG Computer: 1 Star - Assholes to Sun for no reason

Spaniard: 5 Stars - Sweetheart and still sardonic

Eclipse (Original): 5 Stars - Tragic Villain

Eclipse (Back Up): 4 Stars - Killed before a cool arc

Eclipse (Copy): 5 Stars - Angry wet cat

Lunar: 2 Stars - Liked him more when he was honest

Bloodmoon: 5 Stars - Fun and loveable

Bloodmoon (Copy): 3 Stars - They botched his fucking character

Killcode: 5 Stars - They could never make me hate you

Solar Flare: 5 Stars - It's Solar Flare

Earth: 3 Stars - Great, amazing complex female character, but she loses two stars for dating Monty

Ruin: 5 Stars - You'll be back

Jack: 2 Stars - I loved him until I realized we were supposed to consider him to be like a little kid and I don't approve with the ethics of that considering some of the jokes they make with him and the fact that he is literally still a murder machine meant to murder things

Dazzle: 5 Stars - Baby

The Creator: 3 Stars - Obnoxious but consistent

Trashcan Man: 5 Stars - I hope he signed a prenup for the divorce

Gemini: 4 Stars - I feel like there was a lot of missed potential but I like the design so I'll give it a pass

Nebula: 2 Stars - I literally don't know her

Frank: 5 Stars - It's Frank

Francis: 4 Stars - He's like a little puppy dog I love him

Puppet: 5 Stars - If she did something wrong no she didn't

Foxy: 4 Stars - Was eh at first but really like him now

FC: 5 Stars - Baby boy lemme squish ur little paws and protect you and give you a cookie ur so innocent and sweet and ough my hormones

Miku: 4 Stars - I personally think she's funny

Stitch Wraith: 2 Stars - Eh

Golden Freddy: 4 Stars - Lost a star for violating a pumpkin

AU Rating

Solar (Nice Eclipse): 4 Stars - Great guy, but always felt a little bit standoffish and manipulative and honestly he gets a pass because it's a trauma response, someone get this guy a cookie

Helios (Dark Sun): 5 Stars - They could never make me hate you

Nyx (Evil Lunar): 5 Stars - Gonna keep him in my basement

Gaia (Evil Earth): 4 Stars - She fucking scares me bro

Crescent (Solar's Moon): 2 Stars - For being an asshole

Kronos (Lord Eclipse): 5 Stars - Yes

Crius (Servant Sun): 5 Stars - Also yes

Styx (Lord Lunar): 5 Stars - Yes again

Moros (Servant Eclipse): 5 Stars - Solar Flare levels of devotion

Solstice (Swap Eclipse): 4 Stars - Probably an asshole but I love him

Selene (Swap Lunar): 4 Stars - See above

Sobek (Evil Monty): 0 Stars - Fuck him in a bad way

Icarus (Star Holder Freddy): 5 Stars - Baby, must protect

Ammit (Mage/Lord Monty): 4 Stars - I actually kinda love him?

Eos (Lonely Sun): 5 Stars - Ough lemme kiss it better for you sweetie Imma take u from the plex and give u a hug

Khonsu (Feral Moon): 5 Stars - Because we love a feral wet cat

Ronty (Ruined Monty): 5 Stars - He loved his girlfriend

Năo (Ruin's Creator): 4 Stars - Interesting Villain

Character's We Never Officially Met

Angel (Solar's Sun): 5 Stars - Baby

Apollo (Ruin's Sun): 4 Stars - Probably morally grey in a bad way

Artemis (Ruin's Moon): 4 Stars - Same as Apollo

Space (Swap Earth): 5 Stars - They could never make me hate you

Dawn (Swap Sun): 5 Stars - I can fix him

Equinox (Swap Moon): 5 Stars - I can make him worse

Cora (Swap Flare): 5 Stars - It's a solar flare

Hunter Moon (Swap BM): 5 Stars - Dadcode but bm. . .

Sentry (Swap KC): 5 Stars - Probably such a little shit I love him

[rdng1230]

9-1-1 Tag Game

I was tagged by @until-i-set-him-free

Rules: answer your opinion on these nine topics, then tag nine other people to give their opinion as well

Favorite Character: Damn, I know I'm the Sal girly around here but my favorite character is actually Eli. I love his mixture of Jiminy cricket and fairy godmother. And there's a heaviness to his soul that makes you immediately understand that every lesson he has to impart was very very hard learned. I also admire the hell out of May. (but also Sal and Tommy obvi)

Character You Relate to the Most: I think I relate to a lot of them in different ways. May is only a year younger than me so I definitely relate to her sense of wanting to fix the world and to not accept a shitty status quo. I'm an info dumper/deep diver like Buck, actually I make him look like a walk in the park lol. Chim and I have really similar senses of humor too. Oh and Sal's stubbornness for SURE.

Favorite Episode: I love a bunch of them for different reasons. Chim Begins is high up there. I miss the ones with thematic consistency, Rage is a favorite. The factory fire scene in Buck Begins always gets me.

Hottest Take: oooooooh y'all not gonna like this one. imo Bobby and Athena have diametrically opposed world views and attachment styles, and I feel like their marriage has fallen into a pattern of "lets just put them in peril so we never have to deal with the super major incompatibilities they have." And I haaaaaaate that because you have two fucking stellar actors who could EAT UP that material should the writers ever stop eating around the edges of all that.

Favorite Lone Star Character: I'm nowhere near up to date and I know things are a bit fucked with the actress not coming back for season 5, but I love Judd and Grace, their love is so intentional and based in these really strong mutual values. I love what they bring out in each other and in the world around them. Oh also Marjan because I have never been able to resist a hot civil disobedience doin' Roller Derby girl a day in my life.

Favorite Ship: Saltommy, Bucktommy, and whatever Grace and Judd's ship name is.

Most Underrated Character: Eli. I'm still so mad he wasn't at the madney wedding. (and his wife Molly, who they never even bothered to show on screen but you just know she's freaking awesome)

Most Underrated Ship: honestly, the answer would be saltommy but I have gathered so many of us together I forget normal people aren't obsessed with them. Honestly? I think the answer is Eli and Molly because we never got to see them. I just know their relationship would be so fucking amazing. I'd love to read people's versions of them!!!!

One Thing You’d Love to See: Well, more saltommy'ers of course, but also more peace in general for the fandom. There's enough sand and toys in the sandbox for everybody;)

NP tagging and apologies if y'all were tagged already: @racerchix21 @cliophilyra @nine-one-wanton @judymarch15 @sunnywithachanceofbi

@thepinkcrayon @loopsenjoyer @gaybonesforivy @jamieroyjamieroy

[armandyke]

Queer horror abound in this lot of reviews, for better or worse.

41) The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (DNF)

This is not a bad book, and I cannot stress that enough. I actually enjoyed the bits I read, but for some reason I just couldn’t stick with it. I started reading this book months earlier, then put it down and read several other books, then picked it up and read a couple of chapters, then put it down and read several other books. 

I will say that it was very slow, and I don’t think that’s just because I was taking month long breaks in between chapters. I was about 30% into this book when I stopped reading and I’m pretty sure the main plot had only just started to play out. I liked the writing style and the story seemed interesting, it just wasn’t for me. 

42) Wranglestone by Darren Charlton (3.5⭐)

Excuse me, I’m a horror reader, how dare you give me adorable tenderness. 

I actually really loved this. Sure, I would have liked a bit more gore from my zombies but hey, it’s YA so let’s not traumatise the kids. The story follows Peter, who has spent his entire life living in a tiny isolated community in the middle of a lake, in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. As you do. 

The horror kind of takes a backseat in this one, it’s more of a coming of age story about Peter facing pressure from his peers to “become a man”, dealing with his crush (yes, it’s gay), and discovering that not everything he’s been brought up to believe is necessarily true. I really loved it, and honestly I didn’t even realise it was YA until I went hunting for the sequel. Yes, I kind of knew how the plot was gonna pan out, but the journey was fun and there were still some genuinely tense moments. If you’re looking for tenderness and also gross zombies, check this one out. 

43) Piñata by Leopoldo Gout (4⭐)

This is your classic “for the love of God leave that ancient religious site alone, you’re gonna get haunted!” horror story. Set partly in Mexico and partly in New York, the story follows Carmen, a single mother of two daughters who moves back to her hometown in Mexico to oversee a restoration project, transforming an old abbey with a very bloody history into a hotel, because of course. Naturally, things quickly go awry, and Carmen is forced to step down from the project and return back home, only to find that whatever they uncovered in Mexico has followed her and her daughters. 

What I really loved about this book was how much history and Mexican folklore was weaved into the story. Even though the foundation is a classic horror trope, it felt incredibly original. The pacing felt slow at times, and after the initial impact of the prologue it seemed to take a while to really get going again, but overall a great read. 

44) Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca (1⭐)

Jesus fucking Christ, dude. Unless you get off on reading graphic descriptions of rape with absolutely no bearing on any plot, and which subsequently get retconned anyway, don’t bother with this. If this book was on fire I wouldn’t piss on it.

45) Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle (5⭐)

Chuck Tingle you beautiful genius. This man has the ability to take the most bonkers concepts and somehow make them feel real (if you haven’t read Camp Damascus, you should). 

This book follows Misha, a Hollywood script writer who is haunted by his past both physically and metaphorically. Heading into the next season of his most successful show, his producers give him an ultimatum: either cut the scripted gay kiss between his two protagonists, or kill one of them. Misha refuses, and quickly finds himself being stalked and threatened by characters from his previous scripts. 

If you think you know where this story is going, you don’t. I had no idea what was going to happen from one chapter to the next, but, somehow, it works. It’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, it’s relatable, it’s terrifying. Was it better than Camp Damascus? No. But they both got five stars. 

46) The Ghost Woods by C.J Cooke (4.5⭐)

If I had a nickel for every time I read a queer book about fungus, I would have three nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened three times. 

This is my second C.J Cooke book. I read the Lighthouse Witches last year and loved it, but I loved this one even more. The story follows the timelines of two women staying at a mother and baby home until they give birth. The owners of the house are strange and distant, the workers seem to be keeping secrets, and there’s something weird going on with the woods behind the house. 

It’s creepy and gothic and yummy, but what I’m coming to enjoy about this author’s writing is her ability to weave heavy subject matter into her stories in a way that doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the plot, but doesn’t get brushed aside either. She clearly takes a lot of care with her subject matter and it shows. Again, I won’t list the specific triggers in this review because it’s a reveal that comes quite late in the book, but if you do have certain things you need to avoid I would recommend looking up a list of warnings before you go into this one. 

47) Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (3.5⭐)

I read this for a book club and being so real I don’t remember much about it. It’s a sci fi thriller about the multiverse theory and it was okay. I do remember thinking that if I was in the protagonist’s situation I would have gotten everything done a lot more easily and efficiently, and that it started to annoy me a little how despite inventing a multiverse portal, he seemed to be kind of an idiot. 

48) Alice by Christina Henry (1⭐)

I don’t even know how to begin explaining what a mess this was. I sent a 20 minute voice note to my friend immediately after reading it, and even then I struggled to summarise what the hell I’d just read. 

It was bad. 

My god it was bad. 

And yet somehow it was still better than Good Girls Don’t Die.

49) The House of a Hundred Whispers by Graham Masterton (3.5⭐)

Trigger warning upfront for a pretty graphic rape scene in this one that I don’t really think was needed or added anything to the plot. It dropped a star for that. 

Besides that this was a pretty standard Graham Masterton horror. I’ve read a few of his books now and while they generally follow a similar formula, I still enjoy them and continue to buy them. In this case the plot revolves around a house that has been left for a trio of siblings to take care of after the death of their father, but when they arrive people start to go missing and there are strange noises all around the house. 

I will say this was quite a fun twist on a haunted house. I won’t spoil things any more than that but even though it followed the usual haunted house formula I think the reveal and the explanation for what was happening was quite unique. 

50) All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes (4.5⭐)

As I’ve mentioned before, one thing about me is that I love when people are stranded in an isolated snowy setting, and things begin to go very badly wrong. 

This book has it all: strangely abandoned arctic research facility, slow descents into madness, botch job amputations, manifestations of grief and guilt, men having sex with each other in secret, AND the main character is trans. What more could a girl ask for? Well, obviously, cannibalism, which sadly we don’t get. The story follows Jonathan, who joins an arctic expedition after the death of his two brothers in the war. It’s a chance to honour their memory as well as a chance for the ultimate gender affirmation: spending months living in cramped, intimate conditions with other men. Naturally things go wrong and they end up stranded in the desolate wasteland of the arctic, and naturally something supernatural is afoot. My only gripe with this book was that we spent a lot of time following the initial journey, which then meant less time to spend seeing the supernatural events unfold. Other than that, I have no notes.