#i actually dunno why i forgot to post it here but here we go

[kogglyuffs]

la solitude

[syuga-s]

i made my fiancés tinder profile

w.c. 8.5k pairing. non-idol!jeon jungkook x fem!reader genre. cute and angsty friends to lovers <333 a/n. idk guys i wrote this like a month ago but I JUST GOT THE ENERGY TO POST IT so i apologize in advance if you find mistakes here and there, ALSO i made the playlist that inspired me to make this fic so i'll just leave it here if you want to give it a listen or save it don't look at my other playlists tho they're a mess 🦦

You always thought you were pretty good at giving dating advice. It’s easier when you’re not the one doing the dating, right? That’s how it all started with Jungkook. You two were chilling at your apartment one lazy Sunday afternoon when you suddenly blurted out, “Why are you still single, Jungkook? You’re amazing, good-looking, and fun. You should at least be on like three different dating apps.”

He laughed, running a hand through his hair in that effortlessly cool way he always did. “Dunno' just haven’t found the right person,” he said with a smile that made you heart do a weird little flip. “I don’t think I’m good at dating, haha.”

“You’re ridiculous,” you shot back, sitting up. “Let's make you an account. We’ll get you some matches in no time.”

He hesitated for a second, then shrugged. “Sure, let's do it.”

And that’s how you ended up setting up his profile, not realizing that this would be the beginning of the end of your denial and the start of a love story you never saw coming.

You grabbed his phone and he settled onto the couch next to you. “Okay, first things first. We need some killer photos. Let’s start with your main picture.”

You opened the camera app. You sat there, looking at his phone for a minute before he let out a loud laugh.

You looked up. “What is it?"

He grinned, pointing at something behind you. "It's just Tae taking a picture of us setting up a dating profile," Jungkook said, chuckling.

You turned around to see Taehyung standing in the doorway, holding his phone up with a huge grin on his face. "Don't mind me," Taehyung sang out, winking at the two of you. "Just capturing this for posterity."

Tae showed Jungkook the picture and a fit of laughter erupted again, now from the two of them. "Your face! You look so focused and super serious right now."

Rolling your eyes, you lightly smacked his arm. "This is serious business! We need to find the perfect picture to reel in all the potential matches."

Then you started browsing through his photo gallery to curate the most attractive selection of pictures.

There you had him on the gym doing weights, him on his boxing gear, with his dogs, him doing the dishes with a strangely tight black shirt, a few selfies on his car, with his motorcycle. You could sell a whole album with his photos, how on earth would you do him justice and only choose 10 of them?

"Why is this so hard?"

Jungkook chuckled. "Because you're not choosing photos for a profile, you're trying to find a reason to stare at me and my body for too long."

"Boy, I'm trying to help you here, and if I'm gonna do it, I might as well do this like a professional matchmaker." You retorted.

His eyebrows furrowed. "When have you ever paired someone up?"

You smiled smugly. "That's none of your business, Jeon."

"It is, actually, since you're helping me with this thing."

"Fine, if you must know, I hooked up one my friend's older sister with my college roommate."

"Really? How did that go?" He asked, curious.

"Pretty well, they've been together for a couple years now." You answered, still going through his photos.

"Wasn't your college roommate that guy with the blue hair?" He asked, his tone changing slightly.

"Uh-huh, why?"

"Wasn't he the guy you were dating during our third year?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"How can you forget about him?" He sounded annoyed. "You spent an entire week crying in my bed because he broke up with you."

"Oh my god, did I? I don't recall." You were playing dumb, of course you remembered but there was no need to talk about that. "What do you think of this one?" It was a shirtless picture, point blank.

"I think you look kinda slutty but everyone's gonna eat it up, you'll get a date in no time." You continued.

"I am not posting a shirtless picture, are you crazy?" He snatched the phone from your hand.

"Well, it's not like we're gonna sell the damn picture, it's just your torso and the picture is really nice, you look good, I don't know why you're making such a fuss."

He didn't say anything, just looked at you.

"What? I'm complimenting you, it's the truth." You rolled your eyes.

"Okay, thank you." He was blushing.

"Are you blushing?" You asked, amused.

"No, it's just really hot in here." He took off his hoodie, throwing it somewhere in your living room.

You didn't even realize how close he was sitting next to you. It wasn't like it was the first time he'd been on your couch, but something felt different today. It was strange.

All the photos that you chose showcased different aspects of Jungkook's personality. Each photo told a story about him - his love for his dogs, his passion for staying active, his playful side with silly selfies. As you scrolled through his gallery, you couldn't help but notice the genuine smile on his face in many of the pictures, a smile that seemed to light up the whole world.

After him putting up a fight on choosing his favorite photos of him, next you had to write him something for his bio.

Jungkook leaned in closer to read over your shoulder.

"This is stupid, what do you want me to write? My name, my age, my occupation?" He was whining.

"Yes, those things obviously, but also things like, I don't know a joke or something to sum up your personality. I want them to know you're fun and cute, mind-blowingly good at everything, something along those lines."

"I am mind-blowingly good at everything." He said, his tone confident.

You rolled your eyes.

"So let's say, what if I write 'shit i'd date the hell out of me', you like it?" You asked him with a smile.

He laughed. "I do, I really do."

"Okay, it's settled." You wrote down the phrase, and a bunch of things about him.

"Now we just have to add something that will hook them up."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, just be honest. Just, don't write that you're looking for a girl to have sex with."

"But I am looking for a girl to have sex with." Blank expression on his face.

"You are so dumb sometimes." You threw a pillow at his face.

He caught it mid-air. "God, you know I'm not look— this was YOUR IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE!" He yelled, trying to defend himself.

"Yeah, but, just write something that will make you look not like a manwhore."

He thought for a moment. "I know, I got it."

"Okay, shoot."

"I'm a manwhore." He had the brightest smile.

"Oh, for the love of..." You couldn't help but laugh at his antics. "Alright, fine. If that's what you want to go with, who am I to stop you?"

You two were done, and he was already getting notifications.

"Woah, that was... surprisingly fast." He was surprised, and you were proud of yourself.

"Of course, you're hot and cute. We don't see your type in dating apps very often."

He gave you a weird look, you couldn't quite figure out. "Thanks?"

"No worries, I'm sure you'll find someone in no time." You patted him on the back as you were getting up and ready to go to the kitchen and make some dinner. "See who you like and I'll help you on how to ask them on a date."

"Okay." He smiled.

"What are you smiling at? Are you looking at them already?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to see which one of these girls will be our first victim."

"Don't call them victims." You laughed.

The truth is that Jungkook only agreed to this because he loves spending time with you.

As you busied yourself in the kitchen, Jungkook couldn't shake the warmth spreading through his chest. He scrolled through the notifications on his phone, half-heartedly swiping left and right. His mind wasn't on finding a date; it was on you.

He couldn't believe he agreed to this. Making a profile on Tinder just to humor the best friend he was in love with, seemed harmless at first, but now, seeing the app light up with potential matches, he felt burdened. He wasn't here to date. He was here because he wanted to be closer to you, even if it meant pretending to search for someone else.

Each time a new message popped up, he found himself wondering if you'd approve. Would you laugh at the cheesy pickup lines together? Would you help him craft witty responses? He realized he didn't care about meeting any of these girls; he only cared about spending time with you.

But as much as he tried to focus on the dating app in front of him, his thoughts kept drifting back to you. To the way you laughed and teased him, to the way you always seemed to know what he needed even when he didn't realize it himself. Jungkook found himself longing for something he couldn't quite name, a feeling that stirred deep within him whenever he was near you.

He sighed, setting his phone down on the coffee table as he leaned back on the couch because he didn't bother looking through any of the profiles. Instead he made his way to the kitchen, where you were standing over a pot, stirring absentmindedly.

He stepped up behind you, watching as you stirred. His chest was warm, and he had a strange urge to wrap his arms around you and nuzzle his nose into your neck.

"Hey," he said, his voice soft.

You turned your head slightly, not looking at him but smiling. "Hey."

Jungkook took a step closer, placing his hand over yours. "Let me help," he said.

You handed him the wooden spoon, your fingers brushing against his in the exchange. He stirred the pot gently, mirroring the way he wanted to handle your heart. Neither of you spoke, the only sound filling the room was the clinking of utensils against the pot.

"You okay there?" Your voice broke through his daydreaming.

He answered you softly while running a hand through his hair nervously. "Yeah, just... thinking."

As the aroma of the dish wafted through the air, you felt his warmth seeping into you, comforting and familiar. You couldn't ignore the heavy tension that hung between you, thick like a fog.

He cleared his throat, breaking the spell. "So... what do we do now?" His voice was low, almost a whisper.

You turned around to face him, his eyes searching yours for answers neither of you dared to voice. "We eat dummy," you said with a laugh.

You and Jungkook sat down for dinner, the tension from earlier still lingering between you. As you ate, you caught each other stealing glances when the other wasn't looking.

"So...have you looked at any of the matches yet?" you asked, trying to break the silence.

Jungkook shifted in his seat. "A few, but no one really caught my eye," he said evasively.

You nodded, poking at your food. "Well if you see anyone you like, let me know. I want to help."

"Thanks, I will," Jungkook said with a small smile.

You returned the smile weakly, a pang in your chest at the thought of Jungkook dating someone else. You had pushed the feelings down for so long, not wanting to jeopardize your friendship. But your dumb decision of making him a dating profile forced you to confront how you really felt.

After you finished eating together, Jungkook helped you with the dishes. You dried off your hands, and he was ready to leave. Almost as if he was on a rush.

"Thanks for making dinner," he said with a smile.

You nodded. "Of course, you know I love having you over."

You stood at the door awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Jungkook cleared his throat. "I'll text you," he said.

You gave him a thumbs-up, your voice coming out more high-pitched than normal. "Yeah, cool. See ya later."

He chuckled and leaned down to give you a hug. You wrapped your arms around him, breathing in his scent. You held him a little longer than necessary, wanting to memorize the feeling of his arms enveloping you.

Jungkook's hand lingered on your shoulder as he pulled away.

"Goodnight," he said softly, his thumb brushing against your cheek before he turned to leave. You watched him go, feeling a mix of emotions swirling inside you. As the door closed behind him, you leaned against it, aching with the realization that you might have just pushed away the one person who meant more to you than just a friend.

If only you had the courage to do something.

The following week, you found yourself cleaning your house, the mess had piled up and you had a bunch of your clothes all over the place and that's when you found Jungkook's hoodie from last week. It had fallen between your couch and the wall, so you pulled it out with a considerable amount of force. That's when his iPod fell to the ground.

He still uses this thing? The corners of your mouth turned up involuntarily as you recalled teasing him about the ancient device.

You were surprised, most people uses their phones, or maybe he still has this thing because it was a present from you. If you hadn't seen it you wouldn't have remembered that you had given him this iPod for Christmas like 7 years ago.

You took the device in your hand and turned it on. You figured it would be nice to hear his playlists while you kept cleaning.

You should have just connected it and played it on shuffle. But I guess humans are very nosey creatures. Creatures who love to go through someone else's things, just to see another hidden side of said person.

So, like any other normal human being, you opened his lists, and started to go through them.

"Golden mix", "Euphoria", "OST's". Those were pretty standard. "Lonely nights" a bit of a stretch, "Best of the 00s", "Dance party" and "Songs to sing along". Fork found in kitchen. And there was one more playlist that caught your attention.

Simply labeled with— "Your name."

Your heart started beating faster. What is this?

You opened the playlist and you were welcomed by a list of what it seemed like... love songs.

The first one was "Best Friend". You didn't know what to think. Why did he have a playlist with songs like "Kiss me" by Matt Maltese, "Mountains" by Charlotte Day Wilson, "Making Time" by Rex Orange County. All love songs.

Then it hit you. He's in love.

You started panicking. Your heart racing with thoughts you couldn't ignore any longer. The playlist named after you echoed in your mind.

You couldn't believe it. Jungkook, your best friend, the one who always seemed so casual and carefree, had a playlist dedicated to you filled with love songs. Your mind raced as you tried to process this new information. Was it possible that he felt the same way you did? That the tension between you wasn't one-sided after all?

You sat down on the couch, still holding his iPod in your hands. The weight of it felt heavier now, as if it held all the unspoken words and emotions that had been swirling between you and Jungkook. You couldn't bring yourself to put it down; instead, you scrolled through the playlist again, each song title tugging at your heartstrings.

A sense of warmth washed over you, mingled with fear and uncertainty. What should you do now? Should you confront Jungkook about the playlist, lay all your cards on the table and risk changing everything between you? Or should you keep quiet, pretend you never stumbled upon this precious list?

You knew there was something going on, you weren't stupid. But you couldn't bring yourself to accept the possibility that the guy you love, might like you back. It's easier to pretend like nothing is happening. You have built this whole imaginary life with him in your head, but not once did you consider that it might be a two-way street.

"I already said I'm in love with you Can't you hear me? Why do you act like you don't? You know well the spark in my eyes when I look at you Can't you see it? Why do you act like you don't?"

You had been listening to the song on repeat for an hour. It was stuck in your head. Your heart was aching.

The reality was finally sinking in.

"He's in love with me," you whispered to yourself, the realization hitting you like a tidal wave. It explained so much—his kindness, his attentiveness, even his willingness to go along with making a stupid profile for a stupid dating app. But you had built walls around your heart, afraid to acknowledge the possibility that your feelings were reciprocated.

You felt a surge of emotions, a mix of joy and fear swirling inside you. Jungkook's unspoken confession through his playlist left you feeling exposed and vulnerable, yet strangely hopeful.

"Falling" played softly through the speakers, its lyrics painting a picture of longing and uncertainty. It mirrored your own inner turmoil, the battle between fear and listening to your heart for once.

You had spent so long convincing yourself that this was just a friendship, that any romantic thoughts were one-sided. Now, faced with the truth, you didn't know what to do next. Should you tell Jungkook? Should you pretend you never saw the playlist?

Your mind raced with questions, but deep down, you knew you couldn't ignore this any longer. Jungkook's feelings were out in the open, laid bare through these songs that said a lot about his emotions.

Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and let the music wash over you. Each melody, each lyric felt like a confession, a plea for you to see what had been in front of you all along.

"I already said I'm in love with you," the lyrics repeated in your mind, echoing the words you longed to hear from Jungkook himself.

The weight of the situation settled over you. You constructed the exact same playlist on your own phone, replaying it endlessly, searching for answers in the same songs he had chosen. It became a ritual, a way to understand what Jungkook hadn't yet said aloud. Each track felt like a message, a confession hidden in plain sight.

As days passed, the playlist became a lifeline, a connection to Jungkook that transcended words. You wondered if he knew the impact his secret gesture had on you, if he realized how deeply you analyzed each song, each lyric, each subtle hint of affection.

It was as if the playlist had become a conversation between your hearts, a silent dialogue that spoke volumes about your unspoken emotions. You couldn't deny the truth any longer—the love you felt for Jungkook had bloomed quietly, nurtured by his unwavering presence in your life and it reflected in the selection of songs carefully chosen by him.

And so you continued to listen, to immerse yourself in the music that spoke of love and longing. It was a soundtrack to his emotions, a testament to the unspeakable love that had grown between you and him.

The guys had planned a small gathering at your house. Hoseok, Jimin and Tae arrived at the same time around 8:00 p.m. with food, drinks and Cards Against Humanity. They were already having fun when they rang the bell.

"Hey," you said as you opened the door.

"Hey!" they greeted you.

You all headed towards the living room and they placed the things they brought on the table.

You chuckled, feeling a wave of warmth at their enthusiasm. "Thanks for coming, guys. I've got the place ready—cleaned up only for you the other day," you teased, motioning towards the neatly arranged living room.

As you all settled in, chatting and unpacking the snacks and games, there was a noticeable absence. Jungkook hadn't arrived yet, and though you tried not to dwell on it, his absence didn't go unnoticed by your friends.

"Where's Jungkook?" Tae finally asked, voicing the question that lingered in the air.

You shrugged nonchalantly, though your heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. "Not sure. He said he might be a bit late."

Hoseok raised an eyebrow, exchanging a knowing look with Jimin. "Didn't he say he was gonna meet with someone from Tinder?"

"Tinder?"

"You know, the dating app," Tae chimed in, taking a bite of a snack.

"I know what Tinder is Tae,” you replied with a laugh, trying to keep your cool.

"So you didn't know he was on a date?"

"No, he didn't tell me. Are you serious? He's on a date right now?" Your voice came out louder than expected, and you cursed yourself for the slip.

Jimin frowned, concerned. "Are you okay, Y/N?"

You waved dismissively, trying to downplay the hurt and disappointment. "Yeah, all good... well, more food and games for us until he gets here."

You tried to push down the gnawing feeling of jealousy that threatened to surface at the thought of Jungkook on a date with someone else. The idea of him with another person stirred up emotions you had been trying so hard to accept the past days. You forced a smile as you joined in the banter and laughter, attempting to bury your own conflicting emotions.

Despite their casual remarks, you couldn't shake the unease settling in your stomach. You hoped Jungkook would arrive soon, eager for his presence to dispel the nervous tension building within you.

The minutes ticked by, filled with laughter and infinite jokes over Cards Against Humanity. Each time the doorbell rang, you found yourself tensing, hoping it was him. But each time, it turned out to be someone else—a delivery person, one of your neighbors...

As the evening progressed, you couldn't help but steal glances at your phone, checking for any messages from Jungkook. But you decided not to keep waiting and decided to send him a text first.

'whats taking you so longggggggg' it read.

He replied instantly. 'i'm outside, coming now'

You put down your phone, your heart pounding. A few seconds later, you heard familiar footsteps approaching and there was a knock on the door. You got up, heading towards the door.

"He's here!" Tae exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face as he jumped up to answer the door with you.

You held your breath as Jungkook stepped inside, a sheepish smile on his lips as he greeted everyone. His eyes met yours briefly, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow down.

"Sorry I'm late guys," Jungkook said, setting down a bag of drinks next to Tae's.

Jimin smirked teasingly. "Lost track of time, huh?"

Jungkook chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Haha nah,"

Absolutely not. It was a disaster. Why did I agree to this? She seemed nice enough online, he thought, but in person... It just wasn’t there. The conversation felt forced, and I couldn’t wait for it to end. He grimaced, recalling how he struggled to find common ground and forced a laugh at her jokes. I should've been with y/n tonight, helping her get everything ready for this.

Of course, all of that stayed in his head. He was embarrassed to tell everyone how much he hated meeting someone new. It would just give your friends the opening to tease him more about it.

"Well, you made it, and we're all here now. So let's start" you suggested, breaking the silence.

His eyes sought out yours, finding a mix of emotions reflected back at him—surprise, curiosity, and something he couldn't quite place.

Everyone nodded in agreement and moved to gather around the coffee table, pulling your cushions closer.

With Jungkook's presence, the gathering felt complete, as if a missing piece had been found.

And as you all laughed and played into the night, you couldn't ignore the way Jungkook's gaze lingered on you, a silent reassurance of the feelings you'd been trying to suppress.

"I'm going to take a photo of this." Tae announced, lifting up his beer.

You and the others followed suit, holding your drinks up and smiling. Jungkook on your right got closer to you for the picture, cheek to cheek, his scent surrounding you. You wanted to lean in and practically inhale him.

"Perfect." Tae snapped the shot, and then showed it to the group. "What do you think, everyone?"

Everyone agreed that it was a good photo.

"We all look great," Tae said.

"But not as good as those two," Hoseok joked.

You rolled your eyes. "Please."

"It's true," Hoseok insisted. "You guys look good together."

Jimin nodded, taking another sip of his drink. "They're right. You’d make a cute couple."

Jungkook felt shy at their words. It's not like he was trying to hide his feelings for you, but he hadn't exactly made his intentions known, either. It was frustrating, wanting to be closer to you but not knowing how.

At least it was encouraging to know that your closest friends were seeing you both that way. That meant he had hope, right?

"Okay, that's enough," you said, feeling your cheeks heat up. "Let's keep playing."

As the game resumed, the group's attention shifted back to the cards.

You cleared your throat, shifting awkwardly on the cushion. "So... how was your date?"

Jungkook winced, not meeting your eyes. "It was okay," he said, his tone lacking enthusiasm.

You bit your lip, curiosity gnawing at you. "Just okay? What happened?"

Jungkook shook his head, still not meeting your gaze. "I don't know. It just didn't feel right, I guess."

You tilted your head, searching his face. "What do you mean?"

Jungkook shrugged, a sheepish expression on his face. "It was just... awkward. We didn't really click. I don't know."

Your chest tightened, a mix of emotions swirling inside. "Oh," you managed, turning back to the game. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not good at this kind of thing, you know? Meeting new people, going on dates. It's hard for me. I'd rather be with people I already know and trust."

You knew what he meant. The same went for you. It was hard enough trying to navigate your feelings without having to worry about other people, too.

You nodded, giving him a small smile. "I get it."

"I just wish it could be easier, you know? Like, finding someone you actually like who happens to also like you back, and not having to worry about anything else. Just enjoying each other's company."

Your breath caught, your mind reeling from his words. And from the way he was looking at you, you could tell he wasn't just talking about friendship.

"Why would you say something like that?" you questioned, the words tumbling out before you could stop them.

Jungkook's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? Say something like what?"

"That you wish you could be with someone who actually likes you and not have to worry about anything else."

"I... because it's true. I don't want to go on stupid dates anymore, I want to be with someone I care about. Someone I can laugh and have fun with."

You swallowed, your pulse quickening.

"Someone like who?"

Jungkook exhaled, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I think you know who," he said quietly.

You stared at him, speechless, as his words sunk in. Your heart was racing, your body buzzing with adrenaline.

Hoseok, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly made himself heard, "I think I'm stuck in your bathroom!"

You and Jungkook turned to find your friend, who sounded flustered and slightly panicked. Jimin and Tae burst into laughter, trying to contain themselves as Hoseok continued to tug at the bathroom door.

"What do you mean you're stuck?" Jimin managed to ask between giggles.

Hoseok yelled helplessly. "I went in to use the bathroom, and now the door won't open!"

Jungkook glanced at you with a bemused smile, the tension from earlier dissipating with the absurdity of the situation. "Seriously, Hobi?" he chuckled.

Hoseok sounded exasperated. "It's not funny! How am I supposed to get out of here?"

"I'll go get some tools," Tae offered, still chuckling as he headed towards the kitchen.

You stepped closer to the bathroom door, trying to assess the situation. "It's just stuck. Let me try," you suggested, reaching for the handle and giving it a firm tug.

To everyone's surprise, the door swung open easily, revealing Hoseok looking both relieved and slightly embarrassed. "Oh, thanks, I swear it was stuck…"

Jimin clapped Hoseok on the back, still laughing. "Sure it was, Hobi. Sure."

The rest of the evening passed by in a blur of laughter and games, and despite the lingering awkwardness from earlier, you were glad that the night had gone well.

It was close to 2:00 a.m. when your friends finally began to call it a night, and you were exhausted.

"Thanks again for coming, everyone. I had a lot of funnnn," you said, giving them each a hug goodbye.

Jungkook was still on your kitchen helping you clean up all the mess you made. Drying the dishes and placing the glasses on your cabinets. You were cleaning up the table when he walked up to you.

"Need any help?"

"I'm done, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"I am, thanks Kookie,"

You started walking towards your room when you heard him speak up.

"I really liked being here tonight."

"I know it was a lot of fun," you replied with a small smile. You grabbed his hoodie and his iPod to return them. Staring at the endearing device. Almost as if it were something fragile.

"I'm glad you had a good time," you responded as you walked back to the kitchen, handing him back his belongings. As you stood there in the dimly lit room, a comfortable silence settled between you. Jungkook's gaze was intense as he looked at you, his eyes searching yours for something unspoken.

Jungkook paused his moves, as if weighing his next words carefully. "I was thinking... maybe we could hang out again this week, just the two of us."

"What about the girl from Tinder?" you asked as you returned to face him, your tone sharper than you intended.

Jungkook frowned, confusion clouding his features. "What are you talking about? You know I went on one date. I told you it was a disaster."

You sighed, suddenly feeling foolish. "Yeah, I know, don't know why I asked that, haha" you muttered. "Didn't know you still used this thing,"

He smiled, his fingers brushing over the iPod. "I still love my music in here, you know, it sounds a lot better"

"Yeah, that's what I thought,"

He looked at you intently, and the air between you seemed to grow heavy.

"I've missed spending time with you, Y/N."

Your breath caught in your throat, your pulse quickening as you stared at him. "Me too," you whispered.

"So, is that a yes?"

"A yes to what?"

"The offer to hang out,"

"Oh, right. Um, yeah, sure. Sounds nice."

Jungkook's face lit up. "Cool. Well, I guess I'll see you later, then." With a final smile, he turned and left.

You watched him go and your mind was spinning. Jungkook's words echoed in your head, his words sending a flutter through your chest. You couldn't help but grin. Maybe there was hope for you two after all.

The following day, you woke up to the sun streaming in through your curtains, illuminating the room in a soft glow. You stretched lazily, savoring the warmth of your bed, before reluctantly climbing out and heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Unconciously, you began to shut yourself out. You had spent the whole night awake, thoughts about the possibility of being with your best friend swirling around your head, preventing you from falling asleep.

As you brushed your teeth, you heard your phone buzz. It was a text from him.

'Good morning'

A smile tugged at your lips, butterflies erupting in your stomach.

'good morning'

'can we go out today? im craving pizza'

You bit your lip, considering the invitation. A part of you was eager to see him, but another part was worried that it might be awkward, especially after the scenarios you created in your head last night.

You ended up refusing to go out with him. And he started to get anxious. He thought he may have done something wrong. That you were actually angry for going on a date or that you no longer wanted him to be part of your life just because he went out with someone else.

Jungkook started panicking.

And so, he called the guys.

"I don't know, she's just not acting normal." he sighed.

"Did something happen the other night?" Hoseok asked, concerned.

"No, I don't think so. She didn't say anything to me,"

"So why is she mad at you?"

"I have no idea. I was hoping maybe you had an idea,"

"Did she say she was mad at you?"

"Not directly, but she didn't want to go out today,"

"Well, I'm not surprised. She's probably just tired,"

"Tired?"

"Yeah, from work and all that, she's probably exhausted. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Do you think so? You don't think she's mad at me?"

"I really don't think she is. She'll probably just want to rest for a few days, and then things will go back to normal."

Your attitude changed so suddenly. You kept on cancelling on him. It’s been weeks.

"You have to talk to her, man," Jimin said.

"What do I say? How do I bring it up? Do I just ask her why she's been avoiding me? What if she doesn't know what I'm talking about?"

"Then ask her. Don't overthink it. Just say it."

Jungkook sighed, frustrated. "You make it sound so easy,"

"Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. It's probably gonna be awkward as fuck, but you can't let it get in the way of your friendship. You've been friends for so long, and it's obviously important to both of you. If she really is mad at you, then you need to find out what's going on. But if she's not, then you need to clear the air and move on. Because otherwise, this is just gonna keep getting worse and worse for you."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just... worried, I guess."

"I know, but don't be. Everything’s fine. It’ll work out, especially if you let her know that you like her."

"What? Are you crazy? I can't just tell her that."

"Why not?"

"Because... what if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"So what if she doesn't? You'll never know unless you tell her. And if she does feel the same way, then you can finally stop being all sad and pathetic."

"You think she likes me?"

"Well, only she can tell you that, but you'll never know if you don't talk to her. So suck it up and go for it."

"Fine. I'll talk to her."

"Good."

"But... how do I tell her?"

"Just be honest. Tell her you've been worried that something is wrong, and you want to make sure everything is okay. Then let her know how you feel. But, be prepared for her reaction. If she doesn't feel the same way, it could make things weird. But you need to deal with it and move on."

That same day you were laying down in bed, scrolling through your phone. Reading over and over the lyrics of one particular song on the playlist.

"Is there a place for me? Is there a place for us? I can't tell you how much I love you, babe Open the door Open your heart Tell me how you're feeling, I miss you so bad I'm falling to pieces"

And just like that, your phone began vibrating, your heart beating rapidly as his name flashed across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, are you free? Can we talk?"

"Uhm... sure, yeah. Now?"

"If it's okay, yes."

"Okay,"

"I'm coming up now."

"Wait, wha-..."

Jungkook was already at your door, knocking frantically. You opened it for him, your heart in your throat.

He stood before you, looking determined. His eyes were wide, his hair tousled, and he was out of breath, as if he had just run a marathon.

"Sorry, I was already on my way. I had to do it now. I have to say it, because otherwise, I won't have the courage to say it some other time,"

"Okay?"

He inhaled deeply, his eyes locked on yours.

"Y/N, I really, really like you. And I've been so confused and conflicted because I've always liked you, then I started thinking that maybe there was more. And then I realized there was. I really, really like you."

You swallowed hard, the words ringing in your ears.

"I-..."

"It's okay, I just wanted you to know,"

You shook your head, struggling to comprehend what he had just told you. "I'm sorry, I'm just..."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I had to say it."

"So, does this mean... what are you saying exactly?"

Jungkook hesitated, running a hand through his hair. "Look, Y/N, I don't expect anything from you, and I don't want things to get weird. But I just had to tell you. I'm crazy about you."

You nodded slowly, processing his words. "uh. I-... uh."

"I know it's sudden, and I'm sorry. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. But I don't want anything to change, I promise. I'll just go, and we can forget this ever happened. We can go back to the way things were, I promise. I'm sorry,"

"Jungkook, stop apologizing. It's not a bad thing, I'm just... processing. I've never had anyone say they're crazy about me before," with your phone in your hand an idea immediately came to you.

"Can I show you something?" you asked him.

"What is it?"

You walked up to him, your phone in your hand. You handed him your device and let him see your screen. There it was, the infamous playlist.

Jungkook's doe eyes widened, a small gasp escaping his lips as he noticed. "What... is this...?"

"I went through your iPod when you left your hoodie last time," you told him with an embarrassed grin. "They’re the same songs you have on yours,"

"This is so embarrassing," he groaned, his cheeks red. "You... you went through my iPod?" Jungkook asked, now with a hint of amusement in his voice.

You nodded, feeling a mix of embarrassment and relief that he wasn't angry about it. "I was curious about the music you listen to. And I found… this,”

He stared at the playlist, then back at you, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "So... does that mean you... already knew how I felt?" Jungkook asked, hope flickering in his eyes.

Your heart raced at his words, a mix of excitement and uncertainty swirling inside you. Could this really be happening? Could your long-standing friendship truly be blossoming into something more?

"Jungkook," you began, your voice barely above a whisper. "I... I like you too. More than just a friend."

"So what does this mean? That we are supposed to be together?"

"Maybe, or maybe not. It could just mean that you have great taste in music and I admire it,"

Jungkook's eyes widened with hope, a grin spreading across his face. "I've been wanting to tell you for so long, but I was afraid of ruining everything between us."

You smiled, your heart fluttering. "Me too, I’m sorry for making you worry these past few days,"

"Can I hug you?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

You nodded, wrapping your arms around his neck.

Jungkook held onto you tightly, his arms snug around your waist. You rested your chin on his shoulder, closing your eyes and inhaling his familiar scent.

After a few moments, he pulled away slightly, his hands still resting on your hips.

He looked at you with a mix of relief and uncertainty in his eyes. "So, I didn't ruin anything between us?" he murmured softly.

You shook your head, a small smile playing on your lips. "You didn't ruin anything, Jungkook. If anything, you've made everything clearer."

His shoulders relaxed slightly at your words, a hint of a smile returning to his face. "I'm glad."

"I'm glad too," you began again, your voice steady but tinged with nervousness. "But I also want you to know that... I've been thinking a lot too."

Jungkook turned to face you fully, his expression a mix of anticipation and apprehension. "About...?"

"About us," you admitted softly, meeting his gaze. "About how much I enjoy spending time with you, about how much I admire you, and... how I've felt something more than just friendship for a while now."

His eyes widened slightly, hope flickering in them. "A while?”

You nodded, a shy smile playing on your lips. "Yes, Jungkook. A while. I've just been afraid to say anything because I didn't want to lose you in case you didn't felt the same way about me."

He stepped closer to you, his hand reaching out tentatively. "Y/N... I wish I had known sooner. I've been struggling with these feelings, not knowing if you felt the same way."

"I'm sorry for not saying anything earlier," you murmured, your fingers brushing against his. "But I'm glad we're talking about it now."

He squeezed your hand gently, his eyes never leaving yours. "Me too. More than anything."

There was a moment of silence between you, the weight of your shared emotions hanging in the air. Finally, Jungkook spoke again, his voice filled with determination.

"So... what do we do now?"

You chuckled softly, feeling a surge of affection for him. "I think we take it one step at a time. We've already taken a big step today."

He nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just... really happy right now."

"Me too," you said, squeezing his hand.

"I guess the only question now is... are we... together together?" he asked hesitantly.

You grinned, your heart pounding in your chest. "Only if you want us to be,"

"Yes, yes, yes. Of course, yes,"

"Then it's settled. We're together," you giggled.

Jungkook laughed, the sound sending a warm feeling through your chest.

Cut to 4 years in the future.

There you were at a dinner with friends and family. It had been four years since you got together, but it felt like an eternity. You both were so excited for each other, for your life from now on.

"Hey, you got a little something," he whispered, brushing away a strand of hair from your cheek.

You couldn't help but smile, his touch as tender as ever. "Thanks,"

"No problem," he smiled.

Then you could hear someone clinking a glass. "A few words from the fiancé!" Jin's voice reverberated through the dimly lit restaurant.

"Y-yeah, yeah," your boyfriend stuttered, clearing his throat and standing up. He was a nervous wreck, and it was adorable.

"Um, first, thank you all for being here. It really means a lot to us. We know how important it is to have your loved ones around you on a special day, and we're so grateful for everyone who's supported us. Second, a special thanks to my future father and mother-in-law. Thank you for always being there for us and for supporting our relationship. And, um, thanks to my own parents for, uh, also supporting us."

As the guests began to laugh, your boyfriend cleared his throat and continued, his gaze fixed on yours.

"But most importantly, I want to say thank you to my amazing girlfriend. Thank you for making every day better. Thank you for always being by my side and for loving me unconditionall—"

"We know that already! Entertain us or I won't pay the bill!" Jin's loud voice interrupted again.

You couldn't help but chuckle and the guests laughed again, amused.

Your fiancé smiled, clearly enjoying the teasing.

"Alright, alright," Jungkook cleared his throat before he continued, "actually, we agreed that we'd never tell anyone how we actually got together but I guess we're past that, right babe?"

"Oh no, don't!" You blushed, a little embarrassed.

"It's a funny story," he continued. "It's kind of a long one, but this girl right here thought that the best course of action was to make me a dating app profile before telling me that she was in love with me."

Everyone burst into laughter.

"I was dumb, okay?" you joked, earning more laughter from the guests.

"So, we ended up talking to some people on said dating app and went on a few dates, which were terrible—"

"Hey! It's not my fault that you agreed even though you were also in love with me!" — "Everyone, he had a playlist with my name filled with sentimental songs like the most lovesick boy on Earth!"

"But babe trust me, it's a great playlist, by the way," you added.

"And then we got drunk, and the truth was revealed."

"What?! No way," Hoseok laughed.

"We weren’t drunk, I’m kidding, I just told her that I had liked her since the beginning," he said. "We just made a disaster, and we were both scared shitless."

"But here we are," you added.

"So, yeah, thanks for coming everyone," your fiancé concluded, his voice breaking a little as he wrapped up his little speech.

You could see him trying to blink back tears as he sat back down next to you, and you gave his hand a squeeze.

"You did great," you whispered, leaning in to give him a quick kiss.

"Thanks," he replied, his voice hoarse.

Your parents got up, taking the floor after him.

"Thank you, thank you," your mom said, a bit embarrassed.

"We’d like to share a few words as well. First, we'd like to thank everyone for coming. It's such a privilege to have all our family and friends here, and we're so thankful for your support. And we're especially grateful for our beautiful daughter and our soon-to-be son-in-law. We are so proud of both of you, and we know you'll have a long and happy life together."

"Thanks," you managed to say, overcome with emotion.

"So, now, we'd like to present the couple with a little something. It's just a small token of our love for them," your mother added, signaling for someone to come forward.

Jimin, Hoseok, and Tae stood up from the table and approached the stage, each of them holding a framed collage.

"Here, you can pass these out," your mother said, handing each of the guests copies of the photos.

You and your fiancé were stunned as the three guys presented the photos to you.

The photos were a collage of different memories: you and him during his graduation, another one from yours, a candid shot of him cooking for you, a photo of the two of you smiling in front of the sunset, and a picture of him holding your hand while you were asleep.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you took in the beautiful photos, each one capturing a special moment in your relationship. The love and happiness radiating from the images made your heart feel full to the brim. You glanced at Jungkook, whose eyes were also glistening with unshed tears, and you reached for his hand, holding it tightly.

"Thank you so much," you managed to say, your voice choked with emotion. "These are... perfect."

"I have a gift for you too," you told him, reaching under the table. You brought out a box wrapped in bright pink paper and a bow.

He looked at you with surprise, his eyes shining with curiosity as he took the box from your hands. Slowly unwrapping it, his mouth fell open in astonishment when he saw what was inside. Nestled within the box was a beautifully crafted watch, the silver band gleaming under the soft light of the restaurant.

"Oh wow," he breathed, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "It's... it's incredible."

"It's engraved," you whispered, pointing to the back of the watch where a message was etched. His eyes widened as he read the words: 'Forever yours, Y/N.'

"I was hoping you'd wear it to the wedding," you said, grinning. "But don't cry, you'll make me cry!" you exclaimed.

"I'm not crying, I just..." he trailed off, sniffling.

"I love it," Jungkook finally managed to say, his voice filled with emotion. He stood up abruptly and pulled you into a tight hug, “I love you.”

As you both separated, there was a collective 'aww' from the guests, making you both blush.

The rest of the evening continued with laughter and joy, surrounded by the love of friends and family. People danced, sang, and shared stories late into the night. It was a celebration of love and new beginnings.

As the night winded down and guests started to leave, you found yourselves standing alone in the dimly lit space. Jungkook wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you close.

"Thank you for everything today," you said sincerely, looking into his big brown eyes.

"Thank you for being mine," he replied softly, feeling overwhelmed with happiness.

"I wouldn't want to be anyone else's," you whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

Jungkook cupped your face in his hands and placed a lingering kiss on your forehead. The world around you seemed to fade, leaving just the two of you in a bubble of the deepest affection you’ve ever felt.

[diamondluce]

Pretty stranger

Part 2

Marauders muggle uni AU

wc: 1.4k

a/n: hi loves! Thanks for the notes on the part 1. I appreciate it <33. If you haven't read it here's the link. Let me know what you think. Oh, and if you also have some tips on posting on here and stuff. I'm still getting the hang of it. xoxo --------------------------------------------------------------------

Remus Lupin did not have an easy life being Sirius’s roommate. A moment of peace? Yeah, never heard of that. 

Now he was trying to read whatever he managed to write down and hoped he’d be able to call it an essay. Unfortunately there was a very annoying black-haired bastard babbling into his ear about the most amazing girl he had ever met.

“For the love of God, will you ever shut up?” Remus groaned, his patience wearing thin. “You’ve been rambling about her for hours now. Don’t you have any coursework to do?”

“Pfft.” Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically and fell back onto his bed. “She’s much more interesting than anything Oxford University can offer.” 

Remus just scoffed and turned back to his paper shaking his head. He had known Sirius for over a year now. Always restless, always loud, and always looking for a new distraction to get out of doing what he was actually supposed to. Those distractions were usually just new girls or… well, we don’t talk about that one time. Anyways, no matter how much Remus wanted to huff at his mate for being a chatterbox, something in his tone told him that this girl was not just another pastime. 

“Why didn’t you ask for her name?” Remus muttered against his better judgment, when the dorm became quiet for too long and he started feeling guilty for being so harsh. 

Sirius sat up and shrugged. “Dunno. She was just… I didn’t think about it.” 

Remus raised an eyebrow as he began sharpening his pencil. “I thought half of your pick-up lines start with getting their name.”

Sirius inhaled deeply, staring at the peelings with a thoughtful look that made a small wrinkle between his brows make an appearance. “Not much time for pick-up lines when I was trying to save her from blacking out hunched over the toilet in the most disgusting bathroom I’ve ever seen.” 

Remus glanced up, but on his roommate's face instead of the smirk he expected, he found a kind of seriousness mixed with something else- determination, maybe. He almost felt bad for him. Letting out a breath he leaned back in his chair. “What about that guy she was with?”

Sirius furrowed his brows. “What about him?”

“Well, you’re good with faces. You’ve never seen him before?”

Sirius pondered that question for a moment, his brows going up as he ran a hand through his hair. “Dunno. Maybe?” then after a pause, “Jesus, I hope that was not her boyfriend.”

Remus rubbed under his nose to hide a light chuckle that escaped him. He schooled his expression quickly after Sirius glared at him. “You said she was there with her friends, didn’t mention a boyfriend,” he offered. 

“Yeah…” the boy sighed and stood up grabbing his pack of cigarettes from the nightstand. “But… I dunno, maybe she did and I just forgot. Or didn’t hear.” he opened the window sitting on the sill. “Fuck, she was so cool, Lupin, you don’t understand.” he mumbled around the cigarette.

“I’m sure you’ll find her.” Remus said with a half-smile and sensing an opportunity of silence on account of his roommate’s dramatic sulking, turned back to his essay. 

A minute passed.

A pained sigh “She was so-”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!”

***

It went on like that for the next week and Remus was sure he was going to rip all his hair out if that idiot didn’t find out who the bloody mystery girl was. It got to a point where whenever a group of girls would pass them Remus would nudge his roommate and ask if any of them look familiar. 

Unfortunately none of them did. 

And Sirius couldn’t stop thinking about her. It was so unlike him, honestly. He never got hung up on people like that. It wasn’t that he didn’t care or had never like anyone before. He met plenty of girls and a lot of them were interesting. Well, alright, a fraction. But still. There was something about that girl that just drew him in. It was so ridiculous that he started wondering if maybe he didn’t just accidentally take acid and hallucinate the whole interaction. 

Fortunately, Sirius Black was a lucky bastard. At least in some aspects of his life. 

He was walking with Remus through the Wellington Square to go get some lunch when his gaze, that was lately constantly instinctively searching, fell onto a group of girls walking up the steps of a building. He stopped dead in his tracks and nudged Remus so hard he coughed up a smoke from his cigarette.

“What the-”

“That’s her…” Sirius’s voice was so uncharacteristically soft that Remus barely heard it over his fit. “Which one?” Remus asked, clearing his throat and squinting at the girls. 

“The one on the right. The black coat.” 

Remus tilted his head slightly as he got a good look at them. 

Oh.

“I know her.”

Sirius turned so abruptly he almost got a whiplash. “What?!”

Remus nodded and pointed with his chin “The one with the braid, yeah? I have Latin and Ancient History with her.”

A wicked grin split Sirius’s face and he took Remus’s shoulders and shook him.

“This is brilliant, Lupin! Ah!”

“Gerroff, you twat!” He pushed him off and straightened his jacket. 

They both looked back across the quad, but the girls were already gone. 

“What’s her name?”

Sirius asked, almost breathless, standing still and staring at the building door.

“Artis.”

A grin tugged at the corners of Sirius’s lips. “Artis what?”

“Erm… Potter, I think.” Remus shrugged. 

Sirius tilted his head to the side like a dog and pursed his lips slightly.

“Hmph…” he mused and started walking.

Remus shook his head bewildered slightly, nevertheless following his friend.

“That’s it? ‘Hmph’? You’ve been obsessing over her-”

“I heard that name somewhere. I just can’t remember where.” Sirius ignored him as he continued to walk down the street.

“Oh, I reckon she has a brother. Twin, I think. She said something in class once.”

Sirius turned around walking backwards now. “That must’ve been the guy at the party! They did look alike, now that I think about it.”

Remus nodded and took a drag of his cigarette.

“What else did she say?” Sirius fell into step beside his roommate, looking at him expectantly. 

Remus shrugged “Dunno, I spoke to her maybe three times in total. And all of them were about school stuff.”

“Argh, Lupin, how many times do I have to tell you? You need to be more open to people. Now you’re useless.” Sirius groaned, shaking head at his friend.

“Cheers” he replied dryly over the cigarette in his lips.

***

For the next two days Sirius was turning the name “Potter” in his head over and over again. He heard it before somewhere, definitely. And he was now sure he saw the guy from the party before. The question was ‘where?’

Sirius Black knew a lot of people. Unfortunately, his roommate couldn’t say the same, therefore he had to really try to think of something to say about Artis, so Sirius would stop pestering him.

“I dunno. She’s late a lot, I guess.” he said, chewing his toast and chasing it with sweet tea. “Not like late-late, but y’know, fashionably or whatever.” he shrugged.

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. “Alright, what else?”

“Can’t I eat my bloody breakfast in peace?”

“No.”

Remus sighed. “She’s quite smart actually. Like in history she really knows what’s going on. Has discussions with the teacher,” he recalled. “And in Latin she usually gets top marks.”

Sirius grinned “Knew she was brilliant.”

Remus turned back to his meal while Sirius scanned the dining hall deep in thought. Then-

“Mate, mate, mate!”

Remus picked his head up with a sigh and looked in the direction Sirius was pointing to with his chin.

“That’s our guy!”

“Our?” Remus grimaced but Sirius ignored him.

“Oi! James, get me a cuppa, yeah?” 

Their gazes traveled to a portly guy sitting at the table by the window. Sirius pressed a hand to his forehead.

“Fucking James Potter! The football team captain. Remember? When we wanted to get to that party last year-”

“You wanted.”

“-I was going to talk to him, but then the Prewetts said we could come.”

Sirius had that enigmatic thoughtful look on his face now- the one that usually (always) meant trouble. Remus sighed again and took a bite of his toast, he knew better than to interrupt the momentary peace with a stupid question. 

“It makes sense, y’know…” 

Remus grimaced “what?”

In response Sirius just turned to him with the biggest dopey grin he ever saw. 

“You worry me, Black.”

His roommate just looked at him all smug and leaned back in his chair. 

Everything was perfect.

Artis Potter…

[disaster-racing]

I don't usually do text posts, but I just have to ask - has anyone else noticed something strange with the Screaming Meals streams recently? James and Clem have been making some weird comments about Marcus, and they sound... a bit worrying? So I went back to their previous streams to check, and here what they said:

Qatar quali stream:

C: "We're trying, you know, to really promote this channel… trying to make it grow, got no idea what we're doing. And Marcus Armstrong doesn't wanna help us." J: "Yeah. To be fair, he doesn't have a say these days in what goes on his Instagram." C: "Does he not? Oh! That's true, I forgot about that. That is true."

C: "So, so, can you… is that the real reason, the fact that you haven't got enough devices, that you're not listening to our stream, or is it sort of censored in the household, per se?" M: "Yeah, the US has actually censored Screaming Meals, umm…" C: "Oh, see, I didn't think it would have been–" J: "Sort of a North Korea situation, is it?" C: (laughs) M: (laughs) "For obvious reasons, mate, for obvious reasons." C: "Yeah, doesn't seem to be the US, but err…"

J: (talking to Marcus) "I don't know about you but the last time I checked my bank account, fuck me, there was some… there's gotta be some numbers missing, but…" C: (closes eyes, laughing)

Qatar sprint stream:

J: "Marcus gets to the UK sometime in November so we'll definitely be filming some stuff in November, as long as he's allowed to. Um, then you can get some more pods."

Qatar race stream:

J: "Marcus says please call a bit later than lap 15, with an x." C: "What a loser! Just always skiving off work." J: "Yeah, why, like… I dunno, he's probably getting screamed at or something, I dunno." C: "Marcus is? Yeah… well, he has been under quite a lot of pressure hasn't he, recently." J: "Yeah… " … C: "No, he hasn't lost control of his downstairs. He has lost control of his credit card, though." J: "He certainly has lost control of his credit card. Anyway!"

C: "Marcus joining us as well for a short trip [in Brasil]. Interesting." J: "Yeah apparently we're not allowed to talk about that." C: "No, we're not. Good times."

J: "Shall we give Marcus another go?" C: "Nah." J: "Fair enough." C: "He was being his usual 'I'm too cool for you guys'…" J: "He was being a bit, wasn't he. He's probably on another sanction from speaking to us." C: "I think so yeah. Must be one of those sanctions."

Mexico race stream:

J: "I'm gonna give Armstrong a buzz." C: "No chance he answers." J: "I believe he's due to fly out 9pm Mexico time." C: "He'll be under heavy control. …has your number not been placed on the 'banned' list?" J: "Ah, no, this is a burner." C: "Oh, mine has. Mine has." […] C: "Quite a lot of restrictions to get in contact with Armstrong these days."

Q&A stream:

(talking about what they would buy if they had to spend £1million on each other) J: "Then for Armstrong… ummm, I'd, I dunno, I'd probably just help him pay off his credit card debts." C: "True! Paying off his credit card debts would be something. Definitely."

C: "Look, we've got Loraine with the hashtag Free Marcus." J: (snorts) "No comment."

And when Marcus was on the sprint race stream last night, he seemed a bit tired and low energy, quite different to how he was on the streams earlier in the year. Maybe I'm just overreacting, but I really hope he's okay and some of the things they've said aren't as concerning as they sound...

[misc-obeyme]

It’s me I’m back with Lesson 34 spoilers below. (including the hard lesson)

I always try to write these posts shortly after finishing the lesson so that it’s like… my immediate and unfiltered thoughts lol. Sometimes I change my mind about stuff after I see other people’s interpretations of things. So if you were wondering why I’m taking the time to write this at 2 am, that’s why. I totally forgot about the lesson during the day due to the whole Thanksgiving thing.

ANYWAY.

I feel like we got SO MUCH BARB in this lesson?? He was barely in it. But we had other characters talking about him and that honestly makes me happy, too. Probably because I like when they give us some perspective into his character.

BUT FIRST.

Belphie. We were actually playing the role of Lilith in his little Celestial Realm dream sequence, right? And then at the end it’s all but we’re not siblings.

Listen. I just think that Belphie has a lot of unresolved trauma surrounding Lilith and I really don’t feel like having MC play hide-and-seek with him in a dream is going to be enough to help him move past it. Enough to make him want to help MC? Maybe. But I dunno.

However, I also think I probably shouldn’t expect anything more intense than that from an otome game. They were just trying to give us SOMETHING to explain why he was cool with making a pact.

WHICH WE FINALLY DID. With Beel, Belphie, AND Levi. I get Beel & Belphie doing theirs at the same time, but I’m still a little baffled about why Levi waited so long. There probably isn’t a reason, but who knows maybe they’ll surprise us with something lol.

Ah. Lucifer.

This was my favorite part:

I love Mammon, he always just says exactly what he’s thinking (unless it’s how much he loves MC lol).

But we all knew it wasn’t going to be that easy, right? We knew Lucifer would be last. We knew that Lucifer would be the most difficult one to make a pact with. Remember what happened with him last time? Of course he doesn’t want to make a pact with us now. We’re likely going to be going through some kind of long drawn out drama that will eventually lead to Lucifer giving in and making a pact with us.

However, I found both Solomon’s and Diavolo’s reactions to this absolutely hilarious:

Can the two of you take this seriously, please?? I know you both find Lucifer highly entertaining and yeah, I'm usually laughing at him most of the time, too, but I need that pact to get back to where I'm from, thanks.

But we’re only on Lesson 34. So I think we still have plenty of time to make a pact with Lucifer, learn the truth about Nightbringer, and return to our timeline (or have the timelines merge or whatever nonsense they’re gonna do).

I’m still hoping for all that to get resolved by the end of this season lol.

Now, I found this exchange from Belphie’s Celestial Realm shenanigans especially interesting:

Assuming this is accurate to what actually happened when Lucifer was still an angel, this means that the angels knew Barbatos. They know him by name, they clearly think he’s a big deal, and they’re surprised that he’s agreed to be Diavolo’s butler.

I was always under the impression that the demons and the angels didn’t really know much about each other. But now I’m wondering if maybe Barbatos had something to do with the end of the war that happened before the Celestial War. The one that was between the Celestial Realm and the Devildom. I have no reason for thinking this other than the fact that as angels, Lucifer & Simeon clearly know him. And what else would they know him from? Though I suppose anything could have happened lol.

And then there was all of this:

What does it MEAN?! (Obviously I chose the second option for MC's dialogue, which increased Barb's intimacy.)

Barbatos my true love. Why did you give MC a real piece of paper from your grimoire? He’s always been cautious, always keeping MC at arm’s length, and now all of a sudden it’s here’s a piece of my grimoire? There is NO WAY he doesn’t have all of the build up from the OG. I can’t believe that he would actually give MC a piece of his grimoire if he had only just met them at the beginning of Nightbringer. So I’m tacking this on as additional evidence that Barb knows all.

Also can we just appreciate Lucifer in 32-A? All his brothers are completely out of it and he single-handedly motivates every one of them back into action.

It sure worked, huh? Do you think the credit card is in the freezer yet?

You guys. THE HARD LESSON.

It was everything. I LOVE the Little Ds. I LOVE them hanging out with Diavolo. I LOVE that Barbatos couldn’t accompany MC because Diavolo requested some fancy human world dish. This entire hard lesson was *chef’s kiss*

GOD I love Barb's knowing look and Dia's little frown. I love them so much it's almost painful lol.

Okay that’s all I’ve got to say about this lesson. In general, I enjoyed it. They coulda played up Belphie’s yandere tendencies a bit more. I felt like his change of heart was rather rushed, but they really can’t put him through the therapy he needs. I don’t think the lessons are long enough for that.

[dandadananalysis]

Discussion: Acrobatic Silky Arc: Episode 7/Chapter 15-17

Original: fb link~ (VNese)

Idk if any of ya have been wondering this scene before or have known the answer yet, but we still discuss it anyways ☺️

After they beated Acrobatic Silky, you know that Okarun just transformed into his spiritual form once, and ofc he could go all-out twice a day. So some of you may wonder, why didn't he use the 2nd time to rip the zip tie?

So here's the answer: it's very simple rly😌

You guys know already, in some supermarkets, when you enter, security guards will use the zip tie to tie and close your bags, preventing from your stuffs inside the bag getting stolen by shoplifters.

And as you already know the function of this tie, you can only pull the tie in, not pull it out.

And actually some fans actually solve this question in the comments!

So basically, most of them agreed that the only way to release Momo's hand is by cutting the zip tie using scissors, because the more you pull the tie, the tighter it gets, and Momo gonna get hurt! (guess Okarun must have thought abt this, I think...) Like someone in the comments said that the area where your hands are tied will be leaving red & purple marks of bruises.

Yet ofc, you guys might ask, can't Momo use her supernatural power to "size up" her hands (they meant the green aura hand). But actually, they forgot that during the battle, she actually had a hard time controlling her powers because of how tight the zip tie was! So how do you think Okarun gonna rip the zip tie, if he can't even thread (?) throught the tie to find a small gap between Momo's hand, if he can't fit through it?

And the author of the fb post did say that, yeah, Okarun must be keeping some of his "strength" (dunno what strength he's talking abt 😏). He's right, well even if he did go all-out if there was that scenario, how do you think they were safe from the aftermath? What if there were some dangers outside that area? Like some dude nobody started hitting them? Both Momo and Aira were worn out! And they didn't bring any scissors, so the rest is up to Okarun. (besides, the girls' uniform are ripped like almost trash, too skin-revealled :")))

And actually, Turbo Granny's power are from her speedy legs, so the powers are mostly from the legs, the hands are not as powerful as them:)))

Using the mask's teeth can pull the tie out (like Episode 2 when they fought the sumo alien), but I think the teeth are too big :)) And just think about it, the kids just heard that Aira was dead, ofc they will be panic! How are they gonna think abt that solution?!

Bonus: someone in the comments actually said: 'If Acrobatic Silky didn't wake up on time, there might be a scene where the kids might ended up burying Aira to dispose already🤣'

[talesfrommedinastation]

Redneck Doug on ALL the other Clones in Star Wars!

As promised, for reaching a new number of followers, here's Doug's list when I asked him to name off all the clones in 'The Clone Wars' and 'The Bad Batch'!

Some are obviously repeats of other posts, and some are brand spanking new.

I'm using my autoethnography skills to their fullest extent, here, people.

This is LONG but hey! 7 seasons of The Clone Wars and 3 seasons of The Bad Batch means animated Star Wars in the Days of our Lives of animation.

If I'm missing someone, let me know! I'll reach out to Doug!

Enjoy, everyone!

CW: Redneck Doug just rambles needlessly about people.

And Clermont Lounge is one of the scariest and yet, most fun places in the ATL and I could 100% see one of the 501st working there.

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

Bly: That’s a boy, his name’s Miguel. Got his friends, they drink Pabst, shoot the empty cans behind the garage when they done, and hit on every woman that walks by. But Miguel’s got his eyes on Babe-the-Blue-Jedi and steals flowers from people’s yard and gives them to her. Babe-the-Blue-Jedi knows the man’s not that bright but his heart’s in the right place and that’s all that matters, right? 

Rex: That's Rex. He's a king. Respect him. 

Cody: That’s Obi-Wan’s Boyfriend, he’s sad all the time. We know why. (Confirmed that Doug is a Codywan shipper and I don’t know what to do about that)

Howzer: That’s my niece’s boyfriend, Jorge. We all love Jorge, nice guy, owns an auto repair shop and always remembers plates and napkins for the cookouts after church.

Gregor: Jorge’s cousin, Manny. Met him once at Christmas in Miami, nice guy, only drinks brown liquor and insists everyone arm wrestle him. But he’s got a good job as a PE teacher, we respect education, come on now. 

Hardcase: Wiggles. He laughs at everything and never wears a helmet both on his big head and his lil head and that explains everything about the man.

Kix: Nurse Mark. He's tired and sick of your shit, sick of the creeps trying to get the Fentanyl, that's a crime now, ain't it.

Echo: "Eh, Toaster Strudel. Homeboy looks like his daddy had an affair with a convection oven on shore leave and forgot to pay child support."

Mayday: Aw, I liked this guy so much! That’s Sassy Park Ranger, he’s the type that gives you your camping permits, warns you about the bears, and then is all disappointed when you don’t properly stow your food and the bears destroy the campsite. I need to go back to Little River Canyon, that place was pretty. 

Scorch: The Son of Robocop. His daddy told him to get off his lazy Robo-son ass and go get a job, so he works for the Empire now, because no one can get a job in Detroit. That’s why he’s a bad person. (Because he works for the Empire? “No, because he’s a Lions fan and that ain’t a good look for anyone.”)  

Fives: Alex-from-Manitoba. He reminds me so much of this awesome guy I knew, Alex, was from Winnipeg, we worked in oil together. Smart, knew his shit, loved guns and getting his hair did. No one listens to him, management hates him, and he gets fired. Man I was so pissed off when that happened with that damn alien that ran the ocean on the mall! He deserved better, damn it!

(Fives or Alex-from-Manitoba?

“BOTH!!!”)

99: 99!  

(You actually remember his name?  

“Hell yeah! He’s one of the most important characters! Why would I not?” 

::cue me, quietly staring at all the weird-ass names over texts and saying NOTHING in response::) 

Wolffe: Bernando. I dunno, man, he got that Bernardo energy. I’ve met three and they all looked like they wanna run off into the woods and come out when they got a deer they need to process and take a shower and find a lady before running back into the woods. Also Bernardo never has a girlfriend that lasts more than 6 months with him. Don’t know why. Just trust me. 

Gree: Carnie Joe. Man, he looks like the type of guy who drives an ice cream truck but there ain’t no Bomb Pops inside if you know what I mean. 

Cut Lawquane: Not-Wolverine. He ran away from the Empire, grew out his muttonchops, wanted to join the X-Men, Charles Xavier said ‘Nah son you need super powers for that’, and then Not-Wolverine stomped off into Tremors-land and started a pot-and-chicken farm like every other hillbilly in Kentucky. But he got a hot wife out of the deal and some nice kids and lots of guns, and ya know, that ain’t a bad ending for the man. 

Commander Fox: Red-Chief-of-Police. He’s absolutely on them Ticky-Tack videos my nieces and nephews watch where the cops are doing bad things but they ain’t gonna get fired over it. Man. It ain’t right. 

Tup: Alex’s-Friend-Matt. Aw, Matt, good guy, but too much brain damage after that time he fell off the roof while laying down tar. He grew out his ponytail to hide the dent in his head and talked funny afterwards, but he real good at roughneck work and I can’t fault the man, nope. 

Hevy: That’s Ross. He’s always mad because he’s insecure. He’s got a lot of Nerf guns and only eats stuff you can find at 7-11. 

Jesse: That’s Jesse, he’s a trucker, was a bouncer at Clermont Lounge in Atlanta, and has three ex-wives who all hate him. He shaves his head because his hair hates him too. 

Crosshair: So that there's Daddy Warcrimes. All you need to know is he lives on beer and Slim Jims, has more guns then Jesus got faith, and that he does your mom on the weekends, and then you thank him for his service.

Hunter: Aw man, we got Rambo up in this place. Daddy Rambo. He looks like he's got some hot wife with a huge butt who makes amazing biscuits, but he only showers on the weekends for reasons he won't tell you.

Wrecker: I know, I KNOW, he's got some cool Star Wars name, but in my head, he's Julio. He looks like a Julio, ya know? Every Julio's been the nicest guy with a truck and a million friends. I swear. I bet he's a contractor and lays pipe like you wouldn't believe. ::winks::

Tech: Hm, yeah, I know him. That's Ryan-from-Accounting, somebody's hipster dad. You know, everyone knows a Ryan who works in accounting, he's quiet, only drinks IPAs, and has a bitch wife named Laura who drives a Kia and is always yelling at him. Poor man. I hope Julio saves him from his bitch wife Laura.*

Omega: Little Orphan Blondie. I hope she gets real parents or something besides those freaky alien things running the mall on the ocean.

Emerie Karr: Stepsister-Beth. She’s got a stick up her rear, was in a sorority known for bitchy Daddy’s Girls who wouldn’t touch below the belt but are all about using other places for their date’s hoses to put out the fire, and only drinks almond milk lattes. She’s a bitch to waiters and drives a Prius. 

(“Doug I drive a Prius.”

“Yeah, but you ain’t a southern sorority girl so y’all forgiven.”)

Nemec and Fireball: Trigger and Nutsy. They’ve been in a survival militia in the Florida Everglades and that’s all you need to know. 

CX-2: The Guy from Tron. He’s a guy, and he was in the movie Tron. That’s it. 

[p-receh]

EPISODE 4

Preview

Ep 1

Ep 2

Ep 3

.

.

.

I want to mention that I kinda assumed this was supposed to be what's inside of the worm portal when Sonic traveling between the real world and cyberspace.

Idk why I'm just curious about this due to the glitch effect from this scene🤔

Heads up! This post might be a full picture package! (if Tumblr is being kind at the time I post this 🤞🤞)

This last episode was the episode that has a huge distinction between the comic and the TV ones. We could see them from how they did with the city perspectives of planet Machina.

In the book, the heroes fight the enemy on top of the building. In tv version, we get to see the grand image of the city itself.

We get to see how big the scale of its final form in the book ver. Acting as if he was some sort of ... uuuuuuugh ... Kaijus or maybe Cybertron level. His movements are big so it compensates with a bunch of wires to reach their targets faster. Meanwhile, the TV one ver made a unique appearance with it's smaller size in the shape of … I dunno...

What is THAT thing???

Though aesthetically wise, the tv ver portrayed the city well. But for design wise, I personally prefer the comic version since it has a vision towards what the battle will go on against Boboiboy.

So how to compensate for the same level of threat of its counterpart? Simple. Showing the audience that it was eating the citizens in real time.

But that's gonna spike up the ratings, isn't it?

Then you must do it smoothly, as in this clip below.

The camera didn't immediately show the full scale of the Robo-dumpster’s mouth in close-up. The movement was also quick and it positioned a bit off frame in the bottom right(with the spark effect also covered it too). That's why almost you didn't realize there were real people being eaten alive on 4k until few seconds later. Fortunately they're robots so ... I guess it made the whole scene safer to some degree 😕

I forgot to mention the important part! This ep and the 3rd one were essentially two parts of the comic issue 17. I noticed this as analyzing back to back when I reviewed ep 3.

This ep was the extended version of the whole fight scene in the city so they put a lot of creativity here.

Another big reference that I absolutely love Sir Nizam as Adu Du was in this clip.

(if you know, you know😏😏)

Also—Adu Du's armor was a grasshopper????? That's sick!!!

I know there are many references for bow turned dual sword user, but I can't help that he reminds me of Pit from the Kid Icarus series.

Wdym you just realize that now, Gopal?!?!?!🫤🫤

Not long after that we finally get to see the MechaGentar transformation.

Referring to what I said before, this scene below is the reason I prefer the comic ver.

You can see the decreasing scale when both standing on ground with multiple buildings surrounding them. Meanwhile the comic parts, both literally gigantic so the citizens felt like witnessing a real life Pacific Rim, Gundam or even Evangelion's fights against the giants.

One of the highlights I appreciated so much was the reuse assets from the previous planet, which in this case the comeback of planet Kadruax and Windara.

Does it feel like it was wasting time and dragging the peak of action by jumping between planets?

...

50/50.

I kinda hope they raise the fight scene by showing more of the city than jumping between portals to linking the thread from previous arcs.

Then again I guessed it could take more work for the animation team since the comic ver didn't actually expand the city further(hence why it mostly took place on rooftops). But at the same time the tv ver already grandiose it of what I presume we were at the city hall.

And we need more colors! The whole Gentar's arc was filled with saturated pallettes that could be a boredom if they keep doing this too long.

This might not be a problem but I have to remind you this is a kids show, and kids need neurons with bright colors! So I take this takeaway as a breath of fresh air after all that saturated stuff.

As always I will put my Chai relatable gif because of this scene. 😘

Gotta give Monsta praise with "saving Ochobot" part. It's suspenseful enough with the stakes so the way they ended it felt really rewarding.

And now we finally get to the tearful scene. The end of Boboiboy vs Adu Du era.

Truthfully, it still leaves a deepest scar in my heart. Because to me, whatever the big enemy that could haunt the heroes, at the end of the day Adu Du was supposedly the iconic villain that should never ever be replaced. Just Mario with Bowser and Sonic with Eggman.

Though, I shouldn't compare the video game franchises to the tv franchises. Not apple to apple imo.

He's the one that made Boboiboy become today.

And ... Oh man I can't....

But it is what it is and the boat already sails so we just have to wait and see for the future story.

Oh yeah! Remember my assumption about the season 3 theorys?

Turns out the man himself finally talked about this too!

There are 4 highlights from him but I only put two due to the Tumblr law 🫤

It makes me wonder what they will be cooking with this.

My conclusion to this arc: I'm glad they didn't make the fans angry by closely resembling to the comic version AND also they weren't treating this arc as a filler arc. I myself enjoy this arc more than I thought. Sure it has a fair share of flaws but honestly it's a fun arc for rewatch. I realized when I'm making this impression I rewatch this arc more so than the previous arcs. That's... surprising 🤔

Last but not least!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OBOI! 🥹🙏

I have a story to commemorate his birthday month! Cannot guarantee when, but I really hope I can finish before Ramadan ends!😭

[unproduciblesmackdown]

furthermore going like okay not Sure of timeline things But. concerning bonus material Atlas's Actual Shirts deal

a) that bonus material is bonus material but this sure seems to fall into the [could be canon] &/or [basically is, but unseen within the main material b/c there's not really a place for it there] realms

b) both acknowledging the Marriage(tm) with a critical deconstructing lens huh. the girls & the gays. fucked up that someone might for example have an ongoing Gayce Moment (presumably aro as well, hardly irrelevantly) where their transactional associations must hinge on math, murder, etc

c) appreciating like okay mordecai would've lost everything but the clothes he was already wearing when he had to impromptu hightail it out of nyc, so that's when atlas must've given him his own clothes; this is Definitely Years Later (edit: definitely Months! Perhaps years! plausibly like a year or two! and apply that throughout the rest of this post)

d) when i) mordecai can surely have afforded to replace all the lended clothes & ii) his fumbling to argue the Practical Reasoning behind currently(!) wearing atlas's clothes still means it's Not for practical reasons. years later. while dodging & glaring at & competitive with & needling at atlas's wife. Oh You Know

e) and what a choice on atlas's part to give mordecai his own clothes. sure, that could've been the quickest way to give him Anything to wear (not now bloodstained, for instance) but buying new clothes would be like some possible Next Day shit, or, i dunno, asking around for Other people's secondhand clothes, both of which account for: this being several years prior to when this conversation could've happened, mordecai was how old when he met atlas? 16-18? 21 while we have it that:

this, after the fray at the lodge (noticing for the first time mordecai still has marks on his face from that here. it's been seventeen years Still noticing brand new things. like wick in volume one looking at a group photo in the café ft. the only characters known to us being mordecai, atlas, & viktor. what are you interested in about that hmm???) wherein, with the band on the stage, mitzi with a ukulele, & the dialogue suggesting as much amidst the context that atlas didn't really start being allied with marigold until after the lodge fray proper slaughter, atlas seems to be in the earliest stages of Meeting His Wife here. with his Ferocious Little Shadow. who i also note is looking Entirely Away even as prior i've simply interpreted this as Keeping An Eye Out &/or general disinterest in Anything going on at the speakeasies. competitive to near-homicidal relationship with atlas's ever-present wife....which, remembering what i was getting at in the first place. if atlas's shirts are noticeable big on mordecai at that point, surely all the more so originally. and he kept them! and kept wearing them! for Emotional Reasons Only Actually. goodness gracious.

f) where's the walking on sunshine mitzi & mordecai shopping montage? which did apparently happen, unless instead mordecai then rushed to get new bespoke shirts himself to avoid others Perceiving him judgmentally and the walking on sunshine montage specifically. she gives him a makeover (from buttonups to buttonups. whaddaya gonna do) she asks him for begrudgingly familial makeup touchups....she shares intimate exclusive secrets with him concerning my firm [they were both in on atlas's death, and so would atlas have to have been too] stance....Girl,

g) "atlas and i discussed that" what???? who???? when & why???? mitzi kicking her legs like so tell me about your Ferocious Little Gay Little Two Steps Ahead Shadow. did atlas volunteer mordecai's Entire Backstory as he knew it? did he provide it upon Request? did mitzi ask "why's ya boy wearing shirts that don't quite fit" and atlas goes "oh yeah that's because they're my shirts. i have noticed this without saying anything. for years" like imagine. what's going on around here

h) i forgot how i planned to work in this image of "i love this shot of & Look for mordecai." disheveled freshly wounded undershirt towel suspenders now as fashion accessories over pants Annoyed Sideeye & it Does help that elsa, real fave tertiary character, is here serving as well with the waist pants & putting her hair up & they're both always serving anyways. You Better Not Be Cunty Mordecai when i get over there to fish the shotgun pellets out of your body, Said No One!!!

anyways recap atlas giving mordecai his own shirts (at all genuine or All about trying to spam the [benefactor] key so mordecai sticks around & shoots people for him?) mordecai accepting and continuing to wear them for years until thwarted by atlas's wife whom he is Competitor with and now in one of those classic duos of "do we hate each other? well maybe, but also no of course not. we also share an understanding we can't have with anyone else. which is a secret about the same guy who neither of us wanted to die but were both involved in his death" mitzi Knowing things about mordecai, oh i know all about you wearing my husband's shirts years later, mordecai is at atlas's funeral nobody else we know but mitzi & asa are there obviously mitzi would have to know about this too like. transcendent. fluorescent. head in hands. happy pride

[cult-of-the-eye]

MAG 86 here we goooo

Ok so I actually listened to this like a few days ago but I never got round to looking at the transcript but HERE I AM

God this is the blanket never did anything one

He says tucked in so fucking menacingly like Jesus Christ man

TIM MY LOVE

I can't get that one post out of my head that says how Tim was the furthest from being taken by the Eye cause he keeps tripping up on pronunciations and stuff in statements that other archival staff wouldnt honestly it's such a genius take

Oh shit this is getting really long I'll add in a read more

God I love how he's rebelling in every sense, he's doing the bare minimum, he's literally warning people away from it

It's kind of interesting the way he always thought the statement stuff was stupid but in the whole of season one and a lot of season two he managed to hide his distaste pretty well, like even when he lashed out at Jon about the Prentiss incident, he still didn't say that the statements were stupid, but he's saying it behind his back - maybe some part of him knew that Jon needed the statements to work and some part of him still felt for him enough to not point that out

He's kinda dramatic with it as well but I feel like in more of a self aware way than jon

You can feel his distaste honestly the statement just sounds wrong coming from him, which is interesting cause I didn't think that about when Martin did it

So he's mad at the fact that he put effort into a job that he wasn't even that comfortable with in the first place and now he's trapped in? Not about the monsters??

Jesus Christ Tim being a bit of a dick to melanie

HE BLAMES MARTIN????? Damn bro you weren't there how could you tell he didn't do it properly??

I think he's mad at himself for not being there and deflecting it on to martin

She likes that it's quiet!!! That's cute

Martin's not big on change AH neurodivergent vibes

All the archival staff are literally queer and neurodivergent you can't change my mind

Also the fact that he thinks that's the biggest reason why martin doesn't want Melanie around, not the Horrors and the same reason as Tim

I think Tim is refusing to think that Martin might see the situation in the same way as him because if he does then it means Tim's way of dealing might not be the best way and that's an unacceptable thought to him

Suspicious and resentful - my man is self aware I think he knows the way his path is going (hurtling towards destruction) but is too stuck shaking his fist at god to try and get out or he's sort of known his whole life that this is where he was supposed to end up, a terrible fate created by his own two hands that dug their own way down to rock bottom and he's just so tired of trying to do anything about it that he's just accepted it

SASHA OH GOD

Wow seeing firsthand the effects of the stranger, the way neither Tim nor Melanie can remember the real Sasha, but Tim has to live with the fact that he didn't notice and Melanie has to live with the fact that she did, but can't prove it

WHO AM I EVEN SAD FOR

AUGH I THOUGHT SOMEONE MADE THAT UP I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS CANON OH GOD

He lost his FRIEND and he DIDN'T REALISE and he STILL DOESN'T KNOW THE WHOLE TRUTH AUGH

Oh I wonder why he left the tape running? I'd think he would've forgotten to turn it off but if so I feel like he'd have that shocked moment of remembering which he didn't

Maybe he wanted proof of the conversation? Maybe it was a warning to anyone listening to the tapes? See firsthand how terrible it is at the Magnus Institute so you don't work here? I dunno

Ha I had to ask my lovely mutual @melandrops to explain what a marker was

Oh god honestly this statement fucked me up I completely understand why people hate it I hate it

I was so scared of the dark as a kid and the idea of being reduced to that state of lack of awareness and vulnerability is actually terrifying

Also the dude dying in the blanket???? Ew ew ew

Love the fact that tma doesn't just go with a oh shit I forgot a torch so it was pitch black kinda horror but the I brought a torch, I even brought spare batteries but it still did nothing which in my opinion is even scarier

Oh god her whispering the blanket never did anything that was horrifying

Melanie was actually so good at giving the statement girl really got into it

I was also talking to @melandrops about archivist!Melanie cause I think that would be really interesting... she'd definitely bring a more proactive vibe to the role...

It's interesting to think that Melanie and Jon hated each other at first sort of because they're so alike? It's like the we are made of the same stuff (derogatory)

Love how she just checks out the dead guy

The way she's denying it even though she's literally had paranormal experiences before that's so Jon core she would be a great archivist

JON????

Oh shit I just realised he's labelled as Archivist...when did that happen??

That's so funny he's like bitch maybe I do have reason to kill you

Hmm nice touch of Melanie being like do you guys not want me cause I'm a girl?? Is this misogyny??? Good guess but unfortunately it's worse

It's quite nice that Jon's trying to save her even though the meetings about helping him and her quitting would mean he'd lose the one informant he might have in the institute

Shot in the leg by a ghost in India????

Ha Tim hates you and Martin's probably being watched

Love how Tim's hatred for Jon is so visceral and known that they don't even bother watching him

I bet Elias would delight in knowing about Martin's little crush on Jon and how Jon actually hated him in season one and then how their relationship progresses he'd thrive on the drama and the angst the little bastard

Ok ok it's good that he's on the right track, he guesses it was elias

Wait the whole murder was on tape... WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT TAPE??? DID ELIAS TAKE IT??? COULD IT BE USED AS EVIDENCE???

YES MELANIE IS BEING CAUGHT UP (info style) BUT ALSO NO MELANIE IS BEING CAUGHT UP (web style)

[shewasverynice]

Fandoms: 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen 

⚠️ SPOILER HEAVY ⚠️

Major Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death 

Full tags/warnings on Chapter links post

Major Characters: Original Character, Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Ieiri Shoko, Yaga Masamichi, Nanami Kento, Haibara Yu, Tsukumo Yuki, Choso

‎‧₊˚✧ Chapter 12 ✧˚₊‧

"Your Majesty," the maid said with a bow, handing over a steaming mug of coffee. The queen gave her a subtle nod of appreciation, settling back into her cushy chair and sipping from the mug.

"Shall I change the channel for you, my lady?" One of the butlers asked, "Your show is on in five minutes."

"Yes, that would be lovely thank you Geto." The queen said, gesturing lazily with her free hand.

Satoru grumbled, flipping through the magazine Shoko had given him. He gently tore at the picture of some actor she was currently obsessed with, easing it out of the collage of photos and into the small pile he was collecting. This was, of course, revenge of some kind since she never forgot anything. Probably from some prank he pulled or something. This was bullshit.

"Happy birthday," he muttered to himself, dropping the glossy image into the others.

"Speaking of my birthday," Shoko said, sitting up straighter in her decorated chair, "Is it time to pick up the food?"

Suguru looked at his watch and nodded, "Yes, actually." He looked at Sarah and smiled, "Shall we?"

Sarah nodded, setting down the tray she'd been using, "Yeah, let's go!"

"No, no no no not without me!" Satoru said, scrambling to his feet. Both Sarah and Suguru shot him a gleeful sneer as they rushed out the door and slammed it behind them.

"Bastards," he muttered, then sighed and walked over to Shoko. He cleared his throat, "Is there anything I can get for you, ma'am?"

"No, not at the moment, Gojo." She said, tipping her head back with regal arrogance, "You may return to your photo collecting."

Satoru rolled his eyes, walking back over to plop back down in his spot. He picked up his scissors then paused and asked, "What are you even going to do with these?"

"Dunno," she said, lifting her hand and waving it in the air, "I just wanna look at him."

"Really?" He asked, narrowing his eyes, "He doesn't look all that impressive to me."

"He's alright," Shoko shrugged.

"Alright?!" Satoru snapped, scooping up the little pictures and holding them over her head over the back of the chair. He let them rain down on her and grumbled, "Then why am I doing all this work, huh?! Just because it's your birthday doesn't--"

"The second and third years," Shoko said, "After I told them off for wrecking Geto and Sarah's Halloween stuff they've been after me."

"Really?" Satoru asked, surprised, "Are they--"

"They started with saying Sarah and I sleep with you and Geto and that's why you like us weaklings," She continued, "But I shut that down too. Now it's... They're calling me useless again." He walked closer, watching her crumple up the little pictures in her hand before she gritted her teeth, "I dunno. It just pisses me off."

"I never knew that kind of thing bothered you," Satoru said slowly and a bit unsurely, "You always seem so chill." Shoko had never opened up to him before. Never. In his first life they talked and bitched about work and met up here and there, but it was never that deep. "You're far from useless! That's ridiculous!" He scoffed, "I mean you can--"

"It's because I don't like men," Shoko said suddenly.

Satoru was taken aback. I mean, well sure, he always suspected since Shoko didn't really date anyone in his past life, but he never felt it mattered. A lot of Sorcerers stayed single or just did a marriage of convenience to pass on their techniques. But he was still confused about one thing...

"How does that make you useless?" Satoru asked, still genuinely surprised about that part.

"Because I have a rare technique and I don't want to be with a man to pass it on," Shoko said with a little shrug, "Guess that pisses them off."

"Who gives a shit?" Satoru said, sitting down beside her on the floor, "Why do you let that bother you?"

She shrugged again, picking at her nails. "I guess it's just frustrating when they expect so much from you," she said quietly. "I just don't want to hear it anymore."

Satoru looked at the crumbled up pictures of that actor. "So you were gonna use these to try to hide it?"

Shoko nodded.

"I see," Satoru said, picking at the papers. Then he picked up his head and grinned at her, "So you want me to go sort them out or would you rather just get nasty with a woman really publicly? Get like, really nasty? And loud?"

"Pffff," Shoko tried not to laugh, but she couldn't resist. She flicked at his forehead and he took it, leaning closer with a lopsided smirk.

"Maybe out in the courtyard, just munching away?" He continued and she laughed, shoving him away with her foot.

"Don't be gross," she managed, then sighed. She looked at him and smiled, "Thanks, though. For listening."

"I'll still deal with the others if you want," Satoru said, leaning back on his palms and letting his head tip back, "I don't like them picking on my girls."

"Your girls, huh?" She chuckled, "Didn't realize I was that special."

"Of course you are," Satoru said dismissively, "You're my friend. I only got so many."

She tilted her head, then asked, "What do you think? Honestly."

"Hmm? About you being gay?" He asked, lifting his head.

"Yeah," she said, "And the whole... Just get married and make kids stuff. Do you think it's fair?"

"Well I don't really care if you're gay," Satoru said, then paused as he considered how to answer the second question. "On one hand I get why people do it, right? A marriage of convenience with a reasonable partnership worked out wouldn't be too bad as long as no one caught feelings," he said thoughtfully, "And the ladies at the Gojo estate always said at least they could love their children. Which... I guess is something even if they had to marry some cold bastard."

"But honestly," he rubbed the back of his neck, "That just seems miserable and looks like a lot of work, too. Why bother if it won't make you happy? There's no reason to do something that serious if you don't want to."

Shoko nodded, "Yeah. I feel the same way."

"Then fuck it," Satoru said, "Just do what you want and I'll back you up."

"I don't need you to back me up," she said with a small smile, "But I'm glad you would."

"Then what do you need?" He asked, lifting up his sunglasses, "I'm here. I can definitely help."

"Just knowing you're in my corner is enough," Shoko said. Then she smirked at him, "The same goes for you, you know?"

"Hmm?" He blinked, letting his sunglasses fall down onto his nose again.

"I'm in your corner too, Gojo." She said, rolling her eyes, "I'm not the strongest or whatever, but I'm still your friend."

Satoru stared at her for a beat before he smiled, "Yeah. You are, aren't you?" He said with a soft laugh, "Guess I just thought you didn't care."

"It's easier not to," she admitted, "But I guess you three have grown on me too much."

He reached over and pulled her into a bear hug, her feet and hands trying to push him off as he nuzzled his cheek into her hair. She laughed anyway and he mockingly cooed and managed to start prying him off. Eventually he let her go and grinned.

"Well, what do you wanna watch until the others come back?" He asked, "It's gonna take them a while, probably."

"My show is on," she said, "Wanna watch it with me? I know you don't like dramas but--"

"Nah, it's cool," he said, flipping the channels, "You gotta gimme the details though. I have no idea what's going on."

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

"We have returned!" Sarah triumphantly announced as she opened the door. She and Suguru marched over to the table. "Cake and your favorite dish--"

Suguru got down on the floor and placed down a stack of styrofoam takeout boxes. He lifted the lid on the top one and smirked at Shoko. The smell invaded the room, garlic and butter and shrimp.

"Yes!!" Shoko was practically salivating over the shrimp scampi. She'd demanded it a few days before her Birthday and when Satoru offered to call in and order it from a fancy restaurant she had been waiting.

She clapped her hands twice, sitting down once Satoru had rushed over a pillow for her to sit on. She smirked at him and he rolled his eyes. "I'll miss this tomorrow when my birthday is over," she said, then held out her hand and grinned when Sarah handed her a fork and Suguru served her a big plate of scampi.

The four of them decimated the scampi before Suguru placed the dessert carefully on the table. He and Sarah grinned when Shoko opened it and gasped at its contents. It was a beautiful fruit and cream tarte with cute little chocolate stars placed just right around it.

It didn't last long either.

Afterwards the four of them lounged around lazily, draped over cushions and chairs just watching Shoko's dramas and half-asleep. It was so cozy in her room by the little heater and the cold November air leaked in through the window just enough to tingle.

Satoru yawned a little then looked up at Shoko in her chair. "What kind of girls do you like, anyway?" He asked.

Suguru nearly spat out the coffee he was sipping.

"Yeah, what do you like?" Sarah asked, lifting her head off the pillow beneath her. She grinned then tapped Shoko's calf with her toes and said, "You were pretty into that upperclassmen from Kyoto, hmm?"

This time Satoru was surprised, sitting up straight with a huge open mouthed smile. It was so obvious! How had he never noticed it before?! That woman had always been so angry with him, but it made sense now!

"Utahime?!" He said, gripping her armrest, "You liked Utahime?!"

"I wouldn't call it like, I saw her once and--"

"She is pretty cute though," Sarah said slyly, "We could hit her up? Wanna go to Kyoto sometime?"

"We can get her number from someone there I bet," Satoru added, "Let's just go see her too! I bet she'd be happy to see you!"

Suguru stood up suddenly, placing his coffee cup down harder than he usually did. He didn't say anything even as the three of them stared at him. His lips parted for a moment, but instead he just walked out of Shoko's room without a word.

Sarah sucked through her teeth, grimacing as she looked away from the door again. "Oh... Right..." She mumbled.

Satoru and Shoko looked at her then each other.

"Oh." Satoru sighed as Shoko's face heated up.

"Did he... Not know you were gay?" Sarah asked quietly.

Shoko shook her head. "No. I never thought to bring it up."

"I'll go talk to him," Satoru said, pushing up on his arms.

"No," Shoko put her hand on his arm as she stood up, "I need to talk to him. This is something I should have done a while ago anyway."

Satoru and Sarah watched her leave. Satoru looked at her while she also stood and started to clean up the mess. "Guess we'll just let them sort that out," she said quietly, "Suguru is cool though. He'll understand."

"Yeah," Satoru said softly, "Yeah, he will."

That unnerving feeling settled into his heart as he got to work. A sour taste in his throat and a lump rising. Did it make him jealous? Bitter? Upset that Suguru liked someone else? That was unfair. Suguru didn't even know how he felt in the first place. Satoru didn't even know how he felt in the first place, either!

"Better for him to get rejected early," Sarah said, patting his shoulder, "It'll be easier for Suguru to move on now."

"Yeah?" Satoru asked, "You think so? Even if it hurts?"

"Well..." Sarah sighed, smiling just a little, "It's better than having to leave it unsaid and unanswered."

Shoko wandered down the hall, her steps naturally taking her to the patio. She’d seen Suguru disappear out there, and the soft evening glow seemed like the perfect moment to find him. As she stepped outside, she spotted him by the railing, hands in his sweater pockets and eyes fixed on the distant skyline. A quiet, steady presence against the fading light.

Shoko walked up beside him, and without a word, looked up, studying his profile. Suguru glanced over, surprised at first, then his face took on a shade of pink that caught her off guard. He looked back out at the horizon, his usual confidence softening as he hesitated, then finally said, “I… I’m sorry I never said anything before. About my feelings, I mean.” His voice was low, careful, as if testing his own words.

Shoko blinked, then gave him a small nod. “It’s okay,” she replied, her tone even, understanding. Taking a quiet breath, she moved closer, slipping her hand into his pocket to find his, a casual, warm gesture, but one that sent a jolt through him. He sucked in a small breath, though she felt it had little to do with her touch.

Suguru sighed softly, his shoulders relaxing just a bit, though his voice still held a vulnerability she wasn’t used to hearing. “I know… I know you don’t feel the same way. But I want to say it anyway.” He paused, gathering himself. “I like you, Shoko. You’re… you’re amazing, honestly. You’re brilliant and you work so hard, even when healing takes it all out of you.” He took a shaky breath, chuckling a little as if at his own words. “I know you don’t like me back, but… I’m glad I get to be your friend.”

Shoko felt a heaviness rise in her chest as his voice wavered, his words honest and open, something she hadn’t fully expected. She pressed her lips together, trying to blink away the sting of unshed tears, and swiped a hand quickly across her eyes before she looked back at him. “You know,” she said with a soft smirk, her voice trying to hold steady. “I think you’re a pretty good guy, even if you’re scum sometimes.”

That brought a laugh from him, genuine and light, his face relaxing as he shook his head. “Only sometimes, huh?”

They both went quiet after that, a comfortable silence falling between them as they leaned against the railing, watching the day fade. After a moment, Suguru glanced sideways, a hint of a teasing smile in his eyes. “So… did you actually like Utahime?”

Shoko chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Kind of,” she admitted with a shrug.

Suguru’s smile widened. “Good to know. Satoru and Sarah will never let that topic go now, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Shoko sighed, a smile creeping onto her face as she imagined the relentless teasing that was sure to follow. But for now, it was just the two of them, and the fading daylight, and a quiet, simple understanding that felt… enough.

Satoru and Sarah had long since finished cleaning up the room when Shoko and Suguru returned. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Suguru sighed and said, "Well, I've been rejected." Sarah and Satoru ran up and hugged him and he nodded solemnly. "Sad, but true," he sighed dramatically.

"You alright?" Sarah asked and he patted her head.

"Yes, I'm alright," he said giving Shoko a little half-hearted smile.

"Alright, alright," she shook her head, "It's my birthday still. Let's get back to celebrating, yeah?"

"No more butler shit!" Satoru groaned, "It was funny for the first ten minutes but you got way too into it!"

"You offered!" She spat back, "It was your idea! Not my fault for enjoying it!"

Sarah let go of Suguru, giving him a little pat on the back. He smiled at her, then sighed once more. This wasn't his plan, but did he really have one? His feelings for Shoko had at least been pretty fresh and new, but the pain was still there. He sat back down in his spot by the table, watching Sarah shoving Satoru back from Shoko like a matador wrangling a bull. At least he could keep this. The bitter sting would fade soon enough, and he'd still have all of them and he always would.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

It was warm in the classroom with the heat on, the kind of warm that makes your eyelids droop even if you got enough sleep. Satoru's chin was rested on his palm, his sunglasses already resting on the desk. Suguru had both hands on the desk, his back as straight as he could manage. He was fighting desperately to keep his eyes open, but his head was just too heavy. Shoko had long since given in, resting her forehead on her arms and just outright sleeping.

The manager teaching the class sighed, looking at the three of them. She placed down her notebook and smiled, "Well, the three of you seem to understand this theory anyway. Let's take a little break, yes?"

Satoru nodded, curving has back over the wooden chair behind him to get that good stretch in his upper back. Suguru stood up as soon as his brain registered what was going on and he patted his cheeks to try to wake himself up.

"Should we wake her up?" Satoru asked, nodding his head towards Shoko.

Suguru shook his head, "No, let's just let her sleep."

The manager announced that she would be back in a moment and left the cozy classroom. Suguru walked over to the window and slid it open just enough to get some cold winter air on his face. He blinked, shivering before he closed it again.

"Ugh, I know right?" Satoru agreed, "I'm strugglin' too."

"It's the heater," Suguru nodded his head towards the offending device, "It's making me so sleepy."

"Me too." Satoru stretched his arms up, groaning into it and bending back. He glanced over at Suguru as the two of them leaned against the wall by the window. Suguru was looking at Shoko with a gentle smile before he sighed and shook his head.

"I can't believe she's gay," Suguru said quietly, "I guess I should have known. Most girls are usually so easy to read, but she never really did anything to get our attention."

"You alright?" Satoru asked.

"Yes," Suguru said with a soft smile, "I'm fine. I suppose it has been easier to accept since she wouldn't be attracted to me anyway." He rubbed the back of his neck and mumbled, "It still hurts though if I'm being honest."

Satoru, the kind of man who always did the rejecting and had never been rejected, shrugged. "Yeah, seems like it's been pretty rough."

Suguru rolled his eyes then punched Satoru's arm lightly. "Thanks for that I guess."

Satoru grinned at him, "You're welcome." The grin faded as he looked at Shoko, watching her steady breathing and the twitch of her eyes behind her lids. Was she dreaming? He wondered, what kind of dreams did she have? He'd never wondered about his friends' dreams before, especially not the first time around.

"So, now what?" Satoru asked, tilting his head in thought, "What will you do now?"

"What do you mean?" Suguru asked, looking up from Shoko.

"Well, she doesn't like you, so what now?" Satoru clarified, "Who are you gonna try next?"

Suguru chuckled, "It's not that simple."

"Why not?" Satoru asked, "You could easily find another girl. They all really like you."

Suguru smirked, "Yes, they do, but it's not something I plan on taking advantage of."

"Fair enough," Satoru shrugged.

Satoru had his fair share of flings, especially after high school. Eager women and even a few men just to experience things. Sorcerers and non sorcerers too. Neither could provide "the feeling" he had chased after. Sure he could find a few sparks of something, but after a while they bored him. They always eventually would prove that they weren't interesting and he always let them go.

"I'm really surprised," Satoru said after a time.

"Hmm? By what?" Suguru looked at him again.

"Well, I just figured you'd get rejected and be cool again," he said with a shrug.

"It's only been a few days..." Suguru said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, well it's not like a break-up or something," Satoru said, "I mean, it couldn't have been all that deep."

Suguru glared at him, crossing his arms, "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean... Whatever, right? It's just one girl," Satoru said with a shrug.

Wrong answer.

Suguru sighed heavily, then shook his head. "Satoru, that doesn't make it any less painful."

"I'm just sayin' it can't be all that bad," Satoru said, cocking his head, "Don't get all worked up."

"You sound like the old men you hate so much," Suguru spat, pushing off the wall, "How I felt about her wasn't something simple and childish."

Satoru blinked. He wasn't expecting Suguru to get so upset about something so simple. Especially about something that would be so inconsequential in less than a few months. But, then again, Suguru was actually a teenager. He couldn't possibly know that this stuff wouldn't really matter someday, right?

"I probably should be more used to this," Satoru muttered as Suguru started to walk out. He reached out and called, "Suguru, wait. I'm sorry."

Suguru stopped, turning back. He was still fuming, but he waited for Satoru to speak.

"I just... I don't really get this stuff, ya know?" Satoru said, "I just don't see the point in getting all invested in someone I could lose."

"Do you really think that?" Suguru asked quietly.

"Yeah," Satoru answered simply.

"That's really sad," Suguru said softly, and continued out of the room into the hall.

Satoru sighed. That probably could have gone better, but he didn't want to lie. He really did believe that, in the long run, being too close to someone would be dangerous. Plus, losing Suguru once had been such a huge tear in his heart that he never really had the time to heal. Even in his second life, he still felt that pain. Why would he want to have that happen again?

He ran a hand through his hair and sat down at his desk again. He let his head fall back, staring up at the ceiling and letting his thoughts wander again. Should he have been more sensitive? Suguru hadn't experienced such a painful loss, so of course he would be trying to fill his heart with something so fleeting.

But then again... Suguru could do it. Suguru could find someone to be close to. Suguru had it in him to be honest and let someone in. But how could he do that himself? What if he couldn't? Who would bother when there was a good chance he couldn't give himself wholly to them?

"Why you lookin' so sad in there?"

He looked up as soon as he heard her voice and immediately cracked up.

Sarah had her face pressed against the glass window, her nose pushed up and cheeks squished. She grinned at him, her cheeks red from the cold. She crossed her eyes when he looked at her and he got up and opened the window.

"That was a good look for you," he teased, leaning on the window sill.

"Thanks," she said, wrapping her white scarf around a little tighter, "It's fuckin' cold as shit out here."

"Yeah? Wanna come in?" He asked, holding out his hand for her.

"Nah, I'm good. I got shit to do," she said, looking over her shoulder, "I just wanted to see what had you all gloomy."

"Just thinkin' about things," he said with a shrug.

"Sad things?" She asked.

"Not sad for me," he snorted, "But sad to some people. It's kind of confusing."

"Oh, well you wanna talk about it?" She asked, resting her chin on her arm and leaning on the sill beside him.

He lifted up his sunglasses and put them on his forehead. For just a moment, he gathered his thoughts before he finally asked her, "Why do you all try so hard for something that has a good chance of hurting you?"

"Hmm? Oh, so you're still thinkin' about Geto?" She asked and he nodded. "Well... I guess it's because being in love is hella addictive! And we as humans crave companions."

"But you don't need to put it all on one person," he interjected.

"Well, yeah, that's true," she agreed, "But who says it has to just be one person? Friends are companions too. Sometimes closer than your own family!"

"But that's not something people are willing to get hurt for, right?" He asked.

"Of course they do," she said a little quieter, "I was ostracized pretty badly because I'm a weird little shit. I was friends with lots of shitty people just because I didn't want to be alone."

"How is that the same though?" He huffed, "Friends are easy compared to trying to get with someone romantically."

"That's true," she agreed, "But love comes in a lot of different ways and humans are greedy little goblins that want it all."

Satoru kept his eyes forward, watching the door as he finally asked, "So if someone just decided to swear off attachments to avoid the pain of losing others, what would you say?"

Sarah didn't answer right away, but he could feel her eyes on him. He heard her shift for a moment and braced himself for whatever she might say.

"I'd say that's a really depressing outlook," she said, "Because it's ridiculous." She grumbled, crossing her arms before she tried to explain herself, "It's like... If you don't have sad shit and break ups and crushes and stuff... You don't understand what it's like when you really fall in love or how much you love your friends or how important the little things are, right?"

He grinned at her, "Oh yeah? That's an interesting take."

"It's not an interesting take, it's a fact!" She huffed, swatting at his arm, "Don't be all..." She waved her arms around aimlessly, "Depressing!"

"It's not depressing," he grumbled, "It's like finding Nirvana or whatever, right? Just no attachments."

"You already have attachments, Buddah," she teased, "You think you're above that shit, but you're not. You are just as human as the rest of us."

He grinned at her, trying to pat her head and laughing as she slapped at his hand like usual. "Are you even listening to me?!" She huffed.

"Yeah," he said, his grin fading to something more gentle, "Yeah, I heard you."

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

Shoko spotted Suguru leaning against the train station wall, looking down at his phone. When he glanced up and saw her, he broke into a small, somewhat awkward smile. They were still navigating things after Suguru’s recent confession and her gentle rejection, but they were both trying. As she came up beside him, she asked, “So, have you figured out what you’re getting for Gojo’s birthday yet?”

Suguru nodded, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “Yeah, I’ve got a plan. And,” he added, pulling out a small piece of paper with a smirk, “I’ve got a note from Sarah for what she wants to get him, too.”

Shoko’s eyebrow quirked. “So... She’s ‘gone away’ again?”

He sighed, nodding, both of them exchanging a silent moment of frustration, but there was little they could do about it.

Suguru shook his head and gave her a gentle smile. “Let’s not dwell on it too much. We’re here, so let’s just enjoy it.”

Shoko chuckled, nodding as they boarded the train together. They found seats by the window, and the soft rocking of the train seemed to ease the last bits of awkwardness. Before long, they were deep in conversation about the latest issue of their favorite manga, tossing theories and laughing at the most ridiculous parts.

As the cityscape blurred by outside, Shoko casually mentioned, “Sarah still wants to do Thanksgiving.”

Suguru raised an eyebrow. “She’s still planning to cook it all by herself?”

“Yep,” Shoko replied, shaking her head. “But there’s no way I’m letting her go solo on that."

Suguru laughed, leaning back and imagining the chaos Sarah could cause in the kitchen. "She’s so clumsy, she’ll set the place on fire before she even finishes the turkey.”

Shoko grinned, picturing it. “True. But maybe between the four of us, we can pull it off. She’s excited for it, though, so I can’t really say no.”

Suguru nodded, a warm smile crossing his face. “Yeah… she’s got a way of making everything a holiday."

The train slowed as they approached their stop, and they both gathered their things. Stepping out into the busy street, Suguru tilted his head toward her. “Alright, where to first?”

“Somewhere that sells something for cocky assholes,” Shoko said dryly, her eyes sparkling with humor.

He grinned, falling into step beside her as they started down the street.

They continued down the sidewalk, the shop windows filled with tempting displays of electronics, fashion, and gadgets. Shoko occasionally pointed out a sleek watch or a pair of limited-edition sneakers, but Suguru shot down each suggestion with a shake of his head.

“Shoko,” he said, smirking a little, “this is Satoru we’re talking about. If he wanted any of this, he’d have bought it yesterday.”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t argue with him. “Fine, you’ve got a point. So, what kind of ‘out-of-the-box’ thing do you have in mind, then?”

Suguru chuckled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, neatly folded note. “Actually, Sarah had some ideas. Here, take a look.”

He unfolded the paper and handed it to Shoko, who took one look and snorted, clapping her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. “You’re kidding,” she said, grinning wide, “Seriously?”

Suguru nodded, chuckling along with her. “Yeah, that was her top choice. She said he’d never expect it, and honestly… she’s probably right.”

“Of course he’d love it,” Shoko muttered, still shaking her head in amused disbelief.

They both stood there, sharing a knowing smile. It was exactly the kind of ridiculous, impractical, and oddly thoughtful thing that Satoru would treasure just because it came from one of them. It made perfect sense in a way only their little group would understand.

After a pause, Suguru said, “Alright, so we’ve got Sarah’s plan. What are we going to add to it?"

"C'mon, I know just the place," Shoko laughed, pointing ahead.

⤶ Prev Main Next ↪

[honeyconez]

Cone cave

there’s cones and pans and honey everywhere… I wonder why…

updated march 14nd

I go by Conez or Ed

I’m trans and genderfluid maybe???? Idk and pansexual 🍳🍳🍳 and CONESEXUAL I’m joking it’s JOKES😍😍😍 but like platonic wirh the homie don’t worry twin!!!!

He/They and she on thursdays and Saturdays

Becoming a middle aged adult with a midlife crisis speedrun

My favorit songs are Suburbia Overture by Will Wood, Dr Sunshine is dead by Will Wood AGAIN, The first step BY WILL WOOD ONCE MORE, front street by YOU GUESSED IT WILL WOOD, Laplaces angel by WILL WOOD, the safety dance extended version (I like the beeps) by… will- men without hats?? Against the kitchen floor by will wood,,, murine corps from the cuphead ost, Rhode Island by the front bottoms, all hail the fishermen from Lisa th painful, and marketland by lemon demon

I moved the rest of my favorites to under the cut because it’s massive as hell LOWWW TAPER FADE

I’m learning French (ew spy reference)

I LOOOVEVEE tf2 i will mostly be posting tf2 related stuff and soldier is my FAVORITE and SOLJAH IS MY FAVORITE FREAK I LOVE FREAK FORTRESS AND I LOVE SOLDINE AND ORANGEMAN AND AND PANINI

aND I LIKE SONUC THE HEDGHONK I LIKE METAL SONJC A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND REWRITE THST GYY IS GOOFY

My favorite ships are helmet party, zhannasoldier, boots n bombs, fruit scones, pyrosoldier, freedom fries, huttah huttah, magic missiles MY FAVORITE CRACKSHIP FUNNY FUNNY, flashfire holy fuck ones that aren’t with soldier, napoleon complex, science party, and speeding bullet

yes I am a huge multi shipper and I have intricate little headcanons about all the soldier ships I mentioned above and each combination of the teams

And I have a shitload of soldier ocs. One of them is named honeycock. This is only because my friend insisted that I name him honeycock.

Some specific tf2 series or videos I LVOE SO MUCH are lil pootis, Emesis blue, bizzare bucket, unusual troubles, hoovydundy, THE ALL MY FELLAS SFM REEEEE, Team Neighborhood, badwater videos, literally any yup kup video and I’m pretty sure there’s more but I have 3 braincel theyr all dedicated to rocket jumping

Some of my smaller interests are Dogman, the SCP Foundation, HLVRAI, OFF, Endoparasitic, rocket launchers, digging holes, grilled cheese, rocket jumping holy FUCK I love rocket jumping, and market gardening

I’m pretty socially goofy so if I don’t respond to a comment or I respond in a weird way it’s because I don’t know how to RESPOND because I DUNNO 😭😭😭

I don’t mean to be an asshole but sometimes I feel like can come off as one but I don’t mean to be offensive I’m sowwy 👉👈 I’m never fucking doing that again

and sometimes I stay up really late and I am completely out of it after a certain time so PLEASE IM BEGGING PLEASE EXCUSE ANY WEIRD POSTS OR COMMENTS IM PROBABLY EEPY

Wwatt blinkies and boxes credit: @/fallcicada @/songuserbox

soldier stamps credit : @/irldenji

✨ My Tags ✨💅💅💃💃💃😹😿😿

Conezdumbideas - shitposts and doodles

Conezmakeart - art tag

Conezyappityyap - me rambling

Conepookies - me irl frens

Conezdoesthegmog - gmod sillies

Conezgoofyasscreations - my gooby ocs

🧦 Tags to find my shitty comics idk ✨

Conezsillyvoidcomic - void comic (yeah idk about this one probably won’t happen)

(there was a tag here but I forgot what the idea was gonna be so I put this here to forever be reminded that I probably had a great idea)

Old tags below cut and dni list yadda yadda

I dont tag reblogs usually so you can probably find all my shitty art by doing a tag

🥖🥖🥖 Old Tags 💔🥖🥖

conezeatspencils - pencil drawings

wholetconezcook - drawings

and also about the comics!!

void comic thing - I might start this one again but I probably won’t I don’t really like it it feels kind of unoriginal I dunno how to explain but PLEASE send me an ask if you were actually interested in it

the one I forgot about - ok I had a good idea and I forgot. ok.

all that we lost - this is a big one!! I’m trying to turn the fic “All that we lost” by mx_boxlocks on ao3 into a comic. It’s 32,000 words but I would like to have fun and not completely copy it and just take parts of the main plot. The fic itself is also unfinished as of writing this and I always wanted to write an end for it!!

yes it is happening.

Other general stuff I find neat

•Computer viruses(stuxnet……)

•World Wars 1 & 2 ASK ME ABOUT OPERATION MARKET GARDEN 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

•Patterns in math…. My beloved….

•Paradoxes

•Spaceeeeeeeee

•Geology

•Math in general I guess

•Coding

•Rules of robotics

•History

•War strategies

•The Art of War by Sun Tzu for exactly why you think

Games me like or play

• Undertale/Deltarune

• Minecraft

• Celeste

• Rayman

• Subnautica

• Cat Quest I & II

• Stardew Valley

• Cuphead

• Cult Of the Lamb

Movies

• Emesis Blue

• Deadpool 1, 2, and 3

• Howl’s Moving Castle

• Magnificent Nine

• Steven Universe the Movie

• Mitchels vs the Machines

(Will add more I remember)

Cartoons / Shows / Series idk

• Lil Pootis

• Adventure Time

• Fionna & Cake

• Adventure Time Distant Lands

• Steven Universe

• Minecraft Storymode (I watched the Netflix thingy before it was removed)

• Captain Underpants

• Team Neighborhood

• Over the Garden Wall (one of my favs)

Books / Comics

• Curse Of the Werepenguin

• Dogman (huge inspiration)

• Breaking Cat News (huger inspiration)

• Bunnicula

• The Outsiders (could yap forever)

• Midsummer’s Nights Dream

• Adventure Time Comics

Youtube series or Youtubers I like

PLEASE TELL ME IF ANYONE HERES A BAD PERSON

also it’s all tf2

• Honorcrocketts

• Rubberfruit

• Kostamonien

• STBlackST / Unusual Troubles

• Kitty0706

• Requiem For A Pizza

• Badwatervideos2009

• HoovyTube

• Team Neighborhood

• Kugawattan

• TheInvertedShadow

• DamashiDX

• KIEGKILLSREALITY THIS DUDE IS AMAZING HOLY SHART IVE WATCHED EVERY VIDEO THRICE

• Yup Kup I am rationing yup kup videos otherwise I’ll watch all of them in 2 days

Musics

• Will Wood

• Will Wood and the Tapeworms

• Penelope Scott

• Weird Al Yankovic!!!!

• ARTHUR

• Radiohead

(I do not have a lot of favorites)

SONGSSSS HEHE

femininomenon by Chappell Roan

HAND ME MY SHOVEL I’M GOING IN BY WILL WOOD

skeleton appreciation day in vestal ny by Will wood yes I am a will wood could you tell

basket case by Green Day

succexy by metric

raw sugar by metric

20190724 by Mac DeMarco

ATTACKING VERTICLE BY FEMTANYL

wierd shit from the Lisa the painful ost

mouth wide open from LTP ost again

summer love from ltp AGAINNN itd a good sound track ok

face eater, blowout, the twist, and all that glitters all by noisemaker

back to Olathe from ltp, homeland hussle ALSO FROM LTP JEEEEZ

wet by dazey and the scouts

metal crusher, rude buster, and it’s showtime! from that one game

icicles by the scary jokes

BLACKBOXWARRIOR OKULTRA BY WILL WOOD OUUEGHH I LOVE THIS SONG BUT I LISTENED TO IT TOO MUCH ouughhhh I can almost understand it… it’s barely beyond my comprehension

Sad by lemon demon

Machiavellian Bach from the portal ost

William Penn by ARTHUR

Sweet memory by ARTHUR

Ivy League by ARTHUR

Woof Woof by ARTHUR

Change the formality by infected mushroom OOOOUGHHH

Pizza Heroes by lemon demon

que sera sera from the one rolly game

Oxford comma by vampire weekend

Into the unknown from over the garden wall

INVISIBLE BY DURAN DURAN snake snake snake snake snake 🐍 hmmm this snake is AWFULLY… gets shot and killed

specifically the first part with the guitar in Molly by mindless self indulgence

DNI

Homophobes, transphobes, nazis, racists, pedos, pervs, proshit, zionists, zoophiles, completely NSFW blogs, TERFs and SWERFs yknow like basic peoples who be shitty I know theres gonna be some fuckwads who interact anyway and just know I check followers

Also some very specific stuff

-People who ship emesis blue solly and spy idk about you… you’re welcome I guess but I’ll sideye you (I could on a whole rant about how shitty he is he’s so mean to solly 😭😭) -People who genuinely like lunchly gtfo you’re witerawy an npc… lunchables are so much better -That girl from 2nd grade who told me to smell her ass bc it smelled liked bubblegum and also told me that adventure time made me stupider fuck you -People who are like really aggressively vegetarian or vegan??? Like they force it onto other people -Ppl who don’t like Bluey? I didn’t even know Bluey haters existed -IF YOU LIKE JIMMY FROM THE WAHSING OF MOUTH GAME -People who like brussel sprouts wtf? No one likes them -People who say Minecraft was ruined and the old versions were better GET OUT GET OUT I’LL POLITELY HOLD THE EXIT DOOR OPEN FOR YOU JUST PLAY THE OLDER VERSIONS THEN FUCKWAD -People who aggressively shit on people for liking dark humor (or aggressively shit on people at all. Unless you’re both into that then idk what to say good for you) -People who aren’t comfortable with objectum, nothing against you but there will be the occasional jokes about objectum so just block me for your comfort if you don’t like that I don’t talk about it a lot tho -People who still use Dr bright or support him. What the fuck? -People who don’t find the schlatt joke funny where they put schl at the schleginning of schlords it’s the funniest thing you schlarty schlooper -Lack toes and told her aunt

(Yes most of these are a joke)

self ish is my favroite album coudl you tel 😻 it’s actually everything is a lot but the self ish album cover is so skibdi amongus toulet

IT HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH SOLDIER THANKS TO @/axiilotl

[saints-helen]

Greetings! What are your thoughts on ships in UTMV fandom other then Crepic?

Oh well hi!! Thank you for asking!! :DDDD

Hmm, well, to start off I'm not usually the biggest fan. I don't actively Avoid them or anything (usually) but they're not my Favourite cup of tea (I don't even Like tea, which is ironic, considering I'm asexual and the whole analogy about people not wanting tea as a metaphor for sex BUT ANYWAY-)

(oh wow this post got long, gonna put a.. thing? Here? Dunno what it's called- ah! A "read more" thing)

(edit: FUCK CHAT I FORGOT INKMARE, THEY ARE AMAZING, SO FREAKY, AZUREM GOT ME INTO THEM- AZUREM YOU EVIL, EVIL, EVIL-)

I prefer (as you can definitely tell from my fanfic) platonic/queerplatonic and familial relationships above all else, and would much rather see those instead of ships

But alas.. the well doth run dry at times.. and i have to fill it myself

I like afterdeath! And lifeafterdeath recently i suppose, but I haven't explored that one much yet, Helen got me into the former (CURSE YOU HELEN!!!). But i got them into crepic, so it evens out

(I cured them of the curse that is cream and got them to see the true light of day, amen 🙏)

I also like greaser x fresh, can't remember their name, just think they're funky

Kolor? Hmm.. I honestly don't think what those two fucks (affectionate) have can be described with any label or word, they're just there, and they make me SO ANSOANAKKAAK (THEY BELONG TOGETHER YOUR HONOUR THEY DO!!)

I'm pretty neutral to everything else i think.. but when it comes to ships i hate cream will have to take the cake (ehe, cream, cake, get it? Ge-)

Mainly because cross is a LOSER, and NOT THAT GREAT, and could NEVER be good enough for dreamy, i could be a much better boyfriend and I'm not even a boy, i could treat dream so much better 😒

(dream please one chance ONE CHANCE-)

(and like, no shade to any who ship them, you do you.. but like.. they feel like the most Straight couple here istg, like how people managed to make a ship with a bisexual, trans coded man, and a genderlesss tree/apple spirit feel straight is So weird to me 😭)

(i can go on a whole rant about why i hate cream, you guys just have to ask)

I also don't like poth, kinda hate it actually. Nothing Technically wrong with it it just feels so Forced, cuz most of the ship kids are related (thank you ink and geno/error, you whores-) so it feels like they're being shipped just cuz they're the rare pair who would Not make it somehow incestous 💀

(also they'll always be babies in my mind so it feels weird to see them doing grown up things😭)

(Same for all shipkid ships)

Fresh x paperjam can die on my fucking doorstep idc, I'll wipe them off in the morning. Same for any shipkid being shipped with a character who is Definitely way older then them. The age differences WEIRD ME OUT, GET AWAY FROM ME!!

If i hate shipkids being shipped together then i DEFINITELY hate them being shipped with older characters WAY more, get AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!

Hmm.. who else who else... What other popular ships are there..

Oh, there's delta x color! Dunno their name but they Are pretty funky, it's cute. Thank you ossie for getting me into them 🙏

Dustberry is cute enough, but I don't like most interpretations of it, cuz like.. cmon.. we all know blue would never be so "uwu innocent" that is a grown man, DUST will be the one blushing be fr (dust dw me too I MEAN WHAT WHO SAID THAT-)

Killer and dust are Freaky and Horrid and NOT at all healthy, i fucking love it, fucked up freaks

Dream and killer is hot i guess, mainly because it concerns my hot sexy wife dreamy, but that's about it, don't much care for them otherwise

A lot of ships are hot actually but I don't care for them aside from that- 😭

Dream x blue.. exists. Nothing against anyone who ships it but blue has such Big Brother vibes that i can Not see him with dream, at all 😭 you cannot tell me dreamy wasn't a wee babby when he joined the star sanses and blue didn't take one good look at him and think "fuck i gotta feed this kid"

(at least per my evil headcanons, hehehe)

Horrorfarm is cute, I don't actively ship them but they're off living their life.. cultivating the land.. good for them I'll leave them to it

Bad sans poly can be hot, but otherwise don't much care- unless there's angst involved! But then i leave em alone again

Don't care for star sans poly either

Destructivedeath? EHEHE, i enjoy the pain and suffering of those who ship them it is Glorious. Please! Keep shippong them! Your pain makes me Laugh and be happy

Lazystars has pretty art, don't much care otherwise

Same for sillystrings but with funny art

Don't much care for outer, classic, lust, farm, or ccino as of rn, and that includes their ships

Dust and Fell though??.. angst GALORE, enjoy them more as fucked up friends however.

Dust and horror is fine, can be hot

(Wow there are actually so many ships in this fandom Jesus Christ-)

*Listing them off on my fingers* don't care for crink, don't care for drink (kinds boring actually) uhh what else, don't care for errink,

Do NOT care for errorberry at ALL, GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU DO NOT EXIST IN THE WAY GOD INTENDED (QUEERPLATONIC)

Cross x killer is hot, idk if i mentioned that already this post is getting pretty long- but they can be cute in fanart sometimes

Errormare is cute, rosa's roseverse got me into it, sillies

(EVERYONE GO READ ROSEVERSE *RIGHT NOW* IT'S SO GOOD AND ANGSTY)

Don't get me wrong i don't Hate shipping, i squeel and "oo" and "ahh" like all the rest of you, i just prefer we focused more on the goldmine that is platonuc and familial pairings, but i will keep fighting the good fight for that 😔✊

Also, i technically don't even ship crepic?? I mean i Do, just- i saw them as queerplatonic, had a phase of shipping them, and now am beginning to see them as queerplatonic again

I guess nothing changes about the way they interact except the label? Idk, it's weird, like Schrödinger's crepic,,, isn't that something

Anyway to recap: idk what crepic do but they should stay together, kolor exists beyond my mortal comprehension, cream can go die in a fucking ditch somewhere idc istg (but only cross ofc dream should skip in a field with me ❤️), hate poth and other shipkid ships, HATE shipkids eith older characters even MORE, dislike errorberry heavily, heavily like/love afterdeath and lifeafterdeath, slightly like errormare at times, casually enjoy greaser x fresh, and am mainly neutral to everything else.

I hope that answered your question! I love you thank you for asking, bye! :D <3

[echoingvoids]

Told Me So pt. 2 (Jetra)

Masterlist Request a Oneshot

Oh my gosh I forgot to post this here I have gotta stop that.

You need to have read part one to know what's going on here. This is gonna be painful (I had a hard time writing it honestly).

It'll work out in the end, I promise.

Word Count: 6,200

TW: Mentions/discussions of 'grape', swearing, sexual themes, descriptions of violence.

<>

"You shouldn't be here." The words slipped from Petra's mouth the second Jack's feet hit the floor, a phrase she'd never thought she'd have to say to him. 

"Well excuse me. I couldn't sit around for another month waiting for you to come find me, which you clearly have no intention of ever doing," he crossed his arms. "What the hell happened, Petra? What happened to our plans? I heard from the people in town what's going on--you've settled and seem content."

She pressed her lips together, debating what to say. "I'm...I'm not going with you, Jack."

"Beg your pardon?"

"I'm not going with you," she repeated, more firmly. "I've decided I'm going to stay here in Beacontown and--"

"And stay married with Jesse," Jack scoffed. "Why? He has nothing to offer you, Petra, and knows nothing about you. Or was the sex just that good?"

"There's way more to him than that, Jack!" She snapped, barely realizing just how angry that statement had made her. "He's smart and he's kind and respectful. He's got a nice smile and an even better laugh and finds amusement in such little, random things. He may not be the tough, brave adventurer that you are, Jack, but he's brave in his own right."

Jack was shaking his head. "So you forget about me? You took some wild chance on this guy, decided you liked him, and threw six years of love and friendship out the window?"

"No, Jack, because part of me does still love you and probably always will," she sighed. "What we had...have is love in the dark and I just...don't want to sneak around anymore. Things here...things are actually far better here than I ever thought they would be. I want to stay, Jack."

The man visibly deflated, running a hand over his face. "Never thought that's something I'd hear you say. This man, this...Jesse...he better be all you're saying he is. Because once I walk out of here, I'm not coming back and if it comes out that he's something God-awful--"

"Then I'll take matters into my own hands. You don't owe me anything, Jack. Never. Not your help, not your forgiveness, you don't owe me a thing."

He crossed the space between them, looking at her with a rather sad expression. "I know I don't. I forgive you regardless."

She stood frozen as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head before he turned and made his way back to the window. Just as he was going to climb through, she took a step forward. "Wait. What are you going to do now?"

He paused. "I haven't decided yet. Met this villager-guy named Nurm. Apparently he makes maps and owns the rights to some building in the part of town called 'Bad Luck Alley'. Might open up a shop there with him. I might leave. Dunno."

She nodded slowly. "Well...good luck in whatever you decide to do."

"Same to you, Lady Petra."

Something about him using her title stung, but she simply pressed her lips together and watched him climb out her window for the last time. The sense of finality was overwhelming and as soon as he was gone, she carefully shut the windows. Then she dropped onto the bed and put her face in her hands, suddenly feeling conflicted. She had made the right choice, she figured, but losing Jack still hurt like a stab wound. 

She ended up staring at the ceiling for hours. The dawn eventually crept in and she just gave up and got out of the bed.

Jesse had never come back.

<>

He couldn't bring himself to go up there. 

Any other man would've barged up there, demanded answers, and punished people accordingly. Jesse couldn't even get halfway up the stairs before turning around, feeling sick. 

Some man he was.

He sat at the bottom of the stairs for a few hours, a war of conflicting emotions raging through him like a hurricane. Part of him desperately wished he had imagined the whole thing, but he knew he hadn't, and that thought made everything worse. He had trusted her and she took advantage of it. 

He wondered how long this had been going on for. Since they got here? The past two weeks? Or was this something from before they got married, someone from her town? That was the most likely, and it just reminded him of how she had threateningly said she would not marry him, how everyone had a choice. 

So this strange man had been part of the picture all along. He must've been her secret lover before Lord Soren arranged this marriage and she clearly had intentions to be with the stranger. Still, why did she have to decide to play Jesse on the side? What had he done to deserve her playing with his emotions like this? If she really didn't give a shit about him, and just wanted to be with the stranger, she could've at least had the decency to not drag Jesse into it.

The baron never managed to get up those stairs. He ended up avoiding that hallway entirely. Avoided Petra too, like a plague. Didn't even see her. The second day, he slept in the stable. The third day, too. His servants tried to question him but after he snapped at them, they kept quiet. 

He felt kind of bad about that. They had nothing to do with this mess and taking out his emotions on them was uncalled for. He apologized shortly after.

Apparently Petra had been looking for him. It became like a game of cat and mouse. If he heard her footsteps, he'd slip out of the room another way. He didn't go anywhere he couldn't escape easily. It was just simpler to avoid the issue, something he'd never thought he'd have to do. 

On the fourth day, he got caught. He had been training at a late evening hour, and didn't hear her approaching. "Jesse."

He froze mid-swing, and after a moment, resumed training like he hadn't heard her. She strode across the space into his line of vision. "Jesse, I know you heard me."

Again, he didn't respond, focusing instead on the wooden blade whacking against the cloth dummy. He heard her sigh in frustration and as he lifted his arm to swing again, she was suddenly there, grabbing his wrist. Just the feel of her calloused fingers on his skin was enough to send memories of the past month cascading through his head. Every smile, laugh, and kiss raced through his mind like a flash and he found that he couldn't bring himself to rip his arm out of her grasp like he should.

So instead, he finally met her eyes. 

His detached expression quickly turned to one of concern and confusion despite himself when he saw her face. Her eyes held this sort of understanding that sent some sort of fear through him and then he realized something else--she was trying not to cry.

She let go of his arm and before he could do anything, she turned and dashed to the house, a door slamming behind her, making him flinch. He stood there a moment, stunned, unsure of what to do, his arms hanging loosely at his sides. Then he quietly put the training sword away and left the courtyard.

He didn't bother with the barn that night. No, he instead locked himself in his office and didn't dare leave. 

<>

Bang bang bang! "Emerald Baron, sir!" Bang bang bang! "Emerald Baron!"

BANG BANG BANG! "SIR, ITS AN EMERGENCY!"

Jesse came crashing across his office, scattering scrolls and other things on the floor, scrambling to unlock the door. He yanked it open to find Radar standing there. "Is Petra okay?! Is there a fire?! Who's hurt?! What is it?!"

God, he had asked about her without realizing it.

Radar's eyes were three times larger than usually. "That's why I'm here, Baron, sir! Lady Petra...she's gone!"

Jesse felt his heart drop into his stomach, and he gasped out, "What?"

Radar motioned for him to follow, and the baron did, up the stairs to their room. Several of her things were gone, including her prized sword 'Miss Butter' and Jesse couldn't help the sense of dread spreading in his stomach. "No. No, Notch, please no."

Radar pointed to the desk. "I-I found a letter addressed to you. I didn't read it, I promise!"

Jesse forced himself to cross the space, forced his fingers to grasp the edge of the paper. He recognized Petra's handwriting immediately, and with a shaky breath, he began to read.

Jesse,

By the time you'll probably see this, I'll be long gone. Leaving like this was not a decision made lightly, I assure you, and I think I know what caused the rift between us. And even though I've left, I owe you an explanation.

The man you saw at the window; his name is Jack Malura. He's an old friend and...lover of mine. When I was first told I was to be married, he and I made plans to escape. Even when I met you, I had still intended to leave with him, at least for a little while.

Please don't get the wrong idea. I left completely by myself. I have no idea where Jack is now, but he sure as hell isn't with me.

Truth is, Jesse--I've fallen for you. So hard and way too fast and it scares the living shit out of me. Lady Ellegaard, who you know is practically my aunt, always told me that love doesn't spring up overnight; devotion isn't made in a day. But when it came to you...I gave you that chance, Jesse, and you spun my world around, took my heart, and ran away with it.

And you deserve far better than I can give you. Someone who will treat you better than I have. So I had to leave. Please don't waste time and energy trying to look for me. Just pronounce me dead to the townspeople, I'm sure you can find a viable excuse. Then go find someone else. Someone who deserves your kindness. 

Petra.

Jesse sat stunned. He couldn't decide if he was angry, confused, or just plain overwhelmed. Who was she to decide if she was worthy of his affections? That was something for him to decide, not her! He quickly came to the conclusion that he was more angry about that than that whole Jack fellow. 

Then that anger was quickly replaced by worry. He wasn't worried that she couldn't defend herself, he knew she could, but worried about the masses of bandits that had been roaming around lately. If they had found her--

An idea crept into his head. "Radar."

"Y-yes, sir?"

"Do we have a 'Jack Malura' in town?"

"I believe so? I think he recently petitioned to open a shop with a villager named Nurm. Why?"

"I need you to send for him right now. Tell him its an emergency and non-negotiable order. I'll be getting ready in the meantime."

"O-okay? But sir, how will this find Lady Petra?"

Jesse strode over to the cabinet in the corner, yanking it open. "He's an old friend of hers. If anyone will know where she might've gone, it'd be him. Now stop wasting time, go!"

<>

Jack strode into the courtyard, sword on his back and that nervous Radar kid following behind. Why Jesse had called for the adventurer, Jack didn't know, but he decided to simply play things cool and detached. "Emerald Baron."

"Jack. Thank you for coming," the baron turned, dressed in full armor with a sword on his hip. "Petra has gone missing and I need your help to find her."

"Baron sir, I don't know what makes you think I in particular would be able to find her. There are more qualified trackers in town."

"Oh, don't even try to play that game with me," the shorter man strode forward, glaring up at Jack. "I know what your relationship was with my wife. And as much as it...pains me to admit it, due to that relationship, you know far more about her and where she might have gone. I know she can take of herself, but...I miss her already."

Jack felt something inside him shift. What it was, he didn't know. "I see. You...do actually care about her, don't you?"

Jesse nodded mutely and Jack sighed. "I'll help you. But more for her sake than yours. The bandits around here have gotten out of control, and while I know she is an excellent fighter..."

"They could very easily overwhelm her. Could overwhelm any of us," Jesse shook his head. "Any idea where she went?"

"Possibly. Did she take her horse?"

"Yeah."

"Anyone else been in or out of the stable besides you?"

"No."

"Good. That means I can still find tracks," Jack made his way towards the stable, gesturing for the baron to follow. "If I can figure out the direction she went in..."

Jesse said nothing, wordlessly following Jack to the stables.

<>

Petra was aware of every single noise around her. Her nerves felt wired, causing her to practically jump every time something snapped. She didn't understand where this was fear was coming from. She had been in forests plenty times enough and she had more than enough supplies.

She currently stood by her grey steed, pulling out an apple from the saddlebags. She heard the footsteps at the same time as her teeth dug into the red flesh of the fruit, and she paused mid-bite. There was more footsteps and she brought the apple away from her mouth, chewing slowly.

"And what's a little lady like yourself doing alone in the woods?"

Petra closed her eyes a moment before turning to face the bandits. There was...a lot of them. "Back off."

"Aye, and she's a pretty lass too," one of the men said, grinning with a rotten smile. "Did you get lost on the way to a picnic? Poor little lady."

Petra pressed her lips together, scanning the men's faces. She assumed the most decorated one was their leader, and he was currently eyeing her horse. "That steed looks a little too good for the likes of you. Did you steal it? Or perhaps you are even more valuable than we think?"

He took a step forward and Petra put a hand on her sword hilt. "I said back off."

"Oh, no need to do that, lass. Wouldn't want you hurting yourself."

She took another bite of her apple before dropping it to the side and drawing her sword. "Last chance. Leave, now."

The leader chuckled, nodding to one of the men. "Stork? Grab her."

Stork grinned, not even bothering to draw his weapon as he advanced on her. Petra waited until the last possible second and then with one quick slash of her sword, cut two of his fingers clean off. 

Stork immediately started howling and some of the men took a dumbfounded step back. Blood ran down Stork's hand as he screamed, grasping desperately and clearly unsure of what to do with himself. Petra readied her stance again, shooting a challenging look to the other men. "Anyone else?"

The leader growled, drawing his own sword. "You've just fuckin' pissed me off now, lass. And now we'll be takin' that horse and we'll be takin' you, too. Payment for Stork's fingers."

Despite the worm of fear crawling into her gut, Petra simply laughed. "I'd like to see you try."

The leader sneered. "Boys? Get her."

All the men drew the swords and ran forward.

<>

Jesse followed silently behind Jack, leading his horse carefully along. They had dismounted a while back after Jack had managed to find more of Petra's tracks, insisting it would be safer to follow them on foot. Slower, more like, Jesse had thought, but he didn't dare argue.

He could see why someone like Petra would like someone like Jack. Jack was tall, confident, strong, and bold in a way Jesse never had been. Jack seemed to know what he was doing, where he was going, while Jesse followed along clueless. 

Why Petra had struggled to make a decision between the two was beyond him. 

Jack suddenly stopped, holding up his hand. He knelt down, scanning the ground and picking up a slightly-mushy, partially-eaten apple. "Shit."

Jesse finally spoke. "What?"

Jack was slow to respond, straightening and staring at the ground. "Take a look at the dirt, Emerald Baron."

Jesse did, feeling his blood run cold at all the footprints and streaks in the dirt. "There was a fight here."

"Yes. These hoofprints are from Petra's steed and right here--this is where she had been fighting. All the others--" Jack sucked in a breath. "Bandits."

"Do you think they got her?"

Jack walked along a bit, finding where all the footprints converged and led. "Yeah. I think they did."

Jesse fought to stay calm. "We have to get to them before they do something awful to her. How far behind do you think we are?"

"Based on this apple? An hour, maybe two hours tops. We'd need to hurry."

Jesse pulled himself up onto his horse. "Mount up, Jack! We don't have any time to loose!"

<>

Petra struggled against the ropes. Her hands were tied to a low tree branch over her head, causing her to slowly lose all feeling in her fingers as the blood fought gravity. Her sword was leaning against a log only a few feet away, glinting in the evening light and antagonizing her because no matter how she stretched or twisted, she just couldn't reach it.

She finally gave up, dropping her head back against the tree. She tried to console herself, knowing she put up the best fight she could and despite not killing any of those men, they'd be nursing permanent wounds for the rest of their sorry lives. Not like that was going to stop them from--

She bit her lip hard, forcing her fear down. They wanted her scared. She knew that. Magnus had taught her that fear and cowardness just gave men like this power, and all she could do in this situation was stay as detached and calm as possible. As difficult as that was, she wouldn't give these creeps the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

She wondered if Jesse had realized she was gone yet. Had he found the letter? She really hoped he wouldn't go after Jack, but thinking about Jesse's personality...he wouldn't do something like that.

"And here she is."

The unpleasant voice of the bandit leader made her glare, defiance in her eyes. He strode over and crouched down in front of her, just far away enough so that she couldn't kick him, much to her annoyance. "I hope you're proud of yourself, lass. Quite the temper you've got on you."

She let out a dry laugh. "Just get to the point already. What are you going to do and in what order? Starve me? Rape me? Torture me? Kill me?"

"I doubt you'll worry about the last one, lass. Because I figured out who you are," the leader stood and began to pace. "Lady...Petra...Goldsmith. Adoptive daughter of Soren Goldsmith, the greatest architect of all time," he paused. "Oh wait--or isn't it 'Osborne' now? Petra Osborne. Jesse's bitch."

"I am no one's bitch," She spat out. "I belong to no man."

"Really? That's not what the law says. And you seemed to like following the law," the leader calmly stepped forward, bending down and putting his face right next to hers (again out of reach of her kicking range). "We'll send you home soon enough. Gonna put out a ransom for you because I'm sure we can get a pretty penny for you. Although we're not going to mention that we'll be returning damaged goods."

She felt that fear flare again but she kept her expression schooled. "Good luck with that."

He simply snorted, dragging a finger along her jawline and making her flinch despite her best efforts not to. "I see why that dumb baron was so enraptured by you. This'll be quite a bit of fun and don't worry, everyone will get their turn."

He stood and walked away and when he rounded the corner, she took in a desperate gasp for air. She had to get out of here now. Before they--

"Pst. Petra."

The whisper made her freeze and carefully she looked  in the direction of the voice. It was dark now so it took her a moment to make out who it was, the figure just beyond the reach of the torch light. Then it clicked. "Jack?"

She saw the shadow nod and she felt a flood of relief hit her system. She was going to be okay. A million questions swamped her mind. "How did you find me?"

"Followed your tracks. Jesse asked me to help him."

 Her heart leapt. "Jesse?"

Jack nodded again. "Alright, here's what'll happen. Any second now, he'll cause a distraction so I can cut you loose. We grab your stuff and we run."

She nodded, quickly looking back down as she heard the crunch of footsteps approaching on the partially-dead grass. One of the bandits was coming over and she didn't dare look up again to see what Jack was doing. The bandit smiled a twisted grin, eyeing her in a way that made her feel sick to the stomach. "Get a good look, little lady. I'm next after the leader."

She simply stared at him. "I would rather die.'

"Oh, I'm sure. Sadly, we can't let that happen. You're worth a bit too much. But it would be quite fun to kill you slowly--"

An explosion on the other side of the camp suddenly shook the ground, the sounds of alarmed screams and panicking horses filling the night air. The bandit cursed, running to find his weapon and Petra watched him go with nothing short of relief on her face. Jack dropped down a minute later, pulling out the short knife he always kept on hand. "Hold still."

Yells and the clangs of steel drifted over to them, followed by another explosion and a tree catching fire, illuminating the whole camp. Jack sawed as quickly as he dared at the ropes, and in a minute, Petra was free. She shook her hands, desperately trying to get the blood flowing as she ran towards her sword and bag. She barely had them in hands before Jack grabbed her arm. "We need to go!"

"What about Jesse?"

They ran along the edge of the camp, a branch falling from the flaming tree, causing more screams. "He said he'd meet us later! Come on, Petra!"

"Are you crazy?! There's too many of them! They'll kill him!" She fought to yank her arm out of Jack's grasp. "Jack, let go! We need to help him! Jack!"

Jack continued to drag her towards the horses. "Petra, I'm just doing what he told me to do!"

"Since when do you do what you're told?!"

He didn't respond and just as they reached Jack's steed, Petra heard him. She twisted to look, just to see Jesse being surrounded on all sides by angry bandits. He was desperately trying to escape them, jumping back and barely dodging their angry swings. Arrows started fly to the air and screaming his name, Petra finally wrenched her arm free from Jack's grasp. "Petra NO!"

She didn't listen, drawing her sword and running for Jesse with a yell of rage. Her sword flashed in the light of the burning tree and speared one man straight through the chest. He fell down with a gasp and Petra barely realized that she had just killed a man. She didn't have time to dwell on it because she had to block an attack from another bandit, swinging and cutting his weapon hand off.

"Petra!" Jesse was fighting two at the bandits at the same time. "What the hell are you doing?! Go!"

"Not without you!" She blocked another attack, making her way slowly through the bandits. Some of the men were starting to flee and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jack facing off the leader. This was hell.

Another burning branch crashed to the ground just as a new volley of arrows went flying through the air. One stuck in Jesse's arm, making him let out a roar of pain, and a bandit kicked him, sending him flying across the ground to Petra's feet. The bandit ran forward, sword raised and before she could think about it, she threw herself between Jesse and the sword. "NO!"

"PETRA!"

The sword stabbed straight into her side, everything seeming to slow down and speed up at the same time. She felt the blood already trickling out around the steel and the bandit ripped the weapon back out, causing the red to flow freely out of her. She stumbled to the ground, vaguely aware of her hand grasping at something warm and wet while pain blinded her. Jesse was slashing the bandit to pieces, screaming something she couldn't make out as everything spun.

Oh God, was she dying?

Jesse was suddenly in front of her, saying something she couldn't make out. His hands held her face and she heard "Stay with me, Petra! Please!" right before everything spun to black.

<>

The past three days in Beacontown became one big blur to Radar.

Three days ago, the Emerald Baron had set off with a strange man named Jack to search for the missing Lady Petra. They returned hours later, all three wounded with Petra unconscious in Jesse's arms. Radar had gone with Jack to get the doctor, the three men being forced to wait outside a room while the doctor tried to save Petra's life. The whole time Jesse paced while Jack sat and bounced his leg.

When the doctor had finally emerged, the news wasn't great. The odds of her living were slimmer than the odds of her dying and Radar saw that the fact nearly sent Jesse into a spiral. The baron then sat himself down next to her bed and wouldn't leave.

While he was in there, Radar was responsible for running the affairs. For three days he was in and out of the room, getting Jesse to sign scrolls (all of which the baron did very absently) and trying to get approval on decisions. By the second day, Radar just started making choices himself.

On the third day, he was just leaving with some papers Jesse had to sign when he almost walked right into Jack. "Goodness gracious!"

"Hey, kid," Jack hovered, uncertain. "Uh...How's she doing?"

"Well, her fever broke this morning, so that's good. But she still hasn't woken up yet. So not great, but not super bad, I guess?"

"Hm. Has Jesse been in there this whole time?"

"The Baron? Yes, he has. Won't leave no matter what we do."

Jack nodded slowly. "I see. I guess she was right about him after all."

"What-? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. Take care, kid."

With that, Jack simply strolled out of the building, leaving Radar utterly confused. Unsure of what to do, he went back into the room. "Emerald Baron, sir?"

"What is it, Radar?"

Radar paused. The baron looked exhausted, with deep, dark circles under his green eyes. His hair was matted and now that Radar looked closer, Jesse's eyes seemed almost...dull. 

Had the baron fallen for Petra that deeply that quickly?

Jesse was clearly waiting for him to speak and Radar sputtered. "Sorry, uhm...Jack was just here. Said something strange. Something along the lines of 'I guess she was right about him' or something? Do you have any idea what that's about?"

Jesse simply shook his head and Radar nodded, backing up. "Right. I'll...get back to work then."

He turned for the door, and was just about to leave when-- "Radar?"

"Y-yes, Baron, sir?"

Jesse nodded. "Thanks for everything you've been doing."

Radar blinked several times before smiling a bit and nodding back. "It's nothing, sir. Would you like me to send some food in for you?"

"No, I--" He paused, then sighed. "Actually, yeah. Thanks."

Radar nodded again before slipping out of the room.

Things would be okay. They would have to be. Petra would live, whatever rift that had formed would be closed, and things could go back to normal.

<>

The first thing that she saw was silver.

Glowing light making its way into the dark room. A beam of pure silver falling through blackness. With the light came memories. Echoes of sharp pain now throbbing weakly in her side. Fire. Jesse holding her face in his hands, begging her to stay awake, to stay with him. She hadn't been able to.

Jesse. Where was he? She forced her eyes to focus, to take in more of her surroundings. She was in a bed, in a room that wasn't hers but seemed familiar. Was she back in Beacontown? She must be.

The ceiling came into better focused and she carefully moved her eyes. To the left appeared to be a medical cabinet of some sort with a pile of bloody bandages sitting on it. Was all that blood from her?

She forced her eyes to move on, looking to the right. There he was, sprawled in a chair, looking completely knocked out. The silver light of the moon hit his face squarely, letting her see the dark circles under his eyes and the way his eyebrows were knit together in worry even in his sleep. The arm that had been hit by the arrow was bandaged, but it looked like the wrappings hadn't been changed in at least a day. 

God...He was like this because of her. The guilt of that thought crashed down on her, putting a weight on her chest that made it even more difficult to breathe. She watched him sleep for a moment, lips forming his name but no sound leaving her mouth. He shifted in his sleep and she felt her hand reaching for him despite herself. 

Finally, she managed to croak his name: "Jesse?"

He woke up almost immediately, eyes flying open, emerald greens reflecting the moonlight for a minute as he blinked, seemingly trying to figure out where he was and what had happened. Then his gaze shifted to her and he sat up so abruptly that he almost tipped out of his chair. "Petra?!"

She nodded the tiniest bit and to her surprise, utter relief flooded his face. "Thank God...Petra, I was so worried. Everyone else thought--"

That I was going to die? I thought so too. She swallowed hard, looking him in the eyes as she choked out, "I'm so sorry."

"Petra--"

"I put all of us in danger," she pushed forward. "You could've died. Jack was going to leave you there because you told him to and you could have died because of me. Trying to save me," She gasped, ignoring the increasing pain in her side. "If I hadn't gone back, you'd be dead. You'd be dead and it would have been all my fault."

"Petra," He got up, sitting on the side of bed and leaning over her slightly. "It's okay."

"How the fuck can you say that?"

"Because it's okay. I don't care about any of the shit that happened right now. I don't," He gently took her face in his hands and she saw tears glimmering in his eyes. "You're alive. That's all that matters to me."

"But why? Why do you still care so damn much after what I did to you?"

"Because I stopped to look at everything that happened. Okay, this whole thing so far...We've both made mistakes. I assumed the worst and then didn't try to talk to you like I should've. You took matters into your own hands at that point because of me. But Petra..." He shook his head a bit. "Over the past month and a half, I've seen the signs. You had plenty of opportunities to kill me and leave, never to be heard from again, but you didn't do it. Hell, you got stabbed just to keep me alive."

"Jesse, someone like you doesn't deserve to die."

"Yeah, well you don't deserve to die either. No one does," He rubbed a thumb lightly over her cheek. "Just...Petra, I can't even be upset with you. Well, I can, but I can't. That doesn't make sense, does it?" He sucked in a breath. "Look, what I'm trying to say is even though you did some really shitty things, I forgive you. I forgive you and I hope you can forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive you for, Jesse. You have been nothing but good to me and...look, nothing happened with Jack, I promise you, not after the wedding," She paused before blurting. "I never slept with him either."

"Uhm, okay. Look, even if you had slept with him, Petra, I frankly couldn't care. Because I read your letter and..."

She reached up and gave one of his hands a weak squeeze. "I love you, Jesse."

He smiled, leaning down and pressing his lips to her forehead. "I know that now. I want you to know that I love you, and have since the moment I met you. Now you should sleep."

She couldn't argue with him. "I...Yeah. Okay."

He smiled just a bit, letting go of her face and brushing some of her hair aside before leaning down and pressing another kiss to her forehead. Before he could straighten, she lightly tugged on his shirt, managing to pull herself up just enough to kiss his lips. He kissed back, cradling the back of her head, and as he went back and settled himself in his chair, the wave of exhaustion took over again.

She couldn't deny she was relieved and was vaguely aware of him watching her as she fell back asleep.

<>

A two months later...

Petra stood in front of the mirror, looking herself over. She finally looked fully normal again, the normal color back in her skin and her body letting her do everything she liked to do without submitting to pain or exhaustion. She took in her face, studying the loose braid over her shoulder and the little scar on her jawline. That was new. She hadn't noticed it before.

She then grasped the edge of her shirt, carefully pulling it up to reveal the scar on the side of her abdomen. The sword had left quite the mark, and she had to admit, the scar was really cool. Especially since not a lot of people didn't tend to survive wounds like that.

Holding her shirt one with hand, she lightly traced the raised, rough skin with her fingers on the other hand. She then turned a bit, a small grin appearing on her face. Cool.

She didn't noticed him behind her until he was suddenly right there, watching her with an amused smile. "Having fun?"

Without bothering to turn to him, she replied, "As a matter of fact, yes I am. Just checking out my cool warrior scar now."

"The scar you got saving someone else's life," Jesse put his chin on her shoulder, wrapping her arms around her waist. "The most noble of scars to have."

She smiled, letting go of her shirt to lay her hands over his. "How did the battle go?"

"It went well. The bandits who didn't die are currently rotting in our jail."

"Good."

He hummed, turning his head and murmuring into her neck, "I missed you."

"You were only gone two days," she gave his hand a squeeze. "But I missed you too."

He chuckled a bit and a moment later, his lips grazed her skin. As she tilted her head to give him better access, she felt his hand slide up her shirt, a single finger tracing along her scar. It sent a shudder through her body and a moment later she turned, bringing his lips to hers.

They still had some problems, but the Baroness Harper, wife of Jesse's uncle Ivor, had told them that even the best marriages had their problems. Love came with sacrifices, issues, fights--but it was all worth it in the end. Petra couldn't agree more.

She had written a letter to Soren a week ago. Apologizing for not trusting his judgement and then catching him up on everything that had been happening. Sparing some details, of course.

Jesse suddenly pinched her, making her break the kiss with a gasp followed by a laugh. "What was that for?"

"How dare you space out on me like that?" He grinned teasingly. "It was like you were on autopilot."

"Sorry, I just--" She laughed a bit, and instead of trying to explain herself, she simply pressed her lips against his again. She kissed him deeply, feeling him lean into her as she got that overwhelming rush he always gave her. Her fingers buried themselves in his hair as his hands roamed her back, pulling her body directly against his as he leaned into her. 

When they broke apart this time they were breathing hard and he had this practically smitten look on his face. "That--that's better."

"I should think so."

He grinned.

<>

The bell over the door jingled and Jack announced, without looking up at first, "Welcome to Jack and Nurm's Adventure--" He paused, studying the woman who had entered. "Do I know you?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. My name is Sammy."

"Sammy, huh? Well I'm Jack," He shook her hand, pausing a moment to notice her firm grip. "Nice to meet you. What brings a lady such as yourself here?"

"Well, you see, this may come as a surprise to you, given I'm a woman and all, but...I want to go on an adventure."

"That doesn't surprise me at all. Where do you want to go?"

"You're not going to laugh in my face? Send me home to my father?"

He shook his head and turned, gesturing to the map on the wall. "Just pick a place, Sammy, and I'll take you there. No questions asked."

A brilliant grin appeared on her face as she joined him, studying the map. "Well then...How about we go there?"

"The Mushroom Archapelago. Excellent choice."

"I'm ready when you are."

He smiled. "Then let's go."

<>

Sputtering

See! Happy endings! Agdkahs

I hope you guys enjoyed it. This was quite the experience to write and I had a lot of fun. Thanks for reading!

[reasonandfaithinharmony]

2023 writing gif-making round up

Rules (adapted for fic, gifs, art, etc.): Share what you made this year! It can be works you posted to Ao3, Wattpad, Tumblr, or anywhere else! You can share everything you made or just the projects you're most excited about. Thank you for the tag, @thisbuildinghasfeelings!

January

Um. Coming to terms with the idea of 2023? I dunno. But certainly nothing creative happened here.

February

Boyfriend → husband (Schitt's Creek) — A side-by-side comparison of how David refers to Patrick in season 4 and season 6. (Brought to you courtesy of a lovely text post by @jesuisici33.)

David questioning Stevie's motives (Schitt’s Creek) — A fun look at David's expressive face. ��

March and April

An existential crisis. Or two. Or five. 🙃 Managed to finish absolutely nothing.

I did come in contact with a lot of 911 Lone Star content, however. Which explains everything that follows. Oops?

May

Marry me. (911 Lone Star) — Ah, my first gif set for this show. A parallel of TK referring to Carlos as his husband when he proposes, and then during their wedding ceremony.

Wedding → honeymoon (911 Lone Star) — Holding hands right after they first kiss as husbands. (Promo footage that didn't actually make the final episode cut). And holding hands poolside on their honeymoon.

Note: From here on out, everything in this list is for Lone Star, unless otherwise specified.

June

TK and Andrea helping Carlos get ready — A parallel set highlighting similar moments from Best of Men and a deleted scene from In Sickness and in Health

We almost forgot. Your boutonnière. — In which I attempt to put a couple pieces of unaired footage back together: the deleted scene with Andrea and Carlos + promo footage of what must be the same scene

Heart tutorial — Danielle Savre and Stefania Spampinato teach Rafael Silva how to make a heart sign with his hands at the First Responders Reunion 🫶

July

🤨 (affectionate) — Listen. I love this dynamic. Had to do the parallel set.

Nothing ever stays the same, Carlos. — A look at TK and Carlos' conversation in 2x04 in parallel with Carlos' wedding vows. The first set I wanted to do for Lone Star. Took me a while to get to it because I wasn't sure how to put it together.

August

TK needs you all to RSVP — My first attempt at this type of post. Incorrect quotes? Text post memes? I don't know what to call them, really. But it was definitely fun. And then it became the thing I did most often. Lol.

And if it never changes? // What if everything changes again? — A parallel set for me and ~5 other people, putting Tarlos in 2x04 side by side with Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

September

You're a menace to society *smooch smooch smooch* — My next incorrect quotes/meme post. And my contribution to ascribing cat-like behavior to TK.

I like him a normal amount — A fandom reaction gif, essentially. Courtesy of Joey Tribbiani on Friends.

Love is stored in humans finding out we can make heart shapes with our hands — Had to revisit the heart tutorial for Rafa. This time as one of the incorrect quotes/text posts.

When you can be silly and slutty with them — Oh, I had fun with this look at TK and Carlos' relationship. 😍

Pretty sure this happened at least once — In which we learn TK was seen trying to catch a frog outside the firehouse. Obviously.

October

Carlos is lit like an angel — Commentary on that beautiful moment from 2x02 where TK falls into Carlos' arms.

I put my emotions into my cooking. // This tastes… horny? — A playful and sexy look at Carlos in the kitchen with TK, and then heading upstairs… 😏

I adore you. Why are you like this? I’m going to kiss you with such fervor… — Oh, just exploring the Tarlos relationship dynamic with a text post and a scene from 3x18.

November

Unedited Gif Game (26 entries so far) — This has been very fun. I think it was good for me to have a bunch of low-stakes gif projects where I was not in charge. Lol. I will spare you individual links to each of them. But they should all be in the tag linked here. I will probably make this an ongoing thing, as long as it's not annoying everyone.

December

Episode vs. Promo: Yee-Haw (1x02) — Let's start diving into some more unaired footage, shall we? And let's start with some alt takes on that first make-out scene.

Missing moments: then and now — From an almost-kiss in 1x02 to an alt kiss from their wedding.

You're a miracle, TK Strand. My miracle. — A rather large close-up gif of that alt wedding kiss. Why? So we can see the teardrop that beads up under Carlos' eye.

Tags below the cut…

Tagging: @rmd-writes, @reyesstrand, @strandnreyes, @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @carlos-in-glasses, @lemonlyman-dotcom, @birdclowns, @welcometololaland, @lizzie-bennetdarcy, @rosedavid, @heartstringsduet, @noxsoulmate, @chicgeekgirl89, @paperstorm, @tailoredshirt, @guardian-angle22, @swearphil, @carlos-tk, @three-drink-amy, @orchidscript, @danieljradcliffe, @lightningboltreader + open tag!

[minnie-shifts]

i’ve never posted on here before (and honestly probably never will again) but i kinda need to rant to someone, so why not send it off to the black hole of tumblr?

so i’m a reality shifter, but like… very inexperienced. i have minishifted once, to the maze runner but that was back in 2020/21… anyways i started to make more serious attempts probably around november 2023.

i have been extremely close to shifting before hearing sounds, seeing light etc. but never actually shifted (besides tmr).

where im getting to is… i think i shifted here? before, i couldn’t really understand why someone might come to my reality (my … or ig? it’s basically the same as here), but i get it now. I shifted here on accident.

i saw a post on here last night, i can’t really remember what was said but someone shifted a few times under the premise of “there’s a 50% chance that i’ll go to *insert place* and there’s a 50% that i’ll go to a reality similar to this”. (i forgot what post i saw, but i was really inspired by it lol).

i ended up giving it ago, affirming that there’s a 50% chance i’ll end up in one of my drs but there’s also a 50% that i’ll shift to a reality similar to my own (i was also motivated because i have assessments i don’t wanna do lol)

i didn’t really do a method, i only focused on my breathing and that affirmation then rolled over and went to bed. (which is strange, i’m an awake method girly yk?)

anywho, morning comes around and i go about my day as normal. though, i found that i look.. bigger? like i have gained a bit of weight and my voice is slightly deeper. i also just have this underlying feeling in my gut that something has changed.

like normally when i have a ‘failed’ attempt i try to convince myself i actually shifted to a reality exactly the same but not this time. i’m actually trying to convince myself i didn’t shift, which just.. seems so impossible. my gut is telling me i shifted. my whole body feels out of place.

NOTE: i also seem more.. confident? i randomly cut my own bangs (never wanted to do that), and im posting on here?? (i have severe online anxiety 😭)

i doubt that anyone is reading BUT if there is someone, i’ll try to shorten this up :)

so, fast forward about… almost three hours ago? i went to my sister’s room and told her about how i might of shifted here. for context, my sister is also a shifter (she’s probably shifted maybe 4-5 times?) and the person i tell everything too.

we start to ask each other questions. everything is starting to add up until we started talking about shifting. i mentioned that she has a ZB1 dr (a kpop group) where her s/o is Jungwon and i swear by this. she like leans back confusedly and goes “minn, i’ve never even thought about a ZB1 dr.. or Jungwon being my s/o, Heeseung’s my bias”.

I sit there in shock, this was the first indicator that something is up. I ask her about SVT (my fav kpop group), she says her bias is Jeonghan and my bias is Vernon (wrong btw, my bias is Woozi and her bias is china line like???).

My sister and i are really close, especially around shifting. so i started asking her about her shifting experience. THENN i started talking about an inside joke we have from a dr she has… she had no clue what i was talking about. Which is fucking crazy because we mention it ALL THE TIME!!! even out of shifting or non-kpop related stuff like???

i dunno what the purpose of this is. if you read this, thank you :) i’m feeling kind of weird, coming to terms that i actually left my original reality. i think i might try to shift to my main dr after i post this.

i guess i’m kinda missing my sister even though she’s in a different room lol or technically across the multiverse?? i dunno