#i hope Nancy gets the respect her character deserves

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Someone called wolf a long time ago on Stancy being a misogynistic ship, and it hasn't been able to escape the stink of that, which is sad that it's supposedly more misogynistic than the ship where a guy took non-consensual pictures of the girl, called her a slut for sleeping with Steve, and said that she'd end up being miserable like her parents. There's more evidence that Jancy is, but no one wants to admit that because the actors are together. Not to mention, he sat there while his girlfriend was being bullied and harassed by older men, then got mad at her when she was rightfully upset. That was probably an unpaid internship. They weren't getting paid enough, perhaps even at all for Jonathan to help Joyce out with the bills. It wasn't worth the pain that Nancy was going through. And I'm not saying that he had to stand up for her, but Nancy was looking for some sympathy and comfort. While Steve didn't agree with Nancy about facing the lab, he obviously said the wrong thing about pretending, he did comfort her. . .and he absolutely would have been on Nancy's side on this because his dad's a cheating asshole, his mom's respectable, and he used her as a reference for Family Video. . .Steve probably sees a lot of misogyny at home. I like to think he's a total mama's boy. Steve owned up to mistakes, apologized, and ended up stepping up for Nancy while Jonathan apologized once, then took it back, then never apologized again. There's a lot of resentment between Nancy and Jonathan because Jonathan has jealousy issues concerning the fact that Nancy and Steve both had it easier than he did. So, if anyone needs to be single for a while. . .it's Jonathan. Natalia even said it herself. They love each other, but they also hate each other, and that's a problem, especially considering how they started. It's frustrating to see people put Jancy's problem onto Stancy when they know there's nothing wrong with Stancy, other than the real truth, is that it's too boring for them which is exactly what they need after everything they went through. . .boring, healthy relationships. Not to say that Jancy couldn't work on their problems, but I think they'd need to be apart for that to happen because I do think there is some guilt there, too, with how they started out. Nancy was vulnerable, and her relationship with Steve was barely cold. . .they both didn't think it through. Nancy should be forgiven for that, though, because, like I said, she was vulnerable. There's way more evidence that Jancy is misogynistic rather than Stancy. The truth is people prefer problematic relationships over long-term healthy ones because if Steve wanted to hold Nancy back, then why didn't he fight for her back in s2? Why did he back off and say it was okay? Why did he put it all on himself and not on her? Because if he did want to hold her back, he would have been mad at her. He let her go, and she started coming back to him. I do think both ships are valid. They both have weight, but Jancy has WAY more problems because you can say that everything that Nancy and Steve did together was consensual, but you literally CAN'T say that with Jonathan and the pictures he took. It's canon. He did that. That's one of the problems they have, that's one of the problems that they have. He didn't just take a picture of Nancy when she was vulnerable but of Barb when she was vulnerable, too, and Jonathan was the last person to see her alive. There has to be a little resentment on Nancy's part for that.

[munsonsreputation]

✰ 500 CELEBRATION ✰

NAVIGATION

five hundred followers...FIVE HUNDRED?!?!?! YOU GUYS THIS IS SO FREAKING COOL!!! the comments, replies, reblogs...EVERYTHING has been so SWEET to see and read. i want to thank you guys for caring about what i write and taking the time to give me feedback and send me cute little reaction pics to the stories which make me day ALL THE TIME!!!! 🥺💘

to celebrate this spectacular milestone, i'm opening my requests!!!! I'll be taking requests for all of the older stranger things characters (steve, eddie, robin, nancy, and jonathan). however im totally cool with adding the other characters into the writing ex: writing about steve and reader taking the kids to the fair, ect.

this is open to everyone and i hope all of you get to send me your requests!!! also multiple request are more than ok!!! don't be shy--im more than willing to write fluff, angst, and smut

#1 song fic 🎸 - send me any song or specific lyric you would like me to base an imagine off of with your character of choice.

#2 prompt 📄 - send me a sentence or phrase with your character of choice and i will write you a short imagine. here are a few prompts i've reblogged if you guys need some inspo

#3 wips 📎 - interested in knowing what i have in the works? send me a character and whether you would like to have a sentence or moodboard based on whatever wips i have coming soon!

#4 taylor x stranger things 🧣 - send me your character of choice and a taylor song and ill write a short imagine based on it!!!! (yes queen taylor gets her own prompt alright!!!! HAHAHAAH)

#5 funsies! 💫 - tag me or send me some fun tumblr games to play!! or just ask me questions or rant or literally ANYTHING...let's just have fun and be respectful!!

i really can't wait to go through all your requests but just please be patient with me as i don't want to rush any of your wonderful requests because you all deserve a nice written imagine ✨🫀🌙

once again, thank you so much for the love and support...everything and all of you mean the absolute world to me and i wouldn't be able to do this without you all...I FUCKING LOVE Y'ALL...my dear lovers MUAH!💘

🖨 no pressure mutual tags: @eddieandbird @wordsbymae @sodapop182 @chervbs @str4ngerthingshavehappenedhere @lilacletter @munsonswhore86 @sillypurplemurple @moonxxlight @hstoria @rvdsxmz @zariaskz @mapleransom-blog @eagerbby @mediocre-daydreams @maddipoof @new-romqntics @translatemunson @esme-viridian @tvserie-s-world @pbs-theundeadmaggot @sunflowerharrington @dukesmebby @softharrington @spideyharrington @newlips @sattlersquarry @eddiemunsons-missingnipple @taintedcigs @fleurfairie @rustedtelephones @l0ttiee @bestdressedfearless @bisexual-byers @evergreennwilloww @schoopsahoy @suncatcherss @moonpops @oogachakaooga @munsonsbait @vigilanteshit @swivel-swiftie @eddiesdoll @mirrorbaaall @kennedy-brooke @manda-panda-monium @givemeth @steveharringtonswife @fckthtgetmoney @loving-and-dreaming

[harmonictechnicality]

Happy Valentines Day Harmony!! Couldn’t let the day pass without sending warmest wishes to the writer whose words make me believe in a romcom version of reality every time I read them and whose taste in music alone could launch 1000 crushes!! If you attended Hawkins High in 1984, the fruity four would be tripping over eachother to shove valentines in your locker (Nancy’s would be a very neat handmade heart complimenting your fashion choices and asking you on a study date, Robin’s would be a rocky horror singing card and pickup lines in her top five favorite languages, Steve’s would be whatever the 80s version of a papyrus card is and actually also flowers and balloons and so much chocolate and he would try to bribe you to not read his card with additional chocolates because it would be a sappy recounting of the first time he saw you, and Eddie’s would be a poster he drew of you two in a band (Tachycardia in Tandem, that old softie) and he would have written ~TiT 4ever~ on all of Steve’s balloons before realizing they now all said “tit” and contemplating popping them all before leaning in and cutting a new boob window in his shirt and asking you to be King and Queen Sluts for the day), but since it is not 1984 and you aren’t in Hawkins, it’s my pleasure to be able to pass along all their sweet thoughts and all of my own. As ever, I think you’re a tremendous writer with brilliant ideas and the most heartfelt execution, who is equally deft at crafting laugh out loud dialogue and tender yearning and extremely hot hookups and the most gorgeous descriptions of places and feelings and lewks, and who somehow manages to create such rich and detailed worlds that watching the same two (beloved) idiots fall in love over and over again feels new and heart racing every time. All of your posts are just as fun and delightful to see— whether you’re referring to your shadowy past as a theatre star (??) or talking about the music that makes you feel most at ease or complimenting another creator’s work or thirsting over the Joes (lol) or dropping updates about your day and your writing process, u always make me smile so anyway thanks for being alive in this moment and being online with us and I hope your day is magnificent and you treat yourself to many wonderful things 💓

Dear sweet angel!! I swear to all the stars and clouds, your messages never fail to fully brighten my day 🥹 So I want you to know how much I appreciate the time it takes to reach out or read anything I write, because I know it takes a lot of effort and I mean it when I say it NEVER goes unnoticed. I am so grateful for your kindness and your shared affinity for all things romcom ❣️

OH MY GAH, your valentine exchange is 10/10 - no notes, utter perfection. AGH! Pls write fics soon so I can gush about all of your amazing headcanons on these beloved characters 💕

In return for your sweet darling sentiments, I offer up a little meet cute story. This is a friendship meet cute that happened to me in college and I thought it was romcom worthy (despite being totally platonic):

So I was in a new friend group and I was didn’t know many of the people at this particular chill sesh. But at one point, my phone reminder went off to take my anxiety meds. So I pulled on my prescription bottle and someone at the other end of the table goes “hey! That looks like citalopram.” And I said “hey! That’s cause it is citalopram.” And then they pulled out their bottle of anxiety meds and we ended up taking our meds together. BOOM! Instant friendship via medication meet cute 🥰

I hope that story makes up for me getting to this a day late, it’s one of my favorites! Thank you times forty thousand (that feels like the right number to me) for being such a beacon of positivity in this fandom. You deserve every inch of kindness and respect, never ever forget that.

Have the absolute BEST of belated Valentine’s Day, dear friend!! 💖💖💖 (You can totally rewatch Sleepless in Seattle again, Nancy Wheeler would approve of its year round watchability 😉)

[eternalpassions]

I hope Nancy Wheeler's slutty, annoying and cheating ass dies in S5. It won't happen but still lol 🥲

Hello,

I know! Lol. I was actually discussing this with someone yesterday

She is one of the worst female characters and it’s even more frustrating how vicious and rabid people get when defending this mediocre character lol. Like at least when a female character is a bitch the narrative and writers acknowledge it but this show doesn’t lol. The gaslighting is insane and not talked about enough. This girl literally agreed be be Steve’s girlfriend for a year knowing she was in love with another man lol. So emotionally cheating on him for a year. Let’s be real, no matter how much of an “asshole” Steve was and he wasn’t, nothing he ever did was gonna be enough for this woman lol.

She was mocking him the whole time! And she used his behavior as a scapegoat and excuse to cheat on him. To this day the writers deny her cheating on him when we all know she did. Even her fans know deep down but they have to rabidly go after anyone that does to protect the image of this bitch. An argument is not a breakup 😂😭 She was literally discussing Steve with Jon and the degenerate creep old man. Jon literally said “and Steve?” Bitch you cheated own up to it!

Like she could be redeemed if she owned up to her mistakes and fandom didn’t try to censor her image. But her never taking accountability just makes her look worse. Some say, “she was only with two guys wahh” Nah, her behavior is slutty and annoying lol. And don’t get me started on her weird lust for Steve in season 4. I don’t care if she supposedly wants him again when she hasn’t owned up to anything! She still thinks she deserved to cheat and disrespect aSteve because she was horny and needy. Her attitude is almost like I deserved to cheat because you didn’t bow to my every whim and act the way I wanted you to. Lol Steve is a developed character with his own agency and personality unlike Jon. He’s not gonna follow you around like a b*tch that’s just not him

Even in season 4 she still doesn’t really respect him. I used to try to want to ship it because she’s the only girl he loves but that would just be disrespectful to Steve. That would be like me supporting my friend getting back with an abusive narcissist because he “loves her” Better to be single than with a devil like that!

I really wish they would kill her off but they probably won’t. She is their poster child for white radical feminism. People think because she is a rabid gun owner and has a high gpa that she’s a good woman and character lol. Doesn’t work that way. I wish they could make a scene where she’s trying to lead Steve on again and he’s like “Nancy fuck off and go back to Jonathan” I don’t even care if I get hate anymore for this post cuz this fandom sucks and a full of weirdos lol

Oh and to add. They’ll say you hater she’s a good person she cares about her friend Barb Lmaoo. Lol did you see how she treated that girl when she was alive? Lol her seeking out justice was her way to ease her guilt and be involved in something that made her feel important. Like that’s the only thing going for her to argue she’s a “good person” She treats her brother like shit etc. her existence is very self centered and that’s fine but stop trying to pass this character off as kind and altruistic lol

[the-sappho-of-lesbos]

Do you have any recs for fiction with a main cast of butch women? Doesn't necessarily have to be butch4butch in a romantic sense, but anything that depicts the human relationships between us. I feel like that's so rare, and it drives me crazy as someone who personally NEEDS other butch women in her life to feel sane and normal. I hate that most fiction treats us as male-adjacent stand-ins with femmes or as accessory side characters. I want to see us fleshed out for once.

I’m really sorry that there aren’t more stories easily accessible that have this kind of dynamic. I haven’t actually read all of these , so I can’t say if it really fits, but I’ll do my best to give you some recommendations! Hopefully you are able to find a couple in here ☺️ And definitely check the comments! There might be more suggestions there.

I went through my saved books and the ones I own to come up with this list.

I think older lesbian books in general would be a good starting ground! Especially from like 80s-early 2000s. While some of them might not necessarily use the word butch, they definitely have a lot more gnc women or just none feminine women in general.

- Leave A Light On For Me by Jean Swallows. I’m not too sure how many of the cast are butch, BUT, I do it it’s primarily about lesbian friendship.

- You’ve probably already heard of this one, but Dykes To Watch Out For is always a good one!

- A nonfiction rec would be : Tomboys Tales Of Dykes Derring-Do by Lynne Yamaguchi and Karen Barber.

- This book doesn’t delve into the relationship between butch lesbians, however, it does discuss in parts what you are talking about , from the perspective of a butch lesbian who lives on a farm, which is The Grass Widow by Nanci Little. It has a very beautiful seen between the two main characters discussing how she is still a woman.

- I didn’t know if this one really fit the mark, because I can’t actually remember if the other woman was butch or not (or considered more butch for the time ) but Stonehurst by Barbara Johnson has a section where a younger GNC lesbian gets sort of taken in by an older lesbian for safety and protection.

- I haven’t read it so I don’t know if she has relationships with other butch lesbians, but I do know she is a butch lesbian. Lilac Mines by Cheryl Klein.

- again I haven’t read this one, but given the time period and what it’s about I’m assuming the main character has friendship relations with the larger lesbian community: Shoulders by Georgia Cotrell.

- I started reading this one a while ago but sipped for some reason. I think I remember it being about a butch woman - but at the very least it’s about lesbian friendship: Working Parts by Lucy Jane Bledsoe.

- Untamed Desires : A Sydney Lesbian History by Rebecca Jennings. (I haven’t read this one either but I gave it a quick flick through right now and it seems like it could have what you are looking for)

- Missouri Vaun is a butch/gnc lesbian and all of her books have butch women in them. I can’t remember about their friendships much. But if you want a butch lesbian written from the perspective of one I would go with her!

- The Little Butch Book by Leslea Newman. A sweet little book fully dedicated to butch women!

- Rode Hard Put Away Wet has a butch x butch erotic short story in it. I would post it on here but I’m pretty sure tumblr would take it down right away.

I can’t really think of anymore right now. But I’ll reblog this again if anything comes up!

I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help more. And I’m sorry we are in a world that doesn’t provide you with the love, respect and fictional representation you deserve. I can only hope things get better and you are able to find many more wonderful butch lesbians in fiction 💕

Thank you for popping in! I hope you have a beautiful day ☺️💕💕

[hairrington]

I hope you don't mind me ranting about Stancy because I'm heated.

First of all fuck the writers for how they simply made Steve's entire character being solely Nancy's love interest again. They destroyed literally all his development in a matter of minutes. Stancy wouldn't be half as bad if he had something else going on. Like his relationship with Dustin was so sidelined this season because of this, it's disgusting that we never got a heartfelt scene with both of them. They didn't even hug before splitting up, we deserved to see Steve comforting Dustin after Eddie's death. We deserved to see him mourning Max and feeling helpless, because his character was set up to be the protector of the group, we deserve to see his trauma being taken seriously for once.

The Duffers say they love Steve but they never give him any moments outside of being heartbroken about a girl he hasn't interacted with in years. Please let him move on for fucks sake. Let him be a real character and not just a punching bag, let us see how he deals with his physical and emotional scars. Literally he gets beaten to almost death every season but is supposed to be fine? His trauma is so fucking overlooked I'm tired. Like Joe Keery is a capable actor he could bring so much more to the table if the Duffers would actually care about Steve.

I liked how he talked about his dreams for once but the fact that they made it about Nancy is fucking disgusting and insane. She was about to reject him again I'm sure, the way she looked at him. Plus omg his dream of having a huge family is Nancy's biggest nightmare. If they really make Stancy happen in s5 I'll throw up. They are not compatible. Nancy's dream is about her career and adventure, while Steve wants to settle. This is a recipe for disaster. If they were to end up together they would resent each other in the future.

Like I hate how Jancy still doesn't communicate but at least Jonathan knows what Nancy truly wants and he's scared of losing her in the process. However the way they ended this season they truly set up Nancy to possibly do the same thing to Jonathan like she did to Steve I'm so disgusted.

Steve got rejected twice now please let him move on I'm gonna cry he deserves so much more than this. I don't understand the decision of bringing Stancy back when he canonical was over her in s3. He deserves love and respect and finally being the first choice. He doesn't find this in Nancy. The happiest we have ever seen him was around Robin and Dustin, he deserves someone who shares such characteristics and who's down to settle with him.

If you ever were to write a fix it fic I'm so down to read it because I trust you more to get his character right than the show writers.

+ Also him saying he always imagined a future with her. Boy it’s been years let her go. Like she’s been dating Jonathan for a lot longer. I feel like Steve is holding on to her cause she was his first love but at certain point you have to let her go. Nancy is just going back and forth at this point. I hope this speech was Steve finally cutting the cord and getting himself some closure so he can fully move on. Like say you weee the right girl at the wrong time and move on. I also don’t understand how Nancy was the thump on the head. Like they were together after he was an asshole to her and he changed for her. So clearly he wasn’t at fault she just didn’t love him

THANK YOU!!! I SEE NOTHING BUT FACTS. it was so randomly thrown together and SUCH a waste of plot and screen-time!!! i feel like they wanted some sort of romance or angst and did it in the silliest and most wasteful way possible!!!

and on top of everything, when jonathan asked if they were okay, i just KNEW nancy was gonna be lie and be like "yeah!" it's getting to be so predictable and frustrating 😭

omg thank you!!! 🥺 i am VERY tempted to write a fix-it fic where both steve and nancy get the ending they deserve!!!

[asharkapologist]

Corine Myers Analysis (with a bit of comparison to Jake Rogers)

Heads up: this is a LONG analysis--in my Google docs, this is over 2100 words lol

So, after reading @naancypants really good Jake Rogers analysis (sidenote--I’ll probably make one, too at some point when I get the energy to write another long post), I was reminded of another often-overlooked evil genius character--Corine Myers. I thought I’d be fun to analyze Corine and also compare and contrast her with Jake. 

So, Corine Myers. She’s got one of my favorite, most relatable, in a way, motivations out of any Nancy Drew culprits (technically, she has three motivations: find Poe’s manuscript, get the scholarship, and, at the very least subconsciously retaliate against her classmates). The game isn’t clear if she was planning on selling Poe’s manuscript or not (I have a feeling she would either keep it to herself or sell/give it to the school in order to increase her reputation with the faculty and garner some respect with her classmates, but she definitely wouldn’t, like, drop it on eBay). All three of her motivations tied nicely into each other--if she got rid of the competition to be valedictorian, she could retaliate against all of the people who treated her poorly, and the less people around, the easier it would be to find the manuscript. 

It’s the scholarship and retaliation motivations that I really want to talk about. We’ve had (very boring) culprits whose motivations are “money,” but, like I said, I think Corine would be very selective with who she’d be willing to sell the manuscript to, and would probably only consider Waverly itself. But a culprit who’s also somewhat motivated by wanting scholarship money? I think that’s a unique twist on the cliche money motivation of other culprits (and is another game that once again shows how expensive college is). But even with this unique twist on the “greed” motivation, that’s not even her primary motivation, either. The following is an exchange between Nancy and Ned:

Nancy: I think she’s real bitter about how the kids here treat her, and is doing all this Black Cat stuff to get even with them.

Ned: What about being valedictorian?

Nancy: I think that’s just another reason she’s bitter. I think she thinks she’s got being valedictorian in the bag, and she resents being compared to kids she feels are clearly inferior to her.

Nancy is right. Corine is very proud of her intelligence. When Nancy asks if she got in on a legacy, Corine says, “I earned my way into this place. I was accepted because I was the most deserving applicant like ever.” And she makes it very clear that she thinks that she’s the only one who will actually get the spot of valedictorian, even if she isn’t as popular as Leela and Izzy. (Sidenote: Waverly’s faculty is absolutely terrible, but that is a post for another day). Becoming valedictorian would be amazing for her: she’d finally get respect, her political aspirations would benefit greatly from such an honor, and she’d be getting revenge on her classmates who treated her poorly (especially Izzy, who is equally as confident that she will become valedictorian). This leads right into her third motivation, which Nancy calls her “subconscious desire to retaliate against her classmates.”

This is where I think it’s interesting to compare and contrast Corine with the franchise’s other high school senior evil genius with a penchant for blackmailing people, Jake Rogers.

Corine was smarter than Jake, in my opinion. Even if it took astute observation to stalk/observe his classmates enough to discover their secrets and intelligence to leave around a bunch of clues nudging along whoever he hoped would solve his murder and/or bring his classmates to justice, Jake ended up biting off more than he could chew and paid with it for his life. He also directly went to people and blackmailed them, while Corine hid behind her threats, and her two blackmail victims didn’t even know it was her blackmailing her, since she never directly approached them and always used a different email to contact them (contrasted with Jake, who directly approached people to blackmail them and, in the Remastered version, literally gave the professional criminals he was trying to blackmail his name and phone number…bit stupid there, Jake). Jake’s also described throughout both versions of Secrets Can Kill as lazy (most likely primarily academically, since works enough at his job at Maxines in the Remastered version to avoid getting fired). Compare him to Corine, who is swamped with work but is determined to graduate at the top of her class, and is very confident that she’ll get the scholarship (though she does make you do her homework on one occasion, so I guess she was lazy in that one instance and that was definitely cheating, though if we reported all the cheating going on in the game all of the valedictorians save Leela and Mel would be out of the race). Corine also survives the game (though with a ruined academic career and not much of a future) while Jake gets himself tossed down some stairs. I guess both are pretty bad and not ideal but…I don’t feel too bad for getting her expelled, since by the end of the game, she’d tried to kill two innocent people and deeply traumatized another person.

Oh yeah, she tried to kill two of her classmates. While an argument could be made whether or not she was intending to kill Megan or not, since Megan says she’s been to the hospital several times on account of her allergies and eventually recovered, she was CERTAINLY trying to kill Nancy/get Nancy killed in the endgame. Even Jake didn’t go that far.

In a way, Corine is also a lesson regarding the potentially negative consequences of bullying, because as you play the game, it is impossible to not pity her. She’s a bit awkward and lacks a filter, which she hastily tries to cover up, and she openly admits to being insecure. It’s also just depressing when talking to her about Izzy and, conversely, Izzy about Corine, because Izzy was just horrible and, in my opinion, one of the cruelest non-culprits in the franchise. But…wow, the hatred Corine ended up having for her classmates was alarming, and, as sympathetic her motivation was, by the end of the game, her actions were beyond justifying.

 Another contrast: Jake is described by Hal to be a bully. Conversely, Corine was obviously being bullied and, unlike Jake, was NOT excluding herself by choice. The nicest emotion characters have is ambivalence towards her. Mel and Rachel/Kim aren't popular either, but they’re content with this, and thus are more respected by their classmates, unlike Corine. While Jake was a loner/outcast by choice, who didn’t seem to care that everyone hated him and was introverted to the point that in the Remastered version, his goal for the rest of his life was to literally move away from everyone and live in solitary luxury (sometimes I feel that, not gonna lie), Corine was very, very clearly lonely and wanted to belong, she wanted her reputation to improve, she wanted people to like her. But when she discovers through her research that the manuscript was hidden in the school, and that she REALLY wanted to find it and needed everyone gone in order to most efficiently do so, she realized this would be the perfect opportunity for revenge.

I don’t think we as a fandom recognize how twisted the things she did was, and how observant she must have been, and, like Jake, the technical accomplishments she’d have to do to carry out some of her sabotage (and she was planning on majoring in English, good on her for having some STEM knowledge, too, couldn’t relate…). She targeted people perfectly, and, while Megan’s allergies were and Danielle’s claustrophobia likely was common knowledge to everyone, she somehow (and I do mean somehow, since the game gives no explanation as to how she found out), discovered Rachel was, in fact, two different people. And she was patient, too--unlike Jake, who seemed to have immediately jumped into blackmail once he found out his classmates’ secrets, Corine discovered the twins’ secrets months before the start of the game, but then waited until she had something that the twins could do to her--be her backup, leave the notes, so that they could take the fall if something went wrong. Jake was kind of a chaotic evil since he didn’t seem to have a grand overall plan except “buy this island,” Corine’s blackmailing did tie into her grand scheme. She was more careful and methodical than he was.

And later, she successfully reformats Izzy’s hard drive to wipe away any trace of her essay. Maybe that’s common knowledge or easy to do or something, I wouldn’t know, I suck at tech-y stuff. But I certainly didn’t know how to do that as a high school senior. Though I think that’s more cruel than we realize, since, while Megan was rushed to a hospital but able to recover, Izzy had to watch a semesters worth of material get wiped away and be forced to realize that becoming the valedictorian was no longer possible. She likely couldn’t get any accommodations, since she wasn’t in the hospital like Megan. So…I doubt Izzy became valedictorian. (My personal headcanon is that Leela became valedictorian, but that’s a post for some other time, too). 

Something that I think is interesting is that the people she targeted the most viciously--the twins, Danielle, and Megan--weren’t even her primary bullies, Izzy was. In fact, the twins were social outcasts themselves, and Megan hated Izzy, too. And don’t get me wrong, reformatting someone’s hard drive is a very malicious thing to do, as said above, but pales in comparison to trying to kill someone via spiking their food or taking advantage of someone’s fears to psychologically torture them. All of this was very opportunistic, and if you ask me, not necessarily an effort to target the people who had made her suffer the most, and was more of an effort to exercise control over people, and retaliate the social environment that had wronged her. 

Corine has much more sympathetic motivations than Jake. While Jake’s ultimate goal was to buy an island and he was a bully himself, Corine was being bullied. I think part of us can all find something relatable in Corine if we’ve ever been mocked, excluded, or even bullied. And yet, by the end of the game, she completely lost her humanity and sunk to violent lows that, as I said, Jake never did. She tried to kill Megan and, at the end of the game, Nancy. I do believe that eventually, finding the manuscript while important to her, became less important, or at least, having control over the people that had treated her poorly, making them scared of her, rather than the other way around, and having their lives in their hands, became just as important, and why she was on a power high and willing to kill Nancy, who had treated her well throughout the game, in order to preserve her secrets. I feel like we don’t recognize how twisted the line, “You’re pretty smart. But are you smart enough to live to tell the tale? I don’t think so” is when it’s coming from a SEVENTEEN/EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL. Like Nancy/us are used to being threatened by middle-aged adults, but by a high school senior? Yikes.

Corine was proud of being the Black Cat; at the very beginning of the game, she’s the one who initially brings it up to Nancy. Now, she was bullying people, she had their lives, in Megan’s case, social and academic reputation, in Rachel and Kim’s case, and grades, in Izzy’s case, in her hands. And she would kill someone in order to keep that power and control over Waverly Academy. She’d find the manuscript, perhaps give it to the school, and destroy everyone else in order to become valedictorian, and show them exactly what she was capable of, despite the years of bullying and exclusion she’d suffered at their hands. But, like a lot of tragic villains, in my opinion, she had some morals--she never hurt Mel, who she considered to be the only person kind to her, her only true friend, since the plagiarism issue was likely orchestrated by Izzy, since there’s no indication Corine knew who Jacob was, and would have had little sway over him to frame Mel for plagiarism. And that kind of villain--one who does horrible, despicable things, but still has some sort of moral compass and feels like everyone around them deserves what’s happening to them, because they never did anything to help them when they needed it the most--that is a well-written villain.

Corine was an incredibly smart, calculated, cruel, yet tragic villain. She knew how to play her cards and should definitely be recognized as one of the best, most intelligent villains of the franchise. 

[salvatoreren]

ST4 Thoughts

Alright, apologies for those who were waiting for this, it's unlikely there would be but anyways wow what a season also please excuse my messy structure, i have too many emotions that i can't exactly type out okay so

At first I didn't like the new season, i'm not very open to seeing new characters and atmosphere

I wasn't too fond of eddie, he just gave off billy vibes, when i mean billy vibes i mean he looked scary, forceful, i didn't like his treatment towards mike and dustin, he also looked like one of those goth people or something who think they're so cool, but that quickly went away when he and chrissy had a talk, like he was so reassuring??? he was so soft to her??? I loved them, they had potential but yk she died which honestly i was not expecting,

its so funny how they just made this dude on the run during half of the season, i literally hoped the basketball team wouldn't hurt him, stranger things really does have that magic where unbearable characters that are entwined with the supernatural shit, like witness it turned out to be really likable

( ngl i expected eddie to actually perform while being in the upside down because it was in the trailer like lmao think about it)

also I liked fred too poor dude, nancy's friends just keep dying on her- and argyle just gives off hippie vibes and all so he was cool, i literally laughed at his panic during the gun scenes

dmitri turned out to be a pretty awesome character too, i love his dynamic with hopper, like i fucking hoped he wouldn't die during the demogorgon battle and also One??? JAMIE CAMPBELL BOWER NAILED THAT ROLE, I LOVED HIM, I'M SO GLAD HE'S GETTING RECOGNITION LIKE AT LEAST HIS MOST KNOWN ROLE WOULD BE ONE NOT CAIUS ANYMORE

the only characters i wasnt really fond of was the basketball team and angela because ugh they're like hero wannabes and shit, and chrissy's boyfriend just gives off kyle vibes, and angela, ugh she was so bitchy to el, and what happened to her fucking forehead was deserved, girl had it coming

DUDE I DID NOT EXPECT FOR TAMMY THOMPSON TO SHOW UP, THAT'S LIKE THE BIGGEST TWIST OF THE SEASON LMAO

Eleven and Will? Hellooo sibling bonding, i love these two so much, and will is so supportive and protective of her??? how will quickly claims he's her family ughhh that's so fucking beautiful. I wished he hugged her though when he was comforting her

also mike what the fuck was that greeting, are you guys not like bestfriends? Like what the fuck was that? It was so awkward

damn bro i lived for one and eleven's bonding, he was so helpful to her, they could've achieved world peace lol but srs i loved the dynamic

Joyce and Murray were the funniest duo, and honestly i did not expect murray to be having those skills, KING

also i think it's interesting that nancy and robin have interacted with each other, because in terms of their love lives didn't nancy also changed herself for steve? Like Robin is doing the same just less focused. And I think they should talk about this and shit

Steve and dustin's bromance are still the fucking best

Erica walking to the hellfire club like with an american flag cape??? WHAT A QUEEN I LOVE HER, I was also so happy to see the sinclairs winning their respective games especially Lucas, he actually got more relevance in this season bravo, i felt so bad for him because he was just so lonely? None of his friends are there for him and max broke up with him? Then he got replaced with his sister, though temporarily but i felt like to him it felt permanent and im sure he felt really hurt to see that his friends whom he wanted to be in his game were cheering for erica which could've been him, and like he's tired of being a loser, he just wants it all to stop i love that we had more depth on his character

THE CALLBACKS TO THE PREVIOUS SEASONS, I LOVED IT AND ACTUALLY HAD FUN DEDUCING THOSE SHIT

AND I LOVED EPISODE FOUR SO MUCH, I LITERALLY CRIED AT HER MEMORIES, THE MUSIC, THE LETTERS (IM CURIOUS WHAT SHE WROTE), THE LUMAX MOMENTS? WE DESERVED THAT SHIT UGHH TOP TIER EPISODE

VOL. 1 FINALE HAD ME STARING AT THE SCREEN WITH MY MOUTH OPEN, THAT TWIST FUCKING GOT ME AND IM LIKE HOLY SHIT THAT WAS AN AMAZING SEASON, AND I WAS ALREADY DREADING FOR THE SECOND

and now for the things i didn't like

I didn't like the implications that Steve and Nancy clearly had a thing for each other again, because isn't it way past that? Whatever it's probably just me

The california group was way too sidelined, especially Jonathan, he is so fucking underrated but I'm glad we got to see Suzie tho, i loved how she was all sarcastic at the printing thing

ALSO DID EVERYONE IN THE SHOW REALLY FORGET WILL'S BIRTHDAY? WHAT THE FUCK, THAT IS LITERALLY SO CRUEL I CANT

and lastly where the fuck is Steve's bat?

So that's my thoughts on season four, i can't wait for vol. 2, i'm so glad I became a part of this hype and watched the series in general like i just started the show on a bluff but this show has made me so happy, it has comforted me and i am totally immersed in it

[letterboxd]

Love Thy Neighbor.

With her nineteenth-century American romance, The World to Come—starring Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby—screening now, director Mona Fastvold talks to Ella Kemp about the need to create images, striving for ASMR storytelling, and just how much we owe Terrence Malick.

“We’ve seen a lot of movies during this time period in America about what the husbands were out doing… but they had wives who are at home, living their completely separate lives. What were they up to?” —Mona Fastvold

In the American Northeast in the nineteenth century, life for farmers’ wives is physical, lonely, subject to both the extremes of weather and their husbands’ moods. When Abigail (Katherine Waterston) and Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) become neighbors in The World To Come, their lives become infinitely more bearable.

What unfolds is a careful study of the ways affection and understanding can bloom in the most unlikely places. Based on Jim Shepard’s short story of the same name, Mona Fastvold’s desperately romantic film starts where Abigail’s diary also begins: with a new year, and new neighbors. Through lyrical voice-over and closely drawn scenes, Abigail tells of how, in the wake of unimaginable loss, her life is cracked wide open by the arrival of effervescent, free-spirited Tallie. She speaks of grief and exhaustion, but also of astonishment and joy.

Katherine Waterston as Abigail and Vanessa Kirby as Tallie in ‘The World to Come’. / Photo by Vlad Cioplea

It’s a story felt through whispers as much as kisses, framed by the blustery winds of the East-Coast frontier—and by the spectre of their husbands (Casey Affleck as the downcast Dyer, Christopher Abbott as the jealous, disturbing Finney) finding out about their new love. Fastvold gives each character just enough attention to let the relationships that matter most rise up all on their own. She does so with words, poetry that somehow feels alive, and with music—specifically, a stunningly passionate clarinet soundtrack.

The World to Come won the Queer Lion at Venice last August (where it miraculously had an in-person premiere), and won many more hearts at Sundance in January. It’s Fastvold’s second film as director, after 2014’s The Sleepwalker, which also starred Christopher Abbott, and was co-written by Fastvold’s partner (and Vox Lux director) Brady Corbet.

What did you feel when reading Jim’s story for the first time? Mona Fastvold: It was a home I wanted to move into. It was this feeling of thinking, ‘This belongs in my universe, and I belong in this universe.’ And I all of a sudden had a few images that I felt a very strong need to create. The first thing that I felt really compelled to do was creating this physical expression of joy after the first kiss. I had this image of Katherine in this wide shot, completely open and just exposed. And I was really compelled to shoot her in the snow by the grave as well.

I also wanted to frame her being tied to the house with a rope, working her way through the snowstorm. There was a lot of amazing text and maybe fewer images in the script, because it’s written by these two really wonderful writers and authors of novels, not so much screenplays. So it’s not a very technical screenplay, and there were a lot of things left to me to work out, which I enjoyed. But the foundation was this really good text.

Mona Fastvold on the set of ‘The World to Come’. / Photo by Toni Salabasev

The text is so striking, in the way it’s so verbose but never feels stiff. How did you keep the words intact while bringing these emotions to life? I cast some really good actors, so that helps! Then when you’re working with this kind of text, it’s not really a text that you can improvise or play around as much, you really just need to honor it. For me it’s really about finding the movement that will support the beats of the text. I like the edit to be motivated by a gesture, something that says, “I want you to look at this”. I’m trying to make the rhythm more exciting. Ping-ponging back and forth is less exciting to me.

When rehearsing, we’d create movement either physically, or find changes through long pauses already in the text, and then upon finding those organic beats I’d figure out with my DP how we can stay in one take for as long as possible, until we find that moment which motivates a change. I never like there to be a camera movement just for there to be something cool visually. And there’s all this subtext in the text, all these messages Abigail and Tallie are trying to send to each other. When are you being direct? When are you being understood? When are you not?

Particularly in recent years, we’ve been fortunate to have a number of films that reframe period pieces about forbidden lesbian romances. Why do you think we keep coming back to this kind of story? A lot of people feel compelled to say these stories have always been there, and to claim that part of history. It’s not modern, it’s not a new thing, but it’s just that these stories have not been told much. Especially a love story that takes place among farmers. We know a little bit about upper-class stories from some literature, but not that much from that time period. So part of the appeal for me was to say: this is a part of history. Even though it’s not a story about Napoleon, this story about these two quiet, introverted women is still worth exploring. And we’ve seen a lot of movies during this time period in America about what the husbands were out doing. I’ve grown up watching these movies, but they had wives who are at home, living their completely separate lives. What were they up to?

Finney (Christopher Abbott) reads Tallie’s mail. / Photo by Vlad Cioplea

You mention the husbands—I felt watching this film that it was set in a very different world to the likes of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which a lot of people loved precisely because of how few men were in the film. But here the husbands play a really important part within the story about these two women, helping to convey their frustration and limitations, without taking over. All characters in a story deserve equal counts of love and attention from the writers, directors and actors. It was incredibly important to portray the men with as much nuance as Abigail and Tallie. It makes for a more interesting story for them, that their relationships with their partners are complex—they’re not just these male archetypes who are terrible and awful. Dyer was an interesting character, in that he’s striving to understand even though he doesn’t quite. And he had different ambitions as well, but this is the situation he’s in, and he’s chosen a practical partner who he respects, and I guess loves and cares for. But they’re running a farm together, they’re business partners as well and depend on each other for survival. When he says “I’ll die without you” it’s quite literal, in a way. I wanted to break these characters open and make them more difficult to deal with, for themselves and for the women as well.

Your picture includes a beautiful, and really unexpected score by Daniel Blumberg—particularly in the use of the clarinet, which feels like its own kind of narrative. Can you talk me through the process of weaving that into the story? I brought in Daniel even when I was developing the script and working on casting early on. I kept listening to ‘Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet’ by Igor Stravinsky, and somehow the instrument felt really connected to Katherine’s voice-over. It was important that the voice-over was not slammed on top at the end. It’s there, I hope, to have a bit of an ASMR effect where you feel it draws you really close to Abigail in a hypnotic way. That you feel like you get this intimate experience of that character by having access to her life even if it doesn’t explain things too much.

So we wanted to have the score speaking to the voice-over, which we recorded long before we started shooting as well. We would play it on set and Daniel would come in and play music there. So constantly being in dialogue between the text being read and the music being played was an important part of the process.

It’s time for some Life in Film questions. What is your favorite ‘forbidden love’ story? A film I really love, which inspired The World to Come, is Olivia. It’s from 1951 and it’s directed by Jacqueline Audry, and it was one of the first lesbian on-screen kisses ever captured. It’s a great movie directed by a female director when that wasn’t so much of a thing. It was an important trailblazer for this film.

Marie-Claire Olivia and Simone Simon in Jacqueline Audry’s ‘Olivia’ (1951).

What’s your favourite “Dear Diary” movie, the one that best uses a confessional voice-over? Terrence Malick pretty much cornered that market with some beautiful, beautiful attempts at that. We definitely have to pay our respects! Particularly Days of Heaven is pretty amazing. The voice-over work there is extraordinary.

What is your go-to comfort movie? It’s funny because I was asked that a while ago and normally I would just be like, “Anything Nancy Meyers makes is just so lovely”. She makes these films that are just like candy. But during the pandemic, it’s just too hard to watch these cozy movies, because it just makes you feel depressed. So right now, the film I’ve watched the most in my lifetime is Eyes Wide Shut. I also find it to be a Christmas movie… If it’s on anywhere, I’ll always leave it on, or just watch a little piece of it.

What should Letterboxd members watch after The World to Come? First of all they should watch Olivia if they haven’t seen it, and then the other day I watched Martin Eden—it’s an incredible movie. So beautifully made.

What is the one film that first made you want to be a filmmaker? I grew up watching a lot of movies. My family are cinephiles and I’ve always loved films. I grew up on a steady diet of Ingmar Bergman’s films during my teenage years, and Tarkovsky too. Seeing those films made a really big impression me. But what really inspired me in many ways was seeing Claire Denis’ films. The way she approaches storytelling is so intuitive. It’s so exciting. That resonated with me, and later on I recognized some of that in Lucrecia Martel as well. I just love how she handles time and logic and character.

Related content

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Follow Bleecker Street on Letterboxd

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‘The World to Come’ is currently in select US theaters, and will be available on demand from March 2, via Bleecker Street.

[lesbianrobin]

Jonathan?

favorite thing about them

i luv that he loves his family so much and he’s a really caring person and he tries so hard to do the right thing but he’s not afraid to be a bitch if the situation calls for it and i love that he’s like a shy little edgelord but he isn’t even really that much of an edgelord bc he’s fucking constantly giving everyone in his life pep talks and shit... but my favorite thing about him is his gay little sweaters

least favorite thing about them

taking pictures of nancy and then being like well it’s bc ur not REAL but u were REAL in that moment u stopped PRETENDING!!! like oh my god shut UPPPPP shut UP. shut UP. he did shut up tho and he hasn’t pulled any of that shit since... so my official least favorite thing about jonathan is how he’ll just randomly pull a 180 on his opinions and morals whenever the plot wants him to. which is not really his fault. so.

favorite line

i’m cheating and picking two but they’re from the same conversation so: “It’s 6:00 AM and, uh, I had a late night with Fagin and the gang, so-” & when nancy asks if will’s safe and he says “Why wouldn’t he be safe? Nancy? Why wouldn’t he be safe?”

like. god if that’s not jonathan in one phone call. fucking nerdy little bitch who cares about nothing more than just making sure his little brother is safe and happy and cared for. fuck. also i think that phone call is like charlie’s best work on the whole show literally just that one bit where he’s like “why wouldn’t he be safe?” makes me want to DIE every time.

brOTP

idk argyle yet but jargyle bc god knows johnny boy deserves to get high sometimes. also i think jonathan and robin could be really fun together i hope they interact some in s4

OTP

nOTP

.....................j*ncy

random headcanon

jonathan uses 3-in-1 i know this for a fact i also know that he’s never heard of a skincare routine and he washes his face with regular bar soap. he’s a very clean person like he showers regularly and everything he just basically uses the most shitty abrasive products known to man even when he does have the money to get nice stuff. sometimes he thinks he should try to be fancy and do the self care thing but then he’s like mmm that lotion is $2 kinda steep idk about that :/ he and steve become friends and within like a month steve is like hey man my mom got me this shampoo and conditioner and leave-in conditioner and hair gel and face wash and moisturizer and sunscreen for uhhhh doing the yardwork but this stuff is all like TOTALLY wrong for my hair and skin type so i was wondering if you could use it it’ll all just go to waste otherwise :) and jonathan KNOWS what steve is doing and he’s offended but he isn’t offended as a poor person like he’s offended as a dumb boy being given all these products he doesn’t know what the fuck to do with bc he's like how did steve know i don’t own moisturizer... can he just tell from looking at me.... does everyone know i don’t own moisturizer or is steve just a preppy little bloodhound....

unpopular opinion

maybe this is not an unpopular opinion but i really truly believe that jonathan kissing nancy and sleeping with her in s2 was out of character and just bad writing. like... like i get it okay? i get that they were going for this thing where there’s just pent-up tension and he just decides to screw the consequences and go for it. but jonathan had literally spent the past YEAR ignoring his crush on nancy and he’d spent the past couple of days specifically worrying about steve’s feelings and encouraging nancy to talk to him, and reminding nancy that she and steve are together when she asks why she and jonathan aren’t together/closer. like i KNOW they showed him hyping himself up and chickening out a lot before he finally did it but i don’t think jonathan held himself back from making a move on nancy out of fear yknow i think he held himself back out of respect for nancy and steve and their relationship and i don’t think anything meaningful really... changed between the night in the hotel room and the night at murray’s. nothing significant enough to change jonathan’s moral views on the situation. obviously, murray talked to them, but i think that’s such a weak justification and so far in the show jonathan really has not been the sort to just go along and do something because somebody tells him he should, ESPECIALLY if that somebody is some random guy he doesn’t even know!! in fact, NOT listening to the shit people tell him he should do is kinda his whole thing!! there’s just no goddamn reason for him to have made the first move there and i think it shouldn’t have happened, or at the very least nancy should have made the first move or they should have done something to give jonathan a clear change of heart.

so yeah i just have really strong opinions about the characterization of a character who’s like super inconsistent bc 70% of the time he’s just used as a plot device anyway. 

also he’s gay <3

song i associate with them

disco! in the panic room by bug hunter!! 

favorite picture of them

i’m cheating but here’s a gif i made that i’m never gonna post otherwise but i would like for people to see <3

ok i lied i’m also gonna put a picture because this is too fucking funny

king you’re not a force user idk what ur expecting to happen...

[riggerbison]

003 tk and 003 nancy ❣️❣️❣️

TK

How I feel about this character: LOVE HIM WITH ALLL MY HEART, I TRULY DO! like i love most of the 126 but i can self project a lot on tk so....

Any/all characters I ship romantically with this character: Carlos...they're getting married...there will be no one else...i don't take criticism

Favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: he and gwyn! i'm really never going to be over her death, like i know he looks up to owen but i do truly feel like his mom was the person he wanted to share in all the good things with. and it just hurts to think all the milestones he still has left in his life that she is going to miss.

My unpopular opinion about this character: don't feel like it's unpopular because we know the house feels the same...but he really is not a child. is he a son? yes, of course. but he's also a grown man who can take care of himself and he's shown that on multiple occasions.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: i mean my list is long but only because i have been missing firefighter tk, i do wish they'd utilize him for both. i don't know why he did it in new york but around here, there's actually a requirement for all firefighters to be dual-certified. the main reasoning is because the firetruck could beat the ambulance to a scene so anyone on the truck can perform life saving measures and administer certain meds that they carry on the firetruck. but it's also just in case they need to have someone step in when they're short on staff.

Favorite friendship for this character: him and nancy! really looking at their journey from even season one where i don't think we even saw them interact by themselves to where they are now, i love it. hoping we get to see some more good stuff with them. the fact that they have grown close is the only reason i wouldn't want to see tk become a firefighter again permanently.

My crossover ship: definitely do not have one

NANCY

How I feel about this character: loml! she's an angel! she deserves all the good things!

Any/all characters I ship romantically with this character: Marjan & Mateo...which i guess i should say i don't dislike either of the ships, i've always been big on wlw!nancy but she deserves some love so just would like to see her have something canonically

Favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: her relationship with tommy is just *chefs kiss*. like you can really tell that nancy looks up to her and respects her and you can tell that tommy cares a lot about nancy. their development has been one of the best over the last two seasons when you really look back on when tommy first joined the 126.

My unpopular opinion about this character: i wish i braved the tag more but i only know what yall tell me and i don't think there's been anything said about nancy that i'm like uh...no.

One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: well they've mentioned her sister so now i want to meet her...though when rewatching the episode today, i kind of wonder if her sister passed away. was that what spurred nancy into wanting to be an emt? also i need to know what is going on with mateo! i'm tired of guessing, it was fun at first but now we're on episode 13 and that elephant has not been addressed.

Favorite friendship for this character: see above sdkfjslkdj. i really just like they went from sibling rivals to besties.

My crossover ship: don't have one

[kaypeace21]

i’m a survivor too, and i found that certain scenes/stuff will said just really struck me as ‘csa-survivor’-like? i felt a bit uncomfortable about headcanoning it happening to someone else, especially for a fandom as wild as this one, but your metas have really been a comfort to me because they’ve been able to pick out and explain things that i couldn’t necessarily find the words for myself.

and yeah, i would love to have a character like me that is powerful and who finds love and who gets a happy ending. the people who call the theory disgusting always kinda hit wrong with me because although csa is a difficult subject, we shouldn’t be ashamed about sharing it. they sound like they’re trying to say that it’s a bad topic to talk about and implying that it can’t happen to kids, which uhhhhh-

(i’m sure that’s not what they mean, precisely, but it’s still what they sound like, and i wish that they would stop implying that we can’t exist, especially in popular media. we do, and i’m not gonna pretend we don’t, and if they feel uncomfortable with the topic they can just use the block button. we deserve to have some well written representation just as much as anyone else. also, i really really hope that will gets a happy ending.)

anywayyyy i love your theories and i can see your post in the tag so i think you’re fine?? have a good day ❤️❤️❤️

SORRY, this ask took so long to respond to. It always warms my heart to hear other survivors speak and say they found comfort in my theory.

Yes, I think I and a lot of c*a/r*pe victims (subconscious or otherwise) were triggered by some of the symbolism/visuals in s1-3. And s3 made it hard for most of us to ignore the past imagery- since s3 wasn’t as subtle.

I get why people have reservations about the theory. But the debates to the contrary are usually just plain offensive. Or people trying to be respectful but being the opposite. There’s the obvious bad-apples . I got many anons after part 1 of my DID theory saying it “ruined/tainted byler”, and “if that happened to Will i’ll stop shipping byler” , or that it  “ruins the best gay character” ,  and to “remove the post immediately”. And this was when I was open about being a gay c*a victim. I obviously blocked them. Many survivors don’t come forward because they’re afraid people will see them as “tainted”, “ruined”, “ just their trauma”, or blame them for what happened. So yeah, it pisses me off when people say similar stuff about Will (and thus other c*a victims). Not even diving into the messed up psychology about byler/mileven shippers (knowing i was a lesbian c*a victim) but purposely spreading bs rumors about me being a p*do that was into Will/Noah-all because of the theory. -_-

Then there’s the people who try to be “respectful” but literally do the opposite.

I’ve heard numerous times it’s somehow “less offensive” to just use r*pe imagery to make monsters scary. Rather than have  the monsters have that imagery cause Will created the monsters from his memory/imagination-and st is a story of Will healing from that trauma. SORRY- I disagree. Using the worst experiences of peoples’ lives (and triggering their trauma) for no real purpose- except to make their monsters scarier to the normal/general audience who haven’t gone through it so won’t be triggered like us - is MORE OFFENSIVE to victims! NOT LESS! At least to me.

Then there’s the people who say “c*a should never be talked about (in stories).” Which I disagree with. V*ctims have already been told by ab*ser’s  and enablers of the ab*ser- to never talk about what happened to us  . So it rubs A LOT of us the wrong way when people say this.  Because (subconscious or not) you remind some of us of the people who used to hurt/silence us. People say this -simply for their convenience (like ab*sers) and cause deep down they’re uncomfortable with our existence and equate the despicable act to us the innocent v*ctim ...or just want to deny the horrible reality of the situation (like many enablers who deny the truth and hurt us because they don’t want to accept reality) . And 1) It brings us back to a time where they told us to NEVER talk about it- and makes us feel like we did something wrong when we didn’t! 2) Every psych professional says with-holding/keeping the ab*se a secret is detrimental to our mental health.

Plus, there’s a HUGE difference between sugarcoating/minimizing trauma or WORSE glamorizing, condoning, or romanticizing C*A in stories (ex: pretty little liars) VS showing how the action is wrong, causes trauma, but showing recovery and happiness is still possible for v*ctims.  if the story shows how accurately traumatizing it is (instead of minimizing/glamorizing it)- it’s incredibly rare for that character to get a happy ending. Having a story about recovering from that type of trauma and finding happiness despite such hardships would be amazing for US survivors! We rarely get stories with a happy ending-  it’s more harmful to us survivors to never see ourselves get happy endings in tv/film/books. How can some survivors (in a dark place) think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel- if it’s never shown?Also if Will has DID too- it’s good mental health rep, along with queer rep (and survivor’s rep.) All 3 groups rarely are treated well or get happy endings in media. A lot of people may feel more heard, seen, and a bit more hopeful for the future - If Will (and other characters) get a happy ending.

And even though st has many themes- like say homophobia. To try and hand-wave all the disturbing  r*pe imagery away  as ‘Will is just gay so the monsters are like that”. IS SOOOOOO offensive. Trigger warning for examples. I’m sorry what part of Max saying when Billy had c*nsensual s*x it’s “good screams” but when possessed by the mf he causes Heather to do “bad screams” read as gay???! Having the possessed ch*ke/dr*g people before throwing them in trunks (like it’s implied Lonnie did to Will -since Jonathan checked Lonnie’s trunk for Will in s1)?Tying their arms and legs up/ g*ging  them and  getting on top of them and saying “stay VERY still it’ll all be over soon”-before a monster shoves it’s tentacle into someone’s mouth and inserts a goo - just gay??? Similar to the sentient vine/shadow monster forcing itself down Will’s throat. Let alone Will saying things like “he made me do it”, “i felt it everywhere”, or being tied to a bed and screaming “help! stop! it hurts! let me go!” While Jonathan is the only one who’s visibly triggered by this and has to literally turn away and hug someone . Or barb, billy, and El spiting up a white liquid from their mouth (similar to will spitting up a slug and lying to his mother about it ).El/billy touching a suspicious looking slime with their hand and looking at the substance confused . El drawing Papa with 3 legs (the middle one being shorter) ,  trying to undress in front of the boys , and Benny saying “I think she’s been ab*sed or something”.The theme of ab*sive dads- brenner , Lonnie, and Neil . Even when the demogorgan (called in d&d the “deep father”/ in the show “a man without a face”) attacked Barb it’s chopped up with scenes of Nancy having c*nsensual sex (the monsters are doing the opposite symbolically). There’s way more examples but NO- to try and hand wave /equate ALL OF THIS to just “gay imagery” or an “a*ds metaphor” is WAY more problematic. And just offensive (specifically to gay people) than just admitting what it may actually represent. R*pe imagery and gay imagery is NOT THE SAME THING!

Also ST has never been a kid show- maybe rewatch the show and see the rating of tv-14 . Goodness sake- s1 has a st*ged su*icde, k*dnappings, m*rder, discussions of physics, h*mophobia, and s*x (with stancy in s1 & jancy in s2-s3). S2/3 discuss at their finalies recovering from tra*ma . S2 had gra*ic de*ths,  a man causing a women br*in damage/ and faking her m*scarriage, and a gang of vigalantes k*lling criminals. s3 had critiques on capitalism /media/s*xism, many d*eaths, and questionable imagery like the prior seasons. The Duffers constantly reference  movies & events from the 80s (capitalizing on 80s nostalgia /subverting 80s motifs that middle age people  from that time remember)! Those people were their intended age demographic . Most 80s centric refs go over most kids’ heads (heck a lot went over my head too since I wasn’t alive in the 80s XD).The Duffers even said in the book “worlds turned upsidedown”  “it’s not a kid’s show despite having kids”. And maybe it’s a coincidence but when Lucas in s3 hands Will the “devil’s baby” firework (a hint about Lonnie) he says “18 and over only.” Which idk is a weird/random af line unless it’s foreshadowing that the show will get darker about various themes- and maybe even change ratings.

I get people wishing nothing bad ever happened to Will or Jonathan. And being apprehensive and not trusting the Duffers to do such a story justice (cause it’s difficult to do). But personally i trust them to do so tastefully with tact and not be exp*itative, (overly gr*fic) or offensive to v*ctims. You can disagree and think the show is about something else (or not trust the Duffers)- but it’d be great if people could stop using these other messed up talking points. While trying to appear ‘(fake) woke’ and like they care for victims- cause we see through it that you really don’t.

Have a lovely day anon ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Update- I just really agreed with and appreciate the tags in this reblog

[vanaera]

The Heart Holiday | Act 1 | myg

Synopsis: Valentine’s Day is declared as an official holiday. However, private companies’ standards dictate it’s only for the people who are currently in a relationship. Unluckily for Y/N, she doesn’t have this year’s PRS’ (Proof of Relationship Status) “in a relationship” box ticked – the only ticket out she can have to enjoy one paid week of holiday leave away from her hellish job. And more unfortunately for Y/N, everyone around her is oh so conveniently currently committed in a relationship. Except for one person: Min Yoongi, Y/N’s biggest critic in every pitch meeting, the picky guy who always picks on her, and the most annoying jerk of the century. Desperate for that holiday leave, Y/N strikes Yoongi up with an offer: Fake date each other two weeks before February 14, just enough time for the Department of Relationship Management (DRM) to consider processing your PRSs. After Valentine’s Day, they will go back to their own ways and never speak about whatever that may happen during the plan. Good, plain, and simple. That is until, Yoongi uncharacteristically oh so enthusiastically agrees to Y/N’s offer, leaving her thinking that she may have bitten something too much more than she can chew.

Characters: Yoongi x Female Reader

AU/ Trope: Office AU (Creatives manager!yoongi x PA!reader), enemies to lovers, fake dating

Genre: fluff, angst, comedy (the triple t(h)reat)

Wordcount: 11, 798

Warnings: Lots of curses from two emotionally-constipated characters (PG-15 Rating)

A/N | This fic is in part with FWL’s Valentine’s project, The Luv Library: Romance. I had this premise about a Valentine’s holiday for a while and finally, I got to use it for this fic.

next  | series masterlist

             Ten seconds are enough to look at Min Yoongi. Two seconds to look at his unkempt, unprofessional, and stupid fringes that nonsensically cover his already small eyes. Three to look at his stupid, smug smile. Another two for his overly-confident stance—leaned forward in his chair, elbows on the table, hands clasping together—as if he’s better and of higher power than anyone else around the room when he’s just a measly representative of the day for the Creatives Team. And the last three seconds—they are enough to look at his mocking eyes, his jeering gaze, and the arrogant quirk of his brow.

               This is the same look he gave to Y/N when he got promoted ahead of her. This is the same look he flashed to Y/N when he berated every word choice in her reports. And, this is the same look in his face when he ruined her presentation which could have been her ticket way out from this hellish job. Smug, arrogant, and proud, Min Yoongi is set to ruin Y/N’s life. And all Y/N could do now is glare at him and hope her eyes could set him on fire so it will be easy for hell to swallow him up and—

               “Y/N?”

               Y/N whips her head to her right, “S-sorry?”

               Nancy Kim clicks her tongue, “Why are you just standing there, glaring at the windows? I told you to distribute the copies among the room.”

               “R-right,” Y/N gulps and rushes forward. She hands the copies of last month’s Travel Loca issues among the representative of each department. Gracie from the Marketing Team sneaks her a small smile, which Y/N returns. However, that smile falls into a frown when she reaches the devil himself.

               “Good morning, Y/N,” Min Yoongi greets, chin rested on his palm. When Y/N doesn’t greet back, Yoongi takes it upon himself to wink at her. With a huff, Y/N slams down the copy on the table in front of him, enough for the glossy, firm cover page to hit his pile of notes and cause some pages to fly off the table.

               “Thank you, Y/N,” Nancy calls out, sighing. She waves away at Y/N and the latter takes it as a cue to sit back on her chair. Nancy leans back in her huge black chair, “Okay, let’s get the ball rolling. Now tell me something I don’t know.”

               Y/N seats herself on the chair by the corner of the room, behind Nancy’s chair, far from the round meeting table. Every team representative starts to report their progress last month and their suggestions for the next, next month’s issue. Meanwhile, Min Yoongi is still busy picking up his notes on the floor. When he’s gathered them back, now in a sloppy stack, he looks from his crouched position and flashes Y/N his middle finger. She flashes back a finger at him, grinning. Y/N looks down at her small pocket notebook.

               “Y/N – 1. Yoongi – 0.”

               So far, this morning is really good.

               Y/N hates Min Yoongi, and this is beyond an understatement. She hates him so much that the word “hate” started to become insufficient to describe her tantamount distaste for that man. Y/N blames his last name for that. “Min” should not be how his last name spelled. It should be M-E-A-N because that man is beyond mean.                

               When Y/N first met Yoongi, she knew there’s something off with him. He stands so arrogantly, so prideful as if he deserved every bit of the floor space of Travel Loca’s Main Office when he just got hired because there’s no other job-seeker that has actually applied. Yoongi looks at other people as if he’s any much greater than them. Lazy eyes, far-off gaze, indifferent façade—he just looks at you as if he’s listening when he’s actually just hearing so he can make some witty comeback. And Yoongi talks like a dictator know-it-all. He corrects every word people say here and there, like “Y/N, are you sure it’s ‘demonstrate,’ not ‘visualize’? We can’t physically see something if there’s nothing to see,” or “Y/N, you shouldn’t say ‘Xerox.’ It should be ‘photocopy.’ Xerox is just a brand, our junior high teacher told us so,” as if every word anyone says but him, will always be wrong. Yoongi talks as if no one but him will always be right and that everything around him does not deserve a bit of his attention unless they prove their worth to him.

               And it frustrates Y/N to no end that no one seems to see his real form but her. Because apparently, Yoongi is “amazing.” Yoongi knows a lot of foreign places, having traveled to Malta, New Zealand, Hawaii, and yaddah yaddah, making his first-hand knowledge essential to the Writing Department. Yoongi has a lot of expertise in various editing apps, and he’s willing to teach the tricks and nicks to it to anybody. Anybody but Y/N. Because behind closed doors, Y/N knows his true face:  Min Yoongi is a thick-skinned, double-faced bitch. That even if his name is on the tip of the tongue of anyone around the office every single morning, his quick promotion as manager of the Creatives Team a never-ending topic starter, Y/N knew the real story. Because Min Yoongi started out as Nancy’s Personal Assistant…just like Y/N.

               Nancy Kim is the best photojournalist in the history of travel magazines. God-tier even, because when Nancy is just an intern in The Traveler’s Foot, she wrote the best articles Y/N has ever read. It didn’t matter if they were about a cliché tourist spot that has been featured over and over again or something bizarre that could make anyone wonder someone in their right mind would actually go there. Nancy is the goddess of travel journaling and Y/N obsessively consumed every article she wrote during her entire senior high and college life. So, to be able to get accepted in a company Nancy built, as Nancy’s personal assistant, is a sweet as fuck dream come true. Y/N didn’t care if she has to go home by 12 A.M. or 1 A.M. as Nancy said PA’s always have to leave the office after their bosses left. Nancy just shows the dedication to work one must have. Y/N didn’t find it tiresome when Nancy has to send her back-and-forth for errands both for work and personal life. She’s learning how to be resourceful while being good at time-management all at the same time. She’s learned a lot from Nancy. So, seeing Min Yoongi be so lax at work after getting hired frayed Y/N’s nerves to no end.

               Yoongi doesn’t keep a tab on Nancy’s schedules just like Y/N does. He says there’s no reason for such rush to keep every event on track because Nancy will just cancel or push forward them anyway. It’s true, Nancy does sometimes mess up the week calendar Y/N arranged for her, but still, not tabbing anything on your work diary is still an evident proof Yoongi slacks of.  He even takes a nap in between work hours for God’s sake. Yoongi also likes to talk behind Nancy’s back: of how inconveniencing, overbearing, and unnecessarily over-the line abuser she is as a boss. He tells this to Y/N day in and day out. Yoongi even mocked Y/N’s work ethic as a “willing subservience to work slavery.” He mercilessly reduced her dedication to work as blind obedience to an authority for the sake of monthly paychecks instead of hard, honest efforts to learn the essential skills in travel journalism.

               And, it’s not a miracle no one finds out about this. Because when Yoongi is indeed caught, he finds one loophole in his and Y/N’s dynamic as co-PA’s for Nancy and implicitly, oh so subtly, turns it around against Y/N. Y/N remembers one time when Nancy berated them two for not inserting her friend Rosa’s son’s first birthday party into the 6 PM slot of one Monday in March. After her long sermon, Yoongi apologized for not encoding it into Nancy’s Schedule Work Sheet. Y/N handles Nancy’s Schedule Work Sheet, not Yoongi. Nancy knows this. So, after her 9-12 shift that same Tuesday, Nancy reminded Y/N of her replaceability in Travel Loca during one of the most tension-filled elevator rides in her life. She went home to her flatmate, Mina, in tears which did not permit her to get an ounce of sleep. Y/N turns up the next day at work, red eyes and red nose close to make Rudolph the reindeer run for his title, only to know from the call logs that Yoongi did not receive Rosa’s call because he was sleeping when Y/N outright told him to take over the phone because she needed a bathroom break.

               Min Yoongi is mean and Y/N has seen the last straw of her respectful tolerance to people ticked off by this insufferable man one cursed Thursday night of September.

               Thursdays are horrible. It is always assured to be the worst day Y/N will have in a week. Either an investor will change their mind about a deal with Travel Loca, or Nancy will lash out at her because of stress from stupid shenanigans of her rebellious teenage daughter—Thursdays always have it out for Y/N. Y/N can already tell this so when Nancy called for her at 10:30 P.M. to give her a run-down of her schedule for the weekends and the upcoming week. It is already an established routine that Nancy will have Y/N over to her office to give a schedule report at any time of the day. It’s just happened this day that Yoongi took a leave and Y/N shouldered every task to be done, easily wearing her out in the afternoon.

               Y/N is close to crying right now because of exhaustion and it does not help that Nancy is wearing a sour face. She does not even look up at Y/N from her laptop when she said, “Tell me this week’s schedule.”

               Y/N pulls up her notebook and traces her pen over her notes, “Tomorrow you have an 11 AM meeting with investors from VanTae Apparels. At 1 PM you will have an online meeting with our overseas partners, JM Restaurant Group. We also have to submit the Kim Yuna special feature by 2 PM and at 3 we have the Travel with RM to interview. And–”

               “Push the Travel with RM to 2. We’re holding the Yuna feature ‘til next week because Jennie is writing as if she’s still in college.” Nancy presses a hand over her forehead and huffs, “The Writing Department has been consecutively disappointing me with boring, generic articles. Are fresh pieces non-existent nowadays?!”

               Y/N looks up, eyes wide, hands sweaty.

               Nancy turns back to her laptop, “What else is on my sched?”

               “Um, O-on Saturday 4 PM, you are invited to your friend’s, Rica’s baby shower, and for 5, you are invited to Jungsoo’s son’s 1st birthday party. Then Sunday 2 PM is Hana’s sister’s daughter’s 1st birthday party. You are also invited to Nick and Ken’s wedding on Friday and–” 

               Nancy clicks her tongue, “Cancel them all. I have no time for these parties and meaningless chit-chats that always have these housewives bragging how great their husbands are or their children’s stupid what-nots.”

              Y/N nods and slashes through her notes, “Okay.”

              “So send them my apologies and give them a $300 gift instead.

              “Okay, ma’am.”

              Nancy turns her swivel chair to face her, “Did you get my daughter the unpublished sequel of The Swallowing?”

               “Yes, ma’am,” Y/N smiles, recalling her last week’s adventure and success. Maybe Nancy’s mood will lighten up if she knew how she accomplished such an impossible task. “I got to grab a copy after weeks of talking with R. Lewis’ manager. Luckily, R. Lewis caught wind that it’s for your daughter. So he agreed to give me the copy. I actually have it right now, let me go back to my table –” 

               “You don’t have to. Suzie changed her mind. She doesn’t like The Swallowing anymore. Return the copy and get her the unpublished sequel instead of Bird and Foe.”

               Y/N’s jaw nearly falls as she stammers, “S-sure, no problem.” Deep inside, Y/N cannot help but think to herself, “Yes, Nancy may be fickle-minded and forgetful of differences in company protocols that intervene with such transactions, but she cannot just disregard my hard work! All the money in my train tickets and brain cells have gone all in the drain for nothing—Okay, calm down, Y/N, this is Nancy. Nancy can help you to write the best articles in no time. This is just training for the real deal—

               “Y/N, did you hear me?”

               “S-sorry, what?”

               “I said, where’s the USB I told you to get from my laptop at our home? I need the files for the JM Restaurant Group.”

               Oh shit. The USB. Y/N told Yoongi to get it since he lived nearer to Nancy’s residence in West Street than her. And since, Yoongi’s on leave, the USB is—!

               “And first thing in the morning, I want you to go to the Writing Department to get some fresh stories. I do not want to personally see them or else I will be able to fire one whole department in a day.”

              At this, Y/N fiddles with her fingers. “Umm, I think I have a story.”

               Nancy quirks her brow.

               Y/N wrings her hands behind her back. “I-it’s not yet polished and I still have more to cover on–”

               “So, you’re already telling me it’s bad before you even pitch a formal proposal –”

               Y/N’s eyes widen and she rushes to Nancy. “No! I-it’s about the Write and Backpack Trip Club. The-they’re a club of unpublished writers, usually late 30s, who met on Facebook and decide to travel together to the countries or places their stories are supposed to take place.” Nancy tilts her head and Y/N picks up her tone. Her hands start to quiver with her voice as she says, “People think—people think it’s hopeless. Like, like, they’re wasting their lives on something so trivial instead of focusing on their jobs. But this club gave them a purpose to still reach for their dreams even when people tell them it’s already too late. And I just,” Y/N wipes a stray tear on her cheek–which she doesn’t know if it’s because of her attachment to the club, Nancy’s new orders, or her frustration at Yoongi for leaving all their responsibilities on her–but she sucks them up and breathes out, “I find it really inspiring to have the courage to seek out your purpose when everything in the world is against you.”

               Nancy stares at her, brows furrowed. Another drop of tear falls from Y/N’s eyes. Nancy fixes her eyes back on her laptop. “The USB, Y/N, I need it now. A.S.A.P., capiche.”

               Wiping her cheeks again, Y/N nods, “Ye-yeah, capiche.”

               Y/N could not remember any time she’s rushed out the office as fast as now. Yoongi’s cell is out of reach and nothing is present in Y/N’s mind but to just run out of the building. She needs to clear her mind. She has to think of a solution. She can’t go back to Nancy empty-handed. Nancy’s already unimpressed of her sloppy work for this day, much more at her uncalled emotional breakdown in her office. She will definitely get fired for sure this time.

               The cold dry wind hits Y/N’s face the moment she pushes past the large glass doors of the Rockfort Building. The night sky has blackened into dark indigo and the establishments that dot the neighboring grounds of the building have blurred into monotonous dim shops. With just their solar lights left on, the rest of the complex looked like a washed-out commercial center. The only thing that stands out has to be the small mango tree just a meter away from her—the center-piece and quite the only humanizing element of the harsh Rockfort Complex.

               Okay, this is great. Y/N always tend to get the best ideas and solutions when she’s standing near this tree. She proved this twice. First, when Nancy demanded her to re-do all their presentations for VanTae Apparel. Y/N managed to slay it by getting inspired by the mangoes and editing the templates to look like nature’s rendition of Van Gogh’s starry night, which happened to be the favorite painting of VanTae’s CEO. And second, when Yoongi messed up Y/N’s schedules for Nancy’s personal events by misnaming each invitation, this mango tree provided her peace to quickly fix everything up before Nancy gets to the office.

               Put your thinking cap on, Y/N. What should you do? Should you rush to Nancy’s house now? Oh no, maybe Yoongi already got the USB. Should you go then to Yoongi’s house? Shit, I don’t know his house address—

               “Here’s $25, sir. Thank you!”

               Y/N freezes. It can’t be.

               Y/N turns to her right only for her eyes to land on a man with a familiar jet black mop of hair, standing about two meters before her, talking with a blue-vested delivery man.

               No. No. No. NO. Min Yoongi cannot just swoop out of nowhere and sound so chirpy like that while I have to stress over a problem that I DID NOT create. I cannot get fired in a company I’ve spent my life on for two years just because of this man’s unreasonable incompetence!

               Fueled by the purest form of aggravation, Y/N stomps ahead and brushes Yoongi’s shoulder, making him turn back to her.

               “Oh, hi, Y/N.”

               “‘Hi?!’ ‘Hi,’ yourself, Min Yoongi!—"

               “Oh my God,” Yoongi rolls his eyes, “she’s Adolf Hitler again.”

               “Adolf Hitler?!” Y/N scoffs, “Say it for yourself, Min! You’re Hitler because you’re twisted enough to ruin my career because doing shit in yours is not enough. Where’s Nancy’s USB?!”

               “If you’re going to talk about work again, I gotta leave. If you didn’t know, a ‘leave’ is a leave.” He emphasizes the last syllable as he starts to walk toward the street.

               Letting common sense knock into her, Y/N momentarily disregards her pride and runs after him. When he rounds the corner of a clothing boutique, she slips by his side and places herself in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking him.

               Unlike his usual work attire, Yoongi is clad in a black hoodie and denim ripped jeans, an ensemble that remarkably turned to look horrible in 0.5 seconds just because he’s wearing it. Y/N deduces it’s just Yoongi ruining fashion because he 24/7 looks like an asshole.

               “What, are you just gonna stare at me?”

               Yoongi’s voice brings Y/N back to her purpose. “No, I’m here to tell you, you forgot to do your job—Nancy wants her USB for JM Restaurant Group right now.”

               “Well, I don’t have it, sweetheart. Work hours are already over so practically, I’m in no responsibility to do whatever the fuck Nancy wants,” the man quips back, smiling.

               Y/N cannot help but snap. “Why are you even here in Rockfort, then? You didn’t turn up for work and now you’re just casually strolling in front of our building. You didn’t take home at least a quarter of our tasks and dumped everything on my shoulders like an irresponsible, signature free-loader high school groupmate. And now you think it’s okay to tell me ‘sorry, I don’t have the USB’ when I told you yesterday to bring it today?! I cannot believe what an asshole you can be, Yoongi.”

               Yoongi raises a hand. “Okay, chill, tiger. To answer your question, I am here because my friends and I hung out at a bar near here. Not that you will understand, of course, considering your whole life revolves around work, work, and work. Ooh, and Nancy,” Yoongi grins. “How can I forget you idolize Nancy? Actually no, you worship her.”

               Y/N’s face falls into an indignant scowl, “I do NOT worship Nancy! I respect her. Which you also should do because she employed you, not the other way around. Also, I have friends! Mina is my friend!”

               “Correction, Mina is your only friend at work. And she happened to be your flatmate and college buddy first before you both had luck to also be co-workers. So no, your friendship with Mina is out of the equation.”

               Y/N opens her mouth to tell him Mina cannot be out of the equation when Yoongi beats her, “And second, how could I be a free-loader? A leave is a leave. Our job description did not say we should also take work home. You are the only one who does that because you’re paranoid. So don’t impose your so-called work ethic, that is actually masked obsession, to me because I am a mentally healthy person. I don’t want to have a stick in my ass like you do.”

               Y/N steps closer to Yoongi, making the latter cock a brow at her. “I’m not paranoid, Min. It’s you who is the problem. You don’t take this job seriously. You don’t take on responsibilities like a mature adult. You think you’re so great just because no one told you you suck at something when you were a kid. Well, let me tell you now. You suck at plain human decency, something that should be innate in every people. You’re so high up your ass you think you can just do anything and get away with it and you–”

               “If you’re just going to insult me, can you do that tomorrow? My food is getting cold.”

               Oh no. Nancy’s USB. Y/N closes her eyes and releases a long sigh. She thinks her eyes already did a 360 by the time she managed to fix her composure. She looks up at the man in front of her, currently giving her an amused look. Y/N’s voice cracks as she says, “Yoongi…This is the only time I will ask a favor from you. Please help me with Nancy’s USB. I just want to end this night and go home peacefully without her chewing my head off further more. So please, please, please, can you just help me for once?”

               “Hmm,” Yoongi scratches his chin, “let me think about it first.”

               “Yoongi, please!”

               “Okay, fine,” Yoongi grimaces, “considering you practically begged to me for dear life, I, as a human with pure soul will help you out despite all the shits you said to me—”

               “Just help me out!”

               Yoongi slaps your reaching hands, “Stop, I’m not yet done with my speech. Anyway, considering this as a favor, not a request, I expect a return of favor, too.”

               “Sure, fine, anything!”

               “Okay, I think I may or may not have slipped in Nancy’s USB in my bag,” Yoongi breathes out as he reaches for his black satchel. “Oh yeah, I totally have it,” he says, flashing the orange 32 GB USB in front of you.  

               What the fuck. All this time-!

               “Why didn’t you tell me you already have the USB?!”

               Yoongi nearly guffaws, “Didn’t I tell you a “leave” is a leave? Wait, oh my god, you should see yourself, sweetheart. You’re about to pop a vein.”

               “Min Yoongi, I fucking hate you!” Y/N snatches the USB from Yoongi’s hand and stomps back to the direction of the Rockfort Building. The man doesn’t seem to go on his own way though because Y/N hears him holler “Same sentiment too, Y/N!”

               Y/N doesn’t turn back. She just raises a middle finger up that she’s sure Yoongi will not miss. And he did not, for the man’s faint chuckles only continued.

               The travel back up to the 12th floor seems like the longest elevator ride Y/N has ever been on. Every additional second into the constricted metal box feels like a one-second deduction from her own lifetime. So when the elevator doors open to Travel Loca’s floor, the air is immediately knocked off Y/N lungs. But not because of relief. Nancy stands in front of her, bags in hand, and obviously upset.

               Y/N quickly steps out of the lift. “Nancy, here! The USB!”

               “You took too long. Just e-mail them to me. I have to cram-reading them in the morning anyway because a certain someone forgot to do their job.” Nancy brushes by her shoulder and steps into the elevator. “You know, Y/N, if I’m paying you to make my life easier for me and instead, you’re making it harder, your position in this company is useless.” Nancy presses the button for the parking lot. The doors close in front of Y/N, letting her see the disappointment on Nancy’s face for the last second of the night.

               Y/N goes home twenty minutes later, worn out, and ready to sleep the second she reaches her floor. But when she opens the door, Mina’s smiling face greets her, and she immediately rushes to the sofa next to her bestfriend.

               “Mina, oh my god, I have so much to tell you.”

               “Me, too!” Mina giggles, wrapping her arms around Y/N’s arms, “Can I go first though?”

               “Yeah, yeah, sure,” Y/N smiles, fixing her seat.

               “Well, remember last week when I told you I finally confessed to Mark?”

               “Mark, as in, the café barista Mark Tuan?”

               Mina jokingly hits Y/N’s arm, “Yes, what Mark would I be talking about?”

               “Sorry, you know how I get so spaced out when I’m tired and groggy. Anyway, what happened?”

               “Well, Mark finally said yes!” Mina bursts into a wide grin, arms outstretched in joy. “I finally get to date Mark!”

               “Oh my god, I’m so happy for you, Nana,” Y/N engulfs Mina into an embrace, “I can’t believe you’re finally in a relationship! I mean, who would not want to date you? You’re smart, pretty, and funny. The boys have missed out on you for seven long years. And now, there’s finally someone who has eyes and can see what a gem you are. And damn right, Mark would see that. It’s not every day he can have a gorgeous girl court him for six months after getting rejected twice.”

               “Oh my god, stop bringing that up!” Mina playfully slaps her back and Y/N chortles.

              “Okay, okay, I’m just joking. What I really mean is: Mark is a lucky guy. I’m glad he finally realized what an idiot he will be if he rejects you again for the third time when you’ve been with him through all his problems. He won’t find another beautiful girl willing to ride his motorcycle with him in a huge-ass dress just to help him deliver orders in time. You’re the total package Mina and I’m so happy Mark has realized it.”

              “Oh, Y/N, you’re making me blush,” Mina laughs. She sways the both of them in their hug, “Mark has an impossibly high standard to meet now because of you.”

               “Mark doesn’t have to meet any standards,” Y/N snickers, “You already drool at his face the moment we enter The Daily Bean.”

               Mina detaches herself from Y/N and dramatically places a hand over her chest. “How can you remember that so well and not who Mark is?”

               Y/N shrugs, “Because I’m not staring at Mark and eye-fucking him 24/7.”

               “Oh my god, I do not!” Mina giggles, making you laugh again as she hugs you tight once more. Mina’s fingers card through your hair as she murmurs “But you do know, Y/N, even if I’m in a relationship now, I’m not gonna leave you alone. Even if Mark will start to occupy the top priority in my life, it doesn’t mean you will lose your spot in the top-pest part of my list. You know you’re still and will forever be my number one, right?” Y/N hums at that, closing her eyes from the head massage Mina is currently giving her. She feels Mina nod, “Right, you should because you’re practically my baby.”

               “No, I’m not.”

               “Yes, you are! Who would wash the red stain on your pants and underpants in the girl’s CR while you prance around the cubicle only in a top because you bled through your bottoms during your period, much more, on our Christmas Party, other than me?”

               Y/N grimaces, “Oh god, you didn’t have to bring that up.”

               “You hit right through me when you said I eye-fuck Mark so yeah, eye for an eye, bitch,” Mina cackles as she finally unlatches her arms around her friend. “Anyway, I’m finished with my story of the day. Your turn. What happened tonight?”

               Y/N bites her lip, unconsciously easing an inch between her and her bestfriend. Mina is in a good mood today. Y/N doesn’t want to ruin it by ranting off about how horrible Yoongi is again. She knows Mina. She will listen to her rant about another bullshit done by her co-PA and she will also indulge in an insult-fest against the man. That’s just their dynamic: Y/N’s enemy is Mina’s enemy and vice versa. So as Y/N looks at Mina’s smile which doesn’t do much covering up her dark eyes, which have grown from staying up late to wait for her to come home for multiple nights on end, Y/N decides it’s enough negativity for the day.

               “It’s nothing, Mina,” Y/N shakes her head, forcing a smile on her face, “just another tiring day from work.”

               Mina tilts her head, “Are you sure?”

               “Yeah,” Y/N flashes her another smile as she heads for her room, “I’m totally fine. Just tired. Congratulations to you and Mark again.”

               “Yeah, thank you,” Mina replies, but the look on her face tells Y/N she’s unconvinced of what she said. Seemingly aware that her friend needed space, Mina turns back the TV. Before Y/N closes her door, she hears Mina chuckle to a punch-line in the airing sitcom.

               Y/N flops on her bed face down. If Yoongi didn’t put much of a fight and just handed her Nancy’s USB when he knew he already had it, then maybe this night won’t be so horrible. Y/N would have given Nancy her USB in time, and her boss could have acknowledged it as a peace offering to her unremarkable work performance that day. Y/N would have totally rejoiced with Mina with her full heart into it and not force a smile on her face when such an announcement deserves much more celebration.

               Y/N releases a stifled scream into her pillow. Thursdays are really the worst and it’s all Min Yoongi’s fault.

               However, what Y/N didn’t expect is that the following week will get much worse. The Writing Department is late in their deadline, causing the online publication of the September issue to be pushed in the first week of October, a big deal late to the releases of their magazine competitors. Thus, Nancy became more pissy and naggy, giving Y/N a cold shoulder for the longest streak in her work life. Nancy became more frigid when Y/N failed to get Nancy the copy of the unpublished sequel of Bird and Foe. Y/N tried her best, she really did. It’s just that the publishers of Russell Park refused to give another copy because they said they cannot give out two unpublished copies at the same time. Of course, this turned out as a lazy excuse to Nancy, making her dump additional workload on Y/N’s already staggering pile. But that was not what made Y/N’s last week of September the worst week she’s ever had. It was Min Yoongi getting promoted as a staff member to the Creatives Team after giving Nancy the unpublished Bird and Foe sequel.

               Ringing phones, staff members running to- and fro- the beige faux wood office floor, and the occasional requests for coffee from the break room–Travel Loca is buzzing with life as usual. But not for long though, because the clock hands are currently on 12:49 P.M. At 12:57, it seems everyone on the floor have gone silent. Almost everyone taps their foot against the floor. All eyes were set on the digital wall clock. Some have even glanced on their own wristwatches to check if the wall clock was right. The hands start to move. Everyone gulps.

               The hands hit one o’clock. Everyone scrambles off their swivel chairs. Some have bee-lined for the break room.  Meanwhile, a huge mass had created a bottle-neck of office workers at Travel Loca’s main door. No one is left on the staff chairs, except for one: Mina Young.

               The accountant slides her swivel chair to the left. Her hands meander through her large file cases and when she feels a cold, ribbed metal surface on her index, she smiles. Mina pushes the on-button and immediately, the then-silent office space has now become a replica of her own flat.

               “Good morning everyone! Today seems an extra sweet day than yesterday because you know what? I can smell and see the sweet aroma of those dark, chewy chocolates and those pretty pink balloons surrounding our streets. That’s right folks, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Which also means–drumroll for me, Alexa–Holidays are about to sweep in! It’s just three weeks to go, folks, note that! So, for our dear, sweet listeners, I hope you already got your hotels booked and your plane tickets ready so you can finally have that amazing buffet, relaxing spa, or a fun tour around places you’ve never been with your very lovable significant others! I’m sure all of you will have that wonderful, exciting, and pleasurable rendezvous away from school, work, and any responsibilities. Just make sure to channel in on our station if you want the best playlist to get you in the mood for some steamy, passionate, and intimate time–”

               “Mina, will you turn off that radio?”

               The short-haired brunette frowns at her friend, whose also frowning at her. Mina pushes up her glasses on her nose, “Why? You know I always listen to this station during break time. Plus, Nancy is not here.”

               “Still, it doesn’t excuse how irritating that DJ sounds.” Y/N rolls her eyes as she plops herself on another swivel chair. “His voice sounds like there are two styrofoams gyrating each other in a sweaty club.”

               Mina’s jaw drops as she turns off her portable mini-radio on her desk. She faces Y/N with a frown this time—actually a scowl now. “Kim Seokjin’s voice is like creamy velvet to the ears! Also,” she scrunches her nose in disgust, “you did not just sexualize non-living objects so casually as if you’re not aware that the mental image you’re painting is so disturbing.”

               “First off,” Y/N turns to her, swivel chair squeaking in her abrupt movement, “you’re already seeing Mark Tuan for you to have any weird fantasies about Kim Seokjin and his voice or how cute his laugh is when it literally sounds like he’s an old man dying on a choked-out old joke. And second, sexualizing objects is not illegal by law and even if it so, I did NOT sexualize them. They are just the perfect representation of how Seokjin’s voice sounds.”

               Mina purses her lips and props her elbow on her desk to cup her face. “Cut to the point, Y/N. Just tell me what is with you today. You barged in furious in here for no reason, threw a fit at the break room, and now you’re ruining lunch by insulting Seokjin for something so trivial.”

               “Trivial?! His voice is fucking irritating! Just because he’s handsome does not mean his voice will also sound good on the radio. It’s like listening to a whale dying while making mating calls–”

               “The point, Y/N?” Mina cuts you with an unamused look.

               You deflate in your seat. “Fine, it’s Min Yoongi. He made it a point that he is more intelligent and capable than me in our 10 AM meeting with Nancy for this month’s spread. Said he knows more about weird facts and trivia about Sweden because I never got to travel outside this fucking country when I damn well know he only uses some advanced search engine to look for info like the computer whiz that he is! I went so many times on his Facebook to know he posts nothing in his wall but his work achievements—and his dog! Of course, if you went outside the country, you will post pictures in your wall, ‘cus social media sites are just platforms masked as an outlet for free expression when we damn well know it’s just a place where you can brag and be not called out for being arrogant. And damn hell, Min Yoongi does not have any out-of-the-country pictures posted there. What only comes close is his picture of that gumbo he said he made—yeah, quotation marks—because it looks too good to be made by his ugly crooked hands and even if it’s got this aesthetic background not expected to come from this fucking country, I still think he just photoshopped it.” Y/N crosses her arms, “Bet that gumbo did not even taste good.”

               Mina scrunches her forehead, “Are you the only flawed person Min Yoongi sees? Why does he always have to nitpick every single bit of your work? He just criticized your last week’s report because of your ‘poor articulation.’”

               “Right?!” Y/N leans back on her chair. She groans, “I still remember how he sabotaged my files for Nancy’s professional and personal events. Who in their right mind would change the contact names to mythical creatures? Rica’s 2nd baby shower was named ‘Merlin’s Demon Baby’s Party?’ It’s a baby event for God’s sake!” Y/N looks at her friend, “I swear Mina, one day I will get a brain hemorrhage because of Yoongi’s shits.”

               Mina winces, “Please don’t. I don’t want to be the one to tell your mother you already died before you even managed to pay your housing loans.”

               “Hey! Don’t attack me like that,” Y/N slaps the back of her friend’s chair. Mina, choking on her spit first, erupts into a fit of giggles.

               Unfortunately, it seems lunch’s fun will be cut short as Y/N hears Nancy’s megaphone’s speaker start up, “Calling for Y/N to come into my office. A.S.A.P!”

               Y/N scrambles from her seat as Mina sees her off with a sad wave. Pushing through Nancy’s glass door, Y/N could see the lines of ridges forming on Nancy’s forehead before the latter can even eye her.

               “Y-yes, Ma’am? You called for me?”

               Nancy pins her a look, “You’re asking me if I called you? Are you deaf? Did you not understand what I said?”

               “Yes!—I-I mean on the understanding part, yes, not about being deaf or something hehe-“

               “Y/N,” Nancy clasps her hands on her table, “I called you here because I have something important to tell you.”

               Y/N nears her table, pulling up her notebook and pen.

               “I need you to work in the Creatives Department for the next two weeks.”

               Y/N’s fingers freeze. She looks up at Nancy with eyes as wide as a goldfish. And before she can brain-filter out her words, they’ve already escaped her mouth. “What do you mean I have to be in the Creatives next week? I’m your personal assistant, not Min Yoongi’s!”

               “Y/N, I didn’t say you will work for Yoongi. He’s not the head of the Creatives. Steven Spielberg is,” Nancy gives the girl an unamused look, waving her off from her desk. Y/N bites her lip as she takes two steps backward. She didn’t know she’s rushed up too close to Nancy’s table just at the prospect of Yoongi and her working together came from her boss’ lips.

               Nancy leans back on her chair, “I know you two have this petty children-in-the-playground fights ever since the start of October last year. I get that your differences are too great to be bridged anytime soon, thus the reason why I grew tired telling you to stop doing your cat and dog thing because I know you two wouldn’t listen anyway. You two just like to bang heads whenever you like—”

              “But, it’s Yoongi’s fault-”

              Nancy raises a finger, “But, Y/N, this is really important. I will be out-of-the-country for the next three weeks for both some business and family matters. Hence, why I cannot bring you with me as usual. And why I will need you to work under Steven for the meantime: to report to me about any of their progress. The Creatives’ current designs will have us late into this month’s deadline and I do not want this business going down anytime soon because of a weak holiday cover. So, as my PA, you will report everything about their progress to me, and you will report my feedback to them. At the same time, you will tame your childish fights with Yoongi to a minimum so Travel Loca will function as well as it can be while I’m not physically here. Understand?”

               Y/N nods, “understand, Ma’am.” She doesn’t have a choice even if she wanted to object. Whatever Nancy dictated is already set in stone.

               “Also,” Nancy looks at Y/N, “since I will be off the next three weeks, my schedules for the weeks in my absence will be pushed and packed on the following week. So, I expect you to still work on your station—and work even harder after I came back. Understand?”

               More workload? Y/N internally groans. She doesn’t like work getting reduced early into the week then doubling into hell in the latter part of the month. She likes them evened out—everything is balanced, familiar, and predictable. Nevertheless, Y/N only nods, “yes.” “No” doesn’t exist in Nancy’s dictionary.

               Nancy returns to her laptop and waves her off, “Okay. Then, capiche.”

               “Yes, ma’am, capiche,” Y/N makes a quick bow and scampers out of her boss’ office.

               When Y/N reaches her station, she sinks herself into the cushion of her seat. First, Min Yoongi belittles her researching ability in the morning meeting. Then now, she will work with him for the majority of three weeks. After that, another hell will start because of Nancy’s incoming packed schedules.

              Y/N’s eyes land on her laptop and she immediately sees her calendar. January 16, 2020. Thursday.  Y/N releases an inhumane groan. Of course, the goddamn Thursday curse. When will she ever live?

.

               “When will I ever die?” Y/N sobs into Mina’s shirt. Her friend keeps her arms around her tight as she cards through her hair.

               “Hey, don’t think so negative,” Mina coos, “Think of this as an opportunity to finally have Nancy off your back.”

               “Yeah, as if working with Min Yoongi is better than that. He already ruins my life when we only physically encounter each other in meetings and breaks and lunches. Imagine working with him for a whole fucking day!”

               “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I take that back,” Mina hugs her friend tighter.

               Y/N continues, “And after enduring all that, my workload will quadruple when Nancy comes back after three weeks! I already experienced this during her daughter’s debut last year. When Nancy said a pile of work will come, it fucking means four metal file cases of work. I spent the last two weeks of August plunging myself into an abyss of papers. I did not sleep for two weeks straight! And now— I will have three weeks-worth of hell work to come after spending three weeks working with the personification of Satan. Can the world just eat me up?!”

               “Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Mina pulls away to hold her bestfriend at arms-length, “What did you say will happen in three weeks?”

               Y/N closes her eyes, “Another hell will come because a shit-pile of work is coming in three weeks! Mina, I’ve been telling you this since morning-”

               “Y/N, after three weeks, it’s Valentine’s Day.”

               Y/N’s eyes immediately shoot open, “What?”

               “Look,” Mina clicks on her phone and flashes Y/N her calendar app. “Today’s January 17. Exactly after three weeks is the Valentine’s week.”

               Y/N’s jaw drops ajar, “Oh my god.”

               “Yes, Y/N, oh my God. It’s the fucking Heart Holiday.”

              “…The country’s long-time problem with their low birth rate has driven the government to build another department that will help its citizens build, manage, and maintain healthy relationships. The Department of Relationship Management was established in 2015, and ever since then, there have been impressive developments in our country’s birth rate. One of the best programs of DRM behind this wonderful growth is the Heart Holiday, the holiday held in the week of Valentine’s Day. It grants any person employed in a private sector one week of paid holiday vacation leave as long as they are currently in a relationship. Meanwhile, education establishments and students are given one week off their academic calendars without regard to their relationship status. Isn’t that sweet? The only downside to that, folks, is that government employees can only have two days of paid holiday leave on the 14th and 15th. But, still, a holiday is still a holiday! So for our lovely listeners, start planning your vacation trips and hangouts! Especially when Cloud 10 Airlines is there to make your holiday week even sweeter with their 70% discount on local trips! Just contact 675-9859 and 568-987—”

               “Mina, can you turn off the radio?!”

               “Again?!” Mina heaves, “What’s with your aggravation streak these days against Kim Seokjin’s voice?”

               “It rattles me,” Y/N half-screams, plopping into the swivel chair next to her friend’s cubicle. “Yesterday, he already announced that goddamn timeline of the DRM and ‘all hailed’ importance of the Heart Holiday. Why does he have to repeat it again today? In that overly-enthusiastic voice, too, as if he’s never read of that script again and again?!”

               “Y/N, it’s how broadcasting works. It’s one of the most awaited holidays in the year, so of course, they will nab as many advertisement deals as they can.”

               “Well, I don’t like how they work!”

               “You cannot just tell a radio company to stop working,” Mina turns in her chair to face her friend, “Also, stop venting your frustration on Seokjin. He doesn’t even know you hate his voice. Routinely doing this noise pollution doesn’t do anything at all. Just tell me what made you upset today.”

               “It’s Yoongi!” Y/N scowls. “He won’t explain to me the technical editing terms on Steven’s report for Nancy! He said a five grader can even know what they are. I went through fifth grade, Mina, and I did not freaking know about any photoshop shit!”

               “Well, that’s because you’re old.”

               Mina looks up and sees Yoongi hovering her cubicle.

               Y/N’s scowl deepens, as she turns her chair to the direction of the intruder.  “As if you’re any much younger. From what I know, you’re four years older than me, dumbass.”

               “Well, at least I know what Steven is talking about,” Yoongi props his chin on Mina’s cubicle.

               Y/n rolls her eyes, “Because it’s your freaking line of work! Of course, you’ll know about it!”

               “Well, you’re now working most of the time in the Creatives Team and you don’t know it. What does that make you, then? I’ll give you a hint: It’s what you called me three seconds ago. Starts with the letter ‘d’ and ends with the letter ‘s.’”

               “What? You think you’re so smart now just because you know that vector-mask-thingy?! News flash, Yoongi, you did not graduate with any Latin honor. I did! So, who’s the real dumbass?!”

               “You damn well know Latin honors doesn’t actually have any effect on real life. Practical knowledge has—especially knowledge about terminologies used in digital designing. Which you need because you won’t be able to report anything to your god Nancy. Because, well: You. Don’t. Know. Anything. Like. Always.”

               “Min Yoongi, fuck you–”

               “Guys, guys, guys, can you stop?”

               Y/N gives Yoongi another glare before fixing herself back in her seat. Mina puffs, “Yoongi, can you leave us alone for a while? We’re talking here and you just invited yourself in our conversation.”

               Yoongi chides, “Well, tell your friend that if she wants to shit-talk a person just a meter away from her without the said person barging in the conversation, she should keep her voice on the down-low. Not screaming around like a crazy ape.”

                Y/N’s jaw drops open, “What crazy ape?! You’re the crazy ape! You look like a fucking gorilla who accidentally get dwarfed by a tooth fairy and-”

               “Min Yoongi, just leave us alone,” Mina gives the man a pointed look.

              Yoongi shrugs and detaches himself from her cubicle. He heads back to their office but he doesn’t completely leave the room without giving Y/N a middle finger.

               Y/N’s mouth drops open in disbelief. She turns to Mina. “See? Isn’t it obvious he just wants to make me the bad man to Nancy again? What kind of person are you to not cooperate with your co-worker like a goddamn adult? I don’t get why no one sees this bitch’s true face but you and me! I just want to freaking tear off his face, make him wipe it in his ass, then place it back on his head since he’s such a literal ass—”

               “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Mina clasps a hand over your shoulder, “don’t get too homicidal. What you just said, aside from disturbing, is very disgusting.”

               Y/N slumps in her seat and crosses her arms.

              Mina sighs. “Okay, yeah, I know, Min Yoongi is the worst. But I don’t want you to do anything stupid so let’s not talk about him for a while, ‘kay?” Y/N nods. Mina leans back in her seat with the nth sigh for the day. “Okay, I got some update from Jaehyun.”

               Y/N leans forward. “What did he say?”

               Mina gives you a sad smile, “He already has a fiancé.”

               “So soon?” Y/N scoffs. “He was just courting me two months ago.”

               “Yeah, well he’s getting married this week. Whatever,” Mina waves off, “I don’t like him for you anyway. He dresses like a college fuckboy.”

               “Okay, what about Dahyun?”

               “Already married.”

               Y/N’s eyes widen, “and she didn’t tell us?”

               “Yeah, I already nagged her on the phone. She said it all kinda happened too fast–her and Sana. And the marriage was in New York. We’re too broke for out-of-the-country trips to attend anyway if we were informed.” Mina smiles, “She said she’s gonna invite us to the Christening of their baby.”

               “Okay, I’m glad she still cared about us. Oh,” Y/N pipes up, “what did Jackson say over the phone?”

               Mina gives you a tight smile. “Getting married, too. And guess what, the invitations were already in our mail box when I went to get our bills.”

               “Momo?”

               “Engaged. She and Heechul just broke out the news a week ago.”

              “Sam?”

               “Married. And 4 months pregnant.”

               “Jongdae?”

               “Engaged. Also has a baby in way.”

               “Hana?”

               “Engaged.”

               “Changmin?”

               “Engaged.”

               “Jaebum?

               “Engaaaaaged.”

               Y/N throws her hands in the air, “Why is everyone getting married?!”

               “Well, we’re in our late 20s. It’s the “marrying age” they say. It got more enphasized when DRM’s programs had succeeded in encouraging hundreds of people to marry in the recent year. Even my mom already expects Mark to propose by next month. We’re just dating for 6 months!” Mina cringes. She pulls Y/N’s chair closer to her to hold her hands. “Y/N, I’m really sorry. It kinda slipped my mind that we always apply together for the Heart Holiday every year. It’s just that Mark and I—”

               “Hey, hey, don’t blame yourself. You’ve been pining after Mark for about two years and now look at you—together, stable, and in-love half into the year! I don’t want you to fret having a relationship with the boy you liked for so long.”

               “Yeah, Y/N, I know,” Mina closes her eyes. “It’s just sad and unfortunate everyone we know are already in relationships.”

               “Yeah…” Y/N nods and the two fall into silence. Why is everyone conveniently in a relationship just in time with the Heart Holiday? What, the whole world suddenly knew the loophole in DRM’s program? Y/N and Mina studied that for a whole year! This is unfair. Y/N cannot be the only single person out there who’ll miserably work in the office while everyone gets to have the time of their lives—wait.

               Y/N grabs Mina’s hands. “Hey, Nana, I know we said co-workers are off-limits because Nancy will definitely know it’s a ruse. She’ll block my application form before it can even have the seal from the HR. Especially when she found out our lesbian “relationship” was fake after you and Mark updated your civil statuses.” Mina winces and opens her mouth to apologize again but Y/N cuts her with a finger to her mouth. “Nancy will definitely call me a liar and grill my head if she finds out what we’re planning to do now. But look, Nancy’s out of the country. Teddy is the general supervisor and she’s the next in the hierarchy. We damn well know her 45-year-old heart is soft for some nicely-woven romantic story. Even more, in an office setting—the bane of every middle-aged woman’s sappy romantic heart. So, what do you say?”

               Mina lets out an exasperated breath, “That crossed my mind, too, you know. But, Y/N, the thing is—the whole Accounting Department is in a relationship. And the same goes for the Writing, Marketing, Logistics, and HR.  All of them are either in a relationship, married, or getting married.”

               “What?” Y/N’s eyebrows curve up high, “How come I didn’t know this?”

               “Uh, because you’re busy working for Nancy day-in and day-out?  Also, I just happen to be friends with Jisoo from HR. She’s in charge of the company’s relationship records. Sometimes, she slips in everyone’s stories while we listen to WWL Radio during break time.”

               Y/N bites her lip. This can’t be happening to her. Not now. Not when the most un-objectifiable reason for a break from Nancy is about to slip through her fingers like fine sand.

               Mina scratches her nape, “I…may have someone in mind though.”

               Y/N’s eyes look straight into Mina’s. “Tell me.”

               “Well, the entire Creatives Department is either married or engaged save for one.”

               Y/N holds Mina’s hands tighter. “Who?”

               “Min, Yoongi.”

               Y/N must be going crazy. She thinks she must be growing a nest of vultures in her brain now, the mother routinely picking on her numerous dead brain cells to feed to her young. It doesn’t help that the bags under her eyes have started to droop like a waterfall, forming a sad saddle of grey on her cheeks. She cannot even remember the last time she had a decent meal. All she remembers is the finger foods Mina hands to her station every once in a while.

              The universe is being unfair to her and it is all taking a toll on her body. They weren’t kidding when they said adjusting to a new environment is an entire whole work in itself. The Creatives Team runs a completely different routine. Large monitors crammed with multiple editing softwares Y/N cannot understand surround the studio-size office space. There are drafted papers and previous issues scattered in every possible corner, some even gathering dust by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Y/N is not even sure if anyone has re-arranged their desks in the last few months. The Creatives’ work ethic is loosely bound on schedules and everyone seems to be doing everyone else’s job.  Except for Y/N, because Steven is the only one willing to share their team’s progress to her. But that alone is not enough for her daily report to Nancy because Steven is always busy in his computer. More unfortunately, everyone is wary of her. Y/N’s sure she even saw Kim Myungsoo clutch their design folders closer to his chest when her eyes glanced at his cubicle.  

              Sure, Y/N expected everyone will have their guards up on her. Who wouldn’t be when they know Nancy still has eyes on them even if she’s countries away? But still, it doesn’t lessen the pain on Y/N’s self-esteem and the stress on her back. If Y/N can’t get someone to talk to her, she won’t be able to provide a more substantial report to Nancy more than just reading Steven’s printed reports verbatim.

              Y/N is desperate to find a workmate to discuss everything happening in the Creatives with her, but unluckily for her, she only has someone she wishes to not even breathe the same air with. Of course, no one in the Creatives wants to talk to her except for Min Yoongi. He’s an insufferable ass who doesn’t know when to shut up.  He welcomes Y/N every single day with an annoying “Yo, Y/N” and an unneeded commentary about her outfit, like how yesterday he told her “I know retro is in but I didn’t know grandma blouses are deemed stylish again.” He blabbers about his unnecessarily extensive general knowledge about every South Asian country, even if Y/N countlessly told him she didn’t care.  He brags about the cover designs and templates he did in the previous issues, flipping the pages too close in Y/N’s face while he speaks about colors and mixing like Y/N is an imbecile about basic color combinations high school students used in their PowerPoint presentations. Yet despite them all, Yoongi still refuses to explain to her the jargon in Steven’s reports.

              Y/N tried her best to keep herself from bursting and giving Yoongi an earful of sense. Yes, everyone knows she does not like Yoongi but Y/N doesn’t want them to know to what extent she can go to express them, afraid of embarrassing herself.  But in her defense, three days into the first week without Nancy, Yoongi has gone as far as to chip a small bit off Y/N’s mug in the break room. The mug with the “creative juices” in cursive printed around its body—Mina’s gift from college. Y/N’s patience meter was blasted off the roof. It will be safe to tell that at the end of the day, Y/N has screamed the hell out of Yoongi that everyone can be sure the latter’s ears may have fallen out of his head. Steven was close to reporting to Teddy what just happened. It was just Y/N’s remaining luck that helped her successfully and implicitly begged Steven not to do so by telling him calling Yoongi “a mean, inconsiderate, self-absorbed jerk who should eat his shit because people are what they eat and he is obviously the biggest shit in her life,” is just her “unique” way of expressing co-worker appreciation to the man.

              Aside from putting up with Yoongi’s Satanic attitude, Y/N has to endure Nancy’s intermittent calls with her forever pissed voice coming in first thing in the morning until in the late, ungodly hours. And despite Teddy’s patient guidance over Y/N’s “transition” to the Creatives Team, Y/N’s still close to digging a six-feet deep hole in her station. No, not because of Teddy or Nancy. It’s because she poured her remaining effort dedicated for work by spending the entire week going through every staff member of Travel Loca. Y/N thought Mina must have overlooked a face. That it’s possible Jisoo skipped on a detail she told to her friend. But despite learning Lee Minyoung from the Writing Department is going to call it quits to her boyfriend just after Valentine’s, or how Michael Park from Marketing is about to pop the ring to his girlfriend just right on Valentine’s Day, the looming fact Y/N dreads presents itself on January 24, two weeks before Valentine’s: No one else in the office is single but her…and Min Yoongi.

              Of course, it didn’t surprise Y/N, Yoongi must be single. With that know-it-all façade and condescending tone wearing you out like a 24/7 walking instruction manual no one even asked for, who would even like to date him? One week with him as a co-worker alone already makes Y/N want to throw herself into the flaming hot pit of the nearest volcano.

              But it’s only two more weeks before Valentine’s and Y/N is desperate and desperate times call for desperate measures. Y/N did a last-minute check-up on her and Mina’s lists of contacts—phone, social media, e-mails, everything under the sun—only to come up with nothing. Mina’s “marrying age” theory must be true because everyone, every single one, of their acquaintances are already married or getting married. Y/N then changed up her game.  She started to opt for resources she never thought she will ever use in her life: dating apps. Tinder, Bumble, The League, Grindr—name it, Y/N had made every account for every conceivable dating site. She even spent the most of her break time this week hiding her phone beneath her desk and swiping right. But even this last considerable option proved to be pointless as all the replies she received are either honest “sorry, not interested,” rude “you’re no fun,” or out-right salacious “suck my dick.”

              This then left Y/N no choice but to consider the most unspeakably horrendously unfortunate option she didn’t even want to have. Min Yoongi is her only choice left. And for that, Y/N spent two days making an elaborate plan. She can’t afford any loose threads or plan-holes that can further make her at the mercy of the infuriating jerk. However, even if she made everything as seamless as it can be, Y/N knows it will be the worst decision she’ll ever make in her life. Mina also expressed the same concern, even apologized for planting that small information about Yoongi in her friend’s mind. But even her friend’s day-by-day discouragement to push through with her plan is not enough to deter Y/N.

              Because even if just thinking about the plan makes Y/N feel the world is about to crumble and swallow her down in its unending, fathomless depths; even if it makes her want to set up an appointment with an exorcist, Y/N knew she won’t back out. It’s not viruses or bacteria, it’s a seeded idea that is the most contagious living entity that can take hold of any human being. And the moment Y/N realized there’s no other ticket way out of her dilemma but Yoongi, she knew this thought will haunt her for nights on end.

              This is the reason why Y/N’s currently standing by the corner of the Creatives’ office when it’s already 6:46 P.M. while almost everyone has left the office. Almost, because Yoongi, apart from her, is the only one left in the office as Steven requested him to finish a color palette by tonight. Y/N gulps a thick blob of saliva. Sweat runs thick on her forehead. God, if Mina could see what Y/N’s about to do, she will be already by her side, yelling for her to just give up. Y/N shakes her head. This is Mina’s fault anyway. If she didn’t plant the idea in her head, she wouldn’t have to do this. She wouldn’t be creeping behind a door like a disgusting stalker. She wouldn’t be profusely sweating in an air-conditioned room like a guilty murderer. She wouldn’t be-

              “What the hell are you doing behind the door?”

              Y/N shrieks and jumps a half-foot away from her spot.

              “The hell—what’s gotten into you?!” Yoongi frowns, “And why are you even here?”

              Y/N’s brows meet together in her forehead. But before she can speak, Yoongi’s snickers drown out the words in her throat.

              “Wait, don’t tell me you’ve come as far as spying on my work. I didn’t know you’re going to be this petty,” Yoongi sighs and puts his hand on his waist, “Well, if you think going through my work laptop will get you to understand Steven’s report, I’m sorry to say you won’t get anything, little girl.”

               Yes, it’s true. The words did die out in Y/N’s throat. It’s just flames of anger sweeping in the valleys of her mouth. Y/N surges forward, fists clenched tight, “‘Little girl’? I am not a fucking little girl!”

               Yoongi grins, “Then what should I call someone who’s a foot smaller than me?”

               “What fucking ‘foot’?! We’re just inches apart! Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror? You’re not even that tall!”

               “Says the one who’s looking up at me just to level her eyes with mine,” Yoongi raises his brows, “and who’s now standing a little too close to me because apparently, standing a socially-decent foot away won’t enable her to see my face.”

               Y/N’s eyes widen and she immediately takes a step back. She doesn’t get how easy it is for Yoongi to rile her up that she instantly forgets how to control her body. When she looks up at him, the man is smirking at her. Her mouth aches to tell him he actually looks stupid with that lopsided smile if he thought doing it will make him a tad bit inch sorry excuse of “sexy.” But then, Y/N remembers she has a purpose tonight. She didn’t just waste an hour waiting in the excruciating office space of the Creatives Team just to get nothing done.

               Y/N closes her eyes and breathes out. When she opens them again, she looks at Yoongi in the eyes. “I’m not here to fight with you, Yoongi. I’m here to make an offer.”

               Yoongi scoffs, “An offer? You? Are you hearing yourself right now? In case you weren’t informed, I don’t need anything from you. And I didn’t—”

               “You’re single right?”

               Yoongi gawks at her, “W-what?”

               “Well, I’m single, too. And Valentine’s week is coming in two weeks.”

               “So?”

               Y/N tries not to grit her teeth, “So, that means the Heart Holiday is also coming. Nancy is bound to come back during that time, too, with an obvious incoming large workload to come for me. I can’t afford to hole myself up in this office while everyone gets to enjoy a paid holiday week. And since you have an affinity for disliking your job, I figured you also wouldn’t want to go to work during Valentine’s week.” Y/N crosses her arms, “So I’m here, Min Yoongi, to give you an offer: Fake date me for two weeks to make it to DRM’s PRS’ application deadline. When our application gets approved, we part ways and never speak about what happened in these two weeks. It’s a win-win situation. I don’t get to work during Valentine’s. You also don’t get to work, and we both will still get paid. So, what do you say?”

               Yoongi just stares at her. Y/N could feel cold sweat running from her scalp and down to her back. Why is he looking at her like that? Why is he being so silent? Is he about to make fun of her and bring it up to work tomorrow? Oh God, Y/N shouldn’t have even gone through with this plan. This is a bad idea. A bad, bad, bad, idea that should have never been entertained and buried in a trunk of embarrassing memories, never to see the light again—

               “I’m in.”

               Y/N freezes, “W-what?”

               Yoongi takes a step closer to Y/N. He leans forward, closing the distance between their faces into mere six inches. Y/N doesn’t need to crane her head up anymore because this time, their eyes are finally leveled with each other.

              Yoongi smiles, “I’m telling you, Y/N, I’m in in your plan.”

              Y/N looks at him. She just looks at him. Five seconds have already passed. Yoongi should be laughing in her face right now. But the man did not, and takes a step back away from her. He fixes his satchel on his shoulder and closes the Creatives’ glass door behind him shut. When Yoongi looks back at Y/N, he gives her a shrug, “Hey, if you’re not going home, I am.” He heads for the main door, hands dug into his pockets. Y/N’s eyes just follow his figure. Before Yoongi completely gets out of the office, he hollers, a hand cupping over his mouth, “I said I’m already in in your plan. You can go now. See you tomorrow.” He sends Y/N one last smile.

              It takes Y/N five more seconds before she breaks her frozen stance. What did just happen? Yoongi didn’t laugh at her. He didn’t put up a fight. He….agreed? Just like that? This is impossible. This cannot happen! Yoongi doesn’t agree, he argues! Always! And he just doesn’t bid her goodbye and “see you tomorrow.” Yoongi annoys her with one last hit of “goodbye, grandma.” And Yoongi doesn’t smile. He smirks. He just pulls up one side of his lips, squints his eyes, and snorts. Y/N must be going crazy. This is not Yoongi!  A whole different man has suddenly appeared before her. This cannot be!

              But despite all the things going back and forth in her head right now, there’s only one looming thought on top of them all that had Y/N release a staggered breath:

              What the fuck did she just get herself into?

next  | series masterlist

Disclaimer: This first chapter is based on Netflix’s Set It Up (2018), particularly Nancy’s briefing scene and the USB scene. Netflix’s Set It Up (2018) is the inspiration for this fic and so I based Ms. Nancy’s personality on Lucy Liu’s portrayal of Kirsten Stevens! Ms. Lucy Liu was fantastic in her performance! That being said, all scenes and references from the movie used in this story are the property of its respective owners. The rest belongs to the author. This work is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. Anyways, if you wish to watch the movie, don’t worry about encountering any spoilers in this fic!

A/N pt. 2: Hi hons! I decided to cut this fic into parts as this will be very long (hello banter dialogues). Writing a 25+k wordcount (so far, this is my assumed final wordcount) may overwhelm a lot of readers and make them not want to read this anymore ☹ Anyway, the succeeding parts will be released soon as I already have a detailed storyboard and outline for this mini-series so you don’t have to wait that long. Thank you for giving this fic a chance, hons. Also, feedback is more than appreciated. Tell me what you guys think!  ♡♡♡ \(> u

Taglist: @fangirls94​​ @ditttiii​ @chogiyeol-utopia​​

All Rights Reserved 2020 © Vanaera. Reposts, modifications, and translations of content are not allowed.

[nightwingshero]

OC Themes

So, thank you @xbaebsae for letting me just vomit this information in our chat, you’re a saint and a trooper! I’m so sorry lol

But I have come to the conclusion due to too much caffeine that each of my OCs actually symbolize different highly opinionated statements that are actually important to me. So, some major spoilers for their canon, but I think it’s totally worth it for the message they convey. Long post that literally no one asked for!

Note: I am very proud of all of this. If you don’t agree, fine. But for those who love my OCs (thank you so much for your support!), here’s the deeper meaning to who they are, what they represent, and the values I have and stand for. 

Wren Blake

Wren’s canon (or arc) is all about her coming to terms with trauma, suffering and dealing with miscarriage, depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety. Things people don’t talk enough about and show support for, and it gets left unsaid. She’s a character that is desperate for a support system she never had and she represents the effects of the lack of it. She is, also, a great representation that (yes Eden’s Gate and the Seeds are EVIL) every side has a story, and that you will always be a hero or villain in someone’s story. So, you live for you and who you are. Not for what other people want for you or who they want you to be. It shows the struggle of someone who is empathetic to a fault, someone who struggles with loving themselves and feeling as if they are never enough because of how their parents raised them, and I know that that’s an issue a lot of us have experienced. Yes, she is technically meant to be a “bad guy”, but that’s not the point. The point is that she’s human and flawed, and still a good person that learns to be true to herself despite all of it. Insert line from Wreck-It-Ralf: Just because I’m a bad guy, doesn’t make me a bad guy person.

Rowan Palmer

The walking example that positivity is NOT a personality trait, it’s a skill set, and it is HARD. You choose to be positive and it’s a challenge for everyone. You can’t control some of the things that happen to you, but you damn well can control how you react to it and what you do with it. But the biggest thing? BLOOD DOESN’T MAKE YOU FAMILY! This took me YEARS to understand and learn, guys. And I will say it louder for the people in the back: BLOOD. DOESN’T. MAKE. YOU. FAMILY. Too often have I had to deal with bullying, toxicity, and just pure negativity because “they’re your family, it’s what you’re supposed to do”. Fuck NO! Blood is no excuse! You can CHOOSE your family, and Rowan’s story is about her learning that cutting toxic family members from your life is a GOOD thing! You deserve people that appreciate and love you!! Blood doesn’t excuse the way you’re treated, and don’t you ever let it! There are people that value you, that love and support you, for who you are. Those are your people, THAT’S your family.

Jane Williams

Can we just not with toxic masculinity and let women be fucking powerful human beings without prejudice? Without some fucking stereotype? Let them be creative, let them be fucking smart, and have some bassassness and let them LOVE! There’s a reason for the Viking hair, my dudes. And Jane (along with Wren) are MAJOR favorites of mine because of this post. Jane is well rounded, she has a past and she has emotions! She’s also a sarcastic asshole that people love! You can be badass and soft. You can be a hardass and love to create. YOU CAN BE DEEP! You can be all these things and not fall into a category people try to force you into. You don’t need that shit, fuck it! You can be beautiful, no matter what you believe in or what you do. No matter what you value. You are valid in who you are, stay true to it. Fuck labels, you don’t need them. We love you. 

Randy Miller

Again, can we just say FUCK TOXIC MASCULINITY?! Having a strong male character that HAS A SOFT CARING SIDE! Randy has feelings, he’s not afraid to be sensitive, and that’s such a beautiful thing. How dare people put expectations on any gender because of the gender? The audacity! Also, PLATONIC MALE/FEMALE RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE HEALTHY AND SUPPORTIVE! We don’t get this enough, honestly. One of my best friends is a guy, and I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been mistaken as a couple. All because of an unspoken expectation that women can’t be friends with men without something going on. Well, I’m done with it. It’s so important to have positive and supportive relationships, gender has nothing to do with it. 

Whitney Seed

This...this is a big one. For those who actively follow me, you know that Whitney is a challenge for me to write, and you’re going to learn the biggest reason why. Whitney’s arc? Her relationship doesn’t end good, guys. Nope. She loses her faith and trust in Joseph, they become estranged after one of their children dies. Her arc ends with her stepping away from the Mother role and killing Ethan. And yes there’s a reason. I grew up in rural America, and I’m telling you, Hope County is super accurate in its representation. I know what it’s like to grow up in a religious, conservative family. Thankfully, Whitney and I turned out very differently. Nancy (in my opinion) is a white, privileged middle-aged (or older) woman that probably grew up religious. Whitney grew up with that. With a woman that was probably conservative and taught her values. Told her what her place and role was. So Whitney is placed into a role by Nancy and Joseph, because that’s what she was always told her purpose was. That was her place. Whitney is a stereotypical “southern belle”, from the way she talks to her baking and being The Mother. Her character is sexism personified, showing the roles that women are forced into due to toxic masculinity. She was raised and taught that that’s okay, that you respect your husband and God is law. Her character development and conflict is more after Wren’s canon and into New Dawn. She overcomes the expectations that were wrongly placed on her, and she sees the wrongness of it. She grows from it and becomes her own person. 

And that, ladies and gentlemen, are my OCs’ true core. Sorry for the ramble. But I’m proud of this. And each OC IS a piece of myself and my values. Thanks for listening to it. 

[capitainerowen]

I have an issue with Billy’s death

I really like Stranger Things and especially the season 2. However, as much as watching the season 3 was a pleasure at the moment, it feels like a joke, every time I think of it again.

The season had a lot and a lot of things that I loved but I will not talk about it here because I really, really want to talk about Billy.

Billy is a real jerk, I know it. He made a lot of bad stuffs, towards Max, towards Steve, towards Lucas, … but for some reasons I really liked him? I cannot explain it because I’m not the type to like assholes but him? I like him, and because of that, I really wanted him to improve. I really was hoping it, and at the end of the season 2, it felt like he could maybe improve, because of what happened with Max. Maybe it is because I’m too focused on possible character’s development and because I just knew at the end of season 2 that he was meant to die (The B-name tragedy, you know it, I know it, we all know it) and I hated that so much with all my heart.

During the season 2, Billy was really bad and dangerous and murderous against the Party and apparently, it was because he is racist. I’m not victim of racism so I can understand that it is a possibility, but to be true I still think that there was so many others reasons for him to hate the four of them, like: the fact that they were searching in the trash can (Dustin), the only one to cosplay in middle school (the four of them), insulting Max (Mike), confessing their love and made a marriage proposal (Lucas to Mike), literally had a freaking funeral because everyone thought they were dead (Will), … and the fact that they are boys and Max is a girl. Because of his father (that piece of shit), these were all pretty good reasons for him to hate them.

I am not excusing what he did, of course not. I mean, he tried to kill them twice in season two, he threatened Max, beat up Steve multiples times… These are not good things, of course, but I really understood it as a reaction to what was happening to him. His relationship with his dad was really atrocious and horrible and it really was bad, he was victim of physical and psychological tortures and I do not want to think about how bad it was, but it was bad enough for him to still cry. It does not excuse his behavior, but it was an explanation. In season 1, Steve became an asshole to Jonathan and Nancy and while it was still a bad thing, he was not the only responsible and he had the opportunity to redeem himself, so I really hoped Billy could too, and his death makes me feels nauseous. Actually, I may do a whole post to explain why every death of the B-name characters are terrible.

I wanted Billy to redeem himself because I felt like it was important for him to understand how his behavior was bad as an example for the public to understand how harassment works in every little things, like his behavior with Max or with Steve that are at first “little” or “almost nothing” (which we know, isn’t nothing, obviously), because a lot of people doesn’t get that their behavior is toxic towards some persons and hurtful, since a lot of people (such as myself) internalize their pain like if it wasn’t really a problem. Even if I knew he would not survive, I still think that somehow it would have been important. It would have been really important because it is rarely, if it’s not never, talked in the show how the characters have hurtful and/or toxic behaviors to each other.

For example, Mike’s behavior with his friends, he rarely shows regrets of his mistakes (pushing Lucas, lying to, and screaming at El, stealing Nancy, insulting Will’s sexuality, disrespecting Max for being the first girl bold enough to talk to him after El disappearance, …), and he’s not the only one! They all have toxic behaviors (except for Dustin who is perfect somehow?) and with Billy who is obviously one of the worst characters for that point would have been a perfect occasion for everyone to rethink their behavior. Obviously, I am not saying that all the relationships are absolutely awful, they’re good, but still! Sometimes, even to our friends or family, we made some bad stuffs, and admitting it and saying sorry for that is okay and it is important.

I really, really felt that it could have been important, and the show is about these kinds of stuffs sometimes (like when Steve really tried to make himself forgiven or when Dustin helped Mike and Lucas to talk about their feelings) but apparently, Billy didn’t deserve that? And it hurts me a lot because Billy dying without having the possibilities to become a better person while his father, who was beating him and using his sexual orientation as an excuse to that, will end the show alive and okay makes me sick. It’s like Will and Jonathan father who is still very much okay when he manipulated Joyce for money and rejected Will’s passions because he thought it was too “gay”, and I’m really not okay with that. It’s really bad because it feels like homophobia is forgivable in the show and that is not a good thing? And yeah, I know, there is Robin who is a lesbian, but Will is clearly queer-coded, and it’s never said clearly or only as a judgement or a bad thing (like the conversation between Joyce and Hopper in the season 1 after he’s missing or Mike insulting him and judging him in season 3) and that’s a huge problem! However, I’ll stay on my Billy’s issue.

To talk about Billy’s family again, letting Billy having a redemption arc would have been really important! Now, with him being dead, Max is all alone with an abusive stepfather and a mother who let it all pass, and it’s absolutely sure that her stepfather will be violent on her and/or her mother since Billy isn’t here anymore and let’s be real, it will either end with blood and trauma or be completely forgotten which is not okay!

Also, except for being another trauma for El, what was Billy’s death useful for? Because clearly, Max is already over it at the end and El has already a lot to deal with Hopper’s death. It is clearly a bad written death and once again, if Billy has gotten a development, a redemption arc instead of just dying, it could have been so important. Billy is a horrible character, but he clearly had the opportunity to become better and to help the other characters and for a lot of things! His relationship with Max could have become so much better for the two of them. At the end of the season two, their relationship was really bad but was still really interesting! It could have led to something in which they both started to try and understand each other and have a real fight in which Max explains to Billy why she is happy with the boys and El and in which Billy could finally tells Max why he’s acting like that, except for El to discover it by entering his mind and reading his memories without him agreeing to that. Yes, it was important for her to literally survive but still! It could have led to a conversation so El understands that it’s not okay to read people memories, and that even if it was important at the moment but that, after a conversation in which El reveal Billy’s most intimate memories, or after El reading someone’s mind to prove they lied to her, Billy and her could have a conversation to talk about it, and it could have been really interesting because with Max, they played with that power a lot.

Like I really hoped he could have become someone really important, and better. For the show, it would have been really important, and a great way to explain to El why, even if she has the right to use her powers like she wants, they are still some rules to respect (and a better way than how Mike says it, saying it just because he’s jealous of her relationship with Max…).

So… yeah, I’m not feeling quite okay with Billy’s death, and not just because I like him but because there is a real issue that I see in his writing and, as a writer myself and a fan of the show (and yes, the character), I really hoped he could have become better even if, like I said previously, it was really obvious that he was about to die, since his name starts with the letter B (I really hate that pattern so much, you have no idea), and to be honest, the season 3 is really the one I hate the most, maybe because of how good the two firsts seasons were and because I was so scared for Dustin’s life that I wasn’t prepare for the writing of that season.

[doof-doofblog]

"You Killed Him!"

Tuesday 20th April 2021

Good evening again everyone! Hope your week is all going well so far! I have to be honest, I am still reeling from Monday's huge ending, still can't get over that Kush has been killed off, I feel shocked and saddened to know that he may never return to the soap. I had every hope that they would at least keep his role open for a return in the future! Where you shocked at the outcome? Or did you have a horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach that Kush would be Gray's 3rd victim? How long can Gray keep getting away with murder?? Seriously!!!

I have a horrible feeling this next episode is going to be hard to watch, the aftermath of Kush's death!

(20 minutes later!)

Oh my goodness, through out that whole episode you could sense and feel the sadness, the mourning and the absence of Kush, how everyone is completely and utterly devastated by his loss. Poor Whitney is sitting alone, still wearing the clothes from the night before, she looks almost numb to the core. In the house with her are Sonia, Tiffany and Martin. Oh Martin - Martin also looks completely and utterly crushed by the loss of his best mate, he must feel as if he's lost a limb! I know it was mentioned in the episode by Mick, but it's going to be devastating not seeing Kush with Martin having a drink together in the pub!

From what I can tell, everyone close to Kush must've learnt the news that evening, I do feel a bit gutted we didn't say how and when everyone found out, especially Whitney - I feel it should've been something we should have seen. But as the news of Kush's death spreads around the Square, Gray feels he needs to show his face, but even more trying to fish for information from anyone who may have any news, He tries getting gossip from Keegan - even though Keegan only knows that minor detail that Kush was hit by a train. Suddenly as Callum makes his way through the Square, Gray takes his opportunity to question Callum about the police are suspecting. Even though poor Callum himself is stunned by the news of Kush's death, he reveals to Gray that the police seem to think it was an accident, but that theory doesn't seem to make sense, as Callum informs Gray that Kush and Whiney were planning on running away together for a new life and it was the last trains of the night they were going to catch, at that time of night the platform would've been empty! But it's then that I think Callum puts the seed in Gray's mind that Kush's might've jumped?

As the news continues to spread, we seem to focus on the people who were important in Kush's life, Whitney, Martin and next was Denise! As she's sat in work, it look as if she has no clue about what's happened, but it's only when Kim makes her way into the salon looking in shock and devastation, Denise questions whether something has happened to Patrick. It's then that her sister informs her that she's learnt about Kush's death. Poor Denise is another one who begin to feel extremely sorry for - of course Kush and Denise had a small fling ages ago and they always remained close. Denise was absolutely heartbroken to hear the news of Kush's passing, she simply couldn't get her head around it.

--

As I said in the previous post, I was really intrigued as to what was going to happen to Shirley and the Mitchell's, now Kush has been killed - what will that mean for them? But it seems that Ben answered my question. Kush was initially asked to be key witness in another investigation against the Mitchell's, but now he's been killed there'll be no evidence for him to give - which actually might mean now that the Mitchell's and Shirley will be able to walk free. It looks as if they have no knowledge about Kush's death until they arrive back on the Square. As locals gather to lay flowers for their beloved member of the community, Ben mentions that the only witness the police have is now a dead man, but regardless of Kush grassing them up to the police, Phil shows his respect - claiming that regardless of what he did to them, he did not deserve to die as such a young way and in such a horrific way! Ooooh deep down in my guts I feel like shouting to them, if only they really knew how Kush died!! How would the locals of Walford know that sleeping amongst them is a murderer?!

But where Shirley is concerned, it looks as if she has no idea about Kush's death either. As she's released from custody, you can see the steam coming from her ears. She's outraged that Kush has grassed her up to the police. She informs both Linda and Nancy that she's going to get her hands on Kush as soon as she can. But later on, when she seems to have calmed down and it looks as if she's learned about Kush's death, Mick holds an absolutely beautiful tribute to Kush and raises a glass to him with their boozers in the Vic. Mick's words were so moving, it nearly brought a tear to my eye. However, Shirley seems reluctant to raise her glass, claiming that as much as she's sorry he's passed away, she can't toast a grass, which I feel is really quite cold-hearted. Kush was never bad man, he was one the most liked people on the Square. But when Nancy questions what people are saying about Kush's death, she's horrified to learn that people are speculating that he jumped in front of the train, but Mick make the interesting point that camera's are everywhere so they should be able to find some sort of explanation as to whether Kush's death was accidental or deliberate.

Also, after waiting all day for her package to arrive, it seems Nancy is pretty secretive about what is in her package. What really caught my attention was when Linda questioned her daughter whether she's still being able to keep control of her epilepsy. Nancy tries to reassure her Mum that she hasn't had a seizure for a very long time, but something is telling me that she's lying to her parents. Is her epilepsy getting worse? Could this package actually be something that helps her to keep control of her seizures? Either way, I'm really intrigued to see what secret Nancy is hiding!

--

Returning to Denise when she's been left alone to take in the news about his death, when Jack comes to finds her to make sure she's okay, she recalls her brief romance with Kush and how happy he made her when they were together. I and I think what she was mentioning about being sat with Kim and Carmel and informing them that she was dating Kush, I think I actually remember watching that moment, of course Carmel wasn't best pleased, but Denise how happy it made her feel being able to hold Kush's hand. That really moved me, especially when she mentioned how much love he had to give and he had initially found the right person to give it to! Gosh it was so emotional!

Meanwhile, as the rest of the Square are mourning Kush, Isaac seems to be listening in to the conversation between Denise and Patrick, but when Denise mentions that Kush was just 35 years of age, Patrick mentions how Kush's death reminds of him of his son, Paul. Now interestingly, Isaac seems to react to the name "Paul" - does he know who Paul is?! As Patrick decides to go ahead with his medical trial for other stroke victims, Isaac is with him - even though everything seems above board, Isaac informs his Dad that he's not happy about his decision but he will support him nonetheless. However it looks like the thought of Paul is still on his mind, it's only later when Isaac is alone in the Cafe that Kim joins him, it's then that he asks her straight out - What is the issue with Paul? Why do people go all coy and cold on the subject of him? Even though Kim feels that it's not her place to say, she decides to inform him that Paul was murdered. I'm intrigued that after all these years Paul is still remembered in this soap, he was another who had a devastating death - is Isaac going to want to learn more about his step-brothers Paul and Anthony? What do you think?

--

Later on, after the advice from Gray about discussing Kush's death with his colleagues, Callum finds Gray in the Cafe and informs them that the theory about Kush's death being accidental has completely been wiped. Unfortunately, Callum also confirms that the CCTV had been vandalized so any form of camera footage they have been able to get hold off could not longer be traced. Hmmm, I wonder who vandalized the camera, eh?! (Rolls eyes!) Of course Gray would've covered his back! However, I am also kind of hoping that maybe the Vic or the Minute Mart or the Cafe may have some kind of CCTV camera looking outwards onto the streets of their businesses - some local companies do have them - could it be possible that maybe one single business camera might've caught Whitney, Kush and little Arthur heading towards the train station and slowly following after them, we'd see Gray! Who knows?! It's a possibility! All I know is that Gray cannot get away with another murder, he just can't! He's murdered so many likeable characters and it's devastating and horrifying that he's getting away with it! I truly can't wait for the day when the locals learn about his crimes and he gets his comeuppance!

Feeling confident that he's covered his tracks, Gray then takes it upon himself to visit Whitney - Ooohh how dare he! - He's acting like the loyal friend who's trying to console their friend in need. Poor Whitney looks absolutely lost, it's clear to see that she has been sobbing her heart out - her face is all smudged with mascara down her cheeks and her cheeks are red from the amount of crying she's done. She still sits silently as Gray tries to give her his condolences, but as soon as he mentions Kush's name - she turns her face slowly towards him, whispering, warning him not to even mention his name.

For a split second, it looks as if Whitney knows Gray's dirty horrid secret! But she begins to claim that he is part of the reason that Kush is dead, if it wasn't for him siding with the Mitchell's and taking their dirty money that they wouldn't have to run away and Kush wouldn't have died! As far as she's concerned, he is as much to blame for his death as much as the Mitchell's are! Gray of course seems slightly surprised by her outburst, but - I don't know whether you noticed it, there was some kind of sigh or huff or scuff that came from him when Whitney mentioned his involvement with the Mitchell's. So, even though Whitney is blaming him for Kush's death and screaming at him that he killed him, it looks as if he is almost relieved that what she is saying ALMOST isn't true! Oooooh - but wait! Wait! WAIT until she really does find out the truth!!! I cannot wait for Gray to be found out, he truly can't keep carrying on murdering such lovely innocent people!

--

Ending this post and a happier note, oooo could there be a love interest for Bernie?! I think since she came out as gay and went to Gay Pride, she hasn't really been able to find anyone, has she? Now after being introduced to this new character, Molly (all thanks to the little doggo Ziggy/Banjo) - Molly is showing a very big interest in Bernadette, but bless Bernie, she can't seem to see it. But luckily Bailey clicks on to what Molly is getting at and decides to take their new doggy friend for a walk in an attempt to get them alone. Bernie is really surprised when Molly openly admits that she's wanting to ask her out. Even though I haven't really got an opinion on this new love interest yet, I just hope Bernadette will be happy and doesn't get hurt, it would be nice for her to enter a new relationship. What do you think?

Thank you again for reading my recent post, it truly means the world! Please feel free to leave me a comment or a message about any of the current storylines, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on what's going on. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your evening. I'll back again very soon! Love you all xXx