#i love how each song matches their aesthetics and what I assume will be their personalities (at least as heroes)

[wordswhisperinthedark]

Ohhhh this is how you make character PVs

[cupids-chamber]

❝ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒.. .ᐟ ❞ Shall we look underneath the tree? And see what he got you..

GENDER NEUTRAL READER A/N: Ortho's part is strictly platonic, each part is different. Also, I do not think I wrote the letters well, but I did smthing!!

— MALLEUS

Matching charm bracelets, engraved with the date the two of you first met. One of the greatest moments of his life. Small little dangling charms of Gargoyles attached to each bracelet. And if you squint your eyes, and check behind the heart charm, you'll find the engravings "M.Dracona +Y.L/n"

— LILIA

A scrapbook of all the memories he had shared with you, each page filled with your favorite colors and aesthetic. He put a lot of effort decorating everything just for you..

— SILVER

A small album, filled with all his favorite moments with you. He couldn't think of anything better, it seemed like the best gift.. A album of all the best memories he shared with you..

That's not to say that all the memories and moments he has created with you were bad, he loved all of them! But their are particular memories that fill him up with immeasurable warmth, and he hopes you'll feel the same.

— SEBEK

Sebek couldn't figure out what to give you, something that could highlight and really show you how much he loves you.. that's when Lilia pitched in a idea to him...

Sebek's gift was filled with multiple letters, in a handmade/hand painted box, the letters were filled with sweet messages for anytime he may have upset you.. He's not the best at expressing his love, but he hopes this gift could provide you some comfort..

— IDIA

He personally hands you the gift, it was a photo frame of sorts, a small blue bow displayed at it's front. The device flipped through photo's of the two of you together, and it held gif's and whatnot.. Attached with a audio box of your favorite songs.. "I made it myself.."

— ORTHO

A perfectly wrapped gift was displayed underneath the the tree, inside there's a small figure of you and Ortho holding hands, he didn't know what to give you, to be exact.. so, instead he choose to get you something sentimental.. He heard from a certain somewhere that sentimental gifts were much more thoughtful then others!

— KALIM

Kalim decided not to go too grand for the scenario, giving you a multitude of gifts would erase the sentiment of a gift in general..

Instead he choose to give you a few small handmade trinkets, and small things he saw you eyeing, efficiently showing that he pays attention to where your eyes travel when going out shopping or on dates.

— JAMIL

A small bracelet with your birthstone, he didn't quite know how to leave a lasting impression with his gift, but he knew he was happy for your birth.. so the aspect of a birth stone suited the scenario well..

— RIDDLE

A customized pen, with a small spell attached, so you can change the smoothness and colour, it's pretty friendly with people who want to learn cursive..

It'll have his name engraved, in a place where he assumes you wouldn't have noticed.. The gesture itself was lovely!

— TREY

A beautiful large basket, filled with all sorts of pastries.. Savory and spicy snacks. Everything specialized to your tastes, he paid close detail as to what you preferred eating when creating the basket, it was sure to last you for quite the while.

— CATER

A personalized acrylic map, it displayed the date of your first ever confession, and the place. The painting could have used a bit of work, but the gesture was filled with love..

— DEUCE

The gift box was black, with a blue spade on the top instead of a bow. The ribbon was carefully done, to have the gift look as pleasing as possible.. Inside you could find a music box, with a message! It read:

"To my dearest partner, I can't really express how I feel within words but you brighten up my day Seeing you smile makes me smile.. I love you"

— ACE

Couples bracelets, that looks like handcuffs. It's a stupid joke, when you ask him he'll say, "Then we'll literally be attached together". The joke may have not been what you expected, but the gesture was cute.

— VIL

A personally hand picked and assorted candle set, he finds candles extremely calming, and uses them when he needs a light stress reliever, he's been noticing you felt a bit stressed lately.. maybe it was Crowley? Regardless.. he can't have you dying on him, can he!?

So, he took the time and effort to make you a personally assorted candle set.

— ROOK

A collection of small bow pins, and whatnot.. Things to go on your hair, etc.. Essentially, a box of trinkets, that follow a hunting theme, some were cute bunnies the others were a variety of things!

He hand picked the trinkets, to make it all the more meaningful!

— EPEL

And engraved wood sculpture of an apple, carved with beautiful details.. The wood work was utterly beautiful, the gift would be wrapped in a small white box, with a sparkly purple ribbon..

A small note would be at the front:

"Not to be sweet or anything.. The design is inspired by my heart racing.. Whenever I speak with you"

— AZUL

A mini piano, it's completely playable. Yet it seems like it came out of a doll house, it's custom made to match one similar to what Azul has.. Something you have witnessed Azul playing first hand..

— JADE

A small necklace, in the shape of a letter.. In the back of it a small note and declaration of love was written, signed off as J.Leech.. (Yes these exist)

— FLOYD

A stunning art piece of you.. in puzzle form.. The trick is that there are over 1000 pieces.. And the two of you will need to work together to put it together..

Halfway through he'll get slightly bored, but since he caused this mess.. and he's doing it with you.. He'll enjoy it.

Plus your focused face is cute.

— LEONA

He's not good at sentimental gestures and whatnot, and definitely sucks in this category of giving. So, he decided to give you a necklace, engraved with his name of course..

He is your al-mighty Leona Kingscholar. (Who will never be king)

— RUGGIE

A handmade 30 day, scratch off.. Each day, you'll scratch and find a goovy picture of you two together, or a sweet message he wrote to you..

At the very last day, you'll find a small letter, it'll be a letter where he expresses his more vulnerable side, writing down how he truly feels for you..

— JACK

A personalized gift box, once unfolding it there will be many compartments you can open up and read notes, letters, quotes, etc from your lover!... As for the gift, he had a given you a handmade candle!

© cupids-chamber, do not repost, plagiarize, translate, or adapt my work without prior permission and or confirmation from me.

[just-4pple-pi3]

UN Village and City Lights by Baekhyun

MV and album discussion

UN Village by Baekhyun

The title song and mv is well comprised because it shows Baekhyun's vocal color and his power in exo (light). To me, it felt like Baekhyun has been hiding from too much light, aka from showing too much of his power (you will know what I mean if you look up for exo's theory and Baekhyun's role in that concept in Tumblr: @adoringdo). The R&B song itself however talks about spending a special time with the beloved in Hannamdong UN Village hill. He wishes that the beloved speaks their true love to him and enjoys the particular lovely moment with each other. The composition of the background score features unique heavy sounds arranged in a way that it becomes subtly emphasized. The sound makes us get into the song, makes us question that let me see how this song continues to sound like, and then comes Baekhyun's first line "Navigation 독서당어린이공원으로 누르고 엑셀을 밟아" (Navigation to Deokseodang Children's Park press start and step on the gas). The line is something one would not expect to be uttered in an R&B song in the very first line. Nevertheless, Baekhyun's accentuation made the line sound so subtle and natural that it felt easy-going. I personally found verse 2 (1:34) to be compelling because Baekhyun's voice sounds like it is heard from a radio (if you know how to explain this more accurately please let me know).

Moreover, the flow is different there than the rest of the song, it gives a lo-fi feeling. The background sound also sounds different than the rest in this part. The scenes from (1:34) to (1:56) went perfectly with verse 2. The high notes and long notes in this song seem to function with the tone of emphasis upon the lover's wish and longing for love.

The overall aesthetic the mv seems to be going for is the same, subtle but special. It emphasizes the flowing whispering love the singer sings about. The mv also has a light seductive side to it, which could be seen through the noir vibes (walking through darkness, black and white, serious looks, buildings, roads), play on different colored lightings (blue, red, white, yellow, green), close up shots of Baekhyun. The flow of different scenes were really good. I just found some of the black and white shots to be unnecessary(again, if I could know the Director's reasoning behind it that would've been cool). For example (0:31), (2:58, 2:53), (2:20)- because I would have liked to see scenes with actual city lights.

I assume the director added these scenes either to not make the mv too much noir or to match the lyrics, or to make the mv more nostalgic and melancholic (could be anything idk). Also, please let me know what you understand from the last scene where Baekhyun is lying on a table and a woman passes by, I have no idea.

My most favorite shots have been

1. Blue hues with blueish Baekhyun (1:46) (1:50) (2:35)

2. The projection on the surface of the building (3:42). The cut to the projection from actual video (2:44-2:50)

3. 0:49 going through that corridor (black and white with play on lighting)

4. The play of red and white lighting, Baekhyun's cool fit (2:22- 2:27) (2:38) (3:07- says turn the light off (lighteul kkeo) and the white light turns off)

5. Every black and white scenes shot in/with that building, especially on (0:56) (1:00) (3:16)

The other songs in the album:

Diamond: The layering with Baekhyun's voice sounds really catchy in the chorus. The song goes well after UN village as it has almost the same theme. It sings about wishing to be more close and intimate together, desiring to explore more of the beloved. To his eyes, the beloved shines like a diamond when they stand next to the lover.

Betcha: The girl does not care or pay enough attention yet. However, the lover is determined to win her over. The guy is confident enough about that. The song has a playful and confident tone into it. Betcha also has a playful dance with it which you'll find in SMP Floor, Baekhyun and Haechan also did challenges with it.

Ice Queen: The transition from Betcha to Ice Queen is smooth, as if Ice Queen is the next part of Betcha. The lyrics here are more descriptive than Betcha. The lover invites the ice queen girl to feel his warm heart with her cold hands. The lover has the warmth and passion of love reminiscent of fire, which is the opposite of the ice queen. The lover wishes to evaporate and get lost into the reaction of their love. Other EXO-L's said that the beginning of Baekhyun's Ice Queen has the same sample as JB's Sunrise, so that's something to note. I love the ending, where he shouts "On my way!"

Stay Up: Well, ahem this one's gonna be a bit racy. It delves into doing amorous activities together. Almost towards the end of City Lights, the lovers are about to take off into next level. This city night resembles the beloved since the beloved is lonely and puzzled, and extravagant, the same as the city streets. Beenzino's parts were natural and embedded with the song well. The sing was produced by well-known producer Cha Cha Malone. Many aeries were shocked to have matured lyrics sung by Baekhyun, which I can relate because he has such a cute face which deludes us into thinking that he is not 27 already by then XD. The lover wishes to go for the third base as the lyrics says "Baby we can stay up, Throw you at me, to the deepest point fall in love...Get in there, reachable lips...I'll fill your empty heart full of me. No sleep tonight. We makin' love. Until the sun shines down on us...Baby lay back. Close your eyes. I'd like to get drunk on you sweet. I'll go easy on you. We can go on and on tonight."(say what?!) Baekhyun makes smut sound like poem, he has such an affectionate yet seductive voice. [*slaps myself for simping over his voice] The ending was nice with "On and on..." but I feel this line should've been longer, the gentle vocal in this part was impeccable. Actually, the lyrics were not overtly explicit, it describes the intimation gently without making it obvious, which is why I commend it.

Psycho: EXO always have had two sides to their love. In one love, the lover becomes a monster or Jekyll, in another, the lover falls into a deep obsession. In this album, the love that started as being playful where the girl did not pay attention at first (in betcha), ended up being psychotic. I would recommend y'all check out Bebe's cover of this song in Street Woman Fighter 2, it's too good, and I'm glad she covered it, she accurately choreographed according to the lyrics and feelings if this song. Baekhyun said on his City Lights showcase that Psycho is about a toxic relationship. While reading the comments, I came across some theories by aeries, which I appreciate. Some linked it to DID, some compared the light exol- healthy relationship and dark exol(or not)- toxic. There is a push and pull going on in the lyrics. On one hand, the lover wishes for the beloved to stay because he needs her, on the other he hopes she goes away because of his dual personality.

The name of the album City Lights is apt. The loneliness, dark and light theme, a romantic night in the city are all featured in the songs using different metaphors and meanings. However, I loved the album cover so much where Baekhyun is on top of a car in an evening over the road where the city lights are shining. So, I would've loved it more if the concept teaser, teaser photos and/or the mv featured more of that image.

Now that it's 2024, we know that we saw some nice mv's that features such nighttime imagery. For example, Baekhyun's Bambi and Minho's Heartbreak.

City lights imagery in Baekhyun's Bambi:

City Lights imagery in Minho's Heartbreak MV:

Give a listen to Baekhyun's City Light, Bambi, and Shinee Minho's Heartbreak!

~Just Apple Pie

[northwest-cryptid]

yoo I'm so excited to binge the gw2 ost I happened to find One song from discovery but since I'm migrating my Spotify likes I haven't been focusing on finding new music.

also hell yeah pso2!! haven't played that ever since New Genesis rlly but man I really had fun playing it

I'm a big fan of GW2's ost though I won't say which ones (for fear of being stoned in the streets) I do think there's a few tracks that are a bit overrated which I normally wouldn't bring up because I hate just being like, negative about shit. However the reason I say that is because I believe personally that while those songs are good and all they overshadow every other really impactful and good song in the ost because they're the big popular ones everyone focuses on.

and yea! PSO2 is one of my like, 2 or 3 favorite MMOs. The music, the aesthetic, and even the gameplay are always just so much fun to come back to. I don't think NG is nearly as bad as people make it out to be, and I do enjoy certain aspects of it; but I fully admit that it feels lacking compared to the base game.

I think a big part of that comes from how the classes are handled in NG, with most only having a small handful of skills, PAs, and Techs that aren't actually very interesting. It leads to most players only using even fewer of their PAs and Techs because the bulk of the ones they have either aren't very useful or don't mesh well with the available skills. It's certainly fun to try to figure out proper combos but the game basically becomes spamming one or two PAs to win unless you play Force in which case you get literally just 1 single target and 1 AoE version of each element and your skills sort of give you a bit of extra variety? I mostly play Force in NG because what it sacrifices in fun movement it makes up for in fun variety. I mostly stick with the classic PSO2 mode though because nothing will beat the gameplay variety and skill combinations present in that game. I enjoy that while Hero, Phantom, Etoile, and Luster are the end game super classes; they can easily be matched by a half decent player using any of the base classes so long as they actually care about their build and weapons.

My one gripe that's sort of omnipresent in PSO2 is just how much of a grind the game is. I've gotten too cozy with Mabinogi's progression system being very lax about it's pacing and it results in feeling like PSO2 wanting me to constantly, literally; grind my weapons, find more of the same weapons to upgrade my weapons, then grind the skills on my weapons, then upgrade the element on my weapons, now do it all over again for each of the three pieces of armor, now do all the skill point side quests so you can get this 3% damage bonus from this skill which you need because there are only two modes for the story; Little Baby Gamer's First MMO Mode which will have you literally 1 shot every enemy and you never get to really enjoy any of the mechanics or boss encounters, or Your Ass Is Grass Mode where everything is max level and assumes you've poured countless thousands of hours into this game and now YOU get 1 shot by everything. That being said I love just playing with friends and hanging out.

[dontlikeadam]

Song Interpretations Re-Done

Me and You Together Song (2020) - Often stylized with their initials M&YTS

Lyric Confirmations:

"I can't remember how we met" relates to next song.

---------

About You (2022) - The main song most often associated with Taylor. The song that Matty mouthed "This song is about you, you know who you are, I love you"

Lyrics:

"We get married in our heads. Something to do, while we try to recall how we met"

On Tortured Poets:

loml lyrics: "I wish I could un-recall, how we almost had it all"

Taylor also seems to have sampled this song in the background of Guilty as Sin

----------

Oh Caroline (2022) - A song Matty has always been vague about. But the overall theme of the song matches the situation. He wants to try again with someone, but doesn't want to mess it up this time.

The music video for Oh Caroline, includes a women who has a very similar aesthetic to Taylor in her video for delicate.

He always said the name was just a name that worked for the rhyming and beat (also noted in the songs lyrics), but I thought maybe it was in relation to Sweet Caroline being such an American song. Further discussed but Boys Like Girls putting these two together on their tour confirms this for me.

————

Roadkill (2020) - "And they're playing your song on the radio station, mugging me off all across the nation". Could be Taylor or Halsey.

Taylor does add a few odd Texas lines on the new album.

"I know it gets hard sometimes, taking out your shit on the ones you like. You know I didn't feel alright, until you spoke to me. You, I've been waiting for you. My whole life, waiting for you. "Well I'm gonna get a gun, but it's for her protection". Taylor mentions him having a gun under his bed on this album.

----------

Be My Mistake (2018) - This song could be Taylor and now I am assuming is, BUT A song that Matty kept on the setlist for almost every show of the last tour, despite it never being a popular song. A song where he led into every night mentioning guilt and shame and therapy. He seemingly used it in the tour to portray something important and included it during the most vulnerable part of the show, with him trying to heal his weird naked was figure of himself.

---------

Falling For You (2013) - Not a song that is ABOUT Taylor based on the year, but originally a song he dedicated to Taylor back early when she would come to their shows. A song he noted during this tour that "didn't work" in regards to "getting the girl". This was sang during most shows, usually with him "playing chess" or making a little family out of the chess pieces.

Relating possibly back to Taylors song Mastermind which is mostly likely about Matty and her lyrics "check mate, I couldn't lose” This also relates to the Fortnight music video. She also has a chessboard as the stage for this song on ERA's tour.

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

"Sincerity is Scary" 2018 ABIIOR

"I'm sure that you're not just another girl, I'm sure that you're gonna say that I was sexist"

"Why we can't be friends when we are lovers, because it always ends with us hating each other"

"And why would you believe, you could control how your perceived?"

"I'm just pissed off because you pied me off, after your show when you let go of my hand. In front of some set who wanted bite on your.." - Champagne Problems and her dropping his hand while dancing.

Time frame wise, he didn't date any other singers that we know of who would have had a show, but did date models. So you could consider the line relating to a runway show.

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

All I Need to Hear (2022) BFIAFL

Notably Mattys most emotional song this tour, especially early on. Maybe he had his dad sing it, because he couldn't?

"Reply to my message, pick up my calls. You see, I wrote you a letter, it was no use at all. Oh I don't care if you're insincere. Just tell me what I want to hear"

"I don't need the crowds and the cheers, just tell me you love me that alls that I need to hear. I've been told, so many times before, but hearing it from you, means so much more"

"You know where to find me, the place where we've lived all these years" referring to London? Counter argument being that it sounds more like someone he lived with and for a while, which would make it a better fit for the song to be about one of his parents or OG Gabi

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

This must be my dream (2016) ILIWYS

This is all pretty fitting, but the main points:

"I personify the 'adolescent on a phone' Speaking like I'm bigger than my body I personify that lack of freedom in your life" - He had more freedom to do what he wanted, be who he wanted to be without judgement.

"Let me tell you bout this girl. I thought she'd re-arrange my world. Takes a particular type of girl, to put my heart under arrest"

"So why is this feeling on my chest? (This must be my dream) Wide awake before I found you (This must be my dream) I can't wait for you, boy (Wake me from my dream) What does all our love amount to? (This must be my dream)"

Possibly related to him mentioning that he was in a dream? Or playing out a dream? Something like that around Australia dates. Let me know if you remember this.

"We can't make love when you fly around me, baby. Pipe down your no lover. It's failing 'cos you want it to. Well I thought it was love But I guess I must be dreaming" - maybe her flying all around and them not being able to really spend time together?

"I can't wait for you, boy (Wake me from my dream) What does all our love amount to? (This must be my dream)" Possibly him wanting to still party and be wild, or could be that he still wanted to make a name for himself on his own.

---------

Songs of his that are not specific enough that its clear they are about Taylor or not, but they share the same title as her songs:

“Happiness”

“Paris”

“Mine”

[neko-chans-teashop]

Obey me hcs (younger brothers)

Ps. I had to use seperate gifs for them cuz I couldn't find that one card summon gif.... Enjoy!

Satan

It's the angry boi who loves cats lololol

Somehow likes Levi and Asmo, even though they aren't part of the Anti-Lucifer League

He is actually a pretty skilled writer, but is too shy to tell anyone

Chaotic Neutral

Secretly loves manga. All of Levi's old manga is stuffed somewhere in his room.

Is good at brewing tea, and has contrasting tastes in tea compared to Luci. Satan likes the more subtle and smooth tea flavors, and only drinks strongly flavored tea when his no sleep spells don't work. Meanwhile Luci loves strong tea 24/7

Asmo gave him skinny jeans once. Istg his feet nearly turned purple and he never wants to wear skinny jeans again.

Secretly very big on wearing hoodies. They're comfy and loose, and come in cute designs.

Secretly has a hoodie with cat ears, bought by Asmo and Belphie. Each of them had matching cat ear hoodies.... So cute

The pajama set that he wears (in the gif) was bought by Asmo.... In the animation, both of their hoodies show nearly half their chest, so we can assume that they probably bought similar-ish pajamas

Levi would sometimes be like "It's Kunikida Jr."

Istg it gets nearly all of the brothers hung from the ceiling when they hear that and start laughing so much

Has cat themed everything... Pajamas, coffee mugs, bookmarks, and secretly..... Even underwear sometimes

Asmodeus

I've been waiting for this for a while....

He is very good at drawing, and sometimes even designs his own clothing.

He went and designed a kimono for himself, honestly it was really into the pink and purple aesthetic

Thinks he and Satan are a good pair. I mean pink and green are one of the best color combos right???

He mostly raised baby Satan, and ordered most of his clothes. Satan secretly got his fondness of cats from him

Asmo likes bunnies, and Satan likes cats. They sometimes argue about which is better, and it always ends with "But we know mc is the best."

Sometimes asks Belphie to wear some of the clothes he buys, and also asks Beel too

He likes how well toned Beel's body is, and invites him to his photoshoots. I'll tell you that I'm sure that the other models would swoon when they saw Beel

Associates the song suki suki daisuki by Jun Togawa with terror bc of one of his late night stands *ahem* it's story time kids

He brought home a succubus late at night, and the song playing in the club was suki suki daisuki. He asked the succubus "What's your favorite song dearie?" The succubus answered you know what......

And then Asmo accidentally got trapped in the succubus' sort of realm or smth (similar to the Megumi's domain expansion in jjk)

Lucifer had to save him..... Asmo didn't bring home anyone for about a month or two.

Beel is the go-to shopping companion, he doesn't complain when carrying shopping bags but you need to feed him first tho

Once considered Luci a sugar daddy (idk he probably pays for his brother's expenses) bc he frequently pays for his shopping sprees

Hung from the ceiling. Mammon was already hanging there and he was like "Ara ara." (Mammon watched demon slayer when he was bored) and Asmo was like "You watch Highschool DXD too?"

Will tease the shit out of you but will help you calm down when you're done with his teasing

Anime character with similar energy as him - Akiko Yosano from bsd (Bungo Stray Dogs)

Chaotic good

Beelzebub

He gives loads of lawful good energy

His energy = serotonin blast from just hanging out with him

When he eats just enough, he will go to sleep quickly (he'd need to eat the same amount as all the food content of a grocery store to eat "just enough")

Puppy eyes from Beel are just so precious- I can't even breath just thinking about it-

It's frequent that Mammon takes him out to eat and pays for it most of the time (yes I am trying to tell everyone to not hate Mammon bc he is just a big bro with problems)

For any Kenji (bsd) and Mitsuri (kny) kinnies, he gives off so much aura that is similar to theirs

Eats a lot, wholesome, and cinnamon roll energy multiplied by three-

Whoever handles the bill would faint

Take them to an eat all you can buffet and you'd actually have to pay extra bc they'd eat so much

He tasted sakura mochi and loved it so much and ate lots and lots til eventually..... His hair turned pink and green

That one person to turn a racist into a guy that kind of cares for the race that they used to hate

Does not mind being teased about the time he got pink and green hair, it's cute anyways, and who would tease him??? (Y'know like teasing that seems like insulting somebody)

Belphie

I'm sorry but I have mixed feelings about this man

Yes this is that one scene where Beel saved over Levi's file in a game

Chaotic Neutral energy

When they meet a karen, it is high quality comedy. He'd talk back so much that that the karen would be running out of words

Sassy energy sometimes, in the words of my bestfriends, SLAYYYY QUEEN

Anime character with similar vibe - Tanaka-kun (Tanaka-kun is always listless)

Somehow gives off mysterious wholesome energy... Possibly from Beel and his telepathy

This is just a theory but, I think he and Beel's designs were made to be kind of opposite to each other

Just like Luci and Satan's designs are completely opposite

Belphie and Beel = Sun and moon energy that if you ship I will track you down to the depths of Devildom just to slam your face to the ground

He doesn't really like to wear thick clothing that makes him sweat a lot. He only wears warm clothes in the winter or fall, but rarely regularly

Appreciates the aesthetic of winter at night, it's chilly but you're warm under the blankets with Belphie while stargazing

I get why he'd want to kill us in the beginning. I mean like, he blamed humans and despised them for Lilith's death. He just wanted revenge

Master of shit talking other people

Sometime gives off Tsukishima (Haikyuu) energy....

So that's all I guess. I might edit this, but I'm unsure about that. Next post will probably be "Anime characters that give off similar energy as the obey me cast" Idk what to do with my life yet.

[magic-multicolored-miracle]

The Witcher S3 Ep 3: Reunion AKA 🎵Everyyyyybody Huuuuuurts🎵

I think the metaphor might be getting away from you a bit

I really like her outfit. It is my kind of look

I love that Jaskier calls him "Firefingers." It's very in line with Yen's (and my) "Firefucker." And asshole doesn't deserve a name.

Sorry did you say "a friend of your mother's"?!

Aww, the adorant whisper. Because it's once again proved that Geralt is a big old softie.

Wait, that's news? I assumed she had been for a while (tbh I thought the ditching Geralt was to protect him from something or someone that was going to kill her)

So someone else did exactly what the two information brokers said Geralt should, with added mind altering...was the suggestion meant to be a tip off, since they knew he wouldn't take it in the first place?

I really like Philippa's outfit for this meeting, and the fact that it is very clearly Not Matching the general Redanian aesthetic. The costume department this season is really Killing It. (Interestingly, it is matching, or at least similar to Jaskier's...)

He does seem stressed. His poor head is going to explode. I wonder whose fault that is?

Radovid, baby, that's not a very good attempt at hiding.

Oh it was on purpose for The Drama™ I love that

This is quite the Reason You Suck speech, Yennefer. Are you actually trying to get back into the Brotherhood's, or Tissaia's good graces at all? Part of me hopes not, honestly

Oh 💔 I mean, we knew that. But the look on Yen's face hearing it out loud...

Fabio, you're there to chaperone a teenage girl at a market, not barker like a hotdog on a street corner 🙄

How did that secret get out? Was it Yennefer? I bet it was Yennefer

I like that the captions specify it's to the tune of The Wild Rover. Otherwise I'd have heard it and gone nuts. (That song was the bane of my existence last fall.)

Istredd, my friend. You're looking Rough. But it...kinda works for you?

That's. Not ideal...

Poor General Kicked-Puppy, I'm glad he gets an invite home, even though home is not a good place...

"Prove it" doesn't sound good. There's an implied threat in "prove it"

Always with the leaning, Jaskier (and with the unbuttoned vest, it's peak casual yet slutty or maybe that's just the bard wearing it)

He's not wrong but also I hate him for saying it. I don't like that.

I think this might be the longest and most frank conversation these two have ever had. 10/10 relationship growth

Well shit. Stregobitch? Or Vilgefortz?

Uh. What?

Double "well shit". Or hopefully just almost. But I have a bad feeling about Anika's fate...

I love Ciri just strolling in behind the barker's back without paying or being challenged

Who are these two? They feel important

Go Fabio!

Can we form a secondary party of these youngins? I think I like them. And maybe recruit Dara back, eventually. (That would basically just be your average D&D party but that's not a negative)

Dammit Sabrina. Why are you a bitch? Didn't Yennefer almost die saving your fucking life from Nilfgaard?

My babies! Stop hurting each other! You both need hugs, stat!

Oh look, and now Geralt's hurting too.

Oh shit. I didn't expect the Queen to die. That's a ballsy move Philippa. But a solid way to make sure your king doesn't ever trust Nilfgaard, if it works.

Was Dijkstra in on it though? I'm not sure...

Radovid. Do NOT call a sneaky murdering bastard out on being a sneaky murdering bastard WHILE YOU ARE ALONE IN A ROOM WITH HIM! I swear to god, if you get yourself killed...(I know it doesn't happen yet, but that doesn't mean it won't later)

I don't like that almost-smile from Firefucker. Whatever his demand is, it isn't going to be fun...

Good to see Francesca getting back to her roots (and doting husband Filavandrel is pretty nice) but I have the uncomfortable feeling she'll get her wish...

You seem on edge Cahir. What are you about to do?

Well, rip. I was just starting to like that guy. But why?

Running away, completely alone. Seems like a bad plan even for Ciri, so I'm going to guess this is a dream...

Eredin? Why do I know that name? [Oh, cus I actually watched Blood Origin. I didn't think I retained anyone's name, but I guess I did]

Is Ciri's appearance and her being "death itself" a play on the whole "death came riding on a pale horse" or whatever it is? Or coincidence?

[spectral-apparitions]

I've got a fun one for the spooky season! What would the main NSR characters dress up as for Halloween (assuming they celebrate it)?

Here's a fun fact, anon: I spent some time looking up Halloween celebrations worldwide, particularly paying attention to Malaysia, because I was wondering about this exactly. Seems like it’s mostly a Western thing with some different holidays observed elsewhere, so I’m not sure if these characters would celebrate it.

But hey, NSR is a fictional setting, so why not be creative? Or consider it an AU. It’s all just for fun!! :D

Spoilers for: Zuke, Yinu, Eve, and Tatiana

Mayday: She picks a different costume every year, going as whatever excites her most at the moment. This is usually some animal-like monster such as a werewolf or a dragon. She likes to dress up even if she isn’t going out! She enjoys staying inside and marathoning Halloween and horror movies, and eating all the sweets she can get.

She dresses up Ellie every year too! Sometimes she can find a dog or cat costume that fits her gator, other times she puts something together herself. Sometimes she coordinates their costumes - her personal favorite is the year she went as a dragon and Ellie as a knight.

Zuke: He’s the type to dress as a pun or as a historical figure. Sometimes he gets a little discouraged from having to explain his costume to people, but the people that do get it are impressed or get a chuckle out of it, so he’s satisfied. He tried coordinating costumes with Eve once, and while he enjoyed it, it wasn’t his taste of costume. Sometimes he tries matching with Mayday; they find funny pairs to do together or two halves of their favorite fictional duos.

Kliff: When he was younger, he liked to go to Halloween parties to socialize and listen to music. He liked making his own costumes by taking pieces of different costumes and combining them for a genre blend look, like a punk werewolf. And a few times he dressed up as his favorite artists (Kul Fyra a few times). These days he doesn’t go out or dress up as often. Occasionally if he finds an event he’s particularly interested in, he goes, and now he goes for an artist look alike costume.

DJ Zam: Puts on a Halloween special where his show is longer than usual and talks about urban legends and tells horror stories. He spends most of his time inside, so he doesn't dress up. But he does put on a tacky Halloween-themed button shirt. Also likes to decorate his home and office with cute and corny decorations.

DK West: Not one to dress up, so he doesn’t usually unless he’s going to a costume party. He goes with something easy and classic in such case. He’s a pretty darn good storyteller, and people know this, so sometimes at parties or just hanging out, he’s asked to tell scary stories.

DJ Subatomic Supernova: Not one to put in a lot of effort to dress, but still the holiday appeals to them. Shows up toting black cat ears and tail, of all things. Nobody expects this. Otherwise a black hoodie with a glow in the dark ghost on it. Sometimes changes out for other hoodies or shirts with a Halloween-relevant graphic.

His outfit may not be all that impressive, but that doesn’t stop fans from taking pictures and gushing online about how cute he looks. And Club Planetarium, on the other hand, is all decked out with ghosts and bats circling the ceiling, and a change in colors to purple, orange, and green, and blacklight. Featuring the eeriest and darkest tracks by DJSS.

It surprises a lot of people, but he will hand out candy for trick or treaters.

And he buys lots of candy for himself, too.

Sayu+team: Sayu gets a cute redesign each year. Previously she has been a vampire, a wereshark, a merwitch, and a few outifts that aren’t a character but simply an aesthetic. There are a handful of Sayu songs about the joy or the spookiness of the holiday, or about loving your friend who’s a monster. These songs get played a lot on Halloween night and surrounding concerts, but there isn’t a concert that’s solely Halloween themed.

The team themselves love dressing up every year, looking for somewhere to wear their costumes (and if not, at least for a photoshoot). Dodo likes object and human horror characters (esp puppets) and works hard to make a detailed costume and to copy the movements of the character, Sofa usually goes as an animal-like monster (and loves obscure ones), Remi usually is an anime villain or monster, Tila usually is an anime protagonist (and likes a fancy outfit). They stock candy and try to save it for Halloween night, when they likely make themselves sick from eating nothing else.

Yinu+Mother: Yinu goes trick or treating and picks a different outfit each year! When she was littler, her mother would dress her as a flower or a butterfly. But now, Yinu asks to be something like a good witch or a bat.

Her mother (and previously, her father) dresses up as something to match her, like a gardener. Her parents would make costumes or add on to ones they found, and as Yinu is a little older now, she helps with crafting too.

Other than on trick or treat night, Yinu likes to decorate. She loves carving or painting pumpkins (with her mother’s help, of course), and they roast seeds from carving.

Neon J+1010: Two words. Vampire. Coven. Each boy has sizeable fangs, the classic vampire cloak, and bat ears. They promise they won’t bite anyone too hard~

Neon J himself has a fancier looking cloak with a high collar, and bat wings, and carries around a shiny black cane topped with a golden bat. Since he doesn’t stay in the spotlight much, his staying behind in the shadows seems in character.

The stage doesn’t change much save for giant jack-o-lanterns. But 1010 has a list of songs all about comforting a frightened datemate or being lovable monsters to sing the night away.

Barraca Mansion is THE house to visit for trick or treat, you get cooed at by celebrities and king size candy bars.

Eve: Her brand of horror is psychological and it shows. She likes reading stories or watching movies about tasteful psychological horror during the season (she’s partial to poetry and short stories). She’s carved a pumpkin every year since a young age, and keeps up that tradition. Except now she usually has multiple pumpkins, carved and/or painted, and sometimes makes displays with them.

For dressing up, she has several outfits that she rotates each year. She goes for artsy, kind of abstract Halloween aesthetic. Her favorite components are dresses, intricate shoes, or interesting hairstyle + hairpieces. Her favorite designs to incorporate are spiderwebs, bat wings, and the colors purple, black, and white.

She likes to host a gallery or concert each year with some unnerving music of her own, showcasing some of her more off-putting art (she leans into expressing what seems the most frightening to her, which tends to be some abstract concepts),

Tatiana: She’s always been a fan of classic monsters, particulary feminine or feral ones. So, witch, harpy, werewolf, vampire, etc.

While she likes to change it up, she eventually settled as often going as a fire demon when she was Kul Fyra, combining punk fashion, some homemade horns, and some killer makeup effects, and of course her own fire powers, for a pretty badass look.

The Goolings never did specific concerts for the season, but a few of their songs would have a small spike in popularity as they had some spooky vibes.

Tatiana now goes for a gothic look, something tamer than how she used to be. She often goes now as a recognizable classic witch or vampire to office parties, or sometimes simply just wearing something black and old formal looking. She doesn’t discuss it much, but she still enjoys watching horror movies.

Tatiana happily hands out candy to kids (and occasionally the wanting adults), too. Plenty of people are intimidated to approach her house, but she’s kind to kids and has some awesome treats for anyone who shows up. Although she’s often busy keeping an eye on energy levels in the city with all the festivities happening.

[mirobami]

And last

Mary

Minigame: Hearts

Hand: Fullhouse

This event was fire!

↳ egotistic

♠️ CHARACTER:  m. saotome

♠️ MATCH: Hearts (Enemies to Lovers) + Full House (Idol!AU)

♠️ NOTE: this was the only au i haven’t done in this whole event i’m glad i get to do it though >:D

“Why would you try and do something like that?”

“It was my idea first and it fits my aesthetic more.”

Your theme as an idol shifted amongst everything. You never stuck to anything, but people assumed that you leaned towards specific genres. You always had your own ideas and wrote your own songs. As a popular idol in the industry, you had to work twice as hard to ensure that you were able to give your fans what they wanted without going on long hiatuses between songs. But rising quickly was Mary Saotome and her own idol group. Some praised her for writing her own songs, when she has stated that someone else in the group writes the songs. 

Neither of you liked each other. You didn’t know why but you did not like each other at all. It did not get to the point where you would sabotage each other, yet it was clear by the way you acted when you were with each other. 

Now, you were being confronted by Mary about an idea for a song. It had been your idea first since you were literally the one writing all of the songs and you knew what you liked and could do. “Besides, if you really wanted a song, you should’ve written it yourself.”

Sighing, Mary took her phone out of her pocket. “You do know our managers are conspiring together to get us to work on a song together?”

That was news to you. Turning to her, you frowned. “As in an actual song?”

“It’s a love song. Not to mention, the MV...we both know how duos in love songs are usually put to cater to the audience.”

You shook your head. “No, I’m not doing anything with you. I’ll do my own things, thank you very much.”

“Good, glad we agree on something.”

But you were suffering even more now. Your manager had forced you to do this because it would “be good for the public if the two idols who hated each other worked together”. That was code for fan service to those who thought about enemies to lovers and definitely would go insane. The song was already done, yet you were stuck performing in an MV with Mary. 

Grumbling, you stalked over to the cameras, ready for the next scene. Supposedly, you were supposed to kiss a mirror, but it wasn’t a mirror, it was an empty frame with Mary on the other side. Hold on-- “There wasn’t anything in the script about me having to kiss Mary!”

Your manager hummed. “It’s an MV for a love song. Be professional.”

Professional whatever, I’m going to break apart the cameras, you thought to yourself, positioning yourself. Once the cameras were rolling and the music playing, you did exactly what you were supposed to do. Mary’s dark red lipstick definitely tinted your own lips, but you muttered, “I still hate you.”

“Trust me, so do I.”

The snark was still there. Who knew if it would leave? Neither of you knew and you didn’t want to talk about your hearts pounding inside of both your chests. It had to be the adrenaline and nothing else.

[beelspillowpet]

A Lesson in Love - A “Character Analysis” on Asmodeus

I had to come for the tracks, wigs, and weaves of bitches when Pomade dropped because I saw people talking shit about my boy. This was a milestone “project” or “reward” I guess?

I hit 400 followers today while I was out running errands!!! Thank you guys SO SO MUCH for the love and support! I can’t WAIT to produce more content for everyone!!!

Below the cut there WILL BE talk of season 3, as well as some talk of chapter 16. There’s a healthy amount of theorizing on his personality as well, I hope you don’t mind! This came out more like a plea to get people to change their minds about how Asmo really is, rather than a comprehensive essay of sorts. So here we go!

There’s something we apparently still need to talk about in this fanbase. The unrealistic idea of Asmodeus being a sex freak, and an unreliable person in general despite there being little proof of it. We need to set a few things straight about Asmo moving forward.

December 25th rolled around and Asmo’s audio drama and song were released. I take it everyone enjoyed both parts, as well as I did. My timeline both on twitter and tumblr were filled with Asmodeus content, as well as the other brothers and such. But I mostly got Asmo content. However, in peeks and cracks, if I looked hard enough, I still saw people who absolutely loathed Asmo or who were indifferent to him. Keep in mind; I think it’s okay. You don’t have to like everyone.

I’ve only joined the fanbase in September, but even I could tell some of these takes were old fashioned. I downloaded the game on October 17th, a very important anniversary for me, while I 

was still in bed in the morning. I blazed through the entire story of season 1 and now I am stuck in season 2, specifically in Chapter 24. I obviously don’t have every card of Asmodeus with his Devilgrams, but I have been analyzing his character over the past few days for this.

So needless to say, I have a considerable amount of information on him, as well as personal thoughts that may help some learn to love him. Or at the very least, from spreading a negative idea of him around as if it were true. Enough that should help clear his name, so to speak.

Let’s look at his title; Avatar of Lust. Now naturally the thoughts that come to your head are sex and other sexual bits. So I can understand how some people would come to the conclusion that he’s just a sex freak. But if you look under the surface of his title, like I’m sure you’ve had to for your own personal favorites (*cough* Lucifer, Belphie, and Satan ESPECIALLY) you would discover that Asmodeus is more than just about sex. In fact, sex takes up very little of his pass time, if you were to believe it!

In recent chapters, as I’ve been told, Asmodeus doesn’t really get around much anyways:

Granted, this was said while in Celestia, but I imagine not much has changed for him since his fall, as well as his brothers.

Not really comfortable being with just anyone, huh…? Sounds like someone who doesn’t have sex so warily often as you’d think!

Being lustful can come in many shapes and forms. It can be merely in appearance, which Asmo is not afraid of doing. He’s very comfortable about skinship and it’s very apparent in how he dresses and acts that he wants you to adore his body. To worship it! Maybe not sexually, but aesthetically! Being lustful can mean just thinking about sex or sexual scenarios often, which if you take a peek at Asmo’s chat’s either with you or his brothers, is very apparent too.

Personally, I believe that people would assume he is not good in a relationship because he would have a “cheating problem”. I don’t think Asmo is a monster, just like I don’t think any of the brothers are monsters. They may be demons (technically fallen angels) now but they used to be angels too. Their falling out with their Father doesn’t mean they’ve completely abandoned morality, it was a rebellion for Lilith’s right to live. Not for them to sin as they pleased. For all we know they might have been fine in Heaven otherwise! (with the exception of Lucifer.)

A monster knows right from wrong and chooses evil anyways. An ignorant person doesn’t know right from wrong. Asmodeus is not a monster, nor is he ignorant.

When Asmo genuinely loves you, I think he would take steps to calm down that side of him, if it were to exist. Lust is fairly limited, but it is a part of love to some extent. LOVE is vastly different. Love has many languages, and they aren’t all spoken either. For me, personally, I found that Lucifer’s love language can be either very direct, or roundabout so as to not let it go to your head, for an example. Asmo is just far more direct about his care for you.

I feel as though Asmo gets a lot of crap constantly for his presumed nature and because we don’t get to see much else of him at first, especially in season 1, his impression on us sort of stays. With most of the fanbase either somewhat new to the game or somewhere lost in the sea of the difficulty curve that is season 2, we can only assume based on what we’ve seen, and what others have headcanoned about him.

Let’s break and talk about Satan for a moment; this is going somewhere.

I’m led to believe that Satan can control his sin fairly well. He’s easy to get irritated, sure, but he isn’t as much of a walking ball of rage as I suspected. I would argue that, aside from Leviathan, Satan can handle his sin the best out of the brothers. But again, we’re forgetting about Asmo. The Avatar of “Lust”. Like I’ve shown before, he doesn’t really sleep around a lot, according to anon.

At worst, Asmo being flirty is through text and he’s not actively trying to sleep with you. It can be interpreted that way, but for me personally, it comes down to having a friend that is very up close and in your personal space.

(I myself am one of these types of people. Having ADHD, my social cues are always sort of off, and I’ve struggled with coping with it for years. With my best friend, we have seen each other naked countless times and have slept in the same bed as well. We were never romantic with each other. We were just very comfortable being close and personal with each other.)

I’d like to point out also that Asmo isn’t even there for most of season 1 too. Which can give you the idea that maybe he just was out sleeping around a lot, but to me he probably just went out partying a lot. You don’t get known that fast for sleeping around. Maybe in 5,000 years, sure, but I’d imagine being a party boy, as his Devilgram “Guided by Desire” suggests.

So the idea that Asmo isn’t in the house a lot because he’s out having sex all the time isn’t true is it? He’s probably just out partying, which can LEAD to sex with someone sure, but again, Asmo doesn’t feel comfortable doing that, now does he?

I feel like of all the boys, Asmo is the one who radiates with everyone else the most. Most people will never realize how surreal it is that Asmo is faking it until he makes it. He doesn’t always think he’s beautiful, or that he’s worth all the love he’s striving and straining to get. Something that is extremely relatable for a lot of people with self-worth issues. Asmo is just like that, but instead being sarcastic and self-deprecating, he simply works to make himself look as beautiful as possible, so that in his eyes, his beauty matches the affection he gets.

Which is why, when he falls in love with you, it’s strange. You are constantly telling him he’s nice and pretty, but you aren’t lusting after him. You’re just being nice. It may just be me, but when people are overly nice just for the sake of being nice, I’m very attracted to that. That is Asmo, to some extent. The fact that he reflects the insecurities and habits of others so clearly may make others uncomfortable, but that brutal honesty veiled behind insecurity is what a lot of people with self-image issues deal with.

Now for me to share my favorite personal idea for Asmo that completely changed how I saw him in season 1 onwards; Asmodeus is an empath. Now let me explain:

First, what is an Empath?

The term empath comes from empathy, which is the ability to understand the experiences and feelings of others outside of your own perspective. Seems simple, right? Everyone can do this to some extent. However, what makes you an empath is the fact that empaths genuinely feel the same pain as you do. So much so your experience becomes a very personal part of their own. They are capable of being able to feel other people’s emotions without them speaking, or even showing signs of it through their body language.

This would explain, for me personally, why there’s so little of him in season 1. The intensity of what goes on in the house, his sensitive soft-spoken mannerisms, the only time he truly gets mad is when he’s childishly arguing with Mammon? Asmo is afraid of true conflict, he’s afraid of violence and negative emotions. Let’s face it; everyone is indifferent or hates you at the start of the game.

While this changes fairly quickly, all the intense feelings come to a head in chapter 16. All those negative emotions swirling around, of course Asmo isn’t going to want to be in the house when it’s that intense. The attic didn’t just disappear completely, too. Belphie was still in the attic hating humans. That negative emotion could be affecting Asmo and he didn’t know why, so he could have been out of the house more.

Where Asmo can feel the emotions of others, it may mostly be the negative ones because they fill him with anxiety and panic if it persists. Which can be helpful in making him so urgent to want to make others smile and feel better, right?

Imagine being intimate with Asmodeus, and suddenly you aren’t in the mood for it anymore but don’t want to make things awkward. He could pick up on it in an instant and wouldn’t get mad because he understands how you feel completely.

Now to close this out about something that genuinely hurts me; Asmodeus is a narcissist.

I mean, the wiki says that he is, but personally? No, no he isn’t. Since when is loving yourself a bad thing? Sure he may go a bit far sometimes, but people with self-image issues need to go a little harder than the rest to make sure they're getting the love they need.

(Talking about myself AGAIN, but I do this a lot. At random, I will look up in my own mirror in front of my desk that I sit in front of all day and tell myself I am a cute bitch. I am VERY VERY cute and anyone would be lucky to have someone as drop dead gorgeous as myself. I say that a few times a day. In reality, I am very insecure about my looks. I do believe I’m cute, but sometimes it’s hard to say it. Which is why I force myself. Why wouldn’t Asmo do the same?)

Talking yourself up to be as beautiful as a sex god is no easy task, but Asmo isn’t the Avatar of “Lust” for no reason. When an insecure girl talks up her beauty, it’s her being strong and independent. When Asmo does it, its narcissism… it doesn’t really seem fair, now does it? Maybe he’s just an insecure person who needs to tell himself ALL THE TIME that he’s beautiful. That if he stares at his reflection long enough, he may see it too.

(Also, Simeon literally calls him out on being insecure. Insecure people tend to try and overcompensate where they feel they’re lacking.)

”Asmodeus is hinted to be insecure and seeking for love and attention. When Simeon was asked about what he thought of Asmodeus, he says that Asmodeus is still trying to fulfill the role of the angel he used to be; an angel that was adored and loved by many. Asmodeus laughs at Simeon's remark and brushes it off by saying that he is only jealous.” - A section from said Asmodeus Wiki.

People can choose to love or hate Asmo, obviously. Making things up about his character without having anything but speculation and having that dictate how he acts is plain silly. This entire “essay” if you can call it that, comes from the heart. I love Asmo as a character, and in the beginning he did make me uncomfortable, I didn’t like him that much. But I learned to look past that and figure out why he acts the way he does. Something didn’t sit right with me about him for a while, and it was that air of insecurity that I didn’t see at first.

All I can really ask for, is giving Asmo another chance as a character. He’s not as wild and wacky as Mammon, or as cool and sexy as Lucifer, or as edgy and precious as Belphie, but he matters in this story too. He fell from grace with his brothers for Lilith. Give him another chance, and let him show you that he is the Avatar of Love.

[sanstropfremir]

kingdom episode 5 review!!! lets fucking go!!!!!

 look. was i insanely hyped for this episode? yes. was my hype justified? also yes. holy FUCKING SHIT. you’ll have to forgive me for going off the rails at some points because ateez and btob directly tapped into something primal in my brain and i am obsessed. i'm obsessed. there’s no other word for it I’m obsessed. 

 ok ok ok i'll focus. i'm focused. i'll do the stage breakdown first and then do my personal ranking at the end. i might do a quick runup comparison of the self and expert rankings for funsies but i'll see how i feel when i get there. instead of going in airing order i’m gonna reverse it, since that was the order i actually watched them in and also i will run out of brains if i talk about rhythm ta first.

skz

i feel for skz. i don't think this show is going to be as much of learning curve as it needs to be for them because the fan voting skews the rankings so much. I’ve said it so many times before, but letting something flop or getting a bad ranking is actually good, because it shows you that you need to improve. because skz keeps getting validated by the fan rankings and placing first in the last two stages, they aren't actually taking the time to evaluate what about their stages is or isn't working. and besides, we’ve now seen two very similar concepts in a row from them, just one is on a grander scale than the other. what they should be doing is what both ateez and btob did for this round, which was scale up production value, but scale down concept. i know this sounds weird but i'll explain. skz has done two very abstract and ‘grand’ concepts. first round we had ghosts/good self vs evil self, and this stage they just went straight for the throat with a deal with the devil type stage. now when you combine these very abstract concepts with an unclear narrative arc, you lose clarity of intent in the performance because there are no specifics that you’re playing off of. there’s a lot more places left up to personal interpretation and this is where people can get lost. btob and ateez both narrowed down their concepts to hyperspecific scenarios where they very clearly showing the audience the arc the stage is taking. audiences can be smart but also if you can lead them by the hand they like not thinking about highly conceptual ideas, and especially not so much in a pop song competition show.

 costume

this is so rare because generally stylists are pretty careful about this, but i genuinely think they got outshone by the backup dancers, especially in the ‘heaven’ sequence. those sash and skirt combos with the strapped white tops that look like straitjackets? the fucking angel wings?! these are some thematically fun costume designs and because they’re white they stand out so much more when skz are wearing black. i also think i've seen these tops on backup dancers before? i thought it was on the last stage but i might be going insane.

i am a sucker for beaded embroidery and the combined dyework on some of their sashes is beautiful. but again, thematically irrelevant? at least you can see the greco-roman inspiration in the backup dancers’ costumes. all this is telling me is that whoever the stitchers are at jype, they are fucking incredible, but they don’t actually have a good designer because the main costumes for all their stages have been both aesthetically similar and thematically irrelevant.

again, i applaud skz for trying more experimental makeup, but boys you have to go bigger, it has no impact right now.

set

well, i did ask for them to commit to the western art bit and they sort of delivered? the first space is not planned very well and combined with the wide wide camera shots instead of making the space seem grand and sweeping it just seems bare. the ‘heaven’ side was excellent though, there was much better control of the camera and the columns and altar scaled the space down so it was more believable. also the breakable columns were fun and corny and i love it when stuff gets destroyed onstage.

the child statue transformation into actual child was a neat trick that i think landed really well. i wish they had given that concept a little more grounding other than the flashback bit but it was still very readable.

i know using rodin's gates of hell is the easiest way to shortcut saying that like, “you are now entering hell,” but them being used SO literally feels a bit blunt when the last time we saw them used in kpop was by original blasphemous catholic lee taemin, who used them with such nuance and intelligence that i'm a bit put off by skz’s literalism.

on that note, i find it very interesting the conflation that happens between greco-roman/”classical” aesthetics and catholicism, because ideologically the two are opposed (see: the bible) and historically, they didn't exist at the same time. now i'm not going to go off on a tangent about neoclassicism because you are not here for an art history lecture but i thought i would make the observation about how catholics continued appropriation of greco-roman aesthetics without complete understanding or context of those aesthetics is as pervasive as it ever has been in the last several hundred years. 

lighting

generally the lighting is pretty good, but there’s an over-reliance on projections that cheapens the look of the stage but also devalues the intentions as well. at the core of it there’s a profound statement being made about trading away your innocence, but when you underscore that with like, clock graphics and a WoW looking demon, it loses that simplicity of message.

the thing about using this particular type of projection, which are actually screens and not typical projectors, is that screens always throw light. and due to where they are situated, this basically means that if you're using the screens at full capacity with a cool colour range, we are going to be able to see everything. this is another contributing factor to why the stage looks so empty; they’re lighting up everything and it exposes where the gaps are.

now i fully acknowledge that this possibly could have been a deliberate choice, since they do actually use some spot lighting at the beginning and end. however, if it was it did not land for me. 

i loved the intro of demon felix done in blue, that was a nice switchup from what we would usually see, but i wish there was more of a coherent colour arc. like the narrative it stutters around a bit.

sound

the arrangement was a miss for me. i found it a bit dissonant again, like their last stage, since the original i'll be your man has obvious lyrics about a good christian boy being sad about a girl. this gets a bit wonky conceptually as soon as you add a child self into it. i don’t know if they changed any of the lyrics in the singing to match this a little more because i don't speak korean, so i'll have to wait for episode subs for verification. 

i really applaud them for trying, and overall they didn't actually do that bad, but skz is not a vocal group. the most i'm going to say about it is that these boys don’t have the breath support. this is likely because they're trying to do choreographically complex movements, but also it's a training thing. you can hear the difference even just between eunkwang’s ‘vocal warmup’ at the beginning of back door, he’s not projecting full voice but he still has the breath support for his voice to sound full, whereas all skz boys sound thin in comparison, even when at full volume, because they’re trying to project from the throat and not the chest. that's all i'm gonna say about that. i don't think the cracked note was bad, i didn’t really clock it on first listen.

staging

thematically they could have had something really interesting here if they stuck to a more simple narrative arc. the genesis (i’m very funny) of the idea here is good, the whole mephistopheles deal with a devil + regret/loss of innocence is clear, but the arc isn't really an arc, and the colour story doesn't help. it kind of goes earth (green/blue) -> the gates of hell are opening (red) -> oh it's heaven now (blue) -> oh just kidding it's hell/lets destroy heaven (red) -> back to earth (blue). not necessarily a bad arc, just a bit complex for four minutes.

the choreo was a lot better this time, there was a lot more intention and relevance to theme and i didn’t feel like they were flailing for the sake of flailing as much as i have in their other stages. there was also a clarity in the overall blocking and movement patterns that was missing from their other stages. this stage has a really great handoff of each member playing the ‘main’ character, especially in the beginning. i especially liked the cut from falling off the stairs to laying centre stage. 

i think I’m right in assuming that it was a choice that the members were all playing the same character and demon felix was that character possessed rather than the actual devil, but personally i think it would have been a lot more fun if they had straight up just made him be the actual devil. there’s a bit of dissonance when you have a performer with such a specialized skillset that gets used in very specific instances, but then he shows up in the regular group choreo like any ol’ guy. they always put such emphasis on felix (as they should, he’s their most charismatic performer), but they never go the distance. i would have loved it if they had committed to the bit like TOO did in their magnolia stage from rtk, where they had a member just be blinded justice. that was literally the only thing he did and it worked so well. could have done the same here with felix and it would have been fun. that being said the felix parts were SO good. love love love him getting dragging in chains.

 btob

this hit every little one of the buttons in my tiny backstage crew brain. i'm in love with this stage. there’s so many true to life little details here that on repeat viewings you're still finding new things. i know i rag on and on about narrative every week but here is a good example of what i've been trying to get at this whole time: the stage needs a shape. an a to b. you don't need a whole pirates spiel or a game of thrones theme extended universe; all you need is a clear setting and a point a to point b. this stage has both those things perfectly. we have a hyperspecific setting, (american rockstars) and a basic arc (getting ready to perform -> performing). even though back door is outside of btob’s wheelhouse, they spun it in a way that played to their strengths and did a bit braggadocio, which is rightfully earned. i'm gonna be saying it every time but the experience shows!!!

 costume

good contemporary costume is SO difficult, i want to impress that here. because it's the the time period that we are currently living and seeing every day it's so easy for the audience to spot mistakes. although yes it's easier to source/shop for, to get it good enough that it doesn't pull people out of the immersion is surprisingly more difficult than you think. their stylists did an excellent job here. the backup dancers and btob are all in monochrome plus one and it adds a very clean unity to everything without visual clutter.

each of btob’s costumes have enough to give indication of character, along with the member’s acting, which i'll get more into in the staging section. regardless, never underestimate the power of a good fitting shirt and statement belt. oh and minhyuk in the stirrup motorcycle boots with the skinny jeans and the supreme boxers and the red satin robe? good bye.

i love love love a dyed buzz this was such a good aesthetic choice for peniel, 10/10 i have no complaints about the costumes.

set

oh my god i’m gonna french kiss this set designer. this is such a simple set but it’s executed so well. there’s the ‘backstage’ area, the corridor with four dressing rooms, and then the ‘stage’ that’s pretty much just velvet ropes. so simple, but all the detail is in the set decoration and props. the road cases, the monitor, the subtle flex of the posters of them on the walls, the clothing racks, all the booze. although this is not the actual layout of any theatre (they're normally much weirder than this), there’s so many little details here that really make the experience.

there’s a very straightforward path here and it works so well. i think this might be the best use of the gates so far? it appropriately suited the drama of the moment and they didn't have to do anything to them because they're already in a theatre. bada bing bada boom.

lighting

love the setup and continuation through the amber ‘BRRRMM.’ like with sf9 it gives a smooth transition into the stage. also loved no blackout. it's a general rule in current theatrical practice that you only use blackouts when they are absolutely necessary, because they can stop the pacing of a play dead in the water. so the lack of one here at the start of the stage was a really smart choice and makes the transition feel less jarring.

i will say that actual backstage areas are very rarely lit with amber because it travels far and it's bright. it's much more common to see running lights (the lights on during a performance) to be deep red or blue.

those blasting wash lights as the gates open? the DRAMA. such a seemingly innocuous choice that really cements the atmosphere of ‘we are about to perform.’

really smart use of the projections to accentuate the already existing stage facilities. it's pretty much unnoticable because it's very well done but i appreciate it.

sound

this ARRANGEMENT!!!! it's so good!!! back door has this premise essentially built into the song so it was so smart of them to put this gimmicky spin on it. loved the literal interpretation of the knocks into the structure of the stage, it makes the blend between the sound design and the staging that much more effective.

more rock versions of everything please and thank you. 

btob is just stunting at this point and i love it. i'll have to wait for subs but judging by the hands in front of the camera bit and the ‘your super high note’ i’m pretty confident the added rap lyrics are full of shots at the other groups and honestly? valid.

staging

there's some really sharp camera control here with the one take first half. It’s up very close and personal because there’s a lack of space but it really works for the ‘intimacy’ of seeing backstage at a venue. also this is such a simple movement track but it’s so effective. it backs over a couple spots but it doesn't feel repetitive because there’s a sense of urgency and drive.

there are so many good little details in here that are true to life and unnecessary to include but sell the performance as a whole. peniel flinging water onstage, minhyuk stripping down twice and flinging his clothes around, minhyuk closing the door on the standby’s face, the backup dancer as a dresser with the laundry basket, peniel stealing the hat off her but then not going on stage with it these are all things that I’ve either had directly happen to me or something very similar has happened. but the best one and the one that sets off the tone amazingly for the whole stage is eunkwang’s intro. that ‘vocal warmup’ with the quiet okay at the end? with the little jump? i see that moment of vulnerability before the transition between person and actor every time i watch someone go onstage for the first time and there’s no way to describe it other than magic. 

the luxury of only having four members, there was actually time in this stage to establish character. it also speaks to the performing strength of btob that they can establish clear character in this short amount of time. obviously it’s pretty one dimensional; there’s serious eunkwang, typical rocker minhyuk, fuckboy peniel (how many licks does it take to make your tootsie pop, anyone?), and comedian changsub. i’ve seen and met and worked with these exact dudes many, many times. ugh i love this stage

 ateez

the utter euphoria i felt at the proof that last round’s stage wasn't a fluke. this stage is so good. it's so good. i'm obsessed with how good this stage. as an unreformed pop punk teen who played a LOT of latin jazz i am LIVING. if you’ve only seen the episode cut and not the full version here i'll make it easy and link it for you because oh my GOD mnet destroyed the pacing by cutting in a full minute and a half of reaction shots. actually mnet fucked up the pacing for all of these stages but this one was the worst. and look. i know this is the closest these boys are going to get to being real punks and this is a carefully curated and artificial facade for narrative purposes only but oh the pandering tastes so sweet. regardless of that, i am IN AWE of the level of storytelling happening here. the narrative is so clear on just the first viewing even though there is so much going on and they use every possible element they can to further enhance that narrative. repeat viewings just add more and more little details. i’ll probably miss some things because there's so much but i'll try my best.

 costume

look, hanya and i were joking that my notes for this stage were just gonna be ‘san dog collar’ for a thousand words and i was so tempted to just leave it at that because.....woof. so here is a short list of things i am the most obsessed with:

san dog collar

san smeared lipstick

wooyoung cruella deville ponytail

hongjoong terrible blond crewcut

san crushed velvet cargo pants?!

seonghwa cropped fur jacket

yunho arm sleeve

hongjoong sockless in red derbys

but in all seriousness the costumes are so good. none of these are truly authentic punk looks but they capture the spirit right and that's what matters. all the right trappings are there; safety pins, patches, plaid, leather, and a lot of diy type looks. i love the painted masks, especially as a callback to the comedy/tragedy theatre masks. it was a thematic choice to have the backup dancers in black and the tac vests are a super simple contextual device.

also hongjoong’s quickchange hat/jacket combo is super fun and i hope that’s intentionally a preview of the next stage.

set

if you weren't convinced before that whoever is designing the ateez stages is a stage designer, i don't know what to tell you. it's hard to tell because there is so much environmental storytelling happening, but there is NO large scale set here. like with their last stage, kq smartly put money into two highlight pieces; the anarchist blimp and the van/wall, and the rest of the stage atmosphere is established solely through propwork and lighting. just think about that for a bit. every other group has some kind of large scale room or wall build. ateez has a bunch of tables, flyers, and a podium. i don’t know if i can accurately communicate just how difficult this kind of coordination is to pull off but holy fucking shit this is so hard to pull off. these are theatre people i see you and i see your work and i love you!!!

they fully used the gilt mnet stage as their pseudo government building and it works. everything about this (lack of) set is so smart i wish i could be more articulate about it but there’s so only so many ways i can say the same thing over and over again. 

lighting

the laser scopes. the LASER SCOPES!!! god this lighting designer is so good. whoever you are, i'm acknowledging your effort because you deserve it. there’s some really wonderful contrast and directional lighting: the van light, the pinlights/lasers/smoke as searchlights. a lot of atmospheric red lighting but it makes sense for the theme (alarm lights) and they offset it well (unlike in the other two predominantly red stages we’ve seen) by fill lighting the faces with blue or amber; this is what actually makes us able to see what’s happening on stage

the projections are used to augment the stage action in without being overpowering, they're at relatively low tonal value so they aren't lighting up the stage at full brightness like in the skz stage. 

the big brother eye on the tv screens (it's just a projection, not actual screens) combined with the government ban notice and the broadcast has to be the record for fastest visual explanation of fascist totalitarian state. 

sound

i love it. they really successfully made rhythm ta into an ateez song and it’s cool as fuck. i love that it isn't sonically very loud. a lot of the chorus is actually quite level tone and quiet, which is a bold choice and they pull it off. this is very comfortably in their range (excluding jongho) and they went more for style than range and that's exactly what every group should be doing. singing high does not equal singing good. yes i am looking at you jongho you should have stopped at that penultimate note, it was fine!!

using rhythm ta as a pseudo protest song against a fascist government that’s banned all music and art? galaxy brain. that intro of hongjoong whispering “hey hey hey hey, this is just a song so get on the rhythm” after gunning down military police/guards? king fucking shit.

staging

i will eat all five pairs of my fluevog boots if kq hasn't hired a bunch of theatre professionals to direct and design these stages because now it's been proven that last stage wasn't a fluke. the level of execution at work here is absolutely incredible. oh the gesamtkunstwerk of it all!!!  there is SO much happening so quickly in this four minute stage and it still manages to convey exactly the correct amount of information that it needs to on the first go round, and it only gets better on repeat viewings.

they use a really classic theatre perspective trick with san climbing the rope, and they absolutely didn’t have to do that. san probably could have actually climbed that himself, but here they made a choice for aesthetic artistry over tricking/other feats of skills we’ve seen the 4th gen groups do. instead of going with the more technically difficult and ‘impressive’ option, they chose the simple way that allows for more character to shine through. there’s actually very little tricking in this stage as whole, they're putting trust in the design of the stage and the raw performance abilities of the members to carry the stage and they stick the landing again. san has some breakdancing and so do the backup dancers, but it’s window dressing in the same way that the flyers are window dressing.

there’s a lot of really good little moments of acting that really sell the performance and dedication of the group as a whole to giving their all. hongjoong overall in his cocky aspirational leader role, seonghwa’s first verse and malfunctioning earpiece bit, san’s falsetto hostage interrogation bit. also i'm obsessed with how far yunho just hucks that mask. he gets like fifteen feet of air with that thing. also props to hongjoong barehanding that glass break.

the paper props are impeccable. the first notice sets up the situation right away, and then we get some further exposition with the newspaper wooyoung is holding (which says ‘the central government has defined the black pirates as a terrorist’ but honestly you don't really need to know what it says to get the point), and then we have raining anarchist flyers from the anarchist blimp. great atmospheric touches.

the blackout crash-to-mask transition is just so good. this is an example of a good use of a blackout. nothing else to add i just thought i would point it out because it's dope.

like with btob there's some really tight camera control here, that along with the lighting and the way they've laid out the space make it easy to follow the trajectory of where they're going and also make the space seem smaller than it is. this is a really big stage and if you don't control how you want it to be seen you end up like with what happened to the first part of skz’s stage. i wish they had tracked some of the one takes a bit better, but the end of that take where the camera followed the group movement laterally and then the formation swung around to face front? sexy. surprisingly the editing is pretty ok.

there’s probably still so much i could talk about but this is already so long so if i missed something just let me know.

ok finally lets do some rankings

personal ranking

this round wasn't as tough to rank because there were two clear top tier stages for me. i actually went back and looked at my ranking from last round and this is identical except the top two spots are switched, which i find extremely funny. however in contrast to last round, these stages were all leagues better than their predecessors. all the groups are improving, just some at greater speed than others.

ateez - i'm not even gonna explain this one.

btob - i won't explain this one either since i just did that.

sf9 - this would have been first if ateez and btob hadnt blow everyone out of the water.i still think they made all the right choices and played to their strengths.

ikon - this stage is so fun to watch but the others offer me more. that’s it.

skz - i like the idea behind it and i loved felix; i'm always down for some good catholic fuckery but like last round it just wasn't played out far enough.

tbz - double ding on the moulin rouge and the continued game of thrones references for me. there were a lot of strong elements here but when compared to every other stage it just doesn't have the same gravitas.

the self rankings i thought were fairly accurate, but again, what the fuck is up with these expert rankings? who are these experts? what stages are they watching?? i won't go more into it than that because then you'll be here even longer but i don't trust these experts who consistently rank btob at the bottom, do you have eyes??? ears????

 ok i'm done for real now im so sorry this 4.6k words......if you make it this far do something nice for yourself like eat a cookie or something. this is way too long you deserve a reward for making it through my nonsense. as always if you’ve got questions or want to share your opinions feel free to send me an ask!

[rosy-cheekx]

Aesthetic prompt- song: "in hell i'll be in good company" by the dead south; vibe: steam off a warm drink, heavy rain on windows; color: cool gray, bronze, red :)

Took me long enough! This fic is months in the making, but I am so excited to finally be able to answer this prompt. This is chapter 1 of probably 3!

A Phoenix Razed

Chapter 1- Rebirth

---

3 days since Great Yarmouth

Tim’s hands encircled the paper cup in his lap. The cup was small, he noted; he could clasp his fingers together easily. Or maybe his hands were just big. The tea was dark, way over-steeped, and the herbal scent bloomed out in waves alongside the rising steam. There was no sugar, no milk, none of the usual accoutrement Tim used to take tea. Just harsh, bitter, black.

It’s what you deserve.

Tim rolled his eyes at his internal monologue, drama queen, and sipped the beverage. Agh, still hot? He sucked in air through his teeth, startling Martin, who he’d forgotten was beside him.

“Tim?” He snapped his eyes up from where they had been resting on the book, lips moving to form words Tim hadn’t been listening to. “You alright?”

“Hmm? Oh. Yeah, burnt my tongue.” Tim’s words sounded like a shrug, slumped and uninterested, now out of his reverie.

Silence stretched between him and Martin. Or, Tim wished it was silence. The only sound was the low static of the EEG, a rainbow of wires between the machine and Jonathan Sims’ scalp, shaved to accommodate the electrodes. What Tim wouldn’t give for any level of sound other than what they experienced right now. Any less, and there would be an answer to the question, “Will Jon ever wake up?”, and more would mean his heart was working, or lungs, or any other number of body parts to which machines were attached, waiting for any sign of response.

It’s your fault he’s like this.

It should have been you.

Tim exhaled and sipped the tea again, more careful this time. It was still hot—he was pretty sure the burn on his tongue made it feel even hotter—but he tempered his expectations and swallowed a sip of the bitter liquid, letting the raw flavor coat his throat.

“-there’s not much point to this, huh?” Martin asked, slipping a tattered bookmark between the pages of the book he had been reading—he was hoping to annoy Jon with poetry into waking up with Tennyson’s Ulysses—and letting it slip from his lap to the bed, green cover stark against the yellowish-white of the thin blanket.

“I don’t know, Marto, doctors said he might be able to hear us. Maybe dear Alfie will bore Jon back to life,” but Tim’s words lacked the bite and humor that was meant to be there.

“Don’t-” Martin warned softly, shaking his head and pushing his reading glasses through his fringe of curls. “He’s not…he’s still alive. He’s just lost.”

“You’re right,” Tim nodded, placing a hand on Martin’s shoulder lightly before pulling it away as he felt the round of Martin’s shoulder twinge under his touch. “You know what I mean.” He rubbed at the bandages that wound around his abdomen, letting himself indulge in the ache of raw skin and muscle and fat, the hiss of pain atonement for his sins.

Martin sighed, a slow, burdensome sound. “Yeah, I do.” At his words, Martin’s phone rang, and he looked at the caller ID before shoving the phone deep in his pocket, ignoring the call as he did so. “Listen, Tim, you know I’d stay longer if I could-”

“No, I get it, Martin.” Tim stood as Martin did, grabbing the IV bag by his chair for support. “Duty calls. I must away, my love.”

Martin scoffed, the pale sound muffled and diminished by the emptiness of the room. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Try to go on without me.” His voice dropped the light in it as he placed a hand on Tim’s. His hands were freezing, Jesus. “Seriously, Tim, if you need me…”

“I’ll call.” Tim waggled the phone in the pockets of the linen pants the hospital had provided. “Promise.”

--

“I hear the Great Grimaldi’s in town.”

“That’s not funny.”

“I know.”

He wished the moments after were fuzzy. He wished he could chalk his memories up to delirium or carbon monoxide poisoning. There was the detonator, small and squat in his hands. There was Grimaldi, or Nikola, or whatever that thing was. And there was Jon, kneeling, eyes piercing him in a way he had never experienced before. A moment of true lucidity amongst the madness of the Unknowing.

Tim had pressed the button, resigning this to be his final image, his final memory. The things in the world he hated most, all splayed out in front of him, with the promise of all the things he loved waiting for him. A win-win, really. Go out with a bang, leave a mark on the Stranger, cause some errant destruction, and finally see Danny again. The Stranger would never forget the Stoker brothers, that would have been for sure.

But the combustion and the flames had swept over him like a hot wind. He felt the flames lick the sides of his face, felt smoke choke his lungs, felt impossibly hot ash and air swirl around him in a tango. The building had crumbled around him and Tim had been unable to move, forced to witness every last nanosecond of the chaos he had caused.

And he reveled in it. He had won; he had beaten the Stranger. To know he had avenged the deaths of Danny and Sasha was prize enough.

None of it made any sense. He shouldn’t have survived.

How had he survived?

-

5 Days After Great Yarmouth

“Tim.”

Basira was in Tim’s room, wheelchair parked in the corner and sitting in a visitor’s chair. Her body was tense and still, reminiscent of a panther in some documentary he had watched with Jon. Ready to strike? Or run?

“Basira.” Tim’s voice was careful. “Martin said you weren’t up for visitors today. Glad to see you’re okay.”

“Save it.” Basira’s hands were fisted in her robe, the white and yellow one matching Tim’s, declaring them both as patients under observation. Tim frowned, pulling his IV behind him to sit on his bed, wincing as he bent and adjusted himself. “Daisy’s gone, Jon is…whatever he is. I survived because I was smart.”

Her voice was low and sharp, accusing him of…something. Tim felt blood boiling under his skin, as he waffled somewhere between furious and confused. “Excuse me?” He said pointedly, voice measured, squeezing tight the paper cup of tea in his hand.

“Tim, how are you not dead?” Basira gestured with her hand. “Your burns were all superficial. You broke your arm in the collapse, but you managed to survive the fire.” She shook her head and smoothed the fabric that lay there with her hand. “You and I both know you shouldn’t be alive right now.”

Tim took a steadying breath, though it did little to conceal his frustration. “So what, you think I’m fucking magical or something?” He could feel the heat and pitch rise in his voice. “You think I’m like...like those freaks we read about in the statements? Like-like Jon or Elias or like fucking Nikola?”

Basira opened her mouth to speak but Tim cut her off. “You know why I was there, Basira. For Danny. For Sasha. You bloody well know none of this was supposed to happen.” He gestured in the general direction of where Jon lay, dead to the world. “The audacity to assume I-”

“Tim!” Basira cut in, interrupting his increasingly desperate tone. “Look!” She pointed down. Following her gaze, Tim saw the paper cup he was holding. The cup of tea was steaming. No, it was boiling. He could hear the roil of the water, see the bubbles blossoming on the surface. On instinct, he yelped, tossing the cup of bitter black tea across the room, hitting the sink on the far side of the wall squarely. He winced as the liquid splashed across the mirror, the cup rolling to a stop in the basin.

“What the fuck?” He wiped his hands on his robe. “How the hell did that happen?”

“Did it burn you?” Basira asked, eyes passing over him studiously.

“Ah…” Tim turned his right hand over, checking for any splash marks or blisters on his palm. “No.”

“Are you sure?” Basira asked, raising her eyebrow. At Tim’s irritated roll of his eyes, she folded her fingers together.

“You know that’s not normal, right?” It wasn’t a question.

Tim nodded, voice stolen from him as he processed her words. “Are you trying to say I’m fireproof or something?”

Basira shrugged. “I dunno. Sounds weird enough to be right. I’d say ask Jon about it, but obviously…that’s not happening quite yet.”

“This is so fucked,” Tim mumbled, scrubbing a hand down his face in exhaustion. “I hate this job.”

--

Tim was walking in a black room. Kind of. It wasn’t black, really, nor a room—just the concept of space, devoid of color or light.

Tim was somewhere and it was dark.

He picked a direction and walked. The space he was in was hot, a dry stale heat pressing in on him from all sides. It was like that prickling heat from being too close to a campfire, where the heat should singe your leg hairs. It should have been painful. He should have been sweating. But he felt…good. Great, even. He felt alive and awake and ready.

He walked for what felt like hours in this dreamscape, not knowing where he was going. He had realized he was dreaming around the point where he noticed he was more floating than walking, being guided like a character in a low-res video game. There was something in the back of his mind nudging him forward, coaxing him along some predetermined route.

Suddenly, he stopped. There was something in front of him, maybe four meters away. He couldn’t see it, but he could sense it. This spot in space was the source of all the heat in this room, the warmth surrounding him that was more accosting than comforting. The feeling surrounding him was all-consuming and it made him feel…all sorts of things. Righteousness, anger, betrayal, pain. They were all the emotions he had been feeling at Great Yarmouth, built up upon each other, each idolized in their own way. They were the feelings he had chosen to worship when Jon had stopped being his friend and started being his enemy, when Sasha had been discovered to have never been, when he had looked Nikola in its eyeless face and pressed the detonator. It all felt good to feel.

All of a sudden Tim was struck with a sudden knowledge. If he accepted this heat, this painful destruction, he would never need to worry about being hurt again. He could protect himself, the loved ones he had left (if he still had any), and burn the hearts out of anyone who dared hurt him or his ilk. No one would ever leave him again except on his terms. He understood what the Lightless Flame meant, what it promised, what it could give him in return. He would be able to live on the destruction of those he deemed unworthy of the love of the pyre, those who had so much to lose. Like he had had, once. Like Danny had had. Like Sasha. They had had the world before them, and it was stripped away. The Stranger had the potential to take over the world and he had destroyed every last bit of success it had. And it felt good. He could chase that feeling again and again and again with a family that knew what it was like to love and lose and destroy.

All he had to do was take it in.

-

7 Days After Great Yarmouth

Tim woke up gasping for air. He could feel an icy hand on the back of his neck, colder than anything he knew, dragging him back into reality. He opened his eyes, wincing at the harsh light of his hospital room and yes, he was in his hospital room, not a great expanse of nothing nothing nothing, searching for answers. He reached a hand to the back of his head and felt a frozen rag, dripping icy water down the back of his neck, down his spine.

A nurse was at his bedside, a thin woman with dark blonde hair, checking his vitals with a delicate hand. “Welcome back, Mr. Stoker. You gave us a scare, there.”

“Wha-”

“Your monitor was beeping like mad last night. Said you had a fever of 42, but the machine was probably broken. Thermometer put you more at 40, but still, concerningly high. Gave you some fever reducers and a cool rag, kept an eye on you. Are you feeling any better?”

Tim rolled his neck, hearing his joints crack as he did so. “Uh-” He took stock of his faculties. He felt great, actually. No pain, no stiffness, just a tingling warmth spread throughout his body. Something about that felt...right. But he wasn’t sure why. “Yeah, fine.” He pulled the rag out from under his neck and noticed, for the first time, he was naked.

“Sorry,” she smiled apologetically at the flush that spread across his face and neck. “First rule of fevers: tight clothing comes off. It seemed to have done its job though. You were out for a whole day. According to our thermometers, your temperature’s gone back to normal, but we’d like to keep an eye on you a bit longer, especially with your injuries. They don't seem to be infected, so the fever might have been a latent trauma response to the explosion.” The woman shrugged, her smile light. “Our bodies do crazy things to keep us safe. Even when it hurts.”

“A-apparently so,” Tim nodded softly, squeezing his hands into fists, feeling the nails dig into his palms. At least this wasn’t a dream. He rested his head against the pillows propped behind him and sighed heavily.

The nurse left eventually, when there were no more monitors to check and Tim had promised eight ways to Sunday to press his call button if he needed anything. He settled back into his pillow, listening to the steady beep of his heart amplified on the monitor. The TV droned low in the background, newscasters revisiting today’s tragedies. Had they been on the news when it happened? Tim huffed and shook his head. Not if Elias had a say in it. Probably chalked it up to a gas main.

He grabbed the remote strapped to his bed, and flipped through the channels aimlessly, looking for something interesting…or at least to lull him back to sleep. Kids programming, soap operas, more news, interior design—wait. Tim flipped back to the news channel. Demolition of an old primary school. The reporter spoke to a heated young woman, round cheeks framed by wild curls, who spoke to the camera about the memories and traditions the school represented, how unfair it was to lose such an important monument to the history of her town.

“A shame, isn’t it?”

Tim started at the voice, whipping his head to the door, gripping the remote tight in his hand. The woman standing in the doorway of his room was short and wide, hair cropped close. She wore a grey tank top and black shorts, revealing tattoos of flames licking up the backs and sides of her calves. Something about her face was odd. A little too smooth? The grin on her face seemed wider than normal smiles were meant to be, drooping a little too low.

“Pardon?” Tim managed, grip on the call button tight, even if there was…something keeping him from pressing it.

“About the school.” She pointed to the television as she crossed the threshold, crossing her legs as she sat in the cushy visitor’s chair next to his bed. “So many childhood memories, so many job opportunities, so many opportunities for self-improvement-” She spat the word with malice. “Truly some of my favorite forms of destruction.”

Tim stared at her dumbly. “Do…am I supposed to know who you are?” Her returned chuckle burned him from the inside.

“Oh,” she crooned, more to herself than to Tim. “For keepers of the Eye, you are all so stupid. I am Jude Perry and I serve the Lightless Flame. And, if I’m right, you do too.”

[hanazou]

idk if the chuuya request was me but i think it was lmao- anyway the ask was a request for chuuya on an s/o who plays bass guitar i hope thats not too random ty xx

dating chuuya as a bass guitarist.

having chuuya as your boyfriend while playing a bass guitar will be as appealing as playing the bass.

Word count : 1K

Shelf : Hardback

Genre : Romance

Note : Don’t sweat it, anon! I like doing headcanons of character x musician!reader because i’m a musician myself (Thank God I finished this quick because when I found out Chuuya called Oda a "third-rate" in Dead Apple i was too angry at this man to write about him LOL) Anon, let me know your thoughts about this! Don't hesitate to tell me if there are any inaccuracies!

Enjoy your book! 💛

Charisma. A special charisma is the first thing Chuuya sees in you.

Chuuya's style (aesthetic wise) is a combination of subtle rock, street wear, a little bit of chic, with good colour combinations, and your skill playing bass guitar fit the picture if you get what I'm talking about. You and Chuuya correspond each other's vibes perfectly.

So if you play the bass guitar or any similar instruments, he’ll find it pretty attractive of you.

Chuuya admires your fluency and attention to detail, the way you seem to know every inch of your beloved instrument. He loves to see the way your fingers pluck the strings while the other hand moves from fret to fret—how do you even reach that far? He wonders how you know which cord one to press when they seem all the same to him.

Sometimes Chuuya gets inside your practice room without you noticing because you're so focused on playing. Next thing you know when you're finished, he has been sitting next to you, his chin propped on his hand, elbow on his crossed leg.

"So focused that you didn't hear me come in, huh?" He teases with his signature crooked smirk. "Picking that bass over me?"

Will definitely use his ability to levitate your bass guitar sometimes just to watch you get on top of tables or chairs to reach for it.

If there's a song he likes, sometimes he'll ask you to play it on your bass if the genre fits.

10/10 will remind you to take a break once in a while, like giving you water or takeout food. Also 10/10 will softly karate chop your head, surprising you, and show you he has food for you to eat.

"Do you want to faint from exhaustion?" He nags. "I got this for us to eat—" The food jiggles from hanging from his hand. You can smell it, it's your favourite dish. "—so take a break first, dummy."

If Chuuya knows you're busy preparing for a performance soon while he's busy himself, he'll find a way to attend to you regardless of his schedule, like asking a subordinate to deliver you lunch (paid by him, of course). He'll ask the restaurant to write a little "Remember to eat" note on top of the packaging.

If you're the type of bassist to wear gloves to make your notes brighter and "more staccato", gosh Chuuya will find that so hot. The way the gloves stand out against the bass and your skin? Perfection. Plus, you get to match his own gloves too (bonus points if your gloves are also black).

If you’re the type of bassist to use picks for plucking, Chuuya is going to take advantage of that. Sometimes, just when he wants to be pampered by you, he’ll hide your pick in his pocket and watch you look everywhere for it. He promises to help you find it after you let him sleep on your lap just because he’s quite tired that day. You have no reason to refuse, so after he’s had his time with you, he’ll take out the pick from his pocket with that so damn sexy half-smile.

Chuuya isn’t completely blind to music, so he’ll drop some comments sometimes--feedback if necessary, and most of them are casual compliments on different aspects of your play like “Oh, I like that riff, it sounded nice” and “Did you improvise that part? It suits the song”.

He loves to watch you set up your bass guitar; expanding and plugging the cables, preparing the speaker, testing the volume and the speaker buttons, tuning the strings, and especially when you pluck the strings to test it. He finds your familiarity with your instrument so pretty, he’ll throw random compliments while watching you prepare sometimes.

We know how good Chuuya's voice range is, especially when he shouts during combats. You'll be secretly intrigued to know how his voice will go with your bass guitar, and the question is how you will ask him to try singing to your music. If you really want to have him as your vocalist, even just once, you have to take out all of your cards to convince him. Puppy eyes, bribes gifts, tricking him by asking him to hum to some songs, anything, because it’s going to be one hell of a challenge.

((Assuming, I repeat, assuming you get Chuuya to sing by melting his heart with your antics, even just once, he will be such a blushing mess. He’ll probably accidentally use his ability and make a fracture on the floor. Please pat his back and tell him he did well. Please cherish and compliment this man I beg of you he’s a sucker for praises))

If you perform concerts, Chuuya will try his best to manage his schedule as an executive so he can attend, as a VIP guest too at that. I urge you to wear an accessory or a piece of clothing he once gifted you to earn a better reaction out of him, like him blinking and smirking with pride.

If Chuuya makes it, you'll spot him right away. His good fashion sense and that handsome face makes him stick out like a sore thumb anywhere. You'll be instantly more fired up in your performance, knowing Chuuya is watching you play the piece you've been practicing.

If there’s any idiot who dares to mock your performance, Chuuya will immediately square up with his iconic "Eh?!" and confront them right there and then, pulling their collars.

“Oi, you better watch your mouth,” He will growl. “cause you won’t be saying anything like that again after your mouth meets my fist.”

After your concert, Chuuya will see you at the backstage with a bouquet of flowers you didn't spot when he stood in the crowd.

"Uh, you did well." He tries hard to control his blush. "Here," He shoves the flowers in front your face. "Picked this up on the way here."

A classic move. He's so easily flustered, it's cute.

In the case if Chuuya is too preoccupied beating up people as a mafioso to attend your concert, he'll apologise with gifts; flowers (if you're not into flowers, he'll get you something else you like) and a bottle of rené rostaing because his love language is showering you with gifts, and maybe a romantic candlelit dinner at your favourite restaurant.

📜 ; like what you read? visit my bookshop!

[yellowsuitcase]

Last Christmas //Draco Malfoy

Request:  hii can you do like a draco x reader (preferably pre-voldy lol) where draco is spending christmas at the manor and the reader is sad because she knows how much he hates it there so on christmas she comes to the manor to surprise him and he’s just really happy and it’s rly cute and fluffy

A/N: Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy this little oneshot, I find it quite cute and comforting. It is a bit similar to my Ron one, but adorable all the same. Also, it's snowing where I am!!!!

Summary: Y/N surprise visits Draco on Christmas morning.

Warning(s): None. Fluff.

Word Count: 1k

{Not my gif}

Y/N stood outside of the doors of the Malfoy Manor. It was early in the morning, December twenty-fifth, and snow was falling fast. She knew her boyfriend and his family were just beyond those doors, and she couldn’t wait to get inside. However, she was nervous. She had decided to surprise Draco with her presence because before he had left Hogwarts, he’d mentioned that Christmases at his home were rather bleak. This was evident from just the tree in the window. It was completely white and decorated with black ornaments. While it certainly matched that Malfoy’s aesthetic, it didn’t spark that pure joy that most trees do. Y/N couldn’t help but wonder if the rest of the home was even decorated.

But to find that out, she’d have to knock. Inhaling deeply, she raised her fist and rapped her knuckles against the wood. Scuffling was heard from within the manor, and she prepared herself to be greeted by Mr. Malfoy. Yet, to her shock, the doors opened to reveal none other than Draco. He was dressed in a dark green crew neck sweater paired with black pants. His hair was wavy, as if he’d just gotten out of bed. Y/N thought he looked downright adorable.

When he registered, it was her standing on his doorstep, his face lit up.  “Y/N! What’re you doing here? Nevermind that, get inside. It’s freezing out there,” he said while ushering her into the foyer. He then shut the doors,  brushed the snow off her shoulders, and helped her out of her coat. All while still in shock that she was here, but also in caring-boyfriend mode. Y/N smiled up at him and held out her arms.

“Surprise! Happy Christmas,” she said happily. Draco shook his head in amazement and brought her into his warm embrace, where he squeezed her tight.

“How did you even—” he was cut off by a voice from further within the manor.

“Draco,” it called; it sounded feminine. “Who is it?” they asked. Y/N assumed it must be his mother, Narcissa. Draco’s face grew grim, and Y/N could tell he was panicking.

“Will they be upset?” she asked him. Regret was starting to build in her stomach. But Draco shook his head vehemently.

“Doesn’t matter, it’s Christmas, and frankly, I don’t care if they don’t want you here because I want you here. And you’re not leaving no matter what they say, okay?” he assured her, kissing her head and rubbing her arms. Then, he took her hand, led her into the home, turned a corner, and entered the dining room where his parents sat. They were eating a lavish spread of food but had very little on their personal plates.

“Mother, Father, this is my girlfriend. Y/N, these are my parents,” he introduced her. Y/N, unsure of what to say, waved her hand. The Malfoys, however, didn’t wave back. An awkward silence hung in the air before Draco cleared his throat. “We’ll be in the front sitting room,” he told them firmly. Narcissa nodded her head and turned back to her food. Her husband, Lucius, glared at the couple as they walked out of the room.

Draco gripped her hand tightly and led her all the way to a tall room wherein the center sat the Christmas tree Y/N had seen in the window. Beneath it sat only a few presents. Around the room were various chairs and side tables, all adorned with lamps and tablecloths. It was very clean, very stiff. Not Christmas-like at all. Draco let her go and walked over to a long table with a black record player sitting on top of it. He turned it on and gently guided the arm to the now spinning disk. There was momentary static before Last Christmas by Wham! began playing. Y/N smiled as her boyfriend walked over to her, his body bouncing. He held out his arm.

“May I have this dance?” he asked a smirk on his lips. Y/N giggled, placed her hand in his, and was promptly pulled to his chest. “Oh!” she yelped. But Draco only laughed as he lifted her arm and spun her around. Y/N began humming along to the melody as he pulled her around the room.

"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away,” Draco sang. Y/N’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. But she soon joined in while the boy yanked her towards his chest.

“This year, to save me from tears, I’ll give it to someone special.” The pair repeated the chorus as they danced around the room together, smiles plastered onto their faces. Y/N’s heart felt so full. Just seeing her lover laughing and grinning on what, in the past, has been a sad day for him made her believe her goal was met. She quit singing after the second chorus, but Draco kept going until the song ended and the next one began. Y/N’s head was now resting on his chest as they hugged each other, swaying side to side.

“I’d give you my heart,” he said suddenly. Y/N chuckled at him.

“Does that make me someone special?” she replied, making Draco laugh as well.

“I’d say so,” he agreed. Then he planted a kiss on Y/N's head while squeezing her tight. “Thank you for coming, darling. I really appreciate it.” She lifted her head and gazed up at her boyfriend. His eyes were tender, and he had a double chin from looking down. She instinctively reached up and poked it, making a ‘boop’ sound. Draco, being the drama queen he was, rolled his eyes and let his head fall backward. “You’re an absolute child, you know that?”

“Yeah, but you love me,” Y/N retorted. Her lover nodded and smiled softly. He was looking at her as if she was the only person in the world.

“I do. I love you very much. And for the record, I’d never give you away,” Draco joked. Y/N gave him a look of confusion. “Your heart,” he said. She realized he was still referring to the song. With a groan, she pushed away from him and crossed her arms. Draco couldn’t control his laughter and even bent over from it.

“Who’s the child now, huh?” Y/N teased. But she felt fuzzy inside from his words. She knew she’d made the right choice by coming to the manor today. The genuine smile on Draco’s face was worth it. He was worth it.

Taglist: @beiahadid @pastelpuffbar @cutie1365 @dracoxmgg @lumlfy​ @sambucky8 @emilianamason @raplinethereal​ @dixiethemorab24​ @xoxohollands @prongsandprancer @ch0kemedracomalfoy @avlauriaa @purpleskymalfoy @mariah-can-dream @drxcomvlfx @sydnee-kom-spacekru @dracosgoodgirl  @voilawind

[sunshine-stars]

Cardigan

Flynn is going through her closet and keeps finding clothes that remind her of Carrie. Flarrie fluff and angst.

Based on Cardigan by Taylor Swift

Word count: 2,657

Cw: heartbreak, losing close friends

Thank you to @montacrewvibes for the nicknames soda pop and bubblegum and @kybee1497 for the nickname Flynnie!

Vintage tee, brand new phone

High heels on cobblestones

“Carrie emerges from behind the next aisle and smiles. “That is so cool! I love Madonna!” Then she starts singing Vogue and Flynn has to hold the shirt rack for balance. Her voice is so powerful yet so soft, just like she is.

She pauses for a beat and looks at Flynn. “What are you doing? Come on sing with me!” She looks so excited and how could Flynn resist.

“Come on, vogue. Let your body move to the music,” they sing together, their voices meshing perfectly. Carrie is dancing, but it’s mainly just bouncing and doing the vogue. How could one person be so adorable and happy? Flynn will never know.

At the end of the chorus they both laugh. “That song is so much fun,” Flynn happily sighs.

“I know right. Anyways you HAVE to buy that t-shirt. It’s amazing.”

Flynn looks down at the shirt then back at Carrie, trying not to stare at her too much. “You’re so right.”

They pay for it at the register and walk out of the store. Flynn quickly throws it on over her long sleeve. “How do I look?” Flynn puts their hand on her hip.

Carrie doesn’t reply for a moment, just stares, cheeks a soft pink. It is kinda chilly out. “It looks awesome. You’re so pretty that you can pull anything off.”

She calls them pretty and Flynn’s brain stops working. She has to fight a wide smile and suppress the warmth spreading through their whole body. “Me? Look at you! You’re so gorgeous.” Flynn prays that she doesn’t recognize that her voice is slightly higher than usual.

Carrie’s cheeks go slightly more pink and she smiles softly. Is she cold? “Here take my jacket. You look cold.” They hand her the jacket and Carrie slowly puts it on.

“It’s MY cardigan. I let you borrow it, remember?” Carrie teases while raising an eyebrow.

Flynn looks at it. How could she forget that she’s wearing it? It’s cream knit with blue stars on it and her favourite thing, especially since it’s Carrie’s.

She interrupts their train of thought. “C’mon let’s take a picture, your Madonna top is too good not to.”

Flynn nods and wraps her arm around Carrie’s shoulders. She wishes that they could stay there forever, but unfortunately the moment ends after Carrie takes the photo on her new phone.

“I have to go home, but I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Yeah I need to go home too, I’ve been procrastinating my homework and now I have a ton.”

Carrie just sighs as she turns away. “Just make sure not to have too many sodas, soda pop!” She calls as she leaves.

“I’ll try, bubblegum,” Flynn softly responds while watching Carrie’s heels disappear as they clip clop against the cobblestone. It always amazes them how they could walk effortlessly in heels. Carrie always pretends to look effortless and like she doesn’t care, but Flynn knows her better than that.

When you are young, they assume you know nothing

Or at least, Flynn KNEW her better than that. She realizes that going through their closet was a mistake. There’s too many memories in the clothing that hangs there. They leave a bittersweet aftertaste.

The Madonna shirt is in her hands. Flynn loves that memory, but now it just carries the hurt of Carrie no longer being her friend. At least they aren’t quite enemies. Just the shadow of the girl she used to know, and love. Now they don’t even like either.

People assume you don’t know anything when you’re young, but you actually know more. You’re less afraid, less guarded, less hidden. People change, but Flynn knew that not too long ago she did know her, even if they don’t now.

Sequin smile, Black lipstick

Sensual politics

“Are you sure this looks good?” Flynn asks as she looks in the mirror. Black lipstick is a bold move, but they think it doesn’t look too bad.

“Are you kidding me Flynn?!” Julie exclaims. “You look so good and badass! Carrie was so right when she said you’d look good in black lipstick. What do you think, Care?”

Flynn turns to face Carrie who is just staring at her lips. She has an awestruck expression on her face and swallows heavily before meeting Flynn’s eyes. Does their lipstick look that bad that she has to stare at her lips? Or maybe it’s smudged? Flynn has no idea.

“It looks really good, Flynnie,” she says softly. There’s something off about her voice. Flynn can’t figure out what though.

Julie on the other hand just lets out a short laugh. Carrie kicks her shin in response. They seem to be having some kind of glaring match. Flynn has never been more confused.

“What’s going on?”

Julie responds first while smirking. “Carrie was just-“

“Thinking that I should really steal your sequin top,” Carrie quickly interrupts. “It’s pink and sparkly and pretty and totally my aesthetic. Please?” Carrie pouts, trying to convince her.

There is definitely something that she doesn’t know, but they doubt they’ll find out and she can never say no to Carrie. “Sure, pinky. Here you go.” Flynn passes it to Carrie who thanks her then goes to the washroom to change.

Julie looks at Flynn knowingly. “You’ve got it bad.”

“Shut up!” They respond, crossing their arms and pointedly staring at the wall. It’s just a little crush okay, nothing big.

Before they know it Carrie is back in the room and Flynn’s eyes widen. She looks incredibly pretty. Pink is definitely her colour. And she’s wearing Flynn’s shirt. She’s wearing a shirt that belongs to them. Flynn knows that they’re not in a relationship, but her stomach is already a whirl of butterflies and their heart feels like it’s gonna pump out of her chest. Carrie flashes her a sequin smile and Flynn is so done for.

Julie mumbles something that kinda sounds like “Useless lesbians,” but Flynn can’t bring herself to care.

When you are young, they assume you know nothing

The pink sequin top that Carrie looked so beautiful in is in their closet, and she knows that the black lipstick they wore is in her drawer. In hindsight Flynn knows that maybe Carrie was looking at her lips because she wanted to kiss her, but that doesn’t matter now. It’ll never happen.

Maybe they did know nothing when she was young. They didn’t know that their friendship that she valued so much would turn to dust at what seemed like a moment's notice. She didn’t know that they’d lose one of her best friends. They never could have imagined it, but this is the sad reality that she’s living in. If only things could’ve been different.

But I knew you

Dancin’ in your Levi’s

Drunk under a streetlight

“Do you ever think about how lucky we are to have met? The odds are slim to none, yet they aligned perfectly for us. I don’t know where I’d be without you. We’re just two parts of a whole trying to make our way through the world,” Carrie recites as if it’s a poem she knows by heart, but Flynn knows that it’s something she just thought of.

Her head is tipped back with her eyes closed, bathing her face in the glow of the streetlight, making her look like an angel, so ethereal and unreal. Combined with what she just said, Flynn can’t even form one coherent thought, but they feel the same way. They’re just connected in some way.

Not that she doesn’t love Julie just as much, but it’s in a different way. Julie is her sister, their family, but Carrie is her… she’d like to say soulmate, but that’s too cheesy. Plus she doesn’t even know if she likes them romantically.

“Are you drunk or something?” Flynn asks, trying to lighten the mood, not knowing what to do with this tension. Plus they just have no idea what to say.

Carrie just looks at her and smiles teasingly. “Drunk on you perhaps, but I’m as sober as a judge.”

“Good to know, Sappho. Can’t have your creative little mind going to waste.” Flynn can’t help, but tease a little back. Carrie really is their Sappho.

She points at some words painted on her Levi’s and softly says, “You may forget but, Let me tell you this: someone in the future in some future time will think of us.”

They painted that when her, Flynn, and Julie all came out to each other, a Sappho quote. They all have a matching pair of Levi’s that have that quote painted on it.

Flynn just smiles widely and relishes in the moment.

Flynn still has her Levi’s. She doesn’t wear them very often anymore. They’re just gathering dust in her closet. How ironic that they painted them when they all came out of the closet, and now they’re gathering dust in her closet.

That moment was one of Flynn’s favourites. It was so soft, so tender, so them, but now Carrie’s words sting. They’re still very precious to her, but if everything she said was true, how could this have happened? If they were truly two parts of a whole trying to make their way through the world, they would still be friends, and maybe even something more, right?

Flynn doesn’t know, but they’re tired. She misses her so badly, but they’re done. Everything that they had is just over.

They did know her though. They really did. They were something less cheesy than soulmates. Flynn grieves the girl she once knew, but really there’s no use. They’ve both grown up, and unfortunately with that growing, they also grew apart.

I knew you

Hand under my sweatshirt

Baby kiss it better

“I cannot believe that Mr. Robertson is giving us a 10 page test tomorrow even though we’re only halfway through the unit! This is ridiculous! Who does he think-“ Flynn interrupts herself by yelping when they feel something cold on her back.

Carrie giggles. “What? Are my hands cold, sweetheart?”

Flynn turns around to face this stupid adorable girl with their finger pointed at her. “I told you not to do that! Your hands are freezing!”

“But it’s fun to see you yelp, plus my hands are really cold. I just had English and that room is always FREEZING.” Carrie gives her a pleading look and Flynn just sighs as she holds out her hand. She really needs to learn how to say no to Carrie, but they don’t really want to.

Carrie smiles widely and grabs her hand, sending another shiver down Flynn’s spine. “I love your sweatshirt by the way.”

They’re wearing an orange cropped tie dye sweatshirt that’s super soft. Flynn embroidered a little orange on the chest and she loves it so much. They smile softly.

Julie clears her throat. Oh yeah, they were just talking about science. Flynn completely forgot. In their defence, Carrie is amazing.

“Come on let’s eat lunch, I want a cookie,” Julie says, deciding to ignore them and instead tease them about it afterwards. Thank God for that because Flynn would’ve either killed her or died from embarrassment, who knows which.

They all continue talking, but all Flynn can really focus on is that she’s holding hands with Carrie, even if they’re freezing cold. Due to Flynn’s oblivious happiness they miss a step when walking down the stairs. Luckily, they were smart enough to let go of Carrie’s hand before doing so, but it still really hurts. She looks down and somehow she scraped one of her knees. Well that’s just great.

“Are you okay?!” Carrie asks worriedly, kneeling beside her. They can hear Julie laughing on the other side of her. At the moment she really wishes that she didn’t know about her crush.

“Yeah I’m okay, my love,” Flynn says to comfort her, even though her butt and knee still really hurt.

Carrie still doesn’t look convinced. “You are so lucky I have a bandaid right now.” She takes one out of her pocket and carefully puts it on Flynn’s scraped knee.

Their brain still isn’t working properly. How can you expect it to when Carrie is oh so tenderly caring for them and showing that she loves her? To try to break the tenderness because they don’t know what else to do Flynn jokingly asks, “Kiss it better?”

“As you wish.” Carrie softly and quickly kisses the bandaid on their knee. Flynn can’t even feel it, but it’s enough to make her face darken and heart race. This girl will be the death of her.

Flynn doesn’t know why she’s reminiscing about this all of a sudden, but it’s just one of those days where everything sucks and the nostalgia sinks in. It probably wasn’t a good idea for her to go through her closet when she already felt bad, but it’s too late now. Sure enough the orange tie dye sweatshirt was in it.

They miss Carrie. They miss her so much that she can’t breathe. Flynn starts to cry as she feels the lump in her throat grow. Why did everything have to change? She was happy. They were all happy, and now she’s picking up the pieces of themselves.

And when I felt like I was an old cardigan

Under someone’s bed

You put me on and said I was your favourite

Flynn and Carrie are lying on Carrie’s bed, just listening to music and hanging out. Flynn’s had a terrible day where nothing seemed to go right. It brought all their insecurities to the surface where before she was just burying them under everything else.

“I feel like I’m an ordinary. Like I’m nothing special and could just be thrown away and no one could care. Like I’m an old cardigan laying under someone’s bed,” Flynn softly confesses in the quiet room.

They can hear Carrie shifting to face her, but they can’t look in her eyes yet. Instead of talking to Flynn though, she just stands up and gets something out of her closet.

“This is my favourite jacket, Carrie says just as softly while walking back to her bed. “It might not seem like anything special, just a cream cardigan.” She sits down beside her and shows her the back of it, but then flips it over to show the blue stars embroidered on it. “But it means the world to me. My Dad gave it to me when my Mom was sick. It’s still the most comforting thing I own. I usually just wear it at home because I’m scared I’ll ruin it, but I wear it out when I need a little extra comfort.

Carrie passes the cardigan to her. “You’re like this cardigan to me. You help me so much and you mean the world to me, Flynn. I love you so much and you are my favourite, never forget that. Take it. Just give it back eventually, please. Hopefully it’ll help you as much as it has helped me.” Carrie smiles tenderly.

Flynn has no words. No words for Carrie’s kindness and love. All they can focus on is this warm feeling and how much they love this girl that she just can’t describe. Flynn starts crying and pulls Carrie into a tight hug. Everything will be okay.

Flynn cries even harder now. She never gave back the cardigan. They completely forgot about it. Her mind is full of guilt, but it’s made them realize something. If Carrie loved them that much before, it can’t all completely be gone. After all, Flynn still does. She puts on the cardigan and fiddles with the slightly too long sleeves. Maybe they can still fix this.

[kopykattsfics]

I think I like you

Jiro and Tokoyami have started to hang out since they all played together during the school festival, becoming close friends, one day while trying some new the two start to talk a bit.

Toko: I was thinking something like this? - plays a few chords-

Jiro: It sounds good, when are you going to let me hear the rest of it? She leans in a bit, he had been telling her about a son he'd been writing a song, and she had been begging him to hear it, but he kept it under wraps.

Toko: It's not ready yet, for anyone to hear.

He was writing a love song for her, he was probably never going to play it for her, girls weren't very much interested in him. Dark Shadow being around was, hard enough, but his face not matching his body had sort of made him give up in the romance department.

Jiro: Not even me? I thought we were friends

she teased, whatever he was writing it sounded pretty, she tried to put the samples he played together, tie them into the song he was keeping from her.

Toko: It's just really private,

she was making him nervous, he wanted to tell her the truth, that he had liked her for a while, since before the festival, since he laid eyes on her. her own aesthetic had pulled him in.

Dark Shadow: Just tell her already, this isn't fun anymore.

Jiro: Tell me what?

Toko: I'm going to teach you about social ques.

He frowned, he made dark shadow be quiet about this, but he should have assumed it wouldn't work out.

Toko: Here goes... I kind of...

Dark shadow: Hes in love with you.

Toko: I don't need help. I'm not in love, I mean... I like you.

Her face went red, she didn't know what to say to this, stunned. A boy had never confessed before, not to her. She was the weird girl, always.

Toko: I understand if you don't feel the same way. I should go.

He starts to pack his things, she was going to reject him, like the others. He thought about asking her to forget about this, to consider going back to being friends.

Jiro: Don't go... I like you to.

Toko: What?

Jiro: I mean, you liked me enough to build up the courage to confess, and we were hanging out a lot, Look it doesn't matter.

She was a blushing mess, they had become close, but she liked it, that they could jam out together and be herself. She liked that she was so comfortable with him.

Toko: You like me? The guy that has a bird head attached to a human one?

Jiro: Is that how you see yourself? It's not...

That was how he saw himself, a freak, that how the others did. He sort of laughed at how dark it was, in a world full of people with powers he still managed to feel like a freak.

Toko: You don't have to be nice.

Jiro: I'm not. I seriously like you Fumikage.

She smile at him, but he still couldn't believe it, getting closer to her he thought she would step back, but she stood her ground.

Toko: Can I kiss you?

Dark shadow: Yeah kiss her, kiss her.

Toko and Jiro: Shut up Dark shadow

Jiro: Yes, we can kiss.

They both looked away first, before looking at each other, leaning in it was clear that they were both nervous and embarrassed, their lips meeting Jiro is surprised she pulls back.

Toko: Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry I-

Jiro: It's soft... I didn't think it would be soft.

Toko: Of course it's soft? Did you think it would be hard? Or well...

Jiro: I don't know what I thought, I guess I thought...

She was stumbling, she had imagined them kissing, a million times but never thought it would be soft.

Toko: So... we're together then?

Jiro: Yeah, lets wait to tell everyone though... I like enjoying what we have going on.

Toko: Id agree but dark shadow can't keep a secret, we have the rest of the night at best.