#i will never settle on just one promo <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[velvetpill]

                   they weren't animals but they looked like animals, enough like animals to make it confusing, meant something but the meaning was slippery: it wasn't there but it remained, looked like the thing but wasn't the thing—was a second thing, following a second set of rules—and it was too late: their power over it was no longer absolute. what is alive and what isn't and what should we do about it? theories: about the nature of the thing. and of the soul. because people die. the fear: that nothing survives. the greater fear: that something does. — ⊱ richard siken, the language of the birds.

[tteokdoroki]

𐙚 🪷 TRUTH OR DRINK katsuki bakugou .ᐟ

⋆˙ᝰ about ! “you love me, you take care of me. that’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done f'me." with the release of your husband's newest album and the announcement for his latest tour, the two of you are invited on set to film a special kind of promotional video for newlyweds. hopefully, this married couple leave without a hangover. ( 4.8K )

warnings ! minors blank and ageless blogs do not interact. sfw, fluff, suggestive, angst if you squint, celebrity!au, all characters are aged up to 20s, mentions of sex, mentions of alcohol, drinking, newlyweds, exes, some family issues, long-distance, idol!bakugou, fem + model!reader - not beta read!

aali’s love letter ! happy birthday bakugou! another splendid year for our lord saviour dynamght !! i posted this late boo but its out!! i hope you guys are still able to enjoy <3 ty to @cuntcure for helping out n motivating me !! - m.list ⋆ read on ao3 ! ִ ࣪𖤐₊ ⊹

“fuck, we’re really doing this, huh?”

across from you, katsuki bakugou shifts uncomfortably  — ruby red eyes darting around the plain white set. studio lights glare from all directions, illuminating the slight sweat that beads at the blonde’s hairline. artificial lighting, bright and made to capture everything, refracts of the pearling perspiration and almost creates the illusion of a halo around the crown of your partner’s head. almost as if he’s an angel.

reaching over the small table that the producers have set up between you both, you grasp at katsuki’s rough fingers, toying with them as if to test the waters before you hold them fully — once he’s comfortable enough to accept your physical affection. his palms are warm and a little sweaty, but that doesn’t stop you from giving them a gentle squeeze. 

“it’ll be fun,” you whisper, keeping your voice low and calm as the production crew continues to contrastingly flit around you in preparation for the shoot. “and it’ll be great promo for your album!” lifting his hands, you press a kiss to the blonde’s knuckles as though you’re sealing a promise, ensuring that they’re not empty. you smile reassuringly and bakugou returns it awkwardly, drawing back just a tad when a member of production sheepishly approaches the table to set down three different bottles of alcohol, two shot glasses and a pitcher of pineapple and coconut juice as your mixer of choice. 

glass bottles of whisky, rum, and vodka glit under the white light too.

“we can back out at anytime,” comes your soft reminder once the crew member retreats to check the sound mic and cameras along with some other staff. “i want you to be comfortable.” 

bakugou shakes his head, this time, bringing the backs of your hands to his lips — pale blonde lashes fluttering as he shuts away ruby framed eyes and takes a breath to calm himself. “wanna do it. like y’said it’ll be good. fun.” when he opens his eyes again, he’s looking at you with a toothy smirk that never fails to send a shiver down your spine and butterflies in a flurry through your tummy. “besides, we haven’t been able t’do somethin’ like this together in a while.” 

nothing beats your grin after that and with a few more touch ups to your make up ( the both of you ) — you’re ready to begin filming. 

“okay guys!” the director on set claps their hands. “wanna start us off? who are you and what are you doing here today?” 

you give katsuki’s hands one last comforting squeeze before his crimson gaze slinks towards the camera that’s now rolling, fixating on its blinking red light as it matches his stare. “‘m katsuki bakugou ‘nd this is my wife,” he juts his head over to you gently, muttering your name with love laced between each of its syllables. 

you too turn to face the camera, award winning smile settling gracefully on your lips. “and today we’re playing truth or drink!” you squirm excitedly. “we’re really happy to be here! thank you for having us!” 

“i’m not.” 

“katsuki!” 

with a laugh behind the camera, the producer speaks again. “so, you’re some pretty special guests. what do you guys do? how long have you two been married?”

bakugou rolls his eyes at the enthusiasm. “i’m a singer-songwriter slash idol or whatever you wanna call it…and i’m on tour right now. so buy my album or you’re shit.” 

“and i’m a fashion model slash content creator. we’ve been together for like…five years? married for half a year? a year?” musing out loud, you switch your gaze from the camera to katsuki — letting him know with your eyes that he’s doing a great job.

“eight months, three weeks ‘n two days.” he corrects you seriously, causing sweet laughter to bubble up on your lips. 

“sorry, folks. eight months, three weeks and two days.”  you retort jokingly. bakugou rolls eyes ruby framed eyes again.

“okay, so still pretty new. let’s start with a shot, shall we?”

ever the gentlemen, your husband  pours you a decently sized shot using a drink he knows you like without even asking. he even tops it off with a mixer because he knows that sometimes you can’t get past a bitter aftertaste if the alcohol is too strong. once done with yours, he fills up his own glass before clinking it against yours — both of you knocking back the shot with practised ease. 

“god, that shit’s strong.” the pale blonde grimaces. 

despite having a facial expression to match, you somehow make light of the situation. “really puts hairs on your chest, doesn’t it, kats?”

“you like my tits naked and juicy, shut the hell up,” smirking cockily, katsuki slides your shot glasses to the side and toys with the stacked white question cards in front of him. “her words not mine.” 

“anyways…first card please.” 

doing as he’s told, katsuki flips the first card over — skimming the letters written in bold on the other side before he slams it back down. “‘m takin’ a shot.” 

the shoot has barely begun and you already find yourself bursting into fits of adoring, amused giggles. “no! it’s not even your question to answer! you have to read it, it’s the first card!” you whine playfully.

“alright, fine,” flipping the card over again with a dejected air about him, bakugou announces the question to both you and the camera. “when was the last time we had sex and where did it happen?” 

“oh god.” you pinch your brow.

“told ya. no shots, it’s the first card. y’gotta answer it, babe.” bakugou teases as he casts the card aside, leaning back in his chair slow and sexy like while he watches you hungrily. it’s like making you embarrassed has made him forget that he’s on camera. 

sighing through your nose, you pout at the camera and producers who watch eagerly. “on the way here.” 

“on the way to this shoot? oh my god!” 

“yes! omg. shut up, this is so embarrassing. katsuki don’t laugh!” you practically wail as the set bursts out into laughter. “god, okay. it was on the way here and in the back of the SUV with the partition up. don’t ask me how we had time. katsuki always makes time.” 

said katsuki wiggles two fingers towards the camera knowingly and chokes back a raspy chuckle when you frown in response, scooping up your own card. “next question,” your say as your gaze skims the card. “who is your least favourite parent in law? oooh, spicy.” 

“definitely her dad,” your husband points a thumb in your direction without hesitation but mouths his words straight into the camera. “you’re a piece of shit by the way.” 

the producer pipes in. “can we elaborate?”

“my dad was never the most supportive of my career…but claims everything i have is because of him. it sucks, he's a narcissist and we don’t really speak because of it.” you answer truthfully, attempting to shrug the weight of your familial situation off. you know that most girls dream of having their father walk them down the aisle on their wedding day…but it’s just not in the cards for you. sensing your anger, your hurt and your pain beginning to rise to the surface, katsuki takes the card from you and grasps at your hand — eyebrows raised earnestly into his hairline while he checks to see if you’re okay. a small, wistful smile plays at your lips and you give your partner a gentle nod. “it’s okay though, my mum, mitsuki and masaru have been great parents. katsuki’s mum and dad kept me grounded throughout our engagement, pretty much designed all of my wedding outfits. they were all custom.” 

“outfits? as in multiple?” 

“ah yes! mitsuki insisted that i had changes throughout the day.” you beam, a giddiness replacing any negative emotion you once felt. your future mother in law had done everything in her power to make you feel like a princess on your wedding day — to this day it made you feel extremely grateful for your positive relationship with bakugou’s family.

“they still fuckin’ spoil her, ma styles her for a lot shoots,” the blonde scoffs but the adoration dancing in the almost brown flecks of his carmine eyes tell a different story. “no seriously, ma ‘n pa love you so much. you’re like the daughter they never had.” 

“aw, that’s so cute. i’ll cry.” 

katsuki’s turn to pick a card rolls around again, but he doesn’t let go of your hand the entire time — index finger toying with your engagement ring. “what’s was the most stressful part about planning a wedding?” he reads. “oh, definitely the micromanaging from other people. shit pissed me off,” your husband answers almost straight away, already preparing to fix himself a shot when the producer asks him to elaborate. 

he shakes his head and the producer turns to you. “our managers thought that they could have a say in our ceremony since it was like the celebrity wedding of the year,” shrugging, you fix your own shot which makes your spouse grin. “we ended up having one public and one smaller, private wedding to say fuck ‘em. and no, they didn’t fire me for this.” 

“so a follow up, when you announced your engagement to the world what was a difficult thing you dealt with publicly?” someone from behind the camera asks.

pursing your lips, you look to katsuki for an answer. “the fan wars? some of my fans were…are still caught up on my ex and others think the great singer katsuki bakugou is too good for an influencer like me.” 

“they don’t know shit. you’re too good for the world baby, i don’t deserve you.” 

“corny ass,” you snort directly into the camera’s shot. “i’m sure that’s one of his song lyrics.” 

“is fuckin’ not!” bakugou pouts, though he’ll deny that he was later. “pick another damn card.” 

he pushes the pile towards you once more and you cheekily swipe one from the middle to make the video a little bit more interesting for those watching from home when it comes out. hopefully the viewers get a laugh out of bakugou calling you a cheater and you sticking your tongue out at him in retaliation — he pinches it back. 

“ouch! owie, okay! okay, let go!” flipping the card so that the text is facing you, you begin to read it out loud slowly — nearly bursting out into an incredulous fit of giggles at the question printed in thick black letters. “this is so ironic, baby you’re gonna love this one,” katsuki raises a brow, intrigued by the coy smile you’re barely trying to hide now. “i dare you to call an ex and remind them that you’re happily married.” 

a small silence echoes throughout the studio as you stare at one another, waiting and waiting, until a loud, raspy and haughty laugh rips through bakugou’s throat. 

“what’s so funny?”

the blonde sat opposite you, still as handsome as the day you first met him — with glittering gem eyes that sparkle under the studio lights and a toothy smile that never fails to melt your heart, suddenly grows shy. a rose tint spreads its way over the bridge of his nose and his cheeks that have lost their youthful roundness, katsuki blushes softly but laughs with his entire body — only just embarrassed by the secret he's about to reveal to his most dedicated fans and the rest of the world. 

leaning forward on the table, elbows on the edge, while you tuck your chin in the seat of your palm — biting your lip in amusement. “do you wanna tell them or should i?” 

“i wanna take a fuckin’ short first. can i?” katsuki asks, almost innocently. he knocks back a glass of dark, bitter whisky once he gets the go ahead. “she’s my first. my first everythin’. girlfriend, time, wife—“ 

“i sure hope i’m your first and only wife, kats.” you cut him off swiftly, a mischievous lilt layered thick on your tone.

he slings an arm over the back of his chair, waving you off lovingly. “—you know what i mean, sweets.” bakugou shrugs in the direction of the producers. “i don’t have an ex to call.”

“okay, we’ll have your wife call one.” 

at the film crew’s suggestion, your voice raises an octave, notes of surprise littered through out your melodic voice. “me? who would i even call?” you can’t help but snicker, trying to reach for the juice used for mixer so you can plan your escape route out of the dare. 

your husband snatches the bottle from your reach, holding it protectively against his broad chest. “call shindou.” he grunts out low but highly amused. 

“oh no, i’m not doing that. let me take the shot katsuki.” comes your instant response, tone turning slightly serious.

“who’s shindou?”

“her ex.” 

“my ex.” 

the both of you announce in unison, though you’re a little less entertained by your menace of a blonde husband — still guarding the drinks as he chucks the used question card to the side. 

“why not?” 

“cause it’ll be mean? he still hasn’t recovered from finding out i’m dating the idol he used to train with. yanno, the one who debuted over him.” 

bakugou clicks his tongue cockily.  “he’ll get over it. call him. c’mon, it’ll be funny and you love making me laugh.” 

“alright fine but you have to swear you’ll answer the next one.” you turn to the camera. “he’s right though, his laugh is the prettiest in the world.” 

bakugou blushes as you pull out your phone and scroll to the bottom of your contact list, surprised at yourself for not blocking and deleting the number. holding up the sleek device for everyone to view, you jab a thumb into the speaker button and watch with baited breath as it begins to ring throughout the studio.

“hello, yo speakin’,” a voice a little higher pitched than your husband’s filters through the speaker. it’s familiar, but doesn’t hold any of the comfort that bakugou brings. it’s been years since you ended things with your ex, the relationship was rocky and full of miscommunications and mistrusts before either of you skyrocketed to fame. there’s no malice between you both or a reason to cause katsuki why worry, you hope, but talking to yo shindou nowadays is akin to talking to a stranger. 

giving the camera an awkward thumbs up, you reply shyly. “hi shin, what’s up?” 

“oh hey sweetheart, this is a nice suprise.” your ex purrs through the line. you click the buttons side of your phone to turn up the volume — making sure his every word is picked up by the mics in the room. 

bakugou chimes in, clearly looking for an opportunity to show off. “hey asshole, don’t get too excited.” 

“hello to you too kats, what can i do you for princess?” 

“shin, don’t call me that. also we’re shooting truth or drink right now — newlyweds edition with kats. they wanted me to call, tell you i’m married or something… which i’m sure you know by now.” explaining in a rush, you push at bakugou’s forehead, right between arched, dark blonde brows to keep him and his laughter at bay. 

“it’s all anyone can talk about these days, especially when i’m on set. married couple of the year.” 

the producers mouth to you to ask shindou a question, in which you almost miss underneath the sounds of your newlywed husband suppressing snarky jokes and giggles. “they’re telling me to ask you if you’re happy for me ‘n kats. you don’t have to answer—“ 

“i am. happy for you. katsuki, as big as of an asshole as he is, makes you way fucking happier than i ever did. he’s good to you, but you’re better to him. the world wants to see you guys grow old together… i hope it stays that way or else i’ll have to swoop back in—“

cringing along the millions that will be watching in the near future, you slice through his words politely before bakugou can blow a gasket. “thanks, shin. you’re sweet.” 

“anything for you, sweetcheeks—“ 

“alright, alright. you’re pushin’ it now, freak. r’member i’m the one clapping these sweet cheeks and i’ll always be a better fuck than you—“ abruptly, your newfound husband snatches up your phone — growling possessively down the line as if to ward your ex off. 

“okaybyethankyou!” squealing you hang up the phone and breathe a heavy sigh of relief, head banging on the table in front of you as you try to hide your flustered face. “that went better than expected.” 

the blonde before you shrugs nonchalantly as if he wasn’t seconds away from reaching into the phone and tearing shindou’s head from between his shoulders.  “i do love an opportunity to show you off, rub our marriage in people’s faces.” alas, he pours you both a shot, adding a mixer to yours, sort of as a reward for making it through the call. “kay, next card,” he swipes one from the top of the pile once more, carefully murmuring its contents into the studio’s cool air. “can the both of you name one person you would have invited into your marital bedroom on your wedding night? see if you’re both thinking of the same person. easy. on three?” 

“sure! one, two—“ you count, the temperature of the room raising as it awaits your big reveal. “kirishima.” 

“kirishima.” katsuki says at the same time before smirking cockily at the film crew. “next!”

you join him just as your foot flirtatious slides up his leg from underneath the table. “kats says eijirou is packin’, by the way.” your husband’s smile fades into an embarrassed look, everyone in the room laughing along with you. of course he’s seen it. of course you’ve talked about this before. “anyway, my turn! most romantic thing i’ve ever done for you? c’mon now kats, you can think of something. i’m pretty sweet.” 

reaching for your hand for the nth time during the shoot, bakugou laces his fingers with yours — decadent dark red eyes instantly drawn to the big rock on your engagement ring and the simple gold wedding band that sits above it as he recalls everything you’ve ever done for him. every gesture; every text, every act of physical touch or service. it would be hard to choose just one romantic thing.

the silence as he ponders almost fills you with dread, a nervousness fluttering about in your chest like a butterfly whose wings are beginning to fail them. they’d have to edit this part out if he couldn’t think of anything. 

but then, those plush pink lips that kiss you and call for you, part gently and a soft sentiment escape’s from between them. “you love me,” is all bakugou can say, eyes wide and genuine. “you take care of me. that’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done f'me…and, if we’re talkin’ specifics, you remember that time just before my album came out? before our wedding? i was fuckin’ stressed ‘n i was always locked up in the studio, trying to figure out the track list, the final song…” 

you nod slowly, exhaling deeply through your nose. “yeah?”  the background noise from the crew, cameras and mics wither away until it’s just yourself and bakugou in the room — holding hands as though you’re one another’s life lines. 

“it was three am ‘n you were in another city for a shoot but…you still made the drive over to have dinner with me. to make sure i ate,” the tip of katsuki’s rough and calloused thumb brushes over the bumps formed by your knuckles. “just to help me run through things even though i was freakin’ the fuck out and you had a flight to milan the next day. you ate with me and that meant a lot.” he seems wistful as he talks, forgetting that the world will be able to see his heart beating all tender like when the cameras are put away and the footage is polished up.

perhaps he doesn’t care if the world sees him being so vulnerable with the woman he loves on screen. they’ll usually find such openness hidden between the lyrics of his songs. so, perhaps it’s the little alcohol running through his system. nevertheless, quiet love and appreciation seeps from katsuki bakugou’s pours into the quiet atmosphere of the set, the emotions crash over you in waves that you welcome — almost reducing you to tears brewed just for him.

“you asshole,” you sniff, lacking all the spite the insulting nickname carries. “i didn’t think that night  meant so much to you… i just wanted to see my baby. wanted to make sure you were okay.” 

cocking his head to the side fondly, the blonde singer uses the back of his hand to wipe at your free falling tears you hadn’t realised were there. bakugou doesn’t let go of you the entire time. “don’t cry sweets, you know i hate t’see you cry.” 

watery laughter bubbles up on the seam of your lips. “don’t tell me what to do,”

“you said she drove from another city, would you guys say that distance made things difficult for you?” 

“sometimes,” you answer the director truthfully. “while we were engaged we’d plan our wedding across different time zones. when i was awake walking for fashion week he was sleeping in his studio making songs.” you explain, looking to katsuki to confirm.

he nods along with another squeeze of your hand. “it was hard yeah, but we got through it. now she has my ring on her finger ‘n she’s stuck with me.” 

“send help.” you mouth to the camera.

resuming the game, you snatch up a card and secretly hope that the question is a little more light hearted than the previous. “has my line of work ever made you jealous? oooh, good one,” adding the card to the ones already discarded, you squirm in your seat — excited to know your husband’s answer. “no shots! i want you sober and honest.” 

“i’ve hardly had anythin’ to drink!” katsuki snorts. “what’s the sayin’? a drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts? let me have something.” 

“no! i want sober words and sober thoughts, that’s the aim of the game, stink.” 

katsuki rolls his eyes so hard you fear they might drop out of his skull. “spoiled brat,” he mumbles begrudgingly, sucking his teeth. “okay before anyone says anythin’, i’m a secure guy. i trust and value my girl’s word above anyone else’s. i love seein’ her on billboards in every country i visit, on magazines at every airport I’ve ever flown from…”

“it feels like there’s a but coming.” 

“wait for it…” you hum gleefully.

“but i hate that one cover shoot you did with that nerd, izuku, for vogue. that’s it. never do that shit again.” bakugou finishes, crossing his arms over his chest like a petulant child.

nearly leaping out of your seat, you point at your husband — bewildered. “i knew it! you said it didn’t bother you!”

“of course it did! he had his grubby arms wrapped around you! he stinks.” 

“you did not just call izuku stinky, he’s got a feature on your album!” 

“his feature can kiss my ass,” you know that bakugou is only half serious, the two have written some beautiful songs together and the cover hardly meant anything — izuku models from time to time as well. it just so happens you also work for the same brands. “my turn again, rate my proposal on a scale of one to ten. how good did i do?”

“nine point five.” you nod assertively, speaking to your audience with love bursting through your heart. “he proposed to me at his first sold out concert, like literally stopped singing and apologised to all of his fans because he had something important to say. that’s when he asked me, in front of his entire world. kats’ is real private so it meant so much to me…”

the blonde leans back in his seat but brings your hand to his lips, pressing a kiss directly to your wedding rings. “only nine point five? cheeky fucker.”

“it’s only ‘cause your genius-self decided to chuck my ring into the crowd?” you scoff. 

“oi! i have good aim, you’re just shit at catchin’ things!” katsuki scoffs back, nudging you with his foot under the table. 

“back to the game love birds.” 

the two of you put your playful little spat on the back burner and you grasp the next card. “how many years into our our marriage do you think we’ll stop having sex—?” 

“never,” katsuki cuts you off, looking directly into the lense as he jabs a thumb in your direction. “i can’t ever get her off my cock. she’s fuckin’ insane.” 

heat flares up underneath the surface of your skin in embarrassment. “fuck you.” 

“right after this shoot, sweetheart.” he winks right back at you before nodding down at the cards. “last two, yeah? did your life turn out as expected?”

chewing on your bottom lip, you give the question some thought. life has an unpredictable nature, no matter who you are or where you come from. if someone had told you a year into your college degree, that you’d be in front of sorts of cameras as a profession for the rest of your life — you wouldn’t have believed them. if someone had told you that you’d find the love of your life shortly after, you would have called them a liar too. your past has been heavy, a dark cloud you never thought you’d be able to escape — hauntingly daunting.

and even though you know that it’s a burden to place the weight of your happiness on someone else’s shoulders — but you know that katsuki has always been your golden, blinding light at the end of the tunnel. he’s something you never expected, but someone you entirely deserve after everything life has thrown at you. 

“no, it hasn’t,” you whisper softly, ever so slightly distinct. your lover leans in, watching you curiously from over stacked question cards and bottles of barely touched alcohol. “i never expected to be so famous so young, that a silly little dream of mine could come true. that i never expected, i still can’t believe it…but, it’s like… meeting you. falling in love with you, on top of all that? it’s like i was destined to be with you, kats. you’re my soulmate. i knew that from the start.” 

just like you earlier, emotion wells up inside katsuki. it breaches the cavity of his chest, slows down the rate of his heart and lungs and brings a slight shine to his beautiful blood red eyes. he sniffs but doesn’t dare look away from you — reading deep into your soul despite knowing the pages of it off by heart. “i feel the same,” he mumbles, reaching over to cup your face even with all of the cameras around. “i never expected to go on tour, sell albums and make music…but i feel like my heart always knew you were waitin’ for me.” quietness fills the space between the two of you, neither of you needing to say much. you cup the wrist of his hand that touched your face, leaning into his palm and pressing a kiss to it. “we’re so fuckin’ corny.” 

“you love it.”  you reply instantly. “i love you.” 

“see?” katsuki asks the production crew as he draws the last card for both of you — holding it out for you to read. “cornball.” 

“it’s cute! she’s cute and corny!”

“what about the rest of our marriage do you look forward to most?” since the video shoot is coming to an end, and you hardly want to cry any more, you both decide to make your answers short and sweet. “i look forward to spending forever by your side, taking over the world one continent at a time.” you gush, meaning every single word, smiling adoringly. 

“ditto, can’t wait to grow old with you, brat.” bakugou mirrors your expression and finally, finally ends the shoot by pressing the ghost of a kiss to your awaiting lips. you feel warm knowing how comfortable he’s grown over the course of filming, even more so at all of the truths he’s given you tonight. 

“that’s a wrap! thank you so much guys!”

katsuki salutes the camera, finishing up for you. “we’ve been the bakugous playin’ truth or drink. buy my album, see me on tour, buy a magazine with my wife’s beautiful face on it. like and subscribe.” all the while, you reflect on everything that you’ve learned about your husband whilst filming — that he loves you a lot more than he lets on, that you have his heart for all of eternity, that nothing in this world and cause his love for you to waver, 

and as your matching wedding bands continue to gleam beneath the dimming studio lights, you only hope that he knows that you feel the exact same way about loving him too.

꒰ end. — all rights reserved © tteokdoroki 2024. do not copy, repost, translate, feed into ai & recommend elsewhere.

[heartofbusan]

A layer of fresh snow.

Once we're allowed to focus solely on our main protagonists, the vibe of AYS shifts drastically from playful to softly melancholic. The scenery has a marked effect on them. Is this that youth they keep talking about?

Well, we're seeing it fall through their fingers as they try to grab it with both hands. This is a turning point, and they both know it. Once you've experienced a couple of these, you start to head into them with eyes wide open. One of them is welcoming it with a positive attitude, the other, less so.

The opening scene sets the stage for this mood. I got an ask about this moment because it seems like Jimin is markedly quiet or introverted (just look at his body language compared to other promo segments!) compared to Jungkook, who is laser focused on Jimin. Was Jimin tired, hungover, sick, or sad? Who knows. This is what we're working with, and as the opening scene of season 3 of AYS, it says a lot about the tone they're settling on;

Cementing old memories with a layer of fresh ones.

The show finally landed on the final concept, it seems. There's less of a focus on what they're doing. Making memories is the main goal. There's a focus on the landscape, but it's all emotionally linked to jikook. We're looking at the world through their eyes. It's not so much the surroundings that matter here, or where they are exactly, as it's who they're experiencing it with and how they're enjoying it from inside their little snow globe.

There are whole scenes in which 'nothing' actually happens, no activity, no 'point' to the scene other than its jikook moving from point A to B while enjoying the snow. That's kind of wild, a show with little to no dramatic arc, and the intimacy takes center stage.

The cold makes them seek warmth from a hot drink, a warm cafe, and life is suddenly made simpler. A shelter from the storm. If this isn't a metaphor for their lives at the time of filming, then I don't know what is.

How can we talk about this episode and not mention the Train to Busan Boys scene? It will go down in history as my roman empire. They're enjoying the view while sharing earphones. What makes this moment even more intimate is the fact that we as an audience are not let into what they are listening to. We're not seeing their faces either, but we're seeing the effect this moment has on them : Seeking a shoulder to lean on. Again, the metaphors are writing themselves.

I will never get over this.

[bamboobooshark]

MOON BOYS X READER

₊˚.⋆🕯️���⁺. FIRST NIGHT TOGETHER : 4.2K WRDS

A/N : Originally, my goal with these preferences was to try write more than 1k words. I ended up writing a lot more as you can tell by the word count! I’m really proud of myself for that to be honest. Anyway, here’s some preferences for staying at the Moon Boys’ flat for the first night after spending some time with them. Warning for a pinch of angst with Steven’s, anxiety with Marc’s, and badly written Spanish in Jake’s (sorry </3)

STEVEN GRANT .

You and Steven have been friends for a while now. Both of you moved into the same apartment building around the same week. With the agreement to make the most of it, the two of you decided you would meet up every evening after Steven’s shift to talk.

Sometimes you guys would simply talk and you’d give him a ride home since he didn’t have a license. Other times, you’d greet each other with the goofiest grins with the knowledge that you planned an outing or movie night together.

Earlier today, he came beaming to you at your guys’ usual hang-out spot about how a coworker of his asked him out. The stars were fresh in the sky, the sun only had set a little bit ago. The wind was getting his thick curls messier than they already had been from his long work day. He squinted while looking for you and immediately smiled when he found you. The last thing you would’ve expected was for him to tell you about going on a date with his coworker, let alone someone he barely knew.

He was doing his usual when he was excited; talking with his hands, exaggerating his facial expressions, changing his tone with each little word.

As much as you were admiring him at that moment, it did wring your heart dry. Hearing him ramble about how excited, happy, and confident he was about this date felt like a stab in the chest. You didn’t know why.

You had never felt the need to stop him from doing something. Hell, you always encouraged Steven to follow his heart and do what he desired. At that moment, you were regretting it heavily. All the encouragement. All the praising. All the pep talks. All of it led up to him accepting a date with one of his damn coworkers.

“You alright? Got something bothering you, mate? Hello,” he had asked with concern. He stopped with the exaggeration for a second to check up on you. You couldn’t convince yourself that man didn’t have feelings for you. Yet, you shook your head no and shrugged your shoulders. You hated having to lie to him or try to shove your feelings to the side. “It’s nothing. Just happy for you! I can’t believe someone finally asked you out,” you explained to him with your hand on his bicep. It lingered there for a moment before slowly sliding down to his forearm, and wrist, and settling on his hand. His pulse was a little fast as you had felt it throb under your thumb. Both of you gave each other an unnecessarily long but welcomed gaze. His pulse quickened.

Steven got a bit flushed and instinctively pulled his hand out from under your palm. The bench beneath your hand was cold and wet from the rain earlier today. You were already missing the warmth of his flesh, but he was right fucking in front of you.

“Why does this hurt so bad,” you ask yourself now as you sit on your bed. You’ve been asking yourself this since you got back to your flat. You’re beating yourself up for thinking about him so much. “That bitch doesn’t even know him! I don’t know why she thinks she deserves a second of his time. She’s not nearly enough for him. She’s not good enough for him,” you growl to yourself in anger. Out of your rage, you start to do something that you never do unless Steven’s over. You grab some popcorn, slam it in the microwave, and impatiently get your couch ready for a movie marathon.

“I bet he only gave her a chance because she’s so far out of his league that he would’ve felt bad about rejecting her. Maybe Donna treats her better than she treats Steven so she’s using him to get some praise and maybe a promotion,” you mutter through gritted teeth while walking around your flat, tossing pillows and throwing blankets onto your couch.

Then comes a knock. You and Steven’s knock. The one that lets you two know you’re the one who’s knocking. Your rage pauses as you stand there in silence. “Hiya… The date didn’t go too well, just letting you know. I’ll be in my flat if you need me,” he explains to you before you hear him walk off. Your heart that was previously wrung of all concern for him as he explained the situation to you earlier soaked up his words like a sponge.

You internally debated what the best thing to do would be. However, your brain interrupts itself when the microwave begins beeping. A groan leaves your lips as you shuffle over to grab the popcorn. You hold the bag in your hands before realizing that this is the solution. This was what would help Steven feel better. A movie marathon together. You and him alone, cuddled up on the couch, snacking on popcorn, making the dumbest comments as you both watch.

You take no time throwing on your pajamas, grabbing your phone, and getting anything else you need while the popcorn cools on the counter. It almost falls on the floor when you try to grab it the first time, but you thankfully catch it. You run out your door, walk a few feet, and knock on Steven’s. “Steven, can we have a movie night together? Please,” you plead. You know he can be a bit selfless sometimes, but you need him to know you’re concerned about him right now. No excuses, no lies. “I just wanna do something to cheer you up. You sounded so sad when you were at my door earlier. I’m sorry for not answering. I’m here for you now,” you anxiously ramble before his figure greets you. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt. Don’t have work tomorrow either,” he comments as the slightest smile begins to creep onto his face.

The two of you let out a deep sigh once you’re settled on his bed. He explained he didn’t want to sit on the couch because he wanted to be comfortable. Feeling pity for him, you quickly accepted his request for you guys to get cozy under his covers.

“There we go! Much better, yeah,” he asks while looking at you. Despite Steven’s flat being dark aside from his laptop screen, his eyes seem to be softer. His gaze reminds you of the moment you shared earlier. His flesh getting warmer. His pulse throbbed quicker under your touch.

“Now, let me just get my computer going,” he murmurs, pulling you out of your memories. You smile back at him and nod softly. A soft giggle leaves your lips as he awkwardly pushes it to you. As much as a nerd he is, he’s never been tech-savvy. You quickly start up the movie while Steven moves back and forth on his thighs. Once it loads, you push the computer in front of you two and pull the covers over your lap.

In due time, you and Steven finally cuddle against each other. Your knees are tucked up under your stomach with your shins pressed against his thighs. Your arms loosely circle his hips while one of his hands is settled on your waist. Your head rests against his bicep. The only sounds that fill his flat are the movie’s audio, sheets ruffling, wind whistling against the window and the sound of deep breathing.

“I wanna let you know I’m sorry for ignoring my feelings,” Steven starts. You don’t look up at him but still display a confused expression on your face. “I love you. I have loved you. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner,” he says. You can feel his skin begin to heat. Before he can start to verbally apologize and insist he didn’t mean it, you let him know what you’ve wanted to say for a while. “I love you too, Steven,” you assure him. You lean forward, pressing yourself against his thigh and torso to give his lips a soft and gentle kiss. He kisses you back with the same loving energy. It’s a back-and-forth of soft pecks and lingering kisses before both of you grow too tired to continue. You fall asleep with your limbs tangled with one another’s, finally at peace with your feelings for each other.

MARC SPECTOR .

Anxious. If there was one word to describe Marc Spector when he’s around you, it would be anxious. Sweaty palms, clammy hands, flickering gaze, and an inability to be still. He started acting this way when both of you had a conversation about your mutual feelings.

It’s been almost a month since that conversation. Now the two of you sat at the warm, homey restaurant that wasn’t too far from his flat. Marc’s gaze was pitiful. He looked at you with his big, brown eyes that were all glossy from the reflection of the light.

“You look amazing tonight, love,” he told you tenderly. Your cheeks warm before you attempt to return the compliment. “And I could say the same. You always look so good no matter what you wear,” you beamed.

He reached his hand on top of the table, beckoning your own to join his. You chuckle softly and put your palm against his. His fingers make their way under your hand until they meet his thumb to carefully wrap around yours. He slowly runs his thumb against the soft flesh between two of your fingers. You sigh at the gentle gesture. Even before the shared confession, Marc was always prone to being gentle with you, whether it was his words or his actions.

Both of your eyes shared the same sight. A warm meal in front of you, the light from the inside of the restaurant shining perfectly onto your lover’s face, and the most welcoming hand lovingly wrapped around your own. None of this felt real. This must’ve been what Marc felt like all the time; terrified that this was just a dream or a hallucination. Luckily both of those anxieties were false. Neither of you had anything to worry about. Both of you were real and both of you were here to stay with each other.

After a few minutes of admiration and silence, you slip your hand away from his so you can both begin to eat. Hums and quiet groans of satisfaction leave your lips. Despite the restaurant not being a main chain, it had some of the best damn food you’ve ever eaten. It doesn’t even take you two hours to finish your meals. You and Marc have decided that you’ll each pay half if the two of you plan a date together, rather than on your own. He holds your hand while you walk over to the side of the street, hailing a taxi for you two.

Now the two of you are at his apartment complex. You immediately notice his anxious mannerisms getting more apparent. “Is something wrong, Marc,” you ask sweetly, not wanting to assume anything. “Yeah. I’m fine, darling,” he assured you, nervously biting his bottom lip. You squeeze his hand a bit to remind him that you love him. He squeezes back with a bit more force.

The elevator takes you up to his floor. He fumbles with his keys as you guys make your way to his flat. “Give me a second,” he mutters while fumbling with his key ring. He gets the key in and takes a deep breath before turning it to open the door. His expression tells you that his mind is racing with unwelcome thoughts. “Come on in,” he says hesitantly while motioning you to go in as he takes the key from the lock.

You’re somewhat confused. Marc had never let you come over to his flat. You assumed that his mental illness caused his place to be a bit of a wreck, maybe he found the state of it embarrassing, or he simply liked being at your place more. Your brows furrow as you take in the area. It isn’t nearly as bad as you expected it to be. Sure the whole flat has papers and books scattered across it, but not in a way that makes it look like a mess. However, Marc quickly objects to your internal dialogue as if he could read your mind.

“Shit,” he muttered. “I know it’s a mess. I’m sorry. I didn’t have time to clean up before we just spontaneously planned our date tonight,” he groaned wearily, running a hand through his hair. “Marc, don’t say that. Your flat is just about as messy as mine. Plus, I don’t expect you to have a picture-perfect place! You live here. It’ll get a little messy from day-to-day life,” you told him with a soft smile. You set down the bag you’d brought to stay the night before walking over to him. Your arms encircled his waist and rested at the small of his back. His muscles tensed in response to your touch. You leaned your head to press your face against his chest. “I promise it’s fine. I already feel at home,” you hummed while adding a bit of pressure to your embrace. He sighed deeply before giving in to your reassurance. He nodded his head in agreement and returned the gentle gesture. His arms reached from his sides to your neck, one hand tracing circles on your shoulder blade while the other rubbed the back of your head. He tilted your head up from his chest and smiled. “There’s that stunning face I love so much,” he cooed softly before kissing your forehead. “Do you ever stop,” you tease while cocking your head to the side. “What? Loving you? Never,” he replied before giving you a quick squeeze.

The next few minutes are the most soothing and peaceful you’ve had in a long time. The way Marc holds you feels so protective and safe. Your shared body warmth helps both of you melt into each other. His heart beats heavily in his chest while you press your bodies together. A soft, slow sway is shared between you. Heavy breathing, quiet mumbles of only the most tender words, hands fiddling with the fabric of the other’s clothes.

“You ready for bed yet, baby,” he asks softly, leaning forward to whisper to you. He gently kisses your neck while awaiting your answer. Your hand reaches up to play with his dark curls and you begin to hum with satisfaction from the kisses. “Mm. I guess,” you drag out in a sigh. “Let’s get you to bed then,” he mumbles. Before leading you to his bed, Marc smiles against your neck, giving the soft skin a small nip.

You manage to maneuver over to his bed as he continues to stay glued to you. He turns you around and flops back on his bed, pulling you on top of him securely. You let out a bit of a yell when he does that. He pulls his arms tighter around your waist and kisses the nape of your neck. “Fuck. That feels so good,” he groans. This man loves having you close, having you lay on him, smelling you, sweet things like that. However, they all came from a deep-rooted fear of losing you or that you’re simply a hallucination. So any time he convinces, or forces, you to lay on top of him, he is in utter bliss.

You start to get a little antsy in his grasp. His arms hold you tightly, but you still tilt side to side. “Marc! You can let me go now,” you exclaim playfully. He grunts in disagreement. “I’m not letting you go.” You sigh softly before moving all of your weight to one side. As expected his arms stay around your waist. He was insistent on not letting you go.

“You win,” you groan softly. He moves his body so he can rest his head on the crook of your neck. “I know, darling. Now we can go to sleep since we have that settled,” he hums against your skin. Both of you fall asleep entangled with each other. His arms stay around your waist like a harness as your hands lay on top of his.

JAKE LOCKLEY .

You and Jake had a date arranged. It was more of him planning a surprise for you and you agreeing to it. Nonetheless, you were intensely excited.

As he requested, you packed a bag to stay the night at his place and had your pajamas on. It was a bit suspicious. You had high hopes that he wasn’t going to attempt to take you somewhere in the state you're in right now. You’ve continually had a habit of doing one or two little things just to make sure you felt attractive. As you thought about how Jake loved to fuck around with you, he never did it in a publicly humiliating way. The idea was swift to flee your mind as briefly as it came.

You hear a hard and heavy knock on your door that made you gasp. That was definitely him. The way he’d knock so harshly never failed to get a reaction out of you. You shake your head in disapproval while moving to grab your bag. “I’ll be there in a second, Jake,” you shout to him. “Hurry up, precioso! I want to see that face I’ve missed so much,” he weeps almost childishly. You roll your eyes at his pouting while hauling your bag to your door. You open it and snicker to yourself. He was wearing his pajama just like you were. He definitely had a good plan for the two of you.

“There’s my favorite cabbie,” you beam, your hands quickly reaching to his face. His stubble prickles your hand and presses harder against it when he smiles lovingly at you, his teeth displayed just for his lover. You cant help but smile back at him with the same amount of love on your lips. Your thumbs rub along his cheekbone before you lean forward to kiss him. He hums against your lips before both of you pull back. You move your hands from his stubble inhabited face, down to his chest. His own hand move to rest on your hips, treating them like handles for his hands to hold on to. “I guess you beat me to our little kiss this time. I bet you a back rub that I’ll get you first next time, cariño,” he promised you playfully. You knew he would because he stayed true to his word when it came to you. That didn’t mean you wouldn’t challenge his words. “Sure you will,” you replied.

He led you to his taxi, smiling and rambling about his little surprise the whole way there. You loved the way the would talk to you when you didn’t give him any feedback. You could swear on your life that if you never spoke again, he would still find some way to keep talking to you. Once the two of you reached his taxi, he dramatically cleared his throat. “Don’t even try, ángel,” he quips with the assumption that you would try to open the door for yourself like you did last time, which ended in a horribly long lecture about how you deserve to be treated like royalty. You feign disappointment as he politely walks you to the passenger side of the car. Before your hand can even reach the handle in attempts to mess with him, he grabs your hand and clicks his tongue at you. “Dios mío,” he mutters before opening the door for you. “Now you can get in,” he says while motioning for you to enter the car. Just to make Jake sure that you won’t keep playing with him, you gently hold his free hand so you can safely step into the vehicle without tripping. “Safety first,” he hums before grabbing the seatbelt and buckling you in. He leans down to kiss your cheek before shutting the door. He enters the driver’s side rather quickly as if he’s in a rush. “Let’s get going,” he says happily as he begins driving his taxi.

During the drive to wherever Jake is taking you, he keeps asking you question after question. “How was your day?” “Did work go well for you?” “You remember that I love you, right, mi vida?” You groan, chuckle, sigh, give any reaction you can to his questions. “Jake! Enough with the questions,” you tease as you softly nudge his arm. “I’ve told you anything you could ask about me. I swear you’ve got enough information to write a biography on me,” you continue with a playful smile. “Okay, okay, my apologies, precioso,” he chuckles in response to your teasing before he parks in front of a tall building. “But there’s one more question I have to ask you. I promise it’s the last one for now,” he swears while holding your hand for a genuine effect. “Wanna have a sleepover,” he asks with that same goofy grin on his face from earlier. He smiles so hard and hopefully that his mustache pushes up against his nose. “Please,” he asks sweetly while squeezing your hand. You return the happy expression and nod in agreement. That was his plan this whole time. Get you dressed up nice and cozy in your pajamas, drive you to his apartment at night on a route you haven’t been through before, and invite you to have a damn sleepover. God, you couldn’t get enough of this man and his stupidly tender ideas. “Yeah, we can have a sleepover,” you chuckle softly.

Once you two reach his flat he opens the door, like a gentleman of course, for you. You thank him with a kiss on the cheek that earns you a soft smile and a thanks of his own. “Where should I set my stuff,” you ask him awkwardly. “Give it here, hermoso,” he says, practically beaming at the idea of helping you once more. Without hesitation you hand the bag over to him. He takes it and sets it under his desk before sitting on his bed and waving you over with his arms. “Come on, doll. I’m not going to bite you,” he pouts before he begins to grasp the air like you’re just out of reach. You sigh at his whining and walk over to his bed with a smile.

He doesn’t even let you sit down before he clings to you. He pulls you between his legs by the waist as you stand in front of him, letting out a soft gasp when he does so. He slightly lifts your shirt up, just enough so your stomach is exposed. He sighs softly before leaning forward to press his face against it. “Muy bueno,” he purrs as he feels the warmth of your stomach heat his face. He hums with his cheek pressed to your stomach as his hands slide up and down the back of your thighs. You can’t do anything except bite the inside of your cheek and blush as he continues. “Tan bueno para mí,” he praises, emphasizing that it’s for him. “Jake,” you whine softly. He lets out a soft grunt in response. “I’d prefer if you let me lay down before I faint from how affectionate you’re being,” you plead to him. Out of respect for you, he sighs and releases you from his grasp. You ruffle his hair a bit before crawling under the covers and awaiting for him to do the same. He follows soon after, now looking at you with those gorgeous brown eyes of his. He pulls you flush against him with his arms crossed behind your back. “You never said anything about not giving you affection while you lay down,” he says playfully while smiling. You’re already flushed again just by the idea. He shifts a bit further up along the bed so he can begin to shower you with love.

He starts at your forehead, pecking every inch of skin he can get. His hands crawl up from your shoulder blades to the back of your head so he can caress you loving and hold you in place. He moves to your cheeks and nose, hands coming to cup your face. He kisses from your left cheek, kisses your nose once before pausing for a moment to make some savory eye contact, then moves on to your right cheek. He pulls back for a second and you give each other a knowing look. “Please,” you whisper to him in a gentle tone. “Anything for you, mi corazón,” he mutters back. His hands come to cup your jaw on either side, thumbs brushing your cheeks as his other fingers lightly grasp the area behind your ears. He kisses your lips softly before pulling back. You give him a pitiful look before kissing him back. You keep going at it with each other, eventually letting the kisses linger for a few seconds, then adding your tongues into the mix. It’s a little messy, but it’s so tender. “I love you more than anything, mi vida. Anything,” he says to you before kissing you one last time, lips pressed to yours as if they’re a lifeline for him. You hum softly in satisfaction as he shifts your body for you, pressing your head to his chest and resting his chin on top of your head. He traces shapes with his fingers and scratches your back gently until you’re asleep in his secure embrace.

[kisseobie]

Hello🫣🫣, can you do a piwon reaction to you asking them to pick out your nail design? Maybe with inspo pics too?🥺🥺

p1harmony picks your nail set!

pairings: p1harmony x reader

warnings: suggestive (just jiung)

a/n: hii!! i hope u enjoy!! my imessage is being weird so i was originally gonna do fake texts but .. that didn’t work so this is plan b! enjoy!!

° . ❀ keeho

he adores the fact that you are never without a new nail set, and is always secretly hoping that one day you’ll ask him what your next set should be, so when you do, he’s super excited! definitely turns it into a very serious task, pulls up pinterest and makes an entire collaborative board with you so you two can look through different options. he’s really into airbrushed aura nails he saw, and you two settle on those! likes the minimalistic design with the almond shape, and takes you to your appointment (and pays too!!) just because he’s so excited that his input mattered to you. def posts a picture of your hands interlocked on his insta story right after your nails are complete :3

° . ❀ theo

i think theo would be a little lost on what exactly you would like, so he would ask you to show him a few examples of what you’re looking for! but it definitely boosts his ego that you asked him for his opinion, even if he doesn’t know much about nail trends. prefers shorter nails with cute designs, so he really pushes for little strawberry nails! thinks you’ll look so cute with them, asks you to send him pictures as soon as they are done <3 shows off the photos to the rest of the boys, bragging that your design was his choice (they literally could not care less). when he sees them in person, he definitely examines them and kisses each one of your fingers! wants to be the only person choosing your sets from now on!!

° . ❀ jiung

a self-proclaimed nail expert himself, jiung is very excited for the opportunity to choose your new nail design! he’s so cute, he already has a bunch of ideas that he didn’t even need to search up… i think he would love seeing you in baby pink though, so baby pink sparkly french tips with a glitter outline is what he chooses! you are a bit hesitant about the size and square shape, but he sheepishly tells you he likes when you scratch his back and it inflates his ego when the marks stay etched on his skin for the remainder of the week :p since ji loves nail polish, i think he would match with you!! picks out some baby pink nail polish and glitter that matches your nails and is so so excited to surprise you with them :DD in the future, he continues to coordinate his nail colors with your sets

° . ❀ intak

he 100% would get so cheesed if you asked him to help you, makes him feel like you want to carry a piece of him wherever you go. i think he would love cool designs with stars and silver accents, and since his main killin’ it outfit is red, he asks if you could pretty please get red stars with silver french tips. like kyo, he clears his schedule to go with you. i can totally see him sitting in the empty chair next to you and asking a bunch of questions during the process which would no doubt annoy your nail tech lol.. but it’s cute that he’s so invested!! definitely takes selfies in his killin’ it promo outfit with your hands all over his face and neck :p

° . ❀ soul

lovessss cute little characters, so i think he would give you a lot of free reign on the design and shape itself, but would just want little characters on them. when you show him a bunch of ideas with characters from domo to korilakkuma, he gets very indecisive and keeps changing his mind, but he eventually decides on pastel rilakkuma nails!! is so giggly when you show him, spends forever looking them over and commenting on how cute they are :( from now on, you always surprise him with sets that are always adorned with a silly character he adores <3

° . ❀ jongseob

i think seob would really like beachy nails! think yamanba gyaru but more minimal, with bright colors and silly little plumeria flowers. tells you he doesn’t mind anything but would love if you tried longer almond nails, because he always loves when you scratch his head at night hehe .. he’s another member that would take you to the salon himself and pay for you (just like in my fic jasmine!!) and wouldn’t let you argue with him. is just honestly very happy to spend any time with you at all so he’s so excited to take you to get your nails done, and even more excited that he’ll be getting those head scratches he loves so much !!

inspo in order: keeho, theo, jiung, intak, soul, jongseob

tags: @woozixo @hearts4chanhee @kyokopi @astro-doll-the-star @soobiary @kyaaramello @t3ssamoodboard @angelcbf @idontknow-1s-world @vivienne-sim @elissasimp @imjustayapper @ihatewreckingballmains @sosaverse @seobing @www90kitsch @khfviq @barbiekh86t @bbyjjunie @taeyangi @fullsunstrawberry @jihnyah @intheemptymirror @watamotee33 @dreamer1299 @jixnnsie @wonootnoot @yukx-x047

© kisseobie, please do not repost my writing!

❤︎ ིུ͠*:·

[casablancarossa]

Follow your body rhythm..

<<a [medium spicy] taemin x reader scenario>>

Pairing: Taemin x Female!Reader

Genre: Slightly smutty.

Content Warning: Not Advised for Minors. Minors DNI. Usage of pet names.

Synopsis: In preparing for your comeback, your practice session is rudely interrupted by your ex-boyfriend and suddenly bad ideas become good ones.

Author's Note: Sometimes the way that man dances is just so sinful. Like sir who allowed you. Do you think his hip rolls in bed are just as lethal?

The music pulsated a little too loud in your head this time. Maybe that's what happens after 6 hours on the floor without taking a break, but you would get so lost in the zone, and no one else was in the studio to really remind you to chill out for a bit.

As the last note rang through the room, it was like it had hit an off switch in your body and now you are on the floor, breathing so heavily and out of breath. Your vision wasn't any better as it felt like the room was spinning and honestly you'd had better vision, blind drunk without your contact lenses than you do now. Your eyes flutter shut as you bring up your arm to cover your eyes for a bit, audibly panting as you unzip your hoodie to cool your body off.

"Mmm, be careful, being a temptress could get you hurt", a voice reacted seeing your sweatpants riding low on your hips, paired with a half mesh sports bra, almost leaving nothing to the imagination as your breasts practically pool over the top.

The sudden presence of someone shocked you and you didn't even think twice to stand up and bow your back, greeting whoever was in the room. "Hello, sunbae!", your voice tried to sound respectful and less annoyed and by the time you stand fully straight, you noticed it was Taemin standing at the doorway of the dance studio, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded. "Oh--it's ... you", the words left your breathless as you collapse down onto the ground again.

Taemin's eyes widened, flinching to reach out to you, witnessing your body drop, but seeing you groan in anger as you shift to sit up, pressing your back against the cool mirror. "Sorry, sunbae, I'll leave in a bit, just.. let me catch my breath.." you mumbled, throwing your head back to rest against the mirror.

"Working hard again hm? How's prepping for your comeback?" Taemin smiled as he steps into the room, walking towards you.

"Shit.."

"It can't be that bad..."

"I think I prefer it when I used to be a back-up dancer"

"3 years as an idol can feel like a lifetime, I suppose. Boa-noona misses you by the way. " Taemin smirks, settling down beside you.

"Has it only been three years?" , your eyes roll just enough that Taemin makes a note of it before you lie back down on the ground, suddenly feeling less pressure to leave.

"And yet you still use our studio..", he mused quietly.

Your turn your head to get a view of Taemin before rolling your eyes once more and stare at the ceiling. If it has been 3 years since you debuted, then it has been almost 4 years since you broke up with Taemin and roughly a few weeks since you last hooked up with him.

Taemin and you are old enough to know what you two were doing , and within reason, it was absolutely insane and totally wrong. The both of you were never really the 'casual sex' type of people but at the same time, you two never really had a deep meaningful conversation to know where you both stand together. You had prioritized your career, and so did Taemin, and unsurprisingly the two of you had needs. Sexual needs, that only you two could fulfil for each other.

Every morning after a 'playtime sessions' (you two have labelled it as such), you and Taemin would laugh about it over coffee, claiming that the previous night was going to be the last time and then acknowledge later on that 'last time' was not going to the 'last time'. But it worked for the both of you or at least you though it did.

"When's your first stage? How long is the promo?" Taemin's questions pulls you out of your thoughts.

"Jeez mom, relax." you giggled "Promo for 3 weeks and first stage is I think in 2 weeks, maybe later"

Taemin nodded his head and ponders for a moment before scooting his body across the floor to lie down beside you, resting on his elbows. His eyes bore holes into your body as he slowly analyses your face, biting his lips by the time his eyes cast over your plump lips, to your jawline, downwards your neck and continuing further to just the top of your exposed cleavage. He curses to himself internally, he was a fool to have let you go this long.

"So... anyone catch your eye recently?" Taemin tries to downplay his curiosity but his words carried the tone of spite behind it.

"Depends, any of your peers curious?" you hummed lightly, rotating your head to look at Taemin's reaction through his reflection. "You know, I did miss the chance to give my number to Taeyong oppa, do you think he'd still be interested?"

Taemin's face did not disappoint, you could see his jaw clench at the mention of Taeyong's name before muttering audible curses, thinking you wouldn't hear him. A fog washed over his gaze, he was deep in thought, the same blank stare he would give when he was angry. It would all steep deep in his core and he would never let it bubble over. Taemin's anger scared you before. The empty hooded gaze, the low voice, the way he'd flex his hands open only to ball up into a tight fist along with the sickly sweet tone he would adopt that has nothing but malice behind it. He mouths Taeyong's name, each time looking more and more annoyed.

You reach over to flick Taemin's forehead, sighing as you roll onto your side, looking at him. "Oppa, I was joking. Relax.."

He doesn't react, but his eyes were now on you and it felt hot and uncomfortable, like you were being judged.

"You say this, but I know he is featured in your stage as the male dance partner", Taemin's voice betrayed his apparent 'no-shits-given' appearance with a jealous tone.

"Aww baby, are you jealous?" you teased lightly, while your hand reaches up to caress his cheeks.

Instantly he melts with your touch as his head leans into your hold. You haven't called him by any sort of pet-name in a very long time. Taemin didn't even realize how much he missed it until he heard it from you. His reaction to your touch catches you off guard, quickly you pull your hand away and pull yourself upwards to a standing position, somewhat struggling to convince your body to do anything but stay beside Taemin.

"Ah oppa, I'll just get my stuff and you can have the studio" you announced without looking at him and when he gave no verbal cue back, you start walking away to the benches, quickly gathering your stuff, carelessly piling them into your duffel bag.

It was all the sudden, and you didn't even hear Taemin move across the floor, hell you didn't even hear him calling out your name, but out of nowhere, his hand was on your wrist, pulling you towards him, physically shortening the distance you created between you two. "Dance with me, y/n."

"What?"

"I've sat in a few of Taeyong's practices with the choreographer. I'd like to think I know the dance pretty well."

You stare at Taemin with wide eyes, slightly shocked unsure how to respond.

"Your phone is still connected right?" he said firmly, turning on his heel to walk towards the speakers, grabbing your phone and pausing to look at you.

Accept now and you'd look to eager. Reject and you'd be considered pretty rude. No one ever denies Taemin a chance to dance, whether he is pushing his back-up dancers for one more round, or inviting an idol to perform a song with him, and you would be no different. Without saying anything, the action of dropping whatever was in your hand while peeling off your hoodie, and walking to the middle of the studio was enough of an answer to the senior idol, who quickly presses play and shuffle.

Your body shifts into your starting position with Taemin standing off to the side, waiting for the cue to begin. As the beat drops and music plays, you begin to dance your routine as you always have but now instead of practicing it alone, you had someone with you instead. Technically, there was a list of male idols who you would share the stage with for the duration of your promotions, but you actually had not practiced with any of them yet.

It really didn't click in your head that the dance was really intimate in some ways and maybe you might be faced with a lot of hate for performing a sensual dance, with a male idol. You think it's rather tasteful, and quite a technical dance. You would count the beats in your head until Taemin's cue to essentially slide into his spot so you two could dance together.

Every longing pause, every hit of the beat, every sway of the hips, Taemin matched your rhythm and movement perfectly. Effortlessly, there was no hesitation when Taemin's body would be pressed against yours, or when you would need to lean on him as he supports your weight for a twirl. Suddenly the choreo felt electric. Any time Taemin's hands would be positioned at your hips, he would grip lightly, causing a hitch in your breath and those ghostly touches would fluidly move around your body when the choreo needed it.o

When your faces would meet, he'd have this alluring, almost seductive stare. Taemin wouldn't hold back during parts that required 'closeness' and would purposely graze, occasionally bumping his lips against the skin of your arm or shoulders.

"Mmm, tell me you aren't tempted to ditch Taeyong and have me as your partner instead" Taemin muses into your ear as he pauses.

You sigh, slightly annoyed, dropping out of your own pose to flick Taemin at the forehead. "Idiot. You are jealous"

"Why would I be? I'm not the jealous type. If you really want to dance with Yongie.. then fine." his voice laced with defeat and annoyance.

"Taem... come on. It's me. Be honest"

"Okay, maybe I am a bit jealous.." Taemin sighs as he reaches his arm out to hook around your waist, pulling you to him. "I can't help it...something about you, just makes it hard to control myself.."

"Yeah right.."

"Do I need to remind you?"

"Ah ah ah, you don't have to" you let out an annoyed groan.

At your protests, Taemin attempts to pick you up, wrapping your legs around his waist as he support you by your ass. The sudden movement causes you to yelp, trying to smack his shoulders as your arms cling around his neck. You and Taemin have been far more intimate than this but you couldn't help but to be shy at this moment. He had a childish smile on his face as he walks in circles around the studio, carrying you up and playing childish tricks on you, by pretending to drop you.

Each time you felt a pit in your stomach, you would wrap your arms tighter around him. The closeness of your two bodies gave you the chills. Did he get stronger? Why does it feel like his grip has gotten tighter? Does he look at me the same way I look at him? Thoughts flooded your brain, but it was suddenly interrupted by a cold shock running down your body.

Taemin had taken the liberty to walk towards the large mirrors, slamming your body against the cool screen, making you hiss a little. He uses the friction and leverage to slightly hoist you a little higher so he would be head height with your chest.

"Ow? What was that for?" you questioned, but there was quiver in your voice and that unmistakable glint in your eye like something had triggered within you.

"Oh sorry, I distinctively remember, that you love being pinned to the wall" the snarky yet alluring comment from Taemin caused your legs to tremble and suddenly your arousal made its presence known.

"Seriously in the studio? Where people can walk in?"

"Don't you think it's fun that way? Besides Y/N..I'm hungry" Taemin flashes a quick dirty smile before latching his lips at the top of your breasts, clamping down with a needy bite.

You barely had time to react, groaning as your head throws back. You would wantonly mewl Taemin's name as his teeth navigated closer to the hem of your sports bra, nipping at the fabric to release your nipple from its confinements. Your head lowers just in time to see him lick his lips, immediately going for the sensitive bud. "Ah..Taem..min..nggh", your words fail you.

Taemin's eyes look up to see your panting reddened face. Nothing excited him more that looking at your panicked, aroused state.

"It's about that time again Y/N..." he whispers lowly, the cool air of his breath gives you goosbumps. "Time for us to commit sin against god"

"Here, I was thinking that last time was the last time.." you chuckled, feeling a sudden twinge in your lower region.

"Oh baby, you and I both know, that's never going to happen" Taemin pushes his neck out so he could nip at your throat, before lovingly decorating it with kisses and bites.

You could only hum and lose yourself in his actions. Those damn lips were a curse, a curse you never wanted to end. It wasn't long before your fingers were wrapped in Taemin's hair, pulling him closer to you, letting him ravish you. Just beneath you, you could also feel his need for you pressing into your thigh and you couldn't help but shift just to feel it more at the spots that mattered.

"What's this princess? I though the studio was too lowly for you", he chuckles.

"Mmf, Taemin.. I can't.. I think I need you now..." you managed to speak in staggered breath.

Taemin grants you a moment of relief as your lips collide to a passionate kiss. Full of want and hotness. You couldn't help but cup his face in your hands as your tongues begin to dance, the way you two would hungrily bite each others lips.

In the deep desire to make Taemin's idol life harder, you wanted to lay your mark. Your fingers once more curl into Taemin's dark locks, now grabbing a fistful and yanking his head back so you can grant him the same 'gifts' he has blessed your neck with.

Taemin lowly growls, finding the dominance you were displaying very attractive. So he continues to allow you to place the bites. He is a grown man and resourced with talented makeup artists; a few hickeys would be no problem. What took him off guard was the way your free hand slipped to the base of his neck, applying slight pressure that ellicited a delightful moan out of him.

"Princess.. you are playing a dangerous game" he snarls, immediately grabbing your wrist and pinning it to the mirrored wall along with the slight slam of your body.

"Why? Scared I'd win..",you cocked a single brow up, taunting Taemin.

"Only because I'd let you win. Don't forget the only one begging and screaming is you.." he chuckles.

A foreign voice suddenly erupts. "Taemin-ah! Taemin-ah! Are you here Taemin-ah?"

As the door of the studio swings open, you had never found yourself and Taemin move so quick as you unfurl your legs as he quickly but gently lets you down before taking a step back.

"Oh hyung I'm here" Taemin calls out as his eyes widened staring at your chest, reaching out to quickly raise the fabric of your sport bra to hide your nipple.

"Oh Taemin you're here. Ah Y/N too. You were practicing too huh"

You raise your head to see Euisoo walking towards you two with coffee in hand. You quickly bow in greeting and keeping your head down, you rush towards your bag, picking it up from the floor and grabbing your hoodie and zipping it up to cover yourself more.

"I'm.. uh... I finished practicing.. I'll uhhh... I'll get out of your way" you stumbled to find your words after almost being caught by Taemin's manager.

Your feet quickly shuffled towards the speakers and unplugging your phone before heading to the door. You bow once more, waving your hands out to Euisoo and Taemin.

"Umm.. bye. I'll uhh.. I'll see you guys around." you nervously laughed before leaving the room.

Euisoo and Taemin chuckle to themselves, seeing you extra flustered.

Meanwhile you take the phone into your hand trying to think of what to send to Taemin as you navigate your way out of the building.

*beep beep*

Y/N sent a message : Name a place and time. Tonight. I'll show you, I can win the game too.

Despite the fact Euisoo rambling on about future schedules in line for Taemin, the idol only chuckles at the sight of your message, immediately coming up with a response.

Taemin sent a message: How about your place? Let's give your housemates something to talk about.

Y/N sent a message: Fine. But you better bring beer and rabboki.

Taemin sent a message: Food and drinks. Check. By the way, loser wears a collar for their next stage. ♥️

Y/N sent a message: 🥵 Can't wait.

[aerodaltonimperial]

the junglecorpse story primer

so i've been pretty obsessively cataloguing everything between them in my last year or so of being in AEW fandom, and since they are my Hyperfixation™️, i thought i would put together a little primer for the people who may not have been spending every waking thought thinking about the chemistry these two end up having with each other and how their story has played out. there's some videos in here that are fun watches and hopefully this adds a little bit to the knowledge bank!! (i love wrestling so much lol)

2019//

as far as we can tell, their first time ever wrestling was in 2019, which is what we like to call "the lost 2019 bar match," on february 24, 2019, at the high hat in los angeles. when we say lost, we literally mean lost. i would cut off my left arm to get a video of this damn match-up. the only video we have is a short bit from when they were hitting each other with empty water bottles, shown here. (tumblr won't let me embed these links without crashing.)

there's also one photograph of this match, posted on instagram, by a wrestling photographer:

according to cagematch, darby won this match. given how many people in that crowd have phones out, i cannot BELIEVE that we haven't been able to hunt down the rest of the videos, but here we are, crying into the abyss that we can't find this. someone has it. name your price lol. i'm very open to negotiation.

2020 //

the only thing that 2020 had in it was another "lost match," this time from the jericho cruise, so we hate jericho even more for refusing to video the matches there so we can see them when we do not have $5k to go on this trip. but this one is just a 3 v 3 match, where private party and darby beat jurassic express (jack, lucha, and marko). probably not life-changing, but i still want to see it, as a completionist.

2021 //

by 2021, they had both been in aew for several years and were settling in. darby had the TNT belt, and jack was working up through both the singles division on his own, and the tag division with luchasaurus. surprisingly, they never matched up on their own! but in april of 2021, aew asked twitter to pick darby's next opponent for the TNT, and twitter chose jack. this is where things get interesting.

darby makes a promo talking to jack about the match that gets posted on darby's twitter here and reposted to aew's twitter here. (the link doesn't work to the video anymore, but don't worry, i backed it up on my yt account because i knew twitter would implode eventually.)

this is the first time, that we can find, that anyone has gone after the "if you stop being such a goodie two-shoes, you could be great" angle with jack. this promo actually pre-dates christian cage even joining AEW (he would join in the next month or two)! but this thread remains pulled alongside jack's next several years of kayfabe stories, so it's worth pointing out that darby may have been the first person to use it.

video link to youtube

jack makes a follow-up video for this and it gets posted on aew's twitter, and as luck would have it, that tweet no longer exists. i'm not sure where it went, to be honest. it wasn't much except "i've proven myself" and "my record is great now." it's worth noting that neither of them tag the other in their promos, which makes me laugh. darby calls jack "jungle jack," which also makes me laugh.

they have their 2021 match, which is amazing, and don't worry, i also have that video link, so if you'd like to watch it, the full thing lives here. after this, darby loses the TNT belt to miro, and jack wins the battle royale after throwing christian cage out of the ring. important story beats for both of them.

2022 //

in 2022, they end up on the same side of a 6 v 6 match that i'm assuming was kind of just random match-ups, on june 1st at the kia forum. we've watched it, because of course we have, but it wasn't anything particularly interesting haha. however, in january of 2022, jurassic express wins the tag belts. they hold them until that summer, when they lose them, and christian turns on jack. lucha then also turns on jack. jack's heel turn gets majorly delayed due to christian's injury that takes him out through the whole end of the year. at the end of 2022, junglehook starts up after hook comes out to save jack from getting the shit beat out of him (this is the start of his heel turn).

2023 //

and then we get to 2023, the year that i was watching and promptly lost my mind, because we got the pillars storyline! right before this, jack beats christian in the coffin match, which finishes that particular aspect, but it butts right up to the pillars stuff. i've waxed poetic for like 4k about how jack was supposed to be a heel in the pillars story, but everything got delayed due to christian's injury, and they had to run him as a face for this because too many people were involved, and that's not really the point here, but it sure makes a lot of the decisions made in the pillars story fucking unhinged as shit lol.

i've made a video for the junglecorpse moments in the pillars storyline that is here if you have 23 minutes to experience the absurdity of what they chose to do here.

but abridged version is that jack and darby have to team up for the pillars tag match, and don't seem to get along well. they run a full thing where mjf asks jack to betray darby (so they lose) and jack gets up in his face, and then darby walks in to see it. after this, darby comes out for jack (and sammy comes out after) to save him from LFI killing him after jack beats rush.

prior to their tag match, they run this promo with the two of them, where darby references the lost 2019 bar match (DOES HE ALSO SIT AND THINK ABOUT IT FOR HOURS??? LIKE I DO???) and also mentions that they would probably be friends if they weren't wrestlers, which is worth holding onto lmao.

in the actual pillars PPV 4-way at double or nothing, they run a large segment of jack having the belt and a clear shot to take darby out with it (and win) and he doesn't end up doing it. they make a big thing out of it. this is insane given that a month later, jack turns on hook at forbidden door 2023 and eventually takes the FTW off him. i wish to speak to whoever thought this was normal. he couldn't cheat to beat darby, who he supposedly doesn't even like, for the world championship, but can betray his best friend for an unsanctioned belt a month later??????? this makes me insane. don't touch me chompie.

also worth mentioning is jack tweeting this during the storyline, with nothing else attached to it. merry early christmas to me. (jack tends to post a single photo for important story beats, with no text on it. he's done this for quite a number of things within the last few years. weird that he did that here, when they had one tag match together.)

2024 //

and that bring us to this year! jack is back in AEW after his unjust and sad-making time out. anarchy in the arena happens at double or nothing 2024, and jack and darby spend 75% of the match beating each other up alone backstage. jack hits darby with the bus, darby sets jack on fire. it's lovely.

if you haven't seen the video that leaked of jack preparing for the fire spot in the early part of 2024 with a stunt team, it's worth watching. (no sound)

darby is out again to recover since i don't know how he managed to get clear for AITA in the first place, and then he comes back with an obsessive single-mindedness to call out jack perry by beating up brandon cutler. jack then also beats up brandon cutler in the strangest mating rituals i've ever fucking seen lmao. INTRICATE RITUALS!!

that's all i've got right now, but hopefully this ends up being a decent overview of all the stuff i tend to reference in my fics. 💚💚💚 sorry tumblr won't let me embed these videos in here, but it kept crashing the draft, so i had to revert them all just to links. homophobia.

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

Don't you think pjms theories are too much of a reach? I don't think the company is sabotaging Jimin or that Bang/Scooter hate Jimin. There's not enough evidence to affirm those things to me. The company is just inefficient, stupid and money hungry. They are in a position to give better support to Bts solo songs that are not tied to western producers, they just don't want to spend money because a bts solo has some degree of success guaranteed anyway.

I have stanned idols who sued their company, who shaded their company until they left. And Jimin doesn't do those things. He complained about the MVs, but that's about it. He looks happy, he jokes around with staff. To me he is not being mistreated, it just looks like it because they company is incompent.

No, I don't think everything is a reach. I don't think they particularly hate Jimin, it's not personal. It's just that Jimin wasn't who they were planning on investing in, and they had other things to prove and he unfortunately stepped in their way. I even think they would've done the same to any other member, of course not everyone has the star quality Jimin has.

They're not incompetent. You don't build a multi billion dollar company if you're incompetent, for god's sake. You're naive and everyone thinking the same is naive or playing dumb. A lot of what they did for Jungkook's promo they already did it for BTS as a group before; they actually did more for Jungkook than they even did for BTS. They've always known what to do, they just didn't do it for anyone else. And even if some things slipped out of their hands, fans have been tagging them and asking them to fix it and they never did. Even though they fixed everything people complained about regarding seven.

What do you mean to say, that from April to July they learned everything didn't learn in 10 years? Because that's the time between like crazy and seven; 3 months. How does that make sense? Even more, the moment Jungkook was in that studio booth, they were already planning everything for seven. So, did they learn everything between March 24th and April 7th?

All solo releases had a settled and agreed on budget by the company. I doubt the members get involved with numbers; it's the company who decides on the budget. But even knowing and understanding that, some things are hard to understand still.

Jimin didn't get 6 videos because it was "irrational" but rookie group new jeans got 6 videos. Jungkook is going to get at least 2 more when he releases his album, and I don't even have to talk about predictions but present day is enough: there's like 10 visualizers (I think it's more than that now because I keep getting the notifications) for this one single and those videos cost money too.

I get that the physical CDs that the fans have been asking for cost money, but here's the thing.. they were sold out in the first or second week. So they never planned on restocking anyways, they manufactured a certain amount that got sold out in the first week and they never restocked because they were never planning on manufacturing more. Now, Jungkook has a month worth of CDs stock, I heard that the they stocked 38k CDs a couple of days ago and I believe the first stock was 10k, and since then they've restocked like 4 times so I'm sure they're already around the 100k CDs sold. I would even bet you that if they run out of their initial stock, they will manufacture more CDs if necessary for this single.

The same is happening to other BTS releases, by the way. They've been sold out for months and they're only restocking for Jungkook. It wasn't an exaggeration when I said all the money the 7 have earned is solely going into Jungkook's career. I will keep saying that because it's a fact.

By not restocking those CDs, they're limiting their support for their own artists. But they're also limiting the support fans can give them, because how can they buy if the product is not available. And that is sabotage, no matter the reason behind.

You say "They are in a position to give better support to Bts solo songs that are not tied to western producers, they just don't want to" well exactly, and that is not incompetence. They just don't want to.

"Demand, impact" bla bla bla. If they were to restock 50k CDs of like crazy, they will sell all. And they know that. It's not that they're scared they'll manufacture and ship CDs and make no revenue; they know there's demand, they just don't want to do it.

Budget and money aside, there's still important things they could've done, important things they could still do that they don't need money for.

There's no need to for budget to combine a song's streams or let people know about change in a chart rules. The English and Korean versions were released combined, it gained streams the following two days simply because it's a good song, and it hit #1 on global. The day after it was #1, the numbers were split and thus affecting its chart position. It's almost like for three days it didn't matter but it mattered the moment it was #1, because that was the debut they had planned for a different member. Seven, of course, combined from the begining and still no problems.

Spotify customer service said the label was in charge of combining songs, that they could do it if the label asked. I wasn't sure if I believed them at first, because sometimes databases get messed up and also Spotify customer service is kinda bad. But for several reasons, one being that issue with Post Malone's song, and the other being scooter's attempt at changing the number of streams for seven after its debut, I believe them now and I'm sure that if hybe wanted to, they could.

They didn't need budget to let people know about the change in the chart rules. They didn't care to, they didn't want to announce it until Yoongi had a song out. I don't know if you remember, but this is how things played out:

-> like crazy predicted between #4 - #6 for the second week

-> announcement that 100k+ sales were deducted from the total sold that week

-> a couple of hours later: instagram posts about Jungkook "making history" with bangpd and scooter

-> bangpd on the cover of billboard magazine the next week

If you think all of that was a coincidence, you do you.

And they didn't need budget to let people know what happened to those 100k sales. They still haven't given any explanation on that.

Did they need budget to put like crazy on this is BTS playlist? Did they need to hear Jimin say he wants to be a giant popstar?

None of that has anything to do with personal aspirations the members might have and it has everything to do with management. And no, I don't believe they're incompetent.

I said this earlier this year and I still stand by it:

There is no doubt it was Jimin who decided for who long he'd promote and what activitites. Of course, I'm not ignoring that Yoongi's release was stepping on Jimin's tail, so I also think Jimin could've been somewhat obliged to cram everything into a few days because he knew Yoongi was next.

I know Jimin decided on the shows and performances he went to; Jimin always been tied emotionally to their Korean fans, and he's always respected and honored them; during the pandemic and for festa 2022 he mentioned several times wanting to do music shows. He's had a good relationship with Jimmy Fallon for years, he chose to go to his show because he likes him. I never expected Jimin to go to live lounge as well as I don't expect Jungkook to ever do a stage like set me free pt2 or even like crazy.

I could consider -I have considered- the option that everything was just bad luck or something and that after knowing it was possible to have such a debut like Jimin, hybe he wanted a piece of the cake and to seriously take credit for success like that, so they decided to go all out for JK (this is where personal aspirations come into play), making sure that everyone knew who were the people involved. Because everyone knows who's behind seven. Even Jungkook won't miss any opportunity to talk about receiving the song and being granted this chance. He literally said his life changed because they gave him this song.

I mean...

But there are two things that won't let me really commit to the possibility that all happened by chance; one being all the mediaplay around JK since early 2022. Two, and the most relevant to me it's that Jungkook seemingly never worked on his album. He said that he wasn't doing anything, that he had no plans, told people to not wait for him. I'm sure you know everything. It's not like they suddenly decided to give him a song and then a full english album, no. They've been planning this for a while, and he probably knew about the plans and that's why he wasn't really working on anything.

Maybe you're new to the fandom, but one of the years BTS went to the Grammys, I think it was 2020, a CEO went with them and he placed himself in every photo next to them. In one photo, he even moved Jungkook out of the center so he could be the center of the photo in the freaking red carpet.

That same man, along with BangPd would give interview after interview talking about how they know how to create the next BTS, because they allegedly have some kind of formula. Formula was the word they always used. Armys always got so mad about those statements, saying BTS can't be imitated and that BTS is what it is because of the members and not because of the company. Most armys who remember that, who read those interviews aren't in the fandom anymore. The people in the fandom now don't know, and don't care.

This whole thing, for more than a year, has reeked of the same ideology.

You know that they are fame and money hungry, yet don't consider the possibility that they might do everything they can to get exactly that.

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Have I written some 26k words basically only based on some of the insane promo treats we've gotten - and twisting it around to waltz right back anything that could become canon? Apparently yes. *shrugs* Do I know where I'm heading with this? Nope. Will that keep me from it? Also nope. Have at it, peeps! Cheers!

This Future We Choose

Part 1/???

Part 2 • Part 3

While Eddie won’t use the Q word, even in his mind (if only to keep a very exasperated Buck from pestering him), things have been relatively calm ever since he got to the station.

In general, things have been just that. Calm.

Well, except for the chaos which are the wedding preparations, which are in full swing these days. Though Eddie was glad he could opt out of that, for the most part. The part he’s involved in largely revolves around the tasks Buck was assigned (insisted to to be assigned). Because that means he has to deal with Clipboard Buck wanting to make everything perfect, and upon his sister’s request make sure he doesn’t go into some kind of frenzy. Which Eddie will gladly do. That’s one of the easiest tasks for him, really.

But other than that, and the usual chaos there always seems to be, it’s been… calm. Things have been going great with Marisol. Sure, some bumps in the road while getting to know each other, but Eddie never had any illusions about it that things would be a smooth sail start to finish. But overall, it feels like life is going in the right direction again.

Even though there’s been a shipwreck not at all that long ago, it doesn’t feel like they have been lost at sea for quite some time. Which is refreshing.

Eddie is pulled out of his thoughts when he feels Buck’s arm brush against his as he settles down next to him on the couch.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Eddie greets back. He doesn’t miss the clipboard clutched between Buck’s fingers. “Back to wedding planning, I take?”

“Laugh it up all you want, but if you don’t write it down somewhere, you’re going to forget it. And those two most definitely are,” Buck snorts. He takes the pen he’s had clipped to the top and ticks off some boxes.

“What’s the achievement you can tick off, then?”

“I found the perfect location for Chim’s stag night,” Buck announces proudly. “I had to promise Maddie that we wouldn’t do anything crazy. She’s right, we’re way too accident-prone taken together. So we’ll keep it simple. Nice lounge all to ourselves, nice suits, good food, lots of booze, and some silly challenges Chim will have to do, so I have blackmail material for the rest of his life.”

“Was that the reason why you insisted on planning the stag night?” Eddie grins.

Buck would have planned the entire thing alone, had his sister let him, but Buck understood that this was important for Maddie and Chimney to do together. Though he would not let go of the responsibility of hosting the stag night. To quote: “You can pry that from my cold, dead hands.”

Buck smirks back. “What other reason could I possibly have?”

Eddie chuckles softly. He is glad to see Buck this cheerful again. He’d been worried, for quite some time. Ever since the lightning strike, really. Buck had told him some time back that he no longer felt the same. Which Eddie understood, better than maybe he ever wanted to. Because he doesn’t like to think back to his close calls. He wants to look forward, not back.

Eddie’s worry had grown significantly when Buck ended up in the middle of Kameron’s and Connor’s relationship drama over the child he helped them have. Buck hardly spoke to him during the time Kameron camped in his apartment. While he can joke about it now, Eddie has no illusions about it that it must have been extremely tough on Buck. Not just because Buck suddenly had to take care of a woman he technically helped get pregnant, but to help two people navigate to the life he helped them to. And that while struggling himself with the knowledge that he would not be part of that life he helped create.

But the baby is there, and Kameron and Connor have settled into their new home in Washington, to be closer to Kameron’s parents. So Eddie hopes that the distance actually helped Buck along. If he had to guess, it did. Because the forlorn expression, the longing with which he looked at his niece or at Christopher, it seems to have faded somewhat. These days, Buck is busy helping Chim and Maddie have their dream wedding, and Natalia of course.

Eddie will have to admit, he was not too sure about that relationship at first. He felt like he was having a flashback, Buck ending up with in a relationship with someone right after a traumatic event. And then of course, Natalia’s profession, her closeness with death… it honestly didn’t sit quite right with Eddie at first. Because he didn’t want to think about it anymore, how Buck died, how Buck was dead.

Three minutes and seventeen seconds.

But Natalia wasn’t like he feared she would be. She is lovely and supportive. She knows what she wants in life. And Eddie gets the impression that Buck can talk to her about some of those things about his death that Buck doesn’t share with anyone else.

So yeah, all in all, it’s calm.

Eddie is called back to reality by the noise of the pen being stuck back to the clipboard. He taps Buck’s biceps lightly. There was something, right. “Oh, before I forget. Marisol suggested we could go on a double date again. She found this supposedly amazing Indian place that’s all over social media. You and Natalia in?”

Double dates have been great, honestly. Natalia and Marisol got along right from the start. And while Eddie definitely won’t admit to that, it made things a bit easier. Sure, he’s went on dates on his own, but having Buck with him always puts his mind at ease. And Eddie likes to think that it also helped Buck smooth things out with Natalia, as they had a bit of a rocky start, to say the least.

“Oh, ugh… that’s…”

Eddie frowns at the way Buck’s entire body seems to tense up.

“Natalia and I… broke up.”

Eddie tries hard not to stare, but he is not sure he manages. “What? How long?”

“About two weeks. She got the last of her things she had over at my place, like, two days ago,” Buck answers, barely moving his lips apart as he speaks.

Whiplash is what comes closest to what Eddie feels hitting him right at that moment.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Eddie asks, hoping that he doesn’t come across as too demanding. Because it’s not like Buck owes him that information, even though they are best friends. Eddie just feels like this is something he should have known.

Or at the very least, suspected.

Buck shrugs it off in a vain attempt to make it seem casual. “Because it’s not a big deal, honestly. We both came to the conclusion we weren’t heading anywhere. It’s not like it was with Taylor or so.”

“You were together for months,” Eddie insists. “That’s a pretty big deal, if you asked me.”

“I wasn’t… I wasn’t trying to make this a secret. I guess I was still sorting myself out. Because, as you said, we’ve been together for a while,” Buck tries to explain, but Eddie can sense that there are things Buck would rather say, but doesn’t. He can see it by the way he purses his lips. Because Eddie knows Buck.

“But you are… you are okay?” he asks, softer this time.

“Totally. This was the first time I managed to end things before anyone got hurt. That’s what I call improvement, right?”

Eddie looks at him sternly. “Buck, you don’t have to pretend with me.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re joking, even though you’re likely still sad about it. So yes, you’re pretending,” Eddie sighs.

He knows Buck, better than Buck probably knows himself at times. At least that’s what he keeps getting told, even by Buck’s own sister. So Eddie feels like, yes, he knows him. Which is why he knows Buck, since a young age, learned to make people think he is fine, even though he is anything but that. Because he was always more afraid of the pain of being left behind than he was of facing the pain of handling things on his own.

But Eddie won’t stand for it. Ever. Buck doesn’t have to be in pain for him to see him.

“Sorry. You’re right,” Buck concedes. “I just… I wanna try to see the positives.”

“And that’s okay,” Eddie exhales. “But allowing the negatives has to be okay, too.”

“Frank taught you that?” Buck teases.

“He wrote it on a sticky note and hands it to me every time I go down that route, because he says he’s too tired always repeating it to me,” Eddie huffs.

Frank is great, actually. He helped him a lot. Some time back, Buck said that therapists are like reality filters. And he’ll have to give him that, Frank does just that for him.

“I kinda love that guy,” Buck chuckles, but then his face twists again into that fake smile Eddie hates more than anything.

Eddie opens his mouth to reply something, but then the alarm goes off.

“Duty calls!” Buck rushes off before Eddie can say anything more.

So much to how things are calm. More like, the calm before the storm, huh?

###

Eddie settles down on the bench next to Buck, who is still rummaging through his locker to get out his spare shirt. Looking at Buck’s bare torso, he can’t help but still think about how it used to be marked by Lichtenberg figures not at all that long ago. And how odd it felt when they were gone without a trace. Like none of that ever happened, even though it did.

Three minutes and seventeen seconds.

“So, to touch up on our conversation earlier…,” Eddie begins.

Buck lets out an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes at him. “Eddie, honestly, it’s fine.”

“I’m not saying it’s not fine. I just want to offer beer and pizza over at my place, if you feel the need to talk about it,” Eddie argues.

He doesn’t want to press, but he knows that Buck needs a bit of a push sometimes. And Eddie feels like he owes it to Buck, to keep pushing. Because Buck has done that for him, even though Eddie pushed back very hard. Buck was one of the reasons why Eddie went to therapy. Buck didn’t give him an easy way out. He became his check-in with reality, until Frank took over the duty.

And Eddie is thankful for that, he honestly is. He knows how hard that must have been for Buck. To not just pretend like all is fine, to step into the room with him. To be uncomfortable and even risk being blown off by Eddie for it.

So, to his mind, it only seems fair to do the same for Buck now.

Even if that means being a little pest about it.

Buck slips on the clean shirt. When he sticks his head through the collar, he has that dorky expression on that always makes Eddie smile at him fondly. “So the guy equivalent of having ice cream and watching romcoms.”

“We can also do that, if it makes you feel any better,” Eddie snorts.

“Nah, I’m down for pizza,” Buck laughs, sitting down next to him, bumping his shoulder against Eddie’s. “Under one other condition, though?”

“Condition?”

“I get to pester Chris a bit.”

“How’s that ever in question?” Eddie huffs.

“Well, as you keep lamenting, he grows up so fast. So I need to get as many hours out of him before he’s too cool to hang out with his dad’s best friend,” Buck explains.

“You have my allowance to pester him, even when he’s too cool to hang out with you. Because he damn well has to keep hanging out with me, too, whether he’s too cool for all that or not,” Eddie huffs.

“Awesome. Then we should get going.”

“Once you made yourself look presentable, sure,” Eddie snorts, running his hand over Buck’s still messed-up hair.

Buck dodges his hand away. “Thanks, dad. Do I have to tuck the shirt in, too?”

“Nah, that’s fine.”

“You’re a great friend, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know I’m amazing like that.”

“You really are.”

“Right back at you.”

The two smile at each other. Buck then turns his head to look at the lockers. His eyes seem to fix on Eddie’s open locker. Something shifts in his demeanor, only for a second, too short for Eddie to decipher it. But before he can say anything, Buck gets up, shoulders his bag, and throws them both shut.

“Then let’s go!”

###

The ride over to Eddie’s place remains mostly silent. They go back and forth about their choices for pizza toppings the way they always do (because Eddie will fight anyone over having the audacity to put pineapple on pizza, including his best friend). Christopher is very happy about Buck coming over, and the pizza, of course. And despite being a bit on the moodier side of his teenage years these days, he and Buck soon fall back into their usual rhythm of talking about anything that comes to mind and playing some video games after dinner.

Though Eddie can’t shake this sense of foreboding, all the way until Chris is fast asleep and he’s rummaging through the fridge to grab the beer he’d promised Buck. Because something is definitely up with Buck, and if he had to guess, it doesn’t only have to do with his recent break up.

But Eddie is going to get through that. He’s dealt with worse. They both have.

So he grabs the beers and proceeds to the living room. Buck looks only a bit uncomfortable on the couch, mindlessly playing with a loose thread on his shirt. Eddie settles down next to him, holding out the cold bottle to Buck. He takes it, flashing a bit of a shy smile.

“So,” Eddie sighs.

“So.”

“Is there anything you wanna talk about?”

“Want is a strong word,” Buck huffs, choosing to play around with a loose edge of the beer’s label instead of the loose thread on his shirt.

“You know how I mean it.”

“I don’t know, honestly. It’s been a first for me, too. Because things have been going great with her. I still like her a lot,” Buck admits. “I still miss her, to be honest.”

“Then why break up?” Eddie asks.

“Maybe the self-help books have taken over my brain, but… one of those things I keep thinking about all the time is… what do I actually want in life? Ever since the lightning strike, I… I feel like… like I’m not going to get another chance like that. To come back from the dead. Sure, lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice, but… there’s always another disaster right ahead. Which makes you think about your choices in life all the more, you know?” Buck chews on his bottom lip pensively.

“I felt the same, whenever I had a close call,” Eddie admits in a hushed voice. “It forces you to reevaluate your choices. I get that.”

After he was down in that well and almost died, it changed a lot of things for him. And unknown to Buck, Eddie changed a lot about his life, too, by putting him in his will.

“I mean, I’ve spent quite some time even before that, trying to figure out what I want. What truly makes me happy. But after the lighting strike, after I… died… I just wanted to try again, to get back in touch with myself, to not just act like myself but… be myself again. Looking back, I guess I was looking to Natalia all the harder because she was fascinated by death in a way I’d always been myself.”

Eddie grimaces. “Fascinated?”

Because he can safely say that it was not fascinating to watch lightning strike through Buck, to see him dangling up there, not to find a pulse, to do compressions and see nothing happen on the monitor, counting the seconds, praying, praying, praying, and still nothing.

“Like, I was never fascinated by other people dying, but I know a part of me was… chasing it, this feeling of coming close to the edge, and taking a U turn at the last second. It always did something with me that I can’t really explain. So yeah, I guess fascination is the best word I can come up with, for the lack of an alternative.”

“Well, you do have a track record of getting hurt, for your parents to see you,” Eddie mutters.

And while Buck seems to have made his peace with that somehow, more so since the lightning strike, there remains a petty part in Eddie that keeps holding that grudge in Buck’s stead. Because he won’t ever understand how parents can look at their kid, and look away the way Buck’s parents have done it with their kids. Yes, he ran away from responsibility for a while, but Eddie can safely say that he never looked at Christopher like he was a nuisance. He was afraid of not being enough for him, never the other way around. Just like he never looked at his son to be anything else, never the means to some end.

“Yeah, that’s… certainly been a recurring theme, I’ll give you that,” Buck hums in agreement.

“… Which is why you felt like she was seeing you.”

Eddie had wondered, for a long time, what Buck had meant when he told him that Natalia saw him. A small part had been hurt at that, to be honest. Because Eddie always got the sense that he had an eye on Buck – and far more importantly, that Buck knew that he did. That Buck dared to rely on it, when he’d grown accustomed to not having anyone in his life to have his back. That people only saw what he projected, and never what lied underneath.

But looking at things now, Eddie starts to see where Buck came from with this statement. Natalia saw him in a way none of them did, couldn’t possibly. Because none of them could feel any fascination, thinking back to this moment. He certainly doesn’t. And while Eddie tried to offer support, to be that shoulder for Buck to lean on as he’d been to him during his breakdown, Eddie knows he tried more to distract than turn the light on it. Be it poker nights or having him spend time with Christopher, to get him out of his own head.

In that sense, he made Buck look away. And Natalia made him look at it. Because she was fascinated by it, she was not afraid to look at it. And deep down, Eddie is still afraid to look at it, to remember it.

Three minutes and seventeen seconds of not having Buck in our lives.

No, he doesn’t want to remember that. He wants that to fade, like the Lichtenberg figures. He wants this world gone he was stuck in for three minutes and seventeen seconds, forever.

“Yeah. Natalia was seeing me the way I had always tried to get my parents to look at me, I think. Subconsciously, at least. Like, to me, feeling alive… truly alive… I grew up with this sense of how I could only ever get there if I was living on the edge. Getting close to death was the way to live, for them to see,” Buck tries to explain.

“So Natalia looking at you for how you died and came back… felt like you were back alive again, in a way that you haven’t felt since all of that happened,” Eddie concludes.

“Yeah,” Buck confirms. “Which means that, in the end, I was chasing a former version of myself. Maybe not Buck 1.0, but…”

“… Evan?”

He shrugs. “Maybe, I don’t know. But might be.”

“Then, what changed?” Eddie wants to know.

Buck leans further back on the couch, inhales, exhales, then inhales again. “I helped Connor and Kameron have their baby. I held that little thing in my arms and he was perfect… And I spent a lot of time, trying not to think about it. Like I didn’t try to think too hard about the fact that I died. Because, as glad as I am that I could help them… there was a very ugly part of me that regretted it. And I… I didn’t want to look at that, at all. Because I don’t want to regret this. I don’t, not really.”

“But he was perfect, and he wasn’t yours to keep. And that hurt,” Eddie whispers, feeling his own heart clench at that.

Eddie still doesn’t know how Buck managed to do it, to follow through with this most selfless act. It’s perhaps a different thing if you don’t know the people you make a donation for, if you don’t ever see that child. But Buck knows Kameron and Connor. He helped Kameron when Connor got cold feet. He delivered the baby. He held it. And he didn’t get to kiss it, didn’t get to call it his. He had to give it over to Kameron, he had to give it up. Eddie can safely say he couldn’t have done for those two what Buck did. He looked at Christopher once, and despite all of his anxieties, he knew right at that moment that there wouldn’t be anything he could ever possibly love more than that child.

“Yeah, it hurt. Like, I knew this was the outcome. Well, I didn’t know I’d actually have to deliver the baby, but… I knew that, in the end… I’d be donor, not dad. That was the deal. I walked away from this, even though it hurt. And I honestly think I managed not to insert myself into their life, after. To just be that donor for them… But yeah, holding that baby… I just… I realized just how much I want this.”

Eddie blinks. “To have a baby?”

“To be a father, to have a child that I get to call mine. Like, I don’t care one bit whether the kid has my DNA. But I… I realized that one of those things I’ve been yearning for, for so long, is to… to be a father. Not just Uncle Buck, not just Donor Buck. Not just… In-case-of-emergency Buck… Just… Dad Buck, just dad.”

Eddie can feel something tingling uncomfortably in his stomach. Is that, at least in part, how Buck sees the will? That he is the in-case-of-emergency, should something happen to him? And that this is all, or most of it?

Which may beg the question: Why would he want it to mean more for Buck? But Eddie has no answer to that yet.

Eddie coughs lightly to gather himself again. “And Natalia… doesn’t want kids?”

“She says that she really doesn’t. Which is totally fine. And it’s honestly not the reason why we ended things. The more we talked about what we want out of life, the more we came to realize just how different our goals were. And sure, you don’t have to want the very same thing at all times, but…”

“… you need a general direction, hit some milestones together.” Eddie nods.

“Right. And we had to see that we like each other a lot, but things don’t align for us beyond that attraction and care we feel for one another. Even without the family planning issue. So we figured we’re better off trying to find someone who’s better suited to walk that path with us.”

“So you’re really fine with it, breaking up with her?”

“I was never good at… break ups. I… I always felt like failing. But this time, neither one did anything wrong. We just… figured out that it wasn’t going anywhere. So… ugh, yeah, I’m good, with the break up. I’ll miss her for quite some time, I’m sure. But… I feel like it was the right choice, and that I managed to follow through with it before it was too late, before anyone got hurt. I’m honestly glad about that.”

“Right.”

Eddie takes a swig from the beer, which turned almost lukewarm between his sweaty hands.

“So… you want to be a father.”

He knows he shouldn’t be surprised. Buck always loved kids. You only have to see him interact with Christopher once to know that Buck was born to be a dad one day. But for reasons Eddie can’t really explain, there is something pulling on the strings around his heart upon that admission, that realization, really.

Because, in the end, that means he is looking to another child to take care of. What Eddie doesn’t know is why that actually hurts to think.

“It doesn’t have to be, like, tomorrow. Or even this year or the next. But I know this is what I want, rather sooner than later. I know that now.”

“Ever since you held the baby,” Eddie assumes, but Buck shakes his head. “Actually before that. I just… didn’t understand it, I think.”

Eddie tilts his head. “How do you mean?”

“You know, in that dream I’ve had while I was in a coma… I… my parents talked about my kids. And I remember how my heart skipped a beat. That in this version of my life, I was a dad! Only to find out that those were the kids in my class, as I was a teacher. Like, dreams often tell us what we actually want. And… and I feel like I’ve been shying away from that.”

“From hanging around kids? Hardly.”

“No, I mean… I love kids. I always did. I love babysitting. I love, beyond anything, hanging out with Chris. But the idea of having a child of my own… for a long time, it’d felt more like a threat than anything else, “Buck admits, chewing on his bottom lip.

“Because you’d lose your freedom?”

“No, because if I had a kid, I’d have a reason not to… be willing to give my life for the greater good. I know this sounds silly, but…,” Buck says, his voice trailing off, but Eddie interjects, “It’s not silly. I know how I struggled, trying to reconcile doing this job, while also being a father. Some days, I’m not sure I’m managing.”

There were many things he struggled with, coming back from the war. His parents were on him for wanting to become a firefighter. But yes, it was on his mind. What it meant to do a job that could very well mean he wouldn’t get to go home to his son. Because he was willing to sacrifice his life for someone other than his son. But Eddie found enough resolve in him to always try his hardest to come home. And to this day, he dares to think that this is enough.

“See, I couldn’t have that. After I found this job, my path in life, my purpose… I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But then I met all those amazing parents, you very much included, and… and I had to realize that it is possible. That you can still dedicate yourself to this purpose, but… but also to having a family.”

Eddie smiles faintly. Whenever he is in doubt about his ability as a parent, he has to look no further than to Buck to find that reassurance he craves more desperately than he’d want to at times. Because to Buck, Eddie is the picture boy kind of dad. While Eddie would not sign up to that, it always gives him reassurance. That he’s doing okay, even if he feels like he is failing his son, sometimes. Because there is someone who makes him look at all the other times he was doing well. Because there is someone who sees Eddie not just for the things he messed up, but for all the times he did right, and who sees him for who he can be as a dad further down the road.

“Coming back from what happened, I… I felt like I couldn’t go back to life as I knew it. And that’s true. I won’t ever be the same, after I… died. But I definitely won’t find my happiness by chasing an unhappy former version of myself. I… I want more out of my life than casual relationships and… only being a backup. I want… more. And I… I try very hard to tell myself that that’s okay. That I’m enough, to… to have that.”

“Of course you’re enough. You’re allowed to live whatever life you choose,” Eddie assures him, because he knows that Buck needs to keep hearing it, to let that sink in, the same way he relies on Buck to tell him what he can’t seem to grasp sometimes.

“I’m starting to get there.” He leans his head back. “I mean, it honestly feels a bit like a joke. Like, I die, literally die… and I spent so much time before and after the lightning strike, trying to find true peace, true happiness… and… and now I feel like I finally found out… and I have no idea what to do with that information. Like, what’s next?”

“You’re allowed to take your time, figuring that out, Buck.”

“Yeah, I know. I just… I guess I’m being impatient. Or rather… I don’t know how long I have to keep waiting, before I get to have that happiness. Because I spent my whole damn life, waiting. And I fear that if I keep waiting too long, I… I will keep missing out.”

He looks at the ceiling for a long moment, wrinkling his nose with a pensive frown. Then something sheepish flashes across his face, forcing him to twist his head back around to look at Eddie. “Which is to say, I’m not… unhappy, being Uncle Buck and all that. I’m not unhappy, period. I’m still over the moon that you’ve put me in your will. That you’d entrust your child into my care, should anything happen to you. Like, I don’t want it to come across like this is lesser to me. It’s not. I love Christopher. But… but… but he isn’t mine, not actually. He’s yours.”

Distantly, Eddie is called back to the small fight they had a few weeks back, in the basketball court. When they disagreed about how to help Christopher navigate his first crush. And how it’d slipped out of him during the game, that Buck wasn’t Christopher’s dad, that it was not his call to make. Eddie had regretted that even more than Buck could ever have regretted shoving him a bit too hard to take the ball from him thereafter. And oh God did Buck regret that.

Eddie had never meant for it to come out that way, but now he starts to see just how much that must have upset Buck. Because it confirmed this fear that he’d been carrying around himself ever since the lightning strike. To be confronted with the reality, yet again, that this was not his child, not his call to make. Because Christopher is Eddie’s son, not Buck’s. Even though he loves him like he is, Eddie has no doubt about it.

“I’m more to Christopher than I am to anyone else’s child. And I’m forever indebted to you for… for giving me that purpose, for letting me share in that with you,” Buck continues. “It means the world to me.”

“But you want to be a father. So that’s just not enough,” Eddie mutters.

“Hey, if I could steal Chris, I probably would,” Buck jokes, but then turns more serious again. “But… yeah, I guess I want more, in the sense of… not just having a kid on the weekends, taking them to the zoo, help with school projects, or pick’em up when the parents are busy, and all. I want the whole damn deal, you know? Parent teacher conferences, figuring out schedules, fussing over them getting a fever, dealing with tantrums, being the bad cop, fail and keep trying…”

He lets his head fall back around so he is facing the ceiling again.

“And… and I start to allow myself to go for it, actually go for it. But I want you to know that, no matter what happens, that’s never going to change anything about me caring about Christopher in any way I can. Because I will, always.”

Because Buck still loves him, as his own. Even though he isn’t. Only ever in case of emergency.

Eddie closes his eyes for a moment, to let that sink in. Truthfully, that’s not what he saw coming, when he put Buck in his will, not even when he told him about it at long last.

“I know,” Eddie almost croaks. “You’re always going to take care of him. Because you love him, so much.”

“I do.” A smile creeps up his lips, but it looks fake, Eddie notes. “I mean, who knows what the future holds? If you and Marisol get more serious, or you wind up marrying again… who knows how long you’ll need it in the papers that I’m the backup, right? Coz then he’d have another parent watching out for him. In which case I’d be the backup for the backup.”

Eddie feels the air knocked out of him this time. He had never thought about it too hard, though maybe he should have. Because yes, if he winds up finding someone to spend his life with, they’ll be the ones to take care of Christopher before Buck.

That would be the normal thing, at least.

But in Eddie’s mind, ever since he put Buck in his will, there has only been one person to take care of his son, should something happen to him. And that person is Buck, always only Buck.

But was that just wishful thinking on my end?

“Which is to say… I think it’s not fair for me to rely on you and Christopher for that, so very much. To find that part of my happiness. Because that’s actually just between the two of you. And I have to be fine with that. But that also means I have to… go for it myself, or else I won’t ever get it.”

The words get stuck in Eddie’s throat. How Buck can rely on them, how it’s totally fair, how much he wants him to rely on it. But who is Eddie to say that to him, after what Buck just admitted to? Because Christopher is not Buck’s. Even though, despite being all grown up these days, Buck is still Christopher’s Buck. So why should Buck have to keep relying on what he can get from Eddie and Christopher, if he can find the one thing that can make him truly happy? To be a father in his own right?

How would that be enough?

“I feel like I blow this way out of proportions, but I just… I felt like if there’s one person who should know before all else, it’d be you,” Buck concludes.

“I’m glad you told me,” Eddie says.

He is, he really is. But why is it that his heart is aching so much right now, he wonders?

“Is it okay… if that stays between us two, for a while? Until I’m a bit more sorted out about… how to take the next step? It’s not like it’s a grand secret, but I feel like it’d raise questions I wouldn’t be able to answer right now.”

“Of course.”

“Thanks, for everything, really.”

“Never for that.”

Eddie watches as Buck keeps looking at the ceiling, which leaves him to wonder what Buck sees there.

The night fizzles out after that rather quickly. Before he knows it, Buck is tying his shoes and slipping into his jacket.

“Well, I guess I should be going, then. Thanks for… I was going to say for listening to my crap, but I’m gonna say… for being there. I… that means a lot,” Buck says.

“Always, Buck. Always.”

“Thanks. Well, I’ll be on my way, then.”

Eddie watches Buck as he stops by the door, for the briefest of moment. His fingers run down the door frame. And Eddie can’t help but wonder whether he’s saying goodbye to something. What it is, he isn’t sure. But he fears that Buck is saying goodbye to a pathetic fantasy they both got lost in, for what it seems.

Because, contrary to what Buck found out about Natalia and him, Buck and Eddie want to hit similar milestones, walk down the same path, but they can’t walk them together.

And isn’t that the biggest joke in it all?

[murdockbuckley]

i watched the 911 promo clip and here are my thoughts

captain hats - obviously one them becoming the interim captain

i know a lot of you on tumblr don't like the idea of it being buck but i think it could be him

hen will be settling in with the new child and that requires a lot from a person

chim is busy planning the wedding with maddie and literally every time a wedding has happened the person planning was not captain

it could be eddie but we've never really seen him want to be anything more than the role he has at the fire station currently

we saw how buck took charge in the bridge collapse and it's made him think his ready to actually be a captain but the cruise will make him realise he still hasn't properly dealt with his trauma and maybe he isn't actually ready for (or doesn't actually want) the captain's title

wedding ring - madney wedding

like i said chim is busy helping plan the wedding so maybe he won't actually be on call for the cruise

everyone he knows, all of his family, is working on it except him

it'll be a fun callback to season 2 after he got stabbed and called tommy(?, an old member of the 118 who transferred) in for extra help

this is how we get guest stars of previous characters (like lucy or tommy) that i mentioned in a previous post

the keys - buckley-diaz boys

this one is purely delusion okay

buddie having keys to each others houses is such a big thing to the fandom and if abc want to be great they definitely would've picked up on it

linking to the captains hat buck or eddie (or both) have panic attacks because of how much fucking trauma they have because of the water (the plane in s1, the tsunami, the well, the lightning strike - you could probably find something im every season) and they end up staying at eddie's together for awhile so they don't have to be alone

of course they both have their girlfriends (marisol and natalia) but they just don't understand this situation and the trauma they shared together and how bad it affected them

(alternatively the loft burns down and buck moves in with eddie, they share one set of keys)

also the anchor keychain?? buck and eddie are there for each other no matter what, they ground each other and have each others back

the watch - the time is right

i think the time on the watch is at 7:30 (obviously i could be wrong) and y'know what else had 7 and 3?? 3 minutes and 17 seconds

the number has been such a big part of tragic/traumatic storylines throughout the show i wouldn't be surprised if it was here now

timing is such a great them and goes perfectly with the already set up storylines for this season

madney wedding - there's no time like the present, lets gather everyone we love and have a wedding in a meaningful place (bathena backyard) and be happy together forever as soon as possible

baby wilson - they're finally ready to grow healthily, they've had a lot of things test their marriage (hen cheating, ivf, hen's kidnapping, karen losing her job, hen going to med school, karen almost dying in an explosion at her work) and now they can finally say they're at a place where they want to expand their family properly and permanently

buddie's girlfriends - the issue with their girlfriends had always been timing and when they meet, did marisol and natalia come at the right time? will they stay and be permanent for the boys? will they break up? will the break up still leave them as friends (i hope so)

bathena cruise - i don't need to say much. they thought they finally had time to relax and be themselves and be with each other. it seems the only way they're going to get that is retirement

some other fun stuff/thoughta:

you can see a helicopter light, could be lucy or tommy flying - we know they both can

the time duration on the call being 1:18 is great 10/10

the keys could also be about may? her being on college/uni, no longer being at dispatch, she wouldn't know what's going on other than through the updates on the news and anything she can get out of whoever is at the call/maddie (but then anyone at the cruise is highly unlikely to answer their calls/messages)

[twdmusicboxmystery]

The Dialogue That Sent A Ship Reeling And What It Might Mean for the Overall Story Arc

***Possible spoilers for future episodes****

@bookqueenrules:

So, I read a ton of reviews of season 1 before episode 1 aired. Many of the reviews were from “Carlyers”. I am always interested in seeing their perspective.  

They all seemed to agree on a few things.

First and foremost, they HATED Daryl’s response to Laurent in this exchange from episode 1:

 L: “Do you have children, a wife, parents?”

D: “No, nothing like that.”

I believe this exchange at the beginning of the episode speaks VOLUMES about Daryl’s “happy ending”.  We see him think of Judith and Carol, the people he is closest to at home, as he is regaining consciousness.  However, soon after that he does not acknowledge Judith as “his child” nor does he acknowledge Carol as a type of “wife” or “life partner”. 

This tells us that in Daryl and the writer’s minds Daryl has never been a father nor husband/life partner to anyone, yet. 

Being able to be a good husband and father after the abuse and trauma Daryl has experienced, I believe, will be his happy ending. 

Another thing they seem to hate is that by the end of the series, Daryl is torn as to whether he should stay with Laurent and Isabelle or keep trying to go home.  I assume that happens in episode 6 because a DEVOTED Carlyer said that was the hardest episode for her to watch.  Daryl being torn is more understandable when you see the parallels in Daryl’s mind: Isabelle is a platonic friend he becomes close to(Carol), and Laurent is a child that is not his, but that he feels responsible for because the parents are not around (Judith). Now, of course, we all know he will and should choose TF, but just the fact that he is torn should let the viewer know that Daryl still feels he is missing “something”.  Back to that in a minute.  I think it’s helpful to look at all of Daryl’s close relationships during the flagship to see why Daryl is still looking for “something”. That “something” is to belong to someone.

Merle- Daryl did at one time “belong” to Merle. It was just the two of them.  Neither had other close family nor significant romantic partners or friends.  It was a dysfunctional type of belonging, but a “belonging” none the less.  Daryl believed he belonged with Merle.  In season 3, Daryl was torn between his new family(TF) and Merle. He did leave with Merle, but would have returned to TF even if he hadn’t convinced Merle to go back to the prison with him. So, he chose TF over Merle in the end. 

Beth- Beth is the ONLY character that Daryl asks to settle down with him.  HE asks HER to stay at the funeral home and try to make a life.  He gives up looking for Rick, Carol, and the rest of TF. He feels he now BELONGS to Beth. This is an example of functional “belonging” because she restores his faith in himself and in the possibility of good in the world.  This is further emphasized in the “Buttons” episode where Daryl and Aaron are trying to save Buttons the horse.  Oh! Buttons the horse, Daryl’s highlighted button in the promo pictures, and the button on Beth’s necklace… Sorry, I just made that connection as I type!  Major symbolism there. I digress. In that episode, Daryl says of Buttons, “He once belonged to someone, but now he just belongs to himself.”  The implication being that the statement is true of both the horse and Daryl. 

Rick- Rick becomes the better brother Merle never was. However, he can never really belong to Rick in the same way he did Merle because Rick has a family of his own and didn’t live through the same childhood trauma Merle and Daryl did. 

Leah- Daryl is torn between belonging with her, TF, and searching for Rick.  He leaves even though she has issued an ultimatum. It’s only after she is “gone” that he says he belongs with her. I believe that indicates that Daryl really does want to belong to someone, but Leah is not the right one.  He knew it when he walked out on her.

Carol has belonged to Zeke for a long time now. Even when they drifted apart, they drifted back together.  Before him, Carol belonged to herself drifting in and out of storylines fighting her need NOT to belong to anyone. She initiated romantic connections while Daryl was free and clear to form that kind of attachment with if she chose. Zeke is the one that showed Carol she could have her “happy ending” family after the dysfunction she experienced with Ed and Sophia. Though Henry didn’t live, Carol still had six years of a “happy ending”. 

After telling Judith he wouldn’t leave her, why does Daryl leave to explore? There were many others in Alexandria and Hilltop who could have gone.  So, Daryl must have WANTED to go. Judith seems to be OK with it because she connects it to his “happy ending”. Carlyers are interpreting Daryl’s call to the Commonwealth, presumably to Carol, about coming home in a week, as Daryl realizing his “mistake” and wanting to come home to his “happy ending” being Carol and Judith. If that were the case, he would have responded differently to Laurent’s question. 

The Carlyers all LOVED the last minute of the season(We can all guess that is when Carol shows)

They also agree that some of the themes are fatherhood, purpose, and belonging. Curiously, they don’t see the “happy ending” as a theme for the most part. It’s been pretty obvious, but few of them comment on it. I am assuming that episode 5 will be heavily related to the theme of fatherhood based on some vaguely worded reviews. 

  I wanted to mention a couple of other things that I don’t believe you discussed in the video. Forgive me if I just missed them.

Isabelle’s comment in the bath about scars showing you have healed.  I believe that is heavy foreshadowing for Daryl healing his scars from childhood.

Also, I don’t believe you mentioned the radio in the “map room”. Would that be another Sirius/radio connection? I thought it was interesting that Isabelle is caught in a lie about the radio. It is clear that Isabelle is willing to lie and manipulate to get what she wants.  She reminds me of Carol in that way.  She feels the ends justify the means for the greater good. She also reminds me of Carol in the sense that Daryl, Carol, and Isabelle are all characters who were “broken before the world ended”.  It was after the world ended that Beth broke for a moment, but all of these characters have proven they are survivors. It will be interesting to see that play out if/when they all meet. 

@twdmusicboxmystery​:

Love, love, LOVE everything you said here! And totally agree! It’s fun to know what the Carylers are saying.

Honestly, I hadn’t thought much about Daryl’s reply about not having a wife and kids. And great call about the foreshadowing there. It’s clear that he’ll have them eventually, and we all know it won’t be with Carol. 

Honestly, I think the reason he’ll be so torn will be Laurent, rather than Isabelle. I was thinking as I read what you wrote is that part of the reason he was willing to leave Judith was 

1) she doesn’t truly need him anymore. She’s okay with him going, which means she a happy, healthy, well-adjusted kid. He still loves and wants to be with her, but if someone else is depending on him as a lifeline physically or emotionally, well, he’s going to stay for as long as they need him. And Judith is such a badass all by herself, that she doesn’t necessarily. 

2) It’s also true that he doesn’t see her as truly “his” and if there’s any chance her real dad (Rick, although biologically that’s a can of worms, lol) is still out there, he wants to bring Rick home to her. So, once again, it’s Daryl doing something for someone else, rather than himself. Which is why Judith says the thing about the happy ending to begin with. She recognizes that he deserves to think about his own happiness every once in awhile, rather than everyone else’s. 

Anyway, I’m actually excited to see the part where he’s torn about staying or going. It plays into Daryl’s changing his mind/what changed your mind theme, which started with Beth and has been constantly in play since S4. 

Isabelle reminds me a lot of Leah. Not in her personality or toxicity, of course. But in the sense that she’s an interesting blend of Carol and Beth. I already like her relationship with Daryl and I can see them becoming close friends. People say Clemence Posey’s performance here is really amazing. Up there with Norman’s. So I’m excited to see more of both of them.

Thanks so much for the post! Absolutely love it! 

Oh, and yes, the radio is a Sirius symbol. Because Sirius Radio XM. It’s also part of the Communication Theme. 

Thanks Dear! 

[cosmoseinfeld]

hi kay tell me about jerrykramer if you want? it's been too long since i watched seinfeld

oh boy... where to start...

maybe it's best to come in hot with a tinhat theory? imo, jerrykramer was never written as a romantic ship or intended to end up as one. if anything, i can see the writers (and jerry...) more go the route of your classic 80s buddy comedy that has maybe some tropey romantic undertones to it if you care to look (like, say "midnight run").

BUT i think that michael (richards) and jerry (seinfeld. lol.) had such an amazing chemistry that it also kind of wrote itself and a lot of the "acting" choices on jerry's part (who has also stated again and again that he is not an actor and can only react genuinely to the people opposite to him - which is also why he cast the show the way it was cast - because he felt comfortable around those people and knew he didn't have to stretch himself beyond his abilities) were just actor bleed (the fkn heart eyes, man...). with michael, you can see it especially in later seasons when he's allowed himself to relax a little.

And, of course, most importantly, it WORKED. jerry's #1 priority has always been to make it funny. in his own words: he lives in a world of funny (and he has also said he doesn't see race or gender which still drives me insane to think about. funnysexual).

But there were also very conscious writing choices for jerry and kramer which has me believing that the writers (and jerry. who was "micro managing every aspect of the show") knew exactly how you could look at their relationship if you wanted to. plus, the show has always been very queer friendly (hell, there is a whole episode dedicated to gay okay. and jerry has been very vocally pro queer - especially on comedians in cars getting coffee *cough* - most noticeably in the episode with howard stern where he literally said: "i like gay." after HS asked him "why is everything gay with you?").

This is just my reading and probably also projecting but none of the characters read particularly straight to me. kramer is so special, he most of all is so above labels and societal norms - that's his whole thing (in Seinfeld!Jerry's words: he is a pod).

And as the show progresses and the characters, the writers and the audience all become more comfortable and accustomed with/to each other, jerry and kramer become increasingly domestic.

I have made a whole post about the tropes applied to them (I even think I forgot a couple) but the ones I love the most are: jerry being wife-coded in the episode "The Bizarro Jerry" // jerry being girlfriend coded in "The Apology" // meetcute trope also in "The Apology" // jerry being such a germaphobe but somehow always being okay with whatever unsanitary thing kramer is up to at any given moment // bed sharing in "The Wig Master" // a literal kiss (that wasn't played off as a joke) in "The Kiss Hello" // jerry taking kramer as his date to award shows & once on a holiday to tuscany despite being a notorious and chronic dater // the others noticing/commenting on their relationship-y behaviour (george's reaction to the kiss & his reaction to finding them in the shower together. elaine and jerry talking about settling down and saying "it's just gonna be you and kramer" "just me and kramer, huh?" & elaine commenting on their relationship trouble whenever one of them is sulking) // their co-dependency (it's being commented on in tiny moments throughout the show how much kramer needs jerry's friendship/love and kramer comments a few times how empty jerry's life would be without him)...

oh, i guess all of them are important to me haha. and they all come so easy to them. but here's the post i wrote a year ago on that. feel free to browse through my jerrykramer tag (or jerrymichael *cough*) or this blog to ogle at them.

I will leave you with this homosexual promo pic outtake, thanks for coming to my TED talk <3

[imtheiliad]

YOU WERE LIGHTING FLARES [1.3K | alternate universe| bmtb fic] {ao3}

a/n: she's hereee everybody!! i know we are generally losing our collective shit over promo and cast content-- but let me take you to another universe for just a moment. for @buddieau i know thigs didnt go as planned really, but without signing up for this i wouldnt have finished this and i love you both so much <3 both titles are from waking up slow by gabrielle aplin. this will be about 7 chapters i believe, all about this length each capturing a different moment in their relationship in this universe. enjoy <3

CHAPTER ONE: I COULD BE YOUR FRIEND Buck wasn’t one to often get deeply invested in their patients. He would connect with them deeply, leaving him emotionally wrought, but not in a way that was investment. 

Bobby had told him that their jobs stopped at the glass doors. Athena chewing him out. But it just had been something about how tiny the baby had been. Is. He had cradled her all the way to the hospital, feeling some sort of kindred spirit in her. 

He understands why they don’t go past the glass doors. He really does. There’s just something aching. 

“You know, I  have a friend up in the NICU. I could ask him about her?” Maddie offers over the takeout containers that Buck brought to the hospital with him after his shift. 

Buck just shrugs as he sips his coffee, “I don’t know Mads, Bobby made it pretty clear-“ 

“Well, what if you were to happen to be here, and happen on the floor… it’s 4 by the way," she smiles as her pager beeps and she takes a last gulp of coffee before taking off back to the ED, calling “See ya at home Ev!” Before she’s gone. And Buck is alone in the nurse break room. He pushes his last few bites of breakfast around in the container before eating them and throwing everything away and leaving the room, weighing the idea in his head. 

He stands in front of the bank of elevators trying to decide if he wants to go up or down. With a rush he pushes the up button before he can change his mind for a tenth time. 

He carefully follows the arrows and signs pointing him toward the NICU. He feels far too big and clumsy to be in this wing. Where fragile beings are just learning what it’s like to be in the world. Surrounded by such innocence. He didn’t quite fit in with his raucous and reckless life. 

He's finally standing in front of the window, carefully looking to see if he can see her. 

His eyes land on her in the incubator, and she seems even tinier than he remembers, even though it was only a few hours ago really. An eternity, and twice her lifetime for her and a blink of an eye for him. she has a hat now which settles something within the aching, but the myriad of wires and tubes add a new sense of worry. he’s never felt like this before. 

He just watches her chest rise and fall. Hands shoved in his jeans pockets. He still feels out of place, being six foot two, and all muscle. But there is a part of him that is truly and fully invested in everything about her. Wants to make sure that she finds her people, that she’s happy and loved. That she has someone to love her like Maddie loved him. 

The nurse comes by to check her vitals and Buck watches him closely, knowing the nurse can do his job but wants to see if he can read his expression as he checks her over. He catches Buck watching and after he makes some final notes on her chart, he exits the room and comes face to face with Buck. 

His arms are crossed, the sleeves of his soft gray shirt pushed up his forearms underneath his light purple scrub top. The tiny stethoscope hanging around his neck, a tiny monkey holding tight.

“Are you her father?” he questions, skepticism already lacing every word. 

And Buck nearly jumps out of his skin even though he saw the other man coming and even suspected that he woul be spoken to. That question wasn’t what he expected. The notion of it even, “Oh god no! I- I’m just-“ 

The nurse’s right eyebrow starts expertly climbing his brow as Buck stumbles.  

“I'm um, I'm a firefighter-'' he shucks the left side of his jacket a little to reveal the emblem, “I’m on the team that brought her in yesterday?” Buck tries, “I’m the one who held her all the way here.” 

The nurse softens, “And my sister, she- she’s the one who said it would be okay for me to come by- Maddie, she’s a nurse down in the ED-  I’ll leave if it’s not, I have pretty much gotten what I came for anyway, I am so sorry.” Buck rambles, fidgeting and looking over his shoulder. 

The nurse starts smiling, and Buck had never seen anything like it. 

“You’re Evan!” There’s a sparkle in his eye that could rival stars in rural Montana. 

A blush creeps across his cheeks, “You know Maddie,” he states, ducking his head and digging a toe into the linoleum. 

“I'm Eddie by the way, I'm guessing she’s never mentioned me by name?” 

“No,” he shakes his head, but then snaps his fingers, “but she did mention a NICU nurse friend!” 

Eddie laughs again resting his hands on his hips casually. 

“She’s tried to convince me to let her give me her cute firefighter brother’s number, I don’t know how many times.” 

“You can have it if you want,” Buck blurts, then covers his mouth, “Oh my god I’m sorry.” 

“It's okay.” Eddie runs a hand over the back of his neck, “You can have it. I just- I’m not ready to date yet?” 

“You can call me Buck by the way, Maddie’s the only one that calls me Evan. Well she does and my parents but-“ 

“We don’t talk about the parents,” Eddie says in the same tone that Maddie does and Buck laughs. It all feels like a breath of fresh air after the shift he had. 

It feels like Eddie is waiting for Buck to deny him something because of what he said, but Buck just takes his phone from his back pocket, opens a new contact and holds it out to him. Eddie smiles a little as he carefully takes it and enters the number. 

“Text me so I have yours okay? I gotta get back in there.” 

“I will. Bye!” 

“Bye Evan.” 

He looks into the nursery again just to make sure her chest is still rising and falling steadily and waves at Eddie one more time before rocking on his heels, and smiling like an idiot all the way to the elevators. 

Maddie is barely in the door before Buck launches into a rant, “Maddie how could you not tell me you’re “NICU nurse friend” is possibly the hottest man I  have ever seen but you have also offered him my number, on more than one occasion, unbeknownst to me. You had ulterior motives!” 

“So I see you met Eddie,” she says, dropping her bag on the floor and toeing off her shoes. “He needed it to be on his terms, or at least think it was.” 

“Yeah, he uh mentioned not being ready to date, what’s that all about?” 

“Not my story to tell. but I hear you have his  number so you can ask him yourself.” she just grins and opens the fridge to grab a glass of juice before she crawls into bed. 

Buck is laying in bed staring at the ceiling when his phone buzzes;

From: Eddie 🩺 Hi. 

A blush creeps across his cheeks and he smiles. He quickly schools himself because he just met the man. But there had been something about him that made Buck want to crawl into a warm bubble and live there with him.

To : eddie 🩺

shouldn’t you be sleeping 🤨

From : eddie 🩺

Couldn’t you say the same for yourself?

To: eddie 🩺

Oh no

R u someone that like uses actual grammar while texting

From: Eddie 🩺

Is that an actual question?

To: Eddie 🩺

Uhh yeah

From : Eddie 🩺

Yes. And if only there was punctuation for you to indicate that you were asking me a question…

To: Eddie 🩺

Oh. my. God. 🙄

good night

[frazzledsoul]

So Matt Czuchry has been making the promo rounds recently because apparently he's still alive on American Horror Story this most recent season and the season was split in two parts.

Apparently he was on The Talk two days ago and he was accused of ruining the love lives of teenage girls for decades

First of all, I am sick of the knee-jerk misandry that claims that any man Rory Gilmore dates is not good enough for her, because she's such paragon of fidelity, moral character, and good behavior. Has anyone asked if Rory is a good girlfriend and if these guys deserve her? She cheats on or with all of her boyfriends (with Dean and Logan, she's done both), she pits these guys against each other often, she frequently lies and misleads them about her intentions (this goes along with the cheating), she very rarely is repentant about any of this, and she also has the nerve to play the martyr (hello, bridesmaids: hello, being pissed at Jess for not waiting for her in season 3) when her track record does not call for it. I'm not saying she's always awful, but I think the only seasons where she was fair to whoever she was dating were season 1 and season 7. The rest of the time her record....is not good.

Furthermore, Dean and Jess seemed to struggle for a bit after Rory leaves their lives for good and then they get considerably better without her. Dean had at least one kid by 2011, so I'm assuming he was married and settled by then, which is really all he wanted in life (hopefully he got some therapy first). Jess is an author, co-owns a business, and is accepted in a community of his own by 2006 (and is emotionally stable enough not to hold Rory manipulating him into more love triangle bullshit against her). Logan never really gets a break from any of this in the canon we see (and is just as big of a cheater as she is in AYITL) but even he is personally and professionally stable by that era while Rory spends most of AYITL throwing epic tantrums and destroying any professional opportunity she gets.

Why should the boyfriends, who actually exhibited considerable character growth, should be forever declared "toxic" and perpetually morally inferior to Rory when they became more mature (okay, Logan has a mixed record, but Adult Logan works and he gets along with his dad, so we'll take it) and she did not? Why isn't anyone asking if the way Rory treats other people is behavior we want young girls to emulate, instead of only holding the boyfriends to account for what they did wrong?

Yeah, yeah, I know. This is the perils of being a main character written by Amy Sherman Palladinos: you leave her orbit and your life gets better offscreen. But Rory holds a lot of blame for why these relationships didn't work, especially since she keeps doing the same thing over and over. She should be held just as accountable for the things she did wrong as her partners are.

Honestly, Czuchry is being a lot more gracious than the situation calls for here. He showed up to promote his most recent project and a random Tik Tok was waved in his face accusing him of ruining the love lives of young women for years, because of what his character on a TV show did LITERALLY DECADES AGO. Why are y'all mad at him? He didn't write this. He had zero control over any of this. Why is this his fault? This ain't why he's there. Go yell at ASP if you're still mad and leave the actors alone. Credit goes to him for not trying to play Team Logan and be diplomatic because I don't really think he signed up for this discourse here.

This isn't an issue that is isolated to Czuchry: Milo also made the Interwebs mad when he asked to defend Jess's behavior on a talk show a while back (promoting a completely different project) and he pointed that Jess was literally a child when he was a main character on the show with a lot of childhood trauma. But hey, let's get pissed at the actor for pointing out literal facts again.

And Czuchry is right here:all of these characters were flawed, none of them behaved perfectly, and you should not model your real life relationships on any of them. This is not a tale of evil men ganging up on a helpless damsel. There's plenty of bad behavior to go around for all of them.

[jaded-jezz]

Shutter Speed

(Part 3)

Jack Champion x Photographer!Reader

Part 3/3

☁︎ Fluff

Summary: y/n is a photographer for the new scream promo and Jack thinks she belongs in front of the camera rather than behind.

(Y/N POV)

"So, how do I look?" I walk out into my room where Leah is patiently waiting. "OMG SHUT UP! YOU LOOK AMAZING!" Leah exclaims so loud that I jump back in surprise. "He is going to propose!"

"Jesus Leah, it's our first date chill out." I laugh while grabbing my bag off my bed. "Sorry but I am jealous of him, run through the plan again so we can work out how to woo him." Leah giggles after throwing her hands up in defense.

As we aren't the sportiest of people, we agreed to go to an arcade. This seemed like the next best way to settle our squabble over who is reigning champion of games. Since the day he asked for my number, we have been sending mini message games to each other when we get bored. Right now I have won the most of the varying games like cup pong, bowling and battleship, but Jack has accused me of cheating once or twice so he thinks he is the Jack Champion.

A knock at the door stops my rambling. Leah looks over as my eyes widen. “Pretend I’ve died,” I whisper. “Y/N WHAT NO GET UP!” Leah starts picking up my bag and pushing my down the hallway. “You will be fine, you know to text me if anything goes wrong. I’ll wait up for you and you can tell me all about it.” She gives a supportive grin before opening the door.

(JACK’S POV)

My mouth goes dry the second the door opens. She looks so beautiful I almost forget she is real. Stumbling for words I finally say, "Wow Y/N, you look stunning." It's a casual outfit, due to our dates location, but she has somehow managed to make it look like she is about to walk down a runway.

I see her cheeks turn pink just before she looks at the floor grinning. I re-gain her attention by presenting the bouquet that I spent too long choosing for her. Her eyes light up, I want to freeze this moment of time to remember it forever.

Behind Y/N, Leah clears her throat trying to remove the comfortable silence between us. "Thank you Jack. They are lovely, I'm going to put them inside and then we can go? She turns to Leah who promises to put them in water and shoos us out the door.

( Y/N POV)

After a short car journey of Taylor Swift and karaoke we arrived at the arcade. When we parked, Jack ran round and opened the door before I could even say a word.

We walked inside holding hands and Jack asked "What's first?" after scanning the place once over. "Oh my god, definitely the dance machine! I wanna see all those moves you were talking about during shake it off!" I laughed before dragging him over. I didn't give him time to decide as I entered the coins and started selecting a song.

"Easy mode?" I looked Jack up and down as if to challenge him. After finally agreeing on a song, it was a blur of limbs and laughs until the song ended and we waited to see who had won.

"It's rigged! I was so much better than you!" Jack sighed while the tickets where done printing our of my side of the machine. A short laugh escaped both our throats as we tried to catch our breath from the extensive workout we had completed. "Maybe Champion shouldn't be your last name?" I jest. "Maybe it should be yours," Jack whispers as he moves to stand closer to me. I feel my face heat up as he leans in and just before he gets too close he reaches down and steals the tickets from behind me. "Jack that's cheating!" I shout as he starts to run to the next game.

(JACK'S POV)

After Y/N and I had won enough tickets I made my way to cash them in for prizes as she went to try her luck one last time at a claw machine in a back corner.

"JACK!" Y/N jumps next to me, smile reaching her eyes. "Look who I won!" She is holding a plush toy of an Avatar character. "You'll never guess who it is as well..." She giggles with a certain look in his eye.

"No way. Send it back. Burn it" It's Neteyam. Also known as the character played by Jamie Flatters. I try to hold back my laugh as Y/N goes on and on about how he is her favorite character and what she would do to meet Jamie. I know she is just messing around but a part of me longs to know how much she liked me during the movie.

I realize I have been in my own world when I feel her eyes staring into me. "Jack I was just joking-" "I know sorry, I was just distracted at how cute you look while rambling and I may or may not be kinda jealous that you like Neteyam more than Spider!" I grin at her.

"But I like you more than Jamie, don't worry." I kind of feel bad for making her think she upset me so I grab her hand and drag her to the photo booth. I pull her to sit in my lap, as the booth is too small for us both to sit, and I see her cheeks glow lightly before she composes herself to discuss poses.

"Just go with the flow Y/N." I feel her relax against me as the countdown starts. We start with a cute smiley one, and then stupid fish pouts. Her lips look so perfect. This is my perfect opportunity to do what I have wanted to do since the day I mistook her for Leah and she came to correct me. The automated countdown pulls me out of my flash back and I place my hand at her chin and turn her face towards me. I look into her eyes waiting for a nod, a simple yes.

Sparks ignite as our lips touch and I never want to be apart from her. Ever again. She pulls away and we chuckle quietly. Awkward silence overtakes the air, but it is somehow comforting. She looks back at me, eyes sparkling as the last picture is taken featuring our stupid love-struck smiles.

( Y/N POV)

I carefully remove myself from Jack's grasp as we leave the both to collect our photos. I still can't work out if the kiss was real until the photos are shot out and being picked up by Jack. I pick up the second print and an overwhelming feeling of happiness overtakes me and I smile so wide that my eyes may burst out of their sockets. This feeling has given me a burst of confidence, I grab Jack's face for another kiss.

I never want to stop kissing him.

After playing a few more games, we decide to head back to the car. On the way out I hear small sighs of frustration and look to my right to see a small girl at the claw machine where I had won earlier. "Jack... I think she wants this more than me." Before Jack understands what on earth I am talking about, I have carefully removed our linked hands and I walk over to the young girl. "Hey there. I have too many plushes at home, Could you look after him for me?" The girl warily took the toy from me to make sure I wasn't messing around and in the process saw Jack walking over to me.

"I know you from my TV! You're in this machine!" She jumps towards the claw machine pointing to the poster at the back. "Oh yeah that's me!" Jack replies smiling politely. "Could i ask my mom to take a picture with you?" "Of course."

(JACK'S POV)

I felt bad for Y/N as she stood off to the side but after I said goodbye she came over looking far from upset. "You are so cute with fans." I roll my eyes, put my arm around her and hug her tightly as we walk back to my car.

It's safe to say that was not our last date, but it might be my favorite.

That is finally the end of Shutter Speed! Let me know what you think in the comments! Sorry it took so long, I just lost interest in Jack especially after hearing rumors of what his girlfriend supports. I will no longer be writing for Jack but I wanted to finish this off before I started anything new.

As always, requests are currently open!

Please do not repost this, reblogs are appreciated.

(TAGLIST)

@inlovewithfictionalcharacters27 @callmemady-love @iloveneilperry @indecisivefandoms-blog @0ppiateslove

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[solavelyan]

Just under 27 hours left until 10 years of waiting is over.

I never did get around to doing everything I wanted to do before the next game came out, but none of that stuff is going anywhere. It's just been a really long, weird, often very bad decade.

I've been lucky in this lead up that nothing I've seen in the promo, content-wise, has given me much concern if it didn't excite me. I'm going in with as open of a mind as I can manage and withholding critical judgment until I can see the full picture for myself - admittedly, with a bias toward the benefit of the doubt. The devs who have been on and off of this project in the last decade care about telling a good story as much as I do about hearing one, and the love and care on display from the people who made this thing - even the ones actively fucked over by corpo shit - softens my opinion of some of the more controversial writing choices. They were in the weeds and I wasn't, and I'm more than willing to head them out.

I keep coming up with Rook concepts, feeling settled in them for a few days, and then talking myself out of them and changing my mind. I genuinely have no idea what I'm going to do first - but I'm sure whatever it is will be fun, and I'm excited for it.

Most importantly, I'm going to make more effort to stay off social media. I've tried being on less the last few days and it's been... to mixed results, for somewhat IRL reasons that don't matter here so I won't write them down. My worst fandom trait is that I don't enjoy Disk Horse, but when I see something I'm confused or appalled by, I go digging and then suddenly I know more than I wanted, feel obligated to have a reaction (even if it's internal), and then have to give myself a little talking-to anytime I feel the pull of "should I do X or Y in my game? People on (website) say that Y is fucked up or annoying because...". I know this is a habit of mine, and it is some level of mental "work" to get back to a more reasonable stance of "who gives a fuck, it's fake people, shut up and just do what you want, don't take the opinion of strangers you discovered just in time to disagree with them to heart."

I think some of the emotional weirdness is that the world has changed so much, but fandom is still itself. It's having the same drama and discourse and excitement and bullshit and joy as it ever has. I was here for the DA2 and Inquisition releases, and Veilguard's promo really has in some ways felt like being in 2014 again, for better or worse.

I'm sure I'll functionally disappear for a while for this one, just like I did with DAI. And I'm almost as horribly depressed as I was when DA2 launched and I played it in a 3-day fugue state. We'll see how it goes.

But the biggest thing I'm trying to avoid here is how I felt a couple weeks after BG3. I made the mistake of being on twitter more last year, and that's where all the worst bullshit lives these days (which it then leaks all over the place). It took about 2 weeks for the warm and fuzzies to wear off and for people to start feeling comfortable mocking and bullying random strangers who were doing nothing to anyone for the crime of making "boring" Tavs, or to start breaking off into factions based on favorite love interests and then being real big assholes about it. And it only went downhill after that. It ended up being that going into the general tags meant it was just a countdown before I saw really bitch-ass posts about how people pick (race of my character) and or romance (companion I romanced) are annoying and stupid and ruining fandom and so "boring" that reposting their screenshots for mockery is an acceptable pastime. It wasn't bigotry or anything - although the rampant and aggressive biphobia certainly was, that also sucked - but it quickly soured a lot of my experience, as someone who mostly minds my own business just vibing with my OCs and stuff with my little 4-note posts. I felt like I was constantly catching strays for having the gall to not have developed an "I thought X was cool but realized after a week it was bad and dumb" mentality, as so often crops up when the honeymoon cools and people kind of start to rot in fandom and care way too fucking much about what other people are doing because they're done actually engaging with the material directly.

Unfortunately, I think that shit is inevitable, and I just... don't want to see it. I don't want to fall in love with Companion Y or enjoy Plot Point X, only to check my socials and find people calling anyone who shares my opinion a stupid asshole who's ruining everything for other people just by existing, or basically a bigot for not digitally fucking their favorite or playing a character they find interesting. DA fandom has always been this way, and it sucks ass.

Honestly, I think that's why I'm so open to being charmed by the new game: because my apprehension isn't the game, it's fandom fucking bullshit. I'll always be happy to see more people enjoying things, but I've been here through some ugly shit and DA flavored fandom drama is almost always stupid horrible nonsense, and I'm not looking forward to that shit ramping up.

So I'm doing my very best to cocoon, only talk directly to my friends, and just enjoy this thing I've been waiting for for a decade without giving in to my impulse to care too much about everything all the time. I'll probably post pictures of my Rook or something, but I don't want to be ~around~ until I've finished at least my first playthrough.

The tl;dr of this is that I'm very very excited for the game itself and am ready to be impressed. Gimme the good heartbreak, Weekes.