#i wish i could write love letters to every fan of anything ever

[curlybinghe]

i love tgcf because fancreators took hualian and a pen and produced some of the most poignantly romantic images and writing i have literally ever seen

[rosenclaws]

Hi love, I hope you’re doing well! I’ve been a fan of (stalking but let’s not talk about it) your blog for a little while, but this is the first time I’ve sent in a request for you! Your writing for Leopold is literally the sweetest ever and you’re the only writer I know of that actively writes for him, it’s so dry out here!! I was wondering if I could request something fluffy with Leopold x fem!reader where is like the most tooth-rotting fluff you can think of. I’m talking him trying to court the reader even though it’s the modern day and that’s not really a thing anymore and shes a bit confused but loves it, a super touchy reader that loves to shower Leo with her affection, literally anything. Those are just ideas, feel free to be as creative as you’d like (and don’t be shy if you wanna make it a longer fic, I’ll take what I can get). This fandom (if I can even call it that) is such a barren wasteland for fanfics and you are such an amazing writer for him and just in general!!

Much love 💕

Courting || Leopold Mountbatten x Reader

a/n: Hi!! Okay I kinda took this in a slightly different direction so if its not what you wanted then plz feel free to send in another request (ik they're closed but I will make an exception) ALSO FUCK HES SO HANDSOME IM GONNA SCREAM

wc: 1.2k

warning: reader wears lipstick

The last thing you expected was to find a neatly written letter waiting for you when you got home. Pinned neatly to the door with a small rose attached to it. You recognized Leopold's handwriting immediately, no one else you know has such beautiful penmanship.

There’s a flutter of butterflies in your stomach as you open the letter. You and Leopold have gotten very close to each other. He’s unbelievably charming and so sweet and he’s just everything. The way he looks at you, it makes you feel like the only one in the world.

Hello my love,

I am writing to ask if you would do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner and a show this Friday night. I have found myself completely captured by your beauty, you live in my every thought. Every breath I breathe for you and every beat of my heart calls your name. I wish to court you and have the honor of calling you mine.

Your dearest Leopold

You read the letter once, and then again and again. Your fingers trace each letter. Never have you had anyone say something so precious to you before. The rose smells fresh and sweet, he must have gotten it this morning. You hurry to write him a reply, accepting his offer with great enthusiasm.

Folding the letter you press your lips the corner of the paper leaving a lipstick mark. Leopold lives just down the hall so you walk over. Just as you’re about to slip the letter under the door it swings open.

“Leo!” You squeak out as stand back up, almost knocking your head into his chest.

"Hello darling." He's dressed in casual clothes and my god you need to thank whoever introduced him to sweatpants. Anyways.

"I see you received my letter." You bite your lip as you hand over your letter. His name written as fancy as you can.

"Yeah, it was really sweet Leo." He takes the letter and you swear he blushes a little when he sees the lipstick mark. He stares at you for a while, with that perfect smile and gorgeous eyes.

"I uh, I'll see you Friday." His eyes light up at your words.

"I'll see you Friday my love." He takes your hand and kisses your knuckles.

You manage to keep it together as he shuts the door but once you make it back to your apartment you're melting. A giddy feeling you haven't felt in years. You have to wonder how he will attempt to court you in modern day. People don't really court anymore but all you care about is that you have a date with Leopold. Friday couldn't come fast enough.

You had never felt this nervous before. Spending way too long getting ready just to be done an hour early. It's just Leopold, you know Leopold. There's no reason to be nervous but you can't stop the tornado of worry brewing inside of you.

What if something goes wrong? Or the date goes horrible? What if he decides he doesn't like you anymore? What if this ruins your friendship. You shake your head and try to dispel any bad thoughts.

Tonight was going to be great. It has to be. There's a knock at the door and you quickly double check everything before opening it. Any worry still residing in your mind disappears. A beautiful bouquet of flowers is handed to you as Leopold is dressed to the nines. A crisp white shirt and black pants.

"They're beautiful." You say admiring the flowers. Fresh and absolutely gorgeous.

"Not as beautiful as you." Leopold says, barely at a whisper. Like he can't believe that you've even agreed to a date with him. He can't help but admire everything about you. To your smile, your beauty, your laugh, your voice. You're perfect.

You place the flowers in a vase and then the two of you are off. He rests his hand on your back as you walk through the city. His thumb draws circles in your back as you approach the restaurant. He's planned everything himself and he can't help but hope it's enough for you.

Dinner is lovely and the conversation flows without any awkwardness. You're talking to your friend Leopold but you know there's something more as you slowly get closer to each other as the night goes on. Hidden away in the corner booth you are free to get lost in each others eyes. Though you wish you could stay here all night he promised a show. Leopold loved the theater and he promised one day to take you and tonight was the night.

"How did you get such good seats?" You ask as he waits for you to sit before he does.

"I have my ways darling." You're hyper aware of just how close the two of you had gotten at dinner and how close you are now.

The show is interesting yes but Leopold was a very distracting man. Your hands inch closer together. Glancing over at Leopold you find him already looking at you. He waits for your silent approval, not wanting to cross an boundaries. So you take the leap. Intertwining your hands together.

A faint blush on his face and a big smile on yours. His hands are so warm and they fit so perfectly with your hand. When the show ends you reluctantly head back home. You don't want this night to end. Your hands swing together as you gush about the play.

"I had a wonderful night Leopold," You're leaning against your door, wanting so badly to keep the night going. His hair swoops perfectly in front of his forehead and he's got this pretty smile that you can't stop staring at.

"So did I, Thank you for accompanying me tonight." His eyes drift to your lips.

It's adorable seeing just how old school he really is. You know he's from 1876 but still. Modern boys pale in comparison to Leopold.

"You know you don't have to be so nervous Leo, I want to kiss you too." You say boldly.

He chuckles, ducking his head as bites his lip softly. He cups your face gently and you close eyes as he gently captures your lips in a kiss. He's gentle and sweet and you crave more. Still he pulls away much too soon. You pout slightly and he laughs.

"I know I'm much more traditional than you're used to." He traces your lips with his thumb. Admiring every little detail of your face.

"But someone as wonderful as you deserves to be treated with the upmost respect." He kisses your forehead gently.

"You deserve to be loved," Another kiss.

"To be cherished," Another.

"And to be worshiped." Words fail you completely. Leopold has rendered you utterly speechless.

"Did I overstep?" He asks, worried about you silence.

You shake your head. practically jumping into him as you kiss him. Passionately running your hands through his hair. He groans slightly as you tug on his hair. He pushes you against the wall, bracing your head with his hand as he kisses back.

"I'm falling in love with you." He whispers. A hopeful glint in his eyes.

"I'm already in love with you." You admit.

You become lost in his lips as he kisses you again. He just can't get enough. You blindly reach for the door handle and without argument pull him inside of your apartment.

Soft kisses and laughter are shared quietly between the two of you. Time ticks by but you have lost all sense of care in the world. All that matters to you is this moment. Your fairytale come to life. And it was just perfect.

[artofvisualshock]

Messages from the GazettE to the fans (Google translations)

〈 RUKI 〉

At the end, he said, "I want the GazettE to be forever." I think what he meant by "forever" was that he hoped that the amazing scenes he saw from the stage in 2023 would continue forever.

The scenes he saw with his fans, the happy faces of his fans, and the scenes where we all sang together were treasures that could not be replaced by anything else, and I think he hoped that moment would continue forever.

I remember him saying that he wanted to perform live soon.

Even now that he's grown up, he was a kind and passionate man who can honestly say, "Even if something bad happens, it's the most fun when we get together like this and laugh with the band members."

I loved that honesty.

This year was no different, and every year on our birthdays we would jokingly tell each other to take care of our health.

The band will never be a four-man band.

No matter what anyone says.

Because you're the only bassist we have.

Because I believe that my soul is always beside me to the right.

I'm sure everyone can feel it, even if they can't see it.

The proof that Reita has built up in the GazettE so far will not disappear and will definitely live on.

I believe that, so I will continue to sing beside him so that his soul can be right beside me.

I will not become the GazettE that Reita hates.

I don't want to make him sad.

Although all humans live in a finite life, I believe that souls never disappear.

Reita's soul, the members, myself, and the fans.

I want to continue to perform live shows that make all the people who loved me want to come back to the stage forever, even after they have become souls.

So it is only with each and every one of our fans that we can create the scenery that we hoped he would be eternal.

That's why I want him to stay by my side and be there, unchanged from now on.

He should look at me and smile, and think, "He was the best guy!", rather than looking at me with a sad face.

We are more determined than ever to protect this band.

We will make Reita's wish for eternity come true.

So, Reita, rest assured that you can come to every live show from heaven.

Your seat will always be there.

You're going to be super busy from now on.

I'll contact you again when the schedule is decided.

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

<Uruha>

To all the fans who have supported REITA up until now.

I think he was a huge support for everyone, and for me.

I myself have not been able to accept and realize the fact that he is no longer here and that we can no longer stand on stage together.

There may be many things that I will come to understand little by little from now on.

However, if I continue to be drowning in sadness, I will not be able to make his wish for eternity come true, and I strongly feel that now is the time for me to have the strength to look forward and move forward.

I also think that the path we walked together until now was irreplaceable for him, and I think it will continue to live in the hearts of everyone and myself.

He gave us so much, and we walked together for so long, and he is still and will always be our best friend.

Please treasure all the words, memories, and love he left behind in your heart.

REITA will continue to exist and live in everyone's hearts.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported and cheered on the GazettE REITA.

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

〈 Aoi 〉

For a long time, the members and a small staff have been working on various projects, saying "this and that," but writing this letter was the last thing I wanted to do.

There have been moments when I felt like giving up on my dreams.

Every time, we talked about it again and again, sometimes pushing each other, and pulling the members' arms so that they wouldn't give up.

Because we were such a band, the GazettE has been able to keep moving forward without stopping.

REITA, you're not the one who wishes for eternity, you're the one who connects eternity.

I can't say something clever like "I'll take care of you."

I wanted to make more music with you, and see more scenery together.

Every scenery is wonderful because we see it with the five of us, surrounded by our fans.

I don't know why, but it's so painful that I can't make it happen even though I have so many things I want to say.

When I get there, I'm going to start with a big lecture. I know it's lonely because we're gone so suddenly, but please take a rest until then.

I have a few more things to do here.

Thank you for walking this long road with me. Rest in peace.

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

〈 Kai 〉

For me, REITA is an immeasurably big presence, saved by his many words and sounds, the mood maker for the band, and all I remember are really fun things, and above all, the sight of him shining on stage.

He is the best partner and the only one in the rhythm section.

That has never changed, and will never change in the future.

I want to continue carrying his feelings and continue with the GazettE with even greater resolve.

Finally, to all the fans and people involved who have supported us for the past 22 years.

Thank you very much.

And from now on, our feelings will remain the same and we would like to continue running as a group of five, so please continue to support us.

REITA

Thank you for all your hard work.

With the same feelings, we will continue to protect the GazettE together with our many friends... I promise.

There are many friends out there who don't want your 22 years to go to waste, and they are waiting for you.

You must come to our shows too!

Let's have some good sake again.

[dollypopup]

bridgerton season 3 part 2 spoilers

I want to preface this with saying that I have loved Polin for two years. Two years, hundreds of thousands of words, and almost 50 stories. I have loved this couple through fan edits, through fics, through rereads, through songs. I have loved this couple so deeply and earnestly and endlessly

And so my disappointment in Part 2 stems, predominately, from the fact that I just wish it had been better.

I wish it hadn't been as cut through with plotlines that went, ultimately, nowhere. Will and Alice with the tension of 'I don't want to give up the club' 'Well, you should to suit the status quo' 'Oh, okay'. Benedict with his 'I love being free. Let's shag freely!' 'I may have feelings for you' 'I still just want to shag freely, but now I'm opening up more options' (tho, congrats on the bisexuality!) Violet and Marcus who are just being set up for the final season. Cressida, who's story tugged my heartstrings so much, and ended up in the dirt.

But more than anything, I wish Colin had gotten more. There were so many moments where he could have been expanded upon, where his character could have shined, and I truly want to commend Luke Newton, he did a phenomenal job with the crumbs he was given, but was ultimately shoved to the wayside for the Lady Whistledown plot.

In truth, this is a writing problem. The actors are phenomenal. They have chemistry, they have passion, and they are all believable, but the writing fell flat. They gave too much time to side plots and, frankly, to Debling, who was such a nothingburger and didn't even return that it was evident he only existed because the series was afraid to lean fully into Colin's complexities. You know what is more compelling and more worthwhile to explore than 'Oh, I could lose her to someone else?'

Losing her to herself.

Colin spent part 2 ultimately SAD. And he had every right to be. But instead of fully exploring that, he was relegated to the sidelines to support Penelope's storyline. And I understand completely that this season was for the Pen stans, but damn, I wish he got SOMETHING. Kanthony's advice to him was useless, Colin started the series knowing he couldn't open up to his brothers and still not doing so by the end. Colin saying that his ultimate purpose was to support and love Pen was a horrific cop out and a disservice of his character. It's a bad plotline when a woman says so for a man, and it's a bad plotline when a man says so for a woman.

I love these two so much, and I feel like they could have had so much better. Penelope now writing the same gossip, tying herself to Mayfair, but under her name now, thus ensuring that people are aware and being different around her for the sake of her publication is bad. To imply that her dreams are Lady Whistledown is lazy- Lady Whistledown is a plot device the writers are unable to let go, not Penelope's ultimate dreams.

You want me to believe that this woman's biggest dreams are to continue writing gossip? Not novels? Not stories? Not an autobiography? Not to travel? Not to make more friends? But to have a baby and write about parties? They tried giving legitimacy to gossip as if Penelope ever had any peer review, as if she is the be all end all of what is and is not true- she cannot possibly know fully.

I wanted more for her than to be a teenage mum tied to a gossip blog. I wanted more for Colin than to publish a book offscreen and take over an estate until his son comes of age. I wanted more for POLIN. Their beautiful moments were truly BEAUTIFUL. That first time scene was lovely- but how much lovelier would it be after he knew who she was in full and accepted all of it? Their reconciliation felt hollow because he was not truly given the time to process it. The pain of separation, sleeping on the couch as she took the bed, was hardly explored outside of a few quick scenes.

No montage of their letters, no Colin standing beside her, and that Lady Whistledown reveal where everyone clapped? I don't understand it. I wish so much that this show took a good story and made it better, and that's where my bitterness lies. Not because I'm a hater, but because I'm a lover. I wanted to love it so, so much.

And I know it could have been better. My couple is better than this. My couple is better than Penelope's ultimate goal being independence and Colin's ultimate goal being an accessory. My couple is a pair of equals. My couple is a pairing of two people who love one another so damn much they can't even stand it. Where is my Penelope who fights for him? Where is my Colin who announces to the world he loves her?

I guess that Polin ended up on the cutting room floor in the edits, because what we got wasn't enough for me

[iwillnotdieamonster]

"This is a beautiful letter from Fiona Apple explaining to her fans why she must postpone a concert date. I am impressed at the way she was instantly able to make the decision to choose love over her career. Indeed, the world needs more of this.

It's 6pm on Friday, and I'm writing to a few thousand friends I have not met yet. I'm writing to ask them to change our plans and meet a little while later.

Here's the thing.

I have a dog, Janet, and she's been ill for about 2 years now, as a tumor has been idling in her chest, growing ever so slowly. She's almost 14 years old now. I got her when she was 4 months old. I was 21 then — an adult, officially — and she was my kid.

She is a pitbull, and was found in Echo Park, with a rope around her neck, and bites all over her ears and face.

She was the one the dogfighters use to puff up the confidence of the contenders.

She's almost 14 and I've never seen her start a fight, or bite, or even growl, so I can understand why they chose her for that awful role. She's a pacifist.

Janet has been the most consistent relationship of my adult life, and that is just a fact. We've lived in numerous houses, and joined a few makeshift families, but it's always really been just the two of us.

She slept in bed with me, her head on the pillow, and she accepted my hysterical, tearful face into her chest, with her paws around me, every time I was heartbroken, or spirit-broken, or just lost, and as years went by, she let me take the role of her child, as I fell asleep, with her chin resting above my head.

She was under the piano when I wrote songs, barked any time I tried to record anything, and she was in the studio with me, all the time we recorded the last album.

The last time I came back from tour, she was spry as ever, and she's used to me being gone for a few weeks, every 6 or 7 years.

She has Addison's Disease, which makes it more dangerous for her to travel, since she needs regular injections of Cortisol, because she reacts to stress and excitement without the physiological tools which keep most of us from literally panicking to death.

Despite all this, she's effortlessly joyful & playful, and only stopped acting like a puppy about 3 years ago. She is my best friend, and my mother, and my daughter, my benefactor, and she's the one who taught me what love is.

I can't come to South America. Not now. When I got back from the last leg of the US tour, there was a big, big difference.

She doesn't even want to go for walks anymore.

I know that she's not sad about aging or dying. Animals have a survival instinct, but a sense of mortality and vanity, they do not. That's why they are so much more present than people.

But I know she is coming close to the time where she will stop being a dog, and start instead to be part of everything. She'll be in the wind, and in the soil, and the snow, and in me, wherever I go.

I just can't leave her now, please understand. If I go away again, I'm afraid she'll die and I won't have the honor of singing her to sleep, of escorting her out.

Sometimes it takes me 20 minutes just to decide what socks to wear to bed.

But this decision is instant.

These are the choices we make, which define us. I will not be the woman who puts her career ahead of love & friendship.

I am the woman who stays home, baking Tilapia for my dearest, oldest friend. And helps her be comfortable & comforted & safe & important.

Many of us these days, we dread the death of a loved one. It is the ugly truth of Life that keeps us feeling terrified & alone. I wish we could also appreciate the time that lies right beside the end of time. I know that I will feel the most overwhelming knowledge of her, and of her life and of my love for her, in the last moments.

I need to do my damnedest, to be there for that.

Because it will be the most beautiful, the most intense, the most enriching experience of life I've ever known.

When she dies.

So I am staying home, and I am listening to her snore and wheeze, and I am revelling in the swampiest, most awful breath that ever emanated from an angel. And I'm asking for your blessing.

I'll be seeing you.

Love,

Fiona"

Credit goes to the respective owners.

[itslouisan]

((@leticiachaos on twitter))

Time for Q!Tallulah headcannons!!

Fair warning: this post has mentions of depression, abandonment issues, trust issues, poor living conditions; all of the mentions of Wilbur are ONLY mentions to his character not the real person.

• Due to her abandonment and trust issues, Tallulah created a tough and cold exterior not opening herself to anything new, but, if you manage to break the shell, she's sweet, caring, loyal, nice, creative, the loveliest egg possible

• She likes Richas, but has jealousy, after all he came AFTER her and still has most of the island around him and ADOPTING HIM??? While SHE had to ground herself to an empty promise of a returning loving father and feeling alone most of the time "without" a "real" family to comfort her.

• Due to her time in the attic Tallulah developed anemia due to not having for a long time the necessary nutrients and surviving off of dirt.

• She hates the smell of moss, dirt and related things despite loving botany due to her time in the attic

Black: depression, extreme anger, sorrow or loneliness, it's her way of expressing she's REALLY not feeling okay

• When she finally accepted Wilbur would never come back or be the father she wished and dreamt of, she cut her hair that was long since "hair holds memories", painted her hair black since Missa is Philza's partner and is more of a father to her than Wilbur could ever be and she was tired of holding herself to a small memory instead of accepting change and happiness

• Can't really vent not because her family wouldn't listen, but because of her trust issues and before having to be the "cute innocent girl who's there for everyone" she didn't have the space to vent and put her emotions first

• She was tired of her original red beanie matching Wilbur, it was too dirty and old, deciding to pick a purple one who matched her and a few mushroom hats to express her emotions

• Each color of mushroom represent an emotion (in canon I think she only had black and purple, but I expanded it considering there's a lot more patterns and colors of mushrooms, especially in a sort of magic island)

purple: neutral, calm, it's the regular she wears all the time

Pink: love, happiness, she's feeling creative or excited over something, possibly wanting or doing stims

Blue: shows more of "little" sadness, not strong enough to be depression or despair, but just enough to show it, also can mean fear.

Red: anger, hate.

• Due to her autism, she carries a pair of headphones ALL the time as well as stim toys, comfort objects or plushies, a sketchbook she writes and draws what she's feeling to better communicate it.

• She can play maracas, flute, piano, guitar (acoustic), kalimba.

• Big fan of musicals and history, in late nights she likes to listen to Philza's stories of the old times and Chay loves his battle stories, so they share this cozy moment

• In the beginning she could only see ghosts, but with time she could see the deities. She can see and feel their emotions but can't talk with them much, she mainly can see Mumza and Rose, Rose in the sanctuary where her power is centered and stronger, Mumza all around her dad (Phil >:) ) and every time she's with the crows.

• Knows flower language to write better letters to everyone, adding a deeper meaning, sometimes saying secret stuff through the flowers and as an extra giving pretty flowers

• Tallulah sometimes paints her nails with Phil and Chayanne, every week with a different design

• When Missa is home back from his journeys, Tallulah sees how exhausted her dad is, so she speaks in spanish (their native languages) and makes him some food or brings fruit

• Before she officially forgot Wilbur whenever she would come with other residents and her siblings, Tallulah sometimes felt weak, abandoned, left behind, after all, ALL the others had their parents, had close connections, she hated it but couldn't help but feel jealous, in these situations Phil and Chayanne always reassured her the best they could that they would never leave her and that she wouldn't go back to the attic.

• Makes bracelets for her close family, always wearing one with PxTxC on her left hand (Philza, Chayanne and Tallulah), in the right one she has a TxCxR (Tallulah, Richas, Chayanne) or it could be TxCxP (Tallulah, Chayanne, Pomme) after all she doesn't hate Richas, she hates that he's immature and acts "entitled" and dramatic over his issues, but still tries her best to be a good sister to him, also loves pomme a lot!! Considering Pomme her bestie

Reminder: Tallulah is just a child in rp, children don't know how to control their emotions and in situations of abandonment, neglect and lack of a trusting bond with a caretaker, children can struggle even more with emotions, care, jealousy, trust, self-esteem etc, so don't call Tallulah "selfish" or "spoiled" she has every right to be that way after what she's been through

• Due to her depression,sometimes Tallulah can't take care of herself, spending days or weeks in bed or just not feeling like going out, or when she does she doesn't show much interest, in these cases Phil and Chayanne always cooked some nice food and drinks, went to the nests, and chatted and comforted her

• She became a great fighter after the events of pre-purgatory and purgatory, she NEEDED a tough exterior since she was without Chayanne, and that time worsened her depression severely

[lixzey]

Letters

One day Timothée receives a package from someone unknown: a basket of eighteen letters. Letters from a girl named y/n. A mysterious fan who poured her heart out in her letters and is trying to fix herself. As Timothée begins to read, and the letters begin to run out, he finds himself falling for this girl. Until one day he stopped reading. 

Because she stopped writing.

Info: This is set in June 2024.

The First Letter.

Timothée sat in his hotel room reading his script when someone knocked on the door.

“Mr. Chalamet, this was dropped off at the lobby.” The hotel staff was holding a basket, a basket of letters tied neatly with a red ribbon.

“Thanks.” Timothée smiled, taking the basket in his hands. He went back inside his room and sat on the bed, scanning the basket for anything mysterious. It was only plain letters—eighteen letters—in the basket, with a tag addressed to him—his name neatly written on a tag attached to the basket.

He picked up a random envelope and started to read.

Dear Timothée, 

I know that you won't even read this; after all, you're busy with your career. And I know this won't be different from what any other girl has ever said to you before. But I guess it gives me a reason to have someone to talk to, even if you won't ever read this, let alone receive it.

I love you. I have loved you since the first time I saw you in Lady Bird. I love the way you smile; it makes me feel warm inside. I love the way you laugh; it gives me butterflies. I love the way you talk, whether in French or English. I can listen to your voice for hours. I love the way you see everything in a positive light.

I spend hours just lying in bed at night, wishing I could meet you. But I wouldn't know what to say. Knowing me, I'd probably stand there staring at you like an absolute idiot, or probably stand there shaking like a five-year-old who lost her mother in the supermarket.

A lot of girls have already met you; on social media, they say you're kind and loving—I wouldn't doubt that, of course. I even saw a video where you recognized a fan in the crowd. I wish I was that fan. It makes me wonder: Have you ever fallen in love with a fan? I mean, every girl that you met was absolutely gorgeous. You'd have a lovely conversation with a girl; she'd wink at you or toss her hair over her shoulders, and maybe you'd fall for her immediately.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling down, I watch your movies. I love seeing your face; it makes everything better. You know, it's funny how a movie can change someone's mood from sad to happy. That's what I love about your acting; it makes me happy and makes me feel alive. You're the only one who can make me feel alive.

I hope one day I can meet you.

I know it's impossible for me, but a girl can dream, right?

You know, I feel weird writing to you. But now that I've already written this, I might as well send it, right? Maybe you'd understand me.

Maybe I'll write again soon, or maybe not.

Who knows?

All my love,

Y/n 

Timothée put the letter down, confused and touched at the same time. There was a small date on the back of the envelope: June 15th, 2023. A year ago. Why was the letter dated a year ago? Why is it that he received the letters so late? How did it even get delivered to the hotel he was currently staying at?

He was used to fan letters, but not the kind that gets delivered to the hotel where he is currently staying. But something about the letter made him feel warm inside. Timothée looked at the letters, each one with the same handwriting, the same stamps, and tea-colored envelopes. All of them had dates on the back, and coincidentally, he had picked up the first one.

Suddenly, his phone rang, making him drop the letters in his hand. He answered the call, “Hey dickhead, you still up for the party tonight?” Zendaya's voice echoed in the room.

“Oh, yeah, I am. I'll be there.” Timothée chuckled. “See you later, the party starts at ten sharp.” Zendaya chuckled before ending the call.

Timothée looked down at the letters on the floor. He sighed before picking each letter up, sorting the letters by the date on each envelope. He placed the letters back in the basket. He glanced down at his watch; it was already seven in the evening.

“I'll continue later.” He muttered, shoving the basket under the bed. He got up and started to get ready for the party.

[ot3]

finishing up fionna and cake... overall it was a fun ride but i really don't think it worked structurally. 6/10 show. i didnt think this was gonna be a long post but apparently i've got some thoughts. sticking below the cut

this last episode is kind of underwhelming... theres a couple of parts in this ep where they just sit and explain to the camera how simon realized betty was constantly sacrificing her own desires for simon and how simon wanted to put on the crown because he thought he didn't deserve to live. and it's not like those are bad realization for the show to come to but the show has very clearly established that it's intended for a more adult audience than the original adventure time, and so this kind of writing just feels really condescending when not directed at literal children. like yeah we could have figured this out from the writing, but. you didn't have to just tell us

i also didn't vibe with scarab as a villain, he felt super arbitrary to me. like they needed Something to be forcing them to move between dimensions, but i feel like scarab was an extremely meh choice for that. he wasn't particularly funny or interesting enough as a character to get to be one of the only people who showed up in every episode. i honestly think it would have been better if the existential threat these characters were facing was more of a force than a character, because it was already running so tight on time anyway it didn't really have the space to develop a good villain.

gary and marshall's screentime was another thing that i felt like is a huge waste of space. them doing their whole meet cute bakery au romance is something that's funny on paper but it's not compelling on its own and the only slight interest it has comes from our pre-existing investment in marceline and bubblegum's much more interesting dynamic. it didn't add anything to the overall arc of the show and took up time that could have been used to deliver more solidly on the core premise.

fionna and cake themselves were really cute but i don't feel like fionna's arc was as strong as it could have been. like ohhh yay shes come to love her normal world with all its imperfections.... obviously thats where it was going the whole time and once again. its not like i mind that ending. i just feel like they didn't do anything interesting with it. her character doesn't get to learn and progress as much as she's just marching down a straight path that we all already knows where it leads. i wish they would have just called the show 'Simon' so i wouldn't have to feel so disappointed in this.

adventure time has always been on the cutting edge of bizarre stuff in animation so the biggest let down overall with this show is how much when you strip away the Adventure Time coating of surrealist visuals on top of it it just feels like any other middling adventure cartoon. it didn't lean enough into the episodic structure to benefit from that the way the original show did, and it was too beholden on the episodic structure to linger on any of the parts that were actually compelling.

overall, the show feels like pandering to the adventure time fanbase, but in kind of a lazy way. Compare this to the distant land specials which I think were pandering in an excellent way. im not anti pandering by any means. The whirlwind tour through universes and characters that lifetime adventure time fans will recognize tries to come off as a love letter to the series, but instead just comes off as the adventure time version of that 'rejected ready player one theme song' video. remember farmworld? remember prismo? remember the vampire king? remember shermy and beth? remember Up a Tree? like. yeah. i do remember. thanks. do you have anything to say about any of this stuff or - oh. no. just showing me. got it.

its not someting i think i'll ever rewatch but at just ten eps definitely worth one watch through. theres some really good fun to be had in it and the art is gorgeous all the way through, it just fails to come together into a successful complete work.

[ilydeku]

੭﹕﹙💌﹚﹒ꕤ Ꞌꞌ

Sender: "Deku" Izuku Midoriya - Deku Hero Agency

Addressed to: "Kaze" Y/n L/n - Kaze Hero Agency

You have received a box of chocolates and a letter. The envelope is signed by Izuku Midoriya and wax stamped in the shape of a heart. Open?

Dear y/n,

It's been a while, hasn't it? How are you? I hope this letter doesn't inconvenience you in any way. It's Valentine's Day and all and I guess I found today as an excuse to write to you. You'd probably find it weird if I sent you a letter any other day, right? You know, since I could've texted or emailed you. But then again, you'd probably be too busy to be checking your phone. Haha...Anyways, there's no way for me to beat around the bush, so I'll say it bluntly.

I love you.

I love you and everything about you. The reasons are countless. I love everything and anything about you. I want you. I need you. I've been in denial about my feelings for you up until now. Whether to blame for selfish reasons or wanting to avoid it. I just hope it's not too late to reach you. I know it's been years since we've really hung out together. We only get to see each other once in a while at hero gatherings and other work-related events. I look forward to getting a chance to talk to you every time those events come up. I know our conversations there only last a few minutes, but I cherish them. Listening to you go on about how you're feeling, how your days have been, and what you'd like to do if you ever get a day off. Those aren't things I get to hear every day. I like listening to your voice, listening to you talk about anything. So much so, that sometimes your voice replays in my head without thought. I guess it's like a reminder of how much I miss you, and how much I'd like to spend time with you. Or maybe how much I want you in my life. Do you remember this one thing you told me you wanted? The wish you told me not to laugh at the hero gala? That one day you wish to get married to a wonderful man and have beautiful children and live happily together. I didn't think it was silly at all. In fact, I wanted to tell you that maybe I could grant you that wish, but I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or anything. But just to let you know...the thought is still valid.

I wonder if you'll even have time to read through all this, haha. I took this day off just for the sole purpose to write a letter to you. Pathetic, huh. The number one hero in love. I wasn't sure how to start it off. I didn't know if I should be poetic, formal, or informal. I may not be a poet, but for you, I could try to be. Ahem. Love is the promulgation of promises of eternal passion I hold in await for you. The breathlessness when I lay eyes on you. The warmth I feel from your smile; to which rivals the sun. Feeling so light, like a cloud drifting through a sunny morning. Pfft. Sounds pretty corny actually. Moving on.

I'm happy that you're doing well as a hero. I've seen you on T.V. with your powerful speeches and promises to the citizens. I love that confidence you hold in yourself. I find it attractive, dare I say alluring. I love that pretty smile you always have on your face. It's contagious. I'm even smiling right now at the thought of you. Even my heart is racing. Maybe it's the excitement I have writing to you. Or perhaps it's the anxiousness that you might overlook this letter and never speak to me again. I'm not expecting anything in return from this. I just wanted to tell you how I feel about you, or else I'd live with this guilty weight of love on my shoulders. How you feel about me is something that I'll accept nonetheless. Love me. Hate me. I'll take even no response at all. I know it's a lot to take in since I haven't been too obvious about my feelings. I don't mean to pressure you or anything. You probably get fan mail like this every day, confessing their love. Of course, a lovely lady hero like you. So, again, don't feel like you have to say anything in return. I wish you love and light and wish you all the best. I hope this wasn't a bad time. Happy Valentine's Day, dearest y/n.

Yours Truly, Izuku Midoriya ♡

P.S. I hope you like the chocolates! I didn't know which flavor you'd like the most, so I got you the sample box :))

You clutch the letter in your hands in ecstasy. Your heart is pounding in excitement. You're feeling affectionate. Send a response letter?

support me? :)

[autisticempathydaemon]

hello everynyan :3 /ref

4 the redacted match-ups ! not sure if you're still doing these or not bc i'll be damned i'd give up after the first 3 🙌🙌🙌 power 2 ya ! (if you ARE, in fact, not doing these anymore pls ignore this. this never happened. kay.)

What song are you fixated on at the moment? What lyric or verse, and why?

this was the hardest question bc i LOVEEMUSIC so bad i can never really pick ONE fav bc it changes every 2 seconds but !!! gun to my head as of rn i'd say -- "but not kiss" - faye webster

'i want to see you in my dreams,

but then forget.

we're meant to be,

but not yet.

you're all that i have,

but can't get.'

i chose this song primarily because of the aesthetics & instrumental,, + the feels - i love how the piano carries and portrays every feeling (dread? maybe?) alongside the vocalist ugh sick to my stomach /pos

as for the verses i've chosen i just. really like the way she sings them HA i guess depending on my current mood i might relate to the lyrics for .5 seconds due to a past relationship of mine that had me fuckedd anyway.

Do you love gargantuan Youtube video essays, and if so, which is your favorite and why?

i WISH i could enjoy these as much as others but i have the attention spam of a fucking goldfish i need to be stimulated 24/7. i cannot stare at the same face and occasional photo/clip for over 10 mins.

i might watch more of em if they had like a satisfying slime video in the corner or smth. i find i only watch ones that have a topic/interest of mine that i am actively curious about/into????if that makes sense??

for instance, the only one that comes to mind rn is "in defense of chat noir" by toon ruins UGH ITS SO GOOD i used to be a huge fan of miraculous so that defffinitely takes part in why i rewatch it every few months.

What is your go-to way to fall asleep?

on my stomach. arms under pillows. one leg up. yo i bought these headphones made specifically for sleeping while listening to relaxing noises or smth & i kid you not i use them shits to listen to asmr/rp audios. sometimes it puts me to sleep other times i'm up all night tryna figure out what position the listener and 'character' are in. anyway!!!

If you had to change your name, what would it be, and why? (In tandem, if you have changed your name, why did you pick that one?)

first thing that comes 2 mindd for whatever reason is 'may' ?? possibly bc i really like my birth name already and 'may' is somewhat close to it already? also because i'd love writing it over and over in my handwriting . probably just an excuse to write the letter 'y' actually.

What is your favorite of Redacted’s audios, and why?

fav character changes ALLL THE TIMEE for no reason my fav is all of them rlly i just wanna love and be loved BUT when i reaaaally think about it ?? hudson. even though he's like. an easter egg. i cant have anything. wanna "D D D D DDDJJJ ANXIETY" into his pants. what. who said that. just got hacked wtff

What Redacted boy holds no appeal to you, and why? Like, not the one you hate but the one who you don’t get the hype for. (I won’t judge, I promise.)

a know a LOTT of ppl love david but i am sorry i just cannot. angel better than me idk how they do it. srry. my momma raised a bitch. i've never ever gotten to finishing any of his videos so maybe im the problem but from the get-go THIS BITCH IS SCARY BRO he's so damn intimidating . the fact that his voice is rlly deep doesn't help either :C ..& don't even get me started on early david.

Which Redacted boy are you platonically attracted to? Like- forget dating, which dude do you want to be your best friend?

this is such a good question rlly makin me think . hmm . OK I FEEL LIKE A BASIC BlTCH BC PPL HAVE BEEN SAYIN THIS ALREADY BUT . hux. we like this 🤞 . as for why?? i feel like i need and would . honestly really appreciate more,, warmth and positivity in my life - and i def get that sorta 'aura' from him. & i know damn well he'd give the best hugs. and we could go to the gym together. it'd be so fun. so precious.

Do you have a go-to thing you ramble about when you’re tired, and if so, what is it? (For example, my boyfriend knows I’m ready to sleep when I start talking about space.)

ok first of all #relationshipgoals that is so sweet awe :((

i wouldn't say i really 'ramble' per say -- i just talk. to myself. like a normal person. mhm. i struggle with sleep in general, so i'm usually up till like 5am. typically endlessly scrolling through my phone, or talking to the abyss about something personal that's been on my mind for a while. if it's really bad, i cry in my voice memos. if i just need to - refresh? get smth off my mind so i can sleep? i write songs.

...and then i record them on my $15 wireless headphones. onto that very same voice memos app.

Tell me your go-to gas station and drink combo.

if im being honest,, depends on my mood . but god could i fuck up some strawberry milk and mini oreos right about now. . mind you i've had strawberry milk like once but it changed my life u dont understand

Tell me about your favorite playlist at the moment.

i mean i don't listen to it 24/7 but man i outdid myself w this one. it's called "insanity" and every single song matches the vibe of . just straight up 'otherworldly' ?? if u catching what im throwin?? all songs r pretty 'out-there' - in terms of the vibes - at least i like to think so. for reference it has songs like "goth - sidewalks and skeletons" and "eternal youth - růde" . IDK i guess it makes me happy when songs from a playlist actually match up with one other

What’s your guilty pleasure media, and why?

i listen to this japanese-kawaii-metal-based group called BABYMETAL and i loveee them soso much. a few "metal enthusiasts" go out and call their work 'not real metal' , which is why i guess you can technically call their music a pleasure media -- as well as the fact that whenever i put on one of their songs mfs r like ... what is this - cause its three young japanese girls talking abt bubblegum with the the most insane guitar riff in the back. their newer stuff is incredible. womanhood at it's finest. give them a shot plspls /nf

ALL DONE !! ty 4 reading & have a lovely day/night, wherever you may be <3

Oh, this one is perfect and required, like, no thought. Vibes-wise? Given your energy? It’s just gotta be Guy.

Building on that, I love that you write songs and he writes screenplays(?). I think it’s so cute to pair writers together so that you might inspire one another and be each other's biggest fans. I also like Guy for you because he strikes me as one of those people who calls themselves “polyjamorous”, listening to basically anything and everything. He loves all your songs and all your playlists, vibing along to all of it even if there’s no words or words in another language. He doesn’t care: he’s with you, so he’s having a good time.

I would predict a fun, artistic life for the two of you like parallel-playing co-writing sessions with the two of you having individual headphones on, making funny faces at one another when you catch the other staring. You take turns showing each what you’ve created and hyping each other up, offering critique. When the writer's clock keeps y’all up till 3 AM, he’s got leftover pizza and any snacks you could possibly want. (He strikes me as the sort of guy who always has junk food caches.)

Song:

It was just two lovers/ Sittin' in the car, listening to Blonde/ Fallin' for each other/ Pink and orange skies, feelin' super childish/ No Donald Glover/ Missed call from my mother/ Like, "Where you at tonight?" Got no alibi/ I was all alone with the love of my life

Given your passion for music, I tried to pick a love song for y’all that was emotionally evocative to the mind and the ear. I chose this one because I thought the piano instrumental and how it evokes that mental imagery of sitting with someone during the golden hour might resonate with you. I also like it for y’all because this song got really popular on tiktok, and Guy would probably know it from there.

Runner-ups:

Obviously, we have to have Hudson as a runner-up. As a DJ, he’d be so loving and so supportive of your craft, hyping you up on air all the time and playing your work whenever he can. He’d also make you really bomb-ass playlists. A less obvious runner-up would be Anton, but I really like this one. You’d be more of an opposites attract sort of pair, but I think it’d be cute, and listening to music would remind Anton of you while he’s away~

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[shiningwonderland]

S Class Prologue (Repeat)

Translators: Momo (Twitter: peachandrabbit)

Proofreaders: Lala (Twitter: i_am_gamer)

Editors: Aoi (Twitter: AoiTsukihime), Terry (Twitter: turtlemudge)

Aria of the Beginning

“Idols.” Those whom we long for but can never be with.

“Idols.” Those who give dreams and energy to others.

“Idols.” To me, they are…

I am Haruka Nanami, age 15. Starting this spring, I’m aiming to become a composer who writes songs for these “idols”!

If I were to look back to my middle school years, I didn’t have anything.

I was extremely shy and I couldn’t make many friends, I was howled at by the neighborhood dogs, and scratched by stray cats…

I wanted to be useful to other people, but every time I tried to do something, it never worked out.

Through all those days when I felt bummed out, the idols on TV always cheered me up.

I want to compose songs for idols myself one day! To make that dream come true, I wrote a song.

I put all my feelings into this song and sent it with my application to Saotome Academy, a professional performing arts school where only one out of 200 applicants get in.

A few weeks later, I received a letter from Saotome Academy.

Select the Phrase!

わ。。。わたしがSクラス!? I… I got into S Class!?

It’s the first time one of my wishes has ever been granted, the first time one of my dreams has come true. This is the first step towards changing myself.

From today onward, my story begins!

Haruka Nanami: ... I didn't sleep at all. And today's the entrance ceremony…

I haven’t been able to sleep well since learning I passed the exam.

That I passed was amazing enough, but I even got into S Class... Will I be able to do this...?

With that in mind, I'd set to studying as much as possible and bought every book I could think of to read, but... I was still worried.

Since then, I’ve hardly slept.

Haruka Nanami: ... So sleepy... But I've got to do my best.

HAYATO: Ohayahooo~! How're all HAYATO's 10 million fans nationwide doing today?

HAYATO: Sending good vibes to everyone today from Studio 2~!

HAYATO: Today's theme iiiiis 'plants'! But I don't mean the corporate-bought kind! I'm talking about the cherry blossom flowers themselves!

Haruka Nanami: Ahh, HAYATO-sama, you're as lovely today as always.

My beloved HAYATO-sama is a new idol who debuted just last year.

No matter how difficult the trial, he always overcomes it with a smile. He's bright and energetic, just like the first star in the night sky.

HAYATO-sama is the reporter for this program, Ohayaho News, and no matter how busy or sleepy I am, I make sure to watch it.

I always kneel before the TV at this time!

That's my daily routine.

HAYATO: ... And that concludes the report from HAYATO! Everybody, bye-bye nya~!

Haruka Nanami: He's as amazing as always today... Thank you for the good vibes. Now I can give it my all today!

I initially left the house with plenty of time to spare. It should have taken me 30 minutes to reach the school... except I realize when I get to the train station that I left my wallet at home.

Haruka Nanami: I should still be able to make it in time...

Thinking this, I head back home to get my wallet.

Haruka Nanami: Only ten minutes to spare! If I run I'll just barely make it.

Lack of sleep makes me unsteady, but I still run full speed from my house back to the station. However, just before reaching the station—

Cat: Meoooow!

Haruka Nanami: ... A cat?

I hear a cat's plaintive meow from somewhere nearby.

Cat: Meow, mroooow!

Haruka Nanami: Where's the meowing coming from?

Upon looking around, I can't see the cat.

Cat: Meooow! Meooow!

Haruka Nanami: Aha!

The cat is up on a telephone pole.

Haruka Nanami: I see, you climbed up there and can't get down now. Don't worry, I'll catch you. C'mere...

I look up at the cat with my arms held out. After a moment's hesitation, the cat jumps down.

Haruka Nanami: Thank goodness, you don't seem to be hurt.

Cat: Mew!

The cat responds happily in my arms.

Haruka Nanami: No more climbing up high places, you hear?

After saying this, I put the cat down and start running again for the station.

... Except before reaching the station, it comes time for the train to leave.

Haruka Nanami: ... I'll run the rest of the way!

The school is two stops from here. If I run the whole way I might be able to make it, so I start running once again.

I run through the quiet residential streets, not bothering to look both ways before racing through the crosswalks along the way.

Haruka Nanami: Ah! Kyaaaaa!!

I’m going to be hit!

I shut my eyes tight. However...

Haruka Nanami: It... stopped?

A fancy-looking black car has come to a halt right in front of me.

If the driver had hit the brakes a moment later, I'd have been run over.

Realizing this, my knees give out, and I collapse onto the street right there.

??? A: Girl... do you have a death wish?

Haruka Nanami: Eh... oh... I... um...

A man in a butler suit with a dark complexion exits the car's driver side and approaches me.

??? A: You have guts to pick a fight with a car belonging to Jinguji Group. Now, what will you do...

??? B: Enough, George! You're scaring her.

The rear door opens, and a long leg slides into view, followed by slim fingers gripping the door frame.

Out steps the beautiful man who'd said those kind words.

He's slim but well-built, with a figure and face like that of a sculpture of a god from Greek mythology. He has the aura of a mature adult, befitting his beauty.

His style of clothing, while informal, looks posh and has the sex appeal of an adult man.

From head to toe, he is perfect. I'm enraptured.

I had no idea a person this beautiful could exist...

George: Hmph, if that is your wish, young master Ren.

Ren Jinguji: This young lady here is just a lost lamb.

Haruka Nanami: ... What?

A... lamb?

If anything, I'd describe myself just now as a small-town girl who failed to watch where she was going as she ran full tilt across a street to avoid being late.

Oh, just now my knees gave out on me and I could be compared to a newborn lamb's trembling legs as it takes its first steps, but…

As I sit there dumbfounded, the man reaches out and takes my hand to pull me up and against his chest.

Ren Jinguji: What a beautiful little lamb.

He sweeps back his long hair as he speaks. Every little action he makes is so perfect I can't look away.

Our eyes meet. He winks at me and his face draws near...

Ren Jinguji: Your legs are shaking. Were you scared?

He scoops me into his arms with ease.

T-this is... is this what they call being carried princess style?!

Ren Jinguji: I wouldn't mind carrying you all the way to school, Lady.

Haruka Nanami: Eh—a-absolutely not! That would be too embarrassing!! Um, I can walk, so, um…!?!

Ren Jinguji: Oh? That's a shame.

He acknowledges my response and sets me down within moments.

Ren Jinguji: Judging by your blush, that was a little too thrilling for you.

Ren Jinguji: I'm Ren Jinguji. What's your name, little lamb?

Haruka Nanami: U-um, I'm...

Just as I'm about to answer him, the alarm on my phone goes off and brings me back to my senses.

Haruka Nanami: Ah! I-I'm so sorry, I need to be going!!

I dip my head in a quick bow of apology and race off towards the academy once more.

Haruka Nanami: If don't run faster, I'm going to be late!

After 15 minutes of running, at last, the school comes into view.

Haruka Nanami: Haaa... haaa... I'm so hot... Where did I put my handkerchief...?

I reach into my pocket for my handkerchief, intending to wipe off the sweat dripping down my face, but...

Haruka Nanami: It's not here!

Where could I have dropped it? I was really fond of that one... But right now, I have to keep running.

Haruka Nanami: I think... I made it in time...!

Now to head for the auditorium... hm? What's that person doing over there? Did they drop something?

A male student is on his hands and knees below a tree by the front gate, apparently searching for something.

A person should do one good deed a day. I'd better help him out...

Haruka Nanami: Are you looking for something...?

Tokiya Ichinose: Yes... I dropped my dorm room key around here.

Haruka Nanami: ...!!!

When he turns around, I'm so shocked I forget to breathe.

Haruka Nanami: Ha- HAY- Haya- HAYATO-SAMA?!!

Tokiya Ichinose: Hm...?

Haruka Nanami: Um, uh, ummm...!

Tokiya Ichinose: Will you please lend me a hand?

Haruka Nanami: Y-yes!!

He looks exactly like HAYATO-sama…

Those cool eyes. That intense, direct gaze. That silky hair.

His hard expression feels a little different from the cheerful and energetic HAYATO-sama's usual aura, but…

His eyes and lashes, his straight nose and the shape of his ears are so alike that I can’t completely believe that he's a different person.

Ack! Now's not the time to be staring! We've got to find that key...

Oh—I saw something sparkle at the base of the tree. Maybe there...?

Haruka Nanami: I knew it...!

I picked up the key and held it out to its owner.

Tokiya Ichinose: Thank you very much.

Even his voice... sounds just like HAYATO-sama's. The tone is a lot calmer than HAYATO-sama's, but it's still a very beautiful, charismatic voice.

Tokiya Ichinose: Hm? Is something the matter?

Haruka Nanami: Ah, um... would you happen to be... HAYATO-sama...?

Tokiya Ichinose: Oh, him... HAYATO is my elder twin brother.

Haruka Nanami: Your... older brother?

I didn't know HAYATO-sama had a younger brother...

Tokiya Ichinose: Being mistaken for him is a regular problem. My name is Tokiya Ichinose. You are?

Haruka Nanami: Huh? Um... are you really someone else?

Tokiya Ichinose: Haaa... You don't believe me? This is a school for aspiring idols, remember?

Haruka Nanami: ... Right.

Tokiya Ichinose: Why would HAYATO, who is currently working as an idol, attend a school like this?

Tokiya Ichinose: Is there any reason for an idol who has already debuted in the entertainment industry to aim for a debut?

Haruka Nanami: ... Um... but... um...

I wind up in a panic.

Even after Ichinose-san's explanation that he is not HAYATO-sama...

...the words ”May I please have your autograph?!” ...

...keep ringing in my head.

Tokiya Ichinose: Let's get going before we're late.

Haruka Nanami: Um... o-okay...

Unable to throw away the thought that he really is HAYATO-sama, I follow after Ichinose-san.

Syo Kurusu: Hup! ... Damn it...! ... Why—can't—I—reach—?!

In front of the auditorium where the entrance ceremony is being held, a boy is jumping beneath a blooming cherry tree.

What a cute little boy. Judging by the fact that his height is about the same as mine, maybe he's a middle schooler?

Wow, such a stylish hairstyle—and those bobby pins are adorable! Middle schoolers these days are quite fashionable, huh?

Even those round, intense eyes are adorable, and I find myself wanting to help him out.

What should I do? Should I call out to him?

Haruka Nanami: Oh...!

I see, his hat is stuck in a tree branch and he can’t reach…

As I approach the boy, a breeze picks up and blows the hat out of the tree, right to me.

I catch the hat and plop it back onto the boy's head. There we go.

Haruka Nanami: Be careful not to lose this again, little boy.

As soon as I say that, a vein pops in the boy’s forehead. I wonder why?

Syo Kurusu: Who're you callin' a little boy?! Listen up, I'm the great Syo Kurusu!

Syo Kurusu: I'm the man who's gonna stand at the peak of Japan's entertainment industry as the number one genius idol! SYO KU-RU-SU-SAMA!

Tokiya Ichinose: ...

Haruka Nanami: Ohhh, really? That's amazing!

Saotome Academy is a one-year school, and applicants must be at least 15 years old.

I wonder if he's the younger brother of a new student?

Maybe he got lost, in which case his older brother or sister will certainly be worried.

I should help him find them.

Syo Kurusu: ... You're making fun of me, aren't you?

Haruka Nanami: I am not. I really think it's an amazing goal when you're still so small, Syo-kun!

Syo Kurusu: Don't call me small! ... I'm 15, seriously...

Haruka Nanami: ... You're what?

Syo Kurusu: I am 15 years old and a student in S Claaaaaaass!!

... Whaaaaat?! I thought for sure he was in middle school, or maybe even elementary school...!

Ren Jinguji: Aha, there you are, Lady. That was awful of you, disappearing on me like that.

All of a sudden I hear Jinguji-san's voice from behind me.

Ren Jinguji: So you're a student here after all. It was pretty easy to tell by your uniform, Haruka Nanami-chan.

Jinguji-san grins at me as he says that.

Haruka Nanami: How... how did you know my name?

Ren Jinguji: How indeed, I wonder?

In a smooth motion, he wraps his arm around my shoulders and his face draws near mine.

Haruka Nanami: U-um, I, uh...!

Ren Jinguji: You dropped your handkerchief, didn't you? These days not many people have their names printed on their handkerchiefs.

Subsequently, he withdraws a handkerchief from his blazer pocket and holds it out to me.

Ren Jinguji: Your shampoo smells lovely. The pure, cute fragrance suits you.

Eek!! He blew on my ear!

It's ticklish and makes me blush and I'm unsure of how to react.

Haruka Nanami: ...!!!

Tokiya Ichinose: Ren, you shouldn't pick on someone whom you've just met so much.

Syo Kurusu: T-that's right! Don't get so full of yourself just 'cause you're a little tall!

Haruka Nanami: Um... are you all acquainted?

Tokiya Ichinose: Yes, somewhat. We met at the school briefing.

Ren Jinguji: Yep, we're all in S Class. That makes us the cream of the crop.

If they're all in S Class then... we're all in the same class...!

Ichinose-san, who looks identical to HAYATO-sama. Jinguji-san, who is as attractive as a model. Syo-kun, who is small and cute.

Each one of them fits right into S Class.

Incredible... I get to spend a whole year with these people!

Aaaall right! I'm going to work harder than anyone else!

Prologue End - Choose your partner!

[anyasathenaeum]

I don’t know why I’m so passionate about fandom and the people who contribute to it. Writers who put so much of themselves on display in their work. Fan artists who work so hard to create and learn and continue creating. The fans who spend hours thinking about canon and the minute details, the ones who write the most beautiful character analysis that it’s almost a love letter to the character themself. Fans who give so much and place so much of their hearts out there. From the people who write, to those who create, to those who make podfics, to those who ask and request, to those who leave loving comments on a work, to those who simply lurk- It is genuinely the most beautiful thing I could ever be a part of, participate in, and find in my time on the internet. I wish I could give more than a comment, more than my own little works, more than attention. I wish I could give pieces of my heart to every one of them. Just so every person in fandom knows just how much I love them for simply choosing to play with and consume media with even a modicum of passion. How could anyone look at all the love placed into fandom and call it anything less than art?

I am so sorry you get this rant I just- I’m having feelings

My friend, I could not have said this any better myself. I love seeing all the passion and creativity and love that inspires individuals to do their craft and to put it out into the world. I will never not be amazed by it, and I think every single person who is in any way involved is incredible, from lurking to writing to reading to drawing to painting to podcasting to existing and loving the content itself. Every person's love and passion is welcomed. ❤️❤️❤️

Everybody should read this - it's a love letter to fans everywhere. ❤️

[sk8termikey]

Chapter 18 of 21 Questions

better interface on wattpad + updated till chap 27

FLORIDA VERSUS TOUR SHOW (meeting)(plot is plotting)

Matt🍂

[2 attachments]

Hey, here are the tickets

I hope you'll have a great time tomorrow :)

Thank you so much<3

I'll never forget this fr

I'll repay you one day

And thank your cousin also

You can repay me by not hating me when you discover the truth…

Unsent

No worries

And yeah, I'll tell her it did end up useful for someone else

I'll try to take good pics for her!

That's very nice of you, can't wait to see them if they're as good as those you take of the world

“Damn you're so adorable Lily”, Alex said as she was reading the texts above her friend's shoulder.

“Well, it's thanks to a fellow fan that we can see the triplets again, so anything for her now!”

“No but for real, that was so sweet of Matt's cousin to give them out”. Alex side hugged Lily to show appreciation. “I really can't wait to meet them again”.

“Yeah same”, Lily agreed.

Thinking back to how everything happened so quickly, Lily was glad to have been able to trust her online friend. She knew she had every right to be weary of this, but she also wanted it to be true – which she believed to be. She didn't know how she could ever repay the favour to Matt, but she was set on finding something for him one day. Maybe this is a good situation to write that letter for him, he deserved it already but now even more… Lily thought as she smiled at her idea. Although they had never talked about it, Lily suddenly wished to meet Matt. She felt like their friendship was getting to a point where they could actually enjoy each other's presence in real life – they had called a few more times since they played Fortnite together a couple months ago but had never facetimed. None of them knew what the other looked like, but them being friends was solely based on their personalities and common ground so it didn't matter much. However, Lily's wish for an eventual meeting would happen sooner than she'd ever expect thanks to someone who wasn't as impatient – and it could even be said it had already happened though none of them was aware of it.

A day later and the two best friends found themselves in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Completely off plan – they had indeed wanted to go back to Spring Hill today but fate had it otherwise, Alex and Lily were now on the Southeast Coast. The weather was lovely as the girls parked near the venue. They hadn’t gone to their hotel yet but Matt – Alex had learnt from Lily – had apparently been kind enough to book a room for them not far from where the venue was, “an apology for this last minute plan” Lily had said. Obviously, Lily had refused to let him pay so Matt had only put his card for a refundable deposit and Lily would pay for the room when she and Alex would leave the city. As it was Sunday, the girls had decided that they would stay until Tuesday at most – they had been gone for a week and although Lucas and Jade didn’t mind being alone at the café, Lily and Alex felt bad that they were leaving them for so long. They were also missing their cat a lot, but would never tell their friend that their fake child counted more.

This was now it, the final show of the Versus Tour where Alex and Lily would be once again part of the wonderful atmosphere that were the Sturniolo Triplets’ shows. They had arrived later than they did for the other shows as they didn’t have the small talk nor the group pictures included in their tickets. This didn’t bother the girls though as they were simply ecstatic at the idea of seeing Nick, Matt and Chris for the fourth time. They saw that not many people were left outside as most of them were already inside the venue for the extras that were happening before the show. When they approached the queue, Lily unlocked her phone to get the tickets ready to be scanned. This was the moment of truth: had Matt scammed her or not? Damn, I hope not because I like the kid… Lily thought as it was their turn to enter the venue. When the security guard scanned the tickets, he let out a confused face – though unnoticed by the girls with how quick he composed himself – until he confirmed the names on his list and knew that what he was seeing was not a mistake. 

      Indeed, the tickets that Matt – Laura actually – had custom made for Lily were not meant to exist because they had never sold any GA tickets with only the backstage pass as an extra. The security guard eventually let the girls enter and as he signalled to someone else to take his place to scan the next people, he quickly went inside through another door where he knew that he could find who he was looking for. Fortunately, he was able to find her rapidly enough. He called Laura who was overseeing that the group pictures were going well and told her about the two girls he had checked in a couple of minutes ago. Thanking the man before he went back outside, Laura waited until everyone had gotten their pictures taken – luckily it was almost the end – and as she walked the triplets to the stage where they would soon be on for their show, she notified them about the girls who had arrived. Hearing this, Matt let out a sigh of relief he never knew he was holding and his two brothers patted him on the back to comfort him. She’s here, Matt thought. I’m actually gonna meet her, damn… The stress started getting to him and he knew he wouldn’t be able to relax until he saw that she was here with his own eyes. When they arrived on the side of the stage, the triplets found a small space behind the curtains where they could look at the crowd without being noticed.

“Do we even know who we’re looking for?” Chris asked as he had no idea which team colour the girls were supporting today.

“Well, she’s Matt’s girl so probably blue.” Nick replied as he tried to recognize the girl with whom he had gotten along a few days prior.

“Not my girlfriend…” Matt mumbled. “And she doesn’t even know that she’s here for me so I actually can’t say who she’s rooting for today.”

“I mean– I think I had told her to come in orange last time we saw her but I guess we can each look for our team colours when we’re on stage”, Chris suggested. “We might see better with the lights above us.”

“Good idea, let’s not be too obvious though.” Nick warned. It was now time for them to go on stage and start the show so he gave the final instructions. “We’re mainly searching in the last rows because she had General Admission; a brunette with possibly animals painted on her face accompanied with a blonde girl who’s most certainly in orange as she supported Chris in my memories. And remember, BE. DIS–CREET.”

Matt and Chris nodded as they understood their task. They would never jeopardise their last show but it wouldn’t hurt to confirm that their guests were here as they were literally in front of the crowd where said guests were. Hugging each other, the triplets were now ready to go on stage for the last time of their tour. It had been such a wonderful experience for them and they had found a way to make this last show even more special thanks to the partners they had chosen. Indeed, as their family and friends were present, the triplets had invited three of them to share the stage with them and it was now time to get them on as they were being introduced after the popular vote had happened – Matt won again, what a surprise!

The three teammates were therefore the triplets’ brother Justin, their best friend Nathan – or Nate – and their friend Tril who had travelled with them for a couple of shows to sing at the end. Nick then announced that the three would each pull from a box a friendship bracelet based on one of the teams in order to decide who they were going to partner with. After they all took out a bracelet, Nick made them reveal at the same time and the result was Nathan on team blue with Matt, Tril on team orange with Chris and finally Justin on team purple with Nick.

As usual, the first game was the painting competition which Nate had won, thus granting a second point to Matt’s team blue sharks. The next game was called Saved by the Bell where the teams would answer trivia questions. From the age required to enter the Hunger Games – twelve years old – to the number of moons Mars had – two, the three teams had to answer several chaotic other questions such as the temperature at which water freezes – 0°C or 32°F for y’all weird Americans – or the number of elements in the Periodic Table – a hundred and eighteen. They were now playing the third game which was called We’re Playing Basketball and thanks to Tril, Chris’s team orange deers was now in the lead before the fourth and last game that was Jenga Showdown started. Matt and Nate were closely behind and the Jenga game that Matt had lost a handful would be decisive. Indeed, the loser would have five points removed from his score, which is why it was essential for Matt to not lose again.

Back to our two girls in the crowd, they had been enjoying every minute of this last show. Per Chris’s request, Lily had showed up with an orange tank top and deers drawn on her face by Alex, who was also wearing orange. Although Alex would be over the moon if Chris won this show and therefore the whole tour, Lily was actually awaiting his defeat as she was really curious regarding the tiebreaker that would decide the winner between Chris and Matt as Nick announced that he had a great one planned already. Only time would tell and it wouldn’t be too much waiting as the game finally began. The tension was slowly building in the venue along the Jenga tower. After what was unusually long compared to other shows, the tower eventually collapsed when it was Nate’s turn, thus making Matt’s team lose five out of his nine points. Matt’s loss thus meant Chris’s victory of not only the show but of the entire tour, which sent the crowd in a frenzy as everyone was screaming – one part was actually cheering on the youngest brother while the other was just screaming for fun as one does during a concert whenever the artist on stage does something as simple as breathing.

Now that the show was ending, each team received their medals and as the lights were on, Matt took that as an opportunity to check the crowd for a certain face. He tried to make his brain work its hardest ever and searched for a smiling brunette of whom he had a faint memory. As he stilled for a second, Matt thought he had seen her and when he tried to keep looking at the back of the venue for this particular person, he was nudged by his friend Nate who made him notice that he would end up seeming weird on stage. Nate and the two other teammates did know why Matt had spent a couple of times during the show simply watching the crowd – they had been notified along with the triplets’ parents about Matt’s chaotic plan – and so their role had been to prevent each of the triplets to creepingly stare at the fans too much. Finally, the coronation ceremony happened and Chris received the Versus Tour trophy before everyone left the stage for Tril’s last mini concert.

Unbeknownst to them, Alex and Lily were being observed by three similar-looking people who were watching the fans until they recognised those they were searching for. The show had been over for a little while and so the two girls were currently waiting in the queue leading to backstage as the tickets they had been given by Matt allowed them to meet the triplets after the show. Although they had been trusting Matt, they were still relieved to get the confirmation that they indeed had access backstage when they had first entered the venue a few hours earlier – though it was Laura who had notified the staff beforehand that those two specific girls had a “special treatment” due the ticket combo that wasn't supposed to exist.

As the girls were simply talking about the fact that Chris had won the show and therefore the tour – which Alex was over the moon about, her being a Chris girl, they didn't notice someone from security coming towards them. Exchanging a glance of uncertainty, Lily and Alex were surprised that the bodyguard was asking them to follow him somewhere else in the venue. Questions raised in the girls’ minds but they complied and went with the man. They didn’t understand at first and were just confused that they were being dragged out from the queue.

“What the fuck is happening?” Alex whispered to Lily as they were still walking in the corridors of the venue.

“I DON'T KNOW!” Lily whisper-yelled to Alex. “It's scaring me, like have we been scammed?”

“I hope not bro, they’ll probably give us an explanation.”

Lily agreed and a couple of minutes later, the two girls found themselves in a huge room with several couches and drinks on a table. They got told to stay here until someone would come back for them later. They both were so stressed and although they had snacks as well as beverages to pass the time, Lily and Alex were shitting themselves.

~~~

Half an hour later and the girls were still alone in the room. While they had been wondering about what was going to happen to them – their assumptions were being killed or abducted, the actual backstage was close to being over. Due to confusion still being present, Alex had suggested the first good idea of the evening and told Lily to text Matt.

“Damn, we should've thought about that earlier. I hope bro has a good explanation!”

Matt🍂

Hey Matt, please can you tell me what's going on bc Alex and I have been waiting for so long. We don't know what's happening and it's kinda scary so if you could text me back and explain wtf your cousin was supposed to do at the show, that would be nice

Lily was hoping that although Matt wasn't the one initially going to the show, he could still give her an explanation as to what was going to happen to them. However, as soon as Lily hit ‘send’ on her text, she and Alex heard a notification sound in the same room. This clearly raised more confusion in the girls’ minds. They thought it was a coincidence but were still suspicious of the fact that someone's phone received a message right as Lily had sent hers. As if it couldn’t get worse, the door suddenly opened and three people casually walked in.

“Honestly, it's such a Matt thing to forget his phone on the other side of the venue.” The voice of a man could be heard. “Don't think we needed to immediately bring it to him though.”

“You have to understand him sweetie,” a woman replied to him. “He's really nervous about today even though we spent a while reassuring him before the show. And he might need it to text his friend. I don't know, it might be useful.”

A second man agreed with the woman while Alex and Lily were watching the scene with widened eyes. They couldn't believe what they were seeing: the triplets’ parents, Mary Lou and Jimmy, as well as their brother Justin were currently standing in front of them. As the woman noticed the girls, she stopped talking and nudged her husband then her oldest son to make them notice.

“Hi there!” Mary Lou said with the nicest tone. “You must be my son's friends, right?”

“Wha–” Lily was the first to reply as she had no idea what was going on.

Seeing their confusion, Justin quickly understood that the timing had been completely off.

“Mum, I think we might be early…”

“Oh god!” Mary Lou exclaimed in surprise. “He told us he would notify you before we arrived.”

“I'm sorry, but…” Alex took Lily's place in wanting to know the truth as the brunette was now lost. “Who was supposed to notify us of what?”

“OH MY GOD! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?” The voice of a young man yelled as he ran into the room and started rambling. “Dad came to get me. Damn, I leave you guys for an hour and you can't wait ten more minutes. Fuck, sorry I shouldn't curse at you and I know I said that thing about my phone but I was about to come get it and now–”

Matt stopped talking as he turned to face the two confused girls still sitting on the couch. His dad, Jimmy, had left his wife and first son to try finding Matt before the situation would get more chaotic than it already was. He had stumbled upon Matt, Nick and Chris who were coming back from backstage as the show was definitely over, which led to the middle triplet running to the room his dad was coming from as he started panicking as soon as Jimmy had explained what was happening a few corridors away.

“Hey,” Matt said to the girls with a soft voice to not frighten them. His gaze was mostly on Lily before he spotted his phone and unlocked it. “Oh, you texted. Sorry for the confusion, I swear I can explain everything.”

What the actual– the fuck he means? Lily wondered. I texted? Like– I'm so fucking lost… She tore her eyes away from Matt as she saw Chris, Nick and Jimmy entering the room then going to stand next to Matt who was trying to calm down.

“Ok so… I know you must both be very sceptical about everything but please listen to me.” Matt almost pleaded as he was scared of how Alex and Lily would react. “Hmm, well… Hi, I'm Matt.”

As he said his last sentence with a small wave, the girls were still not understanding.

“Yeah, we know that”. Lily replied with a nervous laugh. “That's why we came to see y'all I guess.”

“No yeah, sorry. I mean like– Matt, your Matt?” He sounded almost unsure as he saw that Lily was still not completely getting it. He then had an idea and went to his conversation with Lily to show her what he meant. “Wait a second…”

Matt quickly typed a message and sent it to Lily, which made her phone's screen light up.

Matt🍂

Hey, please don't hate me

Both Lily and Alex looked down to read the message, the latter almost having a light bulb appearing above her head.

“Oh fuck I should've known! I knew it!” Alex semi-shouted.

It's true that the blonde had had suspicions a couple of times when Lily had told her that she was texting a guy named Matt who liked Pokemon, Fortnite and had several brothers. They were probably a thousand guys on Earth like that but at that time, it had been the only Matt she could think about.

“Oh…” Lily finally knew what he meant. “Oh… I was absolutely not expecting that.”

“Yeah…” Matt was still afraid of what would happen next. “If that's ok, I just want to properly do introductions?”

Lily nodded as she and Matt were still holding eye contact for the past several minutes. When the girls both stood up and approached the Sturniolo family, Matt got even more nervous and Nick took that as his cue to take charge of the situation.

“Hey, Nicolas here but call me Nick! So we have Matt obviously and Chris who you both know, I mean we all met but let's reset everything. Then it should've been later but improv I guess so I want you guys to meet our mum Mary Lou, our dad Jimmy and our brother Justin.”

“Hi, I'm Alex.” The blonde said as she could feel her best friend was in a sort of shocked state. “This is Lily, my best friend and Matt's friend then?”

Everyone nodded and as an awkward silence was almost forming, Mary Lou let her bubbly personality shine to brighten the mood.

“Okay boys, why don't we just relax and enjoy the snack while getting to know those lovely ladies? Matt darling, go talk with your brothers as I take your nice friend with me. You guys will have all the time in the world later on.”

Mary Lou walked towards Lily and gently grabbed her arm to then go sit on another couch in the room, further away from everyone else. The rest of them scattered in the room as Chris decided to join Alex – they had gotten along well the few times they had seen each other – while the other brothers stood with their dad and chose to pour themselves some drinks.

While Alex was talking with Chris and reminiscing about their victory together, Lily found herself in a conversation with Mary Lou whom she thought was the sweetest woman ever. After Matt, well Nick in all honesty, had introduced her to his mum – a bold move from him to have her meet him AND his whole family at the same time, Mary Lou immediately shooed her son away as she wanted to properly get to know his new friend. This is why Matt was currently with his brothers Justin and Nick. The two oldest were discussing what they could do the next day around the city, which Matt was half listening to as he was stressed regarding what his mum and friend – friend? Acquaintance? More than that? Less? Yeah, friend is good – were talking about. However, as he dared to glance in their direction, Matt found Lily's eyes already on him. She quickly diverted her gaze back to Mary Lou but as she still felt observed, Lily looked back to Matt. They then shared a soft smile across the room and as if it was magic, both were suddenly feeling at ease and fell back to their respective conversation. They'd only had a two second interaction as the Matt and Lily they both knew, but it was like they were turning back into their usual selves when they would text each other.

“You do know you guys are kinda obvious, right?” Justin asked his younger brother.

“Wha– what do you mean?” Matt was confused, although he somehow already knew what this was about.

“Matt come on”, Nick sighed as he dragged out his brother's name's vowel. “I'm pretty sure you didn't listen to what we've been saying because you're only thinking about her.”

“And looking at her like a lost puppy”, Justin added. “She should be the one panicking, yet here you are.”

“I don't look at Lily like a lost puppy…” Matt mumbled. “Just making sure Mum isn't overwhelming her. Can't believe she gets to talk to her before me, she's my friend!”

“A friend who probably made her live the most stressful experience ever,” Nick retorted. “I think today was confusing for everyone so let her breathe for a minute and you can go talk to her after.”

Matt and Justin agreed with the blonde, then tried to trust their mum to make Lily feel better.

Speaking of the devil, the girl was actually enjoying her conversation with Mary Lou, who was telling her about Boston life.

“It sounds great, I hope to go there one day.”

“Maybe if my son keeps you in his life – which I would be glad about, you'll have the opportunity to travel there”. Mary Lou said as she put on her kindest smile.

“Yeah, I hope he does too.” Lily replied with some awkwardness in her voice. “It's still weird to me that he was the one I was texting this whole time, but I really want us to become friends in person now. Not that I want to take advantage of him simply because I know who he actually is of course, please don't think bad of me! But, I–”

“No worries my dear, if Matt trusted you enough to reveal himself to you, then I trust you as well”. The woman reassured the girl sitting next to her. “He's a good boy, so please take care of him.”

“I– yeah I will, I'll do my best to make this friendship work”.

The two exchanged a smile and kept talking about their respective lives: Mary Lou telling Lily about her and Jimmy while Lily told Mary Lou about the café she was working at with Alex.

They had been talking for a good dozen of minutes until Matt – who had been motivated by his brothers – finally decided to join them.

“Hi”, he waved again at Lily – seems like it was his current go-to move when feeling nervous. “Mum, I'm gonna steal her from you – if that's ok with you Lily obviously – because we need to talk now.”

Mary Lou kindly agreed and nudged Lily to stand up. As the girl was expecting the conversation to start now, she was actually surprised when Matt asked her to follow him outside. They both left the room under everyone’s curious stare and Matt took her elsewhere in the venue in order to be far enough for anyone who could walk by. When he found what seemed like a good spot, Matt looked back at Lily to silently ask her if it was ok. As she nodded, he opened the door and they were now on a balcony that was overlooking the parking lot behind the venue.

“Sorry, it looks kinda sketchy but I'll feel better with some fresh air.”

“No yeah, I get it.” Lily agreed with Matt. “I think I needed it too.”

“So…” Matt started as he was fidgeting while leaning on the railing.

“Yep…” Lily whispered as she was doing the same awkward movements.

None of them felt like holding eye contact as they were both extremely nervous. Knowing that he was responsible for all of this, Matt eventually started talking:

“Ok first, I have to apologise for everything. I put you in a very uncomfortable situation and it was a shit move.”

“It's okay… Well it was not completely ok but I understand where you come from so I can forgive you.” Lily smiled at Matt as she was feeling less awkward now that they were actually talking about it. “Never forgive you for not liking sushi though.”

“Damn,” Matt let out a laugh at that. “Can't believe you still hold that against me.”

“Yep, always I guess…” Lily chuckled too and let a now semi-comfortable silence start until she interrupted it with the most important question. “How long have you known?”

“Hmm?”

“Since when have you known it was me like– I was me?”

“Oh, well… when you posted those pictures,” Matt explained. “I was ninety-nine percent sure of you coming to our shows and the last percent was when I texted you.”

“Ok ok,” Lily nodded. “And your first reflex was to make me come to another one?”

“It seems weird but yeah actually,” Matt confirmed as he was actually surprised of himself being so honest. “I was a bit in denial at first because it felt crazy that the person I'm texting is literally a fan – although you are my friend first and foremost – but when I talked about it to Nick and Chris, the first thing that popped into my brain when we agreed that you were Lily was that I needed to meet you again, but properly this time.”

“I'm glad you thought that because I wanted us to eventually meet and I'm happy it's you.”

“Yeah?” Matt asked as he felt relieved that Lily wasn't hating him.

“Yeah, it's just sooner than expected but in a good way. I'm grateful for our friendship Matt.”

“I'm grateful for that too Lily.” Matt had a soft smile on his face. “You wanna meet my other friends/come see everyone else now?”

“Hmm,” Lily hesitated. “Can we stay here a bit longer? Just the two of us…?”

“Yeah, okay.” He agreed. “We can do that, fine by me.”

Basking in the silence, the two newly acquainted friends were enjoying this moment of peace. It would be the first one of many, but for now, it felt like a necessity to take their time as they were now slowly starting to navigate their friendship.

Thank you for reading. Votes and comments are always appreciated if you like this story :) The story is co-written w @/little_grapejuice on wattpad

[kiki-de-la-petite-flaque]

Enjoy this beautiful letter from Fiona Apple explaining to her fans why she must postpone a concert date.

It's 6pm on Friday, and I'm writing to a few thousand friends I have not met yet. I'm writing to ask them to change our plans and meet a little while later.

Here's the thing.

I have a dog, Janet, and she's been ill for about 2 years now, as a tumor has been idling in her chest, growing ever so slowly. She's almost 14 years old now. I got her when she was 4 months old. I was 21 then — an adult, officially — and she was my kid.

She is a pitbull, and was found in Echo Park, with a rope around her neck, and bites all over her ears and face.

She was the one the dogfighters used to puff up the confidence of the contenders.

She's almost 14 and I've never seen her start a fight, bite, or even growl, so I can understand why they chose her for that awful role. She's a pacifist.

Janet has been the most consistent relationship of my adult life, and that is just a fact. We've lived in numerous houses and joined a few makeshift families, but it's always really been just the two of us.

She slept in bed with me, her head on the pillow, and she accepted my hysterical, tearful face into her chest, with her paws around me, every time I was heartbroken, or spirit-broken, or just lost, and as years went by, she let me take the role of her child, as I fell asleep, with her chin resting above my head.

She was under the piano when I wrote songs, barked any time I tried to record anything, and she was in the studio with me, all the time we recorded the last album.

The last time I came back from tour, she was spry as ever, and she's used to me being gone for a few weeks, every 6 or 7 years.

She has Addison's Disease, which makes it more dangerous for her to travel since she needs regular injections of Cortisol because she reacts to stress and excitement without the physiological tools that keep most of us from literally panicking to death.

Despite all this, she's effortlessly joyful & playful and only stopped acting like a puppy about 3 years ago. She is my best friend, my mother, my daughter, my benefactor, and she's the one who taught me what love is.

I can't come to South America. Not now. When I got back from the last leg of the US tour, there was a big, big difference.

She doesn't even want to go for walks anymore.

I know that she's not sad about aging or dying. Animals have a survival instinct, but a sense of mortality and vanity, they do not. That's why they are so much more present than people.

But I know she is coming close to the time when she will stop being a dog, and start instead to be part of everything. She'll be in the wind, and in the soil, and the snow, and in me, wherever I go.

I just can't leave her now, please understand. If I go away again, I'm afraid she'll die and I won't have the honor of singing her to sleep, of escorting her out.

Sometimes it takes me 20 minutes just to decide what socks to wear to bed.

But this decision is instant.

These are the choices we make, which define us. I will not be the woman who puts her career ahead of love & friendship.

I am the woman who stays home, baking Tilapia for my dearest, oldest friend. And helps her be comfortable & comforted & safe & important.

Many of us these days, dread the death of a loved one. It is the ugly truth of Life that keeps us feeling terrified & alone. I wish we could also appreciate the time that lies right beside the end of time. I know that I will feel the most overwhelming knowledge of her, of her life, and of my love for her, in the last moments.

I need to do my damnedest, to be there for that.

Because it will be the most beautiful, the most intense, the most enriching experience of life I've ever known.

When she dies.

So I am staying home, and I am listening to her snore and wheeze, and I am reveling in the swampiest, most awful breath that ever emanated from an angel. And I'm asking for your blessing.

I'll be seeing you.

Love,

Fiona

[magicalqueennightmare]

Sins & Amends Chapter 4

(Gif by @ banditthewriter)

Billy Russo x Female Reader (60 part story)

This follows pre- the punisher into the storyline of daredevil, punisher season 1 and beyond

This is NOT Canon Billy. This is decent human being Billy left with bad options over worse decisions

This was also posted to A03 under: WaywardGaPeach. That account and this one is the only place you'll see me post this. If you see it on any other platform/account know it's not me.

Chapter Summary: You help Maria through another deployment while writing Billy as well. Once the guys hit stateside there's no denying you and Mr Russo are indeed friends

The first time you sat down to write Billy you found yourself staring at the notebook. What were you going to say? You knew so many letters came off as repetitive and you didn't want to sound like that. Writing Frank was simple enough you covered anything and everything to do with Maria and the kids but what to tell Billy?

After a moment you took a breath then finally put pen to paper. You told him small things like the new med bag your partner Alice had surprised you with for your birthday all the way to how a recent call had pushed you to the extent of your knowledge. After a few minutes you realized you had an entire letter written. You didn't quite know how to sign it so you simply put "Stay safe" at the end then laid it next to your jacket so you wouldn't forget to drop it in the mail come the next morning.

After that first letter you weren't really expecting him to write you back. The most you'd ever even see Maria and the kids get from him was a short thanks for the card or whatever had been sent to him.

It was a little over a month before you got a letter back from him and it was a pleasant surprise. You got it out your mail box and tucked it into the top of your bag before heading to the elevator. Maria and the kids wanted you to come over for dinner but you had enough time to read the letter then shower and change.

You dropped your bag by the door and pulled the letter out then walked into the kitchen while you tore it open. The first line was his usual snark of "Oh sweetheart how can I not be safe" You leaned against the counter and found a smile slipping onto your face the further you read. He of course talked about Frank and told you a few stories of the other men out his unit and even a few of their unclassified missions. He wished you a belated birthday and commended you on doing everything you could during the call. By the end of the letter you were wishing it was longer.

Your smile grew when you saw that at the end of the letter he'd written "I'll try to write more when I can but this is kind of new to me.Thanks for this though. It was a nice change"

You walked over and tucked the letter in with your notebooks and envelopes making a mental note to write him again as soon as you could before heading to grab a quick shower after checking the time.

It didn't take very long before writing Billy became part of your usual routine. You'd get a letter every couple weeks or so and would send him one back within a day of getting his. You started looking forward to checking your mail in hopes of a new letter being in there. It seemed the more you wrote Billy the more he was letting you see into who he really was even more.

You were staying over with Maria and the kids due to a storm coming through and Lisa not being the biggest fan of thunder when Frank managed to Skype them. All of you were squashed onto the love seat huddled around Maria's laptop when Frank's face came into view. You smiled just seeing how happy Maria and the kids were to see him.

He talked to all of you for a while then his attention started darting off screen and you were worried for a moment the call would get cut short until Billy appeared over his shoulder with a broad smile "Uncle Billy!" Lisa and Frank Jr giggled. "Hey squirts, Maria" he greeted and Maria smiled "Hey Billy. Taking care of my husband?" "Oh yes ma'am" he replied with a wink then he looked directly at you so Maria slid the laptop into your lap.

"Hey Y/N" "Hey Billy. How you doing?" even over a fuzzy connection those dark eyes drew you into them and you had to bite the inside of your cheek to remind yourself he was firmly friend zone for soo many reasons. "Can't complain cause even if I did Frankie will probably just throw something at my head anyways" You tried and failed to stifle a laugh. "Well then don't complain around him unless you have your helmet on" "I'll be sure to remember that. Anyways just wanted to say hey Frankie's about to knock me out the chair to get the computer back but take care I'll write again soon"

"She has a account too Bill" Frank cut in so since you were already outed you nodded "Yea want the name?" "Yea sure" after you told him your username and number for Skype he told Maria and the kids bye then let Frank back in the chair so you slid the laptop back to Maria and pulled Frank Jr over into your lap so he could see his dad more clearly.

Frank stayed on for a while longer so when the kids ended up falling asleep before he had to cut the call you carried one at a time to bed so him and Maria could talk longer. After you'd tucked Lisa in you walked back in the living room to find Maria wiping her eyes and sitting the laptop down in the corner to charge.

"Ria? you ok?" you asked softly and she nodded "I just miss him" you held out your arms silently and she walked into them letting you comfort her for a few minutes before she sniffled and said "Ok enough of wallowing kids are in bed, we have wine and movies let's enjoy ourselves before the storm hits good" you were always amazed at her ability to keep moving forward. She was the strongest woman you'd ever known.

You followed her into the kitchen and grabbed two wine glasses out before sitting them on the counter. She grabbed a bottle out the fridge and poured you both a glass then tucked the bottle under her arm and nodded towards the pantry "Grab some snacks I'll get the movie started"

You were watching the woman on screen light something explosive up when Maria said "You know Frank said Billy really does appreciate the letters. He doesn't really have family besides us" you glanced sideways at her and shrugged "He's a pretty good guy and like I told him we're stuck together as long as he's friends with Frank cause I don't know about Billy but I don't plan on going anywhere" she laughed at that then added "I'm glad you two have become friends even if I warned you about his flirting he is really a sweetheart when it comes down to it" a rumble of thunder echoed through the house so you sat your glass down then stood up and said "I'll go check on them" before heading towards Lisa and Frank Jr's bedrooms.

The Skype calls between you and Billy started happening regularly. There were times they'd be just minutes and there were times you'd talk for an hour or longer. Frank would dip in to say hey and to check in on Maria because she'd tell you more how she was handling things then she would him.

The two of you had went from simply being stuck with each other due to your choices of best friends to actually being friends yourself.

You filled your time when you weren't working with either Maria and the kids or hanging out with Curtis, helping him get used to things back stateside.

It seemed like the ten month deployment went by rather fast before you knew it the guys were back and you were once again sitting up the welcome home barbeque. Frank was manning the grill while Maria finished up a few things inside so you were leaned against the side of the house talking with Curtis and his sister Mia who you'd gotten to fly in to surprise him and watching everyone mill around in the background laughing when a random water balloon caught Frank behind the head.

"Curt tell you the plans he has to help vets?" you asked Mia and saw a smile slip onto Curtis's face "It's in the infant steps but yea and Y/N has offered to help however she can" You talked with the two of them for a while before you heard Billy holler "Y/N! HELP ME!" You glanced up from the conversation and laughed when you saw the predicament he was currently in.

Frank Jr was behind him and Lisa appeared to be threatening them both with the water hose. "What did he do Lis?" You hollered and could see the grin playing at her lips she was a mirror of her mom when you were both younger "He said boys are stronger than girls!" "William Russo!" You gasped and he gave a guilty shrug.

About that time Frank walked back into the house then came out with the super soakers he'd gotten the kids and handed you one "go get him" "FRANKIE!" Billy was the one to sound shocked this time but Frank just shrugged "House rules brother. We don't question the strength of these women"

You spent the rest of the day laughing while you and Lisa bombarded Billy even ending up talking Frank Jr and Big Frank into your plans. Unfortunately when Frank came up with an idea that ended with Billy going into the above ground pool he managed to grab you before he went over the side and you both ended up soaking wet and laughing your asses off.

"Remind me again why I'm friends with you Billy?" you asked playfully shoving him while you tried to climb out the pool only for him to laugh and pull you back in replying "You're best friends with my best friend's wife?" "Oh yeah" you agreed before hopping up to shove him down in the water and make a break for it.

Frank pulled you out and laughed when you shook your hair out your face "Alright children go get dried off" You leaned around him and stuck your tongue out at Billy who shook his head with a grin before you headed towards the door where Maria stood with a stack of towels.

"Thanks Ria" you said as you took the offered towel. She nodded back towards where Billy and Frank were making their way across the yard "seems like you two are getting along well enough" you glanced back at the two then smiled at her "Yea he's actually fun to be around most of the time" 

"Hey I heard that!" Billy said mocking hurt at your words before he grabbed the towel from Maria and added "besides I am a delight to be around. Ain't that right Frankie?" Frank looked between you and Billy then shook his head "says more about me and Maria that this is what we chose as our friends" 

"Frank!" "Frankie!" You and Billy exclaimed in unison before Frank grinned "Our lives be boring without the two of you" you glared at Frank playfully for a second before cutting your eyes at Billy "He looks a little too dry to me. What do you think Russo?" 

A smirk slid onto Billy's face as soon as he realized your plan and he nodded "Oh definitely" "Do not!" He warned looking between the two of you. 

"I call the water hose!" You hollered making a run for it and heard Billy "I got the super soaker!" "You're both dead!" Frank hollered and Maria simply said "Y/N show no mercy to either of them!" Then ran inside with a laugh and slammed the door behind her.

Tags: @intothesoul

@weallhaveadestiny

[chim-chim1310]

So this may be a controversial ask so if you don’t feel like answering I won’t be offended, but I’m curious if anyone has had the same thought as me.

We have seen so little of Jungkook’s presence in his latest tracks and I know everyone keeps saying they wished he would do more songs like his older songs where he has writing credits.

What I’ve been wondering is how much of that was actually his work versus getting help from others. What if we can’t see anything from him because he didn’t do that much on his own in the first place?

This might just be my conspiracy theory brain right now overthinking but once I has that thought I couldn’t get it out of my head. What if he’s not this “creative genius” that I’ve seen people say he is again and again and that’s why everything he does now is so bland.

Anyway thanks for letting me out this out there so I can stop thinking about it.

It could be very possible. Hybe and even bts has engraved this image of jk in our minds since the beginning. He's the best vocalist (he sounds like every other singer), amazing dancer (I don't like his dancing at all), his looks are so so (he only has abs and tattoos which gives him badboy image and the wattpad girlies love it).

But anyway what I'm trying to say is that bts and hybe have created this image of jk that he's the golden maknae and he's good at everything, including dance, singing, writing lyrics.

But when it came to his solo music, time to actually prove what he's capable of without the group, we literally got nothing from him.

So maybe he wasn't really all that creative genius in the first place and maybe hybe and bts members engraved that image in our brains when we were ot7 that it looks it's we're just now seeing the reality.

Even the words that bts members had said tried to fuel the image that jk is good at everything when he's average at best and just he just looks and sounds like any other male kpop idol.

I also feel that for jimin also they used this image that he was kicked out so many times so he was not good enough, because of tae's stupid letter some people think that jm is in the group because of tae.

Some harmful narratives are like jm had ED which I don't even know if it's true or not, or he is an attention seeker which was also because of tae's words.

Some narratives are harmless but annoying like he's always flirty when the only thing he does is smile at someone or compliment someone.

The main narrative is jimin is insecure about his singing and dancing and it's mainly there because jimin was vulnerable with us and some people use it against him.

So hybe tries to say that jk is the genius since the beginning and jm had to be pushed a lot to reach where he is.

There are narratives about every member and some dumb people still believe those.

So yeah...... These narratives are shoved down your throat when you first become a fan and it's so much so that it literally gets stuck in your brain.

So that's why people (even I) were shocked seeing jk's trash songs but honestly was he ever really good or was it the years old narratives that were shoved down our throats?