#i'm not saying he lied about knowing the timeline would be fine without him. i just think he reached that conclusion through other means

[bidokja]

i've seen a few comments before (not on here, just in the past on other sites) frustrated and confused about why the oldest dream never talked to yoo joonghyuk. or anyone for that matter. why couldn't he just say something, anything at all? did he feel nothing as they suffered? couldn't he have helped somehow?

and there's a lot i could say about this and a lot of various layers and details and perspectives. but in the end it all comes down to this:

not a single one of us can talk to the characters in a book we're reading.

that's just how it works.

[theboytatu]

I think Baekhyun unfortunately bit more than he could chew and over estimated the blind support from fans when it comes to breaking contracts with sm.

People on korean forums were actually on his side initially before sm revealed mc mong's involvement and it got worse bcs cbx denied MC mong's involvement only to get under his main company this year, proving the point that cbx lied last year 😭 Baekhyun was the most successful soloist of sm so I'm still very confused why he didn't negotiate with SM better like I'm sure SM also wasn't delighted knowing they are losing the company's biggest soloist. The only conclusion I can think of is that he wanted to jump the sinking ship before Hybe's takeover of SM bcs hybe was really close to acquiring it.

no literally LITERALLYYYYYY like it's all so fascinating to me when you think about the timeline of things: baekhyun and cx only put forward the initial lawsuit once they had confirmation that lee sooman was leaving SM. and it was all a mess re: hybe and kakao trying to take over the majority stockholders but like. i can easily picture baekhyun saying "the big boss has left. there's blood in the water if there was ever a time to strike it's NOW!!!" when suho was like hey um. what the fuck man when they first got wind of the contract dispute. this was in february of 2023.

fast forward to april and like. exo had a group gig they were contractually obligated to meet which was the fanmeeting (first activity with all members in 5 years) and then recording for their album. and baekhyun was probably like lol it's fine. they HAVE to meet our demands we are literally about to drop an album - cue the rest of exo sans kyungsoo shooting daggers at him from across the room.

and THEN as we all know now lee sooman left the company and hybe were like literally digging in their claws getting ready for the kill and baekhyun was probably already in contact with mc mong and his family's business contacts which we now have confirmation loaned him close to 4 billion won in order to set up his own company. which i mean i can get it if my own family was like actively pushing me to do this and assure me it's no big deal since i can have pretty good terms on a business loan i'd maybe do it too?

and then it's january 2024 and cbx were RUSHING to get out of that contract like ik they were scrambling to put everything in place and probably didn't even read the fine print 😭 or they simply assumed they could shoulder the debt from breaching their contract - operating under the assumption that either SM would have to pay up their royalties and other exo gigs they had lined up OR being bought into mc mong's company could bring in some liquidity.... and then the first bills came in from SM demanding their contractual fees and interest rates which probably (definitely) ate into baekhyun/cx's margins and they were like oh shit. so they had no choice but to sue SM again to renegotiate the fees they had signed off on (which, as well all are well aware - SM probably asked for the standard 10% originally) and when baekhyun realized he had made a bad business deal with his own company and he had effectively fucked himself and cx over he had to ask for 5% 😭

anyway... this is obviously all not confirmed but I have followed this case closely from the very beginning and it looks like a classic case of eduardo saverin/kendall roy-esque bad business instincts and not being enough of a killer - all because baekhyun assumed SM would crumble without lee sooman and the hybe/kakao acquisitions put the spot on every business deal SM had going on, forcing his hand to go ahead with a bad deal that only got him probably half of what he intended. and now he's dancing in streams for money or whatever

[vickyvicarious]

i'm catching up on my dracula daily and... wtf is up with that letter from Whitby Lucy wrote saying how much better she is doing? is she just lying to mina to not concern her during her honeymoon? because it goes against her last journal entry (where she says she's still feeling bad) and against arthur's letter from the following day asking for jack's help. like, what's up with that bit? do you think this entry was misplaced somewhere along the editing process?

Yeah, you've found the same thing that's had all the Daily readers scratching their heads. I've debated about it myself in the past, but I've landed pretty firmly on my interpretation. Short answer: it's probably just a timeline error on Stoker's part.

Long answer: As you say, it contradicts both Lucy's diary entry, and Arthur's letter on either side of this entry. For this to be the correct timing of the letter, she would have to be lying to Mina very blatantly and deliberately. While hiding her own distress so as not to worry others is very characteristic of Lucy, such blatant and extreme lying (sleeping super well! big appetite! and all those sports!) is not. It would be more typical of her to just not mention much about her own health, if it had worsened again.

Characterization aside, the letter being a lie goes against the theme throughout the book of the characters being emotionally honest with one another in the writing they share. Sure, they keep secrets and communication problems are a big theme as well (as we've already seen) but the documents themselves being trustworthy is a major element. I won't get into spoilers, but think about what we've already seen with Jonathan: he himself is uncertain about whether he was mad or not, but his journal holds the truth. Both we the audience, and the characters believe that. Jonathan tells Mina that "The secret is here, and I do not want to know it." Mina seals it shut because she chooses not to know with him on his request. But if she were to read it, she would know. Because his diary is true. As are all the other documents. They might not show a whole picture individually, but they aren't lies. That would go against the themes of the novel.

A final reason I don't think Lucy is lying here is logistical. The letter is postmarked from Whitby. But both her journal entry before it and Arthur's letter after it are from London (she's writing from her family home, Hillingham, and his letter is from Albemarle hotel in Piccadilly). So, in order for this to work, she would have to engage in much more intentional/difficult subterfuge. She'd have to either a) have someone take the letter to Whitby and mail it from there (unlikely; she doesn't seem to trust her vulnerabilities to her servants, and she doesn't like to make big asks, for just two reasons) b) write that it's from Whitby inside the letter and then send it from London and possibly expose the lie or bring up questions of why she waited until she left Whitby to send this letter without at least adding a postscript to that effect, or c) go to London, get ill, go back to Whitby, lie about being fine, then go back to London again the next day and continue being ill. Obviously that's massively unlikely. And there's no reason to even pretend to be in Whitby instead of London in the first place. Their trip wasn't ended because of Lucy's health (in fact, Dracula left Whitby on the 17th of August, and she was already doing better by the 18th/19th). It probably was the time they had planned to come back all along, and if she were lying to Mina she could just as easily lie about being happy and healthy in London as elsewhere.

I've seen it suggested that Lucy wrote the letter in Whitby but just held onto it and didn't send it until later, but that doesn't resolve the postmark. Also, her letter is a response to Mina's, with direct references to things like Mina and Jonathan being married now, and Jonathan being ill. I suppose one could argue that she was just anticipating they would be married/Jonathan would need to recover based on things Mina said before leaving Whitby, but it still feels odd.

So, with all of those reasons why Lucy can't be lying... I've got to conclude it's a simple timeline error, much like Seward's missing week (and/or three days) between 19/20 August. In fact, both of these errors being near the end of August suggests that Stoker may have had an idea of a more extended timeline around these events at first, and some lines/dates just never got edited to match the more condensed timeline we see in the book.

Lucy's letter appears as a response to Mina's (it's placed right after her wedding letter in the original book format) and while the experience in Dracula Daily is a stinging ominous contrast of Mina's joy and Lucy's alarming first diary entry which is very reminiscent to the early experience of Jonathan suffering/the ladies happily talking about summer plans... I don't think it's intended to be so direct a contrast in this case. Rather, we should be getting the brief lull on both fronts. Jonathan is alive! Mina has happily married him! Lucy is all better! Arthur has rejoined her! We get a brief moment of reunion and happiness for both couples, a small moment of relief before the pain comes rushing back in. But both of these come right after Seward's entry which ends with Renfield warning "It is coming—coming—coming!" so we know that the reprieve will be short. It's just slightly different pacing than what the daily format gives us.

(Also, the letter being true means Lucy and Arthur get to be happy together for a while before being separated again. Lucy gets to be healthy for a while before her 'mystery illness' returns. And I'm happy to let her have those things.)

In fact, speaking of original layout... Chapter 8 ends with Seward's August 19 entry. Then Chapter 9 begins like this: Mina's letter (August 24), Lucy's letter (August 30), Seward's diary (August 20), Lucy's diary (August 24), Arthur's letter (August 31). Once again we have some timeline confusion, and while the book as a whole is much less linear with the events it shows us, and definitely jumps back and forth a few days on more than one occasion, that still looks odd to me. My book has a footnote which suggests that Lucy's letter was meant to be send on the 20th instead, but of course that would mean she was writing before the letter she's ostensibly replying to. This could cause a minor cascade of other adjustments needing to be made. I've also seen it suggested here on tumblr (in this post by @thegoatsongs) that maybe Lucy's letter was received on the 30th, not sent. Her first letter (the one sent in emails on May 11) isn't actually dated, so this wouldn't be the first time dating oddness happened around her letters.

So... yeah, those are pretty much the reasons why Lucy probably is telling the truth, and Stoker/an editor who should've caught this kind of thing just messed up!

[soli-nepenthe]

More Caleb Thoughts (Spoilery):

I just want to preface these rambling thoughts by saying that I have not completed his Myth Story (trial) or Anecdotes yet, as I'm just taking my Caleb doses little by little. So there may be pieces of Caleb that are missing from my whole picture.

I've never viewed him as a romantic interest though I did feel sad when he died (MC handled that PTSD situation better than I ever could've with or without nightly calls to Rafayel on the nights she couldn't sleep, but I digress...) but I wanted to try and give him a fair shot as an LI instead, though I understand why for some that is not something they can or want to do. And that is perfectly fine.

......

Well, I've managed to work my way through his main branches, and while some parts made me want to back up (the extreme measures he takes to ensure MC's safety) the general tone was heavy and heartbreaking. Caleb is not a one-sided "yandere" (if that's what you want to label him as) and even that label narrows him down to an unfair caricature.

I'm not condoning his unhealthy behaviours (which are rooted from a good place, I want to believe) but because he is in the deepest shit situation-wise with Ever and Professor Lucius (and perhaps others we don't yet know about moving behind the scenes) his actions are a desperately painful way to keep the one person he's always loved from getting hurt.

From MC's perspective, there's a lot of pain, hurt, and Catholic guilt when confronting the Caleb in the present to the the boy from her past. He knows her intimately, her pet peeves and what buttons to push or not, in ways that the other LIs would envy. That means every wound or arrow they pierce each other with has the potential to be very devastating on a mental and emotional level. And because MC knows the past Caleb so well, there's that potential to enable behaviours (both sides) that aren't exactly healthy but realistic given how long they've known each other.

I also read his New Years story, but it felt like there was something I missed (maybe answered in his Myth or Anecdotes?) because it felt like some rough patches or misunderstandings had been addressed at some level. His biggest fears seem to be losing MC forever --physically and emotionally. He doesn't want to disappoint her or to have her hate him.

I would say that Caleb's story has another dimension of that Gothic Romance, like a revenant coming back from the dead and becoming something of an unrecognizable "monster" to the person he loves. I think the developers have successfully fleshed out a complex character different to the other guys, having borderline unhealthy coping mechanisms but struggling to pull back from crossing uncrossable lines. With Caleb being a pawn in an even bigger game means that his actions will always be tainted with what he morally knows is wrong versus his own will.

We will see if my impressions of him will change when I finish the parts I need to read in the present timeline (not sure if Anecdotes is set in the present or past) but Caleb has given me a lot to think about than I anticipated.

One other thing I don't know about, or if it has been mentioned, is his feelings or thoughts towards Josephine's involvement with Ever in those experiments. She worked with a team until such a point (the Chronorift Disaster/Explosion?) before turning on them. I mean, even Ever has labeled her as a 'traitor'. I can't see her as a sweet old grandma. So for me, it's just a bit jarring that Caleb and MC visited her "grave" and seemed genuinely sad about it. In my personal opinion, her adoption of these former 'test subjects' doesn't atone for what she did. If he knows and is keeping silent to not hurt MC's feelings, it is that much more painful for him to keep a lid on those feelings of anger and resentment...

I also thought that Zayne gave MC documents (I forget which chapter) that hint at or mention "Gran's" involvement? And even Sylus hinted to MC that the people closest to her were responsible for the explosion that day...

Anyway, these are just some of my thoughts about Caleb. If I got anything wrong or if someone can clarify the Zayne point, that would be most appreciated.

EDIT: Just finished his myth story and yeah, it is HEAVY. Also, people always keep mentioning how Caleb is unhinged about MC, well, it goes both ways -- like willingly putting the Toring Chip in your own body knowing the consequences cannot be good, to try and understand/close the gap you feel between someone who has been a big part of your world since you were young? Yeah. MC is that wild. I was kind of taken out by that reckless move.

Anyway, Caleb is a man who is deeply and devotedly in love with MC, his anchor in the dystopian world that they live in (second Earth?) and like the hanged man in tarot, his options of living freely with MC are currently tied down by Lucius and Ever, the chip implanted in his body (and the 'old foxes' who have stakes at play with the Fountain of Atei/Fountain of Eternal Life??). He needs to be saved. And it's reasonable why MC doesn't want to lose him again, since he was and is still such an integral part of her life.

Loving and romancing Caleb will not be a path of flowers for MC, and there has to be room for healing the hurts on both sides as their relationship develops further.

I can only hope that groups like Onychinus (Sylus) continue to be a massive thorn in Ever's plans.

(Gonna leave it here, but Zedd's Clarity really encapsulates their dynamic perfectly.)

[omtua22]

Through Time and Lies

Thank you @mangoshorthand for helping develop this idea. This is a little dabble of an alternate version of the Umbrella Academy Season 4. This is my first time writing anything like this, so sorry if it's bad. I just hated what really happened between Five and Lila in the actual season.

The acrid stench of ash and decay hung heavy in the air, a constant reminder of the wasteland I'd called home for the past six years. My fingers tightened around the worn grip of my shotgun as I surveyed the desolate landscape, always on guard for any threat. That's when I saw them—two figures materializing out of thin air, one of them stumbling and clearly injured.

My blood ran cold as I recognized the face of the man. It was... me. An older, more haggard version, but undeniably me. Before I could process this mindfuck of a situation, instinct took over. I raised my gun and fired without hesitation, the crack of the shot echoing across the barren terrain.

The other me crumpled to the ground, a look of shock frozen on his face. The woman accompanying him—dark-haired, wild-eyed—let out a strangled cry and dropped to her knees beside him.

"Five! No, no, no!" she wailed, cradling his head in her lap. Her eyes, filled with tears and desperation, snapped up to meet mine. "Please," she begged, "don't shoot, you trigger happy little squit. You don't understand—"

I cut her off, my voice cold and steady. "I understand perfectly. You brought another version of me here, and now he's dead. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put a bullet in your head too."

The woman—Lila, she'd called herself earlier—took a shaky breath. "Because I can help you see your family again. To get out of this hellhole."

I scoffed. "And why the fuck should I believe anything you say?"

"Because I know things," she insisted. "Things only you would know. I was Diego's wife in another timeline. I knew you—the other you. And damn, it would just be your luck you'd die at your own hand."

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You think dropping Diego's name is gonna make me trust you? Try again, sweetheart."

Lila's eyes narrowed, a hint of her own fire showing through the grief. "Fine. You want proof? Dolores."

The name hit me like a punch to the gut. Dolores. My companion, my confidante, the only thing keeping me sane in this godforsaken wasteland. How the hell could she know about Dolores?

I lowered the gun slightly, but kept it trained on her. "Talk," I growled.

Lila's story poured out in a frantic, disjointed mess. Time travel, the Commission, apocalypses—plural. My family, all grown up, with their own lives and problems. It was too much to take in, too fantastical to believe. And yet... the proof was lying dead at my feet.

"So let me get this straight," I interrupted, my head spinning. "You want me to pretend to be him?" I gestured to the corpse with my gun. "To what, save the fucking world?"

Lila nodded, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "It's the only way. Please, Five. I know it's asking a lot, but—"

I cut her off with a bitter laugh. "Asking a lot? You're asking me to lie to my family, to pretend to be someone I'm not. To step into the shoes of a man who's apparently fucked up time itself multiple times over."

"But you'll get to see them again," Lila pressed. "Isn't that worth it?"

I fell silent, considering. Six years of isolation, of wondering if I'd ever see another living soul again, let alone my siblings. The chance to go back, to be with them... It was everything I'd dreamed of. Even if they hated me—well, the other me.

"Fuck it," I muttered, holstering my gun. "I'm in. But if this goes sideways, I'm putting a bullet in you first. Got it?"

Lila nodded, relief washing over her face. "Deal."

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, adjusting the tie of the perfectly tailored suit Lila had procured for me. It felt strange, constricting after years of scavenged clothes and whatever I could cobble together.

"You're fucking crazy, you know that?" I muttered to myself, running a hand through my hair.

Lila appeared in the doorway behind me, her arms crossed. "Crazy got us this far, didn't it?" she smirked.

I turned to face her, my eyes narrowing. "This plan of yours is insane. You realize that, right? There's no way in hell they're going to buy this."

She shrugged, that infuriating smugness still plastered across her face. "They will if you sell it. Come on, Five. Don't tell me you're chickening out now. Don't you want to see your family again?"

I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to snap at her. Of course I wanted to see them. It was all I'd thought about for six fucking years. But this? This felt wrong.

"They're going to hate me," I muttered. "Or, well, hate who they think I am."

Lila's expression softened slightly. "Maybe. But isn't it worth it? To see them again, even if they don't know it's really you?"

I turned back to the mirror, straightening my jacket. She was right, damn her. I'd endure anything to see my siblings again, even their hatred.

"Let's get this shitshow on the road," I growled, pushing past her and out of the room.

The reunion was... intense, to say the least. Seeing them all grown up, changed in ways I couldn't have imagined, it was almost too much. Luther, no longer the awkward, bumbling kid I remembered, but a leader. Diego, still a hothead, but with a newfound respect that caught me off guard. Allison, confident and powerful in ways that went beyond her rumors.

And Viktor. Jesus Christ, Viktor. The quiet, timid kid I'd left behind was gone, replaced by someone strong, assured, with powers that made my spatial jumps look like child's play. I couldn't have been prouder if I tried.

They all looked at me with a mix of wariness and resentment, clearly expecting the worst. It stung, but I swallowed it down. This wasn't about me. It was about them.

"Well," I drawled, falling into the persona Lila had coached me on, "looks like the gang's all here. Ready to save the world... again?"

Diego scoffed. "Oh, now you want to work as a team? That's rich coming from you, Five."

I bit back the urge to defend myself, to explain that I wasn't who they thought I was. Instead, I just smirked. "What can I say? I'm full of surprises."

As we delved into the latest apocalyptic threat—because of-fucking-course there was another one—I found myself marveling at how they'd all grown. Their abilities, their teamwork, it was beyond anything I could have imagined.

When Viktor unleashed his powers, nearly leveling a building to stop a group of Commission agents, I couldn't help but grin. "Holy shit, V," I muttered under my breath. "You've come a long way from violin practice."

"What was that?" Allison asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

I schooled my features back into a neutral expression. "Nothing. Just thinking we might actually pull this off for once."

As the days wore on, the lies became harder to maintain. Every time they referenced some shared experience I knew nothing about, every bitter comment about past mistakes I hadn't made, it was like a knife twisting in my gut.

But then I'd see Luther take charge of a situation with a confidence he'd never had as a kid. Or watch Diego and Allison move in perfect sync, covering each other's backs without a word. Or catch Viktor's small, proud smile after mastering a new aspect of his powers.

And I knew, deep in my bones, that it was worth it. Every lie, every moment of self-doubt, every flash of hatred in their eyes—it was all worth it to see them like this. To know that somehow, despite everything, they'd all become the heroes I always knew they could be.

One night, as we regrouped after a particularly harrowing battle, Lila and I blinked up to the roof and just sat there. I did this when I was a kid too. Blinked to the top of the Academy to escape dad.

The guilt was written all over Lila's face.

"They don't know," she whispered, her eyes darting to where the others were gathered. "They still think you're him."

I nodded, a small, sad smile tugging at my lips. "I know. And it's okay. Let them think that."

Lila frowned. "But... don't you want them to know the truth? That you're not the one who—"

"Who fucked everything up?" I finished for her. "Who dragged them through time and space, who got them stuck in the wrong timeline over and over?" I shook my head. "No. If this is what it takes for me to see them like this—strong, united, better than we ever were as kids—then I'll take it. I'll be the villain in their story if it means I get to see them shine."

Lila's eyes filled with a mix of admiration and pity. "You really love them, don't you?"

I snorted. "They're my family. Of course I fucking love them. Even if they hate me."

As we turned back to join the others, I caught sight of Viktor laughing at something Allison had said, his whole face lit up with joy. And in that moment, I knew I'd made the right choice.

They might never know the truth. They might always see me as the asshole who ruined their lives. But I got to see them like this—happy, powerful, united. And that? That was worth everything.

Even if it meant being hated.

[pinkxlicious]

Yule Ball P.2

Part 1

*Doesn't follow timeline*

I was gonna make this mushy but I have a 3rd part planned and I need things to be angsty.

Words: 2.2k

'''

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, slightly offended and confused.

"Oh maybe its the fact that he's a player you have no idea what you're getting yourself into," He scoffed at her, "I'm actually surprised you haven't heard the stories about him, maybe you are really just a nobody."

"Oh that's really sweet, Malfloy. It's just a dance, and why do you care so much? Jealous?" She snapped, obviously irritated.

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous, I couldn't care less about who you go with," He lied, digging his nails into his palm, trying to prevent himself from saying anything stupid. Unfortunately, Draco was one to give in to impulsive thoughts and he would blurt things out without thinking.

"Oh really? Then why are you pissed that I'm going with Blaise? I don't think its a big deal, but you're acting like it is,"

"How am I acting like its a big deal? I'm just trying to tell you how he is!" Draco shot back,

"Since when did you care? I don't understand why you're acting like you care when you obviously don't! What is your problem, can't you just let me live in peace and make my own decisions??"

"No, I won't. Not unless you tell Blaise that you're not going with him," He said angrily, cringing at his own words.

"Who do you think you are??" She said in disbelief, "Why would I just ditch my date just because you told me to! For all I know, you're just trying to sabotage me!"

"Why would I sabotage yo- oh nevermind," He mumbled,

"Exactly, for the past week or two that I've known you, you've been nothing but insufferable and rude! You're constantly trying to make my life harder than it already is. And you wonder why I won't take 'advice' from you," She got up and left, she was beyond pissed and somewhat in disbelief. Who does he think he is?? Telling her what to do. What a slut.

'''

Draco walked swiftly into the Slytherin common room, and angrily searched for his 'best friend' who he currently resented with much passion.

"Blaise," Draco said angrily and flatly, "how dare you, how fucking dare you."

Blaise already seemed to know what he was going on about.

"Look man, I know you're worked up but I have a reason-"

"No you don't!" Draco snapped angrily, "You know I like her, and you went out of your way to ask her out right? Why would you do that to me?!"

Blaise held up his hands in defense, the two seemed to be oblivious to the stares from their peers.

"Look, Draco c'mere man," Blaise guided Draco to the back of the common room with a shit eating grin. "Just hear me out on this."

"I'm not sure if I want to," Draco said lowly, following him reluctantly.

"Look I asked her out because I have a plan, a super brillant plan. I'm not gonna tell you the details because I know you're not gonna approve... But just wait, you're gonna swoop in at the right time and sweep her off her feet. Okay?" Blaise said proudly with a huge smile on his face.

"No, you have to tell me the details, Blaise. You and I both know I don't trust you enough to make decisions on your own-"

"No you just gotta rely on me this one time, you'll thank me I swear I won't mess this up. Plus, I've dealt with these situations before," Blaise smiled proudly at his words, hoping his best friend would take him up on his offer. He had a good feeling that this would go in his and Draco's favor.

"I... fine. If you screw this up I swear I'm gonna murder your entire family line. This is important to me, she is important to me," Draco warned, pointing a finger at him before sighing in exasperation. "You stress me out."

"I know,"

'''

A day before the Yule ball, Y/n and Draco were still scrubbing cauldrons. Professor Snape decided to prolong their punishment once again, but thankfully he was merciful enough to let them off for the dance the next day. But for now, the two were stuck scrubbing their arms off on the dirty floor of the potions class room.

Y/n seemed to be extremely stressed, scrubbing the life out of her cauldron while half zoned out. She hadn't even responded to Draco's sarcastic remark to her frantic movements.

"Y/n?" Draco questioned, looking at her again genuinely concerned. Her eyebrows were furrowed slightly as her scrubbing intensified. "Y/n."

"Huh?" She snapped out of her trance, blinking her eyes in confusion. "Sorry, what?"

"Are you okay? You're like, acting weird, weirder than normal,"

"Ha ha," She said sarcastically, "I'm fine, just- I dunno."

Draco raised his eyebrows, surprised she didn't have a well prepared answer for him... Like she always had.

"What is it?"

"Why would I tell you," She scoffed, "you'd make fun of me."

He rolled his eyes, "Just tell me I don't care."

She fell silent, contemplating on whether or not she should tell him. "Did you really mean what you said yesterday? That... Blaise would just play me?"

Draco looked up, surprised she was so nervous over something he said. "Um, I'm surprised you actually took my words to heart," He said sheepishly.

"Were you just trying to get through my skin or did you actually mean it?" She said, staring him down as he scowled.

"Both, but honestly... it really has been a while since he's seen anyone. I don't know," Draco shrugged, but genuinely, he truly had no clue. He knew Blaise would play any girl. But this was Y/n and Blaise had told Draco explicitly that he had a plan. And he had no idea what this plan was.

"Are you just saying that because he's your best friend? Or are you being serious, not like you'd actually tell me the truth anyways," She mumbled quietly, Draco looked at her.

"Look, I really don't know. Just… just don't worry about it," Draco wanted to punch himself, wanting to say more but he couldn't. "Why are you worried anyways?"

"It's really not a big deal honestly..." Y/n thought about it for a sec. "It's just a dance," She thought for a few moments before laughing. "It's just a dance it's not like he asked me to date him! I don't know why I was so worried."

She smiled to herself before continuing with her scrubbing. This time she was a lot more relaxed and gently scrubbed in more fluid motions.

"Uh- how are you and Pansy?" Y/n asked, trying to fill the silence. Draco cringed and almost gagged.

"I cancelled last minute, I'm going alone," Draco admitted, slightly embarrassed that he didn't have a date. "She was just so persistent."

Y/n laughed, "I think she's rather pleasant, but yes she can be a little persistant."

"Pleasant? Are we talking about the same girl?" Draco asked in disbelief, a faint smile of amusement painted across his face. She laughed, leaning her head back, silently enjoying their brief bonding time.

"She truly isn't horrible if you really talk to her! I was her potions partner last year. She was a bit insufferable at first I'll have to admit but through it all she's a very genuine person if you take the time to know her," She said, speaking fairly high of this supposedly persistant crazy girl. Draco shook his head and scoffed.

"Whatever you say..."

"No really!-"

"Okay, okay..." Draco cut her off, she smiled in satisfaction. Draco couldn't help but stare back at her with almost a smile, staring into her eyes. He just couldn't help himself but lean in just ever so slightly. She stared back, her lips parted gently as she got lost into his gaze. His gaze flickered to her lips for a second before he turned away, breaking the tension instantly. Her breath caught in her throat before she quickly returned back to scrubbing her cauldron.

"So uh..." Y/n trailed awkwardly, "Do you know what you're wearing tomorrow?"

Draco raised his brows and scoffed, "Why is that all you talk about?" she stared up at him, offended.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that's all you talk about, do you even have a personality outside of that?" Draco sneered, he wanted to shut himself up but after that moment of vulnerability he couldn't help himself.

"I- I was just curious, is that too much? I thought we were actually getting along, why are you acting up now?" She shot back, then she added softly, "Why do you ruin everything?"

Draco, looked at her with disbelief, "I ruin everything? Have you even taken a look at yourself? You can barely contain yourself."

"Now you're just projecting," She said angrily, “Look at yourself right now! You’re barely containing yourself as it is right now. And don’t you dare talk to me like that, you and I both know that I did absolutely nothing and I’m NOT taking your shit today.”

Cleared. Silence filled the room for a bit. Draco then cleared his throat.

“Uh, a tux… you?”

She smiled to herself softly, “I found this super cute pink dress when I was at hogsmeade. It’s gorgeous but not too over the top but not super basic. It’s got this lovely detail design and it’s beautiful,” She spoke enthusiastically, Draco looked at her with amusement.

“Did you only bring up the topic to rant about your dress?” He asked chuckling near the end of his sentence as she smiled sheepishly.

“Maybe…” She said, the two were bonding again. She liked it like this, she liked it a lot actually. Then suddenly a thought crossed her head. “Do you think Blaise likes me? Or…”

“Why are you bringing up Blaise?” Draco said a little flatly, but still curious and interested into what she had to say.

“Because you know him the best,” Draco shrugged and nodded in agreement. “He is rather dreamy I guess, sounds cliche and corny I know. But like he doesn’t act like a player.”

Draco held his tongue, fighting himself internally. Preventing himself from insulting his best friend out of jealously.

“Oh yeah?” He forced out, “How so.”

“He didn’t just ask me to go to the dance and never talk to me again. He talks to me everyday, and he’s really sweet actually. Does he normally do that to other girls?”

Draco’s breath hitched. Whatever Blaise’s plans were, he wasn’t enjoying it. But he trusted Blaise enough not to steal his girl.

“I mean no not normally,” Draco sort of huffed out, frustrated slightly. She examined his facial expression.

“Are you okay? You seem mad,” She asked cautiously, although they weren’t exactly on friendly terms, she wanted to care.

“Why do you care,” Draco said coldly, she seemed upset by his words.

“Why are you being so mean again, we were just bonding like not even five minutes ago,” She said perplexed by his mood swings.

“Bonding? You call that bonding?” He scoffed and laughed coldly, “All you did was talk about your stupid dress and hooking up with Blaise. And look, to lay it out for your small brain. Blaise is gonna break your heart, just because he treats you better than the other girls doesn’t make you special.”

She seems taken aback by this outburst, she seems confused, then hurt, then angry. Her brows furrowed and she looked him in the eye.

“I didn’t say I was special or different, I was just asking you if you thought I…”

“That you what?” Draco asked coldly,

“If I had a chance, okay?” She said quickly, peeking up at his expression.

“Why??” Draco asked with so much confusion.

“He seems like a genuine person, I don’t know…”

“Y/n I thought you were smart, I guess you’re actually insanely stupid. If you haven’t heard, Blaise is a big fat player who’s bored. So all I know is that he’s only asking you because he thinks you’re another pretty face to play with,” Draco said staring her down. “You’re no different than all the girls he’s ever been with.”

Her heart broke slightly at his words, “Look I don’t need you going so low when giving me the truth. And what if you’re wrong? Maybe he really likes me? You’re so impossible, you’re always just making things so hard.”

She kept her eyes down, taking in her embarrassment and and hurt from his cruel but possibly true words. She wanted him to be wrong so desperately.

“Don’t come crying to me when he shatters your heart in a million pieces because I won’t be there to listen to your dumb fucking rants. And your dress is probably hideous like every part of you.”

She got up and left without another word, she couldn’t let him get any satisfaction of her tears. Even though if he had saw them he would feel the exact opposite. Draco didn’t know why he said such cruel things to her. Especially this one, this one was much worse than all the others. And right now he wished he had just kept his mouth shut and listened.

[melishade]

Number 37?

This ask game

A moment in the Peaceful Timeline.

Oshern felt a gentle hand on his forehead, forcing him to open his eyes. His gaze fell to Ymir, holding a small candle that illuminated her features in the dark of the cabin.

"Hey." Oshern quietly greeted as he sat up on the living room couch, "What's wrong?"

Ymir gently grabbed Oshern's hand with her free one and began to pull. Oshern let her; he didn't want to say no to her outright, not without knowing what she was doing. She had guided him through the dark, but once Oshern saw that she was at her bedroom door, Oshern immediately pulled his hand out of her grip.

"'Mir, I'm fine," Oshern insisted, "I'll just be sleeping on the couch."

Ymir automatically shook her head before opening the door to her room. It was simple and modest. Her bed was pressed up against the left side of the room with a small cabinet drawer next to it. A window was on the far right side of the wall, letting some moonlight in the room.

Ymir once again grabbed his hand and tried to pull him inside, but Oshern stood his ground.

"'Mir, I'm serious," Oshern said to her, "I can sleep out on the couch, and-!" Oshern was stunned when Ymir let go of his hand and placed a finger over his mouth. She looked him dead in the eye, and Oshern can tell that she wanted some kind of explanation. Her expression was demanding, concerned,...fearful.

Oshern sighed a little. They had been married for only a few days now, but Oshern had refused to sleep in the same bed as her. He had elected to sleep somewhere else. It wasn't that he didn't want to be with her, it's just...

"It's not you," Oshern whispered to her, his lips moving against her finger. He adjusted her hand before kissing the back of it. "It...it's been so long since I've lived with anyone. To have a family again...it's just going to take some time to get used to."

Oshern saw in Ymir's eyes, a sense of understanding, but there were still hints of guilt. "I promise, it's not you."

Ymir reached out to Oshern, wrapping her arm around him while holding the candle away from them both. She adjusted her head on his shoulder before whispering in his ear. "Want...to...help..."

"...I guess...we can stay together for the night," Oshern decided. Oshern couldn't help but be nervous. He knows...he knows the two of them will have to consummate their marriage at some point. But...to bed her...it just...he's bedded other women in the past. Would Ymir be willing to accept him for that? It has been a guilt that's been eating at him for some time. And he hasn't told her about it. It-! Oshern's train of thought was interrupted when Ymir pulled him forward into her room. Into their room. She had set the candle down on top of her dresser before pulling him to sit on the bed.

"I'll sleep against the wall." Oshern shuffled his way to the other side of the bed, resting his back against the wall. Ymir looked at him in surprise, but Oshern waved it off.

"Hard surfaces feel better on my back," Oshern proclaimed.

Ymir seemed to trust his decision before pinching the open flame of the candle to snuff it out. Oshern could barely see in the moonlit room the steam rising from her fingertips before ceasing. Ymir then shuffled her body to be closer to Oshern before grabbing the covers and pulling it over them both. She lied down on her side, facing him, and the two were inches away from touching each other.

Oshern was a little surprised. Part of him thought they would...do more...Oshern gasped when Ymir reached her hand out and gently caressed his cheek. Oshern couldn't help but lean into her touch. This simple act. This moment of intimacy...damn it. He didn't realize just how much he needed it and craved it.

In a moment of greed, Oshern wrapped his arms around Ymir and pulled her close. He heard Ymir gasp at the action, but he merely tucked her head under his chin.

“You’re warm,” Oshern mumbled. Oshern was a little surprised when Ymir slowly snaked his arms around him and burrow her face into his neck.

“…warm…” she echoed back to him.

Oshern felt his heart sing at that, exhaustion slowly overtaking them both as they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

===

Morning

Optimus had entered the cabin with a freshly killed geese in his hands when he noticed Maria carefully peeling potatoes with a small knife.

“Firelight, what are you doing?” Optimus asked as he put the geese on the countertop.

“I’m being careful! I swear!” Maria insisted.

“I do trust you with a knife,” Optimus reassured. Megatron’s insistence on training the nine year old girl paid off in more ways than one. One of which being the former warlord was teaching her precision, “But your mother usually performs this task.”

“Mama and Papa are still sleeping.” Maria pointed to the door of Ymir’s room. Optimus raised an eyebrow at that before walking over to the room and slowly opening the door. The door did creak, but the sound didn’t wake Ymir and Oshern up. Instead, Optimus found that the two of them were sleeping in Ymir’s bed in each other’s arms. Despite the fact that the blanket was covering them up to their shoulders, Optimus could still see the slow rise and fall of their chests. Their eyes still remained closed, and he doubt they wouldn’t open for a little while longer.

Optimus couldn’t help but feel…happy for Ymir. She looked so content. And her relationship with Oshern reminded him of…Optimus slowly shut the door before turning his attention to Maria. “I assume you will be making potatoes for breakfast?”

“Yep!” Maria chirped up with excitement.

“Then we must prepare for three people.” Optimus patted her back before the two went back to the kitchen.

(The rest is free game.)

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2: (Un)Answered Questions & Plot Holes (Pt3) + Mayfair Witches 2x3 Deets: Felix & Lestat Timeline?

I made 2 rants about Felix & Lestat in MW 2x3 (x x), but I still have a bunch of questions, AMC, esp. cuz of this dialogue here:

Felix: That feeling's guilt. That's a human thing. Makes them behave like sheep...easy to kill. Lasher: I don't find it easy. Felix: Oh, it'll get easier! Did for me. But I had a good teacher. Lasher: Why? What did he tell you? Please, tell me what he said. Felix: We're meant to cull the herd. It's a natural thing, like Mr. Darwin taught!

According to this exchange, Lestat TOLD Felix that vampires/immortals/monsters/etc are "meant to cull the herd."

(And we know Felix's teacher is Lestat--Esta confirmed it twice--this isn't Armand or Marius or Bruce or some rando.)

This implies that when Lestat took Felix in, he was still holding fast to his dogmas about humans being nothing more than The Meat, that vampires were free to kill without guilt/shame/remorse/etc.

That nixes the fan theory than in S3 Lestat can swoop in and say Louis lied/misremembered/etc and LES was the one who actually promoted killing only the Evil Doers (a la book!Lestat in TVL).

That also nixes the theory that Les was starving in his SadShack the entire time post-Paris, from 1949 - 2022. He would've had to have been showing Felix HOW to cull the herd, by killing humans too.

1) So when did Les turn to being a shut-in eating rats?

The timeline's weird, cuz Felix is a "millennial," meaning he was born sometime between 1981 - 1996--his actor Gabriel Freilich is 35, born 1989. But Felix looks young though, and definitely talks like he's barely 20ish, like an impressionable dumb kid. He had to have been turned into a vampire and/or orphaned fairly recently, to be looking to Lestat of all people for guidance. It couldn't have been in the 70s, cuz Felix wouldnt've been born yet, and not the 80s-90s either, cuz he'd be just a little kid. So was Felix Turned/orphaned/met Lestat in his 20s-ish, maybe around the 2000s?....

Cuz 2000's the same year LOUIS also stopped killing people! 👀

In 2x8 we see Louis collect ALL of Claudia's diaries AND yellow dress from the Theatre--but that contradicts what Louis told Daniel about them being "scattered" across Paris & NOLA--for some reason Lou DIDN'T have all of them in 1973.

And we know in the books that the Talamasca found Claudia's diaries & Lestat had her dress, not Louis. My pre-S2 theory was that AMC!Louis/Lestat found Claudia's diaries in the 80s/90s (after 1973), and this caused Louis to spiral & stop killing in 2000.

But now I'm wondering if LESTAT was the one who found some of Claudia's stuff from NOLA, and told Armand/Loumand about it (or maybe just sent them her stuff?); and Loustat were both triggered TOGETHER, and decided to BOTH stop killing in 2000? 🤔 Louis moves to Dubai & starts The Farm; and Lestat turns to rats?

Cuz AMC's clearly not fully following the books, where Armand lied to Loustat that they were dead. Lestat didn't seem SURPRISED to see Louis alive in 2x8, like he thought Louis was dead all this time. He just wanted Louis to confirm if Lou had hurt himself in SanFran--so they clearly didn't talk about it, if they had met before 2x8. 🤔🤔

And Les also asked if Lou's been seeing ghost!Claudia--meaning if the Loustat had met before 2x8, Les hadn't seen ghost!Claudia at that time either. So SOMETHING BAD happened post-1973 & pre-2022 to trigger Lestat seeing Claudia all of a sudden, and starting to eat rats. 🤔🤔🤔

This would then explain how/when Lestat switches up on Felix--telling him to cull the herd one second, but collect rats for Les to eat the next. 🤔🤔🤔🤔 Les couldn't've been seeing Claudia & eating rats when he first met Felix, if he's cognizant enough to teach Felix about culling the herd & trusting his instincts & humans being sheep & we are gods & blahblah. (Also, Les seemed fine in 1973 when he was chatting on the phone with Armand, so...? 🤷)

2) WHO is following Human Rules?

Cuz here's the thing--Lestat didn't go "crazy" in that SadShack cuz he was guilty/conflicted living by human rules about not killing humans. He was going crazy with GRIEF over Claudia.

WE are assuming that Felix is implying that Les eating rats is what drove Les "crazy," but Lasher doesn't have that context! What Felix says to Lasher still implies that's this is what LESTAT told him would happen--NOT a result of something Felix actually witnessed himself.

So which one is it? Is Lestat giving this advice, or Felix?

Cuz Lestat would've been grieving over Claudia AND Louis post-1973 regardless. So yeah, maybe this is just what Felix is ASSUMING, that the rats/rules are the problem; same way he idiotically assumes that Lasher being inhuman automatically means human rules about morality shouldn't apply to him.

GOD this show makes ME crazy. WHAT are they doing with the timeline? WHEN is all of this stuff happening, AMC? It MATTERS, contextually. Felix is a throwaway character, but LESTAT IS NOT, and Rolin giving Esta carte blanche to throw this stuff in makes it CANON, because this IS a connected universe.

So what Felix says isn't a throwaway at all--IWTV now has to explain this, too, and the whole dynamic between Lestat & Felix, and the series of events that not only led to Felix spewing all this garbage to Lasher, but also Lestat spewing his nonsense to Felix, in the context of what we saw in S1 & S2.

[neopuff]

Little timeline I've been using in my GenRex fics. I know there's only supposed to be one year between Six finding Rex and Promises, Promises, but I don't like that it's such a short amount of time so I made it two years lol It's fine, I can ignore canon sometimes (slams my head thru drywall) I'm good at that it's fine

Rex is presumably 14 when Six finds him. They celebrate his 16th (or ?) birthday in Nov 2010, but when Caesar arrives they would learn Rex's real birthday (I picked April 'cause I wanted something earlier in the year) and so Rex would be 17 in S3

I also really want Rex to have had a blackout at some point while at Providence. I would've liked it to be earlier but the timeline really doesn't work out lol I mean it doesn't really work in timeline anyway but I don't caaaaaaare. Six says "You only remember the last 18 months" in Wasteland, which I assume is letting the audience know that 6 months have passed between Promises, Promises and Wasteland but I'm just shortening up that timeline. They can rebuild Providence HQ faster than that it's alright

Some notes:

One would've been an EVO for more than 5 years in Divide By Six but I figure it's okay to round down. 5 years sounds more dramatic than 5 and a half years

(Plus Caesar says he missed five years in Mixed Signals even though the Nanite Event was five years prior to The Day That Everything Changed, which means characters are doing a lot of rounding)

A Family Holiday would be Beverly's 18th birthday

This isn't referenced in the above image but I put Holiday at 33 and Six at 35 (start of series). Noah calling her 28 doesn't make her actually 28, he is a 16 year old boy he doesn't know how old women are

Holiday and Six got in less than a month of dating before Six Minus Six lol

And Six got about 2-3 weeks to get to know Rex before Lions and Lambs

Uhhh hmm. Anything else? Sorry I typed this all once and lost it all so I'm trying to remember what else I had.

OH YES a pre-Providence Rex timeline with a focus on his amnesia blackouts. Here we go:

Late 2004/Early 2005: Rex has an accident in Abysus. His family infuses him with nanites to help save his life. Rex has his first mini-blackout (not full amnesia, but he starts to have trouble remembering bits and pieces) due to the accident or the nanites it's hard to say. While his body adjusts to the nanites, he has a bunch of mini-blackouts and starts forgetting important things. He starts keeping a digital notebook around Feb/March 2005

April 2005: Nanite Event - Rex blacks out due to the shockwave/trauma/both. He turns into the Giant Robot EVO Thing and flies out of Europe. Heads in a random direction and ends up tired and without memory in Hong Kong. He still has his digital notebook and it's kind of the only thing that keeps him sane

Mid 2005 - Mid 2008: Rex in Hong Kong. He starts working for Quarry because he needs to make money/get food somehow. He also meets the Hong Kong Gang one-by-one and they become good friends, though Rex is secretive and anxious and paranoid. Incident with Scarecrow doesn't help.

Mid 2008: Rex knows he has family in Mexico thanks to an early entry in his digital notebook and decides he wants to find them. Quarry agrees to help Rex get to Mexico if he makes a deal with him. Rex hasn't blacked out in so long and is feeling confident about finding his family (Quarry told him he had a contact in Mexico City who would help Rex out) so he doesn't think he needs the notebook anymore. Quarry keeps it as collateral.

Nov 2008: Rex gets to Mexico but he is lost and scared and Quarry lied about having anyone there to help him out. Rex has another blackout (combination of stress and guilt) and turns into the Giant Robot EVO Thing again. Six finds him and brings him to Providence.

Aug 2009: Rex has another blackout while training with Six (something similar to what happened in Frostbite). Holiday and Six don't realize this is a Thing with him so they just start over from the beginning. Training is easier and faster now that they know how Rex's powers work and they're prepared for everything. Six gets Rex some goggles, Holiday gets Rex some gloves.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

on the shawn x noa x jen stuff, there’s something i’ve been thinking about.

in season 1, noa thanks shawn for supporting her and being by her side post-juvie. she implied that they had been together before she went to juvie, he waited for her, and still continues to defend her, trust her, etc.

they became official in march just after karen’s party. she was sent to juvie after. cute, fine.

but then jen is introduced and we’re told that her and noa were together in juvie.

were noa and shawn on a break that has never been mentioned? or was she in a relationship with shawn while getting with jen in juvie? if her and shawn were on a break or something while she went to juvie, i can’t imagine why they wouldn’t have mentioned that already. yikes this is so bad…

i understand that people want queer representation but the representation needs to be good. i can’t believe how many people i’m seeing ship noa x jen without even mentioning shawn. like, can she at least break up with him? i agree, even if he turns out to be bad, noa doesn’t know that but it’s repeatedly being a terrible partner. and i’d be shocked if - like you said, noa’s challenge wasn’t related to the love triangle.

Okay, so I went back to check my facts. I think the implication is that Shawn & Noa were genuinely a couple while she was in juvie (but maybe not completely official?) because in 2x02 Jen asks, "...what ever happened to that guy you were seeing when we were in juvie?" and Noa responds, "Shawn." And I don't see why they would bring it up like this (like they could have had Jen say something like, "Hey, what ever happened with you and that guy you told me you had a crush on when we were in juvie?") if they didn't want it to feel like Noa's past with Jen is illicit. So I'm also assuming Noa & Shawn's relationship is not open (seems like they would have mentioned this considering Noa's plot this season) and therefore this is just fully cheating. Also, this explains why she doesn't tell any of the other girls about this- if Jen was just a past relationship, Noa wouldn't have a reason to keep it a secret from them, but if her past with Jen means she was cheating on Shawn... Well, that's a different story.

I do think the timeline is a little muddled, because I don't think they planned any of this from the beginning, but it definitely seems like they're doubling down on the "Noa and Shawn were exclusively together when she met Jen" version of events.

And I'm with you. The reinforcement of negative stereotypes of bisexuality really bothers me, too. While, in universe, Noa cheating on Shawn (and treating him the way she has been this season) wouldn't be any better/worse if she were doing it with another guy instead (was Noa confirmed as bi or pan or anything in season 1 because I don't remember it?) the show making a choice to portray her character in a way that unavoidably (even if unintentionally) links her sexuality to her lack of loyalty is disappointing.

Shawn may turn out to be evil, but man is this storyline brutal for him regardless. I honestly can't root for Noa/Shawn as a couple at all, because if he's a bad guy, then obviously I don't want them together, but if he's a good guy then he deserves so much better. I can't root for Noa/Jen either, because this relationship is built upon lies and deceit and a serious disregard for another person's feelings. Honestly I think Noa needs to take a romantic break and reevaluate what she wants, who she wants to be, and how to proceed with a healthy relationship, but this is a dramatic tv show, so odds of that happening seem low.

[krikeymate]

Literally! Like if it they were hugging and being close with one another then I'd kinds get why they're disappointed in her but like he went near her once, I'm assuming to see the friend blow out the candles, and went away from her straight away. No words spoken, no looks given, no touch at all.

I get people worrying about it to an extent but this is getting completely blown out of proportion. It was a 13 second video of them in the same room at a friend's birthday party. No one ever knows who's going to one of those until you get there, she can't be blamed for that no matter how they try to argue it

The immediate reactionary behaviour helps no one and it doesn't help people find the truth, it only hides it behind outrage. The worst part is, I wonder how many people have actually seen what they're angry about and thought about it.

I chose not to look into it when it all first started happening, but last night I spent a couple hours looking into it, and it seems like there's actually quite a lot of evidence also debunking the accusation claims, using screenshots of the accusors actual accusations which contradict herself, that in fact some of the people he's being accused of hurting directly call it lies and say the accusers are using her name without her permission. The timeline for some of the accusation don't match, with him not even being in the same country. One of the accusers admits that they don't actually have a problem with Percy, it's that she was assaulted in his house by a friend of his but he wasn't even there at the time.

I'm not defending him, I don't know the story or the truth, but the story as I've seen it from both sides seems to either include straight-up lies or not the actual whole truth. But, I see people seeing this evidence and straight up ignoring it or just calling it lies without thinking about it. They're using black-and-white reactionary thinking, like they did with the Amber/Johnny thing, and worst, failing to reconsider their stands with the addition of new information.

Blind loyalty to one narrative is harmful and dangerous, not only to the person you're cancelling but to yourself as well. Use your brains people, think critically about all information you come across.

Like, the outrage at Jenna's comments about the writing on Wednesday. Obviously, it's fine, nobody who works with Jenna has ever had anything remotely bad to say about her, only glowing praise The one writer guy who tried to call her out had nothing to do with her. Tim Burton encouraged her to give her own thoughts. If anyone had a problem with Jenna's changes... it just literally would not have happened. And here's the thing, the writing was bashed before these comments, but then suddenly Jenna says she didn't like some of the writing and everybody is like wow what the fuck?

Idk, I'm tired dude. Nothing ruins being in a fandom like other people in the fandom.

[nonokoko13]

Child!reader being adopted by spy x family characters Pt. 2

As I said in the previous part, these adoption headcanons are really specific, including your hypothetical pronouns and name; these two are extra so you can imagine yourself with your name and desired gender. You can ask for less specific headcanons if you want too. Part 1 here

Enjoy!

Sylvia Sherwood

How you met

She carries the responsibility of WISE, she needs to be committed to it. More than ever now that the peace was threatened every day by those who wanted war to arise again

She missed her family, but she overcame it. Just like the HQ she had to be impenetrable

At least, that's what she thought

Because right in front of her there was the question which answers she wanted to hear. A kid.

It would be normal to see one if she wasn't at the HQ

It didn't help no one knew there was a kid there until you spoke up

The camera system didn't record you and there wasn't any entrance to the agency that had been forced. You weren't any employee's kid either

After scolding them and order to search your parents she met you again

"Hello little one. May I ask you how did you get in here?"

You smiled, seeming to have been waiting her to ask

"Because I like to play and explore! And I'm really good at hide and seek"

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. No matter how well someone was good at hiding there was no way you could break into the HQ; it sounded surrealistic

"But how did you find this place?"

"Because it was easy to find"

"Don't you think you could end bad breaking into unknown places?"

"If I don't know what isthis place how I'd know that?"

Fair enough

That conversation wasn't going anywhere, yet she was angrier with the security staff than you. You didn't look worried though

You gave her an idea

"Do you want to play with me?"

Both entered in the nearest police station, she talked with the officers before telling you to count until 1000 while she was going to hide. You started the count facing a wall

She felt bad, but there were some traffickers she had to catch before they made the exchange

She was following their car; everything fine until she believed to see a small hand greeting her from the car's trunk

She returned to the police station to find out that moments later of her departure you disappeared without anyone realizing. She went to the point where the delivery would be made

Outside the abandoned warehouse there was no signal that you were there until she saw you getting out from under the car on the other side

Something caused a shooting that would make the police come and caught her at any moment. The bands kept shooting at each other while you were behind a transport container

"What were you thinking?! I told you to stay with the police!"

"I'm sorry, I counted until I know, then I saw you following the car, so I followed too. But before they caught me I hid in there...I'm sorry..." You pulled out a walkie-talkie

"I got two from the police station. I left one in there so the others thought the guys of that car were betraying them, it should have worked to scape with no bad guys seeing us"

She was impressed. However, there was no time to ask where you learn that from

Analyzing the situation the principal scape was blocked, fortunately they hadn't noticed you yet so–

You pulled her shirt, pointing somewhere else

"Let's get out"

General headcanons

Sylvia was still surprised that your plan of exiting through a rear window she hadn't seen and walk away without hurry could work

She stopped walking to watch you smash the walkie-talkie and take out some matches to burn it

"Now they can't find footprints!"

The police may not get answers about it but she had many questions for you

She lied to you about the HQ, after the shooting her lie was on the floor. Thenceforth Sylvia's not able to tell if you were playing along and keeping her secret or you have no idea what's all about

You thought her name was Handler. When you knew she was called Sylvia Sherwood you pointed your hoody logo and say "S of Super, you're superman–Superwoman!"

That's how she begun to be mistaken with an endearing mother and her son. She was superwoman and you "kid", because you said that's how you were called, along with child, shrimp, demon...

"That's unacceptable". She handed you lists of names to choose, unfortunately no one convinced you

It wasn't until you two went to a jewelry store that you found the name

The casual way you break in HQ when you want still frustrates her, how do you do it?? You don't see big deal though

Fullmetal lady didn't remember how tough was motherhood

Anyone would freak out if they found out about spies. Yet there you are, admiring flying guys in underpants

Sylvia asked you about your family, but you always tell the same: you lived with dad until he left you with a woman that he said was your mom

The Handler found out your father is a repeat offender, currently on a maximum security prison in another country. Both him and the woman without offspring legally

"Please, don't tell me one of his criminal records is jailbreaking"

The informant doubted "Actually, that's the main one"

"..."

The Forgers

Scenario where it's up to both of them to adopt you. To keep Loid's mental sanity safe it will be independent of the timeline where Yor has a kid on her own, feel free to imagine both kids being Anya's siblings at the same time. You can ask me to include that idea if I write more about this

How you met

As I said before Twilight wouldn't adopt anyone due his job, only one kid for Operation Strix and that was Anya. For now Yor didn't want more kids, she loves Anya and that's enough for them

Not for Anya. She wanted a little sibling

All started talking with Becky when Damian mentioned his brother. Back at home she brought the topic and neither Pa or Ma were giving her an answer of where babies come from

That's when she begun to feel like being a sister. Any plan helped her to convince her parents though

Anya remembered something Mr Henderson told them. "If you want something, take it into your own hands"

And she took it too seriously

Next day Anya and Bond disappeared, she was in the dogs park with Yor

While Mrs Forger panicked Anya had returned to the place she met Twilight

As the time passed the Forgers worried more. When they found Anya and Bond at their building's door they felt relieved

Your presence didn't make things better

They asked Anya where she had been and where did you come from. She said she adopted you

Of course Anya wasn't going to say she broke into an orphanage and took you

Loid's scolding made you cry

"Anya, we aren't adopting–"

"If she's not my sister I won't go to school ever again!!"

"Just for a trial period" that's what Loid hoped

General headcanons

Loid thought babies were easy because it's unnecessary (more impossible) communication with a living being that can't talk; after all babies only have basic needs. He was wrong

It would be easier if you could talk. Why are you crying? You have eaten! Are you sad? Cold? You dislike him?

Yor is not better either. Because her parents died when Yuri was a kid Yor didn't have experience with changing diapers, or anything related with babies

She was more scared than Loid to the point she didn't want to hold you. She broke Yuri's ribs with a hug when he was a toddler, what if she kills you with few contact?

In less than 24 hours you already had a crib and all kinds of things a baby would need. However, having three bedrooms and parents sleeping in separate rooms meant all your things ended in Anya's room

You cried at night until they discovered you calmed down when Anya let you a plushie to hug

She can't wait for the day pa and ma share bed to take back her bedroom

The second night Anya had an idea

Ma is scared of being your mom, solution? Leave you in her bed while Yor is asleep imagining that would work

Thanks God Yor doesn't move much when sleeping. On the other hand Yor is a light sleeper due not being used to sleep with someone so she woke up minutes later

She almost jump out of the bed, realizing that would make you cry made her contain. You groaned, did she wake you up? Yor wasn't sure of holding you, instead she laid down again and approached you to her chest

Seeing you so peaceful by her side melted her, thinking about it you looked a bit like her and Loid.. She blushed at the embarrassing thought

Bold of them to not imagine that's why Anya chose you

In the morning Loid discovered what happened and had a little words with Anya during breakfast before she went to school

Yor went to work and he decided to take a day off from his work to spend the morning with you. The Handler said the first days you should see them to recognize faces

Walks with Bond, buying toys, trying to teach you sign language...Normal stuff

Loid is glad you don't do anything but sleep and eat, except your obsession with munching. When you first kissed Yor he found it normal until you munched her cheek and now you do that to everyone; probably you're teething

Yor found it really cute, but you shouldn't go kissing and chewing cheeks. Anya thinks is funny just don't try to chew her hair again please

Another problem came with names. Loid was going through a list of 850 names in alphabetical order, meanings included; Yor didn't take it to the extreme

"Hum, what about Rose? I think it's a cute name, I mean it's both decision and I'm not good with names Loid–"

Welcome to the family Rose

A spy, an assassin, a telepath and... Well, a baby. Seems like a good mix

Yor Briar

As we know Twilight only would adopt for Operation Strix's sake. Yor became mother by marrying Loid, but what if she had already a kid before being Mrs Forger?

Inspired by this post of @say-seira

How you met

Long ago before Twilight adopted the identity of Loid Forger, the Briars moved to a flat in Berlint

While the eldest sibling had recently become an adult Yuri was only a kid, Yor decided to move to the city so he had nearer his school. It was possible due her proper salary as Thorn Princess

This change would make her job easier too. She had a new client which death could pay Yuri's entrance to a good university

There was a politician who negotiated with terrorists, helping them to get into Ostania and providing them with weapons in exchange to gain good propaganda abroad and getting rid of competition

Knowing this was enough to make Yor's blood boil. He deserved to die, she was sure of it

Struggling with the security around him, Yor finally killed the target without leaving trace

The only inconvenience was a bad injury made by a bullet that she received. After removing the bullet the wound got worse

She went to the hospital to avoid an infection. In the waiting room she met a kind lady, Yor swore that she had seen her before

The woman was scared, but Yor reassured her she will wait her

While Yor was attended the girl was taken to another room. As she promised, Yor waited in the hall after her wound was treated; with a buttoned medical gown on because she didn't want to attract more attention due the bandaged wound in sight

Time passed and many people enter and exit from the room, but she didn't. A nurse carrying something mistook her for one of the staff and scolded her for standing there

"Here, take the baby to the nursery"

"Me? But— wait! What about the woman? Is she okay?"

From afar she heard the answer, but before Yor could explain the error the woman had left. She was shocked, how? She seemed fine

Against her will the dark-haired looked at the lump she was holding: rosy cheeks babbling in dreams, you were in peace

Her shock grew when she saw you shared the username that the man she killed had. That's why the woman was familiar: she was the politician's daughter

Yor searched someone who hand the baby when she recognized the doctor that guided the woman to the room, he was talking with a masked nurse

The fact they went to a private place and maintained their voices low made her suspect

"Did you take care of the mother?" the nurse asked

"Yes, they got ahead of us with her father but I think they will pay us anyway. When they found it was a medical negligence we'll be far from here"

Yor understood they were assassins as well, probably paid by a rival. Luckily they hadn't seen her yet

"Heh, do you they will pay more if we got rid of the baby?"

Yor left the hospital with you, unsure of what to do. Did you have more relatives? The widowed politician didn't have more kids, and your mother came alone. What if they wanted to kill the rest of the family?

A small hand grabbed hers, and every fear disappeared. Looking at each other, she knew you were safer with her. Perhaps it was only guilt or sympathy, but she would try

General headcanons

The moment Yuri saw Yor holding you was in disbelief. Yor said she found you in the streets and he believed it

At first he tried to convince her sister to leave you in a orphanage but once scolding was enough to cease

Still disliking you for the first months. It took some time until he saw you like one of his family

Yuri helped, although they had a rough time because you refused to eat Yor's purees. Your endurance might grew up to make you the only person who can eat her food without bleeding but it doesn't mean you like its flavor

She viewed you as a sibling until you were two, being called mom made Yor too happy to correct you. Yuri was just Yuri, you never feel like using formalities with him or addressing "Uncle" everytime you talked

Yor decided to let your belongings, it was better that way. When you were older, and only if you wanted, she would tell you the truth

She's bad with names, Rose was the only name she could think of but you're a boy. Yor's parents loved that Yuri and her had matching names, therefore you would be the sweet addition to it

The only name I could think of is Yuu because it's gender neutral and means "you" sorry

During the first year of your life she didn't try to hide the blood of her clothes from you. Yuri never suspected either and you wouldn't remember it when you grow up

Your lack of childhood amnesia was something she didn't have in count. Not that she knows you know anyway

Yor has been training you since you were able to walk, if she wasn't there when you needed at least you would be ready to defend yourself. Proud to say you're her strong boy

That said, if the assassins that tried to killed you found were you lived it's something you ignore. Being the protective mother Yor is they could be dead by now

Six years later, it was still Yor and you against the world, with Yuri being the only paternal figure you had. Before one day she met a man and everything changed

She said he will help her by accompanying her to a party so Yuri stopped worrying about her. She said it would be one night, and the next morning you woke up with Yor waiting to talk with you

In part she accepted because of you; you passed the Eden exam before knowing you needed a dad for it. That requisite seemed stupid for you, as you reassured her you could go to any other school; now you would be accepted into the best school!

You agreed and started packing. What else you could do? The decision was made before you were asked anyway, and you didn't want to argue with your mom because she was doing it for your future too

Of course it affected you. No matter how nice they were it was a huge change; in one day you had to move to a new place which didn't feel like home and live with strangers who you'll have to share mom with isn't easy

Anya was nervous too, but for different reasons. She was so excited to meet her soon-to-be sibling! For her, who was an orphan last week, having a pa, a ma and a friend to play with was great

Her expectations went down when she read your mind. You didn't think bad of them, but excited wasn't the word to describe your emotional state either

Loid may not be good at understanding children, but it was clear for him you wasn't comfortable. For him would be weirder if you didn't seem affected at all

On the contrary, Yor seemed cool with all of this to you. Even without any idea of how to be a wife or mother for Anya she enjoyed her time as Forger, which confused you a bit

Yor is happier, not only because she didn't have to worry about the SSS or Yuri anymore. They make her happier, it's just matter of time she could fall for Loid and have a baby that was her own, real kid

Being sure Yor loves you and your new family want you to feel welcomed doesn't make disappear the feelings you carry with. Still, if mom is happy you prefer to keep it to yourself and try to maker her smile too

If it wasn't because Yuri hates the idea of her sister hiding her marriage for a year and sympathized your situation he would have laughed at the irony when you told him during your uncle-nephew walk the next day of his meeting with "Loiloi"

He doesn't know they got married before you attended school so he assumed you had been holding it for a long time. He passed his fingers through your hair

"I understand it's difficult, but I'll be for you whenever you need me"

+ Honorable mention to compensate you for the mild ansgt without warning

Daybreak

We don't know much about him but I included this dork for fun

Thinking about "Daybreak" and "parenthood" makes anyone's mind stopped working

Mainly because it's difficult to say which one would be the child

Not "How you met headcanons" because he wouldn't be able to adopt to begin with

From what we saw in chapter 27 he seems to live alone, depending on his amazing spy career to afford pork steak for dinner. So he must not live too good given that after his first mission he was fired

If he had a child, it would be likely because of a previous relationship he had and didn't end well

He didn't adopt you. You're his biological kid, the only not adopted of this gang

Sorry we can't choose our family good luck ig

Not necessarily ended bad, even remaining as friends, your mother took a different path and is happily married with another man

If she knew he wanted to be a spy either thought "it's a joke" or *sigh*

She was who brought money in the relationship, now you live with her and your step-dad but at the beginning you didn't want to

Daybreak talked with you and promised you could visit each other and even live with him when he could afford it

They don't get it

Who would take care of him? The idea of living on his own was frightening to you

Imagine being father and is your kid who worries about whether pops know how to pay taxes without mom

You took after him in terms of appearance. Any signal of intelligence was from your mother

Average smart but surely smarter than him

Probably he thanked God that you were a boy. He will love whatever you are but he was relieved of saving himself of buying female products when you were on that time of the month and guide you through puberty

As much as he says to be a charming man he's not good with women either so

Your name is Sunny. Guess who chose it

Probably you see him more on weekends than during the week

Until you showed him Spy Wars he didn't have no idea that existed such good series

Of course not cooler than the legend he is but Daybreak jokes about how reading that and seeing your cool pops in action would make you half as good spy as he is someday

Quite sad is that your common sense along with the things you see on TV are enough to be better spy material

You try to watch it with him to see if he learns something

Unsure of what you'll be in the future but in the mean time you had fun watching cartoons and liking kids stuff like dinosaurs and skateboard

Current status: Busy with your first year at school and getting him out of trouble

[chloepleasestopdying]

my impression was nathan is different in the alternate timeline because he caused the car accident with chloe. in episode 4, the game makes a point of saying nathan drives a suv (max says this looking a photo of him driving a pickup but you know how the dialogue in this game is) meanwhile alternate chloe says someone in a suv cut her off. i assumed killing chloe via a car accident (since her injuries are terminal) gave him a reality check, since there's also a cut dialogue where max says nathan had more support in the alternate timeline, and jefferson either targeted rachel alone or found another boy to assist him. i assumed this was supposed to add to the message of chloe's fate being inescapable. in both timelines, he kills chloe because of his recklessness and gets a reality check at her expense.

(i don't disagree with you arguing against framing him as a victim, just discussing this specific point about the alternate timeline.)

I'm going to be real: the alt timeline makes like no sense what so ever.

Max being a popular kid makes no sense, or at least the way we see it makes no sense. Her being able to boss Victoria around makes almost no sense. Nathan being fine but working with Jefferson makes no sense,as he would have to be since the Dark Room was founded by Nathan's father at least in part and why would he do that if Jefferson isn't looking after Nathan in some way.

@tangent101 had a couple of good posts about how Nathan only spiraled in the LiS timeline because Chloe was putting up missing person's posters and that started to make him go a little nuts, which is what my personal headcanon is

but I do like the idea that Nathan caused Chloe's accident. This would have been before Jefferson came to town and him freaking out before Jefferson was there to twist him, forcing Nathan to seek out help that WASN'T Jefferson might have been enough to make Nathan better in the long run or least more level headed.

Now that i think about it I think they should have ran with that. It's not like Nathan really even needs to be gone from Blackwell for it to work, Chloe or William can just say a Nathan caused the accident but his father got him out of it and instead of jail Nathan just had to go to classes or whatever but without Jefferson Nathan actually did get better.

But Max's time in the alt timeline is so short that we can't really get into anything good :/

[maplecornia]

chapter 26

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 1.85K

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | bts x female!reader | ot7

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: You watched them from the sidelines ever since you were a young teenage girl. Now you’re grown up, they’ve returned after 2 long years and everything has changed. What happens when you pull back the mask and find the darkness within? What happens when you see that they’re broken?

𝔞/𝔫: i don't think i'll ever get over how hot Namjoon is ;-;

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: cliffhangers | angst | fluff | slight mentions of self hatred | depression | mental health illness | self harm | occurs in the year 2024 | set in a timeline where BTS went to the military together | slight language

tags: @kookaine | @fangirl125reader | @kookiebbyxx | @taradevonne | @rae-bear |@mangminnie | @pixiekooo

You groan as you lean against the pillar near the entrance to the BigHit building.

Last night, when Taehyung walked you back to your apartment, you didn't sleep very well. Turning to glare at your rather disheveled reflection in the mirror, you let out another groan.

Why did he have to show up? You were perfectly fine, things were perfectly normal, and then he had to screw up your heart all over again. Letting out a small scream, you throw a 3-second fit before leaning your back against the clear glass wall.

Sooner or later, you're going to have to go in.

Why can't it be later?

Letting out a guttural growl, you pull yourself off of the glass and head inside the building, stomping like a little two-year-old. You really don't want to see him today, you're afraid of what will happen if you do.

You don't want to fall.

Please God, don't let me fall.

Entering the building, you feel a bit more comfortable, not so out of place. Now, you have a purpose, a plan; a reason for being here. Smiling softly to yourself, you walk forward, this time nothing in your way. As you reach the receptionist's desk, you smile as you recognize Jojo behind it.

Playing coy, you knock twice on the desk before glancing away and holding your head in your hands. She glances up, ready to greet the newcomer but as soon as she sees your face, she breaks into a grin.

"Ah~ it's the snoozer, early today I see." You frown at the nickname but when she smirks your way, you can't help but grin like a giddy child. It feels good to have friends or at least the beginning relationships of one.

"I told you, the time was wrong." You pout, flopping on the desk and she laughs before preparing the schedule you need for Namjoon today.

"Mmhmm, and what happened yesterday? Was Mr. Kim too tired of waiting and told you to stay at home?" The mention of yesterday causes your grin to fade a little. With it comes the memory of Taehyung, and he starts to reenter your mind. Pulling yourself off the desk, you smile weakly, shaking your head.

"No, I had an injury, Namjoon wouldn't let me come in." She blinks a bit in surprise at the informal way you address him.

"'Namjoon?' Huh, I didn't think the two of you were that close. You only met once after all." She mumbles before typing something into her computer. Realizing your mistake you let out a small gasp.

"Oh, I'm sorry. He told me to call him without honorifics, I suppose it slipped my mind." You look away from her, a bit embarrassed, but as soon as she presses the print button, she chuckles.

"Don't worry, Yen. I was just joking." When you don't look at her, she sighs a bit before lightly knocking on your head. Surprised, you rub your forehead and pout as you meet her gaze once more. Smiling, she pays no mind, presenting you with an ID badge. Your eyes widen as you see it, and you take it from her waiting fingertips.

"Is this mine? I didn't think they'd process it so fast."

"Of course it's yours, whose else would it be?" Jojo chuckles, leaning over the counter and pointing to your name. "See? Lin Yen."

You bite your bottom lip, trying to suppress your grin. Somehow, this makes things all the more real, you can't help your delight at the sight. Jojo catches sight of the cute expression and can't help but laugh as she pulls away.

"Now hurry up, the schedule is all ready for the day. Don't forget to check in with the head manager, you remember his name right?" She reminds you, making you pause for a moment before you run off.

"Of course, it's Kim Sejin. Everyone knows that." She smiles at the coy response and waves you away.

"Okay, hurry up and go then. I'm sure Mr. Kim is waiting for you." You bow to her before taking off, a small bounce to your footsteps.

Walking through the halls without Namjoon is a bit scary, but exciting at the same time. You can't help but love the butterflies coursing through your stomach, and is it weird that you kind of want to barf and dance at the same time? Everything is so exciting and new, it's as though the world has been painted a different color.

You try your hardest to forget everything, just live in the moment as of right now. No more worries about the past. About your friends. About your mom. About Taehyung. Right now, you need to focus on yourself.

And this job seems like the perfect escape for that.

Humming slightly to yourself you do a little twirl in the hallway before turning the corner...

...and bumping right into Kim Namjoon.

You let out a small shriek, stumbling back, your body shrinking into a small protective ball like it normally does. It's a little defense mechanism you've acquired over the years. Your eyes closing themselves tightly, you don't realize who you've bumped into until he takes you by the shoulders and catches you mid-air.

Blinking as he rights you, you look up and find yourself face to face with your boss.

"Are you okay?" he asks, his voice coated with worry, and you chuckle a bit nodding sheepishly.

"Yes, I'm sorry I should've been paying attention to where I was going." You reply, stepping back from him. Though he sighs in relief as he releases you, you find that there’s a heavy cloud hanging over his head. He’s not fully there with you, lost in some unforgotten thought. Furrowing your brow in confusion, you wonder what happened to make him look that way. You open your mouth to ask him about it, but he's already speaking, and your words fall on deaf ears.

"It's a good thing that I bumped into you." You tilt your head in expectation, curious to what he's about to say next. "I needed to talk to you."

"But your schedule isn't ready yet--"

"That can wait."

You open your mouth to protest, but he's already taken you by the hand and is dragging you down the hallways.

Even though you cry out incomprehensible questions and sounds of alarm behind him, he can't seem to hear you. He doesn't want to hear you. His mind is too cluttered with the events of yesterday.

The outlandish plan that BangPD has in store for you.

-

"Why her?" He asks, his hands clenching tightly at his sides.

After the meeting, BangPD requested to meet privately with Namjoon, after all, he was the leader and one of the people that Sihyuk trusts the most. It didn't matter to RM anyway, he needed to talk to Sihyuk as well, and if it had to be on his terms then so be it.

Bang Sihyuk glances outside at the setting sun, casting shadows throughout his office. Serene and insoluble, shadows meant to conceal that which he would rather keep inside. He sighs before answering, his hands secured behind his back as he stands before the massive glass window.

"You know, BTS wouldn't have existed without you. If I had never come across you that day, if I had never been inspired to create a group that will strengthen and invigorate your music, we would have never gotten here." Namjoon glances at him in frustration. He hates when people beat around the bush, but his respect and humility won't allow him to speak out against his senior.

"It's the same with her."

Bang Sihyuk reaches out and taps on the window before letting out a soft chuckle.

"Did you know that glass is so easily broken? That is, when it's on its own. But when you fortify it, when you strengthen it with multiple pieces, then it becomes indestructible." Turning around to face Namjoon, he smiles.

"Almost Bulletproof."

Biting his bottom lip, Namjoon remains silent as he watches BangPD walk to his desk and sit down. He raises his brow when Namjoon remains standing, but when it's clear that he has no intention to make himself at home, he merely sighs.

"She auditioned before, you know. For the BE:LIFT project, for Source Music, she even auditioned for Plus Global." Namjoon balks at that. This is new information to him. He knew that it was her dream to be a singer, but never did he know that she wanted to be an idol. Especially since she's a foreigner, that would be near to impossible. "I didn't accept her."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to share her."

At the explanation, Namjoon turns away, running his hand across his face in frustration. This is much more complicated than he thought. Somehow, she's been connected to the company for the longest time. Not just through Jaejin, not through him himself, not even through Jungkook or Taehyung. Before any of them had a chance to see her potential, she's been on the mind of their former CEO since she auditioned 5 years ago. For a program, she would never be able to succeed in.

"I have been planning this for a while, Namjoon."

He's unwilling to accept it, he can't accept it.

"She's the missing piece."

-

At the thought, his hand clenches subconsciously around yours.

He can't stand the thought of you disappearing far from his reach.

And yet, almost against his will, he finds himself bringing you to the very fate that will keep you from him.

Perhaps forever.

He pauses when the door comes into his line of vision. Almost as though he were afraid of what lies behind that very same door. Mrs. Kwon looks up from her desk as the two of you enter the small lobby, and presses a button on her phone before muttering incomprehensible words to a person on the other line.

Out of breath, you place your hand on your chest before looking up at him. At the sight of his set jaw, and stony eyes, you can't help but feel a bit worried.

What exactly happened to make him look that way?

Once more, you open your mouth to speak to him, but Mrs. Kwon interrupts and you look at her in surprise, not noticing she was there.

"You may go in."

Confused, you turn to Namjoon, but all he does is give a nod to the secretary before stepping towards a massive oak door. Curious, you peer around him to glance at it, not quite aware of your surroundings. There's a small plaque on the door, one that reads the name of the person residing within in perfect neat letters.

방시혁

Bang Sihyuk.

Your heart stopping in your chest, you freeze halfway to the door, your hand slipping out of Namjoon's.

"Namjoon, why are we here?" you try to keep the fear, the anxiety, the worry out of your voice, but the efforts are futile. He swallows hard, steadying himself before turning to you, his warm eyes soft and apologetic.

"He wanted to meet you."

𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔢: you can probably guess what will happen next, but nonetheless i'm exciiiited

chapter 27 here

check the Infinite Stars masterlist for more chapters

check my BTS masterlist for other BTS content

check out my masterlist for other kpop fanfics

[sweet-rintarou]

Today was the day that you were to meet with the person you'll be establishing a relationship. Understand how it's worded that way, changing the entire concept of how a relationship work. It shouldn't be a business tactic, in order to bring media attention onto those in the relationship, but should be a way to join two different people in a romantic sense, filled with trust and genuine feelings between one another.

You've had your fair share of relationships, none of which were ever done to benefit one or the other, nor were they ever done in a way that mutual feelings were absent. You don't claim to still be in love with any of your exes, nor is there any bad blood, so your concept of love and romantic relationship is quite vanilla.

Now, the game has changed. You weren't ready, hell, who the fuck would be ready to have to date someone only for publicity? To risk having the secret be released to the media, it would ruin your name and you were highly aware of it. No matter how anyone wants to try to put it, Japan was still behind when it comes to gender equality, it was traditional and placed men on a higher pedestal. You knew that if word got out that you both faked a relationship to gain attention to each of your agendas, that you would receive more backlash than your "significant other".

"We'll always protect you, Y/n," Suga reassured you when you decided to voice out your concern after being out. It was now nine, the next day, and you had to meet with the CEO again at noon.

"And fans will understand," Terushima added, "even though there'll be people that are rude for no reason, there will always be those that truly care for you, and will back you up for anything."

You couldn't necessarily talk, most of your replies were of gratitude or heavy sighs. Ever since the conflict with Semi, it seemed that the world was going against you, that everything that were to occur in your life was going absolutely crazy, and nothing seems to be working out. You felt as if most of the negative attention was caused by you, and only you.

As noon came around, your feet dragged heavily against the marbled floor. The weight of what was to come prevented you from walking with the usual bounce of life that you used to sport. Once you entered the meeting room, you only spotted the CEO, his assistant, and two other people you didn't recognize. Everyone besides the five of you were in formal clothing—suit and tie—so it was safe to assume that the person you were to be together with was not here.

Seated across from the two you didn't know, the CEO cleared his throat.

"Alright, these are the representative of who you will be meeting with, Ms. Y/n," he started off, "unfortunately he is unable to attend, but because I also like surprises, I'll disclose his identity later on."

I hate surprised.

"Before we get into signing the agreement, there are obviously a set of rules that must be established between the two parties, which are us, Rei Records, and the second party of Ryo Agency.

"First and foremost; the fact that the relationship is only for business purposes should never be disclosed to anyone other the present parties, your "significant other" included–" you couldn't help but gag a bit "–no disclosing this to close friends or families, the media obviously."

"Second; the period of this agreement will last for 6 months, this will fit with the timeline of Silver Lining's album release, album promotion, with a national tour, and Ryo Agency's agenda of their client's movie release, movie promotion and tour as well."

So he's an actor. Admittedly, you weren't too caught up with the latest news in the entertainment industry other than the music industry of course, so your knowledge of any actors around your age was limited to those you've seen in western film productions.

Semi rose his hand, "Isn't a bit unfair that Y/n hasn't met with the guy? I'm sure he already knows who she is, right?"

"No, actually, neither of you know what each other look like, we haven't disclosed either of your identities to one another." The response garnered dumbfounded looks from the five of us.

"We can assure you that he is a decent man, there is no toxicity from his behaviour to our knowledge," CEO Yashimoto reassured, although it did little to calm your anxious thoughts. He continued, "You will meet with the young man tonight, at the agency's restaurant, there will be no paparazzi as this should be a chance for you two to get to know each other."

"Which agency?"

"This agency," his assistant snapped, causing you to roll your eyes.

"Anyway, your relationship will be publicised on Friday, which is two days from now."

Without allowing you to say anything, his assistant—you honestly don't bother to learn his name—pulled out sheets of paper, placing it in front of CEO Yashimoto and the opposite agency, the five of you only able to observe the exchange.

"Alright, you all may leave, and Y/n, be ready to be picked up at six."

-

"How is it six already?!" You screamed. The CEO's assistant knocking incessantly on your hotel door.

"What if I grab him and toss him out the window, do you think anyone will know?" Terushima asked, eyes wide with genuine curiosity. The four of you stared in concern.

"You know it's the thought that counts." Heaving an exasperated sigh–which sounded more like a grunt–you changed into presentable clothes before exiting the hotel room, your bandmates watching your back, clearly upset as well. I cannot cry, but fuck, do I want to.

With only a glare, the assistant guided you to the car and the drive to the restaurant was quiet and awkward.

Monoma opened the door for you, allowing you to step out and he led the way towards the restaurant. Your hands were prepared to type the name once the words left his mouth, but his lips were sealed shut until you reached the entrance of the restaurant.

"Table under Yashimoto," he told the hostess, to which she led us to the table in the far back. A figure was clearly sitting in one of the seats, but you could barely recognize or make out the features with your deteriorating eyesight.

"Yo, Monoma, what's the guy's name?" He only casted a side-glance.

"I lied," he said, "with the fact that your phone is out now, I don't know where you'll send what I'm about to say."

"It's to my friends, no need to be so uptight," you retorted. "Fuck, fine." Stuffing your phone into your pocket, you'll just have to tell them when you get back.

"Hello," ignoring your presence, Monoma shifted his attention to the brunette by the table, to which the latter stood up upon the arrival of you. "This is Y/n L/n, the girl you were arranged with."

"Y/n, this is—"

"Oikawa. Tooru Oikawa," the brunette introduced himself, "it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

silver lining | w. ushijima smau

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part twenty-four

—tooru

author's note: lmao now that we have oikawa in the story there will be more crack between him, y/n and ushi :3 and fair warning, the next few parts will be in written format, so be prepared

taglist: @alienvarmint @amberalisa @naughtylittleweeb @tycrackculture @someone-you-dontknow @iloveyouasmuchaspoohloveshoney @stargirlara @brownsugartease-blog @leviathans-watching @kenjiru @ushiwakaismybae @elianetsantana @kagebunshiin @koushiwrites @marajillana @wannakeillmyself @bokuto-buns @smolcactusqwq @ihateccmber @changkyun-not @mischevious-pixie @mochi-the-uwu @haengbokpixie @kiritokunuwu @kittyddandnyla @runningwitches @cevanswhre @mint-mai @that-random-emo-girl @franko-pop @bigchaosenergy @luhvsnoir @shadowpurr @milkyyamatobio @fueledbyapplepi (send an ask if you want to be added)

[kasienda]

Hi! For the WIP ask game, oh gosh. I LOVE Restorative Justice, and I've been wondering if you were going to update it. I'm so glad it's still in the works and I totally understand the difficulty with writing that particular fic. And you know I recently discovered The Five Minute Adventures!!!

I suppose I'll ask about Rena Rouge: Secret Keeper, because I feel like that one would be very relevant to the current season (which I still haven't watched, just have had spoilers). So, what's the dynamic there?

Ahhh! Thank you! I love Restorative Justice, too!! The next chapter is kinda a monster both in content and size. I thought about breaking it apart, but so far I haven't found a good place to do that. But that's part of the problem in terms of an update. The other part, being what I already said - just having a hard time channeling the restorative circle experience when I haven't done one is so long! Haha!

...

Rena Rouge: Secret Keeper Preview (I couldn't choose between these two scenes, so you get both):

“Marinette, why didn’t you just tell him? I totally love that you have trusted me, but why did you never trust Chat?”

“I want to! I almost did! But it would be a selfish decision. He and I cannot know each other until Hawkmoth is defeated.”

“But why? Seems so arbitrary.”

“Yeah…” and she shook.

Alya held her as she cried. “There’s more to this than you just following the rules, isn’t there?”

Marinette nodded tearfully. “There was another timeline. He knew who I was. We were in love. Or that’s what he said, anyway. But… he was akumatized. And Chat Blanc destroyed the world. He said that it was our love that caused it to end. Bunnyx said he couldn’t know who I was. Not yet.”

“Not yet?” Alya questioned. “Maybe it’s okay now?”

“I don’t have some metric! The only thing I know is that he can’t be akumatized! So I have to wait until the risk of akumatization is over!”

Alya was quiet, uncertain what to say.

“I almost told him anyway, Alya. I’ve hurt him so badly. He’s never going to forgive me! I don’t know how to do this without him, but I didn’t know how to convince him to stay. And now it doesn’t matter because I don’t know who he is! And I’m never going to see him again!”

Marinette crumpled into tears. And Alya rocked her but her mind was already awhirl. Marinette has seen the end of the world? Alya hugged her tighter.

“You’ll see him again,” Alya promised.

“How?”

“His kwami knows who he is right?”

“They all do! But they can’t tell anyone!”

Alya looked over at Trixx who nodded in confirmation.

“Can they give hints?”

Trixx shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter, Alya! I can’t know who he is either!”

“But what if you weren’t the one to know?”

“What?”

“What if I knew Chat’s identity? It keeps you from knowing each other but helps us coordinate. We could include him in the planning! I could help support him like I do for you!”

Marinette was staring. “I… I don’t know all the details. But yes, anything, please! But you have to never slip, Alya. You can’t tell me who he is. You can’t hint! You may have to lie to me to protect him!”

“I understand.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve already lied to Nino you know… to protect you.”

Marinette slumped. “I’m sorry.”

Alya shrugged. “It’s part of being a superhero, and I know Nino would be okay with it if I could tell him the reasons, and I knew it had to happen to protect you because you protect the whole city. I understand the stakes! And I’m telling you, that I can do this.”

Marinette crashed into her abdomen, her arms circling around Alya.

“You are the bestest best friend in the whole world!”

Alya laughed. “I don’t know if I would go that far.”

“I would,” Marinette mumbled. “So how are you going to find him?”

Alya opened her mouth.

“No wait! Don’t tell me! I shouldn’t know!"

...

“Chat, Ladybug needs you to come back.”

“Then why are you here?” He ran his hands through his hair. “If I’m so important to her, why did she send you?”

“Because she’s still convinced you can’t know each other’s identities.”

He throws his hands up in frustration or something. “I don’t understand what’s so different that you can know and I cannot? I know she says she trusts me, but her actions say something different. And I’m not sure what I did that she found so unworthy of trust—“

“It’s nothing you did!” Alya interjected.

“— but I didn’t take myself off the team because I think I have the right to know. It’s putting us all - her and me and you - in danger when we’re not on the same page!”

“I agree completely!”

He glared unhappily at her for a moment, then his eyebrows furrowed together.

“She wants to know, Adrien. And she wants you to know who she is, too! I promise you, she does!”

“She has a funny way of showing it.”

“She spent the last few hours bawling her eyes out about how much she’s hurt you and that you’ll never ever forgive her. And that it doesn’t matter because she’s never going to see you again.”

He sighed and dropped his head. “I’m sorry, Rena. I can’t come back. I’m a danger to her and to the whole team because we can’t communicate.”

“I agree completely,” she said. “Which is why I’m here! Will you let me explain?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, his voice the calmest it had been since she had arrived. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to take my frustration out on you. What did you come here to tell me?”

“Ladybug trusts you more than anyone. More than me.”

“But—“

“More than anyone!” she insisted. “Apparently she did trust you. You both knew each other’s identities at some point.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“I know you don’t. She doesn’t really either. But she saw what it led to. Bunnyx… you know who Bunnyx is right?”

He nodded.

“Bunnyx came and got her and took her to a future where the world had been destroyed. Bunnyx told her the inciting event was you two learning each other’s identities.”

“Why did she never tell me this?”

“She’s never been one to share burdens.”

He winced.

“She didn’t plan to tell me her identity either, you know. She just had a mental breakdown and I happened to be there. I imagine being a full time super hero when no one knows, wears you down.”

He snorted. “Understatement.”

“When she was spiraling, I convinced her that we could find some kind of loophole. Show you that she does trust you. She’s only trying to protect you, Paris, and apparently the future. I figured I could know both your identities, and act as a go between. That way you’ll always be in the know.”

“That only works if I know who you are, too.”

“I’ll drop the transformation as soon as you agree, Kit Kat.”

He stared at her for awhile. “I will want to talk to Ladybug about all this.”

“Obviously.”

“Okay then.” He put the ring back on.

“Will you stop renouncing me every time you have a bad day?!” Plagg screeched at him.

“I’ve only renounced you twice,” Adrien being surly.

“Twice too many! And there was a third time you threatened to do so.”

“You’ve given up the ring before?”

“Ugh! I don’t want to talk about it. Are you going to drop your transformation or not?”

“Trixx, let’s rest.”

“Alya?”

“Hi, Adrien. I swear I didn’t know you were hurting this much. I’m sorry I’ve been so blind as your friend.”

“It’s fine,” he shrugged it off. “I never told you anything was going on... Wait! If you’re Rena. That means Carapace is…”

She waved him forward. She wasn’t sure what she was allowed to say, but if he figured it out himself, it wasn’t her fault.

“Carapace is Nino,” he concluded. “Isn’t it weird that practically all the holders are in our class?”

“The same class where literally everyone except you has been akumatized?” She was proud of herself for delivering that line with a straight face. And felt guilty that she was already misleading him. But wasn’t that what she signed up for? To keep both Ladybug and Chat Noir on the same page while misdirecting them from each other?

Which was going to be way harder than she thought because they were together like all of the time. They saw each other every single day almost! They sat like half a meter apart in class! How had they not already figured each other out?

Some of this must have shown on her face because Plagg was laughing his head off at her. “Welcome to my world, kit,” the black kwami said.

She sighed. She definitely had her work cut out for her.