#like on here I just kept being surprised how direct and how lovely interactions can be

[elikajinnie]

Hi!!! Can you do the enhypen promo 2 and 5 with jungwon?? Down bad bff and oblivious reader? Thank youu!💙

P: Bff!Jungwon X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Minor Angst, Confessions, you are oblivious, won is desperate, some jealousy.

Synopsis: Jungwon has always been content being your best friend—at least, that’s what he tells himself. In reality, he’s been hopelessly in love with you for years, too afraid to risk what you have. But with Valentine's Day around the corner and whispers of other guys planning to ask you out, he decides it’s now or never. Instead of a direct confession, he drops small hints that should make it obvious. Should. Because somehow, you remain utterly oblivious.

a/n: I was supposed to post this on Valentine’s Day… but surprise, surprise—I ended up working all day. So here’s a (very) late Valentine’s Day fic! Sorry for the delay! special thanks to @cafekitsune for the divider! <3

2. "You’re dangerous, you know that? Every time you smile, I forget how to breathe." 5. "You don’t even realize what you do to me, do you?"

Jungwon had always loved being around friends—there was nothing he enjoyed more than having fun with the people he trusted and cared for. But as much as he liked it, there was one thing he loved beyond all else: being with his best friend.

Being with you.

You were everything he was grateful to have in his life. Smart, kind, and effortlessly fun. But also completely, hopelessly oblivious.

Oblivious to the way his gaze lingered a little too long when you laughed. Oblivious to the way his heart raced when you leaned against him, completely unaware of the effect you had on him. Oblivious to the fact that, out of everyone in a crowded room, his world only seemed to orbit around you.

He wasn’t sure when it started. Maybe it was the late-night study sessions when you fell asleep on his shoulder, or the way you always remembered the little things about him—his favorite drink, the songs he hummed absentmindedly, the way he tapped his fingers when he was nervous. Or maybe it had always been there, lurking beneath the surface, waiting for him to realize.

And now, here he was, trapped in a cycle of wanting more but never daring to ruin what he already had. Because you—his best friend—were the one thing he could never risk losing.

So, he stayed quiet. Kept his feelings tucked away behind playful smiles and casual touches that meant everything to him but nothing to you.

Because if you never noticed, then maybe he’d never have to face the truth.

The truth that his heart ached in ways he couldn’t explain. That every moment with you felt like a dream he was terrified to wake up from. That he had memorized the way you spoke, the way you smiled, the way you existed so effortlessly in his world, completely unaware of how deeply he had fallen.

And yet, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, the truth had a way of creeping in. In the quiet moments when his name left your lips too softly, in the fleeting touches that sent sparks through his veins, in the nights he lay awake replaying every interaction, wondering if—just maybe—you felt it too.

But you didn’t, did you?

You still looked at him the same way you always had, like he was your best friend, your safe place, your person. But never anything more. And maybe that should’ve been enough.

Maybe it had to be.

Because the alternative? The risk of losing you altogether? That was a fate he wasn’t sure he could handle.

So he swallowed the words threatening to spill from his lips. He buried the longing deep within his chest. He convinced himself that being your best friend was enough.

Even if it meant breaking his own heart a little more each day.

But now, with Valentine’s Day coming up so soon, it had become a problem for him.

Jungwon had always been good at keeping his feelings in check, at pretending that being just friends was enough. But Valentine’s Day was different. It wasn’t just another day—it was a reminder. A reminder that he wasn’t the one you were looking at with hearts in your eyes. That someone else could sweep in, buy you flowers, and call you theirs while he sat on the sidelines, pretending it didn’t hurt.

And the worst part? You weren’t even thinking about him.

You had been talking about Valentine’s Day for days now—who might ask you out, what kind of date you’d like, what flowers you preferred. Every time you spoke about it, excitement lacing your voice, Jungwon could only smile and nod, pushing down the ugly twist of jealousy in his chest.

“Maybe I won’t get anything this year,” you had joked one afternoon, twirling a pen between your fingers. “Guess I should start preparing myself for a lonely Valentine’s Day.”

Jungwon had almost laughed at how absurd that sounded. You, alone? Impossible. If anything, there were probably a handful of people already planning to confess to you.

And yet, for a brief second, he let himself imagine what it would be like if you were his. If he could be the one to show up at your doorstep with flowers, the one you looked at like he was your whole world.

But that wasn’t reality.

Reality was him sitting here, dreading the day, wondering if this was the year you’d finally fall for someone.

And then it happened.

It started with a name. A name Jungwon hadn’t expected to hear from your lips in that way, with that softness, that quiet curiosity.

“So… do you think it’d be weird if I said yes?” you asked, tapping your fingers against your notebook as you glanced at him. “I mean, he’s really sweet, and I never really thought about it before, but… maybe I should give him a chance?”

Jungwon didn’t know what hurt more—the fact that you were considering saying yes to someone else, or the fact that you were asking him about it, like his opinion mattered, like he wasn’t the one who had been hopelessly, helplessly in love with you this whole time.

His heart sank. But his face? His face stayed the same, the perfect mask he had spent years perfecting.

“Yeah,” he forced out, offering you a lopsided smile. “I mean… if you think he’s sweet, then why not?”

You smiled, nudging his arm. “See? That’s why I asked you. You always give the best advice.”

And just like that, it was decided.

Jungwon should have been used to it by now—watching you get excited over someone else, watching as you completely missed the way he looked at you, the way his hands twitched at his sides, itching to reach for you but never daring to.

But he wasn’t used to it.

And this time, it hurt more than ever.

Because this time, he was starting to wonder if he’d lost his chance completely.

Jungwon didn’t do anything.

Not really.

But somehow, he was still the problem.

It started small—your new “almost” boyfriend growing stiff whenever Jungwon was around, the way his laughter faded whenever you leaned into Jungwon’s space like you always did. The subtle looks, the hesitation, the way he never really joined in on the jokes you and Jungwon shared so effortlessly.

Jungwon wasn’t blind. He could see the tension in the way the guy held himself whenever he was near. The way his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes whenever you mentioned Jungwon’s name.

And it only got worse.

“You guys are close,” the guy had said one day, casual, but not really. “Like… really close.”

You had laughed, oblivious as always. “Well, yeah. Jungwon’s my best friend.”

And just like that, Jungwon had known.

It wouldn’t last.

Because no matter how much the guy liked you, he hated Jungwon more.

And Jungwon? He didn’t even have to try.

He just kept being himself. Kept being the person who knew you better than anyone else, who could read your moods with a glance, who you ran to first with every little thing. He didn’t have to say anything, didn’t have to do anything.

The cracks in your almost-relationship formed all on their own.

Small disagreements. Awkward silences. The way the guy started pulling away, his insecurity gnawing at him until it consumed whatever chance he had with you.

And then, one day, it was over.

You barely looked upset when you told Jungwon. More confused than anything.

“I don’t get it,” you admitted, pulling your knees to your chest as you sat beside him. “He just… said he didn’t think it would work.”

Jungwon stayed quiet.

He could’ve told you the truth. Could’ve told you that the guy had been jealous, that it had always been doomed from the start because no one would ever be okay with how much you leaned on Jungwon.

But instead, he just shrugged.

“Guess he wasn’t the right one, then.”

And you nodded, sighing before resting your head against his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Jungwon closed his eyes for a brief second, allowing himself to soak in the moment. Because even if he didn’t have you the way he wanted, at least, for now, he still had you.

And that was enough.

Or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

But as the days passed, Jungwon started to realize something—maybe "enough" wasn’t really enough anymore.

Because even though you were still here, still laughing with him, still resting your head on his shoulder like you always had, something had changed. Not between you, but within him.

For so long, he had told himself that being your best friend was enough, that having you in his life in any way was better than risking losing you altogether. But now? Now, he wasn’t so sure.

Because watching someone else try to love you—watching them fall short because they weren’t him—had planted a dangerous thought in his mind.

What if he stopped holding back?

What if he stopped pretending?

What if he told you the truth?

The thought terrified him. Because if you didn’t feel the same way, if you laughed it off, if you looked at him like he was crazy, then everything he cherished between you could shatter in an instant.

But at the same time, wasn’t he already breaking a little more each day by staying silent?

The doubt clawed at him, restless and demanding. It lingered in the moments he caught himself staring at you for too long, in the way his heart skipped a beat every time you said his name, in the way jealousy twisted in his chest when someone else looked at you the way he wanted to.

And with Valentine’s Day nearing more and more, and you still feeling down after the whole situation with that guy, Jungwon felt conflicted.

Part of him wanted to use this as an opportunity—to finally say something, to be the one to make you smile again. But another part of him, the part that had spent so long holding back, told him it wasn’t the right time.

You were sad. Not heartbroken, not devastated, but still hurt. He could see it in the way you sighed more than usual, in the way your usual excitement about the upcoming holiday had faded into indifference.

“I don’t even know why I care so much,” you muttered one evening as the two of you sat on the bleachers, watching the empty field stretch out before you. “It’s not like we were even dating, not really. But still… it sucks, you know?”

Jungwon nodded, even though he didn’t fully understand. Not in the way you did, at least. Because to him, the pain wasn’t in almost having someone and losing them—it was in never having you at all.

“I just thought, maybe this year would be different,” you admitted, pulling your jacket tighter around you. “Maybe I’d actually get to experience one of those cute Valentine’s Days you see in movies.”

Jungwon swallowed. His hands clenched into fists in his lap, itching to reach for yours.

He could do it.

He could say it.

He could tell you that you weren’t alone, that someone had been looking at you that way all along. That if you let him, he’d make sure you never had to feel unwanted again.

But then you sighed and leaned against him, your head finding his shoulder in that familiar, comfortable way that told him you still saw him as your best friend.

Just your best friend.

So he did what he always did.

He stayed quiet.

And maybe that was his biggest mistake.

Because as Valentine’s Day crept closer, and as you started smiling again—started acting more like yourself—Jungwon couldn’t shake the feeling that he was running out of time.

And if he didn’t do something soon… someone else would.

So he planned to start small—show you, in quiet, genuine ways, that he liked you as more than a best friend.

But it was easier said than done.

Because you were oblivious as fuck.

Normally, Jungwon found that trait of yours adorable. The way you never seemed to pick up on people’s feelings, how you always assumed the best in every situation, how completely unaware you were of the effect you had on others.

But now? Now, it felt like torture.

Because how was he supposed to show you he loved you when he had such a hard time saying it?

He tried little things first. Thoughtful gestures, things he had always done but with more meaning behind them now. Walking you home even when it was out of his way, holding doors open for you even when his hands were full, remembering your coffee order down to the smallest detail and getting it for you before you could even ask.

But none of it clicked for you.

"You're such a good friend, Won," you'd say, smiling up at him like his heart wasn’t unraveling in his chest.

Friend.

Jungwon bit back a sigh, pushing down the frustration. He told himself to be patient.

So he tried again.

He started being more obvious—giving you his jacket when it was barely cold, brushing his fingers against yours just to see if you'd notice, complimenting you in a way that should’ve meant more than just friendship.

"You always know how to make me feel better," you had told him after one of his compliments, nudging him playfully. "What would I do without you?"

Jungwon had forced a smile, ignoring the way his heart twisted painfully.

Because none of it was working.

You still weren’t getting it.

And maybe… maybe you never would.

Because maybe, deep down, you had never even considered him as an option.

That thought scared him more than anything.

So with Valentine’s Day only days away, Jungwon realized something.

If he wanted you to know—if he wanted any chance at all—he couldn’t keep waiting for you to figure it out on your own.

He had to do something bigger. Something you couldn’t possibly ignore.

Something that would make you finally, finally see him.

So, he did something bigger.

With Valentine’s Day here, he made sure you wouldn’t come home too soon. He got some of your mutual friends to keep you company—texting them to stall you, make up excuses, anything to buy him enough time. And while they distracted you, he let himself into your house with the spare key you had given him long ago, “just in case of emergencies.”

And in his case, this was an emergency.

Because if he didn’t do this now, he might never have the courage again.

Carrying the bags inside, he wasted no time.

First, the decorations.

Red heart-shaped balloons filled your bedroom, some floating against the ceiling, others scattered on your bed. On the wall, carefully arranged, were balloons that spelled out "Be My Valentine?"—a question he never thought he'd be brave enough to ask.

Then, the gifts.

A teddy bear sat on your bed, soft and plush, with a box of your favorite chocolates nestled in its lap. Next to it, a bouquet of your favorite flowers—fresh, vibrant, just like you. And a basket filled with everything he knew you loved. Your favorite snacks, little trinkets, things you had casually mentioned wanting in passing—things he had remembered, even when you had forgotten you said them.

And finally, the finishing touch.

Rose petals, carefully placed, leading from your front door all the way to your bedroom. Alongside them, fake candles flickered softly, casting a warm, intimate glow around the space.

By the time he was done, his heart was pounding in his chest.

It was now or never.

So he took a deep breath, sat on the edge of your bed, and waited.

Waited for you to come home.

Waited to see if this would finally, finally make you see him the way he had always seen you.

And for the first time in his life, Jungwon was terrified.

When you finally got home, you were tired.

You had spent hours with your friends, confused as to why they were suddenly so insistent on keeping you out so late. They had dragged you to cafés, stores, even a last-minute movie, all while exchanging suspicious glances. But now, finally, you were home.

And the moment you stepped inside, you froze.

Rose petals.

They stretched out before you, leading down the hall, soft and delicate against the floor. And lining the path were small flickering lights—fake candles, glowing warmly in the dimness of your house.

Your heart skipped.

“What the—” you whispered, slowly stepping forward, following the trail.

Each step felt surreal, like you were stepping into something straight out of a romance movie. Your fingers brushed against your chest as you tried to steady your breathing.

By the time you reached your bedroom door, your heart was hammering.

And then you saw it.

Balloons—so many of them—floating and scattered all around your room.

And then, there was him.

Jungwon.

Sitting on the edge of your bed, looking nervous but determined.

The moment your eyes met, you felt your breath catch.

“Jungwon…” You blinked, glancing around. “Did you…?”

He swallowed, standing up slowly. “Yeah. It was me.”

Your gaze darted to the teddy bear on your bed, the chocolates, the bouquet, the basket of all the things you loved.

Your chest tightened.

“This is… I mean, you…” You trailed off, shaking your head in disbelief. “Why?”

Jungwon took a step closer, hands clenching at his sides. “Because I had to.” His voice was quiet, but firm. “Because if I didn’t, you’d never notice.”

Your brows furrowed. “Notice what?”

He let out a soft, almost breathless laugh, shaking his head. “See? That’s what I mean. You’re so—” He stopped himself, exhaling deeply. “You really don’t see it, do you?”

Your lips parted, but no words came out.

Jungwon took another step forward, closing the space between you. His eyes held something deeper now—something vulnerable.

“I love you.”

Silence.

Your breath hitched.

Jungwon swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep going.

“I’ve been in love with you for so long,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve tried to show you, in every way I could, but you never noticed. So I figured… maybe this time, you would.”

Your mind was racing, heart pounding.

Jungwon? In love with you?

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. You didn’t even know what to say.

And Jungwon—seeing your silence, your wide eyes, your stunned expression—felt his heart sink.

Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe you really never had considered him that way. Maybe he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

So before you could say anything, before you could reject him and break him completely, he let out a shaky breath and whispered, “Say something. Please.”

You kept looking around the room, your mind struggling to process everything, every single detail Jungwon had put together, just for you.

Your chest felt tight, your throat dry. Your lips parted, but the only thing that came out was a shaky breath before you finally asked, “For how long?”

Jungwon took a deep breath, his eyes focused on you as if he were summoning all the courage he had kept buried for so long. He wasn’t sure what he had expected—maybe for you to stop him, or maybe for you to just… understand. But this was real now. There was no going back. “For so long,” he murmured. Then, like a dam breaking, the words just spilled out.

“I’ve been falling for you. Not just once, but over and over again.” He shifted, his hands twitching by his sides as if he didn’t know where to put them. “It wasn’t some instant, magical thing. It was a million little moments. Like the way you scrunch your nose when you’re confused or frustrated, like when you’re so focused and you don’t even realize how cute you look. Or how every time I’m with you, I feel like the world is just… better. The way you always give me the first sip of your drink without me asking. I never wanted to take it, but I always did, just because you were offering. You’re just…”

He shook his head, unable to fully explain, but his eyes locked onto yours. “And your laugh…” He laughed softly, almost to himself. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. I can’t even describe it. Every time you laugh, it’s like everything in my world falls into place. Like nothing else matters, just you and that sound. It’s like… nothing else could make me feel more alive than hearing you laugh.”

His voice faltered slightly, but he pressed on, his emotions pouring out faster now.

“And every time I’m around you,” Jungwon said, his eyes darting to the floor for a moment before meeting yours again, “my heart races. It feels like it’s beating so hard, like I can’t breathe. And I’ve tried to hide it, to play it cool, but I can’t. I can’t stop it. Every time you’re near me, it’s like everything else disappears, and all I can think about is you.”

You could see the longing in his eyes as he continued.

“I memorize everything about you,” he added, his voice trembling. “Your favorite food, the songs you hum under your breath when you’re in a good mood, the way you scrunch your eyes when you’re laughing so hard you can’t control it. I know all the little things because I’m always paying attention to you. Always.”

He took a step closer, his eyes searching yours desperately, his words tumbling out even faster now.

“And when someone else shows interest in you… when they look at you the way I want to, it just… it suffocates me. I feel like I’m drowning, like you’re slipping away from me. But I’ve never told you. I’ve never said anything because I didn’t want to ruin this, ruin us—whatever we are. But I couldn’t keep pretending anymore.”

Jungwon’s hands trembled as he reached for yours, his voice softer, almost a whisper now.

“I love you,” he said, his heart on his sleeve. “I’ve loved you for so long. I didn’t know what to do with it, but I can’t keep it in anymore. Please… don’t turn away from me.”

Jungwon had done it. He had confessed.

He had done the very thing that had terrified him for years.

And now… you weren’t saying anything.

The silence stretched between you, unbearable and deafening. His breaths came out uneven, his chest rising and falling as he looked at you, waiting, begging for a response.

But you just stood there, staring at him—wide-eyed, shell-shocked, silent.

And that silence broke him.

Jungwon let out a shaky exhale before his legs gave out beneath him. He collapsed onto his knees, his head hanging as his shoulders trembled. The weight of everything—the nerves, the fear, the exhaustion—finally crushed him.

Tears slid down his cheeks, slow and quiet.

This is it, he thought bitterly.

He had been so scared of confessing. But now, he realized, this was what he should have been scared of.

Not rejection. Not heartbreak.

But this.

This horrible, gut-wrenching silence.

This feeling of being completely exposed, completely vulnerable, waiting for the one person he loved the most to either take him in or turn him away.

He squeezed his eyes shut, already preparing for the worst—

And then suddenly, you were on your knees in front of him.

Jungwon barely had time to react before your hands cupped his tear-streaked cheeks, tilting his face up toward you.

And then—

You kissed him.

His breath caught, his entire body freezing in place. His mind couldn’t keep up, couldn’t process that this was actually happening.

You—his best friend, the person he had spent years hopelessly in love with—were kissing him.

But he was so stunned, so overwhelmed, that he didn’t even kiss you back.

The seconds stretched, and you hesitated. Slowly, you started to pull away, your hands loosening their hold on his face—

And that’s what finally snapped him out of it.

Before you could fully retreat, Jungwon grabbed you—one hand curling around the back of your neck, the other gripping your waist. And in a heartbeat, he slammed his lips against yours again.

This time, he kissed you back.

Desperately.

Fiercely.

Like he had been starving for this.

Like he had been waiting his entire life for this moment.

His fingers curled tighter around you, pulling you impossibly close as his lips moved against yours—messy, feverish, full of all the emotions he had buried for so long.

And for the first time in years, Jungwon wasn’t afraid anymore.

Because now, he knew.

He wasn’t losing you.

He had you.

And he wasn’t going to let you go.

As the kiss broke apart, both of you breathless, Jungwon’s hands still gently cupping your face, he couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh—a mix of disbelief and relief.

And then, you smiled at him.

That smile.

The one that made his heart race every time.

Jungwon stared at you for a moment, his chest tightening again, his breath hitching in his throat.

“You’re dangerous, you know that?” he murmured, his voice low, full of admiration. “Every time you smile, I forget how to breathe.”

Your smile only grew wider, and a warmth spread through him, almost overwhelming. He had never wanted something more than to see that smile, to feel the way it made his heart flutter and ache all at once.

You swallowed, your heart thundering in your chest. This felt like a dream, and yet, you knew it was real.

With a deep breath, you found the courage to speak, the weight of everything finally coming out in the words you’d been holding back for months.

“I love you too Jungwon,” you confessed, your voice shaking just slightly. “I’ve loved you for months now… but I didn’t want to tell you, in case… in case you didn’t feel the same.”

The words hung between you, and for a moment, everything was still.

Then, Jungwon’s expression softened, his eyes bright with something you could only describe as pure relief and adoration. He pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead before pulling back slightly, his fingers still lightly resting on your face as he looked at you with such intensity.

His voice was barely above a whisper as he reached for your hand, his thumb gently brushing over your skin. “So, you… love me, too?”

You nodded, your eyes soft but filled with determination. “Yes. I always have.”

Jungwon’s heart swelled with relief and joy, the weight lifting from his chest. A soft smile spread across his face, and before he could think too much about it, the words tumbled out of him, filled with hope.

“Do you want to be my Valentine?” he asked, his voice low but full of sincerity.

“Yes,” you replied, without hesitation, your heart pounding as the world seemed to settle into place around you.

Jungwon took a deep breath, still holding your hand as his gaze locked with yours. He had taken the plunge before, but this moment felt different—bigger.

“Then,” he began, voice soft but steady, “do you also want to be my girlfriend?”

You blinked, your heart fluttering wildly as your chest filled with warmth. This was the moment, wasn’t it? The moment you had both been waiting for, yet too afraid to ask for.

Without hesitation, you nodded. “Yes. I’d love to.”

Jungwon couldn’t hide his smile, the relief flooding through him as he leaned in, his eyes soft but filled with adoration. And then, he whispered the words that had been on his mind for so long.

“You don’t even realize what you do to me, do you?”

You blinked, your heart pounding as you tried to process what he meant.

“You’ve got me falling for you harder than I ever thought possible.” And then he kissed you again—this time slow, gentle, full of everything that had been left unsaid for months.

Jungwon finally had you, finally knew you felt the same, and for the first time in a long while, he didn’t have to wonder.

Because you were his.

And he was yours.

a/n: well this sucked ass... i havent been feeling romantical since boyfriend troubles.

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[remuslupinslittleslut]

Teach us - Part one

@missakward123: can you do dom! reader poly marauders? Also loved this!! Yes I can, but I have such a hard time writing a sub!Remus, so I kinda took it in my own direction.

Part two is found here!

Reader x Remus turned into Reader x Poly!Marauders.

Masterlist.

They thought it was strange how Remus had been the first to lose his virginity out of the three of them. Both Sirius and James had girls throwing themselves after them constantly, but somehow, Remus was the first to go all the way.

You had always found them all quite attractive, but thought that Sirius and James tended to be a bit obnoxious at times. When you saw Remus studying alone in the library one day, you thought you’d go up and say hi to the tall, handsome guy. The two of you had only talked briefly before this interaction, but soon found that you enjoyed each other’s company. It didn’t take long from there for you to go on a date and soon you were a couple. 

Remus, ever the gentleman, didn’t tell his friends about your first time, he thought it was best kept private between the two of you, therefore you always tried to keep it somewhat lowkey, finding time to be perfectly alone. Though any secret could not be held for long in that dorm and one evening the cat came running and screaming out of the bag. You thought you’d get to be alone with Remus, as the other two had practice. As it turned out, however, practice was canceled and the door to the dorm was thrown open just in time for the two surprised boys to see you orgasm, quivering around Remus’ cock.

It slightly ruined the mood and you struggled to cover yourself as Sirius went on a long rampage about “The betrayal! The absolute betrayal. Our baby moons got laid and didn’t tell us. Here he is, having had sex the whole time – while keeping us in the dark.” He was pacing back and forth, only half joking about his distress before deciding to be the bigger person and be happy for his friend. “Good job Moons. First one out of all of us. Amazing.” With a chef’s kiss he left the subject of betrayal and moved on to something else.

After the embarrassing moment of coming in front of your boyfriend’s friends, it didn’t take long before the question was asked.

“Hey Moony, since you already had sex, could you teach us how to do it?”

“Yeah, Moons, I wanna be ready for when Lily lets me go all the way if you catch my drift,” James agreed, with a very unnecessary wink as everyone understood exactly what he meant.

You stared, gaping. That they would ask such a question didn’t surprise you one bit. The fact that Remus seemed to be actually thinking it over did.

“I guess,” he started, patting your thigh, “you’re gonna ask her if she’s willing to teach you.”

You, teaching his friends how to have sex? The idea was preposterous. Yet… It did make you feel a certain tingle between your legs. You still found them attractive, and the thought of being the one to take their virginities? Oh, that was just beautiful. You thought it over in your head. Remus was quite dominant, not really treating you as a submissive but he liked being a bit in control, he’d never let you have all the reigns. These two however… Looking Remus straight in the eye, you searched for any form of hesitance – you didn’t find any.

“Alright then, we’re gonna have to set some rules,” you said.

It was agreed that the day after, you’d help take your boyfriend’s best friends’ virginities. You said 24 hours to give everyone a chance to back out, and told them very specifically that they would shower, properly, “none of that locker room stuff, a real shower, clean everything.” It was best to be clear when dealing with teenage boys.

A whole 24 hours later you found yourself walking up the stairs to their dorm. You knew Remus would be there, and you knew they’d given consent. You wore your school skirt, but without panties, a t-shirt with a very flattering bra and your hair out. You had to get yourself in that dominant mood, ready to boss the boys around. Since becoming Remus’ girlfriend, you had gotten to know his friends as well. You knew James would be easier to dom, and you knew Sirius would be a little brat. Therefore, you started with James. Opening the door, you could cut the tension with a knife.

The boys were so cute and nervous, standing up and waiting for you (not Remus, of course, he was comfortably splayed out on his own bed). “Jamie,” you said. “Do you still wanna do this?” He nodded. “Okay, then take your clothes off and sit down on your bed. You,” you turned to Sirius, “are gonna have to wait your turn.”

When James was naked and seated on the edge of his bed, you took a moment to appreciate his toned body. The moment didn’t last very long though as you wanted to feel him. Climbing into his lap, thighs straddling his, you took his face and held it in your hands. He was so pretty, so soft, so pliable. “Jamie, have you ever kissed a girl?” you asked him, bringing your mouth so close to his that your lips almost touched his. “No,” he said, cheeks flushing red. Holding onto his cheeks, you brought your lips against his, softly at first, then with a little more pleasure. The warm breath from his nose on your cheek sent chills down your spine. Deciding to progress, you slightly opened your mouth, letting your tongue out to lick lightly at his lips. He moaned.

You continued kissing him, making out really, until you felt he was ready to move on. Leaning back a little, you pulled your top over your head, revealing your soft tits, perfectly framed by your bra. “Go ahead, baby, you can touch.” With your permission, warm hands pressed against your back before following the lines of your body, meeting your front and lightly squeezing your tits. You allowed him to explore freely, until he pushed his head down, paused and looked up at you, eyes asking for permission. Instead of answering him verbally, you pushed your tits against his face, letting him know he could kiss and suck all he wanted. He did manage to get your bra off all on his (you were so proud of him), and as it fell to the floor, you felt his cock twitching.

You let him play some more with your boobies before taking his hand, kissing it once and telling him “Jamie, have you ever felt a girl?” When he shook his head, you kissed the top of his head and pushed his hand down, between your bodies and toward your core. “Feel that? I’m all wet, that’s all for you baby,” you cooed, watching his facial expressions in awe – he was so fascinated. “Now, do you know where your little cock is supposed to go?” Little was a big lie. His brows furrowed in concentration as he felt around for the right hole, he did find it, and pushed a finger in. “Good boy, now put your cock in.” You raised yourself, hovering above him, hand coming down to help him push his cock into your warm hole. “Oh that’s a good boy f’me,” you moaned, loving the feeling of him filling you up.

Being so focused on James had almost made you forget about your audience, looking to the side, you met Remus’ hungry eyes. You could tell he was enjoying the show, hand rubbing against the bulge in his pants. You decided not to look at Sirius, making him wait for your attention.

Grabbing James’ shoulders, you carefully tried moving, sliding yourself along his cock, making you both moan. You tried a few different movements, going up and down, back and forth. It felt really good and you enjoyed playing around with it, and it seemed as though he was enjoying it too, his head thrown back, glasses askew and mouth slightly open. Suddenly his hands squeezed hard on your hips, making you stop your movements. “Jamie, you okay?” You asked, massaging his scalp with your fingers. “Yeah,” he reassured, “yeah, just need to… I’m gonna come…”

You giggled softly, “it’s okay if you do, but first, I wanna do one more thing.” Pulling your body away from his was hard, letting his heavy cock fall out of you was even harder, and you immediately mourned the loss. Though, you knew it would be worth it. Laying down flat on your back, you beckoned for him to join you, to climb on top of you. “You should know how to fuck a girl, Jamie,” you said, helping him find his way back into you. His athletic body was made for this, for moving himself back and forth, hips pushing against yours. He didn’t go very fast, but you knew he’d be able to when he got more used to the feeling. Hiding his face against your neck, letting the vibrations of his moans shoot right through you, his hips started making the smallest, cutest, most desperate little movements. “That’s good baby, that’s a good boy, you’re doing so well, so good, making me feel so good.” You didn’t think you’d be able to come, he was a virgin, but the little thrusts pushed the head of his cock against you in a way that just felt too good to hold back.

“Jamie, baby, I’m ‘bout to come,” you moaned, kissing his head, holding him close, “you’re so go- ah-od,” your moans grew louder as you experienced a rather mild orgasm, though, an orgasm nonetheless. Your walls spasming around him made him come as well, pretty cock filling you up with his little virgin cum.

“Wow, Jamie, you did so well, I’m so proud of you,” you told him, after he had pulled out and collapsed on top of you. His head was still buried in the crook of your neck, his breathing fast and hard. “Did you enjoy it?” You asked, to which he pulled his face away, eyes wide. “Like it? That was amazing.”

You stayed like that, letting him hold onto your body for a while, not wanting to leave him without aftercare and love. Though you knew, as soon as James moved away from you, you’d have to deal with his mischievous best friend. Before you let James continue his cuddling – with Remus – you made him promise you something. “Next time love, you’re gonna let me take your cute little cock in my mouth, okay?” To this, he nodded, excitedly.

Part two.

[dumpywrites]

Knocked Out - Jeon Jungkook

Prompt: Watching a concert is fun, until you get knocked out by the idol's mic.

Prompt request: HERE

Genre/tags: Fluff, idol Jungkook, fan reader, drabble-ish, they have language barrier

Pairing: Jungkook x reader

a/n: After watching "Are you sure?!" I can't help but to make this. Jungkook trying to talk in english is just the most precious :')

The long awaited 2025 reunion. It was finally time to attend your dream concert. You had been saving enough money and the time was now for you to see BTS live right before your eyes. 

The first time seeing your favorite group had to be special. You were dressed up in light purple colored tee and a frilly white bottoms. You even had some cute Tata and Cooky plush charms hanging on your bag. You didn’t spend that huge stack of front line festival just to not look fun and eye catching. Even though your friend kept telling you that dolling up wouldn’t get your bias to notice you, you couldn’t care any less. Today was not the day to pretend and being a pick-me trying to not act like you were not an army. 

The gates were finally open, waiting for hours and not buying that one cool looking shoes you saw at the mall finally paid off. Your heart was racing at the view of the stage so up and close to you. Just imagining finally seeing seven of them in 3D was making you go crazy. Pun intended. 

The concert went fantastically great. You were singing, jumping, and dancing along to each and every song they performed. You cried during Spring Day and shouted your lungs out during Fire. Your friend was right though, it was almost their last song and so far, you had zero major interactions besides them waving to your direction, which could be directed to you and many people in your area. 

Dynamite was playing and the show had reached its final list, an encore. Confetti was everywhere, the members could be seen having fun, teasing each other. Jimin and Hobi were having a dance off, while Taehyung and Suga hyped them up from behind. You could see RM still rapping his verse, while Jin was busy taking fans’ phones to give them selfies. 

Then there came Jungkook, he somehow was running in full speed to the front of the stage, before jumping down to greet the fans bellow. Everyone was going mad, trying to get his attention. At this point, you were squeezed since he was in fact, right in front of you, but you were too busy getting lost in his eyes. You still could not believe this man was real and he was performing this close to you. 

You had always knew that Jungkook was a strong guy. You had watched enough of his random lives to know that the man loved working out. That was why you were not so surprised that you got knocked out when he wanted to point his mic to the crowd’s direction, but instead, accidentally battered you right in your forehead.

The next thing was quite a blur. You recalled seeing Jungkook’s eyes went even bigger than it already was, which you did not know was even possible, and then everyone around you shouting, the world was spinning before it faded to black. 

You expected to wake up in your house, but instead, you woke up to an all white room, obviously a hospital. You could see your friend running to your direction with a worried expression, as soon as she saw you getting your consciousness back. 

“Oh my god! How are you feeling?! Anything hurt? How’s your head? Can you remember me???” 

“Girl, relax…” You chuckled. “I’m fine, just a bit dizzy. What happened though?”

“Jungkook knocked you out cold with his mic.” She couldn’t hide the grin on her face. “I’d say you’re lucky, but on second thought, maybe not.” 

“Geez…” You held your head with your palm. “How did I get here?”

“You were immediately taken to hospital. One of the staff told me that Jungkook insisted this, because apparently, the management originally only wanted you to get checked by their medic team.” She said with admiration in her face. “That’s so kind of him, don’t you think?”

“I guess…” You couldn’t help but to feel giddy, even though you knew it was normal for him to react that way considering the situation. “I’m glad it happened during encore though, if not I would’ve ruined the show.” 

Your friend chuckled. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I’ll let the doctor know, wait just for a second…”

Not long after your friend left the room, you could hear a knocking sound from the door. Thinking it was your friend and the doctor, you quickly told them to come in. 

Lo and behold, Jeon Jungkook himself. 

To say you were shocked would be such an understatement. Were you dreaming? Maybe he hit your head too hard and made you hallucinating. Also, that white t-shirt was definitely emphasizing his wide shoulders. You could be biased but he looked way way way better in his casual attire.

“H-Hi!” 

Lord have mercy the man just spoke. 

“Am I dreaming???” You impulsively said, still looking at him in disbelief. 

Jungkook chuckled, shaking his head. “No.”

He fidgeted his fingers together, before moving closer to your bed, making sure to have an appropriate distance between the two of you. “I was gonna ask for translator, but it don’t feel right… I want to uh… apologize alone.”

Your heart melted at how sincere he looked. Despite the slight language barrier, he still tried his best. 

“It’s okay, I forgive you.”

“But I hit you very hard…” He looked down. “That’s not okay.”

“It was an accident.” You smiled. 

“Not okay.” He shook his head. “I’m really sorry!” 

He bowed his head to you. Knowing a bit about Korean culture, you knew what a ninety degrees bow was and what it meant. 

“Jungkook! It’s fine!” 

He lifted his head and sighed. “But you’re like this…” 

“I am perfectly fine right now.” You giggled. Funny how you could feel the nervousness slowly getting lifted.

He suddenly offered you his hand. You froze for a second, just processing on why you could see your idol’s hands near you let alone he himself offering it to you. 

“Jeon Jeongguk.” 

Oh? “No offense, but I already know. I’m quite literally your fan.” You giggled, but then offered your hand back for a handshake, after mentioning your name to him. 

He laughed. Honestly, what a sight. You almost wished to get hospitalized forever if that meant this view being a regular occurring thing. 

“Thank you for coming, you really don’t have to.” You said after he let go of your hand. “I might never get the chance again, so I’m just gonna say this now. Thank you for existing, you really don’t know the impact of you and your music in my life. BTS basically helped me get through the worst moments of my life, and to that I’m forever grateful…”

“I’m glad.” He flashed you a genuine smile. 

You knew the language made him reply in such short sentence, but he didn’t need to say more as his eyes and smile could already tell you how happy he looked hearing your words. 

“I have a request.” You suddenly said. 

He tilted his head at you and voiced a small “huh”. 

“Can I hold your hand?” You quickly reasoned as soon as the sentence left your mouth. “I’m not taking advantage of the situation, I swear! It’s just… your hands are shaking.” You looked at him with worry. 

“Oh!” He nervously laughed. “Sure, you can.”

Although anxious, you carefully placed your hand above his, patting it softly. He gave you a smile again before surprising you by holding your hand. You started wondering what country did you safe in your past life for this to happen. 

“Better?” Obviously, you were blushing like crazy at this point. 

He nodded. “Yup.” 

“Alright.” As much as you didn’t want to, you then withdrew your hand. 

“I have to go now, staff is waiting…”

“Right.” You quickly replied. “Send them my thanks too, okay?”

He nodded vigorously, before giving you a salute, which made you laugh. 

Although sad, you had to see him exited the door. You were lucky enough anyway for that to even happened. 

Just a few minutes later, your friend finally came back with the doctor. You get checked, and after they declared you healthy, you were good to go. You didn’t leave the room before rubbing in your friend’s face on how unlucky of her that Jungkook himself just showed up while she was away. She got you back with mentioning the blue-ish bump on your forehead, and now you could never erase it from your memory that Jungkook had to see you like that. 

You were ready to leave the hospital before someone stopped you at the door. 

“I was told to give this to you.” A nurse handed you a piece of folded paper, before politely bowing her head and left. 

The shock you felt upon reading the note almost sent you back to the hospital room. 

Let’s keep in touch! Please? :)

—Jungkook <3

Both of you and your friend shriek in excitement, especially after seeing the small phone number written on the down corner of the paper. It was confirmed. You had officially used up all your luck for the rest of the year. Maybe five or ten because how unreal this was. 

It was a beginning of something exciting and you couldn’t wait to see what was stored for you in this journey. 

Thank you for reading! 💜💜💜

[fluentmoviequoter]

California Dreams

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!Nolan!reader (John's younger half-sister)

Summary: You move to California to be closer to your brother John after your mom dies. There, you meet Tim Bradford and begin dating. When your boyfriend and brother meet each other, you're surprised to learn it isn't their first interaction.

Warnings: r and John have the same mom, mostly fluff, brief angst, flirty and soft Tim

Word Count: 2.8k+ words

Masterlist | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

Pennsylvania and California are completely different. When your older half-brother John flew out to Pennsylvania after your mom passed, he kept you at arm’s length. You were close growing up and stayed close into adulthood, so the sudden distance confused you. It wasn’t until after the funeral that you realized he was protecting you from the drama that may have tainted how you remembered her. More than what you already knew, at least. That wasn’t what shocked you the most, though. Most shocking was the question John asked before he left: Would you consider moving to California? We’re family. It took a few weeks, but once you were alone in the place where you grew up, you decided that John was right. So, you packed up your life and moved across the country. That change was the first of many.

“John,” you groan over the phone. “You practically raised me, but you won’t help with this? You’re not a very good brother.”

“I’m an excellent brother if I made you the person you are,” he counters. “But I have work, so it’s not that I won’t help you buy a mattress, but that I don’t have time.”

“Bailey would help.”

“Bailey also has to work.”

“Fine. I guess I’ll just move back to Pennsylvania then.”

“You sound like Mom,” John says before he laughs.

“Hurtful. I have to go.”

“Enjoy shopping. Love you.”

“Clearly,” you mumble. “Be safe.”

You end the phone call and look around the neighborhood. Maybe walking aimlessly while talking wasn’t the best idea. Every house looks the same, and you don’t remember if you turn right or left to get back to your house.

“Excuse me,” you call to a man walking a dog across the street. “Sorry, I just moved here, and I don’t remember how to get back to my street. Could you help me?”

He nods before he jogs across the street to talk to you. “Sure. Which street?” he asks kindly.

You tell him and he looks toward his right to explain, “Turn left at this corner, go down two streets, make a right, and it’ll be on the right.”

“Left, two streets, right, right,” you repeat. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem.”

His eyes drop to your Penn State shirt, and you roll your shoulders to stand straighter. If you knew you were going to meet a gorgeous man on this walk, you would have changed out of your moving/cleaning outfit.

“Can I ask you a favor in return?” he asks.

“Uh, yeah,” you reply, pinching your brows together.

“Join me for lunch?”

Your brows unfurrow quickly to raise. He must feel bad for you, being new in the area.

“Or dinner, whichever works better,” he adds after a moment of silence.

“For what?” you inquire softly.

“A date, or a welcome, if you prefer.”

“You’re asking me out? Why?”

“Why not?” he counters with a heart-stopping smile.

“Are you going to keep answering my questions with questions?”

“Are you going to accept my invitation?”

You shake your head to clear it before answering, “I’d love to go out with you. Lunch sounds amazing. Give me a few minutes to change?”

“I’ll come pick you up in twenty. Meet you at your corner?”

“Okay, yeah, sounds good,” you ramble. You take a step to go past him before you stop. “Can you tell me how to get there again?”

He tips his head back to laugh before repeating the directions. As you walk, you repeat left, two streets, right, right; left, two streets- why did he ask me out? – right, right.

When you exit your house twenty minutes later, he is waiting at the corner just as he said. He leans against the driver’s door and smiles when he sees you walking toward you. Your decade-old Penn State shirt and paint-stained bottoms have been exchanged for a date-worthy outfit, yet he looks at you the same way as he had before.

“Before we go on a date, I thought I should at least introduce myself properly. I’m Tim,” he says, offering his right hand.

You shake it, surprised by how gently he touches you. He repeats your name softly after you introduce yourself, and as he helps you into the passenger seat, you know that moving to California was the right choice. For more reasons than John.

“I’m stealing his best brother ever mug. He doesn’t deserve it,” you huff.

Your hands are on your hips as you look at the mattress on your driveway. When John said he’d drop it off for you after work, you thought he’d bring it in. No. He left it in the middle of the night and sent you a text to let you know it was there. Based on what he’s told you about being a cop, you should be grateful that it wasn’t stolen, but now you have to figure out how to get it inside and on your new bed frame by yourself.

“I can do this,” you tell yourself.

Someone clears their throat on the sidewalk behind you, and you turn quickly.

“Tim,” you breathe out, relieved to see him rather than a stranger. “Hi.”

He nods in place of greeting before he looks to the mattress. “Did your brother drop that off?”

“How did you know that?”

He points to a piece of cardboard taped to the end closest to the road. You walk toward him and sigh when you read it.

“Enjoy. Love, your favorite brother,” you read. “He’s such a jerk.”

“Really?” Tim questions.

“No,” you admit, rubbing your jaw briefly. “He had to work late and didn’t want to wake me up to get it in.”

“Do you want some help?”

“No, it’s fine.” You turn toward Tim to ask, “Did we have plans?”

“I was hoping we could make some. But seeing as you have a mattress to babysit, maybe I’ll come back later.”

“Give me twenty minutes,” you request quickly. You look at the size of the mattress and amend, “Thirty, tops.”

“Or…” Tim begins, leaning in. “You could just let me help.”

“You drive a hard bargain. Get the mattress inside and then we can go?” you agree.

Tim shakes his head, betrayed by his smile, as he steers you toward the mattress.

“Why are you here?” you ask.

“I just told you. I’m here to take you on a date.”

“No, I mean, why aren’t you at work?”

Tim shrugs as he squats. He flips the mattress on its side effortlessly, and you step back as you watch his arms flex under his sleeves. “Do you want to watch or help?”

You clear your throat quickly and walk to the other end. “Help,” you whisper.

“Do you trust me?” Tim asks dramatically.

“Run me into a wall and you’ll regret it,” you answer.

Tim scoffs before he instructs you to walk backward toward your front door. Within a few minutes, Tim has the mattress inside, out of its protective wrapping, and placed on your bedframe. He leans against the end of the mattress while you change, and rushes to hug you when you emerge.

“You’re happy today,” you murmur as you return his tight grip.

Tim hums in reply before he leads you to his truck. The bouquet waiting for you on the passenger seat makes you happy, but suspicious. His dropping by mid-morning to take you out isn’t inherently odd, but the rush to get you wherever it is he’s taking you is interesting.

Tim parks outside the restaurant he took you to the day you met. You said you loved the food, but Tim has been expanding your California taste by taking you to different restaurants on every date you’ve been on in the last two months.

“Are we going to go in?” you ask softly.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” he asks quickly.

You grab Tim’s hand as your smile grows. “Tim, look at me?” you request. When he turns his face and sees your smile, you answer, “I’d love to. Nothing would make me happier.”

“Really? Nothing?”

“Fine, not much would make me happier,” you correct with a chuckle.

“Thank you.”

“Is that the proper response?” you tease.

Tim rolls his eyes but leans across the console to kiss you before lunch. Moving to California was certainly life changing.

“You’ve been busy,” John says as he walks into your house.

“I know we’re family, but there’s this thing called knocking. It’s all the rage in Pennsylvania, you should try it,” you call from the kitchen.

“Then why’d you give me a key?”

“Because California is scary.”

John shakes his head as he joins your side. You shove him away from the oven before he can touch the food, and he scoffs as his hand raises to his chest.

“After every meal I’ve made for you!” he exclaims.

“Thanks for the mattress. I think you could’ve dropped it off a little nicer, but I appreciate it.”

“Where is it? I thought I’d be helping you carry it in when I came over.”

“One of my neighbors saw me staring at it and mumbling about how terrible you are and helped me get it in.”

“You let a stranger into your house?” John asks loudly. “Have you learned nothing?”

“John-“

“This is not Pennsylvania. We don’t know everyone and their dads. That was incredibly stupid. He could’ve been casing the place!”

“I never said it was a man,” you mumble.

“Okay, she could’ve been casing the place!”

“Hello?” Bailey asks from the front door. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No,” you answer while John yells, “She let a stranger in here!”

“Let her explain,” Bailey requests calmly.

“Thank you,” you tell her. “John, I know you’re worried about me, but I wouldn’t let anyone that I didn’t trust into my house. You know that.”

“And you trust your neighbors after two months?” he asks.

“When he’s my boyfriend, yes, I do,” you answer, tired of arguing with him.

Bailey looks between you and Nolan, and mouths Good job when you meet her eyes.

“Since when?” Nolan asks after a moment.

His voice is back to its normal level, and he’s your half-brother again, not a protective cop who thinks you’re in danger.

“Officially? A couple of hours. We’ve been dating for two months, though. We met the week I moved in,” you explain. “He helped me out. I didn’t tell him anything personal until I got to know him better, I promise.”

“I trust you, I do,” Nolan assures. “Sorry for yelling and worrying.”

“I want you to meet him soon, John. Just give me a little time, okay?”

“That sounds nice, and I won’t pry before then. Promise.”

“I will,” Bailey interjects. “What’s he like?”

“He’s amazing,” you answer.

Nolan lets his head fall back; he hasn’t listened to you talk about boys since you were in high school, and he thought he would never have to again. That doesn’t mean he isn’t happy for you, and you know that.

“Hey,” Tim greets as you open the door. “I brought your favorite snacks and popcorn.”

“I love you,” you sigh dreamily.

“Should’ve brought popcorn sooner,” he muses.

“I need to ask you something before we start the movie, though.”

Tim freezes in your kitchen.

“I didn’t say we need to talk, Tim. Just have something to ask,” you clarify. “It’s not bad.”

“Go ahead,” Tim agrees.

“Will you come over for dinner on Friday and meet my brother?” you ask, wringing your fingers together.

“Your brother?”

“Yeah. He’s- he’s all I have left since my mom died. I know that it’s a lot to ask-“

“Yes,” Tim interjects. “I’ll be here. Tell me what to bring.”

“That was easy,” you mumble.

“I have a hard time saying no to you,” Tim admits.

You smile, and Tim shakes his head. He points to the couch, and you walk away from him to get comfortable for movie night. You understand his dilemma completely. All you can do now is hope that John doesn’t do anything to push Tim away; you don’t think he wouldn’t do it on purpose, but he can be overbearing and protective.

Tim parks on the street in front of the house beside yours. He sits in his truck for a moment before he gets out. You told him he didn’t need to bring anything (repeatedly, because he asked a lot), yet he carries a case of your favorite drink as he approaches your driveway.

“Bradford?”

Tim looks up from the sidewalk and sees a familiar truck and face in your driveway.

“Nolan?” he asks.

“What are you doing here?” they ask simultaneously.

Neither answer but square their shoulders and stare at one another. They’re both protective, for different reasons, and the surprise of seeing each other brings that out. As they continue evaluating one another, trying to think of a logical explanation but failing because they’re thinking of you, the front door opens.

You step out and see your brother and boyfriend staring at one another in your driveway. They don’t look up, so you walk toward them. Your smile drops as your excitement evaporates. Maybe one of them said something or they came in with assumptions. Whatever is happening between them, you can’t risk losing either of them.

“Why is Tim Bradford here?” Nolan asks suddenly.

“I’m her boyfriend. Why are you here?” Tim counters.

“Boyfriend?!” Nolan repeats incredulously.

“Stop, both of you,” you say. “Just- just come in and I will explain everything.”

Tim tears his attention from John and follows you inside. He whispers an apology as he sets the drinks on your counter. When John walks in, though, Tim goes back to the hardened cop John knows. You’ve seen Tim’s protective side before, so you aren’t surprised by his change in attitude.

“Tim, John is my big brother. Half-brother, technically, but we’re incredibly close, so I wanted you to meet him. John, Tim is my boyfriend. We’ve been dating for a couple of months, so I thought it was time to let you meet him,” you explain.

“Why didn’t you tell me I worked with your boyfriend?” John asks.

“I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t tell her you were a cop?”  he asks Tim.

“He did,” you interrupt. “But he’s Metro, so I just assumed you hadn’t met. That one’s on me.”

“Well,” Tim begins, “nice to meet you, John.”

“What are you talking about?” John inquires.

“I’ve only met cop John, not brother John. Does he talk less?”

“More,” you mumble.

“That’s enough out of you,” John tells you.

“I have to go finish dinner,” you say. “Be nice.”

“I’m not going to give you the whole talk, but don’t hurt her,” John says quietly.

“I wouldn’t,” Tim promises. “I promise you that.”

“She’s happy. Thank you.”

“She’s amazing.”

“That’s because I raised her.”

Tim presses his lips together and slaps Nolan’s shoulder as he says, “No it’s not.”

“Thank you both for coming,” you say after you clear the table. “And I’m sorry for making everything awkward by not mentioning you to each other.”

“It’s not your fault,” Tim replies.

“You had no way of knowing,” John agrees. “We’ll stop fighting.”

“In front of you,” Tim says into his glass.

“I’ve got an early shift, so I have to head out,” John says as he stands.

He hugs you and says goodbye, and you walk him to the door before returning to Tim. You perch on his leg rather than sitting across from him now that you’re alone. He tilts his head to kiss you, and you relax against him. Dinner was both better and worse than you hoped. It worked out, though, and that’s what matters.

“I’m so glad you don’t act like your brother,” Tim says as you pull back.

“Don’t make this weird,” you reply as you lean in to kiss him again.

When you lean away and stand, Tim follows you wordlessly. You retrieve another drink from the case he brought but set it aside to wrap your arms over Tim’s shoulders.

“Who won the staring contest?” you ask.

“Clearly, I did. I wouldn’t have stayed otherwise,” he answers.

“You and John… you’re both protective, but you put that aside to do it together, or whatever that quiet conversation was. Thank you for giving me a chance.”

“I’m supposed to thank you. You’re the one who introduced me to your family. I just asked a yes or no question.”

“That’s not true. I met Kojo.”

Tim smiles as he pulls you closer. He and Nolan may not get along perfectly (who does? you remind yourself), but they both love you in their own ways. When Nolan said dreams come true in California, you thought it was a cheesy ploy to convince you to move, but he was right. Your dream is kissing you right now, and you’ve never been happier.

[bellaaae]

yeodongsaeng [Requested]

[Fluff]

A knock was heard on the door making all the members attention to drift to the door.

“Ah the new member must be here!” Sakura exclaimed.

Chaewon being the leader was the first to open the door.

At the front of the door stoood their manger with a cat-like girl who looked very shy.

“Chaewon-ah this is your new member,please introduce yourselves to her and make her feel welcomed” the manger said as the girl stepped forward.

“Don’t worry manger-nim,I’ll make her feel as welcomed as possible” chaewon said giving a warm and welcoming smile.

She shut the door behind her and placed her hand on top of the new members shoulder guiding her inside the room.

“Everyone gather up and sit in a circle” chaewon instructed and everyone obeyed.

“As you all know this is our new member,Let’s start the introduction by saying our names and birthdates” chaewon said and looked at everyone.

“I’ll start,Hi! My name is Kim chaewon born on August 1st 2000,You can call me Chae and as you may or may not notice I am the leader” she started looking at the next person.

“Hello! My name is Miyawaki Sakura born on March 19th 1998” she introduced you guessed she was the oldest,and she had a foreign name.

“Hello,my name is Huh Yunjin or you may call me Jennifer,I am Korean-American and I’m please to meet you!” She introduced in English but you were confused.

She didn’t realize and the other members started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” She confused as well.

“Yunjin I don’t think the new member understands English” Chaewon said and Yunjin’s eyes widened as she realized she introduced herself in English.

She quickly apologized and introduced herself in Korean.

“Hi I am Nakamura Kazuha born on August 9th 2003” she said and from what you could tell she was also not Korean.

“Last but not the least My name is Hong Eunchae or you can call me manchae born on November 11th 2006!” Eunchae introduced with a friendly smile.

“Eunchae how are you sure she’s not younger?” Yunjin questioned Eunchae making her have a thinking look.

“Oh I didn’t think about that…So new member what’s your name and age?” She asked very curious.

You took deep breaths.”Hi my name is Shin Yn born on n.a/n.a/2008” you introduced with a sweet smile.

“2008?!” Sakura exclaimed.

“Eh! I’m 10yrs older than you?!” She said as she had her eyes a widened.

They were all surprised you were younger than Eunchae.

“You see Eunchae she’s younger than you with 2yrs” Yunjin told Eunchae who was lost in thought.

“So does that mean Eunchae can’t be bearing manchae anymore?” Kazuha asked directing the question to the old members.

“Well it seems like,I mean she isn’t the maknae anymore” chaewon said thinking.

“Let’s give yn a nickname similar to manchae’s” Charwon suggested and all the members started to think.

“How about Makyn?” Yunjin suggested her own idea.

“Oo I also thought of that…” Kazuha said.

“Well Makyn is nice,Yn what do you think?” Sakura asked yn hoping she’d agree to it.

“I love it,it sounds cute” Yn said smiling widely making her bunny teeths to be obvious.

“Ah she’s so cute!” Chaewon said and everyone agreed calling her cute.

You thanked the members for making you feel so comfortable around them, except for eunchae.She knew that having a younger one she wouldn't have the attention of her unnies and might have to share it or she doesn’t get as much as she used to.

Through out the entire day Eunchae was acting grumpy.

You were scared of interacting with her therefore you kept yourself as distance as possible from her.

After arriving at your dorms,you freshened and arranged your things in your new room.

You went downstairs and saw Sakura and Kazuha making dinner. “Unnies, where's Eunchae unnie? you asked them confused, you tried looking for her room but no luck you didn’t find it.

she just vanished as soon you all arrived at the dorm,she immediately just went inside and no trace of her could be found.

You were a really outgoing person and you really wanted to get along with everyone,especially Eunchae.

“Probably in her room” chaewon responded.

“may I ask where her room is” you asked politely.

“it's the one next to yours,go talk with her.i didn’t see you guys interact today”Yunjin said.

you smiled and turned around walking to eunchae’s room.

With shakey hands you knocked on the door.

“Eunchae unnie,it’s me yn….can I?”you said after knocking, waiting for her response.

After a long silence, you were about to give up and turn to leave when the door opened and Eunchae appeared,giving you a space to come in.

You watched her sit down on her bed,she patted a space for you to sit beside her.

“Eunchae unnie I bought this for you”you spoke handing her the caprisun in your hand. leaving a space for you and patting you to do so.

“I also bought you this pack of lays,I bought so many snacks because I didn’t know which one was your favorite” you said smiling shyly as you took all the snacks out of your bag.

Eunchae started to feel guilt for the way she acted earlier.

you weren’t bad and form what she could tell from the way you’ve acted so far.You’re a really nice person.

you even bought her most of her favorite things.

Eunchae started to get emotional then small tears started to drip out from her eyes.

You looked at her and caught her crying,mumbling a few words.

“Ah what do I do?,Should I get someone older” you whispered to yourself looking panicked not knowing what to do.

“Eunchae unnie please don’t cry” you pleaded grabbing box of tissues wiping her tears away.

To her,you were the cutest person.The way you were panicking and helping her to wipe her tears confronting her.

She sighed through her tears before she spoke.

“it bothered me,having a new member,younger than me and the attention the members gave you,made me feel more jealous”

“I didn't give you a single chance to have a conversation with me and now I feel bad for what I did…..I’m sorry yn” she apologized.

“I completely understand you,Getting a new member isn’t the best idea like four months after your debut..And being younger than you getting the attention of the other members” you spoke softly making Eunchae more guilty.

“Yn I’m so sorry,I should’ve acted like a responsible older sister but instead I just acted like a jerk,yn please forgive me”

“No,Eunchae unnie don’t feel that way,infact I always looked up to you as a role model during my trainee days” you said trying to cheer her up which worked.

Her eyes widened and she said.”You looked up to me as a role model?” She asked shocked.

You nodded shyly.

She pouted “you’re so cute and sweet…Can I call you yeodongsaeng(younger sister)?” She asked and you nodded happily.

She hugged you and said.

“Welcome yeodongsaeng”with her cheeks tinted in a light shade of pink.

“And Thank you,Eunchae unnie” you said between a hug and got up to leave.

but a voice interrupted you. “do you want to watch a movie?,Maybe Barbie?” She said as she watched your eyes light up and you nod happily and rapidly.

“cute” she thought to herself.

✰𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐈𝐌

[acuteobserv4tion]

I just watched Sonic 3 today.

Way too much punching, kicking, and squeeling on my part. I was in public and couldn't SCREAM.

I just have so much to say, but I'm gonna let it settle in my brain.

First and foremost, I LOVE how they handled Shadow.

Gonna be real, tho. I feel like that GUN director lady was a total waste of time. She didn't end up doing or being anything. Kinda like those two ex GUN agents in the Knuckles series. Utterly pointless.

They really gotta stop putting focus on characters in that agency when they don't matter. Looking at you, Randall.

I absolutely adored this movie. Didn't feel any wasting time beside that.

Gerald, Ivo, and Stone were extremely solid here on top of Shadow. A well-rounded opposition to our main trio.

I wanna know what Stone is gonna do now.

For some reason, I felt that Knuckles was lacking depth for a bit there, but then they pulled him right back in with the Tom stuff.

His saving grace is how he handles Sonic after what Shadow did. That was great. A great moment. Great characterization for all 3 of them in that scene. That was so real.

Tails was great throughout the entire thing. I could just feel how absolutely done he was with Eggman through the screen.

Our little buddy absolutely nailed his role.

Definitely can tell when character writing got focus. Both good and bad thing, but still, EXTREMELY happy with what we got.

I did get something spoiled for me, unfortunately, and I just kept thinking about it while in the theater, but I still had a fliptastic time.

Another thing I kept thinking about was comparisons to the story I already know, which, duh. Bound to happen, but it shouldn't impede anyone's enjoyment.

The way they handled Shadow's feelings was great. Like, actual cinema. No exaggerating that. Maria was an actual character, and this has gotta be the first time we Sonic fans were able to feel that.

That this little girl was taken. Shadow's only light.

A downside, though, is that we didn't actually get to see how Gerald was connected to either of them, which I found odd. We never even see him just pop in on the two having fun or reprimand them like the supposedly adoring grandpa he was.

There really should have been a couple of scenes of that to really drive in that they're both grieving family. Like, why did Gerald initially care about Shadow? Why was he and he alone comfortable enough with the powerful alien to the point where he lets Shadow and Maria become so close?

Literally, just have him watch in the background during that cute scene when Maria and Shadow first meet. Have him recognize Shadow as a person. Easy fix.

More spoilers:

I kinda wish they weren't afraid to allude to Maria getting shot. Or even maybe, Shadow in his burst of grief, creating a Chaos Blast that really killed other humans in the facility. They already gave us a half-baked story at the start that we would later be more informed on. Might as well hammer home that message of grief.

Speaking of which, Knuckles surprisingly didn't interact with Shadow at all. I thought they would at least reference the shared experience to help tighten the narrative.

Personally, I predicted that Knuckles and Shadow would have a short exchange, mostly via fists. But after the first fight, Knuckles wasn't used to that effect.

He kind of was just consistently used as the emergency muscle to bail us out. I think that's because the Chaos Emeralds didn't matter here. Like, at all. So, Knuckles wasn't given a specific thing to focus on, like Tails for technological aspects of the story.

A surprising change for the Emeralds after the setup of the last movie. But fair I guess, considering the wider general audience may not be ready for that.

They only have Gerald's empty weapon, but its power is fueled by a different chaotic source, which I found interesting, as well as Shadow's origin. With the way they framed Shadow's initial arrival to earth, I wonder...

Are they thinking of tackling Black Doom?

Anyway, I adored the direction they took this movie. It's a little questionable at times, but it's definitely worth the ride. Like any good movie.

Gotta say, that final Sonic and Shadow clash freaking HAD me. I'm still giddy about. Like, as I'm writing, it's been 4 hours later and I'm still jittering. I'm so happy that that part wasn't ruined for me.

The action is insane in this franchise it NEVER misses. They play into the abilities, and it is INCREDIBLE

And the inhibitor rings really came back into the fold. I wonder if the scientists made them for Shadow or if they came from his homeworld. It could be used to limit other characters' abilities. Wink.

I wonder what the next movie will be called.

I'm exploding on all this hype and narrative and turns out I'm only allowed 10 gifs per post. Stingy

So ends,

The Year of Shadow

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Handmaid's Tale: Surprise (6x06)

Oh noooooo.

Cons:

Okay... I'm... trying to reserve judgment here. What I'm worried about is that June will never forgive Nick and Nick will redeem himself for this betrayal someway with his life, and that Nick will be dead before the season is over in order to ensure June and Holly etc. are free. That's my fear. That, to me, is a more boring version of this story than I want them to tell. I want June to understand that her cavalier insistence that Nick can take care of her problems led him into a corner where his very life was at risk. He kept her safe, while betraying Mayday's plan to blow up a bunch of Commanders. Sure, we wish Nick could have been braver and stronger or more clever in some way. But this isn't a straightforward situation and I hope that the show will acknowledge that in a more direct way.

Does it seem like June was actually entertaining Nick's offer there at the end, too? Because that's bananas. Even if June would maybe dip out on Luke for Nick's sake, she wouldn't dip out on Hannah, or the other Handmaids. I don't like the suggestion that she was actually being swayed, honestly.

This episode had a couple of moments that just felt a little clunky and on-the-nose, like of course Naomi had to wake up and almost catch Joseph in the basement with Moira and June... and that moment where Joseph is preemptively gloating about the Mayday plan by telling Naomi that none of it will matter in the future... it's like, dude, be quiet. Be smarter than this. The same lack of subtlety showed when June picks up Serena's writing and sees her writing about the Handmaids and how essential they were... like, it just feels a bit too contrived.

Pros:

This show still shines for me on the strength of the performances, more so than on the strength of the individual scripts or scenes, and this episode was no different. So many juicy moments that stressed me out and/or made me feel so much.

To start, I love thinking about the interaction between June and Lawrence from Moira's point of view. They've really got such a complicated history between them, and I loved Moira trying to thank him for saving them and June's like "don't thank him!" all belligerent. She's kind of stupid, not playing nice with the people who hold her life in their hands, but I also love the idea of these two just boiling over with all these layers of resentment and the reluctant sense of trust between them. The fact is, Lawrence didn't know that June might be able to help him with his problem, when he got her and Moira out of danger. The fact is, he could have used them for political leverage and he chose not to. It's a lot!

Janine and Lydia's scene was also so complicated. I feel just absolutely zero sympathy for Aunt Lydia, like, holy shit, get your act together. How can you expect Janine or any of these women to ever forgive you? There's something so chilling about the way she still infantalizes them. "My girls" and bringing them cookies... and then she lashes out and slaps Janine in the face, then blubbers and apologizes... that scene was working for me on so many levels because at the same time that I was marveling at Lydia's delusions and heart-sore for Janine, I was worried that Janine might get a bit too volatile and let something slip about the big plan.

On that note, Janine's really become great at surviving in this world. That little scene with Nick was maybe my favorite small moment in the episode. "May, April, something like that..." as a way to ask "is June safe" and give Nick a safe way to answer her! I love how all these people who don't have a personal connection, nevertheless create this web of conspiracy and care around June. Nick and Janine, and then later when Nick sends June to Serena... it's so wild!

The same way I don't have sympathy for Lydia, I don't have sympathy for Serena! The delusion on this woman, to wonder why June won't forgive her! Girl, you serially raped her and tortured her and forced her to have sex with Nick and then tried to steal her baby, all while already having been instrumental in the kidnapping of her other daughter! Get a grip. But I do like watching Serena as this interesting example of the lies we tell ourselves. She can convince herself that this time Gilead is getting it right, she can convince herself that this marriage is a good idea. But June is right when she says that this is just a different version of Gilead that's better for Serena specifically. It's not real liberation, it's not real freedom.

Serena's got all the trappings of being truly penitent and changed. Symbolically, there's something very powerful about her sitting down to breakfast with Rita and June, her former Martha and Handmaid, around a breakfast that Serena prepared. But that symbol isn't actually enough to erase the reality, and all these women know it, deep down. I liked that June tried to rope Rita in, and she bowed out. She's trying to keep her head down and protect her family. And it's hard to blame her, I feel like I might be too scared to do anything more.

So.... Nick. I'm scared of where this is going. I feel like that flashback scene with June and Nick was a real sign that his character is going to be redeemed only by an ultimate sacrifice and that will bum me out in a major way! But still, I'm glad we got to see the two of them in that past moment, as peaceful as it was possible for them to be, fantasizing about being a couple in the normal world. And then him showing up and pulling her into that kiss, asking her to run with him to Paris... wow. Swoon.

It's potentially hokey, but that final shot of June in the closet, with the light spilling through the cut-outs in the door... like a penitent giving confession... while Nick disappears into the shadows right beside her... oof. I'm heartbroken for both of them honestly. And now Joseph is in big big danger, and June is trapped in Gilead, and Jezebel's has been shut down, which means what for Janine and the other women there? I truly have no idea what's going to happen from here! There are just four more episodes to wrap everything up.

This episode had some disappointing elements to it, to be sure. But I was still utterly captivated by the dynamic performances on the screen, and I'm excited to see the big conclusion!

7.5/10

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.231 thoughts

[Do You Remember~ The 17th Night of November~]

(Topics: criticism - pacing/narrative focus, character analysis - Gina/Feng/Julia/Billy, speculation - Soul/Ruin)

Juggling Glass and Rubber

Damn, Tozuka, you weren't lyin', that Unjustice can sweep the Master Rules!

I'll admit I am a little disappointed by this turn of events because, like I was saying the last several weeks, I expected there to be an extra wrinkle that kept Unjustice from trivializing all of the MR fights, especially the ones that hadn't actually happened yet!

Yusai I was always pretty shaky on, and since she never got much characterization going in, I'm not exactly surprised, but the rest were definitely bummers

I've said before that I'm fine with skipping the Sick fight since Rip and Latla's climax already happened, but it's not like there was nothing to be done with it, like focusing on Sick's desire for revenge or having Rip look back on the mistakes he made in L100

Same thing with Billy and Tatiana's reunion - technically the climax of their joint arc was at the end of L100 when they promised to stay by each other's side until death, but I always thought of that as the setup to an upcoming payoff, not the payoff itself. It's definitely still salvageable here, but I think having Tatiana come in to save Billy when he's having trouble would have felt a lot more cathartic if it was focused on and analyzed rather than just...happening. Some insight as to why Billy was having trouble using Unjustice, like perhaps being overloaded with too many new Rules or reconciling with the choices he'd made, would have given Tatiana something internal to save him from as well as something external

I guess my issue here is that we're not really getting to see the effects that Remember is having on the cast as a whole, which I think would have better served as the focus here. I don't know if it's that Tozuka has been given a set number of chapters to work with by Jump or what, but it seems likely that Tozuka had ideas for how he wanted to execute everyone's arcs and fights but had to prioritize who to give the lion's share of the focus to for the sake of maximizing narrative impact

Case in point, the characters who he did manage to analyze here each had a pretty unique interaction with Remember

Remember Who You Are

Despite how brief their scenes are here, I do think that Gina and Feng's moments illustrate Remember's value remarkably well

Gina starts referring to everyone by the old nicknames she used for them in L100, only to amend "L'il Lucky" back to just "Fuuko," directly demonstrating the mental gap between the present and past. Gina naturally picks up her old habit, but isn't restricted by it. The respect and love she has for Fuuko goes beyond what can be expressed by a cute nickname, and those feelings were forged through L101 Gina's relationship with Fuuko. It's subtle, but it's a nice little cherry on top of Gina's arc

Feng, meanwhile, is noted to be getting stronger as Time ages him. This could be taken two ways: either he's stronger because of Remember and Time misread the situation, OR because Feng knows that he would have spent his time training and improving, his body, mind and soul are developing proportionally rather than being aged in a vacuum. The latter is thematically appropriate to countering Time's philosophy that age's function is to weed out those who have outlived their usefulness, while the former is a direct result of all of Feng's accumulated years across loops compounding simultaneously. Could be a little of both, honestly

What's even better about Feng's moment, though, is what he says in response to Julia's help: "I'm not deserving of your charity." In the past, Feng definitely would have been mad about getting help, resenting the idea that anyone thought he couldn't hack it on his own, but that's not what he said here. He believes he's done nothing to earn Julia's aid, that whatever Time was going to do to him, he had coming, and this is certainly because he remembers what he did. All of the people that he's ever killed, the lives that he ruined, especially his own son's, he now knows and can look back on from the perspective of having just abandoned the mentality he had back then

If Feng still believed in individual strength before receiving Remember, he probably would have looked back on the failures of his past as the results of his own physical weakness, not because of a flawed philosophy. Instead, Feng has already proven that he's stronger now after learning the true value of his age and legacy, so while he can still improve thanks to the lessons he can learn from his past self, the current Feng is able to retain his new outlook because he has an objective point of comparison that this was the farthest he ever made it

These are the sorts of subtle advancements I wanted to see from the whole cast, and again, while we still can see them, I think having a chapter dedicated to showing each little vignette would have been more effective than either breaking them up like this or showing such a notable imbalance between them

At the very least, though, even without being the primary focus of the chapter, Julia's interaction with Remember is far and away the most interesting one

Welcome Back, Juiz

Julia's behavior just before and after Fuuko actives Remember easily provides the most contrast of everyone and best demonstrates the tremendous growth rate that Remember allows

Prior to Remember, Julia was only able to use Unjustice involuntarily. To great effect, mind you, but still by accident: first when she stopped Soul's attack, and (seemingly) second, when she used it to reduce the damage of Soul's attack and ride it back to the surface. It's not explicitly stated that that's what happened here, but if Soul's intention was to kill Julia with that, he really dropped the ball, so I choose to believe that his bloodlust was negated by Unjustice

Afterwards, Julia was using Unjustice like a pro. She dropped War down a phase, got Time to bring Feng back to his prime, and even got Death to take out Luck, a feat that Fuuko objectively wouldn't have been able to accomplish with Unluck alone since Luck would have been able to avert Death's inadvertent attack with his good fortune. The most impressive part to me, though, is that she was able to channel Unjustice into her soul!

By putting Unjustice in her saber, Julia effectively injected Unjustice directly into Change's body, ensuring that she couldn't live by her own philosophy of constant change, even if Julia wasn't physically there to make visual contact. Juiz never learned soul manipulation, and Julia only just now mastered Unjustice thanks to her memories, so the fact that Julia was able to integrate those two abilities into such a high level technique is proof that her current self has in no way been overtaken by Juiz's memories, the most major worry that everyone had for Remember's use

That's not to say that none of Juiz's experiences made it to Julia, she still did remember Juiz's entire life after all. Beyond just Juiz's techniques and physical abilities, Julia went from panicking over Soul's attacks and Victor's injuries to calmly and confidently taking out the MRs one by one. She knows now what she's capable of and the weight that she carries, and she remembers what kind of relationships she had with everyone else. This is likely why she went to Billy first - both to give him access to Unjustice to make him stronger and to remind him that, despite their pasts, they aren't enemies anymore

The look of shock on Billy's face suggests that he was paralyzed by the realization of his past actions, and it's Julia's words that snap him back into the present and bring a smile back to his face. That's really what I was talking about earlier; giving Billy an internal conflict with his memories would have provided an angle that no one else really had while also allowing him a stronger character moment with both Julia and Tatiana

Still, even if it's a weaker moment than it could have been, I do appreciate Julia's direct acknowledgment of Billy as an ally, as it at least subtly harkens back to their previous encounter. Where previously Billy stole Unjustice and lost the ability to use it after Juiz had some time to think about his motivations as an enemy, this time Julia is willingly entrusting Unjustice to Billy as an ally

Actually, I wonder if perhaps that's why Tozuka had Billy fail to use Unjustice on Sick, because he is still fighting that internal conflict...for now, I'll choose to believe that Tozuka has that in his back pocket, but I won't be redacting any of my criticisms until he makes good on that, as this review is based on my immediate interpretations and I don't want to erase all of this and redo it...

Along the same lines, not only does Tozuka still have a backdoor for analyzing Billy, he also still has one for giving us some more cool moments for the rest of the Master Rules as well

Put Me Back in, Coach!

Despite one-shotting seven MRs all at once, Julia didn't actually manage to clear the field. The Union's gearing up to face Sun, but they seem to be forgetting: they didn't actually beat Soul. He's still in the Roundtable Room, and he's undoubtedly more pissed than ever

I'm not sure if I would have caught this on my own before seeing their post on this, but Webmantis on twitter pointed out that the MRs' souls must all have been sent to Subspace, the cosmic waiting room that all souls go too between loops. They note that, since Soul hasn't entered Phase 3 yet, he'll most likely be able to bring everyone back

However, they also note that doing so would be an odd narrative choice, as it would make Julia's steamrolling seem kinda pointless. Why bother killing off a bunch of characters just to revive them in the next chapter?

Fortunately, I think I've come up with the perfect answer to that very question!

Firstly, it's to show off Julia's post-Remember Unjustice; we were promised a sweep, and Tozuka made good on it in spectacular fashion. Second, and more importantly, their deaths are necessary for Soul to reach Phase 3

Fuel for the Fire

You may recall from a few weeks ago that I described the mechanism that the MRs use to reach Phase 3 is absorbing their Rule directly: Change absorbed the change in her shape when she was cut in half, Time absorbed Shen's lifespan, War absorbed Billy and Tella's violence, Justice absorbed Yusai's resolve, etc. This is why Death only just now reached Phase 3, because no one was dying the entire battle until she was forced to personally kill Luck, and Luck was likely being prevented from absorbing any fortune by Unluck

So now that all of the MRs other than Soul are dead, their souls are free of their vessels. I don't know if their vessels were actually preventing Soul from accessing their souls, but since he seems to consider the others his friends, he probably didn't want to resort to absorbing them either way, but now? It doesn't matter if he could or couldn't before, now he has to, otherwise it's all for nothing

Now, the question may be how he'll be able to reach them. Webmantis' proposition was that reaching Phase 3 would give Soul access to Subspace, but I'm saying that he won't be able to reach Phase 3 without the souls that are there - that's a pretty clear logical paradox

Well, not to speculate too much, but I think we already have our answer to that one too: Soul's finally going to change

Another topic I've been going on and on about lately is the stagnation and inflexibility of the Rules, the most notable being Soul's rejection that souls are connected. However, Soul saw that new facet of his Rule be added in real time, by Negators that aren't even his vessel. The only one who should have control over his Rule is himself, and yet he's seen others interact with their souls through reinterpretation time and again (Andy vs. Ghost, Gina vs. Change, etc.). In other words, he should know full well by now that his Rule isn't as set in stone as he once thought, and if everyone else can control their souls through their perspective, then why couldn't Soul himself?

With the lesson that Julia just taught him about souls, Soul can connect himself to his fallen comrades and drag them back from Subspace (or prevent them from reaching it in the first place), and achieve Phase 3 by adding their souls to his own. Whether this would mean gaining power over their Rules or reviving them is another question, but at the very least it would show tremendous growth in his character

I'll go into more detail on this if it comes to pass, but Soul learning to change his perspective on his Rule would make him more like the Negators, more like a human. This would also make him the most well-rounded and developed UMA to date, which I think would more than make up for any loss of characterization among the rest of them

Now, I would definitely prefer that he brings back the MRs, if only so we can see Luck's Phase 3 (c'mon, he's Fuuko's foil for cryin' out loud!!!), but even if he just integrates them into himself, I think that would create the perfect parallel to give the final member of the Union a chance to demonstrate his growth

The Man Who Would be King

While fighting Soul, Sun and Luna are all clearly the most important boxes to check off right now, there's still one more that Tozuka alluded to in this chapter: Ruin's return

How Remember will affect him exactly, I won't speculate on, but I think it will give him the final push he needs to join the Union and help fight God. If my previous speculation about Soul comes to pass, then that would make Soul the ideal matchup for Ruin

Not only would they have the parallels of being "multiple souls in one body," it would also be the ultimate payoff to Ruin's designation as The King of Negators. If Soul is Master Rule #1, then it's Ruin's destiny as the Negator King to negate all of the Master Rules in his reformation and rebellion against the God he so thanklessly devoted his life to

This would also present the opportunity for Ruin to reform the MRs too and unify both Negator and UMA as I've speculated on before, but again, I don't want to go too far into it here. As it stands, this is just me making things up, and I don't want to either raise my hopes too high OR preemptively run out of things to say, but the parallel is so interesting that I can't help but get excited by the possibility

Conclusion

As always, it's entirely possible that I'm wrong about all of this. Maybe Soul's gonna try to go Phase 3 and self-destruct because of Unjustice; maybe Soul is gonna fuse with Sun in Phase 3 and they'll become "SOL;" maybe Kururu's going to use Unchaste to aggro Sun into shooting Soul dead. I don't know. There's always a chance that what we get isn't as interesting as what we envision; the best we can do is be open to what we do get rather than insisting it has to be the way we want

If there's one thing I hope I've gotten across with this review, it's that I don't want to get hung up on the negatives, but I also don't want to just ignore them either. I am disappointed that certain plot points are being glossed over, and that's a valid response for any of us to have, but I'm not going to go so far as to say this was a bad chapter because of it. Good things definitely still happened within this chapter, and there's plenty of chance that good things will come out of what this chapter set up

As I said, all there is to do now is be patient and open-minded. If this ends up just being a lull in an otherwise fantastic finale, so be it. If it ends up being the start of a rushed mess, so be it. The only way to know is to be there to see it

Until then, let's enjoy life!

[real-reulbbr-band]

@godnattakatta asked for my favorite Victoria actresses in a previous message so here they all are!

Hyla Mayrose Wright (US Tour 6, 2021)

Her Victoria takes and her understanding of her overall are just so intriguing to me, I feel like she understands who Victoria is but also what can be expanded about her, like her saying Victoria has an actual connection to the Jellicle moon itself was everything to me and it still is, because it makes sense; the moon can symbolizes femininity but also (at least in some interpretations) the ebb and flow of time, which relates quite well to Victoria’s arc of coming of age. Focusing on her performance though, I kept finding myself looking for her in the crowd- she has such cute background interactions with the other jellicles that each have their own uniqueness to them, like she thought of how Victoria feels about each and everyone. Granted, the US Tours do seem to have had some direction to further character interactions among the cast but Hyla’s really stuck out to me. I was so focused on her during the ball- which I think is saying a lot since so much happens in the US tour choreography she’s just so fun to watch and can really capture your attention.

Georgina Pazcoguin (2016, Broadway revival)

Her expressions during the white cat solo are everything- and she really evokes the feeling of being captured by these strange feelings she's having and still being intrigued by them as much as she's nervous. She wants to and then does surrender to the feelings, and her heavy breathing by the end of the solo (whether intentional or just because of exhaustion) I think adds a really nice touch. I'm really partial to her expression at the end of the solo and how she interacts with Mistoffelees afterwards. Very good stuff but no surprise since it was directed by Gillian Lynne! Also she's what drew me to Victoria in the first place so I have to include her.

Hanna Kenna Thomas (Various London productions and Vienna revival)

Her Victoria comes off a little more playful and even sassy to me, which is really fun to watch. A notable moment for me is when she's encouraging Jemima to play with Jenny's tail and whenever she interacts with Munk. I also like the subtlety of her acting during the solo, she moves very beautifully and her expressions when lowering into the splits- so good. I also think she has an overall excellent reading on Victoria (though I do disagree with one thing she said) but I do think she's ultimately right that there is an innocence in discovering yourself and your body for the first time and it's beautifully presented in the solo.

Honorable mentions: 

Ellis Van Evert (Amsterdam and Original Paris Production)

Ellis really embodies the "Unselfconscious" trait the best for me, like she doesn't even expect the pas de deux to happen because she's so deeply caught with these feelings inside and overall she's just really cute. Particularly during Skimble’s song, she’s very excited about creating the train and being in the front, she starts twirling with the cowcatcher- again super cute. Like on my first watch of cats Paris I was taking physical notes and pausing every other second because I was so into her performance.

Ebony Jayne Kitts (RCCL Cast 12) 

Ebony’s performance as Victoria, to me, really showcases the ‘loving life’ aspects of Victoria’s character and just seeing her perform makes me happy, her Victoria is so smiley and cute she’s become a newer favorite of mine. She has this very timid but excited energy during the pas de deux which is very fun to see and her acting flows very well with her movements during the white cat solo. I’ll admit there’s some small bias here because I did see Ebony perform live, it just wasn’t as Victoria but even then her movements were so fluid and gorgeous to watch just like the clips I’ve seen.

 I don’t think there are any Victoria performances I dislike- so I like just about any Victoria, as long as the performer gets those key moments down like the white cat solo and Grizabella’s first touch I’m happy.

[seiya-starsniper]

hi!! for the flower prompts, can i ask for coreopsis and lucienne/calliope? and could i ask that lucienne is the one being comforted? i feel like that's much rarer to see in fics involving her. thank you so much! <3 (and i promise i'm working on your prompt fill too--i'm a slow-ass writer and i got more requests than i expected 😅)

Okay so this is embarrassing, but yesterday I wrote a whole gault and lucienne thing before I re-read your ask and realized you had asked for calliope and lucienne LMAO. But fear not, the other story will pop up at some point for femslash weekend 😅😅😅

Enjoy the feels trip my friend, I really enjoyed writing this!

Flower Prompt Game!

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

When Calliope falls to sleep one night, she cannot help the little gasp that escapes her lips as she finds herself walking through the stacks of the Library in the Dreaming.

Calliope has not been here since she was married to Oneiros thousands of years ago. He had barred her from the realm when she left him, and in turn, she was content to never dream, had preferred the dull gray sleep that kept her from dreaming of their once happy life.

She had missed dreaming dearly when she was held prisoner.

Now they are both free, and it seems her former husband has lifted his sanction on her presence. Calliope had known that imprisonment had greatly changed her former husband, had made him kinder, more open, more. As she stares at the beauty of these priceless volumes, and their infinitely high shelves, she finds herself growing emotional at the beauty and wonder of what her old paramour has built. 

Perhaps one day, when they are ready to discuss their sorrow, they will walk through here to ease the pain. Perhaps they could even be friends. But for now she is content to wander by herself and refamiliarize herself with what was perhaps her favorite part of the Dreaming other than Fiddler’s Green.

Calliope is running her fingers along the spines of unpublished stories, trying to decide what she would like to read, when she suddenly hears a high pitched noise that sounds like a hiccup or a sob. As she stills her breathing to better listen for the noise, she realizes it is indeed the sound of someone crying, and trying not to be so loud. For even how soft the sound, it still echoes throughout the Library.   

Calliope walks towards the direction of the crying, careful to keep her footsteps light and quiet so as not to startle the other occupant of the Library. It does not take long for the source of the noise to reveal itself. 

In a large, violet armchair with a high back sits Lucienne, who is bent over a rather large book and weeping openly over it. 

Calliope has never seen Lucienne cry before. They had interacted some when she was still married to Oneiros, but the other woman had always kept her at arm’s length, preferring to stay polite and cordial rather than try to win her favor or pursue a deeper relationship with her. Her coldness had stung Calliope at the time, but after the marriage fell apart, Calliope realized that Lucienne must have seen Oneiros through many a lover, and perhaps may have been avoiding a friendship with her to protect her own heart from despair when things inevitably ended.

She thinks now that she has been given the perfect opportunity to rectify the situation. 

“What troubles you, my dear?” Calliope asks, making her way slowly towards the chair where Lucienne is sitting. Lucienne jerks as if struck, and when she sees Calliope, she immediately pulls out a small handkerchief from her breast pocket to wipe away her tears. 

“Lady Calliope!” Lucienne exclaims in surprise as she continues to dab at her face furiously. “My apologies for having you witness something so unsightly.”

Calliope smiles and gently reaches out to still Lucienne’s hand. Up close, she can see that Lucienne is still as stunning and lovely as she remembers, even in the throes of despair. Her amber eyes are shining not just with sadness, but also awe and disbelief. She most likely was not aware that Oneiros had lifted his ban on her presence.

“It is quite all right Lucienne,” Calliope replies gently, offering what she hopes is a reassuring smile. “One should not be ashamed of their emotions. It is quite all right to cry, especially in front of others.”

“Thank you,” Lucienne says. She turns her palms to grip Calliope’s own, and Calliope is struck by warm the librarian’s hands are. “I appreciate your honesty and thoughtfulness on the matter,” Lucienne adds, a small smile beginning to peak at her own face. 

“Would you be willing to tell me what has created such a response?” Calliope asks. “For how long I was married to Oneiros, I had not once seen you cry. Perhaps I could offer you some comfort, if that is something you’d desire.”

Lucienne nods eagerly and closes her eyes. A soft glow envelops the chair she is sitting in and within moments it has expanded into a sofa. Calliope accepts the invitation and sits down, only mourning a little bit that that action requires her to withdraw her hands from Lucienne’s. She misses the warmth already. 

“This book,” Lucienne starts, gesturing to the volume in her lap, “is the unfinished novel of a woman whose husband murdered her in a fit of rage.”

Calliope curses under her breath. “Writing was her only escape from her way of life,” she replies, understanding dawning on her. How many women had Calliope herself influenced with the gift of creativity, a pitiful consolation for their terrible misfortune to marry men who did not appreciate them?

“That’s right,” Lucienne confirms. “Her writing is…well it is marvelous and raw and I found myself quite caught up in the story of the heroine. But then I reached the last page and it was—unfinished. I had known it would be and yet I was still not prepared. And now no one will ever be able to read and appreciate her story.”

Calliope nods sympathetically. “She did not deserve her fate, and it is only right that you mourn the loss of her talent along with her life,” she says. “May I?” she adds, reaching to take the novel from Lucienne’s lap. 

Lucienne nods her assent, and they sit there peacefully for a time as Calliope begins to read. 

When she reaches the unfinished pages, Calliope too, finds herself in tears. 

“Thank you,” she says, turning to Lucienne and taking the other woman’s face in her hands. “For sharing this with me. It is, as you said, a great loss to the Waking that this will never be published. But now it lives on here, in your quarter, along with the stories of billions of other women whose stories have been lost. The dreamers who visit you need only read these books in sleep to be able to carry them back over to the Waking World.”

Lucienne inhales sharply and closes her eyes, her whole body trembling with emotion. When she reopens them, her eyes shine with tears once more, but there is now a new determination in them that takes Calliope’s breath away. 

“I had not previously looked at it that way,” Lucienne says, “I had always believed these stories would remain lost, forevermore, with only me to appreciate them.”

Calliope smiles. “And now?” she asks.

“Now,” Lucienne says, returning a smile so radiant Calliope thinks she may go blind. “Now I feel even more invigorated to invite the dreamers to spend their time here.”

“I am glad,” Calliope says, and moments later she wakes up. 

Calliope sighs as the morning light streams through her windows, feeling more rested now than she has felt in months. She brings her hands to her face, wondering if the warmth of Lucienne’s hands had carried through to the Waking World. 

She sits up eventually and stretches, then moves to start getting ready to go about her day. She thinks she will visit the women’s college today, and sit in on a creative writing lecture. She could feel that it was going to be a good day for inspiration.

[esta-elavaris]

Flufftober Day 28: Soothing Touch ~ Ulfric Stormcloak/F!Dragonborn [1,339 words]

My Flufftober '23 masterpost can be found here 💜✨

Elsa prowled into the Palace of Kings with a smirk on her face, a couple of fresh scars, and plenty of new stories to tell. Which was exactly how she liked it. High King Ulfric Stormcloak sat on his throne, with no small number of folk gathered in the hall to seek some favour or another from him, and so she decided he could be forgiven for not noticing her arrival. Galmar, however, did – and his responding chuckle was loud enough to draw Ulfric’s attention, who looked to him, and then followed his gaze to Elsa as she approached.

“Dragonborn,” he greeted, low voice rumbling out above all other voices in the hall.

The merchant he’d interrupted seemed miffed at first, but then he registered what Ulfric had said and all heads whipped around to look at her. She liked that just fine – it made clearing a path to the throne easier. Sauntering forth, she dipped into a half-bow, hand pressed to her chest.

“My king.”

“It’s been some time. There were rumours that you’d been killed,” he considered her slowly.

“Did you believe them?”

He offered a low, reverberating chuckle. “Not a chance.”

Elsa glanced in the direction of the merchant, and then around the crowd gathered who seemed to watch the interaction with bated breath, not wanting to so much as cough lest they miss a word. When she looked back to Ulfric, she found his eyes had not strayed an inch from her.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said.

And she almost sounded apologetic for it.

“Business has run late,” he replied. “But I believe Wuunferth wishes to consult you on some artefact he found.”

A lovely, convenient excuse for her to walk through the war room and up into the living quarters of the palace, right before the eyes of all those here. Elsa smiled. How she’d missed him.

To her credit, she did go to Wuunferth once she’d jogged up the stony steps that led to the sleeping chambers of those chosen enough to live within the palace itself. But only to sell him a few rare, enchanted artefacts she’d come across for a very steep price – and, as she’d suspected, he had nothing to consult her on. By the time she was done, and her pack was a good deal lighter, Jorleif had found her.

“The Jarl has ordered for a bath to be drawn for you, my lady,” he greeted, before adding quietly, “in his chambers.”

Well, she supposed he saw no use in being subtle when it came to servants of his own household.

The bath, kept scalding hot with a few artful fire spells, worked the cold out of her bones and the soreness from her muscles so well that she had only just climbed out of it by the time she heard Ulfric’s voice in the hallway outside. Wrapped in an abundant amount of soft linen, steam rose steadily from her skin as she sat before the fire, content to air-dry as she dragged a comb through her dripping hair.

Finally, the High King of Skyrim slipped into the room, closing and locking the door behind him for good measure. Elsa had just enough energy to feign an unconvincing look of surprise.

“Did I wander into your chambers instead of the guest wing? I do apologise, your majesty. That Jorleif – always up to mischief.”

He chuckled, casting aside his heavy fur-laden coat and then making quick work of the chestplate beneath with an efficiency that belied his haste. Finally, when he was done, he approached, extending one large hand towards her. Elsa grasped it and brought his knuckles to her lips – like a supplicant.

“Stop that,” Ulfric scoffed, wrapping his fingers around hers and hauling her up.

Elsa allowed it, and then she was in his arms – glad he’d disposed of his armour so that she could feel him pressed against her as she dropped the bullshit and wrapped her arms around him. One of his arms remained wrapped tightly about her waist as if fearing she’d run off again the moment he let go, but the other roamed up the curve of her spine, across her bare shoulders and up into her hair, caring not for the water still clinging to her.

All but purring, she melted into the touch, sighing her contentment. Out there, none touched her unless they intended to kill her. It was easy to forget what this was like. Often because she made sure to do so, by force of necessity. Ulfric felt the same, she knew he did, for few ever touched him without wanting something. A kiss on his hand that preceded a beg. Elsa, however, never asked him for anything. He gave her much, that was true, but she never asked for it. She never would.

He was so wrapped up in touching her �� making sure she was here, real and warm and breathing, that it seemed to take him a moment to remember to kiss her. It was funny how, upon each reunion, it simultaneously felt like years since he’d last kissed her but also mere seconds, his lips pressing harshly against hers as he stole the air from her lungs.

When they parted, it was only so he could lead her to the bed, although he made no move to unwrap her from her linen, nor remove more of his clothing. The backs of his knees hit the edge of the enormous bed and he sat, pulling her so that she straddled him and then he buried his face in her hair, keeping her there as he held her tightly. Relief washed over her, the same way it would when she drank her first gulp of water after a battle, or had her first bite of food after being forced to go without without for days. Elsa returned the grip fiercely, thinking of little other than that he was here, as she’d pined for in every godforsaken ruin and cave across Skyrim. And that she’d run through any who tried to interrupt them now.

“I forgot what this was like,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

“I must strive to make a more memorable bedfellow,” he remarked drily.

“Not that. This,” she squeezed, to illustrate her point.

“…If you didn’t stay away for so long, it might be easier to remember,” he murmured. “If you stayed, you’d have no chance to forget.”

“You want to install me as your mistress, is that it?”

“The Dragonborn would be a fitting High Queen of Skyrim,” he corrected. “And I could hope for no finer queen than you.”

“I’m not made for queening. For growing soft in a palace, eating that which I did not procure for myself, pretending to care for merchant squabbles.”

“There is more than one way to be a queen, Elsa. Particularly in Skyrim, and especially if you were to be my queen. Unless you think me soft and idle.”

The joke was right there, waiting to be said. A lack of hardness was never one of your problems, or some such nonsense. But to retreat into that would be taken as an insult…and he’d be right to do so. Instead, she sighed quietly and said nothing.

“Am I making progress with my case, then?” he hedged.

“What makes you say that?”

“The first time I broached this matter, you left immediately thereafter and I did not see you for half a year.”

He did not know, and she didn’t tell him, that she’d returned expecting to find him wed off to some truly suitable candidate. Nor did she tell him that she had no idea whether she, at the time, desired or dreaded to find that such had been the case. And she certainly didn’t divulge that she now knew she’d have been sick if it had come to fruition.

“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly, glad he could not see her face.

And Ulfric smiled – because no doubt he heard the temptation in her voice.

Links: AO3 -- FF.net -- flufftober masterpost -- dividers by cafekitsune

[atopearth]

Piofiore: Episodio 1926 Part 5 - Dante Falzone Route

I swear the first CG of every route is always the best one. Lili in that dress with Dante protecting her is soo beautiful! Anyway, I always hate the higher ups in the Falzone family, they're so annoying to everyone and give no constructive feedback, they just whine😪 I'm excited to see Raul interact with Nicola and Dante though! Excuse me??? Little Dante snuggling with a cat is the most adorable thing ever!! Is Teo like stalking Lili? He's everywhere lol! Anyway, it's nice to see Lili and Dante fight. I feel like they haven't had time to talk much at all so it's understandable that they would both get annoyed at the other since they both dance around each other not wanting the other to worry all the time. One thing I have been enjoying is how Henri has been seeing Dante for who he is rather than as the Falzone boss.

The purge was quite interesting, especially since apparently there was one that was done years ago when people kept trying to assassinate Dante and he was forced to. Not surprised Raul's parents were a part of the traitors back then. I guess I am disappointed at how weak these other Falzone executives are though. On the other hand, it's cute seeing Dante want to spend as much time with Lili and tell her how important she is to him and how she motivates him everyday with her smile haha. Nicola treating Lili as a sister and her treating him as a brother is so cute! It's so nice how their love for Dante connects them and I'm glad Nicola trusts her now haha. I feel sorry for Henri. He knows it's unreasonable to hate on Dante for his father, Silvio's actions, but now that Silvio is dead, who can he direct his hatred towards? He loved his sister, Chloe, but her life was forced to bend to her role as the Key Maiden without allowing her to live a life of her own, and when she thought that Silvio wouldn't abandon her considering they're "fated" and that he most likely slept with her, he didn't even think about choosing her. It must have been so cruel and terrible for Henri to see his sister change because of "love" and be ruined because of it, and even end up dying for it. I'm glad that Silvio truly loved Dante's mother, Beatrice though, because that's what I felt from the flashbacks. He was still an ass for how he treated people before he met her, but I guess at least Dante can at least believe in Silvio's love for his mother and his family?

Gil and Dante punching each other like children was cuter than I expected. It's nice to see that in this world of mafia, Gil and Dante actually really like each other and want to try their best to not hurt each other and their families. Honestly, I do feel bad that Teo's life sucked, and as usual, it was all because of the church! No one has happy memories of this church so everyone should just destroy it lol. Anyway, considering how much he had to suffer and Lili is the only thing alive that exists from his 'past' before all the torture and brainwashing, it can't be helped that he would direct his hatred towards her. In a way, he's similar to Henri. However, unlike with Henri, I sympathise and empathise with him much less and honestly fail to care for him as much as I would like to. I'm glad Henri is here to tell Teo that if Lili never existed, he wouldn't have even been adopted and had these happy memories of his. It annoys me that Henri had to die though, that was cruel. As for the tragic ending, I know that Lili's death was supposed to be like a shock at the last minute, but I found it so silly that with his last breath, the thing Gil would want to do is kill Lili when he wasn't even that into doing this whole killing thing. As for the other bad endings, it's honestly so petty of Teo to keep killing Lili without even talking to her.

Overall, in terms of being a villain, Teo was very disappointing. I won't say it wasn't understandable because to be basically tortured and brainwashed your whole life after having your nice adopted family killed for being the parents of the Key Maiden is pretty terrible and I'm sure him witnessing it as a kid must have traumatised him pretty badly. But as a Dante said, just because Lili doesn't show it doesn't mean she was always happy and never suffered. She suffered never knowing if she had a family, getting kidnapped, and living a life she had no control of either. Anyway, I liked Henri's role in the story because he's definitely much more fleshed out and understandable especially his agony with himself and the Falzone for causing his sister's death, but unable to find a way to deal with this hatred. I think it would have been more interesting to explore that rather than Teo tbh. As for the romance, it's nice to see Lili and Dante communicating much more honestly with each other, but it's just crappy that Dante was always so busy haha. Personally, it was cute but at the same time bland when coupled with the boring Raul and other executives trying to overthrow Dante, but I did like Dante showing a bit more of his decisiveness as a mafia boss, but really too soft and kind in the end. It wasn't a bad route and was better than the original, but honestly not much to say.

[future-dregs]

For fic wip asks:

Cut Off Your Left Arm

It's An Angry Summer

Untitled Document 1

You, and You, and Me

(if they haven't been done already 🫡)

Cut Off Your Left Arm

"You said you would be my general, Gintoki!"

"…you were my general."

"And then you left me all alone." 

"I don't know 'Zura', anymore. He's lost underneath Katsura!"

Back straight, palms pressed flat against the shingles, as if he could push his way through to the ground, Gin sits on the eave of a quiet house. It's occupants are gone for the day, and the wind tangles his hair ever more so, as he waits for the words to stop repeating themselves.

Guilt. It pricks uneasily at him.

'Zura had been angry today, his rantings and beseechments personal. When he kept his spiels at the recruitment stage, then Gin could blow him off and ignore him, perhaps aggravate him out the door, or mindlessly pick his nose until 'Zura either gave up and left, or gave up and threw himself down beside him on the couch, snatching away his Jump on the way down.

A wrinkled and thieved Jump was a small price to pay for 'Zura shutting up about Joui for awhile, though complete silence was too much to ask from someone who read as…interactively, as 'Zura did.

But when he was as he was today…that was a different matter entirely.

When he brought up their pasts, dragged forward the soldiers that 'Zura never could bear to leave behind, and his anger, both righteous and hurt, came boiling out, directed in its vehemence directly at Gin…

Those where the days when he simply left.

He let 'Zura follow him around the house, waving his arms and crying out to him, and then he just walked right out the door, as if no one else was even there.

The clay tiles crack, and Gin's eyes snap back into focus. He's surprised, 'Zura had never followed before. Never all the way to his secret places.

Wordlessly, 'Zura seats himself beside him, and leans his shoulder into Gin's.

Gin has half a mind to complain about how boney it is, but his fingers have already found 'Zura's wrist by this point, and the window of opportunity is gone.

--

This is a Gintama fic about Gin and Katsura's time in the war, and the complicated relationship they have after it. Katsura being hurt and angry, feeling abandoned, but still not totally giving up on Gin or on the hope he has that they could be a duo again. And Gin feeling guilt for leaving Katsura and his men, but still standing by his decision, even though he misses how he and Katsura used to be too.

It's An Angry Summer

Ah.

John grins. He knows what this is. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Though he is a little bit surprised that it's so soon for Sam.

He cuffs Sam's ear and slides an arm across his son's thin shoulders, giving him a good natured hearty shake.

"Your time will come, Sammy. Grow a bit and keep fighting with your brother, put that muscle on, girls'll like you too, the way they like Dean."

Sam rolls his eyes. Not his primary concern here!

Yeah, he'd love to be taller than Dean, make him climb on a kitchen chair and jump for schoolbooks for once, but his issue isnt that, or even all the girls that crowd around Dean at school or watch him show off on the high dive or play with his necklace, mimicking TV and their mothers in an adolescent attempt at seduction that nobody likes, even Dean, who'll chuckle uncomfortably and partially cover it with his hand. Sam notices when he does this and rewards him with half of his candy bar. He'd give him a whole, but that would make Dean suspicious, and Sam's pavlovian experiment won't work if Dean cottons on to it.

No, it's none of those things. Sam can deal with those.

It's Tim fucking Werther.

Since when does Dean have friends?! Much less friends who bring him car magazines, and magazines with girls in them, and who Dean's always hanging out with in the park or at the pool or that weird abandoned lot that Sam is sure must be haunted but he and Dean took the meter around and turned nothing up, because Dean doesn't want to take him back to the motel. Is embarrassed about the water stains and the stale cigarettes and the double bed that he and Sam have to share now that their Dad is around.

Dean doesn't get embarrassed! He gets pissed!

He knocks kids teeth out and bends the wheels on their bikes and sends them home with cuts and bruises and bloody noses if they ever say anything about his brother or his house or his dad.

He keeps a tight lip around adults. They both know the fear of CPS, but he doesn't let some fucking Tim make him feel embarrassed!

--

This one is BRAND new. I worked it up this morning.

This is weechesters fic wherein Dean gets a friend and Sam hates it (and the boy). Could be seen as wincest, but I'm writing it with platonic jealousy in mind. Sam doesn't have friends, he only has Dean, so why does Dean get to have a friend? Especially one that sucks and is way worse than Sam? I really really love jealous or possessive child/teenage Sam, so this idea is really fun for me. Also Sam is spending the summer trying out various psychological tricks on Dean. Who among us hasn't got hold of an old book and tried it out on our siblings? Dean is 14 and Sam is 10 and embarrassed for him.

The title is a work in progress. I may or may not end up keeping it.

Untitled Document 1

Sam had sewed up the hole in his back.

Even though it didn't matter anymore, after a lifetime, and oh, had it turned into someone's lifetime, of tending to his brother, there was no way he could leave him like that, even if only to the pyre.

So he carried him to the car, the backseat holding him like a stillborn.

He washed his body. Clothes stripped and set aside, a washcloth dipped and lowered, slid and repeated until Dean was as cold and clean and still as marble.

And Sam held him.

He couldn't help it, and he didn't try not to.

He laid in the bed he'd laid Dean out in, and buried his face into the now unyielding column of his neck, and he tucked up against Dean, scared as a child.

He kissed the back of his neck, and his left ear. He got up, and kissed the closed marbles that had once been eyes and and the mouth that he wished more than anything would be pink again.

He crushed himself against the front of Dean's body, as if his own desperate heat could make him warm once again, undoing this last, worst, time. But Dean's hands didn't come up to card through Sam's hair, ruffling playfully and squeezing his neck. His fingers had become so stiff, that Sam couldn't thread the two of theirs together anymore.

--

Again, could be a wincest, but isnt SPECIFICALLY written that way.

I became obsessed with the thought of Sam laying out Dean's body after he died in the finale, what preparations would look like done at home and by someone who is absolutely Not Going To Be Normal About It. So this just an examination of that. Walking through a missing scene and pulling apart Sam's thoughts and emotions now that he's left alone. To be honest I really want to wallow in his grief and misery. Really drag it out and feel it.

You, and You, and Me

"The boss has never been kissed? Well I can take care of that."

Hawks saunters over to the couch where Shigaraki is sitting, swings himself over his legs so he's sitting in his lap, places a hand on chest and says, "Don't disintegrate me, m'kay?"

Then he kisses him.

He kisses him slowly, delicately. When he pulls away, it's just enough so that he can speak.

"There y'go."

His breath puffs gently against Shigaraki's skin.

Shigaraki just stares at him with wide eyes, and doesn't say anything. When Hawks tries to get up and leave, his hand stops him, but he still doesn't speak.

Hawks bends his neck and peers up at him. "I think I broke him."

"Oh please."

Dabi sounds categorically unimpressed.

"Your kisses aren't so great, you just shocked him. There's a difference."

--

There's not much to say about this one. It's an old, VERY indulgent ShigaDabiHawks fic from My Hero Academia, and basically Hawks and Dabi makeout with Shigaraki in really competitive way to one up each other and become Shigaraki's new favorite 😔 this is one of those "its totally out of character but I don't care" fics.

--

Fic list

[cisthehuman]

Cis Ramble #11--Halloween Tunes 2024

Howdy! It's been a while! I've been enjoying my little hiatus! I actually did some fun planning and completed this years Halloween tunes *before* Halloween! I'm very proud of this one--so proud I wanted to chat about how it was made! Come on down let's delve deeper into these tracks!

Which by the by, the way I make tunes is through soundtrap. I use their music loops and fit them together to make these songs! I have no music bone in my body, but I love listening to music, so I've been going by ear on how to create these songs. In soundtrap you can find different sounds and voice clips. It's a bit difficult because I usually have to search by a general word like 'scary' or 'poetry' to find something usable. I was genuinely surprised how I was able to find a lot of clips using the same person for this. It felt so on purposely cohesive when it was purely luck!

Track 1: Cold Blooded

Believe it or not, this was the last track made. At this point, I was honestly burned out from putting my entire brain into the other songs. When most songs took maybe 3 hours in one day, I worked in smaller amounts of time over the course of several days. It was interesting because this was one of the tracks I was looking forward to, but it turned into a hard puzzle to crack.

As I wanted this song to convey the vibe of the rest of the songs, I wanted to include certain things--strings, guitar, some music change ups, and possibly an outro. The first iteration was very messy and felt very forced. There were too many moving parts and changes. When things get messy, I usually make a new file so I can start on a clean slate. However, I couldn't do that this time. I really wanted to keep the 'Let me out!!' sound clip, but I couldn't remember what words I used to search for it so I kept working in the same file. Since I couldn't restart on a fresh file (and you can't duplicate songs you make on soundtrap) , I went back to my thought process that worked for the previous songs--what's the story?

I've said this before, but my main background is writing! And when making these little tunes, especially the Halloween themed ones, I try to picture a music video and have the music follow the video playing in my head. With that in mind, the story we follow is essentially 'person is walking around a grave, gets kidnapped by a witch, and gets a spooky cast spell on them'. Very easy to piece things together--especially when I was able to find so many spoken clips of the witchy character (which you hear more of throughout other songs). Despite being a mess at the beginning, I think it turned out really good in the end! A good opener!

Track 2: Lurking in the Deep

This was fun! And I believe one of the few songs that doesn't have any spoken voice clips. This song was the fifth one completed, for those curious.

The main conceit of this song was 'weird monster in the ocean that's chasing you'. I imagined this playing during a chase scene or something similar.

One of my favorite things is the sound of the monster. That consisted of two different monster noises I found. One of them is a growl and the other is gurgling noise. I changed the effects of them to make this creepy monster noise. I find weird gurgles scary and uncomfortable, and I think really sells the idea that this being is otherworldly.

I'm also really proud the 'underwater' section. I love when a scene shows characters interacting with music. For example in Brave Bang Bravern, when Bravern first appears his theme music is playing. At first you think it's just a directional choice in the show, but then it's mentioned it's actually playing in real life from his speakers. I wanted to do something similar to the track where the music sounds like its muffled underwater because the person is literally underwater.

Track 3: Come Alive

I wanted to make a fun club like track LOL

So some context, I make characters for these little albums I make. The character here, BATTY, currently has the most albums since Halloween comes around every year and I'm always inspired by the holiday. The first album was really fast paced and dance-y, and I wanted to make another dance-y song.

This song was one of the ones I made in 3 or so hours in one sitting. It was a fever dream. I don't even know if I have much to say about it. This one came together pretty quickly. It was the seventh song made, and is partially the reason I had some burnout when trying to finish Cold Blooded as I put the last bit of my brain into making a Halloween club song.

One thing that I find interesting is there are so many loop that sound spooky. A lot of the trap loops in soundtrap lend themselves to a Halloween-esque sound. I will say, a part of me kinda wants to make an extended version, but I'm not sure. I can be easily convinced though LOL

Track 4: Bloodsucker

This one is a personal fave. I play it all the time lol

It was the sixth song completed, and at first I was a bit lost at what to do, but after I found the main voice clip (I don't remember what I searched for it--I think vampire?), I got a game plan.

I believe the voice clip is a poem focusing on healing mental illness (at least that's what I think), but I found it kinda compelling as a comparison to a vampire settling with their newfound monstrous side. (It also would be good for a Jekyll/Hyde metaphor!)

Props to the guy who recited this poem, he really gets emotional in it. I really love it. His voice reminded me of the guy who speaks in Thriller by Michael Jackson at the end of the song. Really cool. I think the 'Insomnia' vocal clip (a soundtrap loop) is a nice juxtaposition with it. The idea of pairing them together was to perpetuate the idea of being able to settle with the good and bad parts of ourselves. As humans, our ignorance causes us to be bad people at times, but we still have good in us and we can nurture it to live alongside the bad.

Like I said before, this is the third album under BATTY, and I kept thinking about his first one where it was kinda 80s inspired with some of the tracks. I wanted to bring the techno vibe back and I think it fit with this song a lot!

Track 5: Lucifer, Fallen Angel

This is where we get to my artistic fascination with the devil. Ol' Luci is an interesting character and I wanted to make a song kinda describing his descent into hell.

This song was the 3rd one made out of the group! And it was made as a pair to go along side Hell.

Here you get to hear the witchy voice again! It was only on a relisten that I noticed that she's heard here and in the following track, Hell. Accidental cohesion there. It kinda adds a layer of 'maybe the speaker who was kidnapped by the witch is going through a bad trip or something through the spells' to everything. Imagine to your heart's content what the overarching story is!

One thing that was cut out from this was a sound clip of like a metal scream of 'SAAATAAAAAN!!!'. I was going to use it during the metal section of the song, but I was afraid it was going to be a bit too hokey LOL Maybe next year I'll use it. I love making metal songs now since soundtrap finally added TONS of guitar loops

I was unsure of adding this one at first, as I thought it didn't sound Halloween enough. But then I said fuck it and kept it in LOL

Track 6: Hell

Whoooo!!! Let's give it up for the track that set the tone for this little collection of musiccc!!! Whoooooo!!!

That's right folks, this was the first completed song. It made me so pumped. I love intros that build up, and this one has like an over minute long intro.

This one probably has the most sound clips used. I just love all of the demon clips I was able to get. After piece them together, I thought 'ohhhh....I could do all of the songs like this'.

Piecing voice clips together actually came from a previous song I worked on that I'll use for my new stream opening. I know, I'm on hiatus and I'm working stuff for when I inevitably come back lol That song was like my trial run, while Hell was the like proper execution of the skill if that makes sense.

And we have an outro!! I never really made outros too much, and I just listened to KNOWER's song Nightmare that has a fun little outro, and I thought 'I gotta make an outro for people to groove out to'. I'm kinda obsessed with outros now because this one was so fun. I'm really happy with this one, and I'm glad I finished it first because I didn't have a direction when making tunes this year and this totally put me on the right track!

Track 7: Rest in Peace

This was the second track to be completed! And originally the final song.

After the high I had on finishing Hell, I jumped into making this one the day after. The voice clips of the first girl is actually the same in my new stream intro and outro music lol, she has a lot to pull from.

This turned into a very uplifting song. This and the last song, Ashes to Ashes, are my exploration of death. Death is a major theme in Halloween, and one I often avoided for years. This song didn't touch on my thoughts with it too much as the next one does, but I was surprised how calming it ended despite the strong intro.

And there's an outro! I told you I became obsessed with them after I finished Hell. What was cool was this particular music loop pack had a sample of the main melody in two different ways. So I could start and end with the same melody but with a different tone. lol it makes me seem more masterful than I am.

Track 8: Ashes to Ashes

Ahhh the namesake of the album, and another high key favorite.

This was the third song completed, and it made me very reflective.

I mentioned this several times of my little blog, but I lost my father suddenly three years ago. It has made my relationship with death much closer than I thought it would be, at a time much earlier than I thought.

I was never someone who liked talking about death even when my dad was alive. My dad on the other hand talked about it as if he was just talking about the rain lol that's just the kinda guy he was. At first I was a bit scared to do this song, as I believed it would make bad memories come up. The more I found sound clips and pieced everything together, I felt this wave of calm come over me.

It was very weird. I felt more and more at peace with everything. It was a bit of a full circle moment. I saw a post online of an ignorant person who talked about a celebrity who's personality is grieving her partner, and it made laugh. I don't wish ill on that person at all--in fact, I hope they remain ignorant. Grief is a body altering thing. It's something you won't understand unless you experience it, and I genuinely don't want anyone to experience it for a long time. Trauma changes everything about you, you turn into a different person, your brain acts differently, your body changes.

Rebuilding yourself from the ground up takes so much work. I've come to terms with not being able to be at 100% anymore. I'm happy I can make it to at least 60% every day.

With that being said, yes, I'll keep talking about my grief. It's only because my grief led me to making music and streaming as an outlet.

I know I didn't really share any tidbits about making the song with this one, but I think its more important to share how I felt when making it. I hope it makes you reflective as well!

And that's it!! Whoo!! Thanks for reading and for listening to the tunes!

I'll try to have more music out--I know I have a huge backlog lol

Either way, enjoy the spooky season!!! I'll see you on the next oneeeeeeee

[iamshyasfuck]

found the old link I sent to my friends, dunno if you'll be able to enter the link so just Google "TV tropes poppy playtime characters" and you should be able to find it.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/PoppyPlaytimePlaytimeCo

ANYWAYS YEAH, We see Sawyer from the beginning, albeit his first appearance is his last form, what he later had become but on the arg we learned so much about him, ESPECIALLY with his relationship with Elliot and Harley, I like to think that Harley took various things from Elliot, like little habits, or the outfits, just like father and son yk, but with Elliot snapping the string because Sawyer was just not ready to fly just yet. and you'll hopefully later see my Harley design which I kept some things very distinct but also very similar for a reason, giggles.

Elliot meant well, and unfortunately Sawyer was only blinded by the fact that he had been thrown out that most likely didn't even remember the exact reason why he was expelled from the program, he struggles to see other people's perspectives.

ALSO YOU GET ME SO WELL LIKE- one of the main things that made me just want to search more about dr white WAS specifically his interaction with Harley!! who was he yk?? searched up Dr white only to see that bro had NO WIKI, then I learned about the arg that I had no previous knowledge of and it just kind of rolled down into what it is now, prolly only growing larger everyday I ramble tbh.

I can completely understand the explanation of Harley just being surprised that White betrayed him, but I can't help but think If there was something more(obviously not romantically, if they did go on that direction id die of a heart attack, maybe companionship? just coworkership? maybe they were just getting along?) I mean Harley didn't seem at all shocked when Leith rolled up on the discord call, but with White he just seemed distraught. I LOVE IT.

I do think that Harley also maybe had a bit of resentment towards White since he stayed in the YGP when he couldn't stay there, like enviousness of some sort? idk how to explain it I just think it's interesting to imagine Harley as being number 1 but being discarded so number 2 could take his place, that's probably how Harley views it at least.

and honestly with how much attention Dr white got, just by haunting the narrative in the arg I REFUSE to believe its just that, ESPECIALLY since it was Harleys arg,,,(copium)

Anyways, White becoming bitter towards Harley is also an interesting thought I hadn't talked much about yet, likely something that could be canon as well, maybe also putting the blame on Harley because they both wouldn't have ended up in that situation if Harley didn't go crazy and cause the theater incident. Very interesting thought, isolation from many human staff could also be possible with that since Harley being so unlikable outside of work hours, and he still is during them.

About the fic it's kind of badly written, at least imo, I'm not a good writer, but if u want to check it out here's the link.

Day 1354

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63750667

Harley Sawyer, most known as the doctor, had been causing trouble, Leith, tired of the man, ordered the scientists to find a way to deal with him without damaging his mind, and it was White’s last time seeing him without it being on the surgery table. OR It's Harley's last day.

IF YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR MORE HARLEY AND WHITE CONTENT PLS CHECK OUT MY FRIENDS FICS THEYRE WAY BETTER THAN MINE + ACTUAL DIALOGUE THAT ISNT AWKWARD WOHOOO!!!

Say My Name (by @apollo-fizz)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63121147

Shit, shit shit shit– Breathe, Bruno. Breathe. This is a perfectly valid time to panic, but don’t. You’re better than that. And, if push comes to shove, you’ve always kept a firearm safe in your office. For, you know, emergencies like this one.

Toys had escaped. The experiments had broken free, and were now roaming the factory. And Playcare. And the main entrance. And everywhere. And they were on a murdering spree.

————

AKA, The first ever harleywhite fic and it’s about White during the hour of joy lmao.

also so sorry for always taking a while to answer I get caught up in irl things lol

Dr Bruno White & Experiment 1354 [Theory]

I was writing a completely different theory in relations to MOB's latest trailer, when this realisation hit me like that hardest ton of brick ever.

You guys know, recently I studied the Ch.4 ARG for my story writing. I wanted to know more about Dr. White for writing his character, and in one of the emails from Harley he says: '[A bad memory]' and I interpreted it as Harley saying White has a bad memory. I think it's actually Harley having bad memories of White, and what he did to him after he became 1354.

Eg. The full email the above reads:

(The emailer asked)

Dr White?

(Harley replies)

'[Eyes peering from behind a pane of glass] He always did have a certain drive, didn't he? [A bad memory] But what good did it do him? None. He's dead.'

I initially thought the in brackets stuff was Harley, but it's EYES. Two eyes. He only has one as, 1354. But eyes peering from being a glass pane would refer to how he was being watched in an observation room, like the other experiments.

This robot-man has trauma. Trauma from Dr White.

When asked by another emailer what he remembers, all he says is:

Bruno

Another good example, an emailer asks:

What did he do to you?

(Harley replies)

The footage is archived (more bad memories) I won't dwell on it.

We also know throughout the email, Harley speaks negatively about White, implying he doesn't like him. (I think I mentioned somewhere,) my theory that they had a less negative relationship pre-1354, and I'm still inclined to believe that based on his whole:

White?! White is that you?!

He sounds hurt, and him complimenting White's drive could show one of his few lingering positive memories of White. Cause, like, take it from me, as someone with trauma relating to a person I had a good relationship with once in the past, when I think of said person, none of those positive memories come to the surface. Only the traumatic ones. (I'm fine folks. This was years ago, I'm healed & good now. This was just a great example of the feelings Post-1354 would have towards... the abuser?).

We also know the admin account & password belonged to Dr. White (, with the password being a mocking jab at something Harley use to say all the time). So White was fully in control over Harley. Sure. That's one reason to have some trauma, but...

I also was looking at the red text again, with this new point of view about Harley & White in mind. I think the red text is 1354's thoughts being displayed on a screen.

Leith says in the 1354 tape:

You'll be like an open book to us whenever we want.

I think he meant this quite literally. That's why he tells Harley he can fight or give in. It doesn't matter because they can read his every thought regardless.

More evidence to back this up, with the red text being Harley's thoughts:

I can see you. You aren't welcome here.

And

They can see. away. Don't think it. Hide it from yourself. rwk

(idk what 'rwk' stands for. I couldn't really find anything solid).

I'm about out of steam with this lol. Just thought it was intresting to throw out there into the void :P

Also, really interesting that one of the things he says replies is:

I know my name.

Annoyingly, I can't find the email this came from, to give it context. Interesting regardless. To forget one's own name would almost suggest a level of brainwashing, maybe? IDK.

Not sure on the whole brainwashing thing, but it's a fun idea.

If we assume the first red text we start with is the last time anyone accessed Harley's thoughts (that being White), then their final conversation is intreaging, because it would suggest Harley was more bitter than White (I mean... hard to be bitter when you weren't the one turned into a brain in a jar, lol):

He asks if I still dream? Why? This changes nothing. A broken leash. Casket. I do. What became of her? Theater incident still strange, the things that linger.

[cherrycheridarling]

cherry | h.s.

harry styles x famous!reader

warnings: sad? it's a rollercoaster

summary: how 'cherry' came to be

wc: 2.5k

a/n: can be read w/ baby or on its own

are we rlly surprised abt this? look at my user;)

'Don't you call him baby.'

Harry sat on his plush couch, telly on volume 11 as interviews from The Emmys went live.

"Here we have Y/N Y/L/N! Looking as gorgeous as ever! How are you?" the man asked as he kissed both of your cheeks.

Harry had to agree with the man. You were a stunning picture in a skintight iridescent gown that somehow left little and just enough to the imagination at the same time. The dainty silver accents adorning your ears and wrists, chest bare with a slight shimmer of something that wasn't sweat or glitter, but just pure radiance in Harry's eyes.

You adjusted your stance before answering, "Good, good. And yourself?"

"Fantastic! I hear you're nominated for three awards tonight! Congratulations! How do you feel about all of that?" Harry wasn't surprised by your achievements seeing as he kept his tabs on you ever since the breakup.

You nodded with a timid smile, "I am, yes. It's all a little nerve wracking if I'm being honest with you."

The man grinned before it looked like his attention had been stolen by someone else, "Oh look, there we have your knight in shining armour!"

The camera panned to Tom Holland walking in your direction. Harry forced himself to watch as Tom came to stand beside you and kissed your cheek with an arm around your waist. Even with the microphone being unable to pick up your voices, your small interaction could be read off your lips.

"Hello, darling." Tom's lips moved as he winked.

"Hi, baby." your smile was warm as you spoke.

Harry abruptly turned off his telly at that moment. Memories of that name being used to address him flooded his brain. He threw his head back against the cushions and let the sting wash over him. It'd been a little less than a year since you guys called it quits, but the wounds still bled.

'We're not talking lately.'

"Do you remember that promise we made?" you asked as Harry rested his forehead against your knees while your fingers ran through his hair.

You felt him nod as a tear rolled down your cheek for the hundredth time. "We'd always stay friends and support each other even if we don't last." he replied from below you on his knees while you were sat on the couch.

You swallowed the lump in your throat, "Can I adjust that promise?"

His movements seize the second the question left your lips. He lifted his head and met your glossy gaze with an equally bloodshot one.

"What do you mean?" his voice quivered in a way that made your heart shatter.

You slid your thumb along his cheekbone, "We need time apart to move on, ange. No communication while we deal with this. We can still support each other and love each other, but we need space in order to let each other go. Wouldn't you agree?"

Harry pondered on it for a moment before slightly nodding, "I guess so."

Neither of you said a word after that, just continuing to hold each other until the morning light came in and reminded you that everything still moves on even if you haven't.

'Don't you call him what you used to call me.'

July 23rd 2017:

"Baby, can you grab my purse for me, please?" you semi-shouted from the bottom of the stairs in your home.

Not a minute later, Harry came waltzing down towards you, "I wasn't sure which one you wanted today, so I took it upon myself to choose this one." he held up the Prada shoulder purse with a proud smile.

October 17th 2017:

"No." you deadpanned, but at his immediate frown you continued "Baby, I'm not dressing up as a socket so you can be the plug." you laughed incredulously at his suggestion.

Harry threw his hands in the air, "Come on! That would be the best costume ever!"

December 25th 2017:

"Happy Christmas, baby." you smiled at the man on your phone screen.

His lips turned down into a frown that somehow still looked like a smile, "Happy Christmas, darling. Wish we were together today."

January 1st 2018:

"Happy new year!" Harry screamed along with the room before turning to his love, "No one else I'd rather enter the year with." he smiled softly at you before meeting your lips with a kiss.

Confetti fell around you, champagne broke through the cheers with a 'pop' and yet, to you, it was silent, and there was no one there but him.

You broke apart still grinning, "Happy new year, baby."

'I, I confess I can tell that you are at your best. I'm selfish so I'm hating it.'

"And the Oscar for Best Actress goes to...!" Kevin Hart unfolded the envelope and immediately broke into a wide grin, "Y/N Y/L/N!"

The applause was immediate and deafening. You barely registered the first syllable of your name being called as everyone around you began to congratulate you and shower you with hugs.

You slowly made your way to the stage, being careful to not trip. You greeted Kevin with a hug as he handed you the award and your hands shook. As you stood in front of the mic, your mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"I-I- what?" you finally managed to sputter out as everyone chuckled.

You managed to get your wits about you and began to give out your thanks, while failing to notice the man in the audience who was holding back tears for you.

Jeff leaned over to Harry, "I know this is tough, but there will be cameras on you. Be careful of your expressions." he whispered as Harry momentarily shut his eyes and inhaled deeply.

Harry managed to plaster on a faux smile that would fool anyone else except you. He was ashamed of himself; he should be happy for you, he should've been on his feet cheering for you. But he couldn't. He refused to do that from 12 rows away when he should've been sat beside you. The smile on your face, the glow in your skin. All of it was something he hadn't seen since you were together and seeing it now only brought pain and sorrow to him.

He wished he had stayed home, but Jeff had convinced him that moping around in his home was only fuelling the rumours surrounding your break up, so he watched as you took your seat again and only when the next category was being announced did he excuse himself to the washroom and let the tears flow.

'I noticed that there's a piece of you in how I dress. Take it as a compliment.'

"Darling!" Harry's voice came booming from your temporarily shared home.

You sat on the couch in the living room and threw your head back, "Yes?!"

"Where's your striped jumper?!" he replied from your walk in closet.

You chose not to reply and instead left your seat to see what chaos he had caused. Upon entering your closet, there were piles of clothes on the floor and shoes tossed in every direction.

You chuckled, "What is going on?"

Harry's head snapped towards you, "I have an interview in 30 minutes and I need that jumper. Please, darling, help." he pouted at you.

You laughed a little more before walking out of the closet and pulling the sweater from a chair next to your bed. You cleared your throat while dangling the sweater from your finger and smirked, "Really should wear your glasses more often."

He covered his face with his hands as he realized he made a mess for no reason. As he took the jumper from your hands with a kiss to your lips and a thank you, you spoke again with a smile, "And get your own clothes."

"Why do that when I have you?" he grinned, "And don't touch any of the mess. I will clean it when I get back." his tone was serious but you struggled to hold in your laugh.

"I'll ju-"

"-No. Pinky promise you won't clean any of it." he held out his pinky with a raised brow.

You rolled your eyes before locking your finger with his. "Fine." the metal of the ruby ring on his finger that used to be yours was cold on your skin

He smiled as he kissed the place where your fingers interlocked and dashed out of the room with one last warning, "You pinky promised! No breaking it!"

"I, I just miss. I just miss your accent and your friends."

"Okay, Your Majesty." Harry mocked your RP accent for the thousandth time as you sat at Beachwood Cafe with Mitch, Sarah, Hazel and Max.

You gasped, "Would you stop that?! I do not sound like the Queen."

He was about to argue before Mitch chimed in, "Sorry, Y/L/N, but you kind of do." he giggled as he spoke.

Your jaw dropped as Harry started to laugh, "This is so unfair. I introduced you guys! You were my friends first! You're supposed to be on my side!"

They all started laughing together at your outburst as you rolled your eyes with a small smile.

"Did you know I still talk to them?"

Hazel was escorted to Harry's dressing room before his show in Vancouver while Max was in charge of finding parking.

Since it was her's and Max's hometown, Harry offered them tickets and backstage entry. It took a lot of debating with himself before he sent the text to Hazel, but his reasoning ultimately came down to not wanting to lose two friendships due to one relationship.

She took a moment to pause before knocking, and sighed a little when Harry looked up through the mirror with red, glassy eyes.

"What's going on, H?" she spoke softly as she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

Harry fully turned his chair around and felt his shoulders deflate, "Just miss her." he rolled his lips in between his teeth as a few tears managed to escape.

Hazel's heart fractured a bit in that moment as her phone started buzzing in her pocket with a call from you, "It's Y/N. Give me a minu-"

"-No. Please. I won't say anything. Can you put it on speaker?" he begged and although Hazel knew it was a bad idea she sighed before answering your call and following his request.

"Hey, Y/N/N!"

"Hi, are you at the show?" your voice ran through the room and Harry subconsciously leaned towards to the phone as if it would bring him closer to you.

Hazel suppressed a sigh from watching Harry before replying, "Yeah! It was really nice of him to invite us. What are you up to?"

"About to catch a flight to LA. Just wanted to make sure you got there safe." you laughed lightly through your lie and Harry's eyes automatically shut, trying to savour the sweet sound.

Hazel could hear your lie in your voice, but chose not to address it, "Yeah, Max is just finding parking right now. Why are you going to LA?"

Harry fought the urge to answer her question, forgetting that he wasn't supposed to know the answer.

You sighed slightly, "House hunting. Can't stay at Harry's anymore, so time to find my own place there."

Hazel nodded, forgetting that you couldn't see her before replying, "Oh. I see. Have you talked to H at all?"

Harry's head snapped up at his name being brought into the conversation.

"No, it's best if I don't." a mans voice was heard in the background before you spoke again, "Well, we're about to take off now. If you see him, wish him luck for me, will you?" your sadness was evident throughout your words.

Harry buried his head in his hands again as more tears escaped while Hazel replied, "Of course. Have a safe flight, Y/N/N. Love you, miss you."

"Thanks, love you and miss you too. Bye!" you blew a kiss into the phone before the dial tone was heard.

And for a moment, with his eyes shut, Harry allowed himself to imagine that those words were meant for his ears only.

"Does he take you walking 'round his parents gallery?"

"Hey, Haz," Tyler spoke up from the silence of the recording studio. They had just finished a long session and the rest of the team had already departed for the night, leaving Harry, Sammy and Tyler. "There's a new gallery opening on Saturday. Only there for a few nights. You wanna come with me and Sammy?"

Harry slowly turned in the spinning chair, "Sure. Whose gallery?" he bit into an apple as he finished speaking.

"Nikki Holland? Don't know who she is, but she's got some sick photos on Instagram." Tyler shrugged not noticing how Harry nearly choked on his fruit.

"Holland? As in Tom Holland's mum? Tom Holland as in Y/N's boyfriend, Tom Holland?" Sammy's eyes widened before he pulled out his own phone and went to Tom's instagram page. And sure enough, there was a post and a story of him promoting his mum's new gallery opening. "Just answered my own question." he rolled his lips between his teeth before chancing a glance at Harry.

Harry stared blankly at the floor before clearing his throat, "Probably not the best idea for me to show up there." he paused at their somber expressions, "Honestly, it's fine." he laughed lightly.

"Nah, we won't go either. Probably start rumours if we-"

"-Wait." Harry abruptly announced before reaching for the acoustic guitar on his left.

Tyler and Sammy shared a concerned expression with one another while Harry nervously fumbled with the strings of the instrument.

"Let me just- I just need to-" he struggled to find the right words to say, but there was no need.

Tyler shook his head and put his phone down, "Let's write it."

'Coucou!'

"Tu dors?" you frowned when your friend answered your call with a groggy voice.

She laughed lightly through the phone, "Oui. J'étais sur le point d'être."

"Oh, j'suis désolée."

She chuckled, "Ne t'en fais pas. Que s'est-il passé? A-t-il fait une demande en mariage?"

You sighed with a smile, thinking back on the day you spent with the lovely man behind you, "Bah non-"

"Je peux entendre le sourire effrayant dans ta voix. Que s'est-il passé?" she cut you off while mocking you.

You laughed loudly, "Nan, c'est pas important."

"Qu'avez-vous fait alors? Êtes-vous allé à la plage?"

You turned to look at Harry as he played a soft melody on a guitar. His eyes looked up to meet yours and he offered you a small grin that you returned, "Ouais, on a été à la plage, et maintenant on—"

She cut you off again with a loud laugh, "Allons prendre un verre et discuter. J'ai besoin de voir le sourire effrayant en personne."

You couldn't even deny her accusation. You were at the happiest you could be.

'Parfait! Allez!'