#like. he tries to play family but the second they question he just goes WHATEVER. I DONT NEED IT. FLASH OF MY VISION RUNS ALONE

[tacagen]

one of the things that fascinate me about thawne: yes, he CAN be normal with kids! surprisingly normal!

((not at all times, though. his mental illness still spills through and as usual he, in trying to manipulate or hurt others, spits out at them the exact stuff that would hurt him (or have in his childhood/barry's rejection interpretation) the most in the first place lmao))

but at the same time. his like second instinct when doing his bullshit is FUCK THEM (as) KIDS

(and, well. whatever this classifies as)

[sunshinedaisywrites777]

A Night to Remember (DI!Leon Kennedy x F!Reader)

A/N- I know some of us, out there, like me, struggling with family issues or some of us may have to take care of their elderly or even their parents. It's so sad sometimes to think that you're all alone in this. I've been through this, I still do. I just have an option and it's to just play pretend and think that someone who feels good to me, and usually it's Leon himself. So this is for you who also goes through the same situation. Thank you all for standing on your own, taking care of yourself, I'm very proud of you. Please don't think you're alone in this whatever you're going through. Applause yourself 💜

The days had begun blending together, each one leaving you more drained than the last. Your mornings started early, making breakfast and ensuring your grandmother had everything she needed before you dashed out to handle the never-ending list of errands. By the time you got home, there was always more to do—cleaning the house, preparing dinner, helping your grandmother with her medication, and sometimes just sitting with her to keep her company. You loved her dearly, but the weight of it all was starting to feel like too much.

Your family’s occasional arguments didn’t help. You found yourself playing mediator, trying to keep the peace while managing your own emotions. It was exhausting—physically and mentally. And the worst part? You didn’t want to burden anyone else with your struggles, least of all Leon.

But Leon had a way of seeing through you.

He’d been checking in more often lately, texting you little jokes or calling to hear your voice. He’d stop by unannounced just to make sure you were eating, always under the guise of needing something himself. You appreciated it, even if you didn’t always let on how much.

So when he pulled up on his motorcycle that evening, his usual smirk in place, you didn’t think much of it. “Come on,” he said, handing you the spare helmet. “You need a break.”

“Leon, I can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” he interrupted, his tone firm but not unkind. “You’re coming with me. No arguments.”

You wanted to protest—there was still so much to do—but the look in his eyes stopped you. It wasn’t just determination; it was concern. And maybe, just maybe, you were too tired to fight him.

The ride to his house was quiet, the cool evening air brushing against your face. You let yourself relax slightly, the tension in your shoulders easing as you held onto him. When he pulled up to his house and killed the engine, you blinked in confusion.

“Why are we here?” you asked softly.

Leon turned, helping you off the bike with a gentle hand on your arm. “Because you need to stop for a second,” he said simply. “Come on.”

When he led you inside, the sight that greeted you took your breath away. The dimly lit room was warm and inviting, with candles casting a soft glow over the table. A plate of spaghetti sat in the center, its slightly uneven noodles a clear sign of Leon’s efforts.

“You… did all this?” you asked, your voice trembling slightly.

He shrugged, looking uncharacteristically shy. “Figured you could use a break. You’ve been running yourself ragged, and someone’s gotta make sure you take care of yourself.” He glanced at the spaghetti, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s not perfect, but I tried.”

The tears came before you could stop them, spilling silently down your cheeks. You quickly wiped them away, but Leon noticed. He always noticed.

“Hey,” he said softly, stepping closer. His hands found yours, squeezing gently. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be strong all the time.”

The words broke something in you, and you let out a shaky laugh. “You really didn’t have to do this, Leon.”

“I know,” he said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “But I wanted to. Now, sit down before I decide to cook something even worse.”

Dinner was simple but perfect. Leon kept the mood light, cracking jokes about his questionable cooking skills and mimicking a chef’s exaggerated accent. You laughed more than you had in weeks, the tension in your chest slowly melting away.

Afterward, when you tried to help clean up, he stopped you with a mock-stern look. “Uh-uh. Tonight’s about you. Sit down.”

You rolled your eyes but obeyed, sinking onto the couch. He joined you moments later, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “You know what happens when you don’t listen to me, right?”

Before you could ask, his hands were on your sides, tickling mercilessly. Laughter burst from your lips as you squirmed, trying and failing to escape. “Leon! Stop—please!”

“Not until you admit I’m the best cook ever,” he teased, his own laughter ringing out.

“Fine! You’re the best!” you gasped, tears of laughter streaming down your face.

Satisfied, he finally stopped, letting you catch your breath. When you looked up at him, his face was closer than you expected, his expression softening as his gaze locked with yours.

“You’re beautiful when you laugh,” he said quietly, his voice losing its teasing edge.

Your heart skipped a beat, and before you could second-guess yourself, you leaned forward, capturing his lips in a kiss. His hands found your waist as yours cupped his face, and the world seemed to fade away.

Somehow, you ended up in his lap, your arms draped around his shoulders as the kiss deepened. When you finally pulled away, breathless, Leon rested his forehead against yours, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“See?” he murmured. “Told you I was good for something.”

You laughed softly, shaking your head. “Not bad, Kennedy. Not bad at all.”

Leon’s arms stayed loosely around your waist, his thumbs brushing against your sides as if he couldn’t stop himself from touching you. His gaze was softer now, the usual teasing glint replaced with something deeper, something that made your heart skip.

“You feeling better?” he asked, his voice quiet, almost hesitant.

You nodded, your fingers playing with the short strands of hair at the nape of his neck. “A lot better. Thanks to you.”

His lips curved into a small smile, but he didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he leaned back slightly, taking you in as if he were memorizing every detail of your face. It made you feel seen in a way you hadn’t in a long time, and the weight that had been pressing on your chest for weeks felt a little lighter.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” you asked, breaking the silence.

Leon chuckled softly, his hands tightening slightly on your waist. “Just thinking about how I could’ve done this sooner.”

You tilted your head, surprised. “Done what?”

“This,” he said simply, gesturing around the room with a flick of his eyes before focusing back on you. “Made you stop for a second. Showed you you’re not alone in all of this.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but he cut you off, his thumb brushing against your cheek. “I know you try to handle everything by yourself, but you don’t have to. I’m here, okay? For whatever you need.”

The sincerity in his voice made your chest tighten. You leaned forward, resting your forehead against his. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” you whispered.

Leon let out a soft laugh, his breath fanning over your face. “Good thing you don’t have to find out.”

For a while, the two of you stayed like that, wrapped up in each other, the world outside forgotten. His hands moved up to your back, tracing small, soothing circles that made you relax even further.

Then, with a playful glint in his eye, Leon broke the moment. “You know,” he said, his voice taking on a teasing tone, “if you wanted to stay the night, I wouldn’t complain.”

You raised an eyebrow, trying not to smile. “Oh, wouldn’t you?”

“Nope,” he said, popping the “p” as his smirk grew. “I’ve got a perfectly good couch for you to crash on.”

You burst out laughing, playfully swatting his shoulder. “Wow, such a gentleman.”

“Hey, I can be a gentleman,” he protested, feigning offense. “But I figured you’d appreciate not waking up with a crick in your neck. My bed’s more comfortable.”

Your cheeks warmed at his suggestion, but his playful grin reassured you he wasn’t pressuring you. “Guess I’ll have to see if you’re right,” you replied, your voice soft but teasing.

Leon’s smirk softened into a genuine smile, and he pressed a quick kiss to your forehead. “You’re welcome here anytime, you know that, right?”

“I know,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of quiet conversations and lingering touches. You eventually ended up curled up in his bed, his arm draped over your waist as you lay facing each other. For the first time in what felt like forever, you felt safe—truly safe.

As your eyes began to close, Leon’s voice broke the silence. “Get some rest, okay? No alarms tomorrow. Just… sleep.”

You smiled faintly, your fingers brushing against his as you whispered back, “Goodnight, Leon.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” he replied, his voice warm and steady.

And with him by your side, the weight you carried didn’t feel so heavy anymore.

[leavingsunsets]

alsgakdgaksh sorry I know you just answered my request but, but, but what about dcst characters reacting to a reader who has a problem with daydreaming (maladaptive daydreaming)

basically they get so lost in their mind that they start acting out or quoting(? their thoughts, from the outside it just kinda looks like they're talking to themselves but they've got a whole movie in their mind 😭 (i legitimately subconsciously tripped myself because i imagined a character falling to the floor)

take care and don't rush <333

whooo this was a doozy. had to do a little research for this one, so i get to give yall some good rep or atleast make it feel a little more accurate tehee. anyways with this population sampling liberty ive decided to get 5 characters, 4 guys and 1 girl. enjoy 😋.

"𝔇𝔞𝔶𝔡𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔪𝔢𝔯?"

[𝖣𝖢𝖲𝖳 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗐/ 𝖺 𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖺𝖽𝖺𝗉𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆𝖾𝗋.]

𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙠𝙪 𝙄𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙞

Might be a little confused at first. Like, especially if it's at random times. Maybe he's busy tinkering with something, and you're in the same room. You do or say something and he automatically goes "huh?" because he thinks you're talking to him and you go "huh."

It takes some adjusting for him, but he learns much faster than the others. Though it's kinda funny during the beginning stages because whenever you said something aloud he'd pause whatever he was doing to stare at you blankly, and if you didn't look his way after a few seconds he'd take it as you weren't talking to him and resume his business.

He's a curious bugger tho so he obviously glances over at you sometimes to see what you were doing, whether you were both alone or not.

Seeing as your attention is a little harder to grab, he's got a custom habit of either patting or holding your shoulder. Like "yo [name]," and a little shoulder tap.

But with this development, it seems you've also learned to do the same. Now that he's used to you talking to yourself, to show that you're speaking to him, you have to either tap him or say his name.

Overall, pretty chill about it, even talks to you a lot just to pull you out sometimes.

𝙏𝙖𝙞𝙟𝙪 𝙊𝙠𝙞

Our sweet, underrated, heart of gold who I couldn't find nice aesthetic manga banners for (sorry for the jumpscare). Bet you didn't expect to see him on the list, huh?

Just a little longer in terms of adjusting. Like Senku, is a little confused and goes "?" when you do things randomly. Sometimes, you are interrupted because whenever he is in vicinity he's just bombarding you with questions.

"Hi! What are you doing?" "Were you talking to me?" "What's that mean?" "Were you saying something?" "What is that gesture?"

You either give him a very detailed description about the scenario in your head or just BS it.

"I was communicating with the trees." "Wow! Really? You can do that?" Accepts whatever choice you pick anyway. He will listen intently and he will take it literally. An open chance to tell him whatever you want and he would not suspect you at all. He is very intrigued at this new type of acorns called "Deez" that you found in the forest. Apparently it's part of the "Ligma" family of trees? Wow!

Easily snaps you out of your daydreams because his voice is just loud enough to do so.

You get to enthuse with him sometimes, and he will happily listen.

𝙏𝙨𝙪𝙠𝙖𝙨𝙖 𝙎𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙤

Also a little underrated, I swear.

Problem with Tsukasa is that he's a little nonverbal so when you do or say something, he just stares at you. Hulk of a man watches in confusion as you play out a whole soap opera or something.

But hey, what is Tsukasa if not a kind and gracious man?

Tries to understand you, and is a good listener if you ever need a guy to ramble to about this. And hey, gives him more insight on your mind in general.

Keeps a slightly closer eye on you, or is just more aware of your predicament in general.

This Tarzan would genuinely be gentle about it like he'd check up on you and stuff. Talk to you, or even sit down with you, maybe a little chitchat.

I imagine you as a duo would be him sipping nice tea and enjoying the garden meanwhile you accidentally drop your cookie in the milk so you borrow his teaspoon just to scoop it out and he lets you. Very weird analogy but he is just kind??

An enigma, overall doesn't change his usual equitable treatment towards you.

𝙆𝙤𝙝𝙖𝙠𝙪

I already had a vision of her reaction to this. Like, as an inquisitive type, she'd most likely ask you questions all about it as soon as she notices it. More answers lead to more questions. Forgive her, she's only curious.

Similar to Tsukasa, she wants to be aware and informed. Wants to know about what you're thinking about sometimes. "Hmmm..." and just watches you from the branches.

Of course, watchful, and vigilant. Observer type. If ever you're too out of it to notice something potentially harmful coming your way (or vice versa), she'd be there to tug you back to reality.

She's most likely less patient than Tsukasa, not the type for a sit down kind of conversation, but would still let you ramble while you both pick apples or smthn.

Overall a nice gal who wouldn't mind it at all.

I feel like she's the complete opposite of a daydreamer, so it's hard for her to understand what it's like. Still, she tries to be considerate and talks with you whenever she can as a way to learn about it.

[yangqism]

we can't be friends | liu yangyang

actor!liu yangyang x actress!femreader

synopsis.yangyang is born to be a star, the kind of talent that lights up the screen. you, on the other hand, is a nepo baby who everyone believed got the lead role because of your family’s influence. he fought all these years to be the man that he is while you are still busy proving yourself to the populace. you believe you’re more than just your parents. he believes he’s less than without his fans. when your lives become intertwined, things get messy–one has never tasted consequences while the other lies awake at night, haunted by the thought of it.

genre. romance, angst

warnings. there's pretend kissing then there's real kissing where yangyang doesn't ask you, he just goes for it, i do not know the difference between drama and series so sorry <3

words. 8,812

eternal sunshine. masterlist

a/n. it gets better at the ending part so plZ just bear w me. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I'm turning 20 this year lol feels so scary if you think about it but whatever

The universe is unfair, but Yangyang has learned to live with that. 

It was unfair that he always played second to someone else. The second male lead, the second-best choice, the second most important. But he was never really bothered about it. Not until you waltzed your way into the picture. 

You still remember it vividly. It was a Monday afternoon, the first read through with the cast of Eternal Sunshine–a week before filming. He was already sitting beside the chair assigned to you, practicing his lines diligently while you took a sip from your coffee you ordered to-go. 

You greeted him with a warm smile but he only replied with a small and rushed one. Sure, he was your second lead in the drama but during that time, he made you feel unwanted. But who are you kidding? Of course, you were everything he wasn’t supposed to want. You’re the female lead, the one who would be with the male lead in the end. The center of attention. Realistically, you’re a nepo baby whose life had been handed to her on a silver platter, complete with designer shoes and an unearned (still) spotlight. But God, did you wear it well.

Whereas Yangyang had to work his way up. Every step of his journey was carved out of his determination and long nights filled with self-doubt, management’s uncertainty, and the media’s scrutiny. He wasn’t handed anything the first time he breathed in the land of showbiz. Every opportunity, recognition, and spotlight he’s getting right now is because he persevered. 

That’s what made sitting next to you on that Monday afternoon so excruciating. 

While he did smile to your way in a rushed manner, he viewed you as a person far differently than other people did when they looked your way. You were effortless in his eyes. Effortless in a manner that he could never be. Even in the most mundane moments like you sipping on your coffee, standing up to bow to anyone who comes in the script room, scrolling through your phone–you carried yourself with an air of belonging, like you had been born to inhabit the world he had clawed his way into. 

And yet, it wasn’t jealousy that twisted his chest when he looked at you. Heck, it was something worse. 

No matter how much he tried to deny it, when your mouth opened to read the script, Yangyang knew exactly what you were capable of. You weren’t just a nepo baby or some random female lead that the crew casted. You were the kind of actress everyone aspires to be. And also the kind of person who could uproot everything he’d worked so hard to build.

You first met Yangyang at a press conference after an award show your parents were invited for and you were their plus one. The journalist decided to pick on you, asking you pressing questions regarding your status in the industry. 

“What do you feel that everyone’s calling you a nepo baby, Ms. Y/N?” Well, you almost wish the journalist hadn’t called you ��Miss’ if his question was like that. 

You just smiled at him awkwardly, never giving in to their pressing questions about your relevance in the acting industry. Afterall, you believe you’re more than just your parents. Sure, they opened this path for you but you’re working hard to show to everyone that you deserve that spot. 

You never really paid attention to the young actor during that time but you saw him looking at you while you were being interrogated by the rude journalist. Your eyes met for a brief moment before he broke it to talk to another actor. 

At first, Yangyang didn’t feel bad for you during that time, considering how he thought you were an annoying actress, like what he had heard from rumors. 

“Miss Y/N, what’s with you today? You keep on failing the scene,” the director yells another disappointed ‘cut!’ after you fumbled your lines with a scene with Sicheng. “Let’s take 5!” 

“I’m sorry, Sicheng,” you gave an apologetic smile to the star actor but he just shrugged and went to his assistant to freshen up. 

If there was one thing you loved about working with Sicheng, it was because he doesn’t really care about where you came from or what you did to become his female lead. He’s just there for work. A bonus is that he treats you nicely, he’s just nonchalant at times. Especially when that pop star comes into the set. 

“You’re too stiff, Y/N,” the sudden voice from behind your back startled you. You whip around to see Yangyang leaning casually against a prop stand, arms crossed and an amused grin tugging at his lips. 

“Your body’s too tense, that’s why you keep messing up,” he points out, tilting his head. “I saw it when you were delivering your lines.”  

“Oh, Yangyang-sunbaenim! I see, I’ll try to deliver these lines as smoothly as possible,” you replied, giving him a small smile.

“Practice it to me.” 

“Huh?”

“Practice your line to me and I can give you feedback, dummy,” Yangyang reiterated, his tone filled with playful impatience.

“O-oh! Uhm…” You focus, taking a deep breath before looking directly into his eyes, “Lei… I don’t think you can understand me… I don’t think we’re… we’re…” Your voice falters right where it did before. You clench your jaw, trying to force the words out, but they just won’t come. 

Your shoulders drop as you let out a sigh of defeat, “I don’t think I can do this,” you admit, your voice barely a whisper but Yangyang heard it. 

“You think you can’t because you want Lei and Riko to be together. You’re so immersed in your role right now, Y/N,” Yangyang scolded, giving you a bottle of water from his staff. 

“This isn't real, Y/N. You need to separate work and your personal feelings. If you want Lei and Riko to be together, they will in the end. Just not in this scene. Get yourself together and wrap this scene up so we can all go home,” he reaches up, ruffling your hair like you’re a little kid on the set, and before you can even process what he did, he’s already walking away, hands shoved in his pockets heading straight to annoy Kun.

“Separate work and personal feelings, huh?” You muttered, staring at the water he gave you. His words echo in your mind, louder than the busy mumbles of the crew around you. Maybe what he said is true considering how you can’t bear to think that Lei, Sicheng’s character, and Riko, your character, will end their love escapade for a few episodes before rekindling again.

“Y/N, Sicheng, back on stage!” The director yelled, giving you a brief smile before instructing the cameraman. “Do your best.” 

You nod, tightening your grip on the water bottle before setting it aside. Your feet move automatically, carrying you toward the place you’ll be delivering your line in. As you’re heading to your place, you can feel Yangyang’s eyes on you. 

You looked in his direction and he already had his signature gummy smile plastered on his face, “Do your best,” he mimicked the director’s voice, making you giggle.

It was a week after the first shooting for Eternal Sunshine that the director called you in her office for an emergency revision for the later episodes. 

You were wearing your favorite faded jeans with a long sleeve and a coffee on your hand. At first, you thought it was just gonna be you and the director but a sleepy Yangyang came into her office like it’s his second home.

“Greetings, Yangyang!” The director annoyingly scolded him, throwing a pillow at him when he immediately latched himself onto the sofa. 

“Hello, noona. Hello, Y/N.” 

“I’m very sorry about him, Ms. Y/N,” his manager, Huang Renjun, apologized on behalf of the second male lead. “He just came from an overnight shooting with Mr. Qian Kun. The two of them had to shoot their scenes more than once because the rookie actor kept messing up and they didn’t want to be assholes on set.” 

“Hey! What about an apology for me?” The director playfully demanded even though she had known the reason for Yangyang’s behavior beforehand. The director was like family for Yangyang and Renjun. This isn’t the first project they did together hence they’re comfortable with each other.

“As he said, Kun-ge,” Yangyang mentioned the golden boy and the three immediately saw the flabbergasted reaction of the director. “Kun-ge, Kun-ge, Kun-ge, Kun-” Yangyang teased, his smile grew wider as the director’s face became more embarrassed before having enough of his ministries. 

“Enough, second lead!” The director sassed, “I called you here today because there’s a change in the storyline we’re going to record for tomorrow,” she started as her assistant gave you and Yangyang the copy of the revised script and concept for the shoot. 

As you skimmed the pages, you realized that you and Yangyang’s character will be in close proximity, fully giving justice to his second male lead role. “As you can see, Riko and Jun will be closer to each other after Lei’s and Riko’s fall out. Of course, this will be brief as the latter couple will get back together,” she explained. “I just want the both of you to prepare yourselves. I know that the both of you have the least interaction throughout this series but you need to prepare… like, prepare,” she emphasized before adjourning the meeting, leaving you dazed. 

“After reading this script, I think Riko will fall harder for Jun than Lei,” you joked, already feeling the pressure as you saw a scene where you and Yangyang had to kiss. 

“Will you?” Yangyang asked, his tone was interrogating. 

You tilted your head, confused with what he meant, “Will I what, sunbaenim?”

But he just shrugged, telling you to prepare for tomorrow before leaving the office.

The ride on the way home was unusually quiet. 

“What do you think of him?” Your manager, Chenle, asked you.

“Of who?”

“Of Yangyang.”

You tried to think about what to say for a moment, “Well, he’s nice to me.” 

“That’s it?” Chenle glanced at you through the rearview mirror, one brow arched. “Nice? He’s Yangyang, Y/N. Everyone I heard who worked with him can’t get him out of their heads after.”

You rolled your eyes, leaning your head against the window. “He’s good at what he does. Professional. Maybe those people can’t separate work from their personal lives or whatever.”

“Professional, huh?” You can hear the smirk from Chenle’s tone.

“Just stop overthinking things, Chenle,” You sighed, dumping all of your body weight on the car seat. “Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day with him so you better not make any weird comments like whatever this conversation is.” “There’s nothing weird with the conversation we’re having, Y/N.” Chenle retorted, “I’m just hoping you could come to your senses tomorrow and do your best as an actress. You still have a lot to prove in the industry.”

“I know that.”

It’s tiring, honestly. For you, it’s a never ending quest of ‘proving’ yourself to the industry, general public, and your own family. It’s sad to think about how as a child, everyone was looking forward to your acting debut but once you did, all the nepotism news bombarded your career hence, you’re now known as the ‘nepo’ baby. 

You used to think of it as a positive thing, you never forgot to thank your parents in every interview for this opportunity as an actress because you know, since as a kid, that this is the path meant for you. It’s like you’re honoring them every chance you have but the public deemed it as ‘rubbing your nepotism face’ every chance you get. 

In the end, this whole issue got out of hand and you don’t mention your parents as much as you used to, even coming as close to declining films where they are starring in or in affiliation with in fear of the nepotism thing getting even bigger. 

The next day on set had this heavy atmosphere not usually there when it’s you and Sicheng filming. You think it’s probably with the revised script that got everyone on their edge because the crew were everywhere, ensuring all of the props and sets are nice and perfect for your shoot. 

It was also during this time that you realized the scene you’re about to do. 

It’s the middle part of Riko and Jun’s relationship where they kiss because they realized they love each other, only for a short period of time, and it ought to feel magical or else people would believe that Riko’s still in love with Lei and is using Jun but in the script, Riko’s in love with Jun, even if it’s just for a brief period. 

The director deemed it easier for the both of you to finish the hard scenes first before the others so as to ensure smooth filming in the later days of the schedule, considering that Yangyang and other actors in this series also has other schedules. 

“Relax,” Yangyang’s voice broke through your thoughts as you couldn’t shake your nerves.

First day with Yangyang as your character’s lover and you’re already about to kiss. What’s there to not be nervous about? 

He was leaning against the makeup station, dressed amazingly by his stylist. You think of his presence as effortless but right now, there’s a glint of something in his eyes–quiet yet intense. 

“I’m trying, sunbae,” you replied, turning to face him.

He stepped closer to where you are, lowering his voice so only you could hear. “You’re overthinking it, Y/N. It’s just a scene. We’re professionals, remember?” 

You nodded, but your hands were still trembling slightly. Yangyang saw your state and sighed. “Nepo babies,” he teased as he shook his head before giving you again a bottle of water. “Take a sip, madam. It will make you feel better.”

“I’m sorry for feeling nervous, sunbae.” You apologized as you took a sip from the water he gave you. “It’s just that… it’s my first kissing scene ever and I’m not familiar with the grounds for kissing in a scene.” you admitted. 

Yangyang’s smile was wide and charming as he listened to your confession, “Don’t worry, sunbae will guide you.”

It was show time and the director called you and Yangyang in for a brief summary again. 

“Look,” Yangyang said to catch your attention, “Think of this scene as an important moment for Jun and Riko. They came from heartbreaks and found comfort from each other,” he gave you an advice, “It’s like their enlightenment scene where they kiss and suddenly, all is well.”

You stared at him, trying to gauge what he had just said. “I’ll do my best,” you said shyly, offering him a small smile before walking to the center.

“I know you will,” Yangyang replied, his gummy smile returning. 

“Okay, lovebirds for a glimpse,” the director called. Lovebirds for a glimpse is you and Yangyang’s new nickname on set because of this RikoJun scene you’re doing. “Kiss your way!” was all she said before giving the both of you the cue. 

As the scene began, you convinced yourself that this isn’t about you. This is about Riko finding love again after what happened with Lei. This is her first kiss with someone who comforted her. And with that, you found yourself more at ease. 

Yangyang’s character approached yours, his eyes showed vulnerability and it almost felt too real when his orbs directly looked into yours. The lines flowing out of his mouth smoothly, as if he meant them. 

And when the moment came, when Jun leaned in and Riko didn’t pull away, it was like the rest of the world disappeared. 

The kiss was soft, hesitant, and lingering–exactly as it was supposed to be. Yangyang held your head with such gentleness while your hands found their way to his back, trying to get him closer to your body. 

You know it’s just pretend kissing but part of you wished it was real with the way Yangyang was holding you and your proximity, his warmth made you feel small in a way that is not condescending. He made you feel safe. 

When the two of you break the kiss, your eyes meet again. This time, you definitely went out of character as you looked at him deeply, fully portraying Riko’s yearning for him. Her ‘I found you’ moment. 

“Cut!” The director yelled ecstatically. “That was such a good scene!” 

You thanked the director while your mind was still in a daze as Yangyang gave you a small, reassuring nod–as if saying that you did well. You couldn’t help but give the actor a smile in return. 

As the crew buzzed around you again, you caught Chenle’s gaze from the sidelines. He raised a brow, smirking at your direction as if he knew something you didn’t. 

And maybe, he did. 

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Between the countless takes, script changes, and the director’s endless feedback, you barely had time to process anything. Except when Yangyang was in the same room as yours. You admire how his presence seems to fill every corner, tugging at your attention no matter how hard you try to focus on anything else. 

By the time you wrapped up for the day, your body ached from exhaustion, and all you wanted was to crawl into bed. At this time, you thoroughly expected a grumpy Chenle waiting for you in your dressing room but you were taken aback with what you got instead.

It was Yangyang, leaning against the wall near your dressing room, scrolling through his phone like he’s your boyfriend waiting for you to finish your shoot… you mean, what?

You hesitated to greet him but he looked up at you before you could even decide.

“Y/N,” he greeted, “Chenle’s out with Renjun. Figured I’ll wait for you instead, considering how late it is now.”

“Oh,” you mentally cursed your manager, your inner monologues filled with ‘How dare he’ and ‘How could he’. “It’s fine, sunbae. I can manage on my own.” 

Yangyang slipped his phone into his pocket, standing up straight in the process. “No, nepo baby. You’re gonna be with me until you enter the backdoor of your apartment.” 

You’re too tired to decline a persistent Yangyang that you just nodded before heading to the parking lot. “Long day,” you sighed, leaning into the car seat of Renjun’s van. 

“Tell me about it,” he responded as he started driving. 

You glanced at him, surprised, “I almost forgot! Aren’t you supposed to be staying for the night shoot?”

“Nah, Kun’s taking over because of changes again. Figured the director would have also preferred it that way,” he laughed as his hands smoothly maneuvered the steering wheel. 

You giggled at his response, “Sounds about right.” 

The two of you drove in an awkward silence for a while, the cold air conditioning of the van touches your body, making you shiver. 

“So,” he said eventually, looking at you for a brief period in his rearview mirror. “How’d it feel? The scene, I mean.”

You bit your lip, avoiding his brief glances at your place. “I don’t know,” you started, “It felt different… I don’t think I can find the right words to describe it right now, really.” 

You try to brush off his question with a laugh but you know deep inside your heart that you couldn’t just tell him you wished that the kiss was real. That you wish there was something more and that his glances at you earlier meant something. 

“But your advice did help a lot!” You tried changing the topic which you think was effective after he gave you a smug chuckle in return. 

“Told you.”

There was something easy about talking to him like this, away from the cameras and the crew and everything.

While driving, Yangyang made sure to take all the precautions he needed so as to not get caught with you in his manager’s van. Sure, he’s being friendly and acting like a dependable sunbae to you but he can’t afford being caught in a scandal, not with you. 

When you reached your destination, he made sure to contact the security to ensure no one was there before letting you go. 

“Thanks for earlier, sunbae! I don’t think I would’ve gotten through it without your reassurance.” 

He tilted his head, studying you for a moment before giving you a soft smile. “You would’ve been fine, with or without my advice. Give yourself some credit.” 

You stood frozen in the middle of your apartment’s parking lot at the sudden compliment. “Anyway, Y/N, get some good rest as tomorrow will be just as crazy as today.” 

“Yeah,” you nodded, “You too, sunbae, you too.”

By the time you reached your unit, you were surprised to see Chenle’s outdoor shoes in the entryway. 

“Yangyang said you’re out with Renjun,” your face turned sour at the sight of Chenle chilling on your sofa. “What a bad manager you are!”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. I left the restaurant earlier than Renjun.”

You didn’t mind what he said and went directly to your room to change. When you come back to your living room, he’s still in the same spot you left him a while ago. 

“What do you think of him now?” He asked again. This time, you already know who he was referring to. 

“He’s still fine and I still don’t understand why you’re doing this,” you rolled your eyes, joining him at your sofa. 

“He looks at you like you’re the lead of more than just the show, Y/N,” Chenle said slyly. 

“You’re overthinking things again, Chenle. Yangyang-sunbae is nice. I think we just have a good hoobae-sunbae relationship that’s why you’re acting like that,” you defended the actor. 

“I hope you’re right,” was all he said before placing all of his attention back to the television. 

At this point, you hope you’re right. 

It’s been a week since you spent time with Yangyang, filming the scenes for RikoJun and today, you guys are wrapping it all up–they’re gonna end their relationship and Lei will come back into the picture. 

“Missed me, Y/N?” Sicheng teased you. 

It’s also been a week since you last saw Sicheng, considering how busy he had gotten with his modelling gigs and sneaking out the pop star every night to his condominium. 

“You wish,” you retorted. 

“I heard you and Yangyang have a great chemistry,” he said again, his arms crossed to his chest.

“I like to think we do, too!” You gleefully replied, “His advice helped me a lot, especially during the heavy scenes we have together.”

Sicheng looked at you, “Mhm. I hope we still have that spark together after your time with him.”

Everyone on set was perplexed as to why Yangyang’s watching your scenes with Sicheng now, considering how he doesn’t have any upcoming shoots with you or with other actors of the drama today.

“Yang? Why are you here?” The director asked, completely puzzled to see the young man on set.

“Just wanna watch some of my colleagues, noona,” he showed off his gummy smile before proceeding to sit at the chair where the intern is supposed to sit. 

“Back off, Liu. The intern’s assigned there,” Hendery hissed, giving Yangyang a side eye before watching the younger one go away from the seat.

“Chill, Wong.” 

But Hendery didn’t give him any more attention, walking back to his van again to wait for the director’s orders. 

“Woah! What a tense situation you got there, Yang!” The director saw what happened, grinning ear to ear at Yangyang. 

“Shut up, noona. Why you gotta hire that man, anyways?”

“Well, he’s a good actor and he’s not rude to me,” 

“Whatever,” was all he said before looking for another seat to conquer.

After your shoot, you saw Yangyang outside your van, leaning against it while busying himself with his cellphone.

“Sunbae?” 

“Oh, Y/N. Already finished?” He asked, his eyes filled with joy as soon as he saw you in front of him. 

“Yeah. Why are you here, sunbae?” 

“N-nothing, Y/N. Have a great day.” 

You found it weird that Yangyang’s in front of your van yet left when you arrived but you didn’t divulge deep into the thought as your manager’s already waiting for you inside. 

“He was waiting for you,” Chenle told you the moment you sat on the leathered seat. “I thought he’s going to ask you out or something.”

“Please stop, Chenle. I know you like joking about stuff like that but he’s just a nice sunbae, that’s all!” 

“Drop the act, Y/N. I know you like him.”

This time, he’s right.

It started with the kiss scenes then the lovey-dovey shootings then came the drive-you-home extravaganza. Everything about Yangyang screams boyfriend for you. When he’d smile at you like you’re his most favorite thing in his world or when you’d be the only one he’d give techniques and advice on set, you knew what Chenle said about the man is right. 

At first, you were in-denial about it. Thinking that maybe you’re thinking this way about Yangyang because you can’t get your shit together and that you’re acting unprofessional. But, you know yourself. All this time, you are professional and diligent but his acts towards you aren't. 

Now, you’re here watching his character meet up with a new character the director added on a whim, saying something along the lines of ‘I’m sad Yangyang’s character didn’t have a partner.’

“Cut!” The director shouted, “That was a good run! Thank you, everyone!” 

The moment your eyes locked in with Yangyang, he immediately walked your way, not minding the new female character in his vicinity. 

“You were great out there,” you complimented. 

“Thanks,” he looked up before looking right into your eyes again, “But that’s just an act you know, what you saw earlier.”

“...I know?” You laughed. Of course, you know. You’re an actress for god’s sake!

“Just… saying,” he responded. “Anyways, are you free? Do you want to hangout with Sicheng and the rest?” 

You thought he’s about to ask you out on a date but Sicheng’s name flew out of his mouth and made your mood a bit down. 

“Sure, I’d love to,” you replied, opening your SMS app to message your manager about the said gathering.

You were about to sit beside Yangyang when the new actress beat you to it and told you to sit between Sicheng and Hendery. 

“It’s more fun if we sat beside our partners in the drama!” She suggested but you knew she just wanted to sit besides Yangyang. 

The table was tense, with the actress giving Yangyang a lot of food on his plate while you and the rest were quietly looking at the both of them. 

“I told Yangyang not to invite the newbie,” Hendery murmured. 

“Wouldn’t that be bad?” You asked, surprised he even talked to you. 

“So what? He could tell her I’m the one who suggested it.”

“That would be bad for you, then.”

“Everyone knows I’m bad. Much better for her to experience it sooner.’ 

You wanted to continue the conversation with Hendery more but he was clearly preoccupied with his ramen.

“That’s Hendery for you,” Sicheng smiled. “Here, get some of the beef I cooked.” 

“Thank you, Sicheng,” you thanked him as he put some cooked beef into your plate. 

From time to time, Yangyang kept on glancing at you while the new addition to the crew kept on pushing herself to the man. He was being uncomfortable because even though they rented a private section of this restaurant, rumors can still go and he can’t afford to have that. 

“He’s looking at you, Y/N,” Sicheng said, as if you hadn’t noticed it earlier. 

“I know, oppa. It feels weird.”

“Miss Y/N, you haven’t been touching your plate. Is everything alright?” Dejun asked rather loudly and everyone’s eyes on you now which made you feel small, especially when Yangyang’s gaze turned concerned. 

“Yes, Dejun-sunbae. I just feel full now,” you smiled at his direction which is a bit to the left whereas you were in the middle. 

“I’ll finish your food, Y/N. Give it to me,” Yangyang suddenly said, his right hand in your direction, waiting for you to give him your plate. 

“But–”

“Sicheng-ge, give me her plate,” you swear you could hear the newbie disagreeing with Yangyang but he didn’t mind.

Sicheng, being the biggest shipper of you and Yangyang, gladly followed the younger’s request. 

“Thank you, Yangyang-sunbae,” you said, eyes glinting with affection that everyone on the table didn’t miss. 

Of course, the both of you may not notice your deep fondness towards each other but everyone around you can feel it–they just don’t want to meddle with it. 

After everyone finished eating, you guys decided it would be better to part ways with each other and when the cast vanished into the busy streets of Seoul, you found yourself alone with Yangyang. 

“At last,” Yangyang jokingly said, nudging you playfully with his elbow while grinning from ear to ear. “At last, I can be with you alone!” 

Your heartbeat raced as you tried finding a reasonable response to him. “Don’t say that, sunbae!” 

“Why? Don’t you want to spend time with me?” 

“I like being with you, Yangyang-sunbae,” you responded, your tone was heartfelt but your execution was shy. 

Yangyang glanced at you for a while before forcing you to look back up at him, his fingers found your chin, racing it up so you could meet eye to eye. “I’ve been meaning to tell you this, Y/N.” 

“Mhm?” 

“You can stop calling me sunbae, you know,” he continued, “Just call me Yangyang, like everyone does.”

“But I don’t like calling you the way they do,” you argued, your lips forming a firm line. 

He just laughed at your stubbornness before ruffling your hair. 

“Okay, nepo baby. Just call me whatever you want,” he smiles at you genuinely, never getting tired of your little habits. 

“Okay, my dearest sunbae,” he laughs again this time but you truly meant what you had said. 

Sure, you might have other sunbae than him that you look up to and respect the most but none of them is Yangyang. None of them can make you feel the way he makes you feel. To you, he’s irreplaceable. 

Yangyang’s presence is a constant in your day as an actress. He’s always there, watching your scenes and cheering you on every chance he gets. He would also lean over your script, pointing out notes with an exaggerated seriousness that makes you not pay attention to him.

“You know, I could just ask the director,” you say, snatching the paper back.

“But I’m more fun,” he whines, leaning back with a pout. 

Then there are the quieter moments, like when you’re both reviewing scenes on his tablet, shoulder’s brushing as you sit close enough to share the screen. Or the way his hands would instinctively hand you a water bottle before you could even realize you’re thirsty. 

Or when he would always stay up late at night, waiting for you to wrap up your shoot before bidding you goodbye, watching you go inside your van before minding his own way home.

“Sunbae, you don’t have to wait for me everytime,” you say one evening as he lingers beside the director’s chair, watching you finish your last take for the day.

“And miss seeing you trip over your lines when you’re tired? No thanks,” he teased, flashing you a mischievous grin. 

You rolled your eyes at him, tossing a tissue towards his direction which he dodges with a dramatic flair. 

Moments like this have become the norm, not just to you but to everyone else. 

Everyone on set notices it. The way Yangyang’s eyes soften when he talks to you, the way your laughter is always louder in his presence. It’s in how he seems to move with you, like gravity itself pulls him into your orbit. 

“They’re so obvious,” the director complains jokingly. 

“Would you say anything, though?” Kun asked with a hushed tone, glancing at you both from across the room.

“Hell no.” 

To the crew, it’s an open secret that no one dares to talk about. To you and Yangyang, it’s just the way things are. 

And Chenle’s really worried for you.

You’re sitting in the dressing room, scrolling mindlessly on your phone while Chenle organizes your schedule for the following months. The buzzing voices and footsteps of the crew fades as you stand up for a while to close the door, creating a rare moment of peace and solitude in your otherwise hectic day, before sitting comfortably again. 

Chenle sets his laptop down on the table with a deliberate thud, breaking the comforting silence.

“We need to talk, Y/N,” he says, his tone filled with urgency.

You glance up, already sensing the shift in his usual sunny demeanor. “What is it this time?” You asked, trying to lift his mood up but it seems like your manager has no time for jokes or any of your ministrations. 

“It’s about Yangyang.”

You look at him puzzled, “What about him?” 

Chenle crossed his arms, his expression was stern. “Whatever’s going on between you two, it’s too much. Everyone on set sees it.” 

“So what if they do? People talk all the time,”you counter, feigning nonchalance, though your heartbeat races and you feel a knot tightening in your stomach. 

“This is serious, Y/N,” his tone now direct, “This isn’t just about people talking. You’re putting your reputation and his career at risk!” 

You roll your eyes at what he had said, leaning back in your chair. “Chenle, it’s not that serious. Even if something happens, my parents can fix it. They’ve done it before. Don’t worry.” 

“See? That’s exactly the problem Y/N,” he snaps, “You’re so used to your parents cleaning up after you that you don’t even see how dangerous this is for him,” you could tell his frustration is boiling over but you don’t seem to understand why he’s angry. “Sure, you can tell everyone how you’re so much more of your name or your parents. You can decline any movies or series with their name, but that action of yours. This action of yours is why people still think you’re a nepo baby.” 

Your eyebrows furrow, feeling confused. “I’m not doing anything wrong, Chenle. I’m sure Yangyang knows how to handle himself.”

“Does he?” Chenle laughs at your naivety. “Do you have any idea how hard he’s worked to get here? He doesn’t have the privilege of a safety net like you, Y/N,” he pauses for a moment, trying to catch his breath. “One scandal, one rumor, and everything he’s built is gone.”

You’re quiet for a moment. The weight of his words made you understand where he’s coming from but your response only deepened the rift. “Okay, fine. If it comes to that, I’ll handle it. My parents will definitely make sure nothing happens to him either. I’m sure of it.” 

Chenle was cynical after hearing what you have just said. “You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t about who your parents can pay off. It’s about respect. Respect for his work, his sacrifices, his entire life!” 

Outside the door, Yangyang stands frozen, his hand stuck on the knob. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on you and Chenle’s conversation, he just wanted to hang out with you today but instead, he got to hear your careless and out of touch words, making his chest tighten. 

He hears Chenle’s voice lower, ultimately giving off the vibes that he’s intensely irritated at what you have said. “You’re so caught up in thinking everything will be fine because it always is for you. But for him? It’s not. And if you really care about him, you’d stop pretending this isn’t a big deal. Stop whatever is going on with you two, Y/N.” 

Yangyang doesn’t want to hear anymore of what you guys are talking about. His stomach churns as he walks away, Chenle’s words and your indifference playing over and over in his head.

The ride home was quiet but not the quiet you wanted to have with Chenle. You genuinely can’t understand why he’s so exasperated with you when you’re just telling the truth. You can’t seem to find the problem with your parents paying off tabloids and threatening news agencies to keep the rumors about you and Yangyang out of the public eye.

And maybe, just maybe, the reason why you can’t find the problem with what you have said is because you’d never truly had to worry about the consequences of your actions. For you, it was simple: if things went wrong, you had the means to make it right.

“Chenle,” you finally broke the silence, your voice softer now. “I didn’t mean to upset you earlier. I thought I was being practical, you know? Looking out for everyone… I don’t know. Maybe I’ve missed something.” 

Chenle’s hand tightened around the steering wheel of the van and you could see the tension in his shoulders. “It’s not just about you, Y/N,” he said, “It’s about Yangyang too. You have no idea how much risk he had put out on himself just so you could be close with him the way you are with him now. How he’d probably be in his bed every night, thinking when or where news would break out about you two but still continue to act like your lover day by day. You have no idea how much he’s risked for you and here you are, thinking everything can be handled with a few phone calls from your parents.” 

His words stung more now, the sharpness of them cutting through your confusion. You tried to open your mouth to speak but nothing came out. This time, you knew Chenle was right. You have no idea. 

“Do you really think this is just a game for him, Y/N?�� Chenle continued, “I know, it’s partly my fault for letting him drive you home that night and for not giving you a heads up but I didn’t think it could go deeper. I didn’t think it could end up like this.”

“It’s not your fault, Chenle. I just… I just didn’t think of it like that,” you murmured, your voice almost too quiet for him to hear. “I just thought that… that it’s the way things work for me. I didn’t realize our situation could put him in a worse situation than me.” 

Chenle’s expression softened at your confession, “I know you didn’t. But that’s why I need you to start seeing it from his side. From his perspective. This isn’t about what you can fix or what you think you can get away with.”

Betrayed is an understatement of how Yangyang feels right now. Hearing Chenle’s frustration and your clueless words earlier made his heart twist uncomfortably. Just when he thought everything was okay. Just when he thought it was okay to let his guard down for you. You just had to let him feel different from you. 

“What are you going to do, Yang?” Renjun asked, sighing as he saw his talent leaning against the window of his car. He had heard about you and your manager’s dispute from Yangyang. The young man was already on the verge of crying when Renjun calmed him down, even just for a moment.

“I knew we shouldn’t have gone that far into whatever we had, ge.” 

“I’m sure Y/N had her reasons as to why she said those things, Yang,” Renjun tried to save you from Yangyang but he knew it’s no use. 

Knowing Yangyang, Renjun’s too sure that the boy will completely distance himself from you, considering how he just realized how dangerous it is for him to fall for someone like you. 

“No, ge. This has to stop. Whatever this is. Chenle’s right. Even if I hadn’t heard her talking with her manager, I can’t let things go that far, ge. I have a career to uphold,” Yangyang sighed, “What would the public think if they learned about us? It’s so scary.”

“You’re overthinking again. Try to talk things with her tomorrow, maybe it’ll clear your mind.”

Tomorrow came and Yangyang dreaded it the most. You, on the other hand, are oblivious to the fact that your potential significant other potentially heard your conflict with Chenle last night. 

“Yang-sunbae!” You greeted, still clueless. 

With you greeting him with a huge smile that could cure the world, Yangyang wished he hadn’t heard what you had said yesterday. Yangyang wished this could go on. Yangyang wished you guys were just ordinary people. 

“I heard your conversation with Chenle,” he wasted no time. Yangyang spoke to you with the coldest tone he could muster but his insides were shaking. 

“Hm?” You were confused. 

What conversation with Chenle? You thought. 

Oh. You realized. 

Oh.

“Must be nice for you, huh? To not be worried about your career because your parents can clean your mess up,” his words cut you like a knife. He swore to himself to become calm once you met him but Yangyang felt overwhelmed. 

“What are you-” you couldn’t even continue what you were about to say because he interrupted you again, his disappointment in you evident in his eyes.

“I like you, Y/N.”

Those were the words you hoped Yangyang would one day say to you but his tone wasn’t the way to put it. You felt no butterflies in your stomach because you know this is not the confession where the both of you would end up together. More like a confession where you’d end up alone. 

“I like you too, Yangyang-sunbae,” you try. You hoped that he would calm down. That this revelation of feelings would soothe him and make him realize that everything is okay. That he’d realize you’re ready to risk everything for him.

But deep down, you know you’re just a fool for even confessing. 

Yangyang shook his head, “I like you, Y/N,” he repeated, “But we should stop. Your manager is right. What we have right now shouldn’t continue. We’re not allowed to be like this,” his voice cracks at the end of his sentence. 

A confession and a closure at the same dialogue? Yangyang is the only one who could do that.

“Yang…” but he didn’t respond. You look at his figure walking out of the set. 

You cried at where he had left you. You look like a fool there, with the director coming at your direction, completely confused as to why Yangyang left so suddenly and why you were left there, sobbing. 

“No amount of public hate could make me hurt the way his words did,” you cry at the director’s shoulder. You were almost shaking. 

It was your first ever rejection you have received your whole life. Sure, some individuals do not accept you in this field but his rejection of you was personal. 

“Why’d you do that to her?” Yangyang found it surprising that Hendery was the one to ask him why. Out of all the people in the set, this young and rude man was the first one to ask him why. 

“She can’t understand me or my situation. She can never understand it,” Yangyang just replied as he brought the cigarette to his lips, inhaling deeply as smoke curled up in the air. 

“You should have known that from the start, considering she’s a product of nepotism,” Hendery replied. Him, too, lighting up his own cig. 

“She’s more than what the public thinks of her,” Yangyang argued, “But, I think I have overestimated her.” 

Yangyang didn’t mean to leave you crying, he felt hurt himself. When he saw you earlier, memories of yesterday flooded his mind, overwhelming him and causing him to say whatever came to mind in that moment.

He was terrified that he would become nothing once the news about you two broke. The thought of a dating scandal uprooting all the sacrifices he had made for his career filled him with dread. In truth, he was afraid of you.

From the first time he saw you at the read-throughs, he sensed something about you could destroy him. Still, he tried until all that remained was the painful realization that you couldn’t be with him.

Hendery didn’t respond to Yangyang anymore. Instead, he just stood there while Yangyang found himself sitting with his truth in silence, grappling with the weight of his emotions. It was just him, Hendery, and the unspoken fears that lingered between you two, a reminder of what could never be.

“I know this is bad timing but the editing team accidentally deleted a kissing scene from Riko and Jun and now–” the director was frantic, almost worried for you and Yangyang but Kun calmed her down.

“Breathe,” he said, patting the back of the director to soothe her.

“Thank you,” she smiled before continuing, “I need the two of you to get your act together and film this one, just one, scene again.”

Yangyang didn’t reply, as if he’s distracted with something. You, on the other hand, gave the director a small nod. 

It was the day after the confession-closure thing and you kinda accepted to yourself that while he has become wary with you, you’re still willing to accept him. Even if it takes a lifetime. 

“Good morning, sunbae!” You gave him your best, energetic smile but he just gave you a nod. 

“At least, he acknowledged you,” Sicheng’s makeup artist felt bad for you so she tried to cheer you up. 

“Okay, Y/N and Yangyang! Give us your best shot!” The director calls, you breathe deeply before looking straight into Yangyang’s, you mean, Jun’s eyes. 

Be professional, Y/N! You scold yourself.

Yangyang immediately dives into the kissing scene, leaving you no room to mentally prepare for it. 

The kiss was fierce and desperate. You feel as if you’re trying to consume each other, pouring all your unspoken words and pent-up feelings into this single moment.

Your hands find their way to his hair, pulling him closer as if afraid he might disappear. He responds by deepening the kiss, his hands gripping your waist tightly, grounding you both in this whirlwind of passion.

It’s as if you guys weren’t Riko and Jun. The pretend kiss was extremely intense, everyone on set felt that it was genuine than it was supposed to be. But the director liked it. 

“Cut!” The director shouted and Yangyang was quick enough to detach himself from you. “That was a good one-take!”

You weren’t able to respond because Yangyang was already leading you to a secluded place.

“Hey! Wait!” You try to make him stop, “The director’s not finished talking, sunbae.”

Once he deems it’s safe enough, he looks at you before sighing deeply. He leans into you, kissing you for real this time. 

Yangyang doesn’t know if this is your first kiss but you don’t care at all. You close your eyes, feeling the moment. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” he says, breathless.

“I should be the one apologizing, sunbae.”

Yangyang inhales, looking straight into your eyes, “It’s just… it’s just I’m afraid to disappoint them, Y/N. My fans. The public. I don’t like the way they’d paint me if we’re revealed.” 

“It’s okay, really. At least, you told me now,” you give him a half smile. 

In that instant, you realize how much you’re willing to risk for him. You were so easy to forgive him that you’d already forgotten what he had made you feel yesterday. But there’s this thought that has been eating you since then… that Yangyang’s not ready to risk what you’re ready to give him. 

“Look,” you were determined to make this right. “I know it’s complicated but–” 

He shakes his head harshly, cutting you off. “No, Y/N. You don’t understand this ‘complicated’ you’re talking about. I like you, Y/N. I genuinely, deeply fell for you but I can’t afford to risk my career or put you in danger of being even more hated by the general public.” 

“Yangyang-sunbae,” your voice was trembling but you still gave him a forced smile, “We can still be friends, you know?” You don’t want to be friends with him but if that’s the only way to keep him around, you’re willing. 

“No, Y/N. We can’t be friends.” 

“Why not?” You plead, desperate for him to explain whatever he has on his mind because he’s been puzzling you since earlier. 

“Because I like you more than friends do,” he admits, his voice betraying him again. 

The confession sends a rush of emotions through you, “So what does this mean for us?”

“It means…” He hesitates again, his brow furrowing, knowing that whatever comes out of his mouth next will change his relationship with you. “It means I have to lose you to protect you.”

The words hit you like a punch to the face. You want to scream that it’s not fair, that love shouldn’t come with conditions or sacrifices, but only a shaky breath left your lips.

“Yangyang-sunbae,” you say softly, stepping closer again despite the chasm between your desires and his fears. “I don’t want to lose you.”

He looks at you then, really looks at you, and for a fleeting moment, it feels like time stands still. In those gaze of his lies everything unspoken: the love that burns fiercely but is overpowered by his fear.

“I wish things were different,” he murmurs, his voice thick with emotion.

You reach out, fingers brushing against his hand, wishing for him to reconsider. But deep down, you know he’s already made up his mind.

“It’s premiere day!” The director gleamed. 

“Sicheng, you ready?” You ask your lead partner.

“Ask yourself first if you’re ready,” he replied. And he’s right about it, considering how this is the first time you’re going to see Yangyang again after your closure. 

The venue was filled with energy, cameras flashing from left to right, fans cheering for every cast member, and the buzz of excitement filling every corner of the room. You take a deep breath before diving in with Sicheng at the stage, reminding yourself of the work you had put into this series. 

The lights were blinding you and Sicheng and you can’t even hear the cheers of your fans with your heart thumping incredibly loud and fast. As you pose for photos, your eyes can’t help but wander to Yangyang. And when you did? Your heart almost dropped.

Yangyang looked dapper in his suit, standing with his partner in the drama as well as the other cast members. He catches your gaze for a second before continuing to smile at the cameras pointed at him. You can’t help but feel a pang in your chest. 

You mean, what’s the point of looking that good if there’s a distance between the both of you?

After the dashing and successful premiere of Eternal Sunshine, you find yourself at the after-party where only the crew and the cast were invited. 

The atmosphere was celebratory, filled with laughter and clinking of glasses. Heck, you even heard someone say that this drama is going to be a hit and that you deeply hope. But your mind wanders to Yangyang, sitting at the side with Hendery, exchanging small talks with the man every once in a while. 

You don’t know what came to you at that exact moment but you can’t help yourself. Your feet found its way towards an unsuspecting Yangyang. 

You first greeted Hendery, who even though feels the atmosphere didn’t need his presence there, didn’t give a single care and continued to eat. 

“Y/N,” Yangyang greeted you first.

“Hey,” you smile softly at him before leaning to his level, whispering, “I just want you to know that I’ll wait for your love, Yang.” 

It was the first time Yangyang had heard you call him without honorifics, making him flustered and shocked. He was about to respond to you but you shushed him, walking towards the area where the director is to talk with her. 

You know that there’s no need for further explanation because deep down inside, you're resolute: you’ll absolutely wait for his love. You like this man deeply, more than words can explain, and no matter how long it takes you're willing to endure it all for him.

COMING UP NEXT. “Yeah, but it’s so weird because you can feel the tension and I think it’d be even weirder now because they’re wrapping up the first season and Ten has to get the interesting bits while the makeup artist has to make sure Sicheng is the interesting bit.”

[aimportantdragoncollector]

For the ask game, AU where Izuku is low key embarrassed of his uncle because he is so beautiful he keeps accidentally seducing everyone he meets, please. (Yoichi reserves the not accidental seduction for his husbands.)

Heh I love this one:

1. Hisashi and Inko are business partners who often travel for work, so they leave Izuku to stay with his three uncles: Yoichi, Second (Kaiji), and Third (Sanzou). Izuku doesn't mind because he loves his uncles, but man does he ever hate going outside with Uncle Yoichi. Because it's nothing but trouble! Every time they go out, Yoichi gets approached by modeling agents, every shop gives them discounts, and people take pictures in public. To Izuku's great annoyance, people keep mistaking his uncle for his older brother. Furthermore, Yoichi attracts every train molester, flasher, stalker, and kidnapper. Izuku carries a taser to handle all of them. He's appointed himself as bodyguard because he believes that his air-headed, beautiful uncle is way too clueless, defenseless, and prone to giving people the benefit of the doubt.

2. Over the years, Izuku has developed an itchy trigger finger with the taser and a policy of preemptive strikes towards anyone who looks at Yoichi wrong. Izuku has been capturing perverts and taking them to the police since elementary school. In middle school he tasered Re-Destro from behind for trying to kidnap his uncle (without knowing who he was). Izuku got a medal for taking down such a dangerous villain.

3. Izuku also dislikes how everyone treats him differently after meeting his uncle. He's dealt with bullying issues in the past because of his quirklessness. But as soon as they lay eyes on his uncle, his teachers rush to favor him and even the other kids try to befriend him to have an excuse to come over to his house and gawk. Izuku hates the fakeness even more than the bullying.

4. Katsuki Bakugo is the first person Izuku ever met who didn't go gah-gah over his uncle and Izuku really appreciates how Katsuki doesn't treat him any differently. (Katsuki is not immune, he's just too stubborn to show it. As a result, he tries to avoid Izuku and whatever weirdness is going on around him.) In this AU, Katsuki's bullying got cut off very early on because all of Izuku's teachers intensely favor him. In fact, Izuku's teachers make excuses to come over to his house for frequent parent-teacher conferences specifically during the times when he lives with his uncles. It annoys Izuku that Yoichi does not seem to realize these conferences are unnecessary and can happily talk about his cute nephew all day.

5. Yoichi constantly causes gay/bisexual awakenings in everyone he meets, including women who discover they like women after meeting him. Don't question how that works.

6. Izuku also hates how when he goes out in public with all three of his uncles, people whisper behind their backs about how Kaiji and Sanzou aren't handsome enough for Yoichi. Strangers are disrespectful enough to hit on Yoichi in front of his partners and tell him that he could do better. Kaiji and Sanzou are very secure and just laugh it off. Izuku "accidentally" tasers the rudest ones.

7. Izuku's also embarrassed because Uncle Yoichi dotes on him in public, which attracts attention to him. A lot of suitors see playing nice with Izuku as their "in" with Yoichi or think they will impress Yoichi by showing off how good they are with kids.

8. On the bright side, Yoichi gets lots of hero autographs for Izuku. (Any autograph Izuku wants, including villain autographs.) Izuku assumes that this is because even people in the hero industry can't resist his uncle's smile. He's right, but he doesn't know the whole story.

9. Yoichi is a famous villain. All the heroes and villains alike are infatuated with his alter ego. In this AU, Izuku's entire family is full of villains: Inko is a villain and All for One's business partner, which is why she goes away with her husband on business trips frequently. Kaiji and Sanzou are also villains. Izuku has no idea.

10. Izuku also doesn't know that his uncles ruined lives of everyone who bullied him in past. The perverts who get tasered by Izuku are the lucky ones. You don’t want to know what Yoichi does to perverts who harass him when he’s out alone.

[spidernuggets]

I was listening to Matilda by Harry Styles and...

Can I ask something about the reader living in a toxic environment or having a toxic family but seeing it as normal, until she meets Jason and he makes her see that it's actually not normal?

Only if you feel comfortable writing it tho 🥲💗

Jason Todd x Fem!Reader

Note: I LOVEEE this request. It gives me the opportunity to show the little things in a toxic environment/family that are DEF mentally unhealthy, but it can be played off as, idk the word, normal, or not a big deal.

Reader's back story: Reader grew up with a family where there's always a lot of petty disagreements but always leads to being yelled at. Reader was also raised to respect others, but hypocritically, her parents don't show that same level. So when they yell at her, she doesn't say anything back, she doesn't talk back or defend herself etc etc. But the day after, her parents "apologise", Reader accepts, but the apology means fuck all because her parents always makes the same mistakes and the cycle continues.

"Fucking hell! Can you just fucking leave me alone!" Jason yells after climbing through the fire escape. He just came back after a rough mission and is in no mood.

You ran up to him, trying to give him a hug, and at first, he lightly pushed you away, but poor you didn't get the memo and tried to give him a sweet kiss on the cheek.

Jason really didn't mean to lash out on you. During the mission, he got scolded by Dick and got punched across the jaw by Bruce. He also failed the mission anyway. And honestly, all that time wasted when he could've been in your arms instead pissed him off more.

But now that he's here with you, he doesn't seem like he's in the mood to be held by you. He just wants everything to be quiet. Except, now he's the one being loud.

"I'm sorry, Jay, I just-"

"Y/n, please, just shut up for five minutes because I don't think my head can last another second with you!" He storms away, taking an extra pillow and blanket and goes to sleep on the couch. You let him leave, knowing he'll be better in the morning.

This was the first time Jason had raised his voice to you. But it was fine.

You woke up to the feel on fingers running through your hair and light, damp kisses on your nose. You twist and turned and groaned at the feeling, wishing for more sleep.

"Wake up, sweet thing. Please?" You heard a deep, raspy voice ask.

You barely opened your eyes but made out the figure in front of you. Jason was on his knees, kneeling beside your bed with roses and your favourite candies in his hand.

"Mm.. Jay?" You groaned once more, trying to sit up while rubbing your eyes open. "Special occasion?" You groggily asked.

Jason looks at you slightly confused. "What? No.. no, I just wanted to say I'm.. I'm sorry. I acted like an asshole last night, a major asshole. Scream at me, hit me, do whatever. Please, please forgive me," he whines, looking down while presenting the gifts to you. He tenses up as you stay silent. When he looks up, your head is tilted, accompanied by a questioning look on your face. "And.. And I told Bruce that I'm taking the week off. I'll take you out on dates, wherever you want to go, I'll buy you everything you want." At this point, he'd give his soul to Trigon just for you to forgive him.

Slowly, you take the candies and roses from him. "That's really sweet, Jay.. but.. why?" Now it was Jason's turn to look at you in confusion and disbelief.

"What- What do you mean why? I was a bastard last night! I told you to shut up, I told you to leave me akone! I left you alone in bed last night!" In all realness, the moment Jason sat on the couch, he thought you indirectly broke up with him and left. He didn't expect you to be in bed. So he ran to the closest ooen shop and bought you all your favourite candies.

"Oh..." You pondered, looking at the pretty petals in your hands. "It's okay, Jay. Don't worry about it, it's fine," you smiled.

Jason frowned. You were smiling. Genuinely smiling at him. As if nothing happened. As if what he did wasn't wrong. "What? It's not- It's not fine. How can you say that?"

"Well, you're sorry, yeah? So everything is good," you try to hold your hand in his, but the contact made him flinch. It's like Jason is getting angry for you.

"No. No, everything's NOT good. Why are you acted as if I didn't just fully disrespect you last night? Why are you acting as if nothing happened? What if I yell at you like that again, huh? It wouldn't be fine!" Jason doesn't understand why you think everything is fine.

"I mean.. If you say sorry, then you're sorry," you shortly explain.

"Were you always like this?" He quietly asks, holding your hands, caressing them with his thumbs. "A lot of the times, sorry isn't enough. Why- Why do you forgive so easily?" There's a plead in Jason's eyes. Through his life, he's always done so much wrong. He always lost people. Forgiveness was a foreign thing to him. But the fact that you gave no second thought into forgiving him had him worried.

You look down in such shame. You don't really know. But then you think back to when you were a kid. Back to when you reached out to pour some juice in your cup, but then you knocked over your dad's glass of water, and it smashed all over the ground.

You were eight. You were eight when your dad started yelling at you, asking why you were incompetent. You were crying and didn't hear your dad saying you had nothing to cry over.

Later in the night, your mom went to you, telling you your dad had a rough night, and he didn't mean to take it out on you. Then your dad walked in, kneeled, and said he was sorry. He said he'd never say anything like that to you ever again. And you forgave him. Because you were eight, and you believed that he was sorry.

To this day, you still weren't sure if he was sorry. Because he always noticed the small mistakes you made and lash out on you. Your mom did this, too. But the two of them always crawled back, asking for forgiveness, telling you they didn't mean it, promising it would never happen again.

The one time you tried to defend yourself, it just ticked them off even more. So, every time they raised their voices, your own stayed silent. You'd just wait for them to take out their harsh emotions on you, and you'd just wait for them with their routine of apologies, you'd just wait for the next time they gave out to you.

Maybe you're projecting this method onto Jason. You already knew how much of a hot head he is. But you still don't know. His apology seemed more alive than your parents'.

But, still. It was the same. 'I'll never do it again.' 'I'm sorry.'

The difference was.. was Jason WANTED you to be angry with him. Maybe that's what was missing. A chance to secure yourself. A chance to fight back. A chance to respect yourself.

"I don't know.." You whisper, too tired to lift your head to look at him.

"Hey.." He gently calls out, his finger under your chin, tilting your head up. "I'm not saying forgiveness is a bad thing. But you need to be angry about certain things. About me. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Just because someone says they're sorry, it doesn't mean they actually are. Except for me. I'm so, so sorry. Like, if I were you right now, I'd probably dump my ass." His last statement made you giggle ever so slightly.

"There's my girl," he says, one of his hands reaching up to hold her cheek, squishing it gently. "Next time I make a dick move, be angry. Yell at me, hit me. Threaten to dump me. That'll definitely make me feel real sorry." He smiles.

You let out a chuckle, turning your face to kiss the rough palm of his hand. "Okay," you mumbke through his hold.

Are my fics getting shorter and shorter each time? That's my worst fear.

ANYWAYS, I genuinely hope this problem makes sense!!! It's light, but as I said, it's unhealthy!!

Very very very very much hope that you've enjoyed, Anon 🙏🙏

[ronaldothebestie]

Wired | "Rúben Dias"

* ˚ ✦Summary: (Reader) does the famous interview "Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions".

Tw: Is just a interview, reader mentions man City, Words with a dash are suposed to be questions, mentions Portuguese culture.

Inspiration

* ˚ ✦

"Hi! I am (Reader) and you're watching Disney Channel!" You make the famous Mickey symbol with your fingers towards the camera in front of you.

CUT!

"W-What? Guys! I'm just kidding." You start laughing and receive protests from the production in front of you.

"Miss (reader), we enjoyed the jokes throughout the video but at the beginning, tried to be a little serious."

"Wow, With that tone I even felt embarrassed... I will accept the terms, Alfred."

...

"Hey! I'm (Reader) and this is the WIRED Autocomplete Interview!"

"Alfred, all I can say is how cool you are right now." You stare at one of the producers, chuckling a little.

"My name is not Alfred, miss."

"Ya, I know, but you keep calling me "miss", reminds me of the old butler Alfred... Hm... After this, can we have some tea?"

"I don't think so."

"Hey! But I-"

CUT!

...

"So, first question..." You hold the whiteboard with hidden questions, so you tear off the paper.

- Who is (Reader)?

"Alright... Oh! Who is (Reader)? (Reader) is me." You point to yourself. "Ask my name on Google and you'll find a lot of information about me."

- Who (Reader) played in Marvel.

"Oh, I played Tony Stark, ya, great experience with Scarlett, Evans and especially Stan, so I'm a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist and singer. I really enjoyed being an Avenger on my vacation."

- (Reader) is an actress?

"Well, yes and no, I played different characters in theaters when I was a kid, a big series that became international, but now I'm just a cute singer, so, call me whatever you want."

- What is the best album by (Reader)

"Wow! Big question dude! All my albums are good, because first, I made them and second, I made them. But my favorite of all is Beautiful people are talking series.

"Yes, it's a long name, but he's definitely worth it, especially when I did it with a lot of care and love, it was a great tribute to my career and the people who have been involve it and everything we went through together like a family.❤️"

- Who is (Reader)'s husband

"Now we start with the polemic questions! So... I think I hid this secret for a long time, but now it's time to reveal it..." You let out a dramatic sigh.

"Hugh' Jackman is my husband!" The production laughs in the background and you laugh too.

- (Reader) have children?

"Yes! I'm so happy you asked that question, I'm almost crying here" You wipe away an imaginary tear.

"I have a daughter, her name is Canela and she's a cat very... Sassy and with a very strong personality with people other than me... Canela means Cinnamon in Portuguese because she is a brown kitten and it is just one of the best names I could give, so clap your hands for me!"

- Which team (Reader) cheer

"No way you are researching this! You only get me in trouble, You are all on my blacklist..."

"So, nationally, I cheer to Benfica, if you're support Sporting or Porto... You can leave the video, kisses.

"And outside of Portugal I support Real Madrid and recently Manchester City, I only started following this Premier League a few months ago and I'm loving the games, they can be quite intense... So to speak'. "

- What is the relationship between (Reader) and Rúben Dias?

"Who is he? Besides, cute name, he has those arms the size of my head, right? And I think he likes balls or something and work out all the time."

- Can (Reader) cook?

"This is so humiliating, but... I can't. There's some kind of curse in my father's family that nobody literally can't cook."

"Something always goes wrong, at least my mother is an excellent cook, so we survived at Christmas."

- (Reader) next tour

"New things are coming and maybe next time... The surprise will remain in the air, but I'm really excited about it, I've been missing doing shows all over the world and man, I can't wait!!"

- (Reader) has starred on Broadway

"No? I mentioned that I was no longer acting, but when I retire from music, I'll definitely go to Broadway, I've dreamed about it since I was 5 years old, I hope that by then there will be a Ronaldo piece and I can be the Dona Dolores.

- (Reader) best friend

"I think... I think is Pep Guardioa, yes, his bald head has always helped me in difficult times, it is so shiny that it forgives all my sins..."

- Reader likes Bolo Rei?

"..."

-

"Thank you all for watching, you do generic questions but I loved almost all of them, and thank you very much to WIRED for the invitation, you guys are amazing especially Alfred, I still want to go on a date with you... Love you so much guys! Peace!✌️."

CUT!

Bônus:

"How did they have the courage to ask about the Bolo rei and definitely insult me in the worst possible way?"

"What is the Bolo rei?" Someone from production asked.

"Literally the worst cake on the face of the earth, and if you want to know the ingredients, I won't tell you, it's torture for me."

"To drown our sorrows... Do we still have tea, Alfred?"

"Definitely not, miss."

Bônus II:

"Pep, if you're watching this video, I swear this isn't what you're thinking. I promise I don't see you that way, you're an incredible person and look, I even wrote a song about you, So please forgive me and don't forbid me from watching my boyfriend's games at the Etihad, thank you."

Abc:

Bolo rei = King cake (It is a typical festive cake from Portugal, which is typically "eaten" at Christmas and King's Day, which celebrates the visit of the three wise men).

Name Alfred = Bruce Wayne's butler, aka Batman.

-

Hi everyone! I know it took me a while to update, but I had technical problems (man) and I ended up postponing everything, but I was bored and here I am.

It wasn't really focused on the romance, but rather on the reader's "musical world" because I think it needs a little introduction for the next Fanfics because new characters will appear so wait...

It's 9pm here, so I'm going to have dinner, muitos beijos.❤️❤️

And... @youandiwerealive I PROMISE I WILL READ RÚBEN'S NEW FANFIC😭😭 LY GIRL❤️❤️

© All this shit belongs to @ronaldothebestie on Tumblr, so don't translate, repost, copy in no social media, do not commit plagiarism, It's crime and wtf?

[mama-qwerty]

This question for the Wachowski family: Do you all enjoys Halloween such as making jack-o-lanterns, decorating and goes trick or treating?

Knuckles: I do not understand the point of this holiday.

Sonic: It's fun! You get to scare people, and watch scary stuff, and dress up as whatever you want and go door to door and people give you candy just because!

Tails: Where do the tricks come into play?

Sonic: The what?

Tails: The tricks. You say "trick or treat". What happens if you don't get a treat? Do you retaliate? Is there a punishment? I need to know the parameters so I can plan accordingly.

Sonic . . . dude, it's just a saying. There aren't any tricks.

Knuckles: Why say it if there is no threat attached to it?

Sonic: Man, I dunno, it's one of those things that probably got all twisted around over the years.

Knuckles: Perhaps it was a way to frighten those who would not hand out treats. The threat was too great.

Sonic: You're really overthinking this.

Tails: Is there a trick meant for people who give out raisins?

Sonic: Oh, there should be.

Knuckles: And toothbrushes.

Sonic: Thought you didn't understand this holiday?

Knuckles: I understand the idea of gaining sweet treats. Those who use that to push the importance of dental hygiene are missing the point.

Sonic: YES! Thank you.

Knuckles: I do find carving pumpkins fun, though.

Tails: You kinda had a hard time with yours.

Knuckles: The rind was harder and thicker than I anticipated.

Sonic: Yeah, the first one you tried kinda ended up as more Jack o'lump-of-mush and less Jack o'lantern.

Knuckles: I was frustrated. The second attempt was better.

Tails: . . . .

Sonic: . . . .

Knuckles: My art skills notwithstanding.

Sonic: OH, looking at all the decorations are fun!

Tails: Some of them are really neat. And the scary movies are nice for a good scare!

Sonic: We should go to that haunted house they set up in town!

Knuckles: . . . .

Knuckles: Pass.

Sonic: Whatsamatter? Is the big brave echidna scared of ghosts?

Knuckles: They can be . . . annoying.

Tails: Annoying? That's an interesting way of saying you're scared.

Knuckles: Fear has nothing to do with it. You would find it annoying as well if they never left you alone.

Sonic: . . . .

Tails: . . . .

Sonic: What are you talking about?

Tails: Knuckles, are you trying to convince us you can see ghosts?

Knuckles: Is that not common?

Sonic: NO.

Tails: Wait, really??

Sonic: Is there a ghost here?? Have you seen any since you came to Earth??

Knuckles: Not many. But there is one that likes to hover over Tails while he sleeps. It has empty eyes and wails softly as it leans ever closer in the night.

Sonic: . . . .

Tails: . . . .

Tails: Heh, good one. That's not true, though. Right?

Knuckles: . . . .

Knuckles: *flicks his eyes up to the 'empty' space above Tails' head*

Knuckles: No. Of course not. That would be . . . silly.

Tails and Sonic's eyes widen, their ears pinned back.

Tails: *takes off running* MOOOOOOOOOM!!

Sonic: Real talk, you made all that up, right?

Knuckles: I did.

Sonic: *breathes a sigh of relief, even though he totally didn't believe it for a second, nope, not him*

Knuckles: It actually hovers over your bed.

Sonic: *zips off* MOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

A little smile curls Knuckles' lips. Maybe he understood this holiday more than he let on.

~~~

Like this? Check out my other shorties. Reblogs are appreciated!

[antiporn-activist]

The idea that you cannot therapise someone out of being abusive has been important to me because I used to think that “if I could just get him to go to therapy” then he would treat me better. Reading Why Does He Do That and accepting that therapy wasn’t a panacea was really important to me.

That all being said, I don’t believe that you were arguing that therapy is a panacea etc. and I’m curious about what role you believe therapy could play in an abusive man changing his behaviour and attitudes to non-abusive.

I do think attitude change is possible but I’m skeptical of the role therapy could play in that.

My main oppositions to the idea of therapy being helpful in an abusive man becoming nonabusive are the ideas that:

It is not in his self-interest to undergo such reform & therapy promotes the interests of the therapised person

Therapy focuses on the self whereas to not be abusive he needs to be less self-centred

Therapy may teach him more justifications (“it’s because of my childhood” or w/e) as the therapist tries to demonstrate empathy with him to increase his engagement

Curious to hear your thoughts! :)

Hi, thanks for the ask and opportunity to clarify.

The post you're referring to said you can't "therapize" misogyny out of a man because misogyny is not a disorder, it's a value.

First of all, I wouldn't use the word "therapize" because it's not a real word, and I don't actually think misogyny is a value but a value system like racism or fascism. The values we discuss in therapy are typically positive words like compassion, integrity, equality, freedom, respect, responsibility, empathy, generosity, honesty, inner peace, order...the list goes on. I'd say that misogyny is a value system which rejects equality, compassion, respect, etc in favor of the values of dominance, control, hierarchy, etc. Similar to racism and fascism.

Second, I have never tried to change someone's entire value system because I don't do that kind of therapy. That sounds maybe like conversion therapy, like if you had to un-brainwash a prisoner of war who'd been indoctrinated by the enemy, or cure someone's racism (and who'd be paying me to do that?), or working with IPV perpetrators in the court system (that's not my field of practice). I don't know if it can be done because it's not something I have to do myself and I've never looked at the research for it. I think it would take a long time so you'd need a population that couldn't drop out of the therapy, like prison inmates. I guess we could google it and see how effective it is.

Third, I believe you can change isolated values if the client decides they want to, or we determine the value in question is holding them back in some way. That is the key. Nobody changes anything that's currently working for them. People will generally continue to do whatever they can get away with. Men can generally get away with being assholes.

Therefore: If a man requested therapy because his wife was about to leave him and he didn't want that to happen, we could explore a "values mismatch." Perhaps she values equality and he values hierarchy and control. If he really wants to hang onto that marriage, he'd have to adjust his values. Could this happen? Yes, I believe it could. Does this happen often? Not sure. I don't do couples therapy, it requires family systems training that my graduate program didn't offer.

However: I did have a middle-aged dad who came to me individually because he wanted to break his intergenerational cycle of explosive fathers and stop freaking out on his kids for being noisy and bratty. We determined that the root of the problem was untreated anxiety (anxiety hates chaos, and he had three kids), we did a lot of psychoeducation on how anxiety functions in the body, he began doing more mindfulness and slowing down his reactions, and now he doesn't yell at his kids very much at all. Therapy was his idea, nobody sent him to me. That's probably the difference.

(Working with him made me suspect that some controlling behaviors might be viewed as a manifestation of generalized anxiety, and the need to control your immediate environment to feel safe. Anxiety likes predictability and certainty, and it wants everyone to behave in a predictable and orderly way so it can relax for a second. But I wouldn't say all abusive men are really just uwu untreated anxiety cases. Just an observation I made.)

Anyway, to your specific points:

It is not in his self-interest to undergo such reform & therapy promotes the interests of the therapised person

Like I said, if we can convince him that his behavior or the values underlying his behavior are negatively impacting his life, then we have a chance of changing them. He probably isn't gonna change just because he hates injustice.

Therapy focuses on the self whereas to not be abusive he needs to be less self-centred

Therapy focuses on relationships too, especially marriage and family therapy. I wouldn't tell a client "you need to be less self-centered." We'd look at underlying functions of the behavior, the triggers of the behavior, the harm that it's causing to themself and others, and what they really want from their life.

Therapy may teach him more justifications (“it’s because of my childhood” or w/e) as the therapist tries to demonstrate empathy with him to increase his engagement

Everyone's a product of their childhood and the larger culture. You are, and I am, and your abuser was too. It's not a justification, but it's an explanation. And then we decide what we're going to do with our lives despite what was done to us. Some people decide to break the cycle, many don't.

TL:dr

Can you change an individual value? I think so. The person has to be dedicated to the change because there's something they want more than holding onto this value.

Can you change an entire value system? I'm not sure. The person has to be dedicated to the change and is probably in some kind of legal trouble that is making them change their value system.

Hope this helps.

[noirandchocolate]

my best wishes to the birthday boy. that one dlc mission says sooga usually takes over kohga's training sessions should he get stuck at the procrastination station. but what is kohga like as a teacher without these fallbacks, does he have difficulty teaching skills that come more naturally to him?

my 2nd question: he's honestly kinda chill even when committing felonies. is there something, barring the obvious like the royal family and having his plans foiled, that would *genuinely* piss him off? an action and/or a sensitive topic.

Helloooo, thank you! =D These are really good ones!

Kohga does do training, as part of his Master role, and it's mostly magic stuff. He leaves most of the weapons things to Sooga (and other high-ranking Yiga) 'cause like I said in this post, the arcane is more of his forté.

Kohga as a teacher does better when he's dealing with kids than with adults, in no small part because he's just fond of kids and finds them entertaining and so having a 'class' with a group of them feels a lot less like Work. He's got more patience for little ones not getting things immediately (again because watching them mess up in harmless ways is funny) and doesn't expect them to 'just know' basic concepts. Kohga himself learned a lot of advanced/exclusive techniques very early in life and he remembers how his Nana instructed him. Of course, Nana Kohga was much more no-nonsense. But like, the way she explained things like how to visualize your energy. How to breathe. The hand gestures. What doing a technique should feel like. In simple, child-friendly ways.

With kids, Kohga turns his lil' training classes into games that work out so that even if someone isn't getting the hang of something they could still have fun. One of his favorites is breaking in on the 6-9-year-olds' teleportation trainings, after they've been taught the basics of how to do the technique and most of them have figured out how to do it in a controlled setting (ie just standing still and 'porting from one spot to another). He'll have a room set up covered in soft things and pillows, and then. It's games time! He'll toss kids. 'Try to teleport away before you hit the pillows!' Tell them to play cucco. 'Run at the wall! Whoever teleports away the closest to it without touching, wins!' And so on. Kids love this sort of silliness. If they fall there's no harm done. If they manage to teleport they'll have learned to do it while moving!

With adults, the Master is a bit more prone to frustration if people aren't getting it, because--like you said--things came pretty naturally to him. So he'll start off a session on how to wield a Demon Carver (the one weapon he will still train people in) feeling pretty good, optimistic, explaining a grip or going over how to get your slashes angled correctly to disembowel or whatever, and all is good. But if someone isn't doing it right after a bunch of tries he can get huffy and foot-tappy and critical. He told you. Sheesh! You're gonna make him look bad, with that sloppy technique! Ultimately he'll end up slapping the person on the back and telling them to just keep trying, but still. It's harder for him to think of other ways to explain things, than the ways he learned with. He'll leave that to Sooga and Chisao and some other lead underlings to worry about.

And for the second question... Well! My headcanon universe is post-Age of Calamity, right? Where the Yiga have assisted in the defeat of Calamity Ganon? As time goes on, the Clan does have more of a Known presence in Hyrule, and one of the ways they're more visible is that there are now Yiga working as tech researchers along with the Sheikah at the Royal Lab. My Kohga himself is a big participant in that. He's tech-minded, the Yiga have tons of ancient (and copied-from-ancient) records in Karusa Valley, and Clan members are as a group vastly more in tune with the magic that makes ancient Sheikah tech run than contemporary Sheikah themselves are. The folks at the Lab have been trying to get more investment funding from sources other than the Royal Treasury, lately, by presenting their research and intended projects--stuff like magitech lighting, vehicles, etc. that will benefit everyday Hyrule.

And a thing that Pisses. Kohga. Off. Is when snotty Hylian nobles get RACIST when they hear that there's YIGA behind and working on these innovations. And refuse to back them or pull their funding. Are these bozos KIDDING? The Clan put their NECKS on the line to SAVE this stupid kingdom, and some guy with a big farm who hid in his basement the whole time is gonna act like he's BETTER than MASTER KOHGA??? Too GOOD for YIGA TECH? Screw that guy! He's banned from ever buying anything any Yiga ever worked on! If he ends up with his throat slit don't look at Sooga! Oh man Kohga was about to climb over the table at that meeting.

Yeah in general a thing that Kohga is acutely sensitive about is ignorant Hylians (and others, but it's mostly Hylians who do this) acting either like the Clan is 'still bad' and can't be trusted and are all marauding evildoers or like they're 'good now.' He hates comments like that. 'Oh they're good now.' Or worse, 'They're good citizens of Hyrule now.' Uuuuugggggghhh he gets so pissy and offended at this complete lack of nuance and understanding. Understandably, I think!

Thank you for asking these!!

[dolphingirl1234]

its time for more headcanons yippeeee

this is kwazii if you couldn't tell

I forgot to make his eye green but we can imagine

also I think his hair would be more red but I couldn't find the right colour

anyway no one cares so here are the headcanons:

early-mid 20's

trans ftm

he/him

he is possibly the gayest person to ever exist

he has heterochromia, the covered eye is brown and the other is green

bright red hair that's always messy

so many freckles

ADHD and dyslexia - he loves to complain about how things are spelled

wears whatever he finds of his floor

he is convinced he can handle spicy things but he really cant

he is definitely lactose intolerant but refuses to admit it and eats dairy anyway

has really bad gender dysphoria and tweak is king when it comes to helping him with it

he definitely purrs like a real cat but you can only hear it if you're really close to him

everyone in the crew knows his deadname but they're all very careful to never call him that

forgets everyone's birthdays every year

he lives by the 5 second rule and eats shit off the floor

^^^tweak once paid him to lick sugar that shellington spilt on the floor (he did it)

he definitely uses all the hot water and everyone hates him for it

he gets attached to things very easily and has a hard time getting rid of anything even if its just a pretty shell or something

^^^he keeps all his random stuff in the treasure chest next to his bed and adds to it constantly

he sometimes sneaks into barnacles' room to play with his model ships

he didn't come out for ages. when he first joined the crew he had no medical files bc of his backstory (I'm not gonna get into that right now, long story short he was an orphan) so peso had to make one and he asked for kwazii's legal name and gender at birth so he was kind of forced to come out, but he came out officially to peso later.

tweak was the first person he told officially and she was so chill about it and helped him make a binder because he was literally using tape before

barnacles seriously tried to be chill about it but kwazii could tell he had questions and he happily answered them

he was terrified to tell inkling because old people old mindset but when he did tell him, inkling was so supportive and kwazii cried

as well as arachnophobia he's also scared of needles but he doesn't tell anyone

barnacles is his dad and his best friend at the same time

peso is his little brother and his best friend at the same time

he has mild ptsd from something in his childhood. it doesn't affect him that much but dashi has more severe ptsd and she helps him through it

he LOVES hanging out with dashi and tweak and they love hanging out with him

he is always included in boys night but is also accepted into girls night because if he annoys tweak enough she gives him a tool and he can break stuff

one Christmas the crew had saved up their money all year and payed for his top surgery. tweak secretly got a job doing online stuff for her family friend and payed over half of the cost. kwazii cried and hugged her which she loved but hated at the same time

he's English but the accent mixed with the pirate voice makes it come out australian

he's not allowed catnip for obvious reasons

he hates when people gender clothes but he will not under any circumstances wear a dress

tominnow is also trans (mtf) and they're besties

he hates that creatures are scared of him because he's a pirate and has even considered giving up being a pirate because of it, but he realised its a part of his identity and he didn't want to change it

he loves making bracelets for the crew and everyone wears them sometimes, but barnacles wears multiple every day

dashi crochets and kwazii steal her yarn balls and she gets super pissed at him

he loves calico jack more than he lets on and he misses him constantly. every time he visits kwazii dreads when he leaves

he definitely plays 2048 cupcakes

tweak is his comfort person but he often goes to barnacles as well

maybe I should write a fanfic of kwazii coming out to everyone that would actually be fun

anyway that's all for now I will hopefully be back with some peso hcs tomorrow

[shmowder]

Termites + Clara and getting a toy with their meal

Sticky would pretend he's above it, that he doesn't care about kiddie toys. He'll order whatever Artemy orders to try and feel included with the adults. Except that his tastebuds are still of a 12y overdosing on nuggets daily, and he can not handle anything more spicy than ketchup. He managea three bites before his eyes start watering as he battles the spiciness while Artemy watches unimpressed.

Capella actually doesn't want a toy, but she still orders a meal with one anyway. It was to take home with her and keep as a souvenir of this outing. She's the one being addressed by the waiters and the person who goes to the cashier to correct an error in the order if Artemy wasn't around. While the fast food meal isn't what she usually eats, she finds herself intrigued by the simplicity of the flavours. She enjoys the sugary soda more than she'll ever like to admit, although Notkin clearly shares the sentiment and offers her his cup later as they leave.

Notkin immediately orders a toy meal along with Clara. The both of them end up having a blast using their mini figure toys to stage a fight on the table, using ketchup as fake blood and doing sound effects with their own voices. It's a theatrics show, and they use stale fries as woobly swords for their toys. He doesn't end up eating much but takes advantage of the free soda refills to stock up on 4 or 5 cups when no one in the staff is looking. He ends up "winning" the mini figure fight after tricking Clara into a trap with a paper crown. Taya is over the moon impressed. He soaks up her praise like a sponge and retells her the fight she just watched when they leave the diner... but more dramatically.

Khan actually enjoys the "grown-up" food courtesy to his family's eccentric tastes. His taste buds pretty much got used to most things other kids wouldn't even try. He tries not to say anything when he feels Sticky glaring at him from the other side of the table, half finished glass milk in hand. He absolutely hates the soda and can't understand why anyone would like something so sugary. He orders an average meal and splits it with Grace, insisting she's doing him a favour. Ends up criticising the food within earshot of the waiter multiple times. Makes everyone–Clara and Notkin especially– Clean the food mess they threw on the floor while playing around before leaving.

Taya didn't just ask for a toy. She asked for all the toys there in the whole diner! Although with Haruspex's current lack of stable income, she was content with just one toy and a meal. Immediately giving her toy a name and showing it off to everyone who would make eye contact with her for a split second, even telling the strangers sitting on the other tables about her beloved awesome toy... Only to become bored of it midway through the meal and move on to observe the entertaining fight show that Clara and Notkin are improvising. Her happiness is contagious and other adults ends up giving her some of their desserts just for being adorable. Artemy has to run after her and take her back to their original table after she enhaled half the cake from a stranger kid's birthday table.

Murky clearly wanted a meal with a toy. Not only was it blatantly obvious, but she was very bad at hiding it. Shaking her head when asked about it by the cashier and hiding between Artemy's legs. She didn't budge when questioned and refused to admit that she wanted a toy. At least Sticky was there to pick her food order for her, pancakes with syrup and strawberries. Even if the restaurant stopped serving the breakfast menu by this hour, him and Capella made a valid argument for an exception. Thankfully, it did work, and Clara's plan B of breaking into the kitchen and using her magic on the cook didn't have to come into action... today. Before leaving, Taya entrusted her toy to Murky and told her to keep it and take care of it, especially after Murky gave her one of the strawberries.

Clara immediately goes for the dollar kids menu, absolute zero shame. She briefly glances over the laminated paper menu to look at Artemy and make sure that he is the one paying, correct? Before picking the most expensive dish on the kids' menu, Behold! a three dollars meal, with a complimentary toy. She's the one having the most fun out of the rest of the kids during this outing and being playful in general. Making Grace throw M&M at her to see how many can she catch midair with just her mouth. Turns out... 25 out of 56. Not bad, not bad. She ends up leaving the diner with the paper crown still atop her head.

Grace didn't want to burden the haruspex. She was already grateful for just being invited, really. So she picked the cheapest thing on the menu, small fries. Smiling at Artemy's concerned gaze as he decided to just let her be. She sat content on her side of the table, watching Clara and Notkin playing together. She indulged Clara's games and was pleasantly surprised by how delicious the M&Ms were when Clara insisted that they switch roles and Grace should try catching them instead. Then the M&Ms turned into fries, salad pieces, and finally, chicken nuggets as it became clear that Clara just started the game as an excuse to share her food with Grace. Which counterproductivly ended up with two-thirds of it on the ground instead, courtesy to both of their bad aims.

[hk33b]

headcanons of kuruk with his failed team avatar in the early years (no angst, no suffering, only peace and imagination …) (i forgot many canon wise things.. forgive and forget)

Jianzhu

• He’s Jianzhu’s first true friend, though he’d never admit that. Jianzhu understands Kuruk in a way others fail to. He sees the incredible things Kuruk does and the corrections he’s made upon teacher’s who are meant to be teaching him. It makes Jianzhu think that the Avatar’s greatness is inevitable. He wants to stay around and be a witness to it.

• One of the first things Kuruk came to learn about the young earthbender was that besides them being a year apart in age— he was very afraid of losing everything he worked for. In one of their many talks to pass the time after training, he admitted this. Kuruk tried to understand, using his status as the Avatar— ‘I’m scared to mess up. I don’t want to lose people’s faith in me,’ but Jianzhu shook his head, it wasn’t the same.

“You’re the Avatar. You have something to fall back on. The entire world opens their hand for you.”

And it’s such an intimate thing to learn about him. That he’s scared to lose who he is, what he owns, what his family built. [This ties into evil-old-man-Jianzhu who used his companionship with the late Avatar to his advantage. He’d do anything to maintain control and power; the fear of losing something that’s his stunts him]

• smart on their own, idiots when paired together.

•Kuruk was fired as a wingman for Jianzhu, he’d only been one once or twice, but both times were a shitshow. Jianzhu would try all the moves Kuruk taught him, even said a handful of cheesy lines that made his ears red to a person who caught his sights. And it was a bust, because they barely past a glance at him. No, because they were too busy staring at Kuruk.

“Maybe you aren’t doing it right, friend…”

“Oh, is that what it is.” Jianzhu barely hid the sarcasm dripping in his voice. Either Kuruk’s being polite, or he didn’t realize the problem in question was him! He’s handsome (DOWN).

• Jianzhu lost 10 times over while playing against Kuruk in Pai Sho. On the 11th rematch Kuruk pretends to make a faulty move for his friend’s sanity. Jianzhu knows its a pity win but takes it. He’s mostly amazed about the reckless moves Kuruk uses because it still aides him into victory!!?

“There’s just no way.” Jianzhu gasps, astonished. “Teach me how you did that,”

Kuruk laughs, “Ah. The student becomes the teacher.”

“On second thought...”

• They’re most likely to butt heads over trivial matters like similar folklores that their own nation has renditions of, but they think the other is ruining the story.

They’re all camped out, Kelsang fast asleep, and Jianzhu decides to tell Hei Ran a haunting tale she’s never heard of. Kuruk cuts him off once he’s halfway through the story.

Kuruk groans, “That is so not how it goes.”

Jianzhu snaps his head to the Avatar. “Yes it is?! She back talked to her mom six different times and turned into a lizard-snail for six weeks!”

“Uh. No! She didn’t accept her mother’s arranged marriage for her, so her mom cursed her into a lizard-snail until she did for six weeks! That’s why it’s called Mother’s Curse. Idiot.”

“That’s not—! What—! You…! Okay, let’s say that’s how it went. What would be the lesson? The whole point of Mother’s Curse is that the child shouldn’t have backed talk.”

“The whole point of Mother’s Curse is that the mother was evil, and didn’t care about what her daughter wanted?(???!) It’s to make kids appreciate how their parents wouldn’t do something sinister like that to them!”

“That… is the stupidest thing I ever heard.”

“YOU’RE STUPID.”

Safe to say that Hei Ran doesn’t stick around and goes to her tent, away from the idiots who continue to argue about who is more stupider.

•oh and during Kuruk’s hoe era Jianzhu turned a blind eye and said ‘well shit, he gotta do whatever he can to go about his day. Not my business.’

•silly silly silllllllly vibes. Silly. Ridiculous. One piece level of comedy.

•In conclusion … Jianzhu feels a deep connection with Kuruk. He’s amazed with him!! He believes this guy is the real deal, and its a honor to see what Kuruk could do or will be in the near future. Kuruk isn’t nervous by the blind faith Jianzhu has in him, it actually keeps him going. Friendship Is Magic…….

Song that remind me of their dynamic: It Wasn’t Me

Kelsang

• started off at a rocky start since Kuruk did try to steal his sky bison, but being around someone as silly as Kuruk became contagious. I imagine Kelsang laughing before Kuruk even got to the punchline, and this kinda drew the two together. There’s so much seriousness and rules and customs, it becomes tedious after a point, yet Kuruk makes it all so laughable …? Unserious? A sort of ‘what was I so worried about’ feeling. Childlike almost. FREE.

• Kuruk instantly got air bending in his first lessons from the air nomads, which fits due to his laid back go with the flow personality. He tries showing Kelsang random moves and ideas that keep popping off in his mind like rapid fire. Kelsang thinks it's... pretty impressive.

“This feels so much more different than the other elements. Everything is so… weightless. Are there any personal moves of yours that you’ve created?” Kuruk asked while balancing himself on an airball.

Kelsang shook his head no, confused. At this, Kuruk immediately got up and starting flailing his hands around, creating motion. “Oo! I wanna show you this idea that I haven't shown anyone besides like-- Jianzhu. I think it could really be helpful!

As he demonstrates a peculiar airbending maneuver with ease, Kelsang stands up straight, in awe. Maybe he had judged him too quickly.

• because of his height and rather serious resting face, Kelsang can come across as intimidating, but that is all destroyed by seeing him with Kuruk, he looks his age and more approachable. Kuruk calls him baldy as a nickname, to tease. Kelsang occasionally answers back with ‘pretty boy’, because, *drops hands* well, that’s what #they keep telling us about him.

• It is my personal belief that out of all of them, Kelsang is who Kuruk would’ve confessed to about the spirits. Not that he would ask him for help or go into the exact details of what its doing to his body, but in a complete what-if scenario,,,, the air nomad would have the words that could reassure Kuruk of this enormous responsibility he feels on the daily. [Remember, Kuruk ran into Kelsang with his poem he had written for Hei Ran. It’s less humiliating and less shameful seeking the air nomad out for matters that he can’t hold inside anymore. There’s never judgement. Maybe a shared fear? A frantic voice that could tell Kuruk right from wrong, in his best way. Never judgement.]

• okay i lied a little angst just this once DAMN… So as we know. Everyone who mattered in Kuruk’s life felt this enormous guilt that they failed him somehow. I like to believe that finding Kuruk in his next life, being a parental figure for Kyoshi, loving her like a father would love their own— while believing Yun was the next Avatar. Not realizing until she read Kuruk's poem word for word. To learn that he had still managed to bridge this connection with his old friend again. Without even intentionally doing so? Without even KNOWING. I think the weight of his failures as a companion left right then. Because he made up for it. Whatever it is he believed he lacked in, he pulled through for his final moments with Kyoshi. Not that Kuruk's spirit ever held blame for Kelsang. It’s just so interesting because we know the whole: do you really think friendships could last more than one lifetime? but they usually know who their deceased friend is in their next life. (((Kelsang you reallll as hell. Idc about the typhoon shit, YOU ARE REALLLLLL.))))

song that reminds me of them : Lean On Me

Hei-Ran

• Kuruk doesn’t know when to shut up around Hei Ran, he’s kind of … obsessed. Loser-lover-boy.

• Hei Ran thought of him slightly childish, but overtime, similarly to Kelsang, the atmosphere around Kuruk was drawing her in. There was something contagious about the northern water tribe boy.

While teaching him how to firebend, she wasn’t really surprised that he’d have such difficulty with it. His personality didn’t really mesh with what it would take to punch and kick out bursts of flames. Kuruk’s kind of frustrated with himself because he was getting the hang of all the elements with little to no effort, and here he was in front of the beautiful Hei Ran of all people, huffing and puffing because small smoke was all that emits from his inner flame.

Hei Ran does one last command, tells him to let the fire in him erupt, to let the flame in him out, (don’t you want to go ape shit ? essentially) and finally something clicks within Kuruk and he’s firebending in front of the best firebender he knows.

“I did it! I really did it!”

“Good job, though there’s gonna be many more lessons for you to learn, so don’t get too ahead of— And he’s burning down a tree.”

“Hei Ran! Help!”

• Kuruk likes to stay behind during their group walks to other villages because Hei Ran is usually there walking gracefully behind Kelsang and Jianzhu. She eyes Kuruk suspiciously, wondering what he’s up to. Its a game they play, where he says something to see if he can get that overly serious no-funny-business wall of hers to crack, get her to smile or laugh or even tell him off. All three works most times, and for the other, she holds a set stare ahead and Kuruk grumbles, giving up his charade and walking besides her in silence. Missing the slight tilted ends of pink lips. She likes seeing him try so hard, the dude never knew what it was like to try to win someone over. Is this what Jianzhu feels?

• He’s a great listener. Hei Ran can talk and talk and talk, and he’d retain it all. It makes her feel good. That someone cares, that Kuruk is genuine and (corny alert) wears his heart on his sleeves. She wants to protect him. She wants to know everything about him, and so he tells her everything. There’s this earnest about Kuruk. He doesn’t hide from her. He doesn’t deceive her. She can read him so well, and in turn, so does he.

•Hei Ran never imagined she’d be friends with someone like Kuruk, recalling her bit harsh judgement, but now she can’t imagine knowing anyone else. A part of her yearns to stay by his side. And Kuruk feels like he’s on cloud nine whenever Hei Ran so much as scoffs at his lame mannerisms. His heart thuds, hands clammy, lips forever smiling.

•They’re laying down on a field of grass, watching the sky in an array of pretty colors as the sun sets over the horizon; Kuruk insisted they catch a break after all the firebending training.

“My folks really want to meet you.” Kuruk says.

“You talk about me to them?” Hei Ran tries to keep her tone leveled, but her heartbeat picks up, fiddling around a strand of Kuruk’s hair on her finger.

“Yeah. Maybe too much. Not enough if you ask me.”

“I’d love to meet them. When should we?”

“Hopefully soon, it’s not freezing cold around this time of year. Heh, I can’t imagine you near snow. You’d look so out of place,” he laughs, eyes crinkling. Hei Ran fought off laughing along for dignity sake.

“Please. You make it sound like I’m gonna freeze and die.”

“Don’t you worry, I’ll hug you the entire way there. I won’t let you catch a cold or anything, just stick beside me and—” Kuruk reached for her, face ridiculously close, lips puckered up and leaning. Hei Ran rolled her eyes at this lame show, shoving him away. He burst into a fit of laughter.

Hei Ran turned her attention back to the endless sky while his laughter faded in the background. Going to the Northern Water Tribe. Meeting Kuruk’s family. It’ll be an honor to meet the people who shaped him and made him what he is.

song that reminds me of them : >\\\< You Don’t Know My Name

[ricardian-werewolf]

propaganda under the cut. (Spoilers for KOS and ROW). Nikolai info taken from the grishaverse wiki.

Threads:

Threads is a 1984 British-Australian apocalyptic war drama television film jointly produced by the BBC, Nine Network and Western-World Television Inc. Written by Barry Hines and directed and produced by Mick Jackson, it is a dramatic account of nuclear war and its effects in Britain, specifically on the city of Sheffield in Northern England. The plot centres on two families as a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union erupts. As the nuclear exchange between NATO and the Warsaw Pact begins, the film depicts the medical, economic, social and environmental consequences of nuclear war.[2]

Nikolai Lantsov is a former King of Ravka. He is the second son of Alexander III (though later revealed to be the biological son of Magnus Opjer). He spent many years undercover, taking on a variety of jobs and hobbies.

Personality and traits

As Sturmhond, he appears to be cocky and brash, always "using ten words when two would have sufficed." He is rather mysterious; no one is able to tell where he is from or what his real name is. Sturmhond is said to have the respect of his crew, not their fear; he is able to retain their loyalty without resorting to threats of power plays that Alina has seen the Darkling employ, and it is said that he "does things his own way," implying that he abides by his own rules rather than conventional ones.

He is shown to be proficient with a number of weapons and is always seen to be bearing an assortment of weapons, including a brace of pistols, several knives, and a sword. He seems to have a particular fondness for the sword, even being willing to instruct Mal in the use of it. Usually, Sturmhond is observed wearing a bright teal frock coat with gaudy gold buttons and huge cuffs that Alina thinks would be more at home in a ballroom than on a ship's deck. When Alina and Mal dine with him, he shows a preference for fine cooking – the ship's crew includes a chef employed for this purpose. In conversation, he is jovial and intentionally lighthearted; though, when he is challenged, he betrays a much harder edge.

Alina and Mal are impressed by Nikolai's ability to appeal to the people around them and present them with a persona that they want to see. During this time, he shows himself to be extremely socially intelligent and willing to do whatever he can to manipulate the public into supporting him. He is really fair and just and cannot stand the mistreatment of innocent people. Nikolai is very intelligent and is said to excel at practically anything he tries. Nikolai suffers from being told he is ‘Nikolai Nothing’ by his brother and comments about his parentage but he hides his insecurities and does his best to satisfy everyone. He is adored by the public.

Skills and abilities.

Nikolai is a gifted fighter, swordsman, and marksman having learned to fight in street brawls as a child and serving in the First Army.

Nikolai is a natural leader, diplomat, and strategist.

Nikolai is a master actor able to pass off as Sturmhond which helps him be very manipulative and persuasive with his natural charisma.

Nikolai can juggle.

In King of Scars and Rule of Wolves, Nikolai is able to use his monster form while remaining conscious. He can fly and use his fangs/claws.

Nikolai can pilot airships and fighter planes, dating back to his experiments with his ship the Hummingbird.

Nikolai is a gifted inventor, when he was a child he turned a priceless Lantsov clock into a bizarre contraption.

[marypsue]

Third (I think? Maybe fourth?) watch of Stranger Things season one completed in one four-episode sitting tonight, and some things clicked that hadn't come together for me on previous watches, primarily character motivations.

I have struggled with the general canon portrayal of Hopper as A Guy We're Supposed To Be Sympathetic To juxtaposed against his decision to sell El out. I got close to figuring it out after the last watchthrough - in season one, it's not about El metaphorically standing in for his daughter, it's about saving Joyce from the pain of losing a child - but I really think I've cracked it this time. Between episode 3's “Please don’t be my kid", and the parallel in episode 7(? 6 and 7?) where Brenner tells Karen Wheeler that he wants to help her find her son but she has to trust him and almost the exact same words come out of Hopper's mouth in the same situation to Joyce, and the way David Harbour plays the moment Hopper cuts open Will's fake body and everything that comes after that - like cutting into what might be a child's corpse is The Line, and he knows it, and once he's crossed it, well, he's already done that, he's capable of anything - and how he initially tries to keep Joyce from coming with him to the lab and how he doesn't even seem to be trying to come up with a plan other than 'break in, wing it'?

I'm pretty sure now that he was planning to sell El out from the moment he walked out of the gym. It's all about saving Will, it's all about Will metaphorically standing in for the child he couldn't save, and do you know what he'd do for that? For a chance?

Anyway. Apparently I was wrong when I said that trying to engender sympathy for Brenner was undermining season one, since apparently 'feel bad for the guy who does abhorrent things to children because he was sad for unrelated reasons!' has been baked into the show from episode one and I was just too busy concentrating on the abused child who escaped captivity and discovered the world and found friends and a family for the first time and gave up everything to protect them, who is the real heart and soul of this show, ask literally anyone who's watched it, you fucking walnuts to see it.

I'm good. I'm good. I'm so normal about this television show you guys.

Speaking of Brenner, the other thing that struck me this go-round was just how much his primary motivation seems to be curiosity. I really struggled with this, too, especially when I was working on the road goes ever on (yes I'm going to link to it every time I mention it on here, it's still the thing I'm proudest of writing), and I don't think I'd quite nailed his character down by the time it got posted. Like I don't think what's in that fic is implausible for his character, necessarily, but I really leaned on pride and a desire for control (and a certain arrogant sense of invincibility) as motivating factors for his character in that fic. And while they're all definitely built into him, I think now that they actually come second to the curiosity.

The Gate gets opened in the first place because he immediately and without question gives up on spying on Russia (theoretically the whole point of this exercise) to go off on a wild goose chase for a scary noise that spooked his psychic spy. He 'dies' onscreen because the Demogorgon comes out of a wall and while everyone else is shooting at it (and getting murdered for their trouble), he just wanders on up, unarmed, unafraid, slightly awed, for a closer look! I'm quite sure that's why he actually lets Hopper and Joyce go after Will - he's not expecting them to come back out, but if they do, think what they could tell him about what's on the other side! He just wants to poke things and see what happens! Sometimes what happens is that whatever he's poking bites his finger off! Science is neat, but I'm afraid it's not very forgiving! Man I wish I'd figured this out before posting the monster longfic because I could have made his entire arc so much better and more convincing with this in mind!

I don't know if that's consistent with how they show him in season four, and frankly, given the degree of character drift (or outright assassination) everyone else is showing in season four, I don't particularly care.

Also, importantly, his primary power - and weapon - is trust. He wields authority to command trust, which he absolutely does not deserve, and it's notable that in the finale he asks Joyce for her trust and she refuses to give it to him. And she's the first and only person to refuse to give it to him. She's been lied to, mistreated, disbelieved, written off as crazy, and she is the only person on the entire show who can see right through him.

And yet, then there's that parallel drawn between Brenner asking for Karen's trust and Hopper asking for Joyce's, and she does place her trust in this man who ultimately gets her what she was looking for all along - and she never asks what the price was that was paid for it. I have to ask myself, now, does she ever wonder? Is that part of the distance between them in season two, the reason why neither of them acted on what was clearly supposed to be attraction between them? Because choosing to trust is not the same as trusting?

Season one really did have levels, and lots to chew over, and new things to find in each watch. When this show is good, man, it is good.

[funky-sea-cryptid]

Yo, I loved the Saintverse and I've got some questions but feel free to skip or ignore this ask if I'm being too curious! - what happened to yuno's elf, and the other elf spirits (luck's and gauche's, if they're part of the timeline), and charmy's wolf? - are... are the bulls, y'know, still there? - I loved the little bit of info you shared about the saints, could you talk more of their personalities & group dynamics?

HIII THANK YOU SO MUCH and of course not! you're not being too curious!!!

this happens after the elf arc (within the six month timeskip post arc) and rufel plays a. he sure is part of this (and is not having a great time) the only elf spirit in any of the saints would be yuno's elf and he's not conscious all the time (the only one in no.7 having a good time). as for charmy's wolf, the wolf is a spell like rouge so it would probably be hanging out with kelpie.

well. morris fused their souls together (or, tried to in 7's case) so,,, yes? but also no. they did undergo some brainwashing so. you know. take that how you will i guess? the saints are very much seperate people than their components

YES yeah it's. saints 1-6 are supposed to treat each other as siblings? and they do it's just.... they're the second most dysfunctional family in spade (first goes to the zogratises).

stella is the collective older sister (area woman has SUCH an alcohol addiction) and she gets along with ares because they make fun of each other for being so normal and healthy about this. the only person she will ever come to with her troubles is vesta and that's because vesta won't tell anyone. she adores her siblings but dear god are they obnoxious no she ISNT crying again leave her alone futhark

ares is THE emo girl of the house he's so fine and rational guys. he gets teased for never being able to keep anyone around and having zero rizz whatsoever like he hasnt come out of the bedroom covered in blood. he pretends he's Too Cool to have trauma but um. he is not. and everyone knows it. let him listen to mcr in peace. teamed up with stella (support/offense) or vesta (support). the only one who actively tries to help seven stabilize.

doleur is painfully self conscious so they tend not to talk much, but they engage in parallel play! it'll be near impossible to get them to admit they love their stupid fucking siblings but you know. It is what it is or whatever. they're usually teamed up with vesta or futhark (but mostly futhark because they're both MEANIES)

vesta is the REAL epic niisan they ARE the sibling that everyone comes to and they love it. everyone loves them they're literally a sweetie all the time and because they're so versatile they get put with all of their darling siblings! they have faint memories of not being able to connect with people so this is very nice!

futhark is MEAN they're the saint of condemnation and criticism for a reason and thats because when morris said he was god futhark said "didnt know god was a scrawny BITCH" but mostly because they're mean to everyone. although with their siblings it's how they show love so.

kelpie is the self professed baby everyone pick her up IMMEDIATELY right now. little touch starved attention demander. she ADORES stella and futhark and helps tease ares bc ares is fun to mock when he's off in his room being emo. she has fucking. five magical attributes and two of them consume mana so she's technically one of the most powerful saints. she's so clingy fr,,, she loves her siblings please pick her up she's just a baby (the amount of war crimes,,,, man)

yeah uhhh yeah! feel free to ask more :3c my dms are open