#maybe it's because i have a clear view of my future and i've come to terms with the fact that life won't always go how you want it to go
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glacialheart · 1 year ago
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less than a month left till i turn eighteen aaaa
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barrenclan · 5 months ago
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How do you decide on motifs? Like sleep being associated with death, roses being associated with death? And how did you go about assigning each motif to a character (especially more character specific ones)? Like I get that Rainhaze was seen as a coyote in omens because of his association with Ranger, but why is Nightberry associated with visions, why is Cootstorm associated with never changing, conservative ideals?
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Here's a good way to think about this: PATFW is not coming out of nowhere. Seems obvious, right? But every decision made is one that I had to intentionally choose, with a goal in mind for what I wanted to do with them. So I don't have real animals, or real people - I have certain stories in mind, and the characters are tools that I use to express these ideas. Let's take two examples brought up here, and I'll show you what I mean.
Asphodelpaw's death. For this story, I wanted to have a big, climatic moment that really jerks around the story, much in the same way that Shellspring's reveal did in TDS. I know that I want Rainhaze to be an exploration of a character who starts out good and turns complicated, and that I want him to not be redeemed. Okay, so how do I make sure Rainhaze is beyond redemption? He'd have to do something really awful, like killing someone important. The rest of the Clan wouldn't be as impactful if he killed them, so it should be one of his family members, and someone we really care about. Okay, who do I want him to kill? Pinepaw is my narrator, so if I want him to keep narrating, I can't kill him. I want Slugpelt to feel the consequences of this murder Rainhaze makes, and I want her to later confront him about it, so he can't kill her. I can't quite get into why I want Daffodilpaw to live yet, because of spoilers, but I have a certain message I want to create with Daffodilpaw, and she can't die as part of it. So Asphodelpaw is the only one left. Okay, why would it be impactful for her to die? Because she just came into herself, and apologized to Pinepaw, and is on track to grow into a better person. So it's extra tragic - and extra irredeemable - of Rainhaze to kill her. There you go, that's the reasoning behind Asphodelpaw's death.
The sleep/death motif. I have suffered from personal difficulties surrounding death, specifically involved with intrusive thoughts before I go to sleep. So those two ideas are very linked in my mind, and because PATFW is a darker story, I wanted to explore it. Okay, how do I work it into the story? Rainhaze is a character who's disappeared, presumed dead, by the time the story starts. Alright, maybe I can work it in there. I used it for the first time in Issue 4, contrasting between Rainhaze and Slugpelt's views on what happens after death. Alright, so now I have a thematic parallel between their characters and their views. Okay, how does this affect the future plot? As Rainhaze gets further involved with Defiance, his views on killing change, and that strengthens this association with sleep. So later, when Slugpelt kills him, I can bring this thematic parallel back around and make it really resonate, because I've built up the connection over the whole story. There you go, that's how you create a motif.
I hope you found this interesting. Often I find that a lot of writing advice is vague and nonspecific, so I tried to make my reasoning behind these things as clear as possible. From the outside, it may seem like absolutely anything can happen in a story, but from an internal perspective there are only so many ways to get to a point I want to make, so those decisions have to lead to each other if I want to create a natural thread.
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justaaveragereader · 9 months ago
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Hihi!! First of all I love your writings and I've been meaning to ask for a long time teehee 🤭 It doesn't have to be long or a full fic but could I request a friends to lovers san smut where hes your best friend and gets jealous of you talking to this one guy constantly so one day while you're calling that guy he fucks you while youre on the phone 👀👀👀 sorry if its so specific djdjsjd thank you <33
Hello🖤! First off thank you for loving my work I love you. I’m so sorry it took me so long to get to this, but I’m here now, and hopefully don’t disappoint! Friends to lovers?!? Ooooweeee this was my first time, and I wanted to make this shorter but once again I couldn’t help myself😵‍💫this was such an amazing request how could I have shortened it😭?! Also never apologize about being specific, I LOVE when requests are specific it gives me a clear direction to head in!
—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—
Sharing Isn’t Caring
Word Count: 2.2k
Warnings: Dom!San, Sub!Reader, Oral (Lotssss Of Pussy Eating), Possessiveness, Jealousy, Humiliation, San Is Down Bad For The Reader, If I Missed Anything…👀Lemme Know
✍️Masterlist✍️
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“Idk why you even talk to that guy, he's a complete tool.”
“If he’s a tool what does that make you Sannie?”
Cutting your eyes to your childhood best friend. Whose eyes you swore almost popped out of his skull. You guys were constantly together, both of your friend groups had joked that you were last lovers in each lifetime. You’d be lying if you said that you stopped looking at San as a “best friend” a while ago, but you didn’t want to tread that murky water.
“Wh-What does that make me?! It makes me a guy who's looking out for his bestfriends best interest! I don’t trust this guy, you saw how he looked at me last time I brought you lunch?!?”
Letting out a huff, you finish zipping up your backpack. Cramming as many books in there as you can fit because this “tool of a guy” San was having a heart attack about was your lab partner.
“San, you slammed the bag down on the table, startling the poor guy. Then you decided to enjoy the scenery.”
“It was a nice area, I was enjoying the environment!”
“Choi San, we were in the library! It was 1:00pm on a Tuesday, everyone was in class or at work. There was nothing to see. Not to mention you sat right in between me and him!”
Smacking his lips, he kicks his foot slightly, you can see his blush creeping upon his neck, his eyes shooting down to the floor muttering not so quietly how he was just enjoying the view, and how the middle seat had the best view.
“San there was no middle seat, you literally dragged a chair in between me and him, I watched you pick up his chair and move the man down the table.”
Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you walk up to San, putting your finger under his chin lifting his head so he locks eyes with you. He swore he could see his future play out in your eyes, maybe he was hallucinating, maybe he was a love struck idiot but he felt it, you were his person, you are his person.
“He’s just my lab partner, okay? Nothing more, nothing less.”
The redness from his neck traveled to his ears, lightly dusting his cheeks as well. He was so in love with you. Your face crinkled as you smiled at him, but the way you asserted yourself in one simple sentence just sent him over the edge. He could feel his heart pop like confetti, he also felt his cock come to life.
Squishing his cheeks in between your hands, flashing him a smile once more, turning on your heels towards his front door. You were big on being on time, entertaining Sans shenanigans you were always late. His body moves like it’s on autopilot, walking quickly towards your fleeing figure. Just as you open the door his hand comes up to close it. You can feel his heavy breath on the back of your head.
“San what are you doing?” You whine out, turning around to poke his chest. As your eyes shoot to him you see that look in his eyes, that look he’s given you many times. The same look he gives when you talk to a man too long for his liking.
“I really don’t want you han-.”
“Hold that thought, San!” Picking up your phone, you slide your thumb across the screen. His body puffs up, in an aggressive like manner, this lab partner was crossing too many boundaries with his person. It's almost like he’s underwater, seeing you smile, seeing you laugh at another man that isn’t him. You look at him with a face of confusion, eyebrows drawn up.
Biting his lip, you watch as his eyes darken. He’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The light that’s behind them dies, and fills with hunger, with ache, with possession. His hand comes to grip your hip, shoving you against the door. His body towers over yours, his chest crushes against yours. Putting the phone to the side, he can hear your lab partner continuing to talk. The chipper tone in his voice pisses him off even further.
“What are you doing?” You whisper/whimper, his knee coming up into between your thighs resting against your clothed cunt. You choke up at his sudden actions, everything feels like it’s happening so fast. His predatory gaze knocks the wind out of you.
“I’m not really too big on sharing, especially when it comes to you.” He whispers quietly into your ear, his warm breath sends a shiver down your spine. His cologne clouds your senses. Your cunt clenches around nothing, you have never wanted San more than you want him now.
“Y/n Y/n! Did you hear me?” Your lab partner's voice knocks some sense back into you. It feels like your tongue is knotted in your mouth, you feel his fingertips start to brush against your lower stomach, exploring the soft like skin.
“Well aren’t you going to answer him baby.” He whispers into your ear once more, giving your love a soft kiss. His smooth, cool lips on your heated skin is enough to have you driving yourself up the wall. You let out a quiet whimper, your hand dripping, practically letting the phone slip through your hands but San is quick enough to grip your wrist, making sure you don’t drop your phone.
“I’m-I’m he-RE!” You shout at the last part feeling San hike your body up even extra on his knee. Your clit rubbing against the fabric of your pants.
“Are you alright?” Your lab partner says through a laugh, continuing on about your guys' shared project. Sans kisses slowly turn into soft love bites, nipping at your skin leaving small welts behind. He was going to show everyone you were his. He was tired of this song and dance. He was going to take you, all of you.
Undoing the button on your pants, your eyes watch his every move, while he watches every move of yours. His glance is nothing short of wolfish, while your glance is nothing short of prey like.
“I’m going to take what’s mine, do you understand me?” You grunts into your ear. Rutting his hips against yours, you can feel the pulsation from his cock, mouth instantaneously starts to water. He was so much bigger than you imagined. Those late mates staying awake, riding your fingers to completion, curious as to how San would pleasure you, how he would fill you. Nodding your head thoughtlessly your eyes drop down to where his bulge is. Letting out a pathetic whimper you go to grab his hard on that’s straining against his sweats.
Your hand grips your phone muttering “mhms” and fake laughs to let your lab partner know you are still present, which irks San even more. Your attention is supposed to be on him fully.
Hiking your pants down to your ankles he helps you step out of them, kneeling down to help you, when he looks up, catching an eye full of your soaked panties practically calling his name. Your eyes flutter at the way he hawks down your clothed cunt.
Two fingers come up to grab the fabric, pulling it down slowly, as your cunt comes into sight he lets out a groan, not even hesitating he dives face first into your cunt. Causing you to let out a startled moan. His tongue instantly wraps around your clit giving it a good couple sucks before his hands travel up the back of your thighs, hiking one of over his shoulder, while both of his hands come to the back of both thighs prying them open even further to get more of his face into your cunt. He’s practically making out with your pussy, the wet slurping noises of him sucking down your clit, while his hands jiggle your thighs, giving them a light smack, causing your body to jerk in his hold.
His tongue explores more of you, moving down to your sopping hole, as soon as he sticks his tongue in your pussy let’s put a squelching noise. Which sounds like music to Sans ears. As he tongue dives further into you, his nose bumps against your clit. Your body almost caves over from the stimulation. His hand shoots up to your figure pushing you up right against the door. Surely all his neighbors heard what he was doing to you, surely your lab partner knew by now what was happening to you. Thrashing his head around so your clit gets bumped back and forth you drop your phone on the ground, San can hear your lab partners calls to you, asking if you are okay, yet you are so high on San the only thing you can make out is the way he’s feasting on your cunt. Sticking his tongue out, he rubs it all over your cunt making sure not to miss a spot, your cries fill the room.
“This pussy is so good, you've been giving my pussy away, huh? Answer me princess.” He groans, while continuing to slurp up your cunt.
“N-no! No!” You whimper out, back arching off of the front door.
Smacking the back of your thigh, he jiggles the meat of them once more, pulling his face back. Chest heaving up and down, he looks up at you, that playful glint in his eyes. He places a kiss right above your cunt, leading all the way up to your belly button. Small welts are left along the way. Spreading your thighs once more so there is a huge gap.
“You've been giving this pussy, my pussy to your lab partner?”
His face dives in the gap between your legs, letting the back of your thighs go so his face is fully engulfed in between you. Your cries ring out even louder in the room.
“No! I would never!” You cry out, you keep chanting to San how it’s his, and only his. Those words alone fuel his need for possession. Stretching his arm he picks up your dropped phone, noticing the call is still active, rolling his eyes at this guys pathetic ass. He shoves the phone towards you. Pulling his face from in between thighs. Your arousal is just dripping off his face, slapping against the floorboards beneath his kneeling figure.
“Tell him.” He says licking his lips, making sure to not let any of your juices go to waste. Grabbing the phone with shaky hands. Your body floods with embarrassment, yet the way San sees your pussy flutter around nothing he knows you're just as turned on as he is.
“Tell him who you belong to.”
Clearing your throat, your body heats with embarrassment. Your eyes never leave Sans watching as he gets a mouthful of cunt again. Making you stutter in your greeting to your lab partner.
“H-Hi.”
He slaps the back of your thighs harshly, sure to leave a small mark. Your eyes focus into San more who has his eyes closed while he tongues you up and down. He truly looks like he’s making out with someone, his eyes shut in pure bliss while his body is relaxed, hands roaming all over you.
“I belong to Choi San.” You quickly squeak out, not wanting this conversation with your lab partner to go on any further. Signifying that this partnership would not travel further than on school grounds.
“Tell him what I’m doing to you too.” He groans from your pussy, the bass of his voice vibrating all over making your toes curl. Letting out a whine you look at San silently pleading to hang up on your lab partner.
“Hes….hes eating my pussy…and he’s eating it real good” voice practically breathless.
“Now tell him you guys will not be friends. So he can get that out of his head.”
“We..we won’t be friends…” you say through a whimper, your dignity and pride was in hell right now.
“Lemme see the phone.” Shoving the phone to San you lay your head back against the door, his fingers coming up to rub small, slow circles around your pulsating clit.”
“You should see how I’m devouring her pretty pussy. It’s such a sight, she’s responsive too. One small flick to her clit and her eyes swell with tears. Probably wish this was you huh? Knuckle deep in her pussy, tongue fucking her, watching her come undone in your mouth.”
San hears shuffling on the other side of the phone, he knows your lab partner is still there.
“I know all about you, and the thing is I really don’t like sharing. Especially when it comes to her. So I think you should find a new partner, because if I catch you staring at my girl again. I’m going to bend her over the nearest surface and fuck her til she can’t even recognize you anymore.”
“I’ll fuck her so long and good, only thing she will be able to mutter is my name. So ima ask you do we have a clear understanding?
The lab partner hesitates to answer, both out of fear and horniness. How could he not be turned on by what he just heard, but he’s heard the stories about Choi San, and he’s not someone who you wanna cross.
Letting out a pathetic yes, he hurries and hangs up the phone. A cheshire cat-like smile crosses his face, pulling his fingers out of you, he stares up at your figure. Eyes shooting down to meet his own.
“No where was I?” He asks rhetorically before spreading your thighs once more.
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DO NOT REPOST.
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wowbright · 10 months ago
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I never want to discourage anyone from commenting on fanfics that they enjoy when they want to share their appreciation with fanfic authors.
At the same time, I cannot convey how discouraging it is to me, as an author, to get comments on years-old fanfic that basically do nothing but tell me that I'm doing storytelling wrong. I have one story in particular where the character has a limited point of view and interprets a common phenomenon differently than many people who live in our real world interpret it. But this is intentional! It's an illustration of the character's thinking and point of view. But instead of people trusting that I might know what I'm doing, I *to this day* get comments from people who have never left a nice word on my fanfic about "well, apparently you don't know this, but actually, that's not the way the world works." And like, if they kept reading the story, maybe they would realize that the decision was intentional? But no, they feel the need to make the comment right off the bat. I mean, just *asking* me if the decision was intentional instead of telling me that I'm wrong would be an improvement. It would give me a chance to clarify, and if there is actually something in my writing I could change to make it clear that this is the character's point of view and not intended to be a representation of the real world, we could have that discussion and maybe I would improve as a writer in the future. But instead I get these discouraging "corrections" that really don't leave a lot of room for dialogue--because at this point I've gotten so tired of them that I just don't approve the comments. And a thing that could have become a dialogue and perhaps even a fandom friendship gets aborted right off the bat, because (even if it wasn't meant that way) it comes across as an intentionally bad-faith reading and, honestly, I don't want to form community with people who read things in bad faith.
(Now, if I already know you and you say something like this, I might find it discouraging but I will also know you're not acting in bad faith, so we can recover from it. But if you just randomly alight on people's fanfic to tell them they're doing it wrong, you're not going to get any sense of community out of fandom.)
On another note, this might be a good reason for well intentioned commenters to keep commenting on old fanfic! Because at this point I would say the majority of comments I get on that old fanfic are "correction" ones. Since the fanfic still gets kudos, I assume there are people still reading it and enjoying it, but I hear less from them. So if nothing else, leaving a kind comment, even something as little as a ❤️, on an old fanfic can help buffer authors against the negative comments they may continue to receive on that fic.
(And just because you don't see any negative comments in the comment section doesn't mean they aren't receiving them. On AO3 and many other platforms, authors can delete or screen out comments--so they could have received them but aren't letting them show up in their comments section.)
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onesidedradiostatic · 9 months ago
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Val has broken Vox's screen multiple times in anger stop acting like they're cute and healthy with "equal power dynamics" he's a rapist abuser that doesn't just go away💀
oh man I did not come in here to get into discourse. first of all, I haven't been in the fandom for long, my main source of content is from the canon show itself. from what I've heard, those instagram stories are non-canon now and their dynamic in the show itself is a bit different. secondly, yes, val is a rapist abuser, and never once did I deny that, but you have to remember that vox is also NOT A GOOD PERSON. I actually would like to bring attention to this post specifically regarding that. but to put it short, he enables val's actions, his very introduction involves a product that lets you PEEP ON NEIGHBOURS. I do not in fact think they are cute, wholesome and healthy. they're both horrible people. the reason I call their power dynamic balanced is because of their interactions in episode 2, vox isn't shown to be afraid of val at all, he just acts annoyed, and isn't afraid of shouting at him to his face or saying "fuck you" to him, val does not react negatively to this either. val doesn't hold power over him, there is no clear power imbalance compared to val and angel. from what I've seen so far personally, I do not view vox as being a victim of val's. he's capable of using manipulative language to get val to stop what he was about to do, pinches his cheek with zero fear, and unremorsefully offers to call up the lowest earners for val to shoot.
if you disagree? that's fine. if you don't feel comfortable with the ship? that's also perfectly fine! here are things you can do:
- filter #voxval
- filter #staticmoth
- block me
I state in my bio that staticmoth is a ship I like, you are warned of that the moment you come to my page, even if my main thing is one-sided radiostatic, and no, it doesn't mean I support or deny val's actions in ANY WAY, he's a horrible person. absolutely. I hope he gets what's coming to him in the show, I hope angel gets to be free and FAR away from him. but for now, I find staticmoth as a ship intriguing, because they're both horrible people but are capable of having a more balanced dynamic with one another compared to their victims, maybe it'll change in the future and I won't like it anymore, who knows?
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f1letters · 2 years ago
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snow on the beach | ls18
"you wanting me tonight feels impossible, but it's coming down"
summary: nothing would ever compare to the feeling of simultaneously falling in love with each other
warning: overall fluff, rom-com energy that WILL cure any heartbreak really, friends to lovers, mentions of alcohol, swearing, just a story about the exact moment when two people realize they fell in love with each other, not proofread (because my laptop is acting up and i'm done for today lol)
pairing: lance stroll x reader
word count: 3.2k
note: everything in bold are song references and in italic are thoughts, which includes memories from the past.
hey everyone! honestly I've been feeling a bit down lately so this Wednesday I indulged my (not so) secret (now) crush on lance stroll and decided to treat myself (and all the lance lovers ofc) to some well-deserved lance content, haha! and for the ones who don't like him... just give it a try anyways and trust the process haha! enjoy! 💜
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One night, a few moons ago
I saw flecks of what could've been lights
But it might just have been you
Passing by unbeknownst to me
Do you know the feeling of your soul inexplicably catching fire? Of losing control of your thoughts all at once? Of your body being filled with enthusiasm at the sight of someone?
Y/N was very familiar with the thrill that hovered every time their eyes met across the room, as lately, it seemed to happen every time the young woman shared the same space with him.
It didn't matter how much she tried to deny it, or how much she looked for other justifications that would explain the butterflies she felt in her stomach. 
One thing was for sure: even in a room full of the most important people in her life, she still found herself continuously looking for his big, beautiful, brown eyes.
It was almost like he was the light in every room she entered.
The driver's lips curved gently, giving her a small lopsided smile as he returned his attention to her brother, bringing his glass back to his lips.
The girl's attention dropped from his eyes to his soft lips, studying the sensual way his mouth moved as he drank the rest of his whiskey. 
I wonder how his lips would feel on m- Stop, what are you even thinking?! Y/N shook her head, letting out a quiet growl, as she stopped whatever fantasy her mind was trying to create before it was possible.
We're just friends. She thought, trying to convince herself that this was just a moment of weakness. Maybe not even that.
Okay, sure, Y/N and Lance seemed to get along beautifully, the two naturally gravitating towards each other every time they got together. But in reality, Y/N couldn't help thinking that he was just being nice, keeping his future brother-in-law's little sister company.
Glancing at the boy beside the Canadian, she saw Scotty who, as if reading the thoughts in his sister's head, turned towards her and gave her a small wave, followed by a hand gesture to invite her to join them. 
Y/N laughed nervously, shaking her head, and decided to walk to the large dining room table to get some more appetizers on her plate.
Nothing like good food to entertain a confused girl.
Life is emotionally abusive
And time can't stop me quite like you did
And my flight was awful, thanks for asking
I'm unglued, thanks to you
Her eyes admired the decorations throughout the house, adorned in detail, without missing a single corner. It was clear that the eldest James sibling and his fiancée had set no limits on their housewarming party.
Their new home was simply magnificent. Its rustic stone walls perfectly complemented its wooden beams and columns, maintaining the house's original charm yet giving it a modern touch. 
The living room led to a majestic timbered window where Y/N seemed to spend eternities admiring the view from the top of the snow-covered mountain.
This really is Scotty's dream, endless snow, she smiled unconsciously.
"Uh-oh, she's smiling." She heard the Australian beside her, her smile growing exponentially as he leaned his back against the wall next to the window. "This can only mean danger."
"Shut up, you idiot." The girl shoved his arm playfully, shaking her head in annoyance. "FYI, I was having a proud sister moment, but I'm glad you stopped me. I definitely needed someone to wake me up from my temporary madness episode."
"Aww, baby sis, you're sooo cute." Scotty pinched her cheek, just like he always did since they were little, in order to annoy her. He knew how much she hated when he did that, so it didn't come as a surprise when she slapped his hand away from her face. "Hey! This is a no-violence zone. Just because you're an adult now doesn't mean I won't tell Mum and Dad."
Y/N rolled her eyes at the image of the smirk on her brother's face. "Just leave me alone, Scott. Go piss off Chloe or something."
The girl turned back towards the food, picking up a small pastry for herself, while the boy put his arm around his sister's shoulders.
He sighed dramatically, although she could still hear the smile on his face. "And here I was thinking you were going to say that I should 'go piss off Lance'... But I'm sure you would rather have that task for yourself, right sis?"
Almost choking on the delicacy she was eating, the girl started to cough, drawing way too much unnecessary attention to her.
Scotty was informing everyone that she was fine, enjoying her reaction to his words too much, as her eyes rose from the table. 
And she couldn't help but curse her bad luck when she found Lance at the other end of the room, right in front of her, wearing a concerned look on his face, as she almost choked to death.
At that moment, she realized not even time stopped her quite like he did.
But mostly, she realized she was completely and utterly fucked.
And it's like snow at the beach
Weird, but fuckin' beautiful
Flying in a dream
Stars by the pocketful
You wanting me
Tonight feels impossible
But it's comin' down
No sound, it's all around
Scotty was patting her on the back, trying to help her, but he was interrupted by the sudden movement of the girl turning towards him.
"What the hell are you talking about?" She was nervously fixing her hair, her voice still struggling to come out.
Her older brother couldn't contain his laughter, letting his hand rest on the girl's shoulder. "Oh, my sweet, sweet Y/N... Everyone knows you're head over heels for our boy Lance! No need to deny it, especially to your big bro."
"WHAT?!" She yelled, drawing all eyes in the room back to her. She chuckled lightly turning to the crowd. Before anyone could say anything, she grabbed Scotty's wrist and pulled him into the kitchen. "What?!" She scream-whispered now.
"You heard me." Scotty said, crossing his arms confidently in front of her chest. "You have a big fat crush on Lance and you know it, I know it, everyone knows it!"
"Only someone blind wouldn't be capable of seeing it!" He continued to tease her, having too much fun making her uncomfortable. "In fact, even a blind man could tell by the way you sigh all lovey-dovey every time he walks by you."
"I do not!"
"Yes, you do!"
"No, I don't!"
"Yes. You. Do." Scotty emphasized word for word, making the girl give up, even though she would never admit defeat. The man took advantage of her silence to provoke her even more. "Y/N and Lance, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"
"Scott, stop! Are you a fucking child?" Y/N approached him, covering his mouth with her hand. "I hate you, I swear. Stop this nonsense!"
"Don't worry, baby sis, he likes you too. I'm sure of it." The snowboarder said, giving his sister a kiss on her temple and a final pat on the shoulder, and leaving her alone in the kitchen with her own thoughts.
Lance? Wanting me? That feels impossible. She thought to herself, feeling slightly disappointed. 
But she never let those feelings hang in the air too long, immediately contradicting them. 
It doesn't matter. I do not like him. 
We're just friends.
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow, ah
Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Lance swept through the crowd anxiously in search of the girl that he couldn't seem to get out of his head ever since he laid eyes on her that afternoon.
Though he himself also denied his growing feelings for the young woman, Lance couldn't help but notice how his palms were sweating, or how his heart was beating faster. 
He just couldn't help but feel worried when she disappeared in that state, leaving him wondering how she was.
Waking him up from his ceaseless search, a familiar hand landed on his shoulder, making him turn and find his sister with a sly smile on her face.
"Thank God you chose Formula 1 as a career because you would make a terrible actor."
"What on earth-"
"Get that lost puppy look off your face, Y/N's fine!" Chloe laughed, shaking her head. "Who knew? Two Strolls and two Jameses..."
"I'm not- I was just-" The driver found himself stuttering, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Jesus, Chloe, we're just friends! Friends care about each other. Don't start with this shit again."
"Mm-hmm, sure, friends." Chloe pretended to accept the repetitive excuse that came out of her brother's mouth every time. "I love it when you lie straight to my face just because you don't have the courage to admit that you have the hots for my favourite sister-in-law."
"I don't have the hots for-"
"Hey, watch it, pretty boy!" A voice appeared from behind him as the mysterious person quickly hugged the Canadian by his shoulders, causing his older sister to laugh uncontrollably. "It's my baby sister we're talking about here! Control your emotions, Romeo!"
"I- She- I don't-" Lance found himself in an even more awkward position again, suddenly turning into a deer in the headlights as he was caught off guard.
"Ahhh, kids." Scotty sighed, moving to his fiancée's side, leaning his head against hers without taking his eyes off the boy in front of him. "So young, so in love, and most of all... so stupid."
Lance threw his hands in the air in frustration, turning his back on the couple as he headed to the porch where he would be able to finally get rid of the two of them.
This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched "aurora borealis green"
I've never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery
Lance carefully opened the elegant glass doors, being immediately hit by the intense cold that settled at the top of the mountain as usual.
He silently thanked himself for remembering to put on his army green padded coat and his grey beanie on his head. He would never have been able to survive those freezing temperatures without them, even if his Canadian blood helped him a bit.
Another factor that quickly contributed to his body heating up was the girl sitting by herself on the wooden stairs.
As soon as his brown eyes landed on Y/N, the driver could have sworn his heart started pumping faster. 
Just a coincidence, he thought, this is all Chloe's fault for putting these ideas in my head.
Gathering the little courage he had left to face these new feelings that were beginning to stir within him, Lance silently walked over to her and sat down on her left side, making the girl jump in fright.
"Oh my God, Lance!" She brought one of her black-gloved hands to her chest in shock, as the other one removed the AirPods from her ears. "You were about to give me a heart attack! Please don't scare a girl like that without warning."
"Sorry, sorry! It won't happen again!" He put his hand on top of her shoulder, laughing at her reaction. 
He took a few moments of silence to watch as her eyes sparkled with excitement as she took in her surroundings.
"God, it's really beautiful up here, don't you agree?" She said, almost in a whisper.
Lance kept his gaze focused on her, not even thinking about taking his eyes off her beauty.
"Just like a movie scene."
My smile is like I won a contest
And to hide that would be so dishonest
And it's fine to fake it 'til you make it
'Til you do, 'til it's true
Unaware that he was subconsciously referring to her and not the dazzling snow that surrounded them, Y/N spoke in agreement. "It is, isn't it? I feel like I'm trapped in a Christmas movie or something." She laughed, eventually letting out a happy sigh. "They're going to love living here. I'm so happy for Scotty and Chloe, you know? They deserve this."
"Yeah, me too. They deserve more than anyone else to live their dream." Lance saw the girl shiver from the corner of his eye as she hug her own body closer. The driver moved closer to her and let his hands run up and down her arms to try to warm her up. "Are you cold? Do you want to go back in?"
"No, no! I'm fine! Just a little chilly, that's all, but thanks."
"Here." The boy removed the hat from his head, pulling it over her hair. The girl blushed at the affectionate gesture, not being able to hide the smile that was stamped on her face as if she had just won a contest. "That will make you stay warmer."
Now it's like snow at the beach
Weird, but fuckin' beautiful
Flying in a dream
Stars by the pocketful
You wanting me
Tonight feels impossible
But it's comin' down
No sound, it's all around
"Thanks, Lance. You didn't have to do that." The girl smoothed her hair shyly, pulling it behind her ear.
As it always seemed to happen, their eyes met, and couldn't let go. They were like magnets, drawn to each other. They just couldn't stand being apart from each other.
With no sound around them other than the muffled voices from inside the house, they both felt their stomachs drop as they both realized it simultaneously.
Fuck me, I'm completely in love with him, Y/N thought.
Fuck me, I'm madly in love with her, Lance thought.
Suddenly, all seemed to be coming down. The two felt consumed all around by the connection between them and they both knew they could no longer escape their undeniable attraction.
"I think I've had enough socializing for today," Lance said, charged with adrenaline. "Do you want to get out of here?"
"Lead the way, Stroll."
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow, ah
The wind blew in through the open windows of the driver's Aston Martin as the two made their escape without anyone back at the party noticing.
The girl's hair was blowing in the breeze and, even though he knew he should keep his eyes on the road, Lance couldn't help but appreciate the moment and the fascinating smile she wore on her face as she sang to the song that echoed through the car.
God, she's just... absolutely gorgeous, he thought to himself. 
A small smile appeared on his face, mirroring hers, as he imagined how much his older sister was going to piss him off for being right this whole time about the boy's crush on Scotty's sister.
Hopefully, the headache would pay off and he would have a chance to get the girl.
I can't speak, afraid to jinx it
I don't even dare to wish it
But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet
Now I'm all for you like Janet
Can this be a real thing? Can it?
"We're here." The boy said, parking the car in an empty lot with no one in sight.
"The beach! I love this place, how did you know?" Y/N jumped with joy, getting out of the car and letting her arms wrap around his shoulders without thinking too much about what she was doing. "Oh, sorry! I don't know what-"
She was about to pull away when Lance, driven by the realization of his most intimate emotions, pulled her closer to him by the waist. The girl's eyes widened as his face approached hers. "Just took a guess."
Oh but it wasn't a guess.
In all the years they'd known each other, Lance had found himself noticing every detail about Y/N. 
The way her eyes sparkled when she talked about the happiest days of her life being at the beach. 
How she bit her bottom lip every time someone asked her about her unstable career as an artist. 
How she tugged the skins on her thumb impatiently whenever she didn't have her hands busy with some task.
Lance didn't know if he could speak, if he shouldn't wish for a chance with her.
He was scared, no, he was completely terrified of the idea that he might lose her.
Could they one day become a real thing?
Fuck it, he thought. It was now or never.
The driver went all-in and risked everything, moving closer to the girl as his eyes dropped to her plump lips. 
He felt a gasp come out of her mouth, such was the way she was taken aback by his sudden move on her, but Lance didn't flinch and persisted on his way to her, until he felt her lips brush against his.
The two leaned towards each other, ready to be eternally consumed by their burning passion...
Until they felt a snowflake fall between their barely joined lips.
Are we falling like snow at the beach?
Weird, but fuckin' beautiful
Flying in a dream
Stars by the pocketful
You wanting me
Tonight feels impossible
But it's comin' down
No sound, it's all around
Y/N turned away from him as her eyes watched as the snow fell from the sky, painting the sand on the beach white.
"Is that-" Y/N couldn't believe her eyes.
"Snow? On the beach?" Lance replied, equally confused. "This is so-"
"Weird." "Fucking beautiful." The two spoke simultaneously, bursting into laughter at the difference in their reactions.
Like snow on the beach (Snow on the beach)
Like snow on the beach (Flying in a dream)
Like snow on the beach (You wanting me)
Like snow, ah
But it's comin' down
No sound, it's all around
Lance's hand came up to the face of the girl in front of him, stroking her jaw with his thumb as he pressed his lips to hers not wanting to risk the moment being interrupted again.
His mouth pressed over her slightly pursed lips, starting with a gentle kiss and building in intensity as they both lost themselves in the moment for what felt like forever.
"I don't know how to put this into words but... Y/N, you are the most amazing, beautiful, fascinating girl I've ever met. Since I laid eyes on you, I've been head over heels for you. I've tried to deny it- Well, more because Chloe kept bugging me about my crush on you." The driver began to ramble on with the nervousness that came with his feeble attempt at a declaration of love. "Anyway, focus Lance! Y/N, you- You are everything. I-"
"Lance." The girl laughed, placing her hands on either side of his face and placing a quick kiss on his mouth. "I love you too."
"Yeah, those are the exact words I meant to say." He laughed, reuniting their lips once again, as they both got lost in their own little wonderland.
Like snow on the beach
(It's comin' down, it's comin' down)
(It's comin' down, it's comin' down)
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shhh-no-ones-home · 3 months ago
Text
future friends 1/2
james 'logan' howlett
+++++++++
part two
shes not edited so sorry in advance lol
im mad i cant write whump for this man so have some angst instead. because if we cant help heal outside wounds maybe we can help heal inside wounds
song: i lie to me by as it is
+++++++++
i sat across from rogue as we ate our lunch, quietly munching to myself. neither of us had spoken yet but she knew i always needed a minute when getting together with someone. it was the nature of my powers. i could see everyone's past just from being near them and though hers wasnt as hard to watch as some others she understood it was exhausting. she made that mistake once, touching me to experience it for just a moment. she ended up crying hysterically and i felt so bad because i couldnt even hug her to console her.
"Hey have you gotten a chance to talk to Logan yet?"
I raised a brow as I looked over at her, her pulling me out of my thoughts.
"You know the professor told me not to."
She nodded a few times, popping a grape into her mouth.
"And why are we still listening?"
She questioned and I laughed, wiping my mouth on my napkin.
"He said that I need to keep my distance until he finds his place here. You know we aren't supposed to use our powers on each other."
She looked at me with a stupid look on her face.
"Is it really using your power on him if you can't help it?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"I've already read him. Every time he gets close actually. Every class I have with him. His life flashes before my eyes and I have to pretend I don't know everything about him."
She frowned and ate another grape.
"Logan deserves to know about his past. And you're the only one that can give that to him now that jean and the professor are dead."
I sighed and looked down at my half eaten sandwich. all i would have to do is touch him, then i could show him too.
"I guess I'll talk to storm about it. See if she has anything to say. She's the dean now after all."
she sent me another disapproving look before bobby came in and sat with us. i frowned, reading him quickly, before going back to my sandwich.
°°°°°°°°°
I knocked slowly on her office door, the wood creaking slowly. I could hear storm talking quietly to someone and suddenly my mind was flooded with his life again. His childhood, scraping his knee falling off his bike and it healing slowly. He freaked out but got up and kept riding. He never told his parents. Then his wife came into view, their wedding, her death. Then came him volunteering for strikers project. I could feel the ache in my chest as I felt all his pain. The cold rushing through my veins as he streaked butt naked through the Canadian wilderness trying to escape.
"Come in."
Shook me of my thoughts and I pushed the door open, seeing ororo and Logan talking. He was sat against her desk, legs crossed and cigar in his mouth. I panned the room to her standing in front of the TV, remote in hand. I could hear the electricity like she had just turned it off.
"Y/n, what a pleasant surprise."
I swallowed hard and looked from her to him. He had his brows drawn and I could tell he was trying to place me. Even in the two classes I had with him I was easy to ignore. I kept quiet. Answered questions when prompted. But ultimately stayed out of sight.
"storm I was wondering if I could ask you something but it's a private matter so I might come back."
I tried to suppress her time line, blinking away the hot African sun of her childhood.
"No need. I was just going."
Logan said sternly, pushing himself off the desk.
"We'll talk about this later."
She directed at him and he gave a tight lip smile, closing the door behind him. She looked back at me, placing the TV remote on the end table to her left.
"I have a feeling I know what this is about."
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.
"I don't want to disobey professor Xavier -"
She held her hand up.
"You can't tell him."
I watched her, defeated as she paced to the desk.
"He deserves to know. Something. Anything. That he was married, he volunteered for experiment x, anything from his childhood."
She shook her head as she sat down.
"You know why that's a bad idea. We've already been over this after the fight at alkali lake."
I sighed and slumped down into the chair across from her.
"His time line is so intense storm. I can ignore most people's but they aren't as long or traumatizing as his. He's two, three, times as old as everyone here. Except myself."
A sad expression fell over her face as she folded her hands on the desk.
"He knows what happened with striker. We need to leave it at that. Until he finds something else out naturally."
I clenched my jaw and stood up.
"I can't keep hiding the truth from him ororo. And eventually he'll realize that I don't age either which will raise questions about my mutation. Then what am I supposed to say?"
She inhaled deeply.
"Y/n you are older than even the professor. You are the one that denied the position to teach-"
"Because I look like any other student!"
I interjected and she looked at me sternly.
"But if you are going to act like a child then you are going to be treated like one."
I scoffed and headed for the door.
"If the position reopens let me know. Teachers seem to be dropping like flies around here."
I pushed the door open harshly, it slamming behind me as I walked out of the office. There was a part of me that understands but I can't believe she is against me on this. He has found his place here. And I can't keep up with this. It's so much harder to keep people's time lines out of my head when they don't know I know.
Like rogue. I told her shortly after I met her. Even though it was after she took the "cure" from the Worthington corporation. She introduced herself in the same span it took me to see her time line. Bobby was there to help explain my powers to her but I haven't had to watch her find her powers since then. Same with him. And everyone else I've talked to on this campus. just small pieces of their childhood or finding their significant other.
but logan wasn't like everyone else. he was complicated. and so was i. but now, also, i was mad. i walked quickly down the hall, passed the dining room and kitchen to the elevator. if i couldnt get his frustrations out of my brain by telling him then i might as well work them out. i hit the down button and tapped my foot as i waited. when the door opened i strode down the hall to the danger-room.
i walked in slowly, the lights turning on and the control panel popping open. i quickly selected a series of test and waited for the room to start changing. i watched as sky scrapers appeared in the distance, small shops coming into view as well. then cars and people. then i saw a plane ahead, watching in shock as it crashed down in front of me. then all these creatures started climbing off of it, pieces of the plan in their unsightly jaws as it burned under them.
i moved quickly, running forward and dodging the creatures as they came at me hissing through bloody teeth. i pulled on the torn metal, making and opening and helping some civilians out of the plane as it burned. i looked up, seeing one of the creatures charging back at me. i grabbed a piece off the top of the plane and swung myself towards it kicking it square in the face and knocking back down to the ground.
i checked to make sure that the people on the ground were helping the others out of the burning plane before turning to fight another creature as it came at me. i struck it, pushing it away from me before lunging at another one. when the rest finally realized i was there they came in waves, attacking me. i fought back as hard as i could and for once thats all i had to focus on. then one of them knocked me down. as i tried to get up another lunged on top of me, pinning me down to the roof of the plane. i grunted and and tried to keep it away from me, its teeth gnashing and slobbery in my face.
then from out of nowhere i heard a yell and the sound of metal. i looked over to see logan shoving his long claws into the side of the creature. i watched him, his past flooding through my brain as he attacked the others as they came at us. i breathed deeply, stumbling to my feet and putting my back to his. we fought together until they were all gone, going to get the few stragglers out of the plane that hadnt made it out yet.
then he moved to help me down, taking my hand in his and pausing as i hit the ground. my eyes went wide as a tear slid down his cheek. shit. i had transferred his memories without even meaning to. all i had to do was touch him. usually i had my gloves on when we went in the danger-room but i didnt put my suit on first.
"i had a wife."
he said quietly, side eying me. i held my breath, holding onto his hand still as the simulation dissipated around us.
"i had a brother."
he laughed, really looking at me now. i took my hand out of his and held them both together in front of me.
"im sorry logan, this isnt how i wanted you to find out."
he drew his brows.
"have you known this whole time?"
i could feel tears stinging as i nodded.
"thats my curse to hold."
he shook his head, looking angry before walking off.
"logan wait!"
i called after him and he held his hand up.
"kid. just dont."
21 notes · View notes
canirove · 11 months ago
Text
In The Name of Love | Chapter 3
Author's note: A little clarification about the previous chapter since someone commented it on Wattpad. What happened between Val and Pedri when he visited her was all consensual. In all my stories I always try to make it clear, but sometimes I may not manage to write down what I have in my head or it gets lost in translation. Also, for future chapters. Teasing each other is like their love language, so when they do it, they aren't actually being mean. It's just their way of saying I love you 😁 Hope you enjoy this chapter, and thank you to everyone who has been reading so far! 💜
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"That room over there is my brother's, and those are guest rooms for when my parents or my friends come to stay. But the best room is this one" Pedri smiles. "Not because it is mine, the woman who showed me the house said so."
"Sure" I chuckle.
"She did. Are you ready?"
"Ready."
"Welcome to my room, my lady" he says before opening the door. "I know it is a bit messy, but I didn't want it to make it look perfect because that isn't me, you know? And this weekend I want you to get to know me, not the football star."
"Since when are you a football star?" I ask with a teasing smile.
"Ha ha ha. You are so funny, Val" he says, rolling his eyes. 
"I know" I smile. "But I like it. I actually like the whole house. I've seen others this big and modern and they look so cold and empty with just a sofa and a tv in a corner and an untouched kitchen… But yours looks like a place where there are people living. And it's messy, yes. But it is an organized mess."
"I wouldn't have described it better" he laughs. "Do you want to check the view? That's the reason why this room is the best one."
"Please."
"Then after you, my lady" Pedri says, opening the balcony's door.
"Thank you" I giggle. My God, why did I giggle? He just opened a door for me! "Oh, wow" I gasp as I walk outside.
"It is the best, isn't it?"
"It's beautiful" I say as I lean on the railing and look around in awe, the sun setting in front of me. 
"It has never looked as beautiful as it does right now, tho."
"Pedri!" I laugh, turning around to look at him.
"It is what it is" he shrugs. He's leaning against the balcony's door frame, his arms crossed over his chest, a soft smile on his lips. He had never looked so… So...Ok , I'm gonna say it. So boyfriend. 
"It was cheesy" I giggle again, feeling my cheeks get warmer and warmer and my stomach do funny things while he just looks at me, making me feel as if I'm 15 again and my crush has finally acknowledged me. 
Dear lord, he is turning me into a teenager. 
"It was the truth" he says before walking towards me, my heart skipping a beat when I feel one of his hands cupping my face, the other on my low back, pulling me closer towards him before kissing me.
But it isn't a kiss like the ones we've shared before. It is soft, gentle, slow. And it is making me melt under his touch, making my body relax and forget about anything else. It's just him and I, his lips on mine, his hands on my body, the feeling of his heart beating against my chest. 
And it keeps being like that as he walks me back into the room, when he lays me down on the bed, when he takes off my clothes and leaves kisses all over my body, when I feel him inside me. There is no rush, no need to make it to the end like happened yesterday. It's just us moving at the same rhythm, enjoying every second, every touch, every kiss. And it's perfect.
━━━━━━❃━━━━━━
"Val, we are gonna be late. What are you doing?" 
"I can't find my phone. A moment ago I was texting Silvia and now it's gone."
"If it was under the bed don't you think you would have heard it fall?" Pedri chuckles.
"Maybe? I don't know. Can you call me to see if it's here somewhere?" I say, getting up.
"Val…"
"Wait, no. Don't call me, I have it on vibration. Though that makes noise, so if we are quiet…"
"Val…"
"Or maybe it is in the bathroom? I went there to check if I was leaving something behind and…"
"Valeria!"
"I know you don't want to be late, but there is no need to yell, Pedro."
"Have you checked your pockets?" 
"My pockets?"
"On your jeans. Have you checked them?"
"There is nothing there."
"Back pockets" he sighs.
"What�� fuck" I say when I feel my phone on one of them. 
"It happens to the best of us" he laughs. "Now can we please go?"
"Yes, of course. We don't want Xavi to get mad at you, do we? He may not choose you for the starting eleven and… Do you want to cuddle?"
"What?" Pedri laughs again.
"Come, let's cuddle for a bit" I say, sitting on the bed and extending my arms towards him.
"Val, that's cheating."
"I don't know what you are talking about" I shrug.
"Of course not" he smirks. "Let's go."
"Wait, no… Pedri!" I complain when he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder.
"You wanted to cuddle, right? This is a new way of doing it" he says, slapping my butt while we leave the room.
"You better not fall down the stairs."
"I wouldn't dare" he replies, this time pinching me, laughing when I try to hit him and miss. 
━━━━━━❃━━━━━━
"You know where to meet after the game, right?"
"I do, Pedri" I say while checking that I have everything I may need in my purse.
"If you get lost or something…"
"I'll call you, don't worry."
"You better. And are you sure you don't want me to drive you a bit closer to the stadium?"
"I'm sure. I don't want someone recognizing you, taking a photo of us together, and end up all over the internet."
"Neither do I, to be honest" he sighs. "Anyway, before you leave… Can I get a good luck kiss?" he pouts.
"What about one that says I hope you have a good game but that your team loses?" I smile.
"I don't like how that sounds."
"Leave it or take it" I shrug.
"Ok, fine" he sighs. "You merengones are so mean."
"Oh, shut up" I say, grabbing him by his t-shirt and pulling him towards me before kissing him. 
━━━━━━❃━━━━━━
"I'm telling you that's her."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Let's go say hello."
"Ok. But try not to say anything stupid or he'll get mad."
"I won't, Gavi. Relax. Hello!" 
"Hi" I say to the two guys walking towards me.
"You are Pedri's friend, right? Valeria."
"Yep."
"I'm Ferran, and this is Gavi. Though you probably already know."
"I recognized Gavi, but you…"
"Bro" Gavi laughs.
"She's messing with you" Pedri says behind them.
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are. Yesterday I made you check everyone's name and photo so you would know who is who during the game."
"It didn't work" I shrug. 
"Then do you know who I am or not?" Ferran asks.
"I do, I was just teasing you" I smile. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to finally meet you too!"
"Finally?"
"Our boy here hasn't stopped talking about you since the day he met you" Ferran says, putting his arm around Pedri's shoulders. "I don't blame him, tho."
"He's completely smitten" Gavi chuckles.
"Shut up" Pedri says, getting free of Ferran's grip and moving to stand next to me, his cheeks a bright shade of pink. He's blushing. Cute. Wait, what?
"Oh, don't get mad, Pepi."
"Pepi? What kind of name is that?" I laugh.
"That's how his fans call him" Ferran smiles.
"Why would they call you that? Pedri didn't sound stupid enough?"
"Oh my God" Gavi gasps.
"You weren't joking when you said she's savage" Ferran laughs.
"Yeah, well, whatever. We should get going, Val. You have an early morning tomorrow" Pedri says, trying to end the conversation.
"I actually do, yes" I say, noticing how uncomfortable he is feeling.
"We have to meet another day, then. Maybe for lunch or dinner?" Ferran says.
"Yes, sure" I smile. "It was nice meeting you, guys."
"You too, Val" Ferran says, taking my hand and kissing it, making Pedri roll his eyes before getting inside the car. 
"Bye."
"Bye" he and Gavi say at the same time.
"They are nice" I say once I am inside the car.
"And annoying" Pedri mutters. 
"Congratulations on that goal, by the way" I say, trying to lighten up the mood. 
"Thank you" he replies, finally looking at me. "Did you see that I dedicated it to you?"
"You did?"
"Yep" he smiles. Finally. 
"I saw that you did like a peace sign or something."
"It wasn't a peace sign, Val! It was a V! I sent you a kiss and then did a V!"
"Oh…" I say, suddenly feeling my cheeks get warm, not sure if of embarrassment or because of how cute he was by dedicating me his goal. 
"I'm sure there are photos already, let me check."
"Won't they close the stadium with us inside or something? I can't sleep at the Camp Nou, I'm already feeling all itchy from the time I've been here."
"Stop complaining" Pedri laughs, his eyes fixed on his phone. "Here. Look. The kiss" he says, showing me a photo. "And the V. My first goal of the season is for you" he smiles.
"Thank you" I reply, blushing again. And this time it definitely is because of how cute he is. Because he is cute. Admit it, Valeria. "No one had ever dedicated me a goal before."
"Well, this will be the first of many."
"Just promise me one of those future goals won't be against Real Madrid."
"I'll try" he laughs. "And I think I'm gonna post these photos on Instagram. What do you think?"
"You are smiling, I like them."
"Do you like my smile?" he asks, arching one of those perfect eyebrows of his.
"It's ok" I shrug, my face now burning. Thank God he isn't able to notice because of how dark the parking is.
"Just ok, sure" Pedri chuckles while typing on his phone.
"Do you run it yourself? Your Instagram account, I mean."
"I do. I've been offered to have someone do it for me, but I like doing it myself."
"Because that way you can manage better your dms with the teenagers?" I tease him.
"Exactly that, yes" he laughs. "Though I don't do it anymore."
"Do what?"
"Dm girls. Or reply to their dms."
"Why?"
"Because now I'm only interested in sliding into the dms of a certain girl" he says with a cheeky smile.
"Poor thing" I reply, looking away and acting as if I didn't know who he is talking about.
"Yes, poor thing. And posted. Will you give it a like?"
"Are you mad? What if someone sees it and they don't allow me to set foot in the Bernabéu ever again?" 
"They'll understand" he laughs, starting the car.
"They won't. I'm literally sleeping with the enemy, Pedri. Just that could ban me forever."
"You are such a drama queen, Val" he laughs again. "But does that mean there is no chance I will be seeing you in my notifications?" 
"Well… You actually look really cute in those photos. They are like worth it." Cute. Cute, cute, cute. The word of the night.
"I'll take that as a yes, then" he smiles. 
"But I didn't say yes. Or maybe."
"You kind of did" Pedri smirks.
"I just… whatever" I say, looking out the window so he can't see the stupid smile on my face. 
And yes, I ended up giving him that like. Let's just hope Florentino doesn't see it.
68 notes · View notes
nczennie · 1 year ago
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be my baby.
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Final Part of She's Like the Wind
Pairing: Reader x Stray Kid’s Lee Know AU: Summer love, based on the film Dirty Dancing Genre: Smut, Angst, Fluff (18+ only) Preview: "I'm scared of my future, I'm scared that I've been lying to my parents,". Reaching just a foot away from him, you look up at him, "But most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room, of leaving this summer and never feeling my whole life, the way that I feel when I'm with you". Words: 10.1k *Warnings under cut
Warnings: Cursing, mentions of food, mentions of drug use and their effects, mentions of past overdose/death (not main character), smut scene (oral fem. receiving, unprotected penetrative sex)
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It’s only a couple of hours later that you find yourself sneaking out the door of your room once again.
Once your dad made sure you were in the room you shared with your sister, he went next door to the one he shared with your mom. You waited until you felt it was long enough, taking off your makeup and changing into comfier clothes before sitting on your bed for a while in case he did come back in to check on you.
Taking the time in silence to think, you can't help but look back at your relationship with Minho. From his cold glares, teaching you to dance, to kissing, when he called you beautiful... It couldn't have been nothing could it? You refuse to believe that no matter how you started, that along the way he didn't feel anything for you even if it was just a fraction of what you felt for him.
Finally having enough of your thoughts, you walk as quickly as you can across the quiet resort, only the sounds of crickets in the grass under the moonlight keep you company. Making your way to your destination, you take a deep breath before knocking firmly on the door. 
Minho opens the door shirtless, moving the shirt he held in his hands over his chest slightly to try to cover himself once he sees it's you. Clearly flustered, he lets you in without a word either way. He closes the door behind you before turning to busy himself tidying the small room he called home. You stare at his bare back, all this time you've spent touching it with dancing and learning the routine but you had never seen his muscles without a shirt. He clears his throat to speak up though he doesn’t turn to look at you, “Sorry about the mess. I know it’s not as nice as the room you must be staying in”. Your eyebrows furrow as you step closer to him, his back still the only thing in your view, “No, it’s perfect”. 
A silence lulls between you both, only the soft music from his record player filling the space. You swallow nervously, “I’m really sorry Minho, about my father. About how he acted towards you”. The boy finally turns around, shaking his head at you, “No, he was amazing, helping Momo like that. I can’t thank you enough for bringing him out”. You open and close your mouth with a sigh, “No, it really wasn’t right to judge you like that, like you were the one at fault”. His mouth quirks at the edge for a split second, “Was he wrong though? Look, I can’t thank you enough for helping me, helping us, but you can’t be blind to the crowd of people we are. We’re not the people you usually surround yourself with, and maybe even it’s better if you don’t, your father knows that for sure”.
Suddenly feeling furious you clench your jaw to stop yourself from speaking irrationally, “Are you serious? Do you really think I’m the type of person to judge others based on miniscule actions like that? That I walk around thinking I’m better than everyone else because of how I grew up?” Minho gulps and averts his gaze as he notices the tears forming in your eyes, but you can’t control your emotion. You can’t believe after all this time he still thought of you as some sort of stuck-up princess. 
Gaze, still averted, he speaks again, “I know you’re better than me,” he mumbles your name and before you can argue with him he continues his speech. “You're kind, you're always smiling like you still see the good in the world, cause you do. You-you got your whole life figured out, going to university and shit and not stuck working at some shithole hotel where you're looked down upon by everyone just because you don't have enough money!" His voice grows louder as he continues his rant, booming over the music in the room, throwing the shirt he was holding in his hands to the floor in frustration.
"That's not true! Minho I-" you raise your voice but he doesn't let you finish, continuing where he left off.
"And you're so brave," he says your name, "You're so brave helping us out like you have, some strangers who you rude to you, who judged you. Not once did you judge us, but gave us your time and money."
"I'm not brave," you finally get out, "I'm scared Minho".
Finally turning to look at you, he looks confused as if he couldn't understand what you could be scared of. "I'm scared," you state again taking tiny steps towards him, "I'm scared of my future, I'm scared that I've been lying to my parents,". Reaching just a foot away from him, you look up at him, "But most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room, of leaving this summer and never feeling my whole life, the way that I feel when I'm with you".
Your bottom lip trembles at your confession, at the silence that follows. It's so quiet you can hear the skip of the record, changing to play a new song.
Swallowing you decide you can't take the silence anymore, "Dance with me". You see his adam's apple bob as he swallows, before his hands make their way up to grab at your hips, pulling you flush against him. Your breath hitches but you quickly recover, moving your hands along his arms up to his bare shoulders. He takes the lead, much like the fateful night where he first taught you to dance. Now as you both move to the music, there is no intricate ballroom moves, just the sensual movement of your hips against each other, his breath fanning into your neck as you pull him closer to you.
Alone with him in his room, there is no longer the pressure of being able to dance as well as those around you. Instead you lose yourself in the music, lose yourself in Minho. The rhythm seems easy to follow, not trying to impress him but instead doing what feels right. You remove your hands from his shoulders, moving them up your neck and above your head as he dips you backwards, hips still moving against yours. Your mouth falls open with a small gasp as you feel him place a kiss on your chest where your tank top reveals your skin.
He continues to run his lips along your skin, up to your neck as he straightens you back up. Leaning your head to the right, you close your eyes as you take in the feeling of his soft lips on your neck. Eventually he smoothly runs his hands down from your hips to your ass, squeezing you and helping your move along him how he pleases.
You can't help the sound that leaves your mouth as you feel Minho everywhere as you dance together. He finally moves away from your neck, looking down at you with hooded eyes. Your eyes automatically close has he leans forward, but rather than kissing you, his lips merely brush yours as he speaks, "Is this okay?" Opening your eyes, you nod profusely, "Yes. Minho, please". Seemingly getting all the assurance he needs, he finally presses his lips against yours.
It starts as a gentle kiss, your hips still moving along to the music, but as soon as you move to run your tongue along his lips. He stops his dancing to put all of his focus on kissing you, both of his hands coming to grasp your jawline as he runs his tongue along yours. You can't help but moan into his mouth as he moves to push you into his bed frame.
You pull away to catch your breath but Minho continues to work on you. Kissing down your neck, collarbones, to your shoulder where he moves the strap of your top down. Once it's down he moves to your other shoulder, kissing it gently after moving the strap. You can feel as he hums against your skin, lips moving to the center of your chest where his hands come up to move your top down under your breasts, much easier with the straps out of the way.
He doesn't bother to remove your shirt all the way, instead focusing on your breasts just as they are. Throwing your head back as one of his hands moves to cup you, groping you softly as his mouth focuses on the other, his tongue warm and wet against your nipple.
Minho pulls his mouth away from you with a wet pop, "My pretty baby," he mumbles out, not stopping as he continues his way down your body. Moving the bottom of your shirt slightly upwards in order to place wet kisses on your stomach. He finally settles onto his knees on the ground between your legs. Humming against your hip bones, he moves to grab at your sleep shorts, hooking his fingers into the soft material to pull them down your legs.
You try not to think too hard about the cotton of your panties as you step out of the shorts and Minho throws them on the floor next to him. Though they don't seem to bother him as he moves forward once again to place open mouthed kisses to your covered mound. The wetness from his mouth seeping through the white material.
He runs his lips across your thigh and you can feel your face flush as he looks up at you, meeting your gaze. "Can I have you? Just like this?" His voice is soft but you nod right away, "Yes. Yes, Minho, I'm yours".
Without another word he turns his attention back on the white material, kissing and running his tongue along it before finally reaching up to remove it completely. You gulp as he drags them down your legs, tossing them to join your shorts. Your breath hitches as he grabs ahold of one of your legs, moving to place it atop his shoulder, granting him better access to you.
Minho moves without hesitance, moving forward to run his tongue completely along your wetness. You gasp at the feeling, stumbling a bit, using one of your hands to grab at the wood of his footboard. "Oh my gosh, Minho," you moan out as he continues to work on you. His tongue works quickly, running along you as he hums as if he were enjoying it at much as you were. You let out a cry as he moves the hand not holding your leg up to run along your folds, moving to spread you open holding you there in order for him to wrap his lips directly around your clit. Your other hand moves to grab onto his hair, running through and pulling on the softness in an attempt to ground your especially as your legs shake from the pleasure.
He moans into your core as you continue to pull at his strands, his tongue switching between running along you to flicking at your clit which causes your mouth to fall open. At his patterns you start to fall apart, toes curling, legs shaking as you struggle to hold yourself up with your grip on his bed. His grip tightens against your leg, moving to fully engulf you with his mouth to bring you to your end.
You eventually have to push him away from his attacks on your clit, whining as he finally pulls away leaving you sensitive. He places your leg softly on the ground and you swallow hard at the obvious wetness lingering on his lips and chin. Breathing still slightly uneven you watching as he moves to stand, attaching his lips to yours in another kiss as his hands round to grip you. Minho bends slightly in order lift you into his arms, moving the short distance to drop you on his bed. You land with a giggle, breasts bouncing on impact as they still hang out over your shirt.
Minho looks down at you from where he stands, a cross between an amused smile and smirk grazing his lips as he moves to remove his belt from his slacks. Sitting up on your forearms, you're able to watch him as he moves his belt, placing it on the chair before he unbuttons and removes his pants and underwear at the same time.
You gulp as you take in his length, it's already standing hard from before, his tip red and ready for your attention. He moves to join you on his bed, straddling over you, eyes wandering over your face. "I thought I could handle just having you with my mouth, but I was wrong. I want to take you completely". Your tongue wanders out to wet your lips, his gaze following before he speaks up, "I need you too, Minho, all of you". As you speak up, you take the chance to run one of your hands up his firm torso, eventually moving to the back of his neck, pulling him down to meet you in an urgent kiss.
Minho kisses you back hard, his lips almost feel as if they're bruising as he pushes you flat onto your back. You stay kissing, intertwining tongues as he ruts slowly against you. Eventually his hand moves between you both in order to grip his length, guiding it to run over your folds. He glances at you one last time as if to see if you changed your mind, but at seeing no hesitation he pushes his cock into you, biting his lip at the feeling.
Letting out a strangled moan at the feeling of him stretching you out, you move your head to the side, your hands gripping his scratchy sheets. After you both adjust, Minho starts to move his hips, his slow pace speeding up to become more steady as he draws more noises of pleasure from you. "That's it, baby" he breathes as he lowers his body down and presses his chest against yours, still rocking his hips, "My pretty baby".
If there was any doubt before about Minho's skillful hips while dancing, there sure wasn't anymore as he expertly drove his hips into yours. Every thrust leaves you breathless and the drag of his chest over yours just leaves you more sensitive. He moves his left hand to grab ahold of your thigh, hoisting it over his hip to drive his cock even deeper into you.
You cry out at the feeling, your hands moving to grip onto his back, nails certainly leaving their mark on him. You can't help but clench around him as you near your end and he groans himself at the feeling. His grip on your thigh tightens as he speeds his pace up, looking to take you both to the end.
You cum with a sob of his name, your arms holding him close to you and his hips continue their fast pace. Whimpering at the sensitivity you wait patiently for him to come to his end, "Minho," you whisper in his ear, "Please, please cum for me." You're whining now as his hips begin to stutter, "You're so good, please Minho". He cums with a quiet moan, hand still gripping you almost painfully and the other braces himself on the bed as to not place all his weight atop of you.
There a few moments of silence, just the sound of you both catching your breath and the music from the record player still coming from the corner. He finally removes himself from you slowly, rolling to lay beside you, "Fuck, baby".
A smile quirks on your lips as you turn your head to look at him, his eyes close, eyebrows furrowed, and face still red. He crack an eye open as if he could feel you staring, "Just give me one moment," he mumbles out, pulling a blanket from the top of the bed to throw over you. "I promise I'll clean you up, I just need my ears to stop ringing first".
You laugh at him, content to just lay there beside him. Feeling safe and comfortable with Minho beside you. You end up staying the night with him, cuddled in his bed still listening to music and just talking. Talking about anything that came to mind. You reluctantly slip out of his housing just as the sun was rising, sneaking back to your room with a smile on your face as you finally get some sleep.
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The summer trudges on and so does your time with Minho. Seeing as the performance was over, there was technically no need for you to see the boy anymore. But that didn't stop either of you from sneaking out at random parts of the day or night to see each other.
Dancing in empty rooms, swimming in the lake, loving each other between his sheets. He was your whole summer and more. There wasn't anyone else who knew the extent of your relationship. Not even Momo or Jeongin, not catching the sly glances you give each other when you come to the staff get togethers.
You were curious one early morning as you lay with Minho in his bed, both of you quietly listening to the record playing. Both bare underneath the blanket, you were cuddled to his chest, one of his arms around your shoulder, fingers tracing patterns on your arm.
"Have you had many women?" you finally ask.
"What?" He says after a moment ask if he didn't understand you, but you can hear the beat of his heart pick up under your ear. "Have you had many women?" You ask again, leaning up slightly to take in his face.
He gives you a confused look, "I-what? Why are you asking me that?" You chuckle at how nervous he's getting, you shrug, "I don't care how many if that's what you're thinking." You lean up on one arm, letting the blanket fall from your chest. Watching as he gulps, you speak again, "Earlier this summer Max kind of insinuated that there were some married women at the resort who look to have some fun with the workers. You were dancing with one, her name was Ruby".
Minho leans up on his arms, "Look, baby, I-" He pauses and you watch him, "I'm not judging you, Minho". You try to reassure him but he averts your gaze before talking again, "It's not something I'm proud of okay, being with a married woman. But there are some ladies who pay us workers to have extra fun. I know we shouldn't, it's wrong. But you don't understand what it's like to be tempted by money like that, cause you need it, cause you've never had it".
Nodding slowly you look around his room, you weren't sure what to say. Sure it was wrong but what right did you have to comment on anything dealing with money? That was made clear to you since the beginning.
"Have you," You start, till not meeting his gaze which you can feel on you face, "Have you since we-" "No" he doesn't let you finish as he understands. It hasn't been long since your first night together but you wouldn't know how to feel if he's been having others at the same time too.
But then again did you even have a right to ask him that? You weren't sure, there was never any labels or talk about what you both were. Perhaps because you both knew whatever this was would end with summer. The thought made you nauseous.
"I've always been single if I took up their offer, they may be betraying their husbands but I'm not the type to do that, to even think of that if I were seeing someone myself." He speaks up at your silence. Turning to look at him finally, you give him a small smile, pushing him back to lay down and laying yourself on his chest once again. Suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of having to leave him you just wanted to hold him as close as possible.
There's silence again, Minho taping along to the beat of the song playing and then he speaks again, "Remember how I told you it was always just me and my mom?"
You nod the best you can on his chest, not moving as he moves his hand to play with your hair. "She was a heavy drug user. My dad left us when I was very young and every since then she escaped with drugs".
You try to move to look at him but he uses his hand in your hair to keep you down, as if he wouldn't be able to tell you these things if he had to see you.
"That's where all of our money went, to her buying. I hated how she acted so that's why I took up dancing after school. It was so nice to be able to do something I enjoy and not have to think about anything at home". You start to rub circles on the side of his bare chest, wanting to at least do something to show you were listening.
"Once I got into high school, I made the wrong friends. I started using too, I thought my mom had been doing it forever so what the hell. But then one day," he starts but pauses when his voice trembles, "One day I came home after dance and I found her, my mom. She had overdosed."
"Minho-" You try to speak but he interrupts you, "No," he says, "Don't, please don't say anything". You gulp but listen to him. "Since that day I swore off that shit and vowed to never put someone through what she put me through. I moved in with Jeongin and his parents and got clean and continued dancing. After graduation Jeongin's dad found me a job using dance here and I've been here since."
No longer being able to ignore him, you sit up, frowning when you see tears streaming down his face. "It wasn't all bad though," he speaks giving a small smile, "Those bad friends I made in school, that's where I met Momo". You move to wipe his tears, "I wanted so badly to help her, I made her join dance with me. That's how we became partners. But she's always been up and down. Especially now with her jackss boyfriend, ruining all her progress".
You make him sit up so you can pull him into a hug. No wonder he had acted the way he did at the party when the worker offered you something. And with Momo, you didn't know he had been trying for years to help her and yet your father acted like it was his fault she was even in that position.
Pulling him tighter you finally speak, "Lee Minho, you're strong and amazing and your friends are so lucky to have you. I'm lucky to have met you this summer".
You pull away slightly to place a soft kiss on both of his cheeks, the taste of his tears lingering on your lips.
He brings a hand up to cup your face, gently running his thumb over your cheek before placing a kiss there. "I think I'm the lucky one".
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You enjoy your quiet time with Minho, that's how the two of you had started and been since. Just the two of you, seemingly in your own world, away from the reality of your relationship.
Maybe that's why neither of you made an effort to tell the extent of your relationship to anyone else. Not even Jeongin or Momo knowing that you two continued to see each other outside of the staffing parties they invited you to.
Having your secret meant no one could remind you that summer would end soon, that Minho seemed to hate you at first, that your father seemed to hate him.
Instead you both could hide away from it all, him continuing to teach you dances and spending time in his room. Soaking in all the time you could before it was over.
You had been dancing with Minho between some of his classes and now he was walking you back to the main lounge where you were to meet your family for lunch. Laughing beside him as he tells a story of when Jeongin had gotten drunk last night, you keep your eyes on the dirt path. The path taking you through the trees until making it to the sidewalk of the main resort.
Almost reaching the sidewalk, you pause when you hear some familiar voices. Your eyes widen when you see your dad, sister, and Chan walk out of the building straight ahead of you. Panicking, you quickly push Minho off of the path and against a near tree, ignore the "What the fuck" coming out of his mouth as you try to hide both of you from their view.
You gulp, pushed against Minho as you keep an eye on your family. "Chan," your dad speaks, "Thank you for the tour, why don't you join us for lunch?" Chan seems to hesitate, "Oh, I'm not sure, I wouldn't want to intrude". Your sisters speaks next, "C'mon Chan, you don't work till later". "Obviously it would make Daisy happy," you dad joins, "Plus you can continue telling me about your university". You watch as Chan eventually agrees, your dad putting his arm around him as the three of them continue on the sidewalk to the lounge.
Letting out a breath you didn't know you were holding, you step away from Minho, only to look up and see the boy giving you a dark look. "Sorry," you gulp, "My family," you start but trail off not even sure how to continue the sentence.
Minho hums, throwing his hands in his pockets. You stare at him, unsure of what to say. "You know my dad doesn't know about us, and if he did-" you try to talk but Minho cuts you off with a scoff. "Of course, can't let him know you're with the guy who gets his friends into drugs".
"Minho, no. That's not-" But he doesn't listen, only talks more, "It's fine, it's true. I'll never be like the waiter. Chan and his perfect past and attending university. That's the kind of boy he wants for his daughters".
Reaching to grab him, you want to get him to listen, to let you explain, but he moves back away from your touch. "Look, I know we weren't exactly telling everyone about us but I also didn't expect you to make me hide behind a tree to avoid your family from seeing us together". Your throat tightens and tears between to prick at your eyes, "Please, Minho"
But the boy moves to walk, groaning and running his hand over his face, "I knew it, I knew this is what would happen." He shakes his head, "I'm just a fool to believe I have anything you need".
He turns, going to walk back to where you both came from and you try once more to call out his name. But he just continues to walk and you don't chase him.
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Guilt fills your body the next couple of days, you know now that you never should have made Minho hide the way you did. That even knowing how your dad would react, you should have stood up for him. Told your dad what an amazing guy Minho is, that no matter what he would say it wouldn't stop your feelings for him.
But instead you let Minho believe he was no good for you, something he had already told you he thought before this started. How would you be able to recover from this?
You spend the the days looking for Minho, to try to apologize to him, but you can't seem to get him alone. Even when joining Jeongin at the parties, Minho wasn't in attendance. Not quite sure what to do, you feel desperate as you trudge to the staff housing one afternoon.
Knocking at the door you wait a second before it opens, "Hey!" Momo greets, "What are you doing here?" She looks as if she's in the middle of getting ready. You swallow, licking your lips, "I'm sorry, do you have a second to talk?". She purses her lips but nods opening the door, "I have a shift soon but you can talk while I do my makeup".
Taking a seat at the end of her bed you watch as she starts her stage makeup at her small vanity. "Minho and I have the after-dinner shift in the dancing lounge tonight". You nod, swallowing before speaking, "How is Minho?" "He's good, I guess. One of the other dancers has been out for the week so he's been taking his shifts as well". You don't know how to reply, don't know how to tell her what you came here for.
"Are you okay?" she asks, looking at your through the mirror, taking a break from applying her eye shadow. You avert your gaze to your lap, "Momo, do you remember when I told you that I liked Minho?" You can hear her turn around in her seat to look at you. "Well I believe that Minho liked me too".
Looking up to meet her confused gaze, you continue her story, "Since the night of the performance we-I mean he kissed me. He called me beautiful. And ever since that night, we've been...together and it's been so amazing and I-I think I love him Momo". You sigh, tears coming to your eyes as you confront your feelings.
The girl only looks at you blankly, examining your face. "Look," she finally says, "Is there, I mean have you, are you paying Minho?" You look at her in shock and disgust, she must think you're like those married women who pay for the company of the dancers. That Minho being with you has to only do with your money but you fell for him anyways.
"No!" you state, "No, there is no money. You must know we've been dancing together this whole time and it happened. I'm not paying him to sleep with me!" You become frustrated. It seems that no matter what you do, your money will follow you. Minho thinks he's not good for you because of it and now Momo thinks Minho is only with you because of it.
"I'm sorry," she states as she watches your tears start to spill from your eyes, "I was just asking, I didn't mean anything". You shake your head feeling deflated in the place you came for help. "I have to go," you stand and walk to the door as she calls out your name. You ignore her, leaving the room and heading to walk to the main resort trying to wipe your tears.
As you sniffle along the path, you hear someone call your name in the distance. Looking up, you see Jeongin waving at you, a large basket in one of his hands.
You walk to meet him, his big smile falling off his face when he can clearly seen you've been crying. "Are you okay?" he asks and you shake your head, tears starting to fall once more. "Here come help me fold these napkins".
Following him to the outdoor restaurant you stand beside him in silence, watching as he teaches you the proper way to fold the dinner napkins. Moments of quiet follow before he speaks up now that you've seemed to calm, "Will you tell me what happened?"
You huff, paying attention to the white cloth in your hands. "Minho," you finally say. He pauses his folding to look at you, "Minho?" You nod, avoiding his gaze but you finally let yourself speak. You tell Jeongin about the lake, about the night of the performance, of all the times after you and Minho were together, dancing and talking and loving. And of course you tell him about what you did to him when you saw your dad.
Jeongin takes in the story in silence, and you let him process as he must be so confused not having a clue about you and his cousin. "You see," he finally says, "Minho as had a really hard past". He looks at you confused when you nod, "He told me, about his mom". He looks shocked, "He told you?" You nod grabbing another napkin as he continues to look at you. "I was going to say that because of his hard past Minho can be really reserved, it takes him awhile to open up to people, that's why he seems so cold. But it seems you must be something special for him to tell you his story".
Looking up sadly at him, you confess, "I love him, Jeongin". He merely looks, at you, mouth quirking. "I know it's not ideal, with summer ending and all and I'll be leaving but I can't help it. I love him. I love him and I ruined it by making him think he's not enough for me".
Jeongin shakes his head, finally reaching to fold his napkin. "I know it's hard for you too. You have a great relationship with your family so it feels wrong to keep something secret from them no matter how much it means to you". It's true, you had been so scared to be keeping this secret from them, even just when you and Minho were strictly dancing. You had never lied to them before and now you were scared how it would effect your relationship.
"It was a mistake," You confess, "I never should've made Minho doubt himself or how I feel for him. I want to tell him this, to tell him that I love him. But I can't find him and now telling you this or telling Momo it just makes me seem like I shouldn't. That I should just leave him alone".
He sighs, "You know him and Momo's past, she was just trying to look after him like he always does for her". "She probably hates me for making Minho feel this way" you say but Jeongin makes a noise, "That's not true, she's protective but once she sees how you truly feel for him she's understand".
You grumble, "I just need Minho to understand".
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That night after dinner you find yourself walking back to your room with your sister. You stifle a yawn as she drags on about why she thinks red lipstick will be out of style soon. Your parents have stayed in the lounge to watch a jazz show but you and Daisy insisted on going back to the room, you're exhausted from your draining day.
You stand in front of the elevator waiting for it to pick you up and take you to your floor. Daisy hums along the the quiet music playing in the hallways and you look down to your feet, moving them slightly and remembering random steps Minho has taught you.
The elevator opens with a ding and you hear Daisy gasp beside you, looking up your eyes widen to see the elevator was not empty. Your stomaching dropping and your chest tightening in a way that makes you feel sick. "Oh, sorry" Daisy giggles slightly embarrassed as your eyebrows furrow.
Inside the elevator is Minho, still dressed in his dancing suit, hands on the hips of another woman, her lips pressing into his neck before she notices you both. She turns to apologize and you recognise her immediately, Ruby. The married woman that was dancing with Minho that fateful night when you first found Momo. The woman Max explained that would get more than dance lessons with the money her husband gave to her.
You ignore as Ruby apologizes to your sister, eyes not leaving Minho's brown ones as he realizes it's you. Your lips begin to tremble, throat burning as you urge your tears to not fall. His lips open and close a couple of times, but his face tells you nothing, blank as it's always been.
Averting your gaze as he and Ruby move out of the elevator and you and your sister take their place. Daisy pushing the button to your floor, the doors closing finally blocking your view of them.
Now that you're finally out of their view you let out a cry, an ugly sob at seeing Minho with another woman. Your sister seems to panic beside you, asking if you're okay but you can't bring yourself to talk. Just trying to calm yourself as she wraps her arms around you.
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An hour later you have managed to stop your crying and clean up for bed. You lay now under the comfort of the blankets, gazing at your sister who sits on her own bed across from you. It's silent besides the flipping of her pages of the magazine she looks through.
"Daisy," you call to her, "Are you sad to have to leave Chan soon?"
She purses her lips and looks to you, "Of course I am. We've spent so much time together here. But I know we will see each other more." She sounds confident, "His university is closer to the city so I will easily be able to see him".
Swallowing you decide to ask another question, "Do you love him?"
The small lap beside her bed illuminates the redness that comes to her cheeks. "Yes, I believe I do. That's what makes it so much harder to leave him".
The sinking feeling suddenly returns to your stomach and you turn your body around to face the wall, having enough sister gossiping for the night. You think of what Daisy says, that it will be harder to leave Chan because she loves him. You already had no doubt that it would hurt to leave Minho, but could it hurt worse than this? Hurt more than seeing him with another woman in the elevator? Hurt worse than having him think you believed he wasn't enough for you?
You weren't sure which will cut you deeper but it is clear that this summer will leave you with scars you will never be able to forget.
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At this point there were only a couple of days before you and your family left the resort and returned home to the city. Summer was coming to an end and soon your experience here will just be memories.
You sit at lunch now with your family and Chan. Chan explaining to you all about the final show that the resort hosts. There is to be a large dinner in the lounge, everyone dressed in their best attire, and all of the talent staff gets to perform for them.
"It's amazing really," Chan says excitedly, "We have such amazing musicians, singers, and dancers here and they all work really hard to put on one last grand show for the guests". Your mom and sister smile excitedly at the news, already planning what to wear. Your own ears perk up as well, will this mean you will get to watch Minho dance once final time?
You recall the first time you saw him dance, partnered with Momo as the two best dancers you have ever seen. Nothing quite captivated you like their dancing and you find yourself hoping to witness it one more time.
"Chan is friends with some of the singers that are going to perform," Daisy tells you all excitedly, "He actually has an amazing voice himself but he has to work on serving the guests so he isn't able to perform". Chan blushes at the attention your family gives him, "Oh, no no I think I would be too shy to perform anyways, but one of my best friends Seungmin works as a singer here. His voice is truly out of this world".
Your mom excitedly explains she remembers Chan's friend from his performance in the gazebo last week. Suddenly your dad speaks up as he swirls his wine glass, "It's good you have some friends that work with you Chan. But just make sure you stick with the right crowd, son. I know there are employees here that don't make the right decisions and I would hate for a good kid like you to get mixed up in that".
You freeze as he talks, putting your fork down as you feel your rage start to fill your body. Chan only nervously chuckles but you know exactly what your father is talking about. The night he helped Momo is obviously clear in his brain and he still holds a deep judgement for everyone that was there. Perhaps even you.
"My friends are not for you to judge, daddy". You speak to your father across from you.
Everyone stops what they're doing to look at you. Clearly shocked as you were never one to speak up, especially if it meant speaking against your father. He puts his drink down, "Excuse me?" You swallow hard trying not to lose your confidence. "I know what you're implying by what you said, but you have no right to judge them. They are my friends and they are some of the greatest people I have ever met."
Your father's gaze hardens and you can see out of the corner of your eyes that your mother reaches out to grab his arm, "I have every right to judge them," he says your name firmly, "You dragged me to help with the mess that they made. No one ends up in those situations if they make the right decisions".
Clenching your jaw your try to chose your words carefully, "I never would have expected my father to be a man who judges those on such miniscule things. I thought he was better than that".
Your sister looks at you wide eyed before your mother shouts your name, no one pleased with your words. Your father merely keeps your gaze for another moment before he leaves the table without another word.
Your mother calls your name, "How could you speak to your father in such a way?" She looks worried but the rage you felt is still strong. "I am merely sticking up for those that I love".
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Hours later and you have cooled off enough to attempt to find your father. After guidance from your mother, you were able to find him sitting alone under a gazebo, seeking shelter from the rain that had started falling.
You move to wordlessly sit next to him but he doesn't even make an attempt to look at you. After a moment of nothing but the sound of rain falling, he finally speaks, "Is that where my money went?"
Looking at him confused, you weren't sure what to say so he speaks again, "When you claimed you had a friend who needed money to get home, is this where it went instead? For them to buy drugs?"
Your eyes widen, "No! Of course not, daddy! You don't understand," you turn in your seat to face him, "That money was for her, but it was for her to enter a program to break her addiction. But that night her boyfriend came and stole that money and caused that mess".
"Her boyfriend?" he questions, "One of those two who were waiting with you outside?". A panicked feeling rises in your chest as you feel you have to hurriedly defend your friends as quickly as possible. "No! Daddy, you have it all wrong. Those guys are Minho and Jeongin, they are her friends and they are the ones who are desperately trying to help her break her addiction!"
Your father only stays silent. You weren't sure what you were expecting, maybe for him to apologize for the misunderstanding, to offer to fix the way he acted towards them. But you're starting to see now that maybe your father is no longer the man you admired since you were a young girl.
"You know I'm starting to think it was a mistake to let you move into a dorm when you go to university this fall, we should look into you staying at home instead" He turns back to face the view of the lake once again, "I'm disappointed in you," he says your name.
Eyes watering as you realize this is forever the turning point in your relationship, "Well I'm disappointed in you too, daddy"
He turns his head quickly to look at you, seemingly more shocked at your words than upset. You will yourself to continue your speech even as your voice wavers, "My whole life I believed you were the greatest man in the world. I looked up to you and thought you could do no wrong. I thought you were the kindest man alive who was eager to help those around him. But now I can see that I'm wrong".
He says your name but you continue to speak your mind, not even bothering to wipe the tears that have fallen down your face, "I'm not your little girl anymore, daddy. I'm an adult who can make my own decisions, and live with my own mistakes. I'm sorry I didn't turn out into the perfect daughter you always dreamed of me being". You finally let out your emotions, feeling a huge weight being lifted that you have felt for years.
This summer wasn't the first time your father made you feel this way but it finally opened your eyes and allowed you to act on it. You don't know what'll happen between you two now, but you find comfort in the fact that you voiced what you really feel to him.
At the end of your speech you get up and make your way to the walking path, not bothering to look back at your father.
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You walk the long way through the heavy rain, not even feeling bothered by how soaked you were getting. Now you walked with a mission after the adrenaline from speaking with your father still lingered in your brain.
Making your way to your destination without much thought, you were suddenly knocking on Minho's door. Hoping he would open it and hoping he would even let you in after seeing it was you.
The door suddenly opens and Minho stands there eyes widening when he sees it's you, "What are you doing here, it's pouring" He gestures for you to come inside. You watch as he closes the door behind you and moves to grab a towel as a change of clothes. You hadn't seen him since the incident with your family and your heart thuds loudly at the sight of him.
"Here you need to change quickly" he avoids eye contact but hands you a towel along with a shirt and pants that were his. You move behind a screen he has set up and dry yourself and change, listening as you can hear him move to the record player and starts some music.
You set your wet clothes over the screen to dry and see Minho sitting on the edge of his bed. He's wearing a black tank top and slacks like the many many times where he has taught you to dance. Taking a chance, you move to sit beside him and when it doesn't move away you relax a little.
Thunder booms in the distance and your hand twitches in your lap, wanting nothing more than to reach over and hold onto the man you have come to love. But suddenly the image of him in the elevator with Ruby comes to mind so you squeeze your own hands together instead.
"I spoke to my father today," you start as you stare at your hands, "I had grown up thinking he was the best man in the world but after hearing him talk badly about you and Momo I realized the wasn't the case. For the first time in my life I spoke up". You can feel his gaze burning into your face but your own eyes stay planted to your lap.
"He's your father, baby" Minho speaks, the nickname rolling off his tongue before he can help it, "He only wants best for his daughter, you can't blame him for wanting better for his daughter than to be caught up in a crowd like that".
"No!" you reply, frustrated because he doesn't understand, "You don't get it Minho. "All of my life I have merely been a projection of his idea of a perfect daughter. Everything I have ever done is because he wanted me to." You sniffle and quickly wipe your tears, "This summer was the first time I have truly felt like I have made my own choices. I chose to be friends with Jeongin. I chose to help Momo. I chose to love you". Your voice falters in the end.
A silence follows but you decided not to dwell on it, "The point is that for the first time in my life I spoke out against my father. I defended Momo, I defended you, I defended myself." you look up to the roof to try to stop your tears.
"My father had no right to judge you and I made sure to tell him that. He had no right to make your feel so low about yourself," you pause for a second, "I had no right to make you feel that way, Minho. I regret nothing more than making you believe like you weren't enough for me. I was just a scared little girl who was afraid of her father. But I know now that he wasn't worth making you feel that way about yourself".
Sobs begin to wreck your body and Minho stands to grab tissues from his dresser. He returns to his seat next to you, handing you one tissue while he keeps the other help to dry your tears. One hand strokes your hair as he waits for your to calm down.
Just as you finally catch your breath your reminded of the image of him and Ruby so you speak again, "I'm sorry," you sniffle, "I just didn't want to leave this summer having you think I felt that way about you. Even though you haved moved on, please just know I truly love you Minho, and you were more than enough for me".
Minho frowns as you attempt to stand from his bed, "Hey, what are you doing?" He questions, standing and grabbing your forearms to face him. You shake your head, "I know Minho. And I know you saw me too, with the elevator, and Ruby".
He gulps, "It's not-" he pauses closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, "It's not like that okay". You swallow, "I saw you both with my own eyes".
"Okay, I was upset. When I was working my shift and when Ruby offered me money like all the times before I followed her to her room," You avert your gaze not knowing if you wanted to hear the details he was sharing. "But she had leaned in to kiss me and I couldn't do it. I pulled away before she could and told her I couldn't She offered me double but I still refused. When you saw us in the elevator she was walking me back down so I could leave, she kept grabbing me and kissing my neck to try and change my mind but I was grabbing her to remove her from me".
Looking at him once again, you can't lie to say you didn't feel relieved at hearing the truth, "Really?" You ask just to make sure and he nods, "I told you before I don't do that if I'm taken and no matter what happened I can't stop thinking about you".
You gulp taking in the darkness of his eyes. "So you really defended me in front of your father?" He smirks and you shake your head with a small laugh, "Yes, and I would do it a million times more. I wish I was strong enough to do it before".
He runs his hands up and down your arms, "It's been hard for me to accept that I am good enough to have you, we are so different in every way. But I have come to love you so much that I'm afraid no matter what I can't let you go".
Eyes widening you look up to meet his gaze, "Did you say love?"
His smirk only deepens, eyebrows raised as he replies to you, "Yeah, didn't you say you loved me too? Or did I misunderstand?"
Quickly wrapping your arms around him, you pull him into a tight hug, "Minho, I love you. I don't want to leave". His arms wrap around you just as tightly as he begins to rock you both back in forth. "It'll be okay," he says your name softly, "We'll figure something out".
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Unfortunately the night of the final dinner has arrived. It was your last night at the resort and tomorrow morning you would be packing to leave. You sit at a dinner table in the longue with your family, enjoy the show that the talented workers put on.
Just a dessert was served they announced the performance of two talented dancers and you smile widely as Momo and Minho take the stage. "Those are my friends," you say proudly to your family and your mother and sister watch with interest as your dad huffs. Although things are still strained with your dad, the two of you have at least starting talking to each other once more. There's a part of you that hoped he was starting to realize that he was the one is the wrong.
The whole crowd watches in awe at the professional dances that Minho and Momo perform. Their routine include difficult moves that impressed everyone, including the lift you had begged Minho not to include when you were doing your own routine in the beginning of the summer.
You clapped loudly as it came to an end, even standing to show your support. The whole crowd roared and even your mom and sister cheered loudly, clearly impressed.
Quickly excusing yourself from the table, you make your way to where they would come off stage. Smiling brightly as they made their way down the stairs, "You guys were so amazing! It feels like it's been so long since I saw the two of you dance together". They smile back at you, Momo pulling you into a hug. "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me this summer," she whispers in your ear and you squeeze her. Starting next week she will start attending the rehab your dad had recommended. You wished her luck and she pulls away, "I better see you again next summer".
You chuckle as she walks away, reaching your hand out to grasp Minho's. You hear someone call your name and you turn to see Jeongin making his way over to you with a big smile. Letting go of Minho's hand you pull the younger boy into a big hug, "I'll miss you" you tell him laugh as he spins you around, "Maybe Minho can bring you over to my house something," You nod. Jeongin will be going back to his parents house, attending school until next summer came around.
"I would love that," you say and give him one last squeeze before he has to return to work. Finally to turn back to Minho, "You were so amazing up there, I will never get tired of watching you dance". He chuckles but you can see the redness of his ears. He pulls you into a tight hug, kissing your forehead. Reaching for his hand once again you pull him towards the table where your family sat. Your sister smirks while your mom wears a curious expression, you didn't need to look to see your father had his jaw clenched.
"Everyone," you say, holding onto Minho's arm with both hands, "This is Minho". They give you a questioning look but your mother urges him to take a seat nonetheless.
He bashfully thanks her before taking the seat between you and Daisy. There is a beat of silence but you smile at him to attempt to ease his nerves. "Do you know Chan by chance? He works as a waiter?" Your sister speaks eager to break the quietness.
Minho nods clearly his throat, "I don't see him often but he's very kind". Your mother speaks up next, cutting into her cake. "I know Chan only works here during the summer, is this only a summer job for you too?"
Your father seems to perk up, eyeing him to hear his answer which makes Minho nervous. You grab his hand under the table and give it a squeeze. "That's right, it's pretty slow here the rest of the year. I only work here for summer but the rest of the time I work at another hotel dancing, as well as working at a nearby gas station". He turns to look at you and you give him a reassuring nod. He speaks again, "Although I'm going to start taking classes at the community college here in town this fall".
"Oh? Is that right? What are you planning to study?" You mother gives a smile and Minho blushes, "Childhood education".
The table pauses, as if they didn't hear him right. "Minho, is a wonderful dancer as well as a wonderful dance teacher". You boost for him.
"That makes sense, you were so amazing up there" You sister praises him. He licks his lips, silently thanking her as he reverts his eyes, never one to take compliments so easy. "It's my dream to open a dance academy for kids in school. Dancing helped me as a young kid when I was going through hard times so I would love to provide the same opportunity to others".
You can't keep the smile off your face as Minho explains, so proud of the man that you love. Daisy and your mother gush over him and his plan and urge him to eat some of the many desserts they served the table with.
Some time later you decided to take a walk with Minho, "I'll be back". you say as you and Minho stand. Your mother and sister bidding him farewell.
Suddenly the sound of a moving chair screeches and your eyes widen to see your father has stood up along with you. The three of you stand in shock for a moment before your father moves, reaching his hand out to Minho, "It was nice to meet you. I wish you luck on your schooling as well as your future plans".
It's simple but it makes you smile. He had finally realized he was the one in the wrong.
Minho thanks him profusely and they two of you finally make your way out of the lounge hand in hand. The two of you walk the path outside, taking in the stars and you swing your arms back and forth.
You can't lie that you were terrified to leave Minho tomorrow. The future seemed so unclear without being in the same resort, being hours away from each other instead. But you both promised each other to visit one another when you had the chance.
It'll be hard you know, but you think for Minho anything would be worth it. Worth it to see him accomplish his dreams, worth it to be with the man you love.
"What a crazy summer" Minho speaks, and you laugh, "I never would have imagined my summer would have gone like this". He agrees with a hum, "Do you regret it?" You quickly shake your head, "Never. Even if in fifty years from now you decided you no longer love me, I will never forget this summer and everything you did for me. You helped me more than you can imagine".
Minho wraps his arm around your shoulder and pulls you into his chest, "I think we helped each other, baby".
You reach to place a kiss to his jaw, "I love you, Minho".
He stops walking to place a hand on your jaw, bringing you in for a slow kiss. Pecking you several times after which leaves you giggling as he pulls away, "I love you, baby".
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kanmom51 · 1 year ago
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Hi, I really like your rational views on KM and I'd love to hear your opinion on the following. Forgive me If you've already touched upon it, but something you said in a previous ask made me perk up.
Some people believe that whatever content comes out of Jikook's NY/CT trip will diminish its value as being 'real' jikook content. That the sharing of it with ARMY instantly makes it 'fanservice', instead of something for them (are people forgetting abt GCFT?) real moments. What in your eyes would still make it special?
I'm of the belief that they are idols living semi public lives. Even when they're working they'll have moments that are special for them. Those moments also happen to further their special bond. A bond that ARMY feeds off of. Can we still call that fanservice when they've essentially had a workplace romance? Where do you think the boundary lies for them?
They have yet to share anything about their trip, and maybe they're not doing that because 1. It's private, 2. It's future content, 3. Maybe both?
Thanks a million!
"Some people believe that whatever content comes out of Jikook's NY/CT trip will diminish its value as being 'real' jikook content. That the sharing of it with ARMY instantly makes it 'fanservice', instead of something for them (are people forgetting abt GCFT?) real moments."
Before I start here, I just want to clarify that I neve said that.
I don't think you are saying I did, and yet there might be those that misunderstood my words?
I was saying that they had a private trip in the guise of a work one. That the purpose was private, their own, all while it will be disguised as creating content, because in this place in time it's the best they could do.
Now that we have that cleared, I'm on to your ask.
I personally don't think that them releasing content from their trip will diminish from it. It's all about what that trip meant to them, not what it proves or disproves to us.
You do get the difference, right?
Even in the very very little we got (saw or heard) from their trip, they were enjoying themselves. Btw, at the stop&shop they were on their own. Even if there was a crew with them, even if they were filming some of it, it most definitley wasn't all of it. It was their trip and I'm assuming that they got to decide what will be filmed and turned into content and what will be theirs and only theirs. They got to experience time together, just the two of them. They got to get away, just before their schedules turn crazy. They got to do this before the looming enlistment. I'm sure it meant the world to them. And if creating some content was a price to pay for it, then they were ok to pay it. But in no way does it diminish from the importance of this to them.
As for what this proves or disproves, well that's a question that those who don't believe or want to accept they are a couple raise to create doubt. And truthfully one we shouldn't be paying any attention to, because it's downright stupid. They created content, so what? They also travelled and enjoyed themselves and were giggly happy and if anyone claims this was forced on them for content purposes they are outright dumb. I will ask them another question. What other 2 members have EVER done this kind of thing? Travel together, like a couple, not for the first time, to create content?
I'm kind of sick of the fanservice narrative. As a whole, every content released is fanservice, to an extent. Not the "we are creating a fake moment because the fans might want it" kind of fanservice though. BTS mostly doesn't do that. I've talked about this a lot in the past. Releasing content the fans like doesn't make it fake or unreal. And documenting their trip and sharing parts of it with us doesn't make their bond and love and enjoyment of each other any lesser.
When we travel and document and share with family and friends, are we doing it for them or for us? Yes, it's not exactly the same, but you can take from it. JK has done it in the past, it's not something strange or new to him. GCFT was a masterpiece and all about his private trip with JM. A very important trip for the two of them. Was GCFT fanservice? Fuck no!!! It was JK letting us see a glimpse of them, of his love for JM, of their trip together. JM also posted his vlogs, and they weren't fanservice either, just him sharing a little more discretely, or more so less obviously.
So, conclusion, sharing parts of their trip (I really don't think this will be a BV or ITS type of content, more like a trip vlog), is not fanservice (not fake) and did not diminish from the importance of the trip for the two of them.
You ask if it can be fanservice when it's a workplace romance. Well, again, we are back to what the actual definition of fanservice is. And the thing is when it's used by people when it comes to Jikook we know it's the fake, forced, ingenuine meaning behind it. So, to that I would say that if the feelings are genuine and they are acting on them, they are not fanservice in that perspective. Do some fans like it? Yes they do. Fact: in PTD LA when JK was hanging over JM at the end of So what, JM all flustered, JK being as loud as shit, the cameras, you know, those that are there to capture fanservice, panned away. Purposefully. I have 1001 examples of Jikook moments cut or Jikook moments in the background, them unaware of the cameras capturing them. Point being, they do what they do because they are who they are and that's their relationship, their bond, their dynamics, content or not. Their interactions. Their reactions to each other. They are all genuine. Not put on. Not fake.
If the fans enjoy them, so be it. But they are not created for the fans.
Get the difference?
And you ask about boundaries. Well, they are clearly set. Because they are a closeted queer couple and because they want a semblance of privacy as well. Both being the reason, btw, they didn't share being together on JK's birthday this year. The lack of a buffer might have made it too obvious this year (especially after JM's pic drop).
As for sharing from their trip, I'd say it's a combination of it being private and being future content. I do think we will get a little content from it, but it was a private and special trip for them, so there will be much untold.
What people fail to understand is that if this is future content, as in content that will be shared with us perhaps when they are away in the army, them creating this content together is huge and loud and telling. They are the only two within the group to do so. And if this is not a one of, as in there is more shared content, well...
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legoiscrying · 1 year ago
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Since you guys liked my first k2 analysis so much, I've decided to make a second one and mainly focus on things that I mentioned in the last paragraph there: how I see their romantic relationship. This is probably going to be more headcanons than analysis but we'll see lol (it ended up not)
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As I mentioned before, I don't really see k2 having some sort of special feelings for each other when they're young. Meanwhile it can kinda work with Kenny, it's probably won't work with Kyle: Kyle already has two strong sources of emotions. His bond with Stan and his sort of rivalry with Cartman clearly means more to him. And to get myself more clear: No, I do not erase everything I said in the previous post about their interactions, they're still very sweet and in my personal opinion important. But if we analyse Kyle's relationships with others and give everyone some sort of a status, Stan would be "best friend", Cartman would be "frienemy" (it's not so obvious when I say it like this but we all should agree that Kyle cares a lot about the shit Cartman says, not necessarily in a good way but it's still a huge source of emotions for him). And Kenny, as I believe, would be just "friend". Not much to add.
But if we're looking a little bit further...Time skip for a few years. Or not a few. High-school maybe?? Or adults?? Whatever you prefer more
From this part it'll be mostly headcanons because different people can see the future relationship of the main four differently. I'll talk about my personal point of view here (I think it's the most popular one in the fandom anyways)
So this is where Kyle's previous sources of strong emotions are kind of fading away. With Stan...I'm almost sure that no one is going to argue with me for this. Stan, as a depressed individual, would probably at some point of his adulthood change his relationships with people. He'd cut contact with some and just sort of change his attitude to other. And although I believe Stan and Kyle would still be friends (close friends??) when they grow up...There's not going to be the "bond" as strong as it was before. This is debatable, but even if you don't agree with my statement: One source of strong emotions is definitely not enough.
With Cartman my point of view is much easier to explain: they're not kids anymore. I believe their rivalry won't dissappear, but. They're not kids and not gonna fight 24/7. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this properly, but I think it's just not gonna take all their time. So yeah. It's not enough
AND THAT'S WHERE WE FINALLY GO BACK TO K2. THANK GOD.
Kyle feels a bit more lonely. So he hangs out with Kenny, who pretty much feels the same. They spend time together, talk a lot, remember some things...And realize how similar they are to each other (this part is also analysis btw, I didn't come up with it from nothing). They realize that back then they both were trying to act kind to people around them, but no one seemed to appreciate it as much as they wanted. They were doing it differently and was getting treated differently, but in the end both ended up being lonely without much people around. You. You can feel my thought here. right
They realize how similar they feel, so they decide to try to help each other. Just make some company. It won't hurt, right?
It didn't. I see them a bit fast burn... They start to appreciate each other's company more. And more. They hang out in a lot of different places. Anywhere you can get your old buddy: like seeing some cool movies with him, taking him to restaurants so you can make sure he eats well, sometimes going to his ol' house with him to help his sister...At some point Kenny starts calling it "dates", and Kyle is extremely flustered about this.
Kyle falls first, but Kenny confesses first: so their relationship-thing happens not so long after that.
And yep. This is what I wanted to share from now. I really hope someone reads all that xD
Love k2, appreciate k2, enjoy k2, share k2. They're very lovable little guys!
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(If this gets 100 likes AGAIN I will write k2 headcanons. Go)
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yuurivoice · 7 months ago
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Not to tell you how to do your job or anything, and I don't think it's the audience's place to give suggestions when this is YOUR profession, it's just a small idea that occured to me.
But maybe in the upcoming Auron audio you could add a little note on the screen saying that new Auron content is coming soon, and then like do the same with future compilation videos, since they tend to do so well!! Like to let people know that if they like the characters, this is not where the story ends at all and they should stick around. I say this mainly cause I remember you once talked about how the major numbers on the Finn compilation didn't translate to a major increase in subscribers. Really hope this didn't come off as rude, I just think maybe if people think the compilations are the ENTIRE story it might not occur to them to subscribe!
It also might yield no results at all, idk. I just remember I didn't subscribe until multipleeee videos had been recommended to me over MONTHS, mainly because I had no idea that there was a story to be followed.
I've written like three different responses to this but as I yap on I get new conclusions and ideas. This is v3 of my answer lmfao.
Preface: People don't pay attention to shit and unless you are clever or use a hammer, they do not care. They want the content. ESPECIALLY if they aren't familiar with you. This makes any deliberate Calls to Action run the risk of annoyance rather than making a meaningful impact on conversions.
Bonus note: If a video is scheduled to premiere, there's nothing I can add to it at this point without doing a whole reupload, giving Thoo a bunch of extra work, and all that shit. So that wasn't ever an option anyway.
My approach in this current iteration of how I do things is that rather than slob on somebody's knob begging for a sub, they're encouraged to either watch more videos or go to the homepage. My working hypothesis is that you're actually MORE likely to get a curious viewer to drop by your homepage before they subscribe, because they want to see what else is available.
The most recent changes I made to the channel homepage should make it abundantly clear that there are multiple stories, characters, and styles of content to jump into. Making sure that the homepage is great has probably made a massive difference in that regard, without impacting the videos themselves.
Playlists are horribly underutilized in this niche in particular, and on lots of YouTube channels really. So I made sure to try and nail that down. Still need to get the channel trailer locked in but tbh I don't know how effective those really are in 2024.
All of that being said, a ~15 second welcome intro at the start that explains what the compilation is and invites viewers to sub/explore the playlists would probably be the easiest way to accomplish that without intruding on the listening/viewing experience in a way that feels desperate or pander-y. That in conjunction with the end screen prompt would probably be the easiest way to do it.
I don't feel like that immediately turns massive hit videos into untapped wells of subscribers that I missed out on, it could help contextualize things a little more and who knows, maybe it WOULD be a big deal. Hard to say!
The context for me not immediately being like OH IT'S A SLAM DUNK HOW DID I NOT THINK OF THIS is because I run a very lucrative business converting viewers to patrons and I have very minimal in-video notes about hearing the spicy bits on Patreon. People often figure things out for themselves if they're motivated enough, and you run the risk of chasing them off if you come across like a desperate ass hoe. lmfao
I appreciate the ask, but also can assure you that I've spent several hours mulling over these very specific issues and I've considered just about every angle. If I had included every little detail and wrinkle of information I was cooking up in the various iterations of this answer it would be a mile long. So trust me. I've thought about it in great detail, have worked with people on it, workshopped things and much more!
Y'all got me yappin' up a storm on here lately. lmfao
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elisysd · 1 year ago
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The Night We Met – Lord Huron
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Masterlist - Previously - Next Chapter
I've been searching for a trail to follow again Take me back to the night we met
Forty-eight hours earlier, Lyanna thought that she would spend three days of breaks enjoying doing nothing and seeing Charles, maybe even call Kika to spend the time. And now she was spending her last day of break brooding in her pajamas and in her bed. The only thing left that she had planned was her phone call with Kika. But instead of it being a happy one, it turned into as sad one. She told Kika what happened with Charles. She needed someone to vent to. But unfortunately for her who thought Kika would be on her side, she discovered that it would not be the case. 
Kika spent an hour listening to the actress explaining to her what had happened and why, from her point of view, she wasn’t wrong. Charles was the problem to Lyanna. She made him clear in the past that she needed someone who would respect her boundaries, something that Charles had already crossed. She had limits, and talking about her past was one of them. Charles didn’t seem to understand that. He was pushing her to talk about it while she didn’t want to. She was not ready, and she never knew if she would be one day. How could he not understand something as basic as that?
Kika listened to her patiently without interrupting her. When she finally felt that her friend had finished her tirade, she told her calmly:
“You know Lyanna, I don’t know you for very long but I think that you and Charles are more alike than what you think. I don’t want to say things that I shouldn’t, especially because it’s not my place to tell you that, but Charles’ life has not always been perfect you know. Far from it. We all have scars; Charles is no exception. If you would just talk to him and ask him, I’m sure he would tell you.”
But Lyanna was too proud to admit that Kika might be right. She would rather to stick to her guns. It was easier than to admit that maybe she had been too harsh on the Monégasque.
So to avoid thinking about Charles, she started burying herself in her work. It has always been her escape. And so, the last thing she expected was for her work environment to become toxic. She could thank David for that. It all began as soon as she came back to shoot her scene. David cornered her, a snarky smile on his lips.
“Well, well, well I didn’t know that your type of men was the little rich ones, Lyanna.”
He saw the rumors online. Obviously.
“I must say, well done though. I have to admit that I didn’t take you for that type of women. But you’re right after all, you have to secure a future for yourself once your career in Hollywood will be over.”
“What are you implying?” asked Lyanna, glaring at him. She hated the misogyny that was coming out of his mouth.
“We all know that, in Hollywood, when a woman is past her thirties, she is no longer of interest. I just don’t understand how someone like you managed to bag Charles Leclerc. That guy is filthy rich, he could have anyone he wants and yet he chooses you who are nothing special. Well done.”
This shouldn’t have shaken her, but it did. He career was a sensitive topic. One of her biggest fear was to lose it. She was trying to no think about it but David was right, as painful as it was to admit. Ageism was a real thing in Hollywood. She was only twenty three but she knew that if she had to reach her peak in her career it would be between now and the next five years. After that she would not be considered anymore for important roles. It would be given to a new actress, a new face young and beautiful. She tried her best to not show David that he had struck a nerve, but the smirk of his partner made her realise that it was a waste of time.
In the next days, to try to forget how Monaco had turned gloomy for her, she let her job consume her. She was the first one to arrive on set in the morning and the last one to leave. She knew that it was not healthy but it was her coping mechanism. It was also a good way for her to not risk unexpectedly running into Charles. She even avoided taking the elevator in case he would take it too. And that would put her in a very uncomfortable position. She would rather be out of breath after walking the four flights of stairs than endure that.
The conversation with Kika replayed on her mind. Deep down, she knew that she was being unfair to Charles. He was her only friend here and she could not help but think that she had messed up big time. Monaco felt lonely without him. But she didn’t know how she could fix things. Did Charles even want her to fix things? She suspected that a simple sorry would not be enough. Especially if, as Kika had mentioned, he too had gone through difficult times in the past. She said some cruel things to him. She was curious about what Kika meant by saying that they were alike and that Charles had some invisible scars too. She knew that the answers to her questions were at her fingertips, or more like a Google research. But it would be like betraying Charles. And at the same time, she doubted that after their fight he would like to talk to her again.
She was weak and she opened her laptop before typing Charles’ name in the search bar. And then, it felt like opening a can of worms.
The first linked she clicked on was an article about Jules Bianchi and his tragic accident in Suzuka that led to his death. She learned about Charles link to the family and how his death deeply impacted him to the point that he had a reference to Jules on his racing helmet. Speaking of helmet and tragedy, she discovered that his dad died not long before Charles made his racing debut in F1. It was wrong, she knew it, but now that she had started, she couldn't stop. She also learned about the sad story between Charles’ first win with Ferrari. How he became the youngest Grand Prix winner with the Scuderia, and the third youngest in F1 history, 24 hours after the death of one of his close friend Anthoine Hubert on the Spa’s track.
She felt sick in her stomach. Charles knew death all too well. He knew exactly what she had accused him of ignoring. She instantly regretted to have discovered all of that. But what was done was done. She could not go back and pretend not knowing. It was anchored in her. She felt like an intruder and it was too late to fix it.
As for Charles he wasn’t feeling better. He was bitter and upset after his fight with Lyanna. A phone call with Pierre was supposed to make him feel better, not worse. He was trying to figure out what and when it went wrong between Lyanna and him, while one the other side to the phone, Pierre was slumped on his sofa, a glass of coke in one hand and looking at his girlfriend leaning on the balcony, on the phone with the very person Charles was frustrated with.
“I just don’t understand Pierre. It just doesn’t make sense. I want to be there for her, I want to help her. What’s wrong with that?”
Pierre sighed.
“Did you even think that maybe she doesn’t want you to help her. I know you mean well Charles but sometimes you can be a lot, and I mean A LOT, to handle. You have this tendency to act like a knight in shining armor, always wanting to fix people. But you know, not everyone needs to be fixed. Maybe Lyanna is one of them. You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to.”
“I want to be a good friend Pierre.”
“And you will be. But it has to be on her own terms. Not yours.”
“What should I do then. Say sorry? Sorry for what? Act like nothing ever happened between us? I can’t do that. Some things were said and I know it was in the spur of the moment, but I can’t ignore them.”
“Maybe try to not be intimidating.”
“What do you mean?” said Charles, surprised.
“Listen, you have this way to love people that can be a little intimidating to some. Like, you always make sure tat the person feels included in conversations, to hold their stares and it’s great. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, okay. It’s just that maybe it scared her off a little. I don’t know her but from what I saw when we ate dinner at your place, she is really shy and quiet. And you are sometimes a little too much, Charles, admit it.”
“I’m what I am Pierre. I won’t change and I won’t excuse myself for being this way.”
And if Pierre wasn’t enough, soon it was Andrea, his coach and friend that was bothering him. It all started when Andrea noticed that Charles was pushing harder than usual during their work out sessions. He did what all coaches would have done when noticing their trainees being too hard on themselves: he told him to calm down. To which Charles just brushed it off.  
“Okay Charles, stop you’re going to end up hurt if you keep pushing like that. And we don’t want that. The season is shitty enough as it is, the last thing we need is you being hurt. What’s wrong?”
“Guess” Charles retorted, wiping his forehead, and grabbing his water bottle before opening it and taking a long sip of cold water.
“Oh I see. Is that about that actress that all the media talked about? You’ve been rejected?” Andrea tried to joke but only got a side glance from Charles in return.
“Why everyone thinks I fancy her, hum? Can’t a guy and a girl be friends without any questions or rumors being made up? I’m sick of it. We’re friends for God’s sake!”
“Okay, okay. Relax I was joking.”
Andrea didn’t insist any further. When Charles was like that, it was better to let him cool off on his own.
“It’s just… It’s a mix of things you know. The season is definitely not what I expected, I don’t know if it’s ever going to get better. Don’t get me wrong I love Ferrari and I want nothing more than to win with them but I also have to think about what I really want and what’s best for me. There is a dream and then there is reality. I have to be realistic… If I really want to win a championship, is Ferrari the one who will give me the car to do so? Or should I go with a team that knows how to make a winning car? My contract is coming to his end, I have to think about the future. I want guarantees. I feel that I am at a crossroads and that important choices have to be made. I'm afraid I'll screw up Andrea and then blame myself for the rest of my life.”
At this moment, it was not Charles the grown man that was in front of Andrea, it was Charles who look like a little kid, completely lost and vulnerable. Andrea made Charles sit on the bench of the gym.
“You know it’s normal to doubt yourself Charles. It’s healthy. But maybe you need to see someone to help you sort your thoughts out. You can’t keep everything bottled up like that, it’s going to destroy you at the end.”
“I don’t need a therapist if it’s wat you’re implying. I spent my whole life going through stuff and figure things out on my own. I won’t start getting help now.”
“It would not be a shame. No one would look at you differently or pity you if it’s what you’re scared off.”
Charles shrugged and got up while packing his things signaling to Andrea that both the work out session and the discussion were over. It was time for him to meet his mom for lunch and hopefully she would not talk about his work or Lyanna. He needed a break from all of that.
But it was a hopeless task, because shortly after the son and his mother had settled down on the terrace of the restaurant, the woman began to ask him questions about Lyanna. Charles felt as if he was in a loop in which the same conversation was happening over and over again.
“I’m sorry but it’s all my clients at the hair salon talk about. And I won’t insist, if she is just a friend, it’s okay but I must admit she is really pretty.”
“Mom…” sighed Charles.
“I’m just saying. I’m not implying anything but surely, you’re not blind, you noticed.”
He rolled his eyes, pleading inwardly for the discussion to change quickly.
“By the way, I have this thing that I’m supposed to go to. You know about the film festival of Monte-Carlo. Well I’m invited and I wanted to know if you’d like to be my plus one. I know how much you love cinema and I don’t want to be alone so… Artur is coming to and he brings Carla.”
“Just tell me you don’t want to be third wheeling.”
“Yeah that too. But it would be the occasion for you to dress up and to enjoy a night out, it’s been a while.”
“Well, when you present things this way how could I refuse?”
tag list @zendayabelova @purplephantomwolf @ru-kru @dakotali
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wixelt · 9 months ago
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Btw, I've been working to flesh out characterization and worldbuilding for the Player Culture AU but, due to that technically being a mostly completely seperate AU from Hermitphibia, I'm probably only going to update you where it's relevant as to not flood your inbox with unrelated lore. I've been mostly going through SMP's to see if they have anything lore relevant and seeing where it would apply.
...
So anyway, Pirates SMP Scar is almost explicitly HC8 Scar and also shares the name of his previous sailing ship with New life!Scar's plane and I think The Hermatrix may have done essentially the same thing to the Hermits' memories The Core did to Marcy's memories to ensure they were for the most part versions of themselves that wouldn't catch on to being in a simulations, with the exceptions of Doc and Ren, who were made into versions of themselves that would catch on quick. Yes, this is rather the big assumption to make based just on Scar having continuity, but it's either this or decanonising The Hermatrix.
It also goes to explain some of Season 8's weirdness as a whole and opens the season's lore up to be used again... just not in it's surrounding context. Mumbo is probably a formless shapeshifter with half a soul, but it probably isn't Grian's and he's probably been that way since before joining Hermitcraft. The reason The Hermatrix accounted for Pearl's connection to the moon is because of the subconscious memories she still had but hadn't recalled. Impulse eats rocks because he both is and isn't a dwarf due to existing in like two or three points of his life simultaneously. Pearl's megabyte resembles the human settlement in S9 because, well,
Tl;Dr: either The Hermatrix is explicitly noncannon or it was fucking with the hermits' memories to make them relive moments of their pasts because otherwise I can't see how the entrepreneur who traveled by wagon went on to become a pirate and possibly later an air pilot.
Also Pirate!Scar's pirate hat is in Scar's room in Scarland and Pilot!Scar's head is in Cub's meuseum if I'm remebering correctly, both shown in Sausage's world tour.
(Glad to hear your culture interpretation's going well. Always interested to hear about it in relation to the Hermitphibia AU.)
I like the idea that the Hermatrix fundamentally shifted the Hermits' inherent selves to keep them safe (& that it echoes Marcy in canon/False in the AU), though I imagine its less making them different in personality & more unconsciously nudging them away from certain lines of thought they'd usually have.
The idea that this process embellishes or reinterprets certain traits of each Hermit is fun, too.
I don't know if some of the specific interpretations line up with the way I view things, though, but lets work through them one at a time:
Scar's timeline in my mind happens as released & I don't think too much Hermatrix shifting would be needed, nor would it be non-canon. The Hermits take on personas all the time (RenTheKing, etc.), & Scar of all people is very inclined towards that.
I don't know where the interpretation of Mumbo as a half-soulless shapeshifter comes from (aside from the potato thing, maybe), but I'm not sure if I buy it over, say, the view of him as a vampire. I'd be interested in hearing more, though.
Pearl's connection to the moon in the sim - name aside - stemming from her past lives is something I like. Makes it more than just a symbolic connection, & that'd be especially important in the AU as unless Pearl chose her name (which is plausible), Grian's surname would also be Moon.
Impulse eating rocks coming form his dwarf phase is something I'm going to steer clear of, unless we interpret that the Hermatrix was somehow predicting the future as well, since that was still a season away.
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blazehedgehog · 2 months ago
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You hear about what's going on with Sam Procrastinates? What do you think of that?
I caught a whiff of it today, yeah. I'm sort of glad I'm mostly outside of that circle of influence. I know of a lot of those people, but I do not know them personally. I probably run my mouth on here too much and too freely for some of those types.
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Especially seeing Sam get out there in front and be like "whoa whoa whoa whoa I'm trying to protect my business by distancing myself from leakers and bad actors" -- like, maybe I don't have the full context here, but trying to divorce yourself from leakers is a bit weird to me?
Keep in mind I'm coming at this from the perspective of being on Sonic Retro during the massive Sonic 4 leak, which lead Sega to partner with Sonic Retro. Some of the inroads paved during that partnership almost certainly lead to us getting Sonic Mania, given there are future Sonic Mania staff thanked in the credits for Sonic 4 Episode 2.
Like, I get trying to keep your nose clean. I try to do that, too. People get on my case for being spooked by emulation in my "Definitive Way to Play" videos, but people who really, actually know me, know that I've never had a problem with emulation ever in my entire life. Up until Tristan started buying me games to review for TSSZ, emulation was literally all I had. I could not afford games on my own, and I basically still can't. (I'm counting on next month's Twitch payout to cover my pre-order for Shadow Generations)
All of that is me trying to keep my nose clean. I've seen channels get shut down for talking too openly about emulation (particularly with setup tutorials), and even Discord servers are not as private as people think they are. The hammer can and will drop, and I'd rather my financial livelihood not be under it.
So I will never tell people to "just emulate it" in my videos and I have a rule against linking piracy material in my Discord. If you like me, and like my work, that's the way it's gotta be to protect that kind of stuff.
But that's on video. What I do in my personal life has no baring on that. I endeavor to capture all my footage from real consoles but I'm also living in a cramped little bedroom with maybe ten square feet of floor space right now, so I'm not digging out my Wii or my Saturn or my PS2 every time I have to capture footage of something. I emulate it.
I'm getting off topic. Shutting people out of your life because they don't align with your business is a bit extreme, to me. But again, I don't know the relationship there. At least in the clips Sam uses, he never seems very happy to have Shanny around, even though it's clear Shanny can and continued to join Sam's discord calls. I guess I just don't have any friends like that -- I either have personal friends, or... well, I just don't have very many "business friends." (Which depending on your view point, is or isn't a problem and one of the reasons my channel growth can be so sluggish)
So, like, whatever. Again, I dunno how a lot of that stuff goes. Ultimately, I guess I don't blame Sam for protecting his business, because again, I protect my business too, and it's clear Sam is more successful than I am.
I will say this, though, and I am about to step neck deep in the shit: I have never liked that Jaden Sonic Show dude. There was a time...
...Let's see... I had to dig around in Discord because I was so put off by this guy's videos I straight up erased them from my Youtube History, so this is the only way I even know I watched them:
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I watched two or three of his videos around this time and this dude's tendency to just make stuff up, believe in bad sources, and push the worst rumors was infuriating. I would say it's not a stretch to claim he is eroding the overall intelligence of the Sonic fandom with his sensationalist, reactionary, straight up false information. He reminds me of the way I used to think about the game industry when I was 13, which is to say: deeply, deeply, deeply incorrect.
This is where I was going to pivot and say, "and he makes more money than Sam and I combined," because he has 150k+ subscribers. But according to SocialBlade, that doesn't seem to be true. Despite having 3x as many subs as Sam, SocialBlade claims The Sonic Show seems to make less than Sam Procrastinates.
I guess there are benefits to keeping your nose clean.
(And given I have a Youtube channel of my own, I have a vague idea how accurate these numbers are -- which is to say: I am not making $122 a month from Youtube, but I wish I was. I also understand why Sam is so protective of his channel's earnings, too)
Anyway, all of this to say, Sam seems in the right here. I do get a whiff of, like, the puritan Japanese Idol culture from some of this, where if you're a J-Idol you can't be caught drinking, or smoking, or even swearing. You have to maintain total purity or else you fall victim to a witch hunt, and there's a weird amount of finger pointing going on here that I don't know if it was deserved. Sam shouldn't have even needed to make a video like this, but like I said, that Sonic Show guy kind of seems like a vulture.
I would not put stock in what that dude has to say.
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rollercoasterwords · 1 year ago
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hi! thank you for the kind words, i'm happy you're enjoying the fic. but i also want to use this message as an opportunity to talk about something/set a boundary that i haven't really known how to discuss, and i've blocked out your name because even though i'm not angry or upset with you, i want to make sure i'm not sending any hate back your way. 
i know that this message is well-intentioned, and i know you likely think it's nothing but a compliment to ask me to write more--after all, you're only asking me to write more because you enjoy the story so much! shouldn't that be a nice thing for me to hear? 
and like. i think that's why this is difficult for me to talk about. i don't want to come across as ungrateful or overly sensitive or like i don't appreciate the compliments, because i do. but at the same time, hearing someone say, "please write more of this fic for me, i love your writing so much!" is still hearing someone say "please write more of this fic for me!" like. 300,000 words is incredibly long. most novels are between 70k-100k words. a 300k word book usually takes years to write--years, and hundreds of hours of labor. maybe you chose that number randomly, or you're exaggerating for emphasis; but no matter how nicely you're phrasing it or how facetious you're being, ultimately this sort of message still puts pressure on me to produce a massive amount of writing in a short period of time. and even if you meant it as a compliment, it doesn't feel nice to me. being pressured to churn out hundreds of thousands of words makes me feel as though i'm being seen as a content-creation machine for the entertainment of others, and i don't like that. writing is a labor of love for me, but it is still labor--hours of time and effort that i'm putting into these works which i share for free, with no expectations of anything in return except maybe a few kind words from those who feel like reaching out. when i get messages or comments like this pushing me to write more, to write faster, it makes me feel as though my time and labor are not respected at all; as if there's absolutely no consideration for the amount of effort it takes to write the stories. which, again, makes me feel like i'm being viewed as some sort of fic-writing machine that can just pump out hundreds of thousands of words on demand for others' entertainment.
and none of this is helped by the tongue-in-cheek comment about how you're "suffering" waiting for updates. again, i understand that this was well-intended and maybe even a playful exaggeration that's supposed to be complimentary. but there are ways to tell me you enjoy my writing and eagerly wait for updates without telling me how much you dislike waiting between chapters. posting once a week is already a difficult schedule for me to maintain, and it's entirely possible that i'll need to take another break in the future or skip a week or something. i've been very clear about the fact that my update schedule is subject to change since i started writing the fic; that's just part of reading a wip. but when i get messages or comments like these with people telling me how they don't like waiting for updates, or comments directly asking me to post more than once a week, or--back when i did take a break--comments begging me not to take a break, it all adds together and builds up and creates this pressure to write more, write faster, post the new ch now now now. if you were the only person making this type of comment, it probably wouldn't bother me and i'd just respond and go "thanks lol" and move on. but the problem is that you aren't the only one--since more people have started reading the fic, i've consistently been getting comments like these, where the backhanded pressure to write more or write faster is couched in compliments. it's just so hard to wait for updates because i love your writing so much! i just want you to write more and post now and write faster because i love your writing so much! i know it's all well-intended, but none of it makes me feel good. it just makes me feel a mounting pressure to produce produce produce.
i feel like there are so many conversations happening in this fandom about how we need to treat writers better, where people go "the fandom is so shitty" and everyone goes "yeah!" but no one ever thinks they're part of the problem. and i think it's because everyone thinks the problem is like...really blatantly rude and entitled messages. and like, i get those too--people telling me they don't like a certain characterization and asking me to rewrite the fic; people repeatedly demanding that i write a certain fic for them; people just outright shitting on things i've written because they don't like it and for some reason think i want to know that. but none of that is super common. what is super common is the steady stream of comments and messages like this one, where they are so well-intended and don't see anything wrong with what they're saying because they think they're giving me a compliment. but all these "compliments" build up and create this pressure that hangs over my head to be constantly producing and writing, which is ultimately what leads to burnout and also makes me feel like i'm not being seen as a person so much as a machine. 
so like. idk. i'm not gonna try to speak for every writer in the fandom; maybe there are people out there who do appreciate this kind of message, who feel like it motivates them to write. but for me, i want to make it clear: i really don't appreciate being asked to write more or write faster or to write a certain trope/ship/etc; i am not a waiter taking your order at a restaurant. writing fic is not a service i'm providing for you that you pay me for in comments or kudos or messages or any sort of attention, because i am not writing for that attention in the first place. so when it comes to interacting with me, i'd ask that you reevaluate the way you give compliments and think about what sort of pressure you're putting on me, regardless of how well-intentioned your message is. again, no hard feelings towards you--like i said, this message probably wouldn't even register as pressuring to me if not for the fact that i get so many little comments like it, all from equally well-intentioned people who think they're just giving a compliment, all of which builds up together. 
anyway. all that being said. to answer your question: the fic will likely be four parts, not three as i originally intended. it will probably end up somewhere between 100-200k words based on the fact that we're already at 80k and i've only just started part iii, but i am not going to put pressure on myself to write a certain amount of words or hit a certain length. i'm just going to write what i want to write when i want to write, and share it as i want to share it. i'm happy to have you along if you want to be here, but if the cliffhangers or waiting for updates becomes too unenjoyable for you then there's no pressure for you to stay, yknow? no hard feelings on my end either way :•)
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