#ok wait i also noticed the sentimental thing

[queer-enderdragon]

ok so. after a few rewatches, im just gonna list out what we got so far (is easier to remember written out yknow):

so ivory of course has a past, undisclosed so far, but at least she has experience Working, which. mixed with that detail that she went to whitepine with Nothing but the clothes she was given and something about "needing something stable" after being Found is... odd

she also seems to need permission to do things (even going for food), fears the anger of others and over-shots tasks given... and man, if that doesnt hit somewhere close to home—but she still has a will, that when she seems to want something she at least tries to act on, e.i: asking to go outside to see the garden, asking to play the piano even if she already seem to want to play it immediately after finding it. like i mentioned in other post; quiet in the outside, loud in the inside

and speaking of the piano and music because i just. really want to focus on it

most of the scenes in the trailer happened in the first episode, but two or three, specially: the last clip with her playing mountain ash as it's reprise. and you know, a reprise is usually used as an end or change in a story,

and i dont know... something about how the piano is positioned, making her back be the part of her to face the door

and did yall notice the first time Ivory plays the piano, is the normal version of mountain ash? is only one note, but is the same appearing at the end credits too

i really like the heaviness in it, and how slow is in comparation to the reprise... but it makes me wonder when exactly is going to change to the other version... like i mean, there was already a murder, and maybe this is just me overthinking the music, but to get to That speed on the reprise i feel like things may start being more familiar to ivory And piling up on the manor from here until then

and like many other pointed out, there's something about the trees, the outside, the windows. an odd focus to things surrounding whitepine, or the vastness of it. how... empty it is for the most part

and there's more things im pretty sure, and i myself definitely have Many more thoughts on this, only problem is that for now it seems i cant get them out of the tangle of everything in my brain. and who knows, maybe with a few more episodes they'll untangle themselves

as in, as a sentiment i'll say i cant wait for more, but at the same time i'll wait for as long as needed, because by gods this looks to be Really good, and good needs time (but i really cant wait for more music from ivory, if its not obvious <3)

[violetrainbow412-blog]

Memories [S. R]

Spencer Reid x fem!reader

word count: 4k

summary: the case of the self-appointed Fisher King comes with too many sentimental implications and you discover that you and Spencer had more in common than you imagined.

warnings: mention of mental illness and some trauma

A/N: directly based on 2x01 of the series "The Fisher King" part 2

people who might be interested: @c-m-stuff @no-soy-fer @synthsescape @bella-fics @cynbx (if you want to be removed or added tell me!)

To say that you were worried about the case was an understatement, you were actually terrified of what might happen. An unsub holding a hostage, who was also her daughter, and who knew so much about each member of the team, was worrying in itself. But Elle being in a hospital dying, the case being so tied to Reid's life, and you being so stupidly far from knowing where Randall Garner was, was what made you want to throw up everything you'd eaten during your interrupted vacation.

The team, as always, had split up and throughout the investigation you had stayed with Spencer and Garcia to try to crack the riddle, using the man's brain, the woman's internet find-anything skills, and your vast knowledge of the world of codes and literature. During that period you never believed that the doctor's mother would be involved, much less did you think that she would find herself in the… condition she was in. Throughout the time she was there, he treated her sweetly and calmly, but you couldn't help noticing the discomfort that was palpable in the environment. Not that he was ashamed of her, of course, although you figured he didn't visit her very often and it was obviously not her intention for the entire BAU to find out that her mother was a schizophrenic who was in a sanatorium.

You remembered, hours ago, asking Garcia to let you tell the man that his mother was fine when he requested a plane to bring her to Virginia, and all day you had that conversation etched in your mind like a tattoo on your skin.

"Your mom it's ok" you had said, approaching her desk and leaning on it to look at it "Agents picked her up. She's flying here right now” you completed, although he seemed too amused with the piece of evidence that he had in his hand and then you felt the need to say something else “How are you?”

"I feel kind of dumb, to tell you the truth," he replied. Most of the time he avoided looking at you, but you had already gotten used to it “I forgot she used to always read me this poem. And I think that I should have realized sooner than that”

"Why?"

“Nobody knows things like the fact that JJ collects butterflies except for me,” he said, with a guilt-tinged shrug. “People tell me their secrets all the time. Think it's because they know I don't have anyone to betray them to… except… my mother. I... I tell her pretty much everything”

"It’s fine”

“Do you know that I write her a letter every day?”

"That's very nice," you said sincerely, for the idea of the man carefully writing a letter to tell his mother about the day was a sweet image to imagine.

“It depends on why I write her”

"What do you mean?"

“I write her letters so I won't feel so guilty about not visiting her,” Reid added. If it hadn't been for that case, probably you, or anyone, would have known that his mother was hospitalized and you thought it was completely logical that he didn't want others to find out about that part of his life about him, including that he didn’t visit her. Spencer was always available for everything, always working, always alone in his apartment and now that you knew about Diana you understood why. He waited a moment and then finally made eye contact with you, looking somewhat fearful “Did you know that schizophrenia is genetically passed?”

And when he mentioned that your world fell apart. You understood that this was the reason why he didn't go with her; because he was afraid. You didn't know how to react, at least not at that moment, and you just looked at him sadly, feeling your own heart tighten a little at unfortunate memories.

Although, for work reasons, the talk hadn't gone any further than that, you'd thought about it all along, even now that you were all gathered to put the last pieces together of what you hoped would be a successful puzzle.

"Nevada? So we don't even know what state he's in?” Hotch muttered, already quite frustrated at how fruitless the search was turning out. There was little time left and you all knew it.

“I'll search the tax records, see if he owns any property”

"Excuse me," Diana Reid intervened from the chair next to the blackboard and her son practically jumped to try and stop her.

"Mom, do you know we're..."

“Just before the agents got me from the hospital, a man delivered this to me” she continued, ignoring “It's a photo of a house with an address on the back”

After showing her direction she turned the image and you saw what was a house that looked just like a castle, with illuminated windows, trees around, and a night sky.

“Shiloh, Virginia?”

“That's only 10 miles from here”

"Well, there's no time to waste. Morgan and Reid are coming with me”

"I want to go too," you said immediately. Something about the whole thing gave you a very bad feeling and you wished you could help in any way you could, but you were surprised to see that Spencer was the first to oppose your request.

“We don't want anyone else to get hurt, Y/N,” Morgan added, his voice almost pleading for you to obey Hotch's orders. You were in no position to demand a ride and only agreed because you knew that an argument would only take away valuable time. “We have to get ready. Reid, let's go.”

"I'll be back soon, mom"

"I'll stay with her" you suggested, hastening to take a step towards him, in an attempt to continue your mission to help.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," you said to reassure him. Diana already seemed quite satisfied with the fact that you were going to accompany her and you still didn't know why “Go. And be careful, please."

"I will" he nodded and immediately went after Morgan and Hotch, the three of them leaving the room to carry out the rescue mission. You had your heart in your hand for thinking about what could happen to them and only the woman's voice brought you back to reality.

"I'm glad you're the one who stays"

"Really?" you asked, somewhat flattered to think that she had liked you within a couple of hours of knowing you. 

"Spencer talks to me about you all the time" she confessed and both you and the other two women present widened their eyes in surprise “He said you like literature"

"Yeah, I'd say so," you muttered, trying to smile at her to hide the nervous wreck you were, partly because of concern for your partners and partly because of what she had just told you.

"He's going to be fine, right?"

By God you hoped so. You didn't know what you would do if he got hurt or… he just didn't come back from there.

"Yes, I promise" you managed to say, as serenely as possible to try to keep your companion calm "And if you tell me about your favorite book? I imagine it will be a good one,” you said kindly, taking her arm and leading her to a couch where the two of you could sit. You knew that part of suggesting the talk was to distract yourself from the bleak outlook and thus kill time until the team returned.

Waiting was all you could do.

Diana had talked to you for a while until she ended up finding it more interesting to write in her notebook so you decided not to bother her, although she left you silent and ready for anxiety to grip you tight. After about an hour JJ herself had come to tell you that Elle was safe after surgery and you swore you could have cried with happiness when you found out. So, the pain that stayed in your chest was just from waiting for news from the three remaining agents and when what felt like an eternity passed without receiving any reports you couldn't take it anymore and apologized to Diana to leave the room. with the excuse that you needed to go to the bathroom. You were confident that she would not be a suicidal or aggressive patient, but you still wanted to hurry to get back to her as soon as possible, and when you had barely walked a section of the corridor you met a gangly figure who was already on his way to look for you.

"Rebeca?"

“She's safe” was the first thing you said, making the knot in your stomach finally dissolve “But Randall died. He blew himself up,” he continued, and you thought you wished you had heard a better outcome, even if the man was a criminal “And my mom?”

"Calm. Writing” you assured him, taking a few steps towards him to get a better look at him. He was dirty and what would later be a bruise could be seen on the left side of his face, but other than that he seemed to be safe and sound. "Is everyone there okay?"

"Yes," he breathed out. It was a relief to know that, it was a relief that things were finally over and that no one had been lost.

“I'm so grateful to hear that, Reid,” you said. You stretched your fingers up to his side and ran the tips over the mark that was beginning to form. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"No," he assured you, with a tight-lipped smile.

"Your mother. It will make her happy to know that you're back" you murmured immediately, and tried to go back the way you had come to go tell him, but he held out a hand to stop you "What's wrong?"

"Do you think I could take a moment before going with her?" he asked you and you retraced your steps to face him, still not letting go of his hand. You nodded and he sat on the floor with his legs drawn up and his back leaning against the wall in an attempt to calm down a bit from the adrenaline rush of all the previous events. You dropped down next to him in the same position and looked at his profile, thinking that if you had something to say, now was the time to talk.

“She told me you talk about me all the time,” you ventured, and he bit back an embarrassed smile.

"You weren't supposed to have found out about that"

"So you say bad things about me?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"No" you answered kindly.

"It's a relief"

“So these are definitely bad things, huh,” you teased, pushing your shoulder against his and seeing him shake his head slightly, too embarrassed to admit what he had written to his mother about you. You were silent for a moment as it didn’t seem that he had any intention of getting up to cross to the meeting room, you spoke again "Do you really not want to see her?"

“It's not that I don't want to see her, it's just that dealing with everything sometimes is so… so hard. You wouldn't understand,” he told you, his voice threatening to crack at any moment. You took a deep breath before opening your mouth to reply and the lonely hallway muffled your words, which were barely a whisper.

"What do you know about Alzheimer, Reid?" saying this, he turned a little to look at you, just in case he had misheard, but he realized that now it was you who wasn't looking at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Alzheimer" you repeated.

"Huh, it's a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior," he replied, still not quite sure why you were asking, “It is progressive, which means dementia symptoms gradually worsen over the years, and it is also the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Live an average of eight years after symptoms become apparent, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions. There is currently no cure."

“Have you ever lived with someone who has it?” you exclaimed and he shook his head. It was easier to look directly at you when you were the one who looked away “There are experimental treatments that reduce symptoms, but none are totally effective, appearing early in life in only about 5% to 6% of people. Although there is no defined cause, the genetic factor can affect you if you had a direct relative who suffered from early Alzheimer's” you exclaimed. He wanted to ask you why you were doing this exchange of information, but he thought it impolite to do so, so he just kept quiet "You said earlier that people tell you their secrets because you have no one to tell them to, but I'm sure it's not because that. We trust you because you are kind, understanding, but above all a good friend who we know will never judge us" you took a moment to take a deep breath again, feeling the nervousness running from the tip of your feet to your head and also to gather something of courage "I personally tell you because I am very afraid of starting to forget them"

It all clicked in Spencer's mind in a split second and he wished he was misreading things, searching your gaze so he could identify something that indicated you didn't mean what he was assuming.

"You…?” he started to say, but the question died on the tip of his tongue.

“It was my father. He was barely 35 years old when it all started, it was with the time he forgot to come to his birthday party. I remember it perfectly, he hadn't been feeling well for weeks due to the stress of work and the company decided to run all kinds of tests on him, without finding anything to worry about, so we just ignored it. But the symptoms recurred: he was disoriented, discouraged, sometimes he became aggressive with the family and forgot plans or things that we had told him. When he almost crushed one of his colleagues with a machine that he forgot that he was working, the company decided to give him a permanent break and we began to worry.

»By 36 it was already a fact that it was the beginnings of dementia. The doctors were surprised by the diagnosis because it is not very common to find the disease in patients of his age and for more explanations that we tried to find, we didn’t find any other. They prescribed a treatment that only kept him calm and it got to a point where it felt inhuman to drug him daily, and about two years after he got the diagnosis my mom decided it was better to put him in a mental hospital.

I was only fifteen years old at the time, but I already understood everything perfectly. I went to see him every day, after school, talked to him, read my homework to him, and we watched movies together, which to a certain extent made his illness feel tolerable. The worst thing at that point was that he asked me to watch the same movie as the day before or that he asked me if I was nervous about the exam I had done a week ago" you looked at the man just to make sure he was following the story, which that you verified with the way he was looking at you; fully attentive.

“Anyway, the years went by and it got more and more complicated. Sometimes a nurse had to remind her of my name and at some point my mother just gave up, probably when my father completely disowned her and started yelling all over the hospital that a woman was harassing him in her room. I continued to visit him, but when I grew up and entered the FBI academy my hours were cut down considerably, so in recent years I only went to see him once a week.

»At 42 my father no longer knew that I was his daughter, he thought that I was a nurse doing social service by keeping him company. He talked to me all the time about his family and sadly told me that neither his wife nor his daughter had been to see him for a long time, but I assured him that they had both asked me to tell him that they loved him very much and that they would go soon” silent for a moment, careful not to burst into tears, and prepared to finish the story “He died during my first year as a BAU agent. I saw his decline over the years and even at the end I think he left thinking that his family had abandoned him. I don't talk to my mother anymore, because I think she feels very guilty about me for having left me all the burden of taking care of my father. But every day I feel at peace with myself because despite how painful it was to see him, I never left him.

»Many times I cried before entering the hospital and when leaving, thinking that I had to pretend to be able to spend a moment with the person I loved the most and who was now only a ghost of what my father once was. And it was terrible to look at it and think that this was my future, even to this day. They say that reading is a good exercise to reduce risk and that's why I always carry a book wherever I go, that's why I always want to do new things and that's why I strive every day to solve our cases because I don't know when the last. I have gone to specialists who have told me that there is nothing to worry about and that, if I have it, Alzheimer's could last until I am an old woman, but even so I am afraid every day.

If I really get sick and manage to get old, the most likely thing is that I will end up in a sanatorium, but right now what is worth it are the things I do every day. I'm scared, yes, but it's worth fighting for if I can help people in this job and especially if I can live with people like you.

I know you said that I wouldn't understand, but the truth is that of all the people in this building I can assure you that I am the one who can do it best. I know that you can't bear to see her because you are afraid of ending up with her like her and that at the same time you are so worried that you take the time to write everything about your life to her. I'm probably boring you with all this stuff that you never asked me to tell you, but I just wanted to tell you how important it is that you be with your mom. And more than doing it for her, do it for you.

I would only give you one piece of advice, which you can decide to take or not: don't waste your time, Spencer. Your mother loves you very much, go and talk to her, accompany her, listen to everything she has to tell you and forgive her faults if there are any. Because you don't know about her when it may be the last time you see her, either for your health or for hers”

There was total silence. You hadn't noticed until that moment that your cheeks were already wet from crying and you still didn't dare to look at his face. No person knew that part of you, because after your father got worse you had decided not to talk about it with anyone, so you could say that you were practically giving your heart to that man bruised by the mission a few hours ago. Suddenly you thought that perhaps you had talked for too long or that for him it had no relevance and he had only stayed to listen to you because he was not rude enough to leave you talking to yourself. But while your head was drawing the wrong conclusions, something you never expected happened: Spencer extended his hands to you and wrapped you in a hug.

It only took a bit of effort to make their bodies fit perfectly and he clenched the fabric of your knitted sweater in his fists, tucking his head into the crook of your neck to allow you to lean yours against his golden hair. It was as if all the time you had been destined for that particular moment, fused in that embrace that communicated everything that words could no longer express.

He wasn't the person who loved physical contact the most, all of you had noticed that, so hugging him was totally new to you. The feeling of peace that this brought you had no comparison point and the softness of his body covered you completely.

“I had no idea,” he murmured, the sound of his voice muffled by your skin. And Spencer was being completely honest, because he didn't even imagine that you could fully understand him after having lived through such a tragic story. He had understood many things thanks to your story and he was eternally grateful that he had felt the confidence to tell him something like this, so he also thought that maybe it was his turn to be honest with you "What my mom said is true, I always talk to her about you. I tell her that you are the sweetest companion I have ever had, that you always pay attention to me, and that you make sure that I feel comfortable wherever we go. I tell her that you are strong, that I want to be half as brave as you, and I also tell her that I have never felt affection and gratitude for someone as I feel for you, because you have made these two years different from any other time in my life” his words, whispered so close to you and drenched in so much love, only intensified your tears "And as long as my conscience remains intact, I assure you that if I need to remind you of all the secrets you have told me, I will do it"

That, more than a proposal, was a declaration of pure love that promised to reach many years into the future.

"Maybe we'll even end up in the same sanitarium, you and me, huh?" you exclaimed, with a slightly joking tone "And so I will have the opportunity to know your wonders again every day"

You felt on your neck that you managed to get a smile out of him and that made you smile too. That's when he pulled away so he could look at you.

“I think that… I will go with my mother back to Nevada. I guess we both deserve it, don't you think?" he told you and you nodded with a small smile. He didn't want to leave your side, but you got up first and held out your hand to help him do the same.

“She still has enough lucidity to tell me what your favorite food is. Maybe you should eat with her on the plane” you suggested. You didn't want to rob him of any more time he could spend with his mother, so you just wished him luck and started walking in another direction.

"Y/N, before you go" he called out to you. You were already a fair distance away, but it was enough for you to still speak in a small voice. "You know you're not alone, right?"

You smiled as he looked at you with those eyes that only showed sincerity, and you wished you could encapsulate that moment for eternity.

"I know" you replied calmly "And I trust that now you know it too"

[katyspersonal]

Hi there

I saw your post about Rellana & Messmer and i really want to know your interpretation of their relationship. Many insist on them being unrequited love but i couldn't really find any evidences that support this interpretation except Rellana's sword description in Eng because the Japanese version is different as it's says the fire & moon were always together .

Anon I am sorry I am so late fdhshf The usual: I was waiting to get to Messmer myself first after doing like 600 side things and then I forgor 😔

But for starters, a couple of funny things regarding the topic! First: I was actually dead sure they were canonically an item because of some thoughts I've heard from the fans early on!! And I got further into this confusion because I've misinterpreted Messmer's emblem as Fire + Twin Moon (since it is two circles overlapping and I first met it in the Castle Ensis), instead of Fire + Two Serpents that it IS! XD

Second: I was instantly confused by the description of Rellana's helmet, because Rennala has brown hair in both concept art portrait and the ingame model. So, the long black hair could not have been a cute parting gift, right....? Well, we resolved it with the help of analysing Japanese text more (this post ( x )), and turned out Rennala DID give her own hair! x) I suppose her hair, or the part that sticks from under the crown, became brown under prolonged strong Amber Egg's light exposure (basically same as sunlight)! However for a month I believed that Rennala simply helped Rellana to tweak her appearance with Amber Egg's magic to charm Messmer better because they knew long black hair was his taste HFSDHFDSGSDG XDDD

So, I was convinced that they were soooo married that they were proudly putting the symbol of alliance of Fire and Moon everywhere. The wording in English 'chase after Messmer' and fanart didn't help x) So.. now it had cleared up a little. As for the Japanese text you're referring to, me and @heraldofcrow asked someone else about it for clarification!

Japanese text breakdown from them is,

Ok, for the first one, she told me that the sentence/description, “ 月と火は、ここでは常に共にあった” has the word “常に” in it for “always.” (It’s “tsuneni” when Anglicized). This means “always, constantly.” So that one is correct. You have verify by even just looking up “tsuneni” in a Japanese dictionary, which I did. Seems right. So, yes the translation is “Moon and fire were constantly/always together here.”

I feel like this is further backed up by a certain other thing within Carians:

Notice how both swords also have identical skill; the use of sorcery with a normal attack after assuming the stance, and the use of fire with a strong attack! Both deal normal, magic and fire damage types! The only thing different is that since then, the celestial body representing the 'sorcery' part changed from stars to Moon, however Carians do not forget their roots!

So all flames, Messmer's included in the end, were an anathema to the Erdtree for the vision of the Cardinal Sin of burning it once (Fire Monks' incantations, Candletree Wooden Shield)!

I see it as Rellana deciding it was bullshit sentiment and actually sorcerers, whether Stars or Moon ones, were supposed to be allies to fire powers, like their origins intended! Liurnia/Carians and the Erdtree became allies after the war ended with Rennala's and Radagon's marriage... Whereas at first Rellana was okay with following the new obligation, for one reason or another she decided to REJECT THE MODERNITY AND EMBRACE THE TRADITION!

I am going to cuss localisation team again, because in Japanese original, the word that is here 'succor' is 癒 (月の輝きが、その男を癒せぬと知っていても) which means to heal! So, the sentiment is, her knowing that she could not fix him the horror plaguing him could not be treated, even with the magic/knowledge of Carians!

Black Knight Commander Andreas and his son Huw stood by Messmer until they've learned WHY Marika "abandoned her son". At this rate I need a T-Shirt that says 'You could never be Tanith' because I need it OFTEN in this DLC hfsdhfds . If Rellana knew of his affliction and still chose to stand by him, that puts her on the level with his Fire Knights, and even his snakes! And we know that Messmer still does need friends, not just his mom.

^ Unlike with the Cleanrot Knights of Malenia getting subjected to her Scarlet Rot by effect, Messmer's flame cannot infect others and it is just a curse for him and his two snake friends. However, Fire Knights attempted to share the burden with him and at least find the satisfaction in using his fire as is! Rellana is similar, because her fire sword IS serpentine and uses his fire:

(Video by Zullie the Witch ( x ))

After having all this context and clearing up my confusion, I think them having unrequited love is possible, but in the other way around! Say instead of her having "chased" him and him not feeling much in return, she had more ideals-fueled reasons to seek him and HE is the one hurting from not being loved the way he wishes!

According to Rogier sky sorceries of either king and the Erdtree were enemies, but sorcery and fire, on the other hand... And an "evil" kind of fire as well; the Fell God is literally named that, it is known as Flame of Ruin, even the Fire Giants carrying it for their god were said to have been burdened by it and it was an anathema to the Erdtree! Marika was not able to overcome her fear before the horror within Messmer although she tried her best to love him, but Rellana maybe decided 'yeah no shade to my sister's tastes but the plea to the Erdtree is kinda dumb, we sorcerers are supposed to be their enemies but allies to all kinds of evil fire! *looks at FF* EXCEPT THAT ONE' fsdhfds She could not heal him, but OG description of her sword makes it sound as though there is a "bigger idea" behind standing with him than just liking him. Aliance of sorcery and fire. She sees standing with him like more natural order and fate!

Messmer, on the other hand, would like to be liked (by her) on a more "primitive" level, without all that historical and philosophical nonsense! He is a person, not a symbol! ..but at the same time, he sorta knows he can't be. It is not just a problem with her, it is a problem with... everyone, really. He is carrying this curse and hates his fire, and to truly understand him would be to experience it the same way as he does. Something Fire Knights attempted to do, but it didn't work. But at the same time, he feels like even if he could infect people with his flame, he would not want to subject her to it in particular. With the Knights their honor kinda implies giving him their all, but despite her also being his blade he sees her as an equal! Someone who is better off not being burdened by his curse. Additionally, he already second-guesses whether he ruined her life by effect by """making""" her lose her right as a princess just to stand with him! Yeah, true, he needs Melina to lecture him on people's agency, but those with very low/negative opinion on selves OFTEN believe that they have more power over people than they actually do. Like they are "manipulating" them by literally just standing there (menacingly), and everything is always their fault..

So yeah! I think Rellana is a little 'clueless' about their bond, nor Messmer is doing enough to express his feelings! She sees them as Moon and Fire, not as Rellana and Messmer, and seems pretty content this way! He, on the other hand, would probably actually charm her romantically if he was not so gloomy and reclusive and put in conscious effort! He has a lot of charisma he is not using to get bitches when he CAN!! But he bounces between the 'why can't she like me in a more personal way?' vs 'wait, why WOULD she? it is better if she doesn't. damn I am an awful person as usual for wanting such thing.' ...🙄

They both have the capacity of developing relationship, but if Rellana is feeling attracted she is clueless about it simply because she won't think of it without being prompted to. With Messmer, he becomes STUPID vulnerable and self-conscious for multiple reasons pondering upon forming a bond this deep with her! I know it is an overused comedy trope, but picture Moonrithyll and [insert a Fire Knight] seeing the clear tension between the two and facepalming about how dumb they are about it XD Or, alternatively, trying to match-make them so they'd stop being so embarrassing and just fuck already lmaoooo fdghfsdg

__________________

Conclusion: both are too occupied with their own stuff to make a conscious effort towards it, but the potential and the tension is here! He has more talent for good romantic gestures and just the right tender things to say than he (or anyone else) realises that would make Rellana blush and stumble. Act slightly tsundereish, even, because she is not good at the "soft" things. She, on the other hand, is on more blunt side and her expressions of attraction would be passionate, and mostly vulgar I think. And that'd make HIM blush, because he is not good at THIS stuff! His style is some sentimental sweet line, her style is complimenting his slim ass or whatever fsdfsg Strong romantic energy from Messmer who dies at sexual commentaries, and strong sexual energy from Rellana who is no longer so tough at some nice poetry. Because they're "opposites" in such ways, there is a lot of awkwardness, but also a lot of dynamic!

(+A funnier interpretation is Messmer being romantic asexual that'd be still willing to have sex with someone he loves, and Rellana is aromantic sexual that'd still be okay with cuddles and kisses and stuff from someone she desires! They have each their own way to love and try to make it work. Just a more 'direct' version of the dynamic I've described previously, is this anything? xd)

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Episode 4! It's pouring rain outside, and I am curled up on the coach with the fireplace going. Let's do this.

Lol, not Pond just lurking and waiting for a moment to engage more with Sand.

You have no chill, my boy, and I love it.

Poor Pun, when you're trying to lead an event, and your dumbass friends keep coming over to loudly flirt with their crushes.

Lol, Arc is just so stupid when it comes to love, but I find it endearing anyway. (Please always use medical professionals when you have the chance).

Do we need to start a justice for JJ thing? I know he's usually a comic relief character, but someone should be loving on that man.

Don't feel bad Arm, we would all be similarly distracted in your shoes.

I am so happy Marc & Poon are already getting so much more screen time in this show.

Also, I may have cackled out loud at Sand yeeting his sandwich.

Oh god, Pond coming in with a steel chair to hit our emotions.

Ahhhhhh, you guys are killing me!!!

I'm starting to realize Poon is like a few of our other GMMTV boys, in that he has chemistry with literally everyone he shares a screen with.

Oh no, they broke Po!

He may be physically broken, but also the least dumb in seeing the faen writing on the wall. Poor Po.

Um, Arm, you can't hide 3 people behind a hedge that is a foot tall.

Ok, A-ngun is growing on me - she's not taking any of this personally, and is encouraging Arm to go for it. I'm so glad we're moving so far past the days of horrible women characters in BL.

We are taking a pause in programming to admire Force's eyelashes.

He's so damn pretty.

Ok, back to programming.

Ha, I love when Arm is bratting it up. Book makes such a good brat.

Aw, love that Po immediately clocked that a guy was in danger. I mean they're all kinda dumbasses to try and take on that many guys alone, but our babies are such good boys at heart.

Also glad they're not just shrugging off a bottle to the head, cuz that shit is dangerous.

Arc's red coming out, because our boy is feeling fired up with his baby being hurt. (I'm still so proud of myself when I notice colors).

Ok, sweet sentiment Arc, but can you stop patting him right where he got smashed with a bottle?

Bambi eyes alert!

Arc has gotta be doing some internal cartwheels over Arm being in his bed for the first time.

Oooh, I thought I had glimpsed color on Arc's knuckles in the bed scene, but wasn't sure... glad they came back to it.

Yep - our red boy got rage.

Oh yay, I was worried they would neglect having a Pond fussing over Sand moment. I have to keep reminding myself this is not We Are, and they are getting a full story here.

Finally, some directness!

Beach episode for #5 already? Interesting...

[fxirybun]

I saw your reading for enhypen sunghoon and really really wanted to request one for Jay of enhypen like how he acts round his crush and pursues them too if it’s ok😊😊😊😊💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞

ෆ⸒⸒ the card spreads

ෆ⸒⸒ how jay acts around his crush

i feel that his behavior around his crush seems to be a bit conflicted but can be determined in his way of showing it. at first , jay may feel unsure of himself or even hesitant when it comes to making any bold moves towards his crush. it's also possible that he could be struggling with what to do next , which might as well lead him to overanalyze things or doubt whether he should even go after his crush in the first place.

similar to sunghoon's , there's a sense of holding back from his side. it's like he’s not fully convinced himself if he should be the one to initiate first. "should i risk it ?" is what i'm getting from this reading session. somehow i'm receiving information about him experiencing past heartbreaks ? he felt dumbfounded about not being successful when it came to forming a romantic relationship with someone else.

although there's a hesitation that is coming from jay , i do sense that he doesn't let those recollections of the past provoke him. he's going to let himself move past whatever pain he might have felt before , trying to remain buoyant at all times. "things will work out in my favor". i'm getting a scene from my mind wherein when his crush is around him , the first thing they'll notice about jay is how he's carrying a heavy weight of emotions ?

despite his sad expression and withdrawn demeanor , their initial perception of jay quickly changes after spending some time with him. the man they first encountered feels like a different person now. jay is ready to release this emotional baggage he has as a way for him to acknowledge and give closure for himself. he's not going to overthink what could go wrong in the future. he is more of a "now" person , someone who's keen on the present.

when he does find the courage within himself , jay may try to behave more assertively because i'm sensing that he has an aim to proceed forward. once he makes up his mind , he’s going to become pretty determined to pursue his crush , putting his shift of focus on them. jay might as well show signs of wanting to take control of the situation between him and his crush , trying to impress them by being the person who takes charge.

he might drop some hints to his crush that he’s thinking about committing to a long-term relationship , or at least having a vision as to where things could go between the two of them. deep down he's going to feel eager about the potential between him and his crush , yet he’s also waiting for the right moment to make his next move.

ෆ⸒⸒ how jay pursues his crush

whilst shuffling my deck , the song chivalry is dead by trevor wesley popped into my head. jay's approach to pursuing his crush is going to be slow and steady. just like sunghoon , he isn't the kind of man who rush into things , especially when it comes to getting into a relationship. he's going to court the said person by means of showing his interest in them through consistent actions. he'll let them know that he can be dependable , continually being there for them when it counts , and proving that he’s someone his crush can lean on.

his forbearing approach toward his crush would gradually build over time. jay can be emotionally instinctive in some instances too. he's not just being pragmatic either but more so him being in tune with his feelings and his crush’s sentiments as well. jay may approach them with care and tenderness , trying to create an emotional affinity. he can be attentive in some way , perhaps by offering support or being a good listener. his way of pursuit has a lot of warm and delicate side to it.

once again , i kept picking up on his fear of getting hurt. he may pursue his crush cautiously , protecting his heart due to his past pain. this could make him feel reluctant to fully open up , as he’s afraid of rejection or experiencing heartbreak again. it seems that whilst jay may try to avoid problems or difficult judgments at first , ultimately he won’t be able to ignore what’s in front of him , which is the person he likes.

in the end , he'll need to confront his emotions directly and choose whether to take the risk or just stay guarded. he may wrestle with indecision for some time , but eventually , he has no other choices that are left on the table. he has to make a decision and how i'm sensing that jay is likely choosing to pursue his crush , despite the potential problems it may have or appear. he also needs to take his time in trying to connect whilst working through his issues.

fxiry : i kept on getting the words "old soul" for him. it feels like jay is more on courting in a traditional way , old-fashioned style.

[nostalgiclittlespace]

Hi 🙋‍♀️

How are you doing ?

I have a request- fandom : Disney’s the great mouse detective

Characters : Cg! Professor Ratigan & Little! Basil { infant/ baby age }

Little info : Basil is someone who would bottling up their regression to functions on his job or other "important " things unfortunately resulting in him involuntarily regressing in bad timings.

Story : Basil was involuntarily slipping while having a fight/argument with Ratigan, he noticed it right away and tried to pause the fight & take care of the little detective dispirited Basil protesting (involving biting). After the fit eased off, Ratigan was now comforting a now regressed Basil in his arms.

{ sorry if it’s too long, & take your time with it }, please ? 🥺

Ok, so first of all, I am so, so sorry for taking forever to finish this and I can’t thank you enough for your patience. Between work and sickness, the past month has been crazy. However, I hope you liked the finished product. It’s actually on of the longest request fics I’ve done at nearly 2000 words, so hopefully that makes up for the delay :)

Again, Thank you so much for your request and patience, and sorry for the wait! PS, I hope the characterizations are okay; I haven’t watched the movie in a hot minute! Also, it takes place in a post movie AU in which Ratigan lives and now he and Basil have a love-hate relationship. Enjoy!

SFW AGE REGRESSION FIC. DNI IF NSFW, KINK, PROSHIP, OR SIMILAR. DO NOT REPOST TO OTHER SITES.

Title: The Little Mouse Detective

Pairing: Little! Basil & CG! Professor Ratigan

Description: Basil, yet again, has been working too hard. Work has to come before his personal time, after all. Unfortunately, Professor Ratigan does not share his sentiment, especially after seeing how badly a case has worn the poor mouse out. (Takes place in a post-movie AU, in which Ratigan lives)

Word count: 1968

The Little Mouse Detective

Work came before regression.  That had been Basil’s rule since the beginning.

He had to put his work, his cases before his personal comfort sometimes.  Because sometimes their lives were on the line; he just couldn’t fathom being selfish enough to put his enjoyment above that!

However, while he had maintained that simple rule for himself since he began his work as a detective, admittedly circumstances had changed.  Namely being the presence of Professor Ratigan.

Ever since their confrontation at Big Ben, the two had reconciled.  Instead of allowing the professor to fall off the clock’s immeasurable heights, Basil had pulled him to safety, and thus the rivalry had changed.  Instead of sworn nemesis, they had an odd partnership.  Ratigan would occasionally show up or even work the cases alongside Basil.  

In some ways, this was a grand improvement over their previously perilous adventures together.  As long as Basil didn’t interfere with Raigan’s business, then the rat would offer his personal perspective and advice on the cases.  But on the other hand…

Unfortunately, Professor Ratigen did not share Basil’s sentiment of ‘work-life-balance-which-really-means-only-working.’  

“You should take a rest,” the professor would always note when he saw him scrubbing his eyes sleepily.  But Basil would never relent, even when his mind was far too foggy to make proper progress on his work.

“You are looking rather weary.  How are you supposed to keep up with me if you are in such a state?” Professor Ratigen would say after a long, tiring, and tough case.  “I’m fine,” Basil would always reply tersely, even when his emotions were running high and his exhaustion left him ready to cry.

Basil shook away his irritation, trying hard to refocus on his work.  Even if Ratigan doesn’t understand nor approve, I have more important things to worry about!  I can rest later.

He gazed upon his endless notes, determined to solve this case before taking any more personal time.  This was just too high-stakes to fathom taking a break!  A family of mice had their entire family fortune stolen–and they were counting on him to find it!  

His scatter-brained mind and strained eyes absorbed as much information as they could, staring at the papers strewn across the desk.  Even if his thoughts were only running at half their usual speed, something was far better than nothing.

Even as the night sky and its moon shooed away the sun, Basil did not take its invitation to rest.  Though the sun had long since set, though his whiskers and ears drooped with exhaustion, he did not allow himself to be deterred.

He didn’t bother looking up when the door opened and the familiar footsteps of Professor Ratigen filled the room.

“Working late again, Basil?” the rat noted.

“Mhm,” the mouse nodded without looking over.  His voice was small and tired when he responded.  “And what are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by,” Ratigan replied.  “Though I presumed you would be enjoying yourself and not working so late again.”

“This is important work,” Basil argued, beginning to nibble on his finger restlessly.

I have to finish this, Basil thought, despite the anxious, exhaustion pulling at his mind.  Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball, and rest.  Maybe gather a few small toys to keep himself busy, have a snack before tucking into bed for the night–

“You live to work, don’t you?” Ratigan huffed in disapproval.  “This is why I get goons to do my dirty work, you know.  So I can have time to relax.”

“Well unfortunately, I don’t have goons,” Basil huffed, feeling his temper rise.  

Ordinarily, he could keep a level head, but between his fatigue, cloudy mind, and Ratigan’s repeated insistence, he could feel his ire rising.  The urge to stomp his foot on the ground like a much younger child was high, though he resisted the temptation.  The last thing he needed was to give Ratigan another excuse as to why he should take a break.

“Perhaps you should find some,” the professor mused, “then you could afford some time off.  Though, finding some intelligent enough to connect the dots as you do might prove difficult.”

“Exactly.  I must do it myself, and will continue to do so,” Basil huffed, “so if you don’t mind I should like to get back to work.”

Professor Ratigan went silent for a moment, and the young mouse naively believed he had won the subtle argument.  However, much to his misfortune, Ratigan was not ready to put the issue to rest.

“Really, I don’t think it is wise for you to sacrifice your health when you are so obviously worn out–” Ratigan began, but Basil was quick to cut him off.

“I’m fine!” his voice came out harsh, frustrated, and childishly insisted.  “Leave me alone!”

Ratigan stared at him for a long moment, the silence stretching between them as Basil turned away again to focus on his writings.  However, as he re-read them for the tenth time that evening, the paper was abruptly snatched away from him by Ratigan.

“Give it back!” Basil cried, jumping up and trying to retrieve his notes.

“You may have them back tomorrow,” Ratigan replied curtly.  Basil didn’t take his insistence well.

“I won’t!  I want them back now!”

Much to Basil’s chagrin, he could feel his words become watery and slurred.  Not now, he lectured himself.  Taking care of this mouse family was far more important than whatever his brain was trying to do.  Nevermind its desire for peace and rest–that could wait until later.

Basil, being so much smaller than Professor Ratigan, struggled and failed to retrieve his papers as they were tucked neatly into one of his suit pockets.  Despite his growing hysteria as he clawed at the man’s shirt in vain attempts to find them, Ratigan remained mostly calm.  He stared down at his once-arch-nemesis with furrowed eyes, analyzing his every sluggish and uncoordinated movement.

“Give it back!” Basil tried to yell, but instead fat tears rolled down his cheeks to display his irritation.

“Not right now,” Ratigan replied coolly.  “For now, you will rest and take care of yourself for once.  If you have any plans on stopping my schemes or someone else’s, then you must be at the right mental capacity for it.  You will rest.”

“No I won’t,” Basil argued, this time not resisting the urge to stomp his foot on the ground.  

When Ratigan’s infuriatingly calm expression did not change, only looking concerned and curious, Basil collapsed to the ground in utter bitterness.  He flopped over and scowled deeply while his watery eyes leaked more tears down his face.  He wanted to lecture himself over his weakness; his face dragged down by exhaustion mixed with this display of emotion must look positively pathetic to Ratigan.  However, Basil could not find the words nor the motivation, his focus narrowed to the fact that he hadn’t gotten his way.

Initially, Ratigan did not move.  Standing over the mouse detective’s wilted form, he wanted a long moment for him to bounce back to his normal self.  After all, Basil was never one to take defeat, especially not in such an emotional manner.  That being said, it didn’t take a genius to reason that he had overworked himself to an extreme yet again.  It had undoubtedly worn down on him, and these were clearly signs he had regressed–something Ratigan had not witnessed him do for quite some time.

Ratigan kept his tone even and neutral as he leaned closer to the mouse, “don’t you see that you need a rest?  Let me help you to your bed and–”

“No!” Basil whined as Ratigan tried to pull him to his feet.  Frightened and offended by the sudden touch, he did the only thing he could think of: sinking his sharp teeth into the professor’s hand, which had grabbed his forearm.

Ratigan hissed in surprise as the young mouse bit him, and he fought to keep his own feelings under control.  Normally, he would not tolerate such an attack, but reminding himself of Basil’s current mental state, he kept his cool.

Carefully and wincing, he pried Basil’s jaw open.  Only for it to snap closed again the moment he attempted to pull his hand out of his mouth.

“Basil,” Ratigan muttered, tone even but serious.  He kept with his same statement, “you need to rest.”

“Noooo,” Basil whined between clenched teeth.  He tried to swat away Ratigan’s free hand, the one currently attempting to open his mouth, but his uncoordinated movements did nothing against the rat.

“Rest,” Ratigan repeated.  “You have worked hard and done well, but at the expense of your own health.  We can discuss a plan for your future work schedule another time; now is not the moment to debate it.  However, now is the time for you to calm yourself.”

Basil stared up at him, his eyes batting tearfully as he processed his words.  His body bounced with sobs.  His jaw gradually loosened, releasing poor Ratigan’s fingers from his powerful, toothy grip.

Cautiously, in case Basil decided to bite him again, the professor drew his fingers away from the mouse’s mouth.  Thankfully, no such attack occurred.  

Instead, Basil slumped over completely, giving up control over his enervated muscles.  Entirely limp, he curled into a miserable pile on the floor; and he looked perfectly miserable.  

The mouse whined quietly to himself.  His mind was far too drained to process any of the swarming feelings in the chest except for one: tired.

He forgot all about the work he was ‘supposed to’ be doing, solely focused on the concept of a nap.  To rest.

His subconscious argued otherwise, nagging at him to pull himself together; there were people who needed him for goodness sake…

But he couldn’t bear to do it.  He couldn’t bring himself to gather off the floor, to argue with Ratigan until he returned the papers, or to complete the heavy quest of returning his focus to the present moment.  His body and mind had betrayed him instead as they went completely slack and refused to move forward.

“Are you ready to rest then?” Ratigan inquired, taking in the sight of the detective.

It took several seconds for Basil to process what the words meant, then he gave a single, slow nod.  Rest.  Yes, please.

This time Ratigan was much more careful in his approach, kneeling beside Basil on the ground.  He waited a few seconds for signs of hostility, but was only met by extreme fatigue.  And, when the mouse gave no further responses, other than closing his eyes wearily, Ratigan dragged Basil into his arms.  He kept his movements slow and sure, just in case he startled him, but Basil seemed far too tired to care about anything he did.

“The floor is hardly the place to sleep,” Ratigan remarked.  “Perhaps it would be best if I took you to bed.”

Whatever Basil thought of the idea, he gave no indicative response.  He remained entirely limp, allowing himself to be lifted off the floor and against Professor Ratigan’s larger form.  Even if he did want to put up a fight, he would doubtfully do any good in his current state.

Not that he’s really ‘want’ to anyway.  Ratigan was surprisingly gentle and careful as he lifted him off the ground; an action he never would have imagined coming from his former enemy.  Basil even remained completely relaxed as he was carried out of his study, away from the work that had taunted his overworked mind for so long.

“That’s it; rest,” Ratigan’s voice rumbled through his half-asleep thoughts.  “Your work will be ready when you are.”

With that, Basil couldn’t fight off his sleep any longer and succumbed to its peaceful invitation.

[honeyjars-sims]

3.15 Fitting In

Johnny was a couple of weeks into his new job and he was mostly feeling positive about it. He still felt like The New Guy, but he was starting to become more familiar with his coworkers. He knew by now that Clara and Robi were inseparable; cool-headed Robi often played the straight man to overzealous Clara which played out well on camera.

Lilly had a sister who also worked on set as a director. Flora, or Flo Flo as Lilly affectionately called her, had a goth vibe and was obsessed with vampires. Despite the dark clothing, she was just as bubbly as her sister.

Johnny spent the most time with Lacey due to the proximity of their work stations. She’d been kind enough to introduce him around and help him get acquainted with the building. She floated effortless between different social groups but was closest to Quinn.

While Lacey was a social butterfly, Quinn was more introverted. Lacey helped get Quinn set up with a private work area so she could have a place to write in peace. Johnny thought it was nice that the company was willing to accommodate her work style.

The one person whom Johnny hadn’t been seeing much of was his supervisor, Lucy. He’d taken on a few tasks, like distributing call sheets and schedules and making sure materials were properly stocked, but he still found himself without much to do during the day. He hung around some on set, learning about the equipment and the filming process.

At first he was happy with the downtime, but as he noticed Lucy was still running herself ragged around the studio all day he began to wonder if there was a reason she wasn’t delegating more tasks to him. If she and Damien had really seen potential in him, then why not let him take on more responsibilities? He decided to be proactive for once and talk to Lucy about it.

When he saw her walking out of her office, he sprinted down the hall to get her attention.

“Hey, Lucy!” he called and she turned to greet him.

“Oh, hi, Johnny,” she replied, nearly out of breath. “Is everything still going ok?”

“Yeah, it’s good. I’m feeling a little more like part of the team.”

“Great! I’m glad you’re liking it so far.”

“It seems like you’re in a rush, do you need me to do anything for you?”

“Oh, no!” Lucy waved her hand. “I don’t have that much to do. I’m just going to run over to the set and make sure the issue with the lighting is fixed. I’ll probably stop by editing on the way back to review some thumbnails, unless Damien still wants to discuss budgeting, in which case, I’ll-”

“Lucy,” Johnny interrupted. “It sounds like you need some help. At least let me check on the lighting for you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Lucy insisted. “It’s on my way.”

“Do you not trust me? Wait, you’re not one of those control freaks who thinks they’re the only ones who can do things right, are you?”

“No!” Lucy’s face reddened. “I know how to delegate, and I don’t want to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off.” She took a deep breath, relaxing for the first time that Johnny had seen since he started. “It’s just harder than I expected to be the one in charge. I’m a social person, but no one wants to sit with their boss in the break area, you know what I mean?”

“So you want…friends?” That wasn’t quite the explanation that Johnny had expected.

“I just don’t want to walk into a room and feel like everyone else is trying to look busy or they’re just being polite. I want my presence to be welcomed, not a burden.”

Johnny could relate to that sentiment. “So you thought if you gave me too much work, I would treat you like everyone else does.”

Lucy wrung her hands. “It sounds so stupid when you spell it out like that, but I guess so. You’re the first person who’s worked directly under me, so I didn’t want to put too much on you right off the bat.”

“I don’t think that’s stupid,” Johnny assured her. “It’s hard when you’re surrounded by people and still feel lonely. I’ll make you a deal. If you let me take on more duties, then I’ll talk you up to everyone.”

“You really think that will work?”

“Sure, I’m very charming. I’ll just tell everyone how chill you are and they’ll be like, ‘Well, if Johnny says she’s cool, then it must be true.’”

Lucy snorted. “I don’t think anyone’s going to believe that I’m chill at this point.”

“You’re probably right about that. I’ll think of something else.”

“Good deal. Thanks, Johnny.” Lucy turned and started walking away.

“You’re welcome . . . boss,” Johnny called behind her. He laughed when she raised a middle finger in the air in response.

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

[campbyler]

okay, so, i will admit that even though i keep seeing your fic EVERYWHERE, i avoided it despite being a byler, for the sole reason that it's so popular. idk why but when i tried reading it before, i barely got past the first paragraph before going nope, nope, NOPE.

but now i'm reading it again and I AM OBSESSED. what the hell did you all put in this fic?! i literally missed my train AND bus stop on the way home because i got too hooked reading the fic SIJXNDKSKSK

anyways, you guys are such amazing writers and this fic of yours is going to live in my soul rent free for a LONG TIME.

hello! warning for a long post incoming, but like 90% of this is just some thoughts i have on the matter, not directed at your specific ask anon. so glad you ended up liking it though!! i can deeply sympathize with the public transit horrors though omg a couple weeks ago i accidentally rode my first bus almost to the end of its line when i should’ve gotten off about eight stops earlier. genuinely don’t know what i was doing to not notice for that long lol. i also am not putting this under a read more because mobile decided it hates me so i am so sorry if it doesn’t automatically add one 😭

neither of us are believers in having to like things solely on the basis of them being big — there are plenty of popular things in fandom and outside of it that we don’t personally care for — and while we are so so grateful for all the support and interaction and appreciation we’ve gotten, i feel like this is also part of the inevitable consequences of a fandom piece breaching containment? our fic isn’t going to be for everyone, and there will always be people who dislike it but that’s ok! it’s a niche au with a Lot of lore and longgggg chapters in a fandom with a seemingly significant preference towards in-universe best friends to lovers fics, usually some form of canon divergence or compliance. we have said this so many times before but we literally expected our first chapter to get a FRACTION of the interaction it did, because a lot of people also don’t love to read long incomplete chaptered fics while they’re still updating. if we were writing a fic hoping it would get popular, we would have chosen literally any other premise, and so i would like to make this one thing clear: whether someone doesn’t like the fic itself or doesn’t care enough for the premise to try, it’s okay! it happens and it happens often and we literally do not care.

with that being said, the thing that does get a little 🤨 — both as authors of a larger fic and also just seeing it happen for other Popular Things — is this weird like. groupthink mentality that often seems to come with the Popular Thing in question? while we do actually get this sentiment directed at us pretty often, people usually aren’t saying it To Our Faces — it’s more often posts under the tag or mentions or whatever being like “everyone’s read acswy but me, should i read it?” or “am i the only one here who isn’t obsessed with acswy” or “why is it so popular what’s the hype” etc. and while, like i said, we don’t care if someone likes or doesn’t like our fic, what does annoy us a bit is when people seemingly have to like. conduct a survey or something just to see if they should even TRY reading a fic. like, you have ao3 access, you know the title of the fic and the fandom and probably even have a link — literally just open it up and read a little bit! why are you waiting for 20 replies to your post to hype you up to try something that will have absolutely zero consequences if you end up disliking it!! it just honestly feels like people are trying to gauge whether their investment of time will be worth it and i get it to an extent — fics are long (guilty), they take time to read, sometimes the plot takes a bit to pick up if there’s a lot of exposition and it’s hard to get past that hurdle, and we are all busy people — but to a farther extent it does make it feel like fanworks turn into a product to consume after they reach a certain level of popularity, and “is [insert fic] good, should i start it even if it’s long?” starts sounding an awful lot like asking if something is worth your money to buy. i just can’t wrap my head around why something as innocuous as a fanfiction, created by other fans for you to read for freeeeeeee, would require so much deliberation and crowdsourced input to even just be checked out. and i cannot stress enough that there is no consequence to disliking this fic or any fic, popular or not. like, the worst thing that can happen is you lose 20 minutes of your life, but tbh people who hit post on this stuff at 2am don’t strike me as particularly concerned about this lol

anyways, genuinely all we ask is that our readers give acswy a good faith effort because they actually want to, not because they feel like they have to or are trying to slog through it just to feel included or whatever. even from the interaction we actually get via asks, comments, etc (not even counting stuff like twt mentions or the general tag) it immediately becomes sooo apparent who’s reading our fic because they like it and are having fun engaging with it and us as part of a fandom community vs the people that are…. Not doing that lol. and all that to say: thank you for giving us that good faith effort! we get it, we would both be lying if we said that we have never fallen victim to the anti-popularity mindset — that’s not at all what we are implying here. there have been so many times i have not cared for a popular fandom fic and so many other times i’ve loved them. i guess i just wish it was a more common mindset to accept that you won’t necessarily like something if it’s popular, but also that the fact of it being popular doesn’t automatically detract from its quality. the only way you’ll know is to try for yourselffff (maybe without having to conduct that survey first. lol)

[adalwolfgang]

Ok so this maybe suuuuupeer ooc but I currently been sick/ been through a really shitty situation recently and was wondering some director hcs of him taking care of someone in his own weird backwards way LMAO

The Director [Paulo Ravinski] | Uzdrav sa skoro

"Do not worry, moja hviezda. You will shine bright again."

Translation (from google): "Uzdrav sa skoro" → "Get well soon"

Tag list: @lonleydweller

Instead of offering sympathy, he sees your pain as a compelling story. He might document your suffering with his film camera, muttering about “raw emotion” and “genuine distress”, not out of cruelty, but because he believes hardship creates true art. However, after a while, he lowers the camera and, in a rare moment of sincerity, murmurs, “Do not worry, moja hviezda. You will shine bright again.”

If you’re sick, he demands you stay in bed, not out of kindness, but because “the body must be preserved for its final performance.” He’ll pace around your shared room like a neurotic director, making sure you “follow the script” (aka resting). If you try to get up too soon, he gives you an unimpressed look, forcing you to lay back down and warns, “Uzdrav sa sko.” It sounds like an order rather than encouragement.

Expect strange herbal concoctions, foreign medicines, or even unsettling treatments like cupping therapy because he read somewhere that “suffering must be drawn out like poison.” He watches you drink the odd-tasting brew with the same intensity as when he’s waiting for the perfect shot, nodding when you finally swallow it. “Good,” he says. “You are committed to the role.” He’ll also go to Albert for advice if he notices you aren’t getting any better.

He’s not the comforting type, but he’s always nearby. Sitting in a chair in the corner, watching with that unsettling intensity, taking mental notes, making sure you stay alive and well. It’s creepy, but oddly reassuring.

If you refuse to eat, he won’t take no for an answer. He won’t spoon-feed you (unless you physically cannot feed yourself), but he places food in front of you with the ominous expectation that you will eat it. Maybe it’s simple soup, maybe it’s an elaborate, foreign dish he says is good for “endurance.” Either way, there’s no escaping it. He won’t move until you take a few bites. “Even the strongest actors must sustain themselves,” he reminds you.

At some point, he sits beside you and reads to you a cryptic, philosophical book about how suffering forges the strongest individuals. “The weak perish. The strong endure. Like you. You… you are meant to endure.” His voice is firm, unwavering, like he’s willing your survival into existence.

If someone else hurt you, oh boy, he sees that as an unforgivable offense. Not because he’s particularly sentimental, but because “only I control the suffering in my productions.” Whoever wronged you? They just became the next star of his next film… and that’s never a good thing.

If you’re vulnerable, he becomes oddly territorial. He won’t outright say he cares, but his actions, subtly positioning himself between you and others, ensuring you’re not disturbed, keeping an eerie watch over your surroundings, speak volumes. No one gets near you unless he allows it (Surprise, he doesn’t).

If you can’t sleep, he might put on old, eerie orchestral film scores, claiming “this is the soundtrack of the subconscious mind.” It’s not exactly relaxing, but hey, it’s better than silence. If that doesn’t work, to his minor disappointment, he’ll climb into bed with you and let you cuddle into him. He’s surprisingly warm even though he’s been undead for nearly 19 years.

He won’t admit it, but if you start getting better, there’s a shift. His stare lingers less like he’s observing a specimen and more like he’s… relieved? He won’t acknowledge it, though. Except maybe a chaste kiss on the forehead or a lingering touch on your face.

Being cared for by Paulo is an experience, equal parts unsettling, intense, and strangely protective. Would he ever outright say he cares? No. But in his own eerie, backward way, he makes sure you shine bright again.

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

The One I've Been Waiting For {Part 06 of 13}

Word count: 2 K

Summary: Billy Hargrove is just one of the many students you're supposed to help. The last thing you expect from your interaction is that he'll start flirtt with you... Much less that Billy would stir up feelings you'd rather keep hidden. Despite the mutual sentiments that soon enough start to grow, there are a lot of reasons for whatever it is to be left alone, and one of them is your age...

{Stranger Things Masterlist}

A/N: In this story, reader is 5 years older than Billy, who's 18.

•••

Intimacy

 The first thing you notice when you wake up is the familiar scent on the sheets. Billy's cologne, which you grew to like. But he's not here, and when you're just about to call his name, you hear the shower being turned off.

 Sitting up, you run a hand through your hair, sighing. Maybe letting him stay wasn't a good idea. Weren't you supposed to end this? Or don't let it go anywhere? So why are you doing the exact opposite? Letting him stay, sleeping in his arms? Loving the brand new experience of sleeping next to someone?

 What went wrong from one point to the other? You lost track of it.

 You're still immersed in thoughts when the bathroom door opens, and a shirtless Billy comes out. He seems surprised to see you up, and you raise an eyebrow at him.

 You're seriously trying not to look.

 “I hope you don't mind me using your shower.”

 “Well, you did sleep on my bed. Guess it's ok to use the shower.” Standing up, you take a deep breath, eyes on the bathroom door to avoid staring at him. “My turn now.”

 “Hey.” He calls, and you turn around. “You look so cute when you're asleep.”

 His smirk makes you blush, so you roll your eyes and head to the bathroom, closing the door shut.

 You do take more time than necessary because you need to think. The thought of shutting Billy out crosses your mind, but something tells you that, if you even try, it's a battle your heart will win. So make up your mind for now. If Billy wants to go, because he'll have to go eventually, he'll do it himself.

 All that so you won't admit to yourself you want him to stay.

 When you're off the bathroom, Billy is nowhere to be found. It's a confusion of feelings between relief and loneliness, but before you can even start to work on that, you hear a noise downstairs. He's still here.

 Dressing up before going downstairs, you find Billy in the kitchen... Messing up with your stuff... Still shirtless.

 “...What are you doing? And please, don't set my grandmother's house on fire.”

 As you walk over to the countertop, Billy gives you an annoyed look. “I happen to be quite good at making waffles and you happen to have a waffle iron.” He gestures at the thing, already on.

 If Billy were anyone else, you'd be... Annoyed. You don't like people who you're not intimate with going through your stuff... But for some reason, you don't mind it. You're impressed. “Then I'll sit here and wait as you make me breakfast.” Moving to the kitchen island, you ignore his smirk. “Won't your father be mad at you not only for sleeping out but also for not going home at the break of dawn?” You can't help but ask when the thought crosses your head.

 “No, don't worry. He doesn't care. Actually, I think he can't wait until I find a job and get out.” Billy sighs, his muscular back moving smoothly. “And neither can I.”

 When you hear the pain in his voice, you curse yourself for bringing that up. So you decide to change the topic and lighten up the mood. “So... How many girls were lucky enough to have you make them waffles?”

 Billy giggles, putting the blatter in the waffle iron. “Believe it or not, you're the first.”

 “Really?”

 “The second, actually.” Furrowing his eyebrows, he leans on the countertop, looking at you.

 “Oh...” Clearing your throat, you look away, not wanting to think about who else might have had the pleasure.

 “The other one was Max. I had some made for me and Max had one.” He says and you look back at him, biting your lip. “What?”

 “Nothing, Billy.”

 “Alright.” He smiles, and soon enough he's done with the waffles and you decide to sit in the living room and eat while watching some TV.

 But the TV is quickly forgotten, as you chat about small things. Talking to Billy is... Easy. And with all those things away from your head, you feel able to enjoy his company.

 “What do you think about my grandmother's house?” You ask after drinking what's left of your orange juice.

 “I like it. Way better than my place.”

 “And how's your place?”

 “Trash.”

 Giggling, you roll your eyes. “Well, this thing is that when you have your own place you can decorate it the way you like. When I lived with my parents I had to endure those awful paintings they have in the living room.”

 “Let me guess. Some abstract shit.”

 Nodding, you laugh. “There's a huge painting, right above the fireplace. The background is white and there are only two vertical blue lines.” You laugh again remembering it, folding both legs under you and turning your body towards him. “My father says it's... Transcendent.”

 “God.” Billy mumbles, laughing too.

 “He says it makes him think about the duality of life and death and I'm like... How the hell did you get that from two vertical blue lines?” Furrowing your eyebrows, you shrug. “It just sucks, believe me.”

 “Oh, I do.” He giggles. “What are your plans for today by the way?”

 “Mmm... Lunch with Tanya and Liam. And since they have a date later tonight I'll head back home and I don't know, watch something nice maybe.” His staring makes you blush, glancing at the TV. “You? Do you have some girl to hang out with today?”

 “I will if you go out with me.”

 Whoa, he's not kidding. “What?”

 “Let me take you out.”

 “Billy...”

 “C'mon,” He takes your hand, and you look at him again. “Give me a chance. One date, that's all I'm asking. And if you hate it, or feel uncomfortable with the whole age thing-” He rolls his eyes. “-you just have to tell me and I won't bother you anymore.” He sounds so serious... As if he's pleading. Can a guy like Billy even do that?

 Your brain wants to say no right away. But your heart... “Alright.” You whisper, looking at your joined hands. “Tonight then. One date.” Standing up, you look down at him. “But I want a real date. Not whatever you do with the girls.”

 “Trust me, princess.” He gets up as well, standing tall before you. “I'll make it work.”

•••

 “You're going to do what?” Liam asks, coming back from the kitchen.

 As if he didn't hear the whole conversation. Rolling your eyes, you take the soda can from his hand, cracking it open. “I'm going on a date with Billy.”

 “A real date?”

 “A real date.” You repeat, taking a sip.

 “You know I'll stand by you no matter what, but you gotta be careful. You've never been through heartbreak and trust me, it's not nice.” Tanya warns you, putting her can on the coffee table. Liam, from the armchair, nods. You knew them only for a couple of years, but the connection was immediate. And the three of you have shared everything. So they both know you very well, and you always pay attention to their advice.

 “I've been through that before.”

 “Yeah, but you had crushes. And I don't think this one is just a crush.”

 “Tanya is right,” Liam adds. “The age gap, as minimum as it is, is a big deal to you. And if you managed to see past that... This is definitely more than just a crush.”

 Looking down at your hands, you sigh. It's not that you don't want to tell them, you just... You don't want to create false hopes. Or make it more real than it already is. “I like Billy, I... I like being around him. It feels good.”

 “It feels good being around the two of you.” Liam gestures at you and Tanya. “Because she's my girlfriend and you're my best friend. So just enjoying being around someone doesn't necessarily mean it'll take a romantic turn.”

 Yeah... you're aware of that. “We, Mmm... We slept together last night.”

 Tanya's eyes go wide, and Liam gives her a look. “What!!?”

 Wait. Wrong choice of words. “Whoa, that's not what I mean. Billy climbed through my window after a fight and... He was quite upset so I invited him to stay and that was it.”

 “That was it?” Liam asks.

 “And how did that feel?” Tanya asks, ignoring Liam's question.

 Blushing, you run a hand through your hair. “Just... Look, I know this is complicated. Billy has a bad reputation, and I'm... I'm five years older, but it's just a date. He asked for a chance and I wanted to give it to him. After last night, I just... If it doesn't work it's over anyway.”

 “You're good at judging character so I believe you'll be fine. But be careful.”

 “And have fun,” Liam says, winking at you.

 Rolling your eyes, you blush. “I will.”

 “Okay, what you gonna wear?” Liam asks in a sarcastic tone, in his best performance of Tanya's voice, making you both laugh.

 You're still on the fence about this, but you'd be lying if you said you're not excited. But it would be wise not to have your hopes so high because this date could be the end. And maybe it would be for the best.

•••

@aunicornmademedoit @alexa4040 @goth-cowgirl-03 @nyctophilic0vitnir @minispice-1

[skuntank]

things i dont need to wait to do just because it is a new year but a new year helps me feel motivated to set goals for myself:

i want to improve how i draw eyes

i want to improve how i draw noses

i want to stop verbally nitpicking all the things i dont like or "messed up" in my art because its likely nobody else notices otherwise

i overall want to be kinder to myself in many aspects, but specifically with my art, i want to be more forgiving of myself. its ok if it looks wonky. its also ok if i want something to look good. it is not ok to beat myself over the head and punish myself in regards to either of these sentiments

i want to continue this path of not creating art with the explicit intent of sharing it with others and gaining external validation for it

i want to continue down this path of creating for the sake of creating, and creating for the joy of it, not because i feel obligated to

[misscinnamonroll16]

Brozone diner au: the day John Dory took off part six

god this is long

He always made the funniest faces. John took that picture too, along with the photo album. John grabbed the rest of the items, taking one last look around the room before heading back to his campervan. After arriving back at his campervan, John Dory decided to bake their grandma's famous fluffleberry cake. After making and decorating the cake, John noticed that the crocodile plush had a tear and was incredibly dirty. He hand washed it and patched up the tear. JD checked his watch, it was only 8:45 pm. John made himself some dinner and put on a movie. Partway through the movie, John dozed off, probably going to be sore tomorrow from sleeping on a couch. John woke up to his usual alarm, stretching and popping his back. John made a quick breakfast and some coffee, packing up the cake to take to work as a thank you gift to his brothers. He grabbed a box to put the book and plush in, hesitating for a moment, what if they didn't want these things? They clearly hadn't been missing them because they were still there. John decided to take them in anyway and talk to Bruce about to make sure his sentiment is understandable, luckily Bruce was the first one in. JD got to the diner, setting the cake and box in the office, locking the door behind him. He usually didn't lock the office when he was here but that stuff was a surprise so he didn't want one of them seeing it. John set everything up as usual, quietly singing to himself, only perking up when he heard Bruce opening the front door. “G’morning Brucie.” John said, pouring Bruce a cup of coffee and handing it to him. Bruce grunted, he's never really been a morning person, taking the cup of coffee. Bruce took a big sip of the coffee, slowly waking up. John Dory gave Bruce time to fully wake up, knowing he'll be an asshole if he's not awake enough. After a few minutes Bruce turned to John, trying to figure out what he's thinking about it. “Alright, what's going on? You're thinking about something." Bruce said before taking another sip of his coffee. “I was just waiting for you to finish waking up. If you're ready, come on." JD mumbled before turning to walk into the back towards the office. Bruce grabbed his coffee and followed John Dory to the office, even more confused. “Ok so yesterday I went back to Grandma's old pod and found some stuff that I'd think you guys would like but I don't know for sure so I want your Older Brother Opinion ™️. I don't know, maybe I'm just being sentimental.” John said, opening the office and showing Bruce the box of items. " Dang, you want my opinion on this? You're probably overthinking this. Aww, that's an adorable picture of Floyd and baby Branch. You trying to make Clay cry by giving him this book? I think Branch might have missed Crocko. Wait, when was this picture taken?” Bruce said as he looked through the box, setting his cup down on the table. " Oh grandma was taking pictures of us for some magazine company and you wouldn't stop making faces. I guess she had that one developed. I remember you being behind her making faces for Clay and Floyd.” JD said, looking down at the picture fondly with Bruce. “Oh now I remember. Yeah, I think this was a good idea but also you were just being sentimental. Find any other good things there?" Bruce asked as he placed the picture back in the box. John shook his head, placing the box on the floor. That's when Bruce noticed it, the cake. John was talking but Bruce didn't hear a word, too focused on the cake, not sure if it was what he thought it was. Finally John Dory realized Bruce wasn't paying attention, following his line of sight. “Yep, that's what you think it is. But you have to wait for the others to get here. It's a little thank you gift for forcing me to take the day off.” John said, stepping in front of Bruce, who was practically drooling. " Well we wouldn't have to force you if you'd just take days off once in a while.” Bruce sassed, finally snapping out of his trance. "I'm trying to be nice and say thank you, don't be an asshole about it.” JD teased.

@bzjohndory

[elly99]

us without me IV: new jeans

A story series from the perspective of Mia (fem!Reader/OC) as she goes through her memories and recounts falling in love with her best friend in high school, Minji. She suffers in silence until she breaks and it all comes crashing down.

Part 4 of 7. Check here for more details. Reading previous parts for context is encouraged. CW for language.

“Mia-ya,” she calls from behind her locker door.

“Mmm?”

“You wanna do something this weekend?”

“I dunno. Just relax, I guess.”

“You don’t wanna do something together?” She closes her locker, revealing her face pouting at you.

There were so many things you wanted to do together. But you bury those ideas under the books you stuff into your own locker.

“Did you have something in mind?”

“Nothing in particular. Just something with you.”

Fucking hell.

“Well, I think I need new jeans. Help me pick out some?”

You catch her smiling to herself.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She giggles. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“I’ll tell you later!”

“김민지 이상하다.”

Before closing your locker you notice a tiny bear sticker on the door.

“How did this get here? We’re only a month in and you’ve already started vandalizing my locker?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, bro.”

“Is this why you were laughing at me?”

“No, no! But I will admit it’s funny how you only noticed it now. And also how easy it was to guess your code.”

“Wait, yeah! How the fuck did you know?”

“Mia! No need to be so angry that your best friend knows you so well.”

It slowly dawns on you. “You remembered the date?”

“Of course! The day we got these,” she says, lifting her ring finger up to your face. “It was my idea after all.”

You look down at your own fingers. And you start to feel your sanity slowly slipping through them.

“To be fair, it did take me a couple of tries before I got it. But still… I know you’re sentimental like that, so it wasn’t hard.”

As she proudly struts away to the cafeteria you spot her applying lip balm - the same one you used.

You thought you’d buried it in your locker along with everything else but you find yourself powerless to stop the idea of kissing her making its way back into your mind as the lip balm touches her lips.

-

The smell of spring wafted in through the open bedroom window. You had your phone to text her in one hand and the chocolate bar she got you on the walk home in the other.

so we’re just going shopping tomorrow?

yeah unless u had something else u wanted to do

wanna watch a movie?

huh? i thought u didnt like movies

yeah but i just want to spend time with you and i know you like going to the cinema so

You admire the blue ring on your finger and laugh.

My girlfriend really likes me, doesn’t she?

As long as you had it on you could pretend. So you never took it off.

i just checked and there arent any movies showing rn that im interested in

wanna come sleep over at my place then? we can watch the movies we want

wow u really wanna spend time with me huh

you got a problem with that bro?

no its just ur being sweeter than usual idk

well i do have something really important to tell you and i just wanna spend the day together so we can talk about it

No, Mia. It can’t be what you think it is.

is this what u were being so secretive about earlier?

yeah

why so serious bro is everything ok?

yeah everything’s perfect! i just want to tell you in person

No. Fucking. Way.

why not now?

i’ll tell you tomorrow dw

you promise?

of course! i’ll pick you up at 10? or is that too early?

no im fine with it but i doubt youll wake up that early

you’re right 😖 i’ll just text you tomorrow

sure

okie good night mimi ily 💗

good night <3

Mia, there’s just no way. Calm down. You’re being silly. You’re being delusional. Stop it.

You start laughing again at the absurdity of the situation. At the fact you were even entertaining the thought. You laugh until tears start pooling in your eyes. Until you forget why you were laughing in the first place. Until the tears fall and you find yourself crying into the night.

-

i’m up

congrats on waking up before noon ig

hey i set an alarm just for you so you better be grateful

woah im so touched

we have a date today so i better be on time right? 😊

Damn it, Minji.

does that mean youll be here soon?

yeah in 30

cool

It was 11:10. You’d gotten ready to go two hours ago. But she didn’t need to know that. She didn’t need to know that you were dying to know what it was she wanted to tell you.

hey i miss you

What the fuck?

bro whats up ur never this clingy

sorry i’m just really happy

about what?

you’ll see

It was 11:11. You wish for what you’d always wished for. You knew there was no point but with her being like this and your ring still on your finger, the line between fantasy and reality had never been more blurred.

-

Waiting outside your front door, you see her approaching from down the street. Even at that distance you could see the radiant smile she was giving you.

Often you wondered what life would have been like had you not moved in just down the street from her. Had you not gone to the same school. What if the universe didn’t give you so many opportunities to get close to each other? Why did it have to give you so many reasons to fall for her? But you had no choice. This was your life now. The girl you called your best friend, the one standing in front of you, was the person you so desperately loved.

“굿모닝.”

“It’s not morning anymore. You’re late.”

“미안!” You’re reminded that every apology would sound like your name. “But I’m here now. Let’s go.”

“Don’t you have something to tell me first?”

“Later. Over dinner.” Her smile was cheeky. Teasing.

“We have dinner plans?”

“Yup. My treat.”

Your heart trips over its own beats.

“Bro, it should be my turn.”

“Mia, no. This one’s important to me.”

Then it starts to scream as it hits the ground.

“My god, Min, what’s this about?”

“Don’t worry about it! Let’s just go get your new jeans first.”

She starts laughing again and you still don’t know why.

-

“Minji! No way!” you exclaim, shopping bags filled with clothes in one hand, her hand in the other as she tugs you along to a familiar part of the mall.

She just smiles and sticks her tongue out.

“This place is expensive!”

“But it’s your favorite. So it’s where we’re going.”

“Minjiii,” you whine.

“Hey, if you really cared about me spending too much you wouldn’t have such expensive taste. You left me no choice, to be honest.”

“Bro!”

For the first time in a while you’re laughing together. For a reason you both knew.

“For real, though, Mia. It’s fine! It’s my treat, so don’t worry about it.”

“You’re so sweet, Min.”

As if that needed further confirmation, she pulls out a chair for you.

“Mia! Are you blushing?”

“What? No!” You quickly cover your face with your hands. Your ring smiles a devilish smile as you bring it close.

“Don’t fall in love, bro,” she says teasingly. But it was way too late for that.

“What do you mean? I’m just excited for the food.”

“Sure.”

With that one word her expression changes. You couldn’t quite parse it. But you convinced yourself that there was something about her face that told you that she knew. And there was nothing more terrifying.

-

As your meal comes to a close and the night slows down she finally says it.

“Mia.”

“Minji.”

“I have something to tell you.”

“I know.” Your voice falters as your heartbeats quicken. You clear your throat to hide it. “Just tell me already.”

She leans over the table, looking straight into your eyes with something like anxiousness in hers.

“I’m… I’m debuting in July.”

In that moment, as your pounding chest comes to a crashing halt, there was no greater dissonance than wanting to be happy for your best friend but being disappointed that she didn’t want to be more than that. Being excited for her future but being bitter that her future wasn’t you.

Then came rage. Fury. The dissonance between expecting, wanting, praying for her to confess and knowing that that was just a puerile, selfish fantasy you conjured for yourself. “You’re being silly again,” is what she would have said. You were so angry and there was no one else to blame but you.

“Bro, I’m so happy for you!” you strain. “All that hard work’s finally paying off!”

“Thanks, Mia,” she says softly.

“I don’t even know why you were worried you wouldn’t debut! You’re so talented. It was always gonna happen. I’m so proud of you, Min!”

“Thank you,” she repeats with her eyes.

“So, what’s the name of your group?”

She laughs once more and you finally understand why.

“NewJeans.”

“Oh my god, no wonder.”

“But don’t tell anyone, ok?”

“Of course, bro. Why would you even think I’d tell anyone?” you ask a little more aggressively than you’d like, still barely controlling your anger. Thankfully, she doesn’t notice.

“Just making sure.”

“How many songs do you have?”

“Four. And, yeah, we’ll be filming our music videos in Spain.”

“Oh, wow!” You wonder how much longer you could hide it. How much longer until she realizes you were faking it. “When are you leaving?”

“Next week. Which is why I wanted to spend time with you this weekend.”

“Wait, will you be gone for your birthday, then?”

“Yeah…”

“Oh.” You struggle to find words to say as your anger is replaced by sadness. “I’ll miss you…”

“I’m sorry! I’ll miss you, too! I promise we’ll spend lots of time together when I get back.”

“But I’m sure you’ll be really busy even then. Even more when you debut…”

“Let’s not worry about it yet, Mia! I’m still here. And I’m just happy to be with you now.”

“Me, too.” You smile weakly.

“I’ll just go pay, ok? I’ll be right back, then we can talk more about it at home. We have all night anyway!”

“Thanks, Min. For the food. For today. For everything.”

“Aww, bro, you sound so sad!” she says as she stands up. You look up at her from your chair. Seeing your hand on the table, she gently wraps hers around it and you hear the subtle clink of your rings as they touch. “I’m still here, ok? I always will be.”

You don’t take your eyes off her as she walks away. And they remain glued to her in forbidden admiration as she returns. Every time you looked at her there was always a part of you that wanted to just rush over to her and tell her everything. That she was your everything. Your first love. Now, knowing the world would soon fall in love with her, too - because you knew everyone would - that part of you wanted to keep her all to yourself.

Then there was the part of you just happy to see her. To have her in your life. Because she did make you happy. She always tried her best to put a smile on your face. She was an angel like that and today was further proof of it. And her smile - the same one you could see on her face now as she approached you - it made you feel safe. Like things were going to be alright. There was a strange, counterintuitive comfort you found in it, knowing that, even if she didn’t know your pain, she’d be there for you. She thought the world of you. She loved you like no one else could. Just not in that way. And you were happy with that. You’d have to be.

“가자.”

At the sound of her soft voice your sadness gives way to resignation. You remind yourself that it wasn’t her fault she couldn’t give you what your heart yearned for. And in doing so, you could finally, truly be happy for her.

With your hand hidden from her in your pocket, you slip your ring off with your thumb as she takes you home.

[nayialovecat]

The Ink Demonth 2023 - Day 23. Contraband

Day 23. Contraband Crossover: Craig of the Creek, Disenchantment Apparently Workshop toys are a pretty bad currency at least for the time being, but wait until you have some more of them, Kit, and you can make the best trade in your life: "limited edition toys from haunted studio, only from me!"

Kit, as well as the Trading Tree itself, come from the cartoon "Craig of the Creek" (I drew Craig once), which is an extremely nice Cartoon Network production showing kids playing on the titular Creek. I love it for many things - firstly, it brings back sentimental memories from my own childhood, secondly, it is a wonderful cross-section of different types of kids and their behavior, thirdly - it shows small problems in a completely different light. Every parent should watch this series to understand things better. I especially love the episodes that alternately show what the kids see - and what is really happening (e.g. during the game "the floor is lava"). My objection is the same as against Bluey: that it is a bit unrealistic that all the kids always take part in the games and accept the sometimes problematic rules (e.g. when playing hide and seek or being trapped in a maze) - that no one will say "ok, I've had enough, I'm not playing with you anymore". But apart from that - a wonderfully presented world of imagination, actually a mini-community. This series was also "nominated" for the City entry for a while, but I decided that I wouldn't find anything else for the Contraband (plus wanted to draw Kit).

I really like the character of Kit. This little, enterprising girl is something of a higher instance of the creek - thanks to her, kids (for a small fee) can eat their favorite sweets or snacks without having to leave their playground and go to the store, she also sells toys and gadgets. I ship her with Craig - all the episodes of them working together confirm in my eyes what a wonderful couple they'll be when they become teenagers. I'm honestly counting on it, because of all the girls hanging around Craig, Kit is the one who best suits him in terms of character and common interests.

More observant people may also notice a guest from another cartoon, this time absolutely not for children - the demon Luci from "Disenchantment" - a series by the creators of Futurama aimed at adult viewers, a somewhat modern fairy tale, and partly a parody of many well-known stories. If someone is an adult and doesn't know it, I recommend it. A wonderful story with a very good ending to the whole plot. Luci, the personal demon of the main character, Princess Bean, is undoubtedly my favourite character. I love his physical two-dimensionality, to his absolutely non-one-dimensional character. I love his texts and the fact that in all his participation in Bean's adventures, he never forgets for a moment that he is a hellish being, and his "do it, do it" is always wonderful. In his original storyline, Luci was considered a "weird cat" by those around him, hence Kit's text (while he's actually just another of Bendy's "cousins" that the ink demon is wandering around with).

As for the technical side... it took a lot of time to colour, but was surprisingly fun. It was the first time in a long time that I shaded in such a strange way. Oh, it's worth noting that the colours of Bendy's clothes were entirely developed by my daughter, Ursa. Kudos to her! By the way, I wonder who Bendy stole these clothes from X"D

Finally, I will just mention that the Contraband theme was originally associated with "The Owl House" and Eda's stall, but I moved it to another place with a better idea. And that's why Craig landed here.

PS. I don't like Kopiko, but I'm not crazy about avoiding showing existing products in my drawings. But seriously, I didn't feel like changing the name, so here you have it, a covert advertisement for the hideous Kopiko coffee candies. You're welcome, Kopiko.

Bendy and the Ink Machine (c) Joey Drew Studios Inc. Craig of the Creek (c) Cartoon Network Disenchantment (c) Matt Groening Sammy and the Ink Machine (c) Nayia Lovecat

[tocja]

Okay, I try to avoid this whole Eurovision thing since Israel is not banned, but something caught my eye.

I came across Polish entries, and first on the list was a song by some young woman in cheap babushka/stereotypical Slavic girl cosplay. And it made me irrationally mad. So mad, actually, that I started talking to myself about why the idea of a young blonde in red lipstick and a plastic flower crown makes my blood boil.

And I came to the conclusion that I hate the idea of 'vague Slavicness.'

There is this ideal that being Slavic means the same thing across borders, and as much as I can appreciate cosmopolitan sentiment in this statement, I have to also notice that this is exactly the type of narration which is used by Russia to deny us identity.

'There is no Ukraine - they are just half-baked Russians';

'They are not Poles - they are Russians in denial';

'We are all the same in our Slavic brotherhood and we will be stronger as one' - and I've met my share of Slavic nationalists to know that for some people, those sound like promises and not threats.

If we are all the same, then it is not an attack - it is unification.

And Slavicness means a lot of things; it is not the same even within the borders of the same country. Seeing this idea of being vaguely Slavic, enough to be recognized as one, but not to the point of giving yourself any actual cultural identity - it seems extremely pandering, as if we are trying to show some sanitized version that could be easily sold to everyone. Everyone recognizes 'babushka,' and who cares if you don't even use that word in Polish - your Slavicness makes you semi-Russian by proxy.

And not to be misunderstood - I don't think that the mentioned singer did that on purpose; I am pretty sure she just wanted to make some cute folkish tune that could represent her country.

I just think that the aesthetic of being Slavic is so ingrained in us that we actually forget that this is a culture, not a box of Pinterest/propaganda prompts.

I am rambling; it doesn't have to mean anything. Maybe because I come from a part of Poland with a strong regional identity and work in a museum, I am uncomfortable with the idea of a 'universal Slav,' and this video just serves as an excuse to rant about things that were already bothering me."

Ok fking wait a second

I was just finishing, when i decided to check the video again. The description states:

Kwiaty" is not just a song; it's a heartfelt journey into Slavic, old-fashioned love. Dama's lyrics take us back to a time when gestures spoke louder than words—buying flowers, sweet words, and walks under the moon. The song contrasts this nostalgic ideal with the modern lack of effort in relationships. Dama sings of a Slavic girl's strength, bravery, and confidence, longing for genuine connections. "Kwiaty" becomes a bridge between cultures, inviting reflection on the essence of sincere, old-fashioned love.

what the fuck is slavic old fashioned love

I was saying that I don't think the singer meant anything bad, and well - yes she did, here you go, you get romanticized slavic traditionalist propaganda about GOOD OLD TIMES XDDD

The lyrics are crazy

So you want me but you won't open me door

So you want me but you won't walk me home

So you want me but won't pay on our date

So being with you and without you it's the same

As it is shown by the text above, I am not native english speaker, I make my share of mistakes, but I am pretty sure that some wonky english is on display here.

I have Slavic blood

I keep my head high

And my tears dry

So don't waste my time

Oh yeah babe, there it is, Slavic blooded girlboss.

OKOKOK i don't want to show more text as it is physically painful, but I couldn't find a better definition of ''vague slavicness'' even if I tried. Some '' Slavic dama'' singing about ''Slavic love'' What makes it slavic? plastic flower crown, white frilly dress and patriarchal views. Culture? Those things I mentioned are not culture?

I believe that slavicness can be genuine, historically informed, modern and progressive please please please don't let us fall into conservative superficial ideals, just because it sometimes feels like there is not much more to us and our culture. We are rich and diverse.

It took a turn lol

[dailyoyo]

thabk yoi a lot dailyoyo your brains are very compelling to me it kind of makes me want to study you like ants . i quote you all the time like i tell my friends " i stole this sentiment / headcanon from a deranged yoyo tumblr account " . you are aspirational really Truly we need more dailyoyos in the world i cant stop thinking about lawyer yoyo now .... also i beg for more dissecting of yoyo and mew dynamics if ur Into That . theuve always been really interesting to me but honestly like 4 pieces of canonexist in jsr ever so

VERY DELIGHTFUL ASK TO GET. i love to hear that i have had a net impact in making people get weirder. its so important to me. making the jsr fandom worse one post at a time <3

a lot of the way i post in here is inspired by both my friends but also some of the crazy bitches (affectionate) ive seen around over in the dragon ball z fandom in particular, but really i think ANYONE in the world no matter the fandom has the god-given right to tear characters apart with their teeth and make them fail as fuck and really really really sick in the head in ways they were probably not intended to be read as in canon. Everypony out there get eviler!!!!!!!!!!!! Now.

IM GLAD YOU LIKE LAWYER YOYO I THINK ABOUT HIM A LOT TOO. hes fascinating to me in that like hes technically not a Bad Ending (MOST of that au technically isnt!) and yet objectively he is a worse outcome because in regular(paradox) canon theres an avenue for yoyo to heal and become less bastardous. because like he has genuine friends and positive interactions and reasons to Want to be more than a self serving shithead. and also hes 16 of course hes an asshole hes 16.

but with lawyer yoyo its like. Its too late. He grew up and he stayed like that and he does not care to change and he has no impetus to change. hes definitely living a safer and more comfortable life and he has much higher self-esteem but he is Staying dead inside. Like ok regular yoyo and lawyer yoyo are both mentally at the bottom of basically the same exact well but lawyer yoyo was like "fuck it" and built a house down there. do you get me

Oh fuck this post is getting so long and i havent even talked about mew and yoyo yet.

okay so liek. beat was yoyo's first proper Friend in the ggs (as opposed to "just tolerating him being around"). because beat kind of totally fell for yoyo's whole harmless schtick lmao. but mew was the first Real Friend in that she picked up on how much of a fake fuck yoyo was and decided to hang out with him anyway.

which. ADMITTEDLY. this was originally BECAUSE she was fascinated by yoyo being so insincere (for a while he was also really playing up the "ohoho i'm TOOOTALLY not a double agent" thing for shits and giggles even though he literally wasnt.). and as previously mentioned yoyo had a crush on her which is why he didnt realize mew could see right through him. honestly for a while he kind of thought he had totally had her under his thumb but the whole time mew was like "Awww hehe he thinks im only hanging out with him because of his manipulations, thats so cute ^_^" (<- DERANGED)

and in a way while they were already friends their friendship didnt Truly start until after yoyo confessed his love and was rejected. because like the whole thing was kind of a wakeup call for yoyo - mew had noticed his feelings all along and was waiting for him to say something Just to reject him, and like among normal people that would probably be a lot more hurtful but in that circumstance it was like... she'd outplayed him. easily. and he didn't even notice, but she's still here anyway. and she still wants to hang out with him even though she can tell the kind of person he is.

because the thing is like. mew may play up her innocence and naivety but she IS genuinely kind at heart. a lot of her strange desire to examine nasty people under a microscope is because of her desire to see the humanity in everyone, to understand Why people do the things they do. and she's not under any illusions that she can """Fix Him""", god knows she's not sure she can even "fix" herself, but she saw yoyo for what he was and could respect the survival mechanisms at play for what they were. (this is also why mew was so immediately like "idk Yoyo doesn't seem like that kind of person..." when the nt-3000 thing happened because. like. she Understood his modus operandi and that simply Wasn't It.)

and like when youre the kind of person who thinks that as soon as someone sees under your mask that they'll want you dead in a ditch, knowing someone who recognizes your mask and is just like "oh cool, i got one too" is kind of world-shaking. paradoxically them recognizing each others' insincerity makes them be a lot more sincere with each other.

Oh fuck this post long as hell. yoy