#season four had sm potential

[charlessmiths-wife]

season four: fuseboxes biggest wasted opportunity.

(this has been sitting in my drafts for a few months now, almost a year 😭 may be slightly irrelevant to post not given how all talk of season four appears to have died out and looking back I’m not really saying anything that no one’s said before - but still, I’ll post it for the sake of it! :))

before starting, I'm going to admit, seasons one, two, and four are the only seasons I've ever fully played. I've never completed a playthrough of season three or five, they could both be brilliant idk (though I'm guessing not, judging by what others have said).

on my recent playthrough of litg s4 (yet another Angie route, some things never change) I was suddenly struck with the realisation that season four could've been gold for fusebox... and yet, it isn't.

i think it's important to recognise season four has its successes.

-> in terms of diversity, season four is arguably by far the best. it delivers a diverse range of characters from all ethnic backgrounds. it has gender diversity (limited, all be it, and there's still far for fusebox to go in this area - but it was a start). it delivers two good female li options (at least, imo) with a slow burn female li and one you can couple up with immediately (again, fusebox still is far to go in terms of properly catering to its wlw/lgbtq players... but... it was a start). finally, unlike seasons one and two, it doesn't always push this "girls are more drama" narrative which can sometimes be seen, notably in season two. the seasons depiction of female characters still isn't perfect, don't get me wrong, but in the case of season four I'd chalk this up to the fact it had ass writing, as opposed to season two, where I genuinely think some of the female characters suffered from misogynistic writing.

-> the characters are great. at least, in concept. I personally love Angie, Youcef, and Bruno - yet I can recognise the concepts of other characters are gold. like Will? an islander with commitment issues who slowly learns to open themselves up to love? could've been gold. Angie? a woman who slowly falls in love with her best friend? discovering not only her sexuality but also herself in the process? THE OPPORTUNITIES WERE FUCKING ENDLESS. Tom? Youcef? Thabi? Lexi? EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. HAD. A. PERFECT. CONCEPT.

-> the designs were good. this is a personal opinion, but I think the designs of season four characters were much more in the league of season one and two than season three and five. again, this is a subjective opinion - but its one I do believe and see as a strength. (I mean... have we seen Angie? Thabi? Najuma? Will? I'd have been all OVER some of the mfs in that season).

in short, a huge strength of season four is that it, in theory, had a diverse and interesting cast of characters and routes - all of whom came from different backgrounds and circumstances.

in theory.... season four was gold.

except, in practicality, it wasn't.

now, I could talk for days about the weaknesses of season four - but at the end of the day I think it all comes back to what dozens of people have already said about me.

the writing was - in the most simplest of terms - absoloute balls.

there are dozens of examples of this.

take the dylan drama. what was the writing of that? Dylan was written to be a complete untrustworthy asswhole, how could we have ever believed anything that was coming out of his mouth when the man was characterised to be a liar from practically the first moment he opened his mouth?

now... had Dylan been characterised as some kind of likeable charmer... the drama potential would have been ENDLESS. it would have been far easier to see why MC/ their LI might believe Dylan.. and the angst that could have been produced from that!! endless!!

in my personal opinion, the Dylan drama is just generally dumb and could have easily been sorted out with one (1) three line conversation between MC and their li of "hey, did you cheat on me or is Dylan talking shite?" "yea/no" "aight bet" - but still, even tho it is dumb, it could have been made less dumb!!

and there's tonnes of drama which could have been great in theory but was awful in practice. like the lexi/kobi drama. or the juliet/kobi drama. or the valentina coming in and wanting our partner drama.

SO MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES!!!

one example of a HUGE missed opportunity in my mind is the Angie situation.

don't get me wrong, I fucking love Angies route. I only ever seem capable of playing it on replays, and I think Angie is one of my fave litg characters... well, ever! BUT HER ROUTE COULD HAVE HAD SO MUCH MORE ANGST. I STAND BY THAT.

throughout the entirety of season four, Angie always seems uncomfortable with romantic feelings. she says it herself she has trouble finding a connection, and she's incredibly cynical.

and then, she finds out she does have a connection - with none other than her best friend! who's a girl!

LIKE..? HELLO FUSEBOX! THE POTENTIAL FOR THE MOST ANGSTY LESBIAN STORY EVER FUCKING TOLD WAS RIGHT. THERE.

it's always bothered me how Angie, for the most part, seems chill with the fact she's just had a major life realisation about herself.

because, trust me, as someone who's been Angie before, it's not easy!

you spend your entire life thinking your one thing, then you find out your the exact opposite, and (in Angie's case) you've been lying to yourself for the better part of 30 years.

THE FUCKING ANGST WAS THERE.

give me angie distancing herself from MC because she's so in denial of her feelings and she thinks ignoring them will make them go away.

give me angie slowly coming to terms with the fact that, she can't ignore them. she can't make them go away. she's a lesbian, she always has been - and she can't deny that part of her anymore.

give me angie tearfully coming to the MC - choking up an apology/explanation and a confession of feelings all at once.

and just... give me more angst. the angst that should have came with someone discovering something huge about them after 29 years.

but looking beyond Angie. I think me biggest wish in terms of better writing is not only better writing for the drama, but better writing for the routes.

bruno, james, and najuma share largely the same route. most of the li's have the same/similar dialogue - and pretty much all of them have the same reaction to the dylan scenario.

these people are individuals - they have different reactions. I want to see that. the players deserve to see that.

we get it in season one. we get it in season two. we deserved it in season four.

TLDR; I think it's a mistake to assume season four was doomed from the start- it wasn't, and by saying so it almost feels as if we're letting fusebox off the hook, so to speak, for it being bad.

season four had the same concept of drama mingled with a unique cast that seasons one and two had, yet it didn't have the same quality simply because fusebox couldn't be bothered anymore. they didn't want to put in the writing and produce a genuinely good season.

season four was fusebox's biggest wasted opportunity - dare I say it could have been in the same league as seasons one and two, had Fusebox actually been bothered to do their job.

[momojedi]

now idk if youve been requested smth like this before but tbb finds reader (whos another clone child like omega)?? thatd be cool, id think!! gn reader btw 🫶🫶 ALSO LOVE YOUR WRITING SM TY FOR WRITING THIS IF YOU DO

— FAMILY FOUND pairing. omega/clone force 99 x clone child! gn! reader

**

type. oneshot note. hi anon! thank you for your request, i'm incredibly happy to hear you like my writing! regarding your request, i hadn't thought of anything like that so far, but i love the idea - this is set during season one! the reader could technically be seen as disabled but i'll really leave that up to your interpretation. enjoy! warnings. needles, human experimentation, dehumanisation, sisterly omega fluff, big brother/dad batch, slight injury, potential reference to the blackwing virus, references to clone wars events word count. 2k

star wars masterlist || pinned post

Four hours.

That's how long you'd been running from the Empire and the claws of the Kaminoans, swiftly escaping the planet with the help of AZ-3. After a tearful farewell, the droid had tightly sealed the escape pod's hatch as well as your fate, leaving you to hold off the Kaminoans from tracking you as you fled Tipoca City, the place you once called your home.

When you landed on Ord Mantell, the sudden impact of the crash had swept you off your feet, chucking you to the floor with a loud bang. The intense pain that abruptly shot through your arm as well as the burning sensation that spread in your right cheek quickly lead you to realise that you needed to get a hold on some medical supplies as soon as possible.

"Where is it, where is it - kriff!"

Despite years of being reprimanded by Commander Colt not to curse and avoid the usage of bad words, you couldn't help but ignore your late brother's teachings when you sat back up on your knees after crawling out from under the pod's control panel. There wasn't a medkit in sight. You huffed, gripping your throbbing head with your healthy arm. "I must've hit my head," you whispered to yourself, squinting your eyes in pain. Slowly but surely some medical attention was starting to become really necessary, especially when you felt warm liquid dripping down your cheek.

You sat up. Perhaps you'd find some help in the inner city?

Ord Mantell was huge; bigger and much more crowded than Tipoca City you found yourself realising. Though, that view might've been influenced by the fact that, like most clone children, you'd never seen anything but Kamino throughout your entire life.

Time and time again had you sat among your brothers, listening intently to their adventurous tales fighting in the war and visiting various places throughout the galaxy. And although you felt bad for the loss and pain they went through day by day, you couldn't help but envy the wonderful worlds and systems they also had the chance to experience.

Unlike most clones, you hadn't been made to be a soldier but rather a subject to be tested on. Your entire purpose since you'd been born was to be a lab-rat, to endure tests and examinations in order to help the Kaminoans determine the breeding conditions of their next clones. You thought little of the Kaminoans, as most clones did. Their constant pricking of needles and blood letting made you feel sick and although you'd grown up on Kamino and were used to being dehumanised and seen as an object, a tool rather than a living being, you still hated the longnecks with a burning passion, silently enduring the torture they'd been putting you through. Naturally that also meant that you were made to suffer from various side effects of the experiments, such as age acceleration - or in your case, deceleration.

Unlike the usual clone, you aged slower, almost at the pace of a nat-born. You couldn't see very well due to visual tests they'd made for a special clone unit when you were very young and your hair was trimmed unevenly from being shaved off time and time again.

Naturally with that also came the judgement. Many of your brothers considered you a freak, curiously eyeing you and some times even mocking you. But even though there were many bad apples, you were proud to say that most of them had gladly taken you under their wing, partially having even grown up around you, and you couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments.

When the Empire took over and Admiral Tarkin arrived on Kamino, you swiftly developed a strong disdain for the imperial official and his scornful treatment of the clones. He frightened you with his skeletal appearance and judgemental expressions, scoffing at you when he'd first crossed you following a kaminoan scientist down the corridors of the city.

This disdain solidified when, from behind a window, you observed Tarkin handing obscure plans to Prime Minister Lama Su, signaling a clandestine exchange that left you feeling uneasy. Pressing your face against the glass to glean any insight, you overheard a conversation that sent shivers down your spine.

"I can assure you, CE-0003 will make a wonderful asset to project Blackwing—a low cost for such a risky intrusion; the potential loss won't be of any importance," Prime Minister Lama Su coldly stated, not bothering to acknowledge your presence. The mere mention of your designation number, CE-0003, served as a chilling reminder of the dehumanization endured by clones, but Tarkin's emphasis on "low cost" and "loss" struck an ominous chord, setting off alarm bells within your conscience.

Feeling the weight of an impending threat, you knew that the time had come to make a fateful decision. Unwilling to succumb to a potential death sentence or exploitation in the Empire's mysterious project, you resolved to escape Tipoca City. In the brightly lit corridors, your internal struggle reached a tipping point as you confronted the severity of your situation.

You shook your head, clearing your thoughts. "Kamino is in the past," you mumbled to yourself, avoiding looking straight at the faces that passed by. After all, who knew whether someone had been sent after you or not? The Kaminoans were a very ambitious species and although Ord Mantell was filled with dubious figures, you could not let your guard down just yet.

Your head was starting grow dizzier by the minute and your world was starting to spin. you quickly managed to get a grip on some metal structure to keep you steady - or at least as steady as possible - when a voice caught your attention nearby.

"Oh ... can assist you in any way?"

Only now did you realise that the metal you'd gotten a strong hold on was, in fact, plastoid armour. Immediately you pulled your hand away, apologising profusely, though halfway slurring your words. You weren't even able to make out the stranger's face as the world spun around you and before you knew it, you passed out, barely hearing the stranger calling out another name.

"Echo, come here!"

"A - a clone?"

Hunter and Echo's eyes were settled on Tech, whose own goggled pair were glued to his datapad, as usual. "Precisely," he responded matter-of-factly, "It appears that they apart of a specialised cloning program founded specifically for scientific and medical experimentation."

"You're meaning to tell me the longnecks tortured this child for some bioweapons and drugs?" Echo's voice was angry, his face twisted into a furious grimace as he turned away from your unconscious form whilst holding the bacta-soaked cloth he'd previously been dabbing the gaping burn on your cheek with. Tech huffed, eyeing his brother over the edge of his datapad. "Yes Echo, that is exactly what I'm telling you."

"Unbelievable," Echo scoffed, fist tightening around the cloth, "and to think we once fought alongside those monsters." With a deep sigh, Hunter pushed past his bickering brothers to look over your sleeping form. By now, they had made sure to patch up your broken arm and clean any leftover bruises, settling you down on one of the parlour’s benches. It didn't look necessarily comfortable but seeing as Cid had business to attend to, it was all they could come up with so far - Tech had even dug out Wrecker's civil poncho in the Marauder which you now were cozily wrapped in.

Hunter gingerly brushed the loose hair strands out of your face, watching you with softening eyes as he took over cleaning your bruising face. A small smile tugged on his lips at the sight of your peaceful expression. How would Omega react to you?

As if on cue, the loud chitter-chatter of Wrecker and their little sister erupted in the stairway of Cid's bar, turning the heads of the rest of the batch. Omega squealed excitedly when the giant clone set her down, running toward Hunter with a box of Mantell Mix in her hands.

"Hunter, look!" She chirped, holding out the sugary treat for the sergeant to see, "The nice lady added new toppings and - [name]?"

Her eyes fell upon you and suddenly, she forgot the world around her. Hunter raised a brow before exchanging a questioning look with Echo, who had quietly observed the interaction. Was that your name? How did she know you? Taking the box out of her hands and setting it on the table, the clone sergeant took Omega aside, kneeling to be at her eye level.

"Omega, do you know this child?"

With a worried expression at the sight of your wounds, she hesitated before nodding slowly. "Their name is [name]," her voice was hoarse as she kept an eye on you, "we both assisted the scientists in the medbay, back on Kamino ... they'd often do those weird tests on them, to the point they wouldn't show up for days afterwards." Hunter's blood boiled at the thought of the painful abuse you must've had to endure but he stayed composed. He had to focus on the task at hand after all.

"Are - are they okay?" Omega's eyes were wide as she glanced back at him. "They're alright so far," he slowly stood up, crossing his arms over his chest, "We took good care of their injuries. Tech and Echo found them earlier - they suspect they may have crashed nearby. Should that be the case, they can consider themselves lucky."

The light sound of a confused groan caught Hunter off-guard as he turned to look at you. "Well, look who's up."

You had squinted as your world had grown clearer with every passing second after you woke up, still trying to make out what was going on around you - until you had noticed the five figures standing in front of you. And then the panic set in. Had the Kaminoans already sent out people after you?

"Please don't bring me back," you had sniffled, hot tears already rolling down your cheeks, "I don't want to go back!" It had only been when a familiar girl had approached you with raised hands that you slowly but surely had started to calm down. "Omega?"

As it turns out, the men you had feared to be mercenaries were in fact the infamous Clone Force 99 that had gone rogue and deserted the Empire a few weeks before you escaped. Although you'd heard talk of them plenty of times from your brothers and the scientists, you had never met nor seen them in person as they were usually out on missions and only ever briefly stayed on Kamino. When Omega had left with them, you were heartbroken to see your sister go - most of your time was spent alongside her, after all.

By now, Cid, the Trandoshan woman the bar belonged to, had returned and to the Batch's apparent surprise, quickly took a liking to you; that or she at least pitied you enough to slide in a hot meal and grant you some company as she sat down with you and grunted every now and then while looking over her datapad. Either way, you weren't going to question it and simply enjoyed having the chance to fill your stomach after what felt like forever.

"So, how's AZ?" Omega had managed to squeeze in between you and Cid, eyes fixed on you. "He's okay," you mumbled between bites, "He helped me out a lot when I ... well ..." You frowned as you remembered your escape, setting down the spoon. Although you had fled with good reasons, you couldn't help but miss the place you had once called your home. Fortunately, Omega quickly caught on as she settled a hand on your shoulder with a warm smile.

"I know what it's like," her voice was firm and encouraging when she looked over her shoulder the other side of the bar, where the tall clone you'd earlier found out to be called Wrecker roared in frustration at one of the arcade games set up in the bar while the other, Tech, tried his best at explaining it to him. Echo, the one with the scomp arm, watched and shook his head with a sigh and the leader, Hunter, chuckled while playing with the vibroblade in his hand.

"Our brothers ... they know what they're doing. We keep each other safe," Omega then grabbed your hand tightly and grinned, "And as long as we're here, we'll keep you safe, too."

if you're interested in being tagged for my future works, let me know in my comments or by sending me an ask!

@patapouille @flyiingsly

[iamred-iamyellow]

ok this is very random (as im not sure how much of an ls2 defender u r)

BUT

every new thing that James bitchass stanky dummy shitty Vowles says abt the Logan situation just pisses me off more. makes me even wonder how logan dealt w everything for as long as he did.

Swear if Logan wasnt backed by Duracell and all the other US companies that bring in sm bank, Vowles would have dropped him even without meeting Franco...

Logan might have underperformed but his car isnt good to begin with, strategy was practically a DIY youtube video every fucking race weekend and not to mention that out of what 10-12 races his teammate has only managed to score 6 points...(no saying Albon is bad at all just goes to show that even a decent driver cant do shit in that fucking half charged golf cart 😒)

As a CS55 girlie im praying for the best for Carlos and that the team figures itself out over the new year break bc the way things r going i wouldnt be fucking suprised if Carlos opted to race for another team or just become a reserve driver after one year w bitchass Williams.

Truly a shame that a driver with such potential (LS2) and an excellent teammate and great driver with consistency (CS55) have ever had to deal with James stanky Vowles ( even tho Vowles is a D1 national level Sainz glazer 😭😭)

UGHHHHH i just know next year is gonna b...interesting to say the least.

Praying for Franco too 🥺💯 I've really come to like him so far after Monza and think he has great things in store and can rlly prove himself too 😞🩷

How it feels being BOTH a LS2 and CS55 gal btw;

as an american i think im obligated by law to be a ls2 defender 🫡🦅🇺🇸

“strategy was practically a DIY youtube video every fucking race” TRUTH!!! 

i will forever be a defender of our four williams babies alex carlos franco and logan because they were dealt some fuckass cards 

i just cannot believe that logan didn’t have enough time to develop in f2 and williams didn’t even TRY to give him more opportunities to train during his f1 seasons. they literally tossed him in a car and said GO they set him up to fail and then got mad that he didn’t exceed their expectations 

don’t even get me STARTED on the comments james made about mick i am PERSONALLY offended omg 

i’m really gonna miss franco at the end of the season but i hope he gets more opportunities from what he’s proven he can do in f1

and speaking of carlos his journey is just one that ends up being really sad for me. he jumps from team to team and proves himself EVERY TIME but he has the worst luck when it comes to it. he was teammates with max first and therefore the second fiddle because christian was set on max being his everything. then he moved to renault which was uhm renault. then mclaren where he could’ve technically been seen as first driver or equals with Lando but Lando to Mclaren is Max to RB. He got a win at mclaren and just brought out the absolute best vibes for the team. Then he moved to ferrari but it was too late bc again Charles to Ferrari is Max to Red Bull. He always ends up second to a teams golden boy and as much as i love all those drivers it really sucks that Carlos does so much and will never truly get the recognition he deserves.

[clownofthetown]

AHSOKA FINALE SPOILERS

im sorry this is so long but its my live thoughts on the ep

honestly good for you morgan elsbeth, she did great

AHHHHHH KANAN MENTION he was a little shy OH MY GOFDOGKDKKD CALEB ❤️ like me fr

Is huyang like ezras grandmaster of lightsaber construction then

HE GETS THE SAME PART THINGO AS KANAN IM DYING AND ITS BLUE AGAIN

NOOO SABINE COMES BACK ITS OKAY

uh oh ezra finding out abt sabines family

sabine and ahsoka bonding over the choices theu make thats so cute

wow okay like 3rd anakin mention this series (PLS GIVE ME A 3RD KANAN MENTION ITS ONLY FAIR)

if those ties hurt the noti. IF THEY.

bumper cars but in the sky and considerably more dangerous how fun

AY NOTI AND HUYANG COLLAB

thats four anakin mentions are you kidding me

YESSS SABINE GETS HER HELMET WHY HAS SHE BEEN FIGHTING W/O IT PLS WEAR HEAD PROTECTION

zombies ZOMBIES

omg morgan and ahsoka rematch this is great

ah i see theyre gonna make sabine use yhe force bc she dropper her saber

I CALLED IT sighhhhh

THANK YOU ive been wonder like "why dont they just chop the zombies in half and then they cant rly do anything but theh werent and now FINALLY

YAY JUMPING

AHSOKA AHSOKA UR MISSING UR FLIGHT

SABINE. SABINE. tHANK U I WAS SO SHOCKED SHE WOULD LEAVE AHSOKA LIKE THAT BUT SHE DIDNT

rip morgan 💔

EZRAS ALONE THERE WHAT THE HELL

nooo ezra should have done a more ridiculous voice on the comm pls 😔

HUYANG THANK GOD

here we go abt anakin again alright

THRAWN U BASTARD SHUT UP ABT AHSOKA

guys. guys this isnt funny theyre genuinely stuck there. GUYS. WHY. EZRA IS ALONE AGAIN.

was that fuckin morai or am i going insane

SHIN SHIN SHIN WHERE HAVE U BEEN is she gonnabecome the bandit leader or wtv

baylan what on earth

THE FATHER AND SON??? IS THE DAUGHTER HALF DESTROYED WHAT?????????

CHOPPER DONT TELL ME THATS WHO I THINK IT IS

oH MY FUCKING GOD EZRA AND HERA REUNITE AHHHHHDHDHDJFJJ IM ACTUALLY CRYING NOW

"its time to move on" ??? I BEG YOUR OARDON WHAT

sabine what did u feel TELL ME

R U SERIOUS we BETTER see kanan as a force ghost watching over hera and jacen AND EZRA in SEASON 2 WHICH WE BETTER GET OR I WILL RIOT

it is nice that anakins watching over ahsoka tho HES A GRANDMASTER NOW LOL

a few other thoughts:

- im glad sabine gets to keep her lightsaber, it rly is hers now

- i gyess im ok w ezra building a new saber? esp one so close to kanans 💔 hopefully it helps him relfect on the person he is now yknow

- lowkey sad morgan just got killed like that... THWRES SM POTENTIAL 4 HER CHARACTER NOW THAG SHE GOT MORE POWER AND STUFF LIKE

- HOW DID CHOPPER KNOW???

- why is there all the father son daughter stuff on peridea (and how did ezra not sense it in the force and explore it or smth like)

- ezra didnt seem surprised that thrawn had backup and the eye of sion and stuff so im assuming they explained what happened and he was just like "ok"

(maybe tbeh didnt mention sabines role in letting them get there oops)

- UUURHFHS NOW WE GAVE TO WAIT

-why didnt they give me a hera and ezra hug scene. THEY SHOULD HAVE RAN AT EACH OTHER CRYING (pls i hope they make the reunions just a little more like they wiuld have been during rebels yknow, when we get a zeb and ezra reunion there better be ATLEAST a hair ruffle from zeb or i will BE ANGRY)

[ivypool]

stranger things, wings of fire, the last of us (tv and game), and the 100

stranger things

favorite male character: lucas and steve

favorite female character: el and nancy

least favorite character: nobody hates billy more than i do

prettiest character: nancy or robin

funniest character: erica

favorite season: s3 probably, even though i really do love all the seasons s3 is just so comforting to me. i just love the aesthetic of s3 and the elmax scenes, it’s just a really fun season, and summer 2019 was a pretty good time in my life so i have a lot of good memories associated with s3. also that’s when we were introduced to robin for the first time :’)

favorite episode: dear billy or mall rats

favorite romantic ship: i am elmax's #1 fan, i loved them since s2. i do also really love ronance, and some honorable mentions are byler, henclair, jargyle, steddie, buckingham and stonathan. i pretty much ship everything that isn’t canon LOL

favorite family ship: willel + jonathan, and i headcanon max & steve, max & nancy, steve & robin as all being familial relationships so i love those too

favorite friendship: the fruity four, scoops troop, will & robin, max & robin, max & the party, steve & the party (just the whole party with each other in general tbh)

worst ship: h*rringrove, or really any ship with billy in it since i saw some people shipping him with eddie too…if anyone’s reading this and you ship billy with anybody stay the hell away from me thanks. m*leven also sucks just let them be platonic besties pls

wings of fire

favorite male character: starflight my beloved

favorite female character: carnelian…she’s literally just a background character who appeared in one book but i love her so much she had so much potential. and i really like tsunami and snowfall too

least favorite character: riptide he sucks, he’s not even remotely interesting

prettiest character: glory or blaze

funniest character: qibli or sunny

favorite season (arc): the first arc will always hold a special place in my heart

favorite episode (book): i loved a dangerous gift so much

favorite romantic ship: a tie between blacier and snowlynx

favorite family ship: the dragonets of destiny, tsunami & anemone & turtle, glory & deathbringer (i headcanon them as familial instead of romantic)

favorite friendship: the jade winglet

worst ship: ripnami, glorybringer, any of the DoD shipped with each other

the last of us

favorite male character: this is a basic answer but joel. i love him sm he’s my dad

favorite female character: riley :((

least favorite character: if abby has 1000 haters im still one of them. if she has 1 hater its me. if abby has 0 haters it means i have left this world. (david also is obviously awful but my first instinct was to say abby)

prettiest character: dina <3

funniest character: ellie

favorite season: the first game is the only game. tlou 2 who?

favorite episode: left behind

favorite romantic ship: rellie and dellie

favorite family ship: joel & ellie, ellie & dina & jj, i also love ellie & tommy and ellie & tess

favorite friendship: ellie & sam, ellie & jessie & dina

worst ship: ellie with any man, ellie x abby is also a terrible ship though

the 100

favorite male character: murphy

favorite female character: octavia and clarke

least favorite character: honestly fuck kane, finn, titus, cage, cadogan and pike i hate them all. i’m also not a fan of abby

prettiest character: octavia and raven <3

funniest character: murphy although octavia had some funny moments in the earlier seasons too

favorite season: 2, 5, 6

favorite episode: either eden (s5 ep1) or nevermind (s6 ep7)

favorite romantic ship: niytavia, clexa, and lunaven are so special to me. i also like bellarkecho as an ot3

favorite family ship: CLARKE AND MADI they’re seriously everything to me

favorite friendship: clarke & raven, octavia & madi, echo & madi, madi & murphy, clarke & murphy, raven & murphy

worst ship: i can’t ship bellamy and clarke without echo, so b*llarke ig. i also don’t really care for raven & murphy romantically, i think they work better as friends, and maybe i’m really biased towards loving niytavia but i just hated octavia and levitt

leave a series in my ask box

[dojae-huh]

You don’t have to read this i’m just ranting abt four seasons😭

Tende and four seasons😭. Ireally do hope they (the members) still want to work on that. Four seasons matches really well musically, so they have huge potential in terms of genre that they can explore and this unit is most likely to deflect from performance based song(?) Like the songs that 127 have done so far is performed with heavy choreography and dojaejung is of the same genre even though they sound different. I guess I have this wish that the four seasons could be a unit where they take a ‘break’ from being an idol. A chance for them to showcase another image. I’m pretty sure dojaejung can do that as well but with what they’ve shown so far, they’rr most likely to go down the cbx and tts path. With all the fancy performances. I just want something underproduced that would just highlight their raw vocals (it’s just a wish😞) No heavy editings and such. But of course this is biased cuz i’m prone to a certain genre. Like what they’ve done with their solo covers. Nothing fancy just them singing (Do’s cover of IU is immaculate btw). But so many factors decide on working on a unit. And I think Do really favors this djj direction as well. He seems pretty excited abt it.

One of my wishes is for Tende or 4 seasons to sing on an American or a British show with English versions of Timeless or (re-arranged) Coming home. To showcase the vocals, show a Korean pop-band from a different side.

I feel like Haechan will be interested and with Taeil it's SM who should press on (or Hyuk).

DJJ is a way to work with Jae, so why wouldn't he push for it if he sees the unit as another chance. Maybe he thinks he'll be able to add slow songs to the sexy routine after the unit's debut.

DoJae had a harmonisation in "Can we go back", which almost brought a tear to my eye (they do sound very nice together). The old skill was used for the song.

[elysiangroundsforall]

In the Course of It ...

"You're my only Bambi, Bambi"

Ch-14

After a period of focusing on solo and unit projects, EXO was finally gearing up for a long-awaited comeback. Fans were ecstatic, and the energy around the group was electric. Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen, now under INB100 for their solo and unit activities, along with D.O., who was signed to Company SooSoo for his personal projects, were all invested in making this comeback unforgettable. However, as the members started coordinating schedules and production with SM Entertainment, the tensions that had been bubbling below the surface started to rise.

The issues began subtly: communication delays, decisions made without consultation, and conflicts over the creative direction. Baekhyun, as CEO of INB100, felt responsible for not only himself but also his labelmates Xiumin and Chen. He wanted to protect the artistic integrity of EXO’s work while making sure the comeback aligned with what the fans had been waiting for. Yet SM Entertainment was rigid, asserting that EXO’s group promotions fell solely under its authority and attempting to limit the members’ control over song selection, choreography, and even styling.

D.O., managing his own balance with Company SooSoo, sympathized with Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen’s frustrations. SM Entertainment’s approach was inflexible, prioritizing corporate interests over the members' artistic freedom. With all four members now seasoned artists and accustomed to having more say in their solo and unit work, this lack of control felt especially stifling.

The first major conflict arose during a scheduling meeting. SM Entertainment announced a series of promotional activities that left little room for the members’ prior commitments. Baekhyun spoke up, expressing that they needed more flexibility given the multiple agencies involved. However, SM dismissed his concerns, stating that EXO’s group activities would take precedence and urging the members to “adapt to the demands of the group’s popularity.”

Frustrated, Baekhyun, Xiumin, Chen, and D.O. took a stand, requesting more negotiation and transparency in decision-making. Baekhyun, as both EXO’s member and INB100’s CEO, penned a formal request to SM, emphasizing the importance of respecting their autonomy and including the members’ voices in key decisions.

But instead of compromising, SM Entertainment escalated matters by imposing additional conditions. The company requested tighter contract restrictions, especially around brand endorsements and media appearances that could overlap with EXO promotions. This move felt like a direct challenge to the independence the members had fought so hard to establish.

Seeing no choice, Baekhyun, Xiumin, Chen, and D.O. came together, holding a private meeting to discuss their next steps. They knew a legal dispute with SM could be risky, but they were also aware that conceding to these restrictions would mean sacrificing their creative freedom and further complicating their solo careers. With their growing independence through INB100 and Company SooSoo, they were reluctant to give up the rights they had already secured.

Baekhyun, determined to defend EXO’s legacy and his members’ autonomy, sought legal counsel to explore potential ways to renegotiate their contract terms with SM. The other EXO members, even those unaffected by the immediate dispute, expressed their support, urging the four to do what was necessary to protect their rights and their artistry.

As word of the conflict began to leak, fans noticed the tension and speculated online, with many rallying in support of Baekhyun, Xiumin, Chen, and D.O.’s fight for creative control. The support from fans only strengthened their resolve.

SM Entertainment, sensing the backlash from fans and the rising tide of public sympathy for the members, finally reached out to Baekhyun to arrange a meeting. In the meeting, Baekhyun, Xiumin, Chen, and D.O., with their legal representatives, made it clear: they would not be returning to an arrangement that compromised their creative autonomy. The terms were clear—they wanted transparent communication, input on promotional activities, and freedom from restrictions that would hinder their individual endeavors.

After hours of negotiation, SM Entertainment ultimately conceded to several of their requests, revising their contracts to allow more flexibility and joint decision-making power for the members involved.

With the issues largely resolved, EXO’s comeback moved forward, now with a renewed energy. The title track was one that Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen had been instrumental in shaping, a song that reflected EXO’s journey and the struggles they’d overcome together. And as they took the stage, it was clear that their fight had only brought them closer—not just as a group, but as a family determined to stay true to themselves, their fans, and their music.

For Baekhyun, the entire experience solidified his commitment not only to EXO but also to INB100 and its mission of supporting artists’ independence and creativity. And with Y/N by his side through every challenge, he knew that the future, while uncertain, was a path they would walk together.

As the months passed, EXO's comeback continued to be a success, reaffirming their place in the industry. But for Baekhyun and Y/N, the world around them had shifted in subtle ways. They were no longer the secret couple navigating the labyrinth of public expectations. They were two people in love, proudly facing the challenges of their careers together, knowing that their bond could withstand anything.

Baekhyun's role as CEO of INB100 grew more demanding as the company expanded, signing new artists and making waves in the industry with its unique approach to artist autonomy. But despite the increasing responsibilities, Baekhyun found solace in knowing that he had a partner who truly understood the intricacies of this world—Y/N, who had seen him at his most vulnerable, as well as his most driven.

With EXO’s promotions wrapping up, the group focused on individual projects. Baekhyun continued to juggle his role in EXO and his CEO duties with INB100, while Y/N worked on new music for Regal’s upcoming album. Despite their separate schedules, they continued to support each other, showing up at each other’s performances, celebrating victories, and comforting each other through the inevitable challenges that came with being in the public eye.

One evening, after an exhausting round of rehearsals for an INB100 showcase, Baekhyun decided to surprise Y/N. He arrived at Regal’s practice studio late at night, having finished his own commitments early. He stood outside the door for a moment, listening to the sounds of the girls rehearsing their next set. It was a familiar sound—one that always reminded him of how far Y/N had come.

When she stepped out of the room, wiping sweat from her forehead, she froze in surprise.

“Baekhyun?” Her eyes widened, a mix of surprise and delight spreading across her face.

He grinned, holding up a coffee cup in one hand. “I thought you might need a break. You’ve been working so hard.”

Y/N smiled warmly, her heart fluttering at the gesture. She took the coffee, meeting his gaze. “You really didn’t have to. But thank you.”

Baekhyun brushed his thumb over the rim of his coffee cup, his expression softening. “I want to, though. I’ve been thinking a lot lately, Y/N… about everything. Us, where we’re headed, what we’re building together.”

Her smile faltered, sensing the gravity in his tone. “What do you mean?”

He took a step closer, his voice quiet. “I want to do more than just navigate the chaos of our careers, Y/N. I want to build something with you. Something lasting.”

Her eyes searched his face, trying to read the seriousness in his words.

“You and me,” Baekhyun continued, “not just as partners in the industry, but in everything. I want to be with you, not just for the moment, but for the long haul. I want a future.”

Y/N’s heart swelled at his words. They had been through so much together—rumors, long separations, challenges in their respective careers—and yet, here they were, stronger than ever.

“I want that too, Baekhyun,” she replied softly, her voice full of emotion. “I want a future with you, a life outside of the spotlight and the industry. Something real.”

Baekhyun’s smile widened, and without another word, he pulled her into a tight embrace. The world outside the studio seemed to melt away as they stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, knowing that the future they were both working towards was something they would build together.

A few weeks later, during a press conference for INB100, Baekhyun announced a new partnership with several major industry figures to establish a new artist-centered initiative. The company was evolving, and Baekhyun was at the forefront of this change—building not just a company, but a community for artists who shared his vision.

Behind the scenes, the relationship between Baekhyun and Y/N grew even stronger. They found time for quiet dinners, long walks, and nights where they could simply talk about their dreams. They even began planning more public appearances together, appearing at events side by side—comfortable in their love, and confident in who they were as individuals and as a couple.

Despite the noise from the media, Baekhyun and Y/N continued to protect each other. They worked together to ensure that their relationship wasn’t just about public approval, but about their own happiness. INB100 and Regal’s success had become a testament to their shared journey, but it was their bond that grounded them.

As the months turned into a year, the growth of INB100 mirrored the flourishing of Baekhyun and Y/N’s personal relationship. The company’s focus on transparency, creativity, and artistic freedom continued to draw attention, and Baekhyun’s role as CEO solidified him as a key figure in reshaping the industry. But for him, it wasn’t just the business achievements that mattered—it was the fact that he was building a life with the woman he loved.

One evening, as they sat at the same quiet café, now their unofficial “spot,” Baekhyun took Y/N’s hand across the table. He looked at her with a soft expression, his voice low and sincere.

“Y/N, I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know one thing: whatever comes, I want to face it with you.”

Her smile was all the answer he needed. And in that moment, they both knew that they were ready to face whatever the world threw their way, together.

The world of K-pop, with all its drama, struggles, and pressures, would always be there—but for Baekhyun and Y/N, they had finally found the one thing that no fame, success, or spotlight could ever overshadow: a love that was theirs, pure and unshakeable.

Ch 15>>>

[trickarrows-bishop]

i genuinely get so angry at s4 of stranger things like im p like over it and have come up with aus and stuff to combat it but like. goddamn does THIS line

piss me off. what do you mean she said this and then the very next episode had steve saying he's been fantasizing abt having six kids with his ex from two years ago.

they'd still b treating robin like shit if she was straight, but it's a spit in the face that she's queer and they still have her deliver this dialogue. they're basically saying that us queer people? yeah, our stories aren't important as straight ones. unless, of course, like will, your love is used to instead boost a straight couple!

s4 was just such a horrible season overall

honestly season three has been its peak so far for me. season four was alright to watch for the first time ( not that fucking finale tho. fuck that finale was horrible. ) but when you look back at it all they truly couldn't have written a worse script.

i get that yeah, its the 80s, queer people aren't exactly accepted that well. but fuck they very much existed AND very much had a love lives. robin's story is JUST as important as steve's is.

also. i want to deep dive into how they did queer rep in season four with vickie. we see how robin acts around vickie and its all nice and sweet like aww look robin's panicking over a girl thats cute !! but. they really fumbled the bag with the fact that vickie at the end of season four's finale literally mirroring robin's like. every mannerism. like. okay. say in season five we have vickie and robin set up to be a couple. cute. cool. but are you telling me that they're then being like "oh yeah this is exactly how EVERY sapphic and woman liker acts when they have a crush on a girl" like??? lol weirdly enough. NO ??? like that acc really pissed me off the way they just copied and pasted the way robin acted around vickie to when vickie acts around robin. i get and understand fully that the chances are they're trying to tell us in season five there's a chance vickie is going to be romantically interested in robin- but WEIRDLY enough they're so many other ways of doing that and to show her having a potential crush on robin. like the literally could've had. ONE. shot of her just taking an extra second to look at robin in that finale and that would've sufficed. pissing me off. season four really did piss me off their representation for queer media has literally dropped sm like they should let someone else write season five atp

[goldenhypen]

❝ THE PARTNER PROJECT ❞ — JAKE SIM

PAIRING → jake sim x fem!reader || GENRE → friends to lovers!au, non-idol!au, dancer!au, fluff, angst || WORD COUNT → 8.6k

FEATURING → tomorrow x together’s yeonjun; le sserafim’s chaewon and yunjin; nmixx’s lily; ive’s wonyoung and liz; and newjeans’ danielle || WARNINGS → mentions of food, contains an argument or two between jake and reader (lmk if i’m missing any!)

SYNOPSIS → being part of the same dance team for two years and counting, jake and y/n have never found the courage to confess to each other about their feelings, until one day, they are forced to grow closer as they just so happen to get paired for the first time as the team prepares for a new performance. and luckily for the both of them, they’ll be partners for the entire season. and who knows? this particular partnership might just evolve and grow into one that will last them a lifetime.

AUTHOR’S NOTE → after putting together jake’s birthday fic extremely last minute (heh ,, procrastinator things <//3), it is finally here !! this is my first time writing such a long fic, but i honestly enjoyed it sm, and it makes me wanna write more of them in the future !! happy birthday to jakey, and i hope you all enjoy this one !! <3

“jake totally has a crush on you.”

“chaewon!” you whisper-yelled with wide eyes, “be quiet!”

you and your close friends and fellow dance members, chaewon and yunjin, had stepped into the empty dance studio where you would soon be having practice with the rest of the team who would be arriving just any minute. this team included you, chaewon and yunjin, along with four other girls, called lily, wonyoung, liz and danielle. 

in addition to all of you though, there were also seven other guys, one of them being the one and only, jake sim, whom you’ve had a secret crush on for what felt like forever, but was really only for nearly two years. however, this was more or less only a secret kept from the guys, because you seven girls tended to hang out and talk about lots of things, a common subject being crushes since you were all dreadfully single. and so, you were very open about your crush on jake to them, but never would you let that kind of confidential information reach even a mile within the boys’ ears, because who knows how that news would spread? rumours could start, information could reach so many in such a short amount of time, and you could experience heartbreak and rejection before you could even let jake know about your feelings yourself. 

now, it was no doubt that you seven were close with the boys; however, what’s said between the girls stays between the girls. it’s an unspoken rule. 

however, today seemed to be the first day of potentially failing this prioritised goal of yours because of chaewon’s slip of the tongue. you just hoped none of the guys were within hearing distance of the spilled secret. 

“he does not!” you continued in a soft yet demanding tone. 

“y/n, i’m serious,” yunjin responded. “based on my intuition, i give you a solid 90-percent chance that he actually likes you too. and you know my success rate for these things is high, such as the wonyoung-sunghoon confirmation incident last week!”

“yeah, yeah, i get it,” you playfully rolled your eyes, “but seriously, there’s no proof that tells me that he actually does like me back. plus, what is there to like about me anyway?”

you looked down, slightly sad, distracting yourself with the sweater paws of your crewneck. 

“y/n, stop,” chaewon frowned, placing a hand on your arm, “you’re talented and pretty and caring and kind and so many more beautiful things. jake definitely has good taste.”

she ended her point with a smirk, and you finally looked up at her and couldn’t help the smile rising to your lips before smacking her arm. 

“don’t get my hopes up.”

after around five minutes, everyone finally arrived in the studio, along with your senior and dance coach, choi yeonjun, and you were finally able to catch a break from your friends about all of the jake nonsense. however, whether they were temporarily finished with their attempts to convince you of their strong senses or not, it didn’t matter, because the thumping inside your chest wouldn’t slow down for even two seconds as you watched the man in question step into the room. 

he was glowing—you could’ve sworn he was—with that beaming smile of his that was always on his face whenever he hung out with the boys. 

oh, how nice it would be to be one of the guys right now. 

his wide grin that pushed his cheekbones up, crinkling his eyes into shapes that screamed joy were so contagious, it had you smiling as well, but you used everything you had inside you to shove it away so that it wasn’t obvious you were staring—oh, right, but you were forgetting the most crucial part of that whole plan: looking away. so immediately and unfortunately, you drew your eyes away from the gorgeous man that you could so easily stare at for hours and hid your smile away that so wanted to be let out. but staring at jake was not worth the risk of letting him know your true feelings for him. 

“okay, everyone, listen here, please!” yeonjun started loudly. “i have important and exciting news.” 

the sounds of chatter died down as all of you gathered around, eager to listen to what your senior had to say. 

“during today’s practice, we’re going to start on a new performance…”

everyone gasped and smiles lit up the room, followed by a few whispered exchanges. 

“…i want us to do something that we don’t do too often, and that is dancing with partners, meaning every guy and girl have to partner up with each other...”

mixed emotions filled the room, and a different expression could be seen on every face as you scanned the people around you—some shocked, some excited, some nervous.

“…this will be a different style than what we’re used to, but i think it’ll be fun. and i’ve been working on the choreography and formations for this dance all week, but i still haven’t picked the partners for it.”

“or—!” danielle raised her hand and began excitedly, “maybe we can pick the partners since you’ve done a lot already, coach. doing this, you can have a little bit of a break.”

yeonjun thought for a moment, hesitant, “i don’t usually let you pick your own partners for several reasons, but i suppose this time wouldn’t be such a bad idea to. go ahead; we’ve been dancing together long enough, i trust you guys.”

danielle, as well as many others’ eyes, lit up at the unexpected decision made. 

“okay, while i just get some stuff ready for us to start, you all go and begin picking your partners,” yeonjun said. “i’ll give you three minutes, and then we can start.” 

and after three minutes, yeonjun was ready, and so were the fourteen of you with your partners chosen. 

somehow, from some blessing or some curse—you didn’t know—jake ended up as your partner, and you couldn’t have been more shaken up. 

having been a team for a while now, it was a habit for you all to work on coming to a decision together, so that’s exactly what you did, somewhat huddling up as partners were being chosen. 

“i think me and sunoo have similar styles, so we can go together,” liz suggested, followed by several agreeing nods. 

“and we all know i don’t pick up choreo the fastest,” danielle blurted out lightheartedly, laughing as she continued, “so maybe i should go with ni-ki so we can balance each other out.”

and yunjin just had to go on and say, “and i think jake and y/n dance well together, but we don’t get to see you two dance side by side very often. it would be nice to see you as partners this time.”

you narrowed your eyes at her in a death stare that was as subtle as possible, but she only gave you a smirk with a playful look of pride in her eyes, happy with her suggestion as the rest of the group agreed. 

and that was how you ended up by jake’s side—as his dance partner for this season. 

you didn’t know if your heart was beating and unsteady hands shaking because of how nervous or how excited you were to be paired with him. but you concluded that though you had known him and danced in the same team with him for two years now, at this moment, you were so anxious to make the smallest slip-up and wanted to do your best at looking good in front of him. 

so yes, you were extraordinarily nervous, to say the least, and your body couldn’t be tenser with these uncontrollable nerves and feelings locked up inside of you.

and this really didn’t help your case as jake suddenly, yet so delicately and softly, placed his hands on your waist from behind, catching you so off guard that you jumped slightly under his touch. you two both laughed it off, but instead of feeling relieved of anything, your awkward laughs just made you feel more embarrassed. 

that was when you snapped back to reality and realised yeonjun was already teaching the choreography. 

why would you jump when he’s touching you?! it was literally instructed, right before your own eyes? you scolded yourself internally, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm yourself down, even if just slightly. 

“sorry,” you felt jake whisper beside your ear from behind. felt, because not only did you hear him, but shivers also rushed down your entire being as jake’s breath brushed against the shell of your ear, and you hoped for the life of you that he wouldn’t get too close to hear your rapid heartbeat himself. 

you shook your head, looking into his eyes through the mirror that you stood before, and smiled naturally in response to his apology, letting him know it was okay. 

and for the next few hours, practice continued just like that—learning the dance with a few awkward moments shared between you and jake every so often. 

being paired with your crush, you would have expected time to pass by more quickly, because ‘time flies when you’re having fun,’ but no. time slowed extremely, because you were so nervous. 

you had danced with jake before—of course; you were a part of the same dance team for two years and counting—and you had even been partnered with him before; however, you had never had him to yourself, and also never for an entire dance. and with your feelings only growing every day, of course, you were nervous about this project. 

being so focused on your own feelings and also trying to pick up the choreography quickly without mistakes, you didn’t fully notice that jake was also struggling because he had similar feelings as you, since he liked you too—a lot. 

his feelings for you began the moment he walked into the studio on his first day of joining the team. your smile was radiant as you talked and laughed with your friends in the middle of the practice room, and he immediately fell for you. 

ever since, he had gotten to know you better, and he absolutely fell in love with your personality: how you were so kind and how you had your own quirks. 

throughout these two years, you two found it difficult to interact, both being shy when it came to talking to each other privately, one-on-one. of course, you two were friendly with one another, but neither of you ever made much of an extensive effort to take your friendship any further. 

even though there were countless nights where he would imagine what it would be like to have you as his girlfriend and to take you on all of these dates, such as going to an amusement park or arcade or even watching the stars together, he still didn’t dare to ever ask you out. 

so, yes, you both were struggling to say the least, and yeonjun noticed this and decided to confront you two about it. 

“what’s going on?” he asked you both seriously and slightly frustrated. “if you guys can’t work together, i’m going to have to choose new partners. you all chose these pairs, and if you can’t show me that you can be responsible and work together well, i can’t let you guys choose your partners again in the future.”

“sorry, coach,” you apologised, guilt laced in your voice as you couldn’t even look into his eyes. “there’s no need to change partners. don’t worry about us; we’ll work hard and make sure we don't fall behind.”

yeonjun, sceptical, looked at you and jake, who nodded along to everything you had to say, “there are only ten minutes left of practice, but i want you two to stay behind until you’re able to dance this piece as well as everybody else.”

“yes, coach,” jake said with a nod. 

yeonjun then looked at you before you shook your head up and down quickly in understanding. 

“okay,” yeonjun started assertively to grab everyone’s attention, “let’s end practice here. a reminder that we have the retreat tomorrow, and we have to meet here at 10 am. jake and y/n, please clean up the studio when you’re done. i’ll see you all tomorrow.”

and with that, everybody began packing up, and within minutes, with a final good luck and goodbye wave from your friends, your coach and all of your dance mates were gone, leaving just you and jake, alone in the empty studio. 

“well, i guess it’s just us,” jake began, breaking the silence as he sent you the softest smile, reminding you of how much your heart ached for him. 

“yeah,” you agreed, continuing under your breath, “just us.”

“should we go over the dance?” he asked.

“yeah. actually, can we go over that one part that we were having trouble with? the one that’s like—” you demonstrated the move by lifting your arms and placing them in position.

“there were actually a lot of parts we were having trouble with,” he said with a chuckle—oh, how you loved his laugh, “but yeah, we can start with that one.”

as he finished his words, he made his way, stopping in front of you before placing his hands on your hips. and it was only then that you remembered what kind of partner work this part included; if you hadn’t forgotten earlier, you wouldn’t have asked to go over this part first, then you wouldn’t have to start with cleaning the dance flustered. 

heat rose to your cheeks, and your arms slowly made their way around his neck, preparing for the following moves. 

“ready?” he counted, “five, six, seven, eight—”

and after an hour of additional practice, you both agreed that you were ready for next practice, but also ready to eat, because your stomachs had been in need of some food a long time ago.

“how about let’s just run it through with music one more time, yeah? and then let’s get something to eat; i’m so hungry,” jake suggested, and you nodded before he went to play the song.

you got in your starting position, and jake ran to his spot beside you, holding your hand like the routine began.

you couldn’t keep track of how many times you had run this routine with jake today, but the more you did it, the more comfortable both of you noticeably felt. you were both less tense and having fun as you danced through it, and whenever you would make eye contact, large, happy grins would be exchanged. 

the song finally began to conclude, and you both made your way to your ending position, your body in his arms, faces close as you held the ending pose. and as the music came to an end, you two stayed there for a few more counts, and during that time, you could’ve sworn his eyes rushed down to your lips for a split second. 

or maybe not. 

either way, you decided to just brush it off and not think about it too much or else you’d potentially be getting your hopes up for nothing. 

you two stood back up, and joyful laughter escaped your lips before some celebratory high-fives were exchanged. 

“we did it!” you exclaimed. 

“yes! good job!”

“you too,” you smiled softly, looking into each other’s eyes for one long second before you snapped yourself back to reality. “now let’s get some food; i’m starving.”

so you two quickly cleaned the practice room and packed up before excitedly leaving the studio to go get something to eat together. 

you two ended up deciding on a place after jake had recommended it to you and encouraged you two to go, and of course, you couldn’t help but give in to his adorable proposal. 

so he took you to a nice, middle-class-type restaurant, and once you two sat down, he had a wide grin on his face as he suggested you try the steak, which is what he usually ordered and what he was planning to order again this time. 

so with a soft smile, you agreed, and he ended up ordering for the both of you.

after having practised together for almost the entire day, you two had grown closer, and conversation came easily and naturally, which both of you were grateful for. 

“you know,” jake started, eyes on his straw as he swirled it slowly in his cup in front of him, “we’ve danced together for so long, why is it only now that we’re actually partnered with each other?”

“i know, right? i was thinking the same thing.”

“yeah,” he nodded before letting his straw go and moving his eyes to look into yours. “i’m really glad we’re partners this time.”

at his genuine words, the look on your face visibly softened, and you paused for a moment, collecting yourself internally, “me too, jake. you’re actually not as bad a partner as lily says you are.”

at your playful remark, jake’s jaw lowered in a look of feigned offence, “wow, is that really the way my image is perceived among the girls?” 

“yup,” you nodded slowly, lips pressed together as you let out a joking sigh. 

and jake just looked at you and laughed, loving that he got to experience this side of you, with no others around. just you two.

eventually, after the food arrived and jake offered to cut your steak for you like the gentleman he was, and after you both finished eating, after all of the laughs shared, after he ended up sneaking his way through and somehow paying for the entire bill, and after you smacked him on the shoulder and playfully scolding him for doing so, he ended up driving you home, as though he didn’t already do enough for you the entire day.

“thanks for the ride, jake,” you said as he parked, dropping you off.

“no problem. today was a lot of fun, we should do this kind of thing more often.”

“we should,” you said, unable to contain your smile, and neither was he.

“go inside now. i need to make sure you get in safe,” he told you.

“thanks, jake. see you tomorrow.”

“see you tomorrow.”

savouring the last moment you had with him for the day, you eventually pulled yourself to get out of his car and make your way to your door. 

heading inside, you gave him one last wave and watched as he began driving away. 

and once he was out of reach, you squealed to yourself and ran giddily to your room. boy, were you going to have a good sleep tonight. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❦ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

“…yunjin, check. jay, check. heeseung, check. y/n, check. and danielle, check. okay! we can all make our way to the bus now; we’re all here,” yeonjun told all of you. 

it was retreat day one of two, and you couldn’t be more excited. this was an opportunity for bonding and growing closer to the members of your team, meaning, maybe you could get some more one-on-one time with jake too. 

following yeonjun, you began making your way outside and into the bus that was ready to take everyone. 

boarding, there were multiple rows of four seats down the entire interior of the bus, but in every row, the seats were separated in the middle by an aisle, leaving two seats on either side. 

taking note of this, you noticed all of your friends sat down with each other, in pairs, in the same rows. you girls did have an odd number after all. so you ended up sitting alone, which you didn’t really mind anyways. 

as the boys began trailing in afterwards, you noticed jake was the first one to come in and you smiled to yourself. he looked so happy and handsome, as always. 

what you didn’t expect was the following question from him, and you didn’t expect him to ask you out of everyone here: “can i sit here?”

“yeah, of course!” you answered, simply smiling on the outside but absolutely beaming on the inside with ecstasy as he took the seat right beside you. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❦ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

what were five hours of road-tripping felt like a duration that just wasn’t long enough. 

though you were forced to stay seated in the same spot and same position for such a great amount of time, somehow, sitting with him had the hours pass like they were nothing. 

you two were able to talk for hours without growing bored, and if the conversation ever died down, the silence was never awkward. just simply being in each other’s presence was enough for both of you. 

jake noticed as your eyelids began to grow heavy, “you tired?”

“yeah, a little,” you answered, followed by a slight chuckle. 

“here,” he said, patting his shoulder, telling you to rest your head on him. 

you smiled, grateful, and made yourself comfortable. 

as you did so, jake’s heart rate quickened, yet also grew extremely soft, seeing you resting on him. he adored you. 

once your team arrived at the retreat destination, jake woke you up gently, and eventually, you all exited the bus, jake letting you go first, making you smile at the reminder of how much of a gentleman he was. 

you thanked him and got off the bus. 

“okay, everyone, go drop your things off in your rooms, and we’ll meet in the cafeteria in fifteen minutes for dinner,” yeonjun announced after a briefing once everyone was out of the large vehicle. “what are you waiting for? go, go! i’ll see you all in fifteen.”

you all laughed before everyone made their way to their rooms. 

some time had passed, and after relaxing and unpacking for a few minutes, it was finally dinner time. 

excited, you entered the cafeteria with wonyoung and liz, only to be met with the sight of jake already sitting with others. 

you hadn’t planned with him to sit together, but after everything that happened over the past couple of days, you just naturally expected it. 

perhaps he had been sitting with you long enough already for one day that he got bored and needed a break. maybe that’s why he was sitting with jay and sunghoon—and lily. except jay and sunghoon were only talking to each other, leaving jake and lily who seemed to be having lots of fun conversing and joking with one another, just as you were beginning to get your hopes up that maybe he liked you back. but no, he was just a nice, friendly guy, not just to you, but to everyone. 

the night continued, and you ended up sitting and eating dinner with chaewon, liz and jungwon when all of a sudden, riki started going around to every table, attempting to convince everyone to place 7 minutes in heaven. 

it was a stupid idea, almost everybody thought so, but he was the youngest on your team, and a clever one at that, that somehow he convinced you all in to playing. you don’t even remember how he managed to pull you into doing it, yet here you were, sitting in a large circle in sunoo and riki’s shared room, along with everyone else, about to spin a bottle to decide which two of you would go into the closet first. 

you all were hopelessly single anyways, so why not just give it a go? 

looking around you, a minority was excited while the rest of you looked slightly uneasy about playing the game, but before you could think too much into it, riki rubbed his hands together with a smirk on his face, “ready?”

and with that, he spun the bottle. 

you all watched anxiously as the bottle circled, and circled, and circled. it almost looked like it wasn’t slowing down at all, but eventually, after a few seconds, it slowly came to a complete stop, and you all watched, anticipating who it would land on. 

sunghoon. 

shock was the most common expression painted on people’s faces, while some of the boys began cheering the boy on. eventually, though, the bottle was spun again, and you all watched closely to see who sunghoon’s match in heaven would be…

jang wonyoung. 

your jaw dropped, and you all looked at each other and at the two chosen ones before you exchanged eye contact with yunjin who gave you a smirk, remembering that she did predict correctly the fact that they both liked each other. however, neither of the two knew of the other’s feelings, which made this match all the more exciting. 

with sunghoon getting up first to lead the way, they both entered the closet, and riki locked them in from the outside. 

the rest of you looked at each other and began talking and predicting the things they were doing in there. 

“well, let’s hope sunghoon finally makes a move this time,” jay whisper yelled to the group. 

eventually, seven minutes were up, and you could imagine sunghoon and wonyoung’s shared frightened reaction when riki violently knocked on the closet door to inform the two that their time was over. 

the two could have been kissing for all you know and suddenly one could have bit the other’s lip as a reaction to the sudden noisy interruption, but you chose to hope otherwise. 

the two later came out, cheeks a dark, rosy pink that made you excited for them. you hoped everything went well during those seven minutes. 

you chose to take seeing everyone’s lips intact as a good sign. 

as the two joined the circle again, everyone began bombarding them with questions that you all forgot there were more rounds to go before the sound of riki exaggerating the clearing of his throat overtook your chatter. 

“we will now begin the next round,” riki said in a loud, deep voice, laced with some sort of fancy accent to add to the act he was trying to play which had you all chuckling softly. 

everyone’s eyes were on riki’s hand as he grabbed ahold of the bottle in the middle of the circle and quickly spun it. 

and you all watched as the bottle landed on you. 

your eyes went wide, and you felt a wave of nervousness crash to the pit of your stomach. 

you didn’t expect to be chosen, at least not near the beginning, considering the chances since there were fourteen of you—fifteen if you include yeonjun, the spectator who got to be entertained by the drama without having to participate in it. perks of being a senior to a group of drama-prone teens. 

you were shocked and more nervous than excited since, really, there was only one boy you’d want to be stuck in a closet with, and the chances of the bottle landing on him next weren’t exactly very high. however, even if it did land on him, it wouldn’t make you any less anxious. in fact, it would probably make the feeling worse, if anything. 

so you all watched as riki spun the bottle again to choose your match. 

you and chaewon grasped so tightly onto each other’s arms that you wouldn’t have been surprised if you cut each other’s circulation off in anticipation. 

it felt like an eternity watching as the bottle spun. you just needed to know immediately who you’d be going into that closet with for the next seven minutes. 

finally, the spinning of the bottle seemed to slow, and your eyes followed it anxiously, and eventually, it landed. 

your brain was trying to process the situation that you subconsciously blocked out the sound of everyone’s gasps. 

you looked into jake’s eyes, directed down towards the floor, to try and find a reaction or get a grasp of what his expression reflected about how he was possibly feeling. but it was of no use; he was unreadable. 

the bottle had landed on jungwon. 

besides chaewon and yunjin, jungwon was the member you were closest to. you two had known each other the longest of anyone on the team, having been on the team the longest. and not to mention, he was a former crush of yours from many years back. 

before you knew any of the people who were currently sitting in this circle, you liked jungwon. and even though it had been years since you did, and thinking those feelings subsided a long time ago, somehow, you felt an unexpected, subtle excitement as you realised that at this moment, those feelings from the past were beginning to resurface. 

but you took a deep breath in and reminded yourself to stay strong as you stood up and made your way with jungwon to the closet. 

he walked in first, and you followed. 

“good luck, love birds,” you heard riki blurt out before shutting the door and locking it. 

jungwon rolled his eyes at the boy playfully and you shook your head as you then turned to face him. 

“hi,” you let out softly with a small smile. 

“hey,” he returned, a slight grin painting his adorable features. 

“wow,” you started. “coming to this retreat, i definitely didn’t expect i’d be in this situation, especially with you of all people.”

“i know,” he chuckled. “riki’s such a kid. but honestly, i think everyone’s low-key enjoying playing this game.”

“just wait ‘til it’s their turn though,” you said, causing both of you to laugh as jungwon nodded in agreement. 

“are you enjoying the game?” he suddenly posed. 

your eyes subconsciously snapped to his and you felt

your cheeks begin to heat up slightly at the question. luckily, the light in the closet was barely existent. 

“i mean, yeah,” you said. “it's only the second round, and me and you only just got in here. and at the end of the last round, we didn't even get to discuss how wonyoung and sunghoon’s turn went. i’m actually dying to know what happened!”

“same,” jungwon said. “those two better have kissed or something. it's painful watching them be so oblivious to each other’s feelings.”

you laughed, “i know, right? anyways, how about you? how are you liking this game?”

“yeah, like what you said, the game only really just started, and to be honest, i’m glad you’re the one i’m in here with. we’ve known each other for so long, y’know?”

“yeah, totally.”

“y’know, i guess, y/n, i’m probably only going to get this opportunity once, and so i might as well say it now—” with jungwon’s words, your heart began increasing in speed, feeling as though with every pump, it was rising, closer and closer to your throat that with each breath, it became harder to breathe in anticipation for what he was about to say, and you were quite sure of what his next words were going to be, “—i like you, y/n.”

there they were.

a feeling overcame your body with those four words that you had never experienced before. it was as though time had slowed, and you could barely think straight, a sudden mix of nervousness and excitement that wasn’t there before becoming apparent. 

“you don't have to like me back or anything, or even say anything for that matter,” jungwon told you. “whatever you do, i won’t be mad at it. i just thought i should let you know, because it’s been a long time since i’ve felt this and wanted to tell you, and since we’re in private, i figured this was a good opportunity to do so.”

his eyes dropped from yours, and you stared at him, wondering how such a kind, respectful and brave boy could exist in this corrupt world. and he had been in front of you this entire time. 

your heart was pounding, and riding the high you currently felt from the sudden boost of confidence his confession gave you, you gathered the courage to say, “jungwon, you can kiss me if you want.”

his eyes travelled back up to your own, giving you an almost confused expression that quickly lit up into a smile of relief and happiness. 

he took a step closer to you, and with that, his hand came to gently cup the side of your face. he gave you the softest look as his eyes travelled down to your lips, and you watched as he leaned in before you closed your eyes and met him in the middle. 

the kiss was nothing short of incredible. his lips were soft and moulded against yours almost perfectly. 

after a few seconds when he pulled away, if you were being honest, you almost wanted more, but it was for the best that you just let it be, and you smiled to yourself at what had just happened between the two of you. 

“th—“

“okay, lovebirds, time’s up,” riki announced, bursting open the door, causing you and jungwon to both jump slightly at the sudden interruption. 

as riki made way for you two to exit, jungwon looked at you one more time before gesturing for you to head out first, so you did, and once you made your way to the rest of the group, still sitting in a circle around the bottle on the floor, you watched as your friends eyed you with confused expressions, as though they were unsure whether to congratulate you or scold you. but how would they know what happened in the closet? 

yunjin cleared her throat awkwardly and began speaking, “you two know that the walls are really thin here and we can hear lots of what you were saying in that closet?”

“what?!” you blurted out, eyes wide in shock. 

“yeah,” riki added, “it was hard to notice when sunghoon and wonyoung were inside because we were all talking during their turn. but you guys started talking right away, and we noticed, and we couldn’t pass down the opportunity for good tea.”

“i—“ jungwon let out, eyes furrowed in slight worry and disappointment. 

you then looked to jake beside him and noticed how his expression seemed to be even sadder than jungwon’s, which confused you. 

“anyways, it’s okay, guys. we’re like family anyways. the secrets are bound to come out at some point,” riki brushed off. 

“family?” liz questioned, a slight tone of disgust in her voice, “you can’t say we’re like family and then proceed to spin the bottle—“

“watch me,” riki challenged with a smirk as he grabbed hold of the bottle and spun it yet again. 

liz rolled her eyes before watching the bottle along with everybody else when it slowly landed on jake. 

you looked at him immediately after a soft gasp left your lips, and his expression remained the same as the last time you checked: disappointed and sad. it brought a frown to your face. 

as riki held the bottle in his hands again, preparing to let it loose, you were reminded that someone would have to go with jake, and the thought of anybody else going into that closet with him alone built up an indescribable jealousy within you. it was lame and unfair of you to feel that way, but—you. you looked down. 

the bottle had landed on you. 

you stared at it, giving you a clear confirmation that you were indeed seeing it correctly and your brain wasn’t making things up in attempts to soothe your envy. 

you blinked a few times before looking up and meeting eyes with jake—and then to everybody else. 

“y/n again?!” sunghoon exclaimed. 

“should we spin it again? y/n already went,” riki pointed out. 

“no, no, let her go again. it’s getting exciting,” you heard your senior cut in from a few metres away, causing you all to laugh—all but you and jake. 

you looked at him again, swallowing nervously before he stood up, “let’s go.”

walking into the closet with jake, the air had never felt so thick with tension. 

“you kissed him, right?” jake asked you once riki locked the door, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall to which you did the same, making sure to keep some distance between the two of you. 

“was it that obvious?” you asked sadly. 

“we basically heard the entire thing,” he explained to you. “i didn’t want to, and i tried to convince the rest of them, but they all shut me up and didn’t bother listening to me; they just wanted to listen in on you and jungwon.”

“well, thanks, i guess,” you said. 

there was a long moment of silence, more tension filling the small closet, before jake broke it, voice cracking with hurt as he asked, “why did you kiss him?”

you snapped your head to face him, confused, “what?”

“why?” jake repeated, “tell me, why did you kiss him?”

“i—“ you paused, shocked, “jake, this is 7 minutes in heaven you're talking about. that’s the purpose of the game!”

even you were taken aback by how loud your voice got towards the end of your point. 

“you didn’t have to kiss him. you know that,” he said, voice growing angrier with each word that left his lips. 

“jake—“

“and most of all, you didn’t have to be the one to initiate it,” he finished, voice breaking down painfully. 

more silence. 

“why are you so upset about me kissing jungwon?” you asked, frustrated. “it was just a kiss!”

“it wasn’t just a kiss—“

“but why does that matter?!”

jake paused for a moment, taking a deep breath in before answering. 

“i thought we—“ he said, gesturing between you and him, “—were—i don’t even know, y/n, but all i know is that i feel like i was being led on.”

you scoffed, “‘led on?’ you feel led on?”

jake eyed you, confused. 

“what about me? you have been talking to lily all day ever since we got off that bus, and you’re so friendly with literally every girl—if anything, i should be the one to feel led on!”

“really?” jake asked, upset and offended. “do you even hear yourself right now? i was talking to lily. it’s a part of my personality to be friendly with people! meanwhile, you're over here kissing other boys! how does that sound for being led on? hm?”

“why does it matter, jake?” you asked, rolling your eyes. “it was just a kiss, and it’s not like you and i are a couple! you don’t own me.”

he scoffed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he began standing up, “whatever, y/n.”

“okay! time’s up, love bi—“ riki didn’t end that sentence, because immediately after he opened the closet door, jake shoved his way through, leaving not only the closet but the entire room and building too. 

you slowly walked out of the closet, being met with everyone no longer sitting in a circle and making themselves occupied with anything they could find if it meant avoiding your eyes. 

“where did jake go?” you asked, voice slow and sad. 

heeseung pointed to the door of the room, letting you know that he left. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❦ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

the next day was the last of the retreat, and you were mentally and emotionally ready to go home. 

and after a whole morning and half of an afternoon of training, lectures and team-building games, it was time to go home. 

you all packed your things and got ready outside to board the bus as yeonjun began taking a headcount. 

“okay, we’re ready to go.”

climbing onto the bus, you noticed jake had taken a seat beside the window, but to the spot beside him, you noticed was his backpack. 

he probably wants to sit alone. 

so jake watched as you walked past him, sitting farther down in the bus with wonyoung instead. and if he was being honest, he was disappointed. 

he wished that you two hadn’t argued and that things would return to the way they were when you were on the first bus, heading to the retreat the day earlier. 

he wished that instead of jungwon, he himself would have been the one to be inside that closet with you first. 

he wished that he could have kissed you in that closet when he had the chance. 

but instead, you two only fought, and now, whatever relationship you two had before was broken. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❦ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

that evening, a couple of hours after arriving back home, your team had practice, and one by one, everybody slowly and tiredly arrived at the studio—all except jake. 

“jake told me he isn’t feeling well tonight, so he’s going to be staying home,” yeonjun informed all of you. “but it’s okay; we can make do without one member for today. i appreciate the rest of you coming after an exhausting retreat. shall we get started then?”

throughout practice, you were unable to keep up with the rest of your team because jake wasn’t there. yes, he was your partner, but the studio also lacked his important presence. 

like riki had said the day before, you all really were like family, and without one person, it was like a puzzle piece was missing from the entire picture. 

the fact that you and him also left it on bad terms had you feeling uneasy the entire practice, and even though you were still upset with him, you also hoped he was doing okay, especially knowing you were the one who caused his pain and absence. 

eventually, practice ended, and trudging yourselves out of the studio, tired, you all got to go and finally get some rest. 

arriving home, after washing up, your body felt a sense of relief as it hit the comfort of your mattress; however, your mind was still not at ease as thoughts of jake and what had happened the day before, along with the repercussions of it all, lingered in your head, making you unable to fall asleep. 

bringing yourself back to the argument, your heart began racing with frustration and restlessness—you just wished none of it had ever happened and that jake was okay right now… and speaking of the boy, you wondered what he was up to. 

somehow unable to combat your curiosity, the next thing you knew, your phone was in your hands, the screen being one of the only things lighting up the darkness of your room. 

your fingers typed faster than your brain it seemed, and suddenly, you clicked the send button for a message now delivered to jake, asking what he was doing right now and if he was doing okay.

immediately after sending it, you turned your phone off, set it down, and closed your eyes, trying to block out your thoughts so that you could get some peace and quiet to allow you to fall asleep. 

however, you were very unsuccessful, and your mind began racing, coming up with possibilities of how he would answer and what his thoughts would be when he read the message from you. and suddenly, a deep feeling of regret dropped to the bottom of your chest. 

you quickly checked your phone for any reply. 

and, nothing. 

you curled your body into the foetal position, groaning as you banged your fist onto your mattress in regret. 

you checked your phone again. 

still nothing. 

this continued for a couple more hours, before eventually, not remembering how, you fell into slumber. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❦ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

arising the next morning after what was not enough hours of sleep, your mind immediately went to the messages you sent last night, and you quickly opened your phone—only to be met with no reply, yet again. 

your face grew a deep frown as you turned, face in your pillow, to let out a long, agonising groan. 

you checked your phone again with a glimpse of hope that maybe he sent a reply in the last few seconds, but of course, there was nothing. however, you did notice the time, and you realised how early it still was. he was probably still asleep. 

lost in your thoughts, you ceased to notice your eyelids fall heavy, and before you knew it, you were returned to dreamland. 

the day continued, and you ended up waking up not too long after falling back asleep, getting up to start the day. 

hours passed, and there was still no word from jake, and you were beginning to get worried. it was now deep into the afternoon, he had to have woken up at some point and seen your message. 

so instead of waiting on a reply that may never even come, you decided to take things into your own hands, and go to him yourself. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❦ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

the violent knocking on jake’s door had him knowing exactly who it was who wanted to see him, because who else would be so desperate to talk to him face to face? he could only think of one person, and that was you. 

he was hesitant to answer, but he also knew better than to leave you outside in the cold, and with your persistent personality, he just had a feeling that if he didn’t open the door anytime soon, you’d still wait, even if it meant spending an hour in the cold. 

“what do you want?” jake asked you after using everything he had in him to open the door. 

“can we talk?” you asked, a soft and gentle tone in your voice. “please?”

after looking at you for a second longer, he decided to let you in. 

“how are you?” you started, genuinely concerned. 

“fine,” jake answered, flat and blatant. 

he led you to the living room where he then sat down before gesturing with only the movement of his hand for you to do the same. 

you took a seat a few feet away. 

“can we talk about what happened yesterday?” you asked, breaking the tense silence, “i don’t like the way we left things, and i think it’s taking a toll on us both.”

“fine,” there it was again with his one-word answers.  

you sighed. 

“i was only sitting with lily that day because it was sunghoon’s idea to have the 02z unit sit together for dinner,” jake took initiative to explain. “and this was planned before we even had that long practice that day—the day you and i had to stay overtime.”

you nodded to let him know you were following. 

he continued, “i didn’t expect it to hurt you, and it was never my intention to, but i recognise that i should have maybe thought of how you would feel about it before i did it.”

his explanation hit you so deeply that you felt lame about the justification of your actions that you were planning to give. 

“yeah,” you nodded, eyes on your fidgeting fingers laying on your lap, “thanks, jake.”

he sat there, briefly looking into your eyes before giving you a casual smile and a single nod. 

now, it was time for your side, “after seeing you sitting with lily—and jay and sunghoon—i ended up sitting with liz, chaewon and jungwon. and i hope you don’t find that strange or bad because you know, everyone knows, that me and jungwon are close and we’ve known each other for years longer than anyone else on the team. so that was a reason why we were sitting together. and then another reason was because he’s chaewon’s partner for this season, and they wanted to sit together.”

jake hummed in understanding. 

“but that’s no excuse for kissing him,” you went on, eyes unable to meet his. “i’m sorry for kissing jungwon. i didn’t know something was going on between me and you after seeing you seem so close with lily. and i don’t know if you know, but i used to like jungwon a long time ago.”

you let out a soft laugh as you reminisced. 

you continued, “so i guess, during 7 minutes in heaven, when jungwon confessed to me, some of those feelings just came back, and a part of me was also still upset at you—which i’m not anymore, because i understand now.”

interrupting you for a brief moment, jake said, “wait, sorry, but before you continue, it’s almost time for practice actually. want me to drive you?”

“oh,” you let out. “yeah, that would be great.”

“okay, we should get going now then,” he let you know before you both stood up and began making your way to the door. “sorry, continue.”

“but yeah,” you started again, “i guess that’s just what was going on in my mind at the time. and i didn’t think it mattered, because i didn’t know you thought you and i were almost a thing.”

“i didn’t think we were, and i still don’t,” jake clarified while he led you to the car, “but i thought we were on the path to maybe something more than just—friends.”

“is that what you want?” you asked in a soft tone as you gave a small smile. 

“do you want it?” he replied. 

you laughed, “i asked you first,” 

“fine,” he smiled, stopping in his tracks and turning to face you. “yeah, i don’t think it’d be such a bad idea.”

“yeah?”

“yeah.”

“okay,” you said. “well, me too.”

a hopeful grin grew to his lips, “so does that mean—?”

suddenly, leaning in, you left a quick kiss on jake’s cheek. and as his eyes grew wide and looked at you, you had already turned on your heel and began speed walking away. 

however, before you could barely even make it three steps away, he called your name and said, “you missed.”

you turned around and smirked before asking, “wanna show me how it’s done then?”

he sent you a cheeky grin in return before quickly grabbing your chin and placing his lips on yours. 

you felt as he smiled through the kiss, and you closed your eyes, practically melting on the spot. 

eventually, he pulled back slightly with a smirk, whispering against your lips, “this is to make up for the seven minutes we lost in the closet the other day.”

and with an almost urgency, he pressed his lips against yours again, this time more passionately, so many feelings that were built up over these two years being expressed through that one kiss. and you loved every second of it. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❦ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

holding the end pose as you and your boyfriend practised the dance routine for one of the last times ever, he told you, “i think we’re ready. 

you nodded, agreeing, before replying, “i think so too.”

his shining smile graced his lips as he couldn't take his eyes off of you. 

still holding the last pose, with faces just inches apart, jake leaned it to kiss you—a lot. 

it started with just one peck, which led to another. and another. and another, until he left no area of your face untouched. 

and before he finished, he left one last long kiss on your lips. 

eventually pulling away, you asked him with a cheeky smile, “what was that for?”

“just making up for lost time.”

and with his answer, he only dived down to kiss you more, thoughts filling his dazed and drunken mind of how happy he was to have gotten you as his partner—not only for dance, but for life. 

AUTHOR’S NOTE → thank you so, so, so, so much for reading until the end !! that means so much to me, and i rlly hope this was an enjoyable read. if you liked it, it would help out a ton if you liked and reblogged and even left feedback as well! whenever i read feedback from y’all it makes my day and just motivates me write more, truly <3 also, as some of you know, this was my first time ever writing a fic so long, let alone a fic over 4k words :’> i hope i did it justice, especially considering it was for jake ,, and for his birthday ,, haha. also i’m sorry, this fic was a lil self indulgent kdndj loll ,, and tell me why i started shipping jungwon and y/n more than jake and y/n as i was writing that one scene- JSJSJDJD *heads to the corner to cRY* no but in all seriousness, this was such a fun one to write, especially for jake. thank you for reading and thank you in advance for your love and support on this one <3 and ofc, happy jake day <3 i love you all !! thanks for reading <3

[lovetohate001]

hii i love ur fics sm and ur one of the only 001 smut writers that i love so i have an request (im sorry if this is too ‘wild’😭) but can u do one of sitting on his face/faceriding?it can be whilst they are still in the lab or they ran away and living together

Ride 

Peter Ballard x Female!Reader | R-rated for sexual content

CW: potential spoilers for Season 4 Vol.1

word count: 1.4k

AN: Plot? sorry what plot? porn without a plot? yes. just. yes. and a praise kink, too? yes. edging? that too... i have nothing else to say except enjoy!

© lovetohate001, 2022. reposting/translating is not allowed.

“Are you sure?”

The words were soft and gentle, coming from those lips you’d had claim yours only seconds ago. Peter looked up at you with those bright eyes of his, eyebrows furrowed in what you could only guess was worry.

You reached a hand down and ran your hand through his hair. “I’m sure.”

You’d been carrying on this small escapade with Peter for weeks. You’d known each other for years. Essentially your entire childhood. And now…that friendship had blossomed into something more over the past four years. The love you had for each other was inevitable. After enduring all the hurt Brenner had put the two of you in your early childhood…how you’d crept to each other’s rooms to help the other fall asleep…it had all led up to this.

And you couldn’t have asked for a truer beacon of light in this darkness than the man before you…or rather, the man currently laying between your legs.

“You don’t know just how much you’ve made me want you this week,” he admitted, his breath fanning over your core as he spoke.

He kept his gaze on you. He was propped up on his elbows, his palms flat on the inside of your thighs, gently rubbing up and down. His words sent a jolt of pleasure up your spine.

“You liked that, didn’t you?” humour lilted the ends of his words, a smile teasing you.

Gentle caresses slowly became his hands squeezing your thighs. Your breath hitched at the way he would take his hands away and marvel at the way his hands had left a mark there.

His eyes locked on yours again as his fingers gently trailed along the edges of your underwear. Across your abdomen, the soft skin of your inner thighs, prodding, pressing and ghosting over absolutely anywhere except where you needed him most.

“Please…” you whimpered, your voice shaky and soft. You wouldn’t dare make a sound any louder. If you got caught…

“You need to use your words, darling.”

Frustration and humiliation burned your cheeks. You couldn’t even look at him. Since when were you so shy? So hesitant around him?

“Hmm?” he coaxed you on, his index and middle finger ghosting over your core.

You huffed out a breath and gripped the sheets beneath you.

“Please-Please touch me,” you finally got out.

Wordlessly, and rather unexpectedly, you felt him push your underwear to the side. His fingers felt just right.

“Oh,” you couldn’t help reaching down to put a hand in his hair.

His fingers curled up perfectly, touching you right where you needed him. And it felt sinful. You rolled your hips against his fingers and allowed small gasps to pass your kiss swollen lips, knowing well that it would give him all the encouragement he needed to keep going.

Fingers gripped tighter into his hair. His tongue circled your clit. The moans you longed to hear louder were instead a vibration that sang through your veins. Seeing him between your legs, his hair golden in the evening sun, was something that took your breath away. Until he sucked your bud so harshly, you lifted up a hand to bite down on. You felt the bastard smile against you.

“Don’t…don’t stop…” you gasped, back arching and that small warmth built in you, growing. “Please…”

His fingers slowed and his mouth strayed to your thighs, leaving kisses in his wake, an apology of sorts. You almost cried when you watched him put his fingers into his mouth, tasting you, as if he hadn’t been able to satiate himself from before already.

“My angel, I want us to try something today,” he started, sitting down between your legs, his hands resting on your thighs. “Can you trust me?”

“Hmm…” you couldn’t really respond, your eyes fixed on his hands, gently kneading your thighs. You noticed the way your legs trembled slightly. He was definitely to blame.

Peter sighed and let go of your thighs, shifting so he could lie next to you, face to face.

“I know you are incredibly shy…but I thought we could try something different today, don’t you think? Something that I think might make things a bit easier for you…” he trailed off and waited for you to reject his offer.

He knew you tended to stay on the safer side, with the things you knew and expected. He knew you needed to feel safe. And in control.

“I trust you,” was all the energy you had to say. “Show me what to do.”

And that was all he needed from you. His lips met yours, and he brushed his tongue over your bitten and bloodied lip, tenderly. He got up onto his knees and patted the other end of the bed.

“Sit there.”

You obeyed and, with some effort, went to the other side of the bed, grateful that your legs indeed did still work.

Peter lay down where you had been and beckoned you over.

“I want you to face the other way,” he took you by your shoulders and whirled you around. “And I want you to lean over me.”

You were on all fours now, your core right above his mouth.

“Sit up.” That was more of an order. His voice was hoarse, and his hands were around your waist, lifting you up.

A soft moan left you as you felt his hands trail back down to your thighs, holding you in place over him. You couldn’t see his face. But you felt him. His tongue flicked your clit, making your hips jerk down onto his lips.

He lifted you up and latched onto your clit again, sucking gently. Warmth coursed through you as you felt that soft pleasure heat you up again from the inside. Facing away from him like this felt…different.

You swiveled your hips around, hips jolting at the new feelings skittering up your core. oh this was good. His hands on your hips squeezed hard, a low moan reverberating into you in response. You moaned again and leaned back, your hands behind you, on either side of Peter’s head. Hips rocked back and forth over his mouth, and small whines left your parted lips.

A hand found its way up to your bralette, slipping underneath to graze over one of your nipples. You braced both of your hands on Peter’s chest, your breath shuddering out of you in uneven gasps. That tight band coiled in you was so close to snapping, and you had to – needed to do something about it. But Peter knew all too well, and moved his hands back to grip tightly at your hips, holding you in place.

With your body sending sparks in every direction from the touches that lingered on your skin, those slow and tentative licks he left on you drove you past insanity.

“Peter,” you whined, leaning forward to grip onto his thighs harshly, your nails digging into his skin. “Please…stop teasing me.”

You jolted again when he let out a genuine laugh, kissing your clit affectionately.

“If you want it so badly, try harder,” he said, his voice hoarse and so full of lust, you felt your core tighten. “Use me all you want, my angel.”

“Like this?” you grinded your hips down hard, onto his face, whimpering when you felt his tongue dip into your entrance.

“Perfect,” was all he could utter before he squeezed your sides, pushing you down again.

Your nails dug deep into his thighs, hips moving, the flat of his tongue running over your slit up to your clit. A breathy moan left you again. Your movements came to a halt as you steadied yourself, hands splayed over his chest. You were so close.

His hands held your hips so tightly it burned, but you didn’t care. You pressed down onto his mouth, his nose brushing your clit, sending electricity up your aching thighs.

“Fuck…fuck…” you couldn’t stop the obscenities, feeling his fingers press up against your overstimulated clit, his tongue delving deep into you, tracing your entrance and following the movement of your hips.

“Peter, I-“

Your climax ripped through you so strongly that Peter had to hold you up.

“You did so well for me, my angel…” he praised you, his arms wrapped around your waist, gently lowering you to lie against his chest.

You nuzzled your face into the crook of his neck and left a soft kiss on his pulse, your eyes already closing. You were sure as hell going to feel all of this tomorrow. Falling asleep to the soft sound of his heartbeat, and soft touches, massaging your aching thighs, was all you could ever ask for. It was one of the reasons why you loved him so much. And why you always would.

MASTERLIST

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[bylertruther]

hot take: people's hc's and hopes for s5 are the most angsty things i've ever read and i cannot imagine enough comfort in the world to balance out some of the angsty shit people are putting out there. we've already gotten 4 seasons of byler angst, haven't people had enough?? my fragile constitution cannot handle the dramatics. why do people write out mike and will saying the most heartbreaking shit to each other?? i just want them to forehead touch and kiss to a beautiful musical score. i want them to bake a loaf of bread together and eat it at sunset and then hold hands at nightfall. that's it, that's s5.

YOU AND ME BOTH, BROTHER 🤝

we've sat through four seasons of them getting their shit rocked, i'd like to believe that in season five they'll stick to their promise and finally be a team again for good this time. mike already admitted that he thought he was worrying too much about el to the point that he'd lost will--i don't want that to be the case again. obviously the First Lie is going to come up and has the potential to ruffle some feathers, but like .. i have had Enough lol<3 canon already has enough misery and frustration, i come on here to talk about them indulging in some gay shit. and considering the duffers aren't planning on making s5 as long as s4 was, i ESPECIALLY do not want their story to be mostly angst up until the second to last episode.

some people like the whump factor and to make angsty characters and ships even more angsty, but i am not one of them bc i have no undeniable 100% secured guarantee that there Will be a happy ending. once by|er is endgame and they have their smalltown boy era THEN i will give in to my angst demon tendencies but for now bro the duffers got that shit on lock!!! if i wanted an angst fest i would just rewatch the show like 😭😭😭😭 LMAOOOOO

but everyone is allowed to have their own headcanons and theories and write what they want obvi tbh this isn't hate towards anyone. i jus kno u will Never catch me reblogging tht shit, but i WILL be screaming crying wailing over the cute n tender headcanons tht people post bc those bring me joy<3 mike n will are already in superhell ok i want to pluck them from their story n drop them into a world where they CAN bake bread together, where mike can wipe the flour from will's cheek but ends up making even more of a mess, where will can decorate their foccacia and make it look so beautiful that mike feels bad eating it later, where mike and will can steal glances at each other under the stars when they think the other isn't looking, where will can sneak little comics he doodled into mike's locker and textbooks for him to find later, where will draws on mike's hand and forearm bc mike is thinking abt a tattoo but too pussy to go through with it, where he can then try his best to return the favor and it's fucking awful LMAO but will loves it sm bc it's mike and he'll never say no to mike putting his hands on him, and where they can slowdance in will's room (bc they Never hang out in mike's room and as such don't want to draw suspicion), and where they can flirt by comparing hand sizes as is tradition like will putting their hands together and being like "wow haha ur hand is so big! :)" and mike is just so so so red screaming dying inside pressing the tips of his fingers down a lil bit bc he wants to lace their fingers together but he doesnt know if will is jus being will or if they're having a category 5 lgbt moment right now so he just chokes out a "yeah haha 😳 crazy..." and gulps like a dweeb, and and and-----

[nautiscarader]

2020 in animation - recap

So, 2020. 

Yeah, I have to say I’m not entirely satisfied. Would not recommend, 1 star. 

But I would be willing to bump it to 1.5, if only because of one factor: the animation. 

Because I have to say, this was the best animated end of the world so far! And if there was something that kept our spirits up, it was the cartoon industry!

Just like last year, I should preface this by saying that this is highly subjective selection. Even when one is confined to their Hobbit holes for better part of the year because of *waves hands* everything around, 

day still only has 24 hours, so I have missed a few shows. (I should also apologise for omitting a few major ones last year, like Milo Murphy’s Law S2, Ducktales, or She-Ra. This is why I started keeping a track this year). I’m sure I will catch up with those I missed this year some time in the future, but for now, let’s see what this year has gifted us with.

And right from the start, January opens the race with very interesting propositions. We were still riding on an incredibly high wave from last year, with Infinity Train season 2.

This one focused on Tulip’s mirror, and pushed the season towards a much darker and complex story, diving deep into one’s personal journey and identity. There were tears, math, deer, and cops being murdered. Brutally. 

t was followed by two newcomers: The Owl House and first season of Kipo and The Age of the Wonderbeast. Both of them would dominate first half of the year, with The Owl House’s traditional, week-to-week airings, and Kipo's seasons appearing in  June and October.

The Owl House, a strong contender in "What will be the Next Gravity Falls?" contest, invited us to a world full of magic, mystery, elongated owl demons and some dark secrets. It has also created a milestone for Disney, introducing an LGBT couple with characters of bisexual Luz Noceda and lesbian Amity Blight. Their Grom dance has risen to the top of my animates scenes, polling very closely to the unforgettable Kataango.

On the other hand, Kipo has taken us to the post-apocalyptic world filled with mutant animals, revealing that despite the end of the world, our old vices and animosities have survived in underground burrows, and we have infected the overworld of giant doggos and suit-wearing frogs with them. 

Kipo did not pull any punches regarding commentary about our society, at the same time giving us hope in the form of the main protagonist, who was able to spread friendship and understanding amongst the mutes, as well as the humans that had to survive. And in the world that we have found ourselves in, it was a pretty darn good lesson.

February would bring end to two seasons of airing cartoons, Big Hero Six season 2 and Miraculous season 3, as well as another newcomer that won the hearts of fans: Glitch Techs, with its "second" season arriving in August. And while in my opinion he show wasn't as good as the other two new titles, I am clearly in minority, as the show about Ghostbuters-like team of game console technicians gained huge popularity... though not enough to keep the show afloat. As of writing this, it is currently in limbo, which is a shame, as the second set of 10 episodes finally added some much needed ongoing story.  

in March, another show from last year ended - Steven Universe Future. As we have expected, it tackled slightly more mature themes, showing how much Steven needed that therapy we have wished him, telling an important tale of finding one's worth and one's self. its ending might not have been as explosive as those of the original show, or the movie, but it left Steven’s story as open as an open road, and deep in our hearts, we all knew it would look like this.   

March was also the time when majority of western world caught the coronavirus, and that caused quite a turmoil with the movie and animation industry. One of the first victim of changed schedule was Disney's Onward, which was released on-line on Disney+ quickly after its theatrical release.

I have mixed feelings towards “Onward”. For such interesting promise, I think it made a few questionable and down right boring turns, though the unorthodox message at the end of it was its strongest point, and it was one I haven’t seen in a while, so it was worth watching just for that.  

April was relatively quiet (aside from more end of the world stuff); brought us third season of Ducktales that spread throughout the year, while May gave us final, fifth season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. 

To my eternal shame, I missed on this show when it premiered, and due to the lockdown, I binge-watched the previous four right in time for powerful and explosive season 5. And even though Catra and Adora finally gave us exactly what we needed, some fans felt slightly unsatisfied, calling for a movie, like the Steven Universe one to be made. And I’d be all for it, the rest of universe needs saving from the Horde! Also, cats in space - hilarious. 

May also revealed a new player on the streaming field: HBO Max, who surprised us with new Looney Tunes Cartoons, much more in the spirit of the legendary originals than the often-criticised Looney Tunes Show from 2011-2014. And in my opinion, it did; one could feel the same fluidity in animation, dedication to slapstick, and synchronisation with music than in the very first cartoons with Bugs and Daffy.

HBO Max would, however, return in June with first of series of Adventure Time original movies called "Distant Lands". The first centred around BMO, with second one - Obsidian giving us a glimpse into Bonnibel and Marceline's lives.

Distant Lands allowed people to revisit the odd, odd world of Ooo and learn about its colourful inhabitants, taking turns to seeing their past and the future, an, as usual, showing us that post-apocalyptic world can teach us valuable and meaningful lessons.   

Just in time for full lockdown in our burrows, aforementioned Kipo season 2 premiered in June, together with another cartoon movie, this time featuring We Bare Bears. While their movie wasn't anything to write songs about, it was exactly like the show, providing some wholesome content right when we needed it.

And just in case you needed more wholesome adventures, Craig of the Creek's second season ended, and its third season began, reminding us of HOW COOL LIFE WAS WHEN OUTERNET WASN’T SCARY AND WE COULD STILL WALK OUTSIDE FOR FUN AND NOT TO HUNT TOILET PAPER.

Just like last year, July was not dogs' days, but frogs'. Amphibia season 2 started raining on our heads, but unlike last year, its schedule wasn't a daily one, spreading the episodes throughout the Summer and early Autumn, with its second part arriving in February of 2021. There were more roadtrips, more mysteries and MORE MARCY.

August was equally strong: aforementioned Glitch Techs "season 2" premiered, offering better and more plot-heavy episodes than the first ten episodes. Unfortunately, the show's future is unclear; the uneven divide of plot between the seasons probably contributed to the show not being renewed. 10 new episodes apparently are written, but await in sleep mode, until Nickelodeon remembers about it.

HBO MAX picked up Infinity Train for its third season, after being derailed by Cartoon Network. And if you thought that killing a mirror cop was shocking... then this season has pushed the limit of what can be shown in modern children's cartoon to a frightening degree. The schedule was once again, weirder, with first five episodes airing on the day of the premiere, ending with a cliffhanger (literally) that only contributed to the shock factor and made us wait anxiously for its conclusion. It was bold, it was dark, it was memorable. 

And just like Glitch Techs, Infinity Train waits on a side track, unsure if it will be picked up, or will it be abandoned and left as a canvas for graffiti artists.

However, to end the Summer, a truly amazing TV movie has arrived on Disney Plus, where we came back to good, old Danville and could witness Candace against the universe. The new Phineas and Ferb movie brought back the glorious memories of this fantastic show, with the same humour, writing, abundance of catchy songs and a surprisingly deep moral.

In September we have seen the start of Big Hero 6 season 3 and a odd change of format. Instead of standalone 22-minute episodes, the show now consists of two 11-minute segments. In opinion of many, this weakened the stories, forcing them to be more comedy-oriented, and shortening the potential emotional drama. Still, it gave us funny, short stories, but they did clash with the two previous season, not to mention the movie.

However, if that wasn't up to your taste, Ducktales season 3 also started airing, and continued its first part up until December with more action- and plot-driven episodes, including the Darkwing Duck crossover, serving as a pilot of the spin-off. 

Later in December fans have learned that Season 3 will be its last, which broke the hearts of many duck fans; however, it seems that the season has been written as the last one in mind, and the news of the ending was known to the creators, which gives us hope for a kick-ass finale somewhere in 2021.

Miraculous New York, telling arguably one of the most mature storylines, opened the "Heroez" world to some new characters and new opportunities, with two more specials, taking place in Shanghai and Brazil, meant to air somewhere next year. AND I DO HOPE WE WILL SEE MORE LOCAL FOOD VENDOR SUPERHEROES LIKE HOT DOG DAN. 

October was the month of two season 3's: Carmen Sandiego and Kipo. In case of Carmen, as it is usual with Netflix, the "season" was only a half-one, with just a handful standalone episodes, and just a dash of more ongoing plot. 

For Kipo, however, season 3 was the end, and what a glorious one it was. Fans were saddened to learn of it, but Kipo was always imagined as a 3-part story, and it showed. The finale proved more than satisfying ending to the plot, elevating Kipo to one of the smartest cartoon characters we should all try to aspire to.

In November, Distant Lands: Obsidian aired, focusing on everyone’s favourite candy/vampire couple, and the long and complicated love between Bonnibel and Marceline. And as usual, it showed us that relationships are not always as straightforward as we would like them to be, but with enough music and teamwork, no enemy is big enough. 

For the next new show, I’ve waited with the most amount of excitement and anxiety. Because while I was completely fine with other reboots and re-imaginings to take creative takes, new Animaniacs, (airing on Hulu) had to be perfect and had to be the lightning that struck twice. 

And sadly... it wasn’t. It was still good, but some people criticised (incorrectly imho) the amount of political topics, while I mourned almost total cast-ration of additional characters, aside from Pinky and the Brain. This truly weakened the possibilities it could have had. It was still very good, but you can feel that some of the original charm was lost, due to these odd, odd limitations. 

December brought us a new original Apple TV movie, Wolfwalkers. A beautifully animated folk tale of friendship and social divides, and how short-sight can cause the collapse of both arguing sides, reminding me very much of the intelligence and heart of original “How to Train Your Dragon”.  

We’ve had to wait two years for the return of arguably one of the most wholesome shows out there: Hilda. Second season dived into deeper mysteries that permeate the rich and colourful troll-ridden land, we saw the return of some familiar characters, and introduced a whole new storyline, that ended with a surprising cliffhanger. Still as wholesome, but now with a tiny bit of Police incompetence. Also Twig, lots of Twig.   

Just like Onward, Pixar’s highly anticipated Soul aired on Disney+, telling a very mature story about finding one’s purpose in life, what that purpose actually means, and whether it exists at all. Beautifully animated, with fantastic soundtrack, it was a stunning tribute to creativity, and it never dumbed down its profound, open message about following your dream.   

And just if you thought that Soul was going to be 2020′s last note (pun very much intended), right before the year ended, DC Super Hero Girls concluded its first season on a rather anti-climactic two-parter. That being said, the season, running from March of last year, was packed with short, bite-sized, funny stories, taking interesting spins on existing comic book characters. For a comic book noob like me, it was perfectly fine, and I can’t wait for the second season next year. 

And so, we have reached the series finale of humanity. 

2020 ends in just under a day. What will 2021 bring us? I do not know, and if the animated shows of this year have taught me anything, is that the future is an always open book, full of worries and challenges, but also opportunities and possibilities. 

...

And in reality I was too lazy to check any news sites about upcoming projects.

[starkeristheendgame]

Tony having separation anxiety from peter when he’s away on a mission and he’s constantly worried about him and when he gets back tony doesn’t leave his side and won’t stop cuddling him

Thank you sm for this prompt, I really loved writing it! I hope this is okay for you, I know its short which I’m super sorry for but I’ve got so many prompts in my inbox right now, I’m so sorry! ❤️

No TW. SFW

“You hate it when I leave. You worry. You’re like a Mom on her kid’s first day at kindergarten”. 

“Do not. I couldn’t care less. You’re the one who argued and sulked that he was old enough to run missions solo”. 

“You haven’t let go of my hand since I came back. Its been four hours”. 

Tony looked down at their intertwined fingers and gave a haughty sniff, turning his gaze back to the TV screen. “That means nothing”. 

Peter gave him a fondly exasperated side-eye, corners of his mouth lifting in a smile he couldn’t quite fight off. The moment he’d come back from the mission Tony had glued himself to his side, an act that had become the routine norm for Peter’s return. The younger man was spooned and held and fed and watched like a hawk, afforded no time alone (not that he wanted any) for at least a full day/night. 

The mission hadn’t been anything too remarkable or dangerous, a generic tail and take-down of a drug transport operation that in truth, had mostly been taken care of by the militia that had accompanied Peter to the zone. All he’d really done was stop the convoy and web up three men who’d tried to flee the scene. 

And yet, on his return after two days out, Tony had fussed over him and fed him and dragged him to the couch where they lay curled together, Peter bundled up in a blanket and tucked back against Tony’s chest like a swaddled babe. Peter let silence lapse for a short while, before he piped up again. 

“You miss me when I’m gone”. 

“I enjoy the peace and full control of the thermostat”. 

“You fear for my safety”. 

“The only things I fear are Hercules Moths and showing up to a Gala in last season’s suit” Tony announced loftily, arms wrapping tighter around Peter as though his denial might make the younger man move away. Peter merely grinned, broad and lopsided because the more Tony denied it, the truer it became. 

“Oh, well, you won’t mind if I go see MJ, then? I didn’t get a chance to tell her about this-”

“No” Tony interrupted, arms squeezing tighter until Peter felt like he’d snuggled down with a constrictor snake. “Nope. No leaving. I have to...Observe you. For potential...Damage. After a strenuous mission” Tony settled on, voice firming to reinforce his made up instruction as he dropped his head to Peter’s hair, snuffling the thick curls gently. 

Peter rolled his eyes and settled back, squeezing Tony’s hand gently. “That’s a lot of words for ‘I miss you when you’re gone’” he noted wryly, fixing his gaze on the TV. Tony scoffed behind him but didn’t argue, nuzzling at Peter’s hair until he gave a reluctant, soft sigh. 

“Fine. I miss you when you’re gone. I hate it when you’re gone. I want to go with you and keep you safe and when you come home I don’t want you to leave until I’ve got it in my head that you came back”. 

“That’s a lot of words for ‘I love you’”. 

“Don’t push your luck” Tony grumbled into the back of his neck, but Peter felt the kiss pressed there, soft and belying his argument, and he settled back with a satisfied grin.

[septembersghost]

frank says, quit. dean says, that’s not even an option, i’m not walking out on my brother. i think, baby, you’re going to die and leave your brother in his grief for decades...how is that better. you never had to leave each other or separate anyway. that’s not...the conclusion to draw. it wasn’t hunting keeping you together...screw destiny. we do have choices. he said that himself. those heavy moments of silence as the weeks pass without bobby, at least they’re together. sam has no idea what that weight is going to be.

(the closed captioning when sam is talking to krissy calls him “dean,” what happened there?)

dean encourages krissy to quit. (i love krissy sm, the best wayward girl who wasn’t even one...) tells her she can go to college. or even that she can do both things. (hunter/pediatrician.) he tells lee, quit. you’re doing this for your family? quit, for your family. she’s 14 years old and she’s already killed something, “what do you think that does to her life span?” god. at fourteen he’d already been inured to this, thrust into this, for ten years, and he never glanced at himself the way he can see and value the potential in this one girl.

krissy teasingly calls him an old man, he is only THIRTY THREE, find me wandering a cliffside

“It's nice to walk away from someone and feel like they could be okay.” 😭 

he fakes that incandescent smile because frank told him to, but also because of course he does. he’s done that for years. we’ve seen him do it. how many times did he have to do it? he did practically to his last breath. i think that’s why there are so many gifsets of him genuinely smiling, because everyone wants to hang on to the moments when his joy, however fleeting, was real. the fact that he could still feel it so spontaneously and unreservedly speaks as much to his strength as any physical capability ever could.

i remember many broad strokes from this season and so few of the small details that i’m beginning to question whether i actually rewatched it in its entirety? (i must have, right? i keep thinking and saying i rewatched everything before S10...i used to rewatch during the summer and at some point i stopped doing that, but obviously unreliable chronic fatigue brain has eroded more than i thought it had...or were S12-15 so frustrating and traumatic that they obliterated my own memories? i loved S6 more than i recalled and now S7 is having the same effect. is it the bias of seeing them alive and trying again? the remainder of S3 and then S4 and 5, all of which i saw after 15x20, were as powerful as ever, maybe with a newfound clarity, despite everything now being tinged by grief and even sharper edges, but those seasons are always like going back home, even if home sometimes is frightening and sorrowful and makes me cry, it’s comforting and familiar too. as a poet once said, if home is where the heart is, then we’re all just f***ed. i’ve sat through four season finales in less than two months, which means that song has played four times since november 19th? uh. the descent into madness is steep, hell is empty, all the devils are here, dreams unwind, love’s a state of mind...)

dean tries to open up to eliot ness, because dean is always seeking connection, understanding, validation, attraction, emotional support, mirrors, and people have the audacity to say he’s r*pressed (yeah, i’m censoring the word here bc i’m that annoyed at it) when he sits in cars and spills feelings to complete strangers due to his nature and empathic need to associate. eliot ness is as unhelpful as everyone else he does this with (and i adore this episode, as has been previously established, but!)

Boo-hoo. Cry me a river, ya nancy. Tell me, are all hunters as soft as you in the future? Everybody loses everybody. And then one day, boom. Your number's up, but at least you're making a difference. So enjoy it while it lasts, kid, 'cause hunting's the only clarity you're gonna find in this life. And that makes you luckier than most.

no wonder, it’s all no wonder

(time after time has so much in it, i could go on about it and its themes, and the fact that he gets to be a genius and beautiful and dress up and get overexcited with history/movie references, i’ll restrain myself, but even in 1944, they make fun of his enthusiasm. why is everyone else so lacking in hints of pleasure? where did dean even develop his humor? it has to be one of the most endearing and authentic things about him, and it’s totally his, and next to no one appreciates it, so this is something he cultivated and enjoyed on his own? he weaponizes it against the terror and brutality on his own? his defining capacity for love is such a combination of factors - inherent, nurtured, instilled, drilled into place, chosen, violent, tender, selfish, selfless - but the humor is simply a dean thing. how dare all the rest of them not cherish that constantly in the midst of all the bleakness t b h.)

chronos: “i know your future.” dude...they defy that future like they do so many others, and if there’s anything to take from ness’ little lecture, we have to believe that makes a difference.

edit: this quote of Jody’s... :(

It's weird, huh? It's like their life's a big puzzle. You just keep finding pieces of it scattered all over the place.

as a final note, in the previous episode, frank says to an exhausted dean, “you look horrific.” he and i have VERY different definitions of that word, because dean literally looks like:

[supergay-supergirl]

watched superman and lois, here are some thoughts

caveat that I haven't seen all of it! I saw the first like... three? episodes and then the last four.

under the cut cause this is lonnnggg

tyler hoechlin is a very very very good superman, 10/10

he plays a very family oriented, powers out of focus superman which might not mesh with some of the older movies but for this show it WORKS

actually, great casting all around. elizabeth tulloch is perfect for this iteration of lois. I was skeptical about the kids at first but they really embodied their roles. props

the dynamic between jon and jordan is something that can actually be so personal

no but seriously it's very good and it's reminiscent of the dynamic between alex and kara and me and my sister which I love

I was eh about the plot. that may be because I didn't see the middle. more below

I had similar issues with sm&l as I had with supergirl season 1. as in, it was very well done, but I wasn't invested in any of the characters yet, so I was just kinda waiting until the next dramatic moment.

which is normal for a first season! imo flash is the only arrowverse show that's successfully avoided that issue, so no shade to sm&l it's really very good

the music is ON POINT. utilizes the superman theme in a distinctly cw way which normally I'd be like hm sus but it actually worked

speaking on that actually. it feels like new cw (2020s) rather than old cw/wb (2010s), which def threw me off initially. but it works for superman, ironically, because he's the oldest superhero? something something full circle?

still not super into the small town vibe, but it's grown on me

shame there are no gay people though

I know morgan edge is an established character in the superman universe but seeing him as a competent villain instead of a bumbling misogynist was endlessly funny

sarah's interesting, but I wish she had more to do. once again, very normal for a first season. I expect more from her next season.

sarah's parents, however, annoyed me to no end. 4/10

for this reason I suspect I wouldn't have liked the middle. may watch those eps once it comes on netflix though.

I reiterate how much I love jonathan and jordan!!

again, I saw a lot of sg season 1. there were even similar plot beats (kryptonian family member tries to mind control everyone, hero has to fight a mind controlled loved one and bring them back, etc)

which I didn't mind! it's a good story lol

it did kinda feel like "supergirl but Man" which is like. that's just superman. you removed the twist and now there is no twist

however, the family stuff was enough for me to not find it annoyingly male even though there are like two (2) women

I will say though that I felt it didn't have quite as much heart as supergirl? like sg season 1 has those moments of despair and anger that really got you invested in kara/supergirl, and clark is already too adult for that, which means sm&l loses those powerful emotional scenes.

I think they tried to do that with jordan but he's a child it's different

it was interesting to see a series start with an established adult superhero. we don't get superman's origin story, so sm&l can get right into a cohesive plot without having to go through a "villain of the week" period. (ahaha flash I love you but your early seasons are so repetitive...)

overall:

considering the similarities to sg, I'll definitely keep watching. supergirl's ending so guess this will replace it :')

I'd give it a 7.5/10 so far; it's very good, I'm not totally sold on it yet, but it has a lot of potential. (for comparison, I'd probably give sg season 1 like... a 7.6)

however I will be calling it "supergirl but Man" for the rest of my life

[nolabballgirl]

i was soo excited and had realistic hopes for this season but i stopped watching like four clips ago and could not care less anymore but it had sm potential and started so strong just wow🤡🤡🤡🤡

i know how you feel. that’s why i’m feeling even more of a letdown because the start of the season was so strong. i’m still watching but a lot of the raw excitement has been sapped out of me too. especially because i really do feel like one third of the clips are just thrown in to further the extra POVs. 

i figured it was most useful to wrap up Norandro and give Norandro fans the conclusion that they really wanted. but even then there were maybe 1 more clip than was necessary for that. and now they are introducing a brand new character and storyline that has really gone off the rails for Lucas’s POV and has really made both Kasim and now Lucas unlikeable. you know they are just going to continue down that road with the extra POVs for the rest of the season. and that does bum me out.