#sure there were some parts that I found odd or a little weird but overall it was fine if a little boring at times

[echo-rambles]

somewhere among the pines

words: 4,807 tags: witch!reader, werewolf!chan, ghost!seungmin and roommate!seungmin. fluff. mentions of an injury. vague allusions to soulmatism, if you squint and believe real hard. mentions of magic. notes: I finished it in time! I feel like there are bits where you can tell I rushed, but overall I'm very happy with it. this is also the longest reader insert I've ever written, so I hope you enjoy! Happy Halloween! [ao3 link]

-:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.:-

The veil between worlds is thin this time of year. You know this to be true; a fact of your world that you learned when you were very young. 

Every October, the veil begins to thin. Odd things happen all year around, especially for someone like you, but the month of October brings with it a rise of the unexplainable. Or, perhaps unexplainable isn’t the correct word, since you’re very good at explaining the weird and unknown. 

This is a very long explanation for the fact that your roommate and possibly the best friend you’ve ever had, is incredibly corporeal in the days leading up to All Hallow’s Eve. What’s it say about you that you consider a ghost to be your best friend? That’s honestly a can of worms you don’t really want to open right now. 

Normally, your very dead and very spectral friend spends most of the calendar year as a phantom entity in your home. He can speak to you and possibly move small objects around if he concentrates. But for the most part he’s a ghost.

October is his favorite time of year. Yours too, for completely different reasons, but you can’t deny that you also find great joy in watching Seungmin move everything he can get his hands on simply because he can.

It also means the pranks increase tenfold, because now he’s tangible and can do so many more things. He has to get it all in before November rolls back around, severing the strong connection to the worlds beyond. 

“I think your neighbor is weird.” Seungmin says, from his spot by your kitchen window.

He’s wearing a horrendously large sweater that he must have found at the back of your closet, and it almost swallows him whole. Completely covering the shorts he constantly wears. 

He’s also holding your favorite mug. It’s empty, but he’s still clutching it to his chest as if he’s ready at any moment to sip at his morning coffee. You decide to let him have this, knowing that he only truly gets to experience big sweaters and mugs in his hands once a year. 

“Because you’re so normal.”

“I am.” He defends, immediately, glaring at you. “I was. ”

“You were the most normal boy in the orphanage?”

“It was a university for gifted students.”

Teasing him about his life before has become normal between the two of you. After that first year, after you both learned how to coexist in the same space without upended chairs or banishing spells, he finally told you his story. About his university that burned down decades ago with him inside of it. How the land that your house now occupies was once part of the sprawling campus. 

It’s another reason you let him raid your closet every October. It has to be a certain type of hell to spend the rest of your unlife looking like you’re always ready to attend afternoon lectures in plaid shorts and suspenders and shoes with little buckles on them. 

Ignoring his glaring attention, you turn back to the pot you have on the stove. It’s starting to boil aggressively, so you make sure to jam in some cinnamon sticks before wrestling the cover onto it. 

“Can you stop spying on my neighbor? He has nothing to do with you.”

Seungmin glides over to peer over your shoulder. “Whatever, but he is weird. Did you burn dinner?”

“It’s meant to be a spell and no, it’s not burnt. Sorry, are you the professional in the kitchen?”

“Are you?”  

-:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.:-

Maybe Seungmin was right. Maybe your neighbor is weird. 

You watch, from the same kitchen window Seungmin was staring out of a few days ago, as your neighbor comes out of the woods surrounding your properties shirtless and running. It’s a routine of his that you’ve noticed. In a completely normal way, mind you. 

It's not like you're an obsessive stalker or anything. You just happen to notice things. Especially things that follow a pattern. 

He’s the type of guy that goes running at night, and he always takes the path that cuts through the woods that creeps at the edge of your shared backyards. 

Maybe jogging at night isn’t a completely odd thing, but he’s also shirtless, and it’s the tail end of October. The nights are getting colder, with winter nipping at the heels of autumn. That can’t be normal. 

It’s also a routine that you only began clocking at the beginning of the month. He’s lived in the house next door since the spring, and you’ve noticed him jogging through the neighborhood every now and then. He seemed like the athletic type, so you didn’t think much of it. 

But the nightly jogs through the forest only really became a thing during the first week of the month. At first it didn't seem like anything too different. Seungmin, who never actually sleeps, commented on it but you waved him off. He loved to gossip and get into people’s business. He was possibly the nosiest ghost you ever met. 

But as the nights went by, you became more aware of it. 

You’d like nothing more than to chalk it up to Seungmin as the one being weird, but if you squint you swear there really is something peculiar about him. It’s in the way the air moves around him, you think. It feels impossible to put into words, but there’s something about it that’s just a little unexplainable. 

Once you notice, it's almost impossible to stop noticing it. Which is incredibly frustrating.

Your neighbor approaches his back stairs, and slows to a stop. You watch as he lets out a long breath and stretches his back. As he turns, he catches sight of you in the window. It’s too late to try and move away, pretending you weren’t absolutely staring, so when he offers you a wave, you have to return it. 

-:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.:-

The next night you curl up on the single patio chair you have on your back porch. It’s barely a porch, really. There’s enough room for a chair and a small table and not much else. 

You wait, quietly, as the stars twinkle above the tree tops and the night becomes as quiet as it can in a neighborhood that’s not urban enough for constant traffic and city noises, but also not rural enough for the silence that only comes with living far enough away from people. It’s the odd sort of in between world. Ambient sounds of a car passing a handful of streets away. Someone’s dog is barking in the distance. You hear a pair of voices from the front of your house, as they walk past on the sidewalk, their voices fade away the farther they get. 

The moon shines brightly from its spot in the sky. It’s not a full moon just yet, you can tell by the subtle shape of it and the calendar on your phone. It’ll reach its zenith in a few days, just shy of Halloween. 

Finally, your neighbor comes out from the sparse woods. Shirtless as always. You try, and fail, not to stare. 

(“He’s kind of hot.” Seungmin had said, that first night he had called him weird, after returning to the window. “Almost upsettingly so.”) 

You were trying to be a polite and respectful neighbor and not oggle him. But Seungmin was so entirely correct. It really is upsetting how good looking he is. 

“Hey.” You greet, grabbing his attention as you call out. You move forward, resting your arms against the railing and leaning just enough over the side so you can see him better. 

“Oh, hi.” He answers, blinking at you before waving. When he smiles he has a dimple. You can see it in the porch light. 

“My roommate thinks you’re weird.” Might as well get to the point, instead of trying to find an excuse to speak to him.

That makes him laugh. Loud and full and it warms you up from the inside out. 

“I’m sorry?” 

“No need to apologize for him projecting.” 

“Uh- ok. Noted. Do you share your roommate’s opinion or…?” His voice dips, like he’s trying to make it sound like a joke but he’s also extremely curious. 

You can taste it on the wind. It’s that same sort of something about him that you noticed before, but now it’s more pronounced. Now that there isn’t a window or a driveway between you. He’s drifted closer to your porch, titling his head a bit, and you, tipping your gaze down. 

It tastes a little like ozone and petrichor. Like the aftershocks of a storm deep in the forest. Woodsy and warm and sharp. It gets stuck at the back of your mouth, up into your nose. The sort of taste that has a smell and vice versa. 

He tastes like magic. 

“I haven’t really decided yet.” You tell him, keeping all of your thoughts locked tightly away. You wait a beat, watching his smile settle, before you introduce yourself. 

“You can call me Chan. It’s nice to meet you.” 

-:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.:-

A few days before All Hallow’s Eve, you’re awoken by a hand on your shoulder. The feeling is so foreign you’re immediately awake, sitting up with your heart in your throat, blinking away the dizziness of sleep.

Seungmin is leaning over your bed, his mouth set into a perpetual frown. Wearing a terry cloth robe over his school uniform and a pair of slippers in the shape of puppies that you specially bought for him. 

“There’s a dog at your door.”

“What?” You're not awake enough to parse that sentence. 

He rolls his eyes. “There is a dog, and it’s on the back porch.” 

“...what?”

“I’m not repeating myself again. Do something about it, because it’s kind of creeping me out.”

“Creeping you out?" You question, because it feels like an incredibly ironic thing for Seungmin to be saying. "Aren’t you meant to be the creepy thing?” 

“It’s my night off.” He says, before walking away. Leaving you blinking and confused. 

There’s a dog? At your door?

What the fuck does he mean by that? You check the time as you're crawling out of bed and into a pair of house slippers. What is a dog doing on your porch at three in the morning? 

The house is dark and quiet as you shuffle down the stairs and through both the living room and kitchen. The only sound is the soft, almost haunting noise of Seungmin singing to himself somewhere else in the house. 

As you get closer to the back of your house, you can just barely make out a dark shape outside of the window. The moonlight seems to cast it in silhouette, and the curtains drawn over the window blur the outline.

Creeping closer, you quietly try to peek behind the curtain and out onto the porch. Holding your breath, you chance a look. Any other time of year, you might have taken your roommates word for it that there was just some dog outside. But you can never be too careful about the things lurking in the dark so close to the 31st. 

At first you can't really make out what it is. It's just a large shape. Made out of shadow as it shifts around and almost knocks over your chair. Your heart crawls its way back up into your throat at the sheer size of it. 

It's as you're trying to figure out what the fuck you're meant to do in situations like this, and also wondering why your protection wards don't seem to work against this thing, when it moves and catches the light. 

You're still keyed up, because you still can't find an explanation, but there's a sliver of relief at recognizing what the shape is. 

Sitting there, sniffing at the little potted plants you have balanced on the porch railing, is a massive animal. Seungmin called it a dog but it looks so much bigger. 

It has the proportions of a wolf, maybe. You've seen wolves before, on television and that one time you went to a wolf sanctuary up north. You have a rough estimate of what they're meant to look like. Except this wolf looks as if someone clicked and dragged at the edges and enlarged it. 

When it moves to turn, trying to be oh so careful of the small space it's found itself in, you notice the way it flinches and limps. It’s favoring one of its front paws. 

Oh. It's injured. Ok, so you have a gigantic injured wolf camped out on your back porch. Sure. Why not? Somehow you're convinced you've had weirder things happen to you. Seungmin is somehow your best friend and dead, that has to be the weirdest thing in your life, right?

Speaking of your dead roommate, you’re sure that if he were here right now, hovering over your shoulder and watching you pull out the first aid kit from under the sink, he'd say you have a bleeding heart. Or that you’re being idiotic by wanting to help the monster at your door. What else are you meant to do? Shoo it away? It’s injured! 

Gently opening the back door, you try to seem like as little of a threat as possible. You don't need this thing lunging and attacking the moment it sees you. You’re convinced that it could swallow you in one bite if it really wanted it. 

The moment the back door creaks open, its ears perk up and it’s moving to face you. Curious but cautious.

“Hi, uh- please don’t eat me?” You inch further out, keeping the door open in case you have to make a swift exit. The wolf moves out of your way, making room on the already cramped porch. It tips its head and flattens its ears. It doesn’t seem aggressive. 

If anything it looks like it’s in pain. 

Now that you’re out here, and you have a better view, you catch sight of blood on the boards of your porch. Smeared and shiny in the porch light. “Can I… help? If I help you, that means you can’t eat me. Ok?” 

The wolf whines, settling down in whatever empty space it can find and nosing at its front leg. 

This feels almost too surreal. You know nothing about who or what this wolf is, or why it decided to seek you out, but yet you’re crouching down and snapping open the first aid box. 

“Um, it’s nice to meet you. I’m just going to- sorry, I need to see where you’re hurt.” You start to talk to it, not even knowing if it can understand you. You want to reassure it, in any way you can manage. As you pull its, frankly huge paw into your lap, you remember to introduce yourself. It always pays to be polite. 

You try to hold in your gasp once you get a good look at where it’s injured. The entire foreleg is bleeding, the skin mangled. 

“Did you step in a bear trap? Holy shit. ” You breathe, pressing gauze to the open wounds, trying your best to staunch the blood. 

The next few minutes go by in near silence, as some part of your brain has completely shut off to the entire weirdness of this situation, and instead you focus solely on fixing whatever this is as best as you can. It’s far from a professional job, but the bleeding has stopped so you take that as a win. 

The entire time, you can feel the wolf staring at you. If anything, it just adds to the weird factor. It doesn’t act like a normal wolf. Sure, it flinches when you press too hard on its wounds or when you sterilize them, but it doesn’t growl or snap or pull away. It just closes its eyes tight and huffs through its nose. 

“I’m sorry.” You mumble, wrapping its leg and paw up in a bandage. “It’s almost over, I promise.” The wolf whines again, quiet and soft and you’re struck with the urge to press a kiss to its head.

When you’re done, and you tuck the bandage into itself, the wolf finally moves. It surges forward, and you flinch, bracing yourself for the worst. A wet nose presses itself to your cheek, and then you feel it bump its head into your own. The force of it almost knocks you over. 

“Oh, uh- you’re welcome.” 

As quickly as it had sat and offered you its paw, it’s getting up and stepping over you. Apparently it got what it wanted out of this exchange. 

It’s only later, after the wolf has limped its way into the woods, that you find yourself looking up at the night sky. It’s the first night of the full moon. A giant wolf that didn’t act much like a wolf showed up on the very first night of the full moon. There’s something about that statement that sticks into the folds of your brain, but you’re honestly too tired and covered in blood to make any real sense of it. 

-:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.:-

The next afternoon, you see Chan getting out of his car, wearing a big grey hoodie and a beanie. Seeing him all bundled up is almost as good as seeing him run around shirtless. He somehow manages to pull off both looks flawlessly. 

You’re still tired from all of the sleep you didn’t get last night, but you’ve decided that sitting out on your front steps to get some much needed sunlight would do you well. 

You wave when he catches sight of you, offering a small smile as a hello. When he waves back you notice that his hand is bandaged, and the white cloth disappears into the cuff of his hoodie. 

Interesting.

-:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.:-

“It's at the back door again.” Seungmin says, practically hanging over you. His hair is damp and a shocking shade of orange, and you are not awake enough to wonder how he managed to do that. 

“You have to stop waking me up like this.” You grumble, pushing him out of your face. 

“Your wolf is whining at the back door." 

“He’s not my wolf.” 

You have this sneaking suspicion, you’ve been fostering it all day, that says he’s not really anyone’s wolf but his own. For a multitude of reasons. 

“Well, this is the second night in a row and it’s getting kind of pathetic. I’m starting to feel bad for it.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll deal with him.” You pull a sweater on and shove your feet into slippers.

“Wait- he? Him? The wolf told you its pronouns?” Seungmin follows you down through the hall and down the stairs. 

“Oh, right. I forgot to tell you.” You stop in the living room, peeking just enough into the kitchen to notice the large shape outside of the window by the back door. “I’m pretty sure our neighbor is a werewolf.”

“I knew he was weird!” 

Moving closer to the back door, you’re a bit more resolved in your conclusion after saying it out loud. It feels like the most obvious answer. The only thing you’re still confused about is why did a werewolf seek you out when it was hurt? A werewolf who you’ve barely spoken to and only introduced yourself to earlier in the week?

You open the door, and there he is. Laying with the top half of his body on the porch and the rest of him sitting on the grass. His ears perk up when he sees you in the doorway. 

“Hi Chan. How’s your arm feeling?” You ask, with a tilt of your head and a genuine smile. Seungmin laughs from just behind your shoulder, giddy and loving every minute.

-:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.:-

In the morning, there's a knock at your front door, and when you answer it, Chan is standing there, hands shoved deep in his pockets and the brim of his cap pulled low over his eyes. 

He looks a little awkward and misplaced. You were expecting him to show up sooner or later. Especially after you called him by name last night.

“Hey. Long time no see.” You tease, smiling at him.

“Hi. I uh-” He cuts himself off with an embarrassed sort of laugh. “Right. Actually, that's kind of what I came to talk about.”

“About the werewolf thing?”

“Wow." He breathes, still amused and trying to get a handle on his laughter "Yeah, actually.” With his head tipped away from you, he resembles the wolf quite a bit. You can almost imagine him with his ears flattened and his big liquid eyes refusing to look at you. 

“Sure. Come in.” 

You direct him to the living room, and you know what it must look like to someone who's never seen it before. Different patterns and trinkets scattered around, candles on every surface. Seungmin calls it eclectic. But he says it with a twist to his voice so you can never tell if it's an insult or a compliment. 

After you're both seated on one of the couches, your knees dangerously close to touching, you prop your head on your fist and wait for him to speak first. 

This is his problem more than it is yours, plus he's the one that came to talk. 

“You don’t look like a werewolf.” Seungmin says, appearing from virtually nowhere. His hair is still orange, and it looks a lot better in the daylight. You'll have to tell him you like it, once you're not so annoyed with him of course. 

"Oh, uh-" 

“And you don't look like a dead boy. Leave him alone.” You snap at him. With love. 

Seungmin pouts and rolls his eyes, but he easily slips from the room.

“Sorry about him. He’s nosy.” 

Chan shrugs, hands fidgeting on his thighs. “It’s alright. I don’t really mind. Besides, I did come here to talk to you about the 'werewolf thing,' so it’s fine if he’s curious about it.” He actually adds finger quotes as he says it, which is kind of stupidly endearing.

"I'm the one who's curious. Like I said, he's just nosy." 

“Right, well. I want to apologize, firstly, for bothering you the other night. Or well, for the wolf bothering you.”

You tilt your head in curiosity. "Aren’t you and the wolf the same person?”

“It’s- complicated." Chan presses his lips together, before sighing and settling further into the cushions. "We are but… sometimes, especially during a full moon, the wolf can have a mind of his own. We’re not separate entities but- sometimes, when he’s feeling strong, I don’t get a say over our decisions.”

“Like stepping in a bear trap?”

“Or coming to you for help. Really, I am sorry.”

“You were bleeding, Chan. You don’t have to apologize for that.” 

Somehow, your hand has made its way to his knee. You press your fingertips into his jeans. He shifts closer, and his eyes are so dark and deep. 

"Besides. I kind of like the wolf." 

"What about me?" 

"I thought you weren't separate entities?" 

His dimple appears when he smiles, and you have to stop yourself from leaning close and pressing your thumb into it.

-:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.:-

It's the last night of the full moon, with Halloween just around the corner, and you're stepping out onto the porch before Seungmin can wake you. 

You have a feeling, rooted deep underneath all of your organs, that you’re going to see Chan again tonight. He mentioned that the full moon has a strong effect on him, and when he’s a wolf he seems drawn to you. So you might as well meet him in the middle. 

Sitting out in your little chair, you wait. The night has turned chilly and the stars glitter brightly in the sky. Finally, movement at the tree line catches your attention. A dark shape that stalks back and forth, just out of sight. 

You don’t really have an explanation for all of this, for why a werewolf is seeking out your attention, but you can’t say that you’re complaining all that much. It’s nice to feel trusted by something five times your size and with teeth as thick as your fingers. 

Getting up and stepping from the porch, you move closer to the woods. Standing barefoot in the sparse grass of your backyard and tempting the shape to come closer. The moon is full and bright and the breeze bites at your bare ankles. The shape stares out at you, eyes glinting between two tree trunks. 

“C’mere.” You call, barely raising your voice. 

The shape moves, bridging the distance between you and the trees in the blink of an eye, and suddenly you have a mass of muscle and fur bearing down on you.

"Hey, you big puppy." The words are all tangled up with a laugh, as you try to push him away and actually get a good look at him. “Y’know, you’re very affectionate for someone who hasn’t known me all that long.” 

Wolf Chan doesn’t answer, of course he doesn’t, but he does huff and shift closer. He’s tall enough that you can look him in the eye without having to bend at all. You reach forward and press your palms to his cheeks, rubbing your thumbs along the soft fur of his face. He closes his eyes at the touch, huffing through his nose again.

He’s soft and warm, fur almost black in the moonlight. You don’t know why this has happened to the two of you, but it feels right. Like you’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time and didn’t even realize it until now. 

Suddenly he’s moving forward and pressing his nose into your cheek, getting as close as he can. Leaning his weight into you as his muzzle moves down and into the curve of your neck. You get a face full of his fur, which has you laughing again. 

You wrap your arms around his neck. Or as much of his neck as you can, returning the favor by nuzzling into his body and sighing in contentment. 

"We should really try this cuddling thing when you're human." 

-:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡ ･ﾟ✧:･.:-

The day before All Hallow’s Eve you have an armful of Chan, as you both lay on the big couch in your living room. You should probably be more wary of how close you two have gotten, and how quickly. But you can’t help but remember that feeling the other night, standing among the treeline and breathing in the wolf’s scent. Petrichor and pine trees. There’s just something right about it that you can’t find the words for. 

The morning after the full moon, Chan had come to your door and asked if the offer for some human cuddles was still available. You told him to take you to dinner first and then you’d decide. 

Which led you both to right now, days later, and almost stupidly inseparable. He hasn’t unwillingly shifted into a wolf since the full moon, so you’ve been able to spend the nights with a very human Chan. Getting to know him and talk to him. Touch your fingers to his skin. Learn his little habits and quirks. 

You smooth a hand over his hair, pushing it out of his eyes as he cuddles closer. He hums and moves around until he’s pressing his face into the slope of your neck. It’s warm and familiar and you squeeze him a little bit tighter. "The wolf really likes you."

"Oh. He does?"

Chan nods and hums again, happily. You can feel it vibrate through your skin and into your bones. "I do, yeah." 

“Well that’s good, because I really like you too.”

You both settle back into the quiet, listening to the ambient noises of the house. The fridge hums lowly from the kitchen. Seungmin is somewhere singing to himself again, you can hear it carry through the walls. Petting at the nape of Chan’s neck, you tip your chin and kiss the crown of his head. You could probably stay like this all day. 

He smells like petrichor and pine. Sharp and woodsy, like the forest and magic.

"Hey, if I dress up as Red Riding Hood, would you dress up as the Big Bad Wolf?" You ask, cutting through the comfortable silence. 

"How long have you been waiting to ask me that?" 

"Since I saw you getting out of your car with your arm all bandaged up." 

Chan laughs, big and loud, and he’s propping himself up so he can look down at you, eyes squinting and dimple appearing. He doesn’t say anything, just sort of shakes his head and then surges forward to kiss you soundly. 

You’re going to take that as a yes.

[wanderinghedgehog]

Time to finally relay my thoughts on the Les Mis I saw August 3rd, 2024.

Keep in mind, I went into this as someone who wanted to get my mother and brother to like this story. Also, I’ve seen a million and one recordings, so I know the show pretty well already and am aware of my preferences concerning it.

Act 1

Intro was so good. I like the boat format for the prisoners. It gives the actors something to do and is good and clear tonally.

This Javert did not make a strong first impression. He seemed extremely muted idk.

So I’m not a Nick Cartell fan. I’m sorry. I just don’t like him that much. I might be able to explain why at some point.

The lighting was amazing in these opening scenes.

The bishop had such a nice voice. I always love the bishop.

Valjean went nuts with the “took my fliiiiiiiiight”

Oh I forgot to mention that all of the house lights hadn’t turned off yet. It was a little weird. They eventually got turned off either before or after Valjean’s Soliloquy.

Speaking of the Soliloquy, I’ve heard a recording of this actor singing this song before and it definitely sounds better in person. Better, but still not my favorite. Nick Cartell has a tendency to stray from the melody for acting purposes in a way that I’m not a fan of.

Also, this version had Petit Gervais. It was weird. And distracting. And disjointed. I didn’t like it.

I love a good ensemble number, so at the end of the day was great. Also, the transition from the crowd to the factory was so smooth.

I remember the foreman I think had a line that changed from the original that I was kinda confused about. Overall, I think this was a thing with both at the end of the day and lovely ladies. Like there were a handful of words that were switched and I didn’t understand why.

This Fantine was quite good. Like I’m glad this was the Fantine that I saw with my mom and brother. Solid performance.

This Bamatabois was odd. I think he was too much of a caricature.

Once again, Javert is quite subdued. Intimidating, sure. But not all that interesting otherwise. No swagger.

The staging of Fantine’s Arrest felt just a little busy, but that’s really a nitpick.

When did they cut part of Fauchelevent’s line in Runaway Cart?

So I really listen for how an actors says the line “forgive me sir I would not dare.” This was fine. Nothing special.

I will say that I liked Nick Cartell’s version of Who Am I.

Fantine’s death was so sad. I prefer versions like this where they don’t have her get out of bed. It’s simpler and it gets across her weakened state a little better, I think.

Confrontation was amazing. This Javert was really starting to prove himself here. It’s like the actor just started having fun with it.

This little Cosette was absolutely adorable. I’m not usually a fan of Castle On A Cloud, but this was great.

This production had a good Thenardier couple. Their comedic timing was great. This is not to discredit the amazing job that they did, but I’m not a huge fan of the Thenardiers. My family liked them a lot though, so they were definitely very funny.

So Look Down was a success because my family immediately liked Gavroche. As they should. My brother said that that the Look Down melody was one of his favorites.

Now I think it’s good to mention that this version didn’t have the time skip projections. Like those things that tell you what year it is. None to be seen. It confused my family. I was cool with explaining it though.

My brother found Marius annoying. +1 sibling point. We can make fun of Marius now. (to be clear, the actor was very good)

This Eponine was pretty cool, but my mom pointed something out that I think is worth mentioning. She’s not lit very well. My eyesight is shit, so I’m trusting my mom when she said that it was impossible to see the actor’s face.

This Cosette is so adorable. Like everything about her so sweet. In love with her.

This scene had an interesting set design that I don’t know if I’ve seen before. It looked a little more slanted than usual. It was cool though.

The beginning of Javert’s Intervention got a laugh, so that was good. He really leaned into the drama more than before.

During Javert’s Intervention, I tend to find Thenardier’s part a little overwrought and distracting. Unfortunately, this was one of those cases. My brother liked it though.

Javert kinda went back to being subdued for Stars. Actually no. He brought some energy for “and so it must BE”

Les Amis in this production were fantastic. My mom really liked Red and Black apparently.

This Enjolras had a weird fluttery vibrato that I’m kinda obsessed with.

Kyle Adams’ performance as Grantaire was magical. I don’t know if I can point out specific moments, but it was fantastic.

I am once again in love with Cosette.

Neither my mother nor brother were fans of the romance aspect of the story. I don’t blame them.

That said, the harmony at the end of heart full of love was angelic.

One Day More is always a showstopper. No notes.

Actually, I will mention that Javert hasn’t changed costumes yet. We don’t get to see his disguise til the second act. I kinda like that because, if you don’t recognize him immediately at the barricade, it makes the reveal later kinda fun to watch.

Oops turns out I’ll have to post this in two parts

[princessmanamia]

(The following is age regression related, if you dont like it dont read it, please and thank you!)

Caregiver Billy x Agere Fem Reader

(Post star court billy)

A super long, Hella fluffy, drable

TW: cursing and uh idk cigarettes (i mean its billy hargrove)

(I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF A GOOD WRITER SO SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR THE LONG ASS DRABLE)

✨sleep tight little bunny✨

You feel like You’ve hardly slept in the last 3 days. The nightmares were back again, To be fair the coming of cooler weather brought the fear that the residents of the upside down might return. It had been several months since the star court incident. Although Life for the most part was..well….normal again? The group had now gained a new member, Billy, which…definitely took some getting used to.

Needless to say the near death experience and learning about the horrors of the “upside down” changed him. Billy was no longer a complete ass to steve or max, hes still a bit cold and stand offish but nowhere near the levels from before. With Billy now in the group that ment one more classmate got to learn about your…um quirky tendencies? Well thats how you’d like to put it to others who dont know, but to the group of teens you hang out with…they know it’s a coping mechanism. Steve, Robin and dustin deal with your age regression the most, although the entire group of kids know and occasionally set up “little days” just being carefree.

Billy however is still a bit confused by all this. it’s definitely weird, not as weird as being attacked and nearly killed by a giant monsters, and being around a girl with superpowers but still odd and new? His summer experience had completely changed him, the old billy would have made your life a living hell. Hes tried to be sweet and brotherly, believe me it peaks through, but he also knows you tend to hide your “little side” if hes around (Steve and a couple of kids let him in on that part). Hell he used to be a bully, he gets it, the fear was still there….though He’d be lying if he wasn’t curious as to why group was so fond of “little” you

But here we are…..

Somehow you found yourself being picked up by none other than billy hargrove.?? Uh what?

All you wanted was some fresh air.

You were just sitting on your front porch steps, head down in a sleepless daze with your leg bouncing from being just overall tired and jittery. When a familiar car stops out front.

“Hey!! You seen Harrington?” You slowly looked up and shook your head.

“nope sorry hes still at work”

“Damn it”

“hes not off work for a couple hrs, what do you need?”

“Nothing…it’s personal, you ok? You look like hell.”

“Oh fuck you, it’s also personal” you groan and rub your temples looking up at the grey clouds that gathered above.

“Uhhuh, ya sure about that?”

“Look im ok I just haven’t slept much in a couple days.” You didnt even bother looking back down but You could tell Billy’s blue eyes were just staring you down, and after a few moments you heard his car door open. “Get in” Billy had leaned over to open the passenger door. You didn’t want to go with him, but you didn’t want to feel like a sitting duck in your own home either so you groaned, made your way over and plopped down on the seat. It was pointless to argue with him, so you sank into back of the car seat and looked over, “uh ..so whats the plan here exactly?” “Gonna kill two birds with one stone” he mumbled as he took off in the direction of Steve’s place. “Umm ok? And why do I have to go along?”

“You get to nap at Harrington’s place and i get grab the stuff he borrowed from me.”

You looked out the window and chuckled “damn is it that obvious? Do i look that bad?” You tried to sound sarcastic.

Billy glanced down, noticing that you were back to anxiously bouncing your leg again Unfortunately yeah” you felt a hand press down on your knee causing you to jump as u gave billy a panicked look. He raised his hand to back off and huffed “easy with the leg thing, it shakes the whole car, and yeah i know you tend to sneak off to his place to nap anyway..” his brows where knit with concern “you sure your good..? Look i can stop and get you something or..” “no im ok” you cut him off and turned your gaze back to the window.

The curly haired blonde took a deep breath and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, trying not to get angry with your short attitude. He bit his lip for a moment thinking of something to say to bring you back to your normal self. You definitely have seemed off for about a week now, and dustin had mentioned something of importance a few days before? But what exactly was it? Was it maybe needing a regression day?

“Y/n…doll, when was the last time you, ya know..?”

He shifted in his seat following a short pause

“Uhh? U wanna finish that thought or what?” You glanced back, looking irritated and exhausted.

He took a deep breath and softened his tone “when was the last time you were small?”

The car fell silent and You simply shrugged and mumbled. “Hell idk few weeks maybe? Why exactly does that matter to you?”

He knew where this was heading, the inevitable “push back”. But he still wanted to give it a shot since both main caregivers would be at work for several more hrs and you clearly needed some TLC.

He pulled into Steve’s driveway and killed the engine. Billy tried to keep his tone nonchalant to avoid making it feel weird and looked at you from the rear view mirror “i mean i dunno ..Just seems like you might need it?”

“I dont need shit from you” you mumble, as you got out and slammed the passenger door. Yep just as expected. Hargrove bit his lip again and stepped out behind you, as you grabbed the spare key the family kept hidden and stepped inside, practically collapsing face down on the familiar couch in the living room.

‘This is gonna suck’, billy thought.

Steve had already given him a heads up that gaining your trust wouldn’t be easy. It required a-lot of compassion and understanding, but Billy was determined to try. Plus It kinda got under his skin that even Nancy and Johnathan had talked about baby sitting moments. What exactly was it about all this that you have everyone wrapped around your finger?? How hard could it be? He’s taken care of some kids before.

Billy slipped upstairs to search for two things, 1. The cassette tapes he lent to Steve and 2. The baby bag. Steve had mentioned beforehand Having an essentials bag stashed away if anyone ever needed it, although the dumbass never actually told him WHERE it was though. Of course the idiot had it buried in the back of his closet. He pulled it out and went digging through everything the bag included:

☑️A blanket

☑️A couple over sized shirts, and pjs

☑️coloring books and crayons

☑️Baby lotion, powder and wiped

☑️A couple pacifiers

☑️A stuffed bunny

☑️A mix of baby bottles, sippy cups and cups with straws

☑️And a couple pullups

Billy did a bit of a double take of its contents, somewhat confused (and amused). He sat there for moment contemplating how to go about this, pushing his hair back and pacing for a moment before slinging the bag over his shoulder and going back downstairs for a cigarette. He looked over at Y/n still sprawled out face down on the couch. “You still alive little bunny?”

“Omg just leave me alone” you groaned. Billy sighed, “sorry doll but you’re stuck with me until steve gets off work” he called out from the kitchen and stepped outside to get quick smoke break in. Lightning the cigarette, and only taking a few puffs and pulled a few things from the bag, unsure of what you might actually need.

Blanket? Yes always

Stuffed animal? Yup

Sippy cups? Maybe?

Pacifiers? …Ive seen her nap with them in, but she probably wont take it willingly, but sure.. cant hurt.

He slid one into his pocket and somewhat anxiously took a couple of long drags on his cigarette before putting the rest out and slipping back inside. Doing his best to be as quiet as possible.

He took a deep breath and walked over to the living room, gently placing the bag on the floor and sat down crisscrossed in front of you. It was barely audible but he knew he could hear sniffling, he sighed again And reached out rubbing your head for a few moments. “Hey you need to try to sleep, look im gonna stay with you till steve gets home”

You didnt even bother look up, but shook your head.

“Billy im fine, just go home…please?”

He tried placing his hand under your chin in an attempt to get your attention. “Y/n, look at me?” His voice was soft but stern. You still refuse, trying to bury your face back. Anything to avoid eye contact.

Billy placed both hands around your cheeks, resulting in a whimper that almost made his heart drop. Your eyes still refusing to open, but a damp face and tear stains dont lie. He ran his thumbs along your cheeks trying to wipe away the new tears that were forming. “i know im the LAST person you want to deal with right now, but i also know you NEED this, im not judging you, i will never judge you for this. Do you understand?”You continued to fight his hold on your face, but the resistance was all for not. He was intent on getting through to you, in one way or another. “Y/n its fine” You took a deep breath Finally meeting his gaze, tearful (🩵💙💚🤎 colored eyes-)stared back. You whimpered again as a few more tears welled up. Again billy wiped them away and inhaled deeply, almost testing the water, he softened his tone “babe listen, im watching after you until your daddy gets home, but you HAVE to let me in ok?” Whimpering, again you shook your head trying to shake off billy’s hands, you could just feel the heat rising to your face. This felt like a cruel prank, billy would never!

“im not doing this today!!” You cried. With soft sobs making your breathing ragged

“Yes you are sweetheart, you’re exhausted and you need it now please just come here.”

He Finally let go of your face. While still sitting on the floor he opened up the bag next to him pulling out a few items. “Please little bunny, just let me help you get to sleep, look we’ve got some comfy clothes, your blanket, and i can grab you something to eat or drink while you change ok? Sound good?” His voice went from stern to pleading.

In horror You glanced at everything in the bag, damn it, thats why he brought me here!!!

“Jesus christ Billy you went through all my stuff?!” You shoved your face back into the couch pillows, as more hot, angry tears welled up, you just wanted to curl up and die.

Completely humiliated that all of your little stuff was sitting right in front of both of you. Billy stared you down for a few moments before pressing his forehead against yours “nuh-uh, enough, right now your under my care, so NONE of that, now go get changed,” he got up in huff and walked back towards the kitchen “and while youre at it, pick out a cup, im making sure you get a snack before your nap!”

“Ya Grouchy little shit” he mumbled the last part under his breath

In a daze and still softly crying You sat up. This couldn’t be happening right?

The former school bully actually trying to play babysitter right now?? And what was with his tone? What kind of fever dream was this? Hes never been this…gentle???

But damn it if he wasnt right.

You needed little time.

LIKR FUCK Wrong place wrong time,

….but You gave in.

Hesitantly you pulled up the duffle bag your momma and daddy kept hidden and dug out one of the oversized shirts, a soft pair of pj pants as well as one of the brightly colored sippy cups with a straw. You pushed yourself up off the couch and paused for a moment, nervously glancing at billy, whose back was now turned towards you and placed the cup on the counter before going to the bathroom to change. ‘For the love of god Steve better get back asap’

Billy scrounged around steve’s kitchen trying to find something simple to make. Finally settling on a pb & j (sweet boy has no cooking skills, bless him). He looked over at the cup you’d set on the counter and grinned pressing his tongue to his cheek, of course you picked one with a straw. Although he would have been happy to try to give you a bottle. Maybe a bit embarrassing for both of you but he’d do it. Billy thought as he filled cup with apple juice from the fridge.

Oh shit, i should probably turn on the tv too while im at it.

Going back to the living room he laid a blanket on and the floor in front of the tv and switched it on. He flipped through a few channels leaving it on some kids show (insert any old 80’s kids show) He looked around somewhat proud of his baby sitting skills and grabbed the plate and sippy cup gently setting it on the floor. A few minutes later you shyly peeked around the corner still trying to wipe away some tears.

Hargrove tried his best to sound sincere “hey kiddo, made you a p&j and got some juice, that sound good?” You wouldn’t meet his gaze, but just shrugged, your face felt hot and more tears threatened to fall. Just feeling ashamed and utterly embarrassed.

“Ok Angel c’mere” the pretty blonde made his way over to you and scooped you up causing you to squeak in surprise.

He chuckled and sat you down on his lap a few feet away from the tv. He could feel how shaky you were.

“Can u at least try to eat for me? Its not like it’s poisoned” He picked up the plate and set it on your lap.

You just looked at it for a moment. Seemingly dazed, then shook your head, you could feel billy exhale in frustration or maybe it was concern but he tried again. “Kay, how about i take half and you take the other?”

You didnt say anything but simply took the half closest to you and tried your best to munch on it. Billy on the other hand quickly downed his half and tried to think of some way to get you a bit more calm. He was more used to doing …umm things a bit more adult rated?? so in a slight panic his best effort was to comb his fingers through your hair. Surely that would be ok, Girls like that stuff right?? If that didn’t work maybe rocking would help??

He lucked out, it didnt take but a few minutes before he could feel you press the back of your head against his hands. he grinned, “ooh? You like head scratches huh?” He cooed

There was a soft whine in response, as he kept going, and he could feel slowly you sink against him. He bit his lip and tried not to smile this normally wasnt his thing, but you’re oddly adorable in this state.

“Ok cutie, ya feelin any better?” He murmured while still running a hand down the back of your head.

You shrugged and grabbed the sippy cup sitting next you, and billy took the opportunity to move the plate off your lap when he felt something his hand. More tears? Had you really been silently crying this whole time?

He looked down, your eyes were still red, and tears were silhouetted in the light of the tv. He took the sleeve of his shirt and tried wiping your face, which only resulted in a soft whimper and you stubbornly trying to turn your head away. It was all billy could do to keep from laughing. You really were being an overly tired toddler trying to fight sleep huh? “Sweetheart” he cooed “im just trying to clean your face, can you sit still for bubby?” With eyes clamped shut and Still whimpering you try your best to comply. He did his best to dry your face, but your eyes and cheeks looked still looked so red. He looked at you for a moment, sighed and reached over. Grabbing the duffle bag still sitting on the floor he pulled out a stuffed rabbit and a blanket. Billy practically threw the blanket over his shoulder and picked you up with the bunny still in the other. “Alright cotton tail, plan B, i know ive seen your daddy do this a few times” he gently toted you over to the recliner in the corner of the room. Sitting you both down.

You didnt even fight him at this point, only more soft whimpers of protest remained as you pressed your face into his neck. He wrapped the blanket over your shoulders and offered you the stuffed bunny tucking it under your arm. Billy tried softly rocking the both of you, he had seen Steve do this on 2 occasions, (not that you would know though since you had already been KO’d for awhile and He’d be lying if he ever said he wasnt jealous of steve for it either.)

Your eyes were tired but they still refused to shut, and you softly whined again as You turned your gaze back to the tv.

Even in this state with Soft whimpering And sniffles it was all he could do to not smile. Billy rested his chin on your head and tried shushing you while rubbing your back. How are you still fighting sleep? The soft smell of baby powder wafting from your blanket would probably be enough to lull even him to sleep on a normal day. Surely its comforting scent should be doing the same for you? Wait, Billy mentally slapped himself, duh he did put a pacifier in his pocket earlier. He gently shifted you to one side and he tried to fish it out of his pocket. “Shhhhh sweetheart, here would this help?” He opened up his hand to let you take it. You feebly took it but instead of putting it in your mouth you played with it between your fingers. “Too shy? Go figure” billy thought to himself.

He took it from your fidgety hands “no baby, open up” there wasn’t even a sound of protest you simply opened your mouth just big enough for him to pop it in. “Oh good girl” he whispered and kissed your forehead, causing you to press your face back against him.

Billy chuckled and shifted you again so you were lying completely against his chest before going back to lazily rocking the both of you.

With both of you now fixated on the tv He watched out of the corner of his eye as the pacifier softly bobbled up and down, following the soft occasional suckling sounds. He grinned and pressed his chin against your head, inhaling the scent from your blanket that was still draped over your shoulders. This was blissful. He’d admit it, he could now understand how you had Harrington wrapped around your fingers.

As far as billy was concerned The horrors of Hawkins could fuck right off. At the moment the teen would do anything to make this last. He’d fight off anything if it ment you’d still be in his arms.

He closed his eyes for a bit but continued rocking you. He could tell your breathing had slowed,though there was still the occasional sniffling, but at least the pacifier has stopped the whining. “Shhhh little bunny, you need to sleep” he murmured and combed a strand of hair over your ear, gently stroking your cheek. Glancing back down at down at you with one eye open it looks like you finally may have crashed. Eyes closed, still softly suckling on the paci.

Fuuuck that’s adorable. Billy thought as he continued rocking. A few minutes passed until he was certain you were asleep. He finally decided it was safe enough to recline the chair back so both of you could get a nap in before steve got home.

——— later on————

Steves pov

“Oh no, no no no, what the fuck is HARGROVES car doing in my driveway??

Jesus Christ not again!!” He groaned as he pulled up to curb in front of his home.

He got out slamming the car door and mumbled under his breath the whole way to his front doorsteps.

“We talked about boundaries, but noooo of course none of that got into his thick skull” he muttered loudly as he opened the door. He was immediately met with loud shushing which caused him to jump.

“WHAT IN THE HE..”

“SHHHH!!”

He snapped his head towards the direction of noise only to see none other than billy hargrove with a finger to his lips and the other hand over your head.

Steve blinked in confusion then lowered his tone as he went into the living room “what happened!??” He whispered.

“Long story, but i took care of it” billy grinned sleepily. “Shes been out for about an hour n’ a half, but do you think you can take her, i gotta take a leak?”

Steve laughed as he carefully pried you off billy’s chest careful not to wake you.

There was a soft whine but you must have known it was steve since you buried your face in his neck and hummed “baba” in relief.

“Hi baby, daddy’s home” steve cooed

“And thank god cuz bubby has to pee”

billy chimed in as he finally got up off the recliner and booked it down the hall. Steve decided the best thing to do was get you upstairs and in bed before he questioned billy further.

He made his way up the stairs and into his bedroom, trying as gently as he could to lay you back down without (completely) waking you.

You let out a soft whine of protest before you were hushed again by a pacifier and the soft worn covers of your daddy’s bed caressing your body.

“Shhh baby, daddys here,” steve cooed as he laid down next to you, rubbing your back in hopes that you’ll drift off again.

Moments later there was a soft knock on the door. Steve glanced back to see billy pulling out a carton of cigarettes and mouthing “ill be outside” steve gave him a thumbs up and rolled back to attend to you. He waited until there was soft snoring before he rolled out of bed and crept back downstairs.

Meeting billy out by the backdoor, he crossed his arms. “Ok so what the hell happened exactly?”

Billy took a long drag and exhaled “she was in a mood and I handled it? Also next time it might help if you actually TELL ME where the emergency bag is.”

“Wait u went through my room?!”

“Not the first time Harrington.” He chuckled. “Besides your girl was exhausted and hadn’t been sleeping, so yeah, I stepped in, and handled it just fine”

“She fight you on it?”

“Eh not really,”

“Are u shitting me? She bit me the first couple times!”

“Guess ya wore her down for me, or she just likes me more” he flicked the cigarette butt and smirked at Steve before heading back inside.

“Yeah fat chance” Steve murmured following him.

“Just so you know, if you ever need me to watch her last min, i dont mind” billy said looking back over at the recliner he’d been stuck the last two hrs. Steve grinned following his gaze then glanced around the living room at the various contents of the diaper bag that had been thrown about. “Not that weird anymore huh?” He said crossing his arms

Billy grinned and just shrugged “Never said that..just seeing it differently now thats all”

[arendaes]

June reading roundup! I didn't read quite as much as I hoping this month 🥲

A Tempest of Tea - I'm still...really conflicted over how I felt about this one. The premise was so interesting, and I really liked the cast of characters. There was also a twist involving the main character that I didn't see coming (I could just be dumb though) that I really enjoyed. But the pacing was very odd - the book is divided into three parts, but part one was over 50% of the book and pretty much everything interesting happened in parts two and three. There was also a scene near the end of the book I could tell was meant to be very emotional by the way it's written, but there wasn't enough buildup to it so it just fell really flat. There was also some weird King Arthur references in this, which the synopsis I read didn't even hint at so it kind of came out of left field for me. Ultimately I rated it a 3 out of 5; I bounced between 2.75 and 3.25 for its rating and I guess I'll wait and see what the second book is like. Maybe it'll retroactively make me change my rating on this one.

All Boys Aren't Blue - My nonfiction read for the month. It was very insightful and emotional; there were several times I teared up listening to the audiobook. George M. Johnson is very honest and upfront about the problems they've faced, both in relation to their race and their gender and sexuality, and I feel this is an excellent book for younger readers to read precisely because of how straightforward they are about this topics. It doesn't surprise me that it's one of the most challenged books in the country and that book-banners are trying so hard to get it taken out of schools, because it might do something they've failed to do and actually teach their children something about people different (or not so different) from them. Anyways, that by itself is reason enough to read it, and the fact that it's a great book is an even better one.

Most Ardently - This was a retelling of Pride & Prejudice, told from the perspective of Oliver Bennet. This was a delightful retelling; Oliver was so easy to get invested in as a protagonist and I found the alterations made to the story were fresh, exciting, and made sense within the context of the story that was being told. Gabe Cole Novoa's prose is very crisp and flows very nicely. The scenes between Oliver and his parents really stood out to me for being very emotional and well-done. Overall just a great book, 4.25/5.

Dragonfruit - This was another I was really looking forward to, and unlike a Tempest of Tea I do know for sure that I liked it. The worldbuilding in this one was engaging, and I loved the characters, especially the main character Hanalei. It was another were I felt the pacing was a bit off - the book started off strong, but then the middle lagged a little before finally picking up again at about 75% of the way through. I'm also not sure about the decision to market it as a "romantic fantasy" - the romance felt pretty sparse and again, didn't really come in to play until near the very end of the book. Besides that though, it was enjoyable, I'd probably read it again so 4/5.

Anyways, I'm going to spend the next few months pretty much reading whatever holds come in at the library, and continuing my re-read of the October Daye series. I have two books checked out right now; one I'm really looking forward to (Spells for Forgetting), and the other...I wasn't originally interested in but two reviewers I trust had opposite reactions to it so now I need to read it to find out what I think (Belladonna). And in case you think I forgot - yes, I am planning on reading Gideon the Ninth, I put it on hold at the library and it says I still have approximately a 3 week wait so...I'll get to it whenever I get it lol

[a-land-of-shadow-and-substance]

I finally got to ride Runaway Railway!

I finally got to go to Disneyland for the first time in a while, and finally got to check out our newest ride!  While I generally liked it, I also found it sort of... odd?  So I sorted my thoughts into the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly:

The Good:

-The operations!  This thing JUST opened but there’s already no need for a virtual queue/boarding pass and the line waits never got past 65 minutes or so even during a crowded day.  Lately, smooth operations with reasonable lines have become a MASSIVE BLESSING and a rarity at Disneyland so I have to give props to this.

-That QUEUE!  I love it so much, it’s so well done with just the right of Toontown humor and whimsy.  The only downside is... How the heck do they make a museum of Mickey and not reference ANY of his video game roles???  I understand not mentioning Kingdom Hearts since that’s partly owned by Square, but Epic Mickey was a major thing, reintroducing Oswald to the whole Disney canon!  How hard would it have been to just add in the paintbrush or the keyblade somewhere?

-Actually taking advantage of being trackless!  Aside from a few effects, Rise of the Resistance still feels like it follows two general “tracks”.  Runaway Railway actually has the cars moving in crazy random-feeling patterns that definitely feel like they could not have been accomplished without this technology.

-Catchy theme tune!  It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had a Disney ride with one of those.

-Tailoring the Easter Eggs to the new location!  I noticed the Great Movie Ride references were removed, which is a nice attention to detail.  Batuu West still has Lights Motors Action Easter Eggs despite that show never existing on the West Coast, simply because Disney didn’t care and just copied Galaxy’s Edge entirely verbatim.  I’m not sure yet if Runaway Railway West has any Anaheim-specific Easter Eggs added, but at least taking out the Floridian ones shows some care to detail.

-Generally looks better in person than on film.  A surprising amount of the screens have this layered effect where there’s actual depth in them.  Like, in Goofy’s train compartment, it definitely seems like Goofy is standing in front of the train interior background; cameras flatten this effect out when filmed.

The Bad:

-The presentation on the ride portion feels weird and uneven.  I know you’re supposed to get a sense of seeing different things depending on which car you get, but it felt more like I just kept arriving to a scene early or late, or missing some parts of it, instead. (I rode twice, once in the first car and once in the last)

-The ride is a LOT rougher and jerkier than I expected based on video footage.  This subsequently places it in a weird spot, thrill-wise.  It might be a bit intense for the little-kid audience its Toontown location suggests (alternately, it might give some grandpas and grandmas whiplash), but it’s also not quite intense enough to be an actual thrill ride.

-Doesn’t take as much advantage of its 2.5D projection-mapped style as it could.  The transforming factory/park scene shows the real potential this style/technology has, but for a lot of the ride it just feels like screens.

The Ugly:

-The Mickey and Minnie animatronics look WORSE in person than they do on camera.  It’s not just that they’re projection-faced, but the decisions the designers made with regard to nose and ear placement for the duo make them look really wrong.  They were going for “2.5D”, with the ears and noses being placed in perspective as if the characters were drawn, but instead it just comes off as them placing the facial features in the wrong places.  Mickey’s nose looks like it’s growing out of where his cheek should be.  One of his ears is on the wrong side.  I’m not the biggest fan of the art style of the new shorts to begin with, but even then I know these designs could be translated into real space better.

Overall:

I like this ride, and I’m glad we got this addition to Anaheim, especially since it felt somewhat unexpected.  It finally revitalizes a long-neglected corner of the park, and I think with a few adjustments it could be a truly great ride.

[jamiedotorg]

Day of the Tentacle: Remastered

This review contains spoilers.

Day of the Tentacle was released in 1993 under the name Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle, a sequel to the 1983 Maniac Mansion. The remastered edition came out in 2016, it was directed and designed by both Dave Grossman and Tim Schafer, of LucasArts.

This game has been on my backlist for a year or two, but I had been told by so many people that I would not regret playing it and I certainly did not. As soon as I booted up this classic I was sucked back in time to my childhood. The graphics were given a serious upgrade, but this nostalgic point and click reminded me of the countless hours I would spend on the library computers playing the Arthur, Blues Clues, and Scooby-Doo doo games online in my little corner. They even give you the option of switching back and forth between the classic and upgraded graphics! That being said, let's talk about how the game works.

This point and click is rather straight forward, with a few to-begin-with confusing adjustments. You play as three main characters, and with some practice you can easily swap between them whenever you desire, exchange items between them as you play, and move between the Hotel/Inn in the past, present and future. The main objective is to stop the tyrannical sentient Tentacles that are trying to end the world! Your character will work to solve item-to-NPC puzzles where they have to make the objects they pick up interact with other characters to do your bidding, and thus change the story moving forward. A great example of this would be Hoagie changing the flag of the United States in the past to resemble a Tentacle, so that Laverne, in the future, can wear it and look like one to get past the Tentacle guards that keep her captive.

While the game is fairly short, it feels long for a point-and-click, and it is worth noting that I would not have played this game to a hundred percent as quickly as it estimated if I was without a walk thru. There is over a hundred items to pick up, lots of rooms in the hotel, and you have to go through it three times, with each character in different time periods with plenty of NPCs to interact with. Without a guide, I would have gotten stuck on the puzzles which are not so obvious, with plenty of random missable achievements to accompany the difficulty of the puzzles and while it is not a long game to have to go back and replay to get that last one you missed when you first played through, it can be hard to remember who picked up what and where, which would make it take longer to revisit some parts of the game.

The characters are a group of ragtag 90s kids, starting with Bernard, your trusty nerd, Laverne, the smart Med student, and Hoagie, the husky Roadie. As previously said, there are a lot of NPCs to interact with, like the founding fathers in the past, the mad scientist and the Weird Ed in the present and the tentacle guards and strange beauty contestants in the future, and of course I can't forget our dead friend Cousin Ed, who turns out to be the most useful mummy character I've ever had the pleasure of spending time with. Each of them is odd on their own but have fun and quirky dialogue and the achievements are even more so, like microwaving a hamster to thaw him out after sticking him in an ice case, and then microwaving him again just for the heck of it! Or asking Laverne to use a fork on a cat because she's hungry, making sure anyone that looks at your achievements list knows exactly what kind of player you are.

Overall, I loved playing through this game, and wasn't left feeling a want for extra content as the pacing was exceptional, and Maniac Mansion is included as a mini-game. It took me around 4 and a half hours to complete for a total of 1,000 Gamerscore.

Day of the Tentacle is available to purchase for $14.99 on Steam, XBOX, PlayStation 4 & 5, and iOS, and free with XBOX Gamepass.

This has been an honest and free review from someone who played the game and enjoyed it! Give the developers some love and let them know what you thought if you've played/watched a playthrough of this classic.

Steam.com Trueachievements.com Imdb.com

[slowlystupendousdelusion]

Me & my Rings of Power thoughts:

Okay so this took me ages to get round to, in part I guess cause I heard it wasn't great so lost the impetus.

It definitely improved as it went along, those first couple of episodes really seemed to drag. I'm not wholly sold on the 70 minute long episodes as a whole because even later on in the series I found myself drifting at times.

Certainly in the first couple of episodes the characterisation seemed lacking - I appreciate to make them feel middle earth-y they have to speak in a certain way, but with the Lord of the Rings films I never found that hinder my connection to the characters. I think there was a lack of humour that made the whole thing a bit dry until we meet Durin.

The world also feels a lot smaller. They seem to travel all over really quickly with no sense of time passing, which hinders the world building, but also gives less opportunities for character-building.

Been an age since I've read LotR or the Silmarillion but Galadriel seemed to be a completely different person than in the source material. She comes across as really young and a bit naive and even Elrond seems to be portrayed as older? (Side note: were they actually pals? I feel like this will be weird when he marries her daughter) I don't remember her being so impetuous. But girl is stunning and can't complain about pretty elf lady on screen.

The other thing I don't get is why they have this elf human storyline going and then barely mention Elrond's situation which could have been an interesting parallel. They could have played this angle for so much angst, and they just didn't? Bizarre.

Sadly i managed to read something about 1 ep in that gave away the Halbrand reveal, so I was expecting it. Having read that it did seem obvious that Gandalf(?) was not going to be Sauron. In part because it would have been a bit on the nose to have the guy who appears in a fiery crater that looks a bit like an eye to be him but also it wouldn't have made sense in the overall narrative for him to completely overlook hobbits in the LotR timeframe. This also makes sense in Gandalf's story arc as to why he's so fond of hobbits. I like the little nods in the final ep to things he says in LotR. At the battle in the Southlands, I did almost talk myself out of the spoiler because there were a couple of things that made no sense for him to do otherwise - saving Elendil for one, (I feel like there was another thing but I can't think what it was.)

This was a narrative weird point for me that everyone just accepted that Halbrand was King of the Southlands (even in the Southlands?) without any kind of corroboration whatsoever? I hope when I attempt to usurp the crown everyone else is so easy to convince.

My other thing is I like Halbrand (despite being spoiled!) but I'm sort of sad that there's no chance of redemption for him. Also I enjoy the Halbrand and Galadriel dynamic, but again this makes her position in LotR a bit weird. I love that shot in the final ep of the reflection of them in the sea.

I enjoyed the hobbits, it was nice that the main two were girls. I wasn't overstruck with the leafy/antlery headpieces as a costume choice though. Still confused about the evil magic people though.

Overall I did enjoy, but it took quite a long time to get into. I think shorter episodes would have been stronger - I'm not sure the extra ten minutes per episode were utilised in a way that helped the story. There were some odd choices made in terms of plot, especially given the information we know about the age. I guess it's just a bit frustrating given the amount of money that went into it that the end product wasn't the best thing I've ever seen?

[misscellophane-ao3]

Just watched Cats the movie and it honestly wasn’t as bad or disturbing as people made it out to be. I thought it was gonna be horrific and traumatizing due to how people talked about it but it was actually kinda good? Or at least not as horrible as people said it was.

[venusgirltarot]

Pile 2 — [♡] ;

This is a general PAC reading. If you’ve stumbled across this post and don’t feel this particular group is for you, you can pick a different group, here

Disclaimer: This reading is for entertainment purposes only. Tarot readings are about possibilities based on your current energy. Energy is forever changing and nothing is set in stone. Always remember, you have your own free will to make whatever decision you feel is best.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

Hello, Pile 2 ♡ This fall you’ll be meeting someone. For some of you this is someone completely new but for a lot of you I believe this is someone you knew in the past but you didn’t know very well. You two could have worked together and then they moved up in your work, transferred, or found another job. You could have had occasional conversations and maybe you had a little crush on them but that was all. You could run into them at a park or library and I just got this weird message of running into them while you’re waiting on your food. Like maybe your at a restaurant picking up some breakfast before work and while you’re in line, this person comes in because their order was messed up or they were given someone else’s order and the two of you end up standing in line and catching up. No matter how you meet them, it’s very unexpected and out of the blue. For some of you, you exchange contact info and maybe even plan a day for lunch when you run into each other but for others you may go your separate ways and then run into each other again. I’m seeing you could run into each other again when you’re out for a morning run or walk and it’s a very “what are the odds” kind of situation and you exchange information then or maybe even go to a cafe or something nearby right then and get breakfast together. You may realize you live closer to this person than you thought like you could have been living a block from each other this whole time and not have known it. This person has a very stable and mature energy and they’re probably older than you. There may be an age difference between the two of you (anywhere from 2-8 years) This person probably works a lot and is very good at what they do. They may be a lawyer or something. They could have been going to college for something when you two last saw each other (for those of you that already knew them previously) and you didn’t know about it. You find this person very interesting and really like listening to them talk. They really like your voice and your cheeks. Maybe your cheeks are kind of pink or flushed when they see you. They think you’re very pretty and I’m also getting that they like your jewelry. You may be wearing a pearl necklace when you first meet them or when you’re out to eat/on a date with them. They do have some 18+ thoughts about you. I think they wonder a lot about what you look like in the nude or in lingerie. I’m also getting that they like when you wear lipstick. You two balance each other out very well. Your personalities match really well together. When you first start seeing this person romantically, you may get frustrated because they take things slow and they tend to be very busy. You may want to rush into something but they like to take their time getting to know you. I get very Christian Grey vibes from them tbh. Very powerful and well respected in their work. They want to know everything about you before they commit and they’re very set in their goals and morals. They feel strongly about their morals and beliefs and stand by them. They also like to spend a lot of time with their friends and this may frustrate you, as well. They’re very structured. They stick to a strict routine and probably have a good diet. They’re probably the type to have a very strict diet and then really big cheat days where they take down a whole pizza, a pint of ice cream, donuts, 10 bags of chips, and a few milkshakes in one day. They work hard but when they want to relax, they really want to relax. They’re really into hiking, running, and walking. Overall, it will take adjustments and compromise on both parts but once it’s official, this person is very committed. They give me very Scorpio Venus vibes (coming from a Scorpio Venus) once you’re in, your in. Like soulmate, life partner, together forever type. That’s why it takes them so long to commit. They’re aware of how committed they get in relationships and they don’t take love lightly. They won’t take things to the next level unless they’re sure about you and the relationship.

Box messages: 888, A, X, Aquarius Venus, Mercury, I’m jealous, you’re too much for me, what reminds you of me, this is meant for you, you’ve changed since I left, you are supported in this, how would you feel if I contacted you, why don’t you ever call me, you are worthy, you need time, I’ll be back, don’t hold yourself back, I know your friends don’t like me

Song: Invisible String - Taylor Swift

[katsukavi]

"OH SHIT!" part 1

It's an Omega Jin-Woo x Alpha Male Reader. It's titled "oh shit" because they keep falling into more and more pain, but end up falling for each other. This is part 1!

THE STRONGEST HUNTER, Sung Jin-Woo was mistaken to be an alpha with his build and strength but he was an omega. It made sense back then when he was an E-Rank hunter, but now that he changed greatly and it was nearly impossible to distinguish him from Alphas from a glance.

That was the S-Rank (L/n) (M/n)'s mistake. He had thought that his best friend was an Alpha his entire life, going on a 'sleepover' and going out to drink. Stupid move yes, but male omegas are rare — making it less likely in (L/n)'s head for Jin-Woo to be an omega.

Anyways, this.. this was a horrendously severe mistake an Alpha and an Omega could do. Two idiotic adults spending time alone.

"What the hell?" (M/n) rubbed his eyes, his other hand trapped underneath Jin-Woo's waist. He could feel bare skin underneath the blanket, making him retract his hand almost immediately.

'What the fuck?! What the fuck!?!' he thought repeatedly, confused on why he and his friend were naked. Sung Jin-Woo groaned, taking the blanket and covering himself in his sleep; the only thing he could do to stay warm.

(M/n) took a deep breath, turning away from the sight and walking away. "Nothing happened. We just got drunk.. Definitely. 100%.." he told himself, trying to stay optimistic as he slid something on— continuing with his morning routine.

But it still lingered at the back of his mind, even while making breakfast. What the hell happened that night?

"What time is it?" Jin-Woo exited the room, groggily scratching his stomach. "It's 11am.. Aaand, it looks like you found my favorite black shirt.." (M/n) mentioned, putting eggs on his plate.

"My clothes are missing so I'm borrowing this for a while," Jin-Woo rested on the table, his head and body aching in pain. "Eat this. It's good for hangovers," (M/n) threw a banana towards him, Jin-Woo catching it easily.

(L/n) sat down, glaring daggers at Jin-Woo in silence. The Shadow Monarch didn't spare any concern, still chewing on his fruit. Or was a banana even a fruit? It was like (M/n)'s dilemma, was the banana sitting across him a fruit(Alpha) or a vegetable(Something else).

"H-Hey.. Jin-Woo," (M/n)'s hands trembled, doing his best to seem composed. "...What are you?"

The question was vague, both of them sitting in silence before Jin-Woo swallowed his meal. "I'm an S-Rank Hunter."

(L/n) calmed down, trying to forget his worries. It's impossible, someone as strong as Sung Jin-Woo couldn't be an omega. Besides, they were both male so it's not possible in the slightest. The possibility was slimmer than a sheet of paper.

Sung Jin-Woo, a powerhungry bastard did not know why his friend acted so unnerved that day. In fact, he just didn't care. With his immunity to alcohol, he could remember a few glimpses of that incident and just accepted it.

It is what it is. If it's not a fight, he does not care.

It's not like he could get pregnant. (L/n) (M/n) was more of a Beta-type person if he said so himself. He was neutral with everything and is less agressive than the Alpha males he's met. He was a chill dude overall. He calms Jin-Woo down like a beta would.

Besides, he confirmed that on (M/n)'s hunter wikipedia page. They were totally safe.

That's what he thought.

"Holy Fuck—!!" (M/n) stepped back, watching Sung Jin-Woo vomit his lunch right in front of him. "Are you okay?!" He dropped his rapier, immediately rushing to aide his companion. He used his skill, a bright red blast defeating all the monsters in the vicinity.

"My Liege?!" Beru shouted, worrying about his health. Other shadows gathered around, worried about their master's condition. "I'm fine.." Jin-Woo said, wiping the spew from his mouth.

"Yeah right! I just saw you vomit Niagra Falls right there. You're going home," (M/n) grabbed his shoulders in a commanding manner, feeling that someone so valuable shouldn't be in dangerous territory that moment.

"Igris, take him home.." (M/n) looked back, the aura around him turning heavy. "But Igris is my shadow—" Jin-Woo tried protesting, the dark knight obeying (M/n)'s order instead of his. Jin-Woo wanted to continue fighting too, but he couldn't defy (M/n).

"Eh? (M/n) Hyung, where's Jin-Woo Hyung?" Yoo Jin-Ho came from around the corner, seeing (M/n) alone in that cave. "I sent him home. The bastard was sick," he responded, grabbing his precious rapier from the floor.

He couldn't believe he dropped his beloved sword on the floor like that. He didn't even let anyone touch it with their disgusting hands.

"But he's an S-Rank Hunter too? This isn't even an S-Rank dungeon.. He's fine by himself."

(L/n) (M/n) froze in between putting the blade in it's sheath. Jin-Ho was right, why the hell did he send an S-Rank Hunter home? He even had his own system and multiple shadows, it wasn't like he would die in a measly A-Rank dungeon.

He knew how powerful Jin-Woo was based on his own experiences with a System. That's how they met in the first place. A system collaboration.

"...Just shut up," (M/n)'s voice was sharp, making the Beta tense in fear. "Y-Yes Hyung!" Jin-Ho responded, never seeing the laid back hunter so serious before. Was he finally acting like an Alpha?

[The Orion System applauds the 'Predator; (L/n) (M/n)']

[( ' ▽ ' ).｡ｏ♡]

"Why are you applauding me?" (M/n) glared at the yellow boards of notifications in front of him. He moved the screens away from his view, looking at his ceiling as he felt the empty space beside his bed. 'Jin-Woo was here just four weeks ago..'

His (e/c) eyes went wide, facing away from that empty space. 'He's my friend! I shouldn't be thinking of him like this. He'll probably think I'm weird...'

[You rn: (*♡∀♡) ]

[lol ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

"Fuck you Orion or whatever your name is... damn system," (M/n)'s face flushed, hiding himself under his covers. 'Jin-Woo's scent... It smells really good.'

Sung Jin-Woo's condition started to get worse. He drank a few health potions but none of them seemed to be working— only amplifying the effects of it. He tried looking if it was an odd debuff or curse, but none of them seemed to be the cause.

Since he could heal anything himself, he was almost sure not even the hospital could find out what it is. He was absolutely afraid this 'curse' could affect his work life.

"Have you gone to the hospital?" (M/n) asked all of a sudden, making him freeze. "That won't do anything.." he sighed, resting his head on the restaurant table — not feeling the least bit hungry.

"We should go just in case though," (M/n) grabbed some of the meat on his plate, deciding not to waste them. "It's a condition not even a health potion can fix. It probably won't be anything simple to fix by going to a hospital," Jin-Woo murmured.

"There you go with being negative again.. You've been really moody these days, huh Jin-Woo?"

"I wanna die.."

"Mhm, you've been saying that for the past week," (M/n) patted his head, comforting him a bit. "I'm going to eat the rest of your food," he said, trying to taunt some life into Jin-Woo.

"Okay, I'm not hungry.." he said, ignoring (M/n). 'Oh gosh, this is so serious that the power hungry Shadow Monarch gave up on eating??' (M/n) felt a little sorry for the male, continuing to eat his lunch. "Let's go to the hospital."

"You are 2 weeks pregnant. It looks like you have to get on hiatus for at least five months. I know you're an S-Rank hunter, but please think about the life inside you as well."

'What?'

'Pregnant?'

"Jin-Woo, you're an omega?"

"And you're an alpha?"

❝ OH SHIT! ❞

[alpacaparkaseok]

The Pact - Date #7

Pairing/Genre: OT7 BTS x reader (not poly), idol!BTS, best friend BTS

Word Count: 7.2k

Premise: The truth about the pact the boys have about you has been revealed. What happens when you agree to go on a single date with each of them?

Warnings: a bit of talking down on yourself, the confusion continues, general fluff with a touch of angst 

a/n: this is the final date. guys...how is this going by so fast?? please let me know your thoughts on the date, on everything else overall...and I’ll see you soon? Next Saturday is the finale!

Date #7

series masterlist ∆∆∆ join the taglist

Note from the creator of this stupid idea:

I loved her first.

 “Who do you think it was? Any ideas?”

           “I…” you shrug. “No?”

           Gina arches a brow, staring you down from across your kitchen table. “So, that was a lie.”

           You can’t stop the laugh that bubbles up from your chest, Gina also chuckling. It’s a relief, the fact that she doesn’t hesitate to call you out. You’re grateful that you finagled her number from Jin, shooting him a text that looked a lot like this:

Me: Burn this after reading

Me: We can’t have any evidence !!

Kim Seokjinnie: ok, hi. I’m not burning my phone weirdo. I’ll just keep it away from Jungkook. What’s up??

Me: Hi. You know what I meant.

Me: Can you give me Gina’s number?

Kim Seokjinnie: Sure, I’ll send you the contact in a second. You two gonna hang out or something?

Me: Hopefully…do you think it’s weird if I just ask her out of the blue? Will she not wanna come?

Kim Seokjinnie: Nah, she’s pretty chill. I bet she’ll come

Kim Seokjinnie: *Kim Seokjinnie shared a contact with you*

Kim Seokjinnie: do you need anything before I burn my phone?

Me: no, thank you!! I owe you one. I’m short on friends rn, hopefully she’ll come over

Kim Seokjinnie: I’m sorry  miss you. We’ll all get to hang out once this is all over, I promise.

“Yah! I really don’t know. I mean they’ve all be so…”

“So what?”

You sigh, sounding like some kid in a dreamy teen movie. “Perfect?”

“There’s no such thing,” Gina huffs, leaning back in her chair. It’s a bit rickety, you’d found it at a yard sale with Namjoon and Jimin. You had just moved into your apartment, and realized that you were a little low on furniture. Together, you’d managed to find three mismatching chairs that made you grin each time you saw them.

It was a little odd at the time, you didn’t want to buy three chairs. Two seemed like plenty. They convinced you though, and looking back you understand why they were so adamant.

Wasn’t it rule #3? “Limit one-on-one interaction”? Three chairs made it so that there was always space for at least two of them.

Suddenly you look at the most average things in your house with different eyes.

Groaning, you rub your hands over your face. You’ve probably smudged your makeup, but you don’t care. It’s Friday night, you can do whatever you want.

“Unfortunately, I really think that there might be.” You let out a dry chuckle. “Seven dates with the world’s most perfect men. I knew I was screwed from the beginning, but this, I mean, I didn’t expect it to go this far.”

“On the bright side, you only have one more to go.” Gina gets up, stretching before moving to put her plate in the sink. She’d picked up some takeout on her way to your house, proving to you that you two are going to be friends for a long, long time.

“I’m terrified because of that. What happens after tomorrow’s date? I know it’s up to me, but I feel like I’m waiting for someone to come tell me the next step.”

Gina hums in agreement, shooting you an apologetic look. “Maybe I shouldn’t have pointed out how flirty they were at the haunted house. You never would have gotten into this mess.”

“No,” you wave her off. “It’s not your fault. Jungkook let it slip anyway, after the door closed on us in the basement. Ugh, I still get freaked out thinking about that. Has that happened since?”

Gina pauses over the sink, back turned to you as she runs her plate under the hot water. After a moment she shuts it off, turning around to wipe her hands off on a dish towel before leaning up against the counter.

“Erm…”

Your stomach drops. “What.”

“It’s just…” she crosses her arms and uncrosses them, unsure of what to do with her hands. “The door is connected to a little button on every employee’s key fob. You know, just for some extra scare factor.”

You meet her sheepish gaze with a blank stare. “So you’re telling me…”

“It’s just a part of the tour,” Gina shrugs. “Wait, what happened? He told you about the pact when the door closed? That’s…that’s honestly not the most romantic setting-”

“No no, we had a little moment after the door closed, and we almost kissed. But he stopped himself and said the I didn’t have to worry about him making a move. When we got out, I asked him why, and that’s when he mentioned the pact.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah.”

“So tomorrow is the last date, correct?”

           “Yup.”

           “Look,” Gina notices your worried expression. “Do yourself a favor. Let go. Don’t waste tomorrow thinking about what’s gonna happen next. Focus on the moment, ok? Then how about we get together next week sometime to talk everything over? If you feel like that might help, that is.”

           You definitely made the right choice in inviting Gina over. You can already feel your stress levels going down.

           “Ok.”

           You’re up early the next morning, earlier than you’d like. You’re not sure how long you’ve been sitting on your sofa, basking in the golden morning sun and watching the little dust motes float in the air, but it’s certainly been a while.

           For once, it’s quiet in your mind. You’re not sure why now, why today. There’s no doubt you’ll be your typical bumbling mess once Yoongi picks you up, but for now all is peaceful.

           It’s the last date. Somehow, despite how much you’ve enjoyed these little escapades, you feel relief at the thought. Knowing that you’ve made it nearly to the end without doing anything remarkably stupid (you’re still mortified that you and Jimin got kicked out of that basilica but oh well), and now you’re so close.  

           For now, you slide your worries under the rug, to be left there for the weekend. You curl your legs under you and lean your head back against the cushions to drink in the sunlight. It warms your skin, leaving you feeling even better than before.

           Yoongi is supposed to be here around four. Jungkook had sent you a quick text earlier in the week checking that you didn’t have any plans for Saturday afternoon and night. You didn’t bother to tell him that you always had all day open for them.

           While the exchange had been short, you couldn’t help but wonder if he was blushing just as much as you when his contact popped up on your screen. In an instant you were plunged into the memory of clinging to him just outside your front door, Jungkook’s shaky breaths the only thing keeping you planted in reality.

           Either way, it was safe to say that you were a blushing mess despite the simplicity of the text. He kept it strictly professional, not once alluding to the events of last Saturday. But you could still hear those words he uttered when he asked if you ever thought about what might have happened if he’d kissed you in the haunted house when he had the chance.

           “I do. Every day.”

           Of course you thought about it. You let out an amused huff on the couch, laughing to yourself. Who wouldn’t? But the only thing was the fact that you were thinking about a lot of things. Not just Jungkook.

           Or his lips, for that matter.

           The couch rustles as you get up, deciding to change out of your red sweatshirt for a green one. You’d been instructed to dress warm, which made you wonder what was planned for today. Outside everything looks warm and pleasant, certainly no need for anything too heavy.

           By the time afternoon rolls around, you’re tempted to call up Gina for a late lunch or something. To say you’re antsy is an understatement; you’re positively losing it. The clock on the wall has decided to try its hand at stopping time altogether, and you think it’s doing a pretty good job of it. Every time you glace over, seemingly no time has passed.

           This time, you really start to wonder if no time has passed. You swear it’s been stuck at 3 o’clock for a while-

           The sound of someone knocking on your door has you nearly tipping over from where you perch trying to grab the clock.

           For some stupid reason, you’re frozen to your spot at the far end of your living room. Holding the clock in your hands, you jump a little as a second tentative knock sounds.

           To your utter mortification, your mouth opens and you yell out, “Come in!”

           You’re still frozen in place when the door opens and Yoongi pokes his head in. His eyes immediately land on you, a sheepish smile that he has a hard time containing immediately breaking out.

           “You’re not planning on throwing that at me, right?” He asks, making you glare down at the clock you cling to.

           “Oh.” Your knuckles have turned white, and somehow your heart has decided to try its hand at sprinting a marathon. “No. I- it’s broken. I think.”

           Yoongi shuffles inside, closing the door gently behind him before wandering over to you. His pale complexion makes the pink on his cheeks easy to spot. Somehow the fact that he’s blushing makes you blush.

           “Do you have batteries around here?” He asks quietly, hiding his amusement.

           “Maybe in the kitchen?” You brush past him, handing off the clock. “Would you mind getting the old batteries out?”

           He mumbles out a sure, plopping down on your sofa while he gets to work on the clock. He’s wearing a similar outfit to you, which makes you smile. It’s not very often these days that he sports a bandana and you wonder if he somehow knew that you love the way he looks in it. His hair looks particularly fluffy as it kisses his forehead, the dark bandana giving him an air of coolness you know you could never pull off.

           Rummaging around your kitchen drawers, you pause when you realize what you’re doing. Are you stalling? What’s the rush to fix a clock when you have Min Yoongi in the other room waiting to take you out?

           Closing the drawer, you take a deep breath and shake your head.

           “Sorry Yoongi,” you call out, trudging back into the living room. “I’m an idiot.”

           He looks at you over his shoulder, a smirk tugging at his lips. “What’s your reasoning?”

           “Ouch.”

           Yoongi chuckles, setting the clock down on the coffee table before getting to his feet. “Wow, is it just me or…”

           You wince. “This got off to a bad start, huh.”

           “Yeah.”

           Looking at each other from across the room, you realize just how much you’ve missed him. His witty sarcastic remarks, his honesty.

           Him.

           “Can we start over? Go knock on the door again.”

           Yoongi’s already on his way, huffing out a laugh as he steps outside. “Alright, see you in a second.” The door clicks shut behind him, and you’re suddenly left with the silence of your house.

           As Yoongi timidly knocks on the door, the same sense of calm you experienced this morning settles over you.

           The seventh date. No more guessing who’s on the other side of the door, no more anxious glances in the mirror to check that everything looks flawless. It’s just you, Yoongi, and the door between you.

           There’s already a smile on your face as you open that door, finding Yoongi standing with his hands in his pocket. He returns your grin, feeling like a fellow conspirator in a heist that has yet to be planned.

           “I’m here,” he announces, then adds with a chuckle, “finally.”

           “Took you long enough,” you tease, reaching out to grab his jacket and pull him inside. He feigns a horrified expression at your flirty nature, but you just roll your eyes. You’re not sure who wraps their arms around the other first, but the next thing you know, you’re wrapped up in a tight embrace.

           I missed you, is what you want to say, but the words get caught in your throat. The lump that’s formed there only grows thicker with emotion as Yoongi’s gravelly voice rumbles against your hair.

           “How’re you holding up?”

           Your arms fall around his waist, ever aware of his shoulder. Even though he says he’s completely healed now, you aren’t taking any chances. It’s quiet for a long moment as you struggle to find an answer.

           “I…fine. I’m fine.” You pull away and arch an eyebrow at him, pleased to see that is cheeks are still rosy despite the serious look in his eye. “How are you holding up?”

           He lets out a breathy laugh, dropping your gaze. “Fine.” Then, when he catches your disbelieving stare, he states as innocently as possible, “What? Aren’t we lying to each other tonight?”

           “You suck.”

           “See!” He exclaims as you step out of his grasp to grab your things. “You always do that when you’ve been caught in a lie!”

           “Ugh, yah! I wasn’t lying,” you turn around to face him, walking backward toward your room. “I’m fine, really.”

           He shrugs. “And so am I.”

           You stifle your laughter as you enter your room, grabbing your things and wondering if you should grab a coat. “Do I really need a coat?” You call down the hall.

           “Yes!”

           Pursing your lips, you snatch the puffy monstrosity from your closet before turning to head out. Double checking that you have everything you need; your eyes can’t help but glance at the item sitting atop your dresser.

           You stick your tongue out at it. A few seconds later it’s tucked safely away in your top drawer and you’re heading out into the hallway. Your stomach does an uneasy flip as you recall the words that are practically burned in the backs of your eyelids now.

           I loved her first.

           Yoongi gets up from off the couch, waiting for you beside the door. His dark eyes survey you as you walk toward him. “Good to go?” He asks quietly. Clutching your coat a little tighter to your chest, you nod.

           The two of you head out, locking up your apartment and settling in the car that Yoongi drove over. Before long, you’re out on the highway, speeding toward your destination.

           Which, you’ve just realized, is still a mystery to you.

           “Sooo…” You begin, smiling lazily at Yoongi. You take a moment to admire his hands that are wrapped around the steering wheel. “Where are we going?”

           A smile tugs at his lips, but he manages to contain it as he adopts a serious expression. He glances over at you. “We’re going to see the sea.”

           “We’re…” you stutter, furrowing your brows. “We’re going to see the sea?”

           A breathy chuckle escapes him. “Yeah. But it’s a long drive, so are you down to listen to a murder-mystery with me?”

           “YES.”

            You’re still pretty sure that it was the nosy maid that did it by the time you arrive at your destination. Two hours, one murder-mystery short audiobook, and several snacks later, the sun is well on its way to the horizon when Yoongi pulls off to a sandy parking lot filled to the brim with cars.

           There’s tons of people mulling about, several of them appear to be young families who smile fondly as their children laugh and play in the sand. There’s a couple of food-trucks that have popped up on the beach, which sport long lines. Yoongi observes them woefully, seeming to come to some sort of understanding with himself before moving to get out of the car.

           “Woah, what’s with all the people? Is this beach always this busy?”

           It’s a beach you’ve never been to before, the pristine sand glowing as the sun makes its way across the sky.

           “Today’s a special occasion,” Yoongi explains, popping the trunk and rummaging around. “We should probably pick out a spot now before all the good ones are taken.”

           You come around to the back of the car to meet him, taking the blanket he extends out to you. Leaving your big coat in the backseat, you hope he doesn’t scold you and tell you to put it on. Right now it’s windy, but fairly warm. No need to look like a living marshmallow just yet.

           Before you can inquire after what the special occasion is, Yoongi passes you a couple of water bottles and begins rattling off instructions.

           “How about I jump in line to buy us some dinner,” the way he says it so casually has your heart skipping a beat for some reason, “and you head down the beach to scout out a decent spot?”

           “But what kind of spot do you mean? Is there a show or something?”

           Yoongi pauses, closing the trunk and running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, something like that. A show. Just find a spot that you like, I’ll come find you with our food, ok?”

           “Ay ay, captain.” You trudge away, hoisting the blanket up higher in your arms as you begin to look for an empty space. The immediate surrounding beach area appears to be pretty packed, which has you marching farther and farther away from the parking lot.

           You grin as a couple of children race past you, giggling as they fly their kites. It’s looks like it’s a little boy and with his younger sister, trying their best to keep their kites afloat in wind. Waving at them, your smile only grows as the boy sheepishly turns away and the girl cheerfully waves back.

           It feels like you walk for years before finding a clearing. You were definitely looking for a semi-secluded spot, not too keen on spending your long-awaited date with Yoongi surrounded by strangers. It doesn’t even occur to you to ask someone what the big deal is about today before you’re laying the blanket out. Not wanting to leave anything unattended just for it to blow away, you decide to just be patient until Yoongi finds you.

           The sand is warm beneath the blanket as you plop down, resting with your face turned toward the sun as you let out a content sigh. Despite the chill of the wind, the sun warms you right up.

           “Why are you alone?”

           Peeking one eye open at the little voice, you’re delighted to see the same little girl from earlier standing a little ways away. She watches you with a meek expression, her kite forgotten at her feet.

           “Oh, I’m not alone,” you explain. “I’m just waiting for my friend to come find me. He went to go get food.”

           “Oh.” The young girl shuffles her feet. “My mommy says that I need to get all my wiggles out before the show.”

           You chuckle. “Really? What show are we watching tonight? Is it Disney?” That would certainly make sense for all of the young families here tonight. Did Yoongi bring you to a beach-front outdoor movie?

           “No, silly!” The girl giggles at your questions. “The sky’s coming to say hello!”

           “What?”

           “That’s what my mommy said. She said, ‘Young-mi get your wiggles out, the sky is coming to say hello soon!’”

           You blink, a little amused by Young-mi’s earnest response. “I see…I didn’t know that the sky was coming to say hello tonight.”

           “Then why are you here?”

           “Oh,” you crane your neck toward the parking lot, but it’s too far away to see Yoongi. “My friend brought me, as a surprise.”

           “Wow,” Young-mi utters in a reverent tone. “Can I meet your friend?”

           “I don’t see why not.”

           With a gleeful shout, Young-mi takes off running, her kite skipping along the ground behind her. She runs toward her family, her mother grinning at the sight before reaching out to pull her into her arms. You watch on with a forgotten smile, wondering for a split second what that would be like.

           If you squint, that could be Yoongi sitting beside Young-mi’s mother, throwing his head back with laughter at something his daughter says to him. Their son crouches in the sand nearby, digging around as though searching for gold.

           Laying down with a soft sigh, you close your eyes and let the little daydream take over. Here, at the beach. Telling your children that this is where you had your first date; laughing as they make disgusted faces when Yoongi plants a loud kiss on your cheek-

           “Did the nosy maid get to you?”

           Yoongi stands above you with arms laden with food. He blocks out the sun, the rays coming around to make him appear like an angel. Judging from the delicious smells radiating from the food he carries, you think he actually might be.

           “Ah, so you agree that you think it was her that murdered Duke Rittington?” Your voice sounds a little croaky, a testament to the fact that you were just dozing a moment ago. Leaning up to ease some of the food from his arms, Yoongi snorts.

           “No. It was obviously the son. Why can’t you see it?”

           Rolling your eyes, you pat a spot next to you on the blankets. Yoongi takes the seat without hesitation. “Because, the son seems like too easy of a suspect. Whereas the maid-”

           The screams of Young-mi as she rushes toward you cut you off. “You have a boyfriend?!”

           “Oh, no.”

           Yoongi leans over, still busy arranging the bags of food – is that a cheeseburger you see? – around the blanket. “Who’s that?” He mumbles.

           “I, uh, made a friend while you were grabbing food,” you explain with a small smile.

           Now Young-mi reaches your blanket, dropping to her knees as she gazes up at Yoongi with wide, innocent eyes. “Hi, my name is Young-mi and I’m four years old. I’m the second tallest in my class.” Young-mi prattles off information, her large eyes never once leaving Yoongi’s face. “Are you her boyfriend? I hope you’re her boyfriend.”

           Yoongi lets out a startled laugh. “You do? Why’s that?”

           “You’re so pretty.”

           Now both of you burst out laughing, Young-mi looking utterly confused at your outburst. Yoongi covers his face with his hands, shaking his head.

           “What? What’s so funny?” Young-mi questions.

           You grin at her. “You think he’s pretty?” The little girl nods enthusiastically. “I do too.”

           Yoongi peers over at you at this comment, an unasked question in his eyes. The pink in his cheeks has intensified, as has your own blush.

           “Aren’t I supposed to be the one complementing you?” He asks under his breath. You shrug.

           “You brought food, so now we’re even.”

           Young-mi lingers a little while longer, asking a few questions and drawing in the sand. Munching down on your cheeseburger, you eye Young-mi’s kite.

           “Do you mind if I try to fly your kite for a second?” The question is out of your mouth before you can fully process it, but Young-mi looks up at you excitedly.

           “Yes!!” She squeals, immediately dragging the little handle over to you. “You have to run really fast, that’s what my mommy told me. Then it’ll fly!”

           Glancing back at Yoongi as you clamber to your feet, you don’t miss the fond smile he wears as he watches the interaction take place. You wave at him, heading off down the beach with Young-mi. Once you’ve walked far enough, you wink down at her.

           “Ok, you run on ahead and I’ll catch up in a few seconds.”

           The girl wastes no time running off, her laughter making you feel lighter than you have in weeks. Once she’s far enough off, you take off after her. She heads straight toward her family, who smile at you as you attempt to get the kite off the ground.

           Sand flies up behind you as you race, and you catch a glimpse of Yoongi with his phone out, recording you with a wide smile on his face. The sun has hit the horizon now, a dizzying array of colors sending your mind into a joyful frenzy. Up ahead, Young-mi has successfully made it to her family and is waiting for you to catch up. She jumps up and down as the kite soars above you, the little pinwheels attached to it spinning around in the wind.

           A bit more energy overtakes you, and you sprint the last few yards toward Young-mi, unable to stop the laugh that jumps out of you. You feel so free, here on the beach. It’s almost like you’re up there flying with the kite-

           “Wait!”

           Someone shouts it, you’re not exactly sure who, but by the time the plea registers in your ears, it’s too late. Foot catching in the hole that Young-mi’s brother had been digging earlier, you feel a twist of pain before tumbling to the ground.

           You cry out, barely managing to catch yourself before faceplanting it. The handle from Young-mi’s kite digs painfully into your hand, but that’s the least of your problems at the moment.

           Young-mi’s family rushes over to you, but before they reach you Yoongi is dropping to your side.

           “Oh,” you pant, “hi Yoongs.”

           “Are you alright?” He’s also panting, and you wonder if he had begun running after you before you even fell, foreseeing your path. “Your foot…”

           “I am so sorry!” Young-mi’s mother stoops down on your other side, her husband right behind her. “We completely forgot that Doyun even dug that hole! Can you move? Are you in pain?”

           From where you’re laying belly-down on the sand, you can’t help but feel the burn of embarrassment in your cheeks. “I…move? Yeah, I can – ah never mind.” You wince as you attempt to get to your feet only for the dull ache in your right foot to flare up to a fiery red pain. Yoongi immediately reaches out for you, unsure of what to do. His hands ghost over your leg, but retract when you hiss in pain.

           “Here, my husband-” Young-mi’s mother points over her shoulder to the man in question. “He’s a nurse. Honey, could you…?”

           “Do you mind if I take a look at your ankle?” The man asks in a gentle voice. “Just to make sure nothing’s broken.”

           With a nod, you allow both him and Yoongi to help you swivel around to sit the correct way, the blush you already have deepening even more when Yoongi takes up a spot at your back. He gently pushes your shoulders back until you’re leaning into his chest, his arms coming to wrap around you in a protective manner.

           When you wince as the man delicately presses down on your already swollen ankle, Yoongi begins talking.

           “So, is it just me, or has this entire night been a disaster?”

           You let out a choked laugh. “No, Yoongs. Well, maybe it has, but it’s all my fault. I can’t believe I fell, how embarrassing…”

           “Oh, are you two out on a date? Er, sorry for prying…”

           Both you and Yoongi awkwardly chuckle. “No, no…um, yeah. We are.”

           “It’s our first date, actually,” Yoongi adds as an afterthought.

           “How exciting! Honey, it’s their first date, did you hear that?”

           The man currently inspecting your ankle spares the two of you a kindly glance. “Good for you two. You make a good looking couple.”

           “But I swear I’ve seen you before,” the mother comments, squinting at Yoongi. “Where do I know you from…”

           You can feel Yoongi tense up behind you, but he doesn’t say anything yet. Instead he takes to finding your hands (which you’ve slipped into your sweatshirt pocket to avoid accidentally punching the man poking and prodding at your foot), eventually curling his hands around yours and steadily unclenching your fists.

           “Oh! I know it! Do you do commercials?”

           Yoongi lets out an audible sigh of relief, which makes you smile for half a second before a particularly hard prod at your ankle sends you into a tailspin.

           “Yeah, I’ve done a few commercials.”

           “I knew it. How’s it looking, honey?”

           Her husband sits back on his heels, giving you a nod. “Nothing appears to be broken, you just twisted it pretty good. Babe, grab that icepack out of the cooler. You should keep ice on it for a while to counter the swelling.”

           A second later you’re handing a little bag of ice. “I don’t wanna take your ice,” you comment lamely. Yoongi chuckles in your ear, pulling back from you and standing.

           “It’s just a disposable pack we used for the cooler,” the mother explains, waving off your concern. “No need to worry. We’ve got plenty more. Now, go enjoy your date!”

           “Yeah, try your best to have fun. And keep ice on that, on and off for the next couple of days. It shouldn’t give you too much trouble after that.” With a wink toward Yoongi, your temporary nurse gives him a little nudge. “You seem like a good man. I think you’re in good hands here, miss.”

           Young-mi bids you a mournful goodbye as you limp away with Yoongi, quickly coming to find that sand isn’t the kindest to people hopping around on one leg. You’ve made it all of four hops while clinging to Yoongi before he stops.

           “Hop on my back,” he commands, stepping directly in front of you.

           You blanch. “But Yoongi…your shoulder.”

           “It’s fine. Just hop on. You don’t need to limp all the way back to where we’re sitting.” When you hesitate another moment, he looks back at you over his shoulder, his dark eyes sparking in the sunset. “Jagiya.”

           Well, the man puts up a convincing argument.

           Yoongi crouches down so you don’t have to jump, and with a bit of careful maneuvering you manage to hop onto his back. His hands grip your thighs, hoisting you up a bit higher which makes you gasp a little. Your arms instinctively wrap around his neck, careful to avoid putting too much pressure on shoulder.

           Setting off toward your abandoned blanket and food, you can’t help but feel a rise of disappointment in your chest.

           “Yoongi?” You mumble, almost sounding like an embarrassed child.

           “Hmm?”

           Hiding your face in the back of his neck, you groan. “I’m sorry.”

           Yoongi’s steps falter before he continues on, confusion evident in his tone. “Sorry? For what?”

           The calm that you felt earlier has completely shattered at this point, and you grit your teeth against the pain in your ankle and the onslaught of emotions that surface. What happened to picture perfect? Why couldn’t you focus?

           Other than sitting in the car together, you feel as though you’ve hardly touched base with Yoongi. You haven’t seen the man in nearly two months, and yet here you are distracted as ever. Distracted with your dumb broke clock, distracted with the audiobook, distracted with a kite.

           Yoongi stops in his tracks as he feels hot tears against his neck. “Jagiya?”

           “I- I’m so sorry, Yoongi,” you blubber. “I’m an idiot! I c-can’t focus on anything tonight and…and now I’ve made everything fall apart by going and getting h-hurt…Yoongi, it hurts so bad. A-and now I’m complaining, which is making everything worse!”

           You’re surprised when Yoongi doesn’t say a single thing, instead picking up where he left off as he trudges on toward the blanket. In response to his silence, you continue in your repentant monologue.

           “And you waited in line to get us fooood,” you bite down on your lip as you fight the urge to wail. “It’s probably c-cold now, and you waited for s-so long to get it…I feel like such a bad person…if you don’t wanna continue the date, I u-understand. I promise I won’t tell anyone if you want! J-just, I’m so sorry, Yoongi. I’ve completely ruined this, and you drove t-two hours to get me here….” You’ve reached the blanket now, Yoongi gently sets you down, and you hobble on one foot as you half-expect him to grab his keys and set off toward the car. “I just can’t think straight because I read that stupid pact and-”

           “Woah, back up.”

           Swiveling around to face you, Yoongi has a frown etched into his face. It makes you want to turn and run, to crawl into a cave to die from embarrassment, but it’s the fact that you can barely manage to stand on one foot at the moment – let alone run – that has you standing still.

           “You read the pact?” You blink, hopping a little. When Yoongi sees your struggle he reaches out to you, steadying you. “Here, let’s sit.”

           “W-we’re staying?”

           Yoongi gazes down at you, the look in his eyes turning unspeakable soft. “Yes, jagiya. Unless you aren’t feeling up to it anymore?” He looks as though the thought of leaving now pains him, but he waits patiently for your answer.

           “I wanna stay.”

           “Good. Now, what’s this about you reading the pact?”

           Having successfully turned into a sniffling mess, you wipe away your tears with an angry swipe. It’s time to come clean.

           “I found a copy in Jin’s room-”

           “What were you doing in Jin’s room?!” Yoongi whispers frantically, growing more concerned by the second. You wave him off.

           “-and I took it! I knew I shouldn’t, but I just wanted to know, you know? So I stole it but that was stupid because then I saw that thing on the back…the little note.” Your words trail off, unable to even say the word lovewhen Yoongi’s looking at you like he’s unsure of whether he wants to laugh or cry.

           “The little…note?”

           “Yeah, you know…” You shake your head, moving on. “And since I saw that, I’ve been a mess. Like, an actual mess. I finally called Gina help just to get some help, I needed someone to talk to because you know, I can’t talk to you guys right now which is stupid. But I’m still so lost and I screwed everything up and my ankle hurts Min Yoongi!”

           You’ve stunned yourself into silence with your outburst, Yoongi across from you looks a bit lost himself as he sits back on his heels. It’s clear the moment he comes to a realization.

           “The note.”

           It’s all you can do to breathe normally and not burst out into tears again. Yoongi’s expression turns mournful when he sees you.

           “Oh, jagiya…” leaning forward, Yoongi somehow manages to pull you into his lap. Wrapping his arms around you and tucking your head close to his chest, Yoongi pulls you in as close as he can. He sways gently back and forth, a hand coming up to cup your cheek to make you look at him.

           You do so begrudgingly, feeling like nothing more than a large child. However, the moment you meet his eyes, it hits you like a lightning strike.

           “Do you remember,” he begins quietly, “that time when your final paper accidentally got deleted? All you had left to do on it was add the reference page. You were distraught, remember?”

           Of course you do. It’s the stuff of nightmares. Countless hours spent laboring over a final essay for a class you loathed, only to make a stupid mistake and delete it all. All of it, all nineteen pages were gone in a blink. Your hard work along with it.

           “I remember you called me, a sobbing mess. Obviously I thought you’d hurt yourself, the way you were crying about killed me.” He tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear, leaving you completely enraptured in his spell as he continues speaking. “I fought with Namjoon because I needed to go see you, but we had a schedule. It was an interview, I don’t even remember for what or with whom, but I was so angry. I seriously thought I was gonna punch him. Then I remembered he goes to the gym a lot more than me, so I didn’t.”

           He manages to make you crack a small grin at that. The sight spurs him on. “But I’ll never forget the sight I saw when I finally made it out to your house later that night. It was like what, two in the morning? No one knew I was even going over, which obviously I did on purpose. I didn’t want to get into another argument. When I walked in your apartment, you were sat at the kitchen table. Remember?”

           The memory is vague, tinged with exhaustion and disappointment, but it’s there. You’d set up camp at your kitchen table all day, missing all other appointments just to try to rewrite your paper. You were half delirious at that point, staring at the screen seemed equal to burning at the stake.

           “I’ve never seen you look more exhausted in my entire life,” Yoongi chuckles. “I remember I was ready to write the paper for you, I was so sad for you. But when I made it over there, I was floored to see that you’d already written it. Not only that, but you’d written twenty-seven pages. Twenty-seven! Who does that?!” He shakes his head at you, looking absolutely shocked.

           “When I asked you why you would do that, you just shrugged and said, ‘why not reach for the stars?’ Then you submitted it, stood up, walked over to me and gave me a hug before going straight to bed. I was so shocked that I just stood there for ages, trying to fathom what had just happened.”

           Yoongi sighs, glancing up at the night sky. You admire his jawline from this angle, nuzzling in a little closer to him for warmth. He notices that you didn’t bring your coat out with you, giving you a playful glare before gently rubbing his hands up and down your arms.

           “Why did you tell me that?”

           You can feel his shrug. “You are more capable, more special than you will ever know. I’ve always kept that in my heart, over the years. Why not reach for the stars? Jagiya…”

           Yoongi shuffles a little bit before cupping your chin and pointing toward the horizon where the sun has slipped down. The night sky is becoming more visible by the second, a few stray stars winking down at you.

           “Look.” He points at a certain spot in the sky just in time for you to see a streak of breathtaking light.

           A falling star.

           In the span of a few minutes, you’re completely speechless as the sky continues to darken and your eyes are glued heavenward. Gradually, more and more falling stars dart across the sky, taking your breath away. As they continue, you recall Young-mi’s words. The sky is coming to say hello.

           Yoongi reaches for your hand, easily enveloping it while tracing the outline of your knuckles.

           “You,” Yoongi breathes out, sending tingles down your spine. “Are the stars I’ve been reaching for ever since that night.”

           Heart thundering against your ribs, you turn to look at him only to find his eyes also trained on the heavens. He speaks the words softly, almost to himself, but you still catch them.

           “You’re a star, all the way up there…and I’m all the way down here. Maybe all I’m meant to do is admire you from afar. But for tonight, just for a moment, I’ll hold you.” His eyes slide down to meet yours, glinting with pure starlight. Cold and beautiful. Hurtling toward you, burning up in your atmosphere and leaving you wondering what would happen if you let him in.

           If it would lead to utter destruction or the most beautiful thing you’ve ever witnessed.

           All words have escaped you at this moment in time, but you don’t feel the need to scramble for some sort of a response. Instead you settle for snuggling in a bit closer, allowing Yoongi to hold you a bit tighter.

           Tonight, he’ll hold you close to his chest while what will later be recorded as the most prominent meteor shower in recent history rains down above you. The dark night sky is set aflame with streaks of silver as falling stars graze the earth, sharing a sweet goodnight kiss as they hurtle through space. You marvel at the seemingly never-ending parade the night sky puts on, relishing the way Yoongi keeps your warm as he also marvels at the wonder above you.

           There’s no words that are exchanged for the entirety of the meteor shower, the only form of communication found in the patterns Yoongi traces out against the back of your hand and the way he gazes down at you from time to time. As though making sure you’re really there.

           It’s a long while before the meteor shower begins to fade, and it’s only when you hear Yoongi softly calling your name that you realized you’ve dozed off.

           “It’s over, jagiya,” he coos, brushing hair away from your eyes. “Let’s get you to the car, then you can sleep the rest of the way home.”

           Somehow you two manage to make it to the car, you yourself being much more coherent by then due to the sharp pains in your ankle. You realize that you two are some of the few people left at the beach, making you wonder when everyone else left.

           Your eyes are half-closed when Yoongi begins to drive away, your hand finding his atop the console.

           “You know you don’t need to worry about us, right?” Yoongi mumbles out, glancing over at you with a worried expression. “We’ll support whatever you decide to do. Remember what I said before? You’re the most capable person I know. You don’t need us, not really. Just…be happy.”

           You mumble out something incoherent, not completely realizing that he’s referring to the aftermath of the pact until you’re already asleep.

           The next thing you know, you’re parked in front of your apartment and Yoongi is grinning down at you from the passenger side door.

           “C’mon,” he urges, helping you out of the car. “Careful with the ankle.”

           “Mmm.”

           It takes a bit of careful maneuvering to get up the stairs to your apartment, but you manage to make it. Leaning up against the door, you fumble for your keys.

           Once you’ve found them, you hand them straight over to Yoongi. You’re far too tired to attempt unlocking your door at the moment. He laughs at your behavior, shooting you a proud gummy smile when he unlocks the door. You don’t even have to ask before he’s assisting you inside, helping you hobble to your room before turning to leave.

           “Thank you, Yoongi. For everything.”

           Yoongi smiles down at his shoes. “We’ll swing by tomorrow to check up on you if that’s ok?”

           We.

           Your stomach flips to remember that you’re over now with these dates. Now what-

           “Or just shoot me a text? I know that might be awkward if we all show up…”

           “Thank you. I’ll text you?” You sigh, running your hands over your face. “Yoongi, I…” You trail off, staring up at him from your bed as your mind and heart races. There’s just no words.

           With a soft smile, he leans down and pecks your nose. The innocent gesture has your ears turning red, which widens his grin.

           “I know.” He whispers back.

           And then he’s gone.

           And you’re left here, suddenly colder than ever.

main masterlist

the dates are DONE. please let me know your thoughts, I love hearing from you! Tomorrow I'll be opening up a poll for your top two dates, so stay tuned for that! 

alsooo stay tuned this week because I may have a lil bonus chapter for you guys 

taglist: @baepsaetay @dreamcatcherjiah @kookie-vuitton @thecaffeinatedscribbles @moon-write @fangirl125reader @heishichoulevi @knjkitten @sacha-cff @vik7797  @eusticenatalie @hesmyphenominiall @miriamxsworld @kayahay @secretlycrazyhummingbird @marianeamine @hqtetsurou @protontippens @beginwithamin @delacyrose224  @luvtaeha @fanfictionreader05 @mininimmy @dreadity  @starlight-night0 @luzaroon @seaoffangirling @prachi05 @fangirl125reader @bluehairedotakugem @hunnibxbe @kayahay @fanfictionreader05 @seokjinmoonfics @littletinyhobi @honeyhalcyon @yoontaethings @herrmionejgranger  @beepbeep11 @extraordinary_reads @vntwishlist @aussiebeachbabes​ @hitsussi @hannah2291 @alwaysasadaesthetic​ 

[angelicmichael]

What if Xavier had a kid he didn't know about and he meets them for the first time after he's already a ghost? Maybe there's a kindergarten group that takes a trip to the camp, and he just has this spirit intuition as soon as he sees them and KNOWS it's his child. Do you think you could expand on this idea? I'd love to see what you come up with!

A/N: This was so fun, thank you for this idea dear anon!! I'm sorry it's late but hopefully u like it 😶. Also, I apologize this is so dark and heavy- I didnt intend for it.. it just, kinda happened lmfao. I turned this into a 'x reader' and it starts with Xaviers POV and ends with readers perspective!! First few paragraphs are pretty dark and then the rest is weird.. angst fluff LOL.Hope yall enjoy 💖💖💖

Warnings: First few paragraphs discuss Xavier's thots about dying SO, it highkey gets dark yall I'm so sorry, mentions of anger?? issues, mentions of murder, stops getting dark roughly around paragraph 6 if u wanna skip all that, MAJOR ANGST, reuniting, very brief Xantana reference 😈, mention of kids, bit of fluff.. think that's it :)

In Xaviers eyes; the worst part of being killed in a desolate camp and having to reside there for the rest of eternity; wasnt the fact that he would have to handle Richard Rameriez and tolerate his peers for eons to come. Sure, both of those things required an adjustment period but.. the realization that his life with you was abruptly cut short, was what truly broke him.

It took him being stripped from everything he once knew to truly appreciate how heavenly life once was before Camp Redwood. He had a steady job, good friends, and a relationship with a actual living, breathing person.. Not to shade Montana or anything, of course. However he had taken all of those things for fucking granted; moving to Camp Redwood definetly had made him become humble- at the very least. He was now nothing but a mere shell of the person he once was; nothing to bring him out of this absolute living nightmare he found himself in.. At first this mindset nearly consumed him, it drove him to kill multiple times.

There was no point in trying to conceal the anger he felt, no way of trying to channel it out into a more socially appropriate way and at this point.. there really was no point in trying to do so. Out here in the forest, espically after he was killed, life outside of the forest soon seemed as if it was some type of myth or fairytale- something not real or attainable. Time in the redwood forest felt different- days quickly bled and melted into weeks, and then months.. trying to guess the date was something Xavier gave up on doing after about the first week.

As much as he tried to deny it, being dead and becoming trapped here had completly made him lose his grip on reality and his previous life. Soon enough, the thought that life even fully existed outside of the camp and that there was actual fucking laws against killing (something which was now a leisurely hobby) had completly slipped his mind momentarily in the beginning as well. Out here in the forest, nothing felt real execpt for his anger that he held onto so tightly.

It was really the only thing he had left; atleast for a while.

The pain of losing his partner, (y/n), still remained but letting that grief not consume him was easily the hardest battle he had fought in his life. Xavier realized he still had his friends - and if he really was going to live for eternity, he sure wasnt going to spend it angry.

After so many years of being 'cursed' to spend forever in this forest, keeping track of the time was something Xavier rarely bothered with, but - it was obvious by the suns posistion, and even the slight mist that made the grass wet that it was just starting to cut into morning. Xavier walked through the forest alone, nowhere in particular to go or to necessarily do, only a sudden need to go and be alone. Almost a beckoning, for him to go and be somewhere else. To witness something.

His days were more often than not purely mundane; he had absolutely no excuse to not listen to this odd and sudden attraction he felt toward a very particular spot in the camp.. so, that's what brought him to where he stood now. Close to the road that brought visitors (a nice word for victims) into Camp Redwood, right next to the mess hall which was rarely used close by.

Xavier felt wildly uncomfortable standing so close to the place which previously held so much trauma - and honestly still did.. The place where Chef Bertie died. Xavier paused, about to just say 'fuck it' and just give up and go back to where his friends resided (or atleast Montana) when.. he heard it.

His sign, the thing that seemingly enticed him in the first place.

It first sounded like the old, familar sounds of tires coming across a gravel road - Xaviers mind immeadietly jumped to perhaps this could be new people.. new vistors.. new victims.

His blood ran cold when he heard something else; an eerie ringing of chains hitting against the ground. Something that was mostly a associated with buses.. and hauntingly familar. He had little to no time to think or even act on his suspicion when he noticed that a yellow school bus full, and nearly combusting with children was pulling into the camp.

Xavier wasnt exactly certain the bounds that ghosts had when it came to certain bodily functions like vomiting, but hes sure that under normal circumstances he would certainly be sick by now. Nevertheless he could feel his body tense up and the other natural symptoms associated with anxiety also kicked in. Urging him to clumsily get out of vision; he stumbled behind a few trees that poorly blocked him from sight. He continued to watch in complete and utter horror as the bus came to a stop, and it didnt take long for kids to start pouring out of the bus. Xavier felt his heart drop and his blood run cold every time a kid exited the bus and stepped on the dirt soil of Camp Redwood.

Xavier whipped his head around; scanning the surrounding area to make sure no other ghosts were here to bear witness to this.. Xavier was nearly always down to commit murder, it was really the only thing that kept him from fully going insane from pure fucking boredom but - kids? There was no fucking way he would let anyone touch them.

While he thoroughly scanned the area, he noticed a few adults leave the bus out of his periphery vision. He thought nothing of it, chaperones were to be expected on elementary field trips but.. the strange beckoning feeling he felt ealier visited him again, urging him to turn his head fully and look at one of the chaperones more closely. Instantaneously, he then automatically realized why he felt so compelled to come to this spot.. Why he was meant to be here at this exact moment.. It was you.

At first he thought he was merely hallucinating; you definetly looked significantly different from the last time he had saw you but.. he knew it was you, his partner that he had before his life completly went to shit (minus the catastrophe that occured with Blake, of course). He knew instantly, it was your eyes, your stature and just.. your overall warm and familiar aura that gave your identity away. He couldnt believe that the person he had so fucking desperately wanted to see more than anyone or anything was only a few feet away - and now, that you were finally here... All he wanted for you to do was to leave.

As soon as he saw you he felt a sudden tightness posses his chest and throat which accompanied the formation of tears burning his eyes; hastily blurring his vision. He had to physically restrain himself from sobbing outloud; trying his best to just swallow down his tears. His whole body felt as if it was on fire with anxiety, but he chose to continue to stand still behind a few dainty trees - trying to pull himself together so he could actually have the chance to think critically and choose what the ever living fuck he was going to do next.

While he waited for his blurry vision to clear, he chose to focus on the semi distant figure that he knew was you. He took in the little details; like how the sun highlighted the colors in your hair and your simple but charming outfit. It took him several moments to think of why you would even be here in the first place, with a school bus- and thats when another dreadful realization hit him.

Only parents were mainly chaperones when it came to elementary field trips.. meaning-

No other thought crossed Xaviers mind as his eyes flicked down inhumanely fast to the child where (y/n) stood next too.. and immeadietly he knew.

The features the child shared of both you and Xavier were partially a giveaway, but most importantly.. it was the feeling he had that confirmed his belief. The initial anxiety he felt of the kids arriving still remained but was significantly muted and mostly replaced with a overwhelming sense of pure love. The feeling spread to every fiber of his being, and so did a odd urge to protect this small being which he knew was his.

Not ever in his entire life had he felt this way about someone (execpt for perhaps, you). He felt himself taking a few steps forward, at first completly involuntary but he knew he had to talk to you. Just the idea of reuniting tasted so fucking good but, he knew he couldnt get too greedy if he was going to talk to you. He knew confronting you had to be solely done in order to save you and his child, he couldnt get carried away. He wouldnt.

He tried his best to appear casual as he submerged from behind the trees, his hands held behind his back - the only way he could get them to stop shaking. He tried to relax his shoulders and appear confident as he strided up to you; your back turned toward him. He continued until he was directly behind you, he wanted to tap your shoulder but - touching you seemed out of the question. That would confirm everything, it would make it seem actually real and not like this just some torturous dream.

"(Y/n)"? He spoke.

Xaviers breath hitched as he watched you whip around to face him. He studied your features as you went from looking utterly confused to surprised beyond belief.

"Xavier, what-"

"We need to talk".

Xavier quickly grabbed your hand, leading you away from herd of kids and the few sparse chaperones that were amongst them. A few of them gave you two a few odd looks but neither you or Xavier particularly cared, after all this was the first time in years you two had seen eachother. You hastily followed his lead, feeling slightly embarrassed that it was obvious how nervous and simply caught off guard you currently were. Your palms (one of which was still holding onto Xaviers hand) were starting to moisten with sweat. These feelings only amplified once Xavier turned around to face you. The intensity that was in his eyes put you on edge - never in your time of dating or knowing him did he ever look so serious with you.

"What are you doing here"? Xavier spoke, his voice was still in a higher pitch, slightly breaking.

"What"?

After years of not being able to see you, in fact; years of you not even knowing where he went - this was how he chose to greet you?? Automatically your blood ran cold with the sudden realization that something was wrong. Seriously wrong.. but the feeling didnt just apply to your ex boyfriend. It was the entire camp.

"Its not safe here, you need to take the kids and leave". Xaviers voice more visibly shook this time as he spoke; as if his words physically pained him.

Your heart skipped a beat, the sudden pain and anguish starting to fully settle in. You couldnt believe it; after years of not seeing you - this was all he had to say? Was he fucking joking?

"What? A-are you kidding? Xavier, I havent seen you in years- I didnt even know you would be here-"

"I'm sorry (y/n). I'm so sorry but you have no idea what this place is like. You just need to go, and the kids. And promise me you wont come back".

It was torturous to watch tears gather in Xaviers eyes, and watch as they streaked down his cheeks. The sadness you previously felt was now washed away with red, hot rage. The feeling spread throughout your body like a wildfire that he was seemingly rejecting you.. but you knew now this wasnt some pathetic excuse. Something was seriously wrong here; and now it was starting to become too obvious to ignore.

Xavier looked hauntingly the exact same from the last time you saw him. He forever, looked as if he was still stuck in the same moment of time - like in the summer of 1984, which was when you last saw him.

You didnt realize you were still holding onto one of his hands until you reflexively tried to move it to brush away his tears that were still staining his cheeks; but awkwardly.. you chose to do so with your other hand. Squeezing the one hand you were still holding onto a bit tighter.

He winced as you touched him, and as much you tried your damn best to hold it together - you could feel tears starting to burn your eyes as well.

"I cant promise I wont ever come back, Xavier. I need to see you again, and what about-" you said softly, about to reference the child you two shared together.

"No, you'll see me again (y/n). I promise.. okay"?

He brought your hand up to his mouth to kiss your knuckles; the tears you trying so desperately to hold in were now sliding down your cheeks. Your breathing was now horribly choppy. You were on the brink of full on sobbing but you held yourself back - it was nearly time for you to go.

The fact you would have to go back to go the others and make up some bullshit excuse to leave, put a bitter taste in your mouth.. but your sure Xavier had a valid reason for ushering you to leave. Even if he didnt want to tell you right now; you trusted him with your life.

"Okay.. Fine. I'm coming back though, and I'm sorry I couldnt find you sooner". You admitted.

You dropped his hand that you were still holding in order to wrap your arms around him. To get one final touch to remember him by. You were desperate to fully touch him and to be wrapped in his embrace, something you had desperately and madly missed. As he held you; you tried to soak in his scent, his aura.. just the fact that he was even here seriously with you, in this moment.

You previously assumed Xavier had passed away; that was easier to come to terms with rather than thinking he willingly ran away or.. that something else more sinister had happened. A part of you wanted to be frustrated that you were leaving with more questions than answers but.. you didnt care. Your heart didnt care. You were just happy you were able to see your boyfriend.. no matter the circumstance or conditions it came with. Even though you were stupidly happy, your thoughts kept annoyingly circling back to the same question - how was Xavier here with you, living.. breathing.. in the flesh. How was this possible? You were about to speak your thoughts outloud when you first felt Xavier break away from you. You didnt get as much as a second glance just when you felt something soft on your cheek. Perhaps a goodbye kiss? and then.. just like he wasnt there at all, he was gone. Almost as if he completly disintegrated into the fresh, morning sky.

You felt your entire body stiffen as you realized he was gone.. again. It was difficult to pinpoint exactly how you felt. It was a nasty mix of both grief and anger that left you completly speechless and deathly still. You took a step back to combat the feeling, and attempted to look casual (and not like the person whom you were just hugging had completly fucking vanished). Sheepishly taking a look at the group you had arrived with and making sure none of them noticed your.. odd behavior.

Sure enough, none of them did. They all stood, and continued on conversing just like they were before you had broke away from them. Smiling and laughing as if nothing was wrong; just like they didnt have a care in the world - just as if the love of their life wasnt ripped away from them for a second time.

Even though Xavier was now gone, that odd, unsettling feeling still lingered with you. Like something was terribly wrong here, in Camp Redwood. The feeling wasn't entirely bad though; sure - the overall air in this place reeked of something terrible but.. now you felt something else mixed into it. A comforting essence of safety; Xaviers presence. You knew he wasnt directly beside you anymore but he was somewhere.. lurking. Watching you, as you begrudgingly walked over to the group you came with. Making up a bullshit excuse in your head so you could escape whatever this place was pretending to be.

Taglist: @michaellangdonstanaccount @langdonsexual @jimmason @blakewaterxx @dark-mei-rose @9layerdevilfoodcake @prophecy-is-inevitable @matildaofoz @beautyiswithinchaos @frenchlangdon @instincts-baby let me know if u would like to be added!! :)

[thewildomega]

My kind of Different (Dwalin x Reader)

A/N: A/n : Okay So I have decided to give Dwalin some more love because he deserves it. Also just in case anyone doesn't know Dwalin was born after Samug's claim of Erabor and also he is the last member of the company to die in the books, he dies way after the war of the ring. He lived to the whopping age of 340 which is a long time for a dwarf. Also Look at this cool fanart I found on deviantart, isn’t he so badass looking. The Artist is  Mental-Lighton (link included so go check them out.) There is a lot more work as well, I really like the way he captures Saruman as well. Anyway Hope you enjoy. Please like, comment and reblog.

Throwing his knife at the hare he let out a curse under his breath when he missed the shot, the hare taking off in a sprint deeper into the forest. Growling he stood and moved to grab his knife from the ground. Whipping it off on his pants leg he lifted his head to start walking when two bright golden eyes stared directly into his making a small yell escape him and his feet stumble backwards a bit. Panting he looked towards the thing, expecting it to be a monster of some sort but what he saw made his brows dip low before knitting together in confusion. It was a girl, a young girl. 

"Whatcha doin'?" you asked the boy as he stared at you. 

Continuing to stare he blinked and then rubbed his eyes. He had to be seeing things. There couldn't possibly be a floating girl there. She was just hanging there upside down, looking at him. Moving his hand he indeed saw her still there. She looked to be a few years younger than himself, her face of soft features. Long wavy silver hair that looked to be glowing hung towards the ground from her head and what looked like thin elf ears poked out from the sides of her head a little. Looking closer though he noticed two shinning blue things behind her and he tilted his head, were those wings? "What are ya?"

Turning back right side up you looked the boy over and grinned, "I'ma fairy silly."

Opening and closing his mouth he gave another look at the girl. She still floated a few feet from the ground, her simple white dress hanging on her tiny frame to end at her knees. There were no shoes on her feet but he supposed she wouldn't need them if she coudl fly. Glancing up to her face he saw her still smiling at him and noticed now her sharp canines. Overall he couldn't say she wasn't pretty even if she was weird looking. When she suddenly was right in front of him again, her eyes equal to his he felt a blush heat his cheeks and tried to take another step back but bumped into a tree. Staring in her gold eyes he saw no ill intent there only curiosity. 

"So what are you then?" you asked as you eyed the obvious boy. He had thick dark brown hair covering his head and even a ghosting of long sideburns going down to his jaw. His eyes were a bright blue, matching your wings. His nose and ears were a bit big but you liked them, they fit him. His clothes were thick and dark, made of furs and leather. There were a heavy set of boots on his feet as well. 

"I'ma dwarf." his voice full of pride. 

"I've never met a dwarf before. Do you all look alike?" 

Standing still as she floated around him, looking over every part of him but never touching the ground he took a deep breath. "No. What kinda question is that, do all fairies look alike?" 

Flying back straight you looked at his face, "No.. well I do have two sisters that look alike." 

"Twins." he huffed and saw her nod with a smile. Figuring she wasn't a threat he relaxed a bit and started walking, he was still hungry and it would be getting dark soon. As he walked he glanced beside him to see the girl right beside him. 

"So whatcha doin'?" 

"Huntin'." Seeing her head tilt at that and her brows knit he rolled his eyes, "Ya know fer food." 

"Oh. Whatcha hunting for?" 

"Anything that will fill m' belly. Now be quiet or I'll never find anything." he told her and saw her nod. He found it odd that the girl kept following but at the same time he couldn't help but enjoy her presence and couldn't bring himself to tell her off. She didn't say anything else as he walked quietly through the forest, the both of them just looking around. When he heard the small noise of rustling leaves he looked around and stilled when he spotted another hare. The thing had yet to notice him as it hopped along and he slowly took out his knife. 

Looking at the small animal you smiled largely, it was so cute. As it hopped along you even spotted a few smaller ones following close behind her. Seeing movement out of the corner of your eye you turned to he dwarf but when you noticed him holding a knife you furrowed your brows, your smile falling from your face. What was he doing? As his arm moved back behind his head you snapped your eyes between him and the mother hare, your heart hammering in your chest. 

As soon as he went to throw the knife the girl yelled out 'No!' making him startle and the hare hurry under ground. Growling he gripped his knife in his hand and snapped his eyes up to the girl. "What the hell ya do that fer?!"he growled. 

Shirking up some as he yelled you looked up to his angry face and furrowed your brows. "You were gonna kill it?"

"That was the plan aye!"

"B..but why?" you asked in a soft voice. 

"Ta eat it, why the hell else?" 

"You eat them?" you spoke in a whisper, talking mostly to yourself. Looking back to the hole the hare had went into. "But if you were to kill her then her babies would die, there wouldn't be anything to take care of them." 

Letting out a huff he rubbed his face, he hadn't seen the little ones behind it until it had ran but still the painful clenching in his stomach made it hard for him to feel pity. Looking to the girl he just now noticed she was no longer flying and that she was now standing on the forest floor in front of him. Now that she was on her feet he noticed how small she actually was, coming up to only his chin. There was no longer a smile on her face and he couldn't help but feel bad as he noticed her looking sadly towards the hare hole. Sighing he put his knife back up "Well it got away so 'er lil ones will be fine... unlike me if I don't find some food." he said grumbling the last part. 

Hearing this you tilted your head and looked up to the dwarf. "You're hungry?" 

"Was the whole point of huntin'." he said like it should have been obvious. 

Humming you looked around before quickly flying away. 

Seeing the girl fly away without a word he knit his brows. After standing there for a few minutes he gave a grunt and started walking again. Thinking over the whole ordeal he shook his head, "Weird girl." Looking up to the sky he saw the sun going down, he would have to head back to the settlement now. Walking on for a bit he felt something to his left and looked to see her back beside him, smiling brightly. 

"Here you go." 

Glancing down to her hands he saw she had them full of blackberries. Raising a brow he looked back to her and saw her just smiling. Sighing he reached out to take one and popped it into his mouth. It wasn't the meat he was craving but he had to admit they were good. She continued flying beside him as he walked back towards his people, holding the berries as he ate them but never once eating one herself. "Don't you want any?" he asked but saw her shake her head. As the lights from the tents came into view through the trees he went to speak to her but a harsh breeze stopped him. 

Hearing the deep, angry voice calling through the wind you curled up some and then looked to the dwarf. "I have to go now." 

Hearing the sadness in her voice he knit his brows and watched as she dumped the berries into his hand, noticing how small her hands were in comparison to his. Meeting her eyes once more he felt this strong pull in his chest and saw her grin at him before another sharp wind cut through the trees and she looked down, her shoulders curling in on her small frame. 

"Goodbye." was all you said before you took off towards home. 

Watching the girl turn into a small dot of light and shoot across the sky he blinked. Glancing down to the berries he ate another as he moved towards his parents tent. 

"There he is." 

Hearing his father's voice he looked up and saw both his mother and father looking at him. 

"We were about to go looking for you." Balin said with a grin. Looking down to his little brother's hands he saw the berries and chuckled. "No luck on the hunt then?'

Shaking his head he felt as his mother rubbed his head.

"Next time you'll get something for sure. Don't worry darling one day you will be just as good of a hunter as your father." she spoke, looking to her husband with a gentle smile. 

Seeing his parents walk away he saw as Balin came over to him and took one of the berries. "Where'd ya find the berries?"

"A girl gave them to me." 

"A girl huh?" Balin asked with a chuckle. "What girl?"

"One in the forest. Sh..she said she was a..." he said and then trailed off.

Tilting his head Balin looked to his little brother and furrowed his brows. "Well.."

"Balin have ya ever seen fairy?" 

"A fairy?" Balin laughed. "No lad. Fairies are nothing more than legend.... wait is that..."

" 'ey you two, 'ow about some help out here?" Fundin called. 

Hearing their father call them the brothers looked to each other before going to help their father. 

.............................

Swinging the hammer down on the glowing steel he felt sweat roll down his face but couldn't take the time to wipe it away. Dipping the metal into the water barrel he heard it hiss and watched steam erupt from the surface. Once he had it cooled he lifted it up to inspect his work. Seeing no faults he dropped the horse shoe down to the pile. Letting out a sigh he finally placed down his tongs before whipping his face with the damp rag. At least with the heavy rain it wasn't very hot and the insects were leaving him be. Glancing to the clock he saw it was well past five in the afternoon, past quitting time. Still he had much to do. Going to grab the next piece of metal to start work he startled a bit when a voice spoke from behind him. 

"Hello again." 

Snapping around he saw a young woman sitting on his workbench, her bare legs and feet dangling down and swinging slightly. "And just who are..." Seeing her smile at him he trailed off, his eyes taking her in. Long silver hair, golden eyes... blue wings... It was her. It had been years since he had seen her, since that day in the forest. She was older now, like him, but she was still beautiful. "You." he finally spoke. 

"Whatcha doin'?" you asked looking to the strange object in his hand, long metal thing. 

"Where did ya come from? How'd ya get in 'ere?" he questioned her. 

"The window." you smiled. 

Seeing the slightly parted window he looked back to her and noticed she was soaked, her short white dress and hair dripping. Licking his lips he took a deep breath when he saw how the thin fabric was clinging to her body. "Yer all wet." 

Glancing down you gave a giggle and then looked to him. "Yea." Tilting your head you looked the boy...no man now, over. In human years you both would now be considered young adults and it showed. His hair was a bit longer now and bushier along with the hair on his face and chin. He was taller, wider, you could tell thick muscles made up his frame. He was only wearing an olive green tunic that was damp with sweat and a pair of brown trousers along with his heavy boots. You wondered how he walked in those things. 

Moving a bit closer to her he placed down the tongs. As his eyes roamed over her body some he felt a blush heat up his face, there was just so much skin showing. Quickly turning away he moved to grab his cloak from the hook by the door. Carrying it back over to her he pushed the thing into her hands. " 'ere' cover yerself up." 

A little puzzled you tilted your head but then grinned and took the cloak he was offering. Flattening your wings you wrapped the thick cloak around your shoulders and grinned up at him. 

Seeing her small body wrapped in his cloak made this strange feeling bubble in his stomach and chest, gas maybe? Shaking his head he grabbed his stool and sat down on it in front of her. " 'ow did ya find me?"

"Well I wanted to see you again and so I just went in the direction it told me to go." 

"What told ya?"

"My heart." you smiled. 

Stiffening he felt that blush creeping up to his ears. 

"I wanted to come find you sooner but I... well I couldn't." you spoke looking down and frowning a bit before shaking your head and looking back to the dwarf male. "But I'm here now." 

Trying to process the whole situation he watched as she hopped down from the bench and started walking about the forge, looking over this and that. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her but he couldn't think of which one to ask first. Anytime he had ever mentioned the fairy lass in the forest before everyone had always laughed at him, asked him if he had fallen and hit his head. Fairies weren't supposed to be real. "Stuff of legend" Balin always told him. "Children's story characters" Thorin told him. She was real though, he was sure he hadn't bumped his head and he hadn't drank anything. She was standing right in front of him. Maybe he had eaten something bad? No. No. 

"What is this place called?" you asked, looking to all the tools and such. You had seen them before when you would sneak out but you didn't know the name.

She had spoken, asked him a question. Clearing his throat he looked to see her standing in front of the coal pit. "A forge. There aren't any where yer from?" 

Humming you tilted your head. "One I think but I've never seen anyone there." Reaching out you poked one of the chains hanging down. 

"An' where exactly are ya from?"

"Galilee." 

"Never 'eard of it." 

"It's in a different realm than this one, hidden from all but fairy folk." 

Humming he watched her continue inspecting things. When she reached out to touch one of the iron horse shoes he heard her let out a hiss and watched her fall backwards to the floor. Quickly standing he hurried around the bench to see her holding her hand to her chest, her face contorted into one of pain. Kneeling down in front of her he furrowed his brows, "What's wrong?" 

"I...iron..." 

Gently taking her hand he pulled it out to look at it and saw she indeed had what looked to be a burn to the tips of her middle and forefinger. Blinking he felt a strange clenching in his chest and helped her up. Taking her back to his stool he sat her down on it and moved to get some of the burn salve. Crouching down before her he dabbed a bit onto her fingers and gently rubbed it in. 

As he finished up you grinned softly and looked down when his blue eyes met yours "Thank you." 

Starring up into her golden eyes he felt his heart thump a little heavier in his chest. "What's yer name lass?"

Smiling softly you felt that wonderful hum in your chest before you spoke. "Y/n." 

He couldn't help the pull of his lips as he received her name. Standing he gave a bow, "Dwalin at yer service." 

Giggling lightly you shared a grin as he rose to look at you again. Hearing the chime of a bell you startled and snapped your eyes over to the door to see another male come inside. 

"Ya about done lad? It's gettin' late."

Turning around he saw his brother there, pushing off the hood of his soaked cloak. As soon as his brother looked up he saw shock come over his face at seeing the female inside, sitting on his bench, wrapped in his cloak. As his eyes turned to look at him, that older brother look of curiosity and disapproval he swallowed. 

"Hello." you spoke to the new male. 

"Uhm h.. hello there lassie." Balin spoke. "I haven't seen you around here before, tell me are ya here fer business reasons." 

"No, I just came here to see Dwalin." you spoke. 

His name sounded so lovely coming from her lips. 

"Is that right?" Balin asked with raised brows, looking to his brother for answers.  

Clearing his throat Dwalin looked between the two. "Y/n this is my brother Balin. Brother, this is Y/n." 

"Your brother?" you asked with a smile. Looking to the older male you hopped off the bench and moved over to him. "It's so nice to meet you." 

Chuckling lightly Balin gave a bow. "The pleasure is mine dearie." Looking to his little brother he gave him a look, "Brother a word." 

Sighing he nodded, "Aye." looking to Y/n he saw her give him that sweet smile that seemed to be ever present on her face. 

Watching as Dwalin and his brother stepped into the room next to this one you grinned and looked down to the cloak. Dipping your head to smell at it you sighed at the scent of the dwarf male on it. A sudden strike of lightning made you gasp, your eyes snapping to the window. As a loud booming thunder followed you curled up and dipped your head, your fingers curling into the cloak for a moment. Glancing back to the room Dwalin had went into you frowned. You wanted to say goodbye but you didn't want to interrupt his conversation with his brother. Another loud thunder made you tense and you bit your lip as you removed his cloak and hung it back on the hook that he had gotten it from. With one last glance towards his direction you shrunk down and flew out the open window. 

Growling he turned and walked back out to the forge, "Y/n, lass will ya please tell my brother what ya... are..." Seeing the room empty he knit his brows. Snapping his eyes around he tried to spot her but she was gone, his cloak hanging back on the hook. Dropping his shoulders he felt a small pull in his chest and heard Balin sigh from behind him. 

"Ya know I think ya are gettin' too old ta believe in fairies lad."

.............................

Sitting by the camp fire he turned the meat he was cooking before looking back down to his ax to continue sharpening the blade on it. A faint glow from beside him made him turn his head, his hand gripping his weapon. Seeing nothing he knit his brows and listened but couldn't hear anything. Sighing he turned back to the fire. 

"Hi Dwalin."

The sudden voice from beside him made him about fall over. Snapping his eyes to the source he saw the face that had been in his dreams since the last time they had met. "Ya know I think you enjoy scaring the bajeebeeze out of me lass." he spoke and heard her giggle. Sitting back straight he turned more towards her to look her over fully. She was now a little older since they had last saw each other, looking to be around what a human would consider early twenties or so. It had to have been close to twenty years since she had showed up in the forge he was working in. He would be lying if he said he hadn't missed her, even if everyone else said he was crazy and that his fairy lass didn't exist. 

"Are you out here all by yourself?" you asked, looking around and seeing no one else here.

Humming he nodded. "Aye lass, on a scouting mission." Her hair was longer now, going to her waist in long sliver waves that seemed to glow like liquid silver itself. Her eyes themselves were like pools of molten gold as she looked to him. Licking his lips he took a breath, "Why'd ya leave last time like that?" he asked, wondering if it was something he did.

"I had to, my father... well he called for me." 

"Yer father." seeing her nod and look down he said no more. Looking to the fire he moved to check his meat. Finding it done he removed it from the heat and set it aside to cool some. Noticing her looking it over oddly he rose a brow. "Ya act as though ya've never seen venison before." 

"Venison? What's that?"

Freezing he looked to her and then shook his head slightly, "Yer kidding?" When she only continued looking to him he sighed. "What is it ya eat lass?" 

"I like fruits and vegetables, fish... um....oh I sometimes sneak tarts when no one is looking." you smiled. 

"So you've never had meat before?" he asked and saw her shake her head. Scoffing he grabbed his knife and the skewer of meat. Slicing strips of it he placed it on the wooden plate he had until it was all off. Holding the one fork he had out for her to take he watched her small hand timidly take it. Using his knife to lift his own piece he saw her watching him but not take one herself. "Well go on." 

Seeing him start eating his own piece you looked down to the plate and poked one of the strips. Lifting it up you looked it over, smelling of it before you hesitantly took a bite. 

Watching her as she ate the meat he saw as she seemed to think it over as she chewed. When she swallowed he rose his brows. "Well?"

"It's good." you grinned. 

Chuckling he pushed the plate between them both and nodded down to it, silently telling her to take more. They both ate in a comfortable silence for a while, she didn't eat no where near as much as he did but still she seemed to enjoy it and he secretly enjoyed being able to feed her. 

"How is your brother, Balin?" 

He was surprised that she remembered his brother and grinned. "He's good lass. Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes, I had twelve sisters and seventeen brothers." 

His eyes went wide at that, thirty, thirty children. How the hell does one have that many children. "So are you the oldest or youngest or..."

"No I'm somewhere in the middle. Balin is your older brother?" 

Nodding he saw her grin. 

"Are you and your brother close?" you asked, crossing your legs under you and looking up to him. 

"Aye. Aren't you close with your siblins'?" he asked but saw her lip twitch, her eyes looking down before she shook her head. 

"Not really, I...well I've always been d...different." 

Seeing how this saddened her he furrowed his brows and felt a small clenching in his heart. When a breeze came he saw her give a shiver and looked to her thin, short white dress. The thing hung on her shoulders by only thin straps and ended at her knees. "Don't ya 'ave any more clothes other than that measly thing?" 

Looking down you tilted your head. "No not really." you giggled. 

Huffing he took his cloak off and went to wrap it around her shoulders but looked to her blue wings that were standing upwards behind her. They were the most bright shade of blue, slightly see through and shiny in the light of the fire. He didn't realize he was staring until she gave a small flap of them. Clearing his throat he saw her laying them flat and wrapped his cloak around her. 

You gave a hum as the warmth of his cloak enveloped you. "Your clothes must keep you very warm." you said eyeing his fur and leather. Looking up to his face you smiled, "Well that and your hair. I like the way you have it now." you spoke, admiring the way he had it cut into a mohawk. Looking to the hair coming out of his chin and along his jaw you tilted your head a bit and lifted your hand. "Do all dwarves grow hair out their face as well?"

He felt his cheeks flush at her complimenting his hair but when her small hand flited and she touched his beard he froze. Her touch was extremely gentle, so much in fact he could barely fee it but still he acted before he coudl think. Grabbing her wrist he shoved her hand away from him. "What in Durin's name ya doin'?"

Gasping at his sudden deep voice and being rough actions you looked up at him in shock. "I..."

"Ya don't just touch a dwarf's beard like that?! Mahal. Don't ya know anythin'?"

Feeling your heart hammering against your ribs you and your eye filling with tears you looked to his angry face and felt a sharp pain in your chest. "I..I'm sorry...I...didn't..." Looking down you felt your lip tremble. "I'm sorry." was the last thing you said before you quickly shrunk down and flew away as fast as you could, not wanting to embarrass yourself further.

Hearing her quiet whisper he furrowed his brows as her frame curled inward. Before he coudl speak a word however she was gone in a tiny ball of light. "No. Y/n wait...." He tried calling but she didn't come back. Growling he rubbed his face, "Fer fuck's sake. Way ta go ya jacksie." he grumbled. Glancing down to his cloak he lifted it from the bedroll they had been siting on and looked at it for a moment before bringing it to his nose. Inhaling he smelt just the faintest small of her sweet scent and sighed. 

...........................

Letting out a long sigh you blinked and looked over the water's surface. Hearing the laughter of some of your sisters you glanced their way, seeing them all siting in the field of flowers. From the looks of it they were busy doing each other's hair, working their sleek colorful locks into intricate styles. Your lip twitched as you for a fleeting moment thought about going over to them before you remembered the last time. It had taken you a weeks to get all the moss and sap out of your hair. Looking down you rubbed your arm. Your brothers offered no better company, leaving you bruised and sore from their rough treatment. Closing your eyes you snapped them open at the sound of the horn, banquet time. Standing you flew to the entrance and landed on the small platform. Going to walk in you were caught by a rough yank of your upper arm, from the pain of the hand holding you, you knew bruises would be there later. Glancing up you saw your father there and shrunk up as his loathsome eyes stared down at you. 

"Do try not to humiliate me or the rest of the family any more than you already do tonight." he spoke in a low voice so not to bring attention. 

Swallowing thickly you kept your eyes down so not to show the hurt his words had caused as you nodded. "Yes father." All that was heard was a huff from him as he walked away, the cough that had been bothering him for a while sparking up. Not a few moments later you heard the applause and took a deep breath before entering the hall. Getting to your normal seat at the far end of the table you stopped and looked to your stool to see a different one there, one that matched the others. Knitting your brows you heard your siblings chuckling and giggling. 

"Y/n take your seat so the feast can begin." you mother spoke in a hiss. 

Licking your lips you moved to the new stool and sat in it, the table now coming up to your shoulders. Hearing a few snickers from the other fairies you stifled your trembling lip. 

"Such a tiny little thing she is isn't she?" 

"And such a strange coloring she has." 

"Yes, there was never any reason we coudl come to, the rest of our children are all perfectly normal." 

"Hmmm how peculiar."

"I'm sure it was nothing either of you did, she was probably just defective from the beginning."

"Yes sometimes I find myself wondering if we should have just shown her mercy. After all she is doomed to a lone existence anyway, not having a bonded."

You could listen to no more of their whispers, choosing instead to stare at your plate as it was set in front of you. Fish again. What you wouldn't give for more of that meat Dwalin had shared with you. Sighing you lifted your fork and started poking at your food. 

After dinner everyone broke off into conversation, your siblings finding their bonded to be close with. Looking across the hall you couldn't help the clenching in your heart as you took in all the couples here and there. Even your youngest siblings had their destined one's by their sides to play and talk with. It was times like these when you thought of your dwarf the most. You wondered if he thought of you as well? Did you ever cross his mind? You hadn't seen him since that night when you had made the mistake of touching his beard as he called it. How you had hated yourself after that, realizing how you had offended him so. You hoped he knew how truly sorry you were, you never meant to do something he didn't like and you hoped he would forgive you. On multiple occasions now you wanted to go see him again and give formal apology but you were to afraid to do it. Too afraid of his dismissal. 

Deciding to go out onto the balcony you moved into the corner where no one was and stared up at the night sky. Sometimes you wished you could fly way up there with the stars. A sudden sharp pain in your chest made you stiffen and your brows furrow. When it didn't go away you blinked. "Dwalin?" you spoke in a soft voice. Something was wrong. Without another moments thought you flew from the balcony and off into the sky as fast as your wings would take you. 

Arriving on the battle field you furrowed your brows and panted as you looked around. Staying in your tiny form you gasped when a horrid looking creature swung his sword by you. Dodging the blade you saw as a male came running up to cut down the foe. Yells of anger and pain filled the air and a pungent odor filed your nose. Your heart hammered in your chest as you spun around, where was he? Where was your dwarf? Seeing some from both sides laying unmoving on the ground as well as those who were covered in blood you felt true fear fill you. As you flew around the area looking for Dwalin you sent a silent plea to the Gods to keep him safe. 

You almost flew past him, hearing a familiar voice you stopped and looked around. When you did spot him you felt ice fill your veins. He was in the middle of a battel with one of the monsters but he was hurt. Blood was spilling from his right shoulder and he also looked to be limping. Seeing another coming up from behind him you took a deep breath and flew down. Growing in size you grabbed one of the weapons from the ground and moved to attack the thing. 

Hearing a female grunt he looked over his shoulder and felt his eyes go wide. "Y/n?" Blocking the orc's sword he swung his second ax and cut the thing's leg, sending it to it's knee. When he heard her cry out he looked to see the thing had knocked her to the ground and was holding it's spear above her ready to strike. Roaring out he cut the head from the one he had been fighting before hurrying to her defense and doing the same. Staring down at her he saw her looking up at him with those gold eyes. "What the hell ya doin' ere'?!" he yelled but then snapped his mouth shut when he saw her shoulders curl up some. Taking a deep breath he went to speak in a more softer voice but a broken yell cut him off and he grit his teeth when he felt a intense pain to his side. Fighting with the orc he growled and pushed through the pain until he had finished off that scum as well. 

Seeing him panting you quickly hurried to his side when he leaned against the bolder, his hand on his side. "Dwalin..." Seeing blood on his clothes you knit your brows, "You're hurt." 

" 'm fine lass." he told her. 

Watching as his body started to slump to the ground you tried to hold him up as much as you could, "No. You're not." 

"Just need ta sit fer a sec'n." 

Helping to ease him down you looked over his blood and filth covered body, your heart beating like a drum. 

"Ya need ta get away from this lass, war ain't no place fer an angel like ya." he told her. Any other time he wouldn't be able to say such things but right now he would blame it on the blood loss. 

Looking up to his face you licked your lips and stared into his lidded eyes. Seeing how pale he was going you looked down to his wounds again and knew you had to do something soon or he would die. "Dwalin..." Seeing his eyes now closed you took a deep breath and pushed your lips to his. You wanted to cup his bearded cheek but only tightened your hands by your sides, knowing he wouldn't want you to touch it. Closing your own eyes at the feel of his lips under yours you focused on making your magic flow into him. 

He had been so tired and he thought he had fallen asleep but there was this strange tingling on his lips that spread all over his body. As his body grew more aware he opened his eyes just barely and then he was sure he had fallen asleep and he dreaming because she was kissing him, his fairy lass. Raising his hand the tips of his fingers just did brush her silky silver hair before he heard his name being called. 

Hearing someone calling his name you pulled away and saw his lidded blue eyes looking at you. Glancing to the field you saw figures walking towards the both of you. You recognized one of them as his brother Balin but there were others you hadn't seen before. Still you knew they would take care of him, that he would be safe. Feeling weak yourself you looked back to Dwalin and saw him still just watching you. His wounds were no longer bleeding and his color was a little better.

Seeing her smile at him before she was gone in a tiny ball of light he licked his lips that were still tingling. Had it been real? Had she... kissed him?

"Dwalin! Brother!"

"He's injured, let's get him back to camp." 

........................

Getting back to your room you just did make it to your bed before your wings gave out. Not a moment later did the door slam open. 

"So you decided to return. I know you went to Middle Earth again, father does as well..."

"Y/N!"

"Oh look and here he comes now."

Panting you tugged the covers up over you and closed your eyes. Your punishment would no doubt be as sever as the ones before but you could care less, the feeling of Dwalin's lips still on yours making it all worth it. As you heard your father enter your room the small grin remained on your face. 

[darktimesdarkvibes]

Yandere!Taecyeon (2PM) Headcanons

July 11, 2021 | 1,561 words

Series masterlist

Assumes reader is an adult, but includes for if you have an age gap

Taec's is the darkest post in this series (but there's still far darker yandere posts out there, so just take the tws into account)

Gender-neutral reader I think

tw: age gap, toxic behavior, mention of non-con kiss, short depiction of non-con cuddling, intimidation, restraint, manhandling, gaslighting mention, manipulation, kidnapping, murder, yandere (which is basically thinking you are "in love" with someone but actually you should see a psychiatrist and that's really not a joke. This character trope can become very sick and violent and abusive at their worst, though I tend to go for the softer variety. They are often possessive, over-protective, delusional, etc.)

I don’t believe Taecyeon is actually like this nor do I condone the unhealthy behaviour in this post

Taecyeon is a pretty traditional yandere

Doesn't care a whole lot about an age gap. He likes who he likes at the end of the day

It will give him pause if you are around ten years apart but he gets over it quickly

Protective but also very possessive in certain situations

Gaslighter and manipulator as well

Feels like he's the only one who really "gets" you and vice-versa, and tells you so repeatedly

He’d like you see his strength as something he’ll use to protect you, and he doesn’t want to hurt you

But in a pinch he’ll use it to intimidate you if necessary

Overall he just wants you to remain aware that he’s just a much larger and stronger individual than average, especially as odds are you are not built like him

(Although on the off-chance you are, my reader, that’ll just make him try even harder with you to achieve a similar effect)

He likes that you remember his strength and size, because he hopes it will make you realize that you are safer with him than without him

It gives him a bit of a thrill that you know he's bigger than you

And even if he denies to himself that part of the reason he wants you to recognize it is it might intimidate you, and therefore make you “stay in line”, that is a potential benefit and he knows it

However whenever you acknowledge it he loves it

Especially if you mention how he could probably beat another guy in a fight or protect you, he gets feels warm in his chest and gets excited all at once

He knows he's hot and uses it from day one

Going off of that point and the points about safety and intimidation and all that from above, he’s going to make sure you see him shirtless. Like, live and in-person

He’s going to try to make it happen when you are alone together as well

This is both to amplify the effects mentioned above, and to push more intimacy into your relationship, even if you are not officially romantically involved yet

He won't limit it to one time either

He wants you to see him

Overall tries really hard to make you laugh though too

Acts very sweet/cute until he's not (more on that later)

A very touchy boyfriend, he always wants to be holding hands or standing/sitting as close to you as possible

Actually he automatically puts an arm around you, unless you demote him to hand-holding for some reason

Even if it seems like a situation where that would be inappropriate

He especially does this in public, so even though he’s confident he’s not immune to territoriality

Even if you do have an age gap, he doesn't have that "parental" vibe that Minjun and Nickhun sometimes have

It feels more like you two are on a similar level bc he's so goofy

But if he just so happens to have helpful experience then he will offer some guidance, so if you have an age gap it may happen occasionally

It just has a less parental vibe and more of the typical “senior-in-life” or “friend’s older brother” kind of vibe

Flirts quite physically even before dating, and comes off as kind of cocky

Quite forward and persistent, and likes to fluster you a bit if possible

Which is another reason why he'll make sure you see him shirtless

But he also wants you to happily reciprocate his attention

He also just touchy with you in general though, even before you are dating and when he’s not really flirting

Doesn’t stalk you so much, but when you are in the same room (which he makes sure happens as often as possible) he is always watching you, to the extent that you might well pick up on it

He will stalk you though if he has gone a long time without seeing you (it's got to be a couple times a week at the very very least)

He also will if he is having a rough day and you're firm that you can't hang out with him (otherwise he's been known to tag along while you are just running errands because he is so attached to you)

If he hasn't seen you for a while he gets sulky

Gets visibly angry and more impulsive if someone messes with you

If they intend to harm you or if they actually do harm you then they’re totally fucked

He’s going to kill them, but first he’ll scare them and make them suffer

But because he’s pissed he ends up killing them pretty quickly

He just can't stand the sight of them and he wants them gone

He won't go that far with just anyone, because he's pretty confident that he should be your first choice in a mate, but when he's pushed he'll do it

Like if someone just flirts with you a little then he’ll just step in and get rid of them, then he’ll forget about them

But if they make you actually uncomfortable or worse, then they’re dead

Overall his thinking regarding you can get kind of primal

Hence why I used the word "mate" before

It’s his own word choice

That’s really another core reason he wants you to see his strength

He wants to show off that he should be your first pick

He’s also more likely to kidnap you

Will use force to restrain you if necessary and possible, and again it’s not a bad deal for him if he can be physically very close to you while simultaneously reminding you that he’s stronger than you

It's not even so much overpowering you itself that he likes, because he wants you to be happy

He's just got a weird fixation

He's also a weird kidnapper though because he’ll be trying to keep the atmosphere really light and fun as if you aren’t being held captive

He’ll make jokes and suggest games to play

He also doesn’t feel super guilty about it because he probably feels justified

Perhaps you found out he killed one or more people for you, so he didn't see another option

Or you were going to leave him

Even if he's not very guilty, he’ll still be upset that you’re upset though, and will be wanting Stockholm Syndrome or something to kick in, both for his benefit and so you're happier

He’s a bit impatient and frustrated by the wait, but he doesn’t really take it out on you

Might force a kiss or two over the course of your early relationship, but no more than that

Especially if you clearly don't want it, he'll back off on that and may switch to forehead kisses

He may also force some cuddles. For example, some spooning as you’re tied to a bed

He’s totally calm and blissfully asleep with his arm around you, and all you can hear is his even breathing and perhaps some light snoring

Meanwhile you are in a fight-flight-freeze response, until you are finally so exhausted that you fall asleep

But then you wake up and he really hasn't done anything to you

He really did just want to cuddle

So it is pretty confusing for you, which will probably work in his favor

If you are off your guard and confused, then it’s easier for him to manipulate you

He may also put on a movie and cuddle with you while you are restrained, and act like nothing is amiss. He'll be all laughter and smiles and will act very innocent and soft with you in his arms

Which is again confusing

If you give him attitude or struggle, then he'll either try to soothe you or he'll be firm with you to restrain you

"Hey! Hey... It's okay, I won't hurt you..."

Or,

"Stop that. You know it won't get you anywhere."

He forces cuddles because first of all, he wants to. But also because he thinks it might help you get used to him and your new situation

Because there’s no way he’s just letting you out of it

When you express that you want to leave, he may well belittle you a bit by treating what you want as a joke

Because really in his point of view it's laughable that you would leave

"Come on, you know you're not allowed!" he says with a smile

But if you keep it up he'll get firmer

"You know that's not gonna happen."

So he’s a little bit delusional and unstable

First time together:

For your first time together he's gentle but he's firm

So somehow you simultaneously feel safe, but it goes without saying that he's the one in control

He's leading you where you need to go, and he may well even place your hands for you on his body

Or pin them down

He will never do anything you don't want, but he likes to take the lead and show some physical power and have his weight over you

Pretty much anything wild you wanna do in the future he's probably up for

Very open to suggestions

But he wants to remain in-control

That’s non-negotiable

Good dirty talk

“Yeah just like that baby”

“I make you feel good, right?”

Overall the man is fucked up but in a hot way

[lafayetteworld]

Robin 2021

Okay, so it's been a while since I've been actively posting on tumblr, mainly because I haven’t had time. That being said, the commentary I am about to make on the Robin 2021 series is not meant to offend anyone and while I am particularly critical, I also acknowledge that some people genuinely like it/prefer the direction its's going in. And that's fine. But I did want to break down why I feel the current series is just 'meh' to me at the moment and it’s not necessarily because Damian is potentially being shipped with a newly introduced character.

Please be aware, that there are lots of spoilers. 

So, to start off, I am a big fan of the older Batman and Robin (2009) series, where Damian had partnered up first with Dick and later Bruce (2011). I do no think they are flawless, certainly. I think, in particular, the Nobody plot - excluding of course the interactions between Batman!Dick and Robin! Damian which are gold - was very good. In just a handful of issues, I think we were offered a great insight into Damian's character and how layered he is. 

My first thoughts when I heard about Robin 2021, based on the announcement: Damian will follow his own path, for some reason he retains the Robin moniker which is weird but okay, it does seem like something he'd do I suppose. He will participate in mortal kombat-sort-of-tournament, which will showcase his abilities and in the process, 'he will seek his own destiny' (which I believe was a line used in the actual announcement). The reason he wants to win? Initially, it appeared to be only because he wanted to prove to be the world's best fighter -- which by the way, how is only a tournament of this level only coming up now? Anyways, ignored that. Not a big deal. The idea of watching Damian fight different opponents was appealing either way.

The art of those comics is perhaps nowhere as striking/appealing as Robin 2021 and there's certainly not as many elements to it, but there was just something about it. I stopped reading comics after, for reasons I can't recall but I do remember finding out that Damian was killed off sometime after. I was super heartbroken over it but luckily I found out about it right around the time DC decided to bring him so really I had to wait a short while to see the little shit being Robin again.

I am not as familiar with the arc on Alfred's death but I know Damian watched what was basically his grandfather figure die in front of his eyes. How it was addressed after was rather poorly and that's a discussion for another time, just as it is that hot mess of Gleason's Titans.

 My hopes may have been too high in thinking we will be offered the introspection we'd seen in Batman and Robin, or him deciding what type of vigilante he wants to be. Like who remembers Damian admitting 'sometimes I don't know who I am or what I want' or him saying he does not wish to be like Nobody. That was so poignant.  

First issue of Robin 2021 was a disappointment. I know that there's a lot of damage to the character that had to be addressed but why did he die from like the beginning? Why is it the first thing we see is the author's OC defeat him? I mean, we really didn't need that to find the tournament's rules. Anyway, I was so sold on the art that I could have overlooked all that, except then the art became inconsistent so.....

Do I think Flatline's design is awesome? Yep. Do I like that she is potentially a badass female fighter? Sure. Do I like her abilities? Somewhat? They haven't been explored that much. But to me, having an OC appear out of nowhere and kill the character I was hoping to watch mature/develop is a bit underwhelming. Then, we start getting references of how poetic it is that Damian may fall in love with the first girl that kills him. I thought it was funny at the beginning but subsequent issues only seem to point that actually, the author does want to use Flatline/romance in this journey of growth that Damian is undergoing. I mean, we really shouldn't be romanticizing that she killed him? The girl is serious about winning too. That she caught him off guard is actually rather awesome but I don't think it had to mean anything more than Damian meeting a potentially dangerous fighter and that he needs to be less reckless.

Damian is a pretty complex/difficult character with a lot to figure out. Why does he need a girlfriend? Why can't he have friends that helps him grow or mentor figures? Him and Rose have such a great dynamic, for example.

I see a lot of people saying 'well, he's a teenager boy so it's normal'. Yeah of course it is. But why can't it be the opposite? Damian isn't a normal teenager. Out there, may be teenagers who feel the same. They don’t care about this stuff. 

It is so frustrating, and underwhelming. Not because there's anything wrong with Damian having a crush. Not because there's necessarily anything wrong with Flatline. But because there's no need.

Why is it just because he's a teenager he has to have a romantic interest? If romance is introduced in a plot, surely it doesn't have to be just because 'he's a teenager'. And if he does, why does it have to be an OC that hasn't been explored very well? Flatline could be a seriously cool character without needing to be a romantic interest for Damian and vice versa, Damian has so much to figure out on his own. So for me it's not the shipping that’s an issue, it’s the reasoning and how it may perpetuate clichés when there’s other angles that could be explored. 

Also, why the hell is Alfred used to drive Flatline's likeability? If Alfred is Damian's guilt manifesting, then that's actually Damian thinking that?

'I like this one, Master Damian.'

Seriously. I really hope we end up finding out that was tied in with Flatline's ability or something. So, Williamson won't explore Damian's guilt over Alfred but he'll give us a panel where Alfred (or a manifestation of him) is basically giving his thumbs up for his OC. That doesn’t sit well with me. Not so early in the series, anyway. 

Why is this whole manga thing keep coming back? Yes, Damian reads manga. I loved this addition and I think it's great that Williamson actually brought it in. The fact that it was Flatline who found it seems cliché. And no, I don't think it's a parallel between the shojo manga characters and them two. I really hope that particular manga has a deeper meaning than that. The fact that we keep seeing the blood sprayed (or is it cuts? not sure) on it does seem to hint at that.

There were some good moments. Damian and Dick. Basically every single interaction between Damian and Ravager. The whole Damian and Conner could have been developed better, because it seemed rather sudden they had a heart to heart when Damian can be such a distrusting little shit. Damian reuniting with Goliath.

Why is it that we're five issues into this series and it's all over the place? I don't dislike it. The art is great, although there's so many inconsistencies. But it's been super hard to feel in any way about it other than just 'meh'.

Issue #6 was boring. I didn't mind Flatline and Damian analysing other fighters, it was interesting actually, but that it's still being framed as heading towards a romantic relationship is so.....well, eugh.

Overall, I just don't feel there's enough...substance? Damian does interact with a wide variety of characters and there are a lot of things going on - batfamily searching for him, Ra’s Al Ghul (which was funny yet so odd the way he was characterized), the whole tournament and magic island, so on.

Flatline is not the issue for me, but rather one part of why the series has not managed to appeal to me. I do feel there's a bit too much of her. Or rather, there's not enough of her as a character and too much of the whole 'they're teenagers so they'll have to end up having a crush on one another because he's a boy and she's a girl who literally stole his heart'. Like, I wouldn’t mind having Flatline or other fighters background explored, just to see the types of people they are and so on. 

I wish there'd more of Damian's inner thoughts too. If not that, then give us more fights. Not just snippets. It's a tournament. Let's see how badass they all are. Damian’s fight scenes in #6 were beautiful but brief. I hope the next issues will give us more of that.  As someone who does like Damian x OC fics, I can’t blame the author for wanting to hype their own OC, but I am also a great fan of friends to lovers, slow burns, friendships can be just as great as romantic relationships, of taking the time for mental/emotional growth. 

Anyways, if you've made it to the end of this commentary, I applaud you. Once again, if you do like the whole Damian x Flatline thing, that's cool. I don't, but I do understand to an extent why people find it appealing. And if you think the Robin 2021 series is amazing, then I am happy for you -- I wish I could be this enthusiastic about it.

P.S just saw the cover for issue #7 or is it #8 ? I think I may cry.

[m-y-fandoms]

1 Thing I Love & 1 Thing I Hate About EVERY Danganronpa Character Part 1

Part 2

SPOILERS FOR ALL THREE MAIN GAMES

I’d love to hear our opinions as well in the comments or my inbox or DM’s! If you try this trend with DR characters, tag me!

Sayaka Maizono

♡ Her passion for her career and friends.

✘ The way she tries to screw over Makoto when the game had just begun. Like wait and see what happens before screwing over such a great guy? Leon didn’t deserve it either.

Leon Kuwata

♡ His voice actor (English), and how real and human his execution was in that we all would be so scared and irrational. It was just so iconic and sad as it’s our first introduction to the death in this series and we all think: “shit, this is real... they are really killing these kids.” I didn’t think it would be that brutal, just seeing his body limp at the end with the haunting music.

✘ His design is disgusting. I hate how he looks.

Chihiro Fujisaki

♡ So innocent, so kind, so intelligent

✘ Shouldn’t have been killed for such a stupid reason, also they did Mondo dirty with that motive for killing as well. Just a mess. As for the actual character, Chihiro cries right off the bat when you do your introductions and that was kind of annoying to me personally.

Mondo Oowada

♡ He has a lot of respect, understanding and emotions for someone I thought would be a hard-ass douche biker.

✘ The worst motive to kill ever in a game where you know you’re getting executed if you’re found out. Like you’d be extra careful and that’s his reason to kill? Lazy writing.

Celestia Ludenberg

♡ Bad bitch energy and her goth lolita design.

✘ Manipulation and double murder. Bad bitch energy only goes so far. Confidence is different then selfishness. Also, of all the chapter 3 triple murders... the worst motive to kill.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru

♡ Emotions: secure in his masculinity, able to cry, show emotions, and apologize when he’s wrong. He’s funny and likable.

✘ The Ishimondo white hair thing was stupid. Taka was fine on his own.

Hifumi Yamada

♡ Writing takes talent, fan fiction as much as any other style or genre. Also the talent of his voice actor (who also voices Kiibo/K1-B0).

✘ Literally everything else about him.

Sakura Oogami

♡ I love everything about her. I love her wisdom, loyalty, design, voice etc. Just step on me, mother.

✘ Why the hell would she ever agree to be a spy even if it meant the end of her dojo? I just don’t think she would do that rationally because she isn’t selfish. The others would suffer for her spying. She remedies this with redemption in her letter in chapter 4 but still she should’ve said no off the bat. Everyone had something to lose. The dojo wasn’t worth spying for monokuma. Also I just don’t think she would commit suicide. She can’t help the remaining students survive and redeem herself truly if she’s dead.

Kyoko Kirigiri

♡ Bad bitch energy, calm and collected when I could never be.

✘ Especially in future arc of the anime, damn can you show some emotion please? Through your words and expressions not just your actions. Sure she was willing to “die” for Makoto but like I just want more emotion from her sometimes, even in THH.

Makoto Naegi

♡ So pure. I Love Bryce Papenbrook. Makoto reminds me of Sora and I love his design.

✘ In THH I didn’t mind his innocence but in the Danganronpa 3 future arc anime, when people started straight up abusing him and accusing him, he needed to grow a little backbone.

Byakuya Togami

♡ Love my dad, king shit, also love how over the progression of the games and animes he becomes a little more kind to his friends.

✘ Why the fuck did he mess with Chihiro’s body? Just so cruel and disrespectful.

Yasuhiro Hagakure

♡ Funny magic man. Sexy voice.

✘ Please. Please Hiro use your brain just once. Why do we have to prove Kyoko isn’t a ghost?!

Toko Fukawa

♡ Character development in UDG and I love Genocider.

✘ Putting down herself and others constantly gets old in THH.

Aoi Asahina

♡ Love her voice actress and her personality

✘ We really just gonna get everyone killed in chapter 4 huh? Surely you know they don’t all deserve that.

Junko Enoshima

♡ A very memorable villain with great hair and design.

✘ I just can’t stand her. I hate her so much.

Mukuro Ikusaba

♡ Her mercenary background is super cool as a concept.

✘ Too bad it wasn’t explored nearly enough.

Hajime Hinata

♡ Seeing the protagonist be a little less naive, innocent and positive than Makoto was a refreshing change, although I loved Makoto. I liked Hajime’s cynicism and expressions that sometimes just screamed “this shit again, huh?”

✘ I enjoy the way Izuru looks but I hate him as a character. He is sexy to look at but Hajime is just a better character overall

Teruteru Hanamura

♡ His love for his family and mother especially is so cute and heart breaking if you know the full story.

✘ He needs to know when to dial it back and quit with the perversions. And no it’s not just how he looks, Miu needs to chill at times, too.

Twogami

♡ I feel like he genuinely cares about his friends, just hides it well

✘ His death felt like a cop out and poorly written. It just didn’t sit right with me. Also his design is disgusting to me, his outfit and such.

Mahiru Koizumi

♡ Loyal to her close friends.

✘ I just have no interest in her as a character and I find her boring.

Peko Pekoyama

♡ Loyalty. Loyalty is something I value very highly in every form of relationship. Peko is also very hot.

✘ Come on girl... I know how you were raised but you should’ve known Fuyuhiko didn’t think of you as just a tool and you two should’ve expressed your true feelings long ago. Like even in secret. How do you live like this? Also I feel like killing Mahiru could’ve been avoided with a calm talk.

Ibuki Mioda

♡ Cute design, positive vibes.

✘ Cringe sometimes in the way she talks.

Hiyoko Saionji

♡ Beautiful character design and some very good insults and snarky remarks at times.

✘ Just irredeemably mean and annoying. Even when you do her free time events she is just so annoying.

Mikan Tsumiki

♡ I like her design as well as her hair, expressions, sprites and clothing.

✘ I hate her. I just hate her whether she’s in her true psycho form or timid stuttering form. She’s just annoying in my opinion.

Nekomaru Nidai

♡ So supportive, can hold my drink at a party. Respects everyone and wants the best for them.

✘ Bro Mechamaru was a stupid plot point. I just couldn’t stand looking at him and couldn’t take it seriously. Still sad when he died though.

Chiaki Nanami

♡ From chapter 5 of sdr2 on she is impossible not to love if you didn’t already. Just the selflessness, the sadness of the reveal and execution, how she returns to help Hajime at the end???? I love her. I love her hair design, color palette, her personality, everything.

✘ I’m bitter and miserable about her being the only class member to actually die (the despair arc anime) also her falling asleep at random times is kind of odd and she doesn’t seem to be like that later on in the game??? Like it seemed like a cheap joke but not actually who she is? Hard for me to explain.

Gundham Tanaka

♡ King shit, couldn’t praise him enough. He’s sexy, loves animals, and is funny as hell sometimes. His voice actor is a saint and a cool dude and I named my guinea pigs after the Dark Devas (yes I know they are hamsters in the games.)

✘ Come on dude. I get that being from Hell and magic and having evil powers is your shtick, but we all know that you and Nekomaru sacrificed yourselves so the others wouldn’t starve. We know you care about your classmates. There comes a time when it’s time to let personas and facades fade and be true to your heart. I just feel like him denying he cared at the end hurt. We all know he cared. I didn’t like how he was haughty until the end. He deserved better. I love him.

Nagito Komaeda

♡ I love him so much. So cunning and intelligent, always a step ahead. And he’s big sexy.

✘ Him killing himself in chapter 5 hurt me so bad I was like in denial for days. Also hate how Bryce Papenbrook gives him a raspy stoner psycho voice in the game then a light airy higher-pitched voice in the despair arc anime. It just bothers me. I love his voice still but the inconsistency just hurts my OCD

Sonia Nevermind

♡ I love that she’s so interested in her passions and love her feelings for Gundham

✘ Her outfit and bow are atrocious. Also why didn’t she start liking and talking to Gundham sooner on? Their romance bloomed late and it would’ve made for a better chapter 4 ending if they were a bit closer.

Kazuichi Souda

♡ Cool design and outfit, love his voice (also voices Kaito in V3) and his backstory is relatable at times. He’s also very human in that he’s scared a lot of the time or insecure or blames others in panicked situations. It’s not always a good thing but it’s human and realistic.

✘ Gosh he can be so annoying. Sometimes flirting or whining too much is well... too much.

Akane Owari

♡ Strong-willed and definitely someone I would be friends with

✘ What the hell is her outfit? Gymnasts and athletes don’t wear that shit. Stop objectifying her when it doesn’t even make the product or plot better. Like there’s absolutely no point to making her dress that way. I was a gymnast for 15 years. Even those who do parkour (which Akane seems to do more often than actual gymnastics in the anime and game) don’t wear what she wears. Also she’s underrated.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

♡ I love him. He’s the DR character I’m most like out of all the games and anime. Tenko is a close second. I think he’s adorable, love his character arc, development, redemption, and love his voice.

✘ In the anime/despair arc, Fuyuhiko is not done justice. He doesn’t get enough lines, has a different voice actor, just doesn’t give off the same vibes.

Izuru Kamakura

♡ Sexy man long hair good.

✘ Boring character. I wish he were just Hajime.

Kaede Akamatsu

♡ Loyalty and leadership are such attractive qualities in her. Also she faced her death with such class and dignity and I respect her because I could never.

✘ Some of the voice lines Erika does for her are just weird and cringe. Just random moans or grunts... I don’t know it’s like when Ann Takamaki from Persona 5 (also voiced by Erika) makes suggestive noises as well. Just grinds my gears. Also hate her outfit down to the hair pins.

Shuichi Saihara

♡ I love his nasally voice. I love his design and he’s so adorable. I love how emotional and compassionate he can be. He ties with Makoto for favorite protag of mine.

✘ That sprite where he sniffs his hand. And his ugly ass hat.

Rantarou Amami

♡ Sexy man, sexy voice, sexy piercings

✘ Ugly outfit, and wasted potential

Ryoma Hoshi

♡ I respect him and feel bad for his outlook on life and for how poorly he views himself. I love his little hat as well and he’s the first “different styled” character (Hifumi, Bandai, Teruteru) that I liked the design of.

✘ I hate when he says “got a long ways to go,” it’s overused and annoying, and wish he gave himself more credit. Also hate that when you first meet him he warns you that he’s killed people and is dangerous to be around. Come on buddy, you know you wouldn’t hurt your friends. Stop pushing them away.

Kirumi Tojo

♡ Competence, well rounded, skillful

✘ Boring as hell. I wouldn’t waste one free time event on her.

Angie Yonaga

♡ Dark skin, super cute, love her talent as an artist myself.

✘ Gives religious people a bad name and is super manipulative which I hate.

Tenko Chabashira

♡ I relate to her and feel bad when she’s misunderstood. She’s a good person deep down. Also love her sprites.

✘ There’s more cunning, funny and clever ways to write her digs at men.

Korekiyo Shunguuji

♡ I’m in love with this man. Long hair, voice, mystery, mask, intelligence, passion, talent.

✘ He definitely was a victim of abuse and a lot of people refuse to see that and just hate him. Team Danganronpa should’ve given him a redemption arc where he realized his sister abused him and changed.

Gonta Gokuhara

♡ I love his design except for his suit. Also he’s so cute and naive. I cried for his trail.

✘ No need talk like caveman. Better way to do this.

Kokichi Ouma

♡ Like Nagito, I value his intelligence and crazy cunning.

✘ Shouldn't have died. Also shouldn’t have manipulated Gonta. That was just cruel.

Miu Iruma

♡ She has her hilarious moments and her death surprised me and was sad.

✘ Sometimes she lacks basic empathy, i.e. calling Tenko “Tencrotch” when she just fucking died.

Maki Harukawa

♡ Amazing character development. Didn’t see her surviving until the end at the start. Also her love and passion for Kaito.

✘ “Do you wanna die?” gets old.

Kaito Momota

♡ Just the overall best bro you could ever have.

✘ Has some toxic masculinity issues and anger issues.

K1-B0

♡ Pretty much everything about him. His design, his attitude and personality, especially how amazing and cool he is chapter 5 onward, his execution made me so sad. He’s so innocent and funny without trying.

✘ When you do his free time events he’s very arrogant and just talks about himself a lot... it seems odd and not similar to the Kiibo we see throughout the game.

Himiko Yumeno

♡ Super cute design, love her voice and “Nyeh...” and her sprites. Her character development is great as well.

✘ Why did they take so long to make her important and likable?

Tsumugi Shirogane

♡ An excellent and well hidden reveal

✘ I hate her. So annoying, from the voice to the references and her personality.